Jimnbigd

Cabin TV on RCI to me is poor, IMO. A given channel seams to loop the same shows all week, except for sports and news.

My brother-in-law was in the Navy. Everyone on the ship had to sail the entirety for several months at a time. Does that count? :confused:

Interesting. They turned the cigar lounge into the card room/library on this ship. I wonder if that is the plan for all voyager class (and maybe freedom class) ships?

Keep in mind that the Windjammer (buffet) will be open for every meal, every day. There are also great little complementary venues (by fiance is a BIG fan of Sorrentos) where you will also be able to pick up a bite to eat. I've never found a lack of food on a cruise ship!

No Sorrentos on Navigator (a voyager class ship), but Cafe Promenade on deck 5 should be open most all the time. I often prefer the desserts there better than the MDR. Oh...If you do go to the buffet, be sure to go all the way back. The front part is often Asian food; the back part contains lots of choices. I like the carved ham at breakfast. On port days for lunch, your free choices are the buffet and Cafe Promenade. The buffet won't be very crowded for lunch on sea days. Here are a couple of videos of lunch on the Voyager (similar to the Navigator):

I don't know personally, but it should be a great location -- near the back elevators/stairs and no public areas above or below you.

Elevators can be slow and full, so you might want to take the stairs to decks 11 and 5 (the two primary public area decks).

When you board, the connecting door might be closed and locked -- Just tell your stateroom attendant if you want the door opened.

I don't know if the balcony door can be opened between the cabins (or if you want to do so).

I like the eggs benedict from the MDR -- I often also get a side order of bacon and hash browns. I find the breakfast to be much better than lunch in general, both in the MDR and the buffet. Remember -- the MDR is "all you can eat". RCI MDR for breakfast often has a small buffet also -- I usually get some fruit from there. And I find the orange juice in the MDR to be much better than the buffet. I'm told it is the same, but it does not taste the same to me. Besides, the buffet ices down (and therefore waters down) the juice.

The very last morning (when we disembark), we like the MDR for breakfast -- the buffet lines can be long and very slow that final morning. Even if there is a line for the MDR, it moves fairly fast (no longer than a 15 minute wait for me). I find it nice to have one final sit-down meal before leaving the ship. We usually drive down so we are not in that big of a hurry to get off the ship.

Note that buffet at night is a nice alternative to the MDR. It is not crowded, and usually has most of the same items, plus some additional ones. We usually do the night buffet when there is something scheduled that evening that conflict with dinner time (such as the ship's big band concert).

Any pro tips I should know about the Navigator?

Beautiful ship. Don't miss the ice show (free).

Check out the helipad (deck 5 front of ship) -- get there by going outside on deck 4 and walking up some front stairs, or by going out a door on the starboard side of the front deck 5 lounge.

Cafe Promenade (deck 5) is open most all the time and has the best free coffee IMO.

There will likely be a parade and a 70's disco party (different nights) on deck 5 (the Royal Promenade).

I'd like for Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo to do one more Vacation movie, taking the children and grand children on a cruise.

What is a tutti salad? (I hope this doesn't have some inappropriate meaning and I'm going to be embarrassed I asked this question lol)

Like a Mongolian Grill for salad -- no cooking though -- You pick your ingredients and they mix and toss the salad for you. Served in the MDR for lunch (which is usually only open on sea days for lunch). You can order from the menu and also get the Tutti Salad bar if you want.

A video is worth a thousand words:

...We even had an inside cabin with four people and were perfectly comfortable all week long. Wait....I have one complaint.....I hate sharing a bathroom...

I glad you had fun. Next time try two connecting cabins (with an inside door so you can go from one cabin to the other without going into the hall). Double the space, double the bathrooms, not that much more money usually. On the RCI deck plans these are noted with a double arrow between the cabins. Book early (a year or more in advance) as these types of cabins often go quickly.

I see you are on the Radiance. It is a smaller RCI ship without much onboard stuff (no an ice rink or pool slides). There is mini-golf, but it might be windy on sea days. Check your daily newsletter ("Cruise Compass") for special activities during the day. There likely will be different trivia contests, and some really popular events such as the belly flop contest. There might even be an afternoon theater show (I've had some before). The Viking Crown lounge (the semi-circle glass area) is a great place to sit during the day -- if you can find a seat. Generally though ships don't come alive for me until nighttime.

I agree with others -- RCI, Try a voyager, freedom, or oasis class (the ones with an ice rink).

Also you might look at this forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

Tip: Get two connecting cabins (cabins with an inside door so you can go from one cabin to the other without going into the hall) -- especially when the kids are older. I think you'll appreciate having 2 bathrooms and double the space. You probably need to book these a year or more in advance, as there are not that many of them and they tend to book quickly.

Don't believe the helipad is blacked out for stargazing. Typically, everything forward of the bridge is dark when at sea to prevent loss of night vision by the bridge team.

Good point. Regardless, it's dark -- and windy.

Just be sure to use "ship's time", which is not always local port time.

Another thing we do the first day (boarding day) is make a hair appointment for my wife, usually for the afternoon of the 2nd formal night (7 day cruise). You might want one for yourself and daughter.

You are on NCL -- I don't know if there are any areas for star gazing. Some RCI ships have the front helipad that is dark on purpose for star gazing. But, in the middle of the night when the ship is moving, it is very windy there.

Question for anyone: If you book your flight through the cruise line (perhaps also using a travel agent to book it), then will the cruise line pay to board you and fly you to the first port-of-call? If so, then OP: Did you book your air through the cruise line?

Not if what you bring aboard is good quality fresh squeezed . You could keep a couple in your stateroom refrigerator.

Assuming there is a working refrigerator that is cold enough. You might have to ask the cabin attendant to remove the existing items first. Plus, your cabin might not be available until 1pm or later, and the juice will likely get warm before then.

Things can happen to delay debarkation. But, if you take your own bags off the ship (rather than putting them in the hall the last night), you will probably be off the ship by 8:30am, and maybe sooner. If you don't take off your own bags, the time varies depending on cabin location -- could be as late as 10:30am before you leave the ship (and then you still have to clear US customs). If you are talking about a car-for-hire, the drivers are usually aware of any delays should there be any. If you are having a friend pick you up, you might have him/her wait somewhere (not sure where -- maybe others can suggest), and you call when you are getting off the ship. Oh, and depending on the port (you said Bayonne, but I'm not familiar with it), it can take 30 minutes to 2 hours or more to get through customs once you leave the ship. Others can tell you of their experience here. Again, if you self carry your luggage off, you are one of the first off the ship and customs lines usually are OK then.

Times are changing. We used to dress up for church (suits for men, nice dresses for women). Now men are in shirt sleeves and women in pants. Gosh, I remember when we used to dress up on airplanes. Plus, suits and dresses take luggage/garment bag space, and with most airlines charging for luggage, I see why some cruisers would like to end formal night. We drive to our cruise (Dallas to Galveston), so luggage is not a problem. It would not bother me if RCI dropped formal night -- just don't drop the lobster on what would be formal night 2.

Your son can have the waiter or head waiter get a special order for the following night, assuming the ship has the ingredients. This is true for gluten-free also. The buffet might be a little more of a problem, but there are usually lots of staff you can ask.

My wife and I dress up for the 2 formal nights. We enjoy it. FYI...It's a good time to get pictures, but there is usually a line at the photographer stands, especially the ones nearest the MDR. On our cruises, the Quest game show was often the same night as the 2nd formal night. I always changed before going to the Quest, but some men and women still had on their formal wear. Another FYI...Usually the casino is non-smoking on formal nights.

Oil prices are up. This will also affect the cruise price. Gosh, I hope they don't reinstate the "fuel supplement fee".

Are there any connecting cabins available? You can book the kids in one cabin and yourselves (parents) in the other. Actually, I think you can book the kids in one cabin and parents in the other, even if not connecting, as long as they are adjoining or across the hall. Others might know for sure. FYI: Connecting means the cabins have an inside door so you can go from one cabin to the other without going into the hall.

Be prepared for longer wait time for elevators -- more passenger but no additional elevators. My wife uses a scooter and lately we've only booked cabins on deck 2 -- easier to get an elevator from there.