Navigator of the Seas was AWFUL

[bradleyd]

Wow, in the last several years I have watched what was once a wonderful cruise line deteriorate to the point of us returning our Diamond Memberships and demanding refunds of future deposits. Our trip this Thanksgiving on the Navigator of the Seas was abysmal. From the Sysco brand frozen pies on Thanksgiving, to the cryovac sealed pre-prepared "PRime Rib", to the toilet system that broke down, to the lack of skating time,to the poorly trained service staff, to the bad attitudes they exuded, to the lack of orgainization, to all the cuts in service implemented by the "Penny Pinching" CEO Mr. Goldstein. Not to mention the nickel and diming of everyone for just about everything added to the poor environment on this trip and others in recent past. I have turned my loyalty to other lines and have found that even Carnival was far superior. I admit, I was suprised. However pleasantly so.

Have other experienced the same perspective of Royal. Please share you views with me.

[twoputt.plusone]

I can't say that the entire line has been a disappointment because the Brilliance OTS remains as my favourite ship overall. We sailed the Med about this time last year on the Navigator and nobody in our group was very happy with the entire experience. The food in the main dining room was horrid with service to match. I posted a short review of our experience and was summilarily beaten up by a lot of members on this site. Some people don't want to hear that their beloved line wasn't up to snuff. But that was our experience as well. That's not to say that everything on our cruise was bad because it certainly wasn't.

 

I hope you're prepared for what is coming your way. :rolleyes:

 

2P.P1

[cruisinfanatic]

Wow, in the last several years I have watched what was once a wonderful cruise line deteriorate to the point of us returning our Diamond Memberships and demanding refunds of future deposits. Our trip this Thanksgiving on the Navigator of the Seas was abysmal. From the Sysco brand frozen pies on Thanksgiving, to the cryovac sealed pre-prepared "PRime Rib", to the toilet system that broke down, to the lack of skating time,to the poorly trained service staff, to the bad attitudes they exuded, to the lack of orgainization, to all the cuts in service implemented by the "Penny Pinching" CEO Mr. Goldstein. Not to mention the nickel and diming of everyone for just about everything added to the poor environment on this trip and others in recent past. I have turned my loyalty to other lines and have found that even Carnival was far superior. I admit, I was suprised. However pleasantly so.

Have other experienced the same perspective of Royal. Please share you views with me.

But besides that, did you have a good time?

 

Hate to burst your bubble, but all fresh meat aside from burgers is shipped cryovac sealed

[Sue L]

this is the second review in as many weeks that said there were issues on the Navigator. It seems to be a Navigator issue rather then an RCCL overall though in my opinion.

 

 

I was just on the Brilliance (october 13th) and the food was very good to excellent and nothing tasted preprepared. I had the prime rib two different nights because it was so excellent. All the food was delicious with only a few exceptions and those were more personal preference issue. The service was excellent in the dining room and the staff in general and we had a very challenging cruise.

 

I never once felt nickel and dimed. I didn't really notice the cutbacks either. I never ate the chocolates, the coupon book was eh! But I found a few to use and it was no big deal not getting a gift. I felt bad that the assistant waiter had to run and get my drink since he had a very large demanding table next to ours, so I stopped at the Schooner Bar on the way and grabbed one to bring in with me. None of these things affected my overall feelings of the cruise or cruise line.

 

I hope you enjoy what ever cruise line you end up with.

[Sue L]

Dear Twoputt,

The people who beat up the bad responses are the Royal people hired to do just that. You might have heard about it in the news. They got caught offering cruise benefits to people who posted favorable reviews debunking the poor ones. The way I see it is that if people don't believe what we right, then let them go experience what I just did this weekend. They can save a lot of money doing on line research or pay for it in person!!

Good Day.

 

don't believe everything you read

[bradleyd]

don't believe everything you read

 

No but you can believe everything you see. And I saw it all.

[nrdsb4]

Dear Twoputt,

The people who beat up the bad responses are the Royal people hired to do just that. You might have heard about it in the news. They got caught offering cruise benefits to people who posted favorable reviews debunking the poor ones. The way I see it is that if people don't believe what we right, then let them go experience what I just did this weekend. They can save a lot of money doing on line research or pay for it in person!!

Good Day.

 

More likely is that there are members here who are just very loyal to their cruise line and defend them vigorously with no inducements needed. You will find them on every board on cruise critic, not just here on Royal Caribbean.

[twoputt.plusone]

More likely is that there are members here who are just very loyal to their cruise line and defend them vigorously with no inducements needed. You will find them on every board on cruise critic, not just here on Royal Caribbean.

 

That was and is my take on it as well. I don't believe there is any conspiracy.

 

2P.P1

[steponboard]

I sailed on Rhapsody and Mariner this year and noticed the decline in the product. The loyalty program is a joke and I'm a D+. My next three cruises are with Princess.

The "royal champions" were real and well documented so you can believe what you read, just goggle the term.

I don't plan to leave RCL entirely, if they have a itinerary and price I like I will still travel with them but I have lowered my expectations.

[miamiyogi]

Wow, in the last several years I have watched what was once a wonderful cruise line deteriorate to the point of us returning our Diamond Memberships and demanding refunds of future deposits.

 

First off, do you think Mr. Goldstein is losing sleep because you turned in your memberships?? I think that was a foolish thing to do.

 

Also, I am leery when I read posts such as yours...I can understand you are upset, but perhaps everyone would be better served by a full and detailed review of your cruise. Did you bring up your issues to someone? Or did you just bottle all up thinking 'wait till I get back to Cruise Critic I am gonna bash these guys'.

 

Before you flame me...I am not loyal to royal (yet??) I'm not even in C&A as I have not cruised in forever and a day (think back to cruise ships like Dolphin). Just I think there is a better way to get your opinion off. I am certain 90% of people on here just dismiss blatantly negative posts...SOMETHING had to be okay (weather...the sheets were clean...the ship didn't sink or hit a whale, SOMETHING !?!?!?)

[bradleyd]

I sailed on Rhapsody and Mariner this year and noticed the decline in the product. The loyalty program is a joke and I'm a D+. My next three cruises are with Princess.

The "royal champions" were real and well documented so you can believe what you read, just goggle the term.

I don't plan to leave RCL entirely, if they have a itinerary and price I like I will still travel with them but I have lowered my expectations.

 

Don't be afraid to try Carnival. We did and were pleasantly surprised. We sailed on Carnival Valor in June and have been with them since. We took Navigator just to give Royal another chance. Today I am canceling my other bookings with Royal after my experience this weekend.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[bradleyd]

First off, do you think Mr. Goldstein is losing sleep because you turned in your memberships?? I think that was a foolish thing to do.

 

Also, I am leery when I read posts such as yours...I can understand you are upset, but perhaps everyone would be better served by a full and detailed review of your cruise. Did you bring up your issues to someone? Or did you just bottle all up thinking 'wait till I get back to Cruise Critic I am gonna bash these guys'.

 

Before you flame me...I am not loyal to royal (yet??) I'm not even in C&A as I have not cruised in forever and a day (think back to cruise ships like Dolphin). Just I think there is a better way to get your opinion off. I am certain 90% of people on here just dismiss blatantly negative posts...SOMETHING had to be okay (weather...the sheets were clean...the ship didn't sink or hit a whale, SOMETHING !?!?!?)

 

No, no need to "flame you" as you put it. Obviously you have a vested interest in replying to my post or you wouldn't have been so emphatic. I don't think Mr. Goldstein will or should lose one minute of sleep over my post. Perhaps the complaining I listened to this morning my many passengers who said they would never sail Royal again might. I am providing a service to people. In addition I write this so that Royal may be informed of their shortcomings. They were once a terrific line and they have severely declined. The weather? The weather was great!!

[twoputt.plusone]

First off, do you think Mr. Goldstein is losing sleep because you turned in your memberships?? I think that was a foolish thing to do.

 

Also, I am leery when I read posts such as yours...I can understand you are upset, but perhaps everyone would be better served by a full and detailed review of your cruise. Did you bring up your issues to someone? Or did you just bottle all up thinking 'wait till I get back to Cruise Critic I am gonna bash these guys'.

 

Before you flame me...I am not loyal to royal (yet??) I'm not even in C&A as I have not cruised in forever and a day (think back to cruise ships like Dolphin). Just I think there is a better way to get your opinion off. I am certain 90% of people on here just dismiss blatantly negative posts...SOMETHING had to be okay (weather...the sheets were clean...the ship didn't sink or hit a whale, SOMETHING !?!?!?)

 

Like you said yourself, you haven't sailed in a long time let alone a recent RCI cruise. I can back up what the OP has posted. Parts of our cruise were just plain nasty. Does that mean it was all bad? Of course not. For you to suggest that the OP was being completely negative is very unfair. :rolleyes:

 

2P.P1

[Seagrimms]

We sailed the Nov 21st cruise and I started a thread on how many bad things happened to us and it seems that not very many things were corrected and that you experienced the same disappointing cruise that the 10 of us did!

 

This was the only vacation that our 2 daughters and families had for the year and we are pretty upset and you are RIGHT ON about your complaints..

 

There is another thread "our review of the Navigator" that addressed the plumbing problems and more issues that you discussed.

 

Yes, we are looking at Carnival next year, which is too bad since we all use to enjoy RCCL. It was our 4th and one of our daughters is a Platinum member.

[bradleyd]

We sailed the Nov 21st cruise and I started a thread on how many bad things happened to us and it seems that not very many things were corrected and that you experienced the same disappointing cruise that the 10 of us did!

 

This was the only vacation that our 2 daughters and families had for the year and we are pretty upset and you are RIGHT ON about your complaints..

 

There is another thread "our review of the Navigator" that addressed the plumbing problems and more issues that you discussed.

 

Yes, we are looking at Carnival next year, which is too bad since we all use to enjoy RCCL. It was our 4th and one of our daughters is a Platinum member.

Thank you for your support. Some people here are in denial or work for the cruise line. Remember, Royal was the one busted in the media for planting posters on this sight.

[Lynnees]

this is the second review in as many weeks that said there were issues on the Navigator. It seems to be a Navigator issue rather then an RCCL overall though in my opinion.

 

 

I was just on the Brilliance (october 13th) and the food was very good to excellent and nothing tasted preprepared. I had the prime rib two different nights because it was so excellent. All the food was delicious with only a few exceptions and those were more personal preference issue. The service was excellent in the dining room and the staff in general and we had a very challenging cruise.

 

I never once felt nickel and dimed. I didn't really notice the cutbacks either. I never ate the chocolates, the coupon book was eh! But I found a few to use and it was no big deal not getting a gift. I felt bad that the assistant waiter had to run and get my drink since he had a very large demanding table next to ours, so I stopped at the Schooner Bar on the way and grabbed one to bring in with me. None of these things affected my overall feelings of the cruise or cruise line.

 

I hope you enjoy what ever cruise line you end up with.

 

As a Travel Agent Sue L, you should perhaps be a bit more careful in your defence on RCI. You do seem inclined to defend RCI at the expense of those who have negative things to say. Not really a good idea for a Travel Agent.

[The Big Booper]

We were on the Navigator TA from Spain to Miami in Nov 2009. While we had issues with several things about the ship we feel it was nowhere as bad as the OP claims and we had 12 nights. There are things that could be improved and we have detailed them on our mid-cruise and end of cruise comment cards, and a separate letter sent to Corporate in Miami.

 

We had no problems with the customer service department and felt they responded promptly to our mid-cruise assessment form submitted on the 6th or 7th day.

 

MDR food was usually OK and we could always find something on the menu. And the Windjammer hot trays were usually hot, something that the Explorer, our next trip, has trouble doing.

[Hawk7]

I will be sailing on the NOS on Dec. 5th this Saturday. One of the two ports is Labadee and I understand the new dock will be open and no tendering. Can anyone confirm this and does anyone know who the concierge will be in the CL? Thanks.

[bradleyd]

We sailed the Nov 21st cruise and I started a thread on how many bad things happened to us and it seems that not very many things were corrected and that you experienced the same disappointing cruise that the 10 of us did!

 

This was the only vacation that our 2 daughters and families had for the year and we are pretty upset and you are RIGHT ON about your complaints..

 

There is another thread "our review of the Navigator" that addressed the plumbing problems and more issues that you discussed.

 

Yes, we are looking at Carnival next year, which is too bad since we all use to enjoy RCCL. It was our 4th and one of our daughters is a Platinum member.

Wow! You had plumbing problems too? They told us an apple had been flushed down the toilet in port. They are not only bad ship operators they are liars as well. No surprise. I am sorry about your vacation. I feel for you.

[bradleyd]

We were on the Navigator TA from Spain to Miami in Nov 2009. While we had issues with several things about the ship we feel it was nowhere as bad as the OP claims and we had 12 nights. There are things that could be improved and we have detailed them on our mid-cruise and end of cruise comment cards, and a separate letter sent to Corporate in Miami.

 

We had no problems with the customer service department and felt they responded promptly to our mid-cruise assessment form submitted on the 6th or 7th day.

 

MDR food was usually OK and we could always find something on the menu. And the Windjammer hot trays were usually hot, something that the Explorer, our next trip, has trouble doing.

I am glad you didn't have as many problems as we did. Perhaps you should read the other posts though. Most confirm my experience.

[The Big Booper]

I am glad you didn't have as many problems as we did. Perhaps you should read the other posts though. Most confirm my experience.

 

It took me a few minutes to type my post and the other posts popped in ahead of mine.

 

I agree, the D and D+ program ain't what it used to be. Our letter to corporate spells that out, but that is fleetwide. The Nav appears to have problems unique to itself, compared to our Indy TA last year and our Explorer holiday cruise also last year.

 

If the same problems pop up on the Explorer holiday cruise next month............

[nrdsb4]

Don't be afraid to try Carnival. We did and were pleasantly surprised. We sailed on Carnival Valor in June and have been with them since. We took Navigator just to give Royal another chance. Today I am canceling my other bookings with Royal after my experience this weekend.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

Must be fair and say that if you do not enjoy your Carnival experience and say so on the Carnival board, you will be eaten alive. As I said, the cheerleaders are everywhere on this board and Carnival has some of the most "loyal." Your AC could go out, raw sewage could flood your room, you could find a hairy spider in your food, and the Carnival cheerleaders will find a way to insist it was your fault.

[bradleyd]

As a Travel Agent Sue L, you should perhaps be a bit more careful in your defence on RCI. You do seem inclined to defend RCI at the expense of those who have negative things to say. Not really a good idea for a Travel Agent.

 

Very well put!

[DLKC]

I'm saddened by the negative reports about NOS... I've been reading some and it's hard to know how much to let it affect our upcoming cruise on her! We did get an awesome deal and I can't help but believe that any winter day on a cruise in the caribbean is better than a winter day in the midwest. We've only gone on Royal but we've talked about trying other lines.

[cruisinfanatic]

No but you can believe everything you see. And I saw it all.

you were in the kitchen?