Navigator of the Seas was AWFUL

[delboy1145]

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.

If that aint slagging a cruise line I don't know what is

[Sue L]

That is interesting to me as I am a new member here and have been mostly reading. You are a frequent poster and from what I have read here by you I was under the impression you were a long time travel agent as it seems you have so many people who defend you again and again for supporting RCL so much all the time as being so knowledgeable in the field. Now you say you have been a travel agent for only a year and a half. That puts a new spin on the way I will interpret your posts. Thanks for the information. One must take in to account posters that make their living in the travel business when they seem to push one cruise line so heavily.

 

Star

 

 

Not sure how to take your post, are you less likely or more likely to use my opinion with this new knowledge? And while I have only been an official agent for a year and half, I have been in the travel industry since 1984 when I was a computer programmer for Pan Am and traveled the world .

[FLACRUISER99]

That is interesting to me as I am a new member here and have been mostly reading. You are a frequent poster and from what I have read here by you I was under the impression you were a long time travel agent as it seems you have so many people who defend you again and again for supporting RCL so much all the time as being so knowledgeable in the field. Now you say you have been a travel agent for only a year and a half. That puts a new spin on the way I will interpret your posts. Thanks for the information. One must take in to account posters that make their living in the travel business when they seem to push one cruise line so heavily.

 

Star

Maybe she likes to cruise on RCI and thats why she defends them.

[East Bay Skiers]

 

P.S. to Sue - I've always valued your opinions and insights as well and have always considered them to be your personal, not professional, ones.

 

I have not been on CC as long as most of you have and I agree 100%

[barbie5401]

This is a forum, where everyone should feel comfortable to view thier own opinion and not be attacked. Whether it is Sue's opinion about RCCL or mine - remember it should never be personal - just an opinion.

 

What happened to the fun threads we used to have?

[jonyyuma]

Sue-L , Thanks for your input, and what has happened to the FUN-related items? Everyone expects to be treated to the best of whats available. Cruising is for relaxing and escaping the Rat-race, not all of us are retired-YET.I try my Best to enjoy myself and overlook the small stuff. But, Sewage smell or mildew is not one of them.Just my 2 cents, Flame away. JY.

[Desert Cruizers]

barbie5401, I agree with you regarding being able to state your opinion without being attacked. All of us who cruise, have differant preferances on what we enjoy, Cruise Lines, Cabins we like, times to eat and with whom we book. This is the enjoyment of Cruises, there is a something for everyone.

[Tranquil Waters]

What happened to the fun threads we used to have?

 

I don't think you're allowed to ask that question....... ;):D

[barbie5401]

Who has won playing the "RED HOT PULLS"? or should I say how big is your collection of key chains?:D

[flcruzer03]

Who has won playing the "RED HOT PULLS"? or should I say how big is your collection of key chains?:D

 

 

Hey I actually won a T-shirt my last cruise!!:D Well..only cause the lady felt sorry for me & let me use my 2 tickets for the shirt instead of 2 key chains...so far 1 shirt..1 key chain...

[Cruising89143]

Eric Standal

 

Don't know him. Captain Bang used to be on board but he may have retired. He knew how to run a ship and it showed.

[aurelius180]

Don't know him. Captain Bang used to be on board but he may have retired. He knew how to run a ship and it showed.

 

 

And his name sounded like a pornstar. ;):p

[aurelius180]

I am so sick of seeing that dead carcas around I could scream...when will it be buried! There was never an agenda by anyone associated with that group...but you could repeat this until you're are blue in the face...the real agenda people who push the issue and continue to beat the dead horse simply refuse to believe the truth! We're all just cruisers who love to cruise and those who post often love to voice their opinions and feel they just may be of help to others, as Sue does...that's it, bottom line, finis! Does it really matter if someone prefers one line over another?:cool:

 

 

And why are people so shocked to read about people who prefer RCI on the Royal Caribbean International message board??? Or Carnival, Princess, etc. on their respective boards? You will never, or hardly ever, receive a completely unbiased opinion on anything anywhere, but particularly on their board. Why is this a surprise to people and why do some get so much enjoyment out of causing problems from it? :confused:

[BrianTom]

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.

 

I was on Navigator LAST year and they told me an apple was flushed down the toilet too. Maybe something else was flushed down and the "apple" is the "tasteful" way of explaining what was in there.

[mustangjoe]

I haven't read all of the posts simply because it is the usual CC stuff going back forth. Those pro & those con.

 

We sailed this cruise & the following, which was the Thanksgiving cruise. We had a JS on deck 9. Our cabin steward, Miquel, took very good care of us. Our TA had sent us 2 bottles of wine and he made sure they were constantly iced and fresh glasses available for us.

 

MDR-We are simple people. We enjoy a good meal and we got what we expected. The service was fantastic and the food was above average. Most items we ordered in the MDR are not items we would order in the restaurant at home.

 

Windjammer is a buffet. What do you expect?

 

Pubs/Bars- Overall a B, expect for Two Poets, where Aladdin always had our drinks waiting for us.

 

Entertainment-B+-We didn;t go to the first production show, because it was the same as the one on the Voyager last April. Keiran Buffery was a blast. He was all over the ship day & night. I really wonder how much sleep the CD's get?

 

We had a problem with our excursion in Ochos Rios, but we were given full credit by the Explorations desk.

 

My major complaint after being on the Navigator for 9 nights, the slots were toooo tight. We didn't win a damn cent.

 

Otherwise we had two great cruise and will be on the Voyager in April.

 

Happy sailing to all, no matter what line you choose.

 

Joe & Sally

[mustangjoe]

as an addendum, the children on the 11\21 cruise were much better than those on the 11\26 cruise. But, RC can;t always control the children, that is the parent's job. But, again, I didn't let ruin our cruise.

 

Joe

[NCMtnBoys]

Interesting. I'm sympathetic to those that found fault with the Navigator, as I too observed last week. But in my brief notes on my cruise, I noted that the Diamond Breakfast was superb, as was the service there.

 

We were on the Nov 26th sailing and I must say, the diamond breakfast was pathetic. It was our very first diamond breakfast since becoming diamond, and our very last. The service was excruciatingly slow. Our waiter did not return to the table to re-fill coffee cups unless we asked. I ordered wheat toast with my omelette and when the waiter brought the omelette, more than 30 minutes after ordering, he said he didn't have the wheat toast, and it would take another 20 minutes to prepare. I literally told him to "forget it", as I would have the omelette finished by the time he returned with the toast. He instead offered a piece of white toast, which I took, but it was cold and hard as a rock.

 

I'll echo Barbie's comment about the lack of tables for two at the diamond breakfast, as that was the first thing I noticed when we entered. Some people don't like to sit with others to eat, but we did there because that was all they had. But that, combined with the abysmal service, will mean we'll be skipping the diamond breakfast in the future.

 

As for the rest of the cruise, it was fair. There were A LOT of kids, which I expected after reading these boards. Most were well-behaved, some were out of hand. For the most part, though, it was tolerable. Couldn't believe it after the first night when our "do not disturb" tag had been hijacked from out of our door slot. Room attendant replaced it. Happened again the 2nd night...and the 3rd...

 

Food was alright. We didn't eat in the MDR at all. Mostly Windjammer, once at the Cafe Promenade, once at Johnny Rockets.

 

No plumbing problems in our cabin. Our steward was attentive and kept everything tidy.

 

The nightly diamond event was in the Viking Crown Lounge and they offered wine, champagne and fountain drinks for free. No snacks or anything. We went once. I do appreciate the gesture.

 

The best part of the cruise was that I won in the casino! :D I didn't go to the casino the first night, but over the course of the next three days I received four hand-pays in the casino from slot machine wins totaling almost $2,500. I couldn't believe how much I was winning compared to Enchantment in September. The Enchantment slots were a dud, the Navigator's were incredible. The largest jackpot I won was $1,440 which I nearly didn't realize I had hit because the machine didn't register it as a $1,440 win, but rather just paid me 15 credits (I had hit a double-bar, 12x symbol, 12x symbol, which was 40 x 144 quarters). I swiftly got a casino attendant and pointed out what the win should have been, he got a big boss who agreed, and said they'd take care of it. They paid me the $1,440 and shut the machine down to see why it wasn't programmed correctly. And it wasn't programmed correctly, because in addition to not recognizing the win, the machine said "play 2 coins" but every time I'd push the button it would deduct 3 coins, plus it said one cherry paid 4 credits, but it never paid 4 credits for one cherry. But I kept playing it anyway and was only on it a couple minutes when it paid the $1,440. I kept expecting them to take the easy way out by pointing to the little phrase on all machines "malfunction voids all plays and pays", but they didn't. They paid...I would have been pi$$ed if they hadn't!

 

I thought the ice show was fantastic. The production shows not so much. Didn't go to quest (not my thing), nor any of the others.

 

Had a problem with our seapass accounts on disembarkation day. Apparently at check in, the system didn't read our credit card numbers so didn't attach them to our seapass accounts. Why could they not have told us BEFORE disembarkation, BEFORE we were at the gangway trying to get off and hear that loud BUZZZZZZ...you know, the one when you insert your seapass card into the machine wrong? Gangway attendant said we'd have to go back to guest relations to settle the charges. They couldn't have let us know BEFORE then??

 

Went to the Schooner Bar a couple times, went to karaoke. Also thought it was strange that they had the repeaters party at the SAME TIME as the production show one night. We went to the repeaters party. Hors d'ourves and wine/champagne were served.

 

Not enough mudslide cookies at Cafe Promenade. Despite looking several times, and asking once, I never got one. :D

 

Overall a good cruise. Despite being Diamond, I am seriously considering trying another line just for the variety. But, next up is Vision next September and Serenade for October. After that, maybe another line, maybe not!

[klingoncruiser]

Sadly, all the cruise lines are cutting back in all directions. Some ships are not as well run as others. The hotel manager is really the true "captain" of the ship when it comes to passengers. I am a D+ as well but still find that RCL is my favorite line, although Celebrity is making a real run at replacing RCL.

 

I take all these "I am done with (insert cruise line)" post with a big dose of salt. I do not for a moment doubt that your cruise was NOT very good for you. I have had equally rotten cruises on 3 different lines and yet I still use all 3. It is a sad fact that due to mass marketing of cruise's they are all falling apart as the bean counters squeeze every penny they can from these ships.

 

The first cruise I took 18 years ago was on Princess and it is not even remotely like any cruise line today except Celebrity. Even that is just close.

[CruiseLover15]

I guess I am just lucky......... 6 times cruising and all 6 with RC. Never had a bad cruise and as a matter of fact every last one was wonderful. However, when I do have a bad one I will consider looking at other lines.

[NordicPrince]

Hello people, when you get on NOS you know you're getting on a 138,000 ton ship that holds 3100 people. No matter how hard they try you are not going to get white glove treatment "like the old days" especially for the price that you're paying.

 

It was a lot easier when cruise ships were smaller with less people on board to accomodate the whims and fancies of all the guests.

When Song of America was the largest RCCL ship it was a gigantic

39,000 tons and held about 1200 people. The cabins were tight to fit that many aboard! It was also a lot more expensive compared to today's

rates comparatively. But think of the many functions that were easier for

the crew just because there were less people.

 

So if you really want better treatment RCI has 2 brand options for you.

You can go similar size upscale with Celebrity (a little more costly)

or a lot smaller upscale with Azamura (much more costly).

 

In the meanwhile you have to look before you leap into the mega-ships.

I don't even want to imagine the logistics on Oasis!

[John Henry on CC]

We were on the Nov 26th sailing and I must say, the diamond breakfast was pathetic. It was our very first diamond breakfast since becoming diamond, and our very last. The service was excruciatingly slow. Our waiter did not return to the table to re-fill coffee cups unless we asked. I ordered wheat toast with my omelette and when the waiter brought the omelette, more than 30 minutes after ordering, he said he didn't have the wheat toast, and it would take another 20 minutes to prepare. I literally told him to "forget it", as I would have the omelette finished by the time he returned with the toast. He instead offered a piece of white toast, which I took, but it was cold and hard as a rock.

 

I'll echo Barbie's comment about the lack of tables for two at the diamond breakfast, as that was the first thing I noticed when we entered. Some people don't like to sit with others to eat, but we did there because that was all they had. But that, combined with the abysmal service, will mean we'll be skipping the diamond breakfast in the future.

 

Interesting. Before September 1, there was no service for breakfast for Diamonds at all. You could go to the Concierge Lounge, where there were a couple of plates of (rather pathetic) cold things. There were a couple of baskets of bread items and a do-it-yourself toaster.

 

If you don't like the "Diamond Breakfast", go to the Windjammer or the MDR with the "unwashed masses".

 

Really..........the things that people find to complain about!

[RetireeWannabee]

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.

that would be my take on it.

[RetireeWannabee]

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.

 

Your experience will be your experience, and I agree - it will be a fabulous time away from winter!!! Go with moderate expectations and hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised.

[RetireeWannabee]

This site used to have the reputation that if you said anything bad about a cruise line you'd be slammed. Now it seems like if you dare say anything nice, your motives are immediately questioned.

At least we've narrowed it down to two types of responses: slam or interrogate!

[big al]

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.

 

We have sailed Carnival 6 times,most recently a 5 night Destiny cruise...we also are Diamond on RCI and have done the NOS twice,including a 5 nighter in May in Europe.BOTH times the NOS was terrific,and FAR superior to Carnival..I admit people should try Carnival and they are better than most think,but in no way are any of their ships better,nicer than the NOS....certainly visually the RCI are hands down much nicer than Carnival,and Carnival has nothing like the Royal Promenade,the ice-skating shows,not EVEN a pub to have a pint in....AND I hate Carnival's pool decks..they are terrible-no adult pool areas (except now the new Dream),pools itself way too small,and HORRIBLE MUSIC (basically for 12 yr.olds) at the pool....prices are better,ports of call more interesting,but if you thought the NOS was awful,you should have an MRI....