Navigator Review 3/7/2011

[Leiriope]

Short and sweet! I had a blast! I did more on this cruise than I have on other cruises. I don't know if it was the ship (there was more to do?), the ports, or because of my traveling companions.

 

The good - the food! The wait staff! The balcony! Danny from the cruise director's staff!

 

The bad - not having enough deck chairs in the sun. Not knowing for sure who your waiter was going to be in MTD, even with advance reservations. Missing the meet and mingle - I was on a mission to find my traveling companions! Not seeing the captain of the ship until the last sailing day. I've been on other cruises where he is all over the ship.

 

I saw lots of posts where people were complaining about the condition of the ship. Honestly, I saw some things that weren't up to par, but I won't mention them because they didn't affect my experience. Normal wear and tear, and some things can't possibly be taken care of unless the ship is in dry dock.

 

I must say, I was totally impressed with the wait staff for MTD. While I miss the dancing and singing from the main dining area, I felt like my experience was more intimate because we set the tone for the table, not the myriad of other people we would have been "forced" to sit with. And please, no flaming. I enjoy meeting new people but if you get seated with people you have nothing in common with except for cruising, it can make for a long meal. The first night we had Mihai (sp) as our waiter and it was a great experience. We made reservations as we left the dining room for the same time with the same waiter, but when we arrived on Tuesday night we were placed with Sean and Jean Riche. I loved Jean. Sean takes a bit of getting used to. That night at dinner my daughter wasn't feeling well and left before dessert. They inquired about her, and told me to let her know they were thinking of her and wishing her a speedy recovery. We didn't do MTD the next night due to the menu; we ate in the Windjammer. We made reservations for Thursday night and requested Sean and Jean Riche. They asked my daughter if she was feeling better and gave us a hard time (all in fun) about not being there the night before. The fact that they remembered us after only one night impressed me. On Friday, our last day, my daughter and I were sitting in the Windjammer eating lunch when Jean stopped by our table, said hi and asked if we were coming to dinner. He told us what was on the menu, and since they were having roasted turkey we told him we would be there. The other couple with us decided to dine alone (they wanted a romantic night together ;)) and immediately upon sitting down they asked us where they were. They knew what bread we wanted, what we were drinking and whether or not we would order multiples of anything. Absolutely worth it.

 

I was not happy with Falmouth. Nothing is completed and while I know they want to use that port, it's confusing. From disembarking the ship to finding our excursion (we went with Marva Shaw), in my honest opinion, they should wait until at least one of the buildings is functional. I did enjoy, however, the entertainment. They seemed to enjoy us being there, welcoming us, then giving us a great send off, but they can do that when it's up and running.

 

I was sad to see the cruise end. If anyone has questions, let me know and I will do my best to answer them. I loved Navigator and hope to sail her when I go on my Mediterranean cruise.

[Indiana52]

Sounds like a GREAT time.......I'll be climbing aboard, next Monday.. 3/21....can't wait.....Haven't been on a Cruise since December.....way too long.......Get me out of the cold Indiana weather....need some Caribbean Sun and Salty air.......ALWAYS makes you feel fantastic......

[scorpluvsdolphins]

I will be doing a B2B starting 3/26. Scuba diving....here I come!

[Bribrittmom]

We'll be on the Navigator on 3/21 also.Do you remember what movies were being shown in the cinema?Thanks.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review, glad you had a great time, like you I always hate to see a cruise end.

 

Kirk

[green eyed lady]

What did you do on your excursion with Marva Shaw? Trying to find something for us to do in June. Thanks :D

[Leiriope]

We'll be on the Navigator on 3/21 also.Do you remember what movies were being shown in the cinema?Thanks.

 

Sex and the City 2. And the movies on satellite were lame too. But then again, we're not there to watch TV are we? LOL

[Leiriope]

What did you do on your excursion with Marva Shaw? Trying to find something for us to do in June. Thanks :D

 

We did Dunn's River Falls, and then hopped over to Margaritaville. The falls were very very busy. There had to be at least 100+ people trying to climb at the same time. But it was fun. Lunch at Margaritaville was fantastic, but apparently you can't access the beach from there without paying a $3 fee. I think any excursion you do with Marva will be a good one. If I ever go to Jamaica again I'll go to Dolphin Cove and swim with the dolphins. Have fun :)

[shordiebecka@gmail.com]

Thanks for the review! Also sailing 3.21....I can't wait!!!

[carkosh]

DH & I were on the same March 7 cruise (& the 4 night prior). I agree with the OP; the Nav is in very good shape for not being in dry dock for a long time. We had no complaints there & really with anything else. We thoroughly enjoyed the "wild" cruise, "wild" because of all the college spring breakers. Most were very polite, friendly & a lot of fun to watch! We thought the casino & bar staffs did a great job handling all the ID'ing they had to do. I would bet that we probably saw the OP as we did MTD with most of the same waiters!

 

I agree with the OP about Falmouth; it really doesn't have much to offer yet EXCEPT for the people. They were so friendly & glad to see us; the send off as we were leaving was something to see as they all came out to wave us goodbye, dancing the whole time. I think they are very thankful to RCI for all they're doing for them.

 

Carol

[Leiriope]

DH & I were on the same March 7 cruise (& the 4 night prior). I agree with the OP; the Nav is in very good shape for not being in dry dock for a long time. We had no complaints there & really with anything else. We thoroughly enjoyed the "wild" cruise, "wild" because of all the college spring breakers. Most were very polite, friendly & a lot of fun to watch! We thought the casino & bar staffs did a great job handling all the ID'ing they had to do. I would bet that we probably saw the OP as we did MTD with most of the same waiters!

 

I agree about the spring breakers, and even though, as a non-traditional student (I'm pushing 50) I was on spring break too, I thought the crowd (UCF was everywhere!) was polite and lots of fun to be around. The first two nights we heard them in the hallway because our room was right by the elevator (which we never heard) but after that it was hard to tell that a large group of college students was on the cruise. I did enjoy seeing them at karaoke and the Sexiest Man Alive contest. I have no qualms about taking another spring break cruise.

[Murphs]

My wife and I were on the 3/7 sailing as well and had a great time. I agree on Falmouth, not much to do now, but the people there did a great job of trying to entertain the passengers, and you can definatly get the feel that this will be a great port when it is complete. We heard some storis about some of the college students getting out of hand, but with the exception of a small group of them coming back from Falmouth dressed as terrorists with large machetes and arab head dresses, we really did not see anything. Note that the ship security was not impressed with the kids trying to get on the ship dressed as terrorists, go figure. We did hear that they put two kids off in Labadee because they were being abusive to the crew. Did anyone hear anything about what kind of medical emergency was on the Jewel that required it to port in Labade and offload a passenger onto the helicopter that had landed on the peir? Just curious, have not heard anything about it. Hopefully everything turned out good for whoever was choppered out. Anyway, had a great cruise and look forward to many more.

 

Mike and Lori

[carkosh]

My wife and I were on the 3/7 sailing as well and had a great time. I agree on Falmouth, not much to do now, but the people there did a great job of trying to entertain the passengers, and you can definatly get the feel that this will be a great port when it is complete. We heard some storis about some of the college students getting out of hand, but with the exception of a small group of them coming back from Falmouth dressed as terrorists with large machetes and arab head dresses, we really did not see anything. Note that the ship security was not impressed with the kids trying to get on the ship dressed as terrorists, go figure. We did hear that they put two kids off in Labadee because they were being abusive to the crew. Did anyone hear anything about what kind of medical emergency was on the Jewel that required it to port in Labade and offload a passenger onto the helicopter that had landed on the peir? Just curious, have not heard anything about it. Hopefully everything turned out good for whoever was choppered out. Anyway, had a great cruise and look forward to many more.

 

Mike and Lori

 

I didn't see the students dressed as "terrorists" but I'm sure Security was not amused. We saw the patient come off Jewel onto Nav to await the helicopter. The patient & her companion were smiling & waving to all watching from Nav (we, of course, were waving back); couldn't really tell what was wrong but it didn't appear too major from their reactions; a bone injury maybe. However, we felt sorry for them as they were just beginning their cruise on Jewel.

 

We heard from our room attendant who had the suites on our side that the 2 boys thrown off at Labadee were in an Owners Suite on the other side & totally trashed the suite. After their attendant walked in the suite & saw the damage he called Security who immediately changed the locks. When the boys came back & found the lock changed they kicked in the door...Security immediately threw them off the ship...not sure how they got their clothes. Usually I discount some of the rumors but our attendant seemed to know a lot about it as his best friend on the ship was the other attendant. What a place (Haiti) to be thrown off but I guess the "powers that be" on Nav were having none of it...good for them! The only other thing we saw was in the casino the first night where several kids were thrown out of because they were drunk & cursing out the dealers.

 

Other than those few incidents, like I said in my other post, most of these kids were really nice & polite!

 

Carol

[Retiredprofessor]

We also just finished sailing on the 3/7 Navigator and had a wonderful time. It was our first time in Labadee and we did the Malfini excursion to private beach. Next time I won't do that - it was limited to 3 hours and by the time they brought us back, I wasn't in the mood to look for another beach seat. Did anyone get a cabana at Labadee? We heard about the kids getting booted at Labadee and I have to say, I didn't believe they would do that. Where would the nearest airport be? I heard Port au Prince was at least 8 hours away. I guess they deserved it if what happened in the suite is correct. Can't wait to sail again! :)

[Murphs]

I didn't see the students dressed as "terrorists" but I'm sure Security was not amused. We saw the patient come off Jewel onto Nav to await the helicopter. The patient & her companion were smiling & waving to all watching from Nav (we, of course, were waving back); couldn't really tell what was wrong but it didn't appear too major from their reactions; a bone injury maybe. However, we felt sorry for them as they were just beginning their cruise on Jewel.

 

We heard from our room attendant who had the suites on our side that the 2 boys thrown off at Labadee were in an Owners Suite on the other side & totally trashed the suite. After their attendant walked in the suite & saw the damage he called Security who immediately changed the locks. When the boys came back & found the lock changed they kicked in the door...Security immediately threw them off the ship...not sure how they got their clothes. Usually I discount some of the rumors but our attendant seemed to know a lot about it as his best friend on the ship was the other attendant. What a place (Haiti) to be thrown off but I guess the "powers that be" on Nav were having none of it...good for them! The only other thing we saw was in the casino the first night where several kids were thrown out of because they were drunk & cursing out the dealers.

 

Other than those few incidents, like I said in my other post, most of these kids were really nice & polite!

 

Carol

 

 

Glad to hear that it didnt look too serious with the medical evacuation. We watched the chopper take off, but they had already loaded them onto the helicopter by the time we got out onto the pier, so we couldnt tell if it was anything serious. Hopefully their back up and around in no time. You pretty much confirmed the story we heard with regard to the students getting put off the ship in Haitee. We heard that security went in and packed up all their stuff for them when they changed the lock on the room, and had their bags waiting for them on the pier when they escorted them off the ship. Hopefully they learned a lesson about being a little more respectfull to people and property. I have to agree though that overall, given the number of kids on the ship, they were pretty well behaved.

 

 

Mike