Poor Navigator Member Reviews for February.

[Ladysilver]

I usually don't put a lot of stock in other people's reviews of ships but why are there so many poor reviews of the Navigator on the "Member Reviews" section of Cruise Critic for the month of February? It's not just the seasonal "fog issues." There are complaints of the food, lack of service in the MDR and poolside waiters. There are several mentions of the ship being understaffed, especailly in the MDR. I LOVE the Navigator and really look forward to going again in May and December. I'm not worried but a little concerned about what's going on. Any opinions? :confused:

[Ghengis Klown]

Going in April, now I'm worried too

[Shekim]

I'm hoping it's because of the retro fit and new staff? We go the end of this month. I'm not usually too picky but I sure hope they get the kinks worked out.

[Brit-Cruiser]

We were on the T/A in November, which was a few sailings before the refit. Enjoyment is obviously subjective, but I can honestly say that it was the first time we have ever counted the days until we could get off a ship.

[Dave4120]

We have been on the Navigator recently and will be on the Explorer at the end of this month. I've learned a long time ago, that you cannot put too much stock into anyone's review, including any review that I have posted. Why? Because what you expect could be totally different than what my wife and I expect, and, how we all differ in our opinions about everything on the ship.

 

I look at this way, and, it's just my opinion. But, for an average of $50 to $100 per person per day on a 7-day cruise, depending upon cabin class, I think it's the steal of any vacation. Just a hotel alone at some resort, plus food and entertainment will run at least $200 per person, per day, and, you can't tell me everything is perfect at a resort, or, the room is any better, or the help is any more pleasant or miserable.

 

I look at MDR for dinner as a big bowling banquet. Is it gourmet? Hardly. Is it McDonald"s? Heck no. Am I waited on better than at a resort or even at home? Maybe, maybe not. Could the service on the ship at times be better? Sure. Is it the end of the world? I don't think so.

 

I would just enjoy your cruise, then, you be the judge, because only you, can determine if the Navigator has issues with all of concerns listed in the above posts. any concerns, or, non concerns will obviously be based on your expectations and personality.

 

Everything described above has never happened to us, nor, did we see any of the things mentioned, at least as of 6-weeks ago. So, I could write a post all happy and positive about the Navigator, then, you would see the perfect post. However, you would see the concerned and disappointed post above that would confuse you more. I think the bottom line is that my nice post is no more accurate than the disappointed post.

 

You will make that determination after your cruise.

 

Enjoy

[SJS]

I have been telling my sister how great RCI is and how we are going to have an amazing time in May. I sure hope most of the negative comments are due to fog/delay issues that put the cruisers in a bad mood to start with? Hoping March reviews are better!

[oneplustwotx]

We were on a February fog sailing and we had a fabulous vacation. In fact, we will be booking on the Navigator again soon. I think that so much of one's cruise experience is subjective, and a lot has to do with expectations and prior experience. With each new cruise, I have adjusted my expectations up or down and sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised (and sometimes I'm disappointed but that's okay).

 

We found the Navigator to be a beautiful ship, just the right size for us with plenty to keep us entertained and relaxed. We sailed with our children who absolutely loved Adventure Ocean - this was the best kids' staff we've experienced. They knew my kids' names and engaged them in fun activities, freeing us to really enjoy our couple time. Our stateroom attendant was excellent (and even entertaining at times). The room itself was great - we appreciated the new carpet, upholstery, and window coverings. We spent many hours at the FlowRider and enjoying the outdoor activities. Entertainment was good (although I think Allure/Oasis entertainment will always be tops for us and we had already adjusted our expectations knowing that). The Texas Tenors and Chad Chesmark were definitely highlights and the CD Mitch did a good job.

 

The food is what I've come to expect on all of the mass-market lines I've been on recently (whether Royal, Disney, or Carnival). There are some average dishes, some really yummy dishes, and some specific items to look forward to each day. I thought the food was fresh and plentiful. We travel with a child with food allergies and my expectations were met for Royal's diligence in handling those needs.

 

However, I will say that I was disappointed in our MDR staff because of 2 other times on Royal that we've had truly stellar experiences - once recently on the Allure and once on the Sovereign way back in the good ole' days ;). I've since come to realize that those experiences may have been exceptions to the rule. Our Head Waiter was fine in that he was the one handling my son's food allergy needs and did a good job with it. The assistant waiter was friendly but inconsistent. Our waiter was rushed, not a big conversationalist, and I don't feel like he really gave "wow" service until our very last night. Everything he recommended was good, so I appreciated that. Overall, I wasn't all that impressed but another person at our table said that he thought they all did a very good job. I really think so much of it depends on what you're wanting or expecting out of the staff. I know that some others had really great MDR service on the Navigator, so I know it exists.

 

Since you've read some bad reviews, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised with your own experience. The Navigator is a great ship, we had a really great vacation, and we were all quite sad to leave on disembarkation day.

Edited March 13, 2014 by oneplustwotx

[sc71]

We have been on the Navigator recently and will be on the Explorer at the end of this month. I've learned a long time ago, that you cannot put too much stock into anyone's review, including any review that I have posted. Why? Because what you expect could be totally different than what my wife and I expect, and, how we all differ in our opinions about everything on the ship.

 

I look at this way, and, it's just my opinion. But, for an average of $50 to $100 per person per day on a 7-day cruise, depending upon cabin class, I think it's the steal of any vacation. Just a hotel alone at some resort, plus food and entertainment will run at least $200 per person, per day, and, you can't tell me everything is perfect at a resort, or, the room is any better, or the help is any more pleasant or miserable.

 

I look at MDR for dinner as a big bowling banquet. Is it gourmet? Hardly. Is it McDonald"s? Heck no. Am I waited on better than at a resort or even at home? Maybe, maybe not. Could the service on the ship at times be better? Sure. Is it the end of the world? I don't think so.

 

I would just enjoy your cruise, then, you be the judge, because only you, can determine if the Navigator has issues with all of concerns listed in the above posts. any concerns, or, non concerns will obviously be based on your expectations and personality.

 

Everything described above has never happened to us, nor, did we see any of the things mentioned, at least as of 6-weeks ago. So, I could write a post all happy and positive about the Navigator, then, you would see the perfect post. However, you would see the concerned and disappointed post above that would confuse you more. I think the bottom line is that my nice post is no more accurate than the disappointed post.

 

You will make that determination after your cruise.

 

Enjoy

 

I don't normally comment on someone's view of their cruise, as I read many/all and know they are subjective. However, although I post very little, I was so amazed and pleased at Dave's outline, I just had to say something! Dave4120, your view is very astute, precise and insightful! I think this will be our new life rule for planning and enjoying family vacations! :)

[Dave4120]

Thanks sc71...By no means am I a know-it-all, and, I will not write a book report here, but with so many people in high gear now-a days, and many with no patience at all, who get annoyed at every little thing, I learned from my wife, to take a step back, because she always tells me, everything in life, and every situation is determined by me. It's what I think, and make of something.

 

Anyway, the only example I will give is this past fall. On the Explorer, by all standards, we probably had poor service in the MDR compared to other cruises, but, maybe, the other 2500 or so people had excellent service. So, how could I, or anyone else write a review and generalize by saying the service in the dining room was terrible, and, that ends up being a statement for the entire dining room staff and guests on someone's post.

 

It's not true and doesn't reflect the entire MDR experience. I have more bad experiences at home when going to restaurants, coffee shops, home improvement stores, hotels, etc. and pay a lot more too, than any little tidbit of an issue on the ship.

 

For the price we pay, and what comes with it, I'll just hang out on that promenade deck and enjoy the water and breeze any day. I don't care if everything was self serve.

 

Thank-you again for the kind words.

 

Dave

[Cruiserbarbie]

Just off the Navigator on Sunday (March 9). I answered another post re hints and suggestions but will address the comments regarding this post.

 

Overall we loved it. Balcony room, midship, deck 9. We had a table for 2 in the MDR.

 

We thought the refit was beautiful, nice, stylish and since they added cabins I was concerned there was going to be enough room at the pool. Pool areas were never crowded and Deck Crew came around and removed towels that had been there awhile. Solarium was for adults only and that was very nice. Seemed to be enough space in the public areas for lots of people. The library was the largest I've seen and it was not enclosed (so available 24/7) and on the honor system. Internet stations seemed to be around the ship rather than in one place.

 

Food: we ate breakfast in the Windjammer and it appeared to me that there was a lot of staff, cleaning tables and especially asking pax if they could get them either additional beverages or anything else. It also appeared that they had two areas on the sides that provided the same foods while the area across the back had the one omlett station. I had one every day and never had long to wait and it was delicious. Only compliant I would have is so much fat free milk, especially chocolate. They had 2% but ran out on the next to last day.

 

MDR: we usually avoid the main dining room preferring to have the buffet. Here we ate in the MDR every night except for the last night when we hit Johnny Rockets. We though the service was excellent, extremely attentive, the food temp appropriate, the choice extensive and loved their rolls. I'm not a drinker (drink 2x a yr when we cruise) and had a pina colada. I get the drink for the pineapple and especially the cherry. Told this to the barwaiter and next thing I knew had 6 cherries in my drink. Our waitstaff Rey and Ursula were very, very good.

 

Cabin: spacious and lots of cabinet space (we only bring one carryon each). Bathrooms not gigantic and I do wonder about how some folks manage. Pillows were nice and substantial and all the linens were fresh and white and seemed to be new. I am very ecologically minded and monitor my water, turn off my lights etc, but for 7 days really splurge and like the change of towels.

 

Staff: noticed the Capt around the ship and he was always personable and interacting with the pax even though I'm not sure they initially knew who he was. I don't know how to differentiate some of the white shirted "officers" but dining room officers and Head Waiters in MDR always appeared to pitch in and help as needed.

 

Embarcation: a breeze. Within 1 hr, we were in the Lounge, cleared customs, shuttled to our car and was on our way. (Got to Lounge at 710 and because of the time change I was changing the clock in the car at 810).

 

Fog: recommend an email alert as a notification for RCCL to contact you. We got an advance email that there might be a fog problem. Others requested a call and the automated system called some pax in the middle of the night. Got another email saying no problem, proceed to port.

 

Kids and Young Adults: saw kids but never a problem. Maybe less than 20. Young adults--where were they? Apparently up on the sports deck, so never saw too many of them either. They seemed to have found each other.

 

I retired in 2009 and we had a 5 year travel plan and with some adjustments have been extremely happy with our travels and bucket list accomplishments. So usually book our cruises 12-18 months out and get great deals which I must admit adds to our enjoyment.

 

My opinion: in Cozumel there were 5 ships in port. The NCL ships docked in town, the Freedom was with us and the Magic was in the next slot. We had sailed on the Dawn which had appeared very large to us when she was docked by herself when were to sail on her. Next to the other NCL ship, she appeared like a cabin cruiser next to a aircraft carrier. So the above comments are my two cents and my LOVED may be your like.

[lady_cruiser]

I'm not one to write reviews but please rest assure that the Navigator is just as wonderful as she was before the refit.

 

We were on her the week of March 2nd and we did not find anything wrong with the service in the Main Dining Room. We had MTD so I'm not sure if that made a difference but our hot meals came hot and the cold meals came cold. We did not have to wait more than a few minutes for our selections to arrive at our table. And we were not rushed through our meal just so the staff could sit another a couple at our table.

 

While our cabin attendant did not leave up to our expectations we heard no complains from our friends about the service they received. The problem with ours was that twice he forgot to leave us an extra roll of toilet paper when though it was clearly seen that we only had half a roll left. And one morning he completely forgot our cabin even though our "clean room" sign was in the door slot. While I didn't remove my automatic tip, this is the first time ever that I did not give extra at the end of the cruise. We just figured that we got one of those attendants we all hear about that is just going through the motions of doing their job. After 17 cruises it was bound to happen to us at least once.

 

So if you are worried about the few negatives reviews from February I can assure you that by the time we took our cruise in March that any problems the did have must have been fixed.

 

Live life to its fullest, Love everyone and Cruise often.

[createcolorfun]

We have been on the Navigator recently and will be on the Explorer at the end of this month. I've learned a long time ago, that you cannot put too much stock into anyone's review, including any review that I have posted. Why? Because what you expect could be totally different than what my wife and I expect, and, how we all differ in our opinions about everything on the ship.

 

I look at this way, and, it's just my opinion. But, for an average of $50 to $100 per person per day on a 7-day cruise, depending upon cabin class, I think it's the steal of any vacation. Just a hotel alone at some resort, plus food and entertainment will run at least $200 per person, per day, and, you can't tell me everything is perfect at a resort, or, the room is any better, or the help is any more pleasant or miserable.

 

I look at MDR for dinner as a big bowling banquet. Is it gourmet? Hardly. Is it McDonald"s? Heck no. Am I waited on better than at a resort or even at home? Maybe, maybe not. Could the service on the ship at times be better? Sure. Is it the end of the world? I don't think so.

 

I would just enjoy your cruise, then, you be the judge, because only you, can determine if the Navigator has issues with all of concerns listed in the above posts. any concerns, or, non concerns will obviously be based on your expectations and personality.

 

Everything described above has never happened to us, nor, did we see any of the things mentioned, at least as of 6-weeks ago. So, I could write a post all happy and positive about the Navigator, then, you would see the perfect post. However, you would see the concerned and disappointed post above that would confuse you more. I think the bottom line is that my nice post is no more accurate than the disappointed post.

 

You will make that determination after your cruise.

 

Enjoy

 

well said! yours is a very goog review!

[Ladysilver]

After reading all these great comments and POSITIVE reviews, I am no longer concerned and feel like I have nothing to worry about. Our cruise in December was fantastic., and I can't wait to go again! :D

I guess there were just more than usual the number of people who wrote a negative review for a February cruise. I should stop reading them. :rolleyes:

Edited March 14, 2014 by Ladysilver

[cb at sea]

Just a hint, for those who are taking 1st timers with them...do NOT talk it up so much! I've found that most folks will have a MUCH better time if they discover the joys of cruising (or Vegas, or the beach, or whatever....) on their own! When someone tells them what to expect in graphic detail, it diminishes their experience! So, ask folks to come along, but do NOT talk it up! Let them discover their own good time!

[Ladysilver]

Just a hint, for those who are taking 1st timers with them...do NOT talk it up so much! I've found that most folks will have a MUCH better time if they discover the joys of cruising (or Vegas, or the beach, or whatever....) on their own! When someone tells them what to expect in graphic detail, it diminishes their experience! So, ask folks to come along, but do NOT talk it up! Let them discover their own good time!

 

 

 

Great advice!! My sister-in-law is going with us in December for her first cruise. I'm looking forward to just watching her face light up when she sees the ship! She lives in Michigan and has never seen a cruise ship. :D

[Tyler80]

First 25 Reviews

 

7 - 5 Stars

8 - 4 Stars

4 - 3 Stars

5 - 2 Stars

0 - 1 Star

1 - Not Rated

 

Not really that bad.

[Cindy]

Going in April, now I'm worried too

 

I'm really not too concerned, for a couple reasons. First, and most important is everyone approaches their vacation with different expectations and different prior experiences which weigh heavily on their likes/dislikes. If I had avoided every ship someone hated in the weeks leading up to my cruises, I would still be waiting to sail for the first time!:rolleyes: Although we've had some cruises that were better than others, varying degrees of service, and both pleasant and unpleasant experiences, we've yet to sail on any ship that we thought was as bad as some of the reviewers would lead us to believe. Admittedly we can both roll with the punches, but I'm know to be somewhat picky:o and I can still usually manage to have a good time.

 

Something else I've noticed over the years is that the early reviews after a ship repositions to Galveston are never as strong as the ones once the ship, crew, and port staff have settled into a routine. Hopefully the Navigator will continue to tweak and improve things as the weeks go by.

[Ladysilver]

The recent reviews I've been reading the last couple of days have been very good. :D

[TEXASMUNK]

And this is true (or close to true, or somewhat true).

After a dry dock..many new transferred crew on a ship...any ship, any line.

They have to get their "sea" legs back...that usually takes a few cruises.

 

Also when you read a negative review, zero in on the complaints...Specifics help...often times you get a rant with no information.

 

Navigator is fairly well "Texas-ized" by now, so kick back, count the days and Bon Voyage!

[Thetrail]

we were on the t/a in november, which was a few sailings before the refit. Enjoyment is obviously subjective, but i can honestly say that it was the first time we have ever counted the days until we could get off a ship.

huh???

[Brit-Cruiser]

huh???

 

The T/A is the transatlantic.

We didn't like the cruise, we couldn't wait to get off the ship.

Edited March 15, 2014 by Brit-Cruiser

[Poseidon Patty]

A lot of people have issues with transatlantic cruises. Just seeing water day after day after day can wear on a person.

[Brit-Cruiser]

A lot of people have issues with transatlantic cruises. Just seeing water day after day after day can wear on a person.

 

We did a transatlantic on the Indy the year before & we loved it! It was our best cruise ever. :D The Navigator rates as the worst...the issue was the ship, not the itinerary.

[Txtexastraveler]

We were on the March 2 sailing and have never been on a RCL cruise so we went with an open mind. For the most part, we had a great time. Our MDR waiters were great. My husband is lactose intolerant and our waiter had special items for him to choose from every night without asking. Our only complaint was with our cabins which were fairly new on Deck 12. It seemed like the rooms had not been totally inspected or finished in a hurry. AC in our adjoining cabin went out on 2nd day and cabin also had problems with toilet. Our steward handled our cabin problems right away. Our rooms were supposed to have hair dryers but didn't (with 3 females you really need one) which again cabin steward handled. Telephones also didn't have instructions on how to reach rooms, guest services, maintenance, etc. We had a balcony and at certain times someone in a balcony on the same deck was smoking a cigar. It was so bad we didn't want to use our own balcony sometimes. Despite our cabins' problems, we enjoyed our cruise since we weren't there to spend all our time in the cabins and had a great time at all the ports.

[Cruiserbarbie]

We were on the same cruise, deck 9. No balcony problems or any in the cabin. Just want to say that I believe as of January, NAV has no smoking policy on balconies in particular. You used to be able to smoke there but no more which I like. You can only smoke in 2 spots. I know one was by the pool on one side heading toward the Solarium and the other was on the other side of the ship on a lower deck but don't remember where. Too bad you didn't mention this to Guest Services to handle and you might have been able to enjoy the balcony.