Disney lover just booked anniversary cruise on Navigator of the Seas

[ummgood]

My wife and I will be celebrating 15 years of marriage July 2015. I just booked on the Navigator of the Seas in a hump balcony on deck 8. I was bummed they wouldn't let me book an Aft corner cabin because we didn't have 3 people. We have been on DCL twice both on the Wonder with our 3 kids. This time they'll be staying home with grandma and grandpa so we can check out RCCL. We would have loved to book Disney but we wanted to sail closer to home (we live in Texas) and Disney is a wee bit pricey now so maybe RCCL will win us over.

 

We hope to get some away time but also I will be comparing our experience between Disney and RCCL to determine if we can book a family vacation with them. I was minorly disappointed that it was the Navigator and not the Liberty because I wanted to try a Freedom class ship. My wife and I will be 33 and 39 respectively when we cruise.

 

What are some things that we should know when cruising on RCCL vs Disney? We are going to try late dinner so we have more time in ports. Are there any super great activities that we should check out? Also do they have open house times in the kids clubs so we can check those out to see if they would work for our kids?

[Clarea]

Soda is not included on Royal, however you can purchase a soda package. Here are the various drink packages:

 

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/beverage_packages.pdf

 

 

You are allowed to bring on two bottles of wine per stateroom. No hard liquor is allowed to be brought on board.

Edited April 9, 2014 by clarea

[ummgood]

Thanks we'll definitely be getting a package. I just haven't decided what one yet.

[kwazi07]

My wife and I will be celebrating 15 years of marriage July 2015. I just booked on the Navigator of the Seas in a hump balcony on deck 8. I was bummed they wouldn't let me book an Aft corner cabin because we didn't have 3 people. We have been on DCL twice both on the Wonder with our 3 kids. This time they'll be staying home with grandma and grandpa so we can check out RCCL. We would have loved to book Disney but we wanted to sail closer to home (we live in Texas) and Disney is a wee bit pricey now so maybe RCCL will win us over.

 

We hope to get some away time but also I will be comparing our experience between Disney and RCCL to determine if we can book a family vacation with them. I was minorly disappointed that it was the Navigator and not the Liberty because I wanted to try a Freedom class ship. My wife and I will be 33 and 39 respectively when we cruise.

 

What are some things that we should know when cruising on RCCL vs Disney? We are going to try late dinner so we have more time in ports. Are there any super great activities that we should check out? Also do they have open house times in the kids clubs so we can check those out to see if they would work for our kids?

 

The Navigator is basically a mini Freedom class. It now has the Flowrider. It still has the promenade, ice rink, and rock wall. The only thing I don't think it has is the boxing ring, but I don't really think you will be using it. Oh, and it doesn't have the hot tubs.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

[Jimnbigd]

You'll have a casino, which of course Disney does not have.

There is an ice rink on deck 3 (Studio B) with a free ice show and ice skating including free skate rental.

Deck 14 Viking Crown has a good indoor view of the ocean and pool.

There will be lots of live music.

The Schooner Bar (deck 4) is always fun, although I'm bummed that Phil Anderson won't be returning for a while.

 

The helipad is a good place for the sail away, especially to watch the dolphins that like to jump and put on a show. It is on deck 5 all the way forward. Either take the front elevators to deck for, go outside (either side) and walk forward up the stairs. Or, go into the forward lounge on deck 5 and walk out some side doors on the back right (starboard) of the lounge.

 

Cafe Promenade on deck 5 is free (no additional charge). I like the desserts here better than the MDR or buffet. Better coffee too.

 

Buffet has free sushi at night starting at 6pm. Some people with late dining like to go here for sushi. There is also a bar as you enter the buffet if you want a cocktail with your sushi.

 

Galveston cruise passengers now have pay taxes on booze and tobacco -- no more duty free. Bummer.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1958345

Actually, I'm not sure if this is all passengers or just Texas residents.

 

Expect a long time at disembarkation (when your cruise is over). I don't know why, but it has been very slow my last 4 Galveston cruises.

 

If you are parking at the cruise, I like EZ Cruise. Or you can find a hotel that let's you park there, and then take a shuttle or taxi. It can be cheaper to NOT stay in Galveston the night before sailing -- Consider staying just south of Houston, maybe near Hobby Airport or NASA.

 

I really like the voyager class ships. The layout is just about identical to the freedom class (like the Liberty), but no cantilevered hot tubs (deck 11) or Sorrentos (deck 5). The Navigator does have a brand new flowrider. It does have hot tubs both in the main pool area and in the the solarium, but not cantilevered.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Jimnbigd

[cb at sea]

You will have a great time, no fear! I know you won't have the kids with you, but most kids really prefer the RCI kid's club over Disney's....it's a bit more structured, and kids like that! I don't believe there are "open houses" in the kid's club...but maybe you could take a peek on the 1st evening, just to get a feel for it. I think you'll be booking a family cruise on RCI very soon!!!

 

Since you have to be on the ship 30 mins. prior to stated sailaway time, you should have plenty of time for whatever dining time you want!! We enjoy late seating, as we eat late at home, so go with whatever works for you!

 

You will love the "hump" location...it's VERY convenient to the stair/elevator foyer...makes life so easy!!

Edited April 9, 2014 by cb at sea

[JimAOk1945]

We sailed twice on the Navigator's sister ship, the Mariner of the Seas. We had a hump cabin in 2012. It was wonderful. Plan on spending some time on your balcony. It is a wonderful place to relax.

 

You might like to take a look at the Mariner of the Seas slide shows my wife made with pictures she took for her website. It will give you a good idea of what the Navigator has to offer.

 

The links below will take you there.

 

Happy sailing!

[BillOh]

I was bummed they wouldn't let me book an Aft corner cabin because we didn't have 3 people.

 

I'll admit this is low probability, but they may relax that as the cruise gets closer. But those cabins are popular. Check back a month or two before your sailing and see if its opened up.

 

But I have had a center hump balcony on Deck 8 on this ship and love it.

[BillOh]

The Navigator is basically a mini Freedom class. It now has the Flowrider. It still has the promenade, ice rink, and rock wall. The only thing I don't think it has is the boxing ring, but I don't really think you will be using it. Oh, and it doesn't have the hot tubs.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

 

You of course meant it doesn't have the Cantilivered hot tubs in the solarium which is correct, but there are 4 hots tubs there and where the boxing ring is on Freedom is actually a pretty nice spacious hot tub, and free steam room on Navigator.

[poncho1973]

We hope to get some away time but also I will be comparing our experience between Disney and RCCL to determine if we can book a family vacation with them. I was minorly disappointed that it was the Navigator and not the Liberty because I wanted to try a Freedom class ship. My wife and I will be 33 and 39 respectively when we cruise.

 

What are some things that we should know when cruising on RCCL vs Disney? We are going to try late dinner so we have more time in ports. Are there any super great activities that we should check out? Also do they have open house times in the kids clubs so we can check those out to see if they would work for our kids?

 

You are basically the same ages as my wife & me. We've done several Disney and RCCL cruises and enjoy them both every much.

 

We actually like the Voyager-class ships (Navigator) better than the Freedom-class ships (Liberty) and oddly, the only thing we liked better about Liberty was the Flow Rider, which Navigator now has! They are almost identical ships, but the slightly smaller versions seem to flow better. They are a bit easier to get around on and had less people trying to do the same things.

 

The various areas (the bars, the clubs, etc) seem approximately the same size, but with fewer people, they seemed more open. The bigger ships are just longer and taller, but laid out almost exactly the same. They are the same width and same proportions.

 

 

 

My only suggestion would be to try My Time Dining. This is a big change over the structured flow dining on Disney, but it allows you to be flexible. Since it's just the two of you, getting a reservation on the spot is almost always REALLY quick.

 

We just go to dinner when we are hungry. We don't make reservations (although with MTD you can!) and just go when we want, like at home. The most we've ever waited was because we wanted a specific waiter and a specific table. The couple was eating dessert, so we just waited on that one spot. Other than that, just 2 people rarely takes more than 5 minutes or so.

 

I really love both Disney and Royal when cruising. They both have done nothing but treat us awesomely.

 

I will say that the poster who said that kids love Royal's kids clubs more than Disney's clubs (because of the structure????) is THE ABSOLUTE FIRST PERSON I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE CRUISING CAREER SAY THAT. I've heard that teens like Royal more, but seriously, younger kids love Disney clubs. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that.

Edited April 9, 2014 by poncho1973

[kwazi07]

You are basically the same ages as my wife & me. We've done several Disney and RCCL cruises and enjoy them both every much.

 

We actually like the Voyager-class ships (Navigator) better than the Freedom-class ships (Liberty) and oddly, the only thing we liked better about Liberty was the Flow Rider, which Navigator now has! They are almost identical ships, but the slightly smaller versions seem to flow better. They are a bit easier to get around on and had less people trying to do the same things.

 

The various areas (the bars, the clubs, etc) seem approximately the same size, but with fewer people, they seemed more open. The bigger ships are just longer and taller, but laid out almost exactly the same. They are the same width and same proportions.

 

 

 

My only suggestion would be to try My Time Dining. This is a big change over the structured flow dining on Disney, but it allows you to be flexible. Since it's just the two of you, getting a reservation on the spot is almost always REALLY quick.

 

We just go to dinner when we are hungry. We don't make reservations (although with MTD you can!) and just go when we want, like at home. The most we've ever waited was because we wanted a specific waiter and a specific table. The couple was eating dessert, so we just waited on that one spot. Other than that, just 2 people rarely takes more than 5 minutes or so.

 

I really love both Disney and Royal when cruising. They both have done nothing but treat us awesomely.

 

I will say that the poster who said that kids love Royal's kids clubs more than Disney's clubs (because of the structure????) is THE ABSOLUTE FIRST PERSON I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE CRUISING CAREER SAY THAT. I've heard that teens like Royal more, but seriously, younger kids love Disney clubs. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that.

 

Speaking of the size, I have read that there were plans to stretch some of the Voyager class in the late 90s early 2000s (like Enchantment) but instead they stretched it on paper, which resulted in the Freedom class.

 

The renovation of NOTS included

Navigator gained Park Cafe, Giovanni's Table (Italian), Sabor Modern Mexican and Izumi Asian Cuisine, as well as a Diamond Lounge (for Diamond Crown & Anchor Society members) and the Royal Babies & Tots Nursery. It also got the line's famous FlowRider surf simulator. On the technology side, the ship got digital interactive signage, flat-screen TVs in cabins, bow-to-stern Wi-Fi and a poolside Jumbotron. Virtual balconies debuted on Navigator, the first ship in the line to get the innovation (Quantum of the Seas will have them when it debuts in October 2014).

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk. Please excuse any typographical errors.

Edited April 9, 2014 by kwazi07

[Irene7]

Cb at Sea:

"but most kids really prefer the RCI kid's club over Disney's....it's a bit more structured, and kids like that!"

 

This is your opinion and not a fact. I have never heard anyone say that about their kids, that have sailed both and I know quite a few. Actually they preferred the Disney's kid's club, but not to say that RCI is not good.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Irene7

[littlesteelo]

To be fair, Navigator actually has more stuff on it than Liberty does now since the refit, plus the entire ship has been refurbished.

[theotherchad]

I find that for my money, the RCCL experience is better for adults.

 

My wife and I have been on a number of RCCL cruises and one on Disney. Honestly, I expected Disney to be a bit more luxurious (better food, service, etc) because it was so much more expensive, but I figured out within one day after we boarded the Disney Magic that what you pay more for are the costumed characters roaming the ship and the quality of the shows (which I found to be absolutely stellar on Disney).

I loved seeing the faces of the children as they met their favorite princess or Disney character. If you have the kids with you, I don't know if you can put a price on that, so kudos to Disney for what they do best, making magic.

That having been said, just as an overall vacation experience for adults, RCCL wins over Disney handily.

I find that the availability (at all hours) and variety of food is definitely better on Royal, and while the service is excellent on both lines, I feel like we get more personal attention on RCCL ships, maybe because we're not competing with all the children, which, let's face it, is how it should be on Disney.

RCCL will have maybe a little more live music around the ship, and if you want to dance the night away, the options are more varied and well attended. We kind of had a hard time finding a club that was jumping on Disney.

 

Both are great, but you'll have a fantastic time on Royal. Enjoy it! :)

[39august]

There is no Park Cafe on Navigator. But there is still the Cafe Promenade which is at no charge for sweets, sandwiches and pizza about 23 hours a day.

[UCF_Knight]

We actually like the Voyager-class ships (Navigator) better than the Freedom-class ships (Liberty) and oddly, the only thing we liked better about Liberty was the Flow Rider, which Navigator now has! They are almost identical ships, but the slightly smaller versions seem to flow better. They are a bit easier to get around on and had less people trying to do the same things.

 

Before the recent drydock where they took away public space to cram 80+ new cabins on Navigator, I would have agreed with this wholeheartedly. During peak seasons (Summer, Christmas), I bet the ship is going to feel a bit more crowded now with 250 extra people in less space.

[ang73]

Also new to RC and have only cruised DCL. Have our first RC cruise booked for October 2014.

 

I've been trying to decide on MTD versus main dining. We have a family of 5 so I would probably need reservations to not have a wait. Right now we are scheduled on late dining since early was full. Not a huge deal since my kids are more night owls than early risers.

 

 

I will say from reading tons & tons of posts (due to only being familiar with DCL and this being our first Royal Caribbean cruise) I have also seen that some kids prefer Royal Caribbeans kids club due to its more structured events, so I understand where you got this. I'm sure not ALL do, but I've seen it mentioned more than once. I'm not too concerned about this because although my kids loved the Disney Cruise they weren't HUGE fans of the kids club in general. They would check it out every now and then, but after an hour or so they were usually done. (my nephew on the other hand could've lived in the kids club all week!) So if my kids love the club on RC thats great, but if not we will have tons of fun doing stuff together anyway :)

Edited April 9, 2014 by ang73

[ummgood]

Thanks everyone for the great comments!

 

I am really excited about trying out a new cruise line and a bit nervous at the same time. Honestly that is why I didn't even consider Carnival. We have such high expectations after cruising Disney. Don't get me wrong we are very easy to please but it seems like everywhere we turned on Disney the service blew me away. On our last cruise we made up candy bags and handed them out to all the crew on the ship randomly. We didn't do this for attention but just to make someone's day because they really made our trip on the first cruise. Plus since we were on the same ship a lot of the crew recognized us.

 

I am really thinking MTD might be awesome for my wife and for the reasons given above but one of the most memorable experiences of our past two Disney cruises is the relationships we build with our serving crew. I don't know if I could give up that experience. With MTD I am assuming you don't have the same servers every night. We just loved that and for the 18 months between our last two cruises all our kids talked about was the servers. They really didn't mention the clubs, or the activities. They loved our servers. And I was tempted to request them again for our second cruise but I figured I would see if it was consistent and didn't make a request. Well on our second cruise our servers were just as amazing as the first time and believe it or not one of them was even more amazing! Because of that I really want to try out assigned seating just to see what the servers are like on RCCL so if we do decide to cruise with them with our kids I know what to expect because our kids LOVED that part of the cruise.

 

Thanks for making me feel better about the Navigator. I am really looking forward to it. Even though I was a bit bummed about the Aft balconies I am excited to have a balcony. Our first cruise on Disney we had 2 connecting deluxe insides for our family of five and I surprisingly really liked it because of the extra space in 2 cabins and the fact our kids slept in because there was no natural light. The next cruise we had a family stateroom with balcony and now I love being able to see things from the room. I really don't spend much time out there when we are sailing because I get bored but I could people watch at a port for hours out there. We even saw a pilot boat come and pick someone up on our last cruise because I am guessing someone had a major health issue. I didn't enjoy that they had to leave but I did enjoy seeing the process of getting someone off the ship in the middle of the ocean.

[UCF_Knight]

Also do they have open house times in the kids clubs so we can check those out to see if they would work for our kids?

 

On embarkation day, Adventure Ocean is open for a few hours for you to walk through and get a feel for the place. There aren't any formal guided tours that I've seen, but you can walk through and see the rooms they have for each age group. You can also pickup flyers which give a list of activities which each group gets to do. There are usually a few Adventure Ocean staffers available for you to ask any questions.

 

My own kids (7 and 5) have been on 2 Royal Caribbean cruises so far, and they've loved Adventure Ocean both times.

 

As for the poster above who shouted about never hearing of any kids liking Adventure Ocean better than the Disney kid's club, I don't agree. My brother-in-law took his 10 and 7 year olds on both a Disney cruise and a Royal Caribbean cruise within 4 months of each other. Both of his kids liked Royal Caribbean a lot more than Disney. And that's coming from Disney lovers who have Walt Disney World annual passes.

[Jimbo]

Book the aft cabin with 3 people if you have too and then just before final payment cancel the third person in the cabin, they will let you keep it, what sailing are you looking at? the exact date?

 

Jimbo:)

[ummgood]

On embarkation day, Adventure Ocean is open for a few hours for you to walk through and get a feel for the place. There aren't any formal guided tours that I've seen, but you can walk through and see the rooms they have for each age group. You can also pickup flyers which give a list of activities which each group gets to do. There are usually a few Adventure Ocean staffers available for you to ask any questions.

 

My own kids (7 and 5) have been on 2 Royal Caribbean cruises so far, and they've loved Adventure Ocean both times.

 

As for the poster above who shouted about never hearing of any kids liking Adventure Ocean better than the Disney kid's club, I don't agree. My brother-in-law took his 10 and 7 year olds on both a Disney cruise and a Royal Caribbean cruise within 4 months of each other. Both of his kids liked Royal Caribbean a lot more than Disney. And that's coming from Disney lovers who have Walt Disney World annual passes.

 

Thanks we'll definitely check them out right away and talk to the crew. I really am interested in finding out more about them and I'll try to strike up some conversations with parents on the cruise if I can find some and not look like a stalker :)

 

Book the aft cabin with 3 people if you have too and then just before final payment cancel the third person in the cabin, they will let you keep it, what sailing are you looking at? the exact date?

 

Jimbo:)

 

That is a good idea I guess I could try that. We are booked on the cruise departing July 5th, 2015

[Jimbo]

Ok, Here is what is available as far as corner balconies.

 

When booking for only 2 people , available on your sailing

E3 Cabin 9690

Cabin 9390

 

Must book for 3 people, available on your sailing

 

E1 Cabin 7688 and 7388 are both available for your sailing

Less Sun, But the largest balcony on the entire ship

including the expensive suites

 

D1 Cabin 1688 and 1388 are both available for your sailing

More sun, perfect view of the wake, Largest Category D1

Cabins out of all the Category D1's on the shipThis cabin is as large as the Junior Suites cabins but you are only paying the Category D1 price.

 

If you are not sun people but still plan on using the balcony alot(room service breakfast, lunch etc) then I would go with 7388, or 7688..........If you plan on using the cabin alot, then go for the larger D1 Cabin, 1688 or 1388

 

I would not get an aft balcony on deck 6, 8.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Jimbo

[ummgood]

Ok, Here is what is available as far as corner balconies.

 

When booking for only 2 people , available on your sailing

E3 Cabin 9690

Cabin 9390

 

Must book for 3 people, available on your sailing

 

E1 Cabin 7688 and 7388 are both available for your sailing

Less Sun, But the largest balcony on the entire ship

including the expensive suites

 

D1 Cabin 1688 and 1388 are both available for your sailing

More sun, perfect view of the wake, Largest Category D1

Cabins out of all the Category D1's on the shipThis cabin is as large as the Junior Suites cabins but you are only paying the Category D1 price.

 

If you are not sun people but still plan on using the balcony alot(room service breakfast, lunch etc) then I would go with 7388, or 7688..........If you plan on using the cabin alot, then go for the larger D1 Cabin, 1688 or 1388

 

I would not get an aft balcony on deck 6, 8.

 

I specifically asked for those E3 cabins that you mentioned when I booked and was told they weren't available. (I asked for 1688 and 1388 first). My TA then called back to try to get another RCCL rep and finally we were told that ALL aft cabins can only be booked with 3 or more people. So that is interesting that they are listed for 2 or more. My agent said the first rep said all those cabins were booked by people. The second rep when she asked for them again said that they were not available unless we had 3 or more. I might add the third just so I can get one and cancel. It really isn't that big of a deal we really will be happy with the hump cabin.

[Jimbo]

Those 2------ E3 cabins on deck 9 can certainly be booked with 2 people......You can do it right on the Rccl.com yourself if you want.

 

Time for we new travel agent. :)

 

Jimbo:)

Edited April 9, 2014 by Jimbo

[ummgood]

haha Maybe I need a new agent I just don't want to give up the OBC. It is worth more to me than the aft cabin.

 

I'll probably give it another whirl tomorrow.

Edited April 9, 2014 by ummgood