Is the Navigator bad or is Rccl bad

[LeesSummitCruiser1]

A week after returning from a dreadful cruise on the Navigator I have to ask is the Navigator a poorly run ship or is this what I should expect from Royal Caribbean.

 

Been on her twice and loved her both times.

[The Fun Researcher]

I guess it suits some, But listen at sea is how it's described by a lot of cc reviews, it makes sense now

 

What you describing, in my experience, is the exception and not the norm. Not sure what happened on your cruise, but all of the things you mention are far from normal with RCI, and for the Navigator...

 

with the exception of the desserts. I agree, desserts in general on RCI are abysmal.

 

We cruised the Navigator earlier this year, and our only complaints were the salt water pools and the quality of the shows. The Ice Show however was the best we've seen on any of the RCI ships. Overall it was a fantastic cruise. Clean, friendly, fun, with excellent food.

 

Dan

Edited November 8, 2016 by The Fun Researcher

[EatonDoolittle]

In the interest of full disclosure, OP forgot to mention that they are a loyal Princess cruiser and posted on the Princess board even prior to departure that he/she felt it "should be interesting".

He/she insisted they were only on the RCCL ship as part of a family trip.

 

Then, after the trip, posted there that sure enough, it was awful, just as expected.

 

Sure sounds like a case of self fulfilling prophecy, IMO.

[Biker19]

Been on her twice and loved her both times.

 

:D:eek::cool:

[dwayneb236]

These forums are hilarious. I've never sailed RC or Princess. Only Carnival. Had great times on each cruise by the way.

 

Set to go on Harmony and I just know I'll love it. But I am open minded after all.

 

It's just funny the hate cruisers can sometimes show for the other cruise line.

 

RC thinks Princess sux

Princess thinks RC sux

They all think Carnival sux

 

All funny stuff. I don't let anyone make my decisions for me. I know that haters gonna hate.

 

And I know of course there are many cruisers that absolutely love more than one line. Just making a statement about the intense hatred and ire some show for the other line. Definitely makes for good reading.

Edited November 8, 2016 by dwayneb236

[Bookster99]

I cruised on Navigator, and had a great time. Little did I know I was being cheated out of shoes in my wardrobe. If I don't get shoes in my wardrobe, I demand an OBC. Seriously, to the original poster, I am truly sorry you had a bad time. As they say, Your Mileage May Vary. Hopefully, your next cruise, with RCCL or someone else, will be much better.

[legaljen1969]

Enjoy your next cruise line. Clearly this one isn't for you.

 

Room was dirty, hairs in bathroom, old shoes in wardrobe, dirty glasses in fridge. Complained to pursuers desk, not interested. Windjammer food cold, very cheap offerings, curry, potatoe curry, dirty uncleared tables etc. Bar service very slow, massive lines to be served. Dining rooms menu, no changes really through the week, desserts very poor. General dirty conditions throughout the ship, plates and food left in elevators and corridors and a few hours later still there, is that enough

 

Leave it all behind- who really does want to pay money for a dirty room and poor service? Really, just because this person expected their room to be reasonably clean, they should cruise on Crystal? Come on.

 

Antsp- I am sorry the cruise was not to your liking. That said, I think your experience is atypical of Royal. Please do not judge Royal Caribbean as a whole based on this one poor experience. It does sound like the other poster who cruised on the same itinerary did not have such a poor experience, which should tell you something.

 

If you went on the cruise looking to have a bad time, I don't know that it would matter what ship you chose. I am sure you will be very detailed on future cruises and I hope that Royal Caribbean can meet your expectations. I have had better experiences on some cruises than on others. I have been on a couple of ships where I have cruised in a particular cabin that had a good location. I booked the ship at a later date and chose the same cabin, and had a completely different experience. Remember, you get a whole new crowd and whole new experience with each sailing.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Sad but true Grandma Dazzles it does seem that littering is on the increase in UK, and tidying up after ourselves comes very low on our priority list.

I hope it is not because we think that waiters should clear up after us, more likely it is because parents do not correct their children when they drop litter or leave the dinner table in a mess.

It baffles me how anyone can just drop litter or worse still throw it out of their vehicle, lorry drivers (that's trucks in the states) do seem to be among the worst offenders.

However don't try to correct any kids in the UK, unless you want to end up in a fierce argument with their parents.

 

Had to come back with a comment! As I originally posted UK is where I was born and raised, and therefore traveling "home" you tend to notice changes. I am from Leeds - love Yorkshire and the North of England - and it's where I tend to visit the most. Cruise primarily the Caribbean but have done TA's out of Southampton.

 

I truly think in many cases dirty dishes in hallways, and general littering can be blamed on passengers. I was always told to call room service to pick up dishes, or leave in cabin; not to leave in the hallway for people to trip over. Also have seen people leave drink glasses in plants in Central Park rather than on a table. Like the banana peel incident, not a major problem, but when you multiply them, the ship can get messy.

 

These things are not totally the staff's problem. They work very hard and overall do a fantastic job. As I said originally, never felt a ship was dirty! Passengers have a certain amount of responsibility.

[the mistral wind]

Room was dirty, hairs in bathroom, old shoes in wardrobe, dirty glasses in fridge. Complained to pursuers desk, not interested. Windjammer food cold, very cheap offerings, curry, potatoe curry, dirty uncleared tables etc. Bar service very slow, massive lines to be served. Dining rooms menu, no changes really through the week, desserts very poor. General dirty conditions throughout the ship, plates and food left in elevators and corridors and a few hours later still there, is that enough

Hope they get their act together. We will be traveling on this very ship next week. Love RCCL. George and I usually have great service ,clean cabins ,and a good choice of food venues. We are emerald and have cruised several times on RCCL but not this ship. I hope i will not be disappointed. Sorry that you had such a terrible time. I can only say this is not the NORM for this cruise line.

Edited November 18, 2016 by the mistral wind

[adk0425]

??? Navigator was the first cruise ship I ever sailed on, it was out of Tampa, FL. We're booked on another Navigator cruise out of Miami in January 2017, super looking forward to it (9 days in the southern Caribbean). My experience was nothing but excellent and began my journey and love for cruising. I am sorry that you had a horrible experience, but I will say after cruising 4 different cruise lines (Princess, Carnival, Norwegian and RCI), RCI is my favorite cruise company.

[Thetrail]

Room was dirty, hairs in bathroom, old shoes in wardrobe, dirty glasses in fridge. Complained to pursuers desk, not interested. Windjammer food cold, very cheap offerings, curry, potatoe curry, dirty uncleared tables etc. Bar service very slow, massive lines to be served. Dining rooms menu, no changes really through the week, desserts very poor. General dirty conditions throughout the ship, plates and food left in elevators and corridors and a few hours later still there, is that enough

I can't say I believe this post at all....K.O.:rolleyes:

[nomoreknothead]

I am sure I will be flamed for these comments, but please try to understand that I am making a general comment based on my personal experience.

 

Although I live in the US, I was born and raised in UK, and have been "home" many times, also sailed out of Southampton.

 

When on a UK based cruise I have noticed many passengers dump plates in non-food locations, much more than on a US based cruise. Also I find many American passengers tend to clean up after themselves, or at least pile their dishes ready for pickup on a table. My last fast food visit in England couldn't find a table because of all the garbage. Even my young grandkids know to tidy up - watched a child on the Independence leave banana peel as he walked down pool deck - mother didn't correct him.

 

There seems to be an attitude "of you are here to serve me" whereas I find many Americans tend to make friends with the staff and don't expect to be treated like royalty for a week.

 

Sorry if this sounds harsh but have had this same conversation with friends and family in the UK and they agree, especially those who travel extensively. I do think the heavy drinking is partly to blame.

 

Sorry in advance for offending anyone. To OP sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. Sailed 30+ times with RC, not always perfect, but have never had a complaint about the cleanliness of the ship.

 

We just returned from the Navigators TA sailing from Southampton to Miami .... Grandma Dazzles, I think you hit the nail on the head!! I've cruised a number of times but this is my first from Southampton. The ship was ,my guessimate, 90% full of British people. The whole attitude / gratitude was VERY different on this cruise. I'm one of those that clean up after myself. I straighten up my cabin before I'll let the cabin steward in to make up the room. I always stack the dishes to make it easier on the waiters/waitress. I did not see this happening much on this cruise by fellow passengers.

One of the worst things was they had no concept of what a buffet "line" was!!!! They would see something they wanted and jump right in front of you no matter how long you had been waiting in line.

 

All that happened I didn't let it ruin my cruise! Life is way to SHORT to be a complainer. I want to enjoy my life ... take the rough spots with a grain of salt or better yet pour some sugar on them!!

Edited December 1, 2016 by nomoreknothead

[Goofyisme]

In the interest of full disclosure, OP forgot to mention that they are a loyal Princess cruiser and posted on the Princess board even prior to departure that he/she felt it "should be interesting".

He/she insisted they were only on the RCCL ship as part of a family trip.

 

Then, after the trip, posted there that sure enough, it was awful, just as expected.

 

Sure sounds like a case of self fulfilling prophecy, IMO.

 

Sounds like the answer to me.

[lucymorgan]

Sorry you didn't have a good cruise. We sailed on Navigator from Southampton in August and it was far from the best RCI cruise we have done.

 

We still enjoyed it and our stateroom was clean unlike yours.

 

However, the hordes of tweens and teens running up and down corridors screaming and chasing each other, lazing around in the stair wells blocking other passengers, leaping in front of others at the lifts and leaving crockery all over the place was annoying.

 

I gave feedback in my post cruise survey that I believed the problem was caused by the policy that they were not allowed to be on their own without adults in many areas of the ship. I suggested that someone from the crew should patrol regularly and send them/take them back to their parents.

 

We like RCI and have two more cruises planned with them but I now know not to cruise from Southampton during holiday season!

[buzzard05]

Wow, based on the replies to the OP, you would think he/she was criticizing somebody's mother. It's a business, stop being so defensive...they are sucking the money out of you like any other company. Instead of kissing their a$$... demand quality service and don't just settle and "remove the glasses yourself".

 

I would absolutely be angry if I found used glasses in various parts of my room(s). I don't expect to be treated like royalty, but JFC for the money these cruises cost...I don't expect to find your nasty toothpaste covered glass in my room on the first day of my cruise. And for the commenter who asked, "how could you tell they were pubic hairs?"....c'mon man.

 

I recently sailed on Navigator on our first RCL cruise (or any real cruise for that matter) and was not overly impressed. With that said, I would much rather be on that ship than here at work.

 

However, many of the things the OP stated I experienced as well. The service was lacking in many areas of the ship. I ran into the same "apathetic" attitude at Guest Services and had to keep bouncing from person to person until I found one that would handle our issue. Many of the bar tenders also shared that same apathy. As for our cabin attendant, I couldn't pick him out of a lineup. He came by the first night for two seconds and said "Hi'...and that was the last I ever saw him. We had a couple minor issues in our rooms that I attempted to get addressed with any cabin attendant I saw in the vicinity of our rooms, without success.

 

The overall condition of the ship was clean when we were on board.

 

Getting off the ship was a joke. It was kinda like they had never done this before (we got off in Miami).

 

For those saying the OP shouldn't be posting his/her negativity on these boards, you couldn't be more wrong. That is EXACTLY what these boards are for. Not just negativity, but honest reviews. As a consumer, I want to read both good and bad reviews and look for common themes. If I constantly see from several posters that the service is poor on a ship, or the service is great...I use those to make an educated decision on where to spend my money.

 

As for me, RCL did nothing to inspire me to become a loyal customer. It doesn't mean I won't sail on their ships again, it just means I won't automatically look to them first when booking our next cruise. I will search for price compared to the reviews/research I can do to determine where the best quality for the money is.

[Ocean Boy]

Wow, based on the replies to the OP, you would think he/she was criticizing somebody's mother. It's a business, stop being so defensive...they are sucking the money out of you like any other company. Instead of kissing their a$$... demand quality service and don't just settle and "remove the glasses yourself".

 

I would absolutely be angry if I found used glasses in various parts of my room(s). I don't expect to be treated like royalty, but JFC for the money these cruises cost...I don't expect to find your nasty toothpaste covered glass in my room on the first day of my cruise. And for the commenter who asked, "how could you tell they were pubic hairs?"....c'mon man.

 

 

If the initial post had provided some supporting documentation it might have headed off some of the defensiveness. When you are read by people who have experience with a particular company, and that experience is very different from the one you are describing, it makes sense to provide examples to back up what you are writing.

 

You are, however, quite correct in your assessment of RCI being a business. For whatever reasons some people lose sight of the fact that we enter into business arrangements when we book vacations. The fact that a company can get you to forget that and develop emotional attachments with them is maybe a sign of a well run company? The reality is that to RCI we are all C&A numbers that own credit cards. The other side of reality is that RCI has provided my family and me with some very awesome vacations.

[shirgall]

Having just returned from the 11/27/16 cruise in the Caribbean on Navigator, and having sailed on her before in the Med, she has become tired. A lot of scrapes and scuffs all over the ship, food quality has gone down, and when we embarked, we didn't even use the cruise terminal but a baking hot parking lot and a tent in Miami! Staff were friendly as heck as always but I think she's ready for another refit.

 

on the other hand, I actually managed to get a Royal Family Suite. Darn things are hard to find all over the fleet.

[LOVINCRUIZIN]

They should have just a complaining website so the constant whiners can complain to themselves instead of frightening future cruisers into thinking what they say is accurate for everyone who was on that same ship, or, who will be going on that ship.

 

I don't really give a rats pitunia about your experience that your trying to pass along as the way it will be for everyone.

 

Everyone will always have a different opinion, experience, complaint, and compliment based on their personality and expectations.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

woohoo ---a New Yorker speaks up!!! I am boarding Navigator in three days...and I already KNOW I am going to have an awesome cruise!!!

[buzzard05]

If the initial post had provided some supporting documentation it might have headed off some of the defensiveness. When you are read by people who have experience with a particular company, and that experience is very different from the one you are describing, it makes sense to provide examples to back up what you are writing.

 

You are, however, quite correct in your assessment of RCI being a business. For whatever reasons some people lose sight of the fact that we enter into business arrangements when we book vacations. The fact that a company can get you to forget that and develop emotional attachments with them is maybe a sign of a well run company? The reality is that to RCI we are all C&A numbers that own credit cards. The other side of reality is that RCI has provided my family and me with some very awesome vacations.

 

Can't disagree with anything you said there.

 

We enjoyed our time on Navigator, but as I said in another post...it was "good not great", and (perhaps unrealistically) I was expecting great.

 

As for the OP, I agree, they should have been more specific off the start. However, even after they did give specifics, they were somewhat ridiculed, which I thought was absurd. As a consumer, I want to hear the good, bad, and ugly about a potential purchase so I can make an educated decision. I don't want to just hear the "good stuff".

[George C]

woohoo ---a New Yorker speaks up!!! I am boarding Navigator in three days...and I already KNOW I am going to have an awesome cruise!!!

 

I am sure you will have a great cruise, I am not a fan if Miami but still booked Navigator for 2017 since we love this ship ( wish it left from NYC)

[troykahack]

and when we embarked, we didn't even use the cruise terminal but a baking hot parking lot and a tent in Miami!.

 

Could you please elaborate more about embarkation??

 

Did you get an email requesting you to board by deck number and a assigned time??

 

You think if boarding by decks with assigned times would have helped your boarding??

 

I think you mentioned you had a Royal Family Suite. You would have boarded with the first group. Wouldn't that have made embarkation more pleasant for you and no waiting out in the Sun??

 

Thanks for your input.

[LOVINCRUIZIN]

I am sure you will have a great cruise, I am not a fan if Miami but still booked Navigator for 2017 since we love this ship ( wish it left from NYC)

 

We sailed on Explorer many times, so I am sure we will love this sister ship. Explorer used to sail from Bayonne NJ. Now we have a mega-ship that I have not yet tried.

 

Hope you have a great Spring cruise - we'll take care of her for you next week;)

[Tiffers]

Having just returned from the 11/27/16 cruise in the Caribbean on Navigator, and having sailed on her before in the Med, she has become tired. A lot of scrapes and scuffs all over the ship, food quality has gone down, and when we embarked, we didn't even use the cruise terminal but a baking hot parking lot and a tent in Miami! Staff were friendly as heck as always but I think she's ready for another refit.

 

on the other hand, I actually managed to get a Royal Family Suite. Darn things are hard to find all over the fleet.

 

I am booked in a RFS on Navigator in April, I would love to hear about any perks, or see any pictures. It's hard to find recent info specific to a Royal Family Suite on the Navigator. TIA!

[Tiffers]

Could you please elaborate more about embarkation??

 

Did you get an email requesting you to board by deck number and a assigned time??

 

You think if boarding by decks with assigned times would have helped your boarding??

 

I think you mentioned you had a Royal Family Suite. You would have boarded with the first group. Wouldn't that have made embarkation more pleasant for you and no waiting out in the Sun??

 

Thanks for your input.

 

I would love to hear about embarkation procedures as well. Also about reserving shows.

[Clarea]

... Also about reserving shows.

No show reservations on Navigator.