Newbie on Navigator of The Seas "3 day cruise" to Ensenada on Black Friday

[Travlin grrl]

I just took my first "Royal Caribbean" cruise one month ago on a 3 day cruise to Ensenada and back. I have been on 9 other cruises which were all Princess and 1 Holland cruise. It's hard not to compare, but I really enjoyed Royal Caribbean and want to go back to do it again!! 

 

When we went last month it was right before Omicron, so it may be a little different for people going right now.

 

Preparing for the cruise was pretty straightforward and easy. We downloaded the app, entered our information, from our Passport to our vaccine card. You just take a photo over the scan in your passport and it will transfer all your information. Also you need to enter you vaccination card information, and take a photo of it also,  the front and back. The thing that was different and made me worry a little bit, was the negative Covid test. It needs to be done within 48 hours before you go. That meant I needed to take it on Wednesday, because Thursday was Thanksgiving. So I decided to do a antigen test because the results come back in about an hour vs. the PCR take which could take 2 days. What if I take the test for PCR and I don't get it back in time before the cruise? (Just part of my anxiety). So since they will take either, the no brainer was the antigen. I made the appointment at CVS in advance because appointments will fill up. You just drive up to an outside kiosk, and kind of a self serve thing, and sign in to your health app, and the results come back in an hour. Of course, there is that..... what if it comes back positive? And more worries. But all was good, my husband and I both had negative. You can show your app or print it out. You can do your boarding pass from your phone also, which is convenient. OK , we are all set.

 

Embarkation Day:

The Navigator is an older ship but did a huge renovation on it, so it was a really pretty ship with lots of colorful designs.

We got a notification that they were leaving an hour later, so it would be 6:00pm instead of 5:00pm. We marked the first check in at 12:30  pm. and they sent countless notifications saying "Do not come any earlier because we are sticking to exact times due to the new protocol and spacing people apart." However, we always get wherever we need to go early whether the airport or cruise ship so we aren't stressing out. In L.A. anything can happen on the freeways. So we did get to the port around 11;00 am expecting to wait until they would let us in. However, they were letting people check in early. They had a temperature check, you needed to show your vac card (even though it was already loaded onto the app) and show your negative Covid test. We even took our photo from home so they didn't have to when we boarded. One thing we forgot to do was the video for the muster drill, so we had a private little session before entering the ship. It was pretty funny, and we were the only ones in that group. I believe that Royal has not been in L.A. for about 11 years, and this was one of the first cruises out. I think there may have been a couple before ours. I was confused when we got on because we couldn't figure out where our room was. We both had a carry on and one big suitcase. It took me a little while to see the signs that say "Rooms will be open at 2:00pm" . I'm sure they need time to clean the rooms and turn them around. No big deal as we only had our carry-ons. I didn't eat breakfast that morning, I just had coffee, so we decided to go to the Windjammer for lunch. It seems everyone had their carry-ons so we didn't feel out of place. Every other table is reserved so there will be an empty table between you and the other guests. I heard that this ship was 1/2  capacity , but can't confirm that. The difference is now, you can't touch anything. They will hand you the plate, and you point at what you want and they will serve it to you or put on your plate. Everything was clean and hand washing is available before you go in. After we ate we explored the ship and went out to the deck, it was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, everyone was in the pool, music and eating at the outdoor venues. There is a "El Loco Fresh" serving Mexican food and a Johnny Rockets pool side, which I believe is a nominal fee of $6.95. I may be wrong, I didn't eat there because I'm vegetarian and they didn't have any vege burgers, lol. Went back to see the slides because you know I'm going on those!! It was fun exploring the ship, and we really liked the city walk area where you feel like you are walking through a city, or town.  It's really planned out nice, with a good feel. 

 

I will continue tomorrow with the rest of my day, going to shows and dining. We manage to do a lot in one day.

 

 

[DandDM]

Thanks for posting. We are on this cruise (we hope) in February 

 

Cheers,

[cruisingguy007]

Considering this ship for a future cruise. Looking forward to your review and photos. 

[Travlin grrl]

Day 1/Embarkation day Con't.  -  Exploring the ship from top to bottom. We go to Lime and Coconut deckside for a sailaway drink. I'm more of a girlie or exotic type drink so try the Goombay Smash. (Photo below of drinks from the bar). We didn't have the Sailaway Party that we usually have on Princess, so we definitely missed that, but since we are new to Royal, we don't know if that is typical, or is it because of Covid they don't do that. Maybe someone on here can tell me. 

The rooms were ready (I think around 2:00pm or may have been just a little earlier) and they announce it over the intercom, so we go to our room to unpack our carry-ons and see if our big suitcase shows up. We had a balcony, and it had the basic bed, T.V. , small refrig. , safe, and small bathroom which is expected because we are used to the small spaces. The only weird thing was the closet door would always hit the bathroom door. So one person could not be doing stuff in the closet if someone was opening the door of the bathroom. No big deal, but it was a little annoying. They had the big space under the bed for your suitcases, beds were okay and I was fine with everything. I will say the only complaint I have, (which is really not a big deal or deal breaker) was the movie selection on the T.V. And here is where I will compare to Princess. Princess has the Movie under the Stars with the latest movies, and you can watch them on your stateroom T.V. They usually have the latest movies, like when you are flying, and there is no extra charge. I think there were a couple current movies and there was a rental charge. The other movies were kind of old. Not that I'm always watching movies in my stateroom, but sometimes when we want to take a break or rest, I would watch a movie. Like I said, not a big deal, just something I noticed. We get the big suitcase, unpack, and we had made reservations for the ICE show, dinner, and the Comedian Show. 

 

We go to the Ice Show , which I believe was at 7:00 p.m. I made reservations on my phone. The show started 15 minutes late , ( which I realized later , most every show started a little late) and new we had reservations at 8:00 pm for dinner. So I was a little worried, because I thought everything was scheduled, but really I found out, not so much. The Ice Show is amazing!!! The talented Ice Skaters do a great job, and it was soooo fun watching them. Because we like to arrive early we had the best seats right in front and center. So if you want the best seat, go 1/2 hour early. Because of Covid the first row is vacant, so we were in the second row, and they have spaces between you and the next person. Also it is every other row, and when you leave, they have you go in sections. I remember hearing that unvaccinated people had to go the 2nd floor seating on top, but there must not have been many people because I don't remember seeing too many people up there. I can only assume there was a small percentage of people that weren't vaccinated for some reason because we had to show everything when we boarded. The rules are you can't videotape and I really wish I could because the photos just don't do it justice. And since I followed the rules, I don't have any video to show. I really think this is a "Do not Miss" show, you are right there experiencing them on the ice and can hear every little movement. Great job Royal!! 

 

[Travlin grrl]

15 hours ago, DandDM said:

Thanks for posting. We are on this cruise (we hope) in February 

 

Cheers,

I hope so too. I want to do it again and there are good fares right now!

[Travlin grrl]

14 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Considering this ship for a future cruise. Looking forward to your review and photos. 

Even though it is an older ship, they really did a good job renovating it. I'll be adding more photos.

[Ashland]

We'll be on Jan 17th for the 7 nighter...So excited to sail from our home port again..with an easy quick drive.

[Travlin grrl]

Day 1 /Embarkation Day

 

Dinner was at 8:00pm. Here is the big difference I discovered on Royal. They are more nighttime people, more fun, and they like to stay up late. 🤣 I thought it might be not crowded because on Princess they usually eat early. I did anytime dining but you can make reservations on your phone. However, the 8:00 reservation didn't mean anything because there were 2 long lines and some people had reservations, and some didn't. Some people were up front yelling and complaining because they had reservations, but I feel like, why do that? It's not the end of the world. Everyone is working hard and doing their best. So we had to wait for awhile to get a table, and even then, it was hard to get served. Instead of getting bread right away we had to ask for it twice. We ordered our food and still needed to ask. We thought this is how it is all the time, but to be fair, this was an anomaly. I chalk it up to first night madness and this is a popular time. Because the next 2 nights we go earlier around 6:30 and their is absolutely no lines.

 

So I'm learning the ways and times of the ship. I'm attaching a photo at bottom of the restaurant, because it is beautiful, and it's when it was empty so you can see it better. The top 2 floors I believe were for timed dining, like early or late, and the bottom floor is anytime dining. The 2nd floor and 3rd floor I thought were much nicer. The food I am always happy with, my husband had salmon, and I had something seafood, I just can't remember what I had the first night. There are no shared tables, but the tables are pretty close together. 

 

We still have time to make our comedy show after, and as usual, they start 15 minutes late. LOL. We had reservations for this as well. I could tell some people didn't have reservations so they were stopped and they would make reservations on their ipads before letting them in. The comedian is Kivi Rogers and he is hilarious!!! He also has an adults show around 11:00 pm and we never stayed up that late to watch, but really wish we had because he was so great! So far, we are super impressed with their shows and talent.  

 

Forgot to say, we brought one bottle of wine with us ( you are allowed one per person, but since it's a short cruise we just do one) and we have a glass on the balcony before dinner. Our room steward, is super nice, and brings us some glasses. I have to say, I always love our room stewards. They have a hard job and always make you feel so welcome. 

 

A few photos of desserts from dinner and Windjammer, The Bridge from our balcony, and on deck at night. The dining room before it fills up. 

 

 

[Travlin grrl]

2 hours ago, Ashland said:

We'll be on Jan 17th for the 7 nighter...So excited to sail from our home port again..with an easy quick drive.

Yes that is the beauty of living in L.A. and leaving on a cruise out of L.A. Instead of planning a few hours for flight, you just drive to the pier, park literally in front of the ship, and walk over to check in. Quite a different experience and super easy. I just got off the ship on Monday, drove home, got ready for work and was late by only a couple hours. lol. 

[FlyinSiren]

Thank you for posting! I’m on Navigator Jan 14.

[Travlin grrl]

15 hours ago, FlyinSiren said:

Thank you for posting! I’m on Navigator Jan 14.

Great. I'm sure it'll be a little different with the new variant, but I still want to go again soon!

 

[Travlin grrl]

Day 2 / Sea day

 

One thing I want to add about the room, and not sure if it was just our room, but there were no USB ports. Luckily, I had my charging cord with a plug in.  I believe there was 2 outlets in the room, which most cruise cabins don’t have a lot of outlets and we usually bring a power strip. Depending on the cruise line, I am hearing that some do not allow power strips. Earlier in our cruising days, we had our teens, so we needed all those outlets, but now that it’s just me and my husband, we don’t need a power strip. So be sure to bring a plug in!

 

On Sea day’s I like to have breakfast in the MDR because I’m not rushing.  On port days, I will have breakfast in the buffet. My husband likes to have salmon on bagel, and I had egg’s benedict w/out the ham and fruit. It’s not crowded in the restaurant, so it’s enjoyable and relaxing.

Today I’m going to go on the slides because I’m the thrill seeker. There is the “Blaster” slide which is a 2-person raft, and you get the raft at the top. This was a longer line for that one and they would not allow you to go by yourself. I would have waited at the bottom for another single rider, but the line was a little long for me. (Plus, it was the early afternoon and I’m sure it’s less crowded if you go earlier). So, I decided to go on the “Riptide” which is a mat, and you hang onto the 2 handles and go head first. This line is not as long and goes fast. The water may be semi heated because it didn’t feel super cold to me. Anyways, you through this tube and parts of it are dark with neon lights and parts of the tube are clear. You are not allowed to take your phone or camera with you, just remember it in your head, ha-ha. When you are done with the ride you will hand off your mat to the next riders who carry it up the stairs. I would definitely do this again, but I didn’t want my husband to wait around all day for me.

 

We continue to discover the ship and find Mini golf at the front of the ship, and we try our hands at it. I’m someone that likes to keep active, so I want to try everything. It’s challenging, at least for me, but I still have a lot of fun doing it. I only hit the ball out of the area twice! After all this we decide to sit poolside and relax a little.

We sit pool side for awhile and I order the “Rum Punch”, which is Spiced rum, Bacardi superior rum, guava and passion fruit syrups, pineapple juice, lime juice and a float of kraken Black Spiced Rum.  Your first sip is super strong because of the floating Kraken Rum, but after you stir it up it blends in.  I went to the El Loco Fresh and asked for 2 chips because I was going to just have chips and guacamole. When she saw I didn’t have any food on my plate, she asked for my plate and just put a plate full of chips on it. Then I went and added guac and Pico de Gallo for my own little lunch/chip and dip plate.  

 

We decided to eat dinner early, which anytime dining opened around 6:45pm and we got there around 6:30pm and they seated us on the 2^nd floor. That’s how I know the second floor is much nicer then the first floor. It was not crowded, and the servers were super nice, and even the head waiter came over and talked to us. He thought my husband looked like a famous chef from India and wanted to make sure it was not him. Lol. My husband had salmon again, and I had the Seafood linguine. Food does not disappoint on this cruise. I have no complaints as everything was delicious!!!

 

On to the production show which I know was booked up. The production was called Past, Present and Future, with the dancers and singers, and I always love these shows. I admire all the dancers and their hard work, everchanging costumes, great voices. Another great production show Royal!

 

We love karaoke. We are used to Princess where it is in a small type of theater style setting, and not in a bar setting. But on Royal it’s in the Cosmopolitan bar which is on the very top of the ship, and you have to take the elevator to get there (I think because I didn’t see the stairs). Anyways that started around 10:00 pm and glad we got there early so we could seats, which I would advise to do. At first no one was there, but at 10:00 I felt like someone just dropped off a busload of people because all of a sudden tons of people were filing in. Karaoke was an hour and a half, and everyone was having a great time, singing, drinking, and talking to each other. It’s more of a club scene than watching the singers. One thing for sure, Royal passengers like to have a good time!!

 

 

 

[Crazy planning mom]

Great review.  Glad it seems you enjoyed your first Royal Caribbean cruise.

[Travlin grrl]

47 minutes ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Great review.  Glad it seems you enjoyed your first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Yes and I definitely would like to try the other ships now. I realize they are all a little different. But I see why they are number 1 now. At least I think they are. 

[Travlin grrl]

Day 3 / Ensenada

 

We didn’t book any excursions because I had never been to Ensenada before. So, I decided to take the shuttle bus to town, which is conveniently out front. You hop on, it’s $4 per person. On the way to town, the tour lady is talking about different excursions they could take, which one happens to be one similar to the ship excursion to La Bufadora, only this one is $25 per person. I knew the ships one was more than double that, so we decide to be spontaneous and do it! We got off in town, pay the $50 for 2 people and get on another 12-seater van to La Bufadora, which is about 45 minutes to an hour away. She pulls over to the side of the road to take photos. 

We walk through the open market first, which is supposed to have better prices than town, but I’m not really sure they are. I do know my prices on certain things, and of course you have to bargain. Once you walk through the open air market you will see the natural wonder geyser named “La Bufadora” . It’s fun to watch and hear all the little kids squeal with delight. I’m glad I got that on video. On the way back we buy some random things, like the tile numbers for our address to put on our house, soup spoon, ceramic souvenirs, baseball cap because it’s sunny and I forgot mine. I didn’t even bargain for that because he said it was $5.00 so I said “sold” haha.

 

 

 

 

 

View from the top. 

 

Going back to town, we decided to stop and eat lunch. Even though we are told to eat from the various street carts because it’s cheaper, we really wanted to sit down and relax. Our shuttle bus was on the same street, so we stopped off at a semi busy one (I don’t want to go to the restaurant with no people). We ordered 2 fish taco plates, (3 large fish tacos on each plate), large side of guacamole, margarita for me and 2 beers for my husband. The whole bill was $30.00! I couldn’t believe it. I just want to go back to Ensenada so I can eat at “El Patio”!  It was a nice warm day so we sat on the sidewalk for outdoor seating and will get various people playing music or selling you things. We have dollar bills for tipping musicians and the little girl selling chiclets because she is sooo dang cute. It’s the experience!

I can't remember the name of this margarita, but the bartender recommended it. It has some sort of fruit from Thailand. Even though I don't have the name of it, I can always show a picture of it if I ever go back again. 

We jump on the shuttle back to the ship and have another early dinner which is also great. No crowds, good food and great service. We go to the entertainer show at night, which I almost passed up because I was used to the Princess one which is more older style. I’m so glad I went because it was great!! His name is Jimmy Hopper who has a great voice, amusing endearing stories, fun dance moves and overall entertaining. Here is a sample to You Tube which is a little compilation since I couldn't video tape. He looked a little different on the ship. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwVUErfNl-4

Overall Royal has perfected their entertainment choices.

We go back to room because guess what? We have to get off the ship the next day.

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2021 by Travlin grrl
added the rest of a sentence

[Travlin grrl]

Hopefully this works. I'm attaching a video of the Geyser at  La Bufadora. 

 

 

[Travlin grrl]

A few random photos. 
If anyone wants me to post the Cruise Compass let me know. I have copies I can take photos of to put on here.

They put the tree up while we were sleeping. A seagull on the neighbors balcony in Ensenda, and a view from the Cosmopolitan bar while watching karaoke.  . 

[TX.Mameow&Papeow]

Loved your review! We have been on Navigator several times but not from San Pedro. We have 4 consecutive cruises on her in March and are really looking forward to them. We have seen Jimmy Hopper before and he is amazing! He doesn't look like someone who sings opera and is so versatile in his ability to sing and play so many types of music and instruments. I hope he will be on our cruises!

[Travlin grrl]

22 hours ago, TX.Mameow&Papeow said:

Loved your review! We have been on Navigator several times but not from San Pedro. We have 4 consecutive cruises on her in March and are really looking forward to them. We have seen Jimmy Hopper before and he is amazing! He doesn't look like someone who sings opera and is so versatile in his ability to sing and play so many types of music and instruments. I hope he will be on our cruises!

Awesome. Are you doing B2B 3 days or 7 days? Right, Jimmy Hooper does not look like he would sing opera, lol. He can do it all. We really enjoyed him and hope to see him again. I'm thinking of booking a 3 day again in March and trying to get friends to jump on also, because we had such a good time. 

[TX.Mameow&Papeow]

6 hours ago, Travlin grrl said:

Awesome. Are you doing B2B 3 days or 7 days? Right, Jimmy Hooper does not look like he would sing opera, lol. He can do it all. We really enjoyed him and hope to see him again. I'm thinking of booking a 3 day again in March and trying to get friends to jump on also, because we had such a good time. 

We are doing a 3n-4n-3n-4n, the timing of the 7n didn't work with our schedule. We have never been to Catalina Island so we will go twice. We have been to Ensenada once coming back from Hawaii several years ago so will check it out again. looking forward to enjoying Navigator again!

[Vic1055]

Very informative. I read everything, Thanks.

I’ll be taking that particular cruise on the 24th. My last cruise was 15 years ago. 

Did they still host a formal wear night? Tuxedos and prom dresses? 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, Vic1055 said:

Did they still host a formal wear night? Tuxedos and prom dresses? 

Welcome to CC and opening a can of worms. Yes and not really.

[Vic1055]

almost afraid to ask Biker19. Yes and not really? I'm assuming formal night is optional. Did you participate?

[Biker19]

48 minutes ago, Vic1055 said:

Yes and not really?

Yes, there are "formal" nights, but very few wear the outfits you mentioned. Wear whatever you want.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Biker19

[bonsai3s]

On 1/2/2022 at 6:46 AM, Vic1055 said:

Very informative. I read everything, Thanks.

I’ll be taking that particular cruise on the 24th. My last cruise was 15 years ago. 

Did they still host a formal wear night? Tuxedos and prom dresses? 

It's now called "Dress Your Best".

Onboard the Navigator now. Passengers were dressed for Day 1 because of NYE celebration. Actual "DYB" are Days 2 and 6 for the 7-night sailings...Day 2 for the 3 and 4 sailings.

 

Not many, if any, wore tuxes and prom dresses.