Navigator review 1/24/08 4 night cruise

[SusanMelody]

I cruised the NOS 1/24/08-1/28/08 with a group of 9 ER nurses. We flew in the night before on Southwest Airlines from Philadelphia without incident. We had a blast and we are planning our 2nd annual cruise for next January.

 

Hotel: I booked the Sheraton Yankee Clipper for a pre-cruise stay on the Starwood website for $149.00 per night. The hotel was clean with a lovely beach and a small pool. Perfect for a pre-cruise stay.

 

Stateroom: We stayed in the aft JS #1694 and it was wonderful. The aft balcony was huge and we used it daily, especially the last day when it was very windy on the pool deck. No wind on our balcony!

 

Dining: We ate dinner in the main dining room every night except for Formal night. We ate at Portofino's on Formal night and it was exceptional. We enjoyed breakfast in the dining room more than Windjammer's. Johnny Rocket's was delicious for lunch on our last day at sea.

 

Activities: Enjoyed the casino: one of us won $1,000.00 on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine on the first night of the cruise (not me). Enjoyed karaoke, men vs women competition, love and marriage show and the Quest (I got 3rd place, but had an unfortunate top slippage issue). The Schooner had a sing along piano man who was also very enjoyable on the way to the casino. Did not stop in Bolero's but is was hopping every evening. I got upgraded to Diamond level (surprise!) and used the concierge lounge on 2 of the 4 nights. It was slightly crowded, but mostly with the suite full of the Southern gals staying one deck below us.

 

Service: I found the service to be exceptional on this cruises. Our waitstaff was top-notch and our room attendant was very attentive. I have sailed RCCL many times before, and I found that the service really stood out on this cruise. Not always easily accomplished on a short cruise.

 

Shore Excursions: We went to Paradise Beach for the day (took a taxi) and enjoyed every minute. We all parasailed, sunned, ate and drank. Shopped for a bit in the afternoon.

 

Disembarkation: Opted for express. Waited on our balcony until 8:45 am and walked off of the ship with our bags. Waited in Custom's line for about 1/2 hour. Painless.

 

Summary: I have sailed on the Adventure and the Mariner in the past and loved the Navigator. I will be sailing on her on 3/24/08 with my family (32 people!)

 

SusanMelody

[CruisingCatherine]

Did you happen to get all of the Compasses on your trip? If so would you mind posting them or sending them to me. There are many people on our Roll Call trying to make plans and would really appreciate copies.

[castle701]

Glad to hear that the Navigator is still fantastic - We too, a group of 17 will be onboard 3/24 for 5 night cruise. It is our third time on her... If you remember - is chops/portofino a $20 or $25 surcharge - I just want to inform our group of the cost in advance. Any info on the cruise director - heard Kieron will not be there when we are there - did you happen to hear anything? thanks in advance.

[castle701]

Susan - forgot to mention we are from your neck of the woods - down in Ocean City.

[SusanMelody]

Castle701

 

Portofino's - $20.00 Chops - $25.00. Mu aunt lives year round in OC in the Gardens section. I am really looking forward to the Easter Break cruise with my family. Are you on the roll call board?

[SusanMelody]

CruisingCatherine

 

I did bring home the daily Cruise Compass, however my family has already snatched them up. If and when I get them returned, I will post them.

[castle701]

Castle701

 

Portofino's - $20.00 Chops - $25.00. Mu aunt lives year round in OC in the Gardens section. I am really looking forward to the Easter Break cruise with my family. Are you on the roll call board?

 

I live in the Gardens too - I did go on the roll call, but havent written much.

[mberli]

Hi, did they have the Fisherman's Platter (lobster tail) any night?

Mel

[Quadsd]

Great review, I'm really getting excited for our Navigator 4 night cruise in 2 weeks! This is going to be our first cruise on RCCL and am really looking forward to it.

[sailorgrammy]

Great review, I'm really getting excited for our Navigator 4 night cruise in 2 weeks! This is going to be our first cruise on RCCL and am really looking forward to it.

 

me too, Deb/Rick....see you there!

[Inshape]

We were on that cruise too and we also did the one before it making it a 9 nighter for us, Jan 19, Jan 24. I went to the Love and Marriage show for the first show but there was none that I recall for the Jan 24 cruise. I actually told my husband that it was missing from the second cruise and I wondered why they did not do it. When was it? It was never listed in the Compass???

Also, I thought the food was good in the dining room with the filet in the dining room ( the sliced one) to be better than the filet we got at Portofinos. We ate there on the first cruise and thought the appetizers were wonderful, and we had them all. The entrees were just ok. The seafood skewer was not tasty at all, no seasoning at all. Like it was all poached.

The desserts were very good. WE were going to go to Chops on the second portion of the cruise, the Jan 24 one but since the meat in the dining room was better than the meat in Portofino we thought why pay for Chops.

The production shows were all superb with the cast being tops in all 9 cruises we have sailed. The 2 main singers who sang the duets were fantastic beyond words. Loved that show so much we saw it both cruises.

The ice show on board was nice but compared to others on MOS, EOS, and LOS it was not our favorite show. Although the skating was still wonderful.

The ship was beautiful and they repainted one of the pools between the 2 cruises. They said the second pool would be redone after the cruise on the 28th. It made a big difference, really spruced it up and took years off the looks. The CD was very good, although not all over the ship as I have gotten friendly with others on other ships. No complaints though at all.

[abhb]

Dh and I were also on the 1/24 NOS. I never saw a listing for the Love and Marriage show in the cruise compass either. We really missed it too!

[CruisingCatherine]

Is Sean still the cruise director? Last time I was on the Navigator he was our CD. Thought he was great.

[castle701]

Interested in who the cruise director is too ... heard Kieron is on vacation. On previous cruises, we were lucky to have James Andrews the last four times and he was suberb - know that he is on The Liberty now ... hope the new person replacing Kieron who I also heard is excellent, is not a dud.

[SusanMelody]

Sorry for all the confusion...went to the Battle of the Sexes show...not Love and Marriage.

I do not recall lobster being served, however we skipped formal night and went to Portofino's. 4 of my friends had the seafood skewers and loved them and my filet was fantastic.

I am ashamed to say I did not notice who the CD was...he had an accent though (I know, I am no help).

I will be sailing on the NOS 3/24 and I promise to take note of who the Cruise Director is at that time.

[Inshape]

Thanks for that clarification cause the 2 shows are really different. LOVE the love and marriage show and the other one I can skip. AS for Portofino we ate there on the cruise we did before, the Jan 19 one and I am sorry to say that the skewers were close to terrible. I did not enjoy them at all. No seasoning at all. Undercooked too I think. No taste to anything on them, bland as bland could be and to boot, no butter to dip it in. They made a saffron thing that was not very appetizing to dip the seafood into. The salmon and the shrimp and the half of one lobster tail were as tastless as anything. We also had the filet which was not great either...just a hunk of meat. The sliced filet in the dining room over the mashed potatoes was tastier and melted in our mouth compared to the filet in portofino. The appetizers were very very good and I had 3 of them. The shrimp risotto was great. The shrimp were huge and seasoned great. The rice ws tasty too. The eggplant rollitinis were excellent although very small. The calamari was fresh and nice too but could have had more pizzazz with some mango salsa and feta like i have had in upscale restaurants. The salad with the candied walnuts were way too candied for me. The woman at the next table warned me or I would have/could have broken my teeth on them. Nowhere in that glub of candy could we even see a walnut. Hard as rocks too. The desserts were nicely presented.

[SusanMelody]

Inshape...no problem on the clarification. The Battle of the Sexes was a bit tired, but as a group of Moms on a get-away, it served it's purpose. The last Love and Marriage show I saw was on the AOS this past May and it was hilarious. Reminds me of the old Newlywed Game show with a bit more spunk.

 

Love the shrimp risotto. I do recall my friends having to ask for clarified butter for their seafood. Who can eat lobster without butter??? We all claimed to be too stuffed for desert, however we ate the two-tiered chocolate dish in 1 minute flat and continued on to finish off the flourless chocolate cake without shame.I personally enjoy skipping formal night on a shorter cruise and dining at Portofino's...no heels required!