Just back from Navigator....

[Poohb]

Thank you for the lesson FL Cruiser. I knew there was a reason why I should have kept the hump cabin; but the gty was too good to turn down & we still have an D1. I'm sure we will survive and gain less weight. lol

[josumello]

We were on the eastbound TA when the stabilizer went down. It was the aft port stabilizer. We were anchored off Lisbon and lost 2 ports of call. Divers were flown in from UK to cut off the stabilizer. It will be repaired when NOS goes into drydock in JAN. Actually our cruise was exceptionally calm which was great for a TA in April. All the passengers were pretty amazed that the stabilizer malfunction didn't add to a "bumpy" cruise.

 

Sue

[nellydean]

We were on the NOS at the end of May and had most inclement weather for that time of year, with very rough seas for a few days (mainly evenings). One night, I was awoken by a bang and a juddering from side to side - I thought for one horrible moment the ship was going over :eek:

 

I was OK but, sadly, quite a few people were seasick, including some children :( the crew said they had not known such poor weather in the Med at that time, and the captain even remarked on it

 

We were also right at the front, but the movement could be felt just as much in the dining room. Having one less stabiliser could not have helped the situation, so it's a good job it is being replaced in the New Year

 

next time we visit the Med is in August, so hoping for smoother waters then :)

[FL_Cruiser64]

We were on the eastbound TA when the stabilizer went down. It was the aft port stabilizer. We were anchored off Lisbon and lost 2 ports of call. Divers were flown in from UK to cut off the stabilizer. It will be repaired when NOS goes into drydock in JAN. Actually our cruise was exceptionally calm which was great for a TA in April. All the passengers were pretty amazed that the stabilizer malfunction didn't add to a "bumpy" cruise.

 

Sue

 

 

Sue, good that you posted.

 

Remembering the posts back then we all read how lawyers on the ship caused trouble (assembly, trying to get the captain to compensate passengers etc) trying to get compensation and stuff. Whatever happened to that?

[land lover]

We were on the eastbound TA when the stabilizer went down. It was the aft port stabilizer. We were anchored off Lisbon and lost 2 ports of call. Divers were flown in from UK to cut off the stabilizer. It will be repaired when NOS goes into drydock in JAN. Actually our cruise was exceptionally calm which was great for a TA in April. All the passengers were pretty amazed that the stabilizer malfunction didn't add to a "bumpy" cruise.

 

Sue

 

Thanks for stating that is was a aft stabilizer as the Captain came to our CC M&M on OCT 13(sailing before OP) and said that it was in the back. When I read some one said a waiter told them it was a front one I was wondering........................;)

[RIAFT]

We are just back from this cruise also and yes it was pretty rough weather. Our waiter told us that it is the front stabilzer that was not functioning. Another passenger told us that they were on the NOTS when this stabilzer failed and they had to anchor off Lisbon while some people were flown out to repair it. They couldn't repair it and so it was cut off, and is now lying at the bottom of the ocean off Lisbon. Our cabin was right at the front and so we felt every bit of the rough seas as the ship lifted off the waves and smacked back down onto them. The swells were at least 20 feet and we were told by a member of staff that the winds were at least gale force 9.

We were right at the front too - cabin 7200. Great views normally! The lack of stabilising functionality must have been a major factor because the conditions were horrendous. I obviously don't blame RCI for the bad weather but if their ship isn't functioning the way it was meant to and our cruise was spoiled as a consequence, I think we have every justification in complaining.

[RIAFT]

We had booked another excursion ashore in Istanbul that evening but with the rain not abating we attempted to cancel. However, RCI would not allow us to do so. Their inflexibility in such extreme circumstances would certainly make me think twice about sailing with them again. My wife and I even attempted to brave the deluge to avoid wasting a considerable sum of money all together but could only get a hundred yards or so from the ship, despite umbrellas, before we were completely drenched again and had to turn back. We should most certainly have been offered refunds by RCI and will be complaining formally.

Did anyone here make it to the Turkish dinner and entertainment evening? We wasted a lot of money by paying in advance for four of us to attend this excursion, which RCI would not permit us to cancel due to the extreme weather conditions as we didn't give at least 48 hours notice. I am particularly angry about the guest relations staff's intransigence on board over this.

[ktcroozer]

My DH and I were on the QE2 a few years back in gale force 9 winds on the North Atlantic. Trust me - stabilizers aren't going to make much of a difference with waves that high. We were really rocking and rolling - almost fell out of bed in a lower cabin. The QE2 is built as an ocean liner and it was really rough.

We're on the Navigator TA, too. Our two TA's have been very rough. We're hoping third times the charm!

Kathy and Ken

[Poohb]

Kathy & Ken. Both of our other TAs were very smooth. I hope your (I mean our) crossing will be smooth for you (& me, too). ONLY ONE WEEK TO GO !!!!

[AllieInMD]

I'm sailing Navigator in January - and I think she's going into drydock shortly after - don't quote me - read something about some time ago - like after they cut the stabilizer off in Lisbon.

 

I am hoping that by the time I sail on NOS for the TA in April her stablizer is replaced. After reading this review I sure would hate to have rough seas in the Atlantic especially with 7 days at sea.

Regarding the umbrella situation I know that this is not RCI but Celebrity has golf umbrella's in your closet with the Celebrity logo in all concierge, & suite cabins. I have sailed in both categories & they were there each time.

[English_in_Spain]

We were on this cruise with Riaft and also the previous cruise with Land Lover.

 

The two cruises were so different it did not seem like the same ship. It was not just the weather. I have cruised the Med several times in October and November and the weather is often unpredictable. We were prepared for that (apart from the tornado of course).

 

The thing we found is that NoS is not equipped to handle the number of passengers it carries when the weather is bad. Because people are not going on deck (in fact on the last day all outside decks were closed) there were not enough seats in the inside bars and lounges. We spent most of our last 2 days in our cabin.

 

Apart from the weather, the main difference betwen the 2 cruises was the mix of passengers. Cruise 1 was about 1500 British, 500 Spanish and 500 from USA. A very friendly, sociable cruise. Cruise 2 was like a mini United Nations. I think just about every nationality was there. I do not have a problem with this but it does make it very difficult to communicate with other passengers.

 

I agree the last 24 to 36 hours was unpleasant. Maybe this was made worse by the lack of one stabiliser - I don't know. I do not suffer from seasickness but I was quite glad to leave the ship in Barcelona.

 

This was our first RCI cruise (20 cruises in total with 8 different cruise lines). I found the cruise quite good value for money. The service was adequate but not outstanding.

 

I found that on sea days it was difficult to enjoy a relaxed breakfast or lunch anywhere on the ship. Again, I don't think this ship can really handle 3000+ passengers.

 

Would I travel with RCI again? Probably yes (in fact we are booked on Brilliance in January) but I don't think I would choose the larger ships again if there was a chance of bad weather or if there were a lot of sea days.

[land lover]

We were on this cruise with Riaft and also the previous cruise with Land Lover.

 

The two cruises were so different it did not seem like the same ship. It was not just the weather. I have cruised the Med several times in October and November and the weather is often unpredictable. We were prepared for that (apart from the tornado of course).

 

The thing we found is that NoS is not equipped to handle the number of passengers it carries when the weather is bad. Because people are not going on deck (in fact on the last day all outside decks were closed) there were not enough seats in the inside bars and lounges. We spent most of our last 2 days in our cabin.

 

Apart from the weather, the main difference betwen the 2 cruises was the mix of passengers. Cruise 1 was about 1500 British, 500 Spanish and 500 from USA. A very friendly, sociable cruise. Cruise 2 was like a mini United Nations. I think just about every nationality was there. I do not have a problem with this but it does make it very difficult to communicate with other passengers.

 

I agree the last 24 to 36 hours was unpleasant. Maybe this was made worse by the lack of one stabiliser - I don't know. I do not suffer from seasickness but I was quite glad to leave the ship in Barcelona.

 

This was our first RCI cruise (20 cruises in total with 8 different cruise lines). I found the cruise quite good value for money. The service was adequate but not outstanding.

 

I found that on sea days it was difficult to enjoy a relaxed breakfast or lunch anywhere on the ship. Again, I don't think this ship can really handle 3000+ passengers.

 

Would I travel with RCI again? Probably yes (in fact we are booked on Brilliance in January) but I don't think I would choose the larger ships again if there was a chance of bad weather or if there were a lot of sea days.

 

Hi Carol,

 

Was wondering how you and Bob made out after reading Riaft's experience. Glad you had that JS to spend time in .....I sent you an email.

[Aideen]

did you have Capt Leif Bang as master?

 

Yes Captain Leif Otto Bang was the main man onboard! He celebrated his 65th birthday during our cruise.

[scorpiomum]

We were also on the cruise with RIALT. We were in a GS midship thankfully so the rough weather wasnt too bad for us although my 6yr old was ill in the morning. It was a real shame because the last night was a huge disappointment with the dining room and windjammer really empty. we even found that the concierge lounge was pretty quiet with a lot of people spending the evening in their rooms. there really were a lot of sick people the last day.

 

As for our cruise experience on the Navigator, i had been on Brilliance in the med last November so was expecting the bigger ship to be even better. I was really disappointed. Now we still had a great time, but we paid a lot of money for a GS and i found overall the servive so nowhere near as good as the Brilliance. Our cabin attendant was only average. yes she cleaned the room - just. but no personal touch. she regularly had to be chased for things like giving us the cruise compas in spanish instead of english, for leaving someone elses excursion tickets in our room. just little things i know but we were in a suite and our steward on Brilliance, Josephine, was amazing, so i was expecting something similar. Likewise our waiter was not very good. we only went 3 times to the dining room and tried windjammer on Formal night. my husband liked the sushi so much, and the service was so much better in the windjammer, the staff so much nicer, we didnt go back to the dining room. this really is a shame i think.

 

I also agree with other comments that the ship doesnt handle the crowds well in bad weather. i also found that the windjammer didnt handle crowds and we often found it very difficult to get a seat. Room service menu was also an issue for me. On Brilliance i remember ordering in the evening food that you could also get in the dining roon eg. kids chicken fingers and chips. on Navigator the menu said things like cheese plate, fruit plate, hamburget and hot dog. no mention at all of anything that really would pass as an evening meal so therefore we were never able to have a meal in the room. now i may have missed something but i was really disappointed with this. I also found that the food was a lot of burgers (with Johnny rockets) or sanwiches and really missed the Seaview cafe on brilliance and their fresh pastas.

 

On the whole the experience on the ship itself was only average for me and that is taking into account how much money we spent for the trip and our previous experience on Brilliance. maybe we were spoilt by how good brilliance was.....dont know. but i need to think hard about which ship i sail next time.

[scorpiomum]

sorry RIAFT...typo with your name. my apologies.

[RIAFT]

sorry RIAFT...typo with your name. my apologies.

No problem. Having read your review, I think you got pretty much everything else right!

[RIAFT]

My daughter Louise inadvertently came home with TWO toy brown dogs from this cruise (Navigator of the Seas, departed Barcelona on 20 October). She thinks one might belong to a little girl called Chloe who was in the kids' club with Louise. So if you're Chloe's mum or dad and she's pining for her lost Royal Caribbean puppy, send me an email and I'll arrange to get it back to her! (mike@riaft.fsnet.co.uk)