Navigator of the Seas Review
Great Staff. Too big a ship for my tastes.
Rating by category
Additional details
The wife and I had not been on a cruise in about 10 years, so we were really looking forward to this. It was our 10 year anniversary celebration. As is typical of my luck in such things, I contracted a nasty stomach bug the week before, and was still getting over it when we got on the ship. I had just started taking antibiotics, and was told by the pharmacist, "If you drink alcohol while taking this medication, you will wish you were dead." This meant that the one week of the year where I was allowing myself to eat whatever I wanted and even relax and have a few drinks was essentially ruined before I even stepped on the ship. I won't hold that against the cruise company though.
The ship is beautiful and is HUGE. All the other cruises I have been on have been on much smaller ships. I gotta say, having been on both, I prefer the smaller ships. With over 10,000 people on the ship, every activity was crowded to the gills, especially on sea days. The pool deck was also packed.
The windjammer cafe was packed at peak times, with people packed like pigs at a trough. The windjammer food was basically on par with a Shoney's or Golden Corral. The dinner in the dining room was much better than the Windjammer, although I was unimpressed with the breakfast in the dining room.
Cabin Review
Interior Stateroom with Virtual Balcony
Our cabin steward, Maggie, was incredible. I thought the bed was fine, but my wife found it to be too firm. The virtual balcony was interesting for about 10 seconds, then the novelty wore off. I would not recommend paying extra for this gimmick.
Port Reviews
Galveston
The porters seem like a bunch of tatted ex-cons in Hawaiian shirts. They have cleaned up their attitude a bit in the ten years since I last cruised, but I still don't like giving them my stuff. The last time (10 years ago) a porter not so subtly implied that if I did not give him a generous tip, he could not guarantee my bags would make it on board. That did not happen this time. We walked to the entrance to the terminal, but still had to hand off our bags to a porter. We got there a bit early, and were able to get on board before the crowds really got thick.
Cozumel
I have been coming to Cozumel since I was 16 years old, but had not been back in about 10 years, since my last cruise. It is still as obnoxious as I remember. As soon as you step off the ship, expect to be harassed non stop by vendors and pushers. I am white but I speak Spanish. When I (very politely) turned down one particularly pushy guy who was trying to get me to come into a restaurant, he said in Spanish that my wife was a whore. I ignored it and kept walking. I saw another guy physically grabbing female tourists and trying to guide them into a shop.
I recommend deciding where you want to go before you get off the ship. Get directly into a cab and go straight there. Then get back into a cab and head straight back to the ship.
Places I personally recommend: If you like cowboy boots, don't go anywhere but Robert's boots. They have the real deal when it comes to Ostrich, Snakeskin and other exotic hides. Everywhere else has fakes.
Palmera's Restaurant: This place had good food and good staff. It is a bit pricey by Cozumel standards, but still reasonable by US standards.
Senor Frogs: The first, last, and only word on partying in Cozumel. Just know what you are getting into when you go. This place gets absolutely crazy. I am no prude, but my worst experience here was 15 years ago when a "Swinger's Cruise" group showed up at the same time I was inside. I won't describe the horrific images which are still seared into my retinas, but imagine what happens when 30-40 "swingers" most over the age of 55 descended into a crowd of drunken college age morons. This place IS NOT FOR KIDS OR TEENS. One other tip: Do not allow the staff to start a tab for you. Pay for your drinks one at a time. In cash. The last time I started a tab here, it ended up with 14 drinks on it. I had quite a few drinks that day, but 14 would put me in the hospital. Having no recourse though, I just paid the tab.
There is also a nice historical park with some ancient ruins in the middle of the island. If you are looking for something educational or laid back, I recommend taking a cab there and doing the self tour.