My wife and I would like to be avid cruisers, but unfortunately we only have the budget to do maybe one cruise a year. This was my 5th cruise with Royal Caribbean so we now reach the Platinum level...Woohoo! We sailed on the Navigator of the Seas on the March 8 voyage out of Miami. Here are my thoughts and experiences.

Embarkation was outstanding! We arrived at around 10:30 AM at port, dropped our bags with the porter and headed into the terminal. The line moved along VERY quickly and we were on board within 15 minutes! The terminal personnel were more than courteous and downright friendly. Outstanding experience here! Upon boarding, our room was not yet ready. We were quite early so no big deal. We headed to the Windjammer. The WJ had just opened so there was plenty of room for seating even by the windows. Got our food and sat down for a nice leisurely lunch. The food was adequate, nothing special. Service was not quite up to par in the WJ however. We had to actively hunt someone down to get a soda. Instead of a second soda, I picked up some ice tea. Pretty much like water. The lemonade and fruit punch was extremely bad too. By 1 PM our room was ready and we checked things out. Our balcony room (8236) was well maintained and exactly what I expected. Outstanding storage space is pretty much a given on Royal. We hung at our room for a bit until the muster drill. So happy the drill doesn't involve the life jackets anymore! After the muster drill we spent some time exploring our new home. The ship is well maintained and very beautiful. Our room steward was very friendly and performed his job very well. The room was always clean with the bed turned down and the ice filled when we returned for the night. Having sailed on the Liberty, I was anxious to see the promenade and how it compared. I was disappointed that they didn't have a Sorrento's Pizza (combined within Cafe Promenade), but other than that it compared very favorably to the Liberty. Dinner in the main dining room was always a treat. We ate there 4 out of the 5 nights. We were seated in the Nutcracker dining room on second level. The food was an absolute delight every night. I don't understand how some people are so critical. Everything I had was tasty and perfectly prepared. Our waiter and assistant waiter made the every meal a special one. I can't imagine better service than what we received at each dinner on the Navigator. Tuesday night we chose to dine at Chops. We always make a point to dine at Chops and the Navigator did not disappoint! The service and food were unbelievable! We always have fun when we visit Chops, but the service for Chops on the Navigator was beyond any previous. The servers laughed, joked, and sang with us through the meal. Bravo to the Navigator Chops! Other dining options on the Navigator that we tried included Johnny Rockets (great food and fun, friendly service), no complaints here. At the Cafe Promenade they had some great little prosciutto sandwiches that I snacked on every night before bed. The pizza was a nice little snack as well. As mentioned before, the Windjammer service was not rally the greatest, but the food was of a good variety and overall pretty tasty. The entertainment on board was somewhat hit or miss. The comic the first and second night (Jeff Jenna) was outstanding. Very funny adult humor. Loved his act. The celebrity act was the Nelson Brothers with Ricky Nelson Remembered. Terrific show! Very nice tribute to their father. The two stage shows done by the Royal Caribbean Singers & Dancers were not great. I thought the group was very talented, but the content of the show wasn't my cup of tea (Ballroom Fever and All Access). I actually fell asleep in the Ballroom Fever show. Christopher James performed the final night. He did a GREAT combination of comedy and magic. Can't recommend him enough! The ice show was very entertaining and well worth seeing. Get there early to get a good seat. The various parades through the promenade were ok, but once you saw one, you pretty much get the idea. That brings me to the cruise director. Simeon Baker was simply amazing! He was possibly the best CD we've had in 5 cruises. He really gets involved and performs with the ship's talent. My wife and I are still talking about him now a month later. Love you Simeon! I don't have much to comment on concerning the ports of call (Cozumel and Belize City). We got off the ship, but only strolled through the port area. We didn't really have any interest in excursions during this cruise. Disembarking took some time as it always does, but I certainly have seen worse. I did appreciate that they had coffee and snacks available in the ice rink where we were waiting.

Overall we had an outstanding cruise on the Navigator. Other than the spring breakers that were somewhat of an annoyance, virtually everything was perfect. I can't rave enough about the service level or the quality of food on the Navigator. Everyone was outstanding. I wouldn't hesitate to cruise this ship again.