Navigator of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
2,293 reviews

Expectations a bit too high

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Navigator of the Seas
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starfyr269
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Apr 2011
Cabin: Junior Suite
Traveled with children

My husband and I cruised with RC to the Bahamas for our honeymoon years ago, and thought it would be the adventure of a lifetime to take our children on a cruise for spring break. Unfortunately, we expected RC to take the same care of passengers now as they did in the 90s. We expected too much. There were a few little things and a few bigger things that eventually made this one of those "I wish it hadn't ended up like that" vacations. While the Navigator is a beautiful ship - very clean, with wonderful activities offered - we had some "let-downs" that, in my opinion, could have been avoided. Our certified vacation planner told us that we would have a connecting stateroom with our kids, and that we could even open up the divider on the balcony to make it one big area. Neither one of those things was accurate. Maybe some staterooms do connect, but ours did not - not a really big deal, just annoying to be told one thing and have something different be discovered upon arrival. Also, we had asked our vacation planner about the types of soda offered with the soda package. All she would tell us was Coke products. We all know that Coke makes MANY different varieties of soda. The soda package includes three - Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite. My guess is that RC wants you to assume you'll have many choices, when in reality, you only have 3! Again, nothing major, just something we would have liked to have known before purchasing the soda package. We also purchased a Pets at Sea package for my daughter as a special treat, because she wasn't old enough to do an excursion the boys would be doing. They made it seem a bit like Build-a-Bear, but the animals are nowhere near as cute, and there were only about 8 or 10 outfits to choose from. A bit of a disappointment for her.Most of the crew that we interacted with was incredible - helpful, attentive!! We had only one complaint about a crew member - our Asst. Waiter. He was so overwhelmed through dinner every night, that we spent several evenings with empty glasses and nothing to drink. After a long day in the hot Caribbean sun? Unacceptable. Even after asking for refills, he would forget. By the last couple evenings, I almost requested he leave a water pitcher on our table, so we could refill them ourselves! Port Labadee was our first stop. Here, our boys did the Dragon's Breath Flight Line. They loved it!! It was a bit expensive, but they thought it was incredible. The workers at the end who help you get off were a bit rude, but it was still a good experience.We also relaxed at the Arawak Aqua Park. It was fun - and funny - seeing everyone try to haul themselves out of the water to get on the inflatables!! What a riotous good time!The other gem of our visit was the Haitian Cultural Tour. It was something that we weren't sure we wanted to do, yet it ended up being our family's favorite part of the entire cruise!! Paradise Cove is just that - paradise! A quiet beach, with crystal waters, warm as a bath. It's a nice place to slow down and bask in the Caribbean sun! The cultural part was a bit staged, but still very interesting. I'm not sure everything being sold there was "manufactured" by the folks there, as we were told, but it was still an insightful visit.We scheduled the zip line first thing in the a.m. followed by the aqua park. RC provided a lovely buffet lunch, which we thoroughly enjoyed, and we still had time to take the afternoon Haitian Cultural Tour. A lovely day! (If you are a blood donor, keep in mind that you'll be deferred for a year after visiting Haiti - including Port Labadee.)Our second stop was Falmouth, Jamaica, which is being developed into a lovely, clean port. Greeters were very friendly and welcoming, helping to start the day off on a positive note!We had booked excursion FY55 - Catamaran Snorkel and Dunn's River Falls, and we expected WAY TOO MUCH! After a 1+ hour bus ride, seeing how very run down and not pretty much of Jamaica's north coast is, we arrived to minor chaos in Ocho Rios, where we waited for our catamaran. We sailed for about 10 minutes out to our snorkel site. It was way too close to other vessels, so sand and silt kept getting churned up. We could hardly see anything - of what little there was to see there to begin with.Our guide kept standing on the coral - something I always thought was wrong - to show us marine life he had picked up. He showed us a sea urchin that he proceeded to kill so we could see a fish feeding frenzy. I thought that was a bit disrespectful to the environment. There were way too many people on this particular catamaran tour, so as we "followed" our guide, everyone was kicking each other with their flippers. Overall, not an enjoyable snorkeling trip.We took the catamaran a short distance (during which we were harassed onboard to buy trinkets and beer and to have hair braided) to Dunn's River Falls. We were assigned two guides - who were way less than helpful. I think during the entire climb, they assisted us 3 times. Yet, they followed us to where our bags were at the end to hover for a tip. I will gladly tip anyone who provides an adequate service for me. However, these guys didn't deserve one! Dunn's River Falls is a definite MUST DO! Just hope that you are lucky enough to have a wonderful guide.I'm sure you've heard about the market vendors at the top of the falls. We knew to expect the pushiness and to say "No, thank you." I didn't expect to have a man physically block our way as we attempted to catch up with the rest of our family. Beware - you may need to be rude.After the falls, we rode the bus to Shaw Park Beach Hotel for a buffet lunch. It was decent, but by this time in the day (2:00 ship time) I was tired of Jamaica. My advice - DON'T spend $135 each to do this excursion! If you do, hope for a better experience with better guides.

Cabin Review

Junior Suite

The Junior Suite w/balcony on Navigator is very roomy and comfortable. Closet, cupboard and storage space was extremely adequate for a 5 night cruise. Balconies provided 3 chairs, one footrest and one small table. A very nice place to relax. Bathroom was roomy and included toiletries. Shower curtain kept getting sucked into the tub area where it would stick to wet skin! A very nice retreat from the crowds and chaos while at sea 2 days.

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