I saw a negative review, i believe they sailed the same cruise we did. I did not have the same experience and felt it worthy of a positive review. We have cruised Royal Caribbean since the 90's and have never been disappointed. This cruise to the Bahamas was perfect for 2 kids under 11. The water slides on deck 13 entertained them all day. The food was what i expected, decent and ample choices. The dining room was nice and service was fantastic. We had a balcony room and the space was tight for 4 people, but who stays in their room... Coco Cay was amazing, the kids thought this was the coolest. I have sailed many other lines and some were comparable to RCL, one was slightly better and one was absolutely horrible. While it didn't impact my trip nor was the service i received affected, several of the staff members complained about not getting time off and being overworked. We look forward to our next cruise on RCL. Read Less

Embarkation: We completed all our paperwork using the app prior to arrival which was really easy and took less than five minutes. The ship left out of Terminal A (Royal’s new terminal in Miami). We arrived at the port around 10:30 and were on the ship literally as fast as we could walk from curbside to the boat. Ship: This was our first time on a Navigator-class ship. We were very impressed. The facilities provided lots of variety in terms of both atmosphere and food options. The outdoor decks were nicely designed and included chairs, day beds, cabanas, and hammocks. It was really a nice change from the field of lounge chairs you see on Radiance class ships. We did notice some food service items which were left in the hallways throughout the cruise which was a little unsettling but other than that, the common areas were kept very clean. Dining: We did My Time Dining but enjoyed our waitstaff so much that we basically went at the time the Maitre’d assigned us so that we could keep the same table each night. The food was good and we felt like they had a better selection than our cruise a year ago. As I mentioned, our waitstaff Neftali and Ardvint) were amazing. They were the perfect combination of efficiency and hospitality. We were also travelling with our toddler so it was great to have some of the other staff like Jose (not sure what his job was, maybe an Assistant Head Waiter?) stop by each night to entertain the kid. Cabin: We had a great cabin. The Panoramic Oceanview room has a spectacular view and a good amount of space. Our cabin attendant, Georgiana was awesome. She would always make it a point to stop what she was doing and talk to us every morning and night, and by the end of our trip our daughter wanted to look for her every time we went out of the cabin. She really went out of her way to make us feel special. Entertainment: We didn’t go to a lot of the shows but we did go to iSkate the first night and it was amazing. The whole family enjoyed it and it’s definitely a can’t miss event. We also had several appearances by the Stowaway Piano Player. That’s a great addition and alway made for a surprise when the elevator doors opened and he was on there. As many other have said, the slides were available most of the week but the lines were ridiculously long so we never took the time to ride them. Ports: We stayed on the ship in Nassau and really don’t feel like we missed much. CoCo Cay really exceeded our expectations. We started out at the kids play area but decided mid-morning to go into the water park. They were charging $44 pp at the entrance and it was well worth it. We found that lines weren’t that bad in the morning or later in the afternoon. Seating around the wave pool, especially shaded seating, was at a premium. The slides were really fun and fast. Service: So, as the saying goes, “I’ve saved the best for last!” From Captain Angel all the way to the crew that goes around cleaning the ship, we found that just about everyone on board to be friendly and happy. Many went out of their way to interact with our toddler as well. The ship was nice but the crew is what made it special. Final Thoughts: We spent the last day (Sea Day) trying to figure out how to take another trip on Navigator before the crew turnover begins later this year. Need I say more? Read Less

We have cruised with RC several times and always had a good experience. Recently we cruised on Harmony and loved it. When an opportunity came to sail on Navigator at a bargain price we said lets take a chance. When you cruise in Sept or October you get the best rates since school is in session and its hurricane season. As far as the weather, you take you chances but we were lucky and had great weather. Navigator is an older ship but she is well maintained overall. The pool area just received most of a 100 million dollar refurbishment. The pool deck on Navigator is as nice as anything I've experienced and is comparable with the newest and largest RC ships. Food was very good. The restaurant servers were great and very accommodating. We actually preferred the food in the Windjammer by the pool because of the variety. We didn't do the specialty restaurants since this was intended to be a bargain cruise. Our cabin was an interior and overlooked the promenade. We loved it and actually preferred it to the balcony we had on the Harmony. The room was spacious and very clean with a great cabin steward. The cruise director was fantastic. Maybe the best we ever had and we've been on 15-20 cruises. The entertainment was good, but not up to the standards you get on the 7 day ships like Allure or Harmony. Overall it was good. The Quest game is X rated and if your not easily offended it's hilarious. Embarkation at the new Miami RC terminal was a breeze. You park in their garage and drop your luggage there. Disembarkation was the fastest and most efficient ever. We literally just walked off the ship without stopping except to have a screen shot of our faces at the kiosk. The RC Coco Cay island is the finest island resort stop ever. RC has turned it into a Disney style water park. It was a major highlight. I loved it and I'm not a beach person. The swim up bar is too cool, and the island buffet was great. Overall this was an excellent get away at a very good price. Read Less

Pre-Cruise: I booked parking through Spot Hero. Parked at the Embassy Suites in Crystal City. They have an airport shuttle. I paid $44. If I had parked at Reagan it would have been $68. Flight was direct DCA to MIA. Transfer to the Port through Royal. The transfer service was fantastic. I have never had a cruise line employee board the bus and give a little speech - telling parents that a ship is a mini city and to be vigilant. To the adults the same thing, don’t take your safety for granted. Embarkation: From the time I got off of the bus until I was on the ship was less than 5 minutes! We got off the bus and the cruise line employees told us to just leave our bags by the bus and someone would be over to get them. There was no one to tip. It was strange and I felt weird leaving my bag there. Into the terminal, up the escalator and over to priority. A lady scanned my phone (I had the app loaded and ready) and asked if I’d been feeling ill at all recently. She then directed me to the security screening. From there directly to the ship – AMAZING efficiency. Stateroom: Loved my cabin and there will be video and details in the Cabin thread. Junior Suite – Deck 10 – 1344. Rooms were ready at 1:00pm on the nose and my bag was at my room when I opened the door to leave again at 1:30! Service: Wonderful service. I never met my room steward. Cabin was serviced twice a day. The room was always tidy. I LOVED my dinner servers. Aiman and Josephine were fantastic. Bartenders and bar servers were also pleasant and fun. CocoCay: I was up and at the gym, had a bite to eat and then was the first one off the ship. I already knew where I wanted to “camp” for the day. The island is wonderful. I would go again for sure! The weather was not great. A bit of sun here and there before 12pm. Mostly cloudy with showers. Finally, after grabbing a chicken sandwich as the Snack Shack, I gave up. The wind was terrible. I went back to the ship to explore and read before dinner. Nassau: Terrible weather, again. I had not planned to visit. However, I wanted to lay in the sun, read, drink, people watch. Nope. Raining, cold and windy. I wandered the ship, watched some trivia, read, watched a movie. Food: I like GOOOOD food. I consider Ruth Chris a good steak not a great steak. I was expecting a solid three based on reviews (scale 1-5). Overall a solid 4. I ate dinner two nights in the MDR and once at the Windjammer. Breakfast each morning in the Windjammer. Lunch on embarkation was at El Loco Fresh and then the Windjammer for Saturday and Sunday. I truly enjoyed the MDR. Windjammer was completely average. I do like that they have the Freestyle soda machines. I can’t believe they never had pizza in there. You travel to deck 5 the Café Promenade or order Room Service to get pizza. El Loco Fresh was good. I had a simple chicken quesadilla. Of Note: The only show I saw was a Battle of the Sexes contest. It was lively and fun! The piano playing, musical comedian from Schooners, was amazing. If you are a wine drinker prepared to be disappointed with the options available with the Drink Package. The one I drank was the Andrew Peace Cabernet Sauvignon. Bourbon – No Woodford. I found Bulleit in the Royal Theater when I was wandering around on the last day. Most passengers were polite and friendly. LOTS of families and groups (bachelor and bachelorette, Quince, birthdays, etc.). I did not witness any elevator rudeness or disgusting drunkenness. It really was a lovely, relaxing few days. Disembarkation: I was up at 6:00am. I showered, then ate a quick bite and was headed off at 7:15. I did self-assist. I was sitting on the shuttle by 7:30. Final Thoughts: I would sail on the Navigator again. Based on this one trip Royal is heads and tails above NCL and Carnival. I was worried about the ship being bigger than my previous ships. It didn’t overwhelm me. I was able to find my way quite easily. The ship, the food, the staff, the fellow passengers all put this ahead of the other two, IMHO. Read Less

Room was dirty, food was horrible. Stay away from Royal Caribbean, try others, their absolutely horrible. Called customer service, alerted them of our concerns, and only was offered $115 discount on a future cruise with them, I respectfully declined after spending almost $2000 on a 4 day cruise and coming home extremely dissatisfied. Room was dirty upon entering. Our dinner reservation was double booked and we had to wait for another table, what’s the point of a reservation? The whole time they constantly are trying to sell you more stuff on the cruise, it’s like Royal Caribbean just wants to dig in your pocket the whole time your on vacation. Not one thing on the boat tasted fresh, every single thing tasted like it was precooked and warmed up and served. We have been on cheaper cruises and received way better service and food than Royal Caribbean. Never ever again! Read Less

Note: Hurricane Dorian had just gone through a week beforehand so I am not going to base any of my review on the Nassau Port beach areas or initial expectation of beach enjoyment rather, I will focus my review on the Navigator, Nassau, & Coco Cay's activities and amenities. We had booked beach/ocean excursions but canceled after the hurricane knowing that the water would be full of debris and not clear. It's a good thing or we would have wasted a lot of money. Myself & 18 Year Old Daughter Ocean View Room - Deck 2 Budget Trip to Enjoy the Ship & Ports - No extra packages etc. We literally wanted to sit by the pool and on the beach. First, the Cons: Ship: The ship is showing signs of wear and tear, seats in certain venues are worn and look rough. Cushions on the deck in the Solarium are stained and as the fabric is a solid, light color, it has a particularly "nasty" vibe on the cushioned couple's lounges...if you know what I mean. (Hey Designers....the cushions would be better off with a printed fabric.) The Solarium pool is a little worn and the fountains never worked while we were there. On cruise days, there just wasn't enough shaded seating as an option on the decks and if you didn't get there early, there wasn't enough seating around the pools, period. We spent a lot of time looking for pool seating then heading indoors so as not to get burned until people would disperse for activities. Seriously, there was NO music at the Solarium, no steel drums, no dj, nothing...just this weird dead air silence or chatter from the people laying about. We could hear music from the other pool but if you didn't want to share the pool with kids, you didn't get the fun entertainment or music at all. There wasn't enough music on board in my opinion. Cabin: Let me say, I was hesitant about our cabin location but I LOVED it. This was a budget trip but I can't do rooms without natural light so I spent more on the OceanView but didn't choose our room. Our steward was super nice and kept our space very nice but you could tell that she was just "done & over" the whole thing. We made sure to leave her a nice tip and try to keep our space clean. I felt that we may have been in her way a lot. As for the room, we had 2 twins set up and everything in our cabin was perfect except, 1. there was mold growing between the glass and wall in the shower behind the seal, not a place that can be cleaned. (poor design) 2. The decor and linens are starting to look worn and there are a lot of stains on the whites. 3. Our window stayed pretty dirty which hindered our view.....we couldn't tell if it was between the glass or outside but it's probably because it was so low to the water. Food: Windjammer had too much repetition, especially at breakfast and lunch. The food seemed to be geared toward the kid's palate, not adults as much. This is probably a good way to get cruisers to try the elevated dining but be prepared for that if you plan on traveling on a budget. The "American" food choices were a bit bland while the "International" foods were sometimes oversalted, especially the meat at the taco bar by the pool.....add rice and beans to subdue that. Also, if you like chocolate, you are going to really be searching the ship, there wasn't a lot. If you don't drink a lot of alcohol or sodas, buying a drink package is pointless but be prepared to have little to no selection for beverages. On day one, the Windjammer had coffee, hot tea, water, ice tea, lemonade, and oj, after day one, I only saw coffee, hot tea, water and apple juice (watered down)....you had to really hunt down water as the dispensers were often empty. It's difficult to refill water bottles at the dispensers but quick tip, if you go to the soda dispensers, they also have water and you can fit a water bottle under the spout. The hot tea selection is pretty decent so if you can find ice (good luck) you can make a decent ice tea....bring your own reusable bottle/cup or you will struggle to stay hydrated. Entertainment: Again, more music on the Solarium deck please! Also, throughout the ship, there needs to be more music during the daytime. The rest of this con is personal preference as entertainment is so subjective. Much of the Promenade entertainment felt very "middle school pep rally" except the live bands across from the Cafe Promenade...they were awesome even though you had to stand in the walkways to watch. The library needs to be repurposed; I was told that a lot of the books get thrown out when there is a shipboard virus or people walk off with them so it was really a sad sight to see almost empty shelves. This would be a good space to display more art, have a coffee house vibe, or even just some sort of interactive space. If you are a solo traveler or have a travel companion that is introverted, plan on a lot of people watching as most activities on board are hard to enjoy solo. Nassau - Since we canceled our water activities, we decided to explore Nassau by foot and have lunch at Senor Frogs (go see Michael, he's great). We explored the Straw Market and walked around the town a bit. There is a LOT of aggressive souvenir selling, most of which are repeated items, look for local artisans that are sitting and making and buy from them then just say no thank you when you are finished. On the walking paths, a lot of "high end" shops with "callers" from all sides. If you are traveling with small children or those who have sensory sensitivities, this can be overwhelming and scary. We decided after several hours of being called after ("Mami, can I be your son-in-law!" was constant) it was time to go back and just enjoy some quiet pool time. Ok, Now the Pros - If you are traveling with kids, this is the ship for you!!! Ship: The waterslides, flowrider, rockwall (early before it gets hot), courts, putt putt golf, pools, WATERSLIDES, game rooms, ice skating rink (bring long pants and socks), laser tag, splash parks, teen rooms, WATERSLIDES are AMAZING!! Did I mention the waterslides???? I'm almost 50 and I LOVED them, totally went on them more than you can imagine. If you are are traveling with kids, you are going to have fun. You can even sit in the pool and watch family friendly movies after dinner. The side balconies on the 4th deck and deck 3 are the best places to hang out when the ship arrives and leaves the docks....it's just beautiful and gives that windy "I'm king of the world" feel. If you don't mind being in full sun, there are a lot of upper deck areas to enjoy the view the ride. However, if you need to be indoors because you fry crispy in 10 minutes, head to the Cosmopolitan during the day, it's practically always empty and has a gorgeous view from the top with wrap around windows. You can take your drink up there, a journal, book, sketch pad and have hours of uninterrupted solitude with a great view. Food: If you aren't eating at the Select Restaurants on board but are tired of the Windjammer, make sure you go to the dining room! Their food is top notch and if you get Rob & Felix as your servers, you are going to be pampered. Don't feel bad if you want to order 2 desserts or appetizers, it's totally worth it. Do it! Never leave the dining room without experiencing the creme brulee....if you don't get it, you have missed out. I've decided that anytime the dining room is open when I am on a cruise, I will be there. It saved the food experience for our trip. The taco bar by the main pool is a tasty alternative to the lunch in the Windjammer but their meat tends to be on the salty side so make sure that you get a little extra beans or rice to cut that and some lime and you will be happy! Entertainment: If you are planning a cruise and you love art, add an art budget to your allowance....oh my word, the art auction by Park West was the absolute best fun. I didn't have it in my budget but I left with 6 authenticated, signed art prints in hand and I'm waiting on my Anatole Krasnyansky print to arrive. I just kept entering raffles and participating in the art games and I'm stoked that I came home with so much artwork. I have a few that I like and I've got gifts for Christmas! Look for the piano man in the elevators, that's a lot of fun. Go to the shows....some are hokey but Showgirls was great! We saw their last performance but I'm sure it will be replaced by something else equally great. I enjoyed the Latin dancing and music on board BUT would have loved to have someone to dance with...they need to add professional dancers (like in Dirty Dancing) to dance with solo cruisers because otherwise we have to sit and watch. :( Go to the late night dance parties if you like pulsating dance club vibes on a low key level. I noted that there were a lot of in-bar activities during the day; game show type games, karaoke, bingo, wine/martini/whiskey tastings, and most were geared towards couples. Coco Cay - IF YOU HAVE KIDS>>>>>>>WOWZA! The splash park, waterslides, pools, etc are amazing, you will have a blast. It's a waterpark on an island. Plan on spending the whole day the same way that you do at a waterpark....bring your sunscreen and just let the kids RUN. Read Less

Chose this cruise for wanting to celebrate my husband's birthday on a cruise, enjoy the longest water slide (was fun despite long wait on hot deck material with bare feet) and spend the day on CocoCay. Yes, the storm, Dorian, closed CocoCay and we understand since we live in Florida. But, the quality of the staff, enforcement of expected passenger behavior and rules totally lacked on this cruise. The cabin was booked as a GC balcony and although near the service elevator, it was more quiet than expected. The cabin was disappointing as far as the bathroom and balcony. Cracked shower tube, green growth around the faucet and the mirror was disgusting. Inside the cabinets were rusted. The closet was sufficient, desk area fine and the larger TV good. The pillows (only one kind available) were good for us as we like firm. Mattress wasn't the best. The balcony door was extremely hard to open and lock. Noise from neighboring cabin came through the balcony door. But, Janet, our cabin attendant was one of the best ever. Always understood and enjoyed our conversations. Never failed on remembering a request. Kept our ice bucket full, cabin as clean as possible and even placed a Happy Birthday Surprise decal on our cabin door for my husband. Check-in was easy and swift. $22.00 per day to park in new Terminal A, but the ease of dropping luggage at the elevator and the "car to bar" wasn't quite that but close. Cabins opened a half hour later than normal. Had lunch in Windjammer since only venue open. Normal pushing, rude passengers fighting for tables. The Carvery Chef got the "rude award" for embarkation day. I asked him point blank twice if another roast beef was coming out. He ignored my first request and then pointed to the leftover scraps he expected me to take. Most of the staff has this blase' attitude. They'll do their job, but not really looking like they're enjoying it. Even the officers who circulated had a glazed look while walking through the ship. Only encounters with officers in the Diamond Lounge were as expected. Genuine and engaging. DL Concierge a gem, too. While on subject of the Diamond Lounge, once again it amazes us that for being loyal Royal Caribbean passengers, the choices and quality of liquor is less than before. The vodka, New Amsterdam, is disgusting. Wine is not good either. The Spa's Steam Room was down the entire cruise. The Ladie's Room near MDR deck 4 was hidden around a column and sign not lit for entire cruise. Never routinely cleaned. Overflowing towels spilling out of the wall receptacle that the lock was broken and for days just opened and closed with movement of the ship. Last night the missing lock was replaced by a rubber band that attempted to keep it closed. One night the bathroom was closed. And every bathroom I visited was sloppy. Or stalls locked empty obviously since toilets did not function. Or ceiling lights out. Not having a MDR table placed on our cruise card, we visited a MDR Captain in the afternoon who told us we had to come back at 6PM to speak to a manager. We had our DL Concierge handle for us. Even she was surprised we were treated that way by the Captain. The waiter was fine although he repeatedly forgot items we asked form. His assistant was scary as terrible bad breath with teeth to match. The food was just OK. Best were the lamb chops served on hubby's birthday. Had Creme Brulee' one night and top was soggy, custard almost watery. We love to spend time in the Solarium and it appears nice on the Navigator. Would be if the no kids under 16 rule was enforced. One day the main pool was closed since obviously a child vomited and another defecated. The ship decided to let kids use the Solarium pool. Why should the paying adults be penalized for a child's actions? On the last day, the lifeguards made parents leave the pool and take their severely challenged child with them. Guests in pool repeated asked the lifeguard to allow them to stay but no. They were forced to leave. Last afternoon aboard know there were too many people in pool and over limit. Nothing done. A guest had a wireless speaker on edge of step area of pool blasting music he chose from his cell. Nothing was done. Heard from reliable frequent passenger about the Wednesday night Quest show. Seems multiple passengers had no second thoughts about removing clothes to reveal their requested piercings, tattoos or men's underwear. We did enjoy The Edge concert earlier the same evening. Had seen them on another cruise and wanted to see again. It is the opinion of frequent cruisers that the ship's Captain reflects the tone of the officers and staff. This Captain needs to spend a lot more time around the ship and correct attitudes and expectations. Read Less

Summary Pros: *Wonderful kids camp - ages 3 to 11 are all together and my kids said it was the best Adventure Ocean camp they’ve been to *El Loco Fresh Taco Station - food was good and they had enough ready items that you can grab something *For the size of the ship, pool options were good *Fun and attentive staff at Windjammer (if you can find a table to eat at) *Cool guy rides the elevator playing a piano! Cons: *Lack of entertainment - there was basically a comedian and 1 ice show that was shown twice *Navigator and Royal App out of sync so you could miss one of the VERY FEW events on board *Waterslides are cool in concept, but there were absurd wait times (+1 hour) for the Blaster slide and only a few mats for the the Riptide so only the same 15 people can ride it and you have to basically wait for someone to not want to ride it anymore , including port days! *Coco Cay bungalows are a complete waste of $400 and in general, excursions are over priced at Coco Cay The Details We are a family of 5 - 2 adults and 3 kids ranging in age from 4 to 10 and we are experienced cruisers; we are Emerald with Royal, and have status on Carnival, Disney and NCL but admit that Royal is our preferred cruise line at the moment. This was our first time on Navigator of the Seas but we’ve sailed Mariner, Oasis, and Allure recently. We knew Navigator was much smaller than Oasis and Allure and comparable to Mariner, so we knew what to expect, sort of. This was BY FAR our least favorite Royal Caribbean experience. The boat is OK, but there were a lot of small things that added up and left us frustrated and annoyed more often that I should be on vacation. There were some highlights but overall, I would not recommend this itinerary; Royal has much better experiences, including the Mariner. This was an overall, very subpar experience for us. It was not all bad, however. The ship was recently updated, which is how the water slides were added, the specialty restaurants added and according to the staff, how the kids camp was reconfigured. The camp, again according to the staff (I didn’t verify) is the first and only in the fleet to have ages 3-11 all together. My kids, who are experienced “Adventure Oceaneers” RAVED about the camp. They said it was the best one yet! Staff was very nice and friendly but there is a 90 person capacity to the camp so while I don’t know of anyone turned away, it’s possible, I suppose. The dining room was OK. Staff didn’t really go above and beyond like they usually do. We had early seating and only ate there on nights 1 and 3. Nights 2 and 4 we did Windjammer/Cafe Promenade so that may have played into the issue, but dinner took a solid 2 hours so we decided to mix it up for the kiddos. Johnny Rockets was nice. It was an “express” which I personally prefer because you only pay for what you eat and you only order what you want. On other boats it’s a cover and you can eat as much as possible. On this ship, they give you a pager and you can eat your food anywhere on the ship, although there are about 4 tables near the restaurant on the pool deck. Opposite Johnny Rockets is El Loco Fresh Taco. On other ships this is where the grill for hot dogs and hamburgers typically is. I personally loved this venue. They have warm flour tortillas, and will serve you the protein and you can then hit the toppings station and add lettuce, salsa, cheese, cilantro, etc. They also offer premade cheese and chicken quesadillas and beef and chicken burritos, and tortilla chips. Wonderful for a quick way to feed hungry, soggy kiddos! The opposite could be said of Cafe Promenade. Since the boat is smaller there’s no Sorrentos so the only place to get pizza was at Cafe Promenade. They had 2 lines and we could just get pizza or the sandwiches. I left my oldest to watch the other 3 because we were in a rush to do the escape room, and I tried to order 4 cheese and 4 pepperoni slices. I waited on line for 5 minutes and was denied. The pizza limit is 4 slices per person! I pointed to my children and said “I need to feed them all dinner, they’re too little to wait on line with me and carry hot pizza?” The woman, Jialu, said “maybe you should drop this off and get in line again.” So I did. Waited TEN minutes next time because people came and by time I get up to the front she was out of cheese pizza and said “3 minutes” so I waited TEN MORE minutes for 2 slices of cheese pizza. I get it, I understand the procedures but when you can see my kids with no plates of food and unapologetically ruin dinner for my entire family it’s absolutely absurd. Not the Royal service I am used to. Windjammer is great, staff is great, food is standard but it’s way too tiny. We almost never got a table in there. I really wish they removed Jamie’s and Chops and let people eat in peace, but alas we had to take our food to our room for lack of seating more than once. There’s also an good balloon artist at breakfast who made really cool balloon animals for the kids for free, which my kids were delighted with. Aside from the seating availability, great service in Windjammer! Entertainment on the ship, compared to others, is light at best. There is one show and one ice show. Ice shows were at 1 and 3 pm on the last sea day and the one show was after Coco Cay. Other nights there was a comedian. Not anywhere near what you get on Oasis or Allure. Not a lot of activities planned for the days either, especially the sea day. Perhaps it was just a lousy cruise director but there wasn’t too much to do on board. The printed Navigator Times/location planner was not in sync with the Royal Caribbean application so we decided to do trivia on sea day to entertain the kids and the app sent us to Boleros. Well at 10 minutes past, another guest asked the bartender (who pulled out the paper) and said “no it’s in Schoonmaker bar”. We had 3 really disappointed little kiddos and they had 2 annoyed parents. When we told the person running it she unapologetically pointed to the paper and said “you should always check the paper one. The app is usually out of date.” Great. There is the main pool and splash area and 3 hot tubs (2 on deck 11 and 1 on 12). For the size of the boat the pools are fine, arguably bigger than what I’ve seen on other ships so that was nice. We did not use the Solarium pool because of the kids but that looked nice too. Another addition of the remodel was The Perfect Storm. The Perfect Storm is the area with the 2 waterslides - Riptide is a slide that requires a mat, which is provided at the bottom of the slide. There are about 15-20 mats on board, so if you don’t get a mat, you have to wait until someone doesn’t want to ride anymore as they don’t collect the mat at the bottom of the slide; if you have one you can keep it and ride the slide over and over. This caused some frustration and disappointment from hot, soggy people who want a turn. Even on port days there is a wait, which was very disappointing. The other slide is called the Blaster and is very similar to Disney’s Aquaduck. The tube holds 1 or 2 people but the combined weight of the 2 people had to be 100 lbs. The height restriction for this was 48” I believe, but it was less on Riptide so my youngest could only do the Riptide. The wait for the blaster was insane - over an hour at some point. There’s nothing you can do; it’s a bit of supply and demand but it was not really worth the wait. Tip - this is not much different from any other cruise, and we planned for it! We fed everyone a HUGE breakfast before boarding the boat and everyone boarded In bathing suits so we went straight to these 2 slides. There were plenty of mats available for Riptide and my older kids did the blaster about 10 times. Thankfully we kind of got our fill because there was not a opportunity to ride again due to the long waits/lack of mats. We rode the slides and did FlowRider until they got bored, basically on embarkation day. Then we grabbed tacos and went to muster! The FlowRider staff was OUTSTANDING. I’ve done it on other boats and usually they tell you what to do and you wipe out. Here they really worked hard to get people on the board and kneeling, etc. My oldest left it feeling accomplished and not frustrated which was awesome. The casino is eh. The non-smoking section is like 15% of the place so it just stinks in there. Nothing too outstanding either way. Finally, Coco Cay. We had not been in a while and they are constantly remodeling so we booked the Beach Bungalow. It was $399 and accommodates 6. We’ve done cabanas at Disney, and with Royal but the $800 cabana felt like more than we needed so we did the bungalow. It was an absolute waste of money. We got off the boat at 8:15 which was great! Got the the bungalow and checked in. There were LOADS of free chairs and umbrellas on the beach at that time. We get our bungalow only to find out the section is neither private nor patrolled! We had people who did not pay sit on our lounge chairs, smoking cigarettes next to us, and laying out in front of and next to our bungalow! All you get is a 1 walled building, 4 bottles of Evian, 2 floating mats and 4 loaner beach towels. You get no privacy, and 2nd hand smoke. I asked those who were using our chairs to move, and they did, but they simply brought chairs down from the beach area. It’s not patrolled so I had to tell the people at the check in area that they were like on top of us. When I told them they moved the chairs but the guests didn’t leave, they set up their towels and lit their smokes! Anyone is allowed - it’s not roped off or patrolled - you don’t even get bar service and it’s a decent walk to the buffet. I STRONGLY discourage this particular excursion. Other than that, Coco Cay is ok. I realize Royal is trying to accommodate all price points but I think that things are kind of pricey. $80 for the water park is ok but it was PACKED. We didn’t do it but we could see the waits for the slides and it wasn’t pretty. The free stuff was fun. We explored a little after my oldest got stung by some jellyfish. They have a cute pirate splash pad with kiddie waterslides and another area for kiddie waterslides and a bucket that fills and splashes. It was nice enough. The buffet was very good; Royal did a good job planning the area to eat and it has ample food options and seating. Overall, it was, again, my least favorite Royal experience. Will not do this itinerary again, simply not worth it to us. My recommendation is the Oasis, when it returns Read Less

My family and I were looking for a quick getaway before school started back up again. We mainly chose this cruise because we wanted to see the newly renovated CocoCay and it did not disappoint. The ship was spotless, had plenty of staff, tons of places to sit and hang out. Our inside stateroom had a virtual balcony that we loved. We were expecting a small picture of an ocean view, not the full size live video feed. It was awesome!! If you are bored on this ship you are not looking hard enough because there are so many hints to do and see. Our dining room experience was awesome, we loved our waiters Rodrigo and Tomas and the food did not disappoint. I think I went to El Loco Fresh on the pool deck probably around 10 times throughout the 4 day cruise. The food was amazing and depending on how hungry you were you could get a snack or a meal. They advertised the Perfect Day at CocoCay a LOT but it lived up to the hype. The thrill park was tons of fun and the pool was refreshing. There were waiters everywhere and bathrooms and food were plentiful. I have been an avid NCL cruiser in the past but this Royal Caribbean cruise was a welcome change and I am looking forward to many more of them in the future. I can’t recommend this ship enough! Read Less

We chose this 4 day Bahamas and Perfect Day at Coco Cay cruise for a few reasons. It was our last summer blast before school starts next week, we wanted to see the new Coco Cay and we wanted the Navigator with the new additions to it. In summary this has been one of the best cruises we have been on period. The Ship: the Navigator was simply beautiful. We loved the additions to the promenade as well as the improved pool area. We spent a lot of time in both. Playmakers was a highlight for us. Great service (shout out to Ann) and I loved the fun family atmosphere. We played jenga, and enjoyed the house band set up nearby. The pools are amazing and the water slides are even better. We loved the cabanas on deck. Our 6 year old did the slides so much the staff knew her by name. Speaking of which the Adventure Camp was one of the best. The play area is huge and they have wonderful activities. Our daughter kept asking “is camp open yet”. I also received services at to dry for and Monique was great. Friendly to talk with and she did a great job. Dining: I was a little disappointed in dining but nothing was terrible. It was all just average. The Buffett was the same most days with slight twists. But so was the dining room. Food was good but not great. No wow factors for us there. Ports: we did not get off the ship in Nassau having been there numerous times before and enjoyed the pool and water slides with hardly any people. What we LOVED was the new Perfect Day in coco cay. Splash away bay was perfect. Our daughter could have spent all day there so much fun for the kids. We walked around and spent time in the beach. Again clean, fun and amazing time. The food there was the best. Great steak sandwich, amazing mango water, fresh fruit etc. Shows: we attended two of the main shows and the ice show. What can I say about the ice show except WOW. The drone opening was amazing and the performers were top notch. Overall the staff was amazing. So friendly, went out of their way to help and just loved their experience there which showed. Sometimes you find some staff who were burned out but not on this ship. Kudos to all! Read Less

This was an absolutely great Cruise June 14-17.I rented 2 Rooms,one a Junior Suite and down the hall a Oceanside Balcony Room.It was my Daughters Graduation Present and I had 2 Boys,my Nephews with us bot 10 and 11.CoCoCay was fabulous,everyone was extremely friendly and accomodating,the several Restaurants were great as well as the Service Staff.I did not buy a Pass but was able to go in to the Park area at 12 PM Noon as the Attendent allowed me to (Im totally disabled so couldnt utilize the great facility)The Beach was fabulous,clean and new chairs,chaise Lounges etc and Lockers for the Family. The Food was plenty and great quality,no problems getting a second helping in the gorgeous Tri Level Dining Room,saw the Show "Showgirls" spectacular,reminded me of Vegas,didnt get to the Ice Rink.My Daughter and Boyfriend used the Specialty Dining Rooms and it was crazy amount of food they got from Sushi to Prime Rib.Just a few glitches and here they are. The Cabins (both on the 9th Deck) were warm and couldnt cool them as we would like. Ordered 2 gifts (Octypus and Blanket) to bein the Suite when we arrived,only one was there,after spending sometime in line at Customer Service I still didnt receive it until around 6 PM and spoke to someone and it finally was delivered. The Auto Tipping I had removed and tipped accordingly,the Staff did better this way with me. I wouldnt buy the Soft Drink Package as its a $$ Maker,theres Free Drinks and Water all aboard the Ship and carryng these 32oz Cups was a pain.other than these few quirks and a Royal Caribbean Gold Member it was a great time all around.The Dining Room gets 5 Stars,the Open Dining was great,same table each night and the food was 5 Stars. Read Less

GORGEOUS SHIP! Definitely the prettiest, with all the bright colors. The entertainment was great (but VERY sexual) The showgirl show was about nothing but sex, but the comedians and ventriloquist were awesome! FOOD WAS DISGUSTING! The only good food is at the main dining room but that takes 2 hours + Such slow service Never any open chairs! They should definitely enforce no seat saving more. People were saving the ones in the pool at coco cay and not even using them! Have cubbies for items so people don’t waste chairs. All the good events were at night. We had absolutely nothing to do during the at sea day until like 7. Nassau is TRASH! Definitely have to book an expensive trip to another island if you want to enjoy that day. There was a lot of useless employees like people telling you hi in the bathroom and to wash your hands in the dining room. I’d rather not have to pay $60 in gratiuties and not have that If you don’t use the main dining room you shouldn’t even be charged gratituties No outlets by the bed, bring an extension chord! Internet SHOULD NOT BE $22 a day. It should be included in the price of the cruise! Everyone wants internet Read Less

We love cruising. We stay loyal to Royal. We have been on Oasis class, freedom class and now voyager class ships. This trip was a four night trip from Miami to the Bahamas. It included a stop at CocoCay, Nassau, and one sea day. Embarkation - The ship left from Port of Miami Terminal A. The process was incredibly smooth. When you walk in there is two options. 1) If you have your set sail pass you go to a tablet and scan it. Then you have your picture taken and are on your way. The process takes a couple minutes 2) If you do not have your set sail pass then you go to the counter. We did not in this case because we booked the cruise after the three day check in window. Therefore we had to go to a clerk to complete the check in process. This process took about 6 minutes. Either option you get your room keys once you get on the ship. That was strange to us but apparently it’s becoming a more common practice. Once you finish the check in you go through security and then into a holding room. We didn’t have to wait long and were on the ship by 10:30 Ship - Wow! It is a beautiful ship. We were a little nervous since this is the oldest/smallest ship we had been on yet but we thought it was wonderful. The ship recently went through the AMPED upgrades and it looked great! Food - Overall the food was amazing. We ate all of our dinners in the MDR. We didn’t have a bad meal. It was delicious. We split our breakfasts between cafe promenade and the windjammer. The windjammer was good but it is still buffet food. Cafe Promenade has delicious sandwiches and is a good option if you just need something small. El Loco Fresh is where we had lunch on sea days- all I can say is YUM!! We loved it. Stateroom - We stayed in an interior room. It was fine for what we needed. The room was not the cleanest we’ve had but it was fine. Entertainment- It isn’t the best on this trip. The ice show is AMAZING. It’s the best I have ever seen. However the productions shows were awful! We also felt like there was less options of activities on this trip compared to normal. disembarkment - Smooth! We were able to walk off and go right through customs. The port at Miami has been upgraded and makes it easy to get on and off. Overall we had a great trip and would jump at the chance to cruise on Navigator again. Read Less

We cruised with a very large group of people from our dance studio. (49 dancers aged 7-17 and their families totaling 189 people). The kids performed a 35 minute show in the Royal Theatre on the sea day. Our cruise departed from Terminal A in Miami and the embarkation process went smoothly and quickly. It was less than 30 minutes from driving onto the ramp of the parking garage to getting our first drink at the Lime and Coconut. Overall Impression: The ship, having just been through its major “amped” renovation, was gorgeous and in great condition. Over the course of the cruise, we spent time in Copper&Kettle, Playmakers (Michigan was playing for the College World Series Championship so several of us watched), Schooner Bar, R Bar, Boleros, Cosmopolitan Club, Star Lounge, and had occasion to utilize the bar in the Casino. All of them were immaculate and crew kept them clean with readily available service. We did not have to wait an unreasonable time at any bar while on the cruise. Note: the swim up bar on CoCoCay and the Lime and the Coconut had the longest waits, but they were not horrible. Dining: Because we were with the large group, we ate dinner in the Main Dining Room every night at the early seating. Our family did not have any specialty dining. The food in the main dining room was good, what I would consider decent for a good restaurant. It wasn’t stellar, but what I would expect as better-than-average quality for a nice restaurant serving thousands of people per night. My 13-year-old daughter is an adventurous eater, and it was a great opportunity for her to try escargot (which she had every night) and other items like salmon tartare and beef carpaccio, Duck á l’orange, etc, that she wouldn’t try otherwise. The Dining Room itself is absolutely gorgeous. Our particular waiters were wonderful (Angel and Muhamad), with fabulous personalities and really made our experience. Reports from others in our group varied widely on this issue. Some had inattentive servers that didn’t refill drinks or offer coffee. We had no complaints at our table of 10. The Windjammer was fine for breakfasts and lunch. Again, it wasn’t anything special, but did have a very large variety of good food. We ate lunch at El Loco Fresh on the pool deck a couple of times and found it to be fresh, flavorful, and delicious. For late night snacks, the Cafe Promenade was adequate. Our group spent quite a bit of late night time at the tables on the promenade, so I had the occasion to see the ebb and flow of large crowds hankering for pizza after events, as well as the trickle of people at other times seeking out sandwiches. The sandwiches from there were very yummy, and there was a selection of salads, charcuterie, and desserts as well. Overall, it was a good late night option, although there were times when a single server was overwhelmed with the lines. Shows: we made a point of seeing all of the main shows on the ship. ISkate, the skating show, was outstanding. If I could have made another showing, I would have watched it again. The first production of the Royal Singers and Dancers was a ballroom dance themed show, and it was excellent. I highly recommend. The comedian, Kivi, gave two shows; an all-ages set, and an adult set another night. They were both hysterical. The magician headliner, JZ, was terrible and a waste of time. I am so, so sorry I chose to se him rather than choose some of the game shows or other options in bars around the ship at that time. His “big trick” was nothing more than magnetic tangrams on a white board that any kindergarten teacher could manipulate. His show was a 30-minute infomercial to purchase his magic kits. Royal should be embarrassed. The second Royal Singer and Dancer Production was called “Showgirl” and although very good, I felt the first one was better. Entertainment: There was no shortage of varied entertainment across the ship. The bands were great, both in the bars and along the Promenade. There was an acoustic guitar player and singer in the Cooper & Kettle that did singer/songwriter stuff that was particularly good. We spent a lot of time in the Schooner Bar in late evening with a piano/comedy improve performer that was a lot of fun. There was a cover band in Boleros the final night that played a varied set (“Heaven” followed by “Highway to Hell” that was spectacular! We participated in the two dance parties along the Promenade hosted by the entertainment crew; the 70’s Disco Party and the 80’s Party, and they were both a blast. The adult karaoke in the Cosmopolitan Club was disappointing. Although we sang “Bohemian a Rhapsody” and had a great time, the host was weak-not singing or encouraging at all, and the song selection was poor. As a result, we left after only spending about 40 minutes there. The X vs. Y Game and Crazy Quest in Studio B were quite possibly the most hilarious things I’ve ever done in my life! Do yourself a favor; have a cocktail or two, loosen up, and go participate! Hugo was our Cruise Director and while I loved his energy and personality when we saw him, we didn’t see him very often. He introduced the main shows and hosted Crazy Quest, but that was his entire presence on the ship. I was disappointed and wanted more. Was it a bummer? Yes or yes? CoCoCay: in short, The island is beautiful! We rented a cabana in the Oasis Lagoon area and I would do that again if prices are reasonable. The fan, the ice cooler with water, the towels, and the attendant made it worth the cost split 8 ways. The Oasis Lagoon is clean and the pool itself is a heavy-duty liner over sand, so it is comfy on the feet. There are plenty of benches and shade can be found, but the pool itself is very warm and not refreshing. We found the large splash pad to be the best spot to get some refreshing dousing of cool water. South Beach is very shallow out to the floating bar, and it is typical clear water and Sandy bottom. There are fish, sea ur hind, and more along the beaches; just be aware. Chickens, peacocks, and iguanas roam the island freely. There are also gulls which can be annoying near the buffet, but we didn’t really have any issues at all eating in our cabana. There is love entertainment in Captain Jacks. We did not pay extra to go to Thrill Waterpark, although others in our party did. I would intentionally choose a cruise itinerary with CoCoCay as a stop; it was a great day. (We did have a late afternoon storm roll in that cleared the water for 30 minutes, but rather than get caught in the crowd heading back to the ship, we chose to ride it out in the bar, listening to live acoustic guitar karaoke, and that was a great choice) Overall, it was a fantastic cruise! The pool was fantastic, the kids enjoyed the slides. The gathering places on the deck above Lime and Coconut was a great place to congregate. I would highly recommend this ship and itinerary! Read Less

We chose this cruise for a quick weekend getaway without taking much time off work. We chose the Navigator because we sailed on Mariner after the refurbishment about 6 months ago and loved the Mariner renovation. Embarkation- Incredible. From the Uber to onboard in less than 10 minutes. Terminal A is fantastic. Cabin- cabins were beautifully upgraded with new carpet and upholstery (dark blue and gray color scheme). No complaints here. All cabins were available at 1PM. Ship overall- -The good: They did a great job modernizing this older ship. It truly has a similar feel, color scheme, venues, etc. to the brand new Royal ships. The solarium and main pool are beautiful. -The bad: They WAY overdid it with the "upgrades". The outer decks are now cluttered with cabanas and massive hot tubs filled with screaming kids and drunks, so there are few chairs available in the sun. It is pretty from a brochure standpoint, but totally impractical and chaotic in real life. They removed the once beautiful fitness area at the front of the ship (along with the FREE locker room, steam and sauna areas) and moved the gym to a small, terrible location at the back of the ship. The ceilings are too low, so the treadmills do not incline, there are limited free weights, limited space, etc. They relocated it to add a whole deck of new cabins to deck 11. With the addition of hundreds of new staterooms, the elevators are always packed. Crowds and waits everywhere. This was never an issue on this ship before the added staterooms and removal of public areas. Food- I attributed this to it being a wekeend cruise, but the food was terrible aside from El Loco Fresh and specialty restaurants. Buffet options for lunch and dinner were along the lines of hamburgers, hotdogs, frozen quality pizza, rice, pasta and marinara, breads, and jello-type deserts. That is completely unacceptable for a $500 per night cruise in my opinion. Ports- CocoCay was beautiful. We had visited in December before the opening of "Perfect Day" and did not spend much time on the island because it was "blah", but they have really transformed this little island into paradise. We spent all day here. The dining options were better than on the ship, the pools and beach were wonderful, and the views were fantastic. We were very lucky with beautiful weather on this sailing. We had a great weekend, but would we chose Navigator of the Seas again? No, we would not, for the following reasons: 1) Sometimes less is more. Mariner of the Seas (sistership sailing out of Pt. Canaveral) had a slightly less extensive refurbishment that added most of the same amenities, but with less added cabins, it left the beautiful pool deck alone, and left the beautiful gym area intact. If you are a avid gym-goer or physically active, choose Mariner or Independence of the Seas for your short cruise needs. 2) There will be music or action/kids movies loudly blaring on the pool deck movie screen at all times... to the point that you will be able to hear it even in the "quiet" solarium. I assume this is Royal Caribbean's attempt to get the party going, but it kills the mood, not enhances it. 3) The free food venues were appalling. We have sailed with Royal Caribbean on approximately 25 sailings over the past 20 years, and the food was shocking on this sailing. Take advantage of El Loco Fresh and venues on CocoCay for more appealing complimentary food options. Read Less

We cruised, not impressed. 17 family members total. Two parents, four (42-36yr old siblings), eleven (1-17r) of those offspring. I’m not and will never be impressed with the noise levels at night in the rooms. Disco night was the first night and we could clearly hear all words to the music played, it played well past 11:30 pm. We asked to please lower the volume multiple times, with no success. At the pools we could not all swim together.That was big time dissipointing. We wanted to take pictures of the whole family after early dinner was told our family was too large. On day three it was super hot and the only place my daughter could cool off was under the pool shower. The only for her to play was under with water was “closed due to maintenance”. I would not suggest this ship to any family or large group that like to sleep at night or swim together. I would like to give the best postive of the the experience and that was the early dinner. It was best part of the whole thing, although the family had to sit at seperate tables. The food was great and waiters entertained the our younger guest with magic tricks. Read Less

My best friend from college turned 50 this year, so when she told me that her and three of her high school girlfriends were going on a cruise, I tagged along (even though I am past that 50 now!). Spouses were included as well, and one college grad son, so the men had someone to talk to! So here are the highlights of our time on the Navigator of the Seas! *Perfect Day on Coco Cay--my DH and I live on an island, so hanging at a beach is not what we do on vacation. We did enjoy the Up Up and Away Balloon ride. The balloon is tethered and goes up a couple hundred feet. Gave us a great view of the island, the neighboring islands and what was available on Coco Cay. I noticed a floating bar, so that is where I ended up! People did appear to be enjoying themselves, but we went early and were back on the ship early so.... *I could ride the water slides!!! I enjoyed the Blaster--that is the one with the 2 person inflatable. It was fun and I rode that a few times. It was still a great time to be on the ship, as majority of folks were at Coco Cay. When you are on the ship during a busy day, like the day at sea, I recommend you head up to the Navigator Dunes/ Putt Putt course. Around there, they have these amazing clam shell beds--we snagged one and watched the sea past us. There was even an attentive server to bring us a drink from the bar (Lime and Coconut) downstairs. I noticed a few of those clam shells were open, suspect people do not know about them. *We did the My Time Dining with our party of 10. Our first night was a late seating, but we were able to arrange for earlier seatings on the other nights. Our first 2 nights were at the same table with Josef. I always enjoy a waiter who will tell you his recommendations. It just feels like a personal touch. Our last night, DH and I splurged on the Chef's Table. This is our second time doing this on a Royal Caribbean ship and yes, it is the same menu. But the Chefs are different and they do put their own touch on the food. This meal was the best meal we had on board the ship! My only complaint---we had scheduled it for our 2nd night on the ship, but they moved it to the last night. It was a small group of us, 6 in total. We all enjoyed it! *The iSkate--Reach for the Stars show was amazing! The ice skaters are like Olympic quality! It opens with a drone show that was amazing---how do they prevent them from running into each other! We saw the show that first evening on board, and there was a good crowd but not packed. They offered it again the last day, and that one was packed! The other show that we really enjoyed was a regular entertainer in the Schooner Bar, David Curtis Mutter. He performs improv musical comedy and he was hilarious! I have never laughed so hard! Another treat was the Travelling Pianist! He parked his piano in one of the glass elevators and would play a tune --much better than Muzak! I enjoyed his music so much, when I found him (twice!) I simply rode in the elevator, not going anywhere in particular!! *We booked an interior cabin and it suited our needs just fine. I did receive the Royal Up email, and that is when I noticed that our cabin had a virtual balcony! So we kept the interior and were entertained with our "balcony". It was cool and really nice during the day. It is live action, I watched folks on jet skis going around the front of the ship! Cannot see much at night, but pull the curtains over it and you can continue to enjoy your dark cabin!! Not quite the highlight, but you got to do it on a cruise ship: Embarkation--kind of confusing, not set up as I remember (and I went on 3 cruises last year!). There were several different entry areas, but the person checking the set sail pass had to look at your passport and take a picture of you. It appeared to take more time than the usual way. In hindsight, this might have been when they also set up the facial recognition for passports. This was noted on disembarkation and did speed up that process. For those that travel with paper birth certificate, the line after the cruise was the longest that I have seen, and only like 2-4 custom agents. Those folks were not getting out anytime soon! All in all, it was an enjoyable cruise. It was great to see my college friend and catch up. Enjoyed all the moments that put a smile on our face, as this is why we cruise!! Read Less

The ship was very pretty, had most of what we like in elegant decor to delight our senses and keep us dazzled. The food, too, was very good, possibly the best we have experienced in a wealth of cruises we have taken with a variety of cruise lines. We had an inside cabin off the Royal Promenade, which meant we had a window that looked down at the shoppers. The room, itself, was very nice, with a window seat as well as a little couch, besides the desk chair. It was roomy, with enough nooks for storage for our short 4-day cruise, that I would consider to book such a cabin again. However, the bed was hard - I mean board hard! Our quality of sleep was not good for the 4 nights. We tossed and turned most of the night, only to fall asleep and wake much later in the morning because we had no sense of day or night because of being in an inside. This sleep pattern disrupted our usual cruising routine. Anxious to start using the Workout room, we went straight there the first morning. The weight-powered machines were adequate, but when we attempted to use the bikes, treadmill, etc. they all were password accessible. The place hummed with activity, and I saw no staff member there that would assist us in how to activate any of these equipment. So... we left, and never returned to the workout room for the duration of the cruise. We dined twice in the dining room with our open dining option, and the service was good both times. We actually made a reservation for those dining nights when we first boarded the ship. I asked the staff taking our reservation which night was formal nigh, and he informed me that they do not do formal nights anymore. Having packed my husband’s suit, I was disappointed this wasn’t made clear on their webpage. We cruised with my daughter and her family, and I hoped to get a nice picture of us all decked out in our best attire. Originally the formal night is the second night of shorter cruises, but we chose a different night to go to the dining room, to better fit with our daytime plans. But what I wasn’t told is that RCI or maybe just this ship does a Dress Up anyway you Like evening which is the same as formal night, and all the photographers were on hand... and we missed it as we sat upstairs in the Windjammer enjoying the casualness of the night, unknowing... The focus on hand-washing as people entered the Windjammer was humorous, with staffers playing guitars, singing and prancing around “washy-wash your hands, scrubby, scrub your hands” to popular tunes, and with the exception of one very tuneful fellow, sung painfully off key. The service there was good to excellent, but I found the tables so close together, and the chairs difficult to move on the carpet, that it was a struggle to get up and return to your table, weaving through tables and chairs heavy with other diners. No more pretty glassware is given in the specialty drink. I was told that stopped, even though their website still shows pictures of those lovely glasses. Huge disappointment, hoping to add to my collection. But about the drinks, it costs around $15 per glass. Plan to drop $30+ for two drinks... making those high priced “drink plans” a better choice for some. Bingo was rather a disappointment, too. Less games, higher prices. No fun Bingo Lingo. Rush, rush, rush. And the same for all the Trivia gatherings we experienced. Boring. Regarding the dance and singing talent of the theatre shows, It was an experience we could have better spent watching TV in our cabin room. But, ah, there were no movies to be seen on that TV without paying $12 to rent. This included movies the ship was showing poolside each day. It didn’t seem fair. So, hanging in the room was not an option on this ship. But lounging in the Solarium was a real relaxing. Bring a good book or two, and find a pool bed. Or maybe a hammock on the upper open decks. But if you grab a towel or two, be warned that if you will need to show your sea pass, and then must return them, Showing your sea pass again. Maybe bring your own beach towels might be the better choice? If you are real savvy with technology, then maneuvering the RCI Ap to find out what’s going on day-to-day, hour-to-hour will be all you need on your phone, providing it is no more than a couple years old model. Otherwise, you can still tote around the paper version, as we did. The Ap was difficult to navigate, and caused more frustration than convenience. We stopped at CocoCay, and it is huge. Daughter had booked a beach bed for her family, and when she stepped off the pier entrance, there were no signs to direct her to where they were. They went to the nearest beach, and walked the sand till they found them an hour later. Later it was discovered that there was an exclusive transport cart to take people to the private beach where rage beach beds were. It took us longer to find them, as we dragged our rented water mats along with our beach bag. We stopped to ask where the beach beds were, and staffers there were clueless till one took the measures to investigate, and put us “elderly” people on a cart transport to the exact beach. It was a nice, quiet beach, I mean very nice. The kids spent the day finding all sorts of sea creatures in the shallows and along their walk through the sandbars. But the beach was far removed from the fun children’s activities, so put on your walking shoes when visiting CocoCay. The second port stop was at Nassau. We stayed on the ship, We noticed that the pier was different. They have added more piers changing the look of the cruise port entrance. It had been a few years since we last were docked in Nassau. And lastly, our final bill. We compared the cost to what they changed our credit card, and it did not jive. I have inquired with RCI and have not received a response from them. And, no, we did not a make any additional purchases on our last day. So...? Be mindful that their bookkeeping might have some chinks in their otherwise Royal Caribbean armor. Read Less

We just wrapped up a four-night Bahamas cruise on the Navigator of the Seas. We had the Key, got to the terminal about 9:30am, checked in, did security, sat in the Key area and were literally the first to board at 10:40am. We had already dropped our luggage with the stevedores, but should have waited and dropped it at the Key area on deck 4. Information about the Key was sort of scarce. We didn’t receive our bags until about 5pm. Fortunately we had packed swimsuits and sunblock and were able to enjoy the pools and slides. About the Key: -The internet package was great. -We didn’t know until the last day that the Key acts as a “fast pass” for the water slides (grr). -The Chops lunch was excellent (filet) -We only used the priority seating for the ice show, but there was plenty of room at the other shows. -Our main dining room departure breakfast the last morning was really nice. -Info on departure procedures was a bit sketchy, so we left our baggage in the cabin during breakfast and after we grabbed our luggage and just went to the bamboo room to be escorted off (shorter line). It worked out just fine. -Our “checked luggage” was with everyone else’s, no specific “Key” Area was marked off at customs. Service was always friendly and attentive, except the bar servers were surly. At the theater one night, a server refused to provide a drink menu, and at one of the pool bars the last night, the bartender acted as though he was doing us a favor by making drinks and wouldn’t even talk to us. Hopefully these were the exception. The water slides and flow rider were fun, although the pools were really crowded on the sea day. We enjoyed the soft serve ice cream once we found it, and were so stuffed from meals we didn’t snack too often! We aren’t big drinkers, but the $12 mixed drink prices seemed high. We felt that RCI “nickels and dimes” passengers a lot. The main dining room charged an extra $8 for squeezed orange juice. That’s ridiculous. We didn’t do any formal excursions and instead explored Nassau independently and spent the Cococay day at Chill Beach (the island food was better than the Windjammer buffet, especially the brownies!) Read Less

Embarkation was a breeze, arriving at 11:00, changed into bathing suits and had a great day at the pool. The band was entertaining and great dj music and enjoyed tacos by the pool. Our luggage arrived to our cabin by the time we finished at the pool, in plenty of time to clean up for dinner. Dinner service was great in My Time Dining and with our pre-board reservations we were sat immediately. The only real complaints I have for the ship is the lack of bar service. There was only one waiter in the casino and he served only the table games. If you played slots or video poker, you must fend for yourself. There was usually only one bartender at the casino bar as well. The other thing that we found lacking was the Diamond Lounge. We missed the ambiance and the view from the Crown Lounge. Being a small lounge with no windows on Deck 5 (I think) was no where we wanted to be. However the Concierge there was wonderful. Debarkation was very fast although no one adhered to their departure time. Read Less

Approaching Diamond Members, so we Love Royal Caribbean. The newly renovated Navigator is well done. The Port of Miami RCCL boarding process was greatly improved as we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes. The music was great on this ship thanks to the Royal Caribbean Orchestra with the High C's Horn section, Directed by keyboardist, Hugh Little, a very gifted and talented Musician from Michigan, he made the cruise a fun experience for us. As a professional musician myself, I was so impressed by the talent these players demonstrated. We hope they stay together on the Navigator since we are going again in October. The other highlight for us was the Cruise Director, Yugo. What a fun, upbeat person. He sets the "fun" tone for the cruise and he should be commended. Make sure you go to the shows and you will enjoy his personality. The Ice Show "Reaching For The Stars" is a must see. The skaters are very talented (Olympic Quality) and the high-tech use of lighted drones during the show was very impressive. Specialty Dining has become disappointing. Chops Grill on this ship as on our previous cruise, Allure of the Seas was very disappointing. The "casual" atmosphere with the removal of the tablecloths ( replaced by Plastic Mats ?) was a turn off. When you pay for specialty dining you want it to be special, right? Well, that is our thinking. So, in the future, we will not be paying the extra fee and just stick with the MDR (Main Dining Room), which in our opinion was much nicer. Our waiter and head waiter were amazing and very friendly. We hope to see Priscilla and Rosebeth again. Excellent service! The renovated Coco Cay is very nice. No more tendering in to the island thanks to the new pier. The waterpark is a must for the kids and family. Multiple restrooms, bars and food stations is a very nice improvement. Overall, this is a very nice four day cruise on the Navigator. Going again on her this October. Read Less

Our sons and their girlfriends joined us, so 6 of us, they are all in mind 20's avg. We picked the Navigator as it was a decent 4 nter to Bahamas from Miami and we stayed a cpl xtra nights in Fort Lauderdale tacked on in the end. Quick UberXL to Miami Airport, checked in at terminal A and was slick, the new way they check you in, and from time dropping off bags till ordering 1st cocktail, no more than 20 minutes. Disembark was jut as quick, we walked off with our luggage, always do. We got them Inside cabins (1 each cpl) and upgraded to Ocean View and did the upgrade with the bid process, minimum bid. We had cabin 10390 aft location and what a sweet location, 1st time in aft for any of our cruises. Balcony was extended and a little wider, 2 lounge chairs, 2 regular chairs, and 2 little tables, with room in between. Food - service and food was very good. Includes Windjammer, MDR, Chops, Hooked, the Tacos at Pool level, food on the Promenade too. Entertainment - was average i would say, not better or worse from any other RC ships. Coco Cay - outstanding upgrade! Kids loved it we enjoyed the beach as normal, we were right of Chill beach, near washrooms, near food and drinks flowed!Beach and water were Perfect, we actually had a Perfect Day! serious! lol Kids said lines werent overly bad, but no lines later in day, hour or 2 before getting back to ship they said no lines or short lines. Nassau we went to Tiki Bikini Hut and Beach, walked the straw market there and back to Tiki, food and drinks were good. Weather and beach very good again! The new upgrades were down up nicely. kids did slides and said they were fun, new chairs around the pools and cabanas nice touch. Clean and easy to get around ship. Read Less

My husband and I love Royal Caribbean, but we will never sail on this ship again. Despite the million plus overhaul they completed on the ship the rooms were not updated very well. The over-sized balcony stateroom (9362) smelled terrible like moth balls. The hallway near the room smelled like mold. It was very disgusting and disappointing. I was expecting a nice clean experience with the renovation, but that did not happen. Royal Caribbean needs to fix this issue asap! The specialty restaurants were great! Hooked was amazing as was Izumi! The steakhouse left much to be desired for as it did when we sailed on Allure 6 months ago. If you are used to The Capital Grille, or a Maestros level steakhouse you will not receive the same quality(read flavor/deliciousness) here. Skip the steak house and choose any of the other restaurants for sure! The cruise overall was very relaxing. In the future we will definitely choose Oasis Class or better. This boat does not compare to Allure by a long shot! Read Less

First passengers to visit a remodeled Cococay with new water park, pool with bar etc, The whole facilities were excellent, beach did not feel crowded at all (may change on the bigger ships like the Allure), pool was very animated with DJ, had the feel of being in a 5 star hotel pool, The water park gave nice fit to whole family travel idea with rides for every age, this island will surely be a reason to travel in Royal Caribbean for many families in months to come. Of course the water park has a cost of $44 per day, Zipline is $79, There is a Hellium Ballone (costs $24) Jetski tour ($104), etc. Navigator has free water slide on ship, one doulble rider and a single rider (heads down), pretty nice and its free. Shows were ok but not on the level of the Symphony or Harmony, Will recommend it is certainly a nice weekend getaway alternative for those who live in Florida. Read Less

We chose The Navigator of the Seas because of the ports of call-Western Caribbean and wanted our kids to experience a Royal Caribbean ship with all the fun activities (rock climbing wall, FlowRider, Royal Promenade, etc.). After booking our cruise about 9 months before sailing, we saw on the internet that our ship was due for an upgrade (dry dock) in early 2019. We were excited to hear that the ship would get a whole new pool deck, water slides, new restaurants and bars. Here is what you need to know about The Navigator of the Seas: DISEMBARKATION: We stayed at the Homewood Suites Lagoon. Nice hotel with free breakfast. Shuttle to the port was about 15 minutes and the cost per person was $12. There are restaurants within walking distance and a store in case you need last minute supplies. From the time we stepped off the van and boarding the ship-it was about 45 minutes-Not bad SHIP: Like I mentioned above the ship got a rework, or as Royal likes to call it: Royal Amped Up...$115 Million dollars worth! Here is what was done: -Basically the pool deck was totally redone. They re-imagined the pool area to a Caribbean resort-like feel. New waterslides, aquacoaster (first ever) -Near the pool a new bar the Lime & Coconut and El Loco Fresh (both very good additions) -Redone mini golf-very nice job-Same as what is on the Harmony of the Seas -New in the Royal Promenade: Starbucks, Bamboo Room Lounge, Playmakers Sports Bar -New restaurants: Jamie's Italian (Seriously good), Hooked (replaced Sabor)-These are both specialty for fee restaurants -Glow in the dark Laser tag and Escape Room (Fee for Escape Room) It also has the FlowRider, rock climbing wall, ice skating rink Before we left I watched video tours showing the Navigator before it was drydocked. It looked nice but let me tell you Royal did such a great job with the rework. CABIN: We decided to go mid ship with my wife in the balcony stateroom and our 3 kids across the hall in an interior cabin. We found this configuration to work well as the kids would hang in our stateroom until they went to bed. Royal replaced the carpet and had new bed linens when it was in drydock. I did notice some wear and tear on the balcony but nothing too noticeable. Our stateroom balcony was very nice. I know there are arguments in favor and against a balcony. My opinion: Get the balcony, people. You are on a cruise-it is totally worth it. End of discussion. DINING: Like I mentioned above we did opt for the specialty dining. We did a special where we did our first 2 nights at specialty dining restaurants. We chose Izumi and Jamie's Italian. Izumi was good; you have $35 to spend per person and let me tell you that is plenty. We got a few specialty rolls and some of us got the hot plate (they cook the meat in front of you on the table-very cool). With me being half Japanese I am a sushi snob...there I said it. The rice was a bit overcooked and mushi. I know this is sushi but it should not be mushi! Jaime's Italian was our 2nd night. My wife and I had eaten at Jaime's on Harmony of the Seas and did not think it memorable. This time on the Navigator it was memorable. From the service (shout out to Mihaela), appetizer (get the plank), entrees and desert (get the Tiramasu)-everything was great. As for the main dining room, we had an issue with our table. We had 2 staterooms. Knowing this, I called Royal a few times to make sure we were all going to be at the same table-they assured me we would. Well on our third night (first 2 nights were specialty) they were going to seat our 3 daughters with a couple of lovely elderly ladies and my wife and I at another table. I let the person in charge know and they did seat us all together but it was in the corner of the dining room. I talked to them and for the remainder of the cruise our table was by a window and all of us together. Shout out to Chris and Yogesh for making everything flow smoothly after that 3rd night. ENTERTAINMENT & ACTIVITIES: The shows at night were decent. The stand out was the ice skating show. They had some dancing shows and comedians that were good. Nothing inappropriate for kids. There was a very good activity crew member (actually the first person we did meet) named Aaron. When we first boarded the ship we wisely packed our swim suits so we immediately went to the FlowRider and that is where we met Aaron. He taught us how to maneuver on the FlowRider. We also saw him at laser tag and other times on the ship. He was just naturally funny and fun to be around. SERVICE: The overall service was good. Some memorable but nothing that absolutely stood out. Aaron on the activity crew was probably the one that did stand out. Also Totot our assistant waiter in the main dining room was good as well. PORTS AND SHORE EXCURSIONS: 4 Ports in 7 days-Oh My! Roatan, Honduras: We booked this independent from Royal. This was due to the fact we were trying to find a dive company that would accommodate my wife and I (PADI certified) and our 3 kids (non-certified) to dive together. We went with West End Divers and are so glad we did! Courtney & Joseph were our dive guides and Manon (the owner) made it possible for our whole family to scuba together (our own private scuba dive!) We highly recommend this company. Costa Maya: We did the zipline and waterslide excursion thru Royal at the Mayan Lost Kingdom. For whatever reason I was not expecting much. It turns out this was a super fun excursion. Also, it did rain a bit while we were ziplining which added to the fun (warm rain) Cozumel: We booked horseback riding for the girls and my wife and I booked a scuba diving excursion (both thru Royal) The scuba dive was great, we saw a shark, eagle ray and turtle. Also went thru a pass thru as well. The kids said they had a great time on the horse back ride as well Grand Cayman: We decided to go with the Sting Ray and snorkel excursion thru Royal. It was a nice excursion to do once (check the box). The water was absolutely beautiful and it was fun interacting with the sting rays. Looking back on this cruise, from the newly amped ship to the crew and dining to the 4 ports-we would say this was a very memorable cruise. If given the opportunity we would definitely go again in an instant. Royal did a great job in updating The Navigator of Seas. Read Less