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

This is my second RC cruise, 20th overall cruise, this was the most disappointing. I believe in celebrating the positives so I'll start there. Nine days with great weather, met some awesome people and had the BEST/most enthusiastic activities staff EVER (on any ship or line). Now why this got a two star: worst, most bland food of any cruise, Princess held this title for nine years but Navigator of the Seas now claims the title. I say this strictly from Windjammer and late seating main dining. My food was cold or luke warm when it should have been hot, and multiple dishes were straight up bland and flavorless. I addressed this during on board surveys and with waiters and head waiters, and even the staff seemed to know it. When the staff won't even drink the orange juice because it's color water there's a fundamental problem. To be fair the turkey dinner was good and the pizza in the promenade cafe was delicious. Sadly at one point my fellow guests and I questioned if this was a corporate decision to make subpar food included so that you would pay the surcharge and eat at specialty restaurants. I cannot speak from first hand about any of these but three different groups had not been happy with hooked or the chop house either. Biggest complaint cold, bland food. The burritos at Loco Fresh were good but the hours are just afternoon. Ben and Jerrys was tasty and reasonably priced (free soft serve by the pool was not good). Drinks were bad. I thought I would enjoy some fun tropical drinks on this vacation but the flavor and quality was all over the place. Some drinks were too strong and imbalanced others too watered down and flavorless. I'm really glad I did not get the drink package. Best drinks were served by the solarium pool. They were a positive and cheerful staff and most consistent. Schooner Bar was all over the place, some great, others undrinkable. Disappointed that movies in your stateroom had a $12 cost, that's crazy when other cruise lines movies are free. The room was regularly cleaned (loved the magnets on the door to notify staff). The pools were well monitored by lifeguards and after an early rumble for chairs by the pool there was a nice staff member who pulled towels and bags if people didn't show up within 30 minutes. I was impressed with RC that they followed through with this. Muster drill was efficient. Illusionist and ventriloquist were great shows (two of the best ever). Comedians were disappointing. I had a great time on this cruise but I think I'll take a break from this line. I hadn't been super impressed with my first experience and unfortunately this one didn't improve upon it. Read Less

We (a group of 31) chose this ship because of the "new water slide and water coaster." The ship was to be refurbished and greater than ever. The first original sailing on February 24th was canceled and RC should have canceled the next couple cruises. Only one water slide was open part of the time, the other leaked to the floors below. RC failed to check the air conditioning units on the ship while it was ported...it was extremely hot in the rooms, in the dinning areas, in the casino, in all areas. only 1/3 of the elevators worked and a few of the public restrooms were either closed or had water problems. The new cabanas on deck 12 were nice but the light fixtures in them were not secure, one fell on some of our group members and thankfully they didn't get hurt too badly. The next day, RC removed all of the light fixtures from the cabanas. The fitness centered was located on the deck...the room was not ready for equipment so they had a few things on the deck. We didn't have children with us but the children's areas did not open until March 6. The casino was so jam packed with chairs in both the table and slots areas that the folks using chairs could not possibly get through. The staff was very friendly as usual. Some of them were obviously just starting to work together, some of the tables took a very long time to get their dinners which were not what the people ordered. I found this to be very unusual since the dining staff is typically on top of things. It was so hot in the dining area that it was almost unbearable. I felt as if we were being forced to go dine at one of the pay restaurants... I was very disappointed that Royal Caribbean made the decision to set sail when it was obviously not ready. I would have rather rescheduled it. Read Less

We chose this cruise for price and ports of call. Sail date 11/23/18 - 12/2/18. Ports of call were Labadee, Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. Boarding the ship was handled efficiently and we had our luggage within an hour of boarding. We had questions and we couldn’t get answers because everyone was “new.” No one directed us to someone that could answer our questions. We had breakfast in the Sapphire dining room on our first day. We were among the first seated. It took 45 minutes to get served. The food was not hot and the order was wrong. When I questioned the waiter about the mistake they showed me that they had given me an old menu. We had breakfast in the dining room on our final day and it took 50 minutes to be served. We have to cut them a break on this one because the last day can be hectic. As good as the dinner menu looked and the presentation was beautiful, the food rarely arrived hot. Room temperature was what we received in most cases. The only exception was on evenings when we had late departures and the dining room was not as crowded because passengers were still on the island. My guess is that food is plated in advance and left sitting until served because they can’t handle a full dining room. I received an old menu on one occasion. Our waiter and assistant waiter (Shenelle and Miran) were the perfect balance of friendly and professional. Our cabin was kept tidy by our room steward but we kept finding gnats in our bathroom. They appeared to be coming from the sink drain. Bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths were horribly worn with torn hems and frayed edges. Bolero bar was not clean. A puddle of liquid and debris needed to be wiped up. We noticed that upholstery throughout the ship was stained and worn. Definitely needed to be replaced. We found the Windjammer cafe was the best place to eat. Good options on the buffet and the food was hot. We were able to pick convenient times to eat so that there wasn’t a scramble for a place to sit. Chops grill was a great place to eat. Costs extra but the food was perfectly prepared. Disembarking went smoothly. This is our third Royal Caribbean cruise and we were disappointed. We aren’t sure if RC is falling apart in general or if it’s just this ship. Not sure we will cruise with RC again. Read Less

A big reason we usually choose RC is because of our Diamond status (those who pay for suites also enjoy.) However it’s became apparent RC is no longer valuing the loyalty this brings them. The Diamond lounge is usually a place where you get the added benefits of a quiet place to get a contintental breakfast and happy hour with free drinks at night. However, it feels like this is a bother to the staff. The first thing that happened is they sent notification to our room that happy hour was from 4:30-8pm. When we arrived at 4:30, they told us that it doesn’t begin until 5pm. Even showing the paper we received, we were told it was wrong. Then when we asked for a drink at 8pm before leaving, we were told last drink was at 7:55. At breakfast, they only had a carton of milk by the coffee. We asked for something non-dairy (due to allergy) and were practically yelled at that there was “only milk!” When we then asked the concierge if maybe tomorrow a non-dairy could be provided, she replied very snootily “I’m sorry you were inconvenienced. I’ll see what we can do.” Also, we used to always be issued robes to use in our staterooms, but our cabin steward told us that is no longer a service. I didn’t bring a robe because of this and now it makes getting ready difficult. I asked for a couple of extra towels, and he agreed but looked very pained, which means he probably gets flack from management. I will tip him very well to compensate, but I feel bad. At the pool, you are only allowed 2 towels per person. Period. No exceptions. So there’s no way to have 1 towel cover your chair, one for a pillow and one to dry off. I realize it is a luxury to do this, but I’m on vacation! I feel like I’m at a very low end hotel. These are pretty simple things but apparently the staff is overworked and not getting support from management to make guests happy. Honestly, save $100 and just take a Carnival Cruise because this is what RC is catering to.Ill definitely be sharing this with our travel agent to warn others as well. Read Less

Oh, Mr Porter, what shall I do? I wanted to go to Boston and New York and they've taken me on to the Canary Isles....OK, it doesn't rhyme or fit the tune, but it sums up what happened to us on our first experience of cruising. My wife and I decided two years ago to blow our savings on a cruise down the Eastern Seabord of the USA. Royal Caribbean International were advertising a 13 night cruise leaving from Southampton in early November, calling at Boston, New York, Port Canaveral and Miami - all places we had never visited, but would very much like to see. We took a deep breath and booked, then waited as the months crawled by, getting excited at the prospect of the Big Adventure ahead. Two weeks before departure, I went in to hospital and we had to miss the sailing. Insurance paid for most of the financial loss, so when an identical cruise was advertised last February, we decided to tempt fate and book up again. This time we were both fit and well as the day of departure arrived. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the ship wasn't in quite such great shape. Newspapers carried the story of a catastrophic failure of one of the stabilsers which caused hull damage and resulted in the cruise before ours being curtailed for emergency repairs. Then came the storm warnings. Late on the Friday before Monday's sailing our travel agents contacted us to say that because of adverse weather conditions in the Atlantic, the ship would not be calling into Boston, New York or Port Canaveral, but instead would spend time in Belgium and French ports before taking a southerly route to Miami. With someone else booked to move into our house the next day to dog-sit, and goodness knows how much already spent on return air-travel, overnight stays and car-hire, we felt we had no choice but to continue with the cruise, even though we had zero interest in spending time in Bruges or LeHavre. (No offence, Belgium and France, but we have visited you lots of times before.) Our disappointment was utter, and there was little excitement left when we went on board The Navigator for our first cruising experience. Things appeared to look up when, just before sailing, the Captain came on the Tannoy to say that - reponding again to weather changes - we would now be sailing direct to the Canary Isles, then crossing the Atlantic to the Bahamas for a day's water sports and sunbathing on a tropical island before going to Port Canaveral. (Back on the list). Nine happy days at sea allowed us to work up an appetite for the day of snorkling and coral reef exploration we were promised on Coco Cay, the RCI's private island paradise in the Bahamas. Crossing the Bay of Biscay was pretty choppy as the broken stabiliser was still not working, but the seas soon calmed down to a light swell. The crew were magnificent, the onboard entertainment excellent, and because so many people had cancelled at the last minute, we virtually had a waiter each. Life on board was relaxing and fun-packed, and our spirits rose. Sure, we had missed meeting our old friends in New York, and we never got to see Boston, but the sun was shining, the southern breezes were balmy, and there was that delicious day of water sports in the Bahamas to look forward to. The Day arrived, and the whole ship's complement lined up to disembark, larded in sun cream and already dressed in swimming gear. Announcement over the Tannoy: "Because of the swell, tenders are not prepared to put out from the island. We will not now be spending the day on Coco Cay but will divert to Freeport for a few hours on Grand Bahama." More dashed hopes. More cancelled excursions. But still, there was a guided tour of the Everglades at Port Canaveral to look forward to tomorrow, wasn't there? Well, no, actually, becuase later that day, after a rather uninteresting few hours on the quayside at Freeport, we had the message that all guided tours booked for the next day were off because of "immigration difficulties." So far, of the four excursions we had booked, none had or would now take place. As a last ditch effort to have some fun somewhere, we booked a shuttle ride to Magic Kingdom. Been there before, and it costs an arm and a leg, but, hey, we're on holiday. The ship docked in Port Canaveral. The shuttle bus made it to the Magic Kingdom. We had five hours in the park - just time for two rides and a ten-minute show - then back to the ship. Or so we thought. The coach broke down on the way back. We waited forty minutes in a gas station for a replacement bus, and ended up back at the ship seconds before it sailed, missing half of our last meal on board because we were so late back, and having to wear the same clothes we had worn for a sweaty day in the seething Disney park. Short of actually sinking mid-Atlantic, it is difficult to see how anything else could have gone wrong on this voyage. We have never cruised before - is our experience typical? Read Less

1st cruise booked as a special occasion for our 25th anniversary. Travelled with 2 children 11 and13 years. Cruise was overcrowded with queues for everything. Activities over subscribed. Staff looked exhausted and harassed and couldn’t cope with numbers on board. Communal areas dirty. Food in main restaurant was hit and miss and sent food back on several occasions, but because service was so slow gave up and ate sandwiches and pizza in cafe. Buffet area was completely overwhelmed every morning, and struggled to find a table. Tried signature restaurants chops grille was excellent. Jonny rockets served stale buns after a 45 minute wait. Complained and left- still waiting for an apology from RC. The shore excursions we enquired about were sold out, so just made own arrangements and saved over 50% for better quality trips. Overall this was a very disappointing experience and I will not be booking another cruise. Read Less

Its a floating mall with too many people and too few hours ashore at ports of call, The North Atlantic is too cold even at the height of summer: literally too windy and/or cool (or even rainy) to enjoy being outside for a good part of the time. Especially galling is RC letting guests reserve lounge chairs in the pool areas, when it was nice out, by leaving their towels and whatnot there as they go do other activities and don't use those loungers. 3,000 people, or whatever it is, is too many - my advice is find a smaller boat if you feel you must cruise. Itinerary: 1. We arrived in Le Havre on a Monday which meant the main museum in town (the Malreaux) was closed and those who did the Rouen tour were disappointed to find that the Joan of Arc places of interest were also closed. What kind of company books these tours when they know the main attractions are closed? Why wasn't the itinerary set up to be at sea on a Monday when most museums in Europe are closed??? 2. Lisbon: Been there before and looked forward to it but the Al Fama neighborhood the boat conveniently pulls in next to means its now swarming with 3,000 fellow tourist so there is no sense of a local feel - and the hours allowed there were few (back on the boat by 3:30PM!) 3. Vigo, Spain - a pleasant surprise; I'd go back to experience its restaurants for dinner,etc. - but not on a cruise because of course you have to be back on the boat for dinner. Would have loved to have gone to the beautiful Roda beach island at the mouth of the harbor via ferry but the boat's arrival/departure time simply wouldn't allow enough time for that, so another minus for the boat's itinerary in-spite of the cool city of Vigo. All other days were the dreaded "at sea" with the staff trained to be annoyingly cheerful and in your face ("Washie, washie!"), only slightly less annoying than the children running amok and their awful parents hoarding the loungers. Even enjoying the balcony as a refuge was a a problem as wifi there was spotty with too much steel around it apparently and wifi disconnects repeatedly. And you pay dearly for that service (around US $25/day). Never again. Read Less

It just keeps getting worse. I’ve been on 2 cruises before, all with Royal Caribbean and I thought they were ok but this year was bad. - Embarkation was smooth. - Breakfast was the same every morning ( sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs etc) I wish there were more healthy options. - Lunch was good, more varieties and new things every day - Dinner and service was good apart from Steak. I ate lots of steaks in different places and I know what medium rare means. These steaks were raw. Four of us ordered and they were all raw. Definitely go for medium well instead. - The stateroom attendant was friendly - The shows were not so good compared to Independence. There was a very good comedian in the first night. On the last night there was a different comedian which wasn’t that good. Some of his jokes were word by word the same as some of the first comedian which was painful to watch. - The cruise director was ok but not very involved. - The ports weren’t very good. Le Havre is too far from Paris so took an excursion to Deauville and Honfleur which were really beautiful. Portugal was ok but not as nice as France. Vigo was a waste of time - The next cruise discounts on board were terrible. Basically 40 dollars off a oceanview stateroom and 165 dollars deposit per person which was not refundable if cancelled. Overall there wasn’t anything wow but just ok. I don’t think it was worth the money. Once I got to airport I realised I forgot my brand new suit and 2 ties in the stateroom. I know it was my fault but there was 0 help with that. Once they take your money they don’t care anymore. That is definitely my last cruise with them and will start trying out other cruise lines. Read Less

We have been on Royal Caribbean before and have always found the ships and service to be fabulous. This cruise and this ship were neither of these things. The ship looks tired and dated and the obvious ‘cutbacks’ are the talking point of the passengers. On arrival in our stateroom,the usual toiletries have been replaced by a pump of shampoo in the shower, and a couple of slim soaps on the sink. No shower caps, no lotion, no shower gel. No pillow chocolates (although they are not missed) in the bars, no nibbles provided, and no water when going ashore (there was some availabe on a couple of ports, but it had to be paid for or pass card swiped if on drinks package) we had a ‘spacious’ balcony cabin on floor 10 which proved to be a mistake, as the decks were power washed at 1/4 to 1 in the morning and woke us up with (a few times) by a blooming loud horrible racket. The ship was fully booked and the windjammer for breakfast and lunch was not a pleasure. Queues, waiting for tables, irritable diners was the norm at both services. Our real bugbear was the ‘towels on sunbeds’ that was blatant on sea days and port days. The pool staff did absolutely nothing about this, even when they were told, and shown beds that had towels, hats glasses etc on them for hours without anyone using them. There were arguments and nastiness with many people and it made the whole relaxing aspect of the holiday a joke. Royal Caribbean have lost their mojo, and this cruise felt a bit like ‘Butlins at sea’. We won’t book with them again. Read Less

Chose this cruise for the itinerary and we weren't let down by this - a good selection of ports, places we wouldn't necessarily want to spend a lot of time in but wanted to visit. Boarded at Southampton and cannot fault the efficiency of the staff and check in process. Once on board we were very disappointed with the decor of the ship and the so called 'state room' which looked more like a very poor quality caravan. In fairness, it was clean which was due to the hard work of our cabin steward but was dated and shabby in appearance - had clearly seen better days, probably in the last Century! We dined most of the time in the Sapphire Dining Room which was probably the only spectacular part of the ship. Food was of a high standard but not outstanding, waiting staff, however, were outstanding and very friendly. We had a big problem with a number of wines not been available after the first few days and on a couple of nights our meals had arrived a long time before our wines. Another issue in this dining room is that the dress code is not upheld. I realise this was during the world cup but, even so, we do not need to see a myriad of football shirts, people chanting on their way in and others arriving in shorts and T Shirts. People,where are your trousers? We also visited the Windjammer Restaurant, a big mistake - 'hell on earth' at busy times. The staff do their best to provide good service but are completely overwhelmed by the number of people. At best, it resembles a busy motor way service station. Food here was good but if you got your food first it would be cold by the time you found somewhere to sit. This was largely due the lack of other seating areas on the ship which made people reluctant to move from tables once they had found a seat. Once you left your table to go and get another course you were in danger of losing it. Drink prices on board are very expensive, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) add an 18% service charge to ALL drinks purchased. If that's not bad enough a daily gratuity charge of $14.50 per person is automatically added to the room account. There is no evidence that this is actually distributed among staff. We chose to have this deducted from our account and tipped those staff who had provided good service to us - wake up RCI it is not up to your customers to pay staff wages, tips are in addition to this and paid only if good service is provided! Some of the entertainment was of a good standard, the exception being the Queen tribute band and RCI troupe. The resident orchestra, however, were excellent. Very difficult to participate in quizzes or even get in to the bars as, due to the lack of seating, people arrived early and stayed. It seems that a large amount of the communal areas was taken up by the speciality restaurants, casino and the hideous shopping mall which could have been in any city centre without paying hundreds of pounds for the privilege. From the moment you board RCI seem to want to sell, sell, sell whether it be a shore excursion or your next cruise or even a tour around the ship. This was our first cruise experience with RCI and frankly, not one to be repeated. This did not live up to expectations so will look elsewhere next time. Additional costs made this a very expensive and unsatisfactory experience. Read Less

I have just returned from a 12 night Northern Europe cruise with my partner and was rather disappointed by the whole experience. The Navigator of the Seas was a very dated and poorly designed ship, and overall the cruise offered little value for money. Cabin We booked an outside cabin (standard with a window). We weren’t expecting to be in the lap of luxury but in all honesty we felt like we were staying in an old caravan. Faded carpets, and worn, poor quality furniture meant that we wanted to spend as little time as possible there. The cabin itself was tidy but unclean – despite the fact our stateroom attendant turned down the bed every day. We had to ask on three separate occasions for stained bedsheets and pillow cases to be replaced. There was dirt in the drawers and thick layers of dust in many places. Not great. Satellite reception on the TV was also poor (shows would regularly freeze or cut out half way through, though I’m not sure if this is common to all ships). Dining A mixed bag. The food itself was decent but not spectacular. The Sapphire Dining Lounge, which is the main a la carte restaurant included in the cost of the cruise, was very pleasant, and had a hint of luxury with a nice winding staircase and chandeliers. The menu each night had a good variety of choice and our waiters were friendly and attentive – couldn’t fault them. However, we still experienced a number of issues. The dining room and bars ran out of a huge number of drinks very early on – we ended up on our fourth or fifth choice of wines about halfway through the cruise and number of cocktails were unavailable owing to a lack of mixers such as ginger beer. We reported this to both the dining room manager and beverages manager, and were assured that extras supplies would be taken on board at the next port and the menus updated accordingly - this didn't happen and communication between the dining room and beverages team was poor. Royal Caribbean knew exactly how many people were on board and what the demand would have been given they have run this route for some time, so this was inexcusable. I also did not understand the dress code for dinner. Royal Caribbean requests that gentlemen wear collared shirts and trousers, yet there were people walking around in football shirts and shorts and no-one challenged them. In and of itself this isn’t necessarily a problem, but if a company sells its experience based on certain rules and standards, then it should at least implement them. By far the most unpleasant experience of the whole trip was the main buffet restaurant, The Windjammer. A piece of advice: if you cruise on the Navigator of the Seas, avoid going here at all costs. It was like the Wild West – so overcrowded you’d be lucky to get your food back to your table without bumping into someone and spilling it all over them. And that’s if you were lucky enough to get a table. It was so busy that one particularly unpleasant individual literally took a chair from underneath me as I was about to sit down. I kid you not. We braved it on three occasions, at different times, and it made no difference. Part of the problem is that dining options are very limited. The Sapphire Dining Lounge is open most days for breakfast and dinner, but it is lunch that is the problem. It was only sporadically open for lunch between 11.00-1.00pm. Ridiculously inconvenient times. Aside from the Royal Promenade Café (open 24 hours but tiny and offering only a limited selection of snacks), the only option for lunch was therefore The Windjammer, and this meant that the whole ship piled in at the same time. Horrible. There are plenty of speciality restaurants on board but you have to pay extra for these and this therefore does not make them an option for many people. On board experience As a whole, absolutely terrible. Our cruise was not sold out but the ship felt horrendously overcrowded. If you wanted a seat in a bar you would have to shark around or loiter until one became available, but this would often take a while. The result was that we spent a significant amount of time wondering around the ship simply for somewhere to sit or to enjoy a drink. The Navigator should be a big enough ship to accommodate its passengers yet it was always an uphill struggle to find a place to relax. The reason for this is that a huge amount of space on board is taken up by a hideous ‘Royal Promenade’ – a mini shopping mall with shops selling perfume, alcohol and garish fashion watches – a huge Casino that was largely unused, and a significant number of speciality restaurants that were half empty most of the time. In short, when designing the ship, Royal Caribbean prioritised taking up space with means of travellers spending as much money as possible, rather than being concerned about their comfort or on board experience. Very disappointing. On the subject of spending money, we constantly got the hard sell from staff to pay for extra activities. It’s not particularly pleasant to be enjoying a quiet drink at a bar, only to have someone shove an ipad in your face and hassle you to dine in a speciality restaurant. Furthermore, by the end of the cruise our cabin bin was full of enough paper encouraging us to spend money to fill a library. There are a range of free activities on board but not enough to meet demand. If you wanted to do a quiz you needed to get there an hour in advance otherwise there’s no chance of getting a table. We tried a simple bean bag tournament on one sea day and it took an hour and a quarter because of the amount of people participating. A key source of frustration was that when you’re on holiday, you like to be able to do what you want, when you want. That was impossible on the Navigator. Costs Opinions on tipping may vary but to my mind, Royal Caribbean’s approach to tipping is excessive. There is an 18%(!) gratuity included in the price for ALL drinks and this cannot be removed. There is also an additional $14.50 gratuity per person, per day added to your on-board account. By the end of our cruise this amounted to over $300 – madness. It can be removed at guest services but the staff serving you will know, so expect a frosty reception if you do. We did this and opted to pay tips in cash…and when we tipped our stateroom attendant, the following day we had an envelope in our room with a list of suggested tip amounts because he felt we hadn’t tipped enough! Disgraceful. Embarkation/disembarkation The highlight of the cruise. Royal Caribbean are very slick when it comes to getting you on and off the ship hassle free. Not once when we embarked or disembarked did we have to wait a long time. The process was incredibly smooth and well-managed. Can’t fault them there. Summary The ports we visited were all great and worth seeing. The only exception was Helsinki, which didn’t have a huge amount to offer. Unfortunately, the brilliant destinations on this cruise were overshadowed by a terrible ship that was dated, overcrowded and expensive. Even the (mostly) pleasant staff and decent food couldn’t redeem it. We will not be sailing with Royal Caribbean again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the amazing destinations. Traveling through the Baltic, stopping in Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Finland and finishing up in St.Petersburg in Russia. The destinations did not disappoint...but the food and entertainment were abysmal. The ice show was spectacular...but if all went downhill from there. It was similar to a 70’s holiday camp type entertainment with British themes almost every night...think Butlins....not what you’d associate with international entertainment. Quizzes about British tv programmes...one night the entire main promenade was decked with Union Jack flags and the English national anthem blasted out....then came the entertainment staff similarly decked out in Union Jack clothes singing...it’s nice to be proud of your nationality....but on a Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg amid people from ALL different nationalities it was quite odd and inappropriate. We hadn’t booked a British knees-up for a holiday....or so we thought! The first day I got a hair in my food in the main dining room...they replaced the food quickly but it was very off putting. The windjammer had chips, a new type of meat pie every day, burgers, hot dogs, curry and rice and one roast meat option every day...same all cruise. Pie and chips...again, not what we thought we had booked a cruise for. Our cabin was grubby and had a little hole in the wall through to the next door cabin. We stuffed it with tissue paper. The whole ship could do with an upgrade with regards to decor. Disappointing all in all. The destinations were beautiful but what a shame about the time-deaf entertainment choices and uncreative food offerings. On a positive note, the shore excursions in St. Petersburg were brilliant...and the staff onshore on our way to the ship were great....super helpful. Would recommend the destinations...but maybe think twice about this ship. Didn’t have ONE complaint about the Brilliance of the seas last year...but the Navigator was very different...and not in a good way. Read Less

There is not enough staff The bar service was very slow, Trying to get a beverage at the bar forget about it. The Windjammer, food good never enough clean tables chairs MUGS or staff like Woolworths Cafe 30yrs ago The overall crew did the best they could. I asked some of them if they where going ashore they told me that they would like to but they where either working or where to tired 1. Crew and servers were all superb. The problem is that they where ran off their feet 2. 4th floor restaurant was excellent; Milnas and Danielle excellent, food very good and we had a very good time in the restaurant, on 8.30 sitting 3. Cabin was kept immaculate and our steward was very helpful with anything we asked him. Was one the best part of the cruise; He was always happy and always greeted us with a smile, clean and fresh every day. 4 When Royal Caribbean supply a coach to exit port they charge 30$ us. when all other ports supplied coaches free of charge The staff works their tail off and they deserve medal, the staff tries really hard but they can only work with what they are given, and they aren’t given much. The internet, The excursions, And the price-------- what a laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!! This, but far, has got to be ONE OF MY MOST DISAPPOINTING CRUISES THAT I HAVE BEEN ON! I’m willing to admit maybe my expectations of a cruise were too high The overall experience was not up to the standards we expected did not full fill the expectations we had. I will not waste any more time writing anymore becauseI would not recommend the Royal Caribbean to anyone, and I will not use this company ever again Read Less

Food and Shows are getting worse over time... Don’t do this cruise if you have kids. I would spend the extra money and go Disney. The shows were dated and there were several days with comedians which were boring... Excursions were not worth the price payed. Everything is very rushed as some ports have 6 hrs before you have to back on the boat and driving to the loacation takes about an hour. While on the boat, despite confirmation that my child who turned three ball on the cruise would be able to go to the Kids camp was refused admission because their was too many kids and the boat didn’t have enough staff.... they should know this and plan before the ship leaves port!! The room staff is still helpful and kind and do a good job. Overall this cruise is underwilming if you have been on cruises before. It really shows that Royal is putting a lot of energy into the new big boats and has forgotten about the small and medium size boats. Read Less

I chose this particular cruise because of the destination (Southern Caribbean and length of cruise). Embarkation was slow, security staff offensive and shouting shouting at guests boarding and then once on main level I viewed a police officer holding a machine gun! Frightening, being shuffled around...it was awful. My friend and I were separated from one another. Our cabin was filthy dirty...filthy. Eve with reporting it several times action was never taken. I have numerous photos. Food was average but always the same. Entertainment was boring however the ice show was beautiful. Dinner (my time) we always had to wait for seating. Every night seemed to be a problem and we had to wait. It was very disappointing. Even when requested a private table for two the night before, when we arrived the following night it didn't happen. Phoned for a reservation and was told no reservations taken over phone? Read Less

We chose this cruise because it went to Aruba. We had to re route due to bad weather (I know that’s no ones fault). But then they take us to Nassau (the worst port in the carribean). So multiple passengers were upset with that choice. On to the food... the main dining room was a disaster. The food was terrible. Not only was the food terrible, they rarely changed the menu throughout the 9 days. We stopped going and went upstairs to the windjammer. The service in the dining room was just okay. They didn’t refill our water, never asked us if we wanted to order a different drink, didn’t clean off our table, and acted annoyed with us more than once. We also had a celebration planned and we told them about it and they completely ignored us. The service in the windjammer was wonderful. We expressed how we had been treated in the dining room and they even brought us cake and champagne glasses so we could celebrate. The head waiter went out of his way to speak to us every night to make sure we enjoyed our dinner. We were very pleased with the windjammer staff and food. The entertainment on this boat is boring. They have some contracted comedy shows that are okay. But the rest is awful. Their shows don’t have any meaning, it’s a bunch of random songs out together and called a show. The daily activities were okay. The passengers were mostly 50+ so the game shows weren’t very exciting. They didn’t have many activities on the days at sea, they saved all the good ones for when everyone was tired on port days. Which made no sense. Overall my family and I were not impressed with this boat. We have been on several cruises and this has been our worst experience. Don’t set your heart on your destinations because they could change them at the drop of a hat! Read Less

Chose Royal Caribbean as our last experience was so great. Talked three families that have no cruising experience into joining us and we so embarrassed due to the terrible food and cancellation of multiple excursions. Food was so bad we all could not wait to get off ship at ports to eat at a local restaurant. One of our traveling couples bought the three dinners at non main dinning room places on board ship and after first dinner asked for a refund. Then they were given a free dinner at same place by staff and it was no better than the first. They both are frequent cruisers and they also said this was the worst experience they have ever had on any cruise and they cruise a lot, (30 plus cruises). Multiple Shore excursion were canceled at last minute giving us no time to rebook or change plans. One excuse was weather related and it was the nicest day of whole cruise. Departure day back in Miami was a total mess. Took hours to get off boat and people were missing excursions and travel connections. Read Less

First time Royal cruise, most likely the last. 8 prior Princess Cruises, going back to Princess. The food was mediocre. Desserts are tasteless and dry. Cafe promenade is the only food venue open after 9:00 pm after events such as theater shows. The cafe has the exact same sandwiches every night, and exact same boring and tasteless desserts each night. It’s a small seating area. The pool area was jammed packed with people being allowed to save every chair by 7 a.m. each day and leaving the chairs “saved” for hours with no one ever coming to sit on many. Numerous passengers complained , although nothing was done by staff. They even have a 30 minute rule that is not adhered to. Staff not friendly and in Windjammer & even dining room staff didn’t clean me around to ask about drinks and we had to ask for coffee in the dining room. Embarkation we got off the elevator and could move no further. Next elevator down, those passengers were stuck in elevator with no where to go. We were jammed up for 45 min. An older lady wad crying another lady panicking because Air was beginning to get stifling. Read Less

Very disappointed. Food was AWFUL!!! More of an ice cold cafeteria food. Was displaced in main dining room, they kept giving our table to anytime dining guests when we have 5:30 seating!!! Went on this cruise for our Honeymoon.... Was never acknowledged by any of the staff or room attendant We cruise A LOT, and just for my Husbands Birthday he received flowers, balloons, and chocolate covered strawberries complimentary in our cabin. This is why we should of stayed with Princess. The service was horrible, the staff was I guess in training or asleep. Trying to get a beverage at pool bar forget about it. Trying to disembark was a comedy show. Speaking of shows.... The theater performances were worse than high school performers. OVERALL....... Will never cruise Royal Caribbean again. Nobody seemed to know what the heck was going on. And my goodness the price-------- what a laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!! We could of gone on Princess or Norwegian and had a Royal Suite on a 14 day cruise for what we spent on a 9 day balcony with RC. Read Less

Was on Navigator for 2018 New Years cruise and was very satisfied. How could corporate destroy my excellent ratings in three months. There were NO complaints in January and a litany of complaints from this cruise Positive 1. Crew and servers were all superb. The problem is that they didn't have much to work with. 2. Passover seder was excellent, rabbi very good, food adequate, and we had a very good time. 3. Cabin was kept immaculate and our steward Steve was very helpful with anything we asked him. Negative 1. Debarkation was a disaster. Hundreds upon hundreds of people lined up all over the place based up the schedule RCCL gave us and NO place to go. First was called to leave ship over an HOUR from time given on paper. 2. Taste and quality of food served at dinner were horrible. DO NOT order the Australian bass. Three of our members "spit it up" after the first bite. A number of other dishes had very "little" taste, and had to be returned to the kitchen. This is in contrast to the excellent food we had on the New Year's cruise. 3. Overall menu was quite poor. There wasn't enough of a variety to make people happy. Read Less

Overpriced for the value. We cruised with 14 family members. We drove down to Miami for the cruise. Parking ramp was very expensive for the five days. Parking ramp had no signage on how to get around, including getting out. Stateroom (verandah) was terrible. Bed was old and rock hard. Language barriers were prevalent with majority of staff, no matter what the setting. Some spoke the equivalent of no English, even though the majority of the guests spoke English. Nickeled and dimed to death. I found myself crying out MOOO!! many times during embarkation and debarkation as I now know how cattle feel. Room service had a significant fee for every and any type of service. Bathroom was falling apart. Our room entrance door would not close automatically (I found it open on numerous occasions), even though it is supposed to close automatically and the verandah door did not lock without learning the way to fidget with it, from our steward. Soap tray in shower fell off the wall twice and appears to have been screwed back on, in different positions, many times. Read Less

Every 2 or 3 years we go on a Cruise. Royal Caribbean was always my first choice. Last time ( 2 years ago) I had a bad experience. This time was even worst. Food is not the same anymore. The amazing dinner that i used to have , it is gone. The staff ( with some exceptions) was rude . The main answer was " Sorry , we can not do anything " . Casino machines are old , some of then older than in the worst casinos in Florida. The tour was very poor. The tour guide spent one hour teaching ridiculous words in Spanish and asking for "propina" Tips. Pools completely crowded. Not everything was bad. The cabin was good an the cabin service too. Summary , my advice " Don't pay more for Royal Caribbean , they are far away to be the same company that they were 10 to 5 years ago " . Read Less

The ship is in bad need of any refresh. The decor is very old. Broken railings, Lights not working, elevator buttons not working on several decks. Having been on several HAL, NCL and Disney cruises, the food overall on this RC sailing was by far the worst. Daily menu only rotated three dishes each night with most of the appetizers and deserts staying the same night over night. Simply lacked creativity. Insulting to have additional dishes listed on the menu but with a charge. Filet Mignon $20 charge in the main dining room. In what fine dining restaurant do they list Tilapia (farmed) as the catch of the day (on two of the 9 nights). Even our servers shook their heads and were embarrassed. No wine packages on RC. They have a sign that you can purchase sets of wine at their vintages shop which will be brought to your table. Discounts offered with the more wine purchased. After three attempts to get it worked out - gave up. Dining staff has no idea how it worked. Vintages staff admitted that it's better to go to their shop on the way to dinner to pick up your selection and take it with you to dinner. So, select the wine before seeing the menu? Didn't try the specialty restaurants. Based on the poor quality of the food in the main dining room along with the classless up sell to get a good dish, we decided not reward RC for that tactic. Although the quality of the food was comparable to a hospital cafeteria, the service was good. Nice people with great stories and conversations. The windjammer was simply terrible. 80% repeated menu day over day. You guessed it Tilapia every day. The activities were fun. The kids enjoyed the wave runner. No waterslides, but the pools were nice. Movies out on the deck would have been nice except the layout is very odd and only a locations have good views of the screen. Odd that they offer no snacks like popcorn and sodas during the night movies like they do on other lines. Not a big deal for us but something to note is the onboard shopping was weak. You know your duty free selection is bad when Disney has a better liquor selection than you. Read Less