This was our 1st cruise. Myself, Partner and 6yo daughter took the plunge and set off into the unknown. Overall we were very pleased with the whole experience. Pro's: Service all round was fantastic. Anything you ask for will be accomidated for. In particular, the dining room staff (Motie & Hank) were spot on. Cleanliness was fantastic throughout, there are cleaners at every point without being overly noticeable. Our Stateroom was well maintained and kept in good order by Jorge. The evening shows were good with a good mix of shows from comedy, dance and Broadway. The food was good, the windjamma had plenty of variety and was of good quality. The main dining was fantastic with a different selection of dishes every night. We did not try any of the speciality restaurants. Cons: Entertainment, Whilst the shows were good we didnt seem to find any of the day time activities to our appeal or engaging. I wasn't a particular fan of the cruise director (Cuddy), everything seemed to be about him often about his weight, This humour is funny day 1-3 , past that it becomes tiresome and slightly irritating. My only real frustration all cruise was the disembarkation time, 8am. This put me in a bit of a grumpy mood - we had to be up at 6am for breakfast and off the ship by 8am, chucku in a couple of hours travel and i turned a bit frustrated, trivual but could have been avoided. - Sam Read Less

Chose cruise to have a family holiday, Food was good, activities were plentiful, but this ship needs a good makeover. Smoking in the casino should be stopped, on deck four you have to take the elevator to deck five, walk through the Royal Promenade, and take the elevator again down to deck four just to move from front to back, without having to go through the stench of smoke. I don't think that any employee should have to work in a smoke filled environment. In the Windjammer a lot of the seats are threadbare, the ceiling looks as though it caved in at some point, and was replaced, badly. In the cabin that I shared with my wife, there were stains on the carpet, an adjoining door had a loose seal, and the seating area was covered in dust and bits of fluff the whole time. If I had to cruise again I would not choose to be on Navigator of the Seas. l Read Less

this was our first cruise, we found the ship to be very clean and the staff very pleasant, the food both in the windjammer and main dining room was excellent, but I would suggest getting a table 1st for the windjammer and sorting out where your food types are before loading your plates as by the time you find a table which is not occupied your food tends to be cold. there is loads to do for families but not a lot early in the mornings unless you like lounging around the pool, also a lot of the attractions, flow rider, climbing wall and ice rink were not open much, no reason was given and we weren't told before our cruise, but this did not affect us as we are middle aged and preferred a quieter cruise anyway. families with children will love the ship. the only fault we found was there was not enough time in Lisbon but loads of time in the 2 other ports this information was not available to us both before we booked and when we boarded which for us as middle aged people meant we didn't have much to do in vigo or le havre as walking far from the ship can be a bit hilly unless of course you decide to pay for a shore excursion., so as a result we cut our shore trips short and enjoyed a quieter ship. the information supplied for the ports was vague unless you attended the seminar the night before in one of the bars the main problem we found was that there was not enough seating throughout the ship which tended to mean we spent a lot of time going to different bars and shows etc a lot earlier than we would normally do just to make sure we got a seat, bit frustrating really. overall though we would still go on this cruise again irrespective of the couple of minor points and seating issue which did not appeal to us. Read Less

Having lived in Asia/America for a long time we took the opportunity to explore part of the Med in order to scope out where we would consider returning in the future for a longer stay. The itinerary was varied and interesting with plenty of sightseeing opportunities available. Shopping seemed to be a big criteria at each port! Not being big shoppers I cant comment on the shopping malls or prices available. The only disappointing port was Livorno. I would recommend you take an excursion if you wish to leave the ship at this port as the taxis were non existent and the shuttle buses were in short supply which meant queuing in the heat on the dockside for a long time just to go a couple of miles into town. All other ports were well organised and for most of them you can walk into town from the ship. There seemed to be plenty of sightseeing/shopping excursions available but not many adventure based activities - unfortunately the kayak trip we booked was cancelled due to large waves, The cabin was a good size and clean - the beds were so comfy. Dining was lovely too with plenty of variety - at the beginning some of the food in the dining room was a little overcooked but improved with feedback. The breakfast/lunch selections were varied and interesting although food in the Windjammer at lunchtime was not brilliant on the days most people went ashore, probably because the turnover was less and the food remained on the heaters a little too long. Overall though, there was more than enough choice to try something else better. Entertainment was varied and generally very good but sometimes its a matter of taste. The ice show was the best!!! Plenty of activities going on during the cruise including many types of quizzes. The climbing wall was a challenge, the ice rink a bit small but a great alternative to going to the gym!! The mini golf was a good standard and the Wave Rider would have been a blast if the water wasn't so freezing cold this time of year! This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise and comparing it to our other cruises there are pros and cons for them both depending on the type of cruise you are looking for. Overall I enjoyed this cruise and nothing on the ship spoiled my holiday so I would consider Royal Caribbean again but I don't think Ill be sailing from Southampton again - it was just too cold for the first 2 days - I will fly and cruise the Caribbean next time. ;-) Read Less

My Wife's 70th and Grandson's 21st and our 50th anniversary. We liked the Dining room and Windjammer for the casual meals, the food was good. Drinks and shore excursions were very expensive when compared to the online booking prices and the onshore (local tours) The exchange rate for South Africans made it even worse. Shore excursion members were not very helpful when asked for info on doing our own thing such as where to go. The ship was good but starting to show it's age, some automatic doors did not work properly and occasionally stayed open, really noticeable on bad weather days. Rust patches were visible although small there were quite a few. The Ice show and Beatles show were excellent, but some of the other musical entertainers and Bands were obviously "low budget" and disappointing. The guy who did presentations on Flying was very good and interesting. TV movies, there was only one and repeated every day for the whole 14 day cruise. Read Less

places visited were good,only drawback a lot of ports were far out of town and you had to pay your own way into town unless you had booked an excursion, navigator is a well laid out ship its one of the few you can walk all around some decks without going up top, the cabins are a good size its nice to book a balcony and sit out and enjoy meals, we found it best to book first sitting6 oclock, meals are ok but theres been a bit of penny pinching veg is now on plates not in seperate trays and you get very little,always pushing the 4 other dining rooms but you have to pay a hefty supplement ,a couple of peaple we spoke to told they had booked a package and when trying to book a night they couldnt get in also they couldnt get there money refunded,televisions in cabins were a waste of time 50% of time no signal but you could pay extra and hire a film, entertainment was good everybody worked hard , lots of activities to keep you entertained,crew very polite and hardworking, drinks are a bit expensive comes as a it of a shock when you first buy one and they put a service charge on top for each drink even on coffee, Read Less

Just returned from yet another enjoyable 14 day cruise on The Navigator. I did find on this trip however that a few corners are beginning to be cut. The boarding of the ship was probably the quickest ever and our cabin just as we expected. The food was of a good standard in both the main dining room and the windjammer. I felt the entertainment was not always up to RC standards but what was good was excellent, Probably the highlight of this was the ice show which has never failed to amaze me so good we saw it twice. Incredible. There seemed to be a lack of music and fun around the pool decks and the sail away parties were very low key. No. Late night shows ie comedians, game shows ect ! Shore excursions remain very expensive at does the internet connection. I would think in todays world this should be made far more accessible for all. On the whole it was still a most enjoyable holiday I just hope RC take note of all the competition that is now our there and don't let their standards slip to much more. Read Less

Embarkation went very well. Before we opened the boot there were two porters waiting to remove our cases. Disembarkation also went well. We chose to take our own cases as we didn't fancy sorting our cases from three and a half thousand. As it happens we passed all those suitcases which were very well organised. The ship was always very clean and our cabin attendant, Moose, was so pleasant and helpful. We had a balcony cabin which was a good size with plenty of storage. We found the bed comfortable. There were always plenty of hand sanitizers at every food establishment. We chose My Time Dining and loved it. The food was varied, very good quality, and well cooked. Our two waiters, Susan and Oliver, were marvellous. They were very friendly without being obtrusive, quick to serve the food and clear away without rushing us and very professional. The windjammer was pleasant with a good variety of food. If you went fairly early it was a very pleasant experience but at peak times it turned into an overcrowded canteen. We went to Izamu for one meal which was a very good. The waiter was very helpful with advice on the menu. We didn't visit any of the other restaraunts as the main dining room was exceptional. Every member of staff, all over the ship, always seemed happy and were helpful. A definite strong point for the ship. The downside of the ship is the lack of space to sunbathe. Most of the sun beds are so close together that you have to climb up the bed from the bottom. However, all the advertising for the ship does show this to be the case so no surprise. On cold and windy days it is a struggle to find seats at indoor venues such as any of the bars or the cafeteria on the promenade. The evening shows were somewhat mixed. There were some very mediocre ones but also some really good ones. There were two different comedians and the Queen tribute band that were amazing. As everyone says the ice show was brilliant. The daytime interest topics were few and far between. We were looking forward to finding out about the ports of call but it turned into a sales pitch to sell the ships excursions. We had already booked these before so it was totally boring. This was the only sales pitch that I felt cornered. The wifi was wickedly expensive and not very good. There were people trying to promote the restaraunts that you had to pay extra for but they were not pushy We chose this trip for the itinerary and we were not disappointed. We booked the first three trips with Royal Carribean. GIBRALTAR We booked the mini bus sightseeing tour. The driver was brilliant and showed us so many different things. The traffic was very busy so the end of the tour was a bit rushed. FLORENCE The guide was good and informative and pitched just right. ROME The assistant guide that stayed with us until free time was very good and informative. We were joined in Vatican City by an expert guide who had an indepth knowledge on the history of Rome. We found some of this knowledge good but mostly she spent far too much time on on too much detail. We were stood outside the Colluseum listening for 45 minutes before our free time. Unfortunately if she had kept her talk to 15 minutes we would have had time to go inside the Colluseum and experience the history for ourselves. CORSICA We just enjoyed soaking up the sun and beautiful scenery. BARCELONA We were tempted to take the open top hop on and off bus tour but it was very expensive so decided we would start off by walking before buying the tickets. We were able to get to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral and the Gothic area with ease. We had plenty of time to just soak up the sun and scenery. MALAGA AND CADIZ Both cities were beautiful. As with Corsica and Barcelona we just relaxed and enjoyed them. Read Less

We were looking for a 2 week cruise relatively close to home before a longer far east cruise in the Autumn. Having cruised quite a number of times but never from Southampton we gave it a go keeping a careful eye on the Bay of Biscay weather. Embarcation was seamless, quick and efficient. We booked a Junior Suite (guarantee) cabin for the first time. The room was spacious with bath and shower room, walk in wardrobe and large lounge. The balcony was only marginally bigger than adjacent non suite balcony cabin. The room was clean and very comfortable, the bathroom a bit dated and tired. Lack of basic toiletries and bathrobes did not go down well with my wife. The balcony glass looked liked it hadn't been cleaned since leaving the States and coming transatlantic - it was very difficult to see through - we requested it be cleaned......and it was the day we were getting off the ship! ENTERTAINMENT: Tribute act "The Beatles" - actually very, very good ! "Queen" tribute almost as good. Production shows - about as tied and jaded as our balcony was. Several of the shows we were notified was their last - thank goodness. Other acts - nothing special the usual mix of violin players and comics. Ice show excellent. FOOD: Dining room service particulaly at breakfast and lunch was superb with excellent, attentive and friendly staff. By Dinner service they must have tired as parts of orders were forgotten, tea etc not offered or offered to some only. FOOD QUALITY: Fish of the day....ALWAYS SALMON! Main courses - we were surprised to see lots of "pies" on the menu - eg, cottage pie - how many 4 star restaurants offer pie? Also, curries....eh? There was always something.......except no "lobster" night ......yet another cut HOWEVER......for $20 extra you could have it !! ONE BIG BONE OF CONTENTION: FORMAL NIGHTS ! - Why do we bother dressing up for dinner when, RCCI do nothing special - it's a complete anticlimax - it always has been so, come on RCCI - Do something to make it worthwhile bringing all the clothes! Both my wife and I are Diamond members and, while the "benefits" are continually being chiselled away the ONLY real benefit is the staff and the Diamond lounge happy hour. Change that and we will be gone!! Finally, the "welcome back party" for platinum, diamond, diamond plus and pinnacle - Poor, poor, poor - worst ever. Crammed and herded into the ice show area, offered a glass of indescribable drink and forced to listen to "ice staff" introduce themselves one by one. As always the "prize" for most cruises goes to an aged American gent whom (I worked out) must have spent the equivalent of 6 years cruising.......why not change this to "the person who has travelled furthest to be here" or something !! Give others a chance RCCI !!!! Finally finally - the ports - all good save for some where only half day there so, limited travel opportunity save for shore excursions by RCCI. Read Less

I treated my wife (and myself) to a 14 day cruise for her birthday this year and chose this cruise because it sailed out of Southampton and therefore could take decent sized cases on-board as this was a no-fly holiday and you need lots of clothes for the various themed nights. Got down to Southampton the day before sailing (as I have done a few times now) and the weather was really great and the city was clean and tidy as usual with plenty shops to buy those last minute summer things. Took a taxi to the docks which costs around £5-£10 which drops you off outside departures. I don't think you can walk to the terminal and for that price who would with cases. As a crown and anchor member I was able to jump the queue so was aboard the ship less than 30 minutes from getting in the taxi at the hotel. It was my first time on this ship although I have been on Freedom and Vision ones. The ship was in very good condition for its age - better than the Indy was when I was on it last October. There were also some new shows on the ship including a new ice show which was excellent. There was always something going on somewhere if you traveled around the ship and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. The staff in the various bars were kind and polite and the entertainments staff (especially Dominic in the Scooner bar) were very good at their jobs. The Cruise Director was good on stage, but sadly I did not see him at all around the ship like I have done many times with Clo O'Conner and Bill Brunkhorst. The food in the windjammer was the same as any other windjammer and it was very busy in there most of the time. I was on My Time dinning in the MDR and had the same waiters each night who were very good - although I had paid my gratuities up front so they should be! One good thing about this ship was that you could use your Diamond vouchers in the MDR (during DL hours) instead of ordering or bringing your drink with you. Not sure if this is a new RCI policy or just on this ship - I am on the Rhapsody next month so I will find out! Did my own thing at the ports of call except for Livorno were I took their trip to Florence. I was out from noon to nearly midnight and done in by the end of it. It was a brilliant trip and my wife loved it but we just wish the ship had docked earlier so we could have got back to enjoy the shows and have a drink etc. Another thing to mention is that this ship was very calm and stable during the whole cruise and I never felt a thing the whole time - even in the Bay of Biscay. During this cruise we went to Gibraltar, Livorno (for Florence/Pisa), Civitavecchia for Rome (1 hour on the train for less than £10 euro), Corsica, Barcelona, Valencia (well just outside), Malaga and Cadiz. I have been to most of these places before, and will do again as this is the perfect way to see all of these places. I had an inside cabin just below the Scooner bar which was handy as I did not have far to crawl last thing at night. Cabin was clean and tidy and the room attendant soon got used to our coming and going habits. Managed to climb the Rock wall (not bad for my age) but didn't bother with the flow rider (lasted 2 seconds on the Indy back in 2008 so never again). There was a nice big whirlpool inside the Gym which I have not seen on any of the other RCI ships I have been on. Had a game of golf each day - even in the Bay of Biscay which was a bit windy - but fun! There were only a handful of kids on this cruise and they were well behaved and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves which is a nice thing to witness on holiday. I must say that this has been one of my favourite cruises in recent years - just a shame the Cruise Director didn't get more involved with passengers during the daytime. I believe the Navigator is doing the Med and Canneries next year so I may book it again! Hope this helps. Read Less

We chose it for the ports and we like the larger ships. Food was exceptional on this particular ship, better than normal. We don't usually like the windjammer but the food was really good for lunch and our children sometimes had dinner there and they really enjoyed it, fantastic selection and high quality for a buffet. Don't like the smoking in the casino. Concierge not as good as other ships. Stateroom was lovely, clean and spacious our room attendant, Josephine was brilliant. Entertainment was ok, the pub music should start earlier than 10, the chap in the pub not as good as other ships. Somehow smoking needs to be controlled on stateroom balconies as this was highly annoying, security asked our neighbor to stop but they continued and our cabin smelt of smoke if we opened our door. Embarkation and disembarkation was fast and efficient. overall we loved the cruise. Read Less

Wife don't like to fly so sailing out of Southampton works well. Royal Caribbean offer some great cruises out from here, but do need to offer some more different ports of call. as we have done then all? We have rebooked for next year so that give you an idea what we think of Royal Caribbean. We have found the staff all to be freindly and helpful and their ships have plenty of things to do on board. as all cruise lines we have notice over the years they have been cutting costs and added extra charges. Always pre pay your tips as it's cheaper in the long run as they just add it to your sea pass account anyway. If you like a drink buy a drinks package as they know how to charge. beer $8 wine by the glass $14.We have found Royal Caribbean ships to be clean and tidy plenty to eat and the shows are realy good, and for the ice show brilliant. We are diamond members in their Crown & Anchor Soceity and the benefits with that do work, as higher level you get better the discounts on your next cruise. Read Less

We chose this Cruise as a continuation of the Positioning Cruise of 2016 of this Ship. We had not cruised the Mediterranean prior to this and felt we would be able to see more of the area by Cruise than by Train. We were very disappointed when there was not enough Port time in Cadiz to travel to Seville. When we calculated, we feel there would have been time in the Itinerary to have accomplished this. RCCL has added Specialty Dining Restaurants to their Ships when really enhance the experience. You are not required to go to a Buffet or the Dining Room for your meals; you have some excellent alternative choices as reasonable prices. RCCL has gone to a pretty aggressive sales and marketing system for on-board shopping which I felt was excessive. While I will continue to travel with RCCL, new Cruisers may feel as though they are not truly getting an 'all inclusive' vacation. Read Less

My only small complaints are that there weren't enough variety of games or cards in the game room. And, the special lobster meal for $29.95 was horrible. The free lobster night was 100% better. Loved the duplicate bridge in the afternoon. Was a bit too cold to lay out by the pool. The ports were nice - different than normal repositioning ports. I would have preferred more fun activities scheduled in the morning. The diamond lounge was lovely. The service was wonderful except the crew didn't seem as friendly as on other ships. Overall a great cruise. Read Less

Cruised to get a whole load of luggage back to UK, we are selling up in the USA. Ship fine, but RC are now getting penny-pinching. The staff were great, as usual. A transatlantic cruise is fine if you are happy to chill for 6-7 days, which I am. The 'enrichment' talks were not at all good. The 1st presenter's overheads were fuzzy, unreadable. Apparently this was because a) the 'aspect ratio' of his PC different from that of the ship b) the house Lhr were on (so they could video it for the onboard to channel). The substance MAY have been OK, but it was ruined by being unwatchable. Lots of people played games on sa ads - I played Mah Jong, nice ladies who were very nclusive on this. Was invited to the Captain's table, don't know why, which was very peasant. Inside cabin was fine. Had an extra duvet under the bottom sheet, which made the bus comfy. Read Less

This was our three cruise ,second with RC .big change since our last cruise with RCThe ship was not totally full so we had more room to spead out.registration was very smooth but we were offered VIP registration but signs directing you to this service were not available.Activities:Movies were offered in an outdoor setting this was fine near coastal waters but when the ship is in the middle of the Altlanticand the Temperature is in the 60's and the wind is blowing 30 miles per hour adjustments may have to be made. Movie offers and time of choices need to be age adjusted. the offering of the early show( LaLa Land and the late offering of the (childrens version of Beauty and the Beast) starting at9:30 PM needs more thought before scheduling.Disembarking for shore excursionswent very smoothly and choices were adequate.The dining in the main dining room was something we looked forward to every evening. The pushing of other food venues to increase revenue streams was not appreciated ,it took away from the pleasure of the cruise.Entertainment: The movies were adjusted to a indoor venue after concerns were read.Other entertainment were top notch and enjoyed . before I can consider RC in the future a will read reviews to see if your practice has improved . Read Less

Overall, this cruise was ok. We had taken 2 other transatlantic cruises and this was not as enjoyable as the other two. The cabin was an excellent size but we had to call maintenance 5 times to try to get the thermostat fixed. The entire ship needs to be refurbished. The food was acceptable. For the age group of the majority of cruisers, the activities offered were minimal during the day. It would have been very nice to have movies offered during the day instead of poolside at night where it was extremely cold. The Shore Excursion for the most part were enjoyable and the value was acceptable. I usually enjoy the talent on the evening shows but the talent was not as good as the singers and dancers on other cruises we have taken. You can tell that Royal Caribbean has cut off many of the benefits that used to make them special. Read Less

Over all the transatlantic cruise was great fun. I do enjoy the "at sea days". I felt the crew was "at a loss" at what to do with this many people on board for so many days. I thought the "meet and mingle" event was a joke...why did they even bother? So many people....cheap door prize drawings, nothing special, why should we attend this? Agree with several of the other comments...Royal Caribbean is really getting "penny pinching". Now charge a fee for room service beyond basic breakfast. Always trying to see something. Wish they would think about changing the menus in the main dining room. These are the same menus we had last year. Food was "medium" at best. Lunch service in the main dining room was haphazard. Our waiter in the main dining room offered good service and tried very hard to make us happy. They offered movies outside by the pool...but most evenings it was too cold to enjoy. The projector in the main theater didn't seem to focus well. Why couldn't these movies be shown on the in-cabin television...this would have been a nice alternative, especially for the rough days at sea. The same TV shows were shown over and over again....what did they only buy the rights to show one show? I'm feeling a real "class system" between the diamond folks and the non-diamond. Read Less

Really enjoyed this cruise, The only drawback is the 6 days at sea with no port call. There were plenty of things to do, but you still got bored a little. The ship was nice. We had an inside cabin with a view to the Promenade. Even with all the activity on the Promenade, our cabin was really quite. The food was great on board, we ate most of our dinners in Main dinning, and Breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer, That was only because you could get in and out. Breakfast in Main Dinning took too long. The port calls were great, Azores was outstanding, very green. We toured on our own. Get a local guide from the port entrance. Its cheaper and you get a better tour of the Island. We did this on all ports except for France. We went to Azores, Portugal, Two stops in Spain, France and then Southampton. The only time we used RC excursions was to go to Paris only because it was a 2 1/2 drive. We went on the Paris trip with river lunch. It was not worth the money they wanted.You couldn't see anything on the bus. The people on the left couldn't see what was on the right and the people on the right couldn't see what was on the left. There were no stops to get off and take pictures. Any pictures you took through the windows had a light green hue to them because of the window tint. When we got on the boat to eat lunch, they sat us in the middle of the boat and you couldn't see the sights as you went by them. We were suppose to have a couple of hours free time at the Eiffel Tower, Didn't happen because of the traffic in Paris, we were late getting to the boat. and the boat trip was longer than expected. we got about 30 minutes to look around and shop. They had several other Paris trips, I would suggest taking one that got you there and touring on your own or with a guide. Don't do one that has a lunch. There are plenty of places you can eat when you get there. When we got to Southampton, we stayed a couple of extra days. Some people got off in Paris for a couple of days and took the Chunnel to England to tour before going home. Read Less

I like the Voyager class of ships, so I enjoyed the Navigator. But cuts backs are obvious in food, entertainment and activities. Enjoyed the days at sea just wish there had been more to do. I really miss the professional crafters. The crafts provided by Royal Caribbean are the same old things that they have been doing for years. I don't think that the kits are worth the price. The quality of service on the Navigator was excellent. The crew was very friendly. Enjoyed the Diamond lounge and happy hours. The bar tenders were very attentive and hard working. The dining room staff were very good and even supplied the table with Indian food to share upon request. Had a problem with the excursion desk but all was resolved by the Assistant Manager. I enjoyed all of the ports except Ponta Delgada. There is not much to do there once you have done all the excursions that you are interested in. I have been there too many times. Other ports in the area are more interesting and wish this one would be dropped by Royal Caribbean. I did walk through town and visited the market. I used the time in port to do my gift shopping. As a solo traveler I appreciated the fact that we met for lunch on all the sea days. In the past we did not meet on all the sea days. I wish our crew member who escorted us had stayed for lunch. In the past when they stayed lunch was more interesting because we got an insight into the crew's life on the ship. I am loyal to Royal Caribbean and will continue to sail with them. Read Less

We had a really good time on this 9N cruise to the ABC's. I was just disappointed in a few thing with RCCL as they did not give me that "wow" cruise like usual. Embarkation was smooth and easy. We arrived at the dock appox. 10:45. Since I use a mobility scooter, we were directed to the line for the suite check in. We were in and out of check in fairly quickly. The ship was in good repair with only a few minor cosmetic issues. Upon arriving in our accessible cabin we noticed the safe was not working properly. We called and they sent some one to repair it with in 30 minutes. Dining in the main dining room was a fairly good experience. We had fairly quick service and attentive waiters. The food was average for RCL. We also went to Chops for the first time. We really enjoyed the food there but I was surprised they asked us all to "share" our side dishes. I thought that was kind of out of place for this type of dining venue. Johnny Rockets was a BIG bust this time. We always enjoy going there but this time - not so much. It took 45 minutes after we ordered to receive our food (2 hot dogs and a burger). Once our food arrived it was also barely warm. We did not go back. The new room service menu's are NOT worth the price they charge. The pizza was horrid with an uncooked crust, unmelted cheese and very few pepperoni's on it. Their Nachos were melted cheese in a cup and a plate of corn chips with salsa and guacamole. on the side. The headliner shows were very good but the production shows lacked something. I also felt the started some of the shows too late. We had early dinner and many shows didn't start until 9 or later. The casino was terribly smoky with only a hand full of non-smoking machines. Although there was nothing really wrong with this cruise we just felt like RCL did not give us a "wow" event. Read Less

We were a group of 8 that sailed on the 9 days Southern Caribbean cruise on Navigator of the Seas on April 14th. We as a party of 8 sailed on this same ship last April. We had a great time on this cruise. We had a long 2 year count down. So excited to be able to go to the Southern Caribbean leaving from a US port. The Navigator is a little older ship having come into service back in 2002. The ship has one of the prettiest dining rooms. And the Promenade deck was wonderful and fun with the parties and walking thru people watching. But you could see some things are starting to show the ship's age. Some of our group had rooms that had nicer cabinets and drawers. You could tell they had been redone in the last refurbish. Our room had the older stuff. In the theater you could see chairs that had the bottoms falling out. I felt like the dining room and most all the common areas looked pretty good and clean. I thought our hall was let go. The floors needed to be vacuumed all week. This I thought was not normal for RCL. Embarkation was a breeze for us. We drove down from TN. We pulled in the parking garage at the port at 9:35. Gathered our stuff and took luggage across to the porter. We were in line by 10. They didn't open until 10:30. We were on the ship by 11:00. We went to the Windjammer. They were to open at 11:30. But due to inspectors didn't open until 11:50. Was very hectic and wild. Never seen it quite like that before. I didn't eat much. Didn't want to fight the crowd. The crew was all amazing. Very friendly and attentive. Our Waiter was John and Komang was his assistant. John took great care of us all week. Two of our party never had to order. He took their menu away each night and said he had them covered. Komang was so sweet. She picked up on that we were southern and loved our sweet tea. She started bringing us warm melted sugar to sweeten the tea. I felt like the Windjammer had stepped it up a notch since our cruise last year. I only in the past remember the desserts in the Windjammer as being okay. They were really good this time, which was bad for my waistline. They also had chicken wings a couple of nights that we went to the buffet to eat. They were really good. One down side was the lunch salad bar in the Windjammer. Not a lot of options. At night there were more salad items available. The entertainment that was brought in for the week was all very good. I would say except for the big ships with the big budgets that this was some of the best entertainment we have had for a solid week. We had Etta Mae who was so funny. Would love to see her again. We had Scott Record, very talented and funny as well. We had a juggler, Charles Peachock. I was unsure when I saw that on the cruise compass. He was very good and very entertaining. They also brought in the group, The Unexpected Boys. They put on a great show. The ship's production shows were okay. Some parts better than others. Our ports were all great. We started with Labadee. Was a very beautiful day. Just little windy and water started getting little rough. But great beach day and BBQ. Curacoa, my husband and I rented a car. We had a great time. We drove 100 miles on the island. We stopped at Playa Kalki. We snorkeled and sat on beach for awhile. We then drove to Playa Lagun. Here we snorkeled again. Saw lots of sea turtles, was amazing. We then headed back towards port. We turned in the rental and walked around Curacoa. The beautiful colored buildings and the Queen Emma bridge are not to be missed. I was lucky and was able to get on the bridge one of the many times it opened. Aruba- this was my groups favorite stop. I had booked several months in advance the Aruba Trike tour. This made for an Amazing day. We took the early tour. They picked us up from port. Took us to the office to pay and fill out paperwork. Each couple had a trike. Each driver was given a quick lesson. Since we were a group of 8 they gave us a tour guide of our own and off we went. Our guide did a great job. Took us to parts of Aruba that we would have never found on our own. We drove around a good part of the island. We stopped near the water for pictures. Went to Ayo Rock Formations. We stopped for good 20 minutes to walk up to the top and take pictures. Great view of Aruba. We went to the Alto Vista Chapel. Another stop to walk around and take pictures. Then we went to the California lighthouse. We got to ride a little over 3 hours. And we were the attraction to a lot of the tourist. Many took our pictures. After the tour I asked the taxi driver if he could drop my husband and I off at Eagle Beach. You couldn't come to Aruba and not see the beach and get your feet wet. We stopped at a food vendor and bought a plate lunch as soon as he dropped us off. I should have taken picture of the sign. The food was so good. We then started walking along the beach. We ended up walking the 2.79 miles back to port. We got to see so many beautiful sights by doing this. Would love to go back to see more of Aruba. Bonaire- my husband and I and another couple rented a car again. We drove up and saw some great views on the northern end. Drove thru the Flamingo Sanctuary. Then came back near the ship so the guys could rent some tanks for diving. They did one dive at Divi Dive in order to get their Bonaire Dive Orientation. Then we drove to Hilma Hooker and they did a 2nd dive. I snorkeled while they were down. The water was a little rough and didn't want to venture out to far on my own. I found one little reef that was full of fish. I just hung out right over it. Was so relaxing. The guys enjoyed their dive. They just said the hardest part was getting out of the water from that location. You had to climb up on rough rocks as the waves were hitting you. It was then time to rush back to port. Really enjoyed Bonaire, but not near enough time to do all that I wanted to do. This year I felt like a few more activities was offered during the day. My husband played in Ping Pong, Mini Golf and Bag Toss Tournaments. They had few movies at night up on the top deck but first few days was just too windy. Then we were too busy at night to go up. Wish they would show a movie or so during the week in the Theater. Was really a great cruise. Was our first 9 day. Last year we did 8 day. I discovered....9 days is not nearly long enough. Read Less

My Partner and I have sailed 9 times in the last few years, mostly with Royal, but have also done Celebrity and Princess-once with Carnival-Ugh!. We chose this cruise because my Partner and I had never done the ABC Islands. (Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao) Embarkation was very smooth, on the ship by 12:00 and could get to our room by 1:15. but was to busy checking out the ship, as we had traveled on the Navigator years ago. Disembarkation is another story-nothing on the ship's end, as usual-it's Miami Terminal-never seen so many people walking around doing absolutely nothing, and there was 3 TSA officers checking over 3000 guests. Way to go Home Land Security! Disclaimer-I never had worked for Miami Terminal. Suggestion Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale that terminal has their grove-they know exactly how to get you on and off the ship. TRY Port Everglades-Disciamer never worked for Port Everglades. The ship is in good shape,it's very well kept up by the personnel on the ship; Our Cabin was spacious for two, with enough room on the balcony for the two of us to sit and have breakfast a few times, and once there was 3 of us on the balcony having breakfast, so there is enough room for 3 to enjoy. Service was absolutely great, Elliott in the Boleros Lounge was super, as was our Dining Room Waiter Arvind and Asst Waiter Lavnia. (AND A MUST SEE) two of the funniest guys on Royal TV. called the Morning Show. Drew (Cruise Director) and Mark (Activites Director)-we never laughed so much as we did watching these two guys interact. A VERY funny show. The BEST Directors we have had on any of the ships. No complaints at all about service. Bonaire was the one island we were most impressed with. The downtown is not on top of the ship area (like at most Ports), the water is so clear and clean, the snorkling, diving, etc is probably the best around. We highly recommend the Spice BeachTour via Royal-the place was just perfect, though we were not guests at the resort, they made you feel like you are staying there. No Sales pitch, no one pushing cocktails etc. it was a great day. Wish we had more time there, the beach and the snorkling was just breathtaking. We do have to say their prices for cocktails and muchies or lunch/dinner was not that expensive. We really believe you will not go wrong on this tour. We did a Tour of Aruba on DePalm Tours via Royal with a Driver named Bert-a very funny guy and very knowledgeable. Great time with Bert. Curacao with did a Tour, sorry can not remember our tour guide's name, but she again was very knowledgeable. To be honest could have skipped Aruba & Curacao, but glad we did the tour, To me Aruba is like Grand Cayman Island-it's there & it's a typical Caribbean Island. Overall a great time and the 9 days went by all to fast. Read Less

As a loyal Royal Caribbean member we chose the Southern Caribbean cruise more than a year in advance. The departure experience was acceptable and we were checked in with but a bit of delay. Once aboard we felt the breakfast and lunch experiences in the Windjammer were acceptable but can definitely be improved upon as far as menu selection and the availability of specialty items such as eggs Benedict. For lunch there might be an improvement in a change from mundane hamburger fare to things such as barbecued beef and a variety of sausages such as bratwurst and Polish sausage. Rather than the Windjammer for dinner we highly recommend the main dining room as the wait staff was very attentive and kind and the food excellent. We tried the grilled lobster and found it exceptional. As alternatives we tried Johnny Rockets which with its 1950's motif was far and away very above average. I would personally recommend the BLT sandwich. We also dined at Giovanni's Table and found the food and service impressive. Activities on board and ashore were numerous and very good and the bar service worthy of mention. We rate our cabin as very good yet more efforts can be made here by ships staff. Read Less

From embarkation to disembarkation this trip went smoothly. The ship was clean, the food was great, and the staff was exceptional. The only complaint... they Flow Rider should have been open more hours of the day and at night. This created long lines and only a few rides for my kids. The shows were good, funny comedians and talented singers and dancers. The food was good in the main dining room, and the service only made it better. Windjammer, was ok. Good for a quick bite to eat, but could use more options. It seemed to be the same food every day. Really enjoyed the mini golf with my son. It's a good way to spend sometime on the sea days. My teens found friends right away and had the run up the ship. Royal really gives them the opportunity to enjoy themselves as teens. Finally, to the kid who "got me" with the "push every button on the elevator" joke. Thanks, I got to meet many new people on my floor by floor trip from 11 to 3. Read Less