This was our 20th cruise overall, our 10th cruise with Royal Caribbean International, our 12th cruise in the Caribbean Sea, and our 1st cruise on the Navigator of the Seas. At the time of our sailing (Oct 2014) on the Navigator of the Seas, this ship was 12 years old (2002) and had been refurbished earlier in the year. This was the fourth time that we had cruised on RCI Voyager-Class ships, so we were already familiar with the layout, staterooms, public spaces, facilities, and amenities onboard this ship, because they are substantially similar to what we had experienced previously. We found this ship to be very well-maintained, and with very little, if any, signs of wear. Almost all of the crew members that we encountered on the ship were friendly, cheerful, attentive, and accommodating towards us throughout the week.

After dealing with traffic problems in Houston, and especially in the vicinity of the Port of Galveston, the embarkation process went relatively smoothly, with only minimal delays inside the cruise terminal for security, check-in, and boarding. We boarded the ship around 11:30 a.m. The staterooms were available for passengers at 1:00 p.m. on embarkation day, and our luggage was delivered to us before the 4 o’clock mandatory lifeboat drill. The ship sailed just before 5:45 p.m.

We ate all of our evening meals in the main dining room, where we always found a variety of interesting menu selections, and the delicious food was nicely served by our waiter, assistant waiter, and head waiter. My wife has some special dietary requirements, and our wait-staff were always careful to provide her with meal options that would be safe for her. They took excellent care of her needs. We also ate meals from the Windjammer buffet, and snacks from the Café Promenade, and the Diamond Club. There always was an abundance of nutritious food. On one or two occasions, there didn’t appear to be enough crew members clearing tables in the Windjammer after the tables had been vacated. Once, a waitperson in the Windjammer went out of his way to deliver a gluten-free pizza that had been specially prepared for my wife – we were impressed! Read more