This cruise, the ship, and service exceeded my expectations and hopes in everyway. After some disappointment I have had with NCL, I will be a lifelong Royal Caribbean guest after this sailing. I booked the cruise for myself through Royal Caribbean and had a seamless experience with the cruise on embarkation and disembarkation at Ft. Lauderdale. After lining up for hours at the New York terminal for a December 08 Norwegian cruise on the beautiful Norwegian Gem, I was nervous. But, I arrived at the pier after passing through Port Security and, once issued my ID went straight up the escalator, boarded the ship, and went to my stateroom. On Norwegian, perhaps because of it's late arrival in New York, I had to wait for over an hour once boarded to enter my cabin. The Navigator of the Seas is a gigantic ship, taller than most buildings in Ft Lauderdale, and was clearly visible from the airplane, and the airport terminal. It was truly overwhelming once I pulled up to it. But, once aboard, I was greeted with a warm smile, and went right to my cabin, dropped off my bags, and went exploring. I am now a convert to the culture and style of Royal Caribbean, and having read mixed reviews, tales of brown water, I didn't know what to expect. I instantly felt at home, found the service throughout the cruise very personable, professional, and energetic. I was incredibly impressed over time with the Cruise Director, Simeon Baker, who was amazing in his ability to run from one end of the ship to the other. On one of the largest ships in the world, this is a monstrous task. He and his staff worked tirelessly, and with humor that I appreciated. Not once, traveling by myself, did I feel out of place or out of my element. And, the decor of the ship, the layout and flow, the many open spaces, never felt crushingly crowded and created a feeling of being in a familiar and comfortable hotel, without being aware that there were over 3,200 other passengers on the same ship at the same time. The variety of outdoor deck spaces was incredible, and I loved it. I also found the Captain and senior officers to be very personable, and not once did a crew member pass me out on deck or in the halls without smiling and saying Hello. It was a very friendly ship. Having cruised only on Norwegian before, I found their smaller spaces and trendy style alienating for a middle aged man. This ship was elegant and classy in every way I could have desired it to be.

I ate on the ship at three venues- Chops Grille, the premium charge steakhouse on deck 11, and it was very good, The service was fine, robotically and very professionally trained and attentive. My Filet Mignon was perfectly cooked, quickly prepared, and the sides were huge. I skipped dessert. I also ate in the main dining room, called The Nutcracker, on Deck 3. The service was also very attentive, the food was fine, not superb, but better than many New York medium priced restaurants. The dining room itself, on 3 decks with a grand staircase, ornate railings, gilded accents, and immense crystal chandelier was simply breathtaking, and was right out a grand hotel.

I also ate at the Windjammer Cafe, the casual dining, classic shipboard buffet. Breakfast was fine, the waffles and french toast seemed like they came out of a box, but everything else was fresh, and plentiful. Lunch and dinner were fine choices, and desserts were very nice. Cocktails and wine throughout the ship were very good, well mixed, and very reasonable, as I am going by New York prices. An Absolute Mandarin and Soda ran me $6. Not bad! I liked that they served Seattles Best Coffee in the dining venues, and I liked the casual dining place on the wonderfully open Royal Promenade, a huge indoor mall. It makes you forget you are at sea. I enjoyed some Ben and Jerry's ice cream there, and found also that the library on deck 7 was rather well stocked, and the Internet Cafe on 8 was spacious, and never full. I like, many passengers, enjoyed the boatdeck promenade around the ship. For me, the real thrill was standing on the tip of the bow of the ship, on the Helicopter Landing Pad, and watching us pull out of Ft. Lauderdale. Spectacular! Ships were blowing whistles at us, and tenants in high-rise apartment buildings waving and cheering as the huge ship went to sea. Without light at night, this was a truly breathtaking place to watch the stars come out. We also enjoyed a full moon on this cruise, and I saw more stars, on the dark and quiet benches at the bow, than I have ever seen before. Unforgettable, and a grand ship in every way. This was a MAGNIFICENT experience, the perfect restful getaway for me, except airport flight drama, another story.