Navigator of the Seas Review
Great itinerary but there could be some improvements
Rating by category
Additional details
This itinerary took us to places we'd never been to, but couldn't figure out what to do there for an entire week (except for St Petersburg), so it was great in that regard. It seemed as though we were rushed through some of the ports (i.e. arrived at 10 or 11 am and had to leave by 2 or 3 pm) so more time in each port would have been awesome. I'd love to see a cruise with more overnight options in each port so that people could be more leisurely in their wanderings. That would be an incredible itinerary!
The process of disembarking for St Petersburg was an all-out nightmare. We were not allowed to use the elevators to go down to deck 2 but were then forced to wait on the stairs for 45 minutes (which is extremely dangerous), then they decided to let people use the elevators which then meant people were cutting the line. We lined up at 7:55 am to get off the ship and didn't actually get to the gangplank until 9:45 am and we were in the FIRST group! Customs took another hour which made us late for our tour and people in our group were FURIOUS with us but there was nothing we could do. Between the staff allowing people to cut the line, forcing us to wait on stairs and the slowness of the Russian Customs agents, there was no way to get through any faster. Royal handled this very badly and we have already provided them LOTS of feedback on this.
Overall, service in general, and across the board, was a lot slower than in the past. Also in the main dining room, the was less variety of options on the dinner menu, and the quality of the desserts (admittedly, not my favorite course) was not as high as in the past. It could have been the market though. I still think that dinner at 8:30 pm is too late - 8:00 pm would have been better (even the Europeans with us agreed) and it should never take 2.5 hours for dinner. We seemed to be constantly waiting on the staff which I attribute to less staff overall and the combining of some roles; i.e. the assistant waiter and the bar waiter. Our waiter was hustling to make up for the fact that our assistant waiter was somewhat inept and slow, which is unfair. No one should have to do two jobs all the time.
Cabin Review
Junior Suite
Loved the space! The refurbished rooms are fantastic and the view was outstanding. The fridge was tucked so far back that we couldn't reach it well without having to get down on the floor (we're tall). The hairdryer was a sad piece of equipment that needs replacing.
Port Reviews
Oslo
We wandered on our own (kind of a theme for us). We made it to four museums and loved the city. Transportation was easy to figure out.
Southampton
Not a lot to do since it's a small port-town capable of handling huge ships.
Copenhagen
We wandered on our own (kind of a theme for us). We made it to four museums and loved the city. Transportation was easy to figure out but watch out for the bike lanes! They FLY through the city and if you aren't careful, you will get mowed down! The National Museum is bigger than it looks and although we only did 2/3's of it, it took us 3.5 hours (fascinating stuff!).
Helsinki
We concentrated on Suomenlina Island which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it took most of the day. Transportation was easy to figure out (Helsinki Card was worth it) and the island had some wonderful treasures as it was a combination of a ruin, a fort, museums, cafes, gardens, and incredible views.
Tallinn
WOW. Just WOW. We got off the ship the moment we docked and we had the Old Town to ourselves for about an hour. So picturesque and stunning. A UNESCO World Heritage Site not to be missed! Every time we turned around, we saw something wonderful. Tallinn did an excellent job of putting up discrete informational placards displaying their history which was so well-done, I hope that other cities think to follow suit. We want to go back!
Brugge (Bruges)
We got conflicting information from Royal (and on websites) about how to get to Brugge. Apparently, you used to have to take a bus from the ship to the port entrance, then take a taxi to a train, etc.....for about 50 Euro/pp. Well, that's now changed. As soon as we got off the boat, there were buses on the dock, offering a round-trip ticket to Brugge for 20 Euros/per person which was cheaper than the sold-out version that Royal was offering.
Another fabulous UNESCO World Heritage Site, very much like Tallinn and simply stunning. Loved every minute!