Navigator of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
First and fore mostly the customer service I experienced with Royal Caribbean was beyond exceptional. All staff I encountered were happy to help and often went out of their way to make sure our needs were met and that we were enjoying out cruise experience. This was my first cruise with my family and I was pleased with the size and cleanliness of the staterooms. Given Navigator of the seas is not the newest ship a touch up may be due however the rooms were cleaned twice a day consecutively by our stateroom attendant. In terms of food, I was very pleased with the selection and flavour of the food all the way from breakfast to dinner. There was a wide selection of entertainment and activities although I mostly chose to relax in my room and read. I will say however there was not much to do for the ports of call on this cruise so will probably pick ports with more to do next time ( Canary islands/barcelona). This experience was 4/5 and not 5/5 due to the water shortage on the last day when we docked back in Southampton, meaning I was unable to take a shower before leaving the ship and had to drive back to London unabathed, lol! Overall I enjoyed my experience and would go again (granted they can explain and apologise for the water shortage on the last day)
Cabin Review
Superior Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
I stayed in a a stateroom on floor 8 with a balcony view. The state room was very clean and spacious given the ship is not the newest and there is definitely some wear and tear. The stateroom attendants were lovely and came to clean the room twice a day and were willing to answer any questions we had or supply extra towels. The shower is pretty small however this is expected given its a cruise. Overall the bed was comfortable, clean and definitely added to my relaxing holiday
Port Reviews
Southampton
I did not spend much time in Southampton as we drove down to London, parked and boarded the cruise, however being a student in this city, I can tell you that there is not much to do in the way of culture/excursions however if you are there for a day or 2 I would visit neighbouring cities/towns such as Gunwharf quays in Portsmouth for some designer outlet shopping and the New Forrest if you enjoy great scenery and long walks. You can always go strawberry picking/wine tasting in the New Forrest or go to the water park if you have children. There is also Salisbury to visit Salisbury Cathedral or just enjoy the town!.
Paris
I got down at Le Havre ( which mind you is 2 hours drive away from Paris!) There was nothing much to do here at all and the city is a bit of a ghost town if I am honest. There is a small shopping centre with a H&M and 10-15 other stores if you want to pick up sandals or a bikini last minute, but other than that its not a port I will be visiting again!
Lisbon
Although my family and I did not take an excursion with RCI in Lisbon, we did hop on the yellow open top bus and take a tour of the city. Personally for me I didn't really enjoy this as the bus stopped very breifly then moved on and if you did decide to get down another one would not come for 30 mins. It doesnt take 30mins to get a good picture! We visited the city centre, Belem Tower and Jerónimos Monastery, which were all fantastic sites, but did not have time to explore them fully as we only had about 5 hours in Lisbon ( that's a tight squeeze). If you are visiting Lisbon I would advice that you definitely find a way to visit Pasteis de Belém! Its a Portuguese bakery right by Jeronimos Monastery that sells the BEST custard tarts and Portuguese baked goods. If you are also interested in seeing more of Lisbon it is probably best to go on a weekend trip as 4/5 hours is not very much time. I would also advice if there are 4 or less of you to hire a taxi privately ( about 75-100 euros for the whole day, cheaper than a yellow hop on hop off) and take a tour around the city,stopping and starting as you wish. MOST IMPORTANTLY, give plenty of time to get back to the ship. We ended up waiting over an hour in line to clear customs in Lisbon as there were 3 other ships docking that day. Oh and take a light rain coat, Lisbon tends to be a pretty rainy city.
Vigo
Vigo again is a very small city with not very much to do. The main shopping strip is about 15mins walk from the port on google maps. If you fancy some shopping ( H&M, Zara, Pull & Bear) and some fresh sea food its worth the walk. If you are after scrumptious fresh sea food and tinto de verano thats not too far from the cruise I would visit Restaurante Rias Baixas 2. The food is yummy, however the staff do not speak any English at all, but I speak conversational Spanish so that helped.