Overall, Royal Caribbean remains the best choice for group cruises when traveling with people in all age groups. This is our second trip on the Navigator of the Seas and our 12th cruise. We went with a group of 14 and everyone had a great time and pretty much it was hassle free. Boarding was extremely easy and hassle free. There were plenty of representatives and no wait times. I would highly encourage online check-in (as we used) to make the process easier. Boarding was also painless as we arrived very early (11:15 am) and had no line to get on the ship. The first cut back I noticed was there was no welcome champagne as we've had on other ships, which is no big deal. I was just happy they weren't trying to sell drinks as we were boarding. On that note, there was some attempt at selling the high priced drinks around the ship and pool, but not very much at all.

Embarkation, Disembarkation and Cabin: We were not allowed to go to the cabin until 1:00 pm so the cabin stewards had a chance to prepare all the rooms. While it's nice to drop your bags off, we did get there early, so it was not an inconvenience. When we did get to our cabin, 8636 (D2), it was a decently sized cabin with a sofa, coffee table and a balcony. The chairs on the balcony were a bit old and worn, but besides that, the cabin was in very good shape and nicely decorated. There is very little storage space in the cabin, so we were happy it was only a 5 day cruise. For our upcoming 12 night cruise on the same ship, we got a Junior Suite, which has a very nice sized walk-in closet. Leaving the ship was hassle free. We stayed in our cabin until 8:15 and then left the ship. While they try to control what time you leave the ship, you can actually leave at any time. We did have to wait to clear immigration, but this was more an issue with the TSA and not RCCL. Before arriving on the cruise, I would advise coordinating a reliable transportation company to wherever you are going and do not rely on a taxi. The day we disembarked, there was a taxi strike and the car service we booked did not show up. In the end we bought shuttle passes on the pier costing over $100 for 7 of us to go to the airport. Royal Caribbean has a luggage program that we used, which was to pay $20 (in addition to whatever the airline charges to checking bags) for the cruise to take your bags from the state room and check them into the airline for you. We were nervous about doing this as we figured they would lose our luggage, but in the end, our luggage was at our final destinations. If you have Elite status with an airline, be careful. I am Chairman Preferred with US Air, and was charged $50 additional for my bags (I am still trying to get this credited to me). Also, my boarding pass put me in Zone 6 when I should have been Zone 1. They do have some issues to work out, but in all, it was worth the price.

Food: A lot of people have high expectations when it comes to cruise food, but they fail to remember the ship is cooking for 2,000+ people. In general, the food was very good and of a good quality. The hot food was always hot and the cold food was always cold. The fries in the Windjammer were awesome! Johnny Rockets is a must, especially with the all you can eat onion rings and fries. Get there at off times to get an outside table. This is worth the $4.95 cover charge. The main dining room had creative dishes and many options for vegetarians. We had a couple of people who needed Gluten Free food, and while they did prepare it, the choices were relatively limited (plain steak, chicken, hot dogs, fries). However, they did make gluten free bread, which was a nice touch. You can bring on your own gluten free food on board the ship. They won't do any preparation of that food, but you can keep snacks, etc. in your cabin. One night we went to Chops and had one of the best meals we've had on or off a cruise ship. Everything was great. Just note that if you are a vegetarian, there are a lot of appetizers and sides for you to eat, but don't expect a fancy high caliber main course. The manager said he made something special for the vegetarian in our group, but it was the same dish as what was served in the main dining room that night. It is definitely worth the $20 charge. I went to the wine bar in the Promenade a few times, and the staff there is very good, knowledgeable and helpful. The only other food related comment is regarding the soda package. Be careful with this as the sodas are often times flat. Read more