First a little background on me: I'm a Cleveland native, live in Miami. I've been on 6 cruises now, all with RCI (Royal Caribbean Intl), 3 Navigator of the Seas, 1 Adventure of the Seas, 1 Explorer of the Seas, 1 Liberty of the Seas. I've cruised starting from 2001-2010 and am 25.

With that stated short of the bingo's and arts and crafts I've experienced a good deal of what many of RCI's ships offer (short of Oasis' and Allure's new offerings) One thing I can tell you off the bat is, even after being 8 years old, Navigator of the Seas is NO SLOUCH! There were some area's I could see some very slight wear, but there are many places with much more wear and tear than this ship! The public spaces for the most part are just as immaculate as they were the first of my three times on this ship. And for anyone who thought that all of RCI's best talent was transferred to Allure and Oasis, your DEAD WRONG. You can obviously see some of the people aren't as good as the lofty standard I've come to expect from RCI but there were a couple others that were way way way better than any other's I've experienced on RCI or anywhere else in the world for that matter!

The transportation to the port royally sucks if you dont either A: take Royal's transfers or B: stay at a local hotel offering a shuttle. As a local I had to take a shuttle to FLL to take a shuttle (my mom stayed at a such hotel) to the port. Local shuttle services do not go from home's or hotel's to the seaport only airport. It wasn't fun! However if you do your research and book a hotel with a shuttle you shouldn't have problems. Also I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FLYING IN A DAY IN ADVANCE!!! This is for multiple reasons, first if your flight is late or delayed a day you have a planned buffer to protect you. Second if luggage is lost by the airline. Usually the time lost or late luggage is delivered in the late afternoon or evening hours. If you arrive the day before, you have a chance to get your bags before shipping out. If you arrive the same day, well not so much. I work for a major hotel in Miami and have worked for RCI as a port agent and have seen it FAR TOO MUCH!!! Transportation by taxi in either city isn't expensive for short distances. However dont take the cheaper flight to Miami for Port Everglades or to Fort Lauderdale for Port of Miami. Taxi's to the respective areas cost 70-100 USD based on traffic! Read more