Navigator of the Seas Review
Too Many Passengers, Mediocre Food, Beautiful Ship
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Navigator is a beautiful ship that Royal Caribbean stuffed with more passengers (over 3800) than its crew can handle well. Despite assigned times to embark, too many passengers arrived early and were crammed into a hall to wait on line to check in. 40 minutes is too long for this process given that passengers check in online well in advance of sailing. Disembarkation was better run but passengers were forced into different waiting areas than they were assigned to just the day before.Elevators are inadequate at certain times each day. Main concourse is overcrowded all evening every day.Vintages is an outstanding wine venue that often is overwhelmed by very loud music elsewhere on deck 5. Great wines and tapas make it one of the best shipboard experiences - Nikka and Senzell are consumate professionals. Most damning of all is that the food in the Main Dining Room (Sapphire) is flat out mediocre. A very good prime rib is plated atop gravy rather than natural au jus. Fish entrees are better but the serving is probably 5 ounces . The classic steaks on the dinner menu each evening are good but very thin and easily overcooked. Lunch in Main Dining is better on the days it is offered - nice salad bar with a few entrees for self-service off the buffet with a full line up of entrees that can be ordered.
Windjammer is a horrible place to dine. Mostly because too many guests are balancing plates while looking for their families in scattered seating areas. Some entrees like carved to order meats/poultry are good but hot dogs and hamburgers are overcooked while pasta dishes are left under warming lights until crisp. Windjammer food in the warming trays is inconsistent in temperature. Breakfast potatoes were often cold on top . Room service suffered from the same problem.
Entertainment was very good with excellent comedians and excellent singers/dancers suffering under 50- 70 year old music rather than anything from the last 20 years except for Adele songs. Talent is wasted with this out of date material on a Spring Break cruise. Cuddy, the cruise director who departed the ship at the end of the cruise was excellent both in person and on the Morning Show with Cuddy and Mark.
Cabin Review
Family Panoramic Oceanview Stateroom
This stateroom was at least 175 square feet and the outward wall is floor to ceiling and wall to wall glass with an unobstructed view of the ocean, including straight down to the water. Plenty of storage and room once you put your bags under the bed. When the sofa bed was opened fully at night, getting around was more difficult. The shower was small and had only a combo shampoo/conditioner dispenser. Liquid soap would have been very helpful rather than bar soaps that other cruise lines have abandoned. Our steward, Wilbort Estrada, was excellent and never intrusive.