Navigator of the Seas Review

Good value for the money

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Navigator of the Seas
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Yvonne K.
10+ Cruises • Age 40s

Rating by category

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Value for Money
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Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2017
Cabin: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
Filet Mignon @ Chops Grille
Ice Show
Blue Bay Resort (Beach & Snorkeling Site during the "Fun Beach Express,
Royal Promenade, Deck 5
Main Dining Room Food

We mainly chose this cruise since we had not been in Bonaire before (all other ports of call we've visited before).

SHORE EXCURSION: The best shore excursion on this cruise was the "Fun Beach Express, Sightseeing & Snorkel" tour in Curacao. Our guide was Melissa and her driver was Cedric. Melissa was so pleasant and had a wealth of knowledge. Saw a lot & the bus was open-air, so taking pictures/videos was a breeze (pun intended). One thing to note - before you cruise: check out the shore excursions online. About 10 weeks prior to our sailing date, Royal Caribbean started offering 10-30% off if you booked the excursion prior to your sail date. Well worth it!

DINING: We did find that crew must've been told to "push" for the Specialty Dining Package. I'm assuming they get commission, since we were almost tackled about this on every corner of the ship. We finally gave in and purchased a 3-dinner Specialty Dining package. The experience in the Chops Grille was fantastic and well worth the extra $. The Filet Mignon is grilled to perfection and everything from the service to the side dishes is a perfect complement. Truly makes for a special evening, so I do recommend that you visit Chops at least once during this cruise. We also visited Giovanni's Table - which I cannot recommend after our experience (service was lackluster and came with an "attitude", main entrees came out cold, etc.). We did not visit Sol (Mexican Specialty) as the menu only includes appetizer style food & enchiladas - something I can get in Southern California and certainly won't pay extra for. Our friends visited Izumi (Japanese/Sushi Specialty Restaurant). They went back twice, raving about the quality of the food. Note: if you go to Izumi, you will order "a la carte". Cover charge is $35 and you can order whatever you like, but after reaching $35 value of foods ordered you will pay a la carte price extra for each item you order.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E3

The cabin was great. Located right near the 2nd level of the Spa/Fitness Center. One major downside: noise. When sailing, you will hear the loungers from the deck on top of you being rattled around by the wind - it did wake us up at night. Another major draw back: there's a mechanical noise every time someone uses the automatic door to the Solarium Pool on the deck below. This also woke us up at night and in the mornings - whenever someone walked through it. We did talk to housekeeping & engineering, but there was nothing they can do. So unless you are a very tight sleeper, I do not recommend this cabin, located on Deck 12. Otherwise it was in a great location & spectacular views from the balcony.

Port Reviews

Labadee

Regular Chaise Loungers are available throughout the island - just grab one and place it wherever you like. There's also Cabanas and covered double-loungers available for purchase (you can purchase on ship or on Labadee itself with your seapass card). 4 areas for lunch on the island (they bring the food from the ship), but 1 is exclusive for Suite members only. Bring some cash if you'd like to purchase some souvenirs from the locals.

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