bkirkham

Are the Muster drills still done on deck with everyone crammed together like sardines?

From what I experienced the "formal nights" are very optional. Which for me is a good thing. On our cruise last year I wore khakis, polo, and my birkenstocks each night and felt totally comfortable.

If there is bad weather or we have to skip a port are refunds given for excursions that have been prepaid?

Will this have any affect on domestic sailings?

Yes and I documented the entire cruise in blog posts, which you can read here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/navigator-of-the-seas-live-blog

 

Ask any questions you may have!

Did you go up to deck 12? We are booked there in cabin 1838. I was wondering if the area was nice or if it seemed like it was haphazardly added since it is a new cabin area.

Generally I book on my own for a few reasons:

 

1. 3rd party excursions are usually cheaper

2. More variety in terms of choices

3. I prefer a more personal experience than touring with a large group

4. Greater flexibility in doing what I want, when I want.

 

I will say the decision may depend greatly on the port you visit.

Can you suggest a company that you like?

I debated between booking the the Norwegian Getaway. But I ended up going with the Navigator of the Seas due to price.

We booked a balcony cabin on deck 12, one of the new ones added during the dry dock. With all fees, insurance, and prepaid gratuities we totaled $1889. Then we got a $250 on board credit ( $200 from RCCI, $50 from our travel agent) on top of that.

With the Getaway our total WITHOUT gratuities would have been $2212. A difference of $323, then add in the the cost of gratuities and on board credit we came out over $700 ahead. My wife doesn't drink much the beverage package wouldn't help much for her.

Also keep in mind that the NCL drink package does not provide bottled water.

I was wondering who recommends booking excursions on board the ship or booking with an outside company? If an outside company which one do you choose and why?

Thanks 

Has anyone sailed on the Navigator of the Seas since its time in dry dock for revitalization in early 2014?

I booked through the RCCI website a few weeks ago and I have decided to transfer our booking to a travel agent. She didn't offer me the moon, a small OBC for a thank you for giving her our booking. But what prompted me to do so was reading reviews on places like cruise critic.

We are sailing out of Galveston on the Navigator of the Seas. And while reading reviews of the ship I found some that were talking about boarding being delayed due to fog and also cruise cancellations due to an oil spill near the port. These are rare occurrences, and the likelihood of something like that happening is small, but if something like that happens to us it would be nice to have some help. On this trip or one in the future. We are going to be working with Michelle Cunningham of MEI travel.

[email protected]

I actually had read many of the agents posts and sent them an email. Definitely looking forward to our conversation tomorrow 

I always look to see if there's a price drop and then have my TA handle calling RC to re-adjust the price.  I figure, let them deal with the hold times and the "paper work"!

 

I'll be honest, not sure what value a TA will give you for a cruise out of Galveston.  I mean, what are you looking to get from a TA for that particular purpose? Most TAs wont even touch domestic airfare since the airlines don't pay them anymore and if you're looking for Galveston advice, unless that TA has done a lot of Galveston cruises, you'd get great advice by message boards like this and googling.

 

I'm a big TA fan but I also dont want to sour your TA experience if you're looking for something they don't really offer.

We just recently booked and are still able to transfer our booking to another RCCI sailing or cancel and book elsewhere.  We live in Knoxville, TN and booked the cruise out of Galveston due to its price. Maybe they could help with looking to see if there is a better fit for us. Then also help with excursions.  I have a phone meeting with a travel agent tomorrow that I contacted through this site. Just to see what they might be able to offer

Matt,

I love to look at prices on line and see if there are any better deals. But to be honest we are going to have to fly to Houston then get transportation to the port in Galveston. So I am thinking about moving our booking to a travel agent for that purpose. We booked December 28th.

For me it was September 2014 on RCCI Enchantment of the Seas. I do the vast majority of cooking and cleaning in our home. So I loved the fact that I didn't have to clean anything and figure out what to cook unlike a US beach vacation.

We bought the Ultimate drink package for both my wife and I on our first RCCI cruise, a 4 day Enchantment of the Seas caribbean cruise this past September. I will buy one for me on our next cruise, but not for my wife. I enjoy not having to worry about the bill and she is a light weight.

I recently booked a cruise on the Navigator of the Seas through the RCCI site. I have seen that I can transfer my booking to a travel agent. Has anyone done this? What would be the benefit?

Thanks