Michael Vitale

No one is "wrong". I do understand the difference in clientele between Royal & Celebrity, but Royal sails out of Galveston, soooooo,, Idunno, maybe someday I'll try Celebrity. A friend of mine is on Celebrity right now, doing a Med cruise. He's late 60's. I tease him about it and he says it's not as bad as you think. There really isn't canes and walkers all over the ship LOL

I'm with Matt on this. I got the package once, and that was it for me. Never again. I definitely found myself drinking just to get my money's worth. As far as soft drinks go, personally I cannot imagine paying for soda when iced tea is free. I know it isn't a lot, and I like the occasional Coke, but just in principle, if iced tea is free,,,,,,,,

I will be honest. I might be alone on this, but I've seen artist renditions of the water slides. It's obvious that RC is aiming for the 'families w kids" demo but it just strikes me as a bit on the cheesy side. Between miniature golf, water park slides, and rock climbing, the whole thing is getting a bit much. What's next, actual amusement rides ? A small roller coaster ? The aerial photos of the ships are starting to look like a floating Six Flags. I hate to be "that guy", but my kids aren't kids anymore. Those people who are totally geeked by all this cool, fun stuff, and think I'm crazy, give it a few years,, you'll understand.

Totally excited,, booked my next cruise,, gonna be on Liberty's FIRST post-refurbishment sailing !!! Feb 7, 2016 WoooooooHooooooooo now I just have to decide,, 3 nights in Chops,, or 4 ??!! lol

Ok peeps, got a question. We're gonna try and save my son a few bucks. In September he joined us, but paid for a cabin by himself. I know, right ? There's really no reason he can't squeeze in with us. Heck, he's our son !!! So,, has anyone ever done a cabin with a 3rd adult ? How was it ?

Jerel, I'm no expert, but I'd say you're right. There was someone from Giovanni's offering 20% off for dinner. This was at the pool right after the belly flop contest. Ironic eh ?? LOL

Doc, I assume there's no twist off fee for cheap wine ? LOL

If you attempt to bring beer on board, you might not get your bags until Tuesday lol. You might even wind up in the brig. No, beer is not permitted. Water & soda as you will undoubtedly hear from others is mostly hit & miss. I will tell you this, if you smile at the porter, and tip generously, they may just allow you to avoid security with your water/soda, and bring it directly to your cabin. They did for me a couple of weeks ago.

Wow. Pretty unbelievable story. I'm hoping more and clearer details become available. I can see being unhappy about something, but having to be "forcibly removed", geez. I guess after thousands of years of being destitute, it's going to take the Chinese a while before they can handle their recent affluence. I assume the whole cruising thing is new to them. Very odd.

I swear, reading along with you long time cruisers, and regular posters is so interesting and informative. Tell me something Moncton, what's so good about getting to Diamond that you'd actually take additional cruises simply to get there ? I'm curious.

The only spot we don't have an excursion booked for is Georgetown. I'd like to just do the "jump in a cab" thing. Any suggestions for the beach in Georgetown ? Are cabs plentiful and safe ?

Actually my wife and I live in Texas, so we will drive down on Saturday as we did last year. My son will be flying down on Sunday and shuttling to the ship from the airport. I hope it goes well

Neil, I'm a huge NY Giants fan. You may see me wearing Giants t shirts or hats. Say hello if you see me

I just clicked on the "update" and it still shows the same update as last night. TODAY is sailing day. Does anyone know how to find out if Navigator sailed on its scheduled itinerary ??

Yea, the shuttles are kinda pricey. Especially if you've got 2 or more. You're into several hundred just for the shuttle

Wait. Doc, you rented a car for the week just for the ride from the airport to the ship ?? Didn't they charge you for the week's rental ?

What if you've prepaid for shuttle through your TA ?? Is there a certain one you'd need to use ?

I am like you as far as dress. I don't pack dressy clothes. Reservations for Chops and Giovanni's are on formal nights to avoid the MDR. Clean jeans and a nice sport shirt will do. Windjammer is totally casual. Shorts and t shirts are fine. Don't overpack. You're on vacation. You'll be in swimwear for the first 12 hours of every day. Like I said, jeans and a sport shirt are fine. I avoid the MDR on formal nights out of respect for those who enjoy Playing dressup.

Neil, we will be cruising together. Sept 6 out of Galveston. Can't wait here either !!

Hurricane Danny seems to be weakening somewhat. Hopefully this week's cruises/itineraries won't be impacted too much. Sailing on Navigator 2 weeks from tomorrow. Missed me by two weeks.

I totally agree with you Lana. I found myself drinking just because it was already paid for even though I really didn't want any more. Especially the sea days on the way back to Galveston. I was exhausted and dying for good old iced tea, but I kept trying to get my money's worth. Not this time. Actually there are ways to keep the cost down a bit. I've read that the drink of the day is 25% off. Also, I'll have a few beers, where last year I drank all the frozen umbrella fruity concoctions I could that would be $14 w gratuity. I really don't think my son, my wife, and I can drink $1200 worth of liquor in 1 cruise.

My first cruise was late 90's on Empress of the Seas. Last year on Navigator was the next one, so there's a good 15 years between the 2. I'm still amazed at today's massive ships.

Lana, I often see this and wonder about it each time. What did the wait staff do that was "incredible" ? They brought you soup ? An entree ? Suggested desserts ? Sometimes folks describe the service as "amazing". Maybe I missed something, but I didn't find anything to be amazing or incredible. As I've stated before on threads in reference to gratuities, I was very happy with the service I received on Navigator, but I think 18% is generous.

Think about it. Why would RC not "include" the Royal Replenish in Premium or Ultimate Packages ?? Imagine someone who paid for booze and wants a Coke ? If I'm RC, I'm tickled that you're drinking Coke and not liquor.

Doc, I'm going to bring a 12 pack of both soda and water this time out. The risk of having a $4 item confiscated is certainly worth the risk for the possibility of having those items in my cabin. Wish me luck !!!