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Navigator - Our Cruise to Nowhere


WannaCruise

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Day 4 - Original Sea Day

Thursday was the planned sea day.  I love the cruise compass on these days as there is always lots going on.

DS and DH has the Escape room booked for 10:30am on that day.  DS was really excited that he was finally old enough to participate.  He decided that he didn't want to do any water activities before so after our Windjammer breakfast, they hung out and DD and I went to the pool and slides.

We started with the slides.  She wouldn't go on The Blaster without her brother, so DD stuck to The Riptide.  The lines were really good and she got on quite a few times.

When she was done we decided to go swimming.  Thankfully the main pools were back in order today so we went there.  They were playing Missing Link on the big screen (with subtitles) so we could watch that while swimming.  We were meeting DS and DH at the MDR for lunch and we still had some time, so we sat on the hammocks for a bit to dry off, and wandered a bit to the mini golf, watched a bit of the flowrider, and then changed out of our swimming suits for lunch.

We met DS and DH for lunch.  They did great at the Escape room.  They solved it and apparently did it in great time.

In the MDR, we did a mix of the buffet, including the tutti fruitti salad bar, and menu.  DH ordered the risotto and I had the lobster roll which was not great, but ok.

 

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There was a Name That Tune for Musicals going on so DD and I grabbed our dessert to go and headed there.  

Then, we decided to watch the ice show again as we quite liked it the first time.  DS had no interest and there was a Harry Potter trivia going on so they went there while we were at the show.  I think in there as well, we played more foozball, etc.

We were planning on doing the afternoon scavenger hunt by the pool but DS and I were the only ones that showed up (boo).  So that was a no go.  Day went quick and it was time for dinner again.  

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Day 4 - Our Last Dinner

Boo...it was our last dinner of the cruise.  What was annoying is that tonight's show was early at 7:30pm so we had to rush it a bit.  We let our waiters know about the show time and they were really good about not having us wait too long.  

Last food porn of this report...

Some meat dish for DD (forget what she ordered), grilled cheese for DS, some battered fish for DH and cheese tortellini for me (not as good as it was on Symphony)

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And of course, the best part of the meal, dessert.  We all had the profiteroles.  DS raved about it last time on Symphony so we all had to try it. 

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I'll give it a thumb's up.

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Day 4 - Last Evening Filled with Lots of Fun Stuff

It was our last evening, but at least there was still lots to do.

DS and DH left dinner to catch the Star Wars trivia.  After that, I think they caught the Millionaire Game Show.

DD and I went to see Royal's other production show "Showgirl: Past, Present Future".  Guess where we sat?  Yep...front row again.  So much easier to get great seats on Navigator compared with Symphony. Again, the show was ok...at least they had some modern music such as from Greatest Showman.  I do miss the Broadway type shows that they have on the larger ships.  

After that, DD and I went to the Hush party.  It was hilarious.  Everyone gets headphones that are not necessarily playing the same music as the person standing next to you (you can change the color...which changes the music). My daughter was really getting into it and was quite cute with her dancing.  She loved it!

We stayed for a bit and then met DH and DS at the Schooner Bar for our favorite improv music guy.  Tonight he was playing early enough that we could bring our kids.  Our son really enjoyed it (I love it when he laughs outloud).  There seemed to be less people walking by tonight, which is where his improv mostly comes in, so the show wasn't quite as good as the other nights, but they still got to see him and get the idea.

He played until 10pm and our kids went back to the room for bed.  DH and I went out to The Promenade for a bit to see the 80s show, and then there was another comedy show by the same guy as the first night, but the adult version.

Well....a pretty good full evening....but all fun must come to an end.  We returned to our stateroom setting DH's alarm to early the next morning.  

(Forgot to mention but sometime before dinner we did the dreaded packing - which is always sad....and a challenge figuring out what to keep out for the next morning).

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Day 5 - A few Hours Before Flying Home

We woke up nice and early (well, not so nice) and headed to where else; the Windjammer.  I'll say that this was the only day that it was nuts.  It was hard to find a table, and even the ones that didn't have anyone sitting there, were dirty.  We eventually found one though, and grabbed breakfast.  We let our kids have a donuts as part of their breakfast as it was the last meal (not that their Windjammer breakfast ever included anything healthy).

We returned to our staterooms and hung out there until our luggage tag time and then sadly, headed to MDR spot to get off the ship.  It's such a great feeling when you first walk on, but such a yucky feeling walking off.

Our flight wasn't until 8:45pm that night back to Toronto, so we had rented a day hotel at The Regency.  I had looked for a place near the airport, with a pool and with restaurants and stuff in walking distance.  The pool was actually pretty large, which our kids were happy about so they swam there for the rest of the morning.  The hotel had wifi so we connected for the first time since Sunday. I had 847 emails....I think 842 of them were from this site, or the other cruse site...lol.

In the afternoon we found lunch in the area and stopped at KMart and Walgreens for some items to bring home. 

Got home with no issues and 3 loads of laundry later, shopping, cleaning, prep for school, etc etc...back to reality. ?

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Final Thoughts

You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the cruise director.  That's because we barely saw him and he's not really that memorable.  Had we come 2 weeks earlier, we would have seen Hugo, who we loved on Mariner.  He was hilarious.  I actually had high hopes for this guy, Cory Rogers as he introduced himself on the facebook page and he seemed enthusiastic.  It's not that he was bad...but again, all he did was introduce the shows (or come out at the end such as the ice show).  Never saw him around the ship, didn't run the belly flop contest, etc.  I'm guessing he did Quest but DH and I didn't make it to Quest this time.  So again, he was fine, but definitely not memorable.

But...I will say that we really loved Navigator.  I think DH said that his favorite is still Mariner.  DS and I love Symphony for the ship size, shows, etc, but DD said her favorites are Mariner for Skypad and Navigator for the slides.  I also really love what they've done with the pool decks and the different seating available to everyone, which is what puts it ahead of Mariner for me.  Service was great.  Every meal in MDR was pretty good, and lots of activities going on. The promenade too is beautiful with the lighting that they do (probably all ships have that, but I don't remember), and the "sculpture" or whatever you call it going up the centrum near guest services.

So overall, my ship order is:

  1. Symphony
  2. Allure
  3. Independence
  4. Navigator
  5. Mariner
  6. Voyager
  7. Grandeur

Am curious too where Anthem will fall in the ratings.  We don't necessarily need hot weather so I don't think that'll be a problem, and it seems different. 

It's a shame about the Tropical Depression that turned into Hurricane category 5 (DS has a story to tell), and very scary with the damage it did, especially to the Bahamas, to the homes and even some lives.  This cruise turned into a cruise to nowhere as it was all sea days for us.  Next summer we have Mariner booked (if no weather issues) and that one is the opposite with no sea days (it's one that got 2 stops at CoCo Cay).  Funny how things turn out (not funny ha ha...but you know what I mean).  

I'll leave you with one last picture....one of my favorites (not including ones with my family of course)

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Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@WannaCruise awesome post cruise review! Loved reading your thoughts. Happy to see that you are still Team OA class!  I am curious why you ranked Indy over Navigator. Was it just simply due to size?  Can’t wait to see what you think of Anthem. You and I seem to share similar thoughts on ships. 

Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed.  Yeah....still love the OA the best but Navigator is amazing too.  

Indy ranked over Navigator because of the shows.  It has Grease on it, plus I quite enjoyed it's production show Once Upon a Time.  Navigator shows were so so.  Also, I like the additional splash area on Indy.  Our kids are too old for it, but it spreads the crowds out a bit at pool time.

Any plans for Navigator (after your others...lol)?

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This post is EVERYTHING!

We're from Toronto and planning to go on our first cruise ever of our lives. We = Me and my mom.
I'm a "baby" in the cruise world. Never read up anything about cruise ship until like 2 weeks ago. Just started to get a hang of it.

I'm looking at a 4 day cruise on Navigator in the first week of November.
Basically just because I have a week off at that time, and we don't have a lot of budget, can't quite afford the bigger ships like Symphony or Allure.
Do you think it'll be a good time and ship for our first cruise? Do you think Navigator is good for my 73 yr old mom?
Though she has foot and knee problem but usually doing very well taking transit in the city.
My only worry is the ship will be too crowd that she can't find a place to take a short break when she needs to. Especially at some time she'll be left alone when I go for activities.

Thanks ?
 

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1 hour ago, zillono said:

This post is EVERYTHING!

We're from Toronto and planning to go on our first cruise ever of our lives. We = Me and my mom.
I'm a "baby" in the cruise world. Never read up anything about cruise ship until like 2 weeks ago. Just started to get a hang of it.

I'm looking at a 4 day cruise on Navigator in the first week of November.
Basically just because I have a week off at that time, and we don't have a lot of budget, can't quite afford the bigger ships like Symphony or Allure.
Do you think it'll be a good time and ship for our first cruise? Do you think Navigator is good for my 73 yr old mom?
Though she has foot and knee problem but usually doing very well taking transit in the city.
My only worry is the ship will be too crowd that she can't find a place to take a short break when she needs to. Especially at some time she'll be left alone when I go for activities.

Thanks ?
 

Hello!  Thanks for reading.  Navigator sounds like a perfect ship for you.  It's not too big, and not too small, and 4 nights is a good way to get a taste or a mini vacation.  There are lots of spots to sit down; seats around the pool, and surrounding on the decks, and different seating on promenade area (e.g. R Bar, Cafe Promenade, Playmakers), Star Lounge, library, schooner bar has nice seats with trivia and the music at night...and you can just sit...don't need to order something.  Also, I think it is deck 4 where it is covered (in case raining) but open to the outside for views and then seats along there. We did some walks around this deck (but then it does go up to deck 5 at the front to the helicopter pad).  Lots of seating too in the theatre and Studio B for the ice shows.  We didn't experience any issues with crowds....only time was on the Promenade during 70s or 80s party.

Maybe try and get a room not too far form an elevator.  We loved our location on deck 7, but depends on what room you want.

Never traveled November, but have done early December and it was great...quite comfortable (compared with August where it can be hot). 

Let me know if any other questions. Exciting planning your first cruise!

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@WannaCruise

Thanks for your reply. It's very useful!!

I'm still in the process of putting together the trip. 

Probably will book our flights via Air2Sea, just haven't decided what time for the return flight... 12pm sounds perfect, but what if there's delay during disembarkation...
Insurance too. Haven't decided whether I should purchase via RCL, or stand alone from my AMEX. 

I took many trips before but since it's my first cruise, I feel like I have no clue about anything at all, even the basics.
Feel so dumb, lol.

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18 hours ago, zillono said:

@WannaCruise

Thanks for your reply. It's very useful!!

I'm still in the process of putting together the trip. 

Probably will book our flights via Air2Sea, just haven't decided what time for the return flight... 12pm sounds perfect, but what if there's delay during disembarkation...
Insurance too. Haven't decided whether I should purchase via RCL, or stand alone from my AMEX. 

I took many trips before but since it's my first cruise, I feel like I have no clue about anything at all, even the basics.
Feel so dumb, lol.

This site is great for asking questions and getting different experiences.  For us, we typically use our cc for insurance but a lot use Air2Sea.  The one thing that I recommend is fly in the day before...just in case any delays/cancellations due to weather, mechanical issues, etc.  

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On 8/31/2019 at 4:30 PM, WannaCruise said:

Day 1 - Boarding Day

We got up bright and early, eager to head to the port. On our last cruise, we stayed at Hampton Inn in Blue Lagoon.  The breakfast there was ok.  Well, the breakfast at the Hampton Inn Brickell was much better.  They had the usual plus smoothies, fresh cheese and meats, make your own waffles, eggs, etc.  I see now why people comment on it.

 

 

Not sure when you were at the last Hampton but I was told last month that all the Hamptons have revamped their breakfasts to include smoothies, the different juices and just healthier options

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59 minutes ago, as524 said:

Not sure when you were at the last Hampton but I was told last month that all the Hamptons have revamped their breakfasts to include smoothies, the different juices and just healthier options

Good to know.  It was a great addition.  We stayed at the Blue Lagoon location in March before our Symphony cruise and don't remember it, but maybe they've been added since.

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On 9/4/2019 at 6:40 AM, WannaCruise said:

Thanks!  I agree....ship is great!

Yes tanks for sharing your family's experiences. Great info. I've only been on one other RCC... Brilliance of the Seas. We really liked it. Wanted to do a 5 or 7 day trip this time but could not make that work, so we settled on the NAV of the Seas. We are looking forward to our trip, however they changed our itinerary to have 2 days at Coco cay and one at Nassau. No sea day... which is fine except we were looking forward to having a speciality restaurant luncheon... but with no sea day, I don't think they are offering that option. It's a bit unclear and have received a could of contradictions on the topic.

 

 

Did you notice by chance?

 

Again thanks for sharing!

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20 hours ago, edurbin79 said:

Yes tanks for sharing your family's experiences. Great info. I've only been on one other RCC... Brilliance of the Seas. We really liked it. Wanted to do a 5 or 7 day trip this time but could not make that work, so we settled on the NAV of the Seas. We are looking forward to our trip, however they changed our itinerary to have 2 days at Coco cay and one at Nassau. No sea day... which is fine except we were looking forward to having a speciality restaurant luncheon... but with no sea day, I don't think they are offering that option. It's a bit unclear and have received a could of contradictions on the topic.

 

 

Did you notice by chance?

 

Again thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading.  Great to hear you liked Brilliance.  It's on our bucket list and DH and I actually had it booked for December (without our kids) but switched to Adventure instead.  I prefer the larger ships, but Brilliance is probably a good size for DH.  I've followed reviews and it seems to have amazing views and a really nice ship overall so would love to try Brilliance some time. 

 

We have the same as you on our Mariner cruise next August with respect to 2 Coco Cay days.  I like sea days as more is going on, and as you say more dining is open so not thrilled with it (plus I like it when the ship moves to watch the water…so relaxing).  I think I saw your post questioning about the restaurant being opened.  Hopefully with no sea days, they will make an exception and have more things open than a normal port day.  Guess we'll need to see for someone to report.

 

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