I had planned this cruise for seven months. A friend and I who had previously traveled with Carnival and Celebrity were eager to try Royal Caribbean after hearing so many positive things about the beauty of the ship, the quality of food and service, etc. For the second time, I surprised my retired parents by taking them with us (the year before I had surprised them with an Alaska cruise which I’ll review later), and they were absolutely thrilled when they found out we’d be doing it again. he would travel aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, which they said was their favorite ship of the 13 other cruises they had taken. With the ship fresh out of dry dock for upgrades, she set out to some new destinations none of us had ever visited: Roatan Island, Honduras, and Belize City. Expectations were high.

Then cruise time camera. While I’m not prepared to say we had a BAD time on this cruise, I think it’s fair to say that our expectations were deflated a bit, pretty much from the moment we pulled into port in Galveston. Let me take you through the high and low lights of life on the high seas aboard Navigator of the Seas.

the tall ones

Our Dining Experience: By far the best service we received on the ship was in the Sapphire main dining room, which is without a doubt the most beautiful dining room I have ever seen on a cruise ship. Walking into the dining room is like walking into a real opera house complete with a grand staircase and three levels of dining with windows on either side. Both of our servers were extremely attentive and noted my stepmom’s preference for making her own iced tea with 2 glasses of ice, 2 tea bags and some hot water, which was waiting for her every night after the first. I could blame her for being a “tea snob,” but then I’d have to look in the mirror with my Starbucks in hand and be mad at Folgers. All of us enjoyed the variety of food options and thought the food was of a very high quality, with service that ran like clockwork. It was really a pleasure to have dinner every night.

Here we are at dinner. I am the ball of blue.

The Cabin: Inside Cabin 7667 (Aft Port) was sweet home for our week at sea. My parents were right next door in 7669. For an inside cabin, there was plenty of room to store all of our stuff and have a completely clear space to move in. I’d say the bed was a little hard, but it all depends on your preference, as my friend and fellow traveler Jay (the guy in purple) said his was perfect. Ample cabinets and drawers allowed us to have enough space to unpack. Our butler service was also top notch, restocking and ordering twice a day.

The ship… Navigator is definitely a beautiful ship. Of particular note is the Royal Promenade, a series of shops, restaurants and bars that stretch from stem to stem, giving cruisers the feeling of strolling down a cobbled street while at sea. I recommend the Two Poets Pub for a nice atmosphere and people watching. The main atrium is beautiful, and the various lounges and bars are designed with a very elegant yet comfortable feel. The pool deck is also impressive, with two main pools flanked by several hot tubs, some of which are shaded. For the most part, there are plenty of chairs both inside and outside in the shade, but if your cruise ship is full, you better get there early to snag one. We also thought the nightclub overlooking the pool deck with its floor-to-ceiling windows added a nice touch to the ship’s offerings. The ship’s casino is also pretty decent, but since smoking is allowed there, you might walk out smelling like an ashtray.

With views of the Paseo Real

the great atrium

Drinks Package: Three of us on this cruise had the premium package for $55 a day, but since my dad only drinks beer, we got him the basic package. At first glance, this package may seem a bit pricey (Royal Caribbean’s drink packages are some of the most expensive at sea), but overall it was worth our money. What I liked the most was that basically nothing on the drink menu was off limits short of the super premium stuff. You can even opt for Gray Goose vodka at no extra charge. The other side of the coin here is the bar service (see below).

Theatrical Entertainment: If you’re ever on the Navigator of the Seas, don’t miss the ice skating show. It’s fantastic and it was much better than I thought it was going to be. We also enjoyed the Elton John impersonator, the bar style show, and the adult game show.

the short ones

Embarkation/Disembarkation: The words fiasco, nightmare, eternity, and disorganization come to mind for both. This was hands down the WORST embarkation/disembarkation process I have ever experienced, and my parents, who had been on 13 previous cruises, agreed. We should have expected this when Royal Caribbean sent us an email prior to the cruise telling us to arrive at certain times based on what deck our cabin was on. As it happened, we had flown into Houston and our transfer dropped us off right at the time we were supposed to be there, which was 12:30 pm We didn’t set foot on the ship until almost 2 pm. two different lines, both extremely slow. This is definitely not the way you want to start your vacation, and very few smiles were found in the security and check-in lines. Mind you, I expect to wait a bit to check in, but this was just ridiculous. I think the longest wait I’ve ever experienced before this was 30 minutes tops. I definitely expressed my discontent with the lady at check-in.

The landing was practically as bad. Since we had a driver waiting for us, we opted for self checkout and were given a specific time and place to meet. We have done this on other cruises with a minimal wait, with customs officers boarding the ship to collect forms. In the past, we basically walked out of the ship. Not this time. When we arrived at the designated spot, we waited another good 45 minutes just to be allowed to disembark. Once off the ship, guess what? Another line, another 45 minutes to go through customs. My driver charged me an additional waiting fee, thanks to Royal Caribbean and the Port of Galveston.

Bottom line: I will never sail from Galveston, Texas again as they clearly don’t have the capacity to handle the volume of people that cruise ships have. Basically, Royal Caribbean left a negative first impression and a negative last impression.

Service: Aside from our servers at dinner, the service in the bars and lounges on this ship was average at best and certainly not what I’m used to on a cruise ship. While some bartenders stood out, it usually took forever to get a drink and you often felt like you were a nuisance to the bartender or server. The worst service was probably at the pool bar. Some may say I’m too picky, but when I spend my hard-earned money on vacations, I want decent service. Period. I really didn’t get it on this cruise. My parents also commented that “things just weren’t the same on this cruise” as their previous experience on Navigator of the Seas.

Kids, kids, kids…OK, I’m probably going to roll my eyes at this, and maybe for some it wouldn’t be a negative, but there were too many kids occupying the main pool area on this ship. . Just like everywhere else, parents are partly to blame here, allowing their little monsters to run amok and splash others in the main pool, but I blame Royal Caribbean for not enforcing the pool rules. . On previous cruises, kids weren’t even allowed to use hot tubs, but on this one they were. Granted, there is an adults-only pool and hot tub, but the problem is that there’s no entertainment there (not that entertainment at the main pool was anything to write home about).

We did not participate in any excursions on this cruise, so I cannot speak to its quality. We heard several comments that the tours were too expensive and not worth it. One excursion even arrived more than an hour late and had to be delivered to the ship by boat as it left Honduras.

The verdict: If I had to choose between Royal Caribbean and Carnival, I would probably choose Carnival based on my past experiences. I’m not totally closed to giving Royal Caribbean another chance, but they would have to totally surprise me for me to keep coming back.