Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – January 2018

I have to admit that I really have the cruise bug. The family had just finished up on being on a group cruise on Harmony of the Seas and I was already in NEED of a cruise. The Mrs. was unavailable but the Bubs was ready, willing and able to suck one up and spend five nights with his old man. So it was on.

I figured Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend would be a good time. We had the choice of a five night on Royal Caribbean Navigator or a 4 night on Independence of the Seas. Next decider was airfare. One ship was leaving from Miami the other Fort Lauderdale. Well after crunching the numbers and getting input from the Bubs it was decided we were going to go on the five night Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas Western Caribbean cruise.

The Itinerary was departing from Miami we would have a day at sea followed by Costa Maya, Cozumel, a day at sea and back to Miami. Nothing too exciting but we would have the opportunity of seeing Mayan ruins so I could pump a little bit of education in to this trip. So it was set.

I found a nice Jr. Suite on deck 7 on the aft. We booked our airline tickets. We used frequent flyer miles going down so it cost around $11 to get to Miami, and for the trip home I checked SouthWest and they had a $25 a piece fare to get us home departing from Ft. Lauderdale. Enough back story.

Pre-Cruise

We departed PHL a day early to make sure that we got there with no problems. The flight way mid after noon and after curbside check-in and a very quick security screening we were now left to wait. Nothing a quick snack at Chickie n Pete’s couldn’t hurt. Some crabbie fries and a tall beer (a soda for the Bubs) and we were prepared to fly. The plane boarded and took off on time and we made good time to Miami.

We stayed at the Best Western Miami Airport North, mostly because it has an indoor pool. We arrived and checked in right around 8PM and quickly changed and hit the pool which closes at 9PM. After that we had a quick dinner from the sandwich shop down the street and we retired for the evening.

Next morning, we got up enjoyed the Continental Breakfast and then prepared to leave. Our goal was to be at the terminal around 10:15-10:30. I called an UBER car which arrived shortly after 10AM and we arrived at the cruise terminal at 10:24. We handed our luggage to a porter and walked in to Terminal G. There is an initial security screening then you take the escalator up to the full security screening through the metal detectors. After that we walked in to the large room of Terminal G and we were directed to an agent right away. They confirmed some information, gave us our health screening declaration, took our pictures and gave us our sea pass cards. It took about 7 minutes to get from curbside, through security, and to be fully checked in. They said that they were trying to begin boarding around 11:15 and to please have a seat in the seats right by the stairs.

Note: The cabin we picked was a Jr. Suite which is pretty much a regular balcony on steroids, but one of the perks is expedited check in and a place to sit. So your mileage may vary but it still is a pretty quick check in process at the terminal.

We sat for around a half hour and then a nice gentleman said it was time to board the ship and to enjoy our cruise. The Bubs and I grabbed our stuff and walked up. On the right there was the standard departure picture station, which we got our cheesy picture and then we walked a few yards and we were on the gangplank. They quickly scan your sea pass and your vacation has officially started!

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – C6FU4

Class of Ship – Voyager

Tonnage- 139,570 GT

Length- 1021 Ft

Max Beam- 157 ft

Draft 28 ft

Decks- 15

Maximum Passengers- 3807

Crew- 1213

Tour of Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas

Deck 2:

Loyalty Desk – Buried on deck two forward there is a small desk located right next to the forward stairs. Here you will find a representative for the Crown & Anchor society. This person can answer most C&A questions. The day I stopped down she was busy getting together all the loyalty pins that would be distributed on this cruise.

Conference Center– There is normally some type of Conference space located on each Royal Caribbean ship. On the Navigator it is located on Deck two forward directly across from the loyalty desk. These spaces are prearranged and used by groups or companies to do business, have fun or just assemble large groups of people. There was an ice cream vendor group that was having a corporate event through out the cruise and they kept the space occupied through most of the cruise.

Desk 3:

Studio B / Center Ice Rink – A multipurpose venue that is normally the home to ice skating during most of the cruise but can be converted to a venue for show or games like “THE QUEST”

Studio B in 360 click Here!

In Focus – Here is the place to go to view the photographs taken by Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas Staff photographers. You can use the kiosk by swiping your Sea Pass and view which photographs you would like to purchase. Pick up is performed at the desk. Make sure you don’t wait till the last minute because they only print pictures up to a certain hour on the last day. Otherwise you will be stuck with digital versions.

RCTV – Located across from In Focus and that is all I can say about that.

Sapphire Dining Room – Let’s just group all of the main dining room in to one group. It spans three decks; Decks three, four, and five towards the aft of the ship. Those with prescribed standard dinning times of first or second seating go to certain decks and those who must make reservations for My Time Dining or MTD will report to another deck. The picture below is a dramatic snippet of a 360 picture of the MDR.

Main Dining Room in 360 click Here!

Deck 4:

Metropolis Theatre – Located on decks four, three, and two the main theatre is where the larger production shows, big name talent and other events such as shopping guide talks are given.

Schooner Bar – The soul of every Royal Caribbean ship. Navigator’s Schooner Bar is located on deck four by the forward steps on the starboard side. The Schooner bar is the go to place to listen to live piano music, play trivia, or even take part in a adult coloring activity.

Schooner Bar in 360 click Here!

Sabor – Technically it is Sabor Modern Mexican. It is a specialty restaurant on deck 4 port side by the forward stairs and across from the Schooner Bar. The restaurant has a variety of Mexican dishes and cocktails. Sabor guacamole is a must do.

Sabor in 360 click Here!

Casino Royale – The action of the ship is located on deck four in the center of the ship. There are slot machines, and table games. There is a bar. Access to the casino is through the Centrum, down the stairs in the Promenade, or by the Schooner Bar. Smoking is permitted in this venue in limited spots.

Casino Royal in 360 click Here!

Boleros – The Latin themed lounge has performers at night and a friendly bar staff through out the day. The bar side of the lounge is on deck for Port side. There is additional seating on Deck 4 Starboard side, whereas it is a more intimate setting with fantastic decor.

Boleros Port side in 360 click Here!

Boleros Starboard Side in 360 click Here!

Centrum – Technically the Centrum is the open space that is accessible from Deck three up to Deck five but in all reality it spans all the way up to deck 12 between the elevators. It is a nice spot to get some amazing pictures.

Centrum in 360 click Here!

Deck 5:

Observation Deck – The forward observation deck is nothing more than a fancy name for the helipad on the front to the ship. It can be slightly tricky to find but if you go to deck four by the forward stairs and exit outside. Then walk up a flight of stairs and keep walking forward till you see a platform with stairs. Climb those steps and that is the observation deck. Note it is normally windy and it is not really lit up at night for navigation purposes, but it is a great spot to look at stars.

Observation Deck in 360 click Here!

Star Lounge – A multipurpose lounge that is the home to BINGO, the top tier event, art auctions and singing and dancing events and competitions.

Connoisseur Club – I never went here, but if you want to smoke a cigar and have a beverage then this is the place for you. It is located on deck 5 forward starboard side.

Royal Promenade

The middle of the ship contains a long wide open hall that has many drinking, shopping and eating venues. It is a mini-mall of sorts and there are normally people there most hours of the day; additionally there are special events and party’s that are planned throughout the cruise on the Royal Promenade.

Royal Promenade in 360 part 1 click Here!

Royal Promenade in 360 part 2 click Here!

Royal Promenade in 360 part 3 click Here!

Royal Promenade in 360 part 4 click Here!

Forward Elevator Bank in 360 click Here!

Aft Elevator Bank in 360 click Here!

Cafe Promenade – A small bistro located on forward on the promenade. They have small sandwiches, fresh pizza, and desserts. Next to it is the coffee bar where you can get specialty coffee.

Ben & Jerry’s – Located directly next to Cafe Promenade and the Coffee bar is Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream.

Vintages – Royal Caribbean’s Wine Bar. It is located on deck 5 starboard side. If you are looking for a quiet place to relax and have a glass of wine then this is your place.

Vintages in 360 click Here!

Two Poets Pub – Royal Caribbean’s Irish Pub style venue. It features different beers on tap and in bottles. At night there is a Pub singer playing songs on guitar encouraging patrons to sing along.

Two Poets Pub in 360 click Here!

Promenade Shops – There are multiple retail outlets to purchase different items.

Duty Free alcohol and cigarettes

Cosmetics

Watches

Clothing

Outside of the Promenade and in the Centrum there is a bar and a few services available.

R BAR- Which is a relaxing lounge highlighted with a large picture frame seat that is very popular to get your picture taken in.

R Bar in 360 click Here!

Shore Excursions – A small desk located in the Centrum that offers advice on booking, and changes to excursions offered through Royal Caribbean.

Guest Services – The catch all for customer service, Guest Services is a place to have generalized questions answered, all billing concerns, a place to make a complaint or compliment. If you win at BINGO, this is where you go to get paid. In addition the Daily Cruise Compass is available in multiple languages here.

Guest Services in 360 click Here!

Deck 6:

Next Cruise – This area is a place to book your next cruise. Normally there is a book with appointment slots that you sign up for. When your time arrives you report and an agent will go over different cruise options you have for booking future cruises and any incentives. Though not as lucrative as it was in years past, Next Cruise is still a good option for many. As per one of my travel agents, you can also book any other cruise under the Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD umbrella, namely Celebrity, and Azmara.

Next Cruise in 360 click Here!

Deck 7:

Library – A semi-quiet space for reading. Books can be borrowed, also there are board games and cards. There are also PC computers that customers with VOOM can log on to.

Library in 360 click Here!

Deck 8:

RC Online – Currently being used to display the artwork that will be auctioned off during several events throughout a cruise.

Deck 9:

Concierge Club – A lounge for full suite guest (Grand Suite and above), those carrying GOLD colored Sea pass cards.

Deck 11:

Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center – This can be broken in to two different areas

The Fitness Center which is located on deck 11 forward. It contains a large whirlpool, stationary work out machines, weights and tread mills. There is a separate studio for YOGA and other large group work outs.

Fitness Center in 360 Click Here! and Here!

Vitality SPA is located on deck 12 forward above the fitness center. It is primarily accessed through a wonderful spiral stair case. Here all spa and beauty services are performed.

Vitality Spa spiral staircase in 360 click Here!

Solarium – The “adults” only pool and bar area. The Solarium is traditionally an area for those 16 and older to get away for awhile from the wee little ones. There is a pool, two whirlpools and a bar.

Solarium in 360 click Here!

Main Pool – The hub of activity on the pool deck revolves around the Main Pool and the four whirlpools. There are two main pools along with a whirlpool to the rear and to the side of each. This area is also the location of the big screen which mostly shows blooper reels during day time and feature films at other times.
Both the World’s Sexiest Man Competition and the famous BELLY FLOP contest are held by or in the main pool.

Main Pool Deck in 360 click Here!

Pool Bar – The closest bar to the Main Pool, a full service bar that accommodate most frozen drinks, cocktails and beers that are served on board. Soft drinks are also available for those with appropriate packages.

Windjammer Complex – The area on deck 11 aft that encompasses CHOPS, Giovanni’s, Plaza Bar and the Windjammer Cafe.

CHOPS Grille – Royal Caribbean’s signature steak house specialty restaurant. It can be found on the Port side of the complex.

CHOPS Grille in 360 click Here!

Giovanni’s Table – Royal Caribbean’s Italian specialty restaurant. It can be found on the Starboard side of the complex.

Giovanni’s Table in 360 click Here!

Plaza Bar – a full service bar locate in the center of the complex

Windjammer Cafe – Royal Caribbean’s buffet. The suggested venue by Royal on date of embarkation for lunch, it is a buffet style eatery that has enough food for even the hungriest of stomachs.

Windjammer in 360 click Here!

Deck 12:

Sky Bar – Located above the pool complex, it is a great alternative to the busier pool bar.

Running Track – The running / jogging / walking track is exactly what it says. A place to do those activates and actually figure out how far you went because it is a know distance.

Video Arcade – Located in the heart of the child care / kid’s club / teen club complex is a full service arcade offering video games, skee ball, air hockey, or crane and other skilled games. Be on the lookout in the Cruise Compass for times when they have “Free” video games. It is quite popular but it can save you few bucks.

Video Arcade in 360 click Here!

Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean is a top notch children’s activity / baby sitting service. from wee little babies up to 11 years old. After that children 12 -17 are in a less formal come as you want teen program with different activities geared towards the young adult.

Johnny Rockets – Royal Caribbean’s Retro style 50’s diner. There is an inside and an outside sitting area. There is a surcharge to eat there but it is a fun experience.

Johnny Rockets inside in 360 click Here!

Johnny Rockets outside in 360 click Here!

Deck 13:

Rock Climbing Wall – Standard on most Royal Caribbean ships

Sports Court – A multi-sport playing court. Basketball was seen being played every time I walked past it.

Sports Court in 360 click Here!

Navigator Dunes – A self paced miniature golf course

Flowrider – A surfing simulator located on the aft of the ship. Depending on the time it is either set up for stand up or body surfing. Sign ups and waivers are available at the stand aft of the sports court.

Flowrider in 360 click Here!

Deck 14:

Izumi – Royal Caribbean’s partnered restaurant with Chef Travis Kamiyama, a Japanese themed restaurant. Sushi is the specialty, this restaurant also has the Hot Rock/Ishiyaki.

Izumi in 360 click Here!

Cosmopolitan Club – Lounge located in the “Viking Crown”, a late night favorite for adult dancing.

Cosmopolitan Club in 360 click Here!

Diamond Club – A lounge for Crown & Anchor members who are Diamond, Diamond +, and Pinnacle club members.

Diamond Club in 360 click Here!

Deck 15:

Skylight Chapel – A small chapel for weddings, and renewal of vows located on top of the “Viking Crown”.

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – Day 1 – Departure from Miami

After boarding the ship, the Bubs and I did some initial exploring of the ship and eventually wound up at the pool deck. I grabbed a Kracken Colada from the Pool Bar, Bubs decided he wanted to read for a bit. It was then time for a quick lunch in the Windjammer and then at 1 PM the rooms opened up.

We had chosen a Junior Suite on the aft of the ship. For those who aren’t familiar with the Junior Suite category of cabin, they are a little bigger than a standard balcony, they have a bathtub on most ships. You get priority check in, double cruise points and a couple of other small perks. We were staying in cabin 7692 it is on the port side.

Panorama

Bathroom

Bath Tub

Walk in Closet

Room

Balcony

View from the Aft pano

Departure was 5PM, and the sun was already working it’s way down for the evening. It was a little chilly but it is Miami chilly, not that bad but there was a good breeze. We slowly worked our way down the channel, past the future home of the World’s Largest Cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, Terminal A otherwise known as the “Crown of Miami”.

Before you knew it we were passing South Beach and were in open water with our next stop not till Costa Maya in Mexico.

Prior to dinner, it was announced that the Arcade would be free of charge for all video games, and the air hockey. Bubs was all on that, and enjoyed a few games. It did get a little crowded but you could still get some free play.

We purchased the four night Specialty Restaurant package for $90 a person. Now according to the fine print on Royal Caribbean’s Website, how it was supposed to happen is I payed full freight for my 12 year old. After using the package I was to be given 50% back in refundable OBC.

Needless to say that didn’t happen, and I had to wait to get back home have it quickly corrected from corporate.

We were assigned Giovanni’s Table for night one at 8 PM.

Antipasta Course

Pasta Course

Main Course

Dessert

Wine List

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – Day 2 – At Sea

Day 2 was a Sea Day, which meant there was no rush to get up and go, go, go. The Bubs and I had a leisurely breakfast in the Windjammer, followed by some quality time by the pool. We had lunch in Cafe Promenade and it was delicious.

During the Afternoon there was “The Sexiest Man” Competition.

Followed by the always popular Belly Flop contest.

We had an early 6PM dinner. This time we were again in the Windjammer complex but this time we were opposite Giovanni’s and were on the Port side. Tonight we were dining at CHOPS GRILLE steakhouse.

Bubs was very excited to eat Steak on Night number 2, which also happened to be Formal Night.

The Menu

Wine List

Soups & Salads

Signature Appetizers

Meat & Poultry

Sides

Dessert

After dinner, we took a couple of Formal photos then stopping back at the cabin it seems the Crown & Anchor Society had a little surprise for us. We had reached the level of Diamond after our cruise on Harmony of the Seas last September. This was our first cruise as Diamond, and tonight we were recognized with our pins. The Bubs then went to go do some Teen Club activities.

I went to the Forward Observation deck to see if I could get any decent pictures of the stars. Below is a sample of the photos taken during the cruise. Unfortunately the cloud cover did not play nice so the amount of quality pictures are limited.

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – Day 3 – Costa Maya, Mexico

Day three was our first Port of Call, Costa Maya, MX. We arrived before 0800. The Bubs and I were already up and ready. We had a quick breakfast in the Windjammer, and were ready for the ship to dock. Our excursion ticket had us meeting at 0830. The ship quickly cleared customs and they were letting people off the ship. The weather was so-so with an overcast sky but it was pleasantly comfortable.

We walked the extra long pier to the meeting point just pass security and the Costa Maya sign.

Originally we had purchased the Chacchoben ruins excursion which ran four hours. Well, unfortunately there was a horrific bus accident three weeks earlier. Royal cancelled our excursion 3 days prior to cruising. Left with making a quick decision, I gave Bubs two choices, The Kohunlich & Dzibanche Mayan ruins which was 8 hours or just the Kohunlich ruins at 6 hours. He didn’t want to be out all day so he chose just the Kohunlich ruins.

We arrived at the meeting spot. There must of been 20 different excursions leaving from the same spot, but we found the correct spot. Before we knew it we were walking through the controlled area and out in to a parking lot where the coaches were waiting for us. There were two guides assigned to our trip along with our bus driver. We were given half of our brown bag lunch and soon the bus was in motion.

The advantage to Costa Maya over Cozumel is that to get to the any of the good ruins you don’t have to take the jet boat across the channel, (Affectionately called the “Vomit Comet”)! The ruins were a good two hours away. Along the way the guides gave a brief history of the area, the native people, passed out some laminated picture cards. They also sold maps of the site which had post cards. Also if you wanted a Mayan cartouche in gold or silver they could have it ready by the return trip by artisans in the local village.

On a previous trip we went to the world famous Chichen Itza, I hated it. Not because the ruins weren’t great. They are, but the problem was the amount of time that you were allotted to explore, which was around 45 minutes, and more importantly the local vendors were relentless. You could not walk 10 feet without someone trying to sell you something in your face.

Now let’s contrast Kohunlich. It is located literally in the middle of a jungle. The approach is barely one lane road that goes for around 8 km. Somehow though vehicles pass each other without any loss of life. When you finally arrive on site there is an opening a.k.a parking lot with a singular building. Our guides said if we planned on filming there was a special $4 permit that needed to be purchased. So I gave my donation to the local preservation society. Once everyone made a potty stop. Our group assembled. We were the only tour at the site with the exception of 4 people in a station wagon. There were ZERO vendors.

The group walked the long path to the actual ruins. Our guides would give a 10 minute spiel then give 10-15 minutes of self explore time before moving on to the next area. It wasn’t an aggressive format, and if you were a minute or two behind it wasn’t a big deal. The areas we went to were the Aristocrat housing, followed by the Acropolis, A small temple, The Ball courts, and finally the Pyramid. After that we were given almost an hour to roam the site at our leisure. One of the best things is you can still climb the ruins through out the site with a few exceptions, so it allowed a more intimate experience over the more well known more traveled Mayan sites.

Plaza de la Acropolis

Acropolis

View of the Acropolis Wall in 360 click Here!

Edificio de las Estelas

Juego de Pelota

Templo de los Mascarones (Temple of the Masks)

Steps of the Temple of the Mask in 360 click Here!

Mask of the Temple of the Mask in 360 click Here!

This final free time was the best because you could go and get pretty much empty pictures of most of the sites without people. Our group assembled one last time, and as we were preparing to depart the bus from the Dzibanche ruins tour was arriving.

Before we departed the sandwich and soft drink were issued to compliment the banana and fruit bar in the brown bag lunch. The bus departed, we ate while on the way back to the ship. The bus stopped in one of the villages to pick up the orders of Mayan inspired crafts, and then we worked our way back to the ship. Overall it was a great excursion, well worth the slightly long bus ride but with the advantages of climbing on the ruins and lack of aggressive vendors. I would recommend this trip, and so would the Bubs.

The bus dropped us off right outside the protected area, we showed our sea passes and we were in the shopping area. I’ll be totally honest, I thought the locals were not just a little but overall high on their prices. Prime example, Bubs wanted a license plate, we have bought them throughout the Caribbean for $10-20. I understand the concept of haggling but let’s just say that I wouldn’t open with $35 for a license plate that is worth $10. Then the vendor comes back with my special friend price of $30 and wonder why I walked away. Numerous items were priced high with equal refusal to come back with a fare price. Let’s just say this, I told the disappointed Bubs that we could get the same item cheaper in Cozumel.

Afterwards we took a few pictures and did a little walking around before returning to the ship for a nice cold beverage on the aft of the ship. WE waited for the ship to depart and to see if we had any runners. Luckily everyone made it back on board on time and the ship departed as scheduled.

We stopped up in to the Diamond Lounge for a adult beverage for me and a coke for the Bubs. While there I spoke with the Lounge Concierge, JJ. I mentioned that we had not received our welcome gift of a Coke and some cookies, she expressed concern and placed the order again.

Night three was the only time we would be eating dinner in the Main Dining Room or MDR. Earlier in the trip I set up the entire dining schedule for specialty and “My Time Dining” or MTD. With that being said we showed up as scheduled. We were quickly taken over to a nice table on the Port side overlooking the ocean. Or as my son said, we have a nice view of the crane!

Main Dining Room – My Time Dining

Starters

Main Course

Dessert

The location in the Main Dining Room was good. Our servers were acceptable. Wait! What do you mean acceptable? I felt that they performed their duties properly. Could they of been more attentive, maybe. They weren’t special, or outstanding . This is not a slam. If we had them all week I would still say the same thing. We enjoyed our dinner, mission success!

After dinner, the Bubs did some Teen Club activities and I went to the Pub to listen to the Pub singer and enjoy a little people watching. I didn’t want to be out too late because we had an early rise for tomorrow we were snorkeling in Cozumel!

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – Day 4 – Cozumel, Mexico

Day four started early as our excursion was shortly after we docked. We would be spending the day next to Rhapsody of the Seas in the Port of Cozumel. I was hoping that the ship was going to back in to the dock but on this day it pulled straight in. That was o.k. we had a good view of the sea traffic from the aft instead of people watching.

Once again we had an early breakfast in the Windjammer. The weather was extremely overcast and the winds were howling. We finished up, grabbed our blue towels and headed off the ship. We passed the extremely long line to board the “Vomit Comet” which was going to the mainland and Playa del Carmen. We went past the fruit sniffing dogs and headed over to the excursion meeting spot.

Of course we were greeted with the “Sorry my friend the seas are too rough over here” message. “Well you can reschedule the excursion for a Jeep ride snorkel to the other side of the island, it leaves in five minutes”, he said. “Sure, why not I said”, “No problem, I just need your drivers license. Oh you mean the license that is all the way on the aft of the ship, never mind!”, at least they tried to accommodate us. The excursion was refunded as OBC.

So I asked the Bubs what he wanted to do? Shopping for souvenirs he said. Well it was early but there were stores open or opening. Remember the day before when I said that Costa Maya’s vendors prices were high. Well we found the exact same item they wanted $35 in Costa Maya, $30 with “My Friend” prices. The same exact item was $21 in Cozumel. Other things like were cheaper too. We picked up a few souvenirs, and some coffee that Mrs. Cookingyo likes and away we went back to the ship.

Now if you’ve never spent the day on the ship while in port, let me tell you…. It’s pretty empty. We went back to our cabin to drop some gear. I looked out the balcony and the poor “Vomit Comet” was bepopping through the waves. It was a great call staying on Cozumel Island. We even got to see the MSC Seaside pull past us on the way to dock further north on the island. Our next stop was the whirlpool.

We hit the starboard side whirlpool by the main pool. We were the only ones in it. We watched the bloopers shows on the big screen and enjoyed some tasty beverages.

After that it was decided we would try and catch up on documenting the ship via DSLR and 360 camera.

We had a nice lunch at Cafe Promenade.

Afterwards the Bubs decided to watch a movie in the cabin and I grabbed a cat nap. Weather conditions outside did not improve and actually were getting worse. We headed up to the arcade and had a killer air hockey match and let’s just say the old man was victorious. It was getting close to departure time and I wanted to film the ship leaving so I set the cameras up and filmed it. I sped the film up so it is now under 4 minutes.

After that we got ready for dinner, headed up to deck 14 for some beverage in the diamond lounge before the much anticipated IZUMI.

Izumi comes in many forms. There is the Oasis class that is full service, which includes the best meal on the high seas, and that is Hibachi, you have the middle of the road Izumi like Navigator has which does some cooking and has the hot rocks, then you have the lite version as I call it like Anthem or Adventure of the Seas which are pretty much Sushi only places (no cooking).

Just a little background, I love Japanese food, I might of spent a couple of years there…. I just don’t eat seafood. So on some ships I eat at Izumi, and other ships I will pass. But on this night, I ate and left “Fat and Happy.”

Starters

Soups & Noodles

Hot Rock / Ishiyaki

Dessert

The crispy chicken in addition to the dumplings were both great. The Miso soup was tasty.

In case you have never been up on deck 14 around dinner time. There is this glorious scent of tenderloin cooking that just wafts in the air. The smell is even better in the restaurant. This was our first time having Hot Rocks. Now my only complaint other than I could of ate like three steaks, is that our waiter asked us how we like our steaks. Which we both told him, then he placed the steaks on the rocks along with vegetables. Here is where it gets a little screwy. Now no where did our server state that we were responsible for pulling our steaks of the hot rocks. Eventually another server suggested we take them off. Now granted the steaks were medium-well by this time, and we ate them just fine. A little clarification upfront would of been greatly appreciated. Our steaks were still delicious, but overdone for our taste. Lesson learned and now you know.

Also the dessert texture was a little to gooey for our taste. The Sesame Balls tasted o.k. but I really didn’t care for it.

We finished dinner just in time to head down to the Star Lounge to catch the Top Tier Event.

The captain gave his spiel and introduced the Crown and Anchor society member on board with the most nights. She had over 2500 cruise points. Not too shabby!

Bubs did his thing and I went to the pub to listen to the pub singer for a bit before our retiring for the evening.

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – Day 5 – At Sea

Day five started off a little rough, the ship was pitching and rolling pretty good. We had breakfast in the Windjammer once again. We followed up with trivia in the Schooner Bar and the a quick Soduku match. After that we took a little nap before lunch. We decided to hit Johnny Rockets for a pretty friggin awesome milk shake.

The highlight of the afternoon was the jackpot BINGO in the Star Lounge. We only played one match of BINGO. Unfortunately over the years BINGO has become a little pricey, but it is still a great time. Bubs and I shared a 6 card package with the tablet and a bunch of pull tabs which came to $69.00. Bubs managed the tablet. We also got an additional card for the final game because of our Crown & Anchor status.

Let’s just say we didn’t win….by a lot! We did have a good time though. After BINGO it was time to get ready for dinner, and watch the sunset.

We decided to have Sabor Modern Mexican for our last night dinner.

Drink Menu

Starters

Main

Dessert

After dinner the Bubs and I walked the ship a bit, we then went back to the cabin and packed up our suitcases. It was getting late but there was one more event that I wanted to see.

THE QUEST

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas, adults only scavenger hunt, THE Quest takes place in Studio B.

Those who do not know about the quest, The audience is divided in to teams, a male and female captain are picked. The Activities Director and his staff will call for an item. The audience will search for the item and give it to the captains who then run to the host with their team number, and voila! Points are given.

The show starts out mild and end usually pretty wild. I must stress that this is NOT a child friendly nor for those without an adventurous sense of humor.

When THE QUEST ends prizes are given, and everyone goes on their merry way. It’s time to prepare to go home.

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – Departure Morning

Departure morning came, we washed up. Headed up to the Windjammer, had a nice breakfast. Royal Caribbean asked that all guest be out of their cabins by 9AM. The ship was delayed a bit getting in. We had an early afternoon flight so we weren’t in a rush getting to the airport. Needless to say we left the cabin exactly at 9AM. If you have read any of my other cruise blogs you will know that I do not take elevators while cruising with the exception of departure. I don’t put my luggage out the night before. I prefer to just grab my luggage and take an elevator to the departure deck.

Like I said before, the ship was late getting in. The line to walk off the ship wrapped from the Aft elevators through the Main dining room on the port side through the serving stations up the starboard side of the MDR then out the doors by the starboard side Boleros lounge. Shortly after that we were through customs, and outside the terminal in the scrum of those leaving and the arriving passengers.

We took UBER. Pro-tip: Walk like 500ft from Terminal G to Terminal H (it’s the very small terminal as you are leaving the cruise terminal complex. There is a small loading zone / taxi stand. Order your car there. We were at FLL Airport 30 minutes later.

Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas – VOOM Review

VOOM is Royal Caribbean’s High Speed Internet package at Seas. I purchased the Sip and Stream package which included the Deluxe Drink Package and the Surf + Stream package for $53 USD. The drink package was $41, so I paid roughly around $12 a day for internet.

So let’s talk about the speeds.

The speeds are listed left to right by cruise days starting with day 1. As you can see the ship was pretty consistent. There were some latency / ping issues but I was still able to use face book, and watch videos and I could pretty much Periscope when I felt like it.

Now I also have AT&T and the plan I have allows me to use my phone in Mexico without any additional charge.

Both Costa Maya (left) and Cozumel (right) had decent speeds while in port. Bandwidth quickly turned to non existent in Costa Maya once we went to the interior of the country side. I did not venture out of the Port in Cozumel so I can not report on that.