Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas (Voyager Class)

Ahhh, cruising! What joy, for those who love it…even as we were getting off the ship we wanted to get back on go again! This is definitely a compliment to the beautiful Navigator of the Seas, which we had just sailed to Cozumel, Belize City and back on a 5 day itinerary.

Note: As always, click on the pictures for full-sized view. If you have any questions or would like to see more pictures, please feel free to email me at admin@travel-like-a-pro.com.

The Navigator of the Seas (Royal Caribbean Voyager Class), anchored off Belize

Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas is part of the Voyager class of ships, like the Adventure of the Seas we went on two years ago. The ships in this class are all nearly identical, and offer a quality experience. We also found the ship to be quite similar in style to the larger Freedom classwe sailed last year, although with Freedom’s larger size and more recnet laucnh and design, the Freedom offered extras such as the Flowrider surfing simulator and the huge H2O Zone for kids.

Downtown Miami from the Port, on the deck of the Navigator (we sailed late due to a Norwegian ship issue, as we took on some of their passengers)

We began our cruise in the Port of Miami, a convenient and familiar port for us. The flight from Toronto is under 3 hours and it’s always easy to find a hotelfor the pre-cruise night. We had a lovely dinner at the Bayside area of Biscayne, a lively waterfront market – highly recommended! During the day most days, you can see ships in the cruise ship port from here, and it gets you excited for the next morning when you know you’ll be boarding yours.

The beautiful Jewel of the Seas sailing out of Miami

Embarkation

As always, we arrived fairly early (before noon) and found no line up at all. We were able to get right on the ship and look around before most of the other passengers had arrived, a pleasure of ours as we like the feeling of having the ship to ourselves and being able to take pictures without the crowds.

Having been on the Freedom of the Seas last year, I was a little worried about finding the boat small or old, but it was neither – she was gorgeous in every way! This Spring I sailed the Rhapsody of the Seas and although she was also beautiful, I found the ship way too small for me, and was concerned that the Freedom had spoiled me for any other subsequent cruise. Thankfully, the Navigator proved that wrong and the entire journey was a pleasure.

The staff in the crusie ship terminal are friendly and helpful, and after tipping the porter to take our luggage, we were on the ship within a few minutes. The Navigator was decked out in Holiday splendor, as our sailing took us into early December.

The Navigator Promenade, all decked out for the Holidays

Note: the baggage handlers are very busy and handle large amounts of luggage: if you have delicate or fragile items you may wish to carry them on board with you in a carry on. My sunglasses case with extra shades in it was nestled in a side pocket of my suitcase and was somewhat crushed when I received it in my stateroom…luckily the case did its job and the expensive sunglasses were fine. Lesson learned.

The Ship

Like all Voyager class ships from Royal Caribbean, The Navigator holds just over 3100 passengers at full capacity, and is capable of sailing almost anywhere in the world. This particular ship had just come from doing the summer in Europe, and can easily be envisioned fitting in there. She is elegant and tasteful inside and out, without the neon and flashiness of some of her rivals, such as Carnival. Every cruise line has its dedicated fans, and Royal Caribbean tends to attract Europeans, middle class Americans, Canadians and Spanish from places like Mexico and other Central American countries. The ship’s passenger demographic will depend, of course, on the port of embarkation, but Royal Caribbean does not tend to attract party animals as much as, say, Carnival.

Pool deck with hot tubs on the Navigator of the Seas

Solarium – adults only section

Navigator docked at Cozumel, alongside the lovely Celebrity Equinox

The Navigator and its sister ships are all about the experience on board, and offer a host of things to do while at sea, which may partially explain that there were only two stops on a 5 night itinerary. These ships have a spectacular indoor promenade with shops and cafes, as well as many other areas geared toward entertaining guests. There is a wide variety of things to do on board, including:

live comedy and Broadway-style shows (including an on-ice show!*)
A full casino and nightclub
art shows, various lounges with and without live entertainment
parades and special sales events
excellent and high quality gym overlooking the bow of the ship, including a wide variety of machines, space for classes, a huge adult spa (hot tub) area and very relaxing changerooms with steamroom, sauna and showers.
a beautiful spa and wellness center
formal three level dining room, the Windjammer cafe featuring breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet style, wine bar, champagne bar, several casual cafés and also higher-end restaurants for more intimate dining (charge applies)
*skating rink and rock climbing wall
Adventure Ocean kids’ section with activities for kids of all ages – Royal Caribbean is known for it’s kids’ clubs and is very good at keeping kids busy and entertained

The ship decor is, for the most part, very elegant with a nautical theme. Some of the artwork adorning the hallways was a bit too…unique…for us, but overall the ship is lovely, especially in the common areas. Everything is kept immaculately clean, and the staff was always friendly and helpful in our experience.

The elgant Swan Lake dining room on the Navigator