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March 19 – 23, 2009 - Ft. Lauderdale – At Sea – Cozumel – At Sea –
Ft. Lauderdale.
 I
just returned from our hosted familiarization trip on RCCL’s
Navigator of the Seas which sailed on a 4 night Mexico itinerary to
Cozumel from Port Everglades. It was a great opportunity to
reacquaint myself with the RCCL product and especially the Voyager
Class vessels.
Built in 2002, the Navigator of the Seas is the fourth of five ships
in RCCL’s very popular Voyager Class ships which accommodate 3114
guests, based on double occupancy. The ship is an impressive site
with over 700 balcony staterooms and suites and the signature Viking
Crown Lounge around the funnel. The impression is not diminished
upon boarding.
The Royal Promenade, a feature on all Voyager class ships, is a site
to behold. Running the length of a football field and expanding
over 4 decks, this thoroughfare is home to many of the shops, bars
and lounges on board. It is “Main Street” of the Navigator of the
Seas. Everything from a specialty wine bar, coffee shop, and pub
can be found here as well as shops and specialty kiosks down the
way. There are also Promenade Staterooms and those windows look
out onto the Royal Promenade. This is a very popular place on board
and each of the individual venues along the Royal Promenade feature
their own ambience some even have designated entertainment. They
also produce street parties with various themes over the duration of
the cruise. We had a great 70’s night party on our trip that really
had a Mardi Gras feel to it.
From here it was up the elevators to deck 7 and my stateroom. I
stayed in a standard balcony stateroom and it was very comfortable
with a sitting area and either a queen or two twin beds. Standard
features include ship to shore phones complete with caller ID (for
internal calls) and voicemail, safe, minibar, hair dryer and
interactive television with international programming, dedicated
ship channels, pay per view and the ability to check your on board
account, order wine or room service, purchase excursions etc. – a
nice touch. The balcony is also very comfortable with two chairs
and a table and is the perfect place to start off the morning with
your coffee. The bathroom shower has glass doors so no clingy
curtains! After inspecting my room it was off to the lifeboat
drill and then up deck to sail away.
After a great first night, we had a complete tour of the ship and
all of its public areas. This was great as there are so many places
to see. There are many rooms suitable for cocktail functions,
meetings and breakouts, or simply relaxing. Below is a list of each
room and its capacity:
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Metropolis Theatre – main show
lounge – capacity 1362.
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Studio B – ice rink and show
lounge ice can be covered for meetings – capacity 904.
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Conference Center – capacity 425
as a single room, can be broken into several smaller rooms all
with individual A/V support.
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Ixtapa Lounge – show lounge –
capacity 308.
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Viking Crown Lounge – Deck 14
panoramic ocean views – capacity 252 as a single room can also
be broken into smaller areas.
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Screening Room – cinema – capacity
60.
In addition to these main rooms are several themed bars like
Bolero’s (Latin) – 89, Vintages (Wine Bar) – 66, Connoisseur Club
(Cigar Room) – 26, Two Poets (Pub) – 86, Champagne Bar – 58, and
Cosmopolitan Jazz Club – 40.
There are also many venues when it comes to dining on board the
Navigator of the Seas. Breakfasts and lunches are served buffet
style with added stations (omelet, carving, etc) in the Windjammer
Café on Deck 11. Also, you can order complimentary room service for
breakfast which is very nice. There is also a Johnny Rocket’s on
board that is open daily featuring the burgers, shakes, malts and
show you know from the famous franchise. A nominal fee ($4.95) is
charged for meals here and it is open from 11 am to 1am. The main
dining room is also open for breakfast and lunch depending on the
day.
The
main dining room is three decks tall and separated into three dining
rooms depending which deck it is on. There is the Nutcracker (Deck
3) capacity 735, the Coppelia (Deck 4) capacity 502 and Swan Lake
(Deck 5) capacity 544. We had our tables in the Coppelia and our
waiter and assistant waiter were excellent. In addition, the head
waiter was very visible and took the time to stop by all tables to
ensure that we were happy with the food and service. We were very
happy with our food and service. The food in the Coppelia was very
good. I found it to be the best I have ever had on RCCL,
especially the starters and main courses which were every bit as
good as you would expect from Celebrity or others. We made mention
to our head waiter, who was from India, that we enjoyed Indian food
and starting with the next night and every night after we were
treated with a chef’s selection of Indian cuisine brought to our
tables. It was fantastic. We were all very impressed by this.
While the food was very good, it was the service that really stood
out to me. Our waiter was exceptional and his assistant was as
well. Our food was brought out, made to order with great efficiency
and presentation. The food was so good in the Coppelia that some
of our group that intended to dine in Chops (specialty steakhouse)
or Portofino (specialty Italian) chose to stay in Coppelia.
Speaking of these specialty restaurants, they are available by
reservation only, for an upcharge of $25 per person or $20 per
person respectively.
The entertainment on the Navigator of the Seas was very good. There
really is something for everyone. The production shows are very
good and the sets are very impressive. The comedian was genuinely
funny and did both a family show and an adult only show. There are
also several live bands that play out on the pool deck, along the
Royal Promenade and in the Viking Crown Lounge. The Studio B ice
show was fantastic and is unique to RCCL as well as the adult only
game show “The Quest”. There are the various bars and lounges
which each offer a different environment. The Schooner Bar is the
piano lounge complete with sing along piano man. The Dungeon is the
night club that goes to the wee hours. And on one night, RCCL
transforms the Solarium pool area into Club Twenty – a South Beach
and Nikki Beach Club inspired under the stars nightclub. There is
also the casino, which is very large and features all the best in
table games and slots. In addition to the entertainment are events
like wine tastings at Vintages, karaoke, etc.
In summary, the Navigator of the Seas is a great option for
incentive groups of various levels. It is certainly a great
introduction for first time groups in the short cruise market. There
is no hardware in the short cruise market that can deliver the “wow”
factor of this ship. The ship is also a great option for meetings
with RCCL having the only truly designated conference facilities at
sea on this class of ship and above. The Navigator, and the entire
Voyager Class, is a sure fire winner when it comes to our market.
The service, food quality, entertainment, and hardware are at the
top of the mass market. |
