Cruisin' the Caribbean - Navigator of the Seas

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In port at Cozumel Island

Most of you have probably been on cruises before, and I had seen pictures of cruise ships, but the enormity of this ship in person is overwhelming at first.  The Navigator of the Seas is one of the largest passenger ships in the world with 15 decks, 10 pools and whirlpools and 16 bars, clubs and lounges.  There is a rock climbing wall, miniature golf course, a theater, an ice skating rink, a fully equipped gym, spa - too many amenities to list here.  And, of course, a promenade lined with shops for duty free purchases of clothing, accessories, jewelry, booze and souvenirs.  Click on this link if you want to watch a short video tour or just enjoy the random pictures that follow. (Be forewarned, I'm in no way a professional photographer!)

The main pool deck.  It got pretty crowded and noisy during at-sea days, but there was always music, sometimes live bands, contests of all sorts (The Best of Belly Flops, Sexiest Man Contest, etc), a projection screen at the other end (not shown).  This was a great place to people-watch!

One of the whirlpools.  This one was indoors by the gym but outside ones in full sun, outside but shaded and adult only options were available.

The life boats, a critical (to me, at least!) but hopefully unused feature.

The Metropolis Theater stage.  We saw, to name a few, a Broadway-type show, a comedy show, a dancing show that rivaled Dancing With The Stars and a musical performance.  The entertainment was top notch and we enjoyed a different performance each evening before dinner.

A view of the Promenade.  Another great place to people-watch.

Looking down over the Promenade.  It reminded me very much of the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

One of the lounges where the one of the musterings, a mandatory safety drill, took place before setting sail.

Adult only pool.  This is the area where we spent the most time enjoying the spas, soaking up the sun and feeling the Caribbean breeze on our faces.

The main dining room is 3 stories tall and this staircase reminded me of the one in the Titanic!

Looking up from one end of the Promenade.  The little balconies on either side allowed you to people-watch while waiting for the sometimes slow elevators.  Are you sensing a theme yet of how we spent a lot of our time on board?

The Windjammer Cafe where you could find a full buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinners if you needed a snack or a full meal in between meals in the main dining room.  It wrapped around the entire back of the shop and provided great views of the wake the ship left.

The chapel.  It was on the uppermost level of the ship and hosted at least two weddings that I heard of while we were at sea.  How memorable would that be? 

The ocean, far away from land, is deep, dark blue.

The pool deck at night.  Not a terrific picture, but it shows the huge projection screen that showed movies at night, ship information and funny videos during the day.

The gym had every type of machine that I've ever seen at any gym on shore and consultations for all types of services, from weight loss to yoga and more. 

The waitstaff performed "America the Beautiful" and "Deep in the Heart of Texas" after the final evening meal.

The stateroom was not as tiny as I had envisioned.  We chose an interior room, figuring that we wouldn't spend much time in the room.  That turned out to be true and we had just enough space for comfort.  Entering the room was a bathroom on one side with a large closet with shelving on the other.  Moving into the room, there was a desk and drawers on the closet side and a two-seat sofa tucked behind the bathroom on the other.  The king sized bed fit snugly against the back wall with just enough room to get by on the ends. Definitely tight, but very well planned and every square inch used.  We actually had more than enough room for our clothing and suitcases with empty space to spare.

Very efficiently laid out and not at all claustrophobic.

The bathroom was tiny and the subject of many jokes.  The cruise director commented one time about dropping the soap and having to exit the shower to pick it up, then reenter to continue your bathing!

Housekeeping, of course, took place when we were out of the room and it baffled me just how they knew when you were out and about.  We were never once disturbed by the maid service when in the room and the steward was very responsive to any issues we had, eve providing extra padding when I complained of the bed being too hard. Of course, our days ended wonderfully when we returned to the cabin to be welcomed by these charming residents...

Towel dog

Towel elephant

And my very favorite, towel monkey!  I actually laughed out loud when I saw this upon opening the door to the room.

I hope I've been able to convey at least a little of how luxurious the ship was.  Those of you who have cruised in the past can probably compare this to ships you've been on.  And for those of you who have never been on a sea vessel like this should really give it a try some time.  It's definitely a bucket list experience!

Until next time..