Navigator of the Seas….what we really thought….

As you may know I’ve just returned  from a week on board Navigator of the Seas, we sailed from Southampton to Spain, Portugal and France and the cruise was during the school holidays.

We had a really fantastic time, and my little girl really loved the ship….which little girl wouldn’t? All in all we had a great cruise and I would without question sail with Royal Caribbean again perhaps next time we’d like to try one of the newer bigger ships. This cruise was our first as a family with a little one and never having cruised with a child before it was a whole different ball game.

The first thing I have to say was that our balcony cabin was definately the right choice cabin wise for us. When I booked the cruise I was torn between the ocean view and the balcony, cost wise there wasn’t a huge difference so we treated ourselves…and I am so pleased we did. It meant that in the evenings when Sofia had gone to sleep we could sit and have a drink on the balcony without disturbing her. In the afternoon when we came back to the cabin and wanted a little rest and relaxation before the evening began we could sit and enjoy the balcony. As a family all together in one cabin it can feel a little cramped, the balcony gave that feeling of space which we definately needed. I have to say we were a little worried about the pullman bed for Sofia but we needn’t have been, she loved it and it worked for us really well, we did ask for a bed rail so she didn’t fall out on top of us!

We chose My Time dining, again a first for us and again the right choice for us as a family. I have to say on the first evening when we arrived to the dining room, it was very busy and we did have to queue, it seemed everyone arrived at the same time and in turn was a little chaotic. The next night and in fact for the rest of the cruise we booked our table the night before for whatever time suited us that day. This meant we could take advantage of being able to dine at a time we wished but also meant we didn’t have to stand in the busy queue every evening. It worked really well for us and I would do this again for sure.

As a school half term holiday cruise of course there were lots of children on board and out of about 3000 passengers 1000 were children.!! We expected this of course but there were passengers on board who didn’t realise it was school holidays and were shocked and also a little upset. The children on the whole were very well behaved but it did mean that areas were absolutely jam packed with kids. One day the main pool was so full with children it was almost dangerous for my daughter to get in, and I don’t think I have ever seen so many children at once in a hot tub! For us cruising as a family it was what we expected but I could understand those passengers on board for a relaxing and quiet cruise not being so happy about this.

Food is always a topic for discussion when anyone returns from their cruise, so what did we think. Well personally we thought the food in the Windjammer buffet was fantastic. There was plenty of choice, it was very tasty and we dined there for breakfast and lunch. It was a very busy dining option and finding a table could be a challenge but we always found one. The main dining room I would say the food was good just not fantastic. There wasn’t as much choice as I remembered and the food itself wasn’t upto the high standards you come to expect. The best meal we had was a steak but this came with a $10 per person charge a charge you shouldn’t really have to pay when you are dining in the main restaurant. All the meals should be of a high quality not just the ones they charge extra for. Don’t get me wrong on the whole the food wasn’t terrible just not as good as it has been on previous Royal Caribbean cruises.

The activities on board were fantastic for families. The rock climbing very popular although Sofia wasn’t quite old enough to try this as the minimum age is 6. The ice skating again was popular and we did find it hard to get her a session as it was so so busy. One morning Martin had to queue for nearly 2 hours just to make sure she got a place on one of the sessions, it seemed that if you didn’t pre book this on the morning you had absolutely no chance of getting to skate. There were a few disappointed kids around as it wasn’t very clear how to book and people did miss out. Flow Rider was the same and very very busy so you needed to book this. There were lots of other activities to join in with from the entertainers and Sofia loved playing the games and competitions.

Entertainment wise we watched a couple of shows which we enjoyed. The highlight for us with Sofia was watching the Ice Show, it was amazing and she absolutely loved it. Entertainment wise we didn’t get to sample it all with a young child, but there were plenty of shows, lots of live music and all the bars with various quizzes and games.

All in all we had a brilliant cruise and I would definately recommend Royal Caribbean for a family cruise. We loved cruising as a family and we’re already looking for our next one. Have you sailed with Royal Caribbean recently? Do you have a favourite cruise line for your family cruise?

I would love as always to hear your views.

Until next time thanks for reading Abbi x