Navigator Of The Seas

Launched in 2002, Navigator of the Seas is the 4th Voyager-class Royal Caribbean ship, together with Adventure, Explorer, Mariner and Voyager.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is an US company, trademarked brand and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both number of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All Royal Caribbean liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 139,570-ton, 3,114-passenger cruise ship Navigator of the Seas, like her sister ships, sports some of cruise industry's most wonderful facilities: a rock-climbing wall, ice-skating rink, mall-like indoor promenade, basketball court and in-line skating track. Although Navigator of the Seas is a definite member of the Voyager family, she has her own look and conveniences (a lot of which were repeated on the last of the 5 sister vessels, Mariner of the Seas). Navigator boasts more exterior glass (in balcony staterooms) than her predecessors, and such facilities as a wine bar for appreciation and amusement, expanded youth amenities, a Plaza zone with a diversity of dining venues (both no-fee and fee), the first Latin jazz bar at sea and the first sea-going Ben and Jerry's ice cream parlor (Royal Caribbean has since spread these concepts across its fleet).

Cruise itinerary program

Navigator of the Seas itinerary program is based on 7-day Western Caribbean cruises from Galveston TX, and to Western and Eastern Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale FL. Feature port destinations include Cozumel Mexico, Jamaica, Belize, Puerto Rico, Grand Cayman and Labadee (Royal Caribbean's Haiti private island resort).

Cabins

Most Navigator of the Seas staterooms are 150-sq.foot insides (499). Almost 50% of ship's accommodations have private balcony views. There are a total of 1636 staterooms in 28 categories. 27 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. Navigator also features 81 Virtual Balcony rooms. The largest aboard Navigator of the Seas are the Royal Suites (1335 ft2 - more than 120 m2!).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Eating options aboard Navigator of the Seas were expanded during ship's 2014 refurbishment. The line added Sabor - a Mexican restaurant, and Izumi Japanese Cuisine - Asian-fusion eatery. The Italian Portofino was replaced with a new family-style option called Giovanni's Table. Longtime Royal Caribbean's steakhouse Chops Grille features a revamped menu including premium steak options. The 3-level main dining room was consolidated under one name, the Sapphire and redesigned - now decorated in golds and whites, with a grand staircase, dark carpeting, white linens, and a dramatic chandelier. Reservations are recommended for the specialty restaurants. Guests can make reservations online (up to 4 days prior to cruise) for parties of up to 6, or once onboard at reservation tables outside the Windjammer buffet, by calling guest services or at the restaurants themselves.

Follows the complete list of Navigator of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Sapphire (735-seat aft Dining Room with fixed seating for Dinner)
• Windjammer Cafe lido buffet restaurant (348-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7:00-11:30 a.m., Lunch 11.30-3:30 p.m. and Dinner 6.30-9:00 p.m.)
• Johnny Rockets Restaurant (72-seat burger bar, extra fee applied)
• Giovanni’s Table (88-seat Italian specialty restaurant, reservations recommended)
• Sabor Modern Mexican Restaurant
• Chops Grille (124-seat steakhouse; seafood)
• Izumi (Japanese restaurant).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

At night, Navigator of the Seas offers traditional-style productions (singing and dancing shows) presented in The Royal Theatre. Bar venues offer various musical performances aimed to please everybody at any time with classical guitar, jazz and country. Beyond the usual, where this cruise vessel excels is the unique, like Studio B ice rink which hosts "Ice Dancing" - worth the effort to get a ticket (free of charge but the venue is tiny, so tickets are limited). The Royal Promenade on some nights comes alive with street entertainment. New to the ship after the refurbishment is the signature R Bar, which replaced the Champagne Bar located on Deck 5, outside the Promenade. This is a very popular gathering spot for pre- and post-dinner exotic cocktails, mixed by using various techniques.

Follows the complete list of Navigator of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Royal Theatre (1362-seat, features two grand productions per night with dance, acrobatics, comedy and game shows)
• Studio B Lounge (904-seat indoor ice-skating rink; also serves as a spot for ice shows, cooking demos, game parties)
• Focus Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery
• The Centrum (social hub); Boleros Lounge (89-seat); Star Lounge; Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (26-seat; suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Bar; Diamond Club Lounge and Bar (past guests only); Cosmopolitan Lounge and Club (40-seat jazz club)
• Schooner Bar (130-seat piano bar); Connoisseur Cigar Club (30-seat smoking lounge); Ben and Jerry’s ice cream bar; Two Poets English Pub (86-seat); Vintages lounge (66-seat wine bar); Gravity Bar (93-seat sports bar); Sky Bar; Plaza Bar (40-seat); R Bar (58-seat, wine tasting)
• Casino Royale (418-seat)
• Cafe Promenade (105-seat, 24-hour; serves snacks and drinks, as well as Starbucks specialty coffee)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (perfumes, jewellry, duty free alcohol, general store, logo/souvenirs); Sea Trek Dive Shop
• Royal Caribbean Online center (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
• Solarium lounge (includes Park Cafe, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Video Games Arcade; Teen Disco club; Living Room teen lounge area; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Navigator Dunes Golf Course; FlowRider (surfing simulator)
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40-seat, provides religious services).

• Cabin grades number: 30
• Total number of cabins: 1636 (of which 115 Suites, 638 Balcony rooms)
• Dining Rooms: Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia
• Restaurants and food bars: Windjammer (buffet), Park Cafe (deli), Portofino (Italian), Giovanni’s Table (Italian), Izumi (Asian), Jade (Asian) , Chops Grille (steakhouse), Cupcake Cupboard
• Lounges & Bars: The Metropolis, Boleros, Dungeon (nightclub), Studio B, Vintages, Cloud 9, Concierge, Crows Nest, Diamond, Star, Viking Crown, Optix (teen), Adventure Ocean (kids), R Bar, Ben & Jerry’s, Schooner, Cafe Promenade, poolside bars
• Amenities: Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.
• Vitality Spa, 7 jacuzzis, 4 pools, Rock-climbing Wall, Ice-skating Rink, FlowRider (onboard surfing), fullsized basketball court, Outdoor Theater, Nursery, 1 roller skating, 1 jogging track, wedding chapel.
• Royal Caribbean's Navigator is one of the line's Voyager-class vessels. Her sisters in the RCI fleet are Adventure, Explorer, Mariner, Voyager.
• As the other vessels in the class owned by Royal Caribbean, she was built in Finland, in 2002. The shipbuilder is Kvaerner Masa-Yards. This company has been acquired by STX Europe, branch of the South Korean corporation STX.
• Godmother of the ship is the German tennis legend Steffi Graf. The ceremony took place on the 6th of December 2002. Steffi Graf has 107 singles titles and is third in WTA chart after Martina Navratilova (167 titles) and Chris Evert (157 titles). The Navigator cruise ship set sail on her maiden voyage on the 14th of December.
• As a second generation design Royal Caribbean ship, Navigator includes a larger Windjammer buffet area with the Asian "Jade" and "The Paza" bar. The first generation metal-walled verandas are here replaced with glass ones. Also the Schooner aquarium bar is now replaced with a piano entertainment bar venue.