Navigator Of The Seas

The 2002-built Navigator of the Seas cruise ship is the 4th Voyager-class Royal Caribbean liner, with sisterships Adventure OTS, Explorer OTS, Mariner OTS, and Voyager OTS.

The vessel (IMO number 9227508) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311478000) and registered in Nassau.

History – construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, a trademarked travel brand, and a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group (RCG). Founded in 1968, RCI today holds over one-fifth of the global cruise market. It operates RCG’s largest fleet both by vessel count and GT tonnage.

All RCI ships have names ending in “of the Seas”.

Navigator OTS, with capacity for ~3400 passengers, features many of the industry’s most distinctive facilities, including a Rock-Climbing Wall, Ice-Skating Rink, indoor Royal Promenade “street”, large Sports Complex, and an in-line Skating Track.

As a second-generation (modified) Voyager-class ship, Navigator OTS has an expanded Windjammer buffet with the Asian-themed “Jade” section and “The Plaza” bar. The metal-walled balconies on first-generation Voyager ships were replaced here with glass railings. Navigator also introduced more glass elements in public spaces, a wine bar, expanded youth facilities, the Plaza Bar zone (with complimentary and specialty dining), the fleet’s first Latin Jazz Bar, and the first Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream parlor at sea—concepts later rolled out fleetwide.

Decks and Cabins

Navigator of the Seas staterooms (1674 total, in 34 grades) include 119 Suites, 671 Balcony, 232 OceanView, 138 Promenade View, and 514 Inside cabins (including Virtual Balcony). Most cabins measure 150–160 ft² (14–15 m²), and most balconies measure 50 ft² (5 m²). The largest accommodation is the Royal Suite (1090 ft² / 101 m² plus a 215 ft² / 20 m² terrace with Jacuzzi). There are 27 wheelchair-accessible cabins.

The ship has 15 decks, 14 of which are accessible to passengers, with accommodations located on 9 decks.

Shipboard dining options – Food and Drinks

Dining options aboard Navigator OTS were significantly expanded during the 2014 refurbishment. Additions included Sabor (Mexican specialty dining) and Izumi (Asian-fusion). The former Portofino Italian restaurant was replaced by Giovanni’s Table (family-style Italian). Chops Grille, Royal Caribbean’s signature steakhouse, introduced a revamped premium menu. The three-level main dining room was consolidated under a single name—Sapphire—and redesigned in gold and white tones, with a grand staircase, dramatic chandelier, updated carpeting, and white linens.

Specialty restaurants require reservations. Guests may book online (up to 4 days before the cruise), via reservation tables near the Windjammer buffet, by calling Guest Services, or directly at the restaurant.

Navigator of the Seas restaurants and food venues include:

• Sapphire Dining Room (735-seat aft Dining Room with fixed-seating Dinner)
• Windjammer Café (348-seat Lido buffet; Early Breakfast from 6:30 am; Breakfast 7–11:30 am; Lunch 11:30 am–3:30 pm; Dinner 6:30–9 pm)
• Johnny Rockets (72-seat burger bar; surcharge applies)
• Giovanni’s Table (88-seat Italian specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Chops Grille (124-seat steakhouse; seafood)
• Izumi (Japanese restaurant)
• Jade (Asian section within Windjammer)
• Jamie’s Italian (specialty restaurant added in the 2019 refurbishment)
• Hooked Seafood (replaced Sabor Modern Mexican in 2019; specialty seafood dining)

Shipboard entertainment options – Fun and Sport

At night, Navigator OTS offers production shows (singing, dancing, acrobatics) in The Royal Theatre. Bars and lounges feature live music ranging from classical guitar to jazz and country. Studio B hosts “Ice Dancing” shows—free but ticketed due to limited seating. The Royal Promenade frequently transforms into a lively entertainment zone during themed street parties.

The 2014 refurbishment introduced the new R Bar (replacing the Champagne Bar on Deck 5), now a popular venue for pre- and post-dinner craft cocktails.

Adventure Ocean (RCI’s youth program) operates in an upgraded play area. Teen facilities were refreshed, including the redesigned Living Room lounge with a hidden entrance and access to an outdoor deck.

Additional amenities include complimentary 24-hour room service, supervised kids’ programming, Internet/WiFi access, and laundry services.

Navigator of the Seas lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues include:

• The Royal Theatre (1362 seats; two nightly productions)
• Studio B (904-seat ice rink hosting ice shows, demos, and game events)
• Focus Photo Gallery & Shop; Art Gallery
• The Centrum; Boleros Lounge (89 seats); Star Lounge; Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (26 seats; suite and loyalty guests only); Viking Crown Lounge & Bar; Crown Lounge (formerly Diamond Club); Cosmopolitan Lounge (40-seat jazz venue)
• Schooner Bar (130-seat piano bar); Connoisseur Cigar Club (30-seat smoking lounge); Ben & Jerry’s ice cream bar; Two Poets Pub (86-seat English-style pub); Vintages (66-seat wine bar); Gravity Bar (93-seat sports bar); Sky Bar; Plaza Bar (40 seats); R Bar (58 seats; wine tastings)
• Casino Royale (418 seats)
• Cafe Promenade (105 seats; 24-hour snacks, drinks, and Starbucks specialty coffees)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (duty-free shops, logo merchandise); Sea Trek Dive Shop
• Royal Caribbean Online (Internet center)
• Vitality at Sea Spa & Fitness Center; 7 Jacuzzis and 4 swimming pools
• Solarium (adults-only area with Park Café, bar, and pool)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Cupcake Cupboard
• Video Games Arcade; Teen Disco; Living Room teen lounge; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Ocean kids lounge
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball); Jogging Track; Rock-Climbing Wall; Navigator Dunes mini-golf; FlowRider surf simulator
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40 seats)

Royal Amplified 2019 additions

Following the Royal Amplified 2019 refit, Navigator OTS received several new venues and attractions:

• HOOKED SEAFOOD – casual New England–style seafood restaurant (lobster, crab claws, oysters, etc.)
• PLAYMAKERS BAR & ARCADE – adults-only sports bar with 50 large TVs, tabletop games, tournaments, trivia, and à-la-carte fast food (burgers, wings, shrimp, sliders). Age limits: 18+ (South America, Europe, Asia, Australia/NZ) or 21+ (North America).
• EL LOCO FRESH – complimentary Mexican eatery open for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
• FISH & SHIPS – à-la-carte poolside seafood bar (fresh-battered cod, lobster rolls, calamari, fries, draft beer)
• JAMIE’S ITALIAN – surcharge Italian restaurant created with chef Jamie Oliver (handmade pasta, plank boards, seasonal dishes)
• THE BAMBOO ROOM – adults-only Polynesian-themed cocktail lounge (18+/21+ depending on region)
• LASER TAG: Battle for Planet Z – complimentary glow-in-the-dark laser tag in Studio B (minimum age 5)
• ESCAPE ROOM: The Observatorium – team puzzle experience
• FLOWRIDER – complimentary surf simulator with optional paid lessons; height requirement 52 in (bodyboard) / 58 in (flow board)
• Lime and Coconut (two-level bar with live music); Johnny Rockets Express; Starbucks Bar; redesigned Mini-Golf Course
• “To Dry For” – fleet’s first blow-dry bar (quick hairstyling plus champagne/wine)

During the 2019 drydock, the Perfect Storm dual-racing waterslides were installed aft on Deck 13, positioned between the FlowRider and the Sports Court.

THE PERFECT STORM is a complimentary waterslide complex featuring two racer slides (“Cyclone” and “Typhoon”), plus “The Blaster” aqua coaster (244 m / 800 ft two-person raft slide) and “Riptide” (the first head-first mat racer at sea). Access is via a three-floor glass-enclosed spiral staircase. Height requirement: minimum 48 in (122 cm). Maximum weight: 300 lbs (136 kg).

Itineraries

Navigator of the Seas operates short Bahamas cruises (3–4 days) from Miami and Fort Lauderdale, visiting Nassau and CocoCay.

In April 2021, RCI announced that starting November 2021 Navigator OTS would be homeported in Los Angeles (San Pedro’s World Cruise Center) for mini-cruises to the Mexican Riviera. The 3–4-night roundtrips call at Ensenada and Santa Catalina Island; 5-night cruises visit Cabo San Lucas; and 7-night itineraries include Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. The last RCI deployment on the West Coast occurred in 2011 with Mariner OTS sailing from Los Angeles.

Navigator is one of Royal Caribbean's Voyager-class liners, with sisterships Adventure, Explorer, Mariner, and Voyager. Voyager-class vessels were all built in Finland by the shipbuilder Kvaerner Masa-Yards, which was later acquired by STX Europe (part of South Korea’s STX Corporation).

The ship's godmother is Stefanie Maria “Steffi” Graf (born 1969, German tennis player). The naming ceremony was held on December 6, 2002. Steffi Graf has 107 singles titles and ranks 3rd on the WTA all-time list, after Martina Navratilova (167 titles) and Chris Evert (157 titles). Navigator’s Maiden Voyage departed on December 14.

Navigator OTS refurbishment 2024 review

The ship’s most recent drydock took place from February 16 to April 6, 2024, at Seatrium Marine in Singapore.

The project focused on routine technical maintenance (machinery overhaul, classification works, minor repairs/steel works) along with hotel and interior updates, including refreshed public areas and stateroom upgrades (carpeting, upholstery, wall treatments).

Navigator OTS refurbishment 2019 review

During the 2019 drydock (January 5–February 23), the ship underwent the USD 115 million Royal Amplified modernization. Major changes included:

• On Sports Deck 13, installation of the “Cyclone” and “Typhoon” waterslides (Perfect Storm aqua park) adjacent to the new FlowRider simulator.
• On Spa Deck 12 (aft), addition of the “Slashaway Bay” kids aqua park—an interactive water play zone with cannons and geysers—replacing the former Outdoor Youth Area (“back deck”).

Following the refit, the ship gained several unique new attractions not available on other RCI vessels:

• The Blaster (RCI’s first water coaster) and Riptide (headfirst mat racing slide), both trademarked in September 2018.
• The Blaster is 244 m (800 ft) long, making it the longest two-person raft slide at sea.
• Riptide features a transparent tube section.

Another new feature for the fleet is “To Dry For” — a blow-dry bar offering express hairstyling services along with champagne and wine by the glass (trademarked July 2018).

Additional new venues and activities added during the 2019 drydock include:

• Lime and Coconut (two-level bar lounge with live music)
• Bamboo Room (lounge bar)
• Johnny Rockets Express (fleet’s first)
• Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade (featuring the “Owner’s Box” VIP room)
• Starbucks Bar (specialty coffees and pastries)
• New dining venues: El Loco Fresh, Jamie’s Italian, Hooked Seafood
• The Observatorium (Royal Escape Room)
• Battle for Planet Z (laser tag in Studio B)
• Redesigned mini-golf course

Navigator OTS refurbishment 2014 review

The February 2014 drydock resulted in the following deckplan and facility updates:

• Deck 2: Metropolis Theatre renamed Royal Theater. Board Room removed and replaced with four new Oceanview cabins.
• Deck 3: Dungeon disco replaced with 19 new Inside cabins. Photo & Art Gallery renamed to Fucus and reduced in size to allow for 15 new starboard Oceanview cabins; 5 additional cabins added portside. Dining Room renamed from Nutcracker to Sapphire.
• Deck 4: Dungeon upper level replaced by Sabor Modern Mexican (specialty restaurant). Dining Room renamed from Coppelia to Sapphire.
• Promenade Deck 5: Ixtapa Lounge renamed Star Lounge. Champagne Bar replaced with R-Bar. Shore Excursions Desk added. Dining Room renamed from Swan Lake to Sapphire. Cupcake Cupboard (bakery) added.
• Deck 9: Interior category M converted to VB (Interior Virtual Balcony).
• Deck 10: Interior categories K and L converted to VB (Interior Virtual Balcony).
• Lido Deck 11: Installation of a Jumbotron outdoor movie screen at the main pool. Pool deck flooring upgraded. Giovanni’s Table (Italian restaurant) added.
• Spa Deck 12: New Spa cabins (Panoramic Oceanview, Balcony) added around the ShipShape Spa. Introduction of the Royal Caribbean Nursery. Living Room size reduced. Back Deck (kids’ area) removed to support FlowRider.
• Deck 13: FlowRider added. In-line Track removed. Navigator Dunes mini-golf course moved from starboard to port and expanded.
• Deck 14: Cloud Nine and Seven Hearts replaced by Izumi (Asian specialty restaurant). “19th Hole” sports bar replaced by “Diamond Club” (loyalty lounge).
• Virtual Balcony staterooms introduced on decks 9 and 10 by upgrading 81 existing Interior cabins with real-time exterior camera feeds.
• New Panoramic Ocean View cabins introduced on Spa Deck 12, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
• Wi-Fi upgraded to shipwide coverage.
• Digital signage (interactive wayfinding screens) installed on multiple decks.

Cabin amenities were enhanced with smart HDTVs in all staterooms. Public areas received updated carpeting (hallways, corridors, stairways) and new furniture in bars and lounges.