1st Cruise

[luulu1999]

OmGeee!!...i use dis for our disneyland trips I have never seen the royal caribbean tab before!!! We are going on our very first cruise in May on navigator of the seas...i have absolutely no idea about anything to do with cruises! So any tips info etc would be appreciated!!

 

[crabbymom]

OmGeee!!...i use dis for our disneyland trips I have never seen the royal caribbean tab before!!! We are going on our very first cruise in May on navigator of the seas...i have absolutely no idea about anything to do with cruises! So any tips info etc would be appreciated!!

Luulu - I just got off Navigator on Monday, my second time on her in two months! She is a great ship and you will have a blast! Make sure to try all the slides on board and the flow rider if your kids are old enough. Navigator has one of the best pool deck of any Royal Caribbean ship so enjoy that.

Also, if you are going to Coco Cay, there is PLENTY to do without paying to go to the water park so don't feel like you have to spend the extra cash. Oasis lagoon is great and the wave pool is amazing! Feel free to ask any questions, but I know you will love it!

 

[Sleepy425]

We did Navigator May 2019 for my husband's 40th. We really enjoyed it. If you're going to do the waterpark, make sure the kids are tall enough to actually do the slides. When we went, we could have gotten tickets for $24. I'm paying $42 in April on Mariner for my son's special 10th birthday trip. If the cost is much more than that I don't feel it is worth it. There just aren't that may slides in there to justify a high price tag.
In Nassau beware buying things - my husband is a big watch collector. The "great prices" they were offering him were things like $800 for a watch he could buy at home for $650. So know what you should be spending if you plan on a big purchase. There is a place called the Bikini Tiki Hut that is walking distance (if you don't mind walking) from the pier. We went there Thanksgiving week 2018 with 9 kids ranging from 5-16. The staff does a great job organizing games and scavenger hunts to keep the kids entertained so the adults can relax. The beach there is not big, so it's easy to keep track of the kids. They will rent you 2 chairs and an umbrella for $25, and have lots of alcohol specials. But beware the cost of food - there was no menu, and we ended up spending a lot of money feeding all the kids. Had I known, I would have run to the McDonald's across the street.

 

[Sleepy425]

Also - did you create an account? The cruise planner account is where you can do your online check in, buy experiences, drink packages, etc.

 

[luulu1999]

We did Navigator May 2019 for my husband's 40th. We really enjoyed it. If you're going to do the waterpark, make sure the kids are tall enough to actually do the slides. When we went, we could have gotten tickets for $24. I'm paying $42 in April on Mariner for my son's special 10th birthday trip. If the cost is much more than that I don't feel it is worth it. There just aren't that may slides in there to justify a high price tag.
In Nassau beware buying things - my husband is a big watch collector. The "great prices" they were offering him were things like $800 for a watch he could buy at home for $650. So know what you should be spending if you plan on a big purchase. There is a place called the Bikini Tiki Hut that is walking distance (if you don't mind walking) from the pier. We went there Thanksgiving week 2018 with 9 kids ranging from 5-16. The staff does a great job organizing games and scavenger hunts to keep the kids entertained so the adults can relax. The beach there is not big, so it's easy to keep track of the kids. They will rent you 2 chairs and an umbrella for $25, and have lots of alcohol specials. But beware the cost of food - there was no menu, and we ended up spending a lot of money feeding all the kids. Had I known, I would have run to the McDonald's across the street.

Thank you soo much!!...so is the normal price of the water slide part higher than that? If so how did you get a discount? My kids are 11

We did Navigator May 2019 for my husband's 40th. We really enjoyed it. If you're going to do the waterpark, make sure the kids are tall enough to actually do the slides. When we went, we could have gotten tickets for $24. I'm paying $42 in April on Mariner for my son's special 10th birthday trip. If the cost is much more than that I don't feel it is worth it. There just aren't that may slides in there to justify a high price tag.
In Nassau beware buying things - my husband is a big watch collector. The "great prices" they were offering him were things like $800 for a watch he could buy at home for $650. So know what you should be spending if you plan on a big purchase. There is a place called the Bikini Tiki Hut that is walking distance (if you don't mind walking) from the pier. We went there Thanksgiving week 2018 with 9 kids ranging from 5-16. The staff does a great job organizing games and scavenger hunts to keep the kids entertained so the adults can relax. The beach there is not big, so it's easy to keep track of the kids. They will rent you 2 chairs and an umbrella for $25, and have lots of alcohol specials. But beware the cost of food - there was no menu, and we ended up spending a lot of money feeding all the kids. Had I known, I would have run to the McDonald's across the street.

So is the water slides more than 42 each if so how do u get a discount?...my kids are 11 and 12 and i know at least 1 will want to do them lol...so me and my mom will be going we arent big drinkers we might have a cocktail or 2 at night is that worth buying the drink card or we should just pay cash?

 

[luulu1999]

Luulu - I just got off Navigator on Monday, my second time on her in two months! She is a great ship and you will have a blast! Make sure to try all the slides on board and the flow rider if your kids are old enough. Navigator has one of the best pool deck of any Royal Caribbean ship so enjoy that.

Also, if you are going to Coco Cay, there is PLENTY to do without paying to go to the water park so don't feel like you have to spend the extra cash. Oasis lagoon is great and the wave pool is amazing! Feel free to ask any questions, but I know you will love it!

We are doing 4 day bahama will there be enough time to enjoy the ship too?? We do have a whole day of sailing but i feel like there will be so much to do lol

 

[luulu1999]

Also is there parking available where u get on the ship? We are leaving from Miami...i have so many questions i dont know how any of it works lol

 

[crabbymom]

Thank you soo much!!...so is the normal price of the water slide part higher than that? If so how did you get a discount? My kids are 11

So is the water slides more than 42 each if so how do u get a discount?...my kids are 11 and 12 and i know at least 1 will want to do them lol...so me and my mom will be going we arent big drinkers we might have a cocktail or 2 at night is that worth buying the drink card or we should just pay cash?

We were able to purchase the water park passes during a sale, keep an eye on your cruise planner for discounts. They usually happen once a month or so. Also, if you purchase it and then see a lower price, you can cancel and get the lower price. Keep in mind that everyone that enters the park has to buy a ticket, even if you are not doing the slides, and there is no child price. There is plenty to do outside of the park also.

The drink package is worth it if you get 5 or more cocktails, otherwise it is cheaper to pay by the drink.

We are doing 4 day bahama will there be enough time to enjoy the ship too?? We do have a whole day of sailing but i feel like there will be so much to do lol

You will be fine! We sometimes stay on the ship in Nassau since we have been there a few times and it can get really crowded (6 ships in port last weekend!) and take advantage of most people being off the ship but check your daily planner to make sure that what you want to do will be available. The other option in Nassau is to find a good resort like Sleepy mentioned.

Oh, don't miss the ice show in the evenings. It is really cool and they use drones!

 

[Sleepy425]

Like the above poster said, you need to log into your cruise planner and see. Every cruise has a different price - some people are being charged as much as $120+ for water park tickets! It’s insane the price difference, but the big ships are charging more to keep crowds down. Book now if you’re ok with the price, and check back often to see if it went down. If it did, cancel and rebook.
last year I paid $46/day for the deluxe drink package. My cruise on Mariner in April the lowest I have seen it was $60 - so I’m skipping it. I just don’t drink enough to make it worth it at that price.

 

[luulu1999]

More questions lol...we havent booked yet I am going to either next week or the week after, I am thinking about a Balcony room but everyone says to try and get mid ship but that isnt available for balcony, should I go to ocean view or interior or just get balcony on front or back

 

[Frozen2014]

We went on Navigator with our kids (14 and 10 years) this past August and loved it. Unfortunately we missed CoCo Cay due to Dorian (but our upcoming cruise in March goes there), but loved the ship.

Tips

• Go to the slides early , especially the tube one as it gets busy. Another good time to go is on a port day if you are staying on board or return early.
• Bring closed shoes as you need them if you want to play Laser Tag. This also has lines but is tons of fun. Go at start of the opening time if you can.
• Don't miss the ice show.
• If you have some down time, our kids spent lots of time at Playmakers either on the pool table or the foozball
• We also enjoyed a lot of the trivia or fun events in the Schooner Bar
• Speaking of Schooner Bar, if David Curtis is still there at night, he is hilarious. He does musical improv on the piano and I recommend stopping by. DH and I loved hearing him but out kids enjoyed him too.

Love the pool decks on Navigator. The pool is wonderful (with at least one of them having stairs to get in), and very lively with the colors. There is also great seating all around with day beds and hammocks.

Enjoy your cruise. I really enjoyed Navigator.

 

[Frozen2014]

More questions lol...we havent booked yet I am going to either next week or the week after, I am thinking about a Balcony room but everyone says to try and get mid ship but that isnt available for balcony, should I go to ocean view or interior or just get balcony on front or back

Mid ship is good, but we also book aft section. We like being near aft elevators as it's really convenient and near most of the activities....slides, flowrider, rock wall, Windhammer, MDR.
(Having said that, Navigator is a great size ship and nothing is really that far away - even if going from the MDR to the theatre).

 

[luulu1999]

Mid ship is good, but we also book aft section. We like being near aft elevators as it's really convenient and near most of the activities....slides, flowrider, rock wall, Windhammer, MDR.
(Having said that, Navigator is a great size ship and nothing is really that far away - even if going from the MDR to the theatre).

Thank you soooo much for the great info and tips!! Hearing everyone else say how much they love the ship gets me even more excited!!...we are leaving from miami...do they have parking there or how does that work because we will be driving down!

 

[crabbymom]

Thank you soooo much for the great info and tips!! Hearing everyone else say how much they love the ship gets me even more excited!!...we are leaving from miami...do they have parking there or how does that work because we will be driving down!

Plenty of parking at Port of Miami. Navigator berths at Terminal A, the newest terminal and there is a ton of garage parking. I would be wary of parking at one of the off-site lots. I did once, and worried about my car the entire trip!

 

[mevelandry]

Thank you soo much!!...so is the normal price of the water slide part higher than that? If so how did you get a discount? My kids are 11

So is the water slides more than 42 each if so how do u get a discount?...my kids are 11 and 12 and i know at least 1 will want to do them lol...so me and my mom will be going we arent big drinkers we might have a cocktail or 2 at night is that worth buying the drink card or we should just pay cash?

Prices can get much higher than that. If you have already booked, if you go online, you should be able to book excursions and therefore see the prices for the waterpark. On my next cruise that stops at CocoCay, there will be two ships on the island and the last time I checked, the prices were over 75$/pp which I do not find worth it.

I agree with @crabbymom ... CocoCay is awesome and you can have a lot of fun even without the waterpark.

Not sure the drink card appears on all cruises. It wasn't on mine... and the drink package is not really worth it unless you drink at least 6 drinks per day. I'd recommend to pay as you go?

 

[mevelandry]

We are doing 4 day bahama will there be enough time to enjoy the ship too?? We do have a whole day of sailing but i feel like there will be so much to do lol

There will be a lot to do on the ship. My DH and I tried RCCL for a 3 nights and there were TONS of things we never had the time to do (mini-golf, waterslides, etc.), even though we spent most of Nassau Day on the ship.

I don't know if a sea day will be enough to do it all.

That being said, since it's your first cruise, I'd feel bad to recommend to stay on the ship in Nassau. You might want to explore the port a little bit? If you like beaches, I highly recommend Blue Lagoon. It's fun and quite different from CocoCay so you won't feel like you're just repeating excursions.

 

[mevelandry]

More questions lol...we havent booked yet I am going to either next week or the week after, I am thinking about a Balcony room but everyone says to try and get mid ship but that isnt available for balcony, should I go to ocean view or interior or just get balcony on front or back

During a short first cruise, you probably won't spend much time in the cabin. I would recommend booking an ocean view... and bid on Royal Up for a balcony room (you bid a certain amount and a few days before your cruise, you will know if your bid is accepted and if you will get "upgraded").

I'm part of those who prefer to be aft or forward because there are less people in the halls so it's more quiet at night. I

 

[luulu1999]

More questions lol, I have seen things about formal events is this like every night or just once per cruise or what, we are not "formal" type of people lol i cant even get my son to wear jeans his wardrobe consists of baskeball shorts or joghing pants with a tshirt lol so what are the rules of formal lol..and ive heard things about drinks, like tea water and juice is available for free but sodas cost correct?? Ive also heard u cant bring sodas on RC??

 

[Frozen2014]

More questions lol, I have seen things about formal events is this like every night or just once per cruise or what, we are not "formal" type of people lol i cant even get my son to wear jeans his wardrobe consists of baskeball shorts or joghing pants with a tshirt lol so what are the rules of formal lol..and ive heard things about drinks, like tea water and juice is available for free but sodas cost correct?? Ive also heard u cant bring sodas on RC??

No worries about your MDR-wear. On Navigator (the shorter cruises), they call it "dress your best", but you will see everything, and generally not formal. I tend to bring summer dresses so I wear the same weather it's formal or a regular evening (and sometimes I wear slacks and a blouse).

For my DS14, I tend to bring slacks and a plain coloured tshirt (and sometimes a button down shirt). For the first time last cruise on Navigator, he protested, so by night 3, I just let him wear what he wanted, which was shorts and a tshirt one night. It made no difference.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can bring 12 standard size cans of pop.

 

[Denise W]

We board Anthem tomorrow and are carrying on 12 17 oz sodas. They allow 12 per stateroom, soda or water.
Denise