Royal Caribbean – Navigator of the Seas!

Confession: Until this past weekend, I’d never been on a cruise!Really! I just never quite understood what all the fuss was about.

Wow. My eyes were opened! After getting a chance to spend time on one of Royal Caribbean’s beautiful ships that sails out of Galveston TX, my family is already planning our next vacation to be … a cruise! The ship we sailed on was the Navigator Of The Seas, and it was so full of restaurants and entertainment we couldn’t even see it all during our sailing! Ice rink? Yep. Flow Rider, surfing on board? Check!Multiple Pools, jaccuzzi’s, restaurants, and pubs? Yes! Yes!

Boarding – I was impressed with the well oiled machine that was our boarding. It moved very quickly, and we were shown to our stateroom swiftly. It didn’t hurt that as soon as we were on board I was handed a tropical drink! I wish all check ins included such fun treats!

State Room – We just LOVED the ample space on our balcony, as well as the ability to have a sitting room and bedroom during the day, and then come back to the room at night and discover our couch had been turned down into a full bed as well! Our stateroom was very clean, and I was really surprised at the great use of space in the cabin. I had plenty of room, and even with my husband and preschooler in the cabin with me – we never felt on top of each other! For those that like details – we were in room 6656.

Sailing out of Galveston – We really appreciated the availability of sailing out of Galveston. It was within driving distance for us, and we had great fun exploring the island before we sailed. We easily found a beautiful hotel too stay in the night before we sailed, that was close to the port and very reasonably priced. We also enjoyed sitting on our balcony before embarking, watching dolphins playing and jumping in Galveston Bay!

 

Food – I can’t even begin too tell you how delicious and vast the food variety was. When we ate in the less formal, Wind Jammer buffet I was thrilled to find not just the normal buffet fare, but also many dishes with ethnic origins that I could try! My daughter could not wrap her mind around all of the kid friendly choices, or the never ending desserts and ice cream! But we were all just totally speechless when we dined in the Sapphire Dinning Room. That meal is now in the top three meals of my life! Escargot, Surf & Turf, Roast duck, Souffles! Just unreal.

Kid Friendly –  As sad as I thought I was when our cruise ended, our 5 year old said she would miss it even more. We had such good family time on Navigator of the Seas. Swimming in the pool, on deck parties, really great conversations over beautiful meals. It was a bonding experience for all three of us. And I also love that Royal Caribbean offers Kids Clubs on ship so mom and dad can have a much needed date – all while the kids can be having the time of their lives in the Adventure Ocean Program! I cant think of another vacation option that comes with a fun educational babysitter at the ready!

Who is a Royal Caribbean Cruise Right for – After seeing what a wide range of activities are available on a Royal Caribbean Cruise, I would say a Cruise is for anyone that wants to feel pampered! A Cruise can be super romantic, full of adventure, a family bonding moment, or a chance to explore other cultures! It’s what you make it!

I feel kind of foolish for never considering a Cruise before this. Its definitely on my radar now, and I feel confident we will be booking a cruise again soon!

 

Thanks to Royal Caribbean for providing a chance to experience their Cruise line. All thoughts/opinions are my own.