Shannon

Age: 35
Occupation: Office Manager
Number of Cruises: 3
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Navigator of the Seas
Sailing Date: March 19th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

We went on this cruise during spring break with our two children ages 4 and 7. We were apprehensive about bringing the kids but it ended up working out very well.

Embarkation was extremely smooth and took no time at all, we were on the ship around 1:00. We splurged on a Grand Suite and it was beautiful with plenty of room for the four of us. I loved the balcony and spent every morning out there with my room service coffee.

The first day, at sea, was very relaxing as we spent most of the day at the pool. That night was the first formal dinner and the whole family got dressed up and ate together. The kids definitely got restless as the dinners lasted a good two hours. We then watched the karaoke show and went to bed.

Monday brought us to Labadee where it was HOT! The kids went into the water park and really enjoyed it. We ate the BBQ (good chicken), had a few drinks, and then couldn't stand the heat anymore. We went back on the ship and napped for a while. Then we cleaned up for dinner, the adults going to the dining room and the kids to the kids' club for the night. Our kids ended up spending a lot of time at the kids club. The staff was so welcoming and they really showed the kids a good time.


Tuesday was Jamaica. We were with a large group and we all took buses to some caverns, about 1/2 hour drive. We had a tour and lunch and then did some shopping.

Wednesday was Grand Caymans. The kids actually wanted to stay on the ship with the kids club so we got a day to ourselves. We shopped and had a long lunch at Breezes.

Thursday was Cozumel. We went to the beach for a couple hours and then did our only excursion, a catamaran snorkel/beach trip. The catamaran was named Fury and it was a great time. The water was an amazing turquoise with lots of fish to be seen. Then we went to a private beach with kayaks, volleyball, float mats, and open bar. After about an hour we sailed back to the pier. Great excursion.

That last day at sea was again spent at the pool and there were lots of events going on poolside (horse racing, volleyball, etc.). I did most of my packing that afternoon to get it out of the way.

It was hard to get up Sat. morning, we had to be out of the room by 8:00. We hadn't been awake before 9:00 the whole cruise! We stumbled out and waited in the ice-skating arena where they showed a video of building the ship. We were one of the last people off the ship at about 11:45.

We had a wonderful vacation. I think I saw maybe 60% of the ship, there is just so much to do that we missed (rock climing, golf, ice-skating, shows, etc.). Obviously having the kids with us somewhat curtailed out activities, especially at night. I would love to do this same cruise again.

The weather was perfect, it was about 80 degrees and sunny everyday.

The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the food. We ate in the dining room every night and never had a "wonderful" meal. No meals were bad, but none were great either. I did love our dining room waiter, Zoran, he was very helpful and attentive. Our suite attendant was great also, Natividad. Every single person on the ship was very helpful and friendly.

We paid a lot for this vacation as it was peak season and we upgraded the room, but it was worth every dollar. Best vacation we've ever had!

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