Curator’s statement
Our Christmas gift every year to our three kids (Santa still comes) is a trip somewhere. This past year we chose a five-night cruise from Los Angeles to Cabo and back on Royal Caribbean's amazing Navigator of the Seas. It was beyond impressive. We are loyal to the Royal Caribbean family and this ship was renovated in the right areas. The water activities were great for the kids to stay busy for the four sailings days! I would highly recommend this ship to people with our without families. We chose the Cabo itinerary based on the reviews.
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The Navigator of the Seas delivers a maxed out adventure every day we were onboard!
We had a lot of cruise days so the activities onboard were a top priority. Our kids loved what I think is the longest waterslide at sea. and when we looked up the ship they renovated the ship by doubling the pool’s surface area and an entire deck covered with more space to lounge, swim, and for the kids to play. This matters on cruise days. The nacho bar and the endless ice cream machine on the pool deck along with the Lime and the coconut were family favorites.
Other activities we took part in a family glow-in-the-dark laser tag fight, I was challenged to get to the top of the rock climbing wall (I barely made it), ping pong, game shows, mini golf, ice skating and the wife and I dotted the Bingo cards!
Every cruise we like to go to the artwork auctions. We worked with the cruise team and negotiated another amazing Jim Warren piece. This is something I would recommend to experience, I never thought I would ever bid on artwork.
The evening shows were ok, they definitely weren't the headliners like you get in the new ships but they were worth seeing. While we were at the shows with our 13 year old daughter we had our two boys (five and eight) enjoy the kids clubs. This is truly a win for parents and kids! Highly recommend it.
Cruising Ducks! Have fun with this! The kids love them and it is fun to leave some and find those ducks everywhere on the ship!
The food is always amazing onboard the ship. We are never disappointed. We tend to not pay the extra for the in person experiences, the included meals are above and beyond! I loved to see the look on my kids faces when we walked into the main dining room! The staff really does a great job with families!
We always purchase the beverage packages for the adults. Of note on the ship best Pina Colada is at the Bamboo Room (they carry higher end Spiced Rum). The pricing for the packages are something to watch out for. It is hit or miss. Recommend at a minimum wait unto a holiday and try to get a sale. (Black Friday tends to be a good one) .
For the kids we get them one fun kid drink per day.
We booked connecting rooms on the second deck. The boys had the pullman beds, daughter had her own bed in their room and mom and dad had their own room with a king. Having the space and two bathrooms was clutch!
The City of Cabo (overnight stay)
As far as hitting the town in Cabo. Just plan it out. In Cabo the ship is anchored out and you get water shuttled back and forth. Extremely easy just note you don't pull into the pier. Some people booked a hotel chilled at a resort, we elected not to. We shopped thru the city, experience a small lunch at a local restaurant. We booked an excursions thru my Viator account and went off the coast on a pirate ship with dinner and drinks! It was whale watching season so that was a bonus! Great evening for our family.
Parking at the port of call was very easy. It was $20 a day and you are right there at the pier. Embarkation and disembarkation was extremely simple! Don't forget to pack a day bag with swim suits, sun tan lotion while they get your bags to your room! You can thank me later!
Ports of Call are my only negative review. I wouldn't waste time at Catalina or Ensenada. So that is why we looked at this Cabo San Lucas cruise. The other one we considered was the Puerto Vallarta, Cabo and Malzatan itineraries. That is the one we are looking at for the next cruise, later in 2024.
Need to know
I highly recommend the Navigator of the Seas and the Royal Caribbean brand. This ship has all the bells and whistles for anybody no matter what your reason for a vacation is. Our family will go on this ship again! They ask us all the time when can we go back! First timer cruisers, Make sure you understand the extras with Royal Caribbean, taxes, gratuities, drink packages. I am qualified in Master of Adventure with Royal Caribbean, please reach out to me and let's plan your next cruising adventure!
This trip report is part of our ongoing series on cruise travel. In need of further inspiration? Check out my guide, Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya - Listed The Eighth Top Hotel in the World.
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Michael Nyland
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