We sailed on the Navigator of the Seas in late May of 2025.  We wanted to check out Royal Caribbean, and experience a short 3-night cruise. We have generally selected week-long cruises.  We wondered what a shorter cruise would be like, and this one fit into our schedule easily.  This sailing from Los Angeles had one port only, in Ensenada, Mexico, along with one sea day.

This review will focus on the ship itself. We felt that we got a great experience for the cost of the cruise; the value was certainly there.  The ship was well-maintained, and offered a useful layout that was easy to navigate (!!) and full of opportunities for relaxation and activity.

Embarkation & Disembarkation

We flew in the night before the cruise and stayed at the Hyatt Centric The Pike in Long Beach, and I would recommend it. The area surrounding the hotel has fun architecture to celebrate The Pike, which was once an amusement park on this site.  In the morning, the hotel location made it easy to explore the shoreline in Long Beach. I was pretty obsessed with the Queen Mary, where I had attended dances while in college. We had an easy 15-minute Uber ride from the hotel to the San Pedro port. 

We had selected an early afternoon embarkation time.  We were on the ship in less than 15 minutes, with no waiting. Lovely! Our muster station was steps away from the gangway, so we spent a few minutes checking in, and we were off to find our room and retrieve our SeaPass cards.  

When we disembarked the ship, we opted for the self-assist option which meant that we carried off our own luggage.  The facial recognition technology used by Customs/Border Patrol here meant that we did not have to pull out and show our passports, and it took mere seconds. It could not have been faster or easier. 

Kudos to RCI and to the San Pedro port for exceptionally smooth, fast procedures.  

sailing on the Navigator of the seas

We booked a balcony cabin and found it completely satisfactory.  There was abundant storage –  shelving, drawers, and closet space.  The bathroom had great storage options for my huge stash of toiletries.:) And, for those who track these things, a shower door instead of a shower curtain.  

Our stateroom attendant kept the room sparkling clean, and amused us with towel animals.  When I walked into the room and saw the bat hanging from the ceiling, I felt that I had won a prize of some sort.

The ship is organized with a central “Royal Promenade” on deck 5, evoking a “downtown street” of sorts, with bars, food venues, and shops. The promenade functions also as a music venue at times, and hosted a 1980s party one night.

We did not use the Windjammer buffet much, except for a late-night snack. They did close at 9 p.m. Late-night food can be found at the Cafe Promenade on Deck 5 where they serve snack foods and pizza 24 hours a day. It has the feel of a street cafe, with most seating open to the promenade.

The Cafe Promenade is also a great place to pick up a pastry in the morning and specialty coffees (part of the deluxe beverage package).  I was able to get a great cappuccino each morning to take back to the room. Speaking of beverages…

Bars & Lounges

We committed to exploring the bars and lounges (somebody has to do this work!), and let me tell you that this is one place where this ship really shines.  The bar scene is fantastic. There are many bars with different menus and themes, allowing passengers a variety of experiences.  Our first choice once onboard was to head to the Bamboo Room (Deck 5) for the hand-crafted tiki bar menu.  Fairly early on, we discovered Bolero’s (Deck 4), which featured a small stage, and the bands playing jazz were absolutely brilliant.  We ended up checking the schedule regularly to see what was featured there, and went back to hear more terrific live music.

We also found ourselves frequently parked at the Schooner Bar for great live music at the piano, trivia, where I was disappointed to fail at answering Game of Thrones questions!, and downright fabulous cocktails.  The Sea & T (variation of a gin and tonic) was terrific, and the Toasted Marshmallow Old Fashioned was delicious. 

There is also an English Pub and Playmakers, a sports bar.  Navigator of the Seas includes a wide range of bar experiences, from the ambience provided by live jazz music, or the energy of watching football. In all the bars, the service was consistently attentive and speedy. 

Dining (Included)

Generally, you can make dining reservations once you have made your final payment on a cruise. We weren’t sure of the schedule for evening entertainment, so we had not arranged for a set dining time prior to boarding. This was easily solved soon after embarkation (we may have made a pit stop at a Tiki bar first??).  We simply went to the dining room and asked about availability.  By this time, we knew the entertainment schedule, and so we were able to reserve a table for each night.  On each side of our two-person table were other couples whom we enjoyed very much chatting with, and comparing notes about the day’s activities.  The service was good, and the food was tasty.  The steaks were great, and my husband enjoyed his prime rib.  I had perfectly cooked fish more than once!

TIP: Don’t forget that you can enjoy a served breakfast in the dining room; you do not have to eat in the buffet unless you want to. We especially enjoy sitting down to a leisurely breakfast on a sea day, or if we have selected a late shore excursion.

We did not opt for specialty dining on this short cruise. I do look forward to checking out what Royal offers in the future. Hooked, a seafood restaurant, looked especially appealing.

entertainment

The quality of bands and soloists in the lounges was outstanding, and we often found ourselves seated in a bar longer than we planned, because we did not want to tear ourselves away from such great music.

On a cruise, we expect evening shows in the theater that feature singing and dancing, and Royal Caribbean provided that. Navigator of the Seas does not have a true Broadway show like you can see on much larger ships, but that was not a problem for us. However, the theater production shows were not the highlight of our evenings. We noticed a huge emphasis on the “production” aspect of the shows, with costuming, lighting, and technology often taking center stage, even eclipsing the vocalists. And instead of staging a live band, the music was recorded, which diminished the experience somewhat for us.

However, I want to give credit to the fabulous ice-skating show in Studio B. Professional skaters perform in a small setting; amazing to watch. For us, the experience of this show surpassed the ones in the theater. There were daytime opportunities for passengers to skate, with support from the cast in the show. At my age, I wasn’t going to ice skate for the first time, but that sounds like brilliant fun if you are up for it.

pool deck, Sports court & solarium

The well-designed, very appealing pool deck provides cruisers with a lot of options for active fun, relaxation, and refreshment. The Lime and Coconut Bar is on three levels, and sets the tone for good fun. You can easily access El Loco Fresh, a taco/burrito station (included) and a Johnny Rocket’s (extra fee) near the main pool area. The Sports Courts has a lot of options for activity and excitement, including a wall for rock climbing, and the Flowrider (a surfing simulator – how fun is that?) or the slides. We had to try the Blaster, currently the longest waterslide at sea. You slide in a tandem tube for a screaming good time. I imagine that the Sports Court would keep children and teens active and entertained for hours, and help them sleep well at night!

After an adrenaline rush from the Blaster, we found our favorite place to relax was the adult-only Solarium.  In addition to the pool, there were loungers and hot tubs available, and I was able to peacefully work on my knitting. The atmosphere was subdued, and the bars offered interesting, elevated versions of favorite drinks.  Now that I write that, I think that was true most everywhere – we consistently enjoyed discovering fresh, enhanced versions of old favorites. 

ENSENADA

We had been to Ensenada before and had already explored the town near the port. This time, I wanted to venture out into the surrounding area and had selected a hike in El Salto Canyon. That excursion was canceled once we were on board, and so we opted for a horseback riding excursion. Our guide Miguel met us at the pier and gave us a lively orientation to the area during a comfortable bus ride to a private ranch in the hills. (I believe the name is Rancho Los Bandidos.) After a safety orientation and helmet fitting, we were guided on horseback over hilltops with views of Salsipuedes Bay. The four-mile long ride offered fabulous views, although I was too nervous to let go of the reins to take photos of the view! The guide made sure to take photos of us along the trail, and we were invited into the spacious barn for chips and salsa after the ride. I recommend this excursion – this was my very first time on a horse, and I was expertly guided and reassured the whole time.

Final Thoughts

Since this was our first 3-night cruise, I want to be aware of how that influences my experience. I was a bit apprehensive; short cruises have a reputation for being rowdy party cruises, although I think that may be more true on the Caribbean. We saw a lot of bachelorette parties, and at least one bachelor’s party, but they were all just having fun and not being annoying. With a very few exceptions (bikinis on the promenade? really?), the atmosphere was comfortable and would be considered family-friendly. The pool deck allowed for relaxation. The stateroom was lovely, the food was good, and the bar and lounge scene (especially the live music!) was outstanding. I learned that I enjoy having a longer time on board and more ports to visit. I won’t rush to get on a short cruise again, (except I do want to go to Catalina Island very soon!), but I would absolutely sail on Royal Caribbean in the future, and would like to try a longer sailing to have more exposure to what they offer.

Although I will likely try a different RCL ship next time, I can recommend this ship for its quality entertainment (the swell music in the bars! that breathtaking ice-skating show!) and a pool deck that provides for both high-energy fun and quality relaxation.

What are your thoughts? Have you cruised on Navigator of the Seas, or are you looking at a future sailing? I would love to know about your experiences and plans. Leave a comment; I would love to hear from you!