Cruising the Mediterranean - Part 2

More about the Navigator of the Sea... continued from Part 1

The passenger make up on the Navigator was probably 40% Italian, 30% American and 30% other nationalities, particularly European.  All of the announcements and presentations were done in both English and Italian.  And some of the activities and entertainment seemed a little more geared toward a European audience. 

There is a massive casino on deck 4 but it never seemed to have more than a dozen people gambling at a time.  It's also a big smoking area. There is a disco, cigar bar, ballroom, ice skating rink and a large theater.

The entertainment was hit or miss.  They have some great dancers and singers.   The ice skating show was fantastic.  And the aerialist did things with her body that no one should be able to do.  Not the best entertainment we've seen but nothing to complain too much about.  Although I did almost walk out on crazy-clown-quick-change-pantomime guy.  I just didn't get him at all.

There were people of all ages... couples, singles and families.  Cruising is certainly no longer a pensioner's sport.  You can certainly find a ship that caters to your tastes and interests.

We had a balcony room on deck 5 close to the forward bank of elevators/stairs.  It was a great location and close to the promenade.  

The rooms are spacious with a king size bed and a sofa.  The bed and bedding is wonderful.

I just love sleeping on a cruise ship, although this time there was hardly any of that gentle rocking to help lull you to sleep.  We had calm seas all week.

The bathrooms are tiny and if my hips get any wider the shower could be a challenge.

There was a hairdryer in the room.  But, we did have a minor hair crisis when my straightener and curling iron wouldn't work.  The ship has US outlets and my UK stuff wouldn't heat up using our universal adapter.  A straight UK to US adapter might work better but we didn't have one.  So, it was on to Plan B...the curly look.  Luckily I had some Beach Babe wave spray that kept the frizz at bay.  Pretty much, anyway.

Our room steward was efficient and friendly.  One of the best things about cruising is the staff.  They are from all over the world and they work so hard.  They are friendly and interesting.  I hate to see passengers give them a hard time over the stupidest stuff.  We got particularly attached to our dining room staff.  They were so much fun. 

We had the 6:30 dinner seating at a table of ten.  We were seated with two of the nicest families.  A family with their teenage son from North Carolina and an English family with two teenagers and grandmother who are living in Spain.

We had so much fun with them.  In fact, we had reservations at one of the specialty restaurants on the last night that we canceled so we could spend more time with the group. 

The food was good.  It's obviously not cooked to order and can sometimes be salty.  But, you can tell they try very hard to give you a good meal with good service.  The appetizers are always excellent.  We usually order two.   I've even skipped an entree and just has 3 appetizers.

The grandmother at our table is originally from Jamaica.  She mentioned to a staff member that she was craving jerk chicken.  A few nights later they delivered four plates of it to our table.  The chef had made it specially for her.  You just can't beat service like that.  She was thrilled!

We had dinner one night at Chops Steakhouse which has an extra surcharge.  It was okay.  We also had burgers at Johnny Rocket's for an extra fee.  They were nummy! 

There is a limited room service menu that does not cost extra that you can access on your interactive TV in the room.  It's nice to pre-order breakfast for the next morning and eat on the balcony.  

There are several pools and hot tubs on the upper decks and even an adult only area.  Typically, we wear swimsuits everyday on a cruise, but not this time.  We stayed inside and enjoyed the AC. 

 

There is a rock climbing wall, goofy golf, volleyball, basketball, in-line skating, jogging track, a gym and a spa/salon.  If you get bored on a cruise, it's because you are just being difficult.  

There is also a peekaboo bridge where you can see into the control center of the ship.  If you do some exploring there is no telling what you will find.

It's beautiful and romantic up on deck in the evenings if you don't mind a little wind.  (By little, I mean hurricane force.)

There really is just nothing like cruising.  I absolutely love it and as soon as we get off of the ship we are dreaming about our next one.  Blue as far as the eye can see and so many interesting places to visit and wonderful people to meet (not to mention the shopping). 

At 5pm on Sunday, we celebrated Sail Away with a toast up on deck and headed South with not a cloud in sight.  

 Next stop... Messina, Sicily.  Stay tuned. 

xoxo

Selena  

Part 3 - Sicily
Part 4 - Athens
Part 5 - Ephesus 
Part 6 - Kusadasi

btw... this is not a sponsored post.  If anyone would like to send me on a cruise, then by all means contact me.  I'll be happy to oblige.  

All pics taken by me or TE on the Nikon D90.