Among the ships celebrating years of service this year is both Princess Cruise Line for 50 years and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line for 45 years. Both lines cater to the mass market vacationer with features on every ship that boggle your imagination. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has been sailing the Caribbean for 45 years. They currently have 5 ships sailing year around; 10 ships are in operation during the summer months.
One of those ships is sailing out of a Texas port, Galveston. This is the second year that they have graced our coast with a year around ship, the Navigator of the Seas. Before she came in service here, they performed a serious renovation in early 2014 costing over $81 million, and she has been sailing almost full every Sunday since. Before they based her here, the vacationers only option was Carnival Cruise Line who had been operating year round since 2006.
One of the activity enhancements on the Navigator is the FlowRider surf simulator; an activity that attracts a long line of participants on every cruise. An activity that is a trademark on every RCCL ship is the rock-climbing wall. Another popular attraction that was added is the 220 square foot outdoor movie screen showing recorded concerts and movies throughout the day and night. An ice rink is quite an attraction too.
Another room upgrade is the installation of flat panel televisions in each room. They also added an innovation in the industry, virtual balcony rooms. They are inside rooms without windows or balcony, but from cameras strategically place forward and aft and on each side, they project images on one of the walls of the room so that the occupant can see the outside while being on the inside. They charge a little more than the typical inside room, but not as much as the outside or balcony room would cost.
They added a couple of specialty restaurants that have a slight cover charge and reservations required, but the reports by participants have been very positive. One of them is the Sabor Mexican restaurant. Another one is the Izumi Japanese Cuisine. These in addition to ones already established, Chops Grill, a steak and seafood option, as well as Giovanni’s Table, an Italian dining specialty restaurant. Of course there is always the spacious buffet each night as well as the main dining venue.
One of the real features of the Navigator, as well as other Voyager Class ships, along with the mega-liners, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, and now the Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas is the Royal Promenade. This is a walkway down the center of the ship with shops, bars, art venues, and lounge areas that is alive with activity throughout the day and night. Two lavish parades during the week draw big crowds. A few rooms are still available with our group on Sept. 20, sailing to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Falmouth Jamaica. The group rates are quite a saving on what is being offered now, so give us a call for the current rates that are good until May 21. We are at The Travel Factory at 4150 Southwest Drive or call us at 698-1421 or 800-760-4040. You deserve a great vacation at a very good price, so give us a call.