It is our second sea day and second-to-last day on Navigator of the Seas.
For this sea day, we planned on very little. We had felt so tired from the last four consecutive port days, we were so wiped out and needed to recharge.
The kids kind of slept in today, and we did not get up until 8:30am. For parents, that is the equivalent of teenagers sleeping until noon.
Breakfast was up in the Windjammer and clearly we were not the only ones sleeping in.
It has not been easy to find lines, but if you want to really find some, go to the Windjammer after 9am. It is then that you will find plenty of other guests.
After breakfast, we went up to the Optix teen room to check out the free play that Adventure Ocean has set up there.
From 9am to 5pm, there are toys for kids to play with at any time.
My daughter loved having lots of toys, and for parents, this is a happy medium between paying for the Nursery and trying to keep the kids entertained on your own.
My wife took our youngest for a morning nap and I headed to the Captain's Corner.
The Captain's Corner is an event where you get to ask the Captain, and other members of the senior staff, questions about Navigator of the Seas.
I took this opportunity to ask what the status of Voom is and why we did not get it.
The hotel director essentially said that Voom was activated on Navigator of the Seas, but they were still testing it. He indicated it would likely be available for the May 8 sailing.
To me, it sounds like we missed it by a day, since our cruise began on April 30. Rats!
It was hot and partly cloudy outside, so plenty of guests were enjoying time by the pool.
I opted to stay inside and try logo trivia.
For logo trivia, we got a sheet of 50 logos to identify.
We got 43 out of 50 right, with the winning team getting 45/50. So close!
After trivia, we collected the children and had lunch in the main dining room.
On sea days, the main dining room is open for lunch and it is a great option.
The kids ate their weight in grapes. My wife went with the Tutti Salad and I ordered a couple of dishes from the menu. And they had coffee ice cream, so my day was made!
We let the kids play in Optix some more following lunch and then we all split up again, with the oldest back in Adventure Ocean, while the youngest and my wife napped.
I wish I had some really good stories for my afternoon, but it was mostly comprised of walking around and checking various things out.
The activitiy schedule was light for the day, so I poked around and spent some time at
- Casino
- Solarium
- R-Bar
- Promenade
I kind of wish I had just picked a spot and maybe taken a nap or at least just listened to some music, but I enjoyed walking around the ship and taking it all in.
I headed back to the room earlier than usual so that we could all get ready for dinner.
We had hoped to get the kids dressed up for formal night, but the kids were not exactly cooperative so we figured it was easier to just let them be.
I had booked pre-dinner this evening at Izumi and for this time, I wanted to try something different.
Usually I get just sushi, but I opted for a salad... and some sushi.
I picked the Ahi and Albacore Tataki Salad, partly because it sounded good and partly because it was listed on the menu as a chef's recommendation.
Turns out, it was really good! Great blend of fish and vegetables and the dressing added just the right flavor to it.
Of course, the sushi was quite good too!
We got the kids fed and dropped off at Adventure Ocean and then my wife and I headed down to the Schooner Bar for TV theme song trivia.
We found another couple and played together and lost by two points. So very close!
We booked dinner at Giovanni's Table tonight.
We had tried to book dinner at Chops Grille, but they said they were booked solid. Giovanni's Table just had one seating available, so we took it.
This was our first time having dinner at Giovanni's Table in quite some time, so I was excited to try the dinner menu again.
Overall, the food was great and their dinner menu is quite good. Definitely need to stop here more often.
Tomorrow is our last day and it is a sea day. In addition to the usual summary, I will wrap up our cruise adventure with some thoughts on Navigator.
Stray Observations
- I spotted some new drink specials at various bars today. Very agressive pricing, which is great for those of us not on the drink package.
- There is a cancellation policy for Izumi if you do not cancel within 24 hours. Not sure about other restaurants, but worth noting.
- I have learned the key to taking advantage of those free drinks you get when you reach Diamond status is to start early. 4:30, not 7:00 is how the pros do it.
- I believe someone asked about the view from the gym. The gym is on deck 11, so it still has a view out (although the ship's bridge somewhat blocks it).
- While waiting for Giovanni's Table, there was some private dinner function going on in the closed part of the Windjammer, but was being served by crew members and the table looked fancier than just another Windjammer meal. No clue what it was about.
