Today is the first day of a two night cruise from Los Angeles on Navigator of the Seas.
Navigator of the Seas is a Voyager Class ship and is the first Royal Caribbean ship to sail from Los Angeles in ten years. This two night sailing is a media sailing, and Royal Caribbean invited me onboard to check out all that the new west coast sailings have to offer.
I was especially excited for this cruise because I really enjoyed my cruise on Mariner of the Seas, which is also a Voyager Class ship. I love the size, decor, and layout of the Voyager Class. Plus, Navigator of the Seas was amplified in 2019, so it has many of the same features and venues as newer Royal Caribbean ships.
I arrived at the port around 11:30AM to board Navigator of the Seas. Our room was changed at the last minute and we were given an accessible ocean view balcony. The room is very spacious, and after two cruises in an inside cabin, I was really excited about the extra large balcony!
The first stop once I got onboard was The Bamboo Room in the Royal Promenade. I think this might be my favorite indoor bar on any Royal Caribbean ship. I love the Polynesian and tiki style decor and vibe, and the drinks are really great too! I ordered the Banana Colada which never disappoints.
One of the primary tasks for this cruise is to film a full ship tour of Navigator of the Seas for the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel. This will be the fourth full ship tour we have created, following Mariner of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, and Ovation of the Seas. This afternoon was spent exploring the ship with my camera to take video clips of all the exciting places onboard.
Being a media cruise, there were a few special events happening. Many of the specialty restaurants had food and drink samples available for guests to taste, and the Windjammer had an enhanced menu to celebrate the start of cruises in Los Angeles. I celebrated by sampling the red velvet cake from Chops (so good!) and enjoying some Indian food in the Windjammer for lunch.
After lunch, I continued exploring the ship. Navigator of the Seas' amplification included adding Playmakers, The Bamboo Room, waterslides, The Lime & Coconut, and more. The waterslides look extremely fun and even jet over the side of the ship! I thought the layout of the pool deck was great, too, with casitas, comfy seating, and a tropical vibe.
Sailaway was at 5PM, right as the sun began to set in Los Angeles. For sailaway, I headed to the top deck of The Lime & Coconut. I love how The Lime & Coconut encompasses three decks, and the top deck in particular has both comfy seating and excellent views.
Soon enough, we were sailing past the Port of Los Angeles and into the open ocean. Since it got dark pretty quickly after sailaway, we headed back to our stateroom to relax before an evening of activities on board.
First, we headed to the Viking Crown Lounge. Whether during the day or night, this space is one of the best places to relax with a view on any Voyager Class ship.
Next up was dinner at Chops Grille. While I usually opt for Italian or Teppanyaki, I decided to switch it up on this cruise. Our table enjoyed the crispy goat cheese salad, black pepper bacon, lobster, salmon, key lime pie, and cheesecake. It was delicious as usual!
Dinner finished quite late and the rest of the evening was spent walking around the ship, listening to Latin music at Boleros, and relaxing on the balcony.
Overall, it was a great first day onboard and I am excited to keep exploring Navigator of the Seas. Tomorrow we dock in Ensenada, Mexico.
Stray Observations:
Be sure to go to the right cruise terminal! We originally drove to the wrong area and ended up at the cruise terminal where Carnival and the Queen Mary are docked. Luckily, it was only a ten minute drive away, and seeing the Queen Mary was fascinating. However, definitely type the exact address into Google Maps instead of just typing "Port of Los Angeles." Oops!
The DJ had some pretty awesome music playing during sailaway.
I wish Navigator of the Seas had Teppanyaki!
The gym area on Navigator is much bigger than on Mariner of the Seas. Playmakers also has more seating and space, including an Owner’s Box.
Right next to Navigator of the Seas at the port is the USS Iowa. This is a retired battleship turned museum and looks like an interesting thing to do if you have extra time before or after the cruise.
