A Quick Weekend Getaway Aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas

I’ve been itching to travel again and Kev found a great deal for us to go on a weekend cruise to Ensenada with Royal Caribbean (and on this rare occasion, it was sailing out of the Port of Los Angeles)! The last time we were on a Royal Caribbean ship was back in May 2019, so we were very excited to sail with them again!

DAY 1

Kev and I enrolled in Royal Caribbean’s “The Key” program, and I’m not sure how long it’s been around, but it was new to us. We paid $20.99 per person per day (for this cruise, it was originally $29.99 but we got a 30% discount for booking a few weeks prior to our sailing). Some of the very first perks we got to enjoy as Key members included priority access into the ship terminal (can you believe we got through security, check in, and boarded the ship all in 15 minutes?!) and an exclusive welcome lunch featuring the Chops Grille menu (which is one of the specialty dining options on board that normally costs an additional fee).

I personally have never tried Chops Grille before, so I don’t really know what standard to hold this lunch to, but I didn’t feel like the food was anything extraordinary. This isn’t to say the food wasn’t good, because it absolutely was, but it felt on par to the regular main dining Royal Caribbean offers, versus something above and beyond that I would want to pay extra for. Regardless, my tummy was satisfied after our meal, and it was time to explore to ship!

We headed up to the pool deck where we saw this cute and colorful cabana (part of the theming of the deck’s onsite bar “The Lime and Coconut”). Kev also went rock climbing and got to the top in just a little over a minute! I wasn’t able to go rock climbing since I forgot to pack socks, but I lived vicariously through Kev.

We set sail around 4:30pm and we waved goodbye to San Pedro and hello to our trip ahead to Ensenada!

The main dining experience aboard Royal Caribbean is always so special to me and the thing I look forward to most when we cruise with them. The attention to detail and service our waiters provide is always top-notch which is something I’ve appreciated.

We started off the first night with a Maryland-Style Crab Cake, Caribbean Jerk Pork Chop, and Key Lime Pie. I loved everything that I ordered this evening (yes, even the pork chop and I normally don’t like pork).

After the show, we headed to the Royal Theatre to see the headliner, Louis Ramey, perform a comedy set. I love getting to the shows about 15-30 minutes early so we can snag seats up in the front. Louis was hilarious and had us laughing the entire time!

How gorgeous are these night shots that Kev took on the ship? You’ll almost always catch the best sunsets while you’re out at sea.

DAY 2

After a great night’s sleep, we woke up in Ensenada, Mexico! Since we’ve been to Ensenada multiple times before, we decided to stay on the ship for the day and enjoy some of the amenities and activities onboard.

We started off the morning with a relaxing couple’s massage at the spa which was much needed! We then took some photos around the ship - how cute were these spots up on the pool deck?!

We are proud members of the Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program) and are currently Diamond tier status. Not only did we get a lovely 20% discount on our massages, but we also got vouchers for four free beverages (up to $13 per drink) per day! We loved starting off our mornings grabbing smoothies every day of the cruise - the peach and mango flavors are must tries!

We headed back up to the pool deck for a quick lunch at El Loco Fresh, which served yummy Mexican food! The signature buffet on all Royal Caribbean ships (Windjammer) is always a great option, but I was wanting something different, and I’m always a sucker for Mexican food. The best part - all of this was included and absolutely free! We loaded up on quesadillas and chips and salsa which were all delicious.

Since the ship was a lot less crowded during the day, we wanted to try the onboard Escape Room. Kev’s done one before, but this was my first time so it was a trip trying to figure out how to get out! We had one hour to work together as a team, and we escaped with 8 minutes and 34 seconds to spare. This cost $19.99 per person but it was totally worth it!

We then changed into our swimsuits and we headed straight for the water slides! Both were a lot of fun and some of the best cruise water slides we’ve ever been on!

We were surprised to hear over the intercom that it was formal night for the evening as we thought it was the last night of the cruise, but regardless, we were ready to dress to impress! I love this tradition because it’s an excuse to dress up since these days, it seems like those opportunities are few and far between. I’ve been holding onto this dress I bought last year (for only $10!) for a special occasion, and I’m glad it finally got to have a night out!

This was another one of my favorite meals on board - I ordered the Fried Calamari, Seafood Linguini Alfredo, and a Grand Marnier Soufflé for dessert. I only wish the soufflé was a bit sweeter, but otherwise, no complaints!

I’m also very grateful for our amazing stateroom attendant who always kept our room clean and in order twice a day! We came back from dinner to a freshly made bed and a towel animal (although I’m not quite sure what animal this one’s supposed to be).

After a quick freshen up, we dashed on over to Studio B to grab seats for the ice skating show, iSkate. The entire cast was phenomenal and I’m always so impressed at how they’re able to do all the stunts perfectly, even while the ship is moving! I was also obsessed with the costumes in the show - I would like one of everything please and thank you!

Since we woke up pretty early for our massages, we called it a night after the show.

DAY 3

I slept 11 hours so I was well-rested but still feeling a bit sluggish from sleeping too much. I managed to get myself together to start the day. I always love taking outfit photos at casinos - there is something so fun seeing all the colorful slot machines and I wanted to snap this before the casino started getting crowded since this day was a sea day.

We went to Studio B to grab a time for free ice skating, and ate a light breakfast at Windjammer. Funny enough, we ran into our old neighbor while we were there! Then, it was time to get back to the rink for our reservation - we only stayed for a few minutes (I definitely didn’t wear the appropriate attire and the skates hurt my wide feet), but it was fun while it lasted. We also got to meet some of the cast of the ice skating show - they were all so sweet!

We decided to splurge a bit on this trip and try one of the specialty dining restaurants onboard for lunch, Jamie’s Italian by Jamie Oliver. Unfortunately this was the biggest disappointment of the entire trip - why did no one tell me Jamie Oliver had a reputation for being one of the worst celebrity chefs?!

I’ll admit that our meal started off strong - I thought the appetizers were pretty good. We tried the Black Truffle Arancini, Ultimate Garlic Bread, and Crispy Squid to start. Everything started to go downhill once we hit the pasta portions of our meal. I tried the Tagliatelle Bolognese and it was so bland. I added a ton of extra parmesan cheese, but even that couldn’t save it. Not pictured was Jamie’s Caesar Salad which was my main course. It was too salty for my taste and I liked the ship’s main dining Caesar salad so much better. We also ordered some Funky Fries to share, but it was so tiny, and they didn’t taste very garlicky as advertised.

We didn’t bother to stay for dessert since we were so bummed out by the quality of the food (it is totally not the staff’s fault - I truly believe the recipes lacked flavor). The food wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t great either. Given that this costs $19.99 per person (this was the price after our Diamond tier discount), I say, save your money and try one of the other specialty dining options, or just hit up Windjammer or the main dining room instead. This was definitely not worth it!

I had been waiting the entire trip to take some photos at The Bamboo Room on the Royal Promenade. It’s the Navigator of the Seas’ tiki themed bar and my favorite spot on the ship! We snuck in before they officially opened so we could grab photos while it was empty and I love how all of the colors pop.

I can’t believe how quickly our final dinner night came - our waiters Vincent and Edward were great and took care of us the entire time.

I wasn’t really feeling the appetizers on the menu, so I went with a trusty Caesar salad (not pictured). For the main course, we tried the Braised Beef Short Rib and the Mississippi Mud Pie for dessert. The short rib was super tender and one of the best dishes the entire cruise!

We went back to The Bamboo Room after dinner because I wanted to try their On the Run! cocktail. I ended up getting a virgin version, but it was so good! I kind of regret getting it only on the last night - I loved it so much and the packaging was so cute!

We cut it close to showtime for the ship’s signature production, Showgirl! Past, Present, and Future, so we weren’t able to get seats in the center, but we were still front row. I was a little surprised because the show was not very family friendly in my opinion, but I really enjoyed the singers’ and dancers’ performances (not to mention, the super cool costumes)!

I loved it so much, I wanted to see the show again (as you know, I’m a big theatre nerd). We tried to get to the second show a bit earlier, but even so, the front row was already pretty much taken. We used our reserved VIP seating Key member perk which came in clutch because we had such a good view of the stage!

We ended the evening checking out the 80s dance party over at the Royal Promenade! As you can see, it got very crowded which was way more than I was willing to handle. We decided to go up a few decks to check out all the action without getting stuck in the sea of people. It was a fun time - I always love rocking out to 80s tunes!

DAY 4

We woke up early for disembarkation but before we got off the ship, we enjoyed a special Key member breakfast in the main dining room. Our waiter Edward was working during the breakfast so it was nice getting to chat with him a bit more since dinner was usually more hectic and there wasn’t a ton of time to talk with our waiters. Kev and I both ordered the Royal VIP Steak & Eggs and French Toast which were flavorful and filling, and the perfect way to cap off an amazing weekend.

We had an absolute blast and I’m already thinking about our next Royal Caribbean cruise! Which ship or destination would you want to check out? Let me know in the comments below!

xo,
Keshia