The Wandering Disciple

  Cruise ships are truly more than just a means of transportation; they are meticulously engineered floating cities designed to cater to every member of the family. These massive vessels are packed with a diverse array of activities, amenities, and entertainment options, ensuring that a vacation at sea is an unforgettable experience.  From world-class dining establishments offering everything from casual buffets to fine-dining experiences curated by celebrity chefs, to Broadway-caliber theatrical performances and state-of-the-art cinemas, the entertainment is endless. Guests can find relaxation and rejuvenation in luxurious spas and wellness centers, complete with thermal suites and specialized treatments. For the active traveler, there are fully equipped gyms, jogging tracks, rock-climbing walls, and even surf simulators.  Children and teens have their own dedicated, supervised areas, including age-appropriate kids' clubs, video arcades, and private lounges, allowing par...

The sun sets over the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean while on board the Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. Cruising the open ocean gives you a stunning view of sunrises, sunsets and starlit skies without the light haze of big city lights. (Photo: October 22, 2006)

Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas and Carnival's Triumph are docked side by side in San Juan. The Port of San Juan welcomes over one million travelers annually to the city and is the gateway to the Southern Caribbean.  (Photo: October 23, 2006)

The bright blue sea of the Atlantic Ocean provides for a spectacular view as Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas travels between St Maarten and the Bahamas.  (Photo: October 26, 2006)

The popular sports court of the Navigator of the Seas is packed with passengers enjoying a game of dodge ball while at sea. The full size basketball court is a popular amenity on the cruise ship, hosting events throughout the cruise. (Photo: October 22, 2006)

Is it possible to play golf with no land in sight? Well of course it is when you aboard the Navigator of the Seas. Navigator Dunes is a nine hole miniature golf course on the sports deck of the ship. The course provides sweeping views of the great blue ocean and is a great place to have fun while the cruise ship is at sea. (Photo: October 22, 2006)

Practically a floating city, the Navigator of the Seas by Royal Caribbean provides fun and excitement for all members of the family. The ship features an ice skating ring, swimming pools, mini golf, rock climbing wall, in-line skate track and much more. Combine that with the great food and entertainment alongside popular ports of call and you have a great family vacation. The Navigator of the Seas is seen here docked at St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. (Photo: October 24, 2006)

Miami, Florida: We arrived into Miami early in the morning and it could not be early enough as we could not wait to get off the SS Prison Boat. Well its not like we had a choice, since my wife was still “infected” she was given priority disembarkment and we were off the ship quickly. Not sure if it was because they didn’t want to get anyone else sick or just because they were tired of hearing us complain but it didn’t really matter since we were free. We gathered our luggage in the claim area and began the drive back home. The events of the last few days of the cruise really tarnished what started out as a remarkable vacation. Its hard to believe the amount of power they give to one person with no secondary opinion available. Seems like there should be a checks and balance system in place which there was not at the time. Once we returned home, I contacted Royal Caribbean’s corporate office and advised them of the experience. The actions of the crew were justified in their min...

Nassau, Bahamas: Today was the second day of the quarantine period and the ship had pulled into port in Nassau. We were originally scheduled to do the Nassau and Paradise Island excursion but thanks to the restrictions put in place by the medical staff, we were unable to attend. Today we were extremely grateful to have had a balcony room so at least we could get some fresh air. But the four walls of the room were closing in quickly and the stateroom began to feel more like a prison. As the quarantined continued, the rudeness and hostility of the staff increased. Our meals arrived to the stateroom cold and when asking for drinks, all we were told is they couldn’t do that. Well if we weren’t restricted to our rooms, we would have gotten it ourselves, but it wasn’t an option. By the end of the day, I was so furious with the situation I could not wait to return home in the morning. As the sunset over Nassau, we began the short trip back to Miami and off the prison boat. For photo...

Atlantic Ocean: Today marked our second day at sea and when our wonderful vacation turned bad. We encountered some rough seas after departing St Maarten and the ship was rocking pretty good. Between the rough seas and the drinks from the night before, my wife got seasick pretty bad. She went down to the clinic to see the doctor and get some medication to cure the seasickness. He misdiagnosed her with a viral disease rather then give her seasickness medication and quarantined my entire family to the stateroom. We were not allowed to leave the stateroom for any reason and all food would be delivered to us. During this time, the cabin attendant was not allowed to enter the cabin for clean linens or to clean the room and was ordered to keep an eye on us that we did not leave the cabin. Despite pleas to the medical staff explaining the circumstances of the night, the rhinovirus diagnosis remained an the quarantined restrictions we kept in place. We tried to speak to guest relatio...

Philipsburg, St. Maarten: Another day, another island. This time marking the first time we set foot on land not under control of the United States government. We will be visiting to separate countries on one island; Dutch St Maarten and French St Martin. We took the St Maarten Island Tour excursion. We boarded the air-conditioned bus and began our tour of the Dutch side of the island, traveling through the great salt pond and past Orient Beach. A stop was then made for shopping in Marigot. Forty-five minutes later we boarded the bus to continue the tour back to the ship. Once back onboard we headed to the Windjammer for dinner and then to Ixtapa Lounge for karaoke and drinks before heading back for bed. For more photos of St Maarten, visit my St Maarten photo page.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas: Day four of the cruise began as the ship arrived at St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Living it Florida it was nice to see some elevation as the ship pulled closer to the island. Disembarkation here was much easier. We walked around the Havensight Mall by the port prior to beginning our excursion. For the excursion we book the Ultimate Island Experience. We boarded an open air bus and began a tour through the island. We drove along Skyline Drive and enjoyed the scenery that St. Thomas has to offer. First stop on the tour was Mountain Top overlook. We continued our climb through the mountains and made another stop at Drake’s Seat overlooking Magen’s Bay. After a brief stop, we began our descent from the mountains to Magen’s Bay where we took a two hour beach break. It was easy to see why Magen’s Bay has been rated one of the top beaches in the world, the water was crystal clear and refreshing. We then boarded the bus resumed our tour. The n...

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Today marked the first stop of the cruise, San Juan. We started the day off with breakfast at the Windjammer and then got ready for the day. As we approached the coast of Puerto Rico, we went up to the deck to watch the ship sail into the harbor. We past the Fort El Morro on the point as the ship made its way to the dock. We were greeted by Puerto Rican dancers on the pier as we arrived in port. Disembarkation at the pier was hectic, a mad rush and the lines were slow moving. Once we were off the ship we began our shore excursion. We chose the Old and New San Juan City Tour. The tour consisted of a bus ride through the city of San Juan passing by many of the landmarks of the city. The tour guide was great, provided a great historical perspective of the city while mixing in the right amount of humor to keep it interesting. The tour bus stopped at Fort San Cristobal and we spent some time touring the fort on foot. Once back onboard the bus, we heading i...

Atlantic Ocean: The began with breakfast at the Windjammer. Then my wife and mother went to play bingo while my dad, son and I set off to explore the ship. With 15 decks the ship has many places to enjoy. We started from the top down and visiting the Viking Crown, Bridge overlook, pool area and many more. During the evening we decided to break from our routine and have dinner at Johnny Rockets. After dinner we spent some time playing games in the arcade before heading back to the stateroom for the night. For pictures of the ship, visit my Navigator of the Seas photo page.

Miami, Florida: Once the largest passenger ship on the seas, Navigator of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager class of ships. Measuring 1,020 feet in length, the Navigator can hold 3,114 passengers, making it the largest passenger ship from 2002-2004. Built in the Aker Finnyards in Finland, the Navigator was the fourth ship of the Voyager class. Although it was the fourth ship, it was the first of the second generation of the class and many of the bugs from the first few ships were corrected with Navigator. One of the biggest changes were the glass balconies that were added to the ship. Measuring 1,020 feet in length and weighing in at 138,000 gross tons, the Navigator can carry 3,114 passengers and a staff of 1,213 crew members. The ship travels at a speed of 22 knots while employing four stabilizers to smooth the ride. To accommodate the guests, the ship contains 1,557 staterooms. 939 of them are oceanview and of that 707 of them have balconies. There ...

Miami, Florida: We left our home in the early morning to begin the three hour commute to the cruise port in Miami as we embarked on our first ever cruise. The anticipation of the cruise made the drive feel more like 8 hours. As we climbed the bridge and caught a glimpse of the ship in the port, the excitement began to kick in we had finally made it. Embarkation was a breeze, having a toddler in a stroller was a golden ticket to advance to the front of the line. We were photographed for our Sea Pass and quickly stepped aboard the Navigator of the Seas. Once one board, it did not feel like a ship, rather its vast open promenade felt like a city block. We headed up to our stateroom on the ninth deck. We booked an superior balcony room near the front of the ship. The room was spacious and the private balcony was worth the extra money. My parents and sister arrived shortly after and checked in to the room next to us. They added airfare to their cruise package and were picked up an...