''Navigator of the Seas'' is the fourth
''Voyager''-class cruise ship
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as ...
operated by
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), also formerly known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organised as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Flo ...
.
History
Constructed at
Kværner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, the ship originally measured 138,279
gross tons
Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weig ...
and carried 3,807 passengers plus additional crew.
A refurbishment in 2014 added 81 additional staterooms, increasing the ship's tonnage to .
The ship's dimensions are 1,020 feet in length with a breadth of 157.5 feet.
The ship contains US $8.5 million in art, displayed in stairwells and public areas. ''Navigator of the Seas'' main Atrium sculpture spans over seven decks and is based on the bubbles a scuba diver makes when swimming underwater.
''Navigator of the Seas'' is the first of the second generation of ''Voyager''-class vessels and from 2002 to 2005 was the world's largest cruise ship.
''Navigator of the Seas'' underwent a US$115 million refit in January 2019, increasing passenger capacity to 4,000 and size to .
Operations
The ship was christened in a ceremony by its godmother,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
former
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player
Steffi Graf.
''Navigator of the Seas'' was sailing
Caribbean itineraries year-round out of
Galveston, TX
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding G ...
. ''Navigator of the Seas'' was sailing
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
cruises based out of
Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia (; meaning "ancient town") is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located west-north-west of Rome. The harbour is formed by two pier ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
until November 2012. In November 2012, she began to depart from
where she sailed Western
Caribbean cruises until early April 2013. She returned to Civitavecchia for the Summer of 2013 before moving to
Galveston, TX
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding G ...
to undertake
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
cruises.
In January 2014, ''Navigator of the Seas'' was modified while dry docked, this included increasing the number of cabins by removing some of the public facilities and adding a
Wave Loch
Wave Loch Inc. is a surf ride manufacturing company responsible for such water rides as the FlowBarrel, Flying Reef, SurfPool, Wave House franchises, and, formerly, FlowRider.
History
During the 1980s, Tom Lochtefeld was a partner in the dev ...
FlowRider surfing simulator, an outdoor movie screen and two new lounges.
In November 2015, after two seasons sailing from Galveston, ''Navigator of the Seas'' began sailing winter itineraries out of
Port Everglades in
Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, where she sailed Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, and summer itineraries out of
Southampton, England
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Por ...
, where she sails to the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
and
Northern Europe.
From November 2016, ''Navigator of the Seas'' transitioned to sailing her winter itineraries out of
Port of Miami
The Port of Miami, styled as "PortMiami" but formally the Dante B. Fascell Port of Miami, is a major seaport located in Biscayne Bay at the mouth of the Miami River in Miami, Florida. It is the largest passenger port in the world, and one of the ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.
In December 2018, she entered Dry Dock at the Grand Bahama Shipyard for a multi million dollar refit that added water slides, new restaurants, a new pool deck, new cabins. As of March 2019, she sailed cruises from Miami to the Bahamas .
Navigator of the Seas returned to service on November 19, 2021 and is home ported in Los Angeles. She rotates between 7 day Mexican Riviera cruises and 3/4 night Ensenada cruises.
Accidents & Incidents
On October 28, 2018, ''Navigator of the Seas'' began taking on water after a stabilizer failed, creating a hole in the ship's hull.
Passengers described hearing a "loud bang", and were told by crew members that there was only a minor technical issue. Crew members were also seen wearing life jackets around the ship. The ship immediately diverted to Vigo, Spain, for repairs. She had left Southampton on October 26th on a ten-night cruise to the Canary Islands.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navigator of the Seas
Ships of Royal Caribbean International
Ships built in Turku