Navigator of the Seas

Navigator of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is a second generation Voyager-class cruise ship.

Navigator of the Seas docked at Ensenada, Mexico on 8 August 2024
History
Name	Navigator of the Seas
Owner	Royal Caribbean Group
Operator	Royal Caribbean International
Port of registry	Nassau,  Bahamas
Route	Mexican Riviera
Ordered	24 May 2000[1]
Builder	Kværner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland
Yard number	1347[1]
Laid down	27 September 2000[1]
Launched	25 January 2002[1]
Sponsored by	Steffi Graf
Christened	6 December 2002
Completed	18 November 2002[1]
Maiden voyage	14 December 2002
In service	2002–present
Identification	IMO number: 9227508 MMSI number: 311478000
Status	In Active Service
General characteristics
Class and type	Voyager-class cruise ship
Tonnage	139,999 GT[1]
Length	311 m (1,020 ft 4 in)[1]
Beam	38.6 m (126 ft 8 in) - Waterline[1]
Height	63 m (206 ft 8 in)
Draft	9.124 m (29 ft 11.2 in)[1]
Depth	21.3 m (69 ft 11 in)[1]
Decks	15
Capacity	3,386 passengers (double-occupancy)[2] 4,000 passengers (maximum)[2]
Crew	1,200[2]

Construction and description

Constructed at Kværner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland, the ship originally measured 138,279 gross tonnage (GT) and carried 3,807 passengers plus additional crew.^[3] A refurbishment in 2014 added 81 additional staterooms, increasing the ship's tonnage to 139,570 GT.^[1] The ship's dimensions are 1,020 feet (310 m) in length with a breadth of 157.5 feet (48.0 m).^[3]

Navigator of the Seas underwent a US$115 million refit in January 2019,^[4] increasing passenger capacity to 4,000 and size to 139,999 GT.^[1]

Service history

The ship was christened in a ceremony by its godmother, German former tennis player Steffi Graf.^[5]

As of November 2014^[update] Navigator of the Seas was sailing Caribbean itineraries year-round out of Galveston, Texas. Navigator of the Seas was sailing Mediterranean cruises based out of Civitavecchia, Italy until November 2012. In November 2012, she began to depart from New Orleans, Louisiana where she sailed Western Caribbean cruises until early April 2013. She returned to Civitavecchia for mid 2013 before moving to Galveston to undertake Mexico cruises.^[6]

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 FlowRider surfing simulator, an outdoor movie screen and two new lounges.^[7][8]

Navigator of the Seas docked at Galveston, Texas on 25 May 2014

In November 2015, after two seasons sailing from Galveston, Navigator of the Seas began sailing winter itineraries out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she sailed Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, and summer itineraries out of Southampton, England, where she sails to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.^[9] From November 2016, Navigator of the Seas transitioned to sailing her winter itineraries out of Port of Miami in Miami, Florida.^[10][11] On 28 October 2018, Navigator of the Seas began taking on water after a stabilizer failed, creating a hole in the ship's hull.^[12]

Navigator of the Seas returned to service on 19 November 2021 and is home ported at Los Angeles. She rotates between seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises and 3–4-night Ensenada, Mexico cruises.^[13]

Navigator of the Seas departing San Pedro, California, on 21 October 2022