Royal Caribbean – Navigator of the Seas (Cruise to Mexico)

“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.”

Robin Lee Graham

Last year our friend, Michael Moyer set up a reunion cruise for the 113^th Army Band. We planned for the trip for a year and went this past February. Joe was a trombone player in the 113^th Army Band back in 1979 to 1983 and Michael was a trumpet player. We so enjoyed our time in Kentucky, exploring the area, and the wonderful friends we met. Mike, put out the word about wanting to do a reunion trip with our group, and him being a travel agent, it worked out wonderfully, He planned it out perfectly, got us the best deals, and we made our reservations. We heard our friends from the 113^th, Susan Hamann, Deby Kidney, Ray Claes, Roger Ruckert, John Gerding , and Mike Leonardi were all joining us with their spouses or significant others.

So from my past blogs, you can see we spent some extra time in the Miami area before taking off on our cruise from the Port of Miami. What a great time we had in the Miami area. Then we were off to get on our cruise ship, the Navigator of the Seas with Royal Caribbean. We parked in a Park and Cruise lot which worked out wonderfully with a shuttle to and from the port and was much cheaper than parking at the port. When we arrived at the ship, we went through the regular lines and inspections and got on the cruise ship. Mike had arranged to have a get together with our group in a conference room with snacks and drinks as soon as we entered the ship before we were allowed to go to our rooms. What a great way to start the cruise. It was so wonderful seeing everyone again after 35 years. We chatted for over two hours and it was just like old times. We would meet up next at dinner.

We reserved a great room with a balcony and lucked out being right next to Mike and Denise's room. We met out on the balcony often. The ship was gorgeous. I must say it was one of the most beautiful ships I had ever seen. The Royal Promenade area on the ship was amazing with shops and pubs and bands that played in the later part of every day. We loved being with a group and running into each other through out the day. The shows on the ship were wonderful. There was an ice skating show that was fantastic, and many other Hollywood styled shows and great comedians.

We enjoyed watching people on the surfing on the Flow Rider. You use a wake board to surf on a simulated wave. So funny to watch. We saw older people surfing doing a much better job than some of the younger people. Those surfers seemed to have a great time and we sure did watching. Plus right near that was a rock climbing wall to watch. There were also multiple pools and hot tubs to enjoy during the day. The Casino was just beautiful. We didn't gamble but enjoyed going there to get a mimosa or two.

Having our group together at mealtime was wonderful. We talked about the old days and joked and laughed till our sides hurt. We also had our server, Angel who truly was an Angel   She was lovely and excellent.  Thanks Angel for making our cruise perfect.  What a blessing it was to get together with such a lovely group of people. We enjoyed talking about tall our children and how careers had changed and how life treated us.

We had perfect weather. One of the things we enjoyed the most on the ship was to go to the top level and gaze upon the stars and watch the wake behind the ship. This ship stopped in Costa Maya and Cozumel and is a wonderful cruise to take.

If you ever need a great travel agent who keeps you and your needs in mind, Michael Moyer is your guy. He watches for the best deals for you and keeps in touch with you throughout the planning. We enjoyed that trip so much that our group has planned another reunion next year. We can't wait. Keep watching my blog and you will see what we will be up to next. Michael Moyer can be reached: Mikemoyertravel.com.