Atlas Ocean Voyages World Navigator Cruise Ship Review

A staple of any luxury cruise vacation is the cuisine and World Navigator does not disappoint. A focus on regionally inspired cuisine served in an all-inclusive style wherever you dine makes for a delightful culinary experience that’s delicious and convenient. 

The main dining room, aft on deck four called Porto, pays homage to the line’s roots in Portugal and offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with a choice of indoor and al fresco seating. Breakfast fare includes a continental buffet and items ordered a la carte. Dark wood paneling coupled with abstract-patterned carpeting and furniture creates an elegant, but understated atmosphere. The outdoor section of the restaurant is even more pleasant with 180-degree ocean views and dark metal furniture with wooden slats and very comfortable white cushions. 

Every other day Porto transforms into Alma, an eatery with a menu that reflects the soul of the cruise line’s Portuguese heritage. Alma, which means ‘soul’ in Portuguese, aims to serve dishes prepared using core Portuguese culinary traditions and artisanal techniques with ceramic jars and other cultural cookware. 

At 7Aft Grill, guests are in for a wholly unique chophouse dinner experience. The restaurant is the first at sea to use a cooking method called “jospering” which originated in Barcelona in 1969 and has grown into a renowned charcoal preparation method. The technique involves a combination grill-oven which provides all the flavor of a charcoal grill with the even-cooking ability of an oven. Carnivores hungry after a day exploring will love the high-quality cuts of meat and fresh seafood. Read our full review of 7Aft here.

Other, more casual dining options include Paula’s Pantry and The Dome where the fare is lighter and perfect for an afternoon snack or quick breakfast before heading ashore for a day of exploration. Another note: World Navigator will not offer single-use plastics, opting instead for bamboo straws and cutlery and biodegradable plates and cups.

While the details of the ship are upscale with a focus on luxurious comfort, at its core, World Navigator is a polar-class ship built for adventure. Atlas Ocean Voyages has its sights set on some of the most remote places in the world and their first ship is uniquely suited to bring them there. 

The lido deck on 7 features a small pool and two hot tubs, but considering fewer than 200 guests are on board at a time, the pool size and number of deck chairs shouldn’t be an issue. There’s also a gym, library, spa and ship store on deck 4 where guests can pick up Atlas merchandise or common things people forget to pack. Decks 5 and 6 are entirely staterooms and deck 8 is the top jogging track, so outside of the room, you’re going to spend most of your time on decks 4 and 7. 

The ship doesn’t have a submarine or helicopter, instead it opts for zodiac boats, jet skis, paddleboards and kayaks which deploy from the floating adventure dock on deck 3. Each stateroom comes equipped with a set of binoculars guests are welcome to use throughout the journey. The best place to use them might be Water’s Edge, the close-to-the-ocean observation deck at the bow of deck 5 which features a long, heated bench for when the ship sails through colder waters. It’s the best place on board the ship to get as close as you can to the incredible sea life found in remote areas of the world. 

The SeaSpa by L’OCCITANE is smaller than other spas at sea with just a few clients in at a time, but the services are what you’d expect from the best spas the world over. The spa offers services ranging from relaxation and stress relief to health and beauty, all very much welcome after a day of exploration. 

One thing that really stood out about World Navigator was how smooth the ride is. That’s thanks to ultra-high lift fin stabilizers that help keep the ship 15% more stable than other stabilizers. The majority of the time, it was easy to forget you were on a ship at all. New tech on board also includes an alternate hydro-jet propulsion system that keeps the ship moving up to five knots without disturbing the wildlife that may be around so guests can get closer to the flora and fauna around them.

The accommodations on board World Navigator do not disappoint. Of the 98 staterooms found on board, 72 of them have a balcony and the rest feature a kind of hidden balcony in the form of a large automatic window that can be lowered with a button near the bed. 

Just 10 of the 98 staterooms are suites divided into three categories; Navigator, Discovery and Journey. Suites have separate sitting areas and bedrooms but feature the same white marble bathroom and shower as every stateroom on board. The four Navigator rooms are the biggest at 465 square feet and are the only cabins with bathtubs. 

The rest are either Veranda, Veranda Deluxe, Horizon or Horizon Deluxe style rooms, the latter of which being the moveable wall-type. Veranda and Horizon rooms measure 270 square feet and the Deluxe versions are 300 square feet. The ship also features ADA-compliant quarters with features like a call button by the bed and enlarged bathroom and shower area that’s accessible by wheelchair. 

All the cabins feature the same shades of green and dark wood color scheme that’s very art-deco looking. Egyptian linens make the beds on board hard to get out of, though the Nespresso machine on the desk in every cabin certainly helps. Each cabin has unique climate control, mini bar and an in-room programming and entertainment system via the flatscreen TV. The room service menu and other information about the ship can be found via the TV menu. Each stateroom has several closets, though things could get tight after unpacking for a long cruise with two people. The ship doesn’t skimp when it comes to outlets. There are universal outlets and USB ports in the deck, the walls by the bed and by the shelf that runs underneath the TV. 

Though some may be slightly larger depending on your stateroom, the bathrooms are all very similar in style and feature the same white marble tiling, L’OCCITANE en Provence bath products and a shower with three types of shower heads; overhead rainfall, a hand shower and sidewall jets. 

Overall, the staterooms found on board World Navigator are elegant without sacrificing comfort.

World Navigator has several entertainment venues where people gather during the daytimes and evenings. The theater at the bow of deck 6 is where the cruise line hosts lecturers on board during expedition cruises to places like Antarctica. It’s not an overly large room, but comfortable white seats and an advanced lighting and sound system makes for a better experience. 

If evening entertainment is what you’re looking for, the Dome Lounge at the bow of deck 7 is where you’ll find it. Some evenings you’ll find an intimate performance by a former Broadway thespian, others you’ll find lovely background music from the piano in the corner. Either way, the room will be full of guests enjoying after dinner drinks and some fun conversation. 

If you’re up early, there’s a tablet in the corner by the piano with a huge library of music. The tablet controls the volume in the entire lounge and makes for a fun start to a sea day.