7/24 VOS Review forgetting the terrible Itinerary

[odiesam]

I already spoke my piece on the rotten switch of itinerary so here is my short review of just the ship and staff:

 

Background: Sailed twice on the Navigator and sailed this past Spring on the Golden Princess.

 

Embarkation: Messier than embarkation in Miami or San Juan. People from prior cruise were still spilling out as late as 11:30 clogging up the area. Don't bother arriving before noon. Were able to get on the ship by about 12:45.

 

The Ship: Pleasantly surprised as the condition of the Voyager having sailed the Navigator twice in its first year. Did not look its age at all and basically resembled the Navigator. We had connecting rooms in the Promenade on the 6th floor. Rooms were in good shape - the beds were more uncomfortable than I remember - were basically cots.

 

The Staff: We found the Cruise Director annoying while others seemed to enjoy her (Becky Thomsen?). She also did not seem to be around at all except for scheduled events even though one of the assistants - a Canadian gentlemen that ran bingo - made himself available to passengers to answer questions and such when all of the complaining started. Cabin stewards were ok - have had better. The Wait Staff - Frances and Selim on the 4th floor dining were the best we have ever had on a cruise. The wait staff was also active with the singing and dancing in the dining room which we enjoyed. Food was pretty good for cruise food. Johnny Rockets cost $ with no C&A coupons available since we were only a 5 day sailing but my son loved the food and the dancing there also.

 

The Shows: Both comedians were hilarious and top drawer for cruise entertainment. Again, Becky the cruise director always seemd to need the spotlight so the Love & marriage show wasnt as funny as others we have seen since she didnt share the spotlight with the show's participants. Quest was too crowded and difficult to enjoy standing on tiptoes in the back.

 

Didnt get to enjoy the pool deck hardly at all due to the itinerary change.

 

Disembarkation: Again much slower and messier than Miami or San Juan.

 

All in all it was a nice Voyager class ship in good condition but not good enough to overcome the rotten itinerary change and the unempathetic way we were all treated by the cruiseline. There are too many other cruiselines and land resorts I will give my vacation dollars to instead.

[donna915]

I just got off this cruise too. HEre are some of my thoughts on what you posted. We also had promenade cabins on deck six.

 

Embarkation was late and messy (we were told by a crew member) because Immigration did a check of the crew and wouldn't release the ship. So the outgoing passengers got off much later than normal. On our return yesterday, from the time we left the ship till we were driving away was 10 minutes. Yep, 10 minutes. Luggage was waiting where it should be , we scooped it up, walked out. Easy as could be. We were the next to last color called and were driving away at 10:36. My sister in law was last color called and she ended up right behind us leaving. MUCH earlier and better than the passengers who had gotten off the trip before. So YES I recommend arriving any time after 11 AM

 

When we first looked at the beds we thought they looked like awful cots but they were actually comfortable. My husband has a terrible back that cannot tolerate many beds but he did just fine.

 

Regarding food- this cruise is a great value. The food was great...for food that is prepared to serve over 3000 people a night. I loved everything I got. Were they the best meal I ever had? No, but everything was wonderful. We paid the $20 to do Portofino one night and I can honestly say that it WAS one of the best meals I"ve EVER had. Great food, great service. Well worth the money.

 

Our stateroom attendant was just ok too. Nothing wrong, but nothing extra. Our waiter and asst. Sayed and Tatiana were great.

 

Guest relations staff was great despite the rudeness they had to endure. Shameful.

 

The dealers in the casino were friendly and helpful to our relatives who were just learning the table games.

 

The cafe Promenade was great with complimentary coffee, hot cocoa, tea, sandwiches, pizza and desserts until 4 AM.

 

I have not one single complaint about the ship or the crew. Outstanding.

[kenandlaura06]

Thanks for the reviews.

[berd0625]

Thanks so much for the review! Keep them coming

[stillababe]

I'll post my review as well.

 

Embarkation went smoothly. We arrived at about 2pm and were able to board right away. We thought since the itinereary changed that we would at least treat ourselves with an upgrade if one was available. We were told that the ship was sold out and there were no extra rooms. This was my second RCCL cruise, and I was excited about showing my husband around. His previous cruise was on a Carnival (to Canada!) a few years ago. I thought the ship showed some wear and tear, the carpet was very worn in many places, but nothing too drastic or unpleasant.

 

We were determined at that time to make it an enjoyable trip and to enjoy the family time together with our two sons, even with the itinerary change. We were greatful to have the time to spend together since our schedules are so varied that we don't get to do much together. Son #2 (15) went right to the basketball courts to shoot hoops. Son #1 (18) went off exploring and then hung out with us to watch us go under the bridge, which was very exciting! The weather was great during our sail away. I bought my mango tango and exjoyed the view of the city.

 

Food in the dining room was so-so. It was much better on my previous Explorer trip, but much better than my previous Carnival trip. Our servers, Demosthenes Lopez from Peru and his assistant Serge were great. We ended up having two tables mates, and although at first we were hoping to just have a table for 4 for ourselves, from the moment we met our 2 new friends we loved them. They were sister-in-laws from Queens who were our age and were so much fun. We had a great time together, got drunk together, gambled together, and laughed a lot. We had initally planned to have a meal or two in Portofino's, but we changed our minds because we didn't want to miss out on dinner with our new friends. They never knew what any of the shows or activities were, so they called me their cruise director because I told them what they shouldn't miss out on and what each of the bars, etc., were like. My older son started calling them his two new moms.

 

The shows that we saw were okay. Quest was very funny. We missed out on the Love & Marriage game, but saw it on the t.v. It seemed like we really didn't miss much. Vibe-ology was very good, and the adult comedian was funny. We didn't go to the last show.

 

Most of the dealers in the casino were great. If you ever have Ava, tell her Christian's family says hello. My 18 year old won second place in the slot tournament, and 4th place in the blackjack tournament. His first time every gambling. I think we've created a monster. He played 3 card poker with us and learned how to do that as well. He never played blackjack before the tournament, and made it to the finals. He did well, and Ava was his dealer then as well and he just loves her. She is always very encouraging and always hopes for the best for the players. We spent a lot of time in the casino because there wasn't much else to do. Michael the bartender at the casino bar was alot of fun. I think we scared him half of the time!

 

The room stewart was okay. He was very pleasant and very patient with my sons sleeping late and sneaking in there as soon as he could to clean up after them. I hope they weren't too messy for him. Room service was a bit slow during those midnight snack attacks, but my kids took advantage of it once they learned that they could order any time of the day/night. This came in handy since younger son gets hunger every two hours!

 

I thought the beds were comfortable. The pillows were not, though, and I had to beat mine up a few times to try to make it no so hard.

 

Promenade cafe definitely came in handy for the endless cups of coffee we needed to keep us going. Service there was great for all of those cookies and sandwiches. I was desperately needing a latte fix, but the machine was broken all week long. Ben & Jerry's was a nice treat, but very expensive. I'm not really a buffet person, so we didn't do the Windjammer too often. I think we only ate there during the first day before sail off, and the last day for lunch. Watching a grown man from across the room pick his nose and then reach for a cup of ice tea grossed me out, which is exactly why I don't do buffets.

 

Johnny Rockets is always a fun place to eat. We had lunch there a few times, and the service is always great. I love to watch those guys dance, they are always so enthusiastic and full of energy. Everything is done there with a smile. Service at the counter is even better than at the tables. The guys behind the counter are quick to refill your fries/onion rings and your soda without even asking. I love how all of the servers are so concerned whenever you don't clear everything off of your plate, whether in J.Rockets or at the dining room.

 

We ended up scheduling spa treatments, which were pleasant. I even convinced my husband to have a facial and he did so because there wasn't much else to do because of the weather outside during the daytime. Most of the time it was just too cold to be outside, so we spent lots of time just sitting around people watching, drinking coffee, shopping, or gambling.

 

I truly felt bad for the crew and staff that were being treated badly by rude guests, so we went out of our way to let everyone know how greatful we were for their service. We learned from one dealer that they make just under $250 a month and are on the ships for about 6 months at a time. We know they rely on the gratuities, and I always spoke up about that whenever I heard a passenger complain that they were not going to leave a gratuity. All of the crew and staff that we spoke with expressed their sympathy that we got rerouted to Canada. One person even remarked that "if this is how they are treating you, their paying customers, imagine how we get treated". This really made us wonder about how they treat their employees.

 

To sum things up, the service from the crew was appreciated, but their moral was very down as well because of the unhappy passengers. We tried to make the best of it, as did most of the passengers we met, until we got to St. Johns, New Brunswick and the weather was nasty. That's when all heck broke loose with the passengers. We tried to enjoy our time together with the kids, and tried to keep ourselves from going stir crazy. We spent way too much money shopping just for something to do, as did everyone else we met. We met some fine people, some idiots, and made two very good new friends.

[coolshop]

Stillababe,

 

Thanks for the review. I was on the ship, too, and posted some review type comments on the 'other thread' :D.

 

Your comments about the booger picker made me remember something I wanted to tell......in line at the Windjammer, an older gentleman, probably in his late 60s early 70s, ignored the tongs and grabbed a piece of pizza with his hands.

 

The food service person behind the food line immediately told him to "please use the tongs". The guy then looks at his pizza and proceeds to PUT IT BACK with his hands.

 

I normally am not outspoken but I blurted out to him, "Oh my God, PLEASE do not put that back!".

 

He just looked at me and said, "But it has Tuna on it!".

 

How can someone make it through that many years of adult life and still have zero manners or not realize that putting food back that you have touched with your hands is a problem???!!!

[donna915]

oh that reminds me of another 'tip' I wanted to offer.

The Island Grill is situated behind the Windjammer..you have to walk through the Windjammer to get to it. It is much prettier and quieter than the Windjammer. It has the same basic stuff as the Windjammer but in the morning you can get omelettes made to order (they were really good!!) and at lunch they have burgers, fries, hotdogs, etc. We liked it a lot better than the WJ especially for breakfast.

I also feel really bad for the crew and hope that passengers didn't stiff them for tips for something that wasn't their fault.

Also, do not miss the ice show! It was terrific. First rate. my husband didn't really want to go and he ended up being impressed. I loved it.

Again regarding the meals, you can't expect five star dining on a 3000 passenger ship (unless you go to Portofinos) I thought the food was just fine.

[coolshop]

Something else I thought of -- when we docked in St. John, a lone singer with a very loud microphone setup began serenading the ship from the dock at 7:30 AM -- yes 7:30 AM!!! He sang for FOUR HOURS straight, song after song, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Neil Diamond, etc. (and he was an awful singer)

 

We were in an outside cabin on that side of the ship and were truly ticked off, as we were trying to sleep in! Why in the world would they setup someone to do this at 7:30 AM (granted 8:30 AM their time)???!! I know the phone had to be ringing off the hook at Guest Relations, although I don't even know if they could have stopped it.

 

At the pier, the people were extremely friendly. A greet staff handed out roses, Canada flags, and St. John pins.

[stillababe]

I remember that guy singing in the microphone as well. That really was pretty annoying for hours on end. I thought he might have worked for that lobster restaurant across the street from where we docked. We were thinking of eating there, but the thought of listening to him up close wasn't very appetizing.

 

One thing I wanted to add was that I had mistakenly forgotten my purse at the salon one evening. My husband and I had the tooth whitening service done, and while there I put my purse on the window sill behind me. I didn't realize it was missing until I was on my way to dinner for the 8:30 seating. This was hours later. I called the salon and told them where I had left my purse. They found it and told me it would be at their receptionists desk for me to pick up. Well, I was already going to be late for dinner, so I decided to stop by there after dinner to pick it up. Needless to say, I was late because that was the night the waiters were doing their entertainment for us. It wasn't until after 10pm that I realized the salon would be closed. I was right, they closed, and my purse got stuck there overnight. I was really nervous because it was the type that doesn't have a zipper or anything, and everything is pretty much exposed. I had cash in there (that I cashed out from the casino), my seapass stuff and extra room keys for my kids' room.

 

The next morning I called the salon again, and they told me they dropped it off at the purser's desk. I stopped by there as soon as I could to pick it up, and not one thing in my purse had been touched. I didn't really expect anything to be missing, but you just never know so I was a bit nervous. It probably passed through so many hands between the time I forgot it at the salon at 4:30 pm and the time I picked it up the next morning sometime after 10 am. I thought that was pretty pleasant, and wanted to share. Of course nobody should leave valuables anywhere, but luckily my purse went through the hands of very honest people.

[kenandlaura06]

stillababe, thanks for your review!

[4merlurker]

Thanks for the review! Glad you made the most of it and had a great time!!! :)

[donna915]

ok I have to say that the 'bad' singer was the best part of St. John for us. He did work for the lobster restaurant and he never stopped singing or entertaining the crowd on the street till we sailed away at 4 PM! He was more a karaoke/comedian/singer and we found out from talking to a bunch of locals that he works in the local dinner theater. Though his singing wasn't the best, if you were down on the street with him he was mugging it up with the passengers, dancing with them in the street, changing lyrics of songs to suit pretty girls or strange men..whatever. He was very entertaining and the funny faces he made had the crowd in stitches. It was the only 'excitement' at all. If he had stopped singing it would have been one quiet and boring street IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed him.

[coolshop]

ok I have to say that the 'bad' singer was the best part of St. John for us. He did work for the lobster restaurant and he never stopped singing or entertaining the crowd on the street till we sailed away at 4 PM! He was more a karaoke/comedian/singer and we found out from talking to a bunch of locals that he works in the local dinner theater. Though his singing wasn't the best, if you were down on the street with him he was mugging it up with the passengers, dancing with them in the street, changing lyrics of songs to suit pretty girls or strange men..whatever. He was very entertaining and the funny faces he made had the crowd in stitches. It was the only 'excitement' at all. If he had stopped singing it would have been one quiet and boring street IMO. I thoroughly enjoyed him.

 

Hi Donna

 

My main problem with him was that he started singing, on the loudspeaker, on the pier outside our balcony at 7:30 AM.

[donna915]

coolshop I wouldn't have enjoyed that either! We're early risers so it didn't bother us any but if you were trying to sleep late I wouldn't want that to be my serenade either!;)

[ANR2010]

That pretty much sums it up for me....

 

Except that I found it interesting and a bit sad that while RCCL suggests that they have a focus on customer satisfaction that the FIRST time I heard any staff aplogize for the change in travel was one of the Russian Ice Skaters...

 

hmmm...does not say much for the customer service reps now does it?

[toma1]

1. Food - good

2. Shows- excellent

3. Customer care- fair to poor

4. Condition of ship- okay...needs a little sprucing up

5. Value for cost- less than expected

6. Service of waiters- excellent

7. Condition of room- fair to good

8. Destination- Poor (not Bermuda)

9. The ride- rough seas, fog, rain, cold--Poor

10. Feeling RCCL cares about it's passengers- Not there

[giadav]

We were on the Voyager in January and I have to say that we thought Becky was great! We have been on many cruises and the cruise directors have never really stood out for us. She made the Love and Marriage game absolutely hilarious!!

 

We saw her mingling with the guests and my husband and I both thought that we had never noticed that before.

 

Anyway, we are sailing the Grandeur to Bermuda on 8/14, hope we don't have any changes. I think we would be disappointed too.