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Voyager of the Seas refurbishment review

cruisin-m

By cruisin-m,
in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

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cruisin-m

cruisin-m

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Hi everyone,

 

Was fortunate enough to have checked out the Voyager of the Seas after she underwent a multimillion dollar "revitalisation" as RCCL like to call it.

 

For the most part the ship looks fantastic, lots of new carpets and furnishings throughout and the Flowrider is an absolute blast (It's a lot harder than it looks might I add)

 

There are still a couple of spots they seemed to have overlooked though, some furnishings around the place are damaged/cracked and it's unfortunate that they didn't think to give these things a spruce up in the refurbishment. I guess they can probably fix these things on the run though and the dry dock refurbishment stuff was more about the things they could only do when the ship was completely out of service, let's hope anyway!

 

The addition of three new specialty restaurants, Izumi, Chops Grille and Giovanni's Table. Whether you see that as a positive or negative I guess is entirely personal and how you feel about upcharge restaurants. These restaurants were put in places that were previously a lounge or served another purpose, I guess they weren't very popular for the company to do this though.

 

The old nightclub/disco "The Vault" is now removed in favour of adding more interior staterooms, I was majorly disappointed by this and got the shock of my life when I went to check out this once great bar :eek:

The new dancing spot is the "High Notes" bar up in the Viking Crown Lounge and it just lacks the ambiance and vibe that The Vault had as a dancing bar. The High Notes bar just seems like an average bar and lacks that atmosphere that the Vault had... big thumbs down here.

 

The shopping has got a revamp too, now features new shops and a Swarovski outlet, I'm sure that one will do a bit of damage to a lot of accounts and give some husbands/boyfriends a bit of grief! :rolleyes:

 

This one might be strange but even though the ship wasn't at full capacity it felt more crowded than when it was at full capacity prior to the refurbishment, don't know if this is because people were frantically checking it out or because they've chosen to remove so many bars and lounges in favour of specialty restaurants and staterooms, which meant you ran into people in the remaining lounges a lot more.

 

The FlowRider and activities are awesome and very well presented+fun, not to mention included in your fare unlike the competition (I'm looking at you P&O, you misers)

 

Would highly recommend the Voyager of the Seas to check it out for your cruise holiday, the ship definitely looks more modern and sexy after the refurbishment and leaves competing ships in the OZ market for dead, but at the same time I do feel it was little bit one step forward two steps back with a couple of the changes they have decided to go with, just my personal opinion.

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Futureaussie

Futureaussie

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Having just returned from this cruise I agree with comments made.Most of the sun loungers are in poor condition and would benefit from a good clean.The shops are poor for Australian market with a lack of basic items eg cough medicines.There is an acute lack of sitting areas and certainly seemed busy.This may be a problem in poor weather when everybody wants to be undercover.Staff however are friendly and helpful.Disappointed with entertainment,one evening the show was a passenger talent show.Perhaps the new cruise director will improve things.

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steve1970

steve1970

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I was looking forward to going into the screening room (aka movie theatre) the doors are still there, but cabins are now there - looks like staff cabins as the floors outside them are lino.

The sports bar in the promenade is gone.

There are areas that have gone and converted to revenue gathering - to be expected.

I have to agree, Voyager makes the competition in Australia look like a very poor quality choice.

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cruisin-m

cruisin-m

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Thanks for the review? Did you sail or just get a chance to get on and check her out? That might explain why it felt more crowded? Cruising soon, and interested in reading everyones thoughts really! Thanks again!

 

Was only on board for the one night, so I barely had enough time to get around and check everything out as much as I would have liked to! :p

As it was only one night most people were out and about checking her out and making the most of it which meant it seemed very lively on board and gave the false perception more people were on board.

 

I love the Voyager and I'm sure you will too!

Edited by cruisin-m
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nexus42

nexus42

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Anyone have a chance to check out the new Diamond lounge?

 

I read it replaced the golf themed bar?

 

Yeah, it replaced the old 19th Hole bar.

 

I had a peek in from the outside. There's a couple of computers, an automatic coffee machine and a small area for food, along with tables and seating. Couldn't see much else.

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Futureaussie

Futureaussie

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Yeah, it replaced the old 19th Hole bar.

 

I had a peek in from the outside. There's a couple of computers, an automatic coffee machine and a small area for food, along with tables and seating. Couldn't see much else.

 

Good views but too small.Seats 30/35.Overflow goes outside or into Highnotes where drinks are supplied by merely showing card.Concierge lounge unchanged except for carpets.No windows but not as busy as Diamond Lounge.Concierge in each.

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