Trip Report -10/30 Voyager to Bermuda--A 5.5 Day Cruise!

[teddie]

Hi all,

 

The Voyager of the Seas finally arrived at Port Liberty today at 3:00PM. Not one of the crew members we asked could ever recall an itinerary change like ours.

 

For those who might not be aware, our departure from Bermuda was delayed on Wednesday due to sudden foul weather, which required us to remain in port for an extra night in Bermuda. By the time the weather problem cleared, it was already nightfall, and the Bermudian port authorities would not allow us to sail.

 

We finally got underway at 6:15 am Thursday morning, but our return to Bayonne was changed to 3:30 PM Friday, some seven hours later than scheduled.

 

So, what did RCI do for us? Quite alot, in my humble opinion:

 

1. Flights arranged through RCI were to be rescheduled by RCI.

2. Flights not arranged through RCI would be reimbursed up to $100/per person change fee.

3. Full cruise activities continued into this final day, up to 3:30 PM. The Cruise Compass reads "Day 5.5". I mean full activities--all bars, pools, spa, restaurants, casinos, Adventure Ocean.

4. We did not have to vacate our stateroom until 12 noon, which was sweeeeet.

 

Some highlights:

 

Day 1 We arrived at the terminal by 11:00 am, and were onboard by 12:45 PM. The shuttle service from the terminal to the ship was very organized and went smoothly. The ship was clean, and in good shape. It was pretty mild out, and we passed under the Verrazzano at 6:30 PM--awesome sight!

 

Day 2 Sea day--warm enough for pool and sunbathing. Sunny and a little breezy. Relaxed, drank, ate, and did some more of same later on. Formal night.

 

Days 3 and 4-- Bermuda was gorgeous. We started out on the "Wildcat" catamaran tour all around the islands, and coves. We purchased a two-day transportation pass, and used the ferries and buses. Horseshoe Bay beach was beautiful. We especially liked St George, for its picturesque narrow streets and historical components. Visited the glassworks and rum cake factory at the Dockyard. Unfortunately, we were not able to visit the Maritime Museum because of all the crazy occurences on Wednesday, with the ship almost leaving 2 hours early, and then not leaving at all that day! We would love to return to Bermuda.

 

Day 5 Another nice day, but very breezy. Played some bingo, and lounged around until the ice show. I can't say enough about how great the show is. It is not to be missed. The farewell show was fun, with good entertainment provided by jugglers, a comedian, and the CD, Allan.

 

Day 5.5 We spent this last "bonus day" relaxing, and spending as much time as possible on the pool decks, listening to the reggae band, and dozing in the sun.

 

I found this cruise to be possibly the most enjoyable of the three RCI cruises we have taken. The food was overall, quite good, the drinks generous, and the service friendly and attentive, for the most part. We had all of our breakfast and lunch meals in the Windjammer, and all our dinners in the dining room. We had one meal at Johnny Rockets, and it was very good, as usual. We really liked the cruise director Allan, by the way.

 

OK, disembarkation in Bayonne....the ship arrived at around 3:00 PM. The first color tags were called at approx 4:00 PM. Since we had the LAST color (orange), we did not get called until almost 6:00 PM. Fortunately, we were permitted to wait in any public area, including the bars and lounges, so we were pretty comfortable. US customs was a breeze--a flash of the passport, and submission of the declaration form.

 

The Awful Truth: the luggage pick up was a bit chaotic, and one of our large bags could not be located. After 20 minutes of searching, we went to the baggage claim desk, and found the bag there--the handle had broken off, and the color tag was gone as a result. (Good reason to always have a separate name tag attached on the inside and outside of your bag). Anyhow, that is not anyone's fault.

 

The worst aspect was the traffic congestion from the parking lot to the terminal. We waited at the pickup area with the baggage while my husband went to get the car to meet us. That took approximately 30 minutes of waiting, while he sat in a long line of cars leaving the lot. It didn't help that it was still rush hour, and that there is only one way to get in/out of the cruise port. A final note on parking--we had no problem with leaving our car there, other than the difficulty to get out of there!

 

A crew member I spoke with said the anticipated departure time for the November 4th cruise would not be "until after 10 PM" tonight. I wonder how they will handle the dinner seatings and other such logistical considerations? I do feel badly for the passengers following us, as they will have lost the half day that we gained cruising. Hopefully, RCI will make it up to them in some way.

 

That's it...feel free to ask any questions.

[jckvpa0]

Thanks for the review & the updates from the ship. Glad you had such a great vacation!!! I do have a few questions, I'll save them for tomorrow when you have had a chance to rest!

[teddie]

Thanks, jckvpa0

 

I will be posting pictures soon, so be on the lookout....anyone else--questions, comments?

 

teddie

[jckvpa0]

Good Morning Teddie!

 

Can you tell me about the temps. on the ship? Every time I looked at the web cam it seemed that everyone had long slacks on. Was this the case during the whole cruise or were there people wearing shorts? Also, how are the temps in the cabins?

[maurick]

Happy to hear you had a wonderful cruise. I was wondering..do they serve lobster tails in the dining room on a 5 day cruise. A year ago May, we went on a 5 day cruise to Canada and was told no lobster on 5 day cruises. Is that still the same? Thank you

[Rarebit]

I was recently on the Voyager o/t Seas during the Bermuda sailing on 9/4/2005. There was a lobster night & if I remember correctly, was on Tuesday night.

Heard the Voyager finally left Bayonne around 11pm last night.

[Katie1219]

Good Morning Teddie!

 

Can you tell me about the temps. on the ship? Every time I looked at the web cam it seemed that everyone had long slacks on. Was this the case during the whole cruise or were there people wearing shorts? Also, how are the temps in the cabins?

 

I've been wondering the same thing. I didn't see one person in shorts when I had the webcam up on Wednesday and the ship WAS in Bermuda. Perhaps that is what is keeping me from packing........hmmmm ;)

[teddie]

Good Morning Teddie!

 

Can you tell me about the temps. on the ship? Every time I looked at the web cam it seemed that everyone had long slacks on. Was this the case during the whole cruise or were there people wearing shorts? Also, how are the temps in the cabins?

 

The weather was cool enough to wear long slacks, but warm enough for a swimsuit if you were in direct sunlight for most of the cruise. I did not wear long slacks until day 5.5, and plenty of other pax were wearing shorts or capris throughout the cruise during the day. Wednesday was the bad weather day in Bermuda, so more pax wore slacks...

 

The climate control in our cabin was excellent. A dial for cooler to warmer in-room temp worked well.

[teddie]

Happy to hear you had a wonderful cruise. I was wondering..do they serve lobster tails in the dining room on a 5 day cruise. A year ago May, we went on a 5 day cruise to Canada and was told no lobster on 5 day cruises. Is that still the same? Thank you

 

Sorry, no lobster on this cruise. There was shrimp cocktail appetizer on two different evenings, though. One of the notable choices at dinner was rack of lamb, and it was excellent!!!

 

Other dinner choices I can remember: NY strip, filet mignon, Mahi mahi, lamb shank, lobster ravioli, roast turkey dinner, pork chop, shrimp scampi, roast duck....

 

No flourless chocolate cake, though :(

[Katie1219]

Sorry, no lobster on this cruise. There was shrimp cocktail appetizer on two different evenings, though. One of the notable choices at dinner was rack of lamb, and it was excellent!!!

 

Other dinner choices I can remember: NY strip, filet mignon, Mahi mahi, lamb shank, lobster ravioli, roast turkey dinner, pork chop, shrimp scampi, roast duck....

 

No flourless chocolate cake, though :(

 

What about the molten lava chocolate cake? I'll really miss that if it isn't available, although I have found that Betty Crocker's new Warm Delights one is delish!!

[teddie]

What about the molten lava chocolate cake? I'll really miss that if it isn't available, although I have found that Betty Crocker's new Warm Delights one is delish!!

 

My neice had a chocolate cake that was round on top with warm chocolate inside. We can't remember the name of the dessert, though...does it sound like the Molten Lava cake?

[sharp43]

Hi! We were on this same cruise....our first...we definitely enjoyed the extra night in Bermuda, but at the same time felt bad for the passengers waiting to board for the next sailing.

The weather was very warm the whole trip...we were in shorts everyday, even the day of the storm...it was actually quite muggy that day! We did feel the whole disembarkation was very chaotic...while most people were waiting on the stairs others were getting off the elevators and getting in line of everyone else.....we spent well over an hour getting from deck 3 to deck 1, not fun at all! But that was our only complaint for the whole week.....the service, food, drinks, and cleanliness were all exceptional!!! Can't wait to go again.......

And a special HELLO to everyone we met....:D

 

~Stephanie & Andy

[jckvpa0]

I've been wondering the same thing. I didn't see one person in shorts when I had the webcam up on Wednesday and the ship WAS in Bermuda. Perhaps that is what is keeping me from packing........hmmmm ;)

 

Katie I think we have the same disease!!! Hopefully we will get over it soon or we just might scare some people :eek: , well at least I will!

 

Teddie I look forward to seeing some pics.

[bobbie0253]

I was on this cruise and I would have been comfortable in shorts most of the cruise. I only packed one pair though. It was perfect for whatever you felt like wearing :) I pretty much lived in capris. It was warm the first day in Bermuda. If it wasn't raining and windy the second day, shorts would have been fine. I thought the dining rooms were a bit warmer than normal. On Caribbean cruises I am usually cold in the dining rooms. This cruise short sleeves or spagetti (sp?) straps were just right for me. Our room was always warm too. It was probably our fault though for leaving the balcony door open.

 

 

Bobbie

[jckvpa0]

I was on this cruise and I would have been comfortable in shorts most of the cruise. I only packed one pair though. It was perfect for whatever you felt like wearing :) I pretty much lived in capris. It was warm the first day in Bermuda. If it wasn't raining and windy the second day, shorts would have been fine. I thought the dining rooms were a bit warmer than normal. On Caribbean cruises I am usually cold in the dining rooms. This cruise short sleeves or spagetti (sp?) straps were just right for me. Our room was always warm too. It was probably our fault though for leaving the balcony door open.

 

 

Bobbie

 

Nice to hear, I will pack the bungee cord then. Just hoping we have as great of weather that you did. Sounds like you all had a great trip.