Voyager - Just Returned-LONG

[newhampshiregirl]

Just returned from Voyager cruise to West Carib. & thought I would post some thoughts on the cruise.

 

First off the ship was immaculate throughout. Pool decks, windjammer, dining rooms, promenade, cabin areas etc. were really clean and surprisingly in good shape for a shape of this age and number of guests that cruise on it. We had heard comments about the ship 'showing its age' but it looked great.

 

We boarded last Sat & thanks to other CC poster's advice, we flew in the night before, stayed at the Marriott near the port, had a leisurely b'fast and took the shuttle from the hotel ($4 per person, book @ front desk night before) at 10:30 am.

 

Arriving at the pier, the place was virtually empty (maybe 10 people including a wedding party & some C&A members). We boarded by 11:15 am after the wedding party & C&A special members. Cabins were not ready till 1 pm (doors on each deck were closed to the cabin areas) but we didn't care. We were sitting poolside with an umbrella drink by 11:45! TIP: GET TO THE PORT EARLY--NO LINES AND PLENTY OF TIME TO EXPLORE THE SHIP (that is if upon arrival the ship cleared quickly). Even though signs and docs say board at 2 pm.

 

More guests started to arrive and we took our time heading to the Windjammer for our lunch. It's a typical buffet, and of course on boarding day (and many other days) very crowded. Food was ok in Windjammer (only ate b'fast and lunch there).

 

We headed to our cabin at 1 pm to dump our carry ons and later when returning to the cabin our cabin steward came by, introduced himself and explained a few things about the cabin, his service etc. We handed him a $20 bill & told him we knew he would take good care of us (he did indeed!). TIP: We of course tipped appropriately at the end of the cruise, but tipping some up front was helpul as our steward was always attentive and went out of his way for us!

 

Without giving a day-by day rundown of our cruise (don't want to bore everyone)--here are a few more observations:

 

-Entertainment was pretty good (ice show, a group called Mosiac were excellent and a comedy show was good as well. Singers and dancers good, singers were top notch).

 

-If you like outdoor activities...this class of ship is for you..basketball, volleyball, ice skating, in line skating, running track, mini golf all good entertianment, especially on sea days or days when the sun isn't shining.

 

-Son is a teen and made a lot of friends the first couple of days. Organized activities for teens didn't always happen (lack of interest by kids?) but the Optix club was a good meeting spot for them.

 

-While we didn't have any little kids, it seemed they were always busy with activities and their own little parade, circus, kareoke etc.

 

-Don't miss Johnny Rockets - fun with them singing and dancing, great burgers and out of this world milk shakes. Worth the price for sure!

 

-Went to Portofino's for dh's birthday. Beautifully decorated and romantic decor, exquisite 4-diamond food and presentation very special...however, we thought the service was very stiff!

 

-We ate in the Magic Flute Dining Room (deck 5) and had late seating. We were at a table of 12 (the three of us, two sets of couples traveling together from the UK and one single guy). The two couples were only interested in visiting with each other, the single guy only showed up twice (and was a total boor (spelling?). We should have asked to be moved to another table as we really felt like 'odd man out'. But we made the best of it.

 

Food was good and selections were sort of limited (so I often ordered two appetizers for variety:) ) we had a server named Manuel from Portugal and his asst. Angelica who were both excellent. My only complaint about the food was that my entree often was not hot. I should have said something but didn't, this happened on atleast 2 or 3 nights. Otherwise the food was good.

 

Lobster was served on Thursday night...the boorish single man had 3!!!

 

-Parades on the Promenade are fun and glitzy---kids will really enjoy them.

 

-Drinks on board by the way, were VERY generous., unlike some ships I've been on where the drinks are watered down and not so good. Had ALOT of really good Pina Colada's on this cruise!

 

-Tendering was a big pain...but we never had any real issues with waiting in line and weather was fairly decent. Labadee was fantastic and we would love to go back there again. RCCI has it down to a science...everything you need is there, food, drinks, water toys and beautiful sand and sea!

 

-Every port we arrived in atleast 1-2 hours earlier than what was posted as the arrival time.

 

-We had a cabin on deck six, smack in the middle of the ship--had a balcony which was great.

 

-Wrote a card to the Captain telling him I had worked in Norway (and hoping for a dinner invitation) and dropped it off at the Guest Relations desk to deliver to the Captain (unsealed). While we didn't get a dinner invite , we did get invited for a bridge tour on our last day at sea. If you get a chance for this by all means go! It was fascinating and the bridge is HUGE and they let you take pics - (not videos though).

 

-On the way to the bridge tour (deck10) we were able to peek into some of the suites along the way. They were really nice and quite large!

 

-Cozumel is indeed torn up and you can see the results of the hurricane--but rebuilding is also very visible. Unfortunately for us we got 'stood up" by the excursion company we had booked for an ATV tour. I did fire off an e mail to them and they apologized and refunded our deposit--but we wasted several hours waiting around for them in Cozumel. We ended up spending time shopping near the pier (great prices on Vanilla and silver) and then back to the ship for some R & R.

 

-In Ocho Rios we booked a tour with Peat Taylor and he was great. For $35 we were picked up in his nice bus, taken to Dunns River Falls (they provided the guide there), then we drove through Fern Gully, he stopped way up on a hill so we could take pics of our ship, then a quick stop at a little school and tiny gift shop and then a stop for shopping and a lunch place that was nice with waterfalls. It was about 4 1/2 hours. We highly recommend them as they did a nice job.

 

-We did have a Meet n Mingle held on our first sea day around noon time in the High Notes bar. It was nice to meet everyone (think only 14 or 16 showed up) and we ended up having lunch with one of the couples that day and were on a tour with three other couples in Jamaica...so that was fun.

 

-Overall thought all staff very plesant and accommodating. Dining room, cabin stewards work the hardest and were the most accommodating (could have to do with the tipping aspect I would thin). Found the staff in the Windjammer to be standing around chatting while dirty dishes on tables, and not moving around with drinks etc. Bartenders weren't all that friendly, nor was Guest Services who seemed annoyed at the long lines they had to deal with. The staff at Johnny Rocket's might be the happiest on the ship, it's not just their job, they truly seem to be having fun and the servce was outstanding---and that was just for burgers & shakes!

 

-We learned that the Voyager will be going to dry dock in the fall(?) and get totally new carpets etc.

 

-Another interesting thing we learned on this trip concerns the Explorer of the Seas. Our friends were on this ship and we were both in Cozumel on the same day and met them for lunch. They had a viral outbreak with many people sick on the ship and many passengers were confined to cabins and were not allowed off the ship till cleared with the onboard Dr. They told us that the ship had gone to extensive cleaning with bleach and sanitizing everything, asking passengers to wash their hands, use hand sanitzers etc. This ship returns tommorrow into Miami (March 5).

 

OK, I have suitcases of dirty laundry, have to make my own dinner and have no chocolate for my pillow!!!:( So if anyone has any questions, post and I will be glad to answer for you. Overall, we had a wonderful cruise and will definitely cruise RCCI again!

[SingBill]

Thank you so much for your excellent review of both the good and the not so good. It was very informative.

[5soonerfans]

Hi, thanks for the review.

Sounds like you had a good time. We are leaving next Saturday and are very excited. I was wondering which nights are the formal nights and do you have a recommendation of which would be the best night to go to Portofino's?

[mcfiddish]

Thank you for the detailed report ... we will be going on Voyager of the Seas in May (our first cruise). We'll have a 2 year old and a 6 month old with us ... and parents too!

[newhampshiregirl]

Hi, thanks for the review.

Sounds like you had a good time. We are leaving next Saturday and are very excited. I was wondering which nights are the formal nights and do you have a recommendation of which would be the best night to go to Portofino's?

 

You will have a great time! It's a terrific ship and friendly staff. The formal nights were Sunday night (the at sea day) and Wednesday night. Thursday night they served Lobster in the regular dining room. We went to Portofino's on Tuesday night. We were on the West Carib. itinerary, so if you are on the same one it should be the same.

 

So if you consider, that Sat. you might want to sit @ your reg. table & meet your table mates, Sunday is a formal night, Wednesday is a formal night & Thursday they serve Lobster & Fri is night before you leave, I would go on Mon or Tues.

 

Oh, by the way, I met a woman who wrote & was directing a Murder Mystery that will be set in one of the lounges (High Notes) and then it moves into Portofino's. They were in rehearsals this past week & she said it will be ready for next week...so you might want to check that out (It's dinner & the murder mystery). They have had it onboard before...but this will be a new show.

 

When you board -walk down the Promenade (Deck5- you will arrive on Deck 4) first and they will have a table set up for Portofino and you can make your reservation right there before all the activities begin. They also have a table set up right near the Windjammer (Deck 11). You can also purchase your soda stickers (if you plan to get them) at a table set up in both of those same locations.

 

Hope this helps. Also, Captain is Charles Teige (his assistant's name is Sonya), Cruise director is Rico Du-Breil.

[5soonerfans]

Thank you so much for the information! It is very helpful.

[Gradelady]

Thanks for the informative review! We will be revisiting this ship in 3 weeks!

[momtorres]

Thanks newhampshiregirl for the detailed review. We sail on the Voyager on April 22.

 

I have a few quetions:

Was that the Marriott accross from Bayside? Are there multiple shuttles throughout the morning to the port - or only at 10:30?

 

Do the cabins have any type of sound system or onboard music channels?

 

What did you do in Grand Caymans?

 

Glad to hear you had a great cruise.

[wanda1101]

I agree with everything newhampshiregirl had to say about Voyager. We recently returned from the Eastern Caribbean run and it was great. Ship does show a little wear, but it's just wear. We were midship on deck 7 with a balcony, and it was great! We pre-tipped both the steward and our waiter - service was excellent.

 

We arrived around 1 and pretty much walked right on. Rooms were ready.

 

We had no problem with the dining room food being cool. We chose to eat lunch in the main dining room and were very pleased. Food was quite good. Be sure to try the cold berry soups...quite good as a light dessert.

 

I wasn't impressed at all with Windjammer - it's just a buffet and nothing special. The food quality (for some odd reason) does vary from front to back serving areas. Same dish, just not as good in one line as the other.

 

Our formal nights were also on Sunday and Wednesday. Lobster was Thursday. I also found that the lunch menu Thursday and Friday in the dining room was a repeat from earlier in the week.

 

Labadee was a wonderful surprise . I agree, really well done. Tons of things to do and many beach and seating areas. It was possible to find a quiet spot away from the masses also. My only complaint would have to be the pushiness of the Haitians at the market. I've lived and traveled extensively in Latin America and never experienced anyone so unwilling to back off. It's a shame as a few items were nice, but I couldn't look without someone grabbing hold of my arm saying "miss, miss. Let me show you my shop". I have a lot of tolerance, but my line was crossed.

[BobBeaSea]

Glad you enjoyed Voyager. We were on her last year and had a great time. If Tuesday is still Caribbean night, this night might be a good one for Portofinos, we really enjoyed it. :)

[Tony O]

newhampshiregirl,

You brought back some good memories of the Voyager. We sailed this past July and had a great time. The ship was really in great shape and the staff was very attentive. Who could forget our Cruise Director Becky "Hello Luv" Thompson.

Peat Taylor was the BEST!! We really enjoyed his tour and loved his singing it was a blast. He sure knows how to take care of his customers.

Labadee was absolutely GEORGEOUS!! What else could I say.

I am glad you had a good time.

[newhampshiregirl]

Thanks newhampshiregirl for the detailed review. We sail on the Voyager on April 22.

 

I have a few quetions:

Was that the Marriott accross from Bayside? Are there multiple shuttles throughout the morning to the port - or only at 10:30?

 

Do the cabins have any type of sound system or onboard music channels?

 

What did you do in Grand Caymans?

 

Glad to hear you had a great cruise.

 

The Marriott was down the street from Bayside, very close. And yes, there are several choices of times for the shuttle, both ealrier and later in the day. Just reserve when you check in.

 

The cabins do have a sound system that has piped in music (you can turn it off if you like), it was very soothing albeit "muzak"!

 

In Grand Cayman we did a Jeep tour which we booked independently. It was a lot cheaper than the onboard shore excursion, they met us just a few blocks from the pier, we took a van to the Avis office nearby, got a few bits of info and hopped in our own jeep (seats 4). We took a drive to the Tortuga Rum Cake factory and bought some cakes etc. and then we were off to an off road spot where we went to some great cliffs & got photos, then we were off to Rum Point. Rum Point is a great beach, with a few shops and restaurants, volleyball, snorkeling etc. We had been there before and really enjoyed it.

[Homeschoolmom69]

Thanks for the review. Can't wait to check it out for myself next month!!!!

[teresapink]

We are sailing on the Voyager (western itinerary) on April 8th...When I called RCCL they told me that our Formal nights were Saturday (Day 2) and THursday (Day 6) ......strange!?

Anyway, I'll book Portofino's for Tuesday, if I can......I didn't like Caribbean Night last time we went.

 

Thanks for all the info!

[ortiz34]

Glad you had a great time on the Voyager. Out of four RRCL cruises Voyager was hands down my favorite.

[mringenoldus]

Does anyone have the dry dock schedule? We are on the Voyager in mid-October and I'm wondering if the refurbishing will be complete by then.

[TennisLover]

We just booked the VOS for next Feb. It will be our first cruise on RCI so I was thrilled to find this thread.

 

First - NHgirl, you really gave great information. I haven't seen this info elsewhere.

 

I'd love to know more about the parades. Who is parading? Is it worth leaving another show or activity to watch the parade? How many nights do they have them? Are they always at the same time?

 

Also, how close are the PR cabins to those across the way? Are they across the shopping area or are the windows really just a few feet away from each other? My kids will have a PR cabin and are excited that they won't be completely closed in like they were this year in an inside cabin.

 

Finally, regarding the entertainment, was there a sing-along piano bar? Was it fun? Not just old songs but FUN stuff (you know, Margaritaville, Friends in Low Places, etc?). Who was the piano player? And, if anyone knows great RCI piano players (and those that aren't great for sing-alongs), please post! Do you know how we can find out the piano player ahead of time? This is my favorite thing to do at night -- we'd certainly have a good time anyway, but we need our expectations to be in the right place.

 

Thank you to all VOS experienced posters! This is all so helpful!

[valw]

HI..we are going the 8th also..are we able to rent iceskates and inline skate on the ship or do we have to bring them from home..also do we need to make reservations at Johnny Rockets..and does it cost money to eat there..

 

thanks

 

val

[5soonerfans]

They have ice skates and inline skates on the ship for you to use. You must wear long pants and socks to ice skate. There is a $3.95 per person charge to eat at JR and the milkshakes are also extra. I am not sure about the reservations. Have a great time! We just got back on the 18th. Had a blast!