What to do on Voyager?

[ellenbolt]

I'll be on the August 6th Baltic sailing and was wondering what there is to do on board. Are there any lectures, language classes, wine tastings, etc...?

I know about the casino, shopping, movie theater and evening shows but was curious about any other offerings. Thanks,

Kim

[petlover]

Kim,

we just got off of an 11 night Voyager cruise and I had the same concerns. Fortunately, we had PLENTY to do. We were on a "wine highlight" cruise so we had about 6 wine tastings, a couple of Cordon Bleu cooking demonstrations, bridge lessons (even if you're a real beginner), various golf tournaments, blackjack and slot tournaments, trivia each day, Bingo each day, various workout and exercise programs etc. Believe me....you will not be without things to do. On several occassions, we had to choose which to do of several good options. Also, there were several guest lecturers on the upcoming ports. Your itinerary (we've done it) is fabulous...but very busy in St. Petersburg. You'll welcome the "down time".

 

I was so worried about the same things as you. Yikes...what to do on sea days?? It was NEVER an issue!

Relax and have a great time! You've chosen an excellent itinerary!

[ellenbolt]

Dear Petlover,

 

Thanks!. Although we aren't sailing on one of Radissons highlight cruises I'm glad to know there are some other things to do. Our cruise is only 8 days and no days at sea, but I was hoping to get a quick Russian lesson or cooking class.

 

There are 4 of us with with Horizon C cabin on the 9th deck. Were you aware of any major vibration issues? I saw another poster said it was a problem. Thanks again.

[wineasmusic]

I wouldn't call it a major vibration problem, but it will be noticable. Just depends on how sensitive you are to that stuff. I've seen postings from at least one that wanted moved. We did not feel the need and I have to wear a patch so I'm sensitive to that stuff. Don't over worry about it. Its just very noticable.

[jhp]

Kim, I was also on that cruise on the Voyager on Deck 7 midship, and felt no vibration in the cabin. I even visited one of the Horizon Cabins one day when we were at sea in pretty choppy seas (lots of suites were open for touring). I didn't notice the vibration as a real problem, and I was really looking for it. There is more movement at the back and front of the ship, however, when there are swells. You will be so busy with ports on your cruise that I'm sure you will keep yourselves very busy, especially in St. Petersburg. Perhaps there will be a lecturer in the morning if you don't arrive at a port early, but most people are off the ship on excursions when it docks early. The Baltics was one of my favorite cruises!

[kevins]

I was curious if they keep the casino open while the ship is in port. We've never done a Baltic cruise before. On alot of the carribbean cruises they do not open the casino until you are out at sea. Since the August 6 cruise is port intensive I was wondering how this worked. Also, since one is effectively in a port each day, should one even worry about the vibration issue? I keep thinking that 3 days in St. Petersburg should not pose that big of a problem. Thanks for any input.

[wineasmusic]

The casino and ship stores must always be closed when in port.

 

I would not worry about the vibration. As you can see from other posts lots of people don't really notice it. My wife did not notice it until I pointed it out.

 

The Baltics was one of my favorite cruises. We had a private guide and driver day 1, Moscow day 2, and we went to Peterhof by ourselves on the hydrofoil day 3. Be aware if you do Peterhof by yourselves, they only admit people with guides in the morning. We had to sneak in with some people that had a guide since we did not know this. We had a visa so we could go on our own.

[adrenn]

Have a wonderful time on your sailing! The Baltics cruise is a wonderful trip, indeed. If you can, take the day trip to Moscow if you haven't visited before. That was the highlight of our trip. They had a great lecturer, Sandra Bowden, whose talks on the history of the countries we were visiting were very enjoyable. I don't think they offered Russian language classes but there may be a crew member or two who can teach you a little bit. We had a lovely stewardess from Poland on one trip who helped me brush up on Polish. If they bring the folkloric dance troupe on board for evening entertainment, it's exceptional. We also went out the first night in St. Petersburg to the ballet and enjoyed it. Those that went to the theater that night also had a great, great time. We were so busy with the various things to do in the port stops that I don't remember a lot of what was available during the day on board.

 

The question of the vibration in the back of the Voyager generates a lot of discussion. Darrell's response is right on - some notice it and others don't, even those in the same cabin. One of our fellow travelers on the St. Petersburg trip was in 669 and was extremely bothered by it. Others in nearby cabins were either less bothered or not bothered at all. Same trip, same area of the ship.

 

We've sailed Voyager three times - twice in the middle section of deck six and once in the horizon cabins on deck eight, including the same itinerary you're doing. Our observations for what it's worth:

 

- The seas were not stirred up on our Baltics trip. The ship is, in the base case, quiet and very smooth. The vibration is very slight to nonexistent in the mid deck six cabins. It's more noticeable in the back, especially those cabins that are located off the hallways behind the laundry rooms - that includes the C category. The balconies on the C deck cabins, though, are AWESOME. We loved having the cabin for the Panama Canal crossing.

 

- If there's a following sea and the ship is running around 20 knots, it's more pronounced. The advantage of this itinerary is you're docked for two nights in St. Petersburg, so the vibration will be less of an issue, if it's an issue at all, as far as sleeping goes. If I remember correctly, the last night of sailing (through the Swedish archipelago) was also at a slower speed.

 

- We had a few nights on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal trip with enough vibration and creaking that we found ourselves waking up several times. On the worst nights, we felt a "jerking" sensation accompanied by a fair amount of creaking that woke us rather than the "hum". Other nights it was a "hum" that wasn't so bothersome and still other nights (Caribbean side) that were as quiet as could be.

 

- Given my druthers, I'd book the mid section six cabins as they are very convenient to the public areas, the corridor is smaller and quieter and there has been little or no vibration or creaking when we've stayed there. I'm happy to sail on Voyager - it has a lot to offer.

 

Hope that's useful to you. Cheers, Anne