Finally...my Voyager review 3/16-3/23

[tkportersat]

My Family: Parents (dad 57, mom 56), kids (son 15, daughter 13) and myself (36). Drove up from San Antonio the Saturday before the cruise. The biggest recommendation I can make is to pay to travel on the Toll road (Total cost of 3 tolls is $4.50 each way) once you get to Houston, I have never once experienced slow downs on the toll road like I have experienced traveling other parts of Houston. In my opinion it is worth every penny…….

 

Pre-Cruise: We stayed at the Super 8 in La Marque for one night for about $65. I was impressed that reserving the room almost a year ago that they had taken note of my request to have a bottom floor room. It is a clean hotel (nothing fancy) and they have a continental breakfast. We ate dinner at Acapulco which was in a shopping center across the street. The prices are great and the food is excellent and very good Margaritas – gets you in the mood for your cruise! If you go the Shrimp Diablo and Chicken Flautas are awesome!

 

Day of Embarkation: We got up early and left our hotel around 10 am. Arrived at EZ cruise parking at about 10:30 and they let us park right away. Waited about 20 minutes and they had us on our way to the ship. I was worried we would have a little trouble getting a Porter since this was the earliest we had ever arrived, but got help right away. Once we got into the terminal it was not too busy and we checked in very quickly. I noticed though they were routing folks to chairs and we did end up sitting for about an hour waiting for them to let us board (12:30pm). Met Tracey and Sharon from our Cruise Critic Roll call while waiting so if you chat with people the time goes by much quicker!! Once they let us start moving we stopped for the onboard photo (which I ALWAYS buy) and then went up the stairs to board the ship and then the line just STOPS. Actually waited about another 20 minutes before we made it on the ship where they took our Seapass pics. Headed to the Pool Deck to meet the parents and get our first bucket of beer ($24.44 for 5 beers) and have lunch from the Windjammer. Tried the much raved about Honey Stung chicken and did not enjoy L I don’t like dark meet unfortunately and that is what I accidentally grabbed. While we were eating met Tim and Malissa from Roll Call (hello my fellow San Antonio friends!) turns out they are practically my neighbors! Heard announcement that rooms would be ready at 1:30 instead of 1:00 so just hung out and talked for a little longer.

 

Our Cabin: Booked my first balcony w/ the kids, Room 7310 on Deck 7 just at the back of the hump (yes, despite what I was told the balcony is slightly bigger due to the curve). Room steward was Enoc and he found me and introduced himself right away, very nice. Beds were originally separate (which I had asked for) but set up this way gave very little walking room and it made it hard to get to the balcony door. Very quickly I moved the beds together and switched the nightstands and it made things much clearer to move about. My daughters bed folded over our heads each night (Ouch, yes I forgot this a couple times in the dark and while there is a nice little sticker above you that says “mind your head” you can’t see it while it is dark and after a night of drinking did not remember) so be careful J Got our luggage the quickest ever (about 2:15) and had everything completely unpacked way before Muster at 4:15. LOVE the Star Trek shower (beam me up Scotty) as you are completely encased and have no pesky sticky shower curtain or water leakage to worry about. Storage was fine for my 13yr old daughter and myself but my son complained we took up too much space and just left all his stuff in the suitcase (exception of slacks and nice shirts) for the week. Poor kid getting stuck in a room w/ two woman, I hope he doesn’t need therapy later in life….he didn’t have a chance. Loved the balcony (table and two chairs), brought the vanity chair out so all three of us could enjoy the space and we all fit out there perfectly with room to spare. Balcony is enclosed on all sides and very private, blocked the wind very well. Enoc was very personable and chatted w/ my kids often. He kept the room very clean and even made a wonderful towel person out of my pajamas and flip flops one night, while also incorporating my sunglasses and tv remote. What a fun surprise!! I never had that in the 9 cruises before and it was so cool. He was a very hard worker and very present, he made our trip extra special.

 

Dining Room: Sorry, don’t remember our table number but our Waiter was Tanya from Serbia and Asst. waiter was Mehmet from Turkey. We had Early seating (now 5:30, UGH). We originally had two tables as we were with family friends (10 folks) and they had us all commingled. TA had told our friend that all 15 of us would be seated together, so first night she very hastily headed to the Maitre D to find a solution. Next afternoon our new table assignment arrived and RC somehow found a way to accommodate our party – very nice!! Tanya was fantastic and so great with the 4 kids and two teens at our table. Mehmet was friendly but very shy and I believe new at the job as he said sorry a lot when he would grab stuff. He tried very hard!! Despite what I have read I very much enjoyed all the food choices I had, some highlights were the Asparagus soup, Tilapia w/ Wasabi sauce, dessert sampler, Beef Filet, tiramisu. I order my meat/steaks medium and they always came perfect w/ a little pink. Less bread selections this trip than I have had in the past, they never had the cranberry bread that I so enjoyed on previous RC cruises. But I had no complaints about the food in the dining room and everything was presented very nice and the service was excellent. Don’t like that the early dining time was moved to 5:30, it makes port days a little too hectic. Only had breakfast in the dining room the last morning and we randomly ended up w/ Tanya again –yeah!! Wish I would have eaten here more for breakfast as the food was better than in the WJ and you could get the eggs over easy and of course be waited on. Just a lot more relaxing overall than battling the WJ crowds.

 

Windjammer/Buffet – Room Service: We ate a few breakfasts and lunches here. The food was okay. Stuff was a little too strange for me and I usually opted to just have a sandwich and dessert. Ventured back to the Island Grill one day (all the way to the back) and they had baked potatoes with all the toppings which I really enjoyed. Never had a salad here but did notice that the selection was very good with many topping and dressing choices. They have done away with trays which I think is a bad choice, especially for those with little ones. They did not allow you to get your own drink anymore either, which is fine with me as the fewer people touch things than you are less likely to catch something. I almost wanted them to serve the food for the duration of the cruise after we saw a kid lick a spoon and stick it back into the mashed potatoes L I wonder how many times this happens and we don’t know – ugh. My mom retrieved the spoon and reported it to the worker behind the buffet and the spoon was replaced. We used room service 3 times and it went very well and orders were correct and prompt. A 4th time didn’t go well as our order slip was never removed from the door, but we made do and set out for an alternate meal. It is a large ship after all…..Ordered buckets of beer by room service twice (funny, but both times they brought me 6 instead of 5???). When my parents ordered theirs by Room service or anywhere else it was always 5. Also one of the charges never showed up on my bill……..my parents said one of the guys must have had a crush on me J ha.

 

Johnny Rockets: Never made it here……but my kids went a couple of times w/ their free coupons in the Crown and Anchor book and really loved it. Said the food was very good and raved about the milkshakes. I guess I will have to make it to the one in Downtown San Antonio and see what it is all about.

 

Café Promenade: Absolutely my favorite place on the ship. Spent almost every evening at the Pig and Whistle Pub with my folks after dinner before heading to our casino appointment. They have a gentlemen that sings cover songs and he is pretty good but he is there every night and the same songs and jokes after the third day was too much for us, so we started cutting our time there short. The pizza in the Promenade Café was so good, by far the most pizza I have ever eaten on a cruise. Always hot and fresh!! They also offered cookies and cakes and a coffee station. Great place to get coffee on the go as they have the coffee cups w/ the lids. Ben and Jerry’s and Seattle Best coffee were right next door, but I never felt the need to spend the extra money with so many free food and drink alternatives on board. On St. Patricks Day they changed the Promenade banners to read “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” and the Pub served green beer – very nice touch!! The Promenade never seemed crowded at all which was nice with so many folks on board.

 

Activities and Entertainment: I hate to say this but I didn’t use any of the extra amenities such as the Rock Wall, Inline Skating, mini golf, basketball or ice skating L I never even went to see it…..I was just so relaxed and enjoying chats on the balcony w/ my parents that I just never made it. As single mom with two kids I am so busy at home and responsible for everything that I was so lazy this time. Not to mention as an adult I don’t get to see my parents as often as I should, so it was nice to have that time together. I am sure all those things are really fun, but couldn’t tell you first hand anything about them so I will refrain. I did try the rock wall once on the Rhapsody and making it to the top was quite the accomplishment, so if you have never done it you should definitely try it at least once on a ship. I think the thought of the all the kids on board (Spring Break) and the high winds we experienced the first few days made it an easier decision not to go check things out. We did go to the Casino every night and donate some money, occasionally it would give me some back but I always re-invested J No big jackpots for any of us this trip, oh well I have Vegas in June to try again! (Hello to Veronica/Mark and Tim/Malissa my casino bar buddies). We laid out by the pool the first two sea days and we were able to find three chairs together both times. I did see some really bad chair saving going on which irritates me that people are so inconsiderate to others. I don’t mind a few minutes but some were held for HOURS – ridiculous people. The Vault is a nice dance club but every time I went it was fairly empty, never saw a good crowd. I spent less time there than I ever have for a dance club on a ship. I kinda missed the fact that club wasn’t in the Viking Crown Lounge as on the Rhapsody, the Vault seemed too big and impersonal. This is where I have always made friends on previous cruises. I did have a lot of fun playing in the Quest (which I can’t reveal too much about or it ruins the fun for newcomers) but I was the girl leader of Team two and we won!!! As leader I got a RC cooler, very nice pen and photo album – nice treat. If you have never been to a Quest as least go watch, it is very fun to see adults acting like children.

Shows at Night: I didn’t go to one show L

 

Ports of Call:

Jamaica: Took a taxi to Sunset Beach ($40 for adults/$20 for 13 and under, all inclusive food/drinks/activities). Make sure you pay attention to the age and price above as the lady tried to charge my 13 year old at adult prices and we had to do a credit card reversal. Some construction going on to create a new bar area, which was kinda in the way and noisy with saws and such. The first time we visited here in May 2006 and had a great time so we tried it again. It has a waterpark, kayaks, paddle boats, snorkeling, mini golf, 3 large pools (one w/ water volleyball and the other w/ swim up bar) and a water park w/ lazy river. Facilities are nice and clean and you are not bothered at all by the locals to buy illegal substances, they don’t peddle their stuff on the beach either. Drinks are good (bring a bigger cup and they will fill it up). Food was good – definitely try the jerk chicken but don’t try the “fake” hamburgers – yuck. They had something that looked like a fried pie but tasted like a burrito that was very good. Very much worth the price. Ride from the cruise terminal only takes a few minutes and is $2pp. Beware if you want to ride into town. A ride from Sunset Beach to stop at a store for 5 minutes and then Margaritaville 10 minutes for souvenirs and then back to the cruise terminal was $60!! Ask up front, we learned the hard way. Taxis are available anytime and you can leave when you wish. Also, when you check in you have to leave your Seapass at the front desk, don’t forget it when you leave.

 

Grand Cayman: Did the Reef and Wreck Snorkle for $28pp through Royal Caribbean. Tickets said 11:00, found out later we didn’t need to meet until noon. Only upsetting because we wasted a lot of time standing around when we could have gone and had a nice lunch together before our excursion. Was told by others that RC had left a phone voice mail message on the room phones to notify people of the change, but I hardly even looked at the phone so we missed it. Excursion itself is a bargain, best snorkeling I have experienced. The water was beautiful and we saw many different looking fish – very colorful. Wreckage and reefs were cool to look at as well.

 

Cozumel: Went to Paradise Beach for the 3rd time and it didn’t disappoint. I was worried at first being SB and being docked next to the Freedom (which had unloaded first) in addition to about 4 other ships that it would be way too crowded here….not so and we were one of the first people to arrive. We had to decided to meet up with some of our Roll Call friends (Hello Lisse Family) for breakfast and then to take our taxi here for the day ($26 each way for our van of 7). Beach itself has no charge, they just ask that you buy food or drink. Beach chairs are plentiful and come with tables and umbrellas. $10 bracelets for the kids gives them access to snorkeling, kayaks, climbing glacier and water trampolines. For extra fees you can sign up to Parasail, get massages as well. Very clean facilities, outdoor showers, good food and reasonable prices make for a nice relaxing day at the beach. Thanks to Tracey’s tip we took a couple small milk cartons from the ship to Paradise Tom for his baby. So if you go and think about it you might do the same. (See the Paradise Beach thread under Cozumel for information as to why he asks for this). Also if you have any questions on the thread Tom answers them all!! Taxis available all day so you can leave as you wish.

 

Meet and Mingle! So fun to meet all the people you chat with online, some of which I had been talking to for over a year. RC has a wonderful set up with finger foods and chocolate covered goodies as well as tea and lemonade. Eric is a great Cruise Director and raffled off some prizes and made jokes. We were a small group but a fun one!! Erica (RC check in agent) was on our trip and organized a Poker Run/Cabin Crawl that was quite fun and it was neat to see what others cabins looked like. It was a great way to meet and interact with people. If you have never participated in a Pre-cruise Roll Call I highly recommend you check it out. I got involved with it because I always traveled alone with my kids, who usually leave me alone most of the time. It connected me with folks before even stepping on the ship. It is also a great way to get information as well, in a smaller forum. I know some of the people I met I will stay in touch with for many years to come!

 

Debarkation was terrible, and no I am not exaggerating. I can forgive it though because (a) it was Easter Sunday and I am sure folks were off and (b) Spring Break trip with many people to unload. The one thing that could have been better is if RC personnel would have been placed every so often to let us know what was going on. We stood in tunnels for a very long time just stopped, not having any idea what was taking so long. Didn’t get to EZ cruise until about 11:45, arrived back in San Antonio about 4:30.

 

OVERALL:

-Beautiful ship, but possibly too big for my taste. I think that is up to individual preference and you have to see for yourself if the bigger ships are for you. The bonus to that is that there is very little movement and less room for sea sickness, a lot of times you don’t feel like you are on a ship. I like that on the smaller ships it is easier to get around and that you see the same people in passing a lot, which makes it easier to meet people.

 

-Towels. I know this may seem small, but it is something I have gotten used to in my previous 9 cruises and that is clean beach towels provided in your room – especially on port days. I didn’t like having to go check them out by the pool deck.

-Bring the trays back in the Windjammer, I am not a carnival performer and don’t have the knack for balancing plates, bowls and cups all at the same time.

-Service-while we had good service in the Dining Room and Room Stewards the rest of the ship was lacking. It was near impossible to get a drink in the Casino while playing slots (easier at table games) and while laying by the pool. Most of the crew we met though were very nice and helpful.

-Loved being able to get draft beer all over the ship, something I have really missed on my previous cruises. Much better selection of beers as well.

-Bring a power strip, still only two plugs in the room

-don't open your balcony and room door at the same time or things go a flying!!

Happy Cruising everyone!! Hello as well to Cindy and Jim (Happy Golfing) and Susan and Keith whom I ran into quite a bit!

[Riley's Mom]

Thanks for the great reveiw. I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Do you have any photos that you can post? I love seeing all the formal wear and shore excursion photos..Plus photos of the cabins.

 

Did the promanade get very crowded? Were you always able to find a table/chair to sit at?

 

I am so excited..only 17 more days before we leave.

 

Carla

[tkportersat]

Thanks, sorry for the annoying font changes...not sure what I did wrong.

 

Not just yet, but I will try to get some up soon. I am kinda computer stupid and it may take me a while to figure out.

 

No, the Promenade and ship overall didn't feel crowded at all. We never had a problem finding a place to sit as you can choose from the Sports Bar, Pig and Whistle or the Cafe itself. You really don't notice all the people unless you are trying to get on/off the boat or in the Windjammer and pool deck.

 

I am excited for you, wish I was going again :(

 

Thanks for the great reveiw. I really enjoyed reading it.

 

Do you have any photos that you can post? I love seeing all the formal wear and shore excursion photos..Plus photos of the cabins.

 

Did the promanade get very crowded? Were you always able to find a table/chair to sit at?

 

I am so excited..only 17 more days before we leave.

 

Carla

[Cindy]

Hi Kerry! Great review! I'm so glad you found time to do it.:) I did notice your daughter beat all of us...I think hers was the first review posted from our trip!

I can't wait to see your pictures. Do you have any good ones from Quest? I tried to take a picture of you showing Eric "something," but it didn't come out. You moved too fast!:p

[buckanear]

Awesome review! It was really great getting to know you.

 

The one thing that could have been better is if RC personnel would have been placed every so often to let us know what was going on.

 

You shoulda come to La Scala during debarkation, I was there and in-the-know. Sort of ;) When they had people like me doing disembark, it's no wonder there was a line. :eek: j/k

 

Do you have any good ones from Quest?

 

I'm putting together a video and I have a ton of footage from quest. I'll let you know when I get it together.

[msunrullieone]

Hi Kerry---great review!! When are we going to the Firehouse???:)

[alwayshappytocruise]

[/font]

 

I almost wanted them to serve the food for the duration of the cruise after we saw a kid lick a spoon and stick it back into the mashed potatoes. I wonder how many times this happens and we don’t know – ugh. My mom retrieved the spoon and reported it to the worker behind the buffet and the spoon was replaced. [

 

Great, easy to read review! Hope they replaced the mashed potatoes as well as the spoon!

[pmfan]

Very detailed awesome review. Thanks. :)

[a-tx-brit]

Thanks for the review, Kerry.We will be on board 4/20.

Check out the San Antonio thread.....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=51709&page=56

[Cruising89143]

 

Debarkation was terrible, and no I am not exaggerating. I can forgive it though because (a) it was Easter Sunday and I am sure folks were off and (b) Spring Break trip with many people to unload. The one thing that could have been better is if RC personnel would have been placed every so often to let us know what was going on. We stood in tunnels for a very long time just stopped, not having any idea what was taking so long. Didn’t get to EZ cruise until about 11:45, arrived back in San Antonio about 4:30.

 

 

Very nice review. Thanks for sharing. My last few debarkations with RCI have been horrible. The port in Ft. Lauderdale was partly to blame but like you they need more crew members to keep things straight. Self debarkation has been a nightmare.

 

About your font. If you used Word to write up your review, it seems that it will change when you copy and paste it to this site unless you highlight the entire review and pick the font on the tool bar of this site. Has happened to me more than once.

[themerle]

Enjoyed your review!!!!!!!!! Great job.

[tkportersat]

Ha thanks! Yeah, apparently she has too much free time at school :) Actually she has a web design class and they are allowed to explore on school approved websites.

 

No, I didn't take out my camera since I was running around so much. I had a blast though and have a great mental picture of the fun I had that night! Winning was an extra special treat. I do have a picture at the end when my co-captain and I received our prizes, but that is it.

 

Hi Kerry! Great review! I'm so glad you found time to do it.:) I did notice your daughter beat all of us...I think hers was the first review posted from our trip!

 

I can't wait to see your pictures. Do you have any good ones from Quest? I tried to take a picture of you showing Eric "something," but it didn't come out. You moved too fast!:p

[tkportersat]

It was so nice meeting you too!! Thanks again for all you did with the Poker Run :)

 

Honestly there will never be a good debarkation as far as I am concerned, it could have been over in 15 minutes and I would still be ticked because my vacation is over :( They really shouldn't make you leave!!

 

Yeah!! I would love to see that....I think.

 

Awesome review! It was really great getting to know you.

 

 

 

You shoulda come to La Scala during debarkation, I was there and in-the-know. Sort of ;) When they had people like me doing disembark, it's no wonder there was a line. :eek: j/k

 

 

 

I'm putting together a video and I have a ton of footage from quest. I'll let you know when I get it together.

[tkportersat]

Hello my neighbors!! Maybe we could meet next week???? Do you have my email address? If not it is kporter@webfnb.com and we will figure something out in the next couple weeks for sure.

 

Hi Kerry---great review!! When are we going to the Firehouse???:)

[tkportersat]

Hi fellow San Antonians :) Go Spurs!!

 

Yeah I have checked in a few times in the past kinda lurking....I will definitely try to make it to one of the local get togethers one of these days. I hope ya'll have a great time on your trip!!

 

Thanks for the review, Kerry.We will be on board 4/20.

Check out the San Antonio thread.....

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=51709&page=56

[tkportersat]

Thanks...Yeah, I don't think the realization that vacation is over helps our moods though either :mad:

 

Guilty....I typed it on my email at work and then copied and pasted. I emailed the cruisecritic community to see if they could fix it.

 

Very nice review. Thanks for sharing. My last few debarkations with RCI have been horrible. The port in Ft. Lauderdale was partly to blame but like you they need more crew members to keep things straight. Self debarkation has been a nightmare.

 

About your font. If you used Word to write up your review, it seems that it will change when you copy and paste it to this site unless you highlight the entire review and pick the font on the tool bar of this site. Has happened to me more than once.