Just Off Voyager 3/5/05 Sailing

Just returned from a great cruise. We thoroughly enjoyed the Voyager-Eastern Caribbean sailing. I'll give you my thoughts in point form:

1. We booked our own flights and pre-cruise hotel (Air Canada and the Radisson) as well as our own "transfers" (taxis). All were good and on time.

2. Arrived at the port 11:15am, check-in was a breeze although we could not

board the ship until 1:00pm-Customs clearance problem, no big deal.

3. Voyager is a great ship with a great crew, boy is she big! She is in great

shape.

4. We had great weather and slight seas the entire cruise-could not have

been better.

5. We had a wonderful stateroom, a JS just aft of the hump on the starboard

side on Deck 10, a perfect location for us.

6. Stateroom attendant-Riccardo, Waiter-Vijay, Asst. Waiter-Jose....the three

of them were fantastic and added greatly to the enjoyment of our cruise.

7. We really enjoyed the itinerary- Nassau, St. Thomas, San Juan and

Labadee.

8. Food was good although I must say not as good as my last cruise 12 years

ago on Sovereign but then again the cruise price was the same as 12

years ago so I'll call it a wash.

9. Entertainment was fine (Coasters, John Joseph and James Connolly). The

RCI Dancers and Singers were good although the lead female and male

singers could use a coach- great pipes but not much control. Ice Show is

NOT to be missed-fantastic and the Quest was hilarious. Becky "Hello Luv"

Thomson was our Cruise Director, we thought she did a good job- she

has a ton of energy and has a tough job.

10. Bartenders were great and I did remember to say hello to them for those

that asked. As a matter of fact I said hello to them a countless number

of times:D .

11. Debarkation was smooth and on time, our colour (purple) was called

when it was scheduled to be called.

12. Took a taxi from the port back to the Radisson, checked the luggage

with them for a few hours (7:15pm flight) and spent the rest of the

afternoon at Bayside. The Radisson didn't charge for this-just tips.

13. One down note: the Chair Hogs were out in force. It did not bother us

greatly as we sit where they don't but some passengers were rightly

upset. The Deck Patrol was scarce, at least from what I observed. It's

tough but I think RCI could do a better job. Chair Hogs are truly the

most selfish and inconsiderate people onboard. Just unbelievable.

14. Met a lot of great people on board. Out tablemates were wonderful

people. Hi to Joyce, Tom, Sue, Judy, Edith and Al.

15. It was my girlfriend's first cruise and she was blown away by it all.

It is neat to see the reactions of a first time cruiser as they take

everything in. Will we cruise again? In a heartbeat!

If anyone has questions, fire away.

Thanks for the great review. Sounds like you enjoyed every minute of your cruise. I am sailing on the Voyager on March 26 and doing the Western Caribbean. I'll be going with my sister, daughter, grand-daughter, son, daughter-in-law and two grand-sons. I'm really looking forward to this cruise since it will be the first time we've ever done a "family" cruise. We also are going into Miami a day early and hope the weather is good so the grandkids can go to the beach. I can't wait to see the Voyager - we have sailed with RCCL twice before but it is always nice to sail a different ship. Thanks again for the review. HAPPY SAILING !!!!!!!

Glad you had a great time...I can't wait.

Are there pools that are open 24 hours a day?

Sounds like you had a great time.. glad to hear it.

Couple of quick questions for you.

Is there a piano bar... not a karaoke bar, but more like where the whole room sings along? Usually takes a pretty talented entertainer to get the room going, but once it's going, it's such a good time.

Was there an alcohol package or card to purchase to try to save some money on drinks?

Can you take stairs up to the 7th floor from the promenade on the fifth floor? I'm sure there are crew/utility stairs, but I'm referring to the traditional staircases in the centrum area?

Thanks so much!

Donna

For LBB, we didn't go up to deck 11 at night but my understanding was at least 1 pool and hot tub were open.

For Donna, the Schooner Bar could be called a piano bar, usually from 10:00pm to 1:00am. Peter Ritz was the main entertainer there and he was pretty good.

There are many venues on the ship that have entertainment at any given time along the lines you are asking about.

The only alcohol package we found available was the wine package and, believe me, we were looking. There was a corporate group of about 80 people onboard who were "all-inclusive" with respect to alcohol- they had a small red sticker on their Sea Passes but I don't believe it is available to the retail or normal booking passenger.

There are stairs by the elevators on all decks so yes, it is quite easy to walk from the promenade (deck 5) to deck 7 via the stairs at fore or aft centrum.

Thanks so much. You made my day! Do you have another cruise booked yet?

Donna, haven't booked another one yet. Thinking of land based for the next trip and maybe cruise again next Mar. Maybe Western Carib. with a look at Radiance class ship although it would be difficult not to stay with Voyager class- they are terrific ships.

Is there still a wine package? I heard from one of their reps that they no longer have one.

2ndcruiser, yes there is still a wine package. You have a choice of three different packages; Gold, Platinum and Diamond. The difference between the three is selection and price. We went with the middle package-7 bottles for $198.00 including gratuity. We bought the package in the dining room the first night, let your waiter know right away that you want it. For selection and pricing see RCI's website. You will save approx. 25% by buying the package. If you are going to eat in an alternative restaurant let your waiter know the night before, they will make sure the other restaurant is ready for you.

BobBeaSea--Thanks for the infornation. We leave this Saturday, and are really looking forward to this cruise--our 1st on RCCL.