Back from Voyager 4/2. Mariner's much different!

We had a lovely Spring Break tour on the Voyager, E Caribbean. We first cruised her in June of 2000 and have been on the Navigator and the Mariner twice. We took our two daughters, ages 11 and 15. For those who think all Eagle Class ships are the same, think again! The Voyager had a great staff. CD Drew Devine was good- not our favorite, but good. The food has changed a bit- new menu, some new items. Portofino's was better on this trip than on previous ships- better service, better food. Loved the ahi tuna. There is no Chops. The Windjammer has no Jade, and I missed the spicy Pacific Rim choices. Also, it's not as pretty as the Mariner's wooden entrance with separate bar and dining area. The Sports Bar on the Promenade makes the area much smokier than the NOS or MOS. (They have a wine bar, which I really missed.) The wine selection wasn't nearly as good as the Mariner's. The karaoke contest has a category for groups, which we enjoyed! The other ships only had male and female soloists. The Quest game was great, but the Dancing thorough the Ages was held in the dance bar instead of Studio B and was too crowded and not nearly as much fun as there was no space to dance and there was no dance contest. There was no horse racing on pool days.AOL and the Internet was working better on this ship than any other I've sailed, thankfully.

We learned that the gym was going to be refurbished- good idea. The elliptical trainers by Reebok were hard to use and in really bad shape. They had cheap treadmills which were rattling constantly. We saw maintenance working on many of them. The gym was very hot and uncomfortable. The Mariner had much better and more equipment, including a rowing machine. All ships could benefit from having some fans in the gyms- it's pretty bad! The staff was visiting the gym on occasion- that was a good thing. They made sure all rules were enforced, including age limits for kids. Kudos to all other staff who enforced rules and kept things very pleasant. I was on a Carnival Spring Break cruise and kids were rowdy and uncontrolled. They also reminded people of smoking rules and disallowed it during debarkation which was great. I got smoked out on Carnival with people doing it freely everywhere.

We saw the same ice show and many entertainers that we have seen before. The ice show, though very good, still has an ending where 2 men and 2 women compete against each other, which slows things down a bit. I prefer the "Circus Under the Big Top" on the Mariner.It was a treat to see Wilde and Haines- a comedic juggling duo. Love and Marriage game gets a little old- after 9 cruises, I pretty much can guess all the questions. The Battle of the Sexes, though, was very funny. They used older teens/young adults for the hijinks, and it was cute. Entertainers in other areas were good- we especially appreciated the Rosario Strings- a trio of musicians who could play anything, and I mean it! We made several requests, and they did all of them. Good to dance to a variety of tunes. I was not as impressed with the orchestra- they had a half set of dance music, most of it slow, and another set of jazz, which was undanceable and which most people didn't enjoy. We prefer a good hour of swing, jitterbug, cha cha, etc.

I also like the pool area on the Mariner with the many colors. There is a large sculpture on the Voyager which is right in the middle of the dance floor on deck. It's not laid out as well as the sister ships. However, the band was good and it was festive with the sexy legs and bellyflop contests.

Our Meet and Mingle Party was quite unusual. In the past, we had a few crew members speak, some raffles and question and answer period with cookies and hot tea. This time, we had an assistant CD by herself, who didn't do much else except lead us in a team trivia contest. Our team of 2 families won, but they only gave one prize! They did, however, give another prize to the other couple later. They provided delicious canapes this time and very nice Cruise critic pins and card carriers. It was nice to see everyone- our turnout was about 70%.

My daughters didn't do many activities with Adventure Ocean, but they had plenty to do. They really enjoyed the comedians and the shows, except the very weird and tiresome "Dreamscape" which is still being offered after all these years of complaints. Krooze Comics were very good and did a great job with all the kids.

Once again, we enjoyed the staff and activities with RCCL. The Voyager is a great vessel; I just think that the Mariner is a bit better for us. My kids didn't use the small kids' pool, and adults used the chairs at that area anyway. The Mariner put in extra play space and eliminated the pool. Also, Johnny Rocket's now has a cover charge and extra fees. They weren't impressed by the food. Adult cruisers might have a better time in an off-season time such as Jan or Feb. However, if you can only cruise during this time, be assured that RCCL will try to make it a good time for all ages. Any questions?

Oh I am so sorry that I forgot to mention Peter Ritz in the piano bar- great vocalist and pianist ...could upgrade his repertoire. The Platters with Herb Reed.. if you've seen them once, then you've seen them. I really prefer the Beatles show on the Enchantment.