Voyager of the Seas 4/16-4/23/05 Review (Sort of Long)

Hello,

This is a review of the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Voyager of the Seas: 4/16-4/23/05 leaving from Miami. This is our 2nd cruise on the Voyager. Last time was May 2001.

This is our 5th Cruise: Big Red Boat (Sept 1996- ship we met on); VOS (May 2001); Golden Princess (Dec 2002); Grand Princess (Sept 2003).

Cabin: Inside stateroom- 8337 (AFT)

Ports: Nassau; St. Thomas; San Juan; and Labadee—2 sea days

Background: I am 31 and my wife is 27 and we do not have any kids.

Precruise (4/15) We flew into Orlando and went to the Animal Kingdom. Then we rented a car and drove down to Miami. We originally were supposed to go on the Disney Magic but something came up so we had to change our plans. We also kept this flight because my wife’s childhood friend lives in Orlando and we wanted to see her. We Pricelined a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and we got the Doubletree @ the Galleria for $46/night. This hotel was very accommodating to our needs (a place to fall asleep for a few hours and that was fairly reasonably priced) and it was clean.

Day 1 (Saturday 4/16)- We returned the rental car to Alamo and took advantage of the free shuttle service that they provide to the port. Arrived at the Port in Miami around 11am & check in was very painless. We were checked in by 11:15 and were directed to stand in a line to wait for embarkation to begin. The ship was not cleared from the previous cruise until around 12:15-12:30. We were on the ship by 1pm. Went directly to our cabin to put down our luggage and off to the Windjammer we went for lunch. After lunch we made our Rasul Spa appointment for Sunday and then went down to the dining room to check out our seating assignments for the week. We were on the 1st floor of the dining room (Carmen Dining Room) and were seated at a table for 8 which we wanted a big table so this was great. After that, we just walked around and reacquainted ourselves with the Voyager. We sailed her May 2001 so we were still fairly familiar but still just wanted to walk around in amazement. The Voyager class ships are just breathtaking. Our last 2 cruises were on the Grand and Golden Princess and while those ships are beautiful they don’t compare to the Voyager of the Seas. Muster (or what we call them- Mustard) drill was at 4:30 and fairly painless. It wasn’t a real hot day which was great. The one thing I really liked about Princess was that the Muster Drill stations were inside areas not outside like the Voyager. After the drill, we went up on the top deck for the Sail-a-way party. Around 6:00, since we had late dining, we went to the workout room where we met the infamous Megamu (He is part of the Ice Cast and will be in the Guinness Book of World Records for landing the first triple Lutz at sea). He is the nicest person you will ever meet. Every time we saw him around the ship he always went out of his way to talk with us. After working out, we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. The welcome aboard show was before dinner. It was entertaining. We met our table mates and they were just awesome. There were some empty chairs around the dining room due to being sea sick from some rough seas. Habibb was our waiter and Nathan was our assistant. They both started off kind of shy but after the first night they definitely warmed up to everyone. They were great waiters and we had a great time at dinner each and every night. After dinner, we went to find a spot for the parade. After the parade, we walked around the ship a little while before heading to bed.

Day 2 (Sunday 4/17)- Nassau- We got up early and went to the dining room for breakfast. Breakfast was good. One thing that we noticed was the both the breakfast and lunch menus in the dining room never changed. This was completely different from Princess where the menus changed for both every day. After breakfast, we went to meet our tour that we booked through RCI. It was the sail and snorkel tour that was 3.5 hours long. We usually book tours on our own but since we were only there for a short period of time and really wanted to go out on a boat and snorkel we chose this. There were 80 other people on the catamaran and it really didn’t feel crowded. They took us out to a reef after a 45 minute boat ride and we snorkeled for about an hour. We really enjoyed this. The ride there and back was very calm. After we returned to the dock, we had about 15 minutes before we were supposed to be on the ship so we ran into a couple of shops to get a few souvenirs. Once on the ship, we went right to the dining room to eat lunch. We left Nassau at 1 so we were sailing away as we were eating lunch. After lunch we had the 2:30 Rasul Spa Appointment. This is a whole lot of fun. This was the only spa treatment that either one of us did. After the appointment, we went back to the cabin and took a nap. After our nice refreshing nap, we started getting ready for our first Formal Night. This is the night of the Captain’s reception. We sat down outside the Pig & Whistle just before they started passing out the free champagne. I think I had 3 glasses (they were offering, so I was accepting). After the Captain’s speech, we went to dinner. Not sure what was for dinner but I know it was good. Tonight was a comedian and he was pretty funny. There was also a late night adult comedy show but we chose not to go. After the show, we walked around the ship and then went to bed.

Day 3 (Monday 4/18) At Sea- Got up and went to breakfast in the dining room. After breakfast we were going to go up on deck and hang out under the sun, except there was no sun and it was breezy so we walked around the ship until the 11:45 meet and mingle. I know there were around 30 people signed up but only around 10 showed up. We still had some fun getting to know people and Janette, from the cruise staff. We played some RCI trivia for a prize and we were the lucky recipient of the Aqua Mouse which was really cool. Was not expecting that so we were quite honored. After the meet and mingle, we went up on deck and the sun was starting to peek through and the wind was not as bad so we picked our chairs and enjoyed the music and just being on vacation. We went to the Windjammer and brought our lunch out by the pool. We enjoyed the hot tub by the adult pool since the hot tubs by the main pool were infested with little kids. Each hot tub had about 20 kids. This was the trend and norm for the whole week. If you wanted to enjoy the hot tubs you had to go to the adult pool area. After the nice relaxing hot tub, we went back to the room to rest and get ready for dinner. Again, don’t remember what we had for dinner but I do know that it was good. Tonight I think was Dreamscape. This was definitely not my favorite show of the week. It gets really weird towards the end.

Day 4 (Tuesday 4/19) St. Thomas- Up early to go through Immigration. Was very painless but definitely annoying. We were in line by 7:30 and done by 7:45. After Immigration, we went to the Windjammer for breakfast. After breakfast, went to our room to get our stuff and off to enjoy St. Thomas. We took a wild taxi ride over to Megan’s Bay. That was one fast and crazy taxi driver. We arrived at Megan’s Bay about 9am. We went to the right side of the beach and it started to really get busy around 11am. We went for a walk down the far left side and noticed that it wasn’t as busy down that way. We had just returned from our walk and a rude couple sat down beside us and started smoking so we packed up our stuff and moved to the left side of the beach. We stayed another hour or so and took another wild and crazy taxi ride back to the ship. If we ever go back to St. Thomas, I believe that we will find another beach to go to because Megan’s Bay is so crowded. We literally were sitting right on top of one another and that just isn’t my idea of relaxing. Once back on the ship, we got changed and went to the Windjammer for lunch and then we went shopping in the mall area right at the pier. We were just looking to buy souvenirs so this suited our needs. We then were back on the ship and just relaxed until the Ice Show. We had 7pm tickets for tonight’s show so off we went. As we were walking in, we were approached by the cruise staff to see if we wanted to be ‘Celebrity Judges’ for tonight’s show. So after some reluctance on my part, we decided to do it. They introduced us and I was Mel Gibson’s butt double and my wife was a Victoria Secrets Model. The skit that the Krooze-Comics did before the show was hilarious. Sitting in the front row of this spectacular show was just breathtaking. If you don’t see any other shows while onboard the Voyager Class Ships, you must see this show. They are absolutely amazing. Being judges was definitely fun. Tonight was Caribbean night for dinner and also the night of the Caribbean Party under the stars. I had the Jerk Chicken which was really tasty. After dinner, we went to the party on the pool deck and really enjoyed that. I also think tonight was Quest night. This show is definitely crazy.

Day 5 (Wednesday 4/20) San Juan – We got up early and just grabbed a couple of danishes in the coffee shop on the Royal Promenade. We were off the ship by about 7:45. We really didn’t have any plans to do anything other than just walk around Old San Juan. Basically that is what we did. We traveled the outside route. First stopping at Fort San Christobal. It wasn’t open so we just took pictures of it and enjoyed the view of the ocean from there. We walked along the back street near the ocean and by the time we reached Fort El Morro, it was open to tour. The fort was very fascinating and the view was spectacular as well. While we were there we saw a Celebrity cruise ship sail by us. At the very bow of the ship there was a dolphin jumping out of the water. What a show he/she put on. After touring the fort, we just proceed to walk down to where the shopping area was. Making stops at both of the churches en route to the downtown area. After some shopping, we went back to the ship. Just in time because by the time we reached the pier, the rain started coming down. We went to the dining room for lunch and sailed away as we were eating lunch. After lunch, we took a nap and then got ready for dinner. Tonight was the second formal night. Tonight was a show with one of the Letterman. He sang hits from The Letterman as well as various other artists. It was a really good show.

Day 6 (Thursday 4/21) Labadee – Today was just a relaxing day on the beach. We tendered to the Island around 9am and proceeded to find a spot at Hideaway Beach. It wasn’t as crowded here but found out later it was a lot rockier in the water at Hideaway than at Nellie’s Beach. I snorkeled around and saw some pretty fish. Not a whole lot but did see some. We lounged around until lunch and then ate the BBQ lunch provided. It was really good. After lunch, we braved the Haitian Market and remembered just how ‘persistent’ they are. It has been almost 4 years since we were last here and it has changed by leaps and bounds since then. We were amazed at how much it had changed. It started to rain about 1:30 and we were starting to make our way to the tender because it looked like the rain was there for the long haul. As we were staying dry under some trees waiting for the tender line to die down, the rain started to show signs that it might stop. Sure enough, around 2:15 it all but stopped and about half of the passengers went back to the ship so it definitely made this private island even more private. We found some chairs at Nellie’s Beach and hung out here until around 3:30 and then took a tender back. Walked around the ship and went to the Windjammer for a late afternoon snack. Went back to the stateroom and got ready for dinner. Tonight I believe was shrimp and lobster night. Tonight’s show was Vibe-ology. This was a show with music from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, & 80’s. Ejay Day, from American Idol, was one of the lead vocalists for the week. He has an amazing voice.

Day 7 (Friday 4/22) At Sea – Woke up this morning knowing that this was our last day on this beautiful ship. I hate that feeling that you get on the last day because you never want your perfect vacation to end. This was the calmest the seas were on our entire trip. After breakfast in the Windjammer, we hung out by the main pool and listened to the calypso band. The sun was out and a slight breeze but it was really nice. We also went to the hot tub by the adult pool for a little while. We then went to the Windjammer to have our last lunch on board. After that, we went back to the stateroom to get changed and decided that we wanted to go ice-skating. After ice-skating, we went to the Royal Promenade where the Krooze-Comics were performing. These 2 guys were absolutely a riot to watch. The skits that they created were very original and funny. After watching them, we went back to the pool deck to relax some more and listen to the band. We then made our way back to the stateroom and proceeded to finish packing before dinner. We chose the carry our own bags off the ship route @ 7am so we didn’t have to leave our bags outside our stateroom. We went to the farewell show before dinner which was very entertaining. It was sad at dinner tonight because we really enjoyed our wait staff and our tablemates so saying goodbye to them was hard. After dinner, we walked around some and then went to the Karaoke Finals. This was very entertaining but I think the group competition winners were awful and the crowd even booed the decision by the judges. After this it was off to the stateroom to go to bed because we have to get up early tomorrow morning.

Day 8 (Saturday 4/23) Disembarkation – We were up around 5:30 and went to breakfast at the Windjammer at 6am. After breakfast, we got our stuff and proceeded to deck 4 to wait there until 7am. We started leaving the ship at 7am and were off and at the curbside at 7:15. Carrying our bags off was the best decision we could have made. We were one of the 1st 50 off of the ship. We waited until 8am for the Alamo Shuttle. We decided to get off the earliest because we had to drive back to Orlando and we had plans to see my wife’s childhood friend.

Last thoughts—this was a great cruise and we still are wishing we were still on the ship. I can not believe what some of the staff were telling us on how passengers treated them. Pulling on the pants of the waiters to get there attention. Treating the staff that work so hard to make our cruise a vacation of a lifetime like 3rd class citizens and we are holier than thou attitudes. That is so disgraceful and I felt bad they were treated like that. The staff went out of there way just to say hello and were very friendly. We had an excellent wait staff and a good room steward. We don’t know when we are going to get to cruise again but we definitely know that it will be with RCI. Sure we could have found faults in our vacation if we looked but we chose to go on a vacation and not sweat the small stuff. I definitely learned this week that a cruise director can only enhance your cruise experience not take away from it. Drew Devine was just ok in my book as a cruise director.

Sorry this is so long but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

M&C

I really enjoyed reading your report. I'm glad you had a great time. My question is, do you remember what Habibb looks like? My waiter on VOS (January of 03) was named Habibb. I would just like to see if it is the same person. I know that my waiter was the Best! He was funyn and would tell stories of getting drunk, but you could never quit tell if he was serious or not. He was pretty tall with a closely shaved head. Very cute too (coming from a 23 year old female that is!)!

Thanks for the great review! Glad you had a good time on your vacation. Thanks for the tips on the beaches on the islands as well!:)

Thank you for the in-depth review. :) Only one week and one day until I'm back "home" on the Voyager. :D

SJackson,

Thout sounds like him. He was very funny and an excellent server. That is something that you miss with Princess' anytime dining is you don't get to interact with the wait staff for a week. Getting to know them is definitely a fun part of the cruise experience.

MonaCK, I am definitely jealous that my vacation is over and yours is just around the corner. Have a great time:)

It sounds almost identical to the time we had on her in February. Glad you had such a great time...I wish I wouldn't have read it...now, I want another! :D

Oh, and we were AT the show that Megamu broke the world record! It was AWESOME! He was so happy, he cried and cried and was kissing the ice! Was great!

Really enjoyed your review. We will be on VOS on Aug 12th, and I was wondering if you could answer a couple of questions. I was really surprised that there were identical menus for every breakfast and lunch - especially lunch! Can you remember what those offerings were? Was there more variety, and changes in the Windjammer buffets for those two meals? Is there a carving station each lunch in the buffet?

You mentioned the spa treatment you enjoyed. What did that include?

I assume there is a Carribbean band which play around the pool. How were they?

The lunch and breakfast menu did have a variety of choices. I am not recalling exactly what is on the menu for lunch: I do know they had lettuce wraps, calamari, hamburger, sundried tomato chicken roll-up. There was a meat carving station in the Windjammer. There seemed to be different selections for lunch in the Windjammer everyday. Hamburgers and pizza were there everyday. The Calyso band is the band that was by the pool and they were really good.

The Rasul treatment is basically a couples massage where you and your spouse are in a locked area and they give you different masks and mud to put over your body and you are in a sauna type chamber where after about 45 minutes it rains down and the mudd washed off your body. We enjoyed it.

Thanks,

M&C