11/13 - 11/18 Voyager of the Seas - A Review

A cruise of firsts for us - a ship this large, RCCL, and Bermuda. I have tried to be objective. Some highlights and a lot of lowlights:

Cabin: We booked a Deck 7 promenade cabin for the novelty.

Lowlights: 1) Noisy during parades/live music at the pub or on the promenade, 2) small (we knew this in advance), 3) the worst bed on any cruise (the egg crate did not help a lot), 4) decor a little gaudy and we did not care for the cut outs instead of pulls for drawers and wardrobe, 5) worn decor (stained carpets, discolorations on the headboard, etc.).

Highlights: 1) Well designed with good storage for such a small cabin, 2) Shower well designed with a semi-circular enclosure instead of a curtain, 3) the interior window and windowseat.

Dining:

Dining Room: We never set foot in the dining room. We heard so many negative comments the first night (and throughout the cruise) we just found other alternatives. The menus also seldom, if ever, had anything that really sounded too appealing.

Windjammer Buffet/Island Cafe: The lunch buffet on embarkation day was absolutely the worst food I have ever had on a cruise. The hamburger had so much filler it qualified as a veggie burger. That makes our decision to eat there that evening (we were tired and did not want to dress for dinner) surprising. It turned out to be a good decision since the food was pretty good (certainly not gourmet fare, but much better than lunch). Surprisingly, many, if not most, of the entrees from the dining room were offered at the buffet! We ate there for breakfast, a few lunches, and 2 dinners. Overall, a good rating.

Johnny Rockets: We ate dinner there on formal night (we had decided in advance not to go formal on this cruise). It was OK (about as expected), but the staff was friendly and entertaining. More for kids than adults. The tab for 2 with milkshakes and the included gratuity was about $16.00. A little high for what you got.

Cafe Promenade: Very good small sandwiches and pizza most of the day. Also offered desserts, cookies, and coffee. It was popular and we were there pretty often. Recommended.

Portafino: The highlight of the cruise. Very good food and excellent service. We ate there two evenings and it was worth every penny. Definitely recommended.

Service: It tells you something when, by the end of the second evening, the best crew members we had encountered was the staff at Johnny Rockets.

Lowlights: Most of the crew seemed stand-offish, unfriendly, poorly motivated, and disorganized. 1) One Customer Service member was downright rude. 2) The Windjammer/Island Cafe staff seemed disinterested.

Highlights: 1) After a slow start, our cabin steward improved as the cruise went along. 2) The Cruise Activities staff was very entertaining. 3) Another Customer Relations desk crew member was excellent when the TV incorrectly stated that we would not depart until Thursday at 6:15 AM. 4) The service in Portofino was excellent.

Activities: For such a large ship, there did not seem to be as much to do (that interested us). No horse racing, no culinary demonstrations, no "behind the scenes" tours, etc. Disappointing.

Entertainment/Venues: The usual run of the mill production shows. We attended the welcome show, the Broadway show, and the farewell show. Nothing special.

One thing that was surprising was that there were only 2 main entertainment venues - La Scala Theatre and Cleopatra's Needle. La Scala was nice (3 tiers), but Cleopatra's Needle had a low ceiling and actually felt a little claustrophobic.

Studio B: This is the ice skating rink. It looked nice (but small), but we did not skate or attend a show.

Vault Disco: It smelled badly of smoke and we never visited except for a quick visit to see it.

Bars: Enough for everyone.

Casino: OK, but too smokey to enjoy.

Other Facilities:

Spa: Did not use.

Gym: A very nice facility.

Sports Deck: It was fine. We played the mini-golf once (usually too windy) and enjoyed it.

Kids Facilities: The arcade looked very nice and probably was well used.

Promenade: We did not really care for it. It was too much like a mall and the novelty wore off quickly. Shopping was just OK.

Rock Climbing Wall: Did not use.[/COLOR]B].

In Line Skating: Did not use.[/COLOR]

Pools/Whirlpools: Did not use.

General Observations:

Highlights:

1) Not too many photographers trying to constantly snap your picture.

Lowlights:

1) Too many announcements.

Will we sail RCCL again? Probably not. It would certainly rank behind Celebrity and Princess. I feel certain that it will not fare well in comparison to our upcoming Oceania cruise.

This thread is a perfect example of "It takes all types to make up the world" We sailed the NOS in April this year (Also a Voyager class) and it was so great that we are doing the News years eve cruise on the NOS again. The Royal promenade was the best part of the ship for us. No complaints about the food either. We ate at the windjammer, main dining room, chops and portafino's. The latter two are far above what you expect on a cruise ship.

Sorry your cruise was not up to standard for you mike.

My editing "window" expired.

We were on the 11/4 Voyager sailing and I would echo many of your comments. Overall, we had a decent time. However, we had been on this ship before and it was a totally different experience. The first time we were on this ship was easter week this year and it was an amazing trip. That is why we rebooked.

This time, I think the problems started at the pier (11/4 nightmare that the cruiseline did not prepare or compensate for) and the onboard experience was just okay because perhaps the ship was understaffed to be fully occupied during the off season. Just a guess, but the service was not nearly as attentive as the last time.

The dining room was fine for us, but the waiter was obviously harried and hurried. Fine for say an Applebees or some other chain type of dining experience, but not what we expected for a cruise.

The cabin steward obviously had too many cabins. Although he was very pleasant, he didn't really clean all that well--vacuuming every day, cleaning the toilet, etc.

THe ship is magnificent, but there were not many activities. My expectations were high as we have previously sailed on Princess and Disney and there was never enough time in the day to do everything that was offered on those ships! Each one has its own strengths and drawbacks.

We are confirmed cruisers and now go twice a year. THese are simply the most carefree and relaxing vacations we experience. However, Depending on how the corporate office deals with our letter of complaint regarding the 11/4 embarkation, we may just go with a different cruise line next time.

We travel on the Voyager on same date as original poster. We were in a JS on deck 10 hump. Very nice cabin-I was a little concerned prior to arrival as last few cabins we had on RCCL were Grand Suites. This JS was fresh, clean and well appointed. We travelled with friends who had a balcony suiite on deck 8. That was fine too. We have a number of cruises under our belts (both couples) and we didn't really have much to complain about.

We had a great room steward-John Harris-very friendly, helpful and efficient. We explained our wants and sleeping patterns to him the first day--and it was smooth sailing.

The dining room food was fine-the usual RCCL fare. Everything we ordered fine. Our waiter was not completely fluent in English--but he never screwed up and order. Our assistant Neil was fabulous and had a great personality. Head waiter Cal was rather intrusive. We felt the same with photographers--we had a table for 4--we are frequent cruisers--we didn't want or need head waiter to explain cruising to us and interrupt our dinner conversation. We asked the photographer to take one picture of the 4 of us on formal night--but to please not interrupt our dinner. Both couples have plenty of cruises and cruise pictures--so we preferred not to be bothered.

We saw the comedian the first night and he was funny--as comdey should be!! The ice show was fabulous--Studio B is a small rink--but that is the beauty of it--an ice show so close that you can see the skaters, their smiles, the costumes and a few sprays of ice. My friend loves to skate and she spent 1.5 hours on the ice on day and 3 hours on another-so the rink was very important to her.

We attended a luncheon for Platinum and Diamond members on Thursday in the Magic Flute. Casual dress--meet the Captain and other members of the staff. Very nicely done.

I liked the parade. The shopping on board was not inspiring. I only ate at the Windjammer on the day we embarked-for lunch. I had room service for all breakfasts.

We were treated to a plate of chocolate covered strawberies, petite fours, chocolate covered cookies by the supervisor of room service on day 3.

I love Bermuda--so that was a pleasure. We were on port side--so the day we left Bermuda-we were on our balcony watching late arrivals--the pulled one gang-way--and we heard from below that several passengers were missing....the pulled the second gangway...then as 2 couples arrived seperately--but late.....everyone was on their balconies and the deck and they got an ovation--everyone clapping and whistling. I doubt they will ever be late again!!!

Our experience with customer Guest Relations was fine. We had several opportunities to ask questions. No problems.

I never saw the entire ship--we were very busy relaxing. Personally I prefer a smaller ship--but this was a great experience for us-and it moves us to Diamond Status.

Embarkation/Debarkation was smooth. We drove-got off the ship early and headed out.

A good time was had by all (in our party).

We are getting ready to set sail on Voyager next weekend. This is a first for us on this ship.What do they charge for as far as food and shows ?This is all new to us our last cruise was 15 years ago (way to long) But back then everthing was free unless it had booze in it;)

S.S./ Azure Seas 11/90

Voyager of the Seas 11/26/05 Here we come :D

We are getting ready to set sail on Voyager next weekend. This is a first for us on this ship.What do they charge for as far as food and shows ?This is all new to us our last cruise was 15 years ago (way to long) But back then everthing was free unless it had booze in it;)

 

 

 

 

S.S./ Azure Seas 11/90

Voyager of the Seas 11/26/05 Here we come :D

Hi, Johnny Rockets has a 3.95 surcharge and milkshakes are additional. All food is free (onion rings and french fries are great)

Portofino's is a specialty Italian place that charges 20.00 pp surcharge and is well worth it from what I've read. The food is incredible and they recommend 2 1/2 hours for dining. No children under the age of 13 are allowed.

No charge for shows at all. You need tickets for the Ice Show but they are free.

Have a great time!!

post deleted

A few things puzzle me about your review. I've also been on the Voyager this year, and would have to disagree with some of your findings, but then again, maybe no two cruises are the same, as also no two opinions are similar

1. You always put the lowlights first. Most reviews do it the other way around, positives first, then the negatives. Putting the minuses first makes it look like you went looking for them, and I'm sure that wasn't the case.

2. I certainly wouldn't avoid the main restaurant for the entire cruise just because other people said it wasn't up to scratch. We didn't use Johnny Rockets at all, but that was because we can go to similar restaurants anytime on land. Actually, if you liked Windjammers than you may have missed a pleasant surprise or two in the main restaurant.

3. As regards activities, they must change things around, as on our 8 nighter, there were Cookery Demos, and several talks given by the Captain and others about the intricacies of operating a cruise ship. Q&A sessions , that sort of thing.

4. As for the staff being stand offish and unfriendly, it shouldn't happen, but having talked to some of them on Voyager, they really don't have great working conditions. One waiter has a 4 month old son he'd never seen, and its alleged (but no one will ever confirm) that the waiters have to pass on some of their tips to get allocated good work staitions by the Maitre D. While I know we expect cruise staff to have a permanent smile, lifes not that simple and I sometimes wonder how I would react if I had to work under such pressure. And seven days a week. Seems to me that all cruise lines are exploiting many of their workers, paying very little, and hiding behind the employment regulations of whatever country the ship is registered in.

5. I didn't mind the announcements with one exception., that 's when they were plugging the frequent 'Bingo' sessions. But at $35 or whatever a game, RCI will keep on doing it.

We were on the 8 day Repo cruise out of Miami, into Cape Liberty, and I note you haven't commented on the Debarkation process, which in my mind is the least successful part of the whole RCI operation. Too many people and not enough taxis, taxis dropping off not being allowed to pick up departing passengers, little or no RCI presence outside the baggage pickup, (when we settle the SeaPass account, we cease to be of value till our next cruise).

It was the same in Vancouver in 2004, so its not just cape Liberty.

In finishing, I'm sorry the Voyager wasn't what you expected.

Philip

Ireland

A few things puzzle me about your review. I've also been on the Voyager this year, and would have to disagree with some of your findings, but then again, maybe no two cruises are the same, as also no two opinions are similar.

Fair enough. Let's take your points one at a time.

1. You always put the lowlights first. Most reviews do it the other way around, positives first, then the negatives. Putting the minuses first makes it look like you went looking for them, and I'm sure that wasn't the case.

No, we did not go looking for negatives. We were looking forward to this cruise very much. The negatives, unfortunately, presented themselves pretty early on with the rather disorganized embarkation process and bad lunch - and proceeded from there.

2. I certainly wouldn't avoid the main restaurant for the entire cruise just because other people said it wasn't up to scratch. We didn't use Johnny Rockets at all, but that was because we can go to similar restaurants anytime on land. Actually, if you liked Windjammers than you may have missed a pleasant surprise or two in the main restaurant.

We would not base a decision purely on second hand information, but we never heard anything positive. We were tired the first night and, in addition, we knew we were going to skip formal night (#2) anyway. We had reserved Portofino for night number 3 and liked it so much we booked it again for the last night. After the poor reviews and lackluster menus, we figured why risk it for one night. Could it have been better than feared? Perhaps so, but, we figured why try it for one night.

3. As regards activities, they must change things around, as on our 8 nighter, there were Cookery Demos, and several talks given by the Captain and others about the intricacies of operating a cruise ship. Q&A sessions , that sort of thing.

We looked over the Compass pretty thoroughly every evening hoping to find some of those very activities and they were not offered. I am sure Captain Pettersen is a wonderful commander (othewise he would not be in the position), but as a public speaker he would be dreadful. Everyone applauded when his addresses from the Bridge were concluded every day. Even the Activities Director said "There's 10 minutes of my life I'm not getting back." Hearing him address an audience would have been the verbal equivalent of watching paint dry.

4. As for the staff being stand offish and unfriendly, it shouldn't happen, but having talked to some of them on Voyager, they really don't have great working conditions. One waiter has a 4 month old son he'd never seen, and its alleged (but no one will ever confirm) that the waiters have to pass on some of their tips to get allocated good work staitions by the Maitre D. While I know we expect cruise staff to have a permanent smile, lifes not that simple and I sometimes wonder how I would react if I had to work under such pressure. And seven days a week. Seems to me that all cruise lines are exploiting many of their workers, paying very little, and hiding behind the employment regulations of whatever country the ship is registered in.

I am not asking for a crew of "Stepford Wives." What I expect is that if you are going to do a job, do it to the best of your ability and display common courtesy. I'll give you just 2 examples: 1) We were in the Windjammer and a young boy (perhaps 7 or 8?) was holding his younger brother up in an attempt to reach the french fries on the buffet table. There were a couple of servers behind the counter just watching (and not helping) and probably some table servers just observing as well. My girlfriend went over to help just as their big brother showed up to assist his siblings. That is service? How about if the children had been injured in a fall (the floor was constantly wet and very slick in areas) or burned. 2) My girlfriend's Sea Pass card would not work and when she went to Customer Relations she was accused of having it near a magnet. Yeah, we travel with magnets all the time! This was the same rude crew member who treated us like idiots when we inquired why one transport pass that we had purchased was delivered to the room but the other wasn't. We needed them the next morning for a tour and it was about 8:00 PM. Another example of great RCCL service!

5. I didn't mind the announcements with one exception., that 's when they were plugging the frequent 'Bingo' sessions. But at $35 or whatever a game, RCI will keep on doing it.

We played bingo, but the announcements for it and all the other activities were still an annoyance. If a passenger did not read the Compass (and copies were everywhere) to see what he or she wanted to do (and then keep track of the time), then shame on him or her.

We were on the 8 day Repo cruise out of Miami, into Cape Liberty, and I note you haven't commented on the Debarkation process, which in my mind is the least successful part of the whole RCI operation. Too many people and not enough taxis, taxis dropping off not being allowed to pick up departing passengers, little or no RCI presence outside the baggage pickup, (when we settle the SeaPass account, we cease to be of value till our next cruise).

Debarkation was not too bad. Except for some idiots who did not show up to settle accounts or clear customs on board as requested (we were probably delayed at least 30 - 45 minutes - perhaps more), it went pretty quickly. We had a coach back to Providence so I cannot comment on taxis or transfers to the airport. Since it went poorly for you, I would assume it might be a problem all the time.

Sounds like the crew might be suffering burnout. :(

We are just back from the Celebrity Constellation repo from Bayonne to San Juan (9 nights) and there was little of the activities we have gotten used to on our 8 prior RCI trips (our usual cruise haunt). I thought it might be due to the change in lines as we were not familiar with Celebrity activities but now I am coming around to the idea that the ships don't schedule a lot of activities for these Atlantic coastline cruises because of the possibilities of bad weather and rough seas.

And once the ship hit the Caribbean with St Thomas and SXM nobody stayed on the ship in the daytime anyway. :D

And to top it off the OP went to and fro Bermuda, not a long trip with a lot of sea time.

Hi, Johnny Rockets has a 3.95 surcharge and milkshakes are additional. All food is free (onion rings and french fries are great)

 

Portofino's is a specialty Italian place that charges 20.00 pp surcharge and is well worth it from what I've read. The food is incredible and they recommend 2 1/2 hours for dining. No children under the age of 13 are allowed.

 

No charge for shows at all. You need tickets for the Ice Show but they are free.

 

Have a great time!!

That sounds great! Thanks for the info ;)

A cruise of firsts for us - a ship this large, RCCL, and Bermuda. I have tried to be objective. Some highlights and a lot of lowlights:

 

Cabin: We booked a Deck 7 promenade cabin for the novelty.

 

Lowlights: 1) Noisy during parades/live music at the pub or on the promenade, 2) small (we knew this in advance), 3) the worst bed on any cruise (the egg crate did not help a lot), 4) decor a little gaudy and we did not care for the cut outs instead of pulls for drawers and wardrobe, 5) worn decor (stained carpets, discolorations on the headboard, etc.).

Highlights: 1) Well designed with good storage for such a small cabin, 2) Shower well designed with a semi-circular enclosure instead of a curtain, 3) the interior window and windowseat.

 

Dining:

 

Dining Room: We never set foot in the dining room. We heard so many negative comments the first night (and throughout the cruise) we just found other alternatives. The menus also seldom, if ever, had anything that really sounded too appealing.

 

Windjammer Buffet/Island Cafe: The lunch buffet on embarkation day was absolutely the worst food I have ever had on a cruise. The hamburger had so much filler it qualified as a veggie burger. That makes our decision to eat there that evening (we were tired and did not want to dress for dinner) surprising. It turned out to be a good decision since the food was pretty good (certainly not gourmet fare, but much better than lunch). Surprisingly, many, if not most, of the entrees from the dining room were offered at the buffet! We ate there for breakfast, a few lunches, and 2 dinners. Overall, a good rating.

 

Johnny Rockets: We ate dinner there on formal night (we had decided in advance not to go formal on this cruise). It was OK (about as expected), but the staff was friendly and entertaining. More for kids than adults. The tab for 2 with milkshakes and the included gratuity was about $16.00. A little high for what you got.

 

Cafe Promenade: Very good small sandwiches and pizza most of the day. Also offered desserts, cookies, and coffee. It was popular and we were there pretty often. Recommended.

 

Portafino: The highlight of the cruise. Very good food and excellent service. We ate there two evenings and it was worth every penny. Definitely recommended.

 

Service: It tells you something when, by the end of the second evening, the best crew members we had encountered was the staff at Johnny Rockets.

 

Lowlights: Most of the crew seemed stand-offish, unfriendly, poorly motivated, and disorganized. 1) One Customer Service member was downright rude. 2) The Windjammer/Island Cafe staff seemed disinterested.

 

Highlights: 1) After a slow start, our cabin steward improved as the cruise went along. 2) The Cruise Activities staff was very entertaining. 3) Another Customer Relations desk crew member was excellent when the TV incorrectly stated that we would not depart until Thursday at 6:15 AM. 4) The service in Portofino was excellent.

 

Activities: For such a large ship, there did not seem to be as much to do (that interested us). No horse racing, no culinary demonstrations, no "behind the scenes" tours, etc. Disappointing.

 

Entertainment/Venues: The usual run of the mill production shows. We attended the welcome show, the Broadway show, and the farewell show. Nothing special.

 

One thing that was surprising was that there were only 2 main entertainment venues - La Scala Theatre and Cleopatra's Needle. La Scala was nice (3 tiers), but Cleopatra's Needle had a low ceiling and actually felt a little claustrophobic.

 

Studio B: This is the ice skating rink. It looked nice (but small), but we did not skate or attend a show.

 

Vault Disco: It smelled badly of smoke and we never visited except for a quick visit to see it.

 

Bars: Enough for everyone.

 

Casino: OK, but too smokey to enjoy.

 

Other Facilities:

 

Spa: Did not use.

 

Gym: A very nice facility.

 

Sports Deck: It was fine. We played the mini-golf once (usually too windy) and enjoyed it.

 

Kids Facilities: The arcade looked very nice and probably was well used.

 

Promenade: We did not really care for it. It was too much like a mall and the novelty wore off quickly. Shopping was just OK.

 

Rock Climbing Wall: Did not use.[/COLOR]B].

 

In Line Skating: Did not use.[/COLOR]

 

Pools/Whirlpools: Did not use.

 

 

General Observations:

 

Highlights:

 

1) Not too many photographers trying to constantly snap your picture.

 

Lowlights:

 

1) Too many announcements.

 

Will we sail RCCL again? Probably not. It would certainly rank behind Celebrity and Princess. I feel certain that it will not fare well in comparison to our upcoming Oceania cruise.

Mike........

I'm really sorry you found so many 'lowlights' about the cruise. We found just the opposite to be true, especially, the food. It was outstanding every night. I can't imagine so many people cutting it down. We did go to Portofinos one night, too, and our waiter was excellent, as was the food, but our waiter Yeujol, went above and beyond to please us. Even to the point of making sure that I got the warm chocolate cake that I knew was being served on Wed. night (the night we went to Portofinos) the next night, Thursday. Maria, the assistant waiter, was also very good in keeping our water glasses filled, etc. We loved Junior, the bar man! We gave him a $20 Sunday night and he had our drinks waiting for us every night when we arrived at our table. We found the food in the Windjammer to be very good! I suppose when you are serving that many people, it's hard to please everybody, but honestly, my husband and I couldn't complain about one thing and I am a very picky eater!! I did have one complaint about Portofinos. We were offered wine, but declined, and never asked if we wanted something different. A little later, I glanced at the people at the next table and they both had a martini. I thought that was not efficient in not offering us something else from the bar.

We were in a Grand Suite, but I have also been in a Junior Suite. I am now spoiled, LOL! The storage space was unbelievable........we took far too many clothes but there was room for everything. I enjoy the bathtubs in the suites.........not that I take baths, but the extra room is nice. We also were treated to something different every day, but again, that was due to having a Grand Suite.

We missed Johnny Rockets this time, as when we were standing in line, I suddenly realized that I had left my purse in the casino! We made a mad dash back and fortunately a nice young man who had been playing next to me, but left, saw it sitting there and came back to guard it until we returned. Whew! We were lucky!!! We had eaten at Johnny Rockets in Newark, so at least I got my burger, fries, onion rings and malt :) You are right about the Cafe Promenade........we used it a few times, too, just for a quick bite, even tho we weren't really hungry! Why do we do that? LOL

The times that I had to go to guest services, I found the staff to be very cordial and helpful.

Another perk to the Grand Suite is the use of the concierge. They serve a continental breakfast every morning (we did not use this), and a complimentary bar, complete with hors D'oeuvres that were delicious.

The spa was great, as usual. We did have to cancel the Rasul tho, as that morning, I ripped up my arm on the balcony door from the movement of the ship. I had brought plenty of band-aids, but none that large, so we took a little trip down to the medical services and the nurse didn't even make me fill out anything........just handed me a bunch of big band-aids. Very nice and polite. We also did not use the pool or the hot tubs. Took 2 swimsuits and never had them on!!!

We also asked for and got the egg crate mattress topper, which we found to be a life saver, as my bad back was really bothering me the entire week and I did end up having to take my walker everywhere I went. I don't think I could have made it without the topper.

We (or I should say, I) spent a lot of time in the casino and as a former smoker even remarked about it not being all that smoky. I was amazed, because there were a lot of people smoking.

As for the promenade, it was just like any other promenade I've been on. I bought some souvenirs, and would have bought some liquor, but we knew it would be too heavy to carry! I waved to the webcam every time I went by it, to see if my friend in NH would see it. She didn't. She said she saw one lady with a walker, but thought she was too tall to be me, LOL!

My only disappointment was that our shore excursion for Wed. was cancelled due to lack of participants, but that's not RCI's fault. And, we had our ice show tickets for Thursday, but my arm was hurting and I didn't feel like going. However, I did win a $2,400 jackpot in the casino that night :D

Embarking and disembarking went very smooth. We were first to be called for the disembark, found our luggage, our limo and were back at our hotel by 9:45.

I have only cruised one other line, that being Carnival, and we both agree that RCI is superior to Carnival. Hope you will give them another chance, Mike. I always enjoyed your posts at the Meet and Mingle board. We had a great group show up for that.......was hoping that you and Jazz would have shown up!!

Glad to be home and in my own bed, but can't wait to cruise again on yet another RCI ship. Wanted to book another one, but we are moving sometime next year, so thought we should hold off. Take care, Mike..........wish we could have met up with you at some point!!

The Roll Call got so dysfunctional for a while that I just gave up. I am glad it worked out that you did have a get together.

We were offered wine, but declined, and never asked if we wanted something different. A little later, I glanced at the people at the next table and they both had a martini. I thought that was not efficient in not offering us something else from the bar.

That is unusual. Both nights, after we established what water we wanted and were offered wine, the bar waiter came over to see if we wanted anything else. The first night we just opted for iced tea, but I had a couple of glasses of a very nice Coppola Chardonay the second night.

The spa was great, as usual. We did have to cancel the Rasul tho, as that morning, I ripped up my arm on the balcony door from the movement of the ship. I had brought plenty of band-aids, but none that large, so we took a little trip down to the medical services and the nurse didn't even make me fill out anything........just handed me a bunch of big band-aids. Very nice and polite.

I am so sorry about your mishap. I hope you are better now.

We missed Johnny Rockets this time, as when we were standing in line, I suddenly realized that I had left my purse in the casino! We made a mad dash back and fortunately a nice young man who had been playing next to me, but left, saw it sitting there and came back to guard it until we returned.

However, I did win a $2,400 jackpot in the casino that night.

Boy, you were doubly lucky! That could have been a pretty expensive visit to Johnny Rockets.

Glad to be home and in my own bed, but can't wait to cruise again on yet another RCI ship.

..........wish we could have met up with you at some point!!

I am really glad to be back home in my own bed (those were just awful!). I wish we could have met also. Perhaps on a Celebrity cruise. We thought the jerk ratio (vs. nice fellow passengers) on this cruise was abnormally high. Did you notice that? Oh well, take care.

Sounds like the crew might be suffering burnout. :(

 

We are just back from the Celebrity Constellation repo from Bayonne to San Juan (9 nights) and there was little of the activities we have gotten used to on our 8 prior RCI trips (our usual cruise haunt). I thought it might be due to the change in lines as we were not familiar with Celebrity activities but now I am coming around to the idea that the ships don't schedule a lot of activities for these Atlantic coastline cruises because of the possibilities of bad weather and rough seas.

 

And once the ship hit the Caribbean with St Thomas and SXM nobody stayed on the ship in the daytime anyway. :D

 

We were booked on the cruise you took, but cancelled it once they changed the itinerary to spend half the cruise getting to, and in, the Bahamas. I hope the cruise was a success anyway since this one that we booked in its place was a disappointment.

A cruise of firsts for us - a ship this large, RCCL, and Bermuda. I have tried to be objective. Some highlights and a lot of lowlights:

 

Cabin: We booked a Deck 7 promenade cabin for the novelty.

 

Lowlights: 1) Noisy during parades/live music at the pub or on the promenade, 2) small (we knew this in advance), 3) the worst bed on any cruise (the egg crate did not help a lot), 4) decor a little gaudy and we did not care for the cut outs instead of pulls for drawers and wardrobe, 5) worn decor (stained carpets, discolorations on the headboard, etc.).

Highlights: 1) Well designed with good storage for such a small cabin, 2) Shower well designed with a semi-circular enclosure instead of a curtain, 3) the interior window and windowseat.

 

Dining:

 

Dining Room: We never set foot in the dining room. We heard so many negative comments the first night (and throughout the cruise) we just found other alternatives. The menus also seldom, if ever, had anything that really sounded too appealing.

 

Windjammer Buffet/Island Cafe: The lunch buffet on embarkation day was absolutely the worst food I have ever had on a cruise. The hamburger had so much filler it qualified as a veggie burger. That makes our decision to eat there that evening (we were tired and did not want to dress for dinner) surprising. It turned out to be a good decision since the food was pretty good (certainly not gourmet fare, but much better than lunch). Surprisingly, many, if not most, of the entrees from the dining room were offered at the buffet! We ate there for breakfast, a few lunches, and 2 dinners. Overall, a good rating.

 

Johnny Rockets: We ate dinner there on formal night (we had decided in advance not to go formal on this cruise). It was OK (about as expected), but the staff was friendly and entertaining. More for kids than adults. The tab for 2 with milkshakes and the included gratuity was about $16.00. A little high for what you got.

 

Cafe Promenade: Very good small sandwiches and pizza most of the day. Also offered desserts, cookies, and coffee. It was popular and we were there pretty often. Recommended.

 

Portafino: The highlight of the cruise. Very good food and excellent service. We ate there two evenings and it was worth every penny. Definitely recommended.

 

Service: It tells you something when, by the end of the second evening, the best crew members we had encountered was the staff at Johnny Rockets.

 

Lowlights: Most of the crew seemed stand-offish, unfriendly, poorly motivated, and disorganized. 1) One Customer Service member was downright rude. 2) The Windjammer/Island Cafe staff seemed disinterested.

 

Highlights: 1) After a slow start, our cabin steward improved as the cruise went along. 2) The Cruise Activities staff was very entertaining. 3) Another Customer Relations desk crew member was excellent when the TV incorrectly stated that we would not depart until Thursday at 6:15 AM. 4) The service in Portofino was excellent.

 

Activities: For such a large ship, there did not seem to be as much to do (that interested us). No horse racing, no culinary demonstrations, no "behind the scenes" tours, etc. Disappointing.

 

Entertainment/Venues: The usual run of the mill production shows. We attended the welcome show, the Broadway show, and the farewell show. Nothing special.

 

One thing that was surprising was that there were only 2 main entertainment venues - La Scala Theatre and Cleopatra's Needle. La Scala was nice (3 tiers), but Cleopatra's Needle had a low ceiling and actually felt a little claustrophobic.

 

Studio B: This is the ice skating rink. It looked nice (but small), but we did not skate or attend a show.

 

Vault Disco: It smelled badly of smoke and we never visited except for a quick visit to see it.

 

Bars: Enough for everyone.

 

Casino: OK, but too smokey to enjoy.

 

Other Facilities:

 

Spa: Did not use.

 

Gym: A very nice facility.

 

Sports Deck: It was fine. We played the mini-golf once (usually too windy) and enjoyed it.

 

Kids Facilities: The arcade looked very nice and probably was well used.

 

Promenade: We did not really care for it. It was too much like a mall and the novelty wore off quickly. Shopping was just OK.

 

Rock Climbing Wall: Did not use.[/COLOR]B].

 

In Line Skating: Did not use.[/COLOR]

 

Pools/Whirlpools: Did not use.

 

 

General Observations:

 

Highlights:

 

1) Not too many photographers trying to constantly snap your picture.

 

Lowlights:

 

1) Too many announcements.

 

Will we sail RCCL again? Probably not. It would certainly rank behind Celebrity and Princess. I feel certain that it will not fare well in comparison to our upcoming Oceania cruise.

I sure don't know what you expected, but the Voyager cruise I went on a couple months ago was the opposite of what you've described for the most part. Just kills me that you trash the food in a dining room that "you never stepped foot in", LOL. You really expected better in the Windjammer? Please! You went to only 2 shows? What did you do all the other nights? No wonder you were board. You should not have missed the skating show. Have never heard a bad review of it. Not a single rude crew person on my cruise. I didn't go looking for one either.

What we got was something less than that.

If you will re-read the review, I stated that we heard poor reports about the dining room, did not plan to attend formal night and dined twice in Portofino. We looked at the menu daily and if you think a chef's special offering of a pork chop or an evening entree of Vegetarian Chilli sounds like quality fare, then you are welcome to it. The dinner entrees that did sound OK (like Chicken Marsala) were invariably available in the Windjammer - sometimes at lunch! Would you go back for a second helping in the dining room?

Again. if you will re-read the review we attended 3 shows, not 2. We did have tickets for one of the ice shows but, due to an unforeseen problem, could not attend. I am sure the skaters are probably very talented ( we saw a couple briefly during the farewell show). We also attended the Love and Marriage Show (read a take off on the Newlywed Game). It was cute, but we have seen the same thing on other cruises.

You are fortunate to never have encountered a rude crew member on any cruise. We did and we were just asking simple questions.

You seem awfully defensive about this (I am not attacking your family for goodness sakes). I am just relating a poor cruise experience. Looking at your cruise log you have sailed extensively with RCCL and obviously appreciate the product they provide. We did not and will not be back.

Well, we're going on Voyager next month for the second time; the first being 4 years ago and we're all expecting a relaxing fun cruise again. I cannot think of a better way to spend a week.

Well, we're going on Voyager next month for the second time; the first being 4 years ago and we're all expecting a relaxing fun cruise again. I cannot think of a better way to spend a week.

I hope you have a great cruise.

I sure don't know what you expected, but the Voyager cruise I went on a couple months ago was the opposite of what you've described for the most part. Just kills me that you trash the food in a dining room that "you never stepped foot in", LOL. You really expected better in the Windjammer? Please! You went to only 2 shows? What did you do all the other nights? No wonder you were board. You should not have missed the skating show. Have never heard a bad review of it. Not a single rude crew person on my cruise. I didn't go looking for one either.

 

What we got was something less than that.

 

If you will re-read the review, I stated that we heard poor reports about the dining room, did not plan to attend formal night and dined twice in Portofino. We looked at the menu daily and if you think a chef's special offering of a pork chop or an evening entree of Vegetarian Chilli sounds like quality fare, then you are welcome to it. The dinner entrees that did sound OK (like Chicken Marsala) were invariably available in the Windjammer - sometimes at lunch! Would you go back for a second helping in the dining room?

 

Again. if you will re-read the review we attended 3 shows, not 2. We did have tickets for one of the ice shows but, due to an unforeseen problem, could not attend. I am sure the skaters are probably very talented ( we saw a couple briefly during the farewell show). We also attended the Love and Marriage Show (read a take off on the Newlywed Game). It was cute, but we have seen the same thing on other cruises.

 

You are fortunate to never have encountered a rude crew member on any cruise. We did and we were just asking simple questions.

 

You seem awfully defensive about this (I am not attacking your family for goodness sakes). I am just relating a poor cruise experience. Looking at your cruise log you have sailed extensively with RCCL and obviously appreciate the product they provide. We did not and will not be back.

You judge an entire cruiseline with 1 5 day cruise?

You obviously have had good experiences on RCCL because you frequent their ships. That is terrific.

If, however (with a frame of reference of good experiences on 2 other cruise lines), you had a poor cruise on your first outing with another line, would you go back? I doubt it. There are other choices out there and we will spend our cruise dollars elsewhere.

This is a prime example of the old adage that you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

The question that the Guest Relations asked about the Seapass being near a magnet is a logical questioon. Many purses have magnetic snaps-those snaps will ruin the strip on the Seapass. I doubt if they thought you were carrying a magnet around with you--but many purses have them as a clasp.

As for the dining room. I enjoyed shrimp cocktails, a variety of unusual soups, nice salads, prime rib, garlic shrimp and lovely deserts brought to my table (I hate self-serve). The first night no one expects anyone to dress up--as luggage is not always delivered in a timely fashion--so you certainly could have eaten there in whatever you were wearing. Personally I only went to the Windjammer once--for lunch upon arrival.

Our embarkation and debarkation was as smooth as it could have ever been.

As for the announcements in the cabins--there is usually a knob in which to turn down the volume. We had ours turned off until the disembark day. So we never heard a thing.

You wondered about the Connie cruise from NJ to San Juan.

The first two days out at sea, things were chilly. After the two Bahama stops, the next two days at sea were windy and rough. We were affected by Gamma to the west and another front, resulting in extreme chop with spray reaching the balconies on 9 deck, along with high winds. It was almost impossible to climb exterior stairs from 10 to 11 to 12 with the ship bouncing and the high winds. I don't know how the dancers did their shows as the Captain ran at top speed for 48 hours to do the 976 nm from Nassau to SXM. Weather was great in SXM and St. Thomas.

I would never take a 5 nighter to Bermuda because when docked at night the ship is limited in what it can do in terms of passenger activity by the local government. And the first and last days would be bad because of the expected poor weather conditions (and the Voyager types have no glass dome over the Solarium pools.) IMHO you can't judge a cruise line by this kind of short trip, especially in NOVEMBER.

To get a better idea of RCI I would recommend a 9 nighter (or higher) on a Radiance class ship doing a regular run (non repo). This might open your eyes a little bit as these are the best looking ships at sea and have a less frenetic activity schedule than the Voyager class. And to close this discussion the M-class on X, built on the same hull as the Radiance type, are totally bland compared to the latter which are spectacular.

Mr Incredible

The question that the Guest Relations asked about the Seapass being near a magnet is a logical questioon. Many purses have magnetic snaps-those snaps will ruin the strip on the Seapass. I doubt if they thought you were carrying a magnet around with you--but many purses have them as a clasp.

No magnets, just zippers. Near the end of the cruise, mine had a few hiccups as well. No matter what, the conversation at Guest Relations should never start "What did you do to it?" The woman should not have been dealing with the public.

As for the dining room. I enjoyed shrimp cocktails, a variety of unusual soups, nice salads, prime rib, garlic shrimp and lovely deserts brought to my table (I hate self-serve). The first night no one expects anyone to dress up--as luggage is not always delivered in a timely fashion--so you certainly could have eaten there in whatever you were wearing. Personally I only went to the Windjammer once--for lunch upon arrival.

I am glad you enjoyed the dining room. We are well aware that the first evening is pretty much "come as you are."

As for the announcements in the cabins--there is usually a knob in which to turn down the volume. We had ours turned off until the disembark day. So we never heard a thing.

We were aware of the knob. The comment concerned the announcements throughout the ship.

The first two days out at sea, things were chilly. After the two Bahama stops, the next two days at sea were windy and rough. We were affected by Gamma to the west and another front, resulting in extreme chop with spray reaching the balconies on 9 deck, along with high winds. It was almost impossible to climb exterior stairs from 10 to 11 to 12 with the ship bouncing and the high winds. I don't know how the dancers did their shows as the Captain ran at top speed for 48 hours to do the 976 nm from Nassau to SXM. Weather was great in SXM and St. Thomas.

Too bad about the weather and sea conditions. I am glad things at least improved for St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

I would never take a 5 nighter to Bermuda because when docked at night the ship is limited in what it can do in terms of passenger activity by the local government. And the first and last days would be bad because of the expected poor weather conditions (and the Voyager types have no glass dome over the Solarium pools.) IMHO you can't judge a cruise line by this kind of short trip, especially in NOVEMBER.

I have never been in a ship's pool and doubt I ever will, so that was not an issue. Weather was actually better than one could have expected in November. After cancelling the cruise you took, choices that both did not duplicate ports on our upcoming cruise and matched the dates already set aside for vacation were pretty limited. Nonetheless, we were really excited about Bermuda, trying RCCL, and sailing a ship the size of Voyager.

To get a better idea of RCI I would recommend a 9 nighter (or higher) on a Radiance class ship doing a regular run (non repo). This might open your eyes a little bit as these are the best looking ships at sea and have a less frenetic activity schedule than the Voyager class. And to close this discussion the M-class on X, built on the same hull as the Radiance type, are totally bland compared to the latter which are spectacular.

We saw the Radiance in Grand Cayman last year and commented on how attractive it was. We were on the Coral Princess (comparable size) and it is a beautiful ship. I think the M-class and Coral/Island are probably the right size (as far as larger ships are concerned) for us. We will see for sure next year when we sail the Diamond Princess. We are certainly looking forward to the small ship experience on the Regatta.

I agree about 7+ night cruises. Often, however, the longer cruises are just not possible with our jobs. We booked the upcoming Oceania cruise 11 months in advance.

I actually prefer a smaller sized ship too. Our travel mates wanted to utilize the skating rink--so this was a good compromise for us.