Review: Voyager - Western Caribbean 4/22/2006 - 4/29/2006

Well, I'm finally starting to lose my sea legs and have finally gotten enough sleep to coherently comment on our first RCL cruise.

The Specifics

1. Ship: Voyager of the Seas
   
2. Departure Date: 4/22/2006
   
3. Return Date: 4/29/2006
   
4. Ports: Labadee (Haiti), Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Georgetown (Grand Cayman), Cozumel (Mexico)
   
5. Captain: Charles
   
6. Director: Simeon
   
7. Stateroom: 2554
   
8. Dining: Deck 5 (table 540), second seating
   

General Review

• Main Dining Room Experience & Food: This was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean, having cruised with Norwegian Cruise Line for our Honeymoon out of Hawaii on our only other cruise. Initially, we were concerned we wouldn't like the set dinner time, but we quickly learned to really enjoy having a set waiter and assistant waiter every evening. Both provided exceptional service and were willing to do whatever it took to make the dining experience enjoyable. Although at times the dinners seemed to take a bit longer than would be optimal (we had second seating dining at 8:30 and would rarely be out of the dining room before 10:30 PM), I was never bored or annoyed with the service. Dirty plates were removed quickly, water and other drinks were always refilled, and the service was second to none. As for the food itself, the selection offered was great. Every night there was at least one meal I wanted to try or knew I would like (the same could be said of everyone in our group), and there was only one night that I was disappointed with the selection I made (the lamb shank, which I actually found pretty much uneatable), and there was always the five fallback options that were good as well. The food was always prepared correctly to order (medium rare was medium rare, medium well was medium well).
  
• Other Dining: Breakfast in the dining room was very good as well, with service not as good as at dinner time, but still very good. Food selection was great there as well with plenty of options. Lunch in the dining room was good the one time we ate there (the pasta bar is a must at least once, I highly recommend it and I am quite picky about my Italian food). Windjammer was generally very good as well, and the waiters were great about removing dirty plates and silverware.
  
• Specialty Foods: We ate at Johnny Rockets twice. The milkshakes are tremendous and the burgers are great as well. For the price it's really worth it. We did not go to Portofino's. My wife had one Ben and Jerry's cone during the week and loved it, but there's no "break" on the price. I believe it was $3.25 for a rather small cone.
  
• Entertainment and Shows: Cruise director Simeon was energetic without being obnoxious, and his short bits that he added were typically enjoyable. The Ice show is not to be missed. Seriously, it is a tremendous show. It's actually somewhat scary given the fact that the rink is obviously not a standard size, and these people are doing jumps and flips and other acrobatics on a moving ship that could rock at any time and add some more difficulty (as if more is needed). Highly impressive. The main theater shows were tremendous as well, although one of the singers in particular was a little "pitchy". There was also a wardrobe malfunction that added to the end of the first production. :) The comedy and juggling acts were great as well. As for the parade at the beginning of the week...well, I know it's generally recommended, but I couldn't help but think it's recommended more for the fact that you can't describe it without seeing it for yourself. It felt like I was part of some crazy joke. Entertaining, but puzzling. The game show "The Quest", billed as an adult game show (and of course attended by some moronic parents who decided to ignore the warnings and bring their kids), is very funny and a great time. We weren't sure we wanted to check it out, but we were happy we did. It's definitely a unique experience. Overall we were very happy with the entertainment.
  
• Service: Our room attendant was great, as is expected, and she did make towel animals for us (something we didn't get on our NCL cruise after everyone told us how cool they were), so major points for that. ;) The front desk was generally helpful and usually worked quickly. The only day I saw lines there was the last day when people were probably settling account issues. Bar service was generally good, although we found one bar tender at the Schooner Bar who was particularly slow. As was stated earlier, the food service (especially for dinner at the main dining room) was absolutely great.
  
• Stateroom: We were in a standard outside cabin on deck 2. The room was small (no surprise) but well designed to make the best use of all available space. My one complaint is that it seemed to be somewhat out of repair, with one of the wall mounted shower shelves hanging on with one screw and another that wasn't really performing any function. If I had a screwdriver I would have fixed it myself. Another thing I found somewhat annoying was some names and phone numbers that had literally been carved into the shower and the door of the room. This obviously isn't an easy thing to fix, however. The beds are hard, but I might be spoiled by my sleep number bed. Lighting is well thought out and the TV swivels nicely to be easily visible at any spot in the room. The window was large and worthwhile.
  
• The Ship: The Voyager is a tremendous ship, stunningly large but nicely designed. The main street area is simply great, with all the major shops, a couple of bars, and one food spot right in that main area. Generally, getting around the ship was easy as it was obviously well designed. The only issue I had was we were in stateroom number 2554, and our friends were in room number 2592, which meant we had to go up to level 4, cross, and then go back down due to a split in the middle because of one of the conference rooms, I believe. Still, that's a small complaint and could probably have been taken care of at reservation time if we knew that was a problem. Rock climbing at the top of a ship is an experience...it makes you feel like your hundreds of feet up when you're really only 20 feet off the deck. :) The mini-golf course was a nice diversion. While there were plenty of machines and a reasonably good number of dumbells in the weight room, most of the machines could have used a little work and maybe some updating. Also, the free weight area in general was pretty cramped. Cardio equipment was plentiful and seemed to be in good condition. Smoking seemed to be well confined to the casino and general bar areas, and even when we were in those spots I rarely felt like I was being overwhelmed with smoke. All in all, the ship was tremendous, no important complaints.
  
• Embarking/Disembarking: Both were handled very smoothly. Embarking was broken down by deck number and moved along very quickly. Disembarking was much easier than on NCL, where we were dumped in a huge hangar with bags lined up everywhere. The RCL place had a few different spots with airport like turnstyles that moved the baggage around according to color coding. Although one piece of luggage from our friends ended up in the wrong spot I couldn't say anything negative about the process, it was handled very well.
  

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Ports of Call

Days at Sea (4/23 and 4/28)

• We had two days at sea on our Western Caribbean cruise, and these days flew by just as fast as the days we were in port. There was always something to do, be it gambling in the casino, playing bingo, rock climbing, working out, eating, napping, etc. Honestly, we could have used another couple of days to probably hit everything. We didn't even hang out by the pools on the ship one time the entire week due to everything that was going on.
  

Labadee (4/24)

• General: Some people have complained about this stop, but I can't understand why. The beach was great and it's a really large area where you don't feel crowded (there are actually three seperate large beach areas). Food served by the ship was pretty good, although not up to the standards of the dining room or even really the Windjammer. We don't have kids, but there appeared to be a number of nice places that were set up for kid activities. In general the place was really well thought out, I think. Vendors are quite pushy. If you don't like that then just stick to the small road past the vendor area and politely say no. They're not rude or anything, but it is pushy.
  
• Excursion - Parasailing: Absolutely awesome. For those who've never done it, I highly recommend it. My wife and I went up tandem, and we just chatted with each other, snapped some pictures of the ship and the surrounding area, etc. One of the coolest things I've done.
  

Ocho Rios (4/25)

• General: The shopping here seemed to be pretty good, with both the Taj Mahal shopping "mall" and the Margaritaville shopping area (Island Cove? Can't remember the name) right next to the pier. Most of the shops in the main pier area were standard sorts of store fronts, and there was a lot of selection. Prices were generally negotiable, although for smaller purchases we didn't even ask. If you go to Dunn's River falls there is a more regional market area that you have to wind your way through on the way out that has more local wares and hand made crafts (and pushier vendors). The vendors were considerably less pushy than those in Labadee, but still wanted to get your ear. I don't remember seeing this mentioned in other spots about Dunn's Falls.
  
• Excursion - Dolphin Swim/Dunn's River Falls: Honestly, I believe this is the best excursion I've done in either of my cruises. The dolphin swim was extremely enjoyable and educational at the same time. If you're pregnant and worried about the swim, I highly suggest you do the Dolphin Touch program. While you're not swimming with them you get to touch them, kiss them, etc. The trainers at the Dolphin cove were very friendly and helpful. This is one spot were I couldn't find a place to tip and I actually wanted to tip. :( Pictures are sold by the Dolpin Cove for you to purchase for a reasonable fee ($13 for a 5x7). A small shop has some nice stuff. Dunn's River falls is an experience as well, and I feel is absolutely worthwhile. When they say you climb up the falls they mean it; you are climbing up the falls with the water running all around. You go in a large group and hold hands with the people around you (I'm still not sure that doesn't make it more difficult, actually). There are a few places the group stops to take photos. Guides aren't pushy about tips but they are expected. Honestly, the tips were well earned here. Like I said, I think this might be the best excursion I've ever done. Highly recommended.
  

Georgetown (4/26)

• General: Georgetown, Grand Cayman, has a very different feel from the other stops on the cruise. It feels considerably richer, and while people said prices were generally worse than those in other ports, good deals on liquor seem to be abundant (we purchased some Jamaican Appleton rum in Ocho Rios and found it for $1.20 less in Georgetown right next to the pier). The cruise shopping director did tell everyone up front that the liquor prices in Georgetown were better, but we felt there was something about buying Jamaican rum in Jamaica. :)
  
• Excursion - Rays and Reef Combo: Another spectacular excursion. Stingray city is a sandbar a short distance from the coral gardens that ring Grand Cayman. The number of stingrays in the area is absolutely tremendous. I'll be honest and say they freak me out a little bit, but it's still an awesome experience. One suggestion--get out there early. Take the earliest excursion you can. We were the second ship out there, which was great because we had a ton of them swimming around us, but not an hour later there were 8 ships surrounding the sandbar with hundreds of people trying to feed the rays. The earlier you're out there, the more you'll get out of it. After visiting the rays we moved on to the reef and snorkeled there. Evidently, the reef that circles Grand Cayman is the second largest natural reef in the world, and it was great swimming around, snapping pictures of the various sea life in the area and the coral itself. We saw some Green Moray Eels, a Nurse Shark, a baracuda, and hundreds of other fish. While you're right next to choppier waters on the open sea, for the most part the water was reasonably calm due to the reef, which forms a natural breakwater. The captain of our excursion ship gave people who had no snorkeling experience a quick lesson as well. The crew in general was very good. I absolutely recommend this excursion as well.
  

Cozumel (4/27)

• General: More of the same for shopping it seemed to us, although to be honest we only had an hour to shop due to the length of the excursion we took here. There were some very good deals on silver, so if you're a fan of silver (like my wife) this is a good stop. Store owners seemed helpful but not pushy, so that was nice.
  
• Excursion - Tulum Express: As much as I loved the Dolphin/Dunn's Falls excursion, this might be the one that sticks with me the longest. We were tendered to Playa del Carmen on the mainland directly from the ship. The ruins are pretty amazing, and our guide was quite knowledgable on the place, the meanings of the various carvings, and the history of the area in general. Also, the view over the Caribbean Sea is absolutely breathtaking. The beach area is simply tremendous and is nicely secluded. The only problem with this excursion is the heat. Thankfully there was a nice breeze blowing in off of the water which helped periodically, but when the air was stagnant it was hot. I'm talking real wrath of God type stuff here. Hot. ;) On the way to the ruins we stopped at a local market area that sold all sorts of nice stuff. Vendors were helpful and were not pushy at all as far as I could tell. The prices seemed good, but be sure you know if they're talking Pesos or American Dollars. Most of the time prices were in pesos, but some of the vendors were quoting American money, so that can be confusing. Tulum itself is inspiring. You can see why the site was selected by the Mayans. :)
  

Conclusion

Our first RCL cruise was an amazing experience, second to none in my opinion. The Voyager class of ships has probably ruined me on other ships. The food was spectacular and service was generally top notch. The excursions we chose were great, and there would be absolutely no problem in going back to these same locations to do different things. All in all, the cruise exceded my expectations and made disembarkation one of the most depressing days ever (as it was with our NCL cruise, of course). We'll definitely be return customers for RCL.

Thanks for reading! If people want I can scan in some pictures of our various excursions and add them as well. :) The Cruise Critic meet and greet was a nice event as well, it was cool to put faces to some of the names I've seen on these boards.

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Evidently my original post was too long, so I had to break it up. It wouldn't let me post at first.

Very Nice Review..

And of course,we would like pictures :)

Very Nice Review..

 

And of course,we would like pictures :)

I'll try to get some up here in the next couple of days. :)

Well written review.

Thanks.

Well written review.

Thanks.

Anytime :)

I was wondering if there was any noticeable damage remaining here or negative effects to your visit resulting from the previous hurricane damage sustained last year.

Hi, and thank you for the great review. We will be sailing on the explorer in 17 days!! Can hardly wait..:D

Thanks for the review! I've been on that ship & itinerary 3 times before, and did many of the same excursions, and it was nice to relive it through your review! Can't wait to see your pictures!

I was wondering if there was any noticeable damage remaining here or negative effects to your visit resulting from the previous hurricane damage sustained last year.

The Caymans seem to be in pretty good condition, actually. The only spot that was really noticeably still repairing was Cozumel, which had a number of destroyed buildings near the port and shorn off tree tops still.

phrique, great review. We were on Voyager last year and enjoyed it greatly. It was my first cruise in years and I couldn't get over the size of the ship...very large. :)

Great review!! Going to W. Carib in November on Navigator. Can't Wait.

I love Voyager class ship.

• As much as I loved the Dolphin/Dunn's Falls excursion, this might be the one that sticks with me the longest. We were tendered to Playa del Carmen on the mainland directly from the ship.

Thanks for the great review, Phrique! My wife and I are trying to decide on whether to book the Tulum excursion on our next cruise (still a long way off :(), but we're both getting freaked out by the number of "barf boat" stories concerning the ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen.

Do I understand correctly that you did not use the public ferry, and were tendered directly from the ship to Playa del Carmen? Was the passage as rough as other posters say? Did you use the public ferry for the return trip?

Thanks for any insight!

Thanks for the great review, Phrique! My wife and I are trying to decide on whether to book the Tulum excursion on our next cruise (still a long way off :(), but we're both getting freaked out by the number of "barf boat" stories concerning the ferry from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen.

 

Do I understand correctly that you did not use the public ferry, and were tendered directly from the ship to Playa del Carmen? Was the passage as rough as other posters say? Did you use the public ferry for the return trip?

 

Thanks for any insight!

Hey JT, yeah, we tendered directly from the ship to the mainland, although those are actually the same boats that they use for the public ferries, they had some reserved for the cruise passengers on mainland tours only. The ride was pretty calm, I didn't see anyone get sick. A half hour is a good estimate of the time it will take to get from the Cozumel spot to the mainland, by the way. I've seen some say as much as 45 minutes, but for us it was almost exactly a half hour both ways. Note also the idea of them as "ferries" might give you the wrong idea. They're reasonably modern, speedy boats and are fairly comfortable.

I'd highly recommend Tulum. You can shop anywhere (and will at the other spots). Seeing historical ruins like those in Tulum is unique.

Anyway, I'll upload some Tulum pictures now.

1. One of the structures closest to the Caribbean sea:

2. The same structure from the other side, with a nice view of the beach/sea:

3. The "main temple" from the front:

Great review! Thank you for sharing. I sailed on Voyager in her inaugral year back in 2000. We had the same experience with food, service, etc. I have always enjoyed Royal Caribbean.

Now that you have cruised both, do you think I will like NCL? I will be on the Jewel in June in a Penthouse Suite. I am anxious to try the freestyle. Although, I enjoyed dining on other cruiselines at a set time and with the same tablemates and waiters, I think I will like the relaxed atmosphere of dining when and where I want.

Thanks for the great review.

We're on Voyager for her first transatlantic on Saturday and can't wait.

It'll be our first RCCL cruise too, though, also not our first cruise so I'm pleased to see you enjoyed it and loved the big ship.

Great review! Thank you for sharing. I sailed on Voyager in her inaugral year back in 2000. We had the same experience with food, service, etc. I have always enjoyed Royal Caribbean.

 

Now that you have cruised both, do you think I will like NCL? I will be on the Jewel in June in a Penthouse Suite. I am anxious to try the freestyle. Although, I enjoyed dining on other cruiselines at a set time and with the same tablemates and waiters, I think I will like the relaxed atmosphere of dining when and where I want.

I'm sure you'll enjoy NCL. They have their Freestyle thing down pretty well. I was worried that there'd be long lines for dinner, but we only once had to wait at all and it wasn't a long wait. The only thing you miss from the Freestyle Dining system is the personal service of an assigned waiter/waitress. My wife and I truly enjoyed our NCL cruise. While I think at this point we'd prefer RCCL, if we found an NCL cruise with a better itinerary or price we'd definitely do NCL again.

Great pictures. I'm a ruins nut but I haven't visited Tulum yet. Since I can sail out of Galveston easily it will be on my "to see" list for sure.

I've seen Tikal in Guatemala. I'm not sure they still offer this excursion. It was aroun 500 pp, had to take a small plane to the site then a 40 m bus ride the long walks. Absolutely Great!

Also many years ago went to the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon when it was a hour drive from Mexico City and you could climb to the top. Light show at night then only had about 100 people present.

Visited Chacchoben from the Costa Maya port call. Used a local guide that made this tour very good. Large tour from the ship would have been pretty ordinary.

Happy cruzin and tourin to All!

Hey JT, yeah, we tendered directly from the ship to the mainland, although those are actually the same boats that they use for the public ferries, they had some reserved for the cruise passengers on mainland tours only. The ride was pretty calm, I didn't see anyone get sick. A half hour is a good estimate of the time it will take to get from the Cozumel spot to the mainland, by the way. I've seen some say as much as 45 minutes, but for us it was almost exactly a half hour both ways. Note also the idea of them as "ferries" might give you the wrong idea. They're reasonably modern, speedy boats and are fairly comfortable.

Thanks, Phrique, you've set our minds at ease. I think the Tulum Express is back on the table for us.

Thanks, Phrique, you've set our minds at ease. I think the Tulum Express is back on the table for us.

I'd highly recommend it, it's a rare thing to be able to visit a place like Tulum.