Looonnnggg review VOS 7/16/04 Part 1 (I know it's late, but very complete)

REVIEW of our cruise on RCCL’s Voyager of the Seas from Friday, July 16th, to Sunday, July 25th, to the Caribbean.

I am writing this for two reasons. One is to report back to the readers some useful information; two is to have a written history of our trip.

This was written after the cruise, so it will not have everything we did each day. However, because of the amount of information, it took some time to put it together. It was put together on Word over several days before being transferred to a posting. As of this writing, this consists of 18 pages on Word. While some information is a little overboard, I have tried to include as much as I can to answer a lot of the questions I had before I went.

‘We’ is “babchia”, a CruiseCritic member and recent poster on the boards, and I, her DH. We are a middle-age couple with a couple of teenage children. This cruise was to celebrate our 24th anniversary, and to have a get-away from some major problems that have been occurring at home.

First, an apology: To the Royal Caribbean Singers on VOS, I am sorry. At each performance, your names were announced. I did not make note of them, but your abilities said I should have. Unfortunately, it is hard to differentiate between them except by saying two were male, and two were female. Of each of these, one was Caucasian, and one was African-American. I am not trying to be raciest or sexist, and I also apologize for using these terms, but I could not figure out another way to differentiate between them.

Next, a clarification: When you see in this review a show is listed as having “special performer” then their name, then this performer is a person who goes from ship to ship. They will board a ship, stay on it for a stop or two, then get off to join another ship for another day or two. These people are not regular staff or crew on a specific ship. By having these performers rotate around, it means we get more of a variety of shows during our trip.

So, on with the review,,,

After deciding we needed a getaway, and deciding to do a cruise, we had researched where, how, etc., on what cruise to take. The 9-night VOS cruise from Cape Liberty (Bayonne), NJ, sounded like the best for us. In addition, RCCL has a bus from a nearby city to the terminal. Doing further research (including reading and posting questions on CRUISECRITIC.COM, we prepared for the trip.

Based on a number of comments from various postings, we decided to bring the following:

· Power Strip (This came in handy as noted in the room description, below.)

· Extension cord (Didn’t need it because of the power strip.)

· Portable Alarm Clock (Used it. Easier to read than clock on phone.)

· Cell Phone Charger (If you bring a cell phone, bring a charger. No if’s on this one.)

· Extra Hangers (Brought mostly cheap ones we could leave. We had enough clothes to need extra hangers, and we didn’t need to see if we could get any from the room steward. Plus, we left them behind and had more room in a suitcase.)

· Duct Tape (Just in case. Almost used it to tape liquor boxes together and make a handle to use as a carry-on to take home.)

· Scotch Tape (Used it to tape magnets to the Meet&Mingle sign. The door is metal, so magnets work great. Also, it worked out we used it to wrap a present we gave to someone on the ship.)

· Colored Cable Ties (This is good for sealing suitcases without using a lock. White ones are easily obtained, so can easily replaced. Color ones are harder to recreate. If someone opens the case, you will know.)

· Scissors (…to cut the Cable Ties when you get to your room. It, also, came in handy when wrapping a present on the ship (with the Scotch Tape). HINT: Extra copies of CRUISE COMPASS (available next to Guest Relations) can make a nice last-minute wrapping paper.)

· Meet & Mingle sign (Of course! Why didn’t I see more around the ship???)

· Magnets (Good for attaching things to the door, such as a Meet&Mingle Sign.)

· Fan (If you easily get hot, this is a must. Even if the room is cool, air movement is limited. Worth it if you like them.)

· Highlighter (Someone suggested using this for checking your receipts against the SeaPass account listed on the TV. Wish I had done this, but still checked my purchases each day.)

· Shampoo (You need this if your hair matters. I used what the ship provided, but I am a guy. Nuf’ said.)

· Waterproof Camera (You can buy one-time use cameras for about $9. I bought a cheap one at Wal-Mart that uses regular 35mm film, and can be easily reloaded (while out of the water). It cost me $17, and I can use it over and over, again. Plus, it has a flash and can be used as a regular camera.)

· Waterproof containers (I ended up buying a 4 pack of special waterproof zip-lock bags at a sporting goods store. They came in different sizes. One was perfect for credit cards and cash. Another was good for my digital camera. For $10, it was a good buy, and cheaper than those hard plastic ones that are waterproof (not resistant).)

· Water Shoes (for the Labadee beach, and for Dunns River Falls.)

· Extra batteries and film (It’s cheaper at home.)

· 12-pack Ginger Ale (I suspected my stomach would occasionally bother me. It did. Having Ginger Ale in the room refrigerator was convenient, and cheaper than buying a can at $1.50-$2. Worth it!)

· Bonine (motion sickness drug) (Yes, I used it a couple of times early in the cruise.)

· Night Light (Inside rooms can get a little dark. The other option was leave the bathroom light on with the door closed. Same result.)

· Freezer Bags (I bought them for any bottles with liquids. So, I brought the extras. It came in handy for a few things.)

· A reservation with Peat Taylor for Ocho Rios (Good tour. See below.)

· Wine (Planned to have privately in our room once or twice. Interestingly, our ‘special’ wine we brought never got opened and came home.) (Smuggling alcohol on board has been discussed in other posts. See those posts for any opinions about it.)

· Corkscrew (Oops! We forgot the corkscrew!)

· A good Attitude (A Must!)

We did not bring a door hook, or a shoe rack, as had been suggested by some posters.

We, also, packed a little too much in the way of clothes. We ended up with 4 suitcases to be checked in, and 1 suitcase (with wheels) for carry-on (cameras, valuables, etc). We purposely planned on having extra space in one suitcase for souvenirs.

See part 2.

Why didnt you just reply to this board instead of creating all those threads?? :confused:

This is from Babchia's DH.

I asked the same question of Babchia when I saw she had posted the review. Her answer was she hadn't thought of it.

So, for the record, we are sorry. Yes, it should have been as replies to the first posting so it would read as one thread.

If the board moderator should be reading this and is willing to combine the postings, it would be appreciated. Otherwise, we have to ask your patience on this.

DH

After giving it some thought, I decided to copy all of the parts of this review as replies into the first part.

Again my appologies for this. I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy the rest of this review.

DH of Babchia

DAY 1, Embarkation and leaving Cape Liberty (Bayonne), NJ:

So, the day to leave comes. We have a friend drive us to the Bus Station in Easton, PA. The bus was scheduled to arrive at 12:30PM. RCL asked that we arrive, at least, 30 minutes before hand. Based on some postings, the bus has been known to arrive as much as 15 minutes early. So, we arrive at 11:50AM.

The Bus Station in Easton, PA has recently moved. It is now in a very small storefront located diagonally across from the old (currently closed) Easton Hotel. We found out our bus would stop in front of the hotel. So, we dragged our suitcases across the street and waited. It was at this point we realized we had forgotten a corkscrew. I ran across and down the street to the local state liquor store and found one for about $4. I threw it into a suitcase that I didn’t mind if it got searched.

BTW, I had sealed each of the suitcases that were to be checked in with colored wire wraps (purchased at Wal-Mart). White ones can be easily obtained. Florescent colored ones are harder to find. If someone were to open a suitcase, I would know.

The bus ended up arriving on time at 12:30PM. We were the only ones getting on at that stop; however, there were many people already on the bus from previous stops. We were able to meet some of the people we had been already talking to on the CruiseCritic Boards because previous posts asking if anyone else would be on the bus (c breeze, treacher).

The suitcases to be checked in went under the bus, and our carry-on went on the bus with us. Because the bus was only a little over half full, it was not a problem to throw our suitcase onto a seat.

The bus was a little warm (limited A/C). We found out later, that due to complaints from some of the riders, the driver had opened up the roof hatches. It helped (a little).

The bus took us to I-78, to the New Jersey Turnpike, to Exit 14A, Bayonne. We could see the ship from the turnpike. The bus followed the signs to the Ship Terminal. This meant we took several turns until we ended up on State Route 440 heading towards Bayonne and the Bayonne Bridge. A short distance down, we took a left turn into the former military base, and now Cape Liberty Ship Terminal.

(For those of you who may want to consider taking Mass Transit, there is a Train Station located across the street from the entrance to the ship terminal area. I don’t know anything about this train, but it is the one that provides commuter service to Bayonne. If you take this train, you will need to cross the street to the entrance, then wait for a bus. Our bus stopped and offered to pick up anyone needing a ride to the terminal.)

After passing security, the bus went down a long two-way road, past the ship. Eventually, we started to drive between some big buildings. The traffic coming the other way had split off. With only one-way traffic, we ended up making a left turn around the building and stopped. Traffic to drop off passengers was going to the left, and people parking cars were going to the right. But, at that moment, shortly after 2PM, we were going nowhere.

After waiting for a little while, we started to move, and found out why we had stopped: The people directing traffic had only allowed enough traffic through so that people could unload their cars of suitcases and people without overcrowding the drop-off area.

As we rounded the building to the left (again), traffic was divided between cars (on the left), and busses (on the right and next to the main terminal building). Tents provided some shelter for the car unloading area. Our bus, and several others, was lead down to bus parking spaces. We were told to remain on the bus for a few minutes.

After a short time, someone wearing a ‘Porter’ button unloaded the suitcases from under the bus. Someone came on the bus and told us to claim our bags. We could have a porter take our bags, but the bags must have a RCL baggage ticket on it (it came with our RCL booklet), or one must be made up and attached. We were also told the porters were to be paid a $2 per bag tip.

Once we were allowed to leave the bus, we identified to the porter our 4 bags, and paid the tip. We then went to the terminal with our carry-on. We had to wait in line to get in. As we entered, we were told to turn off our cell phones, and there are to be no pictures.

Once inside, we found there were two lines. The short one to the right was for deluxe suite and Platinum Anchor and Crown members. The long one to the left was for the rest of us. Both lines were stop and go due to the backlog after the x-ray machines and metal detectors. (Not because of them.) It did not take an exceptional amount of time before we got through and into the next room. We ended up in a large group line across the back of the room. As we approached the corner, someone would split us up between the large suite and Platinum Crown and Anchor members (straight to another room), and the rest of us. At this time, we were given new Bahamas immigration forms. We were told the old manila cards ones were no good, and we had to use the new computer readable ones. The line then split into several different lines based on the deck your stateroom was on. Ours, being on Deck 7, was a very short one. The one for Deck 6 was backed up pretty far.

We were able to make it to a person at the check-in desk while only having to wait a relatively short time. We were handled very quickly (registering our credit card for charging), and received our SeaPass card with our room number and dinner table assignment. We proceeded around behind the check-in desk and found ourselves faced with the ship’s photographers. We quickly got our picture taken, then looked around the room. The room was fairly large, and was designed to seat a lot of people waiting to board the ship. According to a paper we received on arrival, there had been a jazz band and balloon artists here. Apparently, most everyone had left. We walked directly over to the doorway to the bus. There was a sign that made mention about waiting until you are called, but that was not necessary at this time. We walked right onto a bus and sat down. After a few minutes, and a few more passengers, the bus left the terminal and drove to the ship. It dropped us off right next to the ship. Tents had been setup to protect us from the elements. Depending on which end of the bus you got off from you went in one of two different gangplanks, and onto the ship on Deck 1.

To enter the ship, we had to have our SeaPass card. The crew would take our picture and it would be recorded onto the magnetic stripe of the card. We then proceeded to the elevators on Deck 1-Aft. Both Port and Starboard elevators were made available. (To get to the Port elevators required crossing the ship’s main service walkway. They call it I-95, and it goes from aft to stern.)

We made it up to our deck, and to our room: #7253. It was now before 3PM, and the room was ready for us. (Hmm, less than an hour from arrival to our stateroom. That sounded pretty good to me!)

We had decided to save money and go for an interior cabin. We chose a Promenade room so it would have a window and a view. We chose Deck 7 so we wouldn’t be just above the stores and bars (Deck #6), and not so high because of my fear of heights (Deck #8). We were also told the rooms at the aft end of the Promenade would not have a view of the parades. This is correct. The last group of rooms overlooks the staircase down, and the Centrum opening up to the top of the ship. (It ends up our room was directly over where the members of the parade would enter and exit the Promenade. We got to see the parade director instruct the members when they should join the parade.)

So, here it was, 3PM, and we decided to check out the ship. There had been music and prizes on the Promenade from1PM until 3PM, but we had just missed it.

see part 3.

Most of the public areas are open for inspection. We checked out a few. By the time we got to the ShipShape Fitness Center, we were told they were closing. It was about 4PM, and everything was closing to get ready for the 4:30PM Muster Drill. (It was listed in the CRUISE COMPASS left in our room.) We returned to our stateroom and found our suitcases had arrived. We retrieved our ‘Personal Flotation Device’s, then when the alarm sounded, went to our Muster Station. Most Muster Stations for us customers are located outside on Deck 4. Some are located inside one of the two bars on Deck 4. We weren’t so lucky, and had to stand outside, in line, for awhile. (Don’t think about missing this. I believe they search the ship. I, also, believe they won’t conclude the drill until everyone is at their station.) After a few multi-lingual announcements, we were allowed to return to the ship. Don’t hurry. Everyone is trying to go the same way and in through one of the same 4 doors and up/down the same elevators and stairs. I tried to get around. It wasn’t worth it.

Eventually, we got back to our room. I grabbed a camera. We discussed where to watch the ship leave the New York Harbor. Even though some posters had said to go to the highest outside point, we decided to go to the front of the ship. (To get there, go to Deck #4, go outside, then head towards the front. Go up the steps to Deck #5. From there, you can access the helipad and bow of the ship. There are benches bolted to the helipad, and lounge chairs on the deck next to it. So we watched as the ship glided out through the harbor and under the Verazano Narrows Bridge. Even from the windy bow, it was impressive as this big ship slid under the bridge and into the ocean.

Afterward, I was able to get my workout schedule from the ShipShape Fitness Center. After a quick look around, we went back to our cabin and unpacked. I put up the CruiseCritic Meet&Mingle Sign. (This was the only one I saw the entire trip until I saw “cruzeluvr”’s door.) In addition, as a surprise to “babchia” for our anniversary, I put up a copy of one of our wedding pictures with a note, “24 years”. In addition, I had pre-ordered from RCCL the room decorations for my Anniversary. I decided it should be there for the first day (I could choose the day). When we had originally gotten to the room, we found the decorations were there, but white and blue bell garland with a large CONGRATULATIONS sign hanging from the ceiling. I later questioned Guest Relations about this, but nobody said this was incorrect.

see part 4

About our Promenade Cabin:

About the cabin, as I understand it, most of the inside and Promenade cabins are similar in size. The inside cabins have the bed against the far wall, while the Promenade ones have the bed on the side wall in the middle of the room. Because the beds were together for us, the size was about a Queen or King size. It was decently firm (with the slightly thin mattress on a solid bedframe). Our room had two small love seats. One was under the window, while the other was next to the first one, and opposite the vanity. Each side of the bed had their own nightstand and their own light. The night stand had one drawer, and an open space underneath. The light consisted of a wall light, and a separate reading light. (My reading light didn’t work, but I never had a need for it.) The phone was located on the night stand closest to the window.

The vanity had a separate light and large mirror. There was a central drawer where the hair dryer was. To the side (next to the window) was a door that covered the in-room refrigerator. We had our room steward empty it. He, also, disable the sensor. On each side of the mirror are small mirror doors that cover a narrow storage area with glass shelves. To the left of where your feet are is two more small shelves.

In the corner of the room, and opposite the bed and next to the closet, is a very narrow dresser with the TV on top of it. The three small drawers in it don’t hold much. The three shelves above the TV held a little more.

The closet has several shelves. One has the safe. The safe is locked and unlocked by a 4-digit code you create. It is large enough to hold a 35mm SLR Camera with room. The closet has a regular hanging bar with some hangers. There are two drop down bars about ½ way down you may fold down if you need more hanging space.

The bathroom is small, but adequate. Both “babchia” and myself are not small, and we had no problems with the shower (curved doors), or with using the bathroom. There is a shelf under the sink that contains spare toilet paper, the floor towel, and a rectangular garbage receptacle. In addition, there is storage behind a mirror door in the corner with some glass shelves.

Some notes about the bathroom: The shower, is European in design. The shower is a handle on the end of the hose. You may change the height of the shower, or hold it with your hand. There are two settings: Regular and Pulse. To control the shower, there are two knobs. The one on the left is to control Hot/Cold. The one in the center is to turn the water on/off..

If you are worried about storing your suitcases, don’t be. There is plenty of room under the bed. To provide additional clothing storage, I used some of my suitcases that I kept there and just pulled them out when I needed them.

You will find your room steward will clean your room twice a day. In the morning (about the time you have breakfast), and in the evening (about the time you have dinner). The steward will clean up the room and make your bed in the morning. (Check the arrangements of the pillows. It may be different each day.) In the evening, your bed will be turned down, a mint left on each pillow, and a different towel animal will be left for you. (We kept them all in-tact until the end of the cruise. They start to take up a lot of room after about the third day.)

The window of a Promenade Room has two curtains. One is a heavier sheer to allow light through. It really doesn’t provide much privacy from the rooms opposite yours. In addition, there is a heavy blackout curtain. Use this for privacy, and at night. While they do turn down the lighting in the Promenade in the evening, they turn the lights back up at about 1-2AM to get people to go to bed, and to clean up and setup the Promenade for the next day. It can be a little discerning to wake up and see the bright light leaking through the curtain, and then realize it is only 4:30AM.

Your room does come with a clock, but it is on the digital display on the phone, and does not light up. They do offer an automated wake-up call if you wish to use this service. I preferred my own travel clock because it was easier to read at night. (The phones also have Voice Mail. You can call from room to room, or from a number of phones located in public areas, including near the elevators.)

Television programming is limited. One channel has old TV Shows (Chico and the Man, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeanie, etc.). They tend to repeat the same shows. Some channels are from cable channels, but have RCCL commercials instead. These include Cartoon Network, and TNT. These channels also tend to repeat the same shows. CNN Headline News is live. Also, CNN International, Bloomberg (with Spanish text), and CNN/ES (Spanish) are live. There is usually a movie or two per day that are shown on multiple channels in different languages. There is also a channel that has basic information about the ship (location, pool temperatures, speed) and may have a live camera view of either the Promenade or the Bow of the ship. Finally, there is usually one channel that has rebroadcasts of parades or special shows (such as the Marriage Game) being played repeatedly. If you were to bring a VCR, you could probably record some of the better material, unedited, that you might want to have to remember your cruise. This is some of the things that are probably included in the Cruise Video you can buy. (I didn’t buy one for $30, so I can’t say for sure.)

As for power, there are two 110 Volt AC plugs on the desk, and one 220 Volt plug. The two 110’ plugs are next to each other. Because I had a fan, night light, battery recharger, cell phone recharger, and hair curlers in the room, that was not enough. Using the power strip more than made up for this. I never used my extension cord I brought, but if I had brought something that needed to reach beyond the vanity, I would have been glad to have it. (There is, also, a plug in the bathroom that is dual voltage (110/220). It is suppose to only be for razors. I didn’t use it, so I couldn’t tell you anything about it. Unless you know how to use it, I would advise leaving it alone.)

The refrigerator is small. I was able to put several cans of soda, and a small cake into it, but it barely kept them cold. I found I needed to use ice to have a cold drink.

(Speaking of cake, one was was delivered to the room with a small chocolate “Happy Anniversary” sign on it. The cake was too big for the two of us, so we ate some, and placed the rest in the newly emptied refrigerator. It took us days to get through all of it, but more on that in a moment.)

So, now onto the rest of Day 1…

After checking out the ship, we went to the Welcome Aboard Show. The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers did a quick song or two, then we got a short comedy set by special performer Tom Cotter. Because we had the Late Seating, we went to eat afterward. We got to meet our table mates and our waiters. One couple was with a large group, and was hoping to be moved to another table with their group. (They ended up eating with us on Friday and Saturday nights. By Sunday, they were able to get moved.) All of the people at our table were wonderful. Each had something to add to the conversations, and all were willing to let someone else talk.

After dinner, we eventually headed back to our room. After a long day, we were tired.

For the rest of the week, it is hard to remember everything. (I didn’t keep a diary or notes.) I will try to point out our highlights.

Many of the days, I got up early to catch the sunrise or arrival at an island. I would get too excited and would get up very early. To help make up for this, a few times I could be found taking a nap in an outside chair on Deck 4. This deck was usually fairly quiet during the day.

see part 5.

Day 2, Saturday:

On Saturday, I did try the Step Class in the ShipShape Fitness Center. This was the first time I tried it at someplace other than the usual place I go to at home. It was a little different (especially on a ship with slight rocking).

“babchia” really wanted to do the first Bingo. They were giving away the owner’s suite to someone. She had hopes, but didn’t win it. Because of this, she missed the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle. Instead, I went. In fact, I was very early and got there before anyone else.

I was disappointed with the number of people who did not come. It was nice to meet those who did come. I was able to speak up during it and thank everyone for his or her information on the boards (although I don’t know if everyone heard it).

We were given a very large RCL neck holder, which we used as name tags. In addition, we were each given a Cruise Critic Pin. (I was able to get two so “babchia” would have them.)

As a part of the Meet and Mingle, we took a Trivia quiz about RCL and VOS. I did OK (got 3 out of 10). The person next to me won with 7 ½ out of 10. The prize was a cute PC Mouse with part of it clear and filled with a thick liquid and a ship. Moving it around meant the ship would rock about in the wave. (Interestingly, the winner uses a MAC and cannot use the mouse. Instead, he will give it to his son.)

It was fun to meet these people. Towards the end, as people were leaving, some others who had gone to Bingo arrived. A few minutes later, “babchia” arrived with the bad news of not winning. We were able to meet and talk with “cruzeluvr” and his wife. Found them to be wonderful people. During the discussion, we found out about their 25th anniversary being in January and their plans for a Vow Renewal on Monday. We told them that on Monday (when the renewal was scheduled), it was our 24th anniversary. We ended up being the lucky ones to be invited to the renewal.

We split up saying we would meet when we run into each other, or on Monday.

That evening, after dinner and desert, the waiters delivered another cake to us and sang, “Happy Anniversary” (like Happy Birthday). We were all full, so we had our waiter hold the cake for another day. (Our table did eat it later in the week.)

The only other highlight for Saturday was we went to see Vibe*ology. My review of the show was, it was trying. It was apparent that the band and the singers were very good. Whoever setup the show would try to have the singers sing against type to allow them to shine. (Example: the white female singer sang A Janet Jackson song.) This meant the songs we heard were not exact copies of what we were accustom to, but would be an interpretation. My complaint was that many times, the singers were not up to the songs they were singing. In addition, the use of video and special lighting made the show seem a little over the top. The show was overall OK, but I had hoped for more. (Later, I did get more, but you will see that further down.)

One note, after our show was over, James Andrews, the Cruise Director came out on stage. He called out one of the female singers from backstage. This singer’s boyfriend then came out on stage. After a short speech, and with the crowd yelling for him to get on his knee, he got on his knee and proposed. She accepted. A lot of fun for something so special!

When we went back to our room, we found the first of may towel animals. Today, we found a dog towel animal waiting for us.

For Day 3, Sunday, we didn’t do much special. Definitely had a good time. “babchia” went to the Sunday morning Catholic Services. The priest hadn’t planned on so many people to come. Even though he tried to spread it out as best as he could, he ran out of ‘Hosts’, and about half of the people didn’t Receive. As I understand it, many were angry.

I did get another nap on Deck 4. Can’t remember much. Some of our dinner table mates went to Portofino’s, so our table was a little quieter, but still had a good time.

We did go to the show to see special performer, Martin Dube. He was listed as a Singer/Impressionist. Nice show, but he didn’t impress me a lot.

The towel animal in our room that day was a swan

See part 6.

Day 4, Monday on Labadee: Another early day for me as I watched us arrive.

We decided to not rush to the tenders and to the beach. We took our time and got there late morning. We decided to avoid the more crowded and closer beaches, so we walked down to the end and Hideaway Beach. All of the hammocks were taken, so we dragged a couple of lounge chairs under one of the straw umbrellas. It was a hot day, so the shade was welcome. The sand was too hot to walk on, so we were glad we wore sandals, then water shoes into the water. I did bring my good camera, but left it mostly in a waterproof bag (except when I took it out for a few shots.) In addition, I brought my waterproof camera. I wore that (and my carrying case with my SeaPass Card and money in another waterproof bag) into the water. The water was beautiful. After some swimming, we went back to our lounges and lay for a while. It was hot in the sun, but in that shade, it was nice. Because it was starting to get a little late, we went to get some lunch. The food was being put away, but they were still serving. The timing worked out that we were able to catch the tram back. It was a long walk to where we were, so we were glad to not have to do it back.

“babchia” wanted to see the craft market. I wasn’t so keen, but went anyway. Yes, the vendors were very aggressive. Yes, we did walk quickly through both buildings. “babchia” would say polish words like she didn’t understand English. I just walked straight through and said, “No, thank you.”

The types of things they sell are mostly typical island crafts, including wood carvings, walking sticks, and paintings. If you like this type of stuff, you do have a variety to choose from. I didn’t care for it, so didn’t buy anything.

I did want a souvenir, so I did buy (actually overpaid) for a Haitian dollar bill. The person who I bought it from made out, and I got what I wanted. It worked out. We made it back to the boat with plenty of time.

FYI: The U.S. Government did issue a Traveler’s Advisory at the beginning of July for Haiti. They report the country is unsafe, and the police really are not there. Because Labadee is a fenced-off separate area, we found no problems or concerns being there. We put our trust in RCCL, and found no reason to feel otherwise.

Because we were going to “cruzeluvr”’s Vow Renewal, and because it was our anniversary, we got dressed up. We made it to the chapel in plenty of time to realize we had forgotten a present we wanted to give. I rushed back to the room, picked it up, then rushed back to the chapel to find they had already started without me!

It was a nice ceremony. I was able to take some nice pictures that I have to still send to “cruzeluvr”. (Charlie even wrote a really nice letter to his DW that he had to read, twice.) After the obligatory pictures, we went downstairs to one of the rooms next to High Notes. We were given champagne and there was (another) cake. (We couldn’t get away from cake, and this one was no different.) After a toast, and another picture, it was found the sun was going down. We were about to go to our reservation at Portofino’s. The plan was to have a piece of cake sent to our table for after dinner. Since we weren’t going to the main dining room, our piece was to be sent to our stateroom. The rest of the group already shares dinner with “cruzeluvr”, so they would have their cake at dinner. So, the ship’s photographer took the happy couple outside for a couple of pictures with the sunset. We went to Portofino’s for dinner.

My opinion of Portofino’s was it was great. I have had better Italian food (with the best at a little restaurant in Lewes, DE called La Rosa Negra, and in second place, Bellisimo at 17th and Tilghman in Allentown, PA). However, Portofino’s does a wonderful presentation of their food. They, also, use very good ingredients. In addition, I gave “babchia” a poem I had written. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the food and service. (About the service, at one point, our waiter had to also do another table that he hadn’t expected to do. This meant he wasn’t as readily available for our needs. We told him this was OK because we were not in a hurry. Overall, this worked out fine for us, and we had a fantastic time.) So, was it worth the $20 upcharge for each of us? Yes! (And, I left a little extra tip, too.)

After dinner, we went to see that night’s show, “Dreamscape”. Overall, I found it a little strange because it is suppose to be based on dreams. Since dreams can be almost anything, they got to be a little creative. During this show, the singers truly shined. Each singer was able to show what he or she could do. Did this save the show? In my opinion, no; however, it was worth seeing these people shine.

Our plan was later go see Late Night Adult Comedy with Tom Cotter, but we were tired, and Ocho Rios was the next day. So, to our stateroom we went. When we got there, we found a present: After “cruzeluvr” and his dinner table mates had taken their pieces of his cake, he had the rest / most of the cake sent to our room. This cake was too big to fit in our refrigerator, plus it already had a cake in it from the first day. We did eat some, but could never get to any more. Unfortunately, we eventually had to throw the rest of the cake away.

The towel animal of the day was a bat.

Next, Ocho Rios!

Day 5: Ocho Rios:

Another early morning for me. When I went out, I found someone had stolen the wedding picture from my door. The Meet&Mingle sign was still there. I was disappointed, but wasn’t going to let it ruin my trip. (Unfortunately, this was also the beginning of my noticing many of the pre-teens and teenagers were not behaving well during the trip.)

After reviewing the excursions being offered by RCCL, and reading the various postings on the CruiseCritic boards, we had decided to take the tour by Peat Taylor. We had already made our reservations with him, so we knew where and when to meet. In his e-mail, he had described where he was going to take us, and that it was flexible.

His tour starts early, and goes to Dunns River Falls. We are each given a ticket to enter. We were led to the river guides, who then led us down to the beach and the bottom of the falls. The only way to climb the falls was with a guide (and someone with a video camera so they can sell you a video or DVD). “babchia” and I decided to not climb the falls, but we did climb the steps next to it and watched others climb.

Here is the same advice you have heard about Dunns River Falls: When leaving, go back the way you came in. When you see the sign that says EXIT and points to the right, you will see it leads you to the Craft Market. Continue to go straight back to the entrance. You bypass the market, and use a valid way out. We did this and had no problems.

Once everyone was done, we met Peat. He was exactly where he said he would be. (At first, we missed him because we hadn’t realized he was in a gazebo with a group playing dominos.) We boarded onto his bus and went for a more common and less tourist-y tour. He drove us by some of the poorer neighborhoods, and some of the nicer homes. We drove through the “Fern Gully”, and saw the man who had been living in a cave for 15 years. We got some history, and some singing. Peat said he would stop for us if we wanted to see anything. We did pass several people on the street who were selling things, but nobody on the bus asked to stop. Peat told us of the Shrimp Flower. He then pulled over and found one. He showed everyone how it looks like a shrimp. He, also, picked some Impatiens and placed one into a couple of our hands. We would keep our hand open. After a few moments, it would burst open.

He took us through some of the back roads and saw even more. It was when we passed a telephone pole with spiders hanging on it when several people in the bus asked to stop to see them and take pictures.

Peat’s tour took us to the WAYSAI Pottery. They gave us a quick tour of how they make the pottery. It was obvious that even when they were quickly doing the work, these people are artists. Of course, this led us through the obligatory shop. There were various sizes and prices of their work for sale. A number of the larger items were high quality and worth it. We found something small that we liked and bought it.

Back to the bus, and we went to a really old Banyon tree. The man who lives under it did some fire breathing for us, and swung from a vine on the tree. Later, Peat took us up a hill so we could get a great view of our ship, then of the city of Ocho Rios. (I had run out of film, so I wasn’t able to take any pictures at this point.) As the morning part of the tour ended, he offered to take us to a restaurant, or back to our ship. Most decided to go back to the ship, with some deciding to go to Margaritaville.

Peat did offer to take us anywhere we wished for the afternoon. He said he would take us downtown for shopping, or to do a raft trip. We decided to skip this part.

Peat charges $30 per person for this tour (including entrance to Dunns River Falls). It was worth it, and I highly recommend him if you want a tour of the area.

After lunch (on the ship) we went back onto the island. If you walk straight out through the taxi/bus area, you come upon Oceans 11. They sell souvenirs, and offer free tastings of their flavored rums. It often gets busy here, so you may have to wait for the tastings. Also, if you buy a liquor here, they will deliver it to the ship (if it is not too late). (We bought ours later, just as they left to make their delivery, so we got to carry it back to the ship.)

We continued down the street to the Island Village Shopping Center. We did some shopping there (including stopping at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville), but didn’t find anything we wanted.

From there, we made a left turn and walked down the street towards the Taj Mahal shopping center. We went to a couple of stores and did buy some things. In addition, there was a place to exchange money, so I was able to get some Jamaican money here.

Be aware that when you walk down the street to get to the Taj Mahal, you may pass several people who may have their hands out. Also, you will probably be asked if you want any marijuana or cocaine. I would advise not talking to these people except to politely say, “No thank you.” Once done there, we headed back towards the ship, and joined the large number of people also returning to the ship.

A few days before, we had gotten tickets for the Ice Jammin’ Ice Show. Our tickets were good for today, so went to the 7PM show. I did take a couple of pictures with our digital camera, but someone must have thought I was shooting video, so I was asked to stop. Overall, the show was impressive. This is especially true when you consider the smaller size of the ice rink. I felt the story was a little light, but the staging and skaters’ talents made the show.

We had another dinner, and another wonderful conversation. We had planned on going to the Love and Marriage Game Show, but we were having such a nice time with our dinner table group. Eventually, we did leave and went to the show. We had missed the selection process, but got to see most of the regular show. Without giving away too much, let’s say the show was funniest time we had on the ship. Three couples are chosen. One is a newlywed, a couple that has been married for a few years (we were told it would be 20-25 years, but they chose a couple who was married for 7 years), and a couple that has been married for about 50 years. (This oldest couple ended up winning the hearts of everyone and was considered the darlings of the ship for the rest of the cruise.) Anyway, their answers were great and not always expected. The Cruise Director, James Andrews, did a great job of getting answers from the contestants, and of controlling the action. One answer even made a few people question if they wanted to even use the lounge chairs on “…the balcony on Deck 12” anymore. Or, is the better place a Model ‘T? (Don’t worry, your mind is probably going in the right direction.)

(Of course, the ship repeatedly played a video of the entire show on one of the TV channels for the next few days, so nobody got to miss it.)

That night, there was dancing and a buffet on Deck 12 around the pools. We went, but decided it wasn’t worth waiting in line for food we weren’t hungry for, and it was a little loud and busy as we watched the Cruise Director’s Staff try to get people to join in with a group of people doing a line dance. Oh, well. Another early day tomorrow, so off to bed.

The towel animal of the day was an elephant.

Grand Cayman next!

Day 6, and Grand Cayman.

The Voyager of the Seas ended up being anchored between the Carnival Sensation and the Carnival Inspiration. Both of these ships were large; however, the Voyager of the Seas was obviously bigger and better.

“babchia” really wanted to do a submarine tour. I was more willing to consider one of the partial sub boats (i.e. you are in a boat that has seats and windows below the water line). After some consideration, we had decided to take the Atlantis Submarine. This submarine seats a lot of people, is air conditioned, and has 25” portal windows to look out of. It goes down to about 90 feet. We booked it through the Excursion Desk. (NOTE: You don’t have to go through the cruise line. If you look to the right of where the tender drops you off, you will see the building for Atlantis. (It is about across from the Hard Rock Café.) They run people out to this sub about every hour, and had plenty of seats available when we went. They, also, offered a $25 deal if you wanted to go a second time.)

Because our submarine ride was for 11:10AM, we took the tender over early and did a little shopping. When the time came, we were told to go to the Atlantis building. There, we exchanged our excursion tickets for a boarding pass. When the time came, we went on their boat. During the boat ride to the sub, they went over the safety instructions (just like on a plane). The boat took us to where the submarine was. We watched it surface, then unload the people that were on it. Next we got in.

The seats on the sub were a little small for us larger people, but since there was some room, we were able to take a little extra space. Each pair of people shares one of the 25” portals. The sub went underwater, and we headed out towards the famous Cayman Islands drop-off.

The tour guide would look out the windows with us and point out various things to see. Usually, we ended up being on the wrong side. Despite this, we did get to see a lot of fish, coral, a barracuda, a turtle, a mermaid, and a sunken boat. We were underwater for about 40 minutes (and almost 60 pictures on my camera), and got to see so little, yet so much of the real thing. Visibility was limited (this is the ocean), but we could see enough.

Once done, we surfaced, went back onto the boat, waited while the next group went into the sub, then waited and watched while the submarine dived below the surface. Definitely an experience I won’t forget. (And, they gave us certificates to acknowledge having gone.)

Afterward, because we were hot, we went to the Hard Rock Café for a couple of sodas. Next, we went back to shopping.

A few notes about shopping: Of the two stores that carry the sun changing items, Del Sol is better than Touched by the Sun. Neither is large, and the selection is limited; however, Del Sol has more, including hair clips and fingernail polish.

Also, I was interested in possibly getting some coins from some of the sunken ships. Two stores carry these coins. Most coins are mounted in jewelry mounts for wearing as necklaces. Of the two stores we were told of (Artifacts, and The Cayman Treasure Coins Company), I would recommend Artifacts. Not all of the coins are mounted. Most are identified. Also, the store carries other coins and interesting items. I saw several bills that were issued by private U.S. companies from around late 19th to early 20th centuries. They were priced very reasonably for what they were. In addition, “babchia” found the store carries a selection of high quality trinket boxes. The store also carries a number of other antique and interesting items, too. And add to that, the owner was very willing to share his knowledge and discuss what he carries. (I ended up buying a couple of low priced U.S. coins. I decided against the bills, and some Roman coins, but was really tempted.)

We did some more souvenir shopping. I, also, made it to a bank where I was able to exchange some U.S. money for Cayman Island money. Interestingly, one of the better items we got was a freebee from the bank. They had a map of the Caribbean printed on paper about 18” by 14”. Their intent was for customers to use it to track hurricanes. But even as a map, it was fine.

We didn’t get very far within George Town, but got to see a lot of stores. Once done, we headed back to the tenders (another crowd), and to the ship.

Even though George Town was a little more expensive, this was my favorite stop. (Although Labadee was a great beach stop.)

That evening, before dinner, we went to the theater to see special artist Michelle Murlin. When she got on the stage, she seemed comfortable, even though she hadn’t had much of a rehearsal with the band. She would talk to and complement the band and stage crew, while singing various songs. The music she sang is not the type of music I normally listen to (showtunes, various classics). She was able to take these songs and show she could sing them well. She kept up a conversation with the audience, and even went into the audience to shake hands while singing one song.

I will admit that I have not seen lot of live singers in my life. Despite, or because of this, I can say she was the best singer I ever heard.

After the show, she was outside the theater meeting with people, and signing her CD that was being sold. She even ran out of CD’s and had to run down to her stateroom to get more (and this was the first show!). She was really friendly to each and everyone she talked to. It turns out she lives in the Harrisburg, PA, area. She is married to a former member of the Lettermen (and he is, also, touring on cruise ships).

While waiting for our turn to meet her and get our CD signed, we overheard someone else say they were from Bethlehem, PA. Of course, we had to say to them we were from the same county. Later, after dinner, we saw this person getting her picture being taken by the ship’s photographer as a part of a large group. “babchia” yelled over, “Hey, Bethlehem!” This woman, and the rest of the group waved back. Just at this moment is when the photographer took his picture. (We wondered how this picture would turn out, but never heard.)

After the show, we went to dinner, and had another wonderful conversation with our tablemates. Tonight was Italian Night. At one point during dinner, a bunch of ‘pirates’ arrived and took over the dining room. (Actually, they were younger members of the Adventure Ocean children’s program.) It was an entertaining experience.

A little while later, the waiters went into the kitchen, then came out dancing to some Italian music. They worked their way around the room, then to the front and the stairs. At that point, they sang, ‘O Sole Mio’. It had an interesting sound, considering there were people from 86 nationalities, and only one person was Italian.

Our plan was to go to see the Battle of the Sexes. We didn’t make it out of the dining room until after it started because of our talking. We decided to skip it.

We went up to Deck 11 because it was another Dancing Under The Stars. We found another group doing a line dance. We decided to pass.

We did go to High Notes this night. We had heard that the Royal Caribbean Singers would be singing with the jazz band, there. It was crowded, but we were able to eventually find reasonable seats.

The first people singing were the two Caucasian singers. Both really shined in their singing. It was fantastic! After a short break, the two African-American singers had a turn. Again, fantastic singing. Seeing this show, alone, was worth the trip.

One fun part of this performance occurred when it was time to sing a love song. If you remember from before, one of the female singers had become engaged. So, when the time came for this song, the male singer said he could no longer sing this duet to her. This was especially true because the new fiancée was in the audience video-taping the show. So, the male singer took the fiancée from his seat and placed him in front of the female singer. (The camera was passed to someone else.) The male singer picked an older woman from the audience. Then, they sang their duet, but to their respective partners.

We made it to bed late that night. The towel animal that night was the Stingray (with chocolate mint eyes). (Later, I replaced the eyes with nickels.)

Day 7, at sea.

I can’t remember what we did much of this day. We did spend part of the afternoon time with “cruzeluvr” and his DW by the pool. We watched part of the Belly Flop contest. For lunch we ate at Johnny Rockets. “babchia” and I had had a snack here a day or two before, but this time we had meals. It was nice. (I especially liked my chili-cheese fries and coke float. “babchia” enjoyed her Chocolate Coke.)

We did see Rhythm & Rhyme, the show about Broadway music. The show, itself, was not that great. Whoever produced this seemed to try to make a flow, but it never really worked well. It seemed almost like a Greatest Hits, but only of selected songs from Broadway. The good thing was the singers and the band really shined through on this.

The towel animal that night was a cat by a cat dish with mints in it.

Day 8, Freeport.

Another port, another early day to watch the ship pull into port.

We had not heard a lot of good things about Freeport. Even the shopping guy on the ship pushed Jamaica and Grand Cayman as better shopping places. We wanted to get a few more souvenirs/gifts, so the plan was to take a taxi to the International Bazaar, then back to the ship. Quick shopping, then done. We read the shops don’t open until 9AM, so didn’t rush off the ship. In fact, we got off right after 9AM. We walked off with this plan.

As we were looking around, we saw The Straw Market on the other side of the driveway. We went over. It consists of a number of very small buildings. Each is open air. Most have two vendors. There were the usual souvenir items, but most had t-shirts and clothes. Most of the vendors were very friendly and helpful. Some would even help with other’s items. We found one place where we found a lot of things we wanted. After spending a lot of time, we decided on what we wanted. We were able to quickly negotiate a lower price, and buy it. We went to another booth and found something else we wanted. I felt because I was only buying one item and the price seemed somewhat reasonable, I didn’t negotiate a lower price. The owner gave “babchia” a ring, and me a keychain after the deal was done. Also, when I asked about where I could get Bahamian money, the owner gave me her change. Very nice people.

We finished this area, then walked over to several buildings that appeared to be storefronts. It turns out they were, but most were vacant. We went through and found a couple of nice stores mixed in.

It turns out that most people don’t go into this second area even though it is right next to the ship. Of the few stores that were there, we found an artist that sold his own works, and a couple of more tchachkie type of souvenir stores. We saw some cute colorful fish mobiles, but passed on them (a little expensive). We did pickup some postcards, and a couple of other things.

We were done (except for a gift for one person, which we decided to buy on the ship). We headed back onto the ship. It was 10AM. We had saved the cost of the taxi, got a lot of gift buying done, and were back on the ship in less than one hour.

(Interestingly, while we were off the ship, the captain held his weekly crew emergency drill. It was a little strange standing near the ship while the emergency alarms were sounding.)

All week, I had been building up my courage to try the rock climbing wall and in-line skates. I had hoped to do it while the ship was not moving; however, neither of these things was available while we were docked. So, today, shortly after they opened (at 3PM, at sea), I tried the rock climbing wall. I didn’t get far, but was proud of myself for trying. (I found the staff was really supportive, so that helped, too.) Once done with that, I took several spins (and one spill) around the skating track. That was fun (and tiring)!

That afternoon, we met up with “cruzluvr” and shared the gift we had given them for their renewal.

That night, we went to see special artist Nick Lewin. He was listed as doing comedy and magic. His magic was nothing overly fantastic (when compared to the magicians we can see on TV), but his humor was good. Nice show. “babchia” enjoyed it even more than me.

Our dinner was a little quieter because some of our tablemates had gone to Portofino’s for a second time. Because we wanted to see The Quest, we tried to hurry through our meal. Not much luck with that. Our waiter was going to give a speech about his service, but we left. He gave it to us the next night.

We had planned on meeting “cruzeluvr” and his DW at the show. Because they had seen it before, they knew a lot of what to expect. I had expressed interest in participating,. They said they would if we wanted to. We decided to pass, and just watch. I am glad we did.

For those who don’t know what The Quest is, it is a sort of scavenger hunt with a large number of teams. Each team consisted of two men and two women. The way our cruise director did it, he said everything that was needed was in the room. Beyond that, I will leave the rest for you to discover. It was definitely an experience, and I recommend not missing it.

Right afterward, there was Rocking Through The Ages. A band played a number of songs (mostly 50’s and 60’s, but even some disco). The audience was encouraged to come out and dance. Those that did really got into it and had a great time. The Cruise Director’s staff was there in full force helping with making it fun. (We sat out and enjoyed the music and the ‘show’.)

Day 9, at sea

By chance, I found out the crew had a rather late party the night before. I saw, at least, one person who looked like ‘heck’. I will say that even though the morning staff had a tough time of it, we saw no drop in service anywhere on the ship. (And, it was fun to bring it up with other crew members and see their reaction: “What? How did you find out?” etc.) They had fun, and so did we. J

I am a ‘techie’, and have been involved with helping backstage off and on for years. So, when they offered a Backstage Tour at 9AM at the La Scala Theater, I was there.

The Technical Crew was generous and friendly in telling us how things work. They took us around backstage, so we got to see the very small storage and changing areas that are there. They would answer almost any question we asked. Interestingly, many of the questions were about the crew and the ship as opposed do the stageing, lighting, and sound. We were suppose to be able to see the front stage go down and up, but we had run out of time (Bingo was setting up), and had to miss it. We didn’t get anywhere near the sound and light control areas.

For you techies, the stage uses a lot of ‘Intelegent’ lighting. According to the Lighting Guy, this makes setting lights extremely easy. As for sound, the band and singers do sing live. Background singers are usually pre-recorded because noone can sing well and dance hard at the same time. There are backup vocals of the main singers available in case they don’t make it back onstage in time.

The stage crew emphasized how they work as a team (and it shows). They gave examples of how sometimes they need to respond to unplanned events. This may have included removing lighting and/or sound cues if there are problems during a show. From having watched their shows, I have to say I didn’t see anythng obvious when they did have these problems.

We spent part of this day packing. We didn’t finish up until later up that evening. We were running out of space to pack everything (especially the liquor). I was glad I had brought the duct tape and considered taping two of the liquor boxes together into one. We ended up buying a RCCL carry bag and placing the boxes into the bag. It worked out fine.

As for Bingo, no one had yet won the big prize. There were two sessions that day. “babchia” decided to go to the daytime session and try her luck. I wasn’t interested, so I roamed around and got bored. I figured that I would go find “babchia” at the bingo game. I found her there going crazy trying to do all of the cards she had bought. She asked for help. I took one of the 6-bingo card sheets. One of the games on my sheet got down to 4 numbers left. That was when the 51st ball was drawn. If someone had won by this ball, they would win $11,000. We were given some time to check our numbers while door prizes were being given away. I checked and found one number was missed. This meant the one card only needed 3 numbers!

With no winners so far, the game continued for the consolation prize. I quickly was down to two balls. Then one! I traded cards with “babchia” while she stood up to say she only had one number left. After a couple more balls, she yelled, “BINGO!” She won! We missed the big prize by about 5-6 balls, but she won enough to take care of most of our SeaPass charges.

After that win, “babchia” had to play the final game, so she was there that afternoon. Unfortunately, she didn’t win. (But, we were still ahead!)

Also, this was the day the clothing specials were happening on board. I spent another fortune on RCCL clothes and items (including that one final present that was still needed).

OK. This is a good time to explain shopping on the ship. There are 5 stores on the Promenade. A General Store (with mostly liquor and cigarettes), a Jewelry Store, a Perfume Store, a (RCCL) Logo Store, and a clothing store. Some prices in the stores are not bad, some are a little high. All are duty free.

Each day, there is some type of special that is placed on tables in the middle of the Promenade in front of the Jewelry Store. Sometimes these ‘specials’ were not displayed previously, so are new to us shoppers. Other times, they may be items already on display in the stores, but brought out for the ‘sale’. If an item is for sale in a store, then on another day it is brought out onto the tables, it will be the same price. Also, if an item was only brought out for the sale, the remaining stock may be kept available on subsequent days. Confused yet? Then to complicate this further, the stores may have limited store stock, so they could run out of something by the end of the cruise. So what does this all mean?

If you see something for sale on the ship, and you really want it. Consider buying it. It won’t be any cheaper during your cruise. If you think they may run out. Buy it. (We bought some of the fake towel animals early in the week because they were running out.)

For any one-of-a-kind type jewelry, realize it is first come-first served. (We saw this when they had an Amber sale. While there were a number of pieces remaining through the week, many of the better pieces were sold and the stock would not be replaced.)

Certain kinds of items, including jewelry, will be readily available through the cruise. (On our cruise, the first day’s sale was of rings. Most rings were available after the sale at the clothing store. Another day, there was a $10 sale of jewelry sets and watches. These same items had been available in the clothing store all week.)

One other thing they had for specials were gold chains by the inch. The first time, it was a dollar an inch, and was the equivalent of Gold Filled. A few days later, they had other chains. Those were described as 75% 18-carat gold, and 25% a jeweler’s metal. If you do the math, it means these are really about 14-carat gold. These chains are $1 to $5 per inch (depending on which one you buy). Each is custom cut for your order, and each is available for pick-up a day or two later. (I bought one of these.)

As for the logo clothes: This sale is usually on the last full day. (I was told on the Canadian cruise, they do not do this sale due the short length of the cruise.) The sale consists of clothing that was not previously on display in the logo store. For our cruise, we had a selection of t-shirts (some logo, some for the islands), polo shirts, sweat shirts, and jackets. None had been in the Logo Store during the week. The prices appeared to be discounted when compared to similar items. Again, you take your chance. Business is very brisk throughout the day. While there appeared to be plenty of stock of some items, it appeared they almost sold out of the sweatshirts.

Does that help? Confuse? (All I know is I spent a lot of money that last day at sea.)

As for the entertainment, we went to the Farewell Show. The special performer, comedian, T. J. McCormack was OK. (Again, “babchia” liked him better than me). The cruise director did a Top Ten list (which turns out to be the same list recently posted on the boards). Then, the band and singers performed a song. We saw a brief video of highlights from the cruise, then a video of the staff saying goodbye. Nice and simple way to end the cruise.

The towel animal for this last night was a crab.

Day 10 – Departure

Another early day for me. I got up to see if the cell phone worked (it didn’t), and to watch as we approached the city. Visibility was lousy. I went back to bed for a short time.

Got up, went out to see as we approached NYC. Nice views, even on a cloudy morning. Got cell phone service, but it was a little early to make any calls. This time, when we passed under the Verazano Narrows Bridge, I was on Deck 13 above the Sky Bar. I got to see both the front mast and the smoke stacks as they cleared the bridge.

Had breakfast, then went down to declare to U. S. Customs my purchases.

OK, how Customs worked for our cruise: If you are NOT a U.S. Citizen, you MUST meet with U.S. Immigration at Cleopatra’s Needle after we dock.

If you ARE a U.S. Citizen, and you have exceeded your limits ($600 per Caribbean island, $800 total, 1 bottle of liquor per adult, 1 carton of cigarettes per adult, carrying over $10,000 in cash), you had to declare it to Customs. We did this by filling out the form and presenting it to Customs in the Conference Room (Deck 2, forward) after we docked. As long as you don’t exceed the absolute limit of cigarettes and are not bringing in any Cuban cigars, they figure out how much it costs, and make note of it on the form. (We had gone past the limit for liquor, so we ended up having to pay $3 per bottle in duty. This gets paid at the terminal, cash only.)

It appears nobody gets to leave the ship until Customs and Immigration are satisfied.

Next, you wait in public areas until your color is called. (This has been gone over many times, so I won’t elaborate.) Once your color is called, you go to Deck 2-Aft. You walk down the stairs with your carryon, and wait for them to let you exit and go onto a bus. When leaving the ship, you will need to show your photo ID to the Customs agent by the gangplank.

The bus will take you to the terminal. You go to the appropriate color area for your luggage, pick it up, get a porter (another $2 per bag), and go to your car, bus, whatever. On the way out, you need to hand in your customs form. If you owe money, you go to the cashier and pay it. Otherwise, there are agents waiting to grab the form from you as you leave. You don’t leave until this is done, and you can’t go back once you have done it.

Now, where do you wait before being called? I saw a number of people hanging out on Deck 2 waiting for their color. Not comfortable, crowed, and boring. Stay away! The ship was showing TV Shows in the La Scala Theater. I didn’t want to fight that crowd. It didn’t take long to decide on the 19th Hole on Deck 14-Aft. In general, the Crown Victoria area on Deck 14 is very quiet. Seating is comfortable and the space is roomy. We hung around with “cruzeluvr” and DW while waiting our turns.

Now, the best part was when we did get called, we were only a few steps from the elevators, and we were the first ones on. If anyone else wanted to get on, they would have to see if they could fit.

Interestingly, this worked even better. When our color was called, we went straight to the elevator and went down, non-stop, to Deck 2. We could see a number of people heading down the Promenade to get to the elevator. Because we were so quick, we beat the crowd from the theater and the front of the ship.

Once our color was called, it took a little time to work through to the bus, to our luggage, and paying our duty, but it didn’t take as long as it could have. (I am glad I took a bus. The car area was a zoo.) Our color was called at 12:30, and the bus was dropping us off not far from our home by 3:00.

Cell Phone Service Summary:

I know from some of the postings, and from my own curiosity, that some people want to know if their Cell Phones will work. Because of that, here is what I found during our VOS from Cape Liberty cruise. I use Verizon Wireless and have an America’s Choice Digital National Plan, but I did talk to some people who use AT&T.

On the day we left New York Harbor, we had cell phone service for quite awhile into the evening. At one point, the service was dropping in and out, but it would remain up long enough to be able to make a short call. Later in the evening, I found several people still making calls. When I checked my phone, I found it had a more stable signal. I went to bed before I lost my signal. From the next day on, nothing.

At George Town, Grand Cayman, AT&T users reported they did have a signal and were able to make calls. They were unable to tell me if and how much a roaming or long distance charges were going to be. My Verizon phone still had no service.

The next day, when sailing near the Florida Keys, I found my Verizon Cell Phone showed an analog/roaming signal. The signal came and went. It did not seem to be stable enough to make a call.

At Freeport, Bahamas, I stayed near the boat. While there, I found a very stable analog/roaming signal. From an earlier call I had made to Verizon Wireless, I was told if I did get a signal, I could make a call, but I would be charged a Roaming and Long Distance charge. I believe it would have cost me a little under $1 a minute. I did not make any calls. As we left Freeport, so did the signal.

On our last day at sea, I purposely checked my phone throughout the day. Even though we had sailed within a reasonable distance of the Outerbanks, I could not get a solid signal. My phone would get an analog signal that would sometimes switch to digital. It wasn’t stable enough to use. I found I could not dial out.

On the day we came into NYC, I found I did not get any signal early in the morning. An hour later, when we were in sight of the coast, I had a great signal.

I hope this helps.

BTW, don’t forget your charger! I talked to a few people who figured their phones would keep a charge for the week. It didn’t.

Final Summary:

This trip was for us to be a get-away without kids. It was something for us. The trip satisfied that purpose. In addition, it was on a wonderful ship, with good staff.

Was it perfect? No: A couple of times, our room was missing something (once, the large towels, once ice). Service at dinner was sometimes uneven at the beginning of the cruise. We couldn’t always get someone to take our drink order. The teens were a little out of control in the afternoons and evenings. Elevators were sometimes too full. This meant having to consider taking the stairs or taking an elevator the wrong way to go the right way. Taking tenders meant having to wait until they were full. It was warm and a little muggy almost every day. The ship does rock a little when in the Mid-Atlantic.

Having gone through those things, we went with a Good Attitude. All of the things listed above are small things. I didn’t let any of it bother me. Instead, we enjoyed the experience. Then to add taking a cruise on such a magnificent ship! Even though there were about 5000 people on the ship, it did not show any real wear. The public rooms were all really nice (although a couple of bars smelled of cigarette smoke). It was (usually) pretty easy to move about the ship. While most lounge chairs were occupied during the day, you could usually find something if you were patient and took the time to look. (Yes, the Lounge Chair Patrol was at work. I didn’t see them, but you could see the results.) The crew had a really good attitude and appeared to really want you to have a good time. The Cruise Director, James Andrews, could be seen around the ship talking to the passengers, then would do a great job of MC’ing whatever show he was running. (Listen for one of his jokes after the curtain goes down.)

We enjoyed the unexpected. This meant everything from our waiter giving me a soda without charging me on the last night, to our room steward giving us a bottle of champagne because he forgot to leave ice in our room one night. (We didn’t make a stink about the ice. I had just gone down to the Café Promenade and got some, myself. Problem solved!) (We shared the champagne with our dinner table mates.) We had a great time just talking to people. This included everyone from someone we met for 15 seconds on an elevator, to anyone we just happen to be sharing an experience with (such as sitting, watching a sunrise, or whatever). We even enjoyed razzing our waiter after we saw him ‘talking’ to some girls for awhile, and not even seeing us. (He didn’t quite ‘get’ it. We made sure he understood it was in fun, and not a complaint.)

We had a great time! Everyone, and everything contributed to it. Royal Caribbean and VOS provided a great place to do it. The staff provided great service. (Perfect, no. Human, yes.) The people were (mostly) friendly. So, do I recommend Royal Caribbean? Yes. Do I recommend VOS? Highly. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. (Actually, we are celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary next year, and are considering either an Alaska or Hawaii cruise. Maybe we will see you there?)

OK, so what discounts do I get for being a member of the Crown and Anchor Society? :-)

OK. That was the entire review.

There were a couple of replies already posted with the final part. If you wish to read them as they were originaly posted, then go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=62264

Otherwise, here are Copy/Pastes of the messages:

Beti posted the following:

Thanks babchia's dh for a very interesting and thorough review. We'll be going on the VOS Canada cruise in October and you gave us alot of useful information. Glad you had a good time and Happy Anniversary.

__________________

Voyager of the Seas 10/17/04

==========================================================

I (DH of Babchia) then posted the following:

I can't believe it! Babchia did it!

I finished that review last night, and gave it to her today. I had expected her to add some additional comments before posting it. She left it mostly intact (except for some minor corrections). Then, after all of that typing, I found it funny she took (I think) 11 posts to get all of the parts in.

Babchia, I will thank you later for this!

A couple of small additions I want to mention:

We brought a couple of beach towels with us. I was concerned about the $20 per towel charge if we left a ship's towel behind. By taking ours, we didn't care. (They did make it back.) In addition, they made great packing material for anything breakable when we went home (such as liquor).

We, also, brought an umbrella hanger. We used it to hang our wet towels and bathing suits in the bathroom after going to Labadee. It comes in handy wherever we go traveling.

One final thing, I don't drink coffee. (My loss.) Babchia repeatedly told me that the coffee on the ship is REALLY STRONG. (She had to add a lot of sugar and cream to make it drinkable.) Be aware of this possibility if you go on an RCCL cruise.

I really hope all of this information is useful to you. I found so much helpful information before our cruise thanks to the Cruise Critic Boards, and just wanted to return the favor.

DH

__________________

sending chocolate, the universal cure-all, to all!

7/16/2004 Voyager of the Seas, RCCL

10/5/1986 Amerikanis, Chandris line (now Celebrity, and the ship is no more.)

==========================================================

Cruzeluvr then posted this:

Hi Babchia & DH,

Wow, what an incredible review!!!!!!!!!!

I felt as though we were reliving the cruise.

I also have some pictures to send you, as soon as I finish sorting them out. Also have to scan some of the "professional" pictures from the ship's photographer. Will be in touch soon.

__________________

Charlie

Holiday - December 1993

Song of America - August 1996

Song of America - August 1997

Norwegian Crown - August 1998

Grandeur of the Seas - July 1999

Carnival Destiny - July 2000

Oceanic - December 2000

Mercury - July 2001

Sovereign of the Seas - November 2001

Zenith - August 2002

Carnival Legend - August 2003

Voyager of the Seas - July 2004

Staten Island Ferry - many times

Nice review! Thanks for sharing. :)

babchia and Hubby,

Just want to let you know how I appreciate all the work you put in your review!!

I was on Voyager a year ago and reading your review brought back some great memories.

I LOVE those reviews where people mention so many details.

I printed it to read again later.

Thanks so much! I look forward to read your future reviewes! (You did book another cruise already, didn't ya?) LOL

This is Babchia's DH.

I am glad you enjoyed the review. I tried to include a lot because it seemed to answer so many of the questions I had before we left to go.

(Also, I am going to use the original Word document and add pictures so that I have a pretty complete history of our cruise.)

As for our next cruise? Well, we are discussing it. Next year will be our 25th wedding aniversary. The original plan was to go to Hawaii. After our VOS cruise, we are rethinking it.

A cruise around Hawaii would have been nice, but only NCL appears to have something reasonable. And, after reading some of the reviews in those boards, and having talked to some cruisers who took NCL, it sounds like NCL is currently not a good choice.

So, while Hawaii is being considered, we are seriously considering a cruise to Alaska. (If we do that, it would probably be either RCCL or Celebrity.)

It is in discussions, but a lot depends on other things (like a job, etc.).

Here is hoping!!!

DH

Babchia and DH:

Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a detailed report. We just booked the Voyager for next June, so I saved this thread to my "Favorites" so I can refer back to it. I'm glad you both had such a wonderful time!! :)

:confused: Babchia and DH (does this mean "Dear Heart" or "Designated Hubby? -- in either case, it fits!) This info (and I have read every word of it) has been so helpful to me, it's as if you are holding my hand and guiding me along. I would love to print it out or cut-and-paste, but I have had no luck in doing this. I am pretty computer-literate and do know how to do these things, but not this time.

I will be taking the RCCL bus from Hartford on 9/10, and my friend is coming from central NJ, being driven to the terminal by her daughter. We will manage to meet up there somehow, and I'm not worried about that part. However, I am a bit concerned about her dropoff and pickup at the terminal by car and would appreciate any helpful hints that might ease her arrival.

I have booked with Peat Taylor and have sent an e-mail to Nativeways for Grand Cayman. I would like to follow your lead for Freeport.

Your info on the rooms, the cell phone charger (which I would certainly have overlooked) are priceless.

I too have had several years' experience with theater, where my love has been backstage, so I look forward to the techies' tour if they should offer it.

Please let me know about the printing or copying. ML

Marialivia,

Thank you for your response. This is Babchia's DH. (I always understood the 'D' stood for Darling. 'H' would be husband, "W" for wife, "D" for daughter, and "S" for son. So that makes me...ah... confused? (It's a guy thing.)) (Even though I am the Techie, Babchia does more on the Internet than I do, so she would know more about it.)

Anyway, I found I could Copy/Paste the text of your posting into WORDPAD with no problem. You can do the same by just highlighting each section. Because each part is rather long, just take the time and only do what you are comfortable with (a page at a time, or a posting at a time). You will be fine with that.

(You could try (if using Windows) CTRL-A to Select All, then CTRL-C to copy, then go to your word processor and CTRL-V to paste. This should copy everything up to and including this post. But then, the entire posting may be too big. If it does work, you will have to edit out all of the extra stuff. Oh, well.)

:-)

As for your friend driving in, I don't have any good suggestions (I took the bus, remember?). I would say just 'go with the flow' and be patient. They try to keep cars from getting too backed up at the unload areas, so they often stop traffic and only allow a certain number of cars in at a time. There are several other better posts about driving in to Cape Liberty that you should search for. They went through it and can give better advice. (I know from his posts that 'cruzeluvr' had a tough time getting picked up his son, so pickup may be harder than drop-off.)

I don't have any good ideas about how to meet at the Cape Liberty / Bayonne. You could go in, but (assuming) your are sharing a cabin, you will want to check in at the same time. (There is a seating area AFTER you check-in.)

Assuming you both have cell phones, I can only suggest you wait outside before going into the terminal, and comunicate where you are via your phones. (Phones cannot be used in the Terminal Building due to Security Reasons.) There were some smaller tents by the door that you can wait under. It may be a little busy, but you should be able to wait without being in the crowd. To be sure, you can contact RCCL and verify if this is OK.

As for the Backstage Tour of La Scala, I understand it is offered on every 9-night cruise. I was told it used to be offered on the last Saturday at 3PM, but was changed to 9AM (if I remember correctly, it has been a couple of weeks :-) ). (I do not know if it is offered on the 5-night cruise.) Just keep your eyes on your Cruise Compass. (Or, just ask the sound guy. He is very friendly.)

(Actually, IHMO, one of the better seats at La Scala for the VOS shows is in the seats immediately behind the sound board. Great central view and no obstructions (you are higher than the seats in front.)

(...And that cell phone charger idea, I got it from another post on Cruise Critic. Great source of information!)

:-)

Whatever happens, ENJOY!, and have a great time!

;) Well, Babchia's DH, to me you are a "Distinguished Helper! Your posts have been more helpful to me than anything I have come upon before. I discovered through another post that if I go up into "Thread Tools" I can choose "Printable Version," and lo and behold, this did work!! I plan to try the cut-and-paste method too, so your work will be my bible!!

Thanks for the info about using (rather, NOT using) cell phones in the terminal. We will be in constant touch by cell phone, and of course I will be at the mercy of the RCCL bus's dropoff, and I am thankful for this. I plan to keep her apprised of my progress on the way to the port. She is an enthusiastic traveler but hates to be alone in uncertain situations.

I am all set now with Peat Taylor in Jamaica and Nativeways in Grand Cayman. Will think about Freeport and check the boards about it. I also plan to look into the location of Noel Coward's home, "Firefly," in Jamaica, which he loved and where he died. Graham Payn, to whom he left Firefly, deeded it to Jamaica.

Can't thank you enough, DH, but I thank you again anyway!! ML