"LIVE" from the Voyager 10-02-05 to Bermuda from Cape Liberty

Hello everyone.....I arrived today (a day early) to Cape Liberty Cruise Port. I am staying at the Marriott (Newark International Airport), for a meeting.

Tomorrow I will be boarding the beautiful Voyager of the Seas......at the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in nearby Bayonne, NJ.

It's a short ride from this hotel to the pier.(15 min) We are at exit 13A and the Cruise Port is at 14A. I drove over to the port today to look around and get a feel for the directions...I have never cruised from this port before !

For those arriving...the signs are very accurate. There are many turns from the turnpike to the port , but it wont be a problem...getting there. It was pretty smooth.

The Zenith was boarding passengers for her voyage today to Bermuda.

Here's a couple of pics from my early trip to the port....

Radio

;)

New York City from the Bridge to Bayonne

Welcome to Bayonne

Passengers entering the Terminal

The ship is very close to the Passenger Terminal

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Great pics Radio. Enjoy your cruise.

Radio,

I always love your reports! We're on the Grandeur to Bermuda in a little over a month so I'm really looking forward to your trip report.

Have a great time and great weather!

Kim

Radio - We'll see you on board - our flight leaves at 8:30 tomorrow morning - can't wait!!!!!!

Hello everyone....

The hotel here is very nice...Clean and quiet rooms...even though we're so close to the Airport...However, I cant get a cup of good coffee here ;)

I will be boarding Voyager of the Seas tomorrow.....I plan on getting to the port by 11:00AM.

I will also be posting lots of pics of the embarkation process tomorrow.

Stay Tuned....

Radio

;) ;)

Radio, I'm so glad to see you doing a "live" report. I love following along with you. It helps to carry me along until my next cruise. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

Lisa

Radio:

You are the best. We love following your posts. We leave on the Voyager to Bermuda November 13th. This is great that we will be able to follow your posts on your cruise. Your pics are the best. We appreciate you taking the time out of your vacation to keep everyone informed of how it is going.

We booked this cruise for my sister and her hubby for a Christmas present last year. This will be their first cruise. She is on oxygen 24-7. But we will just take it slow. This is just to get her feet wet, so to speak. I know, once they cruise, they will love it as much as we do.

You have already put my mind to rest on one issue. You mention in your post that the terminal is very close to the ship. I have been concerned that it might be too much for her to walk, as some of the ports we have cruised out of, there was alot of walking involved before we even were on the ship. We have never cruised out of Bayonne before, but find it a great departure port since we live here in New Jersey. It is only a half hour ride for us.

RC has said that they have on board assistance with a wheelchair, but she is too proud for that. So thanks for the information so far, and we are looking forward to your cruise as much as your are. :) Wishing you smooth seas and beautiful weather.

Optifire...

There is a shuttle bus that takes you from the terminal to the ship.

I would recommend the wheel char (Mom has a power cart and it fit rite on the bus that had a lift) If not the wheel chair make sure you tell somone at the ship you need to board at the deck 2 level (these is a ramp) else you will be climbin about 5 flights of stairs....I grew up in Bayonne and Mom is still there....we loved the ship to western carribean in June. All ares onboard except the bow/heliport are wheelchair accessible and they do a good job accomidating special needs folks.

Check before returning to Bayonne with the purser to get info on where to meet for special needs disembarkation. You still need to wait for your color but they reserve and assist you with an elevator (express) that they load from the Aquarium bar area....

Have fun !!!!!!

RC has said that they have on board assistance with a wheelchair, but she is too proud for that. QUOTE]

 

 

From what I have seen and experienced, RCCL will go out of their way to help people who need it. We have seen it happen many times. They have a lot of experience with people who need extra help. They are professional and will be sure to make her feel comfortable accepting help when needed :) So, if she does find herself needing a wheelchair for any reason, reassure her that they won't draw attention to her. They just go about their duties.

 

We have traveled with someone on oxygen. For us the main thing was not not make a big deal about it. He hated holding us up. Truth is we really didn't mind at all. We liked the slower pace and enjoyed the time spent with him.

 

 

 

 

Radio: have a great cruise! We sail on October 30. If you can, try to find out from the CD if there is anything special planned yet for Halloween.

I look forward to your updates.

 

Bobbie

Radio,

You may want to check to see if we're in port @ 7am or not. We left freeport a little later than expected and have been up against a 25 knot wind heading north so the capatain is anticipating a 1 to 2 hour delay arriving.

By the way...the Voyager is a beautiful ship and we had a GREAT 9 night cruise!!

I'm sure I'll pass you on the way off tomorrow. Have a great cruise.

RADIO!!!!!!

We are on the November 13th sailing as well. Driving in from Ohio--thinking of staying about 30 miles away-either Morristown or Parsippany-as they have Wyndham Summerfield Suites at a good cost. A little further out than Newark-but the cost is under $100. I checked Jersey City and most rooms are $200-329 per night standard. I thought after a long drive I would like to stretch my legs in the Summerfield Suites.

We are on the November 13th sailing as well. Driving in from Ohio--thinking of staying about 30 miles away-either Morristown or Parsippany-as they have Wyndham Summerfield Suites at a good cost. A little further out than Newark-but the cost is under $100. I checked Jersey City and most rooms are $200-329 per night standard. I thought after a long drive I would like to stretch my legs in the Summerfield Suites.

Check out Newark/Elizabeth for a nice clean hotel. I am at the Marriott Courtyard / Elizabeth which is in the same court as the Marriott Residence Inn, and Country Inn and Suites. All are between 89-120 per night....

Enjoy your cruise !

Radio

;) ;)

RADIO!!!!!!

WOW ! You said that with authority.....:) :)

Radio

;) ;)

Well I am so happy to see a popular reporter will be aboard this week along with our roll call guest ssoceo. We have a large roll call boarding on Friday so we are happy to have a connection for a few days!

The ship must have made up the lost time, we watched it back into the dock from 8:00 to 8:20 this morning!

Radio,

I'm looking forward to reading all your updates from the Voyager to Bermuda....DH and I are taking our first cruise on the Oct. 30th sailing....it'll be great to hear all about your experiences in anticipation of our trip! Thank you very much for spending the time to do this! Have a wonderful time!!

:)

Radio - Thanks for the great info and pics - it really helps us knowing about what we should expect - we have never left from this pier -- We are sailing on the Voyager on Oct 21st to the western carribean.

Did you leave your car at your hotel parking lot -- or are you parking at the pier? thanks for all your helpful info- yukongrl

Jazz:

Thank you for the information on Boardiing on the Deck 2 Level. That information is great to have. I have made a note of that on the front of my folder as well as the disembarking information too.

We will be bringing her oxygen cylinders and portable concentrator on board as it was just too expensive to have it delivered to the ship by a private company. Special needs said not to give that to the luggage personnel, but instead, at the pier they will have someone take it. I am wondering if we will have to take that on the shuttle bus to the ship with us, or if they will take it at the terminal?

Bobbie:

That is what I have told her already. We plan to take it real slow, and like you said, it will nice to go at a slower pace for us also. I checked out your album on the Voyager. They were GREAT pictures. Thank you for sharing them with us. We took a Halloween cruise on Carnival Glory. It was alot of fun. Alot of people brought costumes that were quite original and had alot of heart into them and Carnival decorated the Promenade deck for that night. Hope you have a great time. Are you going to take costumes?

RADIO: Hoping your first day is going great and all is running smooth for you. The weather here looks beautfiul for your first day. Hoping it stays that way for you and follows along with you.

Hi Radio,

Looking forward to another of your reviews. I am not interested in the Voyager, but am very excited about seeing what Bermuda has to offer. I know you will take great pics! ;)

WOW ! You said that with authority.....:) :)

 

Radio

Carol

Hello everyone...I got to the Pier at 11AM and the shuttles left for the pier at 12:15PM......at 12:17 I was on the ship !

My Cybercabin is not running yet....I picked it up at 1PM and have been working on it for over 2hrs......I think internet is down on the ship, but no one can tell me if it is running, and they wont send up support.... Royal Caribbean On Line is definitely down for now.....but we'll see...If I cant get it running I will take it back and use Wi Fi.....@ .33/min. BTW...Cybercabin for 5 night Bermuda is $70./ Unlimited. For the 9night Caribbean...it is $120./ Unlimited.

The ship is beautiful as expected...It is Nice weather .....sunny and pleasant , a perfect day for the beginning of a great cruise. I have many pics to post...but I'll see how it goes for now.....(I am Posting now with my Mobile Office Kit from Verizon Wireless(only 104 kbps))

The Muster drill is 5:30 PM and Sailaway is at 6PM.....

The Welcome aboard show is tonight at 7:45 , featuring Comedian Derrick Cameron. The CD is Allan Brooks.

The Bon Voyage parade is tonight at 11:15 in the Royale Promenade...

I will report back soon....

Thanks for tuning in !

Radio

I made it to the Beautiful Voyager of the Seas

Welcome Aboard !

My Cabin....D2 (Deck 8)

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That's an E1, Radio? Which one? Inquiring (ok, NOSY) minds want to know!

I'm booked on the Voyager 10-18-2005 and I am loving all of these pictures, I'm getting so excited!

What a great service you are providing!!

Kathy

That's an E1, Radio? Which one? Inquiring (ok, NOSY) minds want to know!

This is a D2 Cabin....Deck 8....Cabin 8548...(Port side)

Current Temp 64F ( It feels warmer that that !) Pool Temp 82F (iwill have to check to see if the Fresh Water Pool Enhancements are in place.....

Ships Position...for those who want to know.....706 nm from the Naval Dockyard, Bermuda.

Stay tuned...

Radio

The Statue of Liberty (Viewed from the ship)

Norwegian Dawn

sailing from New York....

The Voyager of the Seas as viewed from the Passenger Terminal

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Radio...we are sailing on the VOS on 10/30.

A few questions....I know you boarded quickly, but was there a separate check-in for those with the Setsail pass? Was there an appreciable difference in check-in lines that you could discern?

Also, did you notice a lot of parking traffic at 11 am when you arrived? I plan on arriving around that time also.

Also, if you wouldn't mind checking your Cruisecompass, what time did the Spa open for appointments on sail day?

I am also curious to find out if kids were permitted in the solarium at all during your cruise....

Thanks! I look forward to more pics and info....