Cruise Review – Voyager of the Seas – July 23, 2011 – Adriatic Sea Cruise w/pics

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My wife, daughter (age 10) and I sailed aboard Voyager of the Seas on the July 23, 2011 cruise. This was a seven day cruise from Venice on an Adriatic Itinerary. We were in cabin 1256 which is a Grand Suite. This review is long and I will be as detailed as possible. Hopefully it will help you in planning your travel.

I spent months planning this trip and doing lots of research. I can honestly say that based upon some of the reviews and comments on these boards, my expectations for Voyager of the Seas, the service, and the food onboard were concerning. I had read reviews entitled “Voyage from Hell”, “Inconsistent Voyager”, and “Sadly Disappointed”. I’m not sure what all these people expected but I found a ship that was in great shape, a seasoned and experienced crew that gave great service, and a ship that was well cared for.

 

 

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We traveled to Venice on Thursday July, 21, 2011, before the Saturday cruise departure on Continental Airlines from Houston to London, Heathrow. From there we switched to Lufthansa and traveled to Munich and Venice. The flights were good and we arrived on time with all of our luggage. The arrival and luggage collection at Marco Polo airport was organized and uneventful and we prepared to leave for Venice. After we collected our luggage we purchased tickets aboard the Alilaguna (water bus, about 40-45 euros for all three of us) and went out to the dock to wait for the boat. The trip was scenic as it took us around Venice (the long way) but it took about 1 ½ hours. The alternative was a water taxi which would have been about 100 euros, but would have taken about 25 minutes. All in all, we enjoyed the trip and took lots of pictures, but it seemed to take a long while.

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We arrived at St. Mark’s Square and wheeled our luggage to the Hotel Concordia where we were staying. This hotel is directly beside St. Mark’s Cathedral and had great views of St. Mark’s square. We were in a junior suite with a room for my wife and I, and a small room for our daughter. The spaces were very small, but the rooms were spotless, very nicely decorated, and had great amenities. I had been warned to expect a hard sell from the hotel for things like gondola rides and dinner in the hotel restaurant but did not find that to be the case. The hotel staff was very helpful and gave really good service. We had a great evening in Venice walking around and exploring and eventually had dinner at the Hotel Monaco on the Terrace with views of the Grand Canal. It was a great place for an evening dinner.

Hotel Concordia directly across from St. Marks Catherdral

Lobby Area

Our room, a junior suite.

The view of St. Marks from our hotel room.

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The next morning we had the complementary breakfast at the hotel and then we spent time exploring St. Marks. We ended the morning by doing a gondola ride. I realize this is a touristy thing to do but it was fun, and we got to see places you would only be able to see in a gondola as the larger boats could not go in some of the canals. It costs $100 euros for an hour and in my opinion was well worth it. After our gondola ride we made our way back to the hotel and arranged for a water taxi to take us to the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have to admit, the water taxi was expensive ($95 euros) but it was a great way to arrive in style. We were picked up very close to our hotel, went through some canals, and emerged at the entrance to the Grand Canal. The taxi took us through the grand canal and to the port. There were several ships in port and it was fun arriving by boat between the huge ships.

A Water Taxi

 

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There were several ships in port and it was fun arriving by boat between the huge ships.

Costa Victoria

MSC Magnifica

NCL Jade

Greek Ferry

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Check In: The luggage drop off went smoothly and we proceeded to the Priority Embarkation Area to check in. We had an issue with our reservation because their computers showed our stateroom booked by two families. After a lengthy wait (20+ minutes), we were asked to step aside and go to a seating area and were told a supervisor would be coming to see us. We waited another 20 minutes and the supervisor did indeed come to see us. She apologized for the problem and said they had cleared it up and that everything was fine. She then guided us to a different check in area away from the lines and we were checked in. They had to reprint our Sea Pass cards and some paperwork had to be redone. Thank goodness I made several copies of our Set Sail pass as it turned out I needed them. The RCCL people were very nice but we did not receive what I would call priority embarkation as it took more than an hour overall. However, it was a minor inconvenience and not something that I was going to let spoil my trip. I will admit to being anxious when they asked us to step aside. I did not know if we would end up in our Grand Suite or somewhere down in the engine room (lol). However, it all worked out well.

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The Suite: We were in Grand Suite 1256 on the starboard side of the ship. What can I say, we loved the suite. The furniture and fixtures were in great shape, there were multiple electrical outlets, tons of storage, and the location was great. Believe it or not, the suite was larger than the hotels rooms we stayed in on this trip. Our suite was located directly under the Solarium and so it was quite most of the time. We did hear a chair being moved occasionally and there was a seriously loud party above us one night, but on balance, the location was great and the room was quiet and private.

 

The suite was equipped with a Samsung flat screen TV, Sony audio components, and Bose speakers. We had 3 large closets, tons of drawer and storage space, a queen size bed, and a fold out couch for our daughter. There was a curtain that separate the living area from the sleeping area. The bathroom was large with 2 sinks, a tub with a sitting area, and additional storage space in the cabinets and behind the mirrors. The only outlet in this space was placed high up and only worked when the bathroom lights were on. The bathroom was stocked with premium soaps and shampoo. We initially did not have robes in the suite but we asked and they were quickly brought in. This is probably the nicest ship bathroom I have ever had.

 

I have read many reviews asking if the ship had flat screen TV’s. Our suite was equipped with a nice large flat screen, as were all the suites. As we walked the halls and could see into open rooms, it seemed almost random as to the ones who had flat screens and the ones who still had the old style TV’s.

 

Our suite attendant was Xavier who did a great job keeping everything clean and neat. He was great about checking in on us and making sure we had everything we needed. He seemed to remember our names from the moment we met. I asked him to keep our room stocked with ice and I never went without it. I appreciate his great personality and his hard work.

 

We did not receive towel animal every night and we did miss that, however we did receive them three of the nights and my daughter really liked them. Xavier was great about this and even showed her how to make a towel elephant.

 

Upon arrival in the suite we were greeted with a really nice fruit tray, and during the week we received a cheese tray and a desert tray on the formal nights. Those were all very nice touches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[wantocruisemore]

REALLY enjoying your review! Can't wait for more!

[rickdent]

REALLY enjoying your review! Can't wait for more!

This is a great! review. We are booked on Voyager for Sept. 3, same itinerary.

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The Ship: Voyager was in great shape, very clean, and well cared for. I have read the reviews about her showing her age, and yes there are a few areas where you can figure out she is not brand new, but I felt the ship had been extremely well maintained and cared for.

 

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[suzyluvs2cruise]

Great review! It makes me want to go now!!!!

 

We're doing the same itinerary Oct 15 and I've been following many of your helpful hints/suggestions on other threads.

 

Thanks............:)

[bbbearden]

Dining: We selected “My Time Dining” in the main dining room. As it turned out, this worked very well for us. We found that our service was excellent and the food was always fresh and hot. As a side note, we were invited on a tour of the galley that was set up for suite guests, while visiting with the chef who conducted the tour, I told him I had read on these boards that guests in MTD got fresher hotter food because it was made more “to order” in smaller batches, was this true? He said that in fact it was true. Guests in MTD really did get fresher hotter food because the orders came back on more of a random basis versus the massive serving lines of the set time dining. Our head waiter also said that the MTD areas had the better more experienced waiters working those areas because they had to be more versatile. It was the general consensus of the crew I spoke with that MTD had better food and service. I believe this to be true as we had great food and great service all week long.

We had breakfast every morning in the Windjammer. I have read complaints that the food was the same every morning, and found that basically to be true. There were some variations but a lot of the same type of food. What these people did not say was that there was everything imaginable for breakfast. The menu ranged from the traditional to smoked salmon and capers. I honestly do not know what else they could have added. As suite guests, we were able to enjoy breakfast and lunch in Portofino which was really great. The table in the Windjammer seemed to be packed and hard to get. In Portofino, we always had a window table, personal service, and a great quite atmosphere. Interestingly enough, the captain seem to be having breakfast most mornings in Portofino at the same time we were. He seemed personable and we enjoyed his daily announcements and updates.

 

 

 

 

 

[NY212]

I'm hoping to take this cruise soon and your info on Venice is so useful! I'm eager to hear your description of the other ports.

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SHORTS IN THE DINING ROOM :rolleyes:

 

Below is a picture of a sign leading into the dining room. Prior to my departure there were a number of discussions about this sign and shorts being allowed in the main dining room. As you can see, they do not appear to be prohibited. However, I do not recall seeing anyone actually wearing shorts while I was in the MDR. The people around us were well dressed ranging from casual to formal depending upon the night. While I am not offended by shorts, they do not seem appropriate in the MDR. An exception may be for children, but my daughter was always well dressed for the MDR. Either way, I have kept my promise and reported on the signage leading into the MDR.

 

 

 

 

[wales4ever]

Fantastic photos :) We are sailing on this ship from Dubai to Singapore next may and are even more looking forward to it now.

 

From what I can find I think I'm the only one on this cruise at the moment....

[thdreamer]

Great Review :)

[gkm]

We will be taking this cruise Oct. 15 so am really enjoying your experience. I can't wait for more.

 

Garry

[mcca2]

Great review. I am on the Voyager August 27th and looking forward to the rest of your review on the ports of call.

 

Thanks also for the great pictures. Voyager is one of my favourite ships.:)

[airlink diva]

enjoying the review! Keep it coming!

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Thank you for all the nice comments. It was a really treat trip for us. I will continue to post pics and my review. If you have questions please let me know and I will try to answer them.

 

I really found the staff on Voyager to be excellent. Everyone was very nice and helpful and took great care of us. Many had been with RCCL for years, and several we talked with had been on Voyager for a long time. There seemed to be a sense of teamwork and from the outside looking in, the staff seemed to get along and work well together.

[aggie1]

Loving your review. We were on the Voyager TA first time she came to Galveston. Love that ship. We also live down the road from you in Richmond/Rosenberg. We were up your way last week as we took oldest grnddghters to the Blue Bell Creamery. Really enjoyed our visit, but wish they would finish 290 real soon. Can't wait to read more of your review.