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

[lilant]

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....

 

 

though i'm not one of them, there are many people taking the cruise. it seems there a lots of people going 45 days, starting in new orleans to signapore. here is the transatlantic cruise thread were many people will be on your D to S cruise:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1387068

 

anthony

[Jules12Wed]

Loving your review. We will be on VOS on 27 August staying just four rooms along from where you stayed going towards the aft. Can you tell me from ics i've seem it appears that there is a large overhang above these balconies is that correct. Also just wondered if most of the ports this side of the boat is it facing the dock or sea? Any pics coming of concierge lounge? Can't wait to read more.

[mcca2]

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....

 

 

I am also going to give it serious consideration and will book three Next Cruises when I am onboard next week so if I decide it will only cost $100 for the deposits. ;):D:D

[MAZANDSTEVE]

Great review. :)

[wales4ever]

Has anybody got any pics of a promenade cabin, especially the window, as we have been given one on deck 8

 

Thank you :)

[barbyj]

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....

 

Go to the Roll Call for this cruise. You will find lots of people going on this.

[snowman]

Quick question, as suite guests can you order off a menu for lunch and breaslfast in the Portofino or do you get your own food from Windjamer and bring it to Portofino.

[bbbearden]

Quick question, as suite guests can you order off a menu for lunch and breaslfast in the Portofino or do you get your own food from Windjamer and bring it to Portofino.

 

 

You get your own food and bring it to Portofino. They supply the silverware, drinks, napkins etc. so you do not need to bring those in with you. This was a great perk and on we apprecaited alot is it avoided the crowds completely.

[Jimnbigd]

I've been on the Voyager of the Seas 5 times, all from Galveston. Great ship. I love live music, and there was always a good variety of live music at night. How was your entertainment and music? And was Captain Bang your captain?

[loman]

Very nice review, you got some great pics , thank you for posting.

Our first cruise was on the Voyager , thats what got us hooked on cruising. Havent been to Europe yet , but planning on doing it in the near future. Both of us speak Italian so i really do need to get working on it.

cheers

[bbbearden]

Koper Slovenia: Koper was really a nice little port. We arrived on Sunday and the day was chilly and rainy. The port is in an industrial area, but very close to the old town (within walking distance). The weather was in the mid 60’s with a breeze blowing. The old town was spotlessly clean, however as it was Sunday most places were closed. We walked into town and toured the Cathedral and saw the Pratorian Palace. The town square was nice and we enjoyed walking through some of the shops that were open.

On the pier right outside the secure area where you exit there was a booth selling shore excursions. The excursions were almost exactly the same ones being offered on the ship for about half the price. We decided to take the tour of the Postojna Jama case. The cave was about 45 minutes from the pier and we rook a shuttle bus to get there. The bus ride was nice and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful country. I am not sure what I expected from Slovenia, but it really was a stunning country. Our guide on the bus was a nice lady named Barbara who spent most of the ride telling us about life in Slovenia and about the things we were passing on the road. Sometimes her English was off and so there was some humor in how she said things, but we enjoyed her and she was very nice.

The Postojna Jama Cave was awesome. The caves were first opened to the public in 1819. They have added electric lighting and trains to take you deep into the cave. I will warn you that the cave tour is long and is roughly about 2 kilometers of walking over uneven terrain. There is plenty of lighting and hand rails, but it is a long walk. We are told these caves are the longest accessible caves to the public in the world. The grounds around the caves are really pretty and there are nice places to eat and hang out. It takes about 2 hours to tour the cave. I will warn you that the caves can be in the 50’s and so be prepared to be cool to cold. They will rent some warner clothes to you (coverups) but we did fine without them.

While there were limited things to do in Slovenia, it was really nice country and we enjoyed our time in port.

 

 

 

Voyager of the Seas in Koper, Slovenia. It was a rainy, somewhat cold day. But we still had fun in port

 

 

 

 

[bbbearden]

The caves were awesome. Please note that they do not like you to use a flash in the caves and so while you may take pictures, it must be without a flash as the added light can damage the cave system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bbbearden]

I've been on the Voyager of the Seas 5 times, all from Galveston. Great ship. I love live music, and there was always a good variety of live music at night. How was your entertainment and music? And was Captain Bang your captain?

 

 

Captain Martinson was our captain and he seemed like a nice guy. His daily announcements were very informative without being intrusive. The crew seemed to indicate he does not like to shake hands, but he was very polite and talked to people often. He was very visible around the ship.

[bbbearden]

Loving your review. We will be on VOS on 27 August staying just four rooms along from where you stayed going towards the aft. Can you tell me from ics i've seem it appears that there is a large overhang above these balconies is that correct. Also just wondered if most of the ports this side of the boat is it facing the dock or sea? Any pics coming of concierge lounge? Can't wait to read more.

 

There is an overhang, however it did not appear to be to intrusive. The balconies still had lots of natural light and the views were great.

[bbbearden]

Formal Night: The first formal night was really nice. Most people appeared to dress up and respect the tradition. While I did not see many tux’es, lots of men (myself included) were in suits and ties. Ladies wore everything from evening gowns to pant suits. I was impressed with how many people actually did dress up.

The production show that night was “Broadway Rhythms and Rhymes”. Mercedes was our cruise director and she was a great MC. The show was top notch and the orchestra was unbelievable. I was impressed with the quality of the show, the customers, the singers and dancers, and the technical aspects of the theater. The sound system was great, and balanced to fill the room without excessive dead spots or hot spots.

We sat in the area reserved for Suite Guests every night and really enjoyed this perk also. These seats were in the balcony area at the center. What surprised me was that the theater never really appeared to be full at night. There was always a crowd, but there was never a problem for anyone finding an empty seat. I was also surprised that not many people utilized the seats for the suite guests. We never had a problem getting what I thought were the best seats in the house.

Formal Night Meal, and it was good!

We only had towel animals three nights, but my daughter loved them so much. I really wished they would have done these each night as they meant alot to my daughter, however the ones we received were apprecaited and enjoyed.

[PCWalton1]

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.

 

 

Hi, great review, we were on Voyager for the Western Med last year and loved the ship. Hopefully I didn't missed this but for MTD did you set up reservation times or did you just walk up?

thanks

Bill

[bbbearden]

Hi, great review, we were on Voyager for the Western Med last year and loved the ship. Hopefully I didn't missed this but for MTD did you set up reservation times or did you just walk up?

thanks

Bill

 

 

We set up reservations on the Internet before we left, but then modified them a couple of times on the ship. Lots of people just walked up but we only saw a line on the first formal night. MTD neve seemed crowded and they easily handled the crowd.

[Rancher Dave]

Great reveiw and pictures...glad you had a blast!

 

Only question, why give up the land of Blue Bell for Europe? :eek: Ok it is super hot and no rain...I get it....oh well speaking of blue bell it's time for some Buttered Pecan.

[aggie1]

Rancher Dave - Had some last week at the creamery. Some of us even got seconds!!!

[bbbearden]

Rancher Dave - Had some last week at the creamery. Some of us even got seconds!!!

 

What can I say, love the Blue Bell (worlds best ice cream for those who have never tried it) but the gelatto was pretty good to.

 

Love the Aggie screen name, maroon is a popular color here.

[Jules12Wed]

Koper Slovenia: Koper was really a nice little port. We arrived on Sunday and the day was chilly and rainy. The port is in an industrial area, but very close to the old town (within walking distance). The weather was in the mid 60’s with a breeze blowing. The old town was spotlessly clean, however as it was Sunday most places were closed. We walked into town and toured the Cathedral and saw the Pratorian Palace. The town square was nice and we enjoyed walking through some of the shops that were open.

On the pier right outside the secure area where you exit there was a booth selling shore excursions. The excursions were almost exactly the same ones being offered on the ship for about half the price. We decided to take the tour of the Postojna Jama case. The cave was about 45 minutes from the pier and we rook a shuttle bus to get there. The bus ride was nice and we enjoyed seeing the beautiful country. I am not sure what I expected from Slovenia, but it really was a stunning country. Our guide on the bus was a nice lady named Barbara who spent most of the ride telling us about life in Slovenia and about the things we were passing on the road. Sometimes her English was off and so there was some humor in how she said things, but we enjoyed her and she was very nice.

The Postojna Jama Cave was awesome. The caves were first opened to the public in 1819. They have added electric lighting and trains to take you deep into the cave. I will warn you that the cave tour is long and is roughly about 2 kilometers of walking over uneven terrain. There is plenty of lighting and hand rails, but it is a long walk. We are told these caves are the longest accessible caves to the public in the world. The grounds around the caves are really pretty and there are nice places to eat and hang out. It takes about 2 hours to tour the cave. I will warn you that the caves can be in the 50’s and so be prepared to be cool to cold. They will rent some warner clothes to you (coverups) but we did fine without them.

While there were limited things to do in Slovenia, it was really nice country and we enjoyed our time in port.

 

 

 

Voyager of the Seas in Koper, Slovenia. It was a rainy, somewhat cold day. But we still had fun in port

 

 

 

 

 

Always a bit nervous about booking a cruise not through RCL in case we miss the boat. What time did you arrive back to port. Also can you let me know how much they charged for the trip and did it include the entrance fee into the caves? Thank you.

[Macker91]

I am going on this cruise in two weeks time and really looking forward to it. Just a quick question I am in a Junior Suite - can I use the Portofino and Suite seats in Theatre or is it only for GS/OS ?

 

Thanks

[bbbearden]

I am going on this cruise in two weeks time and really looking forward to it. Just a quick question I am in a Junior Suite - can I use the Portofino and Suite seats in Theatre or is it only for GS/OS ?

 

Thanks

 

 

You will have a great time on your cruise. We had originally booked a JS and had the chance to check one out while we were going down the hall. Our room steward showed it to us, it was a nice room and had the upgraded flat screen tv.

 

You have to have a Gold Sea Pass card in order to use Portofino and Suite seats inthe theatre. It is my understanding that the JS gets a silver sea pass which means you will not be able to use these areas. Watch for price drops, you may be able to upgrade if you watch carefully. We ended up doing a very cheap upgrade from JS to Grand Suite a week or so before the cruise sailed. Good luck and I hope you have a great cruise.

[bbbearden]

Always a bit nervous about booking a cruise not through RCL in case we miss the boat. What time did you arrive back to port. Also can you let me know how much they charged for the trip and did it include the entrance fee into the caves? Thank you.

 

The fee did include the entrance to the caves. Our guide went straight to a special group window and got the tickets, allowing us to bypass a really long line waiting for tickets. We did have to stand in a long line for a few minutes to enter the cave. Turns our we were waiting on the trains. When they arrived, they picked up several hundred people at once and so the line ended up not being a problem.

 

If my memory is correct, the cruise line was charging over 90 dollars per person for this excusion. We paid 40 euros for adults and 30 for our daughter. Note the euro to dollar difference when looking at prices.

 

The tour company gave us exact times for the bus rides, touring the caves, and a time to return to the bus. We were exactly on time for everything and returned to the ship in plenty of time.

 

I got the impression that this port is still new for most cruise companies and they are really trying hard to make a good impression and so they are being very careful to do everything right. I was impressed with thier friendly service, the clean bus, and the promptness of everything.

[Jules12Wed]

The fee did include the entrance to the caves. Our guide went straight to a special group window and got the tickets, allowing us to bypass a really long line waiting for tickets. We did have to stand in a long line for a few minutes to enter the cave. Turns our we were waiting on the trains. When they arrived, they picked up several hundred people at once and so the line ended up not being a problem.

 

If my memory is correct, the cruise line was charging over 90 dollars per person for this excusion. We paid 40 euros for adults and 30 for our daughter. Note the euro to dollar difference when looking at prices.

 

The tour company gave us exact times for the bus rides, touring the caves, and a time to return to the bus. We were exactly on time for everything and returned to the ship in plenty of time.

 

I got the impression that this port is still new for most cruise companies and they are really trying hard to make a good impression and so they are being very careful to do everything right. I was impressed with thier friendly service, the clean bus, and the promptness of everything.

 

Hi - sorry another question - I've worked out we'd be saving almost £100 by booking this trip. Can you please tell me how you paid for this. Did you pay in cash by Euros or can you pay by card?