Interested in Voyager class but reviews turning me off..

[Desert Cruizers]

Thank you Bob, we had the older style on a one of our Princess cruises, and didn't care for them. Especially on Princess our balcony cabins were really small.

 

Gay

[hazeleyez3]

Hi all!

 

I have posted before about what ship to choose for a south pacific cruise in Feb but I cannot settle on which ship to choose!

 

I was tossing up between Legend/Radiance, but now Radiance is off the cards due to date/itinerary so now its between Legend/Voyager, roughly same price for a suite give or take a couple of hundred dollars with legend being cheaper.

We have only sailed RCCL once on Rhapsody to the south pacific before its refit and we loved it, even as experienced cruises we just found it pleasent and enjoyable despite its age and size.

 

Wondering if we should try Voyager instead of Legend because we are yet to experience that class of ship? but note I have us booked on a very cheap sampler 4 night explorer cruise in march which I would cancel if we were to pick voyager for Feb.

 

Legend I feel would be just like Rhapsody but its been refitted which we haven't experienced but voyager is a whole different class and has way more to do but from the recent reviews I've read, both Voyager/Explorer seem to be disappointing more people than not which is a let down. are they really as bad as many reviews suggest or are people just being picky?

I note the following points made that ring alarm bells for me..

 

*Ship VERY crowded, people everywhere, can't get deck chairs by the pools or seats in the promenade.

 

* VERY under staffed or staff can't handle the amount of guests there for service is extremely lacking.

 

* Drinks extremely expensive once converted to AUD

 

Is it really as crowded as what they say? I have been on big ships before EG: Diamond Princess, QM2 & Golden Princess and I would say I've never had issues with the amount of people onboard?

Legend is obviously a more intimate and relaxed size but do we really make our second RCCL trip just like the our first (stick to what we know) or do we try something new? also is Legend perhaps just too old with little offerings now?

 

About us, both under 30, just love a relaxing trip, enjoy the pools, whirlpools, Spa's, and of coarse cocktails etc. Shows don't interest us. We expect good and FRIENDLY service.

 

any advice would be great thank you :)

 

Forget about the reviews, each ship has good and bad ones. Go on the cruise that most appeals to you.

[printingchick]

I am among those who prefer the smaller ships, with the Radiance Class being my favorite. That said, I've been on two Voyager Class ships, Adventure and Voyager, and the ships do have their advantages.

 

The Royal Promenade is a unique experience. While some describe it as being like a mall, I find it more like those experiences in Disney or Vegas, where you feel as though you're outside, when you're really inside.

 

When I cruised on this class previously, they did parades on the promenade a couple of evenings. At least at that time, the ships were not updated to mirror the Freedom Class, so the parades didn't feature any Shrek characters or such. I found them entertaining - even for adults. It's one thing I do miss on the Radiance Class ships.

 

The ice shows are fantastic. And the ability to go ice skating at sea is pretty incredible.

 

So...why do I prefer the smaller ships??

 

As someone mentioned, while it seems somewhat counter-intuitive, the larger ships tend to feel more crowded. Not all the time, but when there is a major event that draws most of the passengers, it can be packed. One of my favorite events is the 70s party. I didn't stay to the end of it on my Freedom Class cruise because it was too crowded to enjoy. (I wouldn't consider a Freedom or larger class again...so clearly I'm in a different camp than those RCL cruisers who prefer the big ships.)

 

You also get to know your fellow cruisers better on the small ships. As someone mentioned, you run into the same people over and over again.

 

The smaller ships are more OUTWARD focused - toward the SEA - rather than inward focused - toward the SHIP. I like being constantly reminded that I'm out at sea, not in a land-based resort.

 

The games/events feel (ARE) more personal. Quest in the large lounge/theatre is so much more fun than on the ice rink. It's more participatory, rather than being primarily a spectator event. The 70s party in the Atrium allows passengers to mingle/dance with the crew, including those dressed as the Village People. Again, it's very participatory, rather than being a show that the majority of passengers simply watch.

 

In my experience, smaller ships offer superior service.

 

You can't go wrong with either ship. It really depends on YOUR personal preferences and what is most important for YOUR enjoyment.

[Desert Cruizers]

Printingchick, although, like you we prefer the Radiance Class because of the views and smaller numbers, if our daughter and I can make the family cruise work, I feel we will be better off with the Voyager or Freedom Class as it will have more to offer our daughters two adult children, grandson and one boyfriend. We have been on the Liberty of the Seas so possibly considering a Voyager Class.

[melb1988]

For me the question would come down to the itineraries. Do they have identical posts of call?

 

Legend is Noumea, Vila & mystery island

Explorer is Noumea, Lifou, Mystery island and isle of pines

[printingchick]

Printingchick, although, like you we prefer the Radiance Class because of the views and smaller numbers, if our daughter and I can make the family cruise work, I feel we will be better off with the Voyager or Freedom Class as it will have more to offer our daughters two adult children, grandson and one boyfriend. We have been on the Liberty of the Seas so possibly considering a Voyager Class.

 

My children have each been on a few cruises - different lines and different ship sizes. Both prefer smaller ships. I think they feel a little overwhelmed by the larger ones. That obviously may NOT be the case with your family and I certainly don't mean to assume. The last cruise I went on with my son, who was 17 at the time (high school graduation celebration), I purposely chose Voyager thinking exactly as you are. Turns out, he'd have preferred smaller. And he really likes being able to eat outside, as he can on the smaller Royal and Carnival ships. The fact that he said he'd prefer a smaller ship with less stuff to do really surprised me.

 

We're on Jewel in a couple of months, celebrating his COLLEGE graduation.

[Desert Cruizers]

I learned something during our recent cruise with the daughter, from Quebec to FLL, her Grandson doesn't like the Characters after I told her the larger ships have them. Since they live in COL, we aren't really sure what his likes are.:) I am sure if we can get the cruise worked out regardless of the ship class, he will have a good time, being with the family including his GT Grandparents.:)

[KAYTWO]

Explorer is definitely the better itinerary imo.

[The_Big_M]

Hi all!

 

I have posted before about what ship to choose for a south pacific cruise in Feb but I cannot settle on which ship to choose!

 

I was tossing up between Legend/Radiance, but now Radiance is off the cards due to date/itinerary so now its between Legend/Voyager, roughly same price for a suite give or take a couple of hundred dollars with legend being cheaper.

We have only sailed RCCL once on Rhapsody to the south pacific before its refit and we loved it, even as experienced cruises we just found it pleasent and enjoyable despite its age and size.

 

Wondering if we should try Voyager instead of Legend because we are yet to experience that class of ship? but note I have us booked on a very cheap sampler 4 night explorer cruise in march which I would cancel if we were to pick voyager for Feb.

 

Legend I feel would be just like Rhapsody but its been refitted which we haven't experienced but voyager is a whole different class and has way more to do but from the recent reviews I've read, both Voyager/Explorer seem to be disappointing more people than not which is a let down. are they really as bad as many reviews suggest or are people just being picky?

I note the following points made that ring alarm bells for me..

 

*Ship VERY crowded, people everywhere, can't get deck chairs by the pools or seats in the promenade.

 

* VERY under staffed or staff can't handle the amount of guests there for service is extremely lacking.

 

* Drinks extremely expensive once converted to AUD

 

Is it really as crowded as what they say? I have been on big ships before EG: Diamond Princess, QM2 & Golden Princess and I would say I've never had issues with the amount of people onboard?

Legend is obviously a more intimate and relaxed size but do we really make our second RCCL trip just like the our first (stick to what we know) or do we try something new? also is Legend perhaps just too old with little offerings now?

 

any advice would be great thank you :)

 

You raise some interesting, valid points. Both Voyager and Explorer were refurbished in the past year, and it has caused overcrowding issues at times and in some places depending on itinerary. They increased passengers numbers by 10% - 374. This is quite a lot of additional people!

 

Also a lot of people here have been talking about and basing the crowds on Adventure of the Seas. This has not been refurbished yet in terms of the extra passengers added to Explorer and Voyager, which is quite substantial. The extra numbers on these ships, with the reduced amount of public spaces necessarily causes more crowding than before. Hands down, I do agree that in their pre-refurbished state, they were more pleasant. One other thing to note that you may find relevant is that the refurb also removed the night club. Again, Adventure still has this.

 

Regarding conversion costs, that's also true, as the price has both risen in USD terms, and then this is compounded by the currency effect. However, it is the same on either ship that you are looking at, so not a deciding factor between them.

 

I note that you also commented that you'd sailed Rhapsody - but before its refurb. They did do the same thing there as with Explorer and Voyager i.e. reduce public areas and increase passenger count. I didn't enjoy the new layout as much as the old, due to the loss of public rooms. And the extra crowds were apparent, with more people to squeeze into the old areas, the lounges and theatre were often overflowing. The atrium became another venue (replacing the centrepiece sculpture), but is terrible for most to get any sort of comfortable view from. So choosing Legend won't be the same as your memories of Rhapsody either, as it also has the new passenger numbers and layout in effect.

 

So the main things are that things have changed since you sailed, and you can't go back whichever choice you make. Based on the current situation, I'd just go with the longer itinerary, but if the other arrangement suits, you still have the 4 day sampler to try so will get to try both ships in their current configs as well.