The following review was originally published on Cruise Critic.
Overview
In 1999, when Voyager of the Seas entered service as the largest cruise ship in the world, it was heralded also as the most revolutionary ship ever built, forever changing the world of cruising with such never-before-seen features as an ice skating rink/TV studio/concert arena, rock-climbing wall, in-line skating track, horizontal atrium, and inside cabins with promenade view. The rock-climbing walls are now aboard every Royal Caribbean ship and the ice skating rink and other features can also be enjoyed on the line’s other four Voyager-class ships, but Voyager of the Seas is still mind boggling, memorable and exciting — isn’t that what they say about the first of anything?
If you sailed on Voyager of the Seas during its inaugural year but not since, you will be glad to know that, fresh from a two-week dry dock in May 2004, the ship is sparkling and looks like new. Little has changed on board: Spinners, the site of a revolving arcade and four-deck-high roulette tower on the Royal Promenade, was underused and has been replaced with a perfume shop. And a Ben & Jerry’s shop was added recently, also on the Royal Promenade. Otherwise, everything else is as it was in 1999.
Dining
The three decks of the ship’s elegant main restaurant are named for famous operas: Carmen, La Boheme and the Magic Flute, and feature themed decor including lavish opera costumes, a crystal chandelier and grand staircase. The food was excellent (including flavorful low-fat selections like grilled salmon teriyaki) and service was friendly and lively, with waiters bringing a second entree and/or dessert with broad smiles.
Main Dining Room
Portofino is an alternative Italian restaurant serving an array of delectable dishes from antipasto to tiramisu (there’s a $20 per-person charge and reservations are required; reserve early in the cruise or you may miss the boat). Interestingly, Voyager does not have a Chops Grille; Royal Caribbean’s steakhouse restaurant was introduced on later Voyager-class ships.
Johnny Rockets, the 50s-style diner with red Naugahyde booths, jukeboxes at the tables and Formica counters, was our favorite restaurant for lunch or a snack. It dishes out freshly made burgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches and chili cheese fries, plus scrumptious milkshakes and malts. There is a $3.95 per person charge to eat at Johnny Rockets — whether you eat in the restaurant or order for take-out. Beverages (such as the fabulous milkshakes) are available for an extra charge. Johnny Rockets has outdoor seating, but sit inside so you can catch the impromptu mini-shows put on by the waiters and cook.
The Windjammer Cafe on Deck 11 offers casual, quick-out-the-door, bountiful buffet breakfast and lunch with a side of panoramic ocean views, and casual dinners are served in its aft section, the Island Grill — ditto for the views.
Cafe Promenade on the Royal Promenade is a sidewalk cafe — great for people watching while you munch — that serves continental breakfast, sandwiches, pizza and pastries. If you are on a budget but would like to enjoy something cool and creamy, Royal Caribbean does have a free, 24-hour frozen yogurt station, Sprinkles, next to Ben & Jerry’s on the Royal Promenade.
Royal Caribbean’s room service options are available around the clock via 24-hour menus that offer a range of snacks and sandwiches. At breakfast, continental dishes, along with a handful of egg entrees, are available both in cabins and suites. Items off the main dining room menu can be ordered at dinner. There is no charge for room service (though a buck or two gratuity is recommended).
Public Rooms
Punctuated by two atria, Voyager of the Seas’ most compelling space is the Royal Promenade on Deck 5 — a horizontal atrium that has the look and feel of an upscale shopping mall. There are designer boutiques, a sidewalk cafe, a British-style pub and even a red Morgan sports car, which used to belong to Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean’s chairman and CEO.
Centrum
A fabulous space, The Royal Promenade is four decks high, longer than a football field and wider than three lanes of traffic. There are no windows, but it’s always dazzlingly lit up and sets the scene for street entertainment and festive Mardi Gras-style parades — complete with stilt walkers, a swaying inflatable dancer, streamers and confetti, and music from New Orleans, Rio and other cool places.
A $10-million art collection graces the Promenade, 11-deck Centrum atrium, lounges and other public spaces. A notable piece in the Centrum atrium is The Dancer & The Tutu by Larry Kirkland, consisting of two integrated sculptures of stainless steel, aluminum cable, acrylic, glass and gold and silver leaf with transmitted lights.
Our favorite lounges were the nautical-inspired Schooner Bar (a staple on Royal Caribbean ships), the intimate Champagne Bar (seating for 58) for a pre-dinner glass of bubbly, and the Viking Crown Lounge (with seating for 335) up on deck 14 for panoramic views of the sea and port arrivals and departures. The Skylight Wedding Chapel is on the highest point of the ship (to echo the feelings of those using it?) located just above the Viking Crown Lounge.
The Aquarium Bar, whose tanks are filled with 56 tons of saltwater, was devoid of its beautiful tropical fish during our sailing as the tanks had undergone maintenance and it would be a couple of weeks before the fish could be returned to it, according to a crew member.
The Casino Royale has nearly 300 slots and tables for blackjack, craps, roulette and Caribbean Stud Poker. Other public spaces include a two-story library/Internet Cafe (charge is 50 cents per minute; and Internet access is available in the cabins, a great convenience for $100 per cruise), card room, and conference center. We would have liked to find a self-service launderette onboard, particularly in light of Voyager’s new nine-night Caribbean itineraries, but alas there is none, so pack accordingly if you want to avoid laundry service fees.
Cabins
With so much to do onboard, chances are really good that you will actually just use your cabin for changing and sleeping, but it’s nice to know that if you want to spend more time there, you will indeed be comfortable. Staterooms are attractively decorated in soft tones with fine light woods and two artworks on the walls. Of the 1,557 cabins, 939 are outside (and of those, 765 have balconies). There are 618 inside cabins, but of those 138 have promenade views. All staterooms have two beds that convert to queen-size, private bath, phone, interactive TV, mini-bar, hair dyers and air conditioning/heat controls.
Deluxe Oceanview Cabin
Bathrooms are on the small side, but functional, with a shower enclosure as opposed to curtain, which is nice. Veranda furniture was limited to two chairs and a table.
The ship has a variety of suites including Royal Family Suites with balcony that can accommodate eight persons and offer two bedrooms with twin beds that convert to queen-size (one room with third and fourth Pullman berths), two bathrooms, and living area with double sofa bed. The most lavish accommodation is a Royal Suite with balcony featuring a separate bedroom with king-size bed, private balcony with hot tub, whirlpool bathtub, living room with queen-size sofa bed, wet bar, dining table, entertainment center and even a baby grand piano.
Entertainment
The gorgeous La Scala Theater is a state-of-the-art 1,350-seat show lounge inspired by the legendary one in Milan, Italy. Decor elements include a Murano glass chandelier and a stage curtain in velvet with jewel-like embellishments. Sightlines are excellent. It sets the scene for excellent Broadway-style production shows with a cast of 16 singers and dancers. The revues, including one with the music of Webber, Bernstein, Ellington and other greats, got enthusiastic standing ovations. The ice skating show is not to be missed, not only because of the skill of the cast of nine outstanding international skaters, but because, who in their wildest dreams would have thought that one would ever have a chance to see an ice-skating show at sea?
La Scala Theater
Things are jumping late into the night at The Vault, a two-level dance club with a futuristic theme. High Notes is the aptly named club housed in the Viking Crown Lounge where a quartet played cool jazz until the wee hours. The Rosario Strings, a classical trio, entertained in the main dining room and the piano bar. Pete Wickersham, a one-man-band, entertained in the British pub — anyone for a sing-along? For those who want to catch the big game, Scoreboard on the Royal Promenade and the 19th Hole in the Viking Crown Lounge area have satellite TV.
Fitness & Recreation
Where to begin? There is everything under the sun here. You can practice your figure eights in the ice skating rink, go in-line skating on the rollerblade track, play basketball, volleyball or paddle ball in the full-length sports court, climb to 200 feet over the sea in the rock-climbing wall (if you’ve never tried it, no worries — they give you a lesson before you set off), miniature golf, golf simulator, three pools, six whirlpools, and a jogging track (five times around equals a mile).
The 15,000-plus-square ft., Steiner-operated ShipShape Center and Day Spa has 14 massage and treatment rooms; relaxation area with sea views; full-service beauty salon; ocean view workout area with stereo and TV monitors; 66 Reebok machines including 20 treadmills; free weights; and an aerobics area with wood-suspended floor, mirrored wall, two large-screen TV monitors and wrap-around windows. One of the spa’s nicest features is its round hydrotherapy pool. The spa offers a full menu of exercise classes including various levels of aerobics (some classes incur a $10 charge). Prices for treatments were on the high end — a 50-minute massage and/or facial will set you back $120. Adjacent to the spa is the spacious, 10,000-square ft. Solarium, one of our favorite spaces onboard, themed to ancient Greece with statues and mosaics, a pool and two whirlpools. It is the perfect place for an indolent morning at sea.
Family
The ship’s Adventure Ocean club rates as one of the finest children’s facilities afloat with indoor and outdoor play areas. Indoors are computers, a rock-climbing wall, videos, Sony PlayStation systems, books, video arcade, crafts area and more, and outdoors the children have shuffleboard, deck checkers, tricycles and tic-tac-toe. Not to mention, Adventure Beach with a pirate ship splash pool and water slide. Teenagers have their own club and disco, Optix.
Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Program is a free, year-round children’s program for kids 3 (must be toilet-trained) to 17, organized into five age groups. “Edutainment” programs include Adventure Science with hands-on experiments such as Wacky Water Workshop, and Adventure Art by Crayola including such crafts as cultural masks and pottery.
Group babysitting is available from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the Adventure Ocean center. Cost is $5 per hour per child. Children must be at least 3 years old and toilet trained. In-Cabin sitting is available through the Guest Relations Desk and must be booked at least 24 hours in advance with available ship staff members supervising in-cabin sitting. Children must be at least six months old. The charge is $8 per hour, in cash, for up to two children within the same family, and $20 per hour for a maximum of three children in the same family. There is a two-hour minimum requirement.
A soda package for children up to 18 years of age allows unlimited soft drinks (prices vary with cruise length; $20 for a seven-night cruise).
Fellow Passengers
Royal Caribbean generally appeals to a broad range of folks of all ages — but with one characteristic in common: This ship is designed for the activity minded. It also attracts a high percentage of families.
Dress Code
Casual during the day; smart casual in the evenings except on formal nights when about half the men don tuxedoes and the other half dark suits.
Gratuity
Royal Caribbean recommends $3.50 per person, per day to the dining room waiter; $3.50 per person, per day to the cabin steward; $2 per person, per day to the assistant waiter. Royal Caribbean also recommends $0.75 per person, per day to the headwaiter, but we don’t necessarily unless the service was special. A 15 percent gratuity is automatically added to bar tabs.
RSS 2.0
