My VOYAGER OF THE SEAS (9-19 thru 9-24) Review

Thanks for the review, Karen... I still have to say that I am a bit
surprised... Oh well.. Ya never know...

Pam

"Karen Segboer" wrote in message
...

VOYAGER of the SEAS, September 19-24, 2004 - Port Liberty, NJ to the
Canadian Maritime and back



Great review Karen! I wasn't quite sure how you would take to the ship. I
knew you would be impressed by the physical aspect of the ship (she is
gorgeous!), but I wasn't certain how the rest of the experience would go
over with you. I'm so glad you had a great time and dare I say the
experience even exceeded you expectations.

Your cabin was in a great location .... on the tail end of the "hump" so to
speak. The hump cabins on the Voyager Class ships are very sought after, as
they extend just a bit further out enhancing the view. I also sailed in a
Junior Suite on VOYAGER (cabin 9548), and I loved it!

I hope you decide to post you review on Liners List as well. I think many
members associate you as a diehard Cunard fan, and it will do them good to
see you can be impressed and also enjoy yourself on something other than QE2
and QM2. As you know, many Liners members are stuck in the dark ages and
feel if the ship doesn't say "Cunard" on the side, then it isn't worth
sailing.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

Ernie

"Karen Segboer" wrote in message
...

VOYAGER of the SEAS, September 19-24, 2004 - Port Liberty, NJ to the
Canadian Maritime and back



Great review Karen! I wasn't quite sure how you would take to the ship. I
knew you would be impressed by the physical aspect of the ship (she is
gorgeous!), but I wasn't certain how the rest of the experience would go
over with you. I'm so glad you had a great time and dare I say the
experience even exceeded you expectations.

Your cabin was in a great location .... on the tail end of the "hump" so to
speak. The hump cabins on the Voyager Class ships are very sought after, as
they extend just a bit further out enhancing the view. I also sailed in a
Junior Suite on VOYAGER (cabin 9548), and I loved it!

I hope you decide to post you review on Liners List as well. I think many
members associate you as a diehard Cunard fan, and it will do them good to
see you can be impressed and also enjoy yourself on something other than QE2
and QM2. As you know, many Liners members are stuck in the dark ages and
feel if the ship doesn't say "Cunard" on the side, then it isn't worth
sailing.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

Ernie

Wonderful review, We took the Voyager 9 day in July and liked it so much
we're doing a 5 day to Bermuda next summer.

Also will do the QM2



In article ,
(Karen Segboer) wrote:

VOYAGER of the SEAS, September 19-24, 2004 - Port Liberty, NJ to the
Canadian Maritime and back




I don't know. Maybe I'm fickle. Maybe I just enjoy something about
every ship I cruise on. I'm just happy to be at sea. Sure, there
have been some I liked more than others, but generally, I just like
being on a ship. Ship historian and author Frank Braynard, when asked
years ago which ship was his favorite, said, "The ship I'm on." Smart
man. What I must begin doing more of is giving myself a broader
berth (if you'll excuse the nautical reference.) You would think I'd
already know that after so many times on so many ships.

First, let me give any newcomers some background, so you know where
I'm coming from and what my cruising background is. My husband, Hans,
cut his teeth at a very tender age on some of the old Dutch liners.
Together, we've sailed on many HAL ships, one Celebrity ship, NCL (the
new and the old), the late/great Premier and Renaissance ships,
Crystal, Deilmann and, most notably, Cunard, having done three
transatlantic crossings alone on the QE2 in 2002. We've visited many
ships in port in New York over the years, such as Princess, HAL,
Celebrity and P&O. We also tried Radisson earlier this year. My
last cruise/crossing was in late April on the new Queen Mary 2, so
this ship was particularly interesting to me in terms of size versus
cruise experience. I think Hans and I have been on over thirty
cruises, but I have not counted them up in a long time, so I may be
off a bit.

The 138,000-ton (length: 1020', beam: 157.5', draft: 29', cruising
speed: 23.7 knots) 3,114-guest Voyager of the Seas was the world's
largest cruise ship when it entered service in November 1999. It no
longer holds that distinction, and from what I've read, the
ultra-Voyager class will supersede it, as well as other brands'
up-and-coming mega ships. It's a big ship …. a giant, really …. but I
never felt crowded or the ship never felt like it had too many people
onboard. There were no lines, no waiting.

I knew I'd gotten a very good deal on this particular trip, a
five-nighter out of Port Liberty to the Canadian Maritimes (Halifax,
as always, was nice to visit again, St John, New Brunswick was a
snooze), but I wanted to do some research on just how great a bargain
this ship is compared to, say (and you knew this was coming) the QM2.
Now, I understand that these are two very different ships from two
very different companies. I enjoyed my trips on Cunard, but I was
always aware that I was paying dearly for the privilege of stepping
foot on a Cunarder. Not until I came home and crunched some stats did
I see what a great cruise bargain this Voyager trip actually was.
I'll give you the numbers later on, and I'm not going to base my
review entirely on what a great "deal" this cruise was. I could take
the Staten Island ferry, be on the water for not too much money and be
happy. What I was most impressed with was the ship and the cruise
experience, and that's what I'll concentrate on. I'd never heard a
negative word about the Voyager from cruisers I trust, and now I know
why. I'll give it up early: There's not a thing I didn't like about
this ship and this cruise experience. I'm just sorry we didn't opt
for the nine nighter to the Caribbean instead.

I keep a travel journal every time I vacation somewhere, and on the
first day onboard the Voyager, I wrote "Well, well, well - I thought
I'd like this ship, 'thought I'd find it an interesting diversion from
what I'm used to, but I never thought I'd be this impressed. The ship
is alive, the service and the staff are gracious, unassuming and
natural. Nothing is a problem." Service anywhere on the ship during
our stay was easy and breezy. There was never that Cunard "smelly gym
socks" look from anyone when you asked a question or had a problem.

The appearance of this ship is probably what surprised me the most.
Inside and out, it has curves and grace. Yes, it's a big ship (just
like the QM2), but it's design lines move and flow. Exteriorly,
around the Viking Crown Lounge area, around the pools and hot tubs, on
both port and starboard side amidships, are fluidity and visual
appeal. Onboard, one almost gets the feeling that this ship has a
waistline! The three tiered opera-themed main dining room is just
stunning, with lots of curves, color, detail and eye interest. This
dining room, all three decks, is almost voluptuous! May I compare
this room with the comparable one on the QM2? Those of you who know
me and have also been on both ships knew I would. QM2's Britannia
Dining room is squared, straight and not too terribly dynamic when
compared to the Voyager's corresponding space. Maybe this type of
straightforward design is more "proper" for a transatlantic liner?
Someone who knows ships once said that any naval architect with a
ruler in his hand should be slapped on the knuckles with said ruler.
I see his point.

The Voyager has received much publicity for its innovative approach to
cruising, with an onboard ice-skating rink, a Johnny Rocket's and a
rock-climbing wall. Hans had always scoffed and thought it was silly
to have an ice rink onboard, but he tried a free skating session and
he loved it. He had not had on a pair of skates for about ten years,
and had never used figure skates, but the Voyager was able to
accommodate him with a pair of hockey skates. He was a little shaky
at first, but once he got his sea/skate legs, he really enjoyed
himself. I really wanted to try this, too, as he was obviously having
so much fun, but alas, not this time. I just sat and took photos, and
I had a good time doing that. Hans mentioned afterwards that
ice-skating onboard is a great cardio workout. Ice-skating on a ship,
Hans will do. Go to the gym on a ship, Hans won't do.

We also went to the "Ice Jammin'" ice show in "Studio B", where
professional figure skaters perform on a rink about one-fourth of a
regulation ice rink. How they pull off such breath-taking stunts on
such a small patch of ship real estate is simply amazing. This is
truly a "must-see."

The Voyager has what's called a Royal Promenade, which one would
imagine is a general, all-purpose public area. Most ships have
something comparable. However, the Royal Promenade is not just a
"shopping mall" (as I've heard it described.) It's a real gathering
place where one can walk around, people-watch, stop for a bite to eat
or just a snack, or yes … shop. Here I have to say that all of the
shops were very well stocked and ready for cruise shoppers. I
remember one crossing on the QE2 when the souvenir clothing shop was
just about bare. The reason given was that the ship was going into
dry dock soon. Sorry, but that's not a good enough reason from a
passenger's standpoint.

On the first night of our cruise, RCI pulled off a fun "Mardi
Gras"-style event on the Royal Prom, complete with music, jugglers,
costumes and entertainment. The Prom is probably the best
people-watching spot I've found yet at sea. When there's nothing else
you want to do but just hang out and relax among your fellow
passengers, this is the place to go. Several times, I went down to
the Prom to grab a cookie and some coffee, or a self-serve soft ice
cream cone and just veg out. Besides being so amazingly functional,
this area is whimsical, fun and exciting, both in décor, layout and
use. This area is naturally conducive to striking up a conversation
with strangers. "Is this your first cruise?" Is this your first time
on this ship?" Is this your first time on RCI?" I met a lovely woman
who is a lurker on this very newsgroup and also a native New Yorker,
and we had several afternoon get-togethers of shopping, noshing,
talking newsgroup stuff and cruising in general. She has also cruised
on many different ships, and I think I'm safe in saying she also loved
the Voyager.

Hans and I found ourselves in the Schooner Bar or the Aquarium Lounge
for pre-dinner martinis. After dinner or a show, we enjoyed the
Connoisseur Cigar Club for drinks and Hans' cigar. I particularly
liked High Notes and the Crows Nest in the Viking Crown lounge area on
Deck 14. One thing I regretted was that we couldn't really use the
outside pool areas because of the chilly weather.

Our cabin was a junior suite, #9624, which had lots of floor space, a
great balcony and plenty of storage. There was a walk-in closet, lots
of drawers, and a bath with tub, queen size bed and sitting area. A
cabin safe and small fridge came in handy, too. Our cabin was located
close to a bank of main elevators, one deck above Royal Caribbean
Online, where I used the internet access computers ($.50 a minute) to
e-mail our pet sitter about my Sophie every day, and on a deck that
put us close to the public rooms above us and below us without
schlepping very much at all. The ease of onboard/online
communications on Voyager was another distinct contrast to the QM2 and
the inability to use their Internet access in their computer rooms to
connect to my web-based domain mail account. I wound up using the
interactive TV system in our QM2 cabin to send e-mail. Another thing
I really liked was the complete soundproofing of our cabin from both
the deck hallway and the cabins on either side of us. I don't think
I've ever been on such a quiet ship in that respect. And another
thing I liked was the presence of security. Special staff frequently
appeared on the cabin decks to quash any rowdy, loud or disturbing
behavior. Must have worked, because we saw none.

Food service was wonderful and all encompassing. There were no gaps
in time on this ship when you could not find a bite to eat. The
Windjammer Café served complete breakfasts from early in the morning
until 11:30 AM for us late-risers (we ARE on vacation, you know.) and
lunches daily until 5 PM. Of course, the Royal Prom had several
different types of food service available, too, from a meal to light
snacks to just coffee and a sweet. The scope and variety of food
available in all venues was fairly impressive and, once again, the
service staff in the restaurant areas never lapsed. I cannot say this
about the food service on our April QM2 trip. In fact, the one thing
I commented on at the time I wrote my review of the ship is that the
service MUST stretch to meet the demands of a premium ocean liner.
When I was onboard, there was still a long way to go, and I blamed
this on the ship's newness. I'll be onboard again in May of 2005. If
the service has not picked up by then, I'm afraid it will never be up
to snuff, as this has been a major complaint from QM2 passengers. To
bother to build such an elegant and costly ship and not provide the
kind of service anyone can get for one-third the price on a ship like
the Voyager is shameful.

Having said that, please let me review some numbers with you. Our QM2
cabin, a hull balcony category B4 six day transatlantic trip will cost
$5,498 for both of us including air to London. Our junior suite on
the Voyager costs us just a tad over $2,000 in total. We had more room
in the Voyager's junior suite than the QM2's B4 cabin (252 square feet
including balcony on the QM2 compared to 346 square feet on the
Voyager.) As they say, do the math.

Was the QM2 worth it for me? Yes, I wanted to see the ship. I'm not
sorry I booked a cruise on her, but having experienced other forms of
cruising on other lines, I don't think I'll be such a regular with
Cunard anymore. In summary, I'm very glad I tried RCI, am so looking
forward to trying other RCI ships, more so than I am sailing with
Cunard again. And will I sail with Cunard again? Sure, but with a
much more open mind. I will definitely be back on RCI.

Karen



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http://www.cupcaked.com/reviews
(...and leave off the "potatoes" to e-mail)

See Keran what happen's when you keep an open mind !! Did you come back last
friday .I was was working down there ,and saw the Vogager .
Ken G

Karen,

Thanks for a wonderful review. The kids and I are considering taking Voyager
of the Seas next year doing the Eastern Caribbean.

I was also considering taking the Canadian Maritime from Cape Liberty. One
question, how is the weather in September? My last trip to the middle of Maine
(Milo) over Labor Day a few years ago was, to me, downright cold.

Thanks again for a great review.


Kate

Glad you had a great time Keran . I was at Liberity state park today with Tom &
penny .We saw the N.Dawn & Grand Princess anf Empress of the seas go out from
Bayown . You have to watch the Empress go out from the south side of the park !
Keren they are looking to put an exit ramp from the trunpike to cap liberity
..and running the new light rail in to Cap Liberity!!
Ken G....

Glad you had a great time Keran . I was at Liberity state park today with Tom &
penny .We saw the N.Dawn & Grand Princess anf Empress of the seas go out from
Bayown . You have to watch the Empress go out from the south side of the park !
Keren they are looking to put an exit ramp from the trunpike to cap liberity
..and running the new light rail in to Cap Liberity!!
Ken G....

Fascinating, as always.

Jeff

Fascinating, as always.

Jeff