Voyager of the Seas 5 Night Cruise to Bermuda
September 18, 2005
I have not had the pleasure of sailing on any of RCCL’s Voyager class ships and I have new agents that had not cruised in a very long time so I decided to take them on a RCCL Bermuda Cruise.
Embarkation – We arrived at Cape Liberty New Jersey around 11:30 am. Passengers were still disembarking from the previous cruise so there was a lot of traffic and some confusion. They require that you drop your luggage first and then go park. In order to park you need to circle around again and therefore get stuck in the traffic all over again. After parking the car we went into the terminal and breezed through the check-in thanks to our sign and sail passes. We waited about 15 minutes and then we were bused to the ship. In the end it did not take as long as it seemed, we were on the ship by 12:30 pm.
You can’t go to your cabins until 1:00 pm however I found a cabin steward and explained that we were agents and that we wanted to see some of the suites. She let us into a Junior Suite, a Grand Suite and my favorite the Royal Suite. They were all beautiful. The Junior Suite is great for a family of 4 with older children. The Grand Suite was large enough for a rollaway and the Royal Suites was just gorgeous with the baby grand piano and the whirlpool on the balcony. This would be a great cabin for honeymooners.
Our Cabin – We were in a D1 Superior Ocean View with Balcony. The four of us had plenty of room for all of our clothes and our luggage fit nicely under the bed. Two people had to share the sofa bed which did crowd the room when it was opened at night but our cabin steward Hamilton did a great job of keeping us neat and tidy all throughout the cruise. The balcony was large enough for all 4 of us to stand comfortably and there were 2 chair and a small table. The bathroom was the typical small shower but instead of the flowing curtain that always blows the water out onto the floor they had glass doors.
Food
Windjammer Café – Upon embarkation the Windjammer Café was open for lunch. They did not have trays just very large plates and you were given flatware rolled in a cloth napkin. The food was very good with a large variety of choices each day. I normally eat breakfast in the dining room because I like my lox and bagels. The buffet at the Windjammer had a ton of lox as well as capers, cream cheese so I was set for the duration. They also offered made to order omelets, French toast, waffles, assorted pastries as well as the standard eggs, bacon , sausage and an assortment of fresh fruit.
Johnny Rockets - I love Johnny Rockets so I could not be dissuaded by the $3.95 cover charge. The burgers were delicious and there was a never ending supply of french fries and onion rings. The waiters dance to the oldies music which is a riot. The apple pie was fantastic, lots of cinnamon and sugar and the crust was very flaky.
Promenade Café – The café was open from 6am to 4am most days. They had wonderful hot coffee and tea always available as well as ice water. They offered an assortment of cookies, cakes, pizza and mini sandwiches. The only thing I did not care for was the pizza. It was bland and had the consistency of card board.
Main Dining Room - We were on the top level of the dining room (table # 504 which seated 8). Our waiter Bobby and assistant waiter Sam were the best I have ever had on a cruise ship. We arrived late on the 1st night because we wanted to see the Statue of Liberty and the Verazzano Bridge as we sailed out to sea. Bobby quickly got us up to the same course as our table mates. He asked our names and never forgot them once during the week. The food was very good. I am always amazed that they can serve food at the proper temperature to that many guests. I am very picky and I love my soup extra hot and not once did I have to send it back. The quality of the meat was excellent. The steak was tender and served exactly as asked. The lobster tail was sweet and tender and my favorite the escargot has not changed a bit. My favorite course is desert. The grand marnier soufflé was fantastic, and the warm chocolate cake amazing. I have read lots of negative comments on RCCL’s coffee but I had no complaints, it was hot and strong, the way I like it. The staff did the standard singing for the guests, which is always amusing. O Sole Mio sung with 93 accents can’t be beat. We also were serenaded with a trio of musicians from the Philippines one night.
Activities - The cruise staff had a lot of fun activities available throughout the cruise. My favorites were the Belly Flop contest and the Love and Marriage game. I am always amazed at what you can get people to do for a key chain. We never took advantage of the rock climbing, roller blading or ice skating but we did enjoy an night of miniature golf.
Entertainment – I think RCCL’s entertainment is one of the best in the cruise industry. The shows are full Broadway style productions. The two shows they offered on this cruise we wonderful. I left each show with a renewed skip in my step. The juggler and comedians were very entertaining as well. Unfortunately we skipped the magician and went into town that night, even after I said we should never miss a show. Not much was happening in town and we should have gone to see the show. They offered 2 parades on the promenade and both were a lot of fun. Some of the members of cruise staff were walking on stilts which is hard enough on dry land let alone at sea. One of the best shows was the ice skating show. They offered the same show several times during the cruise so you did not need to choose between the main show and the ice show. The skaters were very talented and the production was just as good as the main shows. We also enjoyed several of the show room entertainment. Our favorite was the Stingrays, a band from Canada. They really got the crowd going and on the last night played till 2 am (with a little extra beer for an incentive). There was without a doubt something for everyone.
Spa – We visited the spa upon arrival so we could take the official spa tour. Although the treatments looked wonderful I felt it was a bit too pricey for my taste. They offered a great variety of treatments and I was tempted to try the reflexology massage but I decided to put my money into drinks and the casino instead.
Casino - This was the largest casino I have ever seen on a ship. There was a great variety of slot machines and tables. Even though it was crowded I never felt I had to wait too long for the machine I wanted to play.
Cruise Staff - This was one of the best cruise staff’s I have ever seen. They meshed will together but the highlight was the cruise director Allan Brooks. Allan was very funny. He was able to pump up the crowd before the shows and was very quick witted. I was able to corner him with some travel agent questions and he was wonderful. His main comment was to get very detailed with our passengers and groups. Make sure they understand the size of the cabins and the activities available. The more prepared your clients are the better time they will have.
Kings Warf Bermuda - The dock area had some nice shops. My favorite was the glass blowing studio. They had some nice earrings and necklaces for a reasonable price and you could watch them working while you shopped. The ferry to Hamilton left right near the ships exit and for $12 you can unlimited access to the buses and ferry’s for one day and $22 for 2 days. Within a 5 minute walk from the ship was a snorkel park. Entry into the park was free and chairs were available to rent for $10 or 2 chairs and an umbrella for $25. The park has a changing facility with bathrooms and outside showers, a bar and a snack bar as well as snorkeling equipment rentals. The snorkeling was okay. There was a good variety of fish and some really nice coral. Unfortunately the water was a bit cloudy and visibility was not as pristine as it could be so my photos were a bit cloudy but I enjoyed it very much.
Overall Impression - I am still amazed at the size of the ship. I thought for sure everything would be crowded. The only time we waited on line was to get off the ship for the 1st time in Bermuda and to get tickets for the ice show. Both were relatively short lines and barely worth mentioning. This is a ship for everyone
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