Overall Score

BERLITZ'S RATING
	Possible	Achieved
Ship	500	417
Accommodation	200	155
Food	400	242
Service	400	282
Entertainment	100	83
Cruise	400	309

How this score is created

The exterior design of Voyager of the Seas is not unlike an enlarged version of the Royal Caribbean International’s Vision-class ships. Its propulsion is derived from three pod units, powered by electric motors: two azimuthing (rotating), and one fixed at the centerline, instead of conventional rudders and propellers, in the latest configuration of high-tech systems.

With its large proportions, it provides more facilities and options, yet manages to have a healthy passenger space ratio (the amount of space per passenger). It’s too large to go through the Panama Canal, thus limiting itineraries almost exclusively to the Caribbean (where few islands have decent enough sized facilities to service it), or for use as a floating island resort. When you step aboard, spend the first few hours exploring all the many facilities and public spaces aboard this vessel; you’ll find it to be time well spent.

Although Voyager of the Seas is large, the cabin hallways have an extremely warm and attractive feel to them, with artwork cabinets and wavy lines to lead you along and break up the monotony. In fact, there are plenty of colorful, even whimsical, decorative touches to help you avoid what would otherwise be a very clinical environment.

At certain times, passengers may be allowed to stand right at the bows of the ship on an observation platform, perhaps with arms spread in an “eagle-like” position, just like the stars in the film Titanic. What a photo opportunity! However, for the best ones, as in the film, you’ll need to bring a helicopter. But looking up at the cake-layer stacking of the decks towards the bridge gives you an idea of the size of the ship.

Embarkation and disembarkation take place through two stations/access points, designed to minimize the inevitable lines at the start and end of the cruise (that’s more than 1,500 people for each access point). Once inside the ship, you’ll need good walking shoes, particularly when you need to go from one end to the other – it really is quite a long way.

A four-decks-high Royal Promenade is the interior focal point of the ship, and is a good place to arrange to meet someone. It is 393.7 ft (120 meters) long – the length of two football fields (American football, that is), and has two internal lobbies (atria) that rise through 11 decks, one at each end. There are 16 elevators in four banks of four.

The entrance to one of three levels of the main restaurant, together with shops and entertainment locations are spun off from this “boulevard”, while interior “interior promenade-view” cabins, with bay windows, look into it from above. It houses a traditional English “pub” (the “Pig ’n’ Whistle, with draft beer and “street-front” seating), a Promenade Café (for continental breakfast, all-day pizzas, sandwiches and coffees), Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream (at extra cost), Sprinkles (for round-the-clock ice-cream and yoghurt), and Scoreboard (a sports bar).

Several shops complete the picture: a jewelry shop, gift shop, perfume shop, liquor shop and a logo souvenir shop. There’s also a bright red telephone kiosk that houses an ATM cash machine. Altogether, it’s a nice place to see and be seen, and street performers complete the scene. It really is a cross between a shopping arcade and an amusement park (Florida’s Aventura meets New York’s Coney Island). The chairman of Royal Caribbean International even donated his own beloved Morgan sports car to grace the Royal Promenade, which is supposedly designed in the image of London’s fashionable Burlington Arcade. Actually, by far the best view of the whole promenade is from one of the 138 premium-price cabins that look into it, or from a “captain’s bridge” that crosses above it. At the forward end is the showlounge, and a Connoisseur’s Club cigar lounge sited on the starboard side between the showlounge and the main section of the Royal Promenade.

Arched across the grand promenade is a captain’s balcony, and in the center of the promenade a stairway connects you to the deck below, where you’ll find the Schooner Bar (a piano lounge that is a feature of all RCI ships) and the colorful Casino Royale (large and full of flashing lights and noises). Gaming includes blackjack, Caribbean stud poker, roulette (including the world’s largest interactive roulette wheel that is activated by a roulette ball tower four decks high), and craps, as well as 300 slot machines.

A second showlounge (Studio B, a regulation-size ice-skating rink that has real, not fake, ice) has arena seating for up to 900, and the latest in broadcast facilities. A number of slim pillars obstruct the clear-view arena stage sightlines, however. An Ice Follies show is presented by a professional ice-skating show team each cruise. If ice-skating in the Caribbean doesn’t particularly appeal, you might like to visit the stunning two-deck library; it’s the first aboard any cruise ship, and is open 24 hours a day. A total of $12 million was spent on permanent artwork.

Drinking places include a neat Aquarium Bar, with 50 tons of glass and water in four large aquariums (whose combined value is over $1 million), the small and intimate Champagne Bar, and the Connoisseur Club – for cigars and cognacs. Lovers of jazz might appreciate High Notes, an intimate room for cool music atop the ship within the Viking Crown Lounge, or the Schooner Bar piano lounge. Golfers might enjoy the 19th Hole, a golf bar, as they play the Voyager Links.

There is a large TV studio, part of Studio “B”, located adjacent to rooms that can be used for trade show exhibit space, with a 400-seat conference center and a 60-seat multi-media screening room. Meanwhile, many decks above, lovers can tie the knot in a ‘wedding chapel in the sky,’ the Skylight Chapel (it’s located on the upper level of the Viking Crown Lounge, and even has wheelchair access via an electric stairway elevator). Outdoors, the pool and open deck areas (Deck 11) provide a resort-like environment.

Facilities for children and teenagers are quite extensive. “Aquanauts” is for 3–5-year-olds. “Explorers” is for 6–8-year-olds. “Voyagers” is for 9–12-year-olds. Optix is a dedicated area for teenagers, including a daytime club (with computers), soda bar, disk jockey and dance floor. Challenger’s Arcade has an array of the latest video games. Virtual Submarine is a virtual reality underwater center for all ages. Computer Lab has 14 computer stations loaded with fun and games. Paint and Clay is an arts and crafts center for younger children. Adjacent to these indoor areas is Adventure Beach, an area for all the family: it includes swimming pools, a water slide and game areas outdoors.

Royal Caribbean International has, since its inception, always been an innovator in the cruise industry, and will probably remain so with this family-friendly vessel.

In terms of sheer size, this ship presently dwarfs many other ships in the cruise industry, but in terms of personal service, the reverse is the case, unless you happen to reside in one of the top suites. Royal Caribbean International does, however, try hard to provide a good standard of programmed service from its hotel staff. This is impersonal city life at sea, and a superb, well-designed alternative to a land-based resort, which is what the company wanted to build. Remember to take lots of extra pennies: you’ll need them to pay for all the additional-cost items. The onboard currency is the US dollar.

Expect some standing in lines for the reception desk, and waiting for elevators (particularly at peak meal times), as well as for embarkation and disembarkation. If you arrange to meet someone, be very specific about the location – for this really is a large ship. My advice is to arrange to meet somewhere along the Royal Promenade.

The theme-park, banquet-style regimentation is well organized, but it’s hard to find better value for money, particularly for families with children. You will, however, need to plan your time aboard, otherwise you’ll miss out on some of the things that you might like to include in your vacation.

Because the cruise fares are so reasonable, you can expect a big push aboard the ship for extra revenue items, drinks packages, extra-cost dining options, etc. In the end, however, you should have a decent floating vacation. Note that the same comments apply to the other sister ships (Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, and Navigator of the Seas); their layout and flow are the same, and, although there may be some slight differences, it’s mainly in the decor and trimmings.

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publications 2008