As cruise ships go, the Voyager of the Seas is starting to show its age. In 1999, it was launched as the largest and finest cruise liner in the world. Now, after a refurbishing in 2009, it is considered a middle-sized ship assigned to journeyman duty from somewhat lesser ports. Generally, there is no such thing as a bad cruise ship, and Voyager of the Seas is far from awful. In fact, it is really quite stately, but does not seem to be maintained quite as well as some other cruise ships regarding cleaning and polishing of the decks and public areas.
With a paying guest capacity of over 3,100 and a crew of nearly 1,200, this is a really big ship.
It feels big when you are aboard it. The “Royal Promenade” was considered a giant leap forward in cruise ship design when Voyager was lauched. This is a mainstreet down the center of the ship. The opening that houses the promenade is over 300 feet long and extends upward 50 or so feet. When Voyager is at sea, the Royal Promenade is an indoor activity hub for the entire ship. All of the shopping on board the ship is located here. It has the feel of a local neighborhood where you can enjoy hanging out with your friends.
The food in the main dining room on Voyager of the Seas is pretty much standard cruise ship fare.
Because cruise ships today tend to offer options that require you to pay extra for special meals, some of the glitz of the evening meals has been lost. This is not to say that the food is inferior. Cruise ships no longer seem have the “wow” factor in their dining rooms that they once had. If you are a first time cruiser that does not regularly go out for fine dining, you should find Voyager’s meal offerings to be well above what you normally eat.
If you like a dose of fast food that comes with a load of nostalgia, go for Johnny Rockets.
This is a dining car that will cost you $5 per meal. It is worth every cent. You will eat one of the best hamburgers ever. The sundae at the end of the meal is worth the cost of admission. Loaded with atmosphere, Johnny Rockets is a pleasant oasis that feels like you have wondered into the corner drug store or dime store from about 50 years ago with a lunch counter.
This ship has several nice amenities that have become standard on most modern cruise ships.
It offers a basketball court, ice skating, a rock climbing wall, and a variety of live shows. All in all, there is no lack of things to do if you just look a little. The library is somewhat lacking, but the internet access has been beefed up some from older cruise ships. WiFi is available in some areas of the ship and an internet areas with several computers is available 24 hours per day.
The elevators are pretty slow in this ship.
It seemed like it needed another bank or two of elevators to be able to accommodate passenger needs. Most of the time, it appeared that at least one elevator in any bank that you rode was not in service. It was unclear whether it was not working or was just in some type of standby mode. On a number of occasions, it was necessary to either resort to the steps or head off toward the next closest bank of elevators. The elevators in the middle of the ship seemed to be the worst.
Overall, the crew seemed to be attentive and helpful.
During one evening of exceptionally rough seas, they were handing out seasick medicine like free candy. It was easy to make cash payments on your account. The captain went out of his way to make extra announcements to keep the passengers informed regarding ship speed, sea conditions, and adjustments to the itinerary.
Voyager of the Seas did have some of the better gift shops and souvenirs seen on cruise ships.
There was a large variety and plenty of inventory for the passengers to be able to purchase. Almost every evening at sea featured sale items that for the most part were worth buying.
