Just off Voyager of the Seas - any questions?

[OA515]

Just got back from the Adriatic coast cruise on Voyager OTS. Overall a very good experience. Crew was friendly, dining was far better than expected after reading the comments here on CC, service was good (and fast, both MDR and bars) and the ship herself was in amazing condition considering her age. Itinerary was great, but I wish RCI would have stayed overnight in Dubrovnik in stead of in Venice at the end of the cruise. Or even better: Go further south and spend one extra day at sea.

 

And, to answer what seems to be the two most important questions after what I have read here lately:

1. No, I did not see anyone wearing shorts in the MDR.

2. Yes, my cabin had a flat screen TV.

 

I will be back with a review, but need to get some other things done first. But until then, any questions?

[NCMtnBoys]

Sailing this itinerary in October.

 

Do you know if they had a shuttle bus from Piazzale Roma to the cruise terminal, or best to do on foot?

 

In Ravenna, I've heard there was a free shuttle into town provided by the port. True?

 

How early do they allow disembarkation on the last morning? Our flight is at 9:40am and we've got a pre-arranged private transfer set up for 6:15am. From what I've heard, early disembarkation should not be a problem. Did you hear anything to the contrary?

 

Thanks, and glad your trip went well!

[dock]

Please confirm Formal nights on day 2 and Sea day?

Also did you dine at Portifinos? Thanks.

[dock]

NC Mtn Boys who did you book private transfer with. I have a quote for Euros for 3 people. We have a 10.00 am flight to Frankfurt. Thanks.

[NCMtnBoys]

NC Mtn Boys who did you book private transfer with. I have a quote for Euros for 3 people. We have a 10.00 am flight to Frankfurt. Thanks.

 

 

I used www.airportconnection.it. For two, it is 47 Euro in a Mercedes E Class. I did a search on the website and it looks like they may have a shuttle or executive van for either 52 or 55 Euros total for three people. According to an email reply from them, their driver should meet us at the gangway when we disembark the ship. I decided to go this route because that early in the morning (6:00am), I am not confident that there will be taxis readily available to take us to the airport and I want to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare, since I've read it can be a madhouse. Hopefully, though, at THAT hour, it won't be.

[OA515]

 

Do you know if they had a shuttle bus from Piazzale Roma to the cruise terminal, or best to do on foot?

 

 

Don't waste your money on the shuttle buses. They only take you a couple of hundred meters, that is how far they are allowed to go. Easiest way to get to/from the ship to the Piazzale Roma (where all buses, trains, ferries, etc stops – the gateway to Venice), is to take the 1 Euro People Mover (monorail, one stop, three minutes), or simply walk. Supposedly there is a free shuttle bus provided by the port authorities. We never saw it.

 

In Ravenna, I've heard there was a free shuttle into town provided by the port. True?

 

Not sure. It did not say in the Cruise Compass, but then again you should not trust all the information provided by RCI regarding transportation. Most port offered free shuttle buses or cheap local buses, virtually running side by side with RCI's 30 $ per person shuttle buses.

 

 

How early do they allow disembarkation on the last morning? Our flight is at 9:40am and we've got a pre-arranged private transfer set up for 6:15am. From what I've heard, early disembarkation should not be a problem. Did you hear anything to the contrary?

 

If you do the do it yourself-embarkation, I think you were able to walk off as early as 04.15 or 04.30. So it shouldn't cause you any trouble at all. Venice #2 airport is closed this summer, and all traffic is going in/out of Marco Polo Airport. However, the lines were tiny, security took something like 3 minutes. So you will have plenty of time at the airport.

 

Let me know if there is anything else you need to know!

[OA515]

Please confirm Formal nights on day 2 and Sea day?

Also did you dine at Portifinos? Thanks.

 

The formal nights was day 2 (Sunday) and sea day/day 6 (Thursday). I was impressed by the number of tuxedos! Second seating was overall a very well dressed experience every night. I did not see any of the Bermuda shorts people have been talking of here. In fact, I saw crew stopping people trying even trying to go into Windjammer to eat lunch wearing bikinis or shorts with open shirts or no shirts at all.

 

Portofinos was great (as always). We booked a table as soon as we got on board. But for some reason it did not seem fully booked any of the nights I walked by. People was more focused on getting tickets for the Ice Skating show, it seemed.

[winnie06]

We are sailing next Saturday from Venice. its the first time we have had our flights and transfers booked by RCI. On our final day, we have a 5.30pm flight, and RCI have informed us we are not to get to the airport to early, due to it being very busy at the moment. Do you have any idea what time they will expect us to disembark,to catch our transfer. We can book a late departure, at an additional cost, and didn't want to do this, if they would be leaving late anyway.

 

Glad you had a good cruise, we are all looking forward to it. Many thanks

[OA515]

We are sailing next Saturday from Venice. its the first time we have had our flights and transfers booked by RCI. On our final day, we have a 5.30pm flight, and RCI have informed us we are not to get to the airport to early, due to it being very busy at the moment. Do you have any idea what time they will expect us to disembark,to catch our transfer. We can book a late departure, at an additional cost, and didn't want to do this, if they would be leaving late anyway.

 

Glad you had a good cruise, we are all looking forward to it. Many thanks

 

I think the latest scheduled group to leave the ship was around 10. There might be special arrangements for those who have booked transfer- and/or air packages, though I am not sure. Even though you pay for late departure (you can stay on board until 3, I think), you have to leave your stateroom at 9, but are able to eat lunch at Windjammer, and use the dressing rooms/showers in the spa if you want to freshen up before your flight.

 

30 Euros per person seems a lot, but a lunch, some water, a couple of coffees, etc in Venice - one of Europe's priciest cities - is not exactly cheap, either. If I had a long flight ahead of me (and a couple of pre cruise days in Venice), I would definately relax on the sun deck to squeeze the last couple of relaxing hours out of my vacation in stead of heading in to REALLY busy and crouded Venice streets for 3-4 hours of last minute sightseeing.

 

I heard RCI staff (and the Transportation in Venice information flyer) kept saying that you should allow up to three hours at the airport because it was so busy. I hate being late at airports and always show up early, so I was fearing we were running out of time when we arrived a little more than two hours prior to hour 6.30 PM flight. But no worries. Everything was smooth, the airport was not busy at all, security was a matter of a couple of minutes. To me, everything seemed like a normal operating airport. Nothing there could tell that it was covering traffic for two airports serving one of Europe's most popular tourist destinations.

[LegalEagle2012]

A couple more questions:-

 

Who was your Cruise Director - and how long are they on Voyager for? I sail at the end of July.

 

Was the extra VAT charged - it should not have been as Croatia is a non-EU port and this negates the charge.

 

Did you have Mystery Dinner Theatre and The Quest?

 

Were there lots of Spanish and Italian people on board - or was the mix about right?

 

What sort of cabin did you stay in - and was the ship in good condition?

 

Sorry for the questions - I am curious.

 

Karen

[Rutheth]

Hi we are considering booking this cruise for the end of July. It says it is a 7 night cruise but then it arrives in Venice on the Friday for 2 days? Does this mean it is docked in Venice on Friday to go on port excursions, sleep on board Friday night and then disembark on Saturday morning?

 

Would you recommend the ports visited?

[ellamalta]

Can you tell me at which ports RCI provided transport into town (I only saw Ravenna written on a past cruise compass), and which towns can be reached on foot? Thanks in advance.

[bbbearden]

OP, thank you so much for this post. We are doing this cruise in late July. I would really like to hear your impression of the ports and your recommendations for things to do. I am very interested in Koper, Bari, and Dbrovnick. Any details you share would be appreciated.

 

Did you utilize the bag storage in Piazza Roma or anywhere else on your last day in Venice before you left for the airport? If so, how much was it and did it work well for you?

 

I am looking forward to your review.

 

Take care.

[Texmike]

We sailed on Voyager twice when it went out of Galveston-We were on it this past December and loved it.

 

No complaints whatsoever

[LegalEagle2012]

Rutheth

 

If you do book please come and join us on the Roll Call?

Only two families there at present.

 

You are correct that the ship becomes your hotel room for the Friday night. Have cruised out of Venice before so if you need any info on the port etc please post.

 

Karen

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Looking forward to your review. We'll be on Voyager in October for this wonderful itinerary.

[Yuma Cruiser]

We are taking the Voyager TA from New Orleans on April 14, 2012. I have a few questions I would appreciate you answering, if you can:

 

What type of diet sodas do they serve? It is fountain or canned drinks?

 

What type of juices do you see in the buffet in the morning?

 

Is there a grill on the ship with hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, etc. or do you have to pay and go to Johnny Rockets?

 

Can you get ice cream for no charge somewhere?

 

Is there a good room service menu?

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer and I am looking forward to your review of the cruise.

[Hootp99]

Hi

What sort of lager do they sell? We have booked the same cruise for October and hubby is not keen on Carlsberg!

[Albert Ross]

 

Was the extra VAT charged - it should not have been as Croatia is a non-EU port and this negates the charge.

 

Were there lots of Spanish and Italian people on board - or was the mix about right?

 

VAT is charged on Spanish cruises not Italian Cruises.

I also would reakon on a high number of Italian guests, not Spanish guests

 

ps: Donny is the best....

[Albert Ross]

Hi

What sort of lager do they sell? We have booked the same cruise for October and hubby is not keen on Carlsberg!

Thought RCI usually serves Heinken

[Albert Ross]

I used www.airportconnection.it. For two, it is 47 Euro in a Mercedes E Class. I did a search on the website and it looks like they may have a shuttle or executive van for either 52 or 55 Euros total for three people. According to an email reply from them, their driver should meet us at the gangway when we disembark the ship. I decided to go this route because that early in the morning (6:00am), I am not confident that there will be taxis readily available to take us to the airport and I want to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare, since I've read it can be a madhouse. Hopefully, though, at THAT hour, it won't be.

 

€47!!! it is €5.00 on the bus.:rolleyes:

 

http://www.atvo.it/images_doc/linee/Marco_Polo-Venezia_(16.06_al_31.08.2011).pdf

[Jodeci527]

Hi! Thanks for sharing :) I'd like to know if persons left the ship on Friday instead of Saturday. I'm sailing in October I intend to do debark on the Friday morning, and I'm really hoping it's allowed.

[Hootp99]

VAT is charged on Spanish cruises not Italian Cruises.

I also would reakon on a high number of Italian guests, not Spanish guests

 

ps: Donny is the best....

 

Thanks very much. How much are the drinks?

[OA515]

Hi! Thanks for sharing :) I'd like to know if persons left the ship on Friday instead of Saturday. I'm sailing in October I intend to do debark on the Friday morning, and I'm really hoping it's allowed.

 

There was less people in the MDR on Friday night. But if this was because people chose to eat in Venice or if they had left the ship, I am not sure. We talked to someone who was supposed to leave the ship Friday, and I can´t see any reason why you should not be allowed to do so. Although I can´t remember seeing any specific information on this issue.

[OA515]

A couple more questions:-

 

Who was your Cruise Director - and how long are they on Voyager for? I sail at the end of July.

 

Mercedes was the cruise director, she has sailed on several RCI ships in the past, I know I have met her on Brilliance, at least. Not sure how long she will stay, but it seemed to me that most of the crew was supposed to stay on boar until the end of the Adratic sailings, some until October.

 

A couple more questions:-

Was the extra VAT charged - it should not have been as Croatia is a non-EU port and this negates the charge.

 

I have no idea, sorry!

 

A couple more questions:-

Did you have Mystery Dinner Theatre and The Quest?

 

No, I didn´t. I am not sure if they even offered it on this cruise. I never saw any promotion for it, but I might have missed it.

 

A couple more questions:-

Were there lots of Spanish and Italian people on board - or was the mix about right?

 

The passengers were from over 60 different nationalities (63 I think). Based on a wild guess I would say that the biggest groups were American, Spanish, Scandinavian, Italian, British, German, Eastern European, Asian (in that order). A very nice mix, without dominant groups. The public annoucements was made in English, Norwegian, Spanish, German and sometimes Italian (in that order).

 

A couple more questions:-

What sort of cabin did you stay in - and was the ship in good condition?

I stayed in a JR Suite (hurrah for upgrades!!). Both the cabin and the ship itself was in excellent condition. The cabin smelled like it was new, the furniture not worn, bed seemed new, flat screen TV, etc. Only missed two things: A fully glassed balcony and less wood in the cabin.

 

Some dated color schemes here and there in public areas, but hey, the ship is from 1999. What else could we expect? No signs of worn out carpets, furniture, etc. Crew was also doing a lot of exterior paint jobs underway and in the ports. From the pier, she seemd brand new.

 

A couple more questions:-

Sorry for the questions - I am curious.

Karen

 

No worries, a pleasure to help you guys!