Voyager of the Seas

[chilli252]

We're on the Voyager of the Seas next month and just wondering what you do about cash if you want to use the casino and when you visit ports. Do I get a small amount of USD currency before I go or AUD? Appreciate any advice!

[The_Big_M]

You need US cash for the casino.

 

You can withdraw from the ATM or onboard from your card, but there are fees for that. So you'll be better off getting in advance, but just pointing out the options as well.

 

They convert AUD cash onboard to US, but again there are exchange rates so you're still better off doing it earlier.

 

Regarding ports, they generally need whatever the local currency is, so you don't need US cash for them. It depends which ports as to what is likely necessary. Again you can also change onboard for local currency - if it's smaller amounts like for port visits the exchange rate won't be a big deal and could be worth it in convenience.

[GUT2407]

Where are you going?

 

Normally [i haven't been on RCL] they'll give you chips (or cash) at the casino and charge your account.

 

US$ or AUS$ in port will depend on itinerary.

[MicCanberra]

We're on the Voyager of the Seas next month and just wondering what you do about cash if you want to use the casino and when you visit ports. Do I get a small amount of USD currency before I go or AUD? Appreciate any advice!

 

Welcome to Cruise critic, :D

The ship operates in USD but as you have an on board account linked to a credit card, you can effectively cruise cashless and it will be added to your account.:D

[chilli252]

Thanks all for your advice.

Just a couple more questions - we're travelling in a group of 7 and we are on different decks, can we all board at once or do we need to stick to the per deck boarding times indicated?

And second question - the ship is due back in Sydney at 6am, do you have some tips on how long to allow before you are off & cleared though customs as we need to book our transport home & have no idea what time to depart??!!

Thanks again.

[aussiedisneyfan]

If it isn't busy they often allow you to board all together.

 

On the Rhapsody last week they started disembarking around 7am and did last call around 8.30ish. We were one of the last off and was on the street by 9am.

[The_Big_M]

They're usually okay with you boarding at once, but better to go when it's quieter, or when the bulk of your group are marked to board.

 

Booking flights from about 11 a.m. on is fairly safe. There can be delays so nothing is guaranteed, but you'd usually be able to get comfortably off from 7:30 (you can go earlier though), and that gives you time to not panic and with contingencies to get to the airport and check-in.

[Cruise ship fan]

You need US cash for the casino.

 

They accept other currencies as well. Just got off the Radiance and they were accepting Australia notes and it looked like quite a few others. The dealer has a currency conversion chart. Although this only works for tables. The pokies still only accept the US dollar. It doesn't look like they change the exchange rate as the rate was roughly 0.90 while the dollar was 0.77. Although I could be wrong on the rate part.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Cruise ship fan

[retyredgreynomad]

Chilli252 we use a credit card by 28Degrees Mastercard for RCI account (28Degrees no annual fee and no exchange rate fee) and a CitiBank debit card for cash withdrawal in foreign ports (no fee card and no ATM fees in foreign countries)...

 

RCI will ask you when you book in at the pier whether you want them to convert Au to US (about US$30 for a US$500 spend on board) or do you want your bank to do it...as l said before 28Degrees do not charge that $30...Some banks may l am not sure, l know NAB did on our 1st cruise...about $20

 

We also take about $100 au in small denominations for souvenirs etc in port and a few $20s for tipping room attendant and our waiter and drink server...sometimes we ask a lot of them and have never been disappointed with any of our out of the ordinary requests.

 

Hope this helps...

[The_Big_M]

RCI will ask you when you book in at the pier whether you want them to convert Au to US (about US$30 for a US$500 spend on board) or do you want your bank to do it...as l said before 28Degrees do not charge that $30...Some banks may l am not sure, l know NAB did on our 1st cruise...about $20

 

Their fee is 3%, so works out at $30 in $1000, or $15 in $500.

[retyredgreynomad]

On our 1st cruise we just put it on our usual NAB Visa and the charge was $20 au...so next cruise we used RCI and it was $30 US for about $500 spent onboard...l can only relate to what we were charged...that is why we got the 28Degrees Mastercard and now it is the same rate as XE exchange rate on the day of transaction, no fees what so ever. $20-30 bucks is better in my pocket than theirs.:D

 

We are on Voyager in a couple of weeks, l am tempted to try the 3% theory BUT we didn't get this cruise super cheap so am not keen to spend more than l have to.:rolleyes:

[Calvinfromoz]

We just got off Voyager on Thursday.

Exchange rate on board dropped as low as $0.716 at one stage,that meant $1 US was costing roughly $1.40 Australian.

A lady ahead of me at the customer service desk put $400 AU on her account which gave her around $287 US.

If I remember correctly they adjusted the exchange rate twice in the 14 days we were on board.

If you intend to play in the casino take US currency with you,it will cost you less in the long run.

As far as the boarding goes,things got a little heated on our boarding day as a large number of passengers (including us) were boarding prior to RCI's allocated time slot. Make sure you have a pen with you to fill out the Outgoing Passenger Card.Have something firm to write on as they do not provide benches to stand at to fill them out,you fill them out as you file through the boarding line.

[Lilfrog79]

I also just got off Thursday. Had an awesome time BTW (Review to come). Some advice. Get some money before you go from a Money Exchange you will get a better rate, and you will also save the 5% fee they charge for money you take from the casino cashier.

 

If you have a 28 Degrees Mastercard you can add this as the card that RCCL charges at the end of your cruise. And certainly opt to allow your credit card to do the exchange as opposed to the cruise line. You will get a better exchange rate. Most cards charge a fee (Except the 28 Degrees card so try and get one if you can).

 

Disembarking was a little late. We had a disembark time of 7:10 and they started us at 7:30 but getting off only took 15 minutes. So I would allow about 30 minutes all up to get off.

 

Hope that helps! :cool:

[cruisine21]

We just got off Voyager on Thursday.

Exchange rate on board dropped as low as $0.716 at one stage,that meant $1 US was costing roughly $1.40 Australian.

A lady ahead of me at the customer service desk put $400 AU on her account which gave her around $287 US.

If I remember correctly they adjusted the exchange rate twice in the 14 days we were on board.

If you intend to play in the casino take US currency with you,it will cost you less in the long run.

As far as the boarding goes,things got a little heated on our boarding day as a large number of passengers (including us) were boarding prior to RCI's allocated time slot. Make sure you have a pen with you to fill out the Outgoing Passenger Card.Have something firm to write on as they do not provide benches to stand at to fill them out,you fill them out as you file through the boarding line.

 

You would have thought they would have put benches in with the upgrade. They have them at the airport. I usually fill mine in at home.

[boeckli]

We just got off Voyager on Thursday.

Make sure you have a pen with you to fill out the Outgoing Passenger Card.Have something firm to write on as they do not provide benches to stand at to fill them out,you fill them out as you file through the boarding line.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the Outgoing Passenger Card. Have just filled mine in for Sunday's boarding :)

 

Any other tips/feedback from your Voyager trip?

[gbenjo]

Chilli252 we use a credit card by 28Degrees Mastercard for RCI account (28Degrees no annual fee and no exchange rate fee) and a CitiBank debit card for cash withdrawal in foreign ports (no fee card and no ATM fees in foreign countries)...

 

RCI will ask you when you book in at the pier whether you want them to convert Au to US (about US$30 for a US$500 spend on board) or do you want your bank to do it...as l said before 28Degrees do not charge that $30...Some banks may l am not sure, l know NAB did on our 1st cruise...about $20

 

We also take about $100 au in small denominations for souvenirs etc in port and a few $20s for tipping room attendant and our waiter and drink server...sometimes we ask a lot of them and have never been disappointed with any of our out of the ordinary requests

Hope this helps...

 

The ship will charge you a three percent fee to convert whatever you have spent on board ( ie $US100 spent on board fee will be $3 ) but this is only a conversion charge but has nothing to do with the currency conversion rate at the time of the conversion , if that makes sense. The other option is to have your account left in $US and have your credit card provider ( bank) do the conversion...they will/may still charge you for this conversion but the rate will vary depending on the card/ provider you are using.

[aussielozzie18]

I also just got off Thursday. Had an awesome time BTW (Review to come).

 

Hi Lilfrog,

Just read your CC review. Glad you had a great time on the Voyager and enjoyed Savala Island in Fiji too :)

[chilli252]

Thanks everyone for your tips & feedback. You have been really helpful :)

[gaechann]

I also just got off Thursday. Had an awesome time BTW (Review to come).

 

Hi Lilfrog,

Just read your CC review. Glad you had a great time on the Voyager and enjoyed Savala Island in Fiji too :)

 

Hello - I'm wondering if you could provide a link to this review by Lilfrog please. I recommended this ship to friends so would like to read what others thought of the cruise before I contact them.

 

Regards - Gae

[aussielozzie18]

Can someone else on this thread help Gae out with a link to Lilfrog's review - its the latest review on the official CC Voyager reviews. Thanks.

[Lilfrog79]

Here you go. I'll go one further and just post the whole thing here. If you have any questions let me know!!! :cool:

 

I've cruised 7 times all with RCCL, so I can't compare with other lines however I certainly can compare against the standards of the other ships I have sailed on (Rhapsody, Radiance, Voyager (Pre Refurb) and Allure of the Seas). One thing I will say right up, is that I do enjoy cruising, and appreciate a vacation, so I am not prone to worry or get upset by small problems that are just a part of being a traveler.

 

Set sail on 5th Feb to Pacific Islands and NZ. Having read some fairly negative and whiny reviews prior, I was a little worried, however I wanted to take most of what I read with a grain of salt, and quite certain most negative reviews were from the small minority of professional cruise complainers (They exist).

 

Boarding was a little slower than previously. Being a diamond cruiser I though having priority was going to assist greatly, however it seems RCCL have extended priority boarding to Platinum and above members, so this meant the line was quite long. It took just under an hour to get on board. Once on board, did what most do, and headed for the Windjammer. It was full. So instead of allowing people in to roam about, they asked ppl to wait 10 minutes outside until the early crowd left to their now ready rooms. I thought this worked well. Some in line started complaining (Been on board 5 minutes and it started).

 

Room ready Quite soon, and 3 of the 4 suitcases arrived quite early. One didn't arrive till about 8. Room was a simple inside cabin. Nothing different here. Maybe a new TV. Small fridge and a TV. All worked fine. Fridge was cool but I wouldn't be storing chicken in there if you get my drift. Enough to keep a few bottles of water cool. Met our room attendant, Laury. Was a GREAT guy. Always smiling, and our room was spotless for the 14 days. Had adjoining rooms which was handy and very quiet. Although it was mentioned that I could be heard sneezing through the walls at night? So I dunno! I had no issues personally.

 

Set sale at 7:00pm. Would have loved some set sail party or even a DJ with some cool music playing as we left.

 

For dinner we used My Time Dining. Now let me just say one thing. (TIP) If you opt for this type of dining I STRONGLY suggest pre-booking online prior to sailing. I took advice prior to sailing and booked every dinner online. The walk up line was quite long and I did see a few unhappy people on that side of the line, so it would pay to book ahead. I believe most nights the shows are 6:45 and 8:45 so I booked 7:45 each night which was perfect. Go to early show which was always very empty. Then straight to dinner. On two nights we encountered a long line, even for the pre-booked line. Again, some complaining. However on most nights it was walk up and go in. ---> Note, if there is going to be ONE area that would cause general grumpiness I would say it's lining up (I'll go into this in a minute).

 

The shows. Well they are hit and miss. To be honest however though I did enjoy more shows than I normally do. I think that's because most of them were guest performers, and I am NOT a big fan of the RCCL singers and dancers (Personally). It will just come down to taste however they did have a big variety of shows, and most were of very high quality. I only walked out of 1 show that I didn't like. Some were that good I went back to watch it again later.

 

Other activities throughout the day were standard RCCL stuff. I liked the movies by the pool and in the 3D cinema. Would have been good if they showed a few of the 2D movies inside as well, as bad weather meant it was too cold to see all the good movies outside. I'm happy to lay by the pool, but did some of the activities too. There's something for everyone, and if you can't be entertained by SOMETHING then cruising is not for you.

 

I won't go into much about our stops. We did New Caledonia (I don't like), Fiji (Did the Oolala Savala Island trip. AWESOME but pricey. Auckland, Taraunga (Did the Mauri Experience, Bath House one, which was GREAT) and Wellington. Disembarking in Aukland there was quite a line and again people whining (It's a past-time wherever there is a crowd and a few professional grumps). This came down to the Strict customs in Auckland, and not the fault of RCCL. It took about 20 minutes all up to get off the boat. (TIP) If you don't like lining up, then wait half an hour or so until everyone is off. Problem solved.

 

Food - Was fine. It's not five star cuisine, but I certainly enjoyed most meals. The service in the MDR was above good. Those waiters are just awesome. So friendly. Funny. And very rarely (If ever) did they make a mistake with an order. Knowing your likes and drinks and having it for you when you sit down. Pretty bloody good in my eyes. And you know what. Not cooking or cleaning for 14 nights is just amazing!

 

The windjammer was fine. There was a decent variety each day for lunch. It can be a bit crowded however if you really despise crowds here is an alternative. (TIP) The Main Dining room now has two options available. The lower level has a lovely big salad bar, and also a mini buffet, soup carving station and desert station. All self serve. I would say it's almost all the same food as the windjammer, just much less crowded. The level above has al a carte seating, so you can sit down and order off a menu. Again. Much less crowded. Really, I found the meal options quite good.

 

Did dine at Chops and Giovannis. Was especially delighted with Chops, we ate there twice. Food and service was 5 star. But it's not cheap at $35US (Personally I found it worth it). Giovannis I found was a little slow but still enjoyable.

 

Okay. Now to address the prior reviews stating that the ship felt crowded and there were long lines for everything. Asking one of the crew I was advised there were about 3500 on board. I think the ship holds about 3800. Personally I did not notice any overcrowding. I don't know if that was because we sailed out of school holidays. However I never noticed bars that were crowded or slow service. Yes at times there were a few people waiting for drinks however this was no more or less than other ships. Lying by the pool, I was able to order drinks from my pool lounge quite easily. The line for the flow-rider was not long. Maybe 5 people on it. And did rock climbing with no line at all. The only lines I saw were on the first day or two at the service desk, and I was advised this was due to so many people removing their gratuities from their accounts (I won't go into that ;) )...... Windjammer was a bit busy at times, but there are alternatives as I said, if you REALLY hate trying to find a table for 5 minutes.

 

The elevators were fine, apart from about dinner time, when they can be a bit slow. (TIP) Take the stairs if in a hurry at this time. I mean being on a cruise ship, I don't know why people would be in a hurry anyways. But that's just me.

 

Overall I had a great cruise holiday. The ship itself is very nice. The staff were all friendly. Cruise director staff all lots of fun. Did not really encounter any rude staff, although I'm sure there are a few of them. I guess if you treat staff with a bit of decency you might find they are all quite lovely people. I saw some abysmal displays of rudeness by people towards staff, which is not called for.

 

My one gripe would be having to listen to some people just whinge about rubbish. Honestly that's the one thing I whinge about. It's irks me, when you are just having a little conversation with someone and all they want to do is complain. However I have to say that on this cruise I would say of 3500 on board I did not see or hear too much negativity. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Not many kids, which is always a bonus. (TIP) if you don't like hoards of children, don't book in school holidays.

[MicCanberra]

Thanks for the review.:D

[DrewAU]

Sounds like a relaxing cruise Lilfrog79. I last went on Voyager pre-refurb and am sailing again on her later this year. Did you have any ports on your cruise that were by tender? If so, how well organised was the tender process?

[Lilfrog79]

Thanks for the review.:D

 

No worries. I ow a big thanks to Aussielozzie for their great advice prior to my cruise. It helped a lot, so if I can help someone in return, I know it's appreciated! :D

[Lilfrog79]

Sounds like a relaxing cruise Lilfrog79. I last went on Voyager pre-refurb and am sailing again on her later this year. Did you have any ports on your cruise that were by tender? If so, how well organised was the tender process?

 

Yes. Very relaxing. None of the ports we visited were by tender. I'm not sure if they (voyager) have done any Tendering yet, or whether they do visit any tender ports. I can tell you from experience on other smaller ships it's a fairly slow process and you really need some patience. The last time I tendered was on the Ratiance OTS and it took over an hour to get off. However you get tender tickets and can go sit somewhere ready to get off, and just chill until your number is called. It's about an organised as it can be I spose!