Lengthy Review - Voyager of the Seas from Singapore.

[trintrav]

We are frequent cruisers (somewhere around 50 cruises to date), and Platinum member with Royal Caribbean.  We booked this 5-day Chinese New Year cruise about six months ago, and traveled with good friends of ours.  We did a 3 night stay in Singapore Pre-Cruise and a 1 night stay in Singapore Post-Cruise before catching our flights home.  We traveled on United Airlines non-stop To/From San Francisco.

 

 

PRE-CRUISE   

 

We booked three nights in advance at the Royal Plaza on Scotts right off Orchard Rd.  We got a great price booking direct from their website. The location was perfect, steps from the MRT station and plenty of low cost food court dining options as well as nice restaurants.  The room was upgraded to a deluxe room on the 12^thfloor.  The room / hotel was very clean and well equipped.   Loved the free mini-bar (non alcohol options only). We didn’t book the hotel breakfast. Extremely overpriced and there are so many inexpensive breakfast options including a Starbucks just steps from the hotel.  The hotel staff was very friendly.

 

SINGAPORE

 

The ride from Changi Airport to the hotel was via a taxi.  The taxis are very clean and efficient.   We got some Singapore Dollars from an ATM in Baggage Claim, so we were ready.   The Taxis take credit card, but charge a convenience fee.  Best to pay cash.  Also, tipping the driver is not expected.  Ok to round up and tell him/her to keep the change.  It is about a 25 minute ride from the Airport to downtown (Orchard Road)

 

We were fortunate as we arrived in Singapore at about 8am and got to the hotel about 930.  The hotel had rooms ready for us which was fantastic.  We relaxed a bit around the hotel eather lunch at one of the local hawker centers nearby.

 

We booked a few tours with a company called With Locals  (www.withlocals.com) .  We’ve used them in the past and they are fantastic most of the time.  The first night we booked a Magical Singapore by Night tour.  It was supposed to be a two hour tour, but ended up about 3.5 hours.  So many sights to see around Chinatown especially for the Chinese New Year celebrations.  We ended the tour at the lagoon by Marina Bay Sands for the Spectra Light Show.  It was a wonderful evening, and our Guide Jack was fantastic.

 

The following day, we did another tour pre booked with Monica at With Locals.  This one was the Secrets of Singapore which included some off the beaten track signts including Singapore’s last remaining original village. Aa well as some “regular “ non-tourist neighborhoods and temples.  Monica was the best With Locals guide we’ve ever had and we were glad to have booked her the following day for a Private Gardens by the Bay tour.

 

It is very easy to get around Singapore using the busses or MRT.  They both are safe and incredibly clean.  Since there were four of us, we often took a taxi or a Grab (Asia’s version of Uber).   Gardens by the Bay was wonderful.  Be sure to buy your tickets at least a day in advance for the Domes on Klook. (www.klook.com).  So mich cheaper than buying direct from the venue.   Same thing goes for the Sky Park at Marina Bay Sands.  You’ll save about 10.00 pp buying this way.

 

For the actual Chinese New Year, we booked a With Locals Tour with HJ that started about 9pm and went until after midnight.  We were fortunate to enjoy ringing in the new year at a large Chinese Temple in Chinatown. Complete with the lion dancing and fireworks.

 

VOYAGER OF THE SEAS

 

We took taxis from the hotel to the Ship at about 11am.  Embarkation was a bit chaotic.   We had purchased a few bottles of wine to bring on board  (one too many for our group).  They were going to make me check the extra bottle to retrieve after teh cruise. I offered the bottle for free to another gentleman passing by and he leaned over and asked my stateroom number. A couple days into the cruise, he brought the bottle by our stateroom. That was incredibly nice of him. Totally unexpected.

 

We had a balcony stateroom on Deck 12.  I was very impressed with the size and condition of the cabin.  Large and plenty of room.  Nicely equipped, although I wish there was an outlet by the bedside. The shower and bathroom was incredibly small and the water pressure not the best.  The linens were comfy, but the mattress a bit worn and too firm for my liking. Our cabin steward was excellent. In fact ALL of the staff we encountered were very friendly and accommodating.  No exceptions.

 

Ship’s condition – The exterior of the ship was bad..really bad and in need of a paint job.  The Interior in some places showed her age and wear, but overall, the common places were fine.  The ship was clean, but there was no hiding the rust and peeling paint all over the exterior.  The Spa facilities (sauna and steam room) are in need of refurbishment.  The paint has all peeled from the roof of the steam room and the mildew smell is overwhelming.  The sauna was not as bad.

 

Demographics- As this was a CNY cruise, 95+ percent was Chinese or Malaysian.    Very few Caucasians, and those who were Caucasian were mostly Aussies.   At the risk of being flamed, the behavior of many of the Chinese guests was reprehensible. Pushy and rude. So much so, we didn’t even go to the Windjammer buffet but once.  There is no respect of order or queuing.  My gosh, you’d think it was their last meal and they were running out of food.  You would literally be elbowed and pushed out of the way.  We could see the crew was getting annoyed on many occasions.  Listen, I have nothing at all against Asians...I am married to one, but seriously?  This display of humanity was embarrassing.   I kept telling myself it was a cultural thing and not meant to be rude but wow...just wow.  We have traveled all over Asia and I have not noticed that in places like Vietnam and Thailand.  On the ship, most announcements and entertainment was in Mandarin.  That was not a problem for us.               

 

Food – I’ve read many complaints about the food on board.  Having many cruises to compare it to, the food in the MDR was fine. Most good. Only one meal was mediocre.    We ate in Chops one night and the food was excellent and service impeccable.   Our wait staff in the MDR were Indonesian and it was amazing to see how the Chinese guests treated them like peasants.   They worked hard to please everyone, but there was no pleasing some of the guests.   The Pizza place was always fresh and ready with pizza, treats or sandwiches and the choices changed daily.

 

Entertainment – The headliners were pretty bad as compared to RCI’s entertainment on Caribbean ships. The Illusionist was just terrible. The juggler was better, but impossible to understand what he was saying.  We didn’t attend any other shows.  The piano bar was fun and it was great that the pianist (a Canadian) spoke enough Mandarin to wow the mandarin guests.  He even knew a couple of songs in Mandarin, which was really impressive.

 

PENANG – In Penang, we pre-booked a private taxi and the driver was waiting for us at the pier. He was great!  Morgan Uppayan.  We did have some rain and had to bypass the Botanical Gardens, but did get to see a few temples like the Reclining Budda.   Morgan also recommended a great (clean) Spa that we stopped at.  All in our group got 1 hour massages and everyone loved it!   Very inexpensive as well.  About 15 USD for an hour.  We also visited the Chew Jetty and murals.

 

LANGKAWI  - We also prebooked a taxi with Mr. Taxi and our driver was Meget.  We spent 8 hours with Meget at the cost of about 50 USD.   We first went to the Cable Car and it was closed due to high winds. So, he took us to the Mangrove Tour which included many stops by boat.  The cost for that was 450 Ringit for 3 hours to charter the whole boat. Well worth it as you get to seem some incredible sights.  After that we returned to the cable car and purchased the Express tickets for the glass bottom car for 105 Ringit pp.  Well worth it!  Skipped the huge queue.   This is a must see while in Langkawi.     After that, we stopped for a bin on the side of the road to feed a few of the THOUSANDS of wild monkeys all over the place.  It was great fun as well.

 

PHUKET – We were told to queue up at 730 am to get tender tickets and got number 10. We were on the Tender about 830 am and they didn’t even look at or check the tickets.  Again we hired a private driver, Lek Landen for 2500 Bhat for 7 hours.  Money well spent.  Let first took us to an Elephant Trekking outfit.  We opted for the 30 min ride and we really enjoyed it.  Our guide was very engaging and there were plenty of opportunites to engage with the elephants as well as hand feeding them.  After that we visited Tiger Kingdom.   I was a bit skeptical as it was expensive by Thai standards.  About 30 USD pp.  Wow, I am glad we did this as it was one of the trip highlights.  We opted for the Big Cat experience (they have Medium and small Cat options as well as multiple options)  We spent about 15-20 mins with about three different huge tigers and the staff was very engaging.  They took out cameras and took hundreds of photos as they helped engage the tigers to pose by feeding them bits of chicken.    There were at least three or four handlers and at no time did we feel unsafe.  The tigers, all bred in captivity, appeared happy and healthy, and the place was very clean.  I consider this a must see when in Phuket.   After this, we stopped at a jewelry outlet recommended by our guide. It was my wife’s 50^thbirthday on this day, so of course, I let her pick a ring she wanted.  It had to be sized, so we left and returned a few hours later as it was perfectly sized.    After lunch at a local Thai restaurant, we stopped at a souvenir shop before heading back to Patong Beach to board our tender.  I would have loved to spend a couple of days in Phuket.  The people were so friendly and gracious. You got the feeling they really appreciated you being there.   It was amazing to see that there was no evidence of the devastation caused by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that destroyed everything in Patong Bay.

 

We enjoyed a full day at sea prior to disembarking in Singapore.  It was nice to have a day to unwind after a hectic schedule.   Disembarkation was utter chaos. Probably the longest it has ever taken us on any cruise.  The ship didn’t dock until about 8am and we were asked to vacate the staterooms by 830. We were in Group 2 and we still didn’t get off the ship and through immigration until about 930 am.  We were considering booking a 10am flight from Singapore that morning.  So glad our travel agent convinced us otherwise.   We would have NEVER made it.  Instead, we booked an inexpensive room at the Changi Village Hotel near the airport.  This was a nice break as the area is very local.  Plenty of inexpensive local eateries aroung.  Getting a taxi from the port was a breeze.  Plenty available with little to no queue.   The hotel was 3 star at best.  The common areas were very nice, but the rooms are in need of refurbishment.  And not as clean as we would have liked.  Nonetheless, they had a free shuttle to the airport the following morning, so all was good.

 

All in all, a great vacation that we really enjoyed.  

[maryann2]

How did you survive the long flight to Singapore?  Any hints please.

[taxatty]

Your comments regarding the undeniably bad manners of certain guests are echoed in a number of Voyager reviews and other RCI ships with itineraries in that area. Some apologists consider it to be a "cultural difference" that all other cruisers should  simply willingly acknowledge and accept, and react as you did by simply ceding parts of the ship to them. Frankly, I disagree, whether politically correct or not. I'm hoping the related issues on our upcoming Voyager cruise won't be as severe.

[trintrav]

On 2/22/2019 at 11:33 AM, maryann2 said:

How did you survive the long flight to Singapore?  Any hints please.

 

Ambien!    The flight going was 3.5 hours longer then coming home, but the flight back seemed longer!

[trintrav]

On 2/22/2019 at 11:41 AM, taxatty said:

Your comments regarding the undeniably bad manners of certain guests are echoed in a number of Voyager reviews and other RCI ships with itineraries in that area. Some apologists consider it to be a "cultural difference" that all other cruisers should  simply willingly acknowledge and accept, and react as you did by simply ceding parts of the ship to them. Frankly, I disagree, whether politically correct or not. I'm hoping the related issues on our upcoming Voyager cruise won't be as severe.

It was really something to behold....it became comical towards the end of the week.    It was so bad when we actually ran across younger Chinese people who displayed manners, we thanked them!  They politely nodded knowing very well what we were experiencing. 

[ROCruiser]

I am Asian (Chinese) and I am a little worried about our upcoming cruise on the Voyager in July. We are expecting mostly local passengers and are preparing ourselves for a very different experience from our previous 33 cruises. Will try to enjoy the cruise no matter what.

[reedy8]

Yes, the behaviour of mostly mainland Chinese when cruising is an issue.  I used to host O/seas students studying in Perth WA for a number of years. One of my 'daughters' from HK wanted at first to work at Disneyland HK but once travelling to HK became so open to mainland she said she couldn't do it as they were so rude to her.  I noticed it myself on a river cruise in China, especially around dining experiences.  It was like 'we will take 3 plates of food even though we cant eat it as it makes us look prosperous'.  Its hard to accept the cultural excuse all the time.

On landbased tours the travel agent gives 'western culture when travelling talks' but not on cruises. I would be fibbing if I said it didn't put me off booking.  

My son is what used to be called Eurasian (ex husband Chinese/ Malay/Brittish from Singapore) and my gorgeous daughter in law is from Nothern China.  

Having to wait around for generational changes is a bit much to ask. 

Apart from that, it was a good reviews, some ships are looking a bit chatty aren't they,  I found Radiance needed a bit of work, our bathroom sink light was held together with masking tape and the couch filthy, but the lovely crew made up for it.

Edited March 4, 2019 by reedy8
extra info

[Jane T]

On ‎3‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 6:08 PM, ROCruiser said:

I am Asian (Chinese) and I am a little worried about our upcoming cruise on the Voyager in July. We are expecting mostly local passengers and are preparing ourselves for a very different experience from our previous 33 cruises. Will try to enjoy the cruise no matter what.

We just booked a July cruise out of Hong Kong and am bracing myself for the pushing and rudeness we experienced while touring China mainland. Hoping there is a good mix of nationalities, many with kinder, gentler personalities.