Just back from Voyager New Years Cruise - mini review

[bilyclub]

Platinum/Diamond Brunch

 

I've been to 3 of these. The first 2 it was more like a cocktail party with hor derves, which I favor since I drink booze. The last was a lunch serving a filet, but only wine. Did they serve drinks at yours???

[bd6862]

We too just came back from the NYE cruise on Voyager....I have to say compared to our last trip on her it was very disappointing. Weather although out of our control was bad, the waves killed me. I am still rocking after 2 days on land. Food was extremly disappointing (again comparing to past RCCI cruises) I don't know how they managed to mess up a baked potato but after 4 tries they did everytime. The Dining room staff was ok. We were located in Carmen close to a window. The food temperature was lukewarm to downright frigid. Lobster night, which was Friday was ok. One positve was the soups. All were wonderful and hot. The windjammer was hit or miss for us. We ate there a few times for breakfast and lunch and one time for dinner. Salads were tasty and fresh as well as fruits. Many of the hot items again were lukewarm. I found that the omlets and pasta stations were the best. I too agree with previous posters that Johnny Rockets was terrible, hamburgers in the windjammer were better. Had pizza everyday in the promenade and was great. Enough about food now on to service. Our cabin steward was less than standard. On the first day we tipped him generously in cash and asked for him to keep ice in our room. Rarely got ice. We had to track down our crown and anchor coupon book, rooms were barely cleaned. I had to stack our dishes outside the room as our steward never took them. The one thing that truly surprised me was we had to make several requests for our cruise compass. Then when we did the previous days were sent. We requested to have gratuities added to our seapass accounts then had to track down the vouchers. List goes on but overall a disappointment.

Service was very slow wherever we went - especially bar service.

 

On a postive side (and yes there were a few) Embarkation was a breeze. Showed up at 11:30 and was on the ship by 12:15. Debarkation read on..... it was not as easy. We loved the Schooner Bar - Ray was awesome. NYE was fun. they did a great job with the countdown, favors, free champgane, the bands etc. Sports bar had most of the games. Didn't have the Cowboy game on Sunday???? Those of us from Dallas were shocked. Spa was wonderful, welcome back reception was nice and the captain was enjoyable. He had a great sense of humor even when he could not help the waves and rocking. We LOVED the overnight in Cozumel. We had heard Progreso would be a dissappointment and enjoyed ourselves at Pepe's and Senior Frogs probably a little too much. We also enjoyed Roatan - I highly reccomend the zip line canopy. The ship does not offer it but there is a tour company bodden tours that is right at the pier that does a great job. If you go to the beach go early as all the seats were taken.

 

They do need to do something with the express check out. There were so many people and with way too much luggage. There were people in line at 6am for goodness sake and with 3 and 4 bags each. People backed up in the stairways. It took us over an hour to "express" check out.

 

Overall comparing this cruise to our last Voyager cruise out of Miami there was no comparison. Miami was much better. Hopefully they will get all the kinks worked out before the ship leaves in April and you all that are cruising in the future will have a better experience.

 

Will be happy to answer any questions one might have.

[leprechaun2]

I thought the Platinum/Diamond brunch was lovely. It was held at 11:30 on Sat. They pretty much served whatever people wanted to drink. They had a pretty decent champagne and heavy hors d'oeuvres which were excellent, not the nasty stuff served at the C&A cocktail party. Tons of shrimp, sushi, teriyaki, etc. Really nice. It was the nicest one we have attended.

[cruisinbb]

Disembarkation was running about 30 minutes behind the scheduled call of your tags. lines were very long once you disembarked the vessel to go to your bags. took 1 hour for white tags once we were called and got thru security with porter.

 

we still had a good cruise, i was just wanting to point out a few poor things that happened so others could be prepared for their cruise.

 

they made a announcement to go get ice tickets, i think it was the 1st sea day and we went to a show on wed at 5 pm. i did not get my tickets thru concerige.

 

i am diamond plus and Martin in concerige was wonderful. they did have two cocktail hours set up. one in concerige lounge on deck 9 and one on deck 14 in cloud nine room. both had great snacks/hour doviours(sp).

and bar service, top stuff - wine, bacardi, jack daniels, scotch, etc.

and sodas, beer.

i did not go to the diamond lunch on saturday cause i thought it was sit down cocktail party and was not wanting to sit in a dining room and eat when i could be out by the pool drinkin, plus it was taking a long time just to sit everyone(so i just left). i wasn't going to miss a beautiful sea day by eating lunch for 2 hours.

 

so, i hope everyone does not think i hated this cruise, WE STILL HAD FUN,

it is just a few things were not right and i wanted to post those issues.

 

bubba barry

[wolfganghowell]

Good info - I think all the negatives you mentioned are perfectly valid - along with the positives. It's funny how they change the platinum/diamond event - one time it was a heavy hores de overs:) in the afternoon. Last time it was between dinner seatings so no one was really hungry - seemed kind of a waste. Brunch sounds pretty good but I'm with you - I don't want to be trapped. We did the cocktail seminar once but spending over 2 hours inside on a sea day is not my selection of choice!

 

Interested to hear what the big announcement is this weekend.

 

Does Island Grill have outside seating at the back of the ship - we like being able to sit out on Celebrity ships but did not have that option on Rhapsody.

[EastTexans2]

After reading all of this info, I'm started to get worried. We cruise this weekend and are taking 7 first timers with us. I want them to have a wonderful experience and after reading the reviews I'm not sure. I hope they get their act together before this weekend!

[cruizinmimi]

Does Island Grill have outside seating at the back of the ship - we like being able to sit out on Celebrity ships but did not have that option on Rhapsody.

 

No the Voyager does not have outside seating at the Island Grill. The Island Grill is just at the very back of the WJ. The only outside seating is at Johnny Rockets.

[cruizinmimi]

After reading all of this info, I'm started to get worried. We cruise this weekend and are taking 7 first timers with us. I want them to have a wonderful experience and after reading the reviews I'm not sure. I hope they get their act together before this weekend!

 

Do not worry about the small things you're reading about the Voyager. You guys will have a blast. I'm sure alot of these little issues were just that the pier had to get used to another ship being docked. Rcl has done this at Galveston before....there is no doubt in my mind that they will have the small problems ironed out.

 

7 first timers....Wow...that is going to be fun. It's always great to see a cruise through a firsttimers eyes:)

[Natasha708]

After reading all of this info, I'm started to get worried. We cruise this weekend and are taking 7 first timers with us. I want them to have a wonderful experience and after reading the reviews I'm not sure. I hope they get their act together before this weekend!

 

The Mucky Mucks are in Galveston from RC this weekend. There is a big breakfast and then a ship inspection. This should bring things up a notch. Have fun..7 newbies wow..that should be a blast.

[bilyclub]

CMIMI, you're doing the Mariner with Fred ??? Hows Arthur? I can't believe I'm doing the Galveston thing, but it was dirt cheap. I found out later about the little things that make Galveston so special for the out of staters. Everybody all but abandoned the Freedom 06 thread. , except me and Tug.

[houstoncruisers2001]

I concur, Linda.

 

I also feel that the more you cruise, the more critical you become. I guess it's only natural.

 

About Embarkation & Disembarkation in Galveston. I've been there since the beginning, as both a cruise passenger and as a part-time limo driver and it really hasn't gotten any better. Some weeks are better than others though. Hopefully on Jan 20th, when I go, it will be one of their better weeks.

[wolfganghowell]

East - I second what Linda said. All the negatives, while valid, are pretty small in the grand scheme of things. To combat them arrive at port early and be prepared to be patient. Don't tell them they will be eating the best food of their lives :D. And for disembarkation, just relax and try not to feel like you have to rush to get home. Hopefully you are driving and not having to mess with flying.

 

And Linda - thanks. I was hoping for outdoor eating but oh well. At least the solarium isn't like Rhapsody where everyone traipses through it to get to the pizza and burgers. It seems like it is truly a soothing place!

[EastTexans2]

The first time we ever cruised was on Rhapsody and I don't even remember what went wrong but we arrived in Galveston around 11:30 and Rhapsody had not arrived yet! As I remember she came in around 1:30 and I think we got on around 3:30. Everyone from CC kept telling us that "this is not the norm". It still made addicts out of us! lol.

[Rockiesfan]

Would any of you NYE travelers be willing to scan your compasses and post them to http://www.cruisedailies.com? A lot of us are compulsive planners and it's great to have the compasses to refer to! If it's more than you want to tackle, could you just do the activities pages for the sea days?

 

Also did any of you have children in the 15-17 year old age group that used the teen program ("guests")? My oldest will be in that age range for the first time and is wondering what activities will be offered. Last year on Freedom he was 14, and there were some things that he really enjoyed (teen dodgeball, soccer tournament, etc) and quite a few that he skipped (Prom Night??!!)

[BusyBlond]

Newaggieparents thanks for your review. I was beginning to get a bit concerned about all the negative reviews. We are leaving in 4 days, and I plan on having a blast. It would take alot to ruin my trip.

[BusyBlond]

Newaggieparents thanks for your review. I was beginning to get a bit concerned about all the negative reviews. We are leaving in 4 days, and I plan on having a blast. It would take alot to ruin my trip.

[jbsteven]

I guess it is luck of the draw. We have been on 15 or so cruises. We think this was the best one so far. We did not have any issues for the whole week. On every cruise before there would be a few small things but this one was great all around.

 

Waitstaff was great including the head waiter who came over every night and cut up the kids food. Waitstaff even entertained us almost nightly with different things. Room stewart was great and tended to the few things we asked for. Roses and son's b-day decorations were in room when we arrived at 12:30 (we have had many issues with this kind of thing on previous cruises). Food was slightly bland but nothing a little salt and pepper fixed. Johnny Rockets was fine, no issues.

 

Hot tubs could have been a little warmer but no big deal.

 

Kids club was great, kids had a great time.

 

I enjoyed 6 massages and can say they were the best on ships so far.

 

One good thing in the casino was I won $34,500 playing blackjack. I also watched someone drop over $200k for the week....ouch. Waitstaff in the casino was great. On the last night I tipped a waitress I was using during the week a $100 bill and she almost broke out in tears. This truly touched me and when I came back down a little while later to cash in more chips I tipped her another $100. The joy it brought her was memorable.

 

The ice show was the best show I have ever seen on a ship. It is a MUST see.

 

We will be cruising again on Mar 16th in a Royal Family Suite, should be nice.

[crazy 4 cruising]

I thought the Platinum/Diamond brunch was lovely. It was held at 11:30 on Sat. They pretty much served whatever people wanted to drink. They had a pretty decent champagne and heavy hors d'oeuvres which were excellent, not the nasty stuff served at the C&A cocktail party. Tons of shrimp, sushi, teriyaki, etc. Really nice. It was the nicest one we have attended.

 

wow a brunch. there wre too many of us on the /TA to do that, we had a reg reception. I wonder what Vision will do in Feb. no CL. snif sniff--that was sure nice on the TA--held down our sea pass account for sure.

 

The Mucky Mucks are in Galveston from RC this weekend. There is a big breakfast and then a ship inspection. This should bring things up a notch. Have fun..7 newbies wow..that should be a blast.

 

yeah, but maybe slow things down too!!!!

[tkportersat]

Wow, if I won $34,500 it would be my best cruise ever too :) hehe.

Looks like we are cruising together on March 16th.....have you come to our roll call? I will have to come find you and touch you for luck!! Glad to hear the good review.

 

I guess it is luck of the draw. We have been on 15 or so cruises. We think this was the best one so far. We did not have any issues for the whole week. On every cruise before there would be a few small things but this one was great all around.

 

Waitstaff was great including the head waiter who came over every night and cut up the kids food. Waitstaff even entertained us almost nightly with different things. Room stewart was great and tended to the few things we asked for. Roses and son's b-day decorations were in room when we arrived at 12:30 (we have had many issues with this kind of thing on previous cruises). Food was slightly bland but nothing a little salt and pepper fixed. Johnny Rockets was fine, no issues.

 

Hot tubs could have been a little warmer but no big deal.

 

Kids club was great, kids had a great time.

 

I enjoyed 6 massages and can say they were the best on ships so far.

 

One good thing in the casino was I won $34,500 playing blackjack. I also watched someone drop over $200k for the week....ouch. Waitstaff in the casino was great. On the last night I tipped a waitress I was using during the week a $100 bill and she almost broke out in tears. This truly touched me and when I came back down a little while later to cash in more chips I tipped her another $100. The joy it brought her was memorable.

 

The ice show was the best show I have ever seen on a ship. It is a MUST see.

 

We will be cruising again on Mar 16th in a Royal Family Suite, should be nice.

[bd6862]

jbsteven - We also had some luck in the casino....played with the guy who lost over 200K - never knew exactly how much but we knew it was alot. We broke even on blackjack and surprisingly won on $5 slot machines. I NEVER play slots but a lady in our group kept hitting the Double Diamond slot over and over. So on the last night we tried and won!! Congrats on your blackjack win.

[wolfganghowell]

jb - thanks for the casino news. I confess we are in there every night. I hope you are in their Players Club - sounds like you should be. I too have tipped a few dealers and waiters at the end of the week and the sincere gratitude is such a bonus. One time I gave a dealer who I had lost to all week long a $20 tip and told him that I had never had more fun with someone taking my money. :) Then of course I tortured him and told him how much more that $20 would have been if he had only let me win a few times. :D We got a kick out of that! Also planning on booking a massage - did you have the concierge do it or did you go to the spa and do it yourself?

[tray]

I guess it is luck of the draw. We have been on 15 or so cruises. We think this was the best one so far. We did not have any issues for the whole week. On every cruise before there would be a few small things but this one was great all around.

 

Waitstaff was great including the head waiter who came over every night and cut up the kids food. Waitstaff even entertained us almost nightly with different things. Room stewart was great and tended to the few things we asked for. Roses and son's b-day decorations were in room when we arrived at 12:30 (we have had many issues with this kind of thing on previous cruises). Food was slightly bland but nothing a little salt and pepper fixed. Johnny Rockets was fine, no issues.

 

Hot tubs could have been a little warmer but no big deal.

 

 

 

Kids club was great, kids had a great time.

 

I enjoyed 6 massages and can say they were the best on ships so far.

 

One good thing in the casino was I won $34,500 playing blackjack. I also watched someone drop over $200k for the week....ouch. Waitstaff in the casino was great. On the last night I tipped a waitress I was using during the week a $100 bill and she almost broke out in tears. This truly touched me and when I came back down a little while later to cash in more chips I tipped her another $100. The joy it brought her was memorable.

 

The ice show was the best show I have ever seen on a ship. It is a MUST see.

 

We will be cruising again on Mar 16th in a Royal Family Suite, should be nice.

 

Hi jbsteven! We're looking for some more cruise critic friends to join us on our roll call and also to join our Meet and Mingle. We have 27 people so far, and we'd love to have your family join us! Thanks for the great review....it makes the anticipation even greater! Wow....$34,500.....CONGRATS! That is incredible! And how nice of you to think of your waitress and be as generous as you were. You sound like a very easy going, happy cruiser! Have you ever stayed in a Royal Family Suite? They sound heavenly....and we would love to stay in one sometime!

 

Take Care,

Tracey

[cruise-bunny]

jb - thanks for the casino news. I confess we are in there every night. I hope you are in their Players Club - sounds like you should be. I too have tipped a few dealers and waiters at the end of the week and the sincere gratitude is such a bonus. One time I gave a dealer who I had lost to all week long a $20 tip and told him that I had never had more fun with someone taking my money. :) Then of course I tortured him and told him how much more that $20 would have been if he had only let me win a few times. :D We got a kick out of that! Also planning on booking a massage - did you have the concierge do it or did you go to the spa and do it yourself?

 

Mrs Wolf

You posted on Roatans board that you did South shore canopy and then Mayan Princess. This is exactly what we had planned. But you mentioned doing a public beach instead. Do you have any suggestions about one? We will probably want to eat, bathrooms are nice, chairs are nice and good shore snorkeling is a must. We could probably leave our few valuables with our driver. Did you notice the Mayan pool? Was that available to you? Some in our group might like a pool- but good shore snorkeling is the most important.

Thanks for any advice.

Sandy

[wolfganghowell]

Sandy - no the pool was not available to us - it was posted as available to hotel guests only. But no one used it. If you decide to do it, ask at the desk if you can use it. They might let you - it was quite pretty. If you want to save the $$$ tell your driver you want to get the beach in that area - he can drop you off. Don't get me wrong, Mayan Princess was beautiful and we ate lunch there too and it was fine. But there is plenty of beach that you don't have to pay for. The shore snorkeling was down the beach to the left for quite a bit. It's worth it to have someone take you out to the reef - it was stunning. South Shore Canopy was a blast.

[cruise-bunny]

Sandy - no the pool was not available to us - it was posted as available to hotel guests only. But no one used it. If you decide to do it, ask at the desk if you can use it. They might let you - it was quite pretty. If you want to save the $$$ tell your driver you want to get the beach in that area - he can drop you off. Don't get me wrong, Mayan Princess was beautiful and we ate lunch there too and it was fine. But there is plenty of beach that you don't have to pay for. The shore snorkeling was down the beach to the left for quite a bit. It's worth it to have someone take you out to the reef - it was stunning. South Shore Canopy was a blast.

 

Mrs Wolf

Thanks so much for the info. I can not wait!

Sandy