Leland and Yvonne Garner

Age: 52 and 50
Occupation: Letter Carrier
Number of Cruises: 15
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Voyager of the Seas
Sailing Date: September 8th, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

The Voyager of the Seas is a wonderful ship. This cruise was number fifteen for my wife and I and we certainly are thankful we discovered such a wonderful way to take a vacation. Thanks for allowing us to share our experience with you.

Embarkation
If you by chance live in Florida the best way to get to the port is by bus. For just $45 dollars per person Royal Caribbean can arrange for a bus to pick you up near your home. This relieves you of the hassle of driving to Miami and it saves you the $10 dollar per day charge for storage of your car. I suppose most of you, however, will be flying into Miami for the cruise. That’s something we have never done but none of the passengers we talked to had any problems with the transfer.

After you receive your booking number from your travel agent you can go to the Royal Caribbean website and fill out some of your documentation in advance. This isn’t necessary but it will make things a little smoother when you arrive at the port. If you want to you can also order your excursions in advance right there on the website. Try to get to the port before noon if possible. The sooner you start your vacation the better!

The Ship
The Voyager of the Seas is a really big ship but regardless of what you’ve read I’m here to say that when it comes to cruise ships bigger is better. The person or persons who designed this ship is certainly deserving of many awards.

If you or anyone you know is hesitant about taking a cruise because they’re concerned about getting seasick, stop right now and call your travel agent and book this cruise! In all of our fifteen cruises over the past ten years we have never, I repeat, never been on a ship so smooth!

Over the years a regular complaint of mine has been trying to find my way around the ship. One of the most frustrating things is to be wandering around like a lost puppy. Sometimes you give up on where ever it was you wanted to go and just head back to your room – even if you can find it! I promise you this will never happen on the Voyager of the Seas! Royal Caribbean has made this ship so easy for you to find your way. All you need to remember is Deck 5 because on the inside of the ship from almost one end to the other they have literally built a city street! There are eight elevators at each end of the street. Just beyond the elevators at one end are all the dining rooms and just beyond the elevators at the other end are the showrooms. All along the “street” are the shops, lounges, pubs and entrances to the casino and disco. There’s even a 24-hour deli complete with tables along the street giving it the semblance of a romantic outdoor café. When you look up there are windows from many of the inside cabins that not only gives them a great view from their room but also helps to make it seem like you’re walking along a street in some small European town.

This is the ship that you’ve probably seen on the television commercials with the rock climbing wall and the roller blade track. Well those things are great and a lot of people love them but to be honest with you the thing that appealed to me most was Johnny Rockets. Johnny Rockets is an exact replica of a 1950’s era American diner. At every booth there’s a little jukebox with nothing but golden oldie rock’n roll songs. The only food they serve is – get this: Big wonderful mouth watering cheeseburgers, French fries, and onion rings with tall chocolate malts and shakes! Top it off with apple pie alamode and I guarantee you’ll throw your suspenders in the garbage because your pants won’t be loose after that! About half way through our meal the cooks, waiters and waitresses all lined up and started dancing to the famous YMCA song! What a great time! Talk about making great memories and spending quality family time – my friend this is it!

Another great place on the ship to eat is a very nice Italian restaurant called The Portofino. It does require reservations and it does cost twenty bucks a person but I felt it was money well spent. The problem is (if you want to call it a problem), the food in the regular dining room is so good you naturally ask why should I pay extra and opt for The Portofino one evening? The answer is because it’s very quiet and romantic and well … special. My wife enjoyed her meal but felt there should have been a greater selection. I didn’t mind because when I read fillet mignon I stopped looking. My steak, by the way, was one of the best steaks I’ve ever had.

Since I’ve lived in Florida all my life I’ve never been ice-skating but on the Voyager of the Seas this is yet another fun thing you’ll have the opportunity to do. For fear of broken bones I passed up this opportunity but a lot of people loved it. There are a lot of shows on this ship but one you should not miss is the ice-skating show. It is beautiful and breath taking.

Another thing you shouldn’t miss out on is your rest. If you try to do everything you’re going to run yourself ragged. Remember if you want to rest and relax or read a good book then that is exactly what you should do. Remember this is not a marathon – this is your vacation.

Speaking of a marathon, if jogging refreshes you there is a jogging track that goes all the way around the ship! There’s also a full basketball court and while you’re working up a sweat they also have a full gym with all kinds of exercise equipment. I remember walking by the gym and seeing all those people working out … I thought to myself, “Don’t these people know they’re on vacation?”  I’ve always had the philosophy that: “You should never run unless someone is chasing you” - and - “You should never lift a weight unless you want to move it somewhere!” I will admit however that after gaining quite a few pounds on the cruise I’m thinking about changing my philosophy.

After all that talk about exercising lets get back to the subject of relaxing with a good book. There is an excellent library on board for you to check out a good book to read. The library actually takes up two levels with the upper level serving as an internet access room with lots of computers for you to use. It does cost 50 cents a minute that adds up very quickly if you like sending emails to all your friends and family. Your best bet if you have a laptop computer is to pay a flat $100 dollar fee and you can access the Internet from your room. If you have a regular email account at home you should open a free one at Yahoo before you leave and after following the instructions on the web site you can read your local email while you’re at sea!

The Crown and Anchor Club is an organization that encourages and rewards customers that return to Royal Caribbean for more cruises. If you haven’t already joined be sure to go to their website and join. There are a lot of extras available for members. You can even receive discounts in the shops on board. I did notice however that they only give you the discount if you ask for it.

If you plan on shopping for anything other than souvenirs whether on board or at the ports be sure to educate yourself first. Before you leave check on the local prices first or you may think something is a good deal when it really isn’t. I got a good laugh when one of the shops on board placed a lot of their items on a table outside their entrance as if they were on sale. All of the items had the original prices but because they were on a table outside the shop people went crazy over them and started snatching them up as fast as they could!

The ONLY thing we didn’t like about the Voyager of the Seas is as follows:

I have never considered myself an art lover and I think I’ve found out why. This ship has two swimming pool areas. The main pool area is large and open and is where a lot of the activities take place. Just past the main pool in a partially enclosed area is the adult pool called The Solarium. Although the pool and whirlpools are for adults the area is not restricted but rather everyone including small children are always walking through to get to the elevators and other parts of the ship. The next deck up that overlooks this area is in fact the same deck where all the children’s programs take place.

Now I’ve explained all of that to say this: In an effort to portray fine art in this area the designers have placed eight to ten larger than life stone sculptures of men towering above the swimming pool. Problem is - they’re naked as a jaybird!! To make matters worse, the artists apparently went out of their way to show in great detail the groin areas of the men – if you know what I mean. Okay, I know it’s supposed to be fine art and I didn’t mind so much all the ladies looking up and grinning from ear to ear but when little six and seven year old girls start pointing up and shouting, “Grandpa! What’s that?”.… Well, that’s when I think they’ve gone beyond the expression of fine art and crossed the line into the world of uncouth.

The Ports of Call
Labadee
Labadee is a private beach on the north coast of Haiti that is used exclusively by Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship passengers. Every time we visit we find they’ve made more improvements. You can join in a game of beach volleyball or just relax under a tree and soak up the cool refreshing ocean breeze. There are plenty of things to do like swimming or snorkeling and banana boat rides. If you’ve never been on a waverunner and you’ve got some extra cash you can try one out. You have to play follow the leader though so if you’re an experienced operator it would probably be too restrictive for you. For a few more bucks and if you’re brave enough you can even go parasailing. There are plenty of lounge chairs but if you want to pick a good spot you need to get off the ship as early as possible.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Jamaica is very beautiful and the people are very friendly. There are beautiful beaches and the snorkeling is good. There used to be one thing that you just had to do in Jamaica but now there are two. The first thing is to climb the Dunn’s River Falls. It’s not real steep as you may think but it does require some climbing. It’s a lot of fun and the water coming down on you feels great! When you get out at the top there is a market selling souvenirs that you have to walk through. Sometimes the people selling their wares get a little over zealous so don’t pick anything up unless you’re really interested in it.

The second thing that you must do is the River Tube Safari. They take you up into the mountains and you float down the White River in specially designed inner tubes. There are a few rapids but nothing scary or dangerous. It’s perfect for all ages except little babies of course. These things are all about making great memories and having family fun. Both places offer for sale a video of your experience – buy it!

Grand Cayman
My wife and I had been to Grand Cayman several times before so this is the time we decided to stay on board ship to enjoy it’s amenities while most everyone else is sightseeing. Another reason is that my wife has difficulty walking and Grand Cayman doesn’t have a pier where you can walk from the ship but rather you have to take a small boat called a tender to get to shore. If you’re in a wheelchair it can be accomplished but it is difficult. The thing that you must do at Grand Cayman is to swim with the stingrays. You don’t actually swim with them but rather they take you out to a sand bar where the water is only waist deep. There you walk around and actually feed the stingrays while they swim all around you. This is something you need to experience at least once.

Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel is another one of our favorite destinations. We usually go to Chakanab National Park. It has a great beach with plenty of hammocks and lounge chairs. The park also has several trails that are interesting and educational. With this trip we took the advice of a friend and went to a great restaurant called Pancho’s Backyard. The food is great and they have a good band that plays in their courtyard while you eat.

Everybody that drinks has to stop at Carlos’n Charlies. It’s a very popular place. Even if like me you don’t drink, you can still stop at the souvenir shop for some great t-shirts. One problem that we had at Cozumel was getting a taxi. Don’t get me wrong – there were hundreds of taxis everywhere but if you’re in a wheelchair they run from you like you’ve got the plague. To get a taxi you have to get an official to get you one. Another word of caution is that the sidewalks are in bad need of repair so be careful.

Conclusion
This was a great ship that goes to great destinations. Perfect for making great memories. When you get real old and can do nothing but sit in a rocking chair all day, people will walk by and wonder why you’re smiling. This cruise will be the reason.

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