Ray Krause

Age: 43
Occupation: Engineer
Number of Cruises: 5
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International
Ship: Voyager of the Seas
Sailing Date: December 2nd, 2001
Itinerary:  Haiti, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Mexico

Although I had been on many smaller cruises growing up (SeaEscape, etc) the Voyager of the Seas was my wife and my first official cruise. We booked 10 months in advance and celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on board. I knew up front I wanted a Mega-ship and Voyager delivered every expectation and more. Prior to booking I had read many of the reviews here and on other sites and didn't hesitate to book. We stayed in #8263 which is a Promenade view room on the 8th floor. Excellent views of the nightly parades and activities.

But I must digress; First off, with the current state of travel we decided to arrive in Miami a day early and picked a hotel 10 minutes from the cruise terminal. This turned out be a fortunate decision as there was a Miami Dolphin game being played the Sunday Voyager left and we would've been stuck on the turnpike maybe to the point of missing our dream cruise.

One other piece of advice from my wife's friend (veteran cruiser). When we told her the boarding time was 2 PM she told us to go at Noon. We actually arrived at 11:45 AM and were on board by 12:30 PM. Some of the (3800) people who arrived at 2 PM did not even get on board until the ship was leaving at 5 PM. Great advice! Go early!

About the Voyager: Fabulous layout! It took us nearly two full days of exploring to see from one end of the ship to the other. And I didn't find the heliport deck until the 3rd day. Rock climbing tower was awesome and I also took my turn at the roller blade track. The gym was very crowded the first day at sea but was casual the rest of the trip.

Attended as many shows as our time (and energy) would allow. The ice skating was fantastic and was worth waiting in line for the tickets (free but limited number of shows). Every show had excellent choreography and was Vegas quality. Highly entertaining. The La Scala Theatre itself is a work of art and has very comfortable seating for about 1500. Each show averaged about 1000 people so you really didn't feel crowded in.

Casino: Fun but tight. Some people were winning but we are not regular gamblers. We donated our money and left. (I did hit a $75 jackpot the last day!)

Royal Promenade: Loved the layout of the shopping and we walked through this area multiple times each day. Free coffee and donuts at one of the shops just below our room. Also liked the never ending ice cream machines. RCCL has this part down pat.

Service: Excellent! Room steward was a 15 year veteran worker from Jamaica. My wife really enjoyed the animal art from towels each night in our room. I shot some photos the last few nights of each one. Waiter and Asst. Waiter were very hard working people. We tipped them all exceptionally well. They earned it easily.

Shore trips: Labadee was beach time and a Bar-B-Q. The most impressive part was tendering away from Voyager for the first time. In Miami it's really hard to see the ship because of the gangplanks but in Labadee the ship is sitting in all it's glory in the port. It took my breath away to look back and see a floating fortress on the water.

Jamaica: In Ocho Rios, my wife and I picked the horseback riding on the beach. After about a 20 minute ride they dropped us near the Polo grounds where 46 people saddle up for a 2 mile casual ride down to the beach. Little did I know I got picked for the lead horse and got to head up the entire group. The guide took my camcorder and filmed us as we strolled along the path. After we reached the beach area they let us change into swimsuits where they lead us by groups of 10 INTO the water up to the horses neck (DEEP!). They horses were well trained but it is still a little scary to say the least. After the water ride they bus us back to the ship.

Grand Cayman: Scuba diving and snorkeling paradise. Since I do neither (yet) we picked the glass bottom boat and floated over some wrecks and watched a diver feed the fish. Short ride but nice. The jewelry shopping in Grand Cayman is excellent. For our anniversary I got my wife a 1 caret Ruby ring for $299, duty and tax free. We have not had it appraised in the states yet but it is certainly a bargain.

Mexico: Voyager ports at Cozumel where we tendered over to Playa Del Carmen and from there were bussed down to the Tulum Mayan Ruins. Great tour guide and a very interesting excursion. After that they drop us by Xal Ha (pronounced SHA HAR) which is a pristine, private snorkeling area. I put on a life jacket and jumped in but when my wife went to go in the water a 4 foot barracuda came by and she left high and dry. We were only there about 60 minutes but it was fun. One note about the combination tour: We were literally gone the entire day (8.5 hours) and were the last ones back to the boat. If you want to do other things in Cozumel do NOT take this tour. You will have no spare time at all.

After our last day at sea we returned to Miami, exhausted but happy. It is already my all-time best vacation and we are looking at Explorer of the Seas for an Eastern Caribbean swing next fall.

I highly recommend this ship. There is so much I left out it would take days to describe it. But for the best 'all inclusive' vacation going, try the 'Voyager of the Seas'. You will not be disappointed.

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