Voyager of the Seas by Marci Western Caribbean February 17, 2008 Hi Everyone, here is the review from my recent cruise on Voyager of the Seas, Feb 17, 2008 from Galveston, Texas. I have tried to include all of the info that will help you to have smooth sailing on your next cruise. Please email me if you have any questions or would like to see pictures of the ship. We arrived in Galveston around 1:30p. When you drive in to drop off your luggage, you enter the pier area at the end near the Carnival Conquest (there is only one entrance to the pier area). Once you are in, the lanes divide for the Conquest and the Voyager. After we dropped off our luggage, we parked just across the street in "Parking Lot B". The charge was $70 dollars and you prepay. They take cash and Visa and MasterCard. They do not take American Express. After we parked, the parking shuttle promptly picked us up and dropped us off right at the ship. Once inside the pier building, there is a line for security. If you are Diamond, Platinum, staying in a Grand Suite or higher, or handicapped and would like to request wheelchair assistance to board, be sure to tell the Royal Caribbean rep right away and they will direct you to the left side of the line which was much shorter and very accommodating. We are both Platinum and had one in a wheelchair. Once past security, the check in lines moved very quickly. Our cabin was category I cabin 2342 ocean view. It was on deck 2 aft. Even though I missed having a balcony this time, this cabin worked out quite well. There was plenty of room and storage. The window was quite a large round window. The location was very good since we were only one deck down from the dining room and one deck up from where we disembarked in most ports. We were able to take the stairs at these times and not have to wait for elevators all the time. Our room had a mini fridge, which we asked the cabin steward to empty out and take all of the contents out of our room. At first he wanted to set it on the desk and we asked him if he would just take it all away and he did. This way we were able to put our own water and sodas in the fridge. This would also be good for anyone with medication that needs to be refrigerated. We also asked our cabin steward to remove all of the extra decorative and bed pillows, since we bring our own bed pillows. Dining
In order to spice things up for the Texans, they offered some fun Texas style cuisine by the poolside on the days at sea. One day it was BBQ ribs and chicken and the next day it was a HUGE Chili Cook-off poolside and then open for everyone to try for lunch. Both were nice touches to offer something different from the buffet or dining room. Now, lets talk about "Johnny Rockets!" YUMMY!!!! For those of you who don't know what this is, it is a 50s style diner located up by the Teen Center and on one of the top decks of the ship. They have both indoor and outdoor booths and a counter for dining. The waiters and waitress dance around to favorite songs and are quite entertaining while you are waiting for your food. The cost is a modest $3.95 for ALL the food you can eat off the menu -- burgers, Nathan's Hot Dogs, sandwiches, and UNLIMITED fries and the BEST onion rings with both ketchup and Ranch sauce for dipping. You also get unlimited dessert which consists of an Oreo Sundae or Apple Pie! The best $3.95 you can spend! Not to mention the shakes, malts and floats available for purchase if you have room! The Windjammer Buffet always had plenty of choices for Breakfast, including an omelet station. Lunch had lots to offer, and dinner was available until 10pm, and they were always carving something and had plenty of deserts and salads. Entertainment
Spa
The Royal Promenade
This ship also has a two level library as well as an Internet café. There are wireless packages available for those who bring their laptop. Just a reminder at this point, the rooms only had one outlet by the desk, so be sure to bring an extension cord and an outlet strip, so you can plug in your chargers for your phone, mp3, digital camera, curling iron, video camera, etc. Also, this is the first time on a cruise that I have used my cell phone. I had checked with my provider (Verizon) in advance and they told me it would be 99 cents a minute to call from Mexico and $1.49 a minute to call from Cayman or Jamaica. The charge to use it when the ship is at sea is $2.49 a minute if you are connecting to the ship's tower. I found that I was able to send text messages back home pretty easily and if I could not get a call out, I could text and then receive a call back. This worked out pretty well and was a great way to communicate rather then spend .55 cents a minute in the internet café. The Ports
Grand Cayman: There are also plenty of tours offered for this port. We decided to take a taxi and go to the "Sea Grape" beach area on 7-mile beach. We had been to this area on the last trip to Cayman and knew that it was clean and had a restaurant with shade, bathrooms and showers, and all kinds of beach rentals. The water was warm and clear and the sun was bright. Just a note, don't forget the sunscreen on your shoulders. They will burn quickly! Also, water shoes are very helpful on this beach since there are a lot of shells in the sand. The taxi ride was about $5.00 each way in a shared mini van, of which there are plenty of lined up just after you get off the tender. As far as the tenders in Grand Cayman, Royal Caribbean gives out tender tickets for about the first two hours the ship is in Cayman, approx. 8 to 10am. After that time, they will announce that tender tickets are no longer necessary and you can proceed right to the gangway and disembark. By the time we were finished with our late breakfast and gathered our things we were able to go right off and not mess with any tickets. Cozumel: Cozumel is one of my favorite ports. I have been there many times and taken many different tours. Email me if you have any questions on the tours or beaches. This time, we had many things we wanted to see and do. The Voyager docked on the rebuilt International pier. Amazing that the last time we were in Coz, this pier was underwater from the hurricane! They have managed to rebuild it, along with all the shopping spots on the pier. The Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas was parked right next to us on the other side of the pier and was a sight to behold! Email me if you would like pics of the ships! We visited with some friends in Cozumel and went to a hotel inspection of the new "Cozumel Palace," formally the Plaza Las Glorias. We are travel agents, and wanted to see the renovation of this hotel that we have always enjoyed with its great location. All I can say is that it is better then ever! Beautiful rooms, all with Jacuzzi tubs and balconies over the water! Stunning pools, and restaurants. After we left the hotel, we went into town and had a few braids put in our hair and had lunch at one of our favorite restaurants downtown, "Casa Dennis." If you go, order the Sampler platter. You won't be disappointed. After lunch, we stopped off at the NEW Cozumel Starbucks! Amazing Starbucks is now in Cozumel and was very spacious and the drinks are just the same as home! We got back to the pier with just enough time to take some pictures of the ships, do a little bit more shopping, and sail off into the sunset! The last day of this week was at sea, always a good chance to relax and get in some walking around the deck. It was great to walk both on the outside promenade on deck 4, as well as the walking track on deck 12. We tried to play Scrabble in the card room, but each time we tried we were always told they did not have any games available and that they would try to get one from storage, but never did. Wish we would have know this, because we could have brought one from home. Packing up and putting the luggage out was a breeze. Just toss it all in! Disembarkation
Now that we are back, I miss it already, and know that the only cure for "Post Cruise Blues" is to plan the next one! If you have any questions or would like help with making reservations for your cruise, email me at C2CMarci@yahoo.com. Bon Voyage! 
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