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First cruise...but not the last! |
| Reviewed By: Brown, Law on 30th Sep 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Times cruised before: 0 |
| Cruise Ship: Voyager of the Seas |
Sailed:
May,
2006 |
| Destination: Mediterranean |
Age: 46-55 |
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This was our first cruise and we booked a 4 night "taster" ....mistake...it wasn't nearly long enough! Sailed from Barcelona and had a 2 night stay in this wonderful city before the cruise.....a city not to be missed
Embarkation was remarkably quick and easy ..although we were to check in at 2pm, we were checked in , in our stateroom and eating lunch in the Windjammer by 1 pm. Ship was superb although my husband thought it was a bit too big. The staterooms was much bigger than we expected and very comfortable with plenty of storage space. Some parts were too "OTT" for our liking - quite brash, loud and "in your face" ...if this is not to your liking avoid the boulevard! Also not sure about the service, which was wonderful but the staff were a bit "have a nice day", sir and madam focused and weren't even allowed to adress you as Mr or Mrs ...... that's just the way it is but not really us. They had obviously been well versed in what they were and were not allowed to say. The food was wonderful, but we ate in the main dining room as much as possible as it was much more relaxed. The Windjammer was full of people piling plates high with food they couldn't eat...not Royal Caribbean's fault! The entertainment was great, particularly the ice show and there were plenty of activities, just no time to do them all.
We didn't do any of the excursions as we docked at Villefranche and Palma. Palma was easy to explore on your own and at Villefranche we went ashore by tender, which was very smooth and organised and then took a train to Nice. We were disappointed in Nice, but Villefranche itself was lovely with a sandy beach.
It was my birthday while we were on board and my husband ordered room decorations and a cake......which royal Caribbean got totally wrong! They forgot to decorate the cabin and then forgot to deliver the cake to the table. It was sorted out by the Maitre D, who was so embarrased that I had another Birthday the following night! I enjoyed it anyway.
We had a balcony cabin as we were offered a last minute upgrade, which I thought was really good, but probably not worth the extra money unless you plan to use it a lot. There is so much to do on board, combined with days ashore, that we didn't spend much time in the cabin.
I hope this doesn't sound negative as we had a fabulous time, but it is importnat to include the not so good aspects in fairness to others to whom it might be important
All in we had a great holiday but as I said it was far too short. My advice is to go for a longer cruise, even for first timers as there is not much difference price wise between 4 night and 7. We have booked to go on Independence of the Seas next July with my daughter and grandson..........for 14 nights this time!!
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| Quality of Food |  |
| We ate in the main dining room whenever possible (including breakfast) as it was much more relaxing. The windjammer was very busy but had a great choice of food | | Entertainment |  |
| Superb - particularly the Ice Show | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| We did it ourselves and did not use excursions | | Staff | |
| Dining room staff were excellent. Customer Services staff were disappointing and not very helpful | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| No children with us but we were impressed with the facilities for children and are taking our 6 year old grandson next time | | Onboard Activities | |
| great choice of activities - no time to try them all | | Cabins | |
| superb- very spacious and comfortable. Plenty of storage space | | Overall Rating | |
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