Voyager Of The Seas

Launched in 1999, Voyager of the Seas is the first Voyager-class Royal Caribbean ship, followed by Adventure OTS, Explorer OTS, Navigator OTS and Mariner OTS. At the time it entered service, Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas was the largest cruise liner in the world, heralded as the most revolutionary ship ever built.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US company, trademarked brand and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All Royal Caribbean liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 137,276-ton, 3,114-passenger cruise ship Voyager of the Seas has been bypassed in size and conveniences by the Freedom-class trio and the massive Oasis-class twins. However, it's still between the largest ships in the world, with a range of the most un-cruise-like places at sea. The most revolutionary ship ever built forever changed the world of cruising with such never-before-seen facilities as an ice skating rink/TV studio/concert arena, rock-climbing wall, in-line skating track, horizontal atrium (now known as the Royal Promenade), and inside staterooms with a view. The rock-climbing walls are now aboard each Royal Caribbean cruise liner, and the ice skating rink and other facilities might also be enjoyed on the line's other four Voyager-class vessels, three Freedom-class and a pair of Oasis-class ships. However, Voyager of the Seas is still exciting.

Cruise itinerary program

Voyager of the Seas itinerary program is based on Australia and New Zealand cruises out of Sydney. In the summer, Voyager sails in Asia with departures out of Hong Kong and Tianjin. On reposition cruises between Australia and Asia, the vessel visits Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

Ship's season 2018-2019 (April through June) has Royal Caribbean's longest-ever Southeast Asian cruise program. The ship has scheduled all 90 departures (3 to 9-nights itineraries) leaving roundtrip from Singapore, including:

• 3-day weekend cruises to Malaysia (Penang-Klang)
• 4-day to Malaysia and Thailand (Penang-Phuket)
• 5-day to Klang-Penang-Phuket
• 5-day to Laem Chabang (Bangkok overnight)
• 7-day to Klang-Penang-Langkawi-Phuket (overnight)
• plus B2Bs (back-to-back cruises)

Cabins

Voyager Of The Seas has a total of 1555 cabins (of which 119 Suites, 638 Balcony rooms, 499 Insides) in 25 grades. Almost 50% of ship's accommodations have private balcony views. 26 are the wheelchair accessible rooms. Voyager also features 81 Virtual Balcony rooms. The largest aboard Voyager of the Seas are the Royal Suites (1090 ft2 - more than 100 m2!).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

From the meals in the Sapphire Restaurant, ship's main dining rooms, to the buffet choices in Windjammer Cafe and options available at 24-hour Cafe Promenade, food aboard Voyager of the Seas is well prepared with plentiful choices, especially considering ship's capacity.

The Windjammer buffet restaurant offers an egg station at breakfast and a carving station at lunch. Vegetarians will do better in the MDR at lunch. The buffet features the items offered on the main dining room menu. The Italian-themed Giovanni’s Table charges a US$20 per-person cover charge (speciality beverages, wine, beer and soda are paid separately), and offers a multi-course meal. Johnny Rockets is another speciality eatery, 1950's-style burger joint, where passengers can indulge in hot dogs, burgers, chilli fries and onion rings.

Follows the complete list of Voyager of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Sapphire Restaurant (839-seat aft Dining Room)
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (310-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7:00-11:30 a.m., Lunch 11.30-3:30 p.m. and Dinner 6.30-9:00 p.m.)
• Johnny Rockets Restaurant (80-seat burger bar, an extra fee is applied)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian speciality restaurant, reservations recommended)
• Chops Grille (80-seat steakhouse/seafood)
• The Tavern
• Izumi (Japanese cuisine).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

During the day, cruisers will find plenty of activities aboard Voyager of the Seas, such as bingo, art auctions, dance lessons, seminars, rock-climbing wall competitions and even sexy man contests. Poolside, a live band plays a blend of American and Caribbean songs. Nighttime features the gorgeous La Scala Theater inspired by the legendary La Scala in Milan, Italy. Decor elements include a stage velvet curtain with jewel-like embellishments and Murano glass chandelier. The theatre sets the scene for exciting Broadway-style production shows. The ice skating show is another must-see.

Onboard Voyager of the Seas clothing is casual during the day. Evenings dress is either casual, smart casual or formal. On casual nights, suggested clothing is sports shirts and slacks for men and sundresses or pants for women. On smart casual nights, men have to wear a jacket and a tie, while women wear dresses or pantsuits. On the formal evenings (one or two per cruise), men might choose between tuxedos or suits and ties, while women wear cocktail dresses.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Voyager of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• La Scala Theatre (1347-seat, features two grand productions per night with dance, acrobatics, comedy and game shows)
• Screening Room (54-seat cinema)
• Studio B Lounge (700-seat indoor ice-skating rink; also serves as a spot for ice shows, cooking demos, game parties)
• Focus Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery (art auctions are organized in the Cleopatra’s Needle Lounge)
• The Centrum (social hub); Star Lounge; The Golden Room (Casino Royale invitation-only VIP guests lounge); Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (26-seat; suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Bar; Diamond Club Lounge and Bar (27-seat; past guests only); High Notes Lounge and Bar (60-seat jazz club) with Crows Nest (70-seat observation room)
• Schooner Bar (150-seat piano bar); 130-seat lobby bar; Ben and Jerry’s ice cream bar; R Bar; Pig and Whistle English Pub (40-seat); Duck and Dog English pub (75-seat); Pool Bar; Sky Bar
• Casino Royale (500-seat)
• Cafe Promenade (108-seat, 24-hour; serves snacks and drinks, as well as Starbucks speciality coffee)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (perfumes, jewellery, duty-free alcohol, general store, logo/souvenirs); Sea Trek Dive Shop
• Royal Caribbean Online centre (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 7 jacuzzis; 4 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Park Cafe, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Video Games Arcade; Optix Teen Disco club; Living Room teen lounge area; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Voyager Dunes Golf Course
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40-seat, provides religious services).

Voyager is Royal Caribbean's first Voyager-class liner, with sisterships Adventure, Explorer, Mariner, Navigator. Voyager OTS was built in 1999 by Kvaerner Masa (Turku Finland) - shipbuilder of all vessels in this series. The company is now part of STX Europe (a division of STX Holding, South Korea). In 1999, Voyager OTS was the world's biggest passenger ship. They used to call it "floating sea'" because of its innovative design. All Voyager-class liners were world's biggest - until the arrival of the Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004.

Voyager OTS was christened on November 20, 1999. The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on Nov 21. Vessel's godmother was Katarina Witt (notorious figure skater / Playboy model). Fun fact is, that Voyager is the first ever cruise vessel to have an ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall and Royal Promenade (marble-paved street / approx 3/4 of ship's LOA length).

Since 2018, liner's Captain is Wu Huimin - RCI fleet's first Asian (Chinese) shipmaster.

Itineraries 2016-2017 Asia charters

In 2017-2018, the ship was also operated under charter for roundtrips out of Singapore. The charterer was the travel agency TIRUN Travel Marketing - RCCL's exclusive representative for India. The scheduled cruise ship charter itineraries ranged from 3- to 8-night in length and targeted specifically Indian passengers. Among the visited ports were Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Phuket, Bangkok), Vietnam (Da Nang, Nha Trang, Penang).

Voyager OTS refurbishment 2019 review

The ship was "Royal Amplified" as RCI fleet's 4th vessel redesigned and upgraded by RCI's newest drydock refurbishment program. Voyager OTS also received some fleet-first (and industry-first) features during the scheduled 2019 drydock (41-day project, September 10 through October 14) in Singapore (at Sembawang Shipyard).

Deckplan changes after ship's renovation 2019 include:

• added "The Perfect Storm" - aquapark with two waterslides (Typhoon and Cyclone).
• added "Battle for Planet Z" (laser tag course) in "Studio B" (ice-skating rink)
• redesigned "Adventure Ocean" (kids facilities), upgraded kids programming (children 3-12 yo)
• added Royal Babies and Tots Nursery (for babies and toddlers). Until 2019, Voyager OTS was fleet's only liner without a nursery.
• Teens-exclusive hangout was updated and was added an adjacent outdoor laid-back/sun deck.
• Ship's wellness complex (Vitality Spa and Fitness Center) on Deck 12 was enhanced and enlarged. The complex was relocated from forward to aft.
• A total of 72 new staterooms (interior and balcony) were added. New "family cabin" categories were introduced - CB (Connecting Balcony), CO (Connecting Oceanview), CP (Connecting Promenade Interior) and CI (Connecting Interior).
• An exclusive Suite Lounge (with an outdoor seating area) was added for passengers booked in Grand Suite and above.
• Diamond Lounge was created for "Crown and Anchor Society" members (by RCI's loyalty program).

Ship's "Royal Amplified" 2019 drydock project cost USD 97 million.

Voyager OTS refurbishment 2018 review

Ship’s drydock refurbishment 2018 resulted in the following deckplan changes:

• On Sports Deck 13, the RCI’s signature waterslides “Cyclone” and “Typhoon” were installed (next to the FlowRider simulator).
• On Spa Deck 12 (aft), the new “Slashaway Bay” kids aqua park was added. This is an interactive water play area (with cannons and geysers) replacing the old Outdoor Youth Area (aka “back deck”).
• The new water park and the duo of waterslides were first introduced on the ships Liberty of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas (Oasis-class).

Next planned drydock is in 2019 (September 10 - October 14).

Voyager OTS refurbishment 2014 review

The list of deckplan changes after ship's May 2014 drydock included:

• (On deck 2) 4 new oceanview cabins were added in the place of the Board Room (starboard). Also, the Theatre was renamed from “Coral” to “La Scala”.
• (On deck 3) 19 new interior cabins (category Q) were added in the area of “The Vault” (Disco Nightclub, 297 seats). Also here, the “Photo & Art Gallery” (starboard) was renamed to “Focus”. It was also reduced in size, making space for 15 new Oceanview cabins (category I). Another 5 cabins were added portside. Main Dining Room was renamed from “Carmen” to “Sapphire” (level 1).
• (On deck 4) “The Vault” was replaced by “Giovanni’s Table” (Italian restaurant). The “Aquarium Bar” (portside section) was replaced with “The Tavern”, and its starboard section – with “Art Gallery”. Also here, the Main Dining Room was renamed from “La Boheme” to “Sapphire” (level 2).
• (On deck 5) the show lounge was renamed from “Cleopatra’s Needle” to “Star Lounge”. The “Connoisseur Club” was renamed to “The Golden Room”. The “Ben and Jerry’s” was renamed to “Ice Cream Parlor “. The “Champagne Bar” was replaced with the “R-Bar”. The Main Dining Room was renamed from “Magic Flute” to “Sapphire” (level 3).
• (On deck 6) an interior room (number 6137, forward) was added and the “Business Services” desk was renamed to “Next Cruise”.
• (On deck 7) an interior room (number 7139, forward) was added.
• (On deck 8) an interior room (number 8237, forward) was added and the “Royal Caribbean Online” was renamed to “RC Online”.
• (On deck 9) an interior room (number 9237, forward) was added and some Inside cabins were converted to Virtual Balcony (category VB) staterooms.
• (On deck 10) an interior room (number 1233) was added. Stateroom categories were changed – from category L to K, and some were converted to VB-Virtual Balcony.
• (On Lido Deck 11) in the main pool area, a huge movie screen (outdoor theatre) was installed. Also here, the “Bridge Overlook” was renamed to “Peek-A-Boo Bridge”. The “Day Spa & Fitness Center” was renamed to “Vitality at Sea”. The Portofino restaurant was replaced with “Chops Grille” (steakhouse). During the refurbishment, the “Island Grill” bar and the “Florist” shop were both removed.
• (On Spa Deck 12) spa cabins were added around the ship’s bow area. The “Optix Teen Disco” was renamed to “Teen Disco” and the “Video Arcade” was added. The “Adventure Beach” kids play area was renamed to “Outdoor Youth Area”.
• (On deck 13) the In-line Skating Track was replaced with the FlowRider simulator.
• (On deck 14) the portside-location rooms “Cloud Nine” and “Seven Hearts were replaced with the “Izumi” (Asian restaurant). The starboard-location “19th Hole” lounge was replaced with the “Diamond Club” – a signature venue for “Crown & Anchor” (RCI loyalty program) members only.
• Cabin amenities were upgraded with new flat TVs in all cruise staterooms.
• Digital signage (way finders) on several decks were installed. These touch-screen boards allow you to know your way around the ship.
• Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded to shipwide.
• Onboard entertainment options were upgraded with the “DreamWorks Experience” (themed characters entertainment).