Monday 18 June 2012

Voyager Of The Seas - Royal Caribbean International [Part I]

After about a month of waiting time, we are finally on board the "Voyager Of The Seas" which kicks off her maiden Asian itinerary coincides with Singapore’s June School Holiday period. Although this is not our 1st cruise experience but we are all very excited to onboard this huge cruise ship that first dock on our new cruise terminal at marina bay.

For your information this 14 passenger-deck "Voyager of the Seas" carries 3,840 guests at its total occupancy with luxury furnishing, international cuisines and world class entertainments on board. The package she offers during her dock in Singapore are short cruises of 3 - 5 nights to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket, as well as an 8-night cruise to Shanghai that features Ho Chi Minh, Xiamen and an overnight in Hong Kong. (A Chinese Version of this post is available over at omy.sg HERE)


Due to the huge size of the ship, it is actually dock at the new "Singapore Marina Bay International Cruise Terminal" which completed in May 2012. Although the cruise terminal is new but one thing for praise is that the "check-in and out" process for boarding and embarking is pretty smooth and fast (less than 10 minutes).

Out of the 5 scheduled itinerary from Voyager Of The Seas available in Singapore, we were on the 3rd trip which sailed off on 02 June 2012 starting from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket and back to Singapore. Although last boarding time for guest is around 5.00pm but most of the guests choose to board as early as 11.00am when the gangway opens for boarding.

Upon registration for check-in, all guests will be issued a "SeaPass Card" (either blue or golden colour shown above) each which acts as the onbaord charge card as well as room key. And if you choose to link your SeaPass account to credit card like what we did, you don't have to stand in line to pay your bill(s) at the end of your vacation upon check-up which in-term helps to save time on queuing and etc.

For your information, each SeaPass Card has a a unique number such as "B05" like mine which means the Assembly Drill area is at Deck 4, B05. And the "05" which is an odd number also indicate our siting and dining group on "Odd" too.

After the security Photo ID scanning upon arrival, remember to pick up a copy of the "As You Arrive" itinerary near the Guest Relations Desk @ Deck 5 to get familiar with the surrounding, layout and deck facilities onboard.

Guest Relations Desk @ Deck 5 where you can book your shore excursions, pay bills incurred, making enquires, currency exchanges and etc.

For Suite guests these Cruise Compass plus Cruise Specials and Dining Menu would be available daily in the room for guests to read up on the following day event after the evening room services.  Or you could just pick up a copy (this cruise compass is available in a few language; such as Chinese, Korean, Japanese and etc) near the Guest Relations Desk @ Deck 5 too.

If you have a kid together as a family like us, remember to grab a copy of this "Kids Daily Planner" which is recommended for kids between 3 - 11 years old where they can enjoy many fun and laughter activities together with other kids onboard.

While waiting for the luggage to be delivered to the room and check-in, all the onboard guests were advised to have Lunch at Windjammer which is located at Deck 11. Windjammer opens for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner which serves a total of 4 meals per days ranging from Asian to Western cuisines and pastries. (will update more Windjammer food menu in up-coming "Onboard Dining Post")

After lunch, we managed to check-in our room at about 1.00pm which is a plus benefit for Suite guests. The Grand Suite room consist of either 2 twin beds or one queen-size bed with private balcony and sitting area with sofa bed, TV, telephone, mini bar and etc.

Our main bed room view with 2 twin beds, safe box and dressing table.

Private bathroom with bathtub, hairdryer and vanity area.

Other than the round 2 and 3 pins(sample here) socket available in the room, there is this Desk Top iPhone and iPod Charger which s also available in the Suite room.

Private Balcony for guests to enjoy the sea breeze and beautiful scenic during vacation.

View from the private balcony facing the Marina Bay Cruise Terminal before departing.

A Mandatory Assembly Drill for all guests is conducted at 5.15pm after the last boarding time(5.00pm). The purpose of this drill is to familiarize the guests with the safety routine onboard as well as the Muster Station assigned to meet up in case of any emergency.

Royal Promenade located at Deck 5, is the heartbeat of the ship that forms a shopping mall filled with a naturally lighted four-story area that lined with bars and shops.

Crowds along the Royal Promenade during Shopping Day onboard where branded goods are sold at discounted price.

Voyager Of The Seas has her own Radio And TV stations plus a few basic channels such as CNN and the Cartoon Network. Locate at Deck 3.

Casino Royale is at Deck 4 where guests can play different kinds of games from slot machines to cards games and etc. Note: All rate are in US Currency(USD) and you can either used your SeaPass card or cash for the games.

The Vault at Deck 3 And 4 is a great place to make new friends, enjoy a cocktail or just listen to the latest hits. It is open to guests over the age of 18; but however the guests must be above 21 to consume alcohol.

For Suite Guests, there is another place for afternoon tea other than Windjammer and Cafe Promenade. You can visit the Concierge Club Lounge at Deck 9  to enjoy some hot food, cake and pastry as well as beverage such as coffee, juice and cocktail.

For a relax afternoon you could indulged yourself with your favourite book at the Library on or stay connected with Royal Caribbean Online Cafe both located at Deck 7 And 8.  There will be charges for the usage of internet cafe and WiFi (US$35 for 60 minutes) services on board so perhaps you could just forget about the social media world and enjoy the holidays without them. 

For those who wish to keep up with your daily body training program, there is a Voyager Fitness Center located at Deck 11 featuring modern exercise equipments, yoga, pilates and etc as well as a indoor jacuzzi pool for guests to relax their body and mind.

On Deck 15, there is a "Skylight Chapel" which is acts as a wedding chapel that can accommodate 40 people. You can enter the chapel via the Viking Crown Lounge (the highest point on the ship).

Helicopter Landing Pad is one of the viewing deck onboard which is located above Deck 4 (walkway) outside the side entrance of La Scala Theatre (there is a stairways at the end of the walkway going up to deck 5)

Imagine doing rock-climbing at 150-200 feet above sea level, the wall offers skill combinations for all levels. A Rock-Climbing Wall waiver must be completed once a cruise vacation and children must be 6 years of age or older to climb.

The Sport Courts located at Deck 13 is an outdoor activity court for sports, including basketball and volleyball.

Pool and Jacuzzi Facilities available at Deck 11 as well as the pool live band and SkyBar (access for guests with Gold Volour SeaPass card only) area.

The DreamWorks Parade is held on the 1st evening upon arrival to act as a highlight event to welcome all the guests on board the Voyager Of The Seas.

The parade is held along Royal Promenade @ Deck 5 featuring the DreamWorks Family and Entertainment Staffs where you get to see most of the cartoon characters from Madagascar, Shrek and Kong Fu Panda.

Studio B is the main reason why we are here for the cruise vacation but due to the popularity of the usage it is often packed with guests unless during days where most of them are going for the shore excursion. Each skating session last for about 45 minutes and it is advisable to wear jeans or long pant plus thick sock before entering the rink.

For your information, children under age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian present to sign a waiver for them and there is a maximum of 50 guests per session for safety precaution.

Other than acting as a normal skating rink for the guests, Studio B also provided ice shows feature a cast of professional skaters from around the world which guests could find the scheduled shows timing on the Cruise Compass and Daily Planner available near the Guest Relations Desk @ Deck 5.

The La Scala Theatre is located at Deck 3 And 4 where the theatre consists of  5 stories from orchestra pit to domed ceiling features contemporary musical stage productions. This 3 stories siting theatre can hold up to a maximum capacity of 1,348 (plus 14 disabled) people.

Every evenings there are two seating for the shows at La Scala Theatre from 7.00pm (pre-dinner, showtime for Second Seating Guests) and 9.00pm (showtime for Main Seating Guests) featuring acrobatic, magic, musical and etc which is worth catching before or after mealtime.

For more photos related to this post on Voyager Of The Seas, please click on the link HERE (photos from Cuisine Paradise facebook page).

Till then stay tune for Part II which features the Dining Rooms and Food Menu onboard Voyager of the Seas. At the meantime you might want to read my previous post on "Legend of the Seas"(for those who are interested to book a cruise holiday) which which is another cruise by Royal Caribbean International too!


6 comments:

  1. Enjoy all your photos and very detailed description. Hope to go one day. How much did u pay for the Grand Suite room, can accommodate how many people?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks SSB :) the room rate varies depending on the dates and days which you intend to travel. Let's say it range from about 3K to 8K from 3 - 6Days for Grand Suite which can accommodate 4 pax(max).

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  2. amazing. what a lot of things to do on a cruise! Its like a big island!!!

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    Replies
    1. Yup! And there will be another similar cruise ship coming into Singapore at the end of this year too :) Have you being to one of these cruise? It's pretty fun and relax for a short gateway :)

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  3. The ship is very impressive, with a remarkable variety of offerings. verry nice

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  4. I have visited your blog for the first time and love the contents. I love cruising and your detailed description makes me want more :):). Nice

    ReplyDelete

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Ellena (Cuisine Paradise)

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