Supplement to Travel Trade
November 2000

Voyager of the Seas:

A Look at the Largest Ship Ever

By Ethel Blum

The Voyager of the Seas is BIG — so big that she dominates the landscape as she waits to greet passengers at the special dock facilities and BIG terminal that Royal Caribbean built especially to accommodate her.

While other 100,000-ton-plus liners strive to create intimate lounges to ensure that passengers are not overwhelmed by size, Voyager takes the opposite approach and uses mirrors to add depth and the illusion of size.

In spite of — or maybe because of — size, Voyager is an awesome and beautiful vessel. Careful planning was given to details in every room and lounge, thereby highlighting the creative genius of artisans and architects. The integrated use of soft materials with marble, brass, glass, etched mirrors, plush fabrics and wood tones has created a vessel that is an overall work of art.

Designers obviously were not hindered by budgets. The cost has been quoted as somewhere between $500 million and $700 million. It appears that nothing was spared to create what RCI president Jack Williams called an “experience passengers will never forget.”

Voyager is worthy of every design award for space utilization. She can carry up to nearly 4,000 passengers and at 140,000 tons (give or take a few depending on whose statistics you use), the space ratio is still a very comfortable 36, which allows for lots of elbowroom. Voyager is filled with a light-hearted, almost whimsical, ambiance and spaces that soar through 11 decks.

At 1,021 feet long, the ship offers something for everyone. Passengers have the run of 10 dining rooms and restaurants, nine bars and lounges, a 1,350-seat theater, casino, gaming arcade, an 18-hole golf simulator, a miniature golf course, three swimming pools, a superb spa and fitness center, a jogging track, four-deck shopping arcade, ice-skating rink, inline skating facility and a 35-foot rock climbing wall.

If that’s not enough, there’s more, including a television studio, computer and Internet access (50 cents per minute with a five-minute minimum), a full-size basketball court and some features I probably missed during my week on board.

“Our guests have told us time and again in research that they want options, and that’s what we are giving them,” said Williams.

He added that the company did not set out to build the world’s biggest ship, but that the size “just kept growing as designers tried to pack in more activities to satisfy the demand for more.”

The resulting vessel is amazing — and perhaps even a little on the intimidating side for some cruisers. Voyager is so well planned, however, that it’s easy for passengers to acclimate and to get around. Six decks are almost totally devoted to staterooms and suites. Other decks house public facilities, and passengers quickly find favorite venues.

The ship’s novelty and whimsy rival theme parks and resorts. Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain was so caught up in the concept that he donated the vintage car his wife had given him for his birthday. He said that he likes the idea of his shiny red car being parked on the ship’s main promenade.

Voyager signals a shift in ship design and in use of interior space. The Royal Promenade is a prime example. Flanked by two vertical atrium spaces, the Promenade stretches almost the entire length of the ship, and features a main street with multiple entertainment options, shops and a $12-million permanent art museum. Street magicians, jugglers and mimes add to the hustle-and-bustle atmosphere.

Passengers crowd the 400-foot Royal Promenade night and day. They come to stroll and window shop or to sit at a sidewalk café, such as the Café Promenade, where snacks, pizza, pastries, coffee, tea and soft ice cream are served around the clock. A Promenade favorite is the Pig & Whistle, a British-Irish pub that was transplanted across the Atlantic.

The three levels of inside staterooms that overlook the Promenade feature the first inside cabins in the Caribbean with a view — albeit of the street, not the ocean. Passengers can watch the action below from their stateroom but, if their lights are turned on, blinds must be drawn for privacy.

Art designs are bold, unconventional and memorable. Public rooms and decks are themed. For example, the lowest deck is dedicated to the 21st century of art and design. Heading to higher decks, the emphasis switches to Art Deco and Modernism, then the Renaissance period, followed by the Gothic period, classical Roman and Greek design and finally Egyptian motifs.

Themes are carried through from public rooms into cabins and suites in artwork, textures and ambiance. Glass enclosed displays showcase artwork and antiques from each period.

The two big features hyped by RCI and played up by the media — the ice-skating rink and rock climbing wall, both never before offered at sea — did not disappoint.

The rock-climbing wall (see cover picture) on Sports Deck is alongside the mast. The wall is 35-feet high, but since it’s on a high, open deck, climbers are actually over 200-feet above the sea. A 90-minute session, including instruction, for the required three-person teams is $6 per person. Usage averaged about 80 teams per sea day; fewer on port days. A surprising number of women in all age groups were among the participants. An attendant told me that the oldest woman admitted to being in her late 70s.

Another winner is the Center Ice Rink in Studio B with its 900 arena-style seats. Studio B is an all encompassing room that is part Madison Square Garden, part back lot of a movie studio, part ice rink, part disco and part sports arena.

The ice rink is the standard rink size for performances — 30 feet by 60 feet. When the ice deck is covered, a floor and seating area materialize, offering passengers another entertainment venue. It is a huge, flexible space where a rock concert can be staged, television show taped, or variety show performed.

Royal Caribbean considers the room “branded” and we can expect to see similar RCL signatures on future ships. The room is so complex, Fain ordered a replica built in an airport hangar in Miami, where he could see not only how the arena seating would change for performances, but also exactly how the ice would freeze.

Kids will love the inline skating oval track. It’s not large, but should prove popular. Both free form ice skating in Studio B and inline skating cost $6 an hour, with or without your own skates, with reservations requested.

Voyager also features a full-sized basketball court, nine-hole putting golf course, golf simulator and golf driving cage. Mini-golf is $3 per person a round, based on two persons.

Spinners Casino, which occupies a major spot on the Royal Promenade, boasts the largest roulette wheel ever built. Rumored to have cost $2 million, the casino features 40 slot machines encircling the room and a winding 26-foot ball tower that extends up from the main casino below. Balls circle the tower and if you are playing one of the machines and the ball hits your number three times, there’s a jackpot reward. Another gaming venue, Casino Royale, features the world’s largest slot machine and the usual games of chance.

The La Scala Theater sports a catwalk and a robin-blue dome ceiling with neon lighting and a magnificent Murano glass chandelier. A hall of mirrors greets passengers as they pass through the first set of doors into the very seductive entrance foyer. Somehow, all of the elements come together in a splendid way — the beautiful bar on the right, red velvet chairs and shimmering stage curtain.

A hallmark of every Royal Caribbean vessel is the Viking Crown Lounge and Voyager is no exception. The room can be used as an observation lounge or divided into smaller sections — a card room, cocktail lounge, jazz club, golf bar, disco. A wedding chapel is located up a short flight of steps.

Cleopatra’s Needle at the opposite end of the Promenade turned out to be my favorite room on the ship. The 55-year-plus crowd took over the room and met there nightly for dancing.

The double-decked library is an elegant English-style reading and writing room, currently enhanced with computers and Internet access.

Although everything is super sized, there is no lounge or facility that can hold half the passengers at one time. But, options for entertainment and activities are so varied that even at the super big production shows, the 1,350-seat La Scala Theater had empty seats.

Entertainment is varied with three fast paced production shows, extravagant costuming, a “name” entertainer on every voyage, specialty acts, lounge shows and a lengthy menu of daytime activities.

The ice skating show is a performance that passengers will remember long after the cruise is over. The show is in a competition format, with judges selected from the audience. It is repeated several times during the week and all passengers have an opportunity to see it without worrying about finding a seat. While performers were not “star” quality, there was enough drama and expertise to draw standing ovations after each performance.

The ShipShape Spa at 15,000-square-feet is the largest at sea and offers more types of treatments than I’ve ever seen on a ship. Spanning a two-deck area, the spa features treatment rooms, a relaxation area, and a separate room for physically challenged guests. The beautifully appointed area has some of the most outstanding artwork on the ship.

The largest gym at sea seems to be overloaded with equipment and doesn’t leave much space between machines.

The solarium features a retractable glass roof, providing panoramic ocean views. The predominately Greek-themed room includes relaxation areas surrounding the raised pool, complemented by plants, statuary, mosaics, fountains and water effects.

The large children’s facilities feature a swimming pool and deck area for supervised activity programs divided into four age groups: Aquanauts (3 to 5 years); Explorers (5 to 8 years); Voyagers (9 to 12 years) and Navigators (13 to 17 years). The latter group has its own nightclub with DJ, video center and computer station.

Outside staterooms and suites with private verandas make up 49% of the 1,557 cabins. Of the 618 inside cabins, 138 have views of the Royal Promenade. Cabins are comfortable at an average of 151-square feet. Suites run from about 250-square feet to nearly twice that size.

All accommodations have single beds that convert to queen size, private baths (some with tubs as well as showers), amenities replenished daily, interactive television, mini-bars, hair dryers and individually controlled air conditioning. The décor is soft and tends toward the peachy-mauves with blue-green patterned carpeting. Ceilings are white with beige walls enhanced by aquatic-themed watercolors. Each cabin has a sitting area.

Deluxe suites come with deluxe amenities in addition to marble bathrooms, huge closets and plentiful storage space. Suite passengers have their own check-in room with coffee and personal attention. They receive a personal key to the Concierge Lounge where they can relax, have drinks and register personal requests for shore excursions, transfers and reservations for the optional Italian restaurant.

Service is personal and attentive. Almost all of the staff has worked on other RCI vessels and they are well trained.

There are 10 venues for food service, if you count 24-hour cabin service. The three major dining rooms, Carmen, La Boheme and Magic Flute, are on three levels connected by a double staircase. Each has a decor themed to the music from the opera they are named for. Three separate galleys serve identical menus.

Menus include ShipShape, vegetarian and specialty items. There are five courses, but selection is generally limited to three starters, two soups, a single salad, four entrees and five desserts. Salmon and steak are always available. Meals are served in two sittings, with open seating for lunch and breakfast.

Windjammer, the indoor-outdoor Lido self-service restaurant, offers buffet and table service for casual evening dining. The Island Grill serves freshly grilled entrees in a casual Caribbean atmosphere. Sprinkles fulfills sweet cravings with ice cream and frozen yogurt around the clock.

Portofino is the upscale Euro-Italian optional restaurant with only 85 coveted seats. Beautifully appointed, it’s a restaurant worthy of note. Agents can score points if they advise clients to make reservations immediately on embarkation.

Then, there’s Johnny Rockets, the first franchise operation to go to sea. Modeled after an authentic 1950s diner, this 24-hour restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating, jukebox hits and the kind of food diners are famous for — hamburgers, hot dogs, onion rings, fries and outrageous desserts. Charges for Johnny Rockets are the same as in the chain’s shore-side restaurants.

Other special rooms and features worthy of mention include:
• The Vault, a late night adult nightspot that sits two decks high and pulsates with music;
• Schooner Bars have become popular RCL trademarks. This nautically themed cocktail lounge/piano bar features crooners at the piano and late evening sing-a longs;
• Connoisseur Cigar Club, aft of the Royal Promenade, is a popular after-dinner venue for cigar smokers;
• An Incentive and Business Center is configured to handle up to 400 guests in a single room or four large breakout rooms, plus an executive boardroom and a multi-media screening room. The conference center is adjacent to Studio B and can be expanded to accommodate up to 1,350 guests for exhibitions and trade shows. Physically challenged passengers applaud Voyager’s efforts to accommodate them. There are 26 staterooms equipped to handle their needs and they are in almost all categories. Not only are they equipped for wheelchairs (which are not supplied), but also there are listening devices and strobe light telephone ringers for the hearing impaired and cabin numbers in Braille for the visually impaired.

Kudos to Royal Caribbean for handling more than 3,500 passengers with a minimum of lines. There are 16 embarkation counters. No more than three or four passengers were waiting to check in for my cruise during the hours specified for embarkation. Debarkation was just as smooth and porters were plentiful. We actually disembarked faster from the Voyager than we usually do on much smaller ships.

The Voyager sails every Sunday from the Port of Miami to Royal Caribbean’s private island, Labadee, on the north coast of Hispaniola, Ocho Rios and Cozumel.