Voyager of the Seas
I love cruising and to date many of the cruises have been aboard a Princess cruise ship. So, having the opportunity to attend a Cruiseco training conference on-board the Voyager of the Seas was an experience that I did not want to miss.
On arrival at Circular Quay in Sydney, my husband Ron and myself were greeted by the impressive scale of this ship. The dock and surrounding buildings dwarfed in comparison. There was an atmosphere of excitement from the passengers that were waiting to board and cameras were clicking continuously.
The time came for us to commence boarding, which progressed smoothly and efficiently. We were advised that our room would not be available for another 1hr, so we wandered up to the Windjammers buffet for some lunch and a chat to other guests.
After lunch, we found our cabin on Deck 8, promenade room overlooking the Central Promenade. Our room was comfortable with a king size bed, two lounges, spacious bathroom for a ship and a good size wardrobe for our clothes, shoes and suitcases.
Time to explore the ship and our home for the next 6 days. The Central Promenade was where the bars, taverns, 24hr café, shops were. It was definitely a place to see and be seen.
Kids of all ages enjoyed activities such as shuttle board, mini golf, rock wall climbing, pools, water slide, wave rider, trivia, crafts, basketball, laser tag, movies, bands, the list can go on…
The entertainment on-board again had a good mix of genre to suit anyone’s taste; from theatre production, to an ice-skating show in Studio B, jugglers, comedians.
Mental note to myself and future clients that all purchases on-board are charged in USD.
The crew were great, helpful but not too much in your face. We experienced two medical emergencies where we had to turn the ship around; one in Hobart – we had been sailing for a couple of hours and we hear an announcement advising that we have to turn around and take someone back for medical assistance. The second one came as we had been sailing out of Melbourne for about 1 hr; again, an announcement advising that we will be returning to Port.
The main reason for my time on-board the Voyager of the Seas was to attend a Cruiseco conference along with 250 agents, suppliers and cruise industry leaders. It was a great mix of inspirational stories, motivational talks, updating knowledge and of course socialising with colleagues that I had only know up to this point through emails.
On returning back home after the cruise, I asked myself the question on whether it was worth the time, money and effort. The answer to this was a resounding Yes. I now have experienced a Royal Caribbean Ship, updated my knowledge and met some wonderful people.