Voyager of the Seas
Sail date: May 06, 2006
In our opinion there really is no such thing as a bad cruise, just different levels of evaluations. Even a "poor" cruise is better than "no cruise" at all. Although we've been on about 80+ cruises, this was our first Trans-Atlantic crossing. Much different than a normal 7-day round trip. American passengers seemed to be in the minority as most other passengers were European, with some Asians. Very few kids since this was 13 days. A lot of new staff members joined this cruise to get "trained" during the trip for the European market (which is vastly different than the American market.) All of the usual "events" were held, but a lot of passengers who don't speak English didn't attend--no problem finding seats for most evening functions. Since this was the first time this ship has entered Europe, the tours were not ready to handle the large numbers of people nor extend the typical "tour guide amenities" found in other locales. Smoking was a big issue as the ship couldn't handle the increased filtering requirements in the lounges or the Promenade (a ship-length 'mall' right in the middle of the ship for shops, lounges, eateries, etc.) Ships personnel were very friendly and helpful in the dining rooms and cabins; tour desk & Guest Relations were slightly below average. Entertainers were outstanding, as was the Cruise Director. Ship's Captain had the best sense of humor and personality of any that we've experienced. Overall great trip.