Voyager Class / 3800 Passengers / Maiden Voyage: 2001 / Revitalized in 2021 / Ports:  Port Canaveral, Grand Cayman (by tender), Falmouth Jamaica, and RC’s Coco Cay

Cabin Plusses and Minuses

• #8258 - Mid-ship - Starboard (right side)
• This “middle-middle” location is favorable, i.e., between the elevator banks and mid-level of the cabin decks.  Therefore, no particular noise from entertainment venues, fitness facility or dining areas
• On a family-friendly cruise, there was a normal amount of kids running down the hall before bedtime, with heavy traffic due to location and placement of interior cabins
• Our rest was only interrupted on the final night - by an “altercation” next door.  We made a phone call; security arrived; the issue was resolved.  (Note:  We remained in our cabin and made no attempt to “assist.”)
• The cabin steward was very attentive and accepted our requests cheerfully
  • Extra towels, please
  • Bed topper to increase comfort - added first night
  • Ice bucket daily
  • Peferred cleaning time - during dinner
• **** Unfortunately, we needed to make multiple reports (more than daily) of bathroom issues - non-flushing, gurgling sink and slow shower drain (you never want the shower floor to overflow).  Each report to the front desk and/or maintenance was accepted with a promise to have it addressed.
  • On occasion, it made sense to take a trip to an upper deck’s “public” facility
  • As recompense for our inconvenience, we were first offered 15% (of this cruise cost) credit  toward our next cruise; but this was of limited value; so we accepted the next offer of $100 onboard credit.
• On the final day of our cruise, and after being told by maintenance that a pipe above us needed to be cut, thing improved immensely.  We remain miffed that this action was not taken much earlier.

Crowded?  Kid-friendly?

• On occasion, and with a couple surprises, the ship seemed more crowded than average
  • Morning coffee lines at Starbucks (extra cost), could be lengthy
  • The lineup for pizza on the Promenade (name?) at 3 or 4pm would snake around, especially on port days; I guess cruisers with late dinners came back from excursions ready for chow
  • The Main Dining Room (MDR) appeared near-capacity.  Our request to move from an unsupervised table of children was accommodated  (adults sat next to, but provided no oversight for the group of 10 children, aged 6-16)
• The Shows we attended alternated between full and sparse.  Our tendency to arrive 15-20 minutes early allowed us to find very good seats, without exception.
  • I love it when attendees arrive late to a comedy show; it happens often enough that comedians have ready-made jokes for those folks
• Voyager Class Ships (Voyager, Explorer, Adventure, Navigator and Mariner) have plenty of activities and more venues than Radiance and Vision Class Ships (but fewer than Oasis class and larger vessels.
• From swimming pools to the FlowRider Surf Simulator, to a climbing wall and ice skating rink, there were plenty of options.  Many families and groups of teens enjoyed the variety.

Entertainment. (Edited for Adventure 7/18)

• Every ship has something for everyone.  The Adventure of the Seas offered Production Shows (Invitation to Dance), Orchestral music, and an Ice Spectacular (Smallish venue in Studio B, Deck 3; arrive very early for a decent seat).
• Another Production Show - “Can’t Stop the Rock” - will appeal to a smaller audience.  Some found it “odd” and departed early.

• Crazy Quest is presented on the penultimate night of most RC cruises.  We’ve seen a couple of these over the years.  Even though we had seen an almost exact replication on this ship a few months earlier, it was still quite funny.  (You will have several warnings and adequate time to excuse yourself if you are sensitive to bawdy/blue jokes, or don’t care to see other people’s underwear thrown about.)
• NFL - we traveled during football season and there are options for catching some live games.  Some games are shown in bars, poolside and in your stateroom.
• Music - several musical venues feature solos, duos and small groups.  One of our favorites was a piano bar singer who took requests in the Schooner Bar.  Schedules change frequently, so you can’t show up in the same place each night and expect the same performer.
• Miscellaneous - game shows, Silent parties, Name that Tune, Belly Flop competitions, Karaoke, dance classes, onboard movies (poolside), and more.

Dining (also, see Tips) (editing started 7/18 - pretty much done)

• We enjoyed the Main Dining Room (MDR) for most dinners, scheduling the 5:00 seating (in advance).  The food was high quality, sufficiently varied for a few nights, and usually (90%) the correct temperature.  Towards the end of the 6 nights, we grabbed dinner at the Windjammer (WJ), after the crowds dispersed.  The WJ serves food till 9pm, but I’d arrive no later than 8:30 so you don’t feel like you’re getting leftovers.
• In the MDR, we enjoyed ordering the cheese dessert plate - as an appetizer.
• Drink orders are a little slow in the MDR.  Patience is in order…or, bring your own.  The price is the same, or free if you have casino drink privileges.
• We enjoyed one specialty dining option - Chops Grille.  We’ve had excellent service and tasty meals here - a few times.  
  • Pro-Tip:  Lunches at specialty restaurants are only available at select restaurants, but you can save big by opting for lunch vs. dinner.  Reserve in advance of your cruise to obtain 20-30% reduced prices; we’ve been paying $20-$23 each (+18% gratuity included), although I have not determined why the prices vary by ship.
• With dinner as our main meal, we varied breakfast and lunch times to mostly avoid the busiest rush.
  • It’s not hard to run into the WJ, grab a bowl of oatmeal and return to your cabin for a quiet meal.
• Check your Ship App for up-to-date venue hours; breakfast or lunch times vary between port and sea days.

Vitality Fitness Center

• Fortunately (for committed exercisers), not everyone hits the gym while aboard.  The gym is open early to late, although I’ve not been there for either.
• The Adventure of the Seas was not very crowded.  I had no problems getting access to free weights (dumbbells), or stationary bikes - although the number was limited. 
  • Busy-ness can vary, especially on port days, so one strategy is to time your exercise to the least popular times, if you can also alter your port visit times.

Ports

• On this trip, we visited Georgetown Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica and Coco Cay
• Georgetown, Grand Cayman - by tender
  • I’ve previously enjoyed Grand Cayman, but better when flying in
  • Using a tender is not my favorite approach, but avoiding the rush to be off first, it was not a bad process; the actual “trip” is less than 10 minutes; more time is spent lining up, entering and exiting the tender boat
  • If you do not have an excursion planned, expect to need a taxi to someplace of interest; the immediate area at the dock has very limited things to see or do
• Falmouth, Jamaica

• Coco Cay - interesting that you will likely have a sister ship docked next to you (and not far away, you may see another cruise line which tenders its passengers to its own island)
  
  • You can pay a lot, or nothing - no charge for food; your drink packages are valid/active on the island
  • Food is cooked aboard the ship and brought out to the island venues
  • There are activities and special beaches with service that are pretty expensive
  • We enjoy a brief frolic in the Oasis Lagoon pool, with a swim-up bar.
    • If the swim-up bar is overly crowded, you can walk around to the land-side of the bar and receive very quick service

Informed Cruisers Cost - (this is Jewel; update or skip it?)

• We used “Instant Credit Rewards” from three separate cruises taken between December 2024 and May 2025.
  • Before completing your cruise, obtain a “Next Cruise” certificate - which is a $200 pre-payment that provides some bonus opportunities; the expiration period is lengthy, although the bonus period is shorter
• While Casino investments rarely provide Free cruises, we recommend three strategies
  • Set a budget in advance, and stick to it
  • Limit your casino beverages, to maintain your sensibilities
  • Share one sea pass in the slot machines to concentrate spend (this is absolutely allowed; you can tap two machines with the same card, or obtain duplicate “white card” from the casino host to increase your chance to reach a milestone award)
• Because our casino play was kept within our budget, the “not quite Free” awards were just nice bonuses.  Our cash outlay totaled $814, including 3x $200 Next Cruises; that was taxes and port fees for all 3 cruises, plus $87 to upgrade an ocean-view to balcony on one leg (the other two were balcony awards)
• We received combined credits of free (casino) play and onboard credits (OBC) totaling over $500.  Credits were part of the “Instant Credit” awards for reaching specific point levels on prior cruises, plus OBCs from the use of Next Cruise pre-payment certificate red.