"Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Sea - November 2001" Personal Page by phred1910

Note to VT viewers: This diary was originally posted by me on www.cruisecritic.com. I have edited for personal reasons and space constraints imposed by VT. In the future, I may provide a link to the full diary and a photo album
OK, here is the deal. I will be posting a summary of my trip on a day by day basis when possible. Once I return, I will post a formal review.. These postings are rather sloppy because I am writing them on my Handspring Visor. Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to answer. I have 24 hour access to the internet, so I should be able to post daily. Left Detroit ½ hour late due to intense fog. Arrived at Fort Lauderdale 20 minutes late (get a cart for your luggage at the airport, it’s worth the $2). Got on ship about 3PM. Check-in was smooth. Went to room. Category I, 2nd deck (ocean view stateroom), this room is very nice, and has enough room (of course I’m by myself so that helps). Left room and went up to Scoreboard Bar to watch Lions lose to Cardinals and have a couple of Tanqueray/Tonic’s before dinner. Game and drinks interrupted by the mandatory muster drill. Pretty painless, took about ½ hour. Watched Coast Guard fend off boat that wouldn’t turn around (Protection is very good). Ship shoved off at about 6:30 instead of 5:00 due to late arriving passengers (not me !!!). Went to Island Grill for dinner, nice spread. Had seafood pasta (shrimp, mussels, scallops) – very good. Salad, soup, appetizers all good (I love lox and they have it by the bushel). Foster’s oil can tasted very good with meal . After dinner went back to room, luggage was waiting. Unpacked. Tux arrived (I ordered over internet). Smuggled fifth of Tanqueray & bottle of Tonic made it no problem (I packed them in checked luggage in padded envelopes). Laid down for hour. Went upstairs to Pig & Whistle to listen to very good singer (typical singer/acoustic guitar), very talented & quite engaging, had another T&T. Watched Promenade Parade –very neat, everyone should watch. It wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be (and had heard). Guy’s – lot’s of nice scenery in the parade. Someone else will have to judge for the ladies. Walked around outside, very peaceful at night. Went to guest services to get CyberCabin equipment ($100 for week – unlimited usage in cabin on laptop vs. $0.50/minute in library) – well worth it, as I needed access to computer on daily basis. Back to room to freshen up and drop off CyberCabin equipment and then up to High Notes to have a nightcap. Day ends at 1:03 AM.

The World Championship Belly Flop Contest (At Sea)

Good morning (I think). 6:30am and I’m awake – not bad considering the intake of intoxicating ingredients last night. A quick wander up to the Promenade to find that you can’t get bottled water early in the morning from the “24” hour restaurant – Café Promenade. On to the gym for a ½ hour run, a stretching session, and a good steam to rid the toxins from yesterday. Gym is surprisingly busy for this early. Good news is, you don’t need to find water as they have fountains with ice cold, clear, tasty H2O. Gym is as equipped as most clubs I have seen back home. Feeling alive, and awake, I eat breakfast at Windjammer. I am sure that cruise veterans can find something wrong with the food, but I am pleasantly surprised considering the reviews I had read. The waitstaff was amazingly helpful. Selection is typical buffet (fruit, bread, bagels, potatoes, hash, bacon, sausage, eggs, yogurt, juice, milk). Bottled water and soft drinks are extra. After breakfast, wandered around, checked out the peek a boo deck to make sure captain was earning his money (ship was on autopilot at time). Captain was looking out front window with cup of joe. Rock climbing wall pretty neat, but not as impressive as on web. Very windy today, as in blow all 200 lbs (OK, 205 lbs) of me over windy. 35 knots !!! Explored outside of whole ship. Found Johnny Rockets, Kid Zone, Roller Blading, Pools, etc… Cyber Cabin works like a charm. Read all usual news. Got email from work. Sent email to customer – hopefully making him guilty for getting me to work on vacation. Had lunch in formal dining room (curried chicken, rice, fosters oil can) – pretty good. You can go in with shirt, shorts, sandals. After lunch, went up to main pool area. Good Caribbean band. Many bartenders wandering around. Found subject for first Mrs. Crane email to business partners (men- if you have seen Caddyshack you will understand reference). Goal is to send one per day, with a winner selected at end of week. Laid on chair reading Biz Week magazine while drinking Dos Equis. Ran into old co-worker and current supplier (Mark & Nancy Koons)– small world. Watched “world championship belly flop contest” – well worth the price of admission (free). Very funny to watch big (and I use that term kindly) men empty swimming pool. Back to room to lay down for 5 fricking minutes before phone rings. Goal was to take 1 hour nap before 3pm rubberband/hooters meeting at Pig & Whistle. Met lots of new people. Highly recommend organizing your own to meet new people with different perspective. Am going to meet one couple to watch Michigan-Ohio State game on Saturday. Another Foster’s down. Went back to room and changed into Tux. Everything OK except cumberbund is too small (couldn’t be that the waist is too big). Went to Captain’s champagne reception – best thing I could say is that Champagne is free (boring !!!). Dinner – 1st time in main dining room. 5th floor, main seating. Mushroom turrine appetizer, Caesar salad (they have anchovies – just ask), Duck a L’Orange. A nice Pinot Noir recommended by our waitress from India – Suhahta. Very good. Faked my way through the nod, sniff, swirl, swish, and swallow – yep – tastes like wine to me. Fat free strawberry thingee for desert – OK. After dinner, went to Dreamscape . Very worthwhile. I have been to several Broadway-type shows both in Detroit and Toronto. While this show isn’t as good as those I’ve seen (Phantom, Miss Saigon, Stomp….) it is very professional, good, and entertaining. I recommend that everyone go. It’s not that long (about 1 hour). Went to Scoreboard to have G&T and watch Monday Night Football. Had drink. Went to room to get out of monkey suit and back into shorts. Back up to Scoreboard for more football. Over to Pig & Whistle for 2 seconds until I realized that Kareoke was starting (I get enough in Japan). Decide to call it an evening at 11:30. Finish typing this missive and watch end of MNF. Tomorrow I go parasailing. Goodnight.

Craggy Rocks (Labadee, Haiti)

Woke up at 6:45am this morning with a slight headache. Laid in bed trying to talk myself out of heading to gym, but didn’t win. Went up, lifted weights, stretched, and took a short steam bath. Morning was overcast. Went to Windjammer for quick breakfast then off to tender service. One really gets a sense of just how big the Voyager is when one is in a small ferry looking straight up the side of this massive structure. It’s huge !!! It’s about a 5-10 minute ferry to Labadee. Pretty smooth. Once on the island, I wandered over to the parasailing booth to check in for my 10:15 appointment. It is now sunny and hot. After check-in, I had some extra time, so I wandered around the island. Not much to see. Some neat rock formations if you walk to other side of the area (straight ahead from the ferry launch, then go left). Time for parasailing. It was fun, the 2 man crew from British Columbia, Canada were fun and seemed to enjoy their job. You get about 5 minutes in the air at 400’. I had never parasailed before, and must say it was exhilarating. It is so peaceful up there. I took some cool pictures, hope they turn out! Got to see some local fisherman. Great views of the ship and the island. After parasailing, I did a lot of wandering and took some digital pictures (including Mrs. Crane 2). Walked up by Dragon’s Mouth –worth the walk, some neat scenery. After wandering around, I went back to main area to eat BBQ lunch (typical picnic fare and quality, good enough for me – I had cole slaw, chicken, ribs, and a hot dog). Hung out for about 1 hour, washed off at bathrooms (they have showers) and headed back to the ferry. Don’t panic by the long line, it moves quickly. Once back on board, I went back to room, showered again to get rest of sand and salt off me, laid down on bed and crashed !! Took about 1 ½ hour nap (much needed). Got up, rinsed off and dressed for another casual night. Tonight was Italian night. I had prosciutto and melon for an appetizer, tomato and mozzerella in olive oil with pesto for salad, shrimp scampi for entrée, and tiramisu for desert. We chose a nice Pinot Grigio (Santa Margarita, Italy) with dinner – again recommended by our waitress –Sue. After dinner back to the room to get email from work. Also relaxed with a Tanqueray and Tonic and watched CNN for a while, then basketball. Off to Scoreboard and Pig & Whistle for some drinks, sports, and music. Scoreboard was dead tonight, so I went over to Pig & Whistle. Singer was in my wheelhouse tonight. The singer was playing all those woe is me, escape to sea songs. Thought of some lyrics that I may try to expand “Mr. Singer looking at me, staring into my soul, I’ve seen you in a thousand bars, singing the same old tunes”. After listening to first set, I decided to wander the ship some more, grabbed a gin & tonic and headed out on the 4th deck. Walked around amazed at the clearness of the sky – you can see so many constellations. I haven’t seen so many stars since my childhood in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Definitely a walk you should take at night. Good thinking time. Went to stern of ship and watched wake – it is amazing how powerful this ship is. Continued on to bow of ship, you have to walk up about 10 stairs to the helipad. At this time of night (10:30pm) the helipad is completely dark. Sat in chair for about 10 minutes just listening to the water and the ship with eyes closed. So relaxing I could have slept there. The darkness is rather eerie, but refreshing to get away. Inside again, it is surreal that moments ago I was alone with the sea. Now I’m here in a mass of humanity where one can forget they are on a ship very quickly. I have a big day tomorrow, beginning early so I am calling it a night at 11:00pm tonight. A quick trip to the Café Promenade for a slice of pepperoni and two macadamia nut cookies. Back to the room and time to send this email. Tomorrow it’s Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I’m really excited about what I am doing on Jamaica – but I will leave that for tomorrow’s entry.

Break time at the Spicy Grove Tavern (Jamaica)

Woke up at 6:30am, but since I didn’t have to go to gym today (mt. biking), I laid in bed until 7:30am. Showered, packed backpack, quick, light breakfast at Windjammer. Walked down the pier to meeting area, then off to the bus with driver Otis and guide Oratio from Chokka Cove Tours. On the bus ride to the stables, he taught us some patois, the Jamaican dialect. Stop to pick up Gingerbread, who would be our tour guide for the bike trip. Then off, and up the mountain through some Jamaican villages to pick up our bikes. Listening to Bob Marley (Don’t worry about a ting, every little ting gonna be alright) I had hesitated to take this tour because I like to mountain bike on some pretty technical trails. I couldn’t resist adding another country to my mountain biking atlas. I was afraid the bikes might be the single speed jobs you see rented at the beach and that the trip would be all on paved roads. I was pleasantly surprised. I got a Specialized Rockhopper with front suspension and 18 speeds. The hills were as steep as a lot of the single track downhills that I have been on. The “roads” were in worse shape than some of the trails I have ridden. They made Detroit roads in the spring thaw look like a featherbed. First stop was an elementary school for a history lesson. Gingerbread told us about the history of Jamaica and their seven national heroes. I couldn’t catch the names, but they were mostly freedom fighters. All the little boys wear khaki uniforms and the little girls wear skirts. Back on the bikes, and up a hill. This would be a good point to let you know that this tour isn’t for everybody. The downhills are rugged and somewhat technical and the uphills – well they are uphill. The good news is the trail is 90% down hill. After a few more up and downhills, we went through a couple more villages. Next stop Spicy Grove Tavern, which is actually a 10’X10’ shack. Red Stripe time! Great views of the bay. Got a lesson about some of the spices that grow on the island (including Ganga). Back on the bikes. Arrived at main road out of Ocho Rios, which was the end of the bike ride. Total length 8 ½ miles, 2 hours, several stops, and about 1900 vertical foot drop. On the bus and off to Chokka Cove for some more fun. Some great cliff diving from about 15 feet into about 25 feet of water, also snorkeling, and swimming. After diving a few times, taking some underwater pictures, some good film of cliff jumpers in group, I sat down to do some writing. After about an hour, it was time to go, with one more stop for a good rum punch. On ship, I showered and went up for lunch in Windjammer. Had some great key lime pie for desert. After lunch went out to hang at pool for a couple hours. Had a few Tanqueray & Tonics and read a magazine. It was quite overcast, so I didn’t get much sun for tanning – probably for the best. Took a walk up to the helipad to watch the ship leave harbor. Amazing how this massive vessel can turn on a dime. Back to room to get ready for dinner. Tonight is Caribbean night, so I picked my loudest, ugliest Tropical shirt for the occasion. Had Banarama soup (chilled banana puree with Malibu rum) for appetizer, Shrimp & Crab salad with spicy cocktail sauce for salad, Jerk Chicken for entrée, and banana cream pie for desert. I’m stuffed. Then our waitress brought over what I would describe as pinapple foster (similar to Banana’s Foster). It was awesome. I will be making it at home. Tonight with dinner we chose a Caymus Vineyard White Wine called Conondrum. Another great choice by Sue. She finally told me that her husband was a wine steward on this ship and is now a head waiter, so she got a lot of her wine knowledge from him. Back to the room to explode, I mean relax. Watched TV for a while, then went up to get a drink. Back to room to lay down at 9:45PM, woke up at midnight !!!! Missed the not-so-newlywed game, the Mardi Gras parade, and the ice carving and midnight buffet (probably could have caught the tail end of the last two, but I was pretty groggy). Oh well !!! I’ll watch them on the TV and on my next cruise.

Being an obnoxious American (Grand Cayman)

Woke up this morning and I got myself a beer – oh wait, that’s the theme from Soprano’s (or an old Door’s song). I actually woke up and got myself a Diet Coke. Woke up about 4:30AM due to my incident the night before. Laid in bed until 6:30am, got up, showered, went to jogging track and walked until 8am at which time I ate breakfast in the island grill, went back to room and packed backpack for day. I departed on tender arriving in Georgetown at about 9:50am. Wandered down to the Hard Rock Café to have the standard tourist picture taken. Went back to docks to get ready to go snorkeling. After changing into swimtrunks in public bathroom, I got on a bus for a 10 minute ride to the doc. Went out to Stingray City on a cataraman, run by Don Foster Tours. Good boat, good equipment, has facilities to change. Picked out mask and snorkel. Once out to the city I was amazed by the color of the water and the amount of people. Into the water, I tried out the mask to make sure it wasn’t leaking, then got away from the big masses of people and let the stingrays come to me, instead of chasing them around. I got some great pictures underwater, I hope they turn out OK. It was so much fun, I saw a ton of stingrays, got to touch them and feed them. They will run right up your back if you let them. Awesome. It is something that can’t be described with words. After 45 minutes in the water, it was time to go back to shore. This was more than enough time for me. Back on the boat, time for a Stingray beer. Back to shore, we got the obligatory please tip us spiel. I always tip these guys pretty good if I enjoy myself, I worked in an industry where you depended on tips when I was in college, so I know what it feels like. Back at the dock, I took a right and wandered along the waterfront away from downtown. Found two bars (one was Rackham’s) and had a Red Stripe in each. Took some pictures and got my karma straight (it hasn’t really been bent all week). Bought a Stingray Brewery t-shirt. Walked back to the dock. Back on boat, dropped off stuff in room, went for walk of 4th deck before dinner. Sent email to friends wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving from Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Sent picture of me sitting out front of Hard Rock Café (above). Changed into white tuxedo jacket for formal dinner. Dinner tonight was Thanksgiving. I had a chicken consommé soup for an appetizer, a Caesar salad, then turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing for dinner. Skipped desert. Down to the Ice Rink for the ice show. This is well worth the time. It was not like a show you would see on shore, but they do some amazing things with the small ice surface. David Cousans was quite funny and the rest of the performers did a good job. Went back to room for 10 minutes then off to casino to finally play some blackjack. The dealer kept teasing me that I looked like Bond, James Bond, with my white tux. Made out good, won 90 dollars and won 50 for the dealers. Back to the room again to change into black tux jacket for the grand buffet exhibition, as a chef wanna be, this was something I had looked forward to all week, and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything from the cheese to the ice sculptures to the deserts were awesome. Bought copy of cookbook, signed of course. I think I now have about 60 cookbooks. Went to Scoreboard and then walked around deck 4 to kill time until buffet opened for eating. Went to buffet swearing that I would only get a little, turns out I needed a forklift to get my plate back to my room. I tried to type some review, but realized that I was too drunk. I couldn’t send anyway as satellite has been down all day. 1:42 AM time for bed with the information from ESPN that my Detroit Lions are now 0-10.

Sailboats & Cruise Ships (Cozumel, Mexico)

After staying up until approximately 2AM, I actually slept in until 7:30am. Up to the gym for a 30 minute run and weight lifting routine. Ate quick breakfast in Windjammer (need to check out formal breakfast before end of trip). Back to room, got packed and off boat in time for snorkel and swim catamaran with Fury Catamarans. Got on the catamaran with about 100 people, but wasn’t too crowded. Grabbed equipment, not as good as in Cayman. Travelled to part of main Cozumel harbor, jumped in. My mask leaked enough that I had to come up every couple of minutes to drain and reseal. Saw lots of fish, but coral wasn’t very colorful. I wasn’t very impressed. After about 45 minutes it was time to get back on the boat and begin drinking. Free beer and margaritas were everywhere. About a 20 minute ride to beach, enough time for everyone to get loosened up. Once at the beach walked down water ladder on to beach, which we shared with people from the other two cruise boats that were in port. Beach area was really neat. Tons of floating mats, cabana bar, shaded tables, bathrooms, volleyball courts, kayaks, again more beer (the guides were walking around giving you a beer when yours was empty). I chose to take a floating mat and a beer and relax in the water for a while. After about 20 minutes went back to shore and walked up an down beach taking pictures. Watched volleyball for a while. After about 1 ¼ hours, it was time to get back on the boat. More beer and margaritas. Music cranked, people were dancing and having a great time. Did the macarana, YMCA, and had a congo line including the guides pouring margarita down your throat every time you passed the bar. Back to the dock, I exited the boat tipping the guides a total of $10. I went to my room and showered and changed. Exited ship and wandered to taxi stand. Managed to split a van taxi with some people from Utah. I paid $2 for a ride to the market (about 2 block walk from Carlos & Charlies). The total for the van was $10. I think you can get a taxi for about $5. Straight to Carlos & Charlies. It was packed (like I expected anything less). Got a table with a couple that had been on the catamaran with me. Had a margarita (even the little one is huge), didn’t seem too strong. Had the BBQ shrimp, they were wonderful – BBQ sauce, cheese, wrapped in bacon. Bill came to about $25. Danced for a while, then took some pictures of the inside. Time to leave, took some pictures of the outside. I decided to walk back to the boat (3 miles). Always fun when you are a little buzzed. Took a few pictures and observed the whole scene. Got some great pictures of the ship with some sailboats in the foreground. Back to the boat. Took a shower, and went to Scoreboard to get a pre-dinner drink. For dinner this evening, I had the escargot in garlic butter for an appetizer, the smoked salmon duo (smoked salmon pate, lox) for “salad”, lobster tail for dinner (actually I had two tails – burp) – they were very good. For desert I had a souflee with grand marnier cream sauce. We chose a Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon as the wine today. Back to room for 15 minutes to relax. Up to Scoreboard where Charmaine now calls me Rusty and has a T&T poured when she sees me. Good that she recognizes me (because I’m so damn cute –not !!), bad that she recognizes me (because I’m there every day). After two, down to Casino. My luck was even better this evening. I turned $80 into $325 in about 20 minutes on the black jack table. Also made dealer $40. Quit while I was ahead. Back to room to get dispatch out and email and to relax. Connection to internet not working. Quit while I’m ahead.. Up to scoreboard for a couple more, wandered around boat. Bed by 12:30AM.

Mango Tango, Yummy Tummy (At Sea)

At Sea. Woke up at 7:42, jumped in shower, checked headlines and went to breakfast in formal dining room. Casual wear is definitely acceptable here for breakfast. Had bagel with lox and cream cheese and two eggs benedict. Excellent !!!! I still like the Windjammer/Island grill for breakfast because of the ambiance (the formal dining room is very elegant and posh, which doesn’t fit with breakfast for me). Back to room, walked around deck 4, had to backtrack as part of deck was closed for powerwashing. Back to room to get laptop. Out to a chair on deck 4 to finish yesterday’s installment and plan today’s activities. Back to room, then up to deck 12 to get that last bit of sun, I need to equal out my tummy tan to my back tan. Too much snorkeling has left me a little lopsided. Took a bunch more pictures, listened to the Calypso band, read my Business Week magazine, drank a couple of gin & tonics, watched the ice carving competition, the sexiest legs competition (men’s version) – won by a 75 year old man. Had enough sun, went down to room to begin packing. Went up to Scoreboard to see College Football – boat doesn’t have authority to show college, had several Gin & Tonics and had lengthy discussion with Charmaine. She played my Robert Bradley Blackwater Surprise – Time to Discover CD. She, and every one else in the bar loved it. Robert Bradley is a blind African American former street performer that was “discovered” by an all white suburban rock group. The mixture of the two is amazing. Recently they have been picked up by another Detroit good story – Kid Rock aka Bob Ritchie. I am donating this CD to the bar, so request it when you get on board. 4:08 back in room with a nice buzz going, time to pack some more. Bummer. Dressed and went to dinner. Tonight I had crab cakes for an appetizer, Caesar salad (with anchovies of course), Lamb chops, and for desert I had Baked Alaska. Can’t remember the name of the wine tonight but it was damn good. The only thing I remember is that it is made from semi-dried grapes. Ask Sutatha if you see her. Back to room, finish packing and put bags outside. Everything fits !!!! Went to finale show. Very good. Krooz Komics, followed by a couple of song & dance numbers, then the Amazing Roloff, then the main act a stand up comedian. The Amazing Roloff – was, well amazing. He does a lot of balancing type things that have to be seen to be believed. I thought he should have been the main act. Back to Scoreboard, from here it gets a little fuzzy. Too many Gin & Tonics, Red Bull & Vodka’s and other drinks too numerous to mention. Let’s just say that by the end of the night there wasn’t a sober person in the bar including the bartenders. The last thing I remember was Cairain doing a belly shot of a pretty young lady on the bartop. Somehow I got back to the room. Don’t ask me when or how !!!

My favorite way to do a shot ! (At Sea)

Woke up at 7:00am by knock at door. Nephew returning binoculars. Still drunk, but with a massive headache and quesy stomach. Overserved again !!!. Back to bed, up at 7:42 to get in shower. Need to vacate room by 8:00am. Really feeling bad now. Pull myself up to Promenade to wait to disembark. Lie down on floor and fall asleep, then move over to couch to sleep some more. Finally get off boat at 10:30am. I know a lot of people complain, but I would rather wait in the cushy boat than a drab airport. Get bags from luggage carousels. This could be better coordinated. Beige, my color, wasn’t identified on any of the carousels. Got someone to take all our luggage. I was last in family to exit along with my brother and sister in law and their two kids. Sara is long gone. Up to clear customs, went through smoothly. No duties. I am not arguing. 15 minute bus ride to airport. Check in. I got selected for extra security, so my bags are searched several times. I don’t complain although some in line do. I travel a lot on business so I am (a) used to it, and (b) happy that they are careful. Head down to gate to wait another three hours for plane. Sleep some more. On plane after another search of carryon luggage. United has more legroom than the Northwest planes I am used to flying. Land in Chicago, head to gate for another wait. Take off from Chicago, and arrive in Detroit at 8:15PM. Home by 9:30PM. Extremely tired, but can’t sleep. Lisa loves ring, wants to hear about trip. Sit up talking until about 11:30PM. Time for bed as work comes tomorrow.

Post Mortem
Monday sucked !!! I was so tired, my boss was laughing at me when I strolled in at 8:15am with big black rings under my eyes. Next cruise, I get to Miami a day early in order to make the most of the first day on the boat, and take a day off after cruise to recuperate - or maybe that should be a week. Packed way too much, will adhere to the 50% rule (unpack 1/2 of what you originally pack) next time. Can't wait to cruise again. Really pleased with my initial cruise. Glad to have met those I met and sad to have missed those I didn't.