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We cruised for the first time on Voyager of the Seas 8 Nov - 19 Nov 2016. It is a huge ship and according to the book was designed to carry 3,114 passengers. We were told that there were 3,700+ passengers (included approx. 500 kids) and 1200 staff. This may be why we experienced customer service issues. The ship is massive and has great activities and entertainment.
Eating: No matter what option you choose, the food is very good and you never go hungry...
The main dining room is over three levels (L3, L4 & L5) and called The Sapphire Dining room. For dinner we had a 5.30pm dining time on L3 that we had each night apart from a couple. You could also have a later dining time or My Time (go when you like). For Breakfast they had a buffet style on L3 and A'la carte breakfast on L4 available 8am - 9.15am and from 7am on port days. Both options lovely and certainly the better option. They also had lunch on most days from 12noon to 1.15pm. A'la carte with good menu. At all seatings we had the service for meals and drinks was very good.
Windjammers was the Buffet on L11 and the name indicates they "jam" you in. We went there a few times for all meals and each time had trouble getting a table waiting up to 15mins. We wised up and went down to the main dining room about half way though the trip. The selection was nice and fresh although we felt not as much variety as we had on the other ships. We found the customer service here was lacking and you had to go looking for what you wanted. We were not overly impressed.
Promenade Café on L5 offered selection of sandwiches, cakes, pizza and biscuits (line up and counter service) as wells as coffee, tea and water (self serve). This was open 24hrs. We found it good. Always busy but you could usually get a seat and the service was good. Even when they had a line up it moved quickly. The selection was quite good. I enjoyed the rolls and oatmeal biscuits. The kids enjoyed the cakes - mini cheese cakes, brownies, cinnamon donut balls & pizza.
Speciality dining was something we had not done on other ships but this time we decided to try some. They did have packages you could book through your cruise planner online before leaving with 3 speciality dining for US$99 as well as offers for 4 & 5. You could eat at different or at the same places for the price. Good value although I did not do that this time. Izumi was the Japanese and excellent. You pay for this but it is subsided and we thought it was good value. (we were 4 people)
Chops Grille is the steakhouse on board. We did not eat there but was told it was very good. Giovannis = Italian. We did the Galley tour and lunch for US$30 each. The tour was very interesting and lasted about an hour. Then a 2 hr lunch with 8 courses. I really enjoyed this. They were open for dinner most nights.
Johnny Rockets is an American Style diner. We had wanted to try this one but it was busy each time we went by. A flat fee of US $6.95 for what you wanted. I did not actually hear much talk around the ship about it so can not comment on how good it was.
Drinks: There were several bars around the ship inside and outside. Our main issue was that they di not have the wait staff walking around asking if you wanted a drink very often and there were queues at every bar. I think this was due to the drinks package being available. The main package people had was the one including cocktails, wine & beer for US$65 /day on board. While good value you have to really think about if it suits you. We did not get the package as we don't drink much. You have to buy it for the whole cruise not just a day here and there. Also I think there are extra charges for certain drinks. You get a discount if you order online before so keep a look out for specials.
Rock climbing has 4 levels and you ring a bell when you get to the top. You have to wear shorts ( both girls & boys) and socks. They provide special shoes you have to wear. Smallest size was EU 26 ( about kids 12). There is a disclaimer you sign and have your sea pass punched. I suggest go and do this on day one and register for all the activities (ice skating, flow rider and rock climbing) even you are not sure if you will do them. They can do it at the same time and easier if you decide later to do an activity. The rock climbing was generally open 10am - 12noon then 2pm - 5pm most days.
Flow rider was lots of fun. The did have height (not age) restrictions. To use bogie board min height = 52" (130cm) and to use the surf board = 58" (150cm).
Ice skating: We really enjoyed this activity but they did not have enough session times. They had 2 great ice shows (2 days each) and they needed preparation time for the ice so we lost 6 days of ice skating. The sessions were back to back usually 4 sessions in a row so we only ended up skating once. It was heaps of fun and the ice shows were amazing. Make sure you have long pants and socks with you to do this activity.
Mini golf: A nice little course. We played a few times. You did not have to wait much but there were always people at this one. Fun activity for all ages.
Pool area: They had 2 pools and 4 whirlpool/spas. Always busy but you could usually get a spot. As we were watching our youngest often had to stand near the pool as the chairs were taken. They also put on BBQ lunches some sea days. These were quite random and you never knew in advance. It was not promoted in the daily cruise compass.
Adults only area: designed for adults only although kids often walk through.
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