It’s Hard to Get Bored Aboard Voyager of Seas

It would be easy to dismiss Royal Caribbean International’s new 3,114-passenger Voyager of the Seas as a new island in the Caribbean or a floating mega-resort with some eye-catching gimmicks, such as an ice-skating rink and a rock-climbing wall.

But that would do a disservice to what is also a dramatic breakthrough in cruise ship design. Here, finally, is a vessel that should lure the last of the reluctant young non-cruisers because it has, from a seagoing point of view, nearly everything anyone could want. There is no sense of being trapped with nothing to do. On a seven-day cruise, even the most active would barely tap the options.

Yes, the vessel is huge--142,000 tons, 1,021 feet long and so wide, at 157 1/2 feet across, that it cannot transit the Panama Canal.

But it doesn’t seem overwhelming once you get aboard. Decks 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are atop the ship with open decks, pools, sports and sunbathing areas, anchored at the forward end by the 25,000-square-foot two-deck spa and solarium and at the back (aft) end by the Windjammer buffet restaurant, children’s area, miniature golf course and in-line skating track. On the decks between are swimming pools, sunbathing terraces, a basketball/volleyball court, a rock-climbing wall, the nightclubs of the Viking Crown Lounge and a wedding chapel.

The public rooms on Decks 2, 3, 4 and 5 are easily navigated as long as you remember that the three-deck dining room is aft and the show lounge is forward. In between are the casino, shops, business and conference center, Studio B with its ice rink, and various bars and lounges.

The focal point for the vessel is also here on Decks 5, 6 and 7, the magnificent Royal Promenade, similar to London’s Burlington Arcade, three decks high, wide enough for three lanes of automobile traffic and more than the length of two football fields.

The promenade, packed with people at all hours during our November sailing, offers sidewalk cafes, an English pub, a sports bar, an Art Deco deli, a revolving mini-casino shaped like a roulette wheel, boutiques, a general store, clothing emporiums, an elegant champagne bar, a cigar club and an occasional musical parade. Rarely have we seen a more alluring spot to separate passengers from their expendable budgets.

You can schedule a round of golf at the 18-hole Voyager Dunes or at a computer-simulated replica of a popular course ($25 an hour) and wind up sitting in golf-ball bar stools at the 19th Hole Bar. You can listen to live jazz at High Notes, check your e-mail at the library’s 24-hour Internet portal, enjoy a great hamburger with fries and a milkshake at Johnny Rockets (the first seagoing franchise for this chain), boogie in the Vault or browse the $12-million art collection through the ship.

Just for kids, Adventure Ocean has indoor and outdoor attractions from computers to splash pool and beach toys, plus wild and wacky science laboratories. Teens have their own Optix nightclub, handily adjacent to Johnny Rockets, and supervised activities throughout the day and evening.

Foodies may quibble with some of the preparation of shipboard meals--galleys serving more than 10,000 meals a day cannot expect to turn out gourmet cuisine--but no one can complain about the variety of menu and venues, including an intimate Euro-Italian restaurant, a self-service ice cream bar, a casual dinner grill, a sidewalk cafe with all-day pizza, a 24-hour diner, 24-hour room service and all-day buffet.

Entertainment is outstanding, with 14 singers and dancers starring in lavish production shows like “Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme” in the 1,350-seat theater. There’s an inventive, surreal show called “Dreamscape” with New Age music, and, down in Studio B, an interactive ice show called “Ice Jammin’.” A nine-member orchestra plays for shows and dancing, and soloists, duos and trios are all over the ship in eight clubs.

A new category of cabin--common on huge Scandinavian ferries but rarely seen here since the court cabins on P&O;’s now-departed Canberra--is the atrium cabin, with double-glazed bay windows overlooking the promenade. There are 138 of these insides-with-a-view. Some passengers who occupied them said they did not shut out the noise from below at certain hours.

Top accommodation categories include a variety of suites, with 765 cabins offering private verandas. The ship has 164 standard outsides and 480 insides; 18 are wheelchair accessible. All contain twin beds that convert to queen size, interactive TV, bathroom with shower (only suites have tubs), mini-bar, hair dryers, telephone and individual climate control. Families should consider booking the royal family suites--two-bedroom, two-bath cabins, each with a large living room, dining area and veranda.

Finding your cabin may be difficult, and not just the first time. Because of the width, there are as many as five rows of cabins across the ship, so you must study the deck diagrams by each elevator to be sure you go in the right direction.

It’s almost an afterthought to ask this ship’s destinations because few ports are big enough to handle it. The seven-day itinerary from Miami calls at Labadee, a private beach off Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Cozumel, Mexico. The four other days you can enjoy yourself aboard. Fares range from $1,199 (with early booking discounts) to $6,999 per person, double occupancy, including port fees. Air fare is extra.

For a brochure, see a travel agent or call the cruise line at (800) 526-RCCL (7225).