Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas is drawing crowds everywhere she sails "down under" and today, she sailed into Auckland, New Zealand. Royal Caribbean Blog reader David O'Rourke stopped by the port to snap up these photos of Voyager docked in the city. Enjoy!
About 135 passengers aboard Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas became sick along with eight crew members as the ship returned from New Zealand to Sydney.
"Those affected by the short-lived illness have responded well to over the counter medication administered on board the ship"' Royal Caribbean said in a statement late yesterday.
The illness caused big lines at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay to stretch hundred of meters as frustrated new passengers were kept waiting for hours. Royal Caribbean says the long lines were mostly a product of new passengers choosing to ignore staggered boarding times.
Those boarding Voyager of the Seas were given a statement which gave the norovirus outbreak as the reason for the delay in boarding.
Passengers were asked to fill out forms revealing whether they had recently suffered from gastro or flu-like symptoms. Those who ticked `yes' were taken aside for medical check ups.
Voyager of the Seas in at Waimahara Wharf in Shakespeare Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound.
Royal Caribbean is doing its part to make another record cruise season for Sydney, Australia. The city expects 265 visits before the cruise season ends in April 2013.
Many of the passengers that will help set that record will be traveling aboard Radiance of the Seas, including the 2100 people it brought to the city yesterday after a 17-night trip from Hawaii.
Royal Caribbean managing director of Royal Caribbean Cruise Australia expects up to 750,000 Australians to take a cruise in 2012. That is a 34% increase from 2010 when just 620,000 Australians went on a cruise.
''The stronger economy is providing a better return, and the better return is attracting a better quality of ship."
That's great news for Royal Caribbean and the cruise industry, considering there just a 4% increase in American cruises and 5% among British cruisers over the same period of time.
Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas arrives in Sydney on November 22 and will bring even more passengers than Radiance.
Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in Asia at the moment, is scheduled to dock at Keelung Port in Northern Taiwan on Friday, which will set a record for daily cruise ship traffic in Taiwan's seaports.
Keelung Port Vice Manager Wei Shuo-liang confirmed the record will occur when the 140,000 ton vessel will bring its passengers to Taiwan. Voyager of the Seas' arrival along with other ships in port will be enough to bring some 10,000 tourists through the port and make it Keelung's busiest day.
"It will also set a record high for daily cruise traffic in all ports in Taiwan," he added.
Royal Caribbean's Taipei office said earlier this year that the plan for a port call at Keelung signals the cruise line's plans to make inroads into the Asia market.
According to the local office, Royal Caribbean is also evaluating the possibility of making Keelung its home port in the Asia region.
Photo by plusgreens
Voyager of the Seas became the fifth ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet to offer the Dreamworks Experience onboard.
Characters from “Madagascar”, “Shrek”, “Kung Fu Panda” and “Puss in Boots” will be available to guests to meet and see. Voyager joins Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as the ships that offer the Dreamworks package.
The ship, which offers itineraries of four to fourteen nights out of Shanghai and Beijing, will now offer special entertainment options to its passengers such as parades, character breakfasts in the main dining room or surprise encounters with the characters.
Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the addition, "Extending the DreamWorks Experience to Voyager of the Seas illustrates, even more, our commitment to the Chinese market and the regions of Asia and Australia."
Voyager of the Seas passengers will also be able to watch 3D movies like "Puss in Boots" or the latest film from the Dreamworks, Madagascar 3: Lost in Europe.
After China, where the ship will be until October, Voyager of the Seas will operate on the Australian mainland, in November, departing from Sydney, performing routes from eight to 18 nights in Australia and New Zealand.
Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas became the largest cruise ship to visit Busan, South Korea on July 19th after she made her maiden call.
Voyager of the Seas stopped at the second largest city in South Korea as part of her first season in the far east.
Lee Jae-Myung, Royal Caribbean's representative in South Korea, commented on the occasion, “We are proud to have added yet another popular Korean destination to Voyager of the Seas’ North Asian itineraries.”
“Busan, a cosmopolitan city with breath-taking mix of hills, mountains and the ocean, has always been one of Royal Caribbean’s top destinations in the region. With our multiple calls lined up this season, thousands of international guests will be able to enjoy the city’s scenic beauty, tourist attractions and famous seafood delights.”
Voyager of the Seas will also be calling at Fukuoka and Okinawa on the seven night cruise from Shanghai. Other itineraries in the ship’s Asian season include three and five night cruises from Singapore, along with five and seven night cruises from Shanghai and Tianjin. She will be calling at Busan six more times this year.
People that are new to cruising many not be aware of the sheer amount of things to do aboard a Royal Caribbean ship and that's why Travel Weekly highlighted some of the best activities on cruise ships today that aren't expected by a new passenger.
Voyager of the Seas' sports deck is something that stands out because there's so much to choose from. You can go in-line skating, use the jogging track, try the golf simulator and more. Aboard Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, you can zip line, learn to surf or play basketball.
If entertainment is more your thing, the ice shows in Studio B aboard Voyager of the Seas is another fun option. In addition, the DreamWorks Experience offers you the chance to meet passengers from Kung Fu Panda or Shrek. Oasis and Allure of the Seas have an Aqua Theater where athletes perform acrobatics, trapeze artistry and water ballet.
Royal Caribbean sent new Public Relations Manager Allison Brennan and Royal Caribbean commercial manager Adam Armstrong to the Sydney Winter Festival to promote Royal Caribbean's own ice rink at sea aboard Voyager of the Seas.
The ice rink at Bondi Beach is a fun opportunity for Australians to ice skate, and Royal Caribbean is hoping to show that passengers aboard Voyager of the Seas can ice skate onboard for free in the Studio B ice rink.
Studio B is a 700-seat venue and offers 45-minutes ice skating sessions at scheduled times on selected sea days, along with evening events including disco skating and rock n’ roll skating.
Complimentary ‘Learn to Skate’ sessions will be offered for beginners while advanced skaters can take advantage of advice from the professional skate team who will be offering lessons for those more adept on the ice.
Twelve professional figure skaters from around the world will take to the ice in “Ice Odyssey”; the 45-minute show that features solo and pair performances.