*For more information on packages and booking details, head to the bottom of the post.

And off I went for another cruise along the Straits of Malacca — this time on Royal Caribbean‘s majestic Voyager of the Seas. I have never been on a Royal Caribbean ship, and being an international cruise liner with cruises all over the world, I was really looking forward to the voyage. I was already eager to spend my time on the various activities on board — especially the Flowrider!

The Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas

Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas goes on several leagues along the Straits of Malacca — from 3-day to 7-day cruises and stopping at several ports along the way, including Malacca, Port Klang, Penang, Langkawi and all the way to Phuket. I sailed on the 5 days 4 nights weekday cruise, starting and ending in Singapore, and stopping by Port Klang and Phuket on my journey.

The Voyager of the Seas did her maiden voyage in 1999, and was the biggest Royal Caribbean vessel at that time. It no longer is the largest one in the fleet anymore, but at a length of about 310 meters, with a total 15 decks, and the space to accommodate more than 4000 guests, I’d say it’s huge enough! And it’s got a little something for all kinds of cruise-goers — the thrill seekers, the theater enthusiasts, the food lovers, the relax-and-do-nothing-ers, and of course, the young at heart.

Arriving at Singapore’s Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

Time to queue to get onboard the Royal Caribbean!

The Voyager of the Seas docked at Marina Bay.

Can’t wait for all the fun I am going to have aboard this ship.

Getting nearer and nearer to the vessel after passing through the embarking process.

Off to Singapore and the Marina Bay Cruise Centre

From Kuala Lumpur, I made my way to Singapore in a private car (there are regular buses and flights to Singapore as well). We left the city at about 6am in the morning, and arrived at the Marina Bay Cruise Centre in Singapore (port of embarkation) just in time to board the ship at 11am. I have to say the boarding process was extremely systematic — we passed through bag check, and then got registered for our room keys; and finally, passed through immigration before being allowed onto the ship.

Guests are encouraged to check-in prior to the cruise — so the registration at the counter was just for confirmation and room key collection. I was required to give them my payment information (either through cash or credit card) because everything was to be charged to my room card and paid at the end of the cruise. I was also given details of my wifi onboard as I had purchased my wifi package prior, and paid about USD$17 a day (for the surf-only package for 2 devices).

My stateroom with private balcony. Home for 4 nights!

Opposite side of the spacious stateroom.

Some mornings, I can have breakfast in bed.

Or if I prefer, at the balcony while reading the daily Cruise Compass.

The stateroom with window has also has a gorgeous view of the ocean.

The Royal Caribbean Staterooms

There are four kinds of main staterooms aboard the Voyager of the Seas — the suites, the balcony staterooms, the ocean view staterooms and the interior staterooms. During my cruise, I was placed in the Ocean View Balcony Stateroom. I loved the balcony and the spaciousness of the cabin with all the basic necessities — a double bed, ensuite bathroom, closet, flat screen TV, refrigerator, hairdryer, tea and coffee making facilities, and a double sofa. My stateroom attendant tended to the room two times a day — once in the morning, and a turn-down service in the evening. He provided me with fresh towels everyday but there were no toiletries, so thankfully I brought my own. The plug sockets in the room are USA plug sockets (two) and a UK plug socket.

While onboard, I had the chance to visit another two stateroom types. The Ocean View Stateroom has the same basic facilities as the Ocean View Balcony, minus the balcony that is replaced by a huge ocean-facing round window. The window really makes the best pictures! The other room-type I saw was the Interior Stateroom. It didn’t have a window, but there are interior staterooms that face the Royal Promenade (the ship’s main atrium where many activities are held).

Oh and yes, Continental breakfast room service is included if you want breakfast in bed!

The stunning interior of the Sapphire Room, for some fine-dining.

All dressed up for my 3-course meal.

For some 24-hour dining, there’s the Cafe Promenade.

The Pigs and Whistle Bar at the promenade.

Here’s where I get my mojito during pool time!

Restaurants, Specialty Dining and Bars Onboard

Now, let’s talk about what’s really important on a cruise, the food! There are three inclusive restaurants to choose from — the Main Dining Room (Sapphire Room) for fine-dining meals, the Windjammer for the buffet spread, and the Promenade Cafe for 24-hour snacks. During my cruise, I was on the “My Time Dining” at the Sapphire Room, Royal Caribbean’s award-winning dining program that allows guests to pre-book their daily dining times. We were booked on the 8pm time slot (the other one is 5.30pm), and had the same table and same waiter every night. I truly enjoyed my 3-course fine dining meals. The food overall was commendable.

There are also specialty dining restaurants (not inclusive) aboard the Voyager of the Seas — Giovianni’s Table (Italian), Chop’s Grille (Western), Izumi (Japanese) and Johnny’s Rockets (burgers). There are special packages provided for these specialty dining places that can be booked prior to the cruise. Other packages offered onboard include beverage packages — the Deluxe Beverage package (with alcohol) starts from about US$57-63 per day; and the Premium Refresh package (juices, sodas, coffee) from US$26-29 per day. They can be enjoyed at the restaurants, or the ship’s many bars such as Schooner Bar, Pigs and Whistle Bar, Star Lounge, and even the bar at the pool. I wasn’t on the beverage package, so I had to pay for my drinks per order. They cost from about US$12 per glass.

Entrance to the La Scala theatre.

The broadway musical performance — with songs from all the famous composers.

Taking a seat at the grand theatre.

Performance by the charming Tamara Guo.

The ice-skating extravaganza at the ice-skating rink, Studio B.

Performances and Headliner Shows

I was rather impressed by the shows on board Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas. During my time on the ship, the Cruise Director Michelle filled our nights with wonderful performances at the La Scala Theater. It was always a thrill walking to the grand theater after dinner and looking forward to the night’s show. On the 2nd night, the Headliner Showtime featured Tamara Guo, a popular Chinese singer/actress/entertainer who filled our night with Chinese songs and stories. On the 3rd night, the laughter was up a notch with the Headliner Showtime’s comedy and magic of funnyman Steve Carte. The 4th nights Headliner Showtime was my favorite one of all, as it was a Broadway Rhythm and Rhyme performance by the Royal Caribbean’s singers and dancers.

As the Voyager of the Seas was one of the very first cruise liners to have an ice-skating rink on board the ship — of course there is an ice show as well! The “Ice Odyssey” Ice Spectacular show is performed 4 times throughout the cruise as seats are limited. I managed to attend the 2pm show on the 4th day of the cruise. From time to time, characters from popular animation movies make special appearances to entertain the kids — I saw Po from Kungfu Panda, Shrek, as well as Alex and Gloria from Madagascar.

The outdoor swimming pool is a children’s playground in the daytime.

And it becomes a party scene come night!

Of course, a great way to pass the time is to sun-bathe all day long.

Or better still, scale a wall.

And my favourite thing to do — get on the Flowrider.

Things to Do — Activities and Party Time

If there is one thing the Royal Caribbean is filled with, it’s the crazy amount of activities! It was really hard to try and figure out what I wanted to do for the day, because I wanted to take part in just about everything! Just imagine — wall-climbing, trivia quizzes, gold/futsal/basketball/table tennis competitions, arts and craft classes, health talks, dance classes, karaoke time, movie screenings, pool time, photo shoots, and of course my favorite activity of all, the FlowRider. The list is simply endless, and I’d spend my whole day just flipping through the Cruise Compass (cruise activity program) to figure out my daily schedule. I have to admit though, I always ended up going to the FlowRider to wait my turn. As with all the activities, I just had to turn up to take part.

And the parties on board the Voyager of the Seas is nothing short of rocking. Every night there’s always a themed party at different locations throughout the ship — 50’s and 60’s Rock N Roll Dance Parties, Tropical Pool Deck DJ Parties, and 70’s Disco Inferno Street Parties. It was just so amusing watching the guests come together to dance the night away. It really didn’t matter how old or how young they were, they were there just to really, really have fun. I was so entertained.

The iconic Petronas Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur.

Or you can head to nearby Klang for some of their signature ‘Bak Kut Teh’.

The view of Patong from inside my tuk tuk ride.

The ship anchors just off the shore of Phuket’s Patong town.

Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas anchored off the shores of Patong Beach.

Port of Calls — Port Klang and Phuket

The Voyager of the Seas stop at many ports on its various leagues along the Straits of Malacca — but during my journey, we stopped at the ports of call of Port Klang and Phuket. I live in Malaysia, and therefore didn’t see a need to disembark the ship to visit Kuala Lumpur. Instead, I stayed on board and enjoyed the many many activities and facilities on the ship. However, if you’ve never been to Malaysia — do drop by our capital city (about 2 hours away from the port) and visit some of our most iconic landmarks like the Petronas Twin Towers and Petaling Street (Chinatown); or better still, taste some of our wonderful food! Klang itself (where Port Klang is) is famous for their herbal pork soup, Bak Kut Teh.

The second port of call is Phuket — and the ship anchors just off the coast of the popular (and notorious) Patong Beach. It was a long stop on the 3rd day (from 10am to 10pm), so I took my time to head to shore (after the crowds have gone), and only did the two most important things to do in Phuket (to me) — eat and get a massage. However, if you’re looking to head further afield and explore more of Phuket, you can check out my post here:- Mynn’s Top 10 Things to Do in Phuket.

Tours of both Kuala Lumpur and Phuket are offered on Royal Caribbean’s Shore Excursions. They cost about US$40-70 per person for Kuala Lumpur tours; and about US$50-140 per person for Phuket tours. There are Singapore tours too.

Joining the little kids at the pool.

Nothing like chilling on the top deck for some sun.

The Royal Caribbean cruise captain and his team!

Another night on the cruise, another chance to dress up.

Sunset from my private stateroom balcony.

The Fun I Had on the Voyager of the Seas

If you’re looking for a cruise that is filled with fun activities — look no further than Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas. I have to say that I had a very ‘busy’ time running all over the ship and doing as much as I could! I rang the highest bell on the wall-climb, balanced on the board at the FlowRider, had 6 correct answers out of 20 questions on the Beatles Quiz, got a big panda hug from Po from Kungfu Panda, sunbathe till I got burnt on the pool decks, sang my heart out on stage during Karaoke time, and attended all the performances and shows onboard.

I do wish that I could add drinking to my heart’s content on the list — but the extra package charges hindered this activity! Still, there was enough on board the Voyager of the Seas to keep me occupied the whole few days I was on the ship. That, and rushing with some hordes of guests who absolutely love conquering the buffet spread — the only downside to an otherwise almost perfect cruise experience.

So what’s my favorite part of being on this cruise? It has to be dressing up every evening for my fine-dining meal, walking down the grand staircase to my night at the theater, and ending the day with dancing and cocktails. What a way to evoke my imagination of the luxury cruises of the yesteryears.

The Royal Caribbean’s grand Voyager of the Seas.

A shot at the very front of the vessel — just below the captain’s bridge.

Balconies, staircases and chandeliers decorate the interior of the ship.

A view from the Voyager of the Sea’s Royal Promenade.

A step into the casino.

More Information

MATTA Fair 2019 Special Deals for Voyager of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas

• *Buy 1 free 1, *kids cruise at 50% or free, *free luggage bag, *free KL – SG return transfer.
• To find out more about the package, click here.

Visit Cruise Master at the Matta Fair 2019 to get the latest deals:-

• To get more information on the Cruise Master Booth, click here.
• Or contact Cruise Master on Whatsapp by clicking here.

*She Walks the World went onboard the Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas as a guest. And as always, all opinions stated here are my own.