Friday, December 19, 2014

Voyager of the Seas revitalisation, November 2014



In November 2014 Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas went into dry dock for a month-long $80 million refurbishment that upgraded much of the ship.

The 'new look' Voyager of the Seas includes, among other things, a FlowRider surf simulator, virtual balcony staterooms, new bars and entertainment facilities, as well as Izumi, Giovanni's Table and Chops Grille restaurants.

Let's have a look...

*Top photo - Voyager of the Seas is welcomed into Sydney, one of her first ports of call after the revitalisation. All photos courtesy of Royal Caribbean unless otherwise stated.

**To read my review of this fabulous ship, which I have cruised on, see HERE.

Top - how the 'old' main dining room looked and, bottom, the new
Sapphire Main Dining Room. The old dining room had a different name for
each of the three decks - 3, 4, 5 - it was situated on,
whereas now the whole dining room has the one name.
(Top photo - Giulio Saggin)

Portofino Italian restaurant (top) on Deck 11 has been replaced by Chops Grille steakhouse (bottom).
Chops Grille menu can be seen HERE.
There is a dining fee of US$30 for dinner.
(Top photo - Giulio Saggin)

The Vault nightclub (top) is being replaced by Giovanni's Table Italian restaurant (bottom).
The Vault was on two levels - Deck 3 & 4 - and Giovanni's Table is taking up the Deck 4 space.
The deck 3 space is going to be more Inside Staterooms.
See the Giovanni's Table menu HERE.
There is a dining fee of US$15/lunch or US$20/dinner.

Giovanni's Table from another angle.

LtoR (top) Seven Hearts games room and the 19th Hole bar on Deck 14have been replaced by Izumi  Japanese restaurant.
See the Izumi menu HERE.
There is a dining fee of US$3/lunch or US$5/dinner, which includes tips.
(Top photos - Giulio Saggin)


LtoR The 'old' and 'new' Royal Promenade.
(Photo, left - Giulio Saggin)

The Inline skating track (top) on Deck 13 has been replaced by the Flowrider.
(Top photo by Giulio Saggin)

Inside Stateroom with Virtual Balcony.

 Family Suite

Royal Suite 

 Royal Suite

Bubbles in the Champagne Bar (top) on Deck 5 have been replaced by cocktails in the 'retro-chic' R Bar.
(Top photo - Giulio Saggin)

Cleopatra's Needle (top) on Deck 5 has been replaced by the Star Lounge.
(Top photo by Giulio Saggin)



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If you like the photography in my blogs, it's because I am a professional photographer. My photos don't merely show something, they tell a story. And visual stories i.e. photos, are more interesting than pictures that merely show something. 

If you'd like to know how to turn your images into visual stories, I've published a book that takes a whole new slant on photography and 'translates' the art of taking photos into a language we all understand.

To read more about my book and see some of its 100+ visual examples, please click HERE.

***I use all the tips and hints from my book in every photo I take, including those in Travel With Giulio.


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The Aquarium Bar (top) is being replaced by The Tavern, which is described by RCI as
a 'gastropub with an upscale sports bar atmosphere'.
The Aquarium Bar was located on both sides of Deck 4. The Tavern has replaced the Aquarium Bar
on one side, while the Art Gallery has replaced the Aquarium Bar on the other side.
(Top photo - Giulio Saggin)

The two-deck Library on Decks 7 & 8.
(Top photo - Giulio Saggin)

Vitality Spa.
To see the list of services offered at Vitality Spa, see my review of Voyager of the Seas HERE.

Windjammer CafĂ© (buffet)


Top to bottom - The 'old' and 'new' Solarium 'adults only' area on Deck 11.
(Top photo by Giulio Saggin)

The Video Arcade is now part of Adventure Ocean on Deck 12.


Lastly, a lovely pic of Voyager making her way through Sydney Harbour...



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I hope you enjoyed this post and a big thank you to Royal Caribbean International for supplying such great photos, especially, so that I could show you the new-look Voyager of the Seas.

To read my review of this fabulous ship, which I have cruised on, see HERE.

Bon voyage!

Giulio



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All photos by © Royal Caribbean International, except otherwise stated
Use of photos/text must be via written permission









4 comments:

teamworktom said...

An Advertorial!

Unknown said...

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the comment, although I have to say I'm not sure of the reason behind it. If you've seen any other cruise posts on Travel With Giulio, you'll know my style is to show cruise ships 'as they are' and try as much as possible to avoid 'opinionating'.

Also, if it was an advertorial of any sort, I would have made mention. The fact is, I wasn't paid, or received any kickback, for this blog post. I'd love to think this was my career but I have a day job.

Myself and many readers of my blog have cruised on Voyager of the Seas and, like me, were keen to see the changes to the ship. I could have published the new photos on their own but more impact came from showing the 'before and after' comparisons, just as I did in my Pacific Dawn refurbishment post (also not an advertorial) - http://cometravellingwithus.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/pacific-dawn-refurbishment.html

Despite the comment I made - "...a big thank you to Royal Caribbean International for supplying such great photos..." - the photos of the newlook Voyager weren't just made available just to me. I downloaded them from the media page of the RCI website, where they are available to scores of other media outlets around the world.

I hope this goes some way to explaining why this isn't an advertorial.

Ciao,

Giulio

Unknown said...

Hi Giulio,
We are booked to go on voyager in nov 2015 a two week family holiday to NZ and Fiji. I have read so many reviews and negative comments we were almost thinking of changing our holiday. Your blog is absolutely fantastic. So much information I haven't seen anywhere else and great photos. We have booked a deluxe balcony and we're happy to see photos included.
Thank you so much for you time and effort you have put into this blog. I going to read your review now.
Cheers Nicola

Unknown said...

Hi Nicola,
Thanks for your post and I'm glad you liked my review. I love sharing my cruises with others, so hearing from someone like yourself makes it worthwhile.
Happy cruising!
Ciao,
Giulio