Having previously undergone refurbishment in 2014, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas is in the midst of another major makeover.
The US $97 million project includes the ship (which turns 20 next month) receiving a new look, along with a lineup of first-to-market features.
Cruise and Travel Asia took a dry dock tour to witness the ship’s amplification process, hosted by Royal Caribbean’s Umit Erdogan, Associate Hotel Director, Hotel Modernization, and Alex Schmidt, Acting Cruise Director of Voyager.
Voyager is currently about halfway into her 41–day renovation project at Tuas Shipyard in Singapore. Incidentally, the vessel was the very first ship to dock at Tuas Shipyard. At present, Erdogan shares that there are about 2236 construction crew working on board to get Voyager ready for her big reveal.
The ship is also the first Royal Caribbean vessel to be helmed by an Asian captain. Hailing from China’s Shandong province, Captain Wu Hui Min took command on the ship in November last year.
Given that Voyager’s target demographic is multi-generational families, the revamp is centred around pleasing families and making the cruising experience one that every family member can enjoy.
This is evident by the addition of ‘The Perfect Storm’ waterslide duo. Named Typhoon and Cyclone, the slides will deliver three stories of heart-racing twists and turns. Family members can also race each other down the slides, with each ride taking about 21 seconds. On our tour, we were also lucky enough to witness the slides being installed on deck 13 of the ship.
Erdogan also explained how the water slides, sports deck, teens club, Adventure Ocean, gym and spa will be located on decks 12 and 13 of the ship. Having these facilities situated around the same area will allow family members to remain near each other whilst doing different activities. After which, they may easily access the Windjammer restaurant on deck 11 for lunch or dinner.
Kids can also look forward to the new Battle for Planet Z laser tag, a favourite on other Royal ships such as Symphony and Spectrum of the Seas. Located in the ice rink at Studio B, the glow-in-the-dark adventure will allow family members to battle one another in an epic ‘Aliens versus Robots’ galactic showdown.
Another family-oriented offering is Adventure Ocean’s new nursery programme for kids under 3 (ages 6 months to 36 months), helmed by certified child-care professionals. Facilities were also designed with lots of open spaces and opportunities for free play. A new teen centre called the Living Room is in the works as well, with a remodelled interior, outdoor seating and a play space.
Along with refurbished outdoor areas, 72 new inside and balcony staterooms are being added. Existing staterooms will see small upgrades too, such as new carpets, reupholstered sofas, new finishes and the installation of Smart TVs. A new Suite Lounge and outdoor area is also exclusively available for guests in Grand Suites and above, with food service throughout the day and a concierge service to help them book activities like excursions.
Dining venues like the Main Dining Room and Windjammer will also be refreshed, with additional dining tables added to Windjammer.
Other interesting facts and figures on Voyager’s revamp include:
Voyager will come out of dry dock on 16th October. Following sea trials, she will have 8 sailings out of Singapore to popular ports like Port Klang, Malacca, Penang and Phuket. On Nov 16, she embarks on a 14-day repositioning cruise from Singapore to Sydney.
The ship will also be brought back to Singapore for the 2020 summer season in May and June, with 13 sailings of 3 to 5 nights around Southeast Asia.
