Voyager of the Seas
 | This article contains promotional content. (October 2012) |
 Voyager of the Seas in Sydney, Australia,
following her 2014 refurbishment | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Bahamas | |
| Name | Voyager of the Seas |
| Operator | Royal Caribbean International |
| Port of registry | |
| Route | Asia, Australia and New Zealand |
| Builder |
|
| Cost | US$650 million |
| Yard number | 1344 |
| Launched | November 27, 1998 |
| Sponsored by | Katarina Witt |
| Christened | November 20, 1999 |
| Maiden voyage | November 21, 1999 |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| Notes | [1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Voyager-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 311.1 m (1,021 ft) |
| Beam |
|
| Height | 63 m (206.69 ft) |
| Draught | 9.1 m (30 ft) |
| Depth | 24 |
| Decks | 15 |
| Deck clearance | 7 |
| Ramps | 4 |
| Installed power | 6 × Wärtsilä 12V46 (6 × 12,600 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 23.7 knots (43.9 km/h; 27.3 mph) |
| Capacity | 3,138 passengers |
| Crew | 1,181 crew |
| Notes | [3] |
MS Voyager of the Seas is the lead ship of the Voyager-class of cruise ships operated by Royal Caribbean International (RCI). Constructed by Kværner Masa-Yards at its Turku New Shipyard in Turku, Finland, she was serviced on November 27, 1998, and christened by Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Katarina Witt on November 20, 1999.
Upon her departure on her maiden voyage the following day, November 21, 1999, Voyager of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world, although she was overtaken the following year by her sister ship Explorer of the Seas. She measured 137,276 GT at launch with a displacement of 58,000 t (57,000 long tons; 64,000 short tons), and a 2015 refurbishment increased her tonnage to 138,194 GT.[1][4] She is 311 m (1,020 ft) long overall, has a waterline beam (width) of 36.8 m (121 ft) and a height of 63 m (207 ft).
Design
Voyager of the Seas contains the first rock climbing wall at sea (mounted on funnel) and the first ice-skating rink at sea, as well as a horizontal atrium concept known as the Royal Promenade.[5]
During Voyager of the Seas' first weeks at sea, there were doubts about how effective the ice rink would be due to the ice occasionally cracking in places due to the instability of the ship and hot ventilation pipes on the deck below, although these merely turned out to be teething troubles. Today the ice rink is used throughout the cruise as a public ice-skating venue and for professional ice shows.
The Royal Promenade is a marble floored street stretching just over 3/4 the length of the ship including shops and light dining venues. This area is the heart of the ship of evening activity, along with the 3 story high La Scala theatre in which some of the latest production technology is used to produce Broadway standard production shows at night.
All cabins on Voyager of the Seas feature en-suite bathrooms and an interactive television service, and most outward facing cabins on the upper decks feature balconies.
In October and November 2014, Voyager of the Seas underwent dry dock refurbishment to receive "Royal Advantage" upgrades.[6] These upgrades included the installation of an outdoor movie screen near the pool, replacing the inline skating track with a flowrider surf simulator,[7] changing the Italian restaurant from Portofino to Giovanni's Table, and adding the Izumi asian fusion restaurant, Chops steakhouse, Diamond Club, digital signage, and ship-wide Wifi.[8][9]
-
Voyager of the Seas in Hong Kong in February 2015 -
Voyager of the Seas in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France -
The bow of the ship
-
The stern of the ship -
The ship at Kobe Port -
The ship at Labadee -
The ship as leaving Auckland, New Zealand -
The ship at Hakata Port
.JPG)
References
Notes
- ^ a b c "Voyager of the Seas (19902)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ^ Smith 2010, p. 166.
- ^ "Cruise Ship Guide". Cruise Travel. Lakeside Publishing Company: 37–43. January–February 2009. ISSN 0199-5111.
- ^ Seaward SEA GUARD Marine Fenders Protect World's Largest Cruise Ship at “The Cruise Ship Capital of the World”
- ^ Saunders 2013, p. 94.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "VOYAGER CLASS FLOWRIDER REFURBISHMENT". Mobimar.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Voyager of the Seas". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "NOW OUR BEST SHIP IS EVERY SHIP" (PDF). Royal Caribbean International. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
Bibliography
- Saunders, Aaron (2013). Giants of the Seas: The Ships that Transformed Modern Cruising. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848321724.
- Smith, Peter C. (2010). Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 9781848842182.
External links
- Official website
- Voyager webcam
- Voyager of the Seas at ship-technology.com
- Voyager-Class.com - the largest online resource for information & pictures of the Voyager-class ships
- "Freo... way to go for cruising" – review by Niall McIlroy in The West Australian of a cruise from Fremantle to Port Hedland, Western Australia, on Voyager of the Seas
- "Seeing the light" – review in The Sydney Morning Herald of a cruise on Voyager of the Seas
- "Voyager of the Seas" – review by Douglas Ward in The Daily Telegraph, London
