Our family of four (DH, I and daughters 18 and 12) cruised the Western Mediterranean on Voyager of the Seas June 14-21, 2008. We arranged to arrive a day early in Barcelona to avoid transportation delay worries. We arranged to be picked up by Barcelona Tour Guides (www.barcelonatourguides.com, recommended) at the airport and Patrick conducted us to the top of Montjuic for a panoramic view of the city. We then visited the major Gaudi sites and the Hospital of St. Pau (a UNESCO World Heritage site, who knew?). Barcelona is a jewel in itself; be sure to save some time either before or after your cruise to see it.

The next day our transfer got us to the embarkation pavilion a little after it opened at 11:00 a.m. With our Set Sail passes completed on line, we got right to an agent and right onto the ship. The cabins were not ready until 1:00 so we were invited to have lunch and tour the public areas, of which there are many. Voyager has several pools both with sun and shade seating. One of our favorite areas is the Adventure Ocean pool at the aft end of the pool deck. Wind baffles keep the strong Med wind out and the adult size lounge chairs ringing the after were seldom used. We did not see any of the under 5 set in the pool, but the indoor play area was used in the evening for babysitting.

Our fellow cruisers were mostly US, but with a good amount of Spanish, Italian and United Kingdom passengers. The Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle was scheduled rather early: 4 pm on the embarkation day, and only shortly before the Muster Drill at 5:30. Many of the CC friends could not make it and we all wished it could last longer. RCI made it very pleasant, however, and we did connect with many new friends. Read more