My wife and I were aboard the June 4, 2004 sailing of the Voyager of the Seas to the Western Caribbean, departing from Cape Liberty Cruise Port, Bayonne NJ. This was our fifth cruise overall and our second on Royal Caribbean. Overall, we had a great time. We feel, however, that with a bit of fine tuning, RCI could make a very good cruise experience into a great one.
EMBARKATION was a breeze. This was out first time leaving from Cape Liberty. (Our previous four sailings have all departed from the piers on the west side of Manhattan). A day or two before the cruise we received a telephone call indicating that our boarding time (listed as 1:00 P.M. on the ticket) had been pushed back to 2:30 P.M. We had booked a limo to pick us up at 9:00 A.M. at our home in Suffolk County, Long Island and decided not to change the time. It was a wise move. I am sure veteran cruisers know this already, but first-timers should take note: NEVER PAY ATTENTION TO THE OFFICIAL BOARDING TIMES. GET TO THE PIER AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. With over 3000 people scheduled to board this ship, I would rather be first on line and waiting to board than stuck in a cattle drive later. And usually you will board earlier than scheduled anyway.
We arrived at the terminal at 10:40 A.M., were checked in by a very courteous representative at 11:00 (absolutely no line to wait on; we walked right up to the desk), and were on board at 12:15 P.M. The waiting area we sat in while anticipating the boarding was pleasant, with a band playing and entertainers making balloon animals. You will go through the usual security procedures and the first of many photos that will be taken of you in the terminal.