Here is a review in todays Cleveland Plain dealer. You can find the article here.

Radisson Voyager out of this world
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Donna Marchetti
Special to The Plain Dealer
I have a strategy on cruises: Stay onboard during port visits, and you'll probably have the pool to yourself.

So there I sat, poolside, aboard the Radisson Seven Seas Voyager docked at Progreso, Mexico, the first stop on a six-night Caribbean cruise in December. I had a great spot and a good book, and there was no one in the pool.

On this most un-Caribbean of days, I was huddled under layers of clothes and a beach towel to boot. Underneath all that, I optimistically wore my bathing suit, but there wasn't a chance it would get wet that day, with temperatures in the 60s and a stiff breeze under a leaden sky. I decided right then that to enjoy this cruise, I was going to have to abandon all expectations of a fun-in-the- sun vacation.

As it turned out, I was on just the right ship.

Friends from Toledo had raved about the Voyager after a Mediterranean cruise, saying they would book it again.

The second of Radisson's all- suite, all-balcony ships, the Voyager promises exception- ally generous space-per-guest ratios. Measuring 670 feet, it can accommodate 700 passengers and a crew of 447. For comparison's sake, a more typical large cruise ship of 1,000 feet might carry about 3,000 passengers and a crew of 1,180.

The itinerary didn't matter to me. Tired and stressed, I simply wanted to be pampered in a luxurious, uncrowded setting where I could relax and unwind.

That began the moment my mother and I boarded the ship to the strains of classical music. Glasses of champagne in hand, we sank into the nearest chairs and sipped appreciatively, allowing the wine and music to set the tone for the coming week. By the time we arrived at our cabin, the kinks of our hectic lives already had begun to loosen.

At 370 square feet, including balcony, our penthouse suite was quite spacious. (The smallest cabin on the Voyager is 356 square feet; the largest is 1,403 square feet.) The walk-in closet itself was almost as large as some cabins I've had on small ships.

The sleeping area could be curtained off from the living area and balcony, making it comfortable for me to stay up late to read or watch television. Amenities included a DVD player (disks were available from the ship's library), stocked bar and refrigerator, telephone and the usual safe, bathrobes and hair dryer. The marble bathroom, equipped with Aveda toiletries (my favorite), had a tub and a separate, good-size shower. The fine cotton sheets and towels were a welcome luxury.

At 5 p.m., our amiable butler, Joshua, arrived with a plate of foie gras and caviar, and every day thereafter he brought a different plate of canapes: feta and olives, prosciutto and melon, shrimp cocktail and various other treats to tide us over until dinner.

Rainy days fail

to suppress appetite

The ship departed Fort Lauderdale, Fla., under clear skies, but the next morning the sky was gray, and by the afternoon of our first full day -- spent at sea en route to Progreso -- rain was pelting our veranda doors and the sea was churned up to a foamy froth.

What to do when the weather turns sour? There's always that most venerable of cruising activities -- eating. This turned out to be one of our greatest pleasures throughout the cruise.

We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfasts Joshua brought to our cabin every morning. We ate outside on our balcony whenever possible, despite the wind whipping the tablecloth around our ankles and threatening to blow our napkins out to sea.

We had two dinners at La Veranda, a casual, bistro-style restaurant that features a Mediterranean menu. On our first visit, service was prompt and professional, though the second time around -- much busier this time -- everything moved at a snail's pace. (This was, however, the only glitch in service we experienced during the cruise.)

One night, we tried Signatures, the ship's reservations-only French restaurant operated under the auspices of Le Cordon Bleu of Paris. The food was fabulous, including the port wine-poached fig with fromage blanc, vanilla sabayon and roasted walnuts.

Another restaurant, Latitudes, featured cuisine from Southeast Asia. Though we did not try it, we heard rave reviews from other passengers who did.

Most of our meals were taken in the ship's main dining room, the Compass Rose. Always beautifully presented, the meals were of a caliber I wistfully had hoped for on cruises but rarely had found. Portions were smaller than usual, giving me the much-appreciated opportunity to enjoy more courses.

While my mother enjoyed desserts of bitter chocolate tart with orange-citrus sauce, I was delighted to find a real cheese service to enjoy with the last of my red wine. The cheese was not the lame little plates of domestic cheddar, Swiss and blue cheese I had been handed on my last few cruises -- on other, less expensive lines. The waiter presented the cheese cart and explained the various types and origins.

Seating policy

is a bonus

I was thankful also that Radisson has abandoned a long-standing and -- in our opinion -- painful cruise tradition, the forced shared table. My mother and I live far apart and see each other only a couple of times a year, one of which is our annual cruise. We want to spend our time at a table for two, talking with each other, not a half-dozen strangers.

We also appreciated the ship's one-seating, dine-anytime policy. There was no rush for the doors at opening time, and no feeling of being herded like cattle to our tables.

This unhurried, calm atmosphere, which we enjoyed throughout the ship, might have been partly because of the cruise being only half full -- not uncommon, we were told, in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The low number of passengers also might have resulted in the personal attention we received from crew members, though we suspected, and had been told, that this is a hallmark of the cruise line. Many crew members told us how much they enjoyed working on that particular ship.

My mother took advantage of the ship's spa, run by Carita of Paris, luxuriating in a top-of-the-line, 75-minute facial that left her feeling refreshed and renewed.

I found my daily rejuvenation on the upper-deck walking/running track, where I joined other stalwart exercisers, a couple of them clad in jackets, furry woolen hats and leather gloves.

Rough seas and a rocking ship several evenings unfortunately kept us away from the nighttime entertainment since walking across open spaces away from hand railings was risky for my 80-something mother.

Conditions were calmer when we docked in Cozumel, Mexico, our second port. I had signed up for a boat snorkel excursion to Palancar Reef, one of the most impressive in North America. Though the sun that had warmed us briefly in the morning was gone by the afternoon, the reef was as beautiful as I had remembered it from a dive trip years earlier. I recognized species in the crystal-clear water: bright blue tangs and chromis, delicate lemon-colored butterflyfish, a regal queen angel fish and a couple of coral-munching parrotfish.

Our final port was Key West, Fla., awash in a chilly drizzle that had the shore-based security personnel shivering despite their north-country clothing brought out of mothballs for the occasion. I walked about a half-mile beyond popular Duvall Street to find Peppers of Key West, a quirky little shop owned by former Clevelanders Michael and Kathey Fatica, where a full contingent of regulars and tourists lined the tasting bar to sample the Faticas' award-winning, tongue-searing sauces, the only thing hot, it appeared, within several hundred miles.

By lunchtime, it had stopped raining, so Mom and I bucked up to the cold and enjoyed a couple of fresh grouper sandwiches and some wine on the patio at Bistro 245 in the Hilton Resort and Marina overlooking the water.

The weather during our entire December cruise was awful, but everything else was superlative. Just give me another week on that ship, and I wouldn't even care.

Marchetti, a free-lance writer in Cleveland Heights, is a frequent contributor to cruise sections in The Plain Dealer's Sunday Travel section. She can be reached at travel@plaind.com.

Oh Karen,

What a great review on the Voyager, and right on the money, I'd say. Thanks for posting it!

Betty

Donna's review rings true to most of our Radisson cruises. Isn't it nice to see the Voyager through the eyes of a new Radisson cruiser? Looks like another convert!!

Karen,

This review makes me even more excited to get onboard the Voyager this summer!

Ginny

Ginny, you know you are on a good cruise when the weather and rocky ocean doesn't even ruin your trip!

Hey Ginny,

I'm going on the July 2nd Baltic cruise on the Voyager. When is yours?

Beth,

We are going on August 6th with Ngaire and Ken, Denise and Alan, and Kathy from PA is also going with her family. And a couple of others that I can't remember right now.

I am really excited. Can't wait to read your impressions when you return. That trip to Moscow sounds exciting!

Ginny

Hi Ginny,

Too bad we can't all go together. Maybe another time. I will do my best to gather info and post my thoughts on my return.

BTW, is your login "gopack" an action or a cheer (one of our local colleges, NC State is the Wolfpack). I've been dying to know.

This was a great picker-upper, knowing that it's only about 3 months until I'm going to be on Voyager! Thanks for posting it.

Beth,

gopack is a cheer for the Green Bay Packers. I grew up there and am still a big fan eventhough we have lived in Texas for 14 years. I wish you were going on our cruise with us, also!

LeeAnne,

Hope you are feeling a little better today. It really helps to have a fun vacation planned to get through some of the rough spots! Good luck on your job searching.

Ginny

Hello all,

Last Christmas I was on the Voyager for the Western Carib. cruise. Brand new Ship. The room, food and sailing were great.

I wish all the best on this wonderful ship.

Karen thanks for the mail.

JPar

Judith

Judith, I am looking forward to my first time on the Voyager this October!

PS
I am still reading the new Michael Crichton book...almost finished!

Karen,

You will love it. A bit larger then the Diamond as you know.

Tell me about the book when you finish!

As always the crew is wonderful on the Voyager.

For some reason I have a feeling about the Diamond. A very good relaxed trip.

Regards, Judith

JPar

Thanks for the good wishes, Judith.

Ginny

Ginny, Thanks for the explanation of "gopack." I kinda like the idea that it is an action - - like you are ready for travel, as I bet you are!

Ginny- Every time I read any of your posts I always thought of the pack, but looked at the 'Texas' and decided I was wrong. My husband, Dave, grew up in GB! We are both huge packer fans, even though I am a MN native. In fact, we have season tickets with VERY good seats in the family. Don't make it to many games, but as you can imagine, there are no problems selling any unused tickets.
I'm not sure where Flower Mound is, but my brother-in-law used to be a police officer down in Humble and I have a niece who is a doctor in Dallas. Are you any place close by?

Trish

Beth,

Like Ngaire said once, she thought I was ready to go pack for a cruise!! Sounds good!

Loon,

I will send you a private message about all the Green Bay Packer stuff! I am sure there are many people who don't care to read about all that stuff!! :^D

I just "got" your sign on, by the way, being from Minnesota, isn't the loon the state bird?

Ginny