Voyager of the Seas Mediterranean Cruise
I am a huge cruise fan! Sailing the high seas on a luxury liner and waking up at a different port of call is the life for me. Even though I have been on more than 20 cruises, I still get as excited as a child on Christmas morning when it comes to booking my next cruise. Cruising offers adventures, both at sea and at the port.
I cruised the Mediterranean aboard Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas with my daughters, sister-in-law, and some friends. Since we embarked from Barcelona, Spain, my husband joined us for a few days prior to our trip and we made a family vacation out of it. This was my first cruise with Royal Caribbean and my first time in the Mediterranean. I was spellbound by the beauty of my surroundings!
Cruise Itinerary & Ports of Call: Grand Mediterranean
- Embarked from Barcelona, Spain
- (Villefranche) for Nice, France
- (Livorno) for Florence/Pisa, Italy
- (Civitavecchia) for Rome, Italy
- (Capri) for Naples, Italy
- (Palermo) for Sicily, Italy
- Disembarked from Barcelona, Spain
Voyager of the Seas shopping arcade.
My Favorite Thing at Each Port of Call
- Barcelona: I loved taking the double decker hop on/hop off bus tour and seeing all of the art galleries.
- Nice: The city’s amazing views, visiting Monte Carlo, and seeing Princess Grace’s gravesite.
- Pisa: Hands down, taking pictures in from to The Leaning Tower of Pisa!
- Rome: Our whirlwind, but educational, private tour of the Vatican Museum. Touring St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican is one of the top ten best things I have ever done.
- Capri: Driving the Amalfi Coast and exploring Pompeii (even though it was hotter than Hades).
- Sicily: This was my favorite city in Italy. I enjoyed touring the catacombs, though a bit creepy and definitely not for everyone.
Favorite Things Onboard
Activities: The Magic Show, Bingo, and Gambling in the Casino Royale. My kids loved the Arcade.
Food: We dined at Seas Portofino restaurant, a $20 pay restaurant. Children under 13 were not permitted.
Special Offerings by Royal Caribbean: A rock climbing wall and ice skating rink.
The Highs and Lows of my Voyager of the Seas Cruise
My daughters loved the onboard Ben & Jerry’s, which was very new for its time. We ate at Johnny Rocket’s twice, serving burgers, fries, sodas, malts, and floats, for $3.95 per person surcharge. The waitstaff dances periodically and encourages the guests to join them. The worst part of the cruise: incredibly long lines to get off of the boat at each port. It was a nightmare! Overall, I thought Royal Caribbean did an excellent job on this cruise. They kept us entertained but the dining room food was just so-so.
Hanging out at Johnny Rockets on the cruise ship.
Would I Visit The Mediterranean Again?
Cruising in the Mediterranean is exhausting because there is so much to see and do. I recommend setting aside one day just to relax. This is certainly the cheapest way to see so many amazing things in a short amount of time. After this trip, the only places that I would visit again are Sicily and the Amalfi Coast.
Tips
The music and dancing choices onboard were Pig & Whistles Pub, The Vault Disco, Aquarium Bar, dance party at Cleopatra’s Needle, piano tunes at Schooner Bar, and Latin choice at High Notes.
Wear cool clothing as it is extremely hot in Italy. Stay hydrated and bring a hat and sunscreen.
In Sicily, we hired a cab driver to show us the sights right on the lot. He did not speak English, nor did we speak Italian, but he got us to the sights and we enjoyed our tour immensely. The fee was $40 for four of us and we were with him around six hours.
Voyager of the Seas Picture Gallery:
Port of Call Italy:
Eating an authentic pasts lunch in the non-touristy part of Rome.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
When I saw the Roman Forum, my 8th-grade history lessons came back to me.
The gorgeous Trevi Fountain in Rome.
We visited the Colosseum in Italy but did not explore inside due to time restraints.
Peyton at a private beach club in Via Reggio, Italy.
Gorgeous beach on the drive through the Amalfi Coast, Italy.
The beautiful ruins of Pompeii, the city covered in ash.
Mummified body in Pompeii.
My daughters touring the ruins of Pompeii.
The Palermo Cathedral in Sicily, Italy.
St. Rosalia Church on Mount Pellegrino in Palermo, Sicily. One of the best churches I’ve ever visited.
Ports of Call Spain:
Barcelona’s masterpiece- La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi.
The Hotel Arts, a Ritz Carlton property, was our home during our Barcelona vacation.
Stately Military Government building in Barcelona, Spain.
Cap de Barcelona by Roy Lichtenstein in artsy Barcelona, Spain.
Ports of Call France:
Taylor and I in Old Town, Nice, France.
My first sight of Villefranche, France.
Gorgeous beach in Nice
Gorgeous beach in Nice, France.
Check out our other posts about European cruise ports:
5 Top Things About Palermo (Sicily)
Rome’s Eternal City
Looks like some great excursions! You definitely cruise a lot 😛
LOL I LOVE it Christine! 😉
Wow, reading this has completely changed my view of cruises! I’ve never really seen the appeal, but this looks fantastic. The destinations are all high on my list (well, i have been to Barcelona but want to go back), and I can’t believe how good the facilities look. Is that shopping arcade really in a ship? Crazy? Thanks for writing this, I’ll definitely consider a Mediterranean cruise with Royal Caribbean now. How many days was it?
Yes, they all have shopping to some extent (jewelry, clothing, toiletries, candy, souvenirs, duty free, liquor, tshirts, etc.). Awesome! My cruise was 8 days, 7 nights. I have not been on a cruise longer than 12 days but hope to in the future. I think this particular cruise was $999 for an inside room and after cruising with the particular line you will be eligible to score deeper discounts. I paid $699 per person for my latest Black Sea weeklong cruise. It is an amazing bang for your buck! Thanks, I am thrilled you liked it!
What a wonderful list of ports to visit! What an inspirational post! Love the photos!
Thanks so much! How can you go wrong in the Mediterranean? LOL
Wow looks amazing!
I sailed the South Pacific with P&O a few years ago and absolutely loved it 🙂
Simone x | The Aussie Flashpacker
Lovely pics!! Seems like a lot of activities though!
I have never been on a cruise before! I think a big reason for this is that I don’t have an interest in sailing around the Caribbean hopping from one beach to another but seeing as your European cruise looks absolutely amazing, you may have just changed my mind!
Jessica, big difference in all the venues, that is for sure. As well as the crowds they draw. I recommend cruising Europe for the more versed traveler; the Caribbean is nicer for the inexperienced. 😉
I have never been on a cruise but I do love the idea of being able to visit so many amazing places in one trip, I love keeping busy and getting out everyday and seeing something new too! Although I might like a little more time in each place. I think for now I will stick to backpacking but would love to give a cruise a go when we are a little older and maybe a little more well off!! ha ha
Key word “older” lololol
I never been to a cruise holiday id love to try.. looks like a perfect holiday seeing so much place . Looks like you had a great time.
I’ve never been on a cruise and I’ve always felt it doesn’t suit my travel style. But this looks like a lot of fun- especially for families. Plus it can be great value for money these days.
Yes, the price for me is the biggest draw, and waking up somewhere new every day. That is very high on my list. When my children were young it was definitely a big draw because of all the kids activities; however, they never left my side. LOL
have you ever tried cruise in Asia?:) It seems you had fun but I never try to travel with cruise I don’t know if I will ever try:D
I haven’t been to Asia yet but would love to explore my first time by cruise. 😉
I loved Nice when I was there. I never thought of going on a cruise but the more i read the it looks tempting.
Cruising….it really does appeal to me because I’d love to experience a holiday on such a gigantic beast like this boat! But I’m not sure I’d be content with just being able to spend so little time in each place I visited. I think I’d rather enjoy the ship experience instead…your pictures make it look like all the fun is onboard!
Samantha, I love enjoying both. I really feel robbed when I only get one day at sea, but then I get to see another great city so its a “6 of one, half dozen of the other” situation. I completely understand. I can manage to have all sorts of fun on the boat alone.
Wonderful! I’ve done many cruises in the Caribbean, but never made it to the Mediterranean. That and a transatlantic (maybe together) is something I’ve always wanted to do.
I want to do a transatlantic really bad. If you ever see any good deals, please pass them along. 😉
Great photos! I’ve thought about doing a cruise to knock off a bunch of countries that I only want to spend a day or two in. I’m most impressed by the ship…they have totally upgraded since the last time I was on one! 🙂 Love the flag bunting.
😉 Thanks for visiting! That is a great way to put it, knock off a bunch that I only want to spend a short time dabbling in”…perfect! LOL I never thought about it but that sums me up.
Cruising can definitely be expensive but it’s really worth it. Your adventure says how awesome it would be to be cruising, especially around Europe. Love your pics too!
Thanks Karla! Europe is my favorite to visit!
I always want to go on a cruise through the Mediterranean Sea. Must be so exciting to see so many different places in one trip… And the ship is huge!!! Wow…
I love it! Thanks for stopping by!
I have never been on a cruise and never thought that it would be of interest to me, but lately I have been thinking about trying a 3 day cruise or something short to give it a shot. I tend to be one who likes to be in a place for a few days to explore every nook and cranny, so having only a few hours at port would stress me out! But.. I am starting to think that a few days on a boat where my child can be entertained and I can relax, just might be something I would enjoy!! Cool to learn more about a cruise through this post.
Thanks so much. I do not want to discourage you but the short cruises like that are really cram packed, not much time to relax after learning the layout of the ship and all the craziness they pack in to such a short trip. Also, they sell those cruises super cheap so the caliber of people are sometimes more “party” driven than say the weeklong cruisers, so there is that to deal with as well. Not always, but I would want you to have a pleasant experience. I really want to try a trans-atlantic. They are very inexpensive and offer many at sea days to just do nothing or as much as you wish on the boat. Filled with activities!
So much fun! I have been on a few cruises and think you can definitely get a lot out of it, depending on the itinerary and people you’re with. What a great list of place you visited!
Thanks Alyssa. My family is obsessed with cruising.;)
I love all of these destinations, but have never done a cruise to visit them. Do you think you get enough shore time to explore everything as much as you’d like? That’s my only worry with cruising.
I do. And if you really like the place, you can go back on a land trip, but if not, you didn’t waste much money or time. In the Caribbean, there is nothing much to do other than sun and relax so I feel that is plenty of time, but in Europe, the cruise days are much longer since so many more things to do.
I really can’t see myself enjoying a cruise but the amount of things you can do on a boat impresses me nonetheless
Woohoo! Thanks Hannah!
That looks like a pretty great cruise! Personally I am more for river cruises, but this one looks like a lot of fun!
I love the river cruises, too, but man are they expensive! 😉
Love the level of detail and the plentiful photos..not sure if I am a cruiser or not..
If you ever need to try it, gimme a shout. 😉 I am always game!
Funny to think of Florence as a cruise port of call. What an awesome itinerary though! Care to take me along next time??
I would love to cruise with you and the boys some day Rob. 😉
I gotta say the port of calls on this cruise would definitely be worth it!