After returning from a 7-day cruise on Voyager of the Seas, I thought Id give you the skinny about how Royal Caribbean operates.

You will board the ship on a Saturday. During that day only you can buy a free drink pass for $40. Buy it. Youll certainly drink that much in soda pop and youll be far ahead. Secondly, they offer (on the 11th deck) a prepaid wine package. Again, take them up on this. Youll spend about $175-$200 and youll be far ahead again. The wine is served with dinner and for 2 people one bottle a night is more than plenty. I bought the 7-bottle package and gave away 2 bottles the last night. The 5-bottle package would have been perfect.

Voyager of the Seas is a breathtaking ship both in size and scale. As room accommodations go, I would pay the extra money for a suite on Deck 10. These rooms are much larger than a normal stateroom and have a very large private balcony. This is a big deal because you should know that the normal staterooms are very cramped and may not have any view of daylight whatsoever. Think of living in a closet for a week straight.

The suites offer free drinks between 5:00 7:00 pm. You will recover much of the extra cost of the room by using the free bar for guests on this deck only.

I will talk about the excursions on the ship and which ones are worth going on.