Itinerary: Portsmouth, At Sea, Lerwick, At Sea, Heimaey, Reykjavik, Ísafjördur, Húsavík, Djúpivogur, At Sea, Torshavn, Kirkwall, At Sea, Portsmouth

Voyages of Discovery is a single-ship cruise line owned and operated by All-Discovery Cruising, the same company that owns and operates Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises. The three brands share similarities, but there are also distinct differences. Last year we had the opportunity to sail on Swan Hellenic's Minerva, so we can definitely draw distinctions between it and Voyager. Swan Hellenic is more inclusive in that at each port the ship offers included shore excursions that are built into the price of the cruise. On Voyages of Discovery, there is a more "a' la carte" approach to the cruise. Shore excursions are not included in the price; guests can select, and pay for, only those excursions they wish to join. This makes VOD a value for those travelers who prefer to "do their own thing" in most ports.

PRE-CRUISE

Since our cruise departs from Portsmouth, we flew non-stop from DFW airport to London Heathrow aboard one of British Airways aging 747s. The Business Class seats were very comfortable and the service on board the flight was excellent, as always. Whenever we have the option of flying with BA over American Airlines, we take it.

We decided to spend three nights in London prior to transferring to Portsmouth. We were very fortunately to be invited to stay at The Milestone Hotel in London. To read our review of The Milesteone, click here.

THE SHIP

MV Voyager is a bit larger than Minerva and can carry up to 540 guests compared to Minerva's 350. There were 444 guests on our Voyager sailing.

The 15,396 ton vessel was built in 1990 and has retained much of the "charm" of that era. The Reception Desk and Shore Excursion Desk are located on Deck 3 midship. Deck 4 is strictly staterooms and the medical facility which is staffed with a doctor. Deck 6 is where you will find the Spa and Beauty Salon. The Veranda (Lido) Restaurant is located on Deck 7 as is the swimming pool. There are suites located forward on Deck 7. On Deck 8 you will find the Sunset Club, a small fitness center and a massive sun deck.

You may notice that I skipped Deck 5. That deck deserves its own paragraph because most public spaces are located on this deck. First, there is the Discovery Restaurant located aft on Deck 5. Moving forward, there is The Library. Moving forward again is Scott's Lounge, the ship's busiest bar/lounge. Continuing forward, the Darwin Lounge is the "showroom" and where all lectures are held. Then, forward from Darwin Lounge you will find Lookout Lounge.

This has to be one of the most unique layouts of public spaces I have ever seen on a ship. You basically have to walk through Scott's Lounge to get to Darwin Lounge, then through Darwin Lounge to get to the Lookout Lounge. This becomes an issue when you want to visit the Lookout Lounge and there is a lecture or other performance going on in Darwin.

There is an outer promenade on Deck 6 but it does not circumnavigate the ship. The forward portion of Deck 6 is reserved for staterooms/suites. Also, a very large diesel generator (about the size of a shipping container) has been mounted to the aft section of Deck 6, dramatically reducing its space. The generator is an eyesore and should be disguised in some manner.

The pool on Deck 7 is located amidships and also has its own Pool Bar. This is a nice-sized pool along with two hot tubs. There are also plenty of chairs and tables where guests can sit and enjoy a cocktail; however, there are no sun loungers on the Pool Deck, only tables and chairs. The port side of the Pool Deck is designated as a smoking area.

There are two stairways leading from the Pool Deck up to the Sun Deck. This is the top deck of Voyager and has expansive space available for soaking up the sun, of which there was little on our cruise. The astroturf Sun Deck is also a great place for viewing the scenery as there is ample room for hundreds of guests to stand at the rails while the ship sails into or out of ports. If you decide to stand at the very front of the Sun Deck, overlooking the bow, be aware that the ship's powerful horn is just a few feet behind you. It can deliver a deafening blast.

Sun Deck is popular as Voyager sails into Heimaey

On our 13-night cruise, there was only one port that required the use of the ship's tenders. The ship's smaller size allows it to fit into more ports than larger ships. Tender operations took place on Deck 2 and were handled very efficiently. In fact, all disembarkation at ports was very efficient and we never found ourselves standing in line to leave the ship.

Voyager tender in use at Djúpivogur, Iceland

The ship is equipped with Wi-Fi service at very reasonable prices. There are three Internet plans available: 2 hours for £9 (approx. $13 US), 4 hours for £12.60 (approx. $18 US) and 12 hours for £21(approx. $32 US). The 12-hour plan gets the per-minute rate as low as $.04 cents. That is about as cheap as you will find on any cruise ship. Wi-Fi was readily accessible in all lounges and restaurants. I was even able to get a connection from my Deck 3 stateroom, much to my surprise. Not so surprising was the lackluster speed, but it was very usable for email and some web browsing. Connections were unavailable in some locations. Nevertheless, I would say, on our cruise, I was able to get a connection 85% of the time, which is not bad considering that we were sailing close to the Arctic Circle for a few days.

It should be noted that Voyages of Discovery is a British company. Also, the majority of their clientele are British. The onboard currency is the British Pound. For Americans traveling on Voyager, you must remember that when you see prices on a bar menu or shore excursion form that the prices are in Pounds, not dollars. A simple way to estimate the cost in dollars quickly is to multiply by 1.67*. Therefore, a £3.75 cocktail is going to cost approximately $6.25 US.

Prices are reflected in pounds not dollars

* Currency exchange rates change daily. This was the exchange rate at the time of our cruise.

Because this is a British cruise line, all announcements, literature, daily programs, etc., are in English. The Voyager Today daily newsletter is delivered to the cabin each evening and is very well designed and concise. The program gives an overview of the daily activities, arrival/departure times (on port days), mealtimes, shore excursion departure times, etc.

Unlike on many of the larger cruise ships, on Voyager you will hear very few announcements over the ship's PA system. On port days, an announcement is made to let independent travelers (those not taking a ship's shore excursion) know when they are able to disembark. The Captain will make an announcement from the Bridge each day around noon to update guests on weather and sea conditions. And, that is about it for announcements.

On our sailing, the majority of guests were older British couples. There were a few Americans, a couple of Canadians and a handful of Australians. The majority were probably in the over-60 crowd, but there were a few younger travelers. We saw no children on board, and frankly, they would probably be bored on this ship. There are no kids' programs that we are aware of.

Dress Code

As on most ships, the dress code during the day (before 6pm) is casual. Many wear shorts or jeans. Swimsuits are not allowed in the restaurants. With the exception of two "formal" nights, every night on board Voyager was considered "smart casual". On formal nights, the majority of the gentlemen wore tuxedos or dark suits and a few (myself included) wore dress slacks, sport coat and tie. Ladies wore formal gowns or cocktail dresses. On smart casual evenings, gentlemen are asked not to wear jeans, and a shirt with a collar is requested.

ACCOMMODATIONS

At 135sq. ft., our Cat. DB cabin is typical of cruise ship accommodations of the era when Voyager was constructed (1990). When we first entered our cabin, it was like stepping back in time. Back "in the day," a cruise ship cabin was simply a place to sleep and get dressed. There were no mini-bars, no balconies, no interactive televisions, no artwork on the walls and no Wi-Fi. Cruise lines wanted guests in the lounges, mingling with other guests, buying drinks or gambling in the casino. In today's cruise market, these cabins work well for cruise lines like Voyages of Discovery that appeal to those focused more on destination immersion than lounging in a stateroom (as we did today). Category DB cabins are in the value category of accommodations. However, Voyager does offer junior suites, suites and balcony staterooms, but at a higher cost. For the most value conscious, they also offer inside cabins.

The cabin, with its mauve walls, is "cozy" to say the least. Two twin beds are positioned on the outside wall of the cabin separated by a single bed table with drawer and shelf and a lamp. The mattresses are a bit firm, in fact, they are downright hard. If you like a really firm mattress, you will love these. Rickee inquired about something to be placed on the mattress to create a softer surface and our cabin steward did add something on top of the mattress but it did not make much difference in the firmness. There is storage underneath the beds for luggage. We were able to store our two large duffels and two roll-aboards there. Each bed has a single pillow, but additional pillows are provided in the closet. Overhead lighting is of the fluorescent variety and is limited to three locations in the cabin: outside the bathroom door, over the desk and over the beds. Some of the bulbs create a blue light and some a yellow light with both colors of lighting being present in the same fixture. During daylight hours, we kept the curtains over the portholes open to let in as much light as possible.

The small desk is large enough for my MacBook laptop, but not much more. Cameras and video gear were relegated to a shelf above the dresser. The desk does have two electrical outlets: one a British 3-prong 220v and one is a European-style 2-prong 220v. Fortunately, I have adapters for both. I obtained my British adapters during our Swan Hellenic sailing last year. There is a set of audio VOX units in a recharge base that must be unplugged to be able to use the Euro-style outlet. The VOX units are provided for shore excursion use and are a great feature. There are five drawers in the small desk that I found useful for storing small items.

Two outlets next to desk and audio VOX units

Across the room there is a 3-drawer wooden dresser with a small shelf on top. Above it is another slightly larger shelf which is where I was able to store my camera/video gear. There is a US-style 2-prong 110v outlet here that can be used to plug in a camera battery or cell phone charger. The dresser drawers are fairly large and hold quite a bit. A woefully underpowered hair dryer is mounted to the upper shelf unit as is a non-functioning sound system (I can only assume that this is no longer used). A 15" flat-screen television, obviously not a 1989 feature of this cabin, is mounted to the wall next to the dresser. A small remote control operates the television and the programming offered is quite complete. Fox News, BBC, CNBC, Sky News, MSNBC, CNN International are available, along with five CCTV movie channels with movies that change each day. However, during our sailing, some of the movies were repeated.

The closet has limited space, but when combined with the dresser, was adequate for our 13-night sailing. Two rows of hangers are arranged facing out instead of sideways, obviously to conserve space. There are some shelves inside the closet also that offer quite a bit of additional storage. There are two large hooks on the wall across from the closet which are useful for hanging backpacks or jackets. There is £25 deposit required for the key to access the safe which brings us to another topic: keys. The Passenger Cruise Card that you receive upon check-in is not your room key, which is a separate older style plastic key. So, if you opt for the safe key, you will have three different cards/keys to keep up with.

The bathroom is small as is the shower stall. You most likely will have the shower curtain cling to you at some point during your shower. A small shelf in the shower holds the miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, but the placement of this shelf next to the shower controls makes accessing the products clumsy. Our bathroom sink had a couple of chunks missing from the porcelain, but otherwise, everything worked as it should. Bathroom storage is limited to four narrow shelves on the wall and there is some space on a shelf under the sink. However, if you are over 6' tall, you should be warned of the metal door frame above the bathroom door. I whacked my head a few times on the low door frame before I finally learned to duck when exiting the bathroom. To dispel one Internet review about the bath towels being old and frayed, ours appeared brand new and were very soft and nice. We can only assume that they have been recently replaced. There is a full-length mirror on the outside wall of the bathroom which comes in handy when using the hair dryer.

Before our cruise, we did some research on other websites and were aware of the issues with the HVAC mounted in the ceiling of the cabin. Apparently, originally the temperature control knob graphic showing HOT and COLD was somehow reversed. The farther guests turned the knob toward COLD, the hotter the room became! VOD has apparently addressed this by placing a very large and prominent label to indicate the proper way for the knob to be turned. Our control knob was a bit stiff and took a fair amount of force to turn, but the system worked well.

Our cabin has been kept immaculately clean by our excellent cabin attendant, Richard. He is one of the best we have had on any ship. What makes him better than any other? For one thing, if we leave our cabin at 6:30pm, by the time we return at 7:30pm, the room has been cleaned and beds turned down. Richard works alone, as far as we could tell. He is always smiling, friendly, and if we asked for something, he took care of it. He was sort of like a butler, but without the tuxedo!

We read another review on the Internet about the unbearable mechanical noise in the aft Deck 3 cabins. Our cabin is technically "aft" as it is located right across from the aft elevators and staircase. However, there are several cabins farther aft. In our cabin, there was a constant drone of the engines when the ship is underway, but it is far from unbearable. Since it is a constant noise, you sort of tune it out after a while. I never had any sounds wake me up or keep me from sleeping. We could occasionally hear the television from the cabin next to us, but I suspect that is because they were hard of hearing and had it cranked up pretty loud. The cabin doors are well designed and close quietly so slamming doors are not an issue.

Overall, the our cabin is a reflection of the entire ship, badly in need of a refurb.

FOOD AND DINING

Taste is so subjective that it is almost impossible to give a fair review of food. We have said it over and over again: what some people love, other people find objectionable. That said, I think it is fair to say that the dining on Voyager is tailored to British tastes. However, there are plenty of menu items with which Americans will be familiar and comfortable.

The main dining room is Discovery Restaurant located on Deck 5 aft. This is the largest dining venue and consists of tables for four and six, with a few tables set for seven. Across from Discovery is Explorer's Restaurant. We did find one table for two in Explorer's. The Discovery is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. Breakfast features a buffet which is set up in the elevated center of the restaurant with scrambled eggs, bacon, porridge (I told you it was British), fruit and pastries. Eggs made to order are available from the waiter. Lunch and dinner are full service with menus that change daily. Voyager has an open seating dining policy which does away with the two-seating dinner concept. In theory, guests can dine whenever they wish during regular restaurant hours. We noticed the Discovery filling up pretty quickly with few seats left by 7:00pm.

There is an alternative to Discovery and that is The Veranda Restaurant on Deck 7. This buffet-style Lido restaurant offers the same basic menu as Discovery, but in a more casual and relaxed setting. The Veranda can also get crowded, especially when the outside aft deck is closed due to cold or windy weather conditions. On our cruise, it was too cold to dine al fresco. This takes away seating for about 70 people who would normally dine outdoors. We saw several people taking food from Veranda up to Deck 8 where they sat and ate in the Sunset Club.

Afternoon Tea is conducted each day in both Discovery and Veranda, with Discovery feeling a bit more formal. Other than the tea, which is poured by waiters, finger sandwiches, cakes, scones and bread puddings are self-serve buffet style. They have a sandwich/panini bar where you can construct your own sandwich or panini, which is a good option. On most days, there was an ice cream station in Discovery and one day they featured waffles with ice cream.

There are late night "Light Bites" served in Scott's Lounge each evening and these vary. A limited room service menu is available with sandwiches....

On at least three days, a light lunch was offered in Scott's Lounge. One day they had a Mongolian stir-fry which was excellent. This is a great idea and one that I wish they had every day. It takes a great deal of pressure off the Discovery and Veranda restaurants.

There is no "early-riser" breakfast; however, there is a 24-hour coffee and tea station set up in The Veranda Restaurant aft section.

As for food quality, I would have to say it is middle-of-the-road, somewhat typical cruise ship fare. There were a few standouts during our 13- night cruise. A very nice venison, the green curry chicken at lunch one day was excellent, and my fish and chips were very good. Rickee's fish, however, was undercooked. On two evenings I had the "always available" strip steak and it was good and cooked perfectly. Overall, however, the food lacked seasoning. I suspect this may be because of the older clientele. We found ourselves reaching for the salt and pepper shakers regularly.

BARS AND LOUNGES

Scott's Lounge is open all day long and quickly became our favorite spot on Voyager to enjoy a drink. The leather seating is the most comfortable of any lounge and the bar staff are very accommodating. Scott's is almost always open, too, whereas the other lounges had varying hours of operation. We never stayed up late enough to make it to the Sunset Club on Deck 8.

The Darwin Lounge is really more of a theater than a lounge. This is where all lectures and evening shows are held. The seating in Darwin is set up theater-style with some padded banquette seating along each side of the room, some of which was slightly elevated.

The Lookout Lounge is all the way forward on Deck 5 and is a very nice space, but it is overtaken by the bridge players on most days and most evenings. We visited the Lookout Lounge on several days, but never saw the bar open for business. The seating here is most uncomfortable. Boxy seats have little padding and are not conducive to long stays.

This Sunset Club is a bit of a mystery to me. It is on Deck 8 forward, one deck above The Veranda Restaurant. It is only open late at night, sort of like a disco. I never stayed up late enough to check it out, but I question how many of the guests (most much older than I) stay up that late and frequent this lounge. It also has the same uncomfortable boxy seats that are in the Lookout Lounge. This seems to me to be the perfect space to be converted into a chic alternate dining restaurant. But, what do I know?

We felt like the drinks were competitively priced. A Johnny Walker Black Label was £3.85 (about $6.25 US). However, they are not very generous pours. Expect a single jigger for that price.

There were a few times when bar waitresses seemed to ignore us, but after the first few days, the service seemed to improve dramatically. Perhaps the waitresses were just boarding the ship in Portsmouth and jet-lagged like we were. In any case, after the first couple of days, the bar staff seemed to "come alive" and were very friendly and service was excellent.

ENTERTAINMENT

Voyages of Discovery prides itself on the educational nature of their cruises. On our sailing, there were four lecturers and all were very good. There were multiple lectures conducted on days at sea, and occasionally, lectures would also be conducted on port days when scheduling allowed. Lectures were very well attended and the ship also broadcast the lectures live on channel 18 on the closed circuit television so they could be enjoyed in the cabins. Channels 15, 16 & 17 would replay recent lectures on a loop, so if you missed a lecture live, you could always catch it later. Mo Holland is the ship's destination and port expert and conducted port lectures on every port we visited. Mo is a real treasure. Not only is she filled with great information, but she has a sharp wit and easy delivery.

In the evenings, guests were entertained by a variety of musicians and singers in Scott's Lounge including: Voyager Duo, Catalin and Liviu; vocalists, Rachelle Kruger and Paul Burley; resident pianist, Tutz; Rod & Co; dance hosts, Christopher & Piret; Andrei & Luci; and the multi-talented Voyager Theatre Company including Cruise Director, Gerry Atkins.

Rachelle Kruger entertains in Scott's Lounge

There was a show in Darwin Lounge nearly every evening and the level of talent for a ship this size was decent. The lounge itself has limited sight lines, so arriving early and getting a seat near the front is advised. Most of the music is recorded, but there are three band members that back up the taped sound and the vocals are live. I counted two male dancers and four female dancers and all were very talented. I heard nothing but praise from everyone about the entertainment and it was well deserved.

Late each evening, the Sunset Club came alive with music and dancing. Various members of the Entertainment team, such as Paul, Keli-Ann, Amy, Lauren or Rachelle, would provide vocals or recorded music for dancing would be played. Sometimes there was a theme night, such as ABBA or Beatles music, or concerts would be broadcast on the large TV screens there. Activities at the Sunset Club did not begin until at least 9:00pm or later.

SUMMARY

Of the three sister cruise lines, Voyages of Discovery would likely be considered the "value" line. Swan Hellenic (MV Minerva) is a bit smaller and more inclusive with all shore excursion included in the cruise fare. Hebridean Island Cruises goes a step further and includes all beverages. All of the cruise lines, including Voyages of Discovery, now include gratuities in the cruise fare. Having sailed on Minerva and now Voyager, there are definitely similarities. Voyager offers excellent itineraries, a great lecture series and some very attractive pricing. The ability to pick and choose shore excursions makes it a great choice for those who like to go with the crowd, or strike out on their own. For more information, contact your travel agent, or go to us.VoyagesOfDiscovery.com.