Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas just got a new FlowRider surf simulator added to her as part of an $80 million refurbishment and it's now passed its first test.

Pro surfer Paige Hareb boarded Voyager of the Seas to try out the new FlowRider while the ship was in Auckland, New Zealand.

Hareb gave it a try and commented on her experience, "I didn't know what to expect. I had heard a lot about it being completely different from other sports and from surfing and so I was a little nervous."

After getting the hang of the FlowRider, Paige showed off her surfing skills to others in attendance.

"I have been doing surfing for such a long time, so I guess it comes easy to me now."

Royal Caribbean has just completed its refurbishment work on Voyager of the Seas, which has breathed new life into this ship as well as offered a number of new upgrades. After receving lots of questions related to how where the changes are onboard the ship, we've compiled a list of the changes coming visually.

Deck 2

• Coral Theatre has been renamed La Scala Theatre
• Board Room converted to new staterooms (2246, 2244, 2242, 2240)

Deck 3

• Coral Theatre has been renamed La Scala Theatre
• Added staterooms (3620, 3622, 3624, 3626, 3628)
• The Vault removed and replaced with Category Q inside staterooms (3021, 3025, 3029, 3035, 3039; 3023, 3027, 3031, 3037; 30011, 3003; 3019, 3017, 3015; 3005, 3007, 3009, 3011, 3013)
• Photo & Art Gallery removed and replaced with Category I ocean view staterooms (3700, 3702, 3704, 3706, 3708, 3710, 3712, 3714, 3716, 3718, 3720, 3722, 3724, 3726, 3728)
• Focus added
• Carmen Dining Room renamed Sapphire Dining Room

Deck 4

• Coral Theatre has been renamed La Scala Theatre
• The Vault replaced with Giovanni's Table
• Aquarium Bar replaced with The Tavern
• Aquarium Bar replaced with Art Gallery
• La Boheme Dining Room renamed Sapphire Dining Room

Deck 5

• Cleopatra's Needle has been renamed Star Lounge
• Conniusseur Club renamed The Golden Room
• Ben and Jerry's now called Ice Cream Parlor 
• Champagne Bar replaced with R-Bar
• Magic Flute Dining Room renamed Sapphire Dining Room

Please note deck plans show Royal Promenade shops no longer on plans but we believe they are still there

Deck 6

• Stateroom 6137 added
• Business Services replaced by Next Cruise desk

Deck 7

• Stateroom 7139 added

Deck 8

• Stateroom 8237 added
• Royal Caribbean Online renamed RC Online

Deck 9

• Stateroom 9237 added
• Inside staterooms converted to virtual balcony staterooms

Deck 10

• Stateroom 1233 added
• Stateroom 1557, 1671, 1677 converted from Category L to category K
• Category L staterooms converted to Category J virtual balcony staterooms

Deck 11

• Bridge Overlook renamed Peek-A-Boo Bridge Overlook
• Day Spa & Fitness Center renamed Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
• Outdoor movie screen added
• Portofino replaced with Chops Grille
• Island Grill removed
• Florist removed

Deck 12

• Staterooms added around bow area of ship
• Day Spa & Fitness Center renamed Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center
• Video Arcade added
• Optix Teen Disco renamed Teen Disco
• Adventure Beach renamed Outdoor Youth Area

Deck 13

• In-line track replaced with FlowRider surf simulator

Deck 14

• Cloud Nine and Seven Hearts rooms replaced with Izumi restaurant
• 19th Hole replaced with Diamond Club

Deck 15

• No changes

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas has finished her month-long $80 million refurbishment that has upgraded much of the ship from stem to stern.

Voyager of the Seas received a number of upgrades including

• FlowRider surf simulator
• Virtual balcony staterooms
• 3D movie theater
• Wayfinder digital signage
• New Diamond Club 
• New Restaurants
  • Izumi
  • Giovanni's Table
  • Chops Grille

The work done to Voyager of the Seas was completed by Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore and was the largest revitalization project ever completed in Singapore.

Voyager of the Seas is now sailing to Sydney, where she will begin her 2014/2015 winter-spring season. She will then return to Singapore next April to feature a 10-night cruise to Tokyo calling at Nha Trang, Hong Kong, Taipei (Keelung) and Nagasaki. The ship also will homeport in Hong Kong from June to October 2015 with 22 roundtrip sailings ranging from three- to 10-nights and visit ports-of-call including Okinawa, Nagasaki, Japan; Jeju, South Korea; Sanya, China; Ho Chi Minh and Hue/Danang (Chan May), Vietnam.

Royal Caribbean has selected Metso to modernize the complete vessel-wide automation system on Voyager of the Seas.

The system controls and monitors all vital machinery on the ship, such as diesel generators, power management and air conditioning. The new upgrades will keep Voyager of the Seas running reliably and safely as well as allowing Royal Caribbean to save energy and support sustainability.

The upgrade will take place in September 2014, and startup is scheduled for October 2014 after total vessel revitalization in dry dock in Singapore. The order has been included in Metso's second quarter 2014 orders received.

The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Metso already has deals in place to provide similar systems to the third Oasis-class cruise ship as well as Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas is about to get a ship-wide refurbishment that will give it brand new upgrades that will enhance the guest experience and breathe new life into this ship that will be sailing in Australia.

Voyager of the Seas will get a number of new features including

• FlowRider surf simulator
• Virtual balcony staterooms
• 3D cinema
• New specialty restaurants
  • Izumi
  • New Chops Grille menu
  • Giovanni's Table
• Champagne Bar will become R-Bar
• New Diamond Lounge
• Stem-to-stern WiFi
• Digital signage wayfinders

The new refurbishment will take place in October 2014.

Royal Caribbean is once again moving deeper into Asia by establishing an office in Hong Kong to compliment the company's offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

In addition, Voyager of the Seas will be homeported in Hong Kong for 22 cruises next summer.  Voyager of the Seas had previously sailed out of Shanghai and Beijing when previously sailing out of China.

Voyager of the Seas will offer a six-night cruise out of Beijing (Tianjin) on June 26, 2015, where she will sail to her new homeport of Hong Kong.  Voyager of the Seas will remain in Hong Kong through October 2015 and offer cruises of three- to ten-night sailings.

Voyager of the Seas will visit Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, as well as destinations in China.

When Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas stops in for its revitalization, it will take place at Sembcorp Marine's Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore.

Currently the shipyard expects Voyager of the Seas in for its work in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Kevin Douglas, Vice President of Technical Projects and Newbuild for Royal Caribbean said, "Sembawang Shipyard is a very technically competent and efficient shipyard, and, as such, is one of our preferred partners. We are very happy to work with them again as part of Royal Caribbean International's ongoing fleetwide revitalization. The shipyard will help introduce on Voyager of the Seas many of the innovative and most popular onboard amenities that debuted on the Oasis-class of ships, as well as brand new innovative concepts that will greatly elevate the experience for our guests."

This isn't the first Royal Caribbean ship to get work done here.  Sembawang Shipyard carried did the revitalization work on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2012 and the Legend of the Seas in 2013.

The revitalization work being done on Voyager of the Seas is part of a fleet-wide effort to upgrade all of its cruise ships to add features and amenities first found on its Oasis-class of ships.

Royal Caribbean has signed a contract with Mobimar to add the FlowRider surf simulator to Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas.  

Mobimar, a construction firm in Finland, also was contracted to add the FlowRider to Navigator of the Seas, which it already completed.

The FlowRiders will be installed on Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas later this year, with no specific date.  Voyager of the Seas is scheduled for a refurbishment in May 2014 and Explorer of the Seas will have her refurbishment in February 2015.

Each Flowrider module contains the surrounding stands, canopies, lights, water treatment system, Hi-Fog system, piping and cabling connections to the ship. The installation of each module requires approximately 30 days with minor advance preparation prior to entry into drydock.

Mobimar has been Royal Caribbean's partner for installing FlowRiders on its cruise ships since 2004 when it added them to Freedom of the Seas.  Mobimar is also working currently to add a FlowRider to Quantum of the Seas.

Tip of the hat to CruiseCurrents for the news.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in Australia, has returned to Sydney today to begin her second season there.

Voyager of the Seas will offer a two-night "sampler" cruise before embarking on a 14-day cruise to the Pacific Islands and New Zealand before returning to Sydney.

Luke Aerowsmith, Voyager of the Seas' cruise director, says the ship's offerings are catered towards the Australian passengers' tastes.

"We have fewer deck chairs out on deck for Australians," he said. "Brits like to spend all day lying in the sun but Australians don't. But they do like to have a barbecue out on the deck so we'll do that.

Voyager of the Seas is based in China during the northern summer and travelled to Sydney via Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Darwin and Brisbane.

Adam Armstrong, Royal Caribbean's commercial director for Asia-Pacific, says the company would like to bring more big ships to Australia, but the country's infrastructure lags behind the needs of modern megaliners.

"We really need to be catering for more of these big ships," Armstrong said. "Rather than them being an anomaly, making one call every two weeks as it is with this ship, we want the facilities in Sydney to be capable of taking big ships every day of the week, every year. So there is a bit of catch-up to be done."

Royal Caribbean announced today its summer 2014 season for Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, continuing sailings from Shanghai (Baoshan), Beijing (Tianjin), Hong Kong, and Singapore.  The two ships will offer cruises to South Korea, Japan or Taiwan.

From March 2014 through November 2014, Mariner of the Seas will offer roundtrip cruises out of Shanghai (Baoshan) on three- to six-night itineraries that call at Seoul (Incheon), Busan, Jeju Island, or Yeosu (Gangyang). The ship’s summer season will conclude with an eight-night sailing from Shanghai (Baoshan) to Singapore, departing Nov. 4, 2014, with ports of call at Xiamen and Hong Kong, China, and Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Vietnam.

The summer 2014 season for Voyager of the Seas will begin with a 10-night itinerary departing Singapore on April 10 to Tokyo, Japan, with calls at Hong Kong, Kaohsiung and Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan, and Nagasaki, Japan. Voyager will then sail a six-night South Korea and Nagoya (Japan) itinerary, roundtrip from Tokyo on April 20, followed by two Japan cruises, a four-night itinerary from Tokyo to Taipei (Keelung) departing May 5, and a seven-night roundtrip itinerary from Taipei (Keelung) departing May 9.

From June through September 2014, Voyager of the Seas will sail four- to six-night Korea itineraries roundtrip from Beijing (Tianjin), and call at Seoul (Incheon), Yeosu (Gangyang), Busan, and Jeju Island, South Korea. The ship will then sail a seven-night Japan and Korea cruise from Beijing (Tianjin) to Hong Kong on Sept. 10, followed by four-, five- and seven-night Japan and Taiwan cruises roundtrip from Hong Kong throughout Sept. and early Oct. 2014.

Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean executive vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, commented on the announcement, "We are delighted to offer Asia vacations that cannot be found anywhere except on Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.  Guests of all ages will enjoy the DreamWorks Experience, a wide range of signature Royal Caribbean onboard amenities, and our award-winning entertainment and family programming. Throughout, every member of the staff and crew will deliver our world-renowned friendly and engaging GOLD Anchor Service on an unforgettable Asia vacation."