Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas became the largest cruise ship to visit Busan, South Korea on July 19th after she made her maiden call.

Voyager of the Seas stopped at the second largest city in South Korea as part of her first season in the far east.

Lee Jae-Myung, Royal Caribbean's representative in South Korea, commented on the occasion, “We are proud to have added yet another popular Korean destination to Voyager of the Seas’ North Asian itineraries.”

“Busan, a cosmopolitan city with breath-taking mix of hills, mountains and the ocean, has always been one of Royal Caribbean’s top destinations in the region. With our multiple calls lined up this season, thousands of international guests will be able to enjoy the city’s scenic beauty, tourist attractions and famous seafood delights.”

Voyager of the Seas will also be calling at Fukuoka and Okinawa on the seven night cruise from Shanghai. Other itineraries in the ship’s Asian season include three and five night cruises from Singapore, along with five and seven night cruises from Shanghai and Tianjin. She will be calling at Busan six more times this year.

People that are new to cruising many not be aware of the sheer amount of things to do aboard a Royal Caribbean ship and that's why Travel Weekly highlighted some of the best activities on cruise ships today that aren't expected by a new passenger.

Voyager of the Seas' sports deck is something that stands out because there's so much to choose from.  You can go in-line skating, use the jogging track, try the golf simulator and more.  Aboard Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, you can zip line, learn to surf or play basketball.

If entertainment is more your thing, the ice shows in Studio B aboard Voyager of the Seas is another fun option.  In addition, the DreamWorks Experience offers you the chance to meet passengers from Kung Fu Panda or Shrek.  Oasis and Allure of the Seas have an Aqua Theater where athletes perform  acrobatics, trapeze artistry and water ballet.

Royal Caribbean sent new Public Relations Manager Allison Brennan and Royal Caribbean commercial manager Adam Armstrong to the Sydney Winter Festival to promote Royal Caribbean's own ice rink at sea aboard Voyager of the Seas.

The ice rink at Bondi Beach is a fun opportunity for Australians to ice skate, and Royal Caribbean is hoping to show that passengers aboard Voyager of the Seas can ice skate onboard for free in the Studio B ice rink.

Studio B is a 700-seat venue and offers 45-minutes ice skating sessions at scheduled times on selected sea days, along with evening events including disco skating and rock n’ roll skating.

Complimentary ‘Learn to Skate’ sessions will be offered for beginners while advanced skaters can take advantage of advice from the professional skate team who will be offering lessons for those more adept on the ice.

Twelve professional figure skaters from around the world will take to the ice in “Ice Odyssey”; the 45-minute show that features solo and pair performances. 

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in Australia when she debuts in November 2012, will be arriving with some special DreamWorks guests.  Royal Caribbean has announced details regarding the DreamWorks Experience at Sea on Voyager of the Seas.

Voyager of the Seas will feature characters from “Madagascar”, “Shrek”, “Kung Fu Panda” and “Puss in Boots”.

“Since being introduced on Allure of the Seas in 2010 – and then rolled out to another four ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet – the DreamWorks Experience has been incredibly popular with guests,” Royal Caribbean Australia and New Zealand Commercial Manager Adam Armstrong said.

In the main dining room, there will be special breakfasts in addition to photo opportunities daily with Po from “King Fu Panda”, Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots from “Shrek”, King Julien, Alex, Gloria and the Penguins from “Madagascar”.

Passengers aboard Voyager of the Seas will also be able to meet-and-greet with the characters during surprise appearances throughout the ship, including Voyager’s youth club, Adventure Ocean, where they will be involved in activities including storytelling and dance parties.

Two street parades will be scheduled down the Royal Promenade per cruise while DreamWorks films including “Puss in Boots” and “Madagascar 3” will be shown in the 1,350-seat 3D Cinema.

For an in-cabin fix, there will be a dedicated DreamWorks TV channel which will play programs and movies 24-7. 

Photo by daigolou_chan

Voyager of the Seas has been in Asia for a few weeks and there's definitely a lot of enthusiasm about a ship that large in the area.  Nelia Neri of the Philippines had the opportunity to sail on her after first sailing on her back in 1999 and shared her experience.

The author decided to make this a family trip, which included 38 people and boarded the cruise in Singapore for a five-day cruise to Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Phuket.

Family bonding was the name of the game during the cruise. Everyone would meet at the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast and then get off the ship for sightseeing and to have lunch in a resto serving the typical food of the place. Dinner time found all of us on three adjoining tables at the Carmen dining room planning the next day’s sked.

The cruise seems to have rekindled the sort of memories from the author's first cruise on Voyager and it sounded like all 38 people really enjoyed their time aboard.

Just as my late parents happily announced to relatives and friends that our 60th anniversary gift to them of a Caribbean cruise was a gift like no other, our four sons, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren gratefully proclaimed that the Spice of Asia cruise on board the Voyager of the Seas was a vacation treat like no other.

Voyager of the Seas travels in the Far East continues to attract celebrity-like coverage.  This time, Royal Caribbean's largest ship in the region docked in the port of Jeju on Saturday, which is one of Northeast Asia's leading tourist destinations.

Voyager of the Seas pulled into port in the early morning to fanfare from local authorities that included traditional performances.

Jeju prepared special garlands and plaques for the passengers who arrived on the ship.

The provincial government hopes that the arrival of the cruise ship will be followed with other visits, which could help transform the island into a international resort. At present, the island off South Korea’s southeastern coast is a favorite attraction for Chinese and Japanese tourists, although there has been a steady increase of people from other countries.

Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min, who was present to welcome the ship, said the arrival of the cruise ship opened a new chapter for the province. He said that once the naval based in the southern part of the island is completed in two years, 150,000 ton ships will be able to berth easily to disembark tourists. 

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas has made its maiden voyage to China, stopping in Shanghai on Tuesday to begin the ship's summer itinerary.  The arrival culminates Royal Caribbean's shift in attention to China and already, the company is making good on its investments.

Lisa Bauer, senior vice-president, global sales and marketing, of Royal Caribbean, commented on the market in China, "China's cruise market is young and vibrant. Royal Caribbean International is optimistic about the development of the cruise industry here and will continue investment in this market."

Bauer said Royal Caribbean's business has grown tremendously since its entry into the China market in 2008, "The growth rate was above 50 percent at the beginning, when we entered China, and now it is over 100 percent."

Shanghai is aiming to make itself a major cruise center, with a new Five-Year Plan to hopefully become the third cruise center in East Asia, after Singapore and Hong Kong.

Michael Liu, Royal Caribbean China public relations and communications manager, thinks as more mega ships arrive in China, renovation and maintenance are becoming a market with huge potential, "Currently, we have to sail the ships to Singapore for renovation."

Bauer said the line has strict requirements for repair facilities and port infrastructure.

"We are generally satisfied with the infrastructure here but also believe there is still room for improvement," she said, noting that the company is talking with local governments and companies about wider cooperation, including renovation for the ships.

Royal Caribbean plans to introduce Mariner of the Seas, the sister of Voyager, to Shanghai next year, to meet surging demand from Chinese customers.

Photo by xinhuanet.com

Royal Caribbean will send Voyager of the Seas to dock in Keelung, Taiwan as part of its Asian itinerary in late August.

Lin Kai-ti, chairman of Royal Caribbean's Taiwan branch confined that Voyager of the Seas will bring its 3,800 passengers to the port later this year.

Voyager of the Seas has already been to Singapore in May and will make stop in Keelung across three cruises going from August through September. In addition to Keelung, the liner will take travelers to China's Shanghai and Tianjin, Japan's Fukuoka, and Jeju Island in South Korea.