My wife, my son, and I were on the March 20, 2005 sailing of the Vision of the Seas for seven nights to the Mexican Riviera. This was my eighth cruise, and my third on Royal Caribbean. We were on the Vision's sister ship the Rhapsody six years a go. Because we were traveling with my young child, we chose not to book any shore excursions, rather explore on our own. We had been to Mexico previously on another cruise and knew the Riviera well. We chose this particular cruise because we live near L.A. and the price was unbelievably low. I will not review the ports because I believe it is difficult to get a sense of a place in a short time period, but they are all fun cities to visit.
The ship itself is in great condition considering her age. The crew does a nice job keeping her in tip top shape. There are some obvious signs of wear on some carpeted areas and surfaces, but overall I would say that the ship is still in fine shape. The Centrum or atrium as it is called is a nice and peaceful place to relax with great views of the passing ocean. The Vision is a moderate sized ship, but rarely feels crowded due to a good layout. The common areas are done in tasteful pastel type colors and the ship has great ocean views from most floors. The dining room looks brand new and the windjammer cafe is kept clean and neat. The pool deck is often busy especially on sea days, but always kept tidy by the attendants and maintenance personnel. The indoor pool or solarium area is a great "adults only" (at least that's what they claim) place to spend time for a lazy afternoon or a swim. The bars and lounges are the standard run of the mill places you see on all ships. The theatre is very beautiful and is in top condition with state of the art equipment.
Our room was on deck two with a large window. We were given a handicapped room because it was available and we were in need of as much space as possible for our child's crib. The room was huge! We felt like we were in a suite! Though the furnishings, the carpet, and the dEcor looked a bit tired, it was all functional and comfortable. Our room steward was great and our cabin was cleaned twice a day in a timely manner. My in-laws went with us and they had a standard outside cabin, though it was small, it was still functional.