Well, this was my 25th cruise and the first time sailing with Royal Caribbean. The Vision Of The Seas was the most beautiful ship I have sailed on to date. Basically, the decor is understated elegance. I especially loved the various rustic nautical themes throughout the vessel. The main atrium was gorgeous and the small waterfall added a lovely touch. In addition, the vessel was easy to navigate unlike the Carnival Victory which had many barriers. The ship was very clean and maintained in tip top condition. To avoid boring readers, I think it is best just to zone in on the positives and the few negatives. Positives: the food was splendid (almost as good as Celebrity), I will add that the lunch buffets were same old, but the breakfast buffets offered a good variety, the selection of cold soups was abundant and they were out of this world, the overall service was excellent and the crew was extremely polite, room service was prompt and the food was quite good, the cabin space was adequate, but the shower was a bit small, the entertainment was delightful, especially the Voitek/Sindler Quartet who really demonstrated what the American Artform (jazz) should sound like. When they added Latin/Jazz into their venue, what can I say, it got even better. To end this part on a positive note, I met new friends with whom I bonded and I think life-long connections were made.
Negatives: Royal Caribbean is still not as "upscale" as Celebrity. All guests should be provided with bathrobes no matter where their staterooms are located. Although I asked my cabin attendant for a bathrobe, I should not have to. It would be nice if the waiters assisted passengers with their plates to their tables at the buffets (a nice Celebrity touch), the ice cream on the Vision was not homemade nor was the butter homemade like Celebrity does it. The packages of Smucker's jelly also brings it down a notch (imported jams and jellies would be nice like Celebrity does it). Ah, no sorbet to cleanse the pallets in between courses like Celebrity.
Unfortunately, due to very rough seas, we were unable to go to Skagway. Captain George opted for Icy Straits. I enjoyed Icy Straits and did an open tram forest tour which was very enjoyable. It seems Icy Straits is an up and coming port (remote) and perhaps not as commercial as Skagway. The helicopter ride in Juneau was awesome.