Vision of the Seas Review

Save the Seas/Humans?

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Vision of the Seas
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blinder
First Time Cruiser • Age 90s

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Sail Date: Feb 2009

Vision of the Seas sailed out of Santo Domingo - a new port. Great weather for the entire voyage, with stops at St. Kitts, Martinique, Barbados, and St. Lucia. The ship is very well run, though if one looks carefully, there are signs that it's getting a bit long in the tooth. Food quality was the average for Royal Caribbean, which means average. In fact, having sailed two months previously on Liberty of the Seas, one of their behemoths, we were able to compare the food quality, and it was similar. The lunch buffets while copious, seemed to feature "innovative" salad mixes rather than the old standbys. One couldn't really get plain tuna salad, chicken salad, or egg salad as part of the offerings. The breakfast buffets were extensive, but with a major drawback. It seemed that RCI was saving money by offering an 'orange cocktail' rather than 100% juice. The label on the carton showed the contents as 50% juice, and most of the rest was high fructose corn syrup. Not only did this 'juice' taste overly sweet, but it is unhealthy. The high fructose syrup offers empty calories, encourages teeth cavities, and raises our triglyceride levels! This reviewer spoke to the Food & Beverage Manager, who said that he understood, but that the product was mandated by the head office. He said that orange juice from concentrate was probably a few cents more than the "cocktail" and it was a cost-saving measure. The dining room was closed for lunch on all port days. At one time a single dining room was kept open for those who remained on board or had returned to the ship.

Another cost-saver was the absence of a daily newspaper usually offered on whips, reviewing the daily news, sports and financial news of the day. The Guest Relations staffer said it was eliminated "to save paper." Of course, each day we received reams of advertisements from the shops, casino, beauty salon, and health spa on board - all on paper. Even the entertainment showed signs of cut-backs. There were two nights when there was no featured entertainment scheduled. The acts that were offered were of a lower quality from those of the past.

The cruise was restful, the cruise director and staff friendly and active, but for those of us who cruise frequently, the nickel and diming detract and diminish the experience.

Cabin Review

Traditional Royal Caribbean. Small inside cabin, but adequate if you spend most of your time up and around the ship.

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