This was my third cruise with RCL, but the first one out of the Port of Tampa. It seemed like the lines weren't as long and flowed faster in Tampa than my previous experiences out of Port Canaveral. I was a little apprehensive because Vision of the Seas is an older, smaller ship than what we were used to on Freedom of the Seas (FOS), but I wanted to visit some new ports that we had not traveled to before. The cruise went to Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel.
Our cabin was 4545 which is under the casino area on Deck 5, but I never heard any noise. Room service was wonderful as always. I did Room Service for breakfast every morning, and it worked out well. I also used it for late dinner options and it was great! Windjammer was smaller than on FOS, but the food was still good and the staff friendly. The Main Dining Room food was excellent also. I tried some new things and liked them all. The staff was very attentive and the service was great.
The shows in the Masquerade theater were all very good. I think the most noticeable difference being on a smaller ship was the pool area. It was more crowded because this ship doesn't have as many pools, but it was obviously noticeable on sea days. It was nice to having the kids pool area on FOS, but it worked out fine and we had a good time. There isn't a flowrider or an ice skating rink, but my son still enjoyed himself and had fun. There isn't a Promenade on VOS, but the Centrum serves as the entertainment area, so it was great having my cabin on the same floor as the dining room and the main floor Centrum area (Deck 4) because I could walk right out and access both without an elevator. This ship didn't feel as crowded to me as FOS felt, and the elevator wait time was much less on this ship.
The cabin was roomy and quiet. I was nervous being under the casino area (Deck 5), but I never heard a thing. It was nice being on the same level as the Main Centrum Floor area, and also the Dining Room area.