We chose this cruise for the itinerary (Greek isles). We travelled as a family of four with two children aged 10 and 7. We stayed in the Royal Suite a truly beautiful room. We were concerned having read some of the reviews about the ship but can honestly say this is one of the best cruises we have done. Yes the ship is older and smaller and shows some signs of wear and tear in places but what she lacks in size she delivers in personal service and atmosphere. We have done all the other class of ships in the RCI fleet. Vision is much smaller than the larger ships and therefore doesn’t have the amenities of ice rinks, flow rider, bumper cars etc. However her staff are all happy and being smaller you get a much more personal service. Our children were not disappointed having less activities . They loved the rock climbing wall and the swimming pool was never too overcrowded even though this was peak summer holiday cruise. They never visited adventure ocean as we were so busy doing other things. Vision has ample bars and the service at all was exceptional. We ate in chops, Giovanni’s and main dining and all were brilliant. The food was outstanding as was the service. There was plenty of activities held across the ship for all ages and the entertainment in the centrum was fab. Particular mention to Steve cruise director and Marcus from the entertainment team who were super. The ships theatre performance was a little disappointing compared to other ships but there was always something else going on in the centrum that it didn’t create a problem. Concierge lounge was exceptional. Jorge, the concierge was very good as was his bartender jay who made our trip so memorable. We could always get a seat in concierge and the views from the top were lovely. We visited Barcelona, Cannes, Rome, Pisa, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini and Malta. We loved all the ports and took shore excursions with RCI at Athens, Mykonos and Malta. All were well organised and delivered well. I would not hesitate to return to Vision. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on the itinerary. My husband had never been to the Mediterranean and I thought a cruise would be a great introduction. We stayed in Barcelona for 4 days prior to the cruise to acclimatize. Beautiful city. We were not disappointed. Embarkation was too easy. We used the app and were prioritized. Took one minute to get through to the duty free. Our bags were placed on the scanner, and since we only took hand luggage for a 12 day cruise (still overpacked), we were on our way. Grabbed two bottles of wine at Duty Free and were in the Solarium 5 minutes later bypassing all photo ops. Once we ensconced ourselves on chairs, we realized that no one checked our bags on board. No one asked about wine or anything. I took this as an opportunity and returned to the Duty Free no questions asked to purchase more wine. This was at noon. No one checked for wine/ booze until we saw tables being set up after we got to our cabin. Not sure how many times people could have returned to the Duty Free before having wine confiscated! Our cabin was the smallest cabin available on deck 4. Perfect for us, only there to sleep and shower, and literally steps from the Centrum for live entertainment daily. Did get tired of the salsa/ Latin music by about the third day, but everything else was great. Had my time dining. Used the app and booked 8:00 seating on the first day and then booked every night for the same time. Had the same server and window table for 2 nightly. Each meal was excellent as was the service. Entertainment was a little weak on the cruise for our tastes, but we volunteer at our local theatre and are spoiled by concerts and dancers there. Played trivia daily. Won several times! New for us was the option of entering our name into a raffle for a prize at the end of the cruise instead of little prizes. It worked!!! WE ACTUALLY WON THE RAFFLE! We were shocked when a basket of RCCL goodies were delivered to our cabin. Shared the wealth with our trivia teammates who were equally thrilled. Would we do it again, YES! Perhaps we would research a little more about the ship as there were times we just read on deck instead of participating. We are used to larger ships, but VISION is still high quality for the price. Read Less

First, let me preface this by saying we enjoyed the cruise amid the hiccups. The ports on this cruise were awesome. I always select a room with another room above and below. And I did that when I booked this cruise on another RCI cruise through Future Cruises. The RCI team member assured me that this was the case for room 3577. However the deck chart is incorrect for this ship and above our room is a bar on the fourth floor and not another room as the chart shows. When anybody moves getting on and off of a chair around the bar we hear the chair scoot across the tile floor and people walking basically from noon until 0100 or 0200 in the morning. I complained at customer service and was told they had no available rooms. So I complained to the Concierge who took copious notes and seamed concern. After finally finding the Loyalty Ambassador at her desk she coordinated with Customer Service and gave us another room (3449). But when I went to get the key I was told that they had already given it to someone else due to bedbugs in their previous room. So because the ship is full I had to wait another day until a couple left due to an emergency and then we were given that room (4549). However when I went to look at the room it was below the casino. We dealt with a Customer Service Supervisor, who was extremely rude. She had an attitude of she really did not care. During my contact with her she stated that she couldn’t give me an upgrade as though that is what she indicated I wanted. I didn’t ask for an upgrade and wanted nothing less than the same category room without the noise! However after finally talking to the Loyalty Ambassador again we were given the key to that room (4549) after her insistence and was allowed to sleep in it that night. However, we could hear the slot machines and people walking and after a couple hours we went back to 3577. Notwithstanding, that besides the noise the room was dirty and there were blood stains on the cabinet in the bathroom. Subsequently, that room was not acceptable. I tried to tell Samantha the night before about the possible noise being under the casino and her attitude was “take it or leave it”. So I talked to the Loyalty Ambassador the next day and we were given another room (3034) to look at and when I looked at it on the chart it was next to a room that was determined to have five people including small children. So that room was not accepted due to possible noise. Finally we decided to just bear with the noise that we are dealing with from the bar and stay in room 3577. It has been a real challenge to get a good nights rest. During the day you cannot stay in the room and read or nap as people are still utilizing the bar and setting in the chairs and moving them. We wore ear plugs and took a sleeping pill which were a little help. I recommended that maintenance put felt pads on the bottoms of the chair legs to mitigate the noise. However that was never done. So unfortunately no good nightrest. During our episode with the noise above our room we felt the only person that really cared about our situation was the Concierge. The Concierge and his staff did an excellent job each night. Just a note that it took two days to finally find the Loyalty Ambassador at her desk during her published hours. We followed some people at her desk one night that were complaining to the Loyalty Ambassador about her not being at her desk during published hours. She had all kinds of excuses instead of understanding the wait for her. Although the Loyalty Ambassador has been nice it appears that she is a novice in her job. For example, as a Diamond Plus we get certain amenities and she did not realize that both my wife and I both get the amenities as Diamond Plus. I had to remind her several times as she kept forgetting. Also, we were given notice for our luncheon with an officer and on the luncheon announcement she gave us and the other party it had the wrong location. We had to determine on our own the correct location. We feel this was the worst Customer Service on any Royal Caribbean cruise we have ever been on. Their attitude and misinformation, not abiding by normal protocol for seeing customers and the Supervisors attitude was uncalled for. On one occasion I was first in line and had to wait more than 10 minutes while they dealt with other customers. That is okay. However, when it was my turn the Spanish-speaking employee allowed a Spanish-speaking person to walk up while I’m standing in front of her and she dealt with that person before she dealt with me. All because he did not speak English. There was no reason that he could not wait in line like the rest of us. However, on other occasions she was always positive and corrected other employees who gave us incorrect transportation information at one port. A major issue is WiFi. The WiFi is extremely slow and keeps dropping you off the net. The IT made some switch adjustments on our devices but it did not help. I purchased WiFi for two devices prior to boarding. Because I purchased WiFi for two devices and I logged in once I came on board I no longer have the ability to utilize the two free days that are allotted to me as a Diamond Plus member. My wife has and can use the two free days that she has as a Diamond Plus member. However, it is not right that because I purchased a WiFi package I no longer have the ability to utilize something that is part of my Diamond Plus package that I earned. RCI is negligent in taking a service that rightfully belongs to me. However, towards the end of the cruise the IT made a plan that allowed me to use one of my allotted days, notwithstanding that I wanted it earlier in the cruise. But I do appreciate them going the extra mile to give us a work around resolution for ONE day, but I still got cheated out of one day. RCI needs to fix the software. A Diamond Plus member gets upgraded bathroom amenities for members with 340 or more cruise points. We have well over 340 points and not once during this cruise did we get this benefit. RCI members that went the extra mile to make our cruise enjoyable were our servers, a Chef who passed on some wonderful tips to my wife, and Manager Guest Services and Manager House Keeping for their concern after them asking about our room situation during our lunch with an Officer. The food was excellent in the MDR. As always we enjoyed the entertainment. We were amazed that we were considered the Top Cruisers on this ship and recognized by the Captain. It was an honor as a Diamond Plus! Read Less

Always having done beach 5/6 star holidays, my wife and decided on doing something different this, so we chose a cruise. Never done one before, didn’t know what to expect. Royal Caribbean - Vision of the Seas - 12 night cruise of the Mediterranean. Full Board, which we found out is not the same as All Inclusive. We opted for all found, I.e include flights and another stay over in Barcelona at the end of the cruise. Day 1 and we had to get to Barcelona from Scotland, however the flights were via Amsterdam. We Hat should have been a quick 3 hour journey turned into 8 hours. Didn’t matter we were in Barcelona and waited for the coach to take us to the port, and waited, and waited. Eventually they were ready to take us to the ship, at the port passing through different security procedures and oops, no wi fi so everything ground to a halt and not even a glass of water offered. Didn’t matter we could see the ship and it was all exciting and we were eventually taken onboard, where straight away the hard sell started - “take a photograph” “buy an alcoholic drinks package” “buying a dining package” - we just wanted to get to our cabin and after check in we could do so. Please se our review below of the disappointing cabin. The cruise itself was without any issues and enjoyable with the stop off and excursions as expected. The service onboard was very good - especially the room attendant Sarah. After a day or so there was a promotion on the drinks packages and we thought great, we would do that so we went to the promo desk to find out that it was applicable to the alcohol package only. As neither of us drink alcohol it was not applicable, never mind we would take the soft drinks package but low and behold this was not on promo and still $30 a day per person. We didn’t take it. Instead we paid for soft drinks and coffee as we took them on the sea pass. Point to note, the prices displayed are not the prices paid when ‘in port’ as tax is applicable, but this is not explained. The only other down side was the customer service desk, insufficient staff on this desk meant that there was always a queue of at least ten people sorting out their issues. Food - couldn’t fault and a huge variety to suit all taste. There was a buffet style service and a waiter service available. Entertainment - better than hotel staff doing it as these were professional still just average. So all in all would we do it again? Some of the daytime entertainment was a bit tacky - best belly flop? Sexiest man? Please! Probably not - but it did give us a taste of places we would like to visit for a longer period. Read Less

We truly enjoyed our time on the Vision of the Seas for our 12 day Mediterranean sailing. This was our 4th cruise, and first Mediterranean sailing, but definitely something we are considering doing again in the future. Above all else we were most impressed with the staff on this ship. I could sense the comradory between all of them. In the dining areas in particular I loved seeing how the upper level staff quickly, and happily, stepped in to clear tables, refill drinks, and dispense hand sanitizer; it says a lot about the level of team work within the crew. Room: This was our first trip with a non balcony room. We had a picture window, and the room was quite a bit smaller than we are used to. There is a good amount of storage, and many hangers, so all of our clothing fit well. There are not self service laundry service onboard the ship, however they offered wash and dry service for $25 many times throughout the trip which many took advantage of. The ship also could stand to be updated throughout, but overall serves its purpose. Itinerary: We chose this sailing for the ports of call. We sailed from Barcelona, then went to Cannes, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Valletta. We booked all of our excursions independently of the ship, except for Cannes, which we were not impressed with. Our biggest complaint was the length of time in port in Santorini and Valletta. I know this is because of time restrictions, but as was mentioned by the staff, Santorini was truly the crown jewel of itinerary this for many, and the day in port was less than 8 hours, which made it very difficult, especially with tenders and the long que (over an hour) to get down the lifts to the tenders at the end of the day. It simply didn’t leave enough time to truly take in Oia and Fira. Other than two days we did feel the ports of call were perfect in length and location. Food: I’ll preface this by saying we aren’t particularly picky eaters. We enjoyed all of our meals in the dining room, though some were more our style than others. Even with a dairy free eater and vegetarian in our party we were all able to find something off the menu each night, and it was different each evening as well. The dessert menu is my only complaint, and mainly because of the dairy free restriction, there just weren’t many options, but it’s also something we’ve come to expect in this area. Lunch we highly recommend the dining room. Their lunch menu is arguably better than the dinner menu and the salad and pasta bar are incredible. There is also sit down breakfast, or a breakfast buffet in the dining room, though we ended up in the windjammer most mornings for more options. The breakfast hours were quite limited, and there was no sea Day brunch as we have come to expect from Caribbean cruises. Entertainment: This was our biggest disappointment this trip BUT much of this comes from the fact that we are not the “typical” demographic for this sailing. As 25 year olds we did not have much interest in many of the music shows put on, though we did enjoy a few of the headliner shows. We also did not feel there was much entertainment on sea days- we’ve come to enjoy the group games and activities, and beyond trivia, music, bingo, and some art activities, there weren’t many of these. With such a port intensive- and intense ports (think walking 8 miles a day)- the 10:30pm game shows would be much better served earlier in the evening when more could enjoy them. We did stay up for a few and were unsurprised by the low turnout due to the time and days in port. There was always something going on in the centrum in the evenings and this did a great job of bringing people together and was a truly enjoyable time. Read Less

If you need to be entertained 24/7 skip this boat. It has the basics which for me was fine. We had a busy itinerary and were only on the boat during sea days. Loved: staff, itinerary, food, specialty restaurants and chefs table, entertainment, clean Didn’t Love: bed was terrible and I did not sleep well, crappy internet that was expensive, drink package overpriced, smoking almost everywhere on the ship which made it unpleasant to be outside by the pool or by the casino. The tender process into ports of call took too long. The ship is old with old decor but it’s very clean and the staff were the best. Checking in on day one was super easy and we received our luggage quickly. Checking out on last day also went smoothly. I would not cruise on this ship again due to the beds. I need to be able to sleep and I did not get any decent sleep on this cruise. Read Less

This was the second part of TA crossing on Celebrity Infinity and changing ships and visiting Mediterranean ports to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary--a year early! 1 Stop in France; 4 stops in Italy; 1 in Croatia; 1 in Montenegro. Although it was a port heavy cruise with lots of walking, the ship still provided plenty to do with entertainment and special events, including a crew Talent show(very talented), Guest cruisers Talent show (in which my wife and I both performed), 30 cruisers persenting Michael Jackson's Thriller dance led my cruise director Steve Davis (6 hours of rehearsal) and the International Parade of Nations showing the countries represented by the crew with fun"acts" by certain nations. The beautiful Centrum was the central place for games and events...great for some, but creating a sound decibel for the live bands at a level I felt uncomfortable. Bring ear plugs! However the sound engineer in the theater did a great job of mixing music and vocals. Speaking of the theater, although many nights because of the itineray we had later back on ship times, we were still entertained by 9 varied acts including the unusal attraction of three tenors singing opera and the amazing Emperors of Soul recreating to a T the sound, vocal harmonies, movement and soul the 1960's Motown/Memphis sound. Magic, ventriloqist, amazing aerial duo and 2 productions shows . Plus if you are on a ship were Alexandria of the Production staff does her Judy Garland tribute, go see it. She has talent and it is wonderful to hear old classic songs. The activity team of Talita, Diego, Jacob, AJ and Meagan provided us with with plenty of trivia, games and contests. Talita especially went out of her way to collect song tracks for the songs in the talent show. Felt very sorry for Bill Baily the "piano bar" entertainer-they use the Schooner Bar, do not have a dedicated "piano bar", thus the emphasis is on BAR with lots of loud conversations. How he could concentrate was beyond me. We had numerous tenders and you went and got boat numbers and simply continued doing what you were doing and waited to be called...nice and easy. Also an almost 360 promenade deck made for easy stolls without too much wind. Because we were so busy and want to do EVERTHING we never ate in the main dining room, but only at the buffet and couldn't have been happier. Food quality was tasty and every night had diffenert specialties. There were two Dress up nights, but alas no lobster. Even with al those port days and time spent ashore, we still met so many fun people playing the trivias and contests, whom, although we will never cross paths again, this moment of brief intersection will always be remembered. Read Less

I chose this cruise for the itinerary. This ship was perfect for this itinerary with so many port stops. The ship is small and doesn’t have as many activities to offer but with so many port days there wouldn’t be much time for ship activities. The food was very good in both the windjammer and the main dining room. The ship was clean and easy to get around. The cruise director, Steve Davis, and his team do a fantastic job of making the time on board the ship a lot of fun. They work very hard. All the employees always had a smile on their face and wanted to be helpful. Our cabin attendant, Ms. Jackson, was so friendly and did an excellent job. The entertainment at night was enjoyable. There was always something going on in the centrum area of the ship. The Royal Caribbean excursions were well organized and had good tour guides. Read Less

Review of Vision of the Seas, Transatlantic Galveston to Barcelona, April 19th to May 6th 2019 – 17 nights. Overview: Amazing trip, great ship, superb crew. The whole trip was amazing with one major issue, which was the medical staff/facilities and one minor issue, which was new sheets that were dirty (bloodstains) on the sofa bed, the new sheets they sent were also badly stained, so we requested them changed again. We are a family of 3 Diamond members, 50/44/3 (almost 4). This was our first Transatlantic. Background/In depth CABIN: We were in a Spacious Oceanview cabin, 7088. The cabin was midships, so little movement. The cabin was great, big enough for all 3 of us – and the toys, lots of storage space. It had full wall windows from knee height to ceiling, there was a “seat” running the full width of the cabin with amazing windows… (the deck 8 cabins above had floor to ceiling windows without the seat). These cabins are great for sitting watching the flying fish, whales and dolphins. This cabin is amazing, and will pick these it they are available again in the future. The only minor issue with these cabins is that they are close to the centrum, where all the major entertainment is held every night. There are doors from the corridor to the centrum that can be closed, and these reduce the noise by 90%... the cabin door also reduces the noise by about 90% on its own, so with both doors closed the cabin was silent, with only one closed the noise was very low…. Close them both for silence. FOOD/WAITSTAFF: Overall good (MDR) to Very Good (WJ), MDR: Waiter was OK, a bit standoffish and not very interactive with the table, Assistant Waiter was excellent. With the 3 year old, they looked after him, bringing him a fruit plate as we sat down. We changed that after a few days, as he ate the fruit before dinner, so he wasn’t eating too well, they kept the plate for when we asked for it. I have an allergy, so I made this clear to the staff on the first night. They brought the menu for the next night to the table for me to fill in with my request. We ate in the MDR about 8 of 17 days, with the remaining nights spent in the Windjammer. MDR Food was good overall, nothing really exceptional. My biggest bugbear was the vegetables… hardly cooked at all, all almost raw, at every meal. Had Breakfast in the MDR one day, food was OK, staff OK. After numerous cruises, decided to try breakfast, but truthfully, nothing too exciting, and I enjoyed the WJ better. LUNCH: Had lunch once in the MDR, Food was very good, service was great, however as it was a private lunch with the Captain, can’t compare with normal service. Windjammer, Staff were great, clearing tables very quickly, bringing drinks etc all the time. Food: there were the usual selections every day/meal, salads, meats, pizza, burgers, hotdogs etc, the selection rotated round a few times. Also there was a meat carvery every day. Food was generally very good. There were themed nights with stations set up as well as the usual selections. Dessert was a bit limited in selections, the items rotated round very quickly, with some days nothing that I wanted (my taste), as it was a 17 day cruise, the selections rotated through a few times. Breakfast, as usual, very good selection, plenty of food. With all meals in the WJ, we walked through the whole selection then found a seat, then took turns to select food. This was to ensure we saw everything on offer for the child to eat. Milk and Chocolate milk was available at all meals under the desserts counter so ask for it if you want it. Chef Royston in the WJ was great with our son, he always came out to see him and made sure he had enough food, even making special requests when he thought he needed more food. When he was Ill, Chef Royston went into the kitchens and cooked him a meal of his favourite things to ensure he ate something… it worked. Other eating places: PARK CAFÉ: we ate there a number of nights, for a snack. Quality very good, especially the 3 cheese panini, which was grilled…. Amazing, we had them every time we ate there. Cookies and fruit as well as pizza, nachos and other sandwiches available till late. ICE CREAM: 2 machines, available at some different times during the day. Nice Ice Cream, cones, but some limited times, all closed at 2130 to 1100… some additional times would be better. PHOTO PACKAGE: We had the “All Photo Package”, bought online before the cruise. The cost on board was about 30% more than we paid, with the USB another $64 on top of that. There were on average 3 stations set up each night, where they took at least 2 photos at each. We wanted some with just us, with us all, with Son on his own… as well as at every port at least 2 photos, meals, Formal, events etc. We walked off with over 2KG/4.4lbs in weight of photos…. At least 500, still not counted. The staff was amazing and if we asked for other unusual stuff, they would if possible. We had one with an amazing sunset on deck, we asked him to come do that, which he did on his break. ADVENTURE OCEAN: 0900 to 1200, 1400 to 1700, 1900 to 2200 sessions. Our son only went to one of the 3 sessions offered daily. He only went to about 6 in total. He was one of only 9 children on the ship, so when he went there were 7 staff just for him. We only wanted him to do one session per day when he wanted to, to keep him in the routine for school. He loved the time there, and even though there was a schedule printed out, they took the time to talk to him and basically did things that he was interested in doing rather than doing the scheduled activities. ENTERTAINMENT: With a 3 year old, our visits to the different entertainment venues was limited. On a TA the entertainment is more geared to adults that something a 3 year old would sit through. We decided what to do each day on what we thought he would like/sit through without causing disruption to others at each venue. We did not go to the theatre at all, so can’t comment on the shows. Centrum had a number of shows/events every night, we attended a number of these. Overall we had plenty to do every day, some days more than others. There was a lot of trivia on the trip, with some ongoing for at least 3 hours a day, it did seem like this was the new staple entertainment, with about 3 or 4 different sessions per day (I like trivia, but only took part in the progressive, and offered some assistance to friends when I could) PORTS: We did not do any ship excursions, but had our own plans at each port. No issues experienced as far as I know, there was one port where 5 people were delayed, but only by about 20 minutes. DIAMOND LOUNGE: The lounge was too small for the numbers, so they closed the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge for us each evening. Experience was good in there. Coffee maker was well serviced, and even with the numbers on board, I only saw it run out twice, and each time attention was very quick coming. I only drink coffee (allergic to alcohol), so I used that machine a lot. BENEFITS ON SEAPASS, we used the lounge every night, as well as the 3 drinks loaded onto the Sea Pass card. Casino free roll, the machine is tight, and in the past 2 cruises won nothing at all, so this time we won a raffle ticket…. I actually stayed up until 2300 on the last night to be there for the drawing…. For a T SHIRT… you would have thought they would have a decent prize. Very disappointed in that. Internet, see below in notes. % off RCCL merchandise, Used this in the shop, the attendant said it could be used over and over again, which was news to me… only used once though. Washing: Did the $10 off a $34 wash, it was on the day they offered it at $24.99 in the compass, and got charged $17.36 in total… the clothes came back not very clean, and not smelling washed, so not sure if that is the way they wash them, or just not a good service. NOTES: I have never seen a Captain stand on the dock wishing people a good day as they left the ship, But Captain Mike was there at a number of ports, talking to people and wishing them a good day. It was a nice touch. It was Easter on our sailing, and the number of children was extremely low, so we ended up with over 100 eggs and rabbits… All the crew kept giving our son eggs, so we ended the cruise giving them to the crew as we had so many. Internet: We had 2 free days as Diamond. We spread them out till the middle of the voyage for day 1. I opted to go for the upgrade, which cost $7.00 as the Diamond free portion paid for the rest. Speed was actually very good, it surprised me. Unfortunately, after 11 hours, the signal was lost. I reported it straight away (luckily)…. But as I said I picked the middle day and as we were in the exact middle of the Atlantic the majority of the ship lost internet for a number of hours. They logged the loss, and I was credited with another 12 hours at a later date after a few visits. Read Less

I would like to commend the following crew members that made this cruise so enjoyable, especially Imade, our cabin steward who provided superior service; Oswin, a head waiter at the Aquarius dining room who went out of his way to accommodate our every request and ensure that our dining experience was first class. His personal attention carried over at the Windjammer during breakfast and lunch; Naik and Lucas, who were our waiters at the 5;30 dinner setting could not have done a better job. At the Windjammer, there were many occasions when we were served by and assisted by Ying Ying and Hsin-Hua whom we got to know quite well. All of these people seemed to love their job and provided outstanding service of which Royal Caribbean should be proud. The entertainment provided on this cruise was some the best that we have ever experienced. Of particular delight were the performances provided by classical artists. The entertainment directer did a great job. The ship itself was quite comfortable, but it was the personnel assigned to this ship that made this voyage so special. Read Less

Vision of the seas is an old vision of the past, not retro-cool, just old. Old enough for the engine not to start. I will try to be short and assertive, honest and willing to give you future traveler a good advise. And it doesn't end good. Vision of the seas is an old boat built in 1998, so there is a very strong risk that something goes wrong; in our experience the problem was that the boat did not depart on schedule. It was supposed to leave at around 6:00 pm, and really departed to Cozumel Mexico at 2:00 am, and it was because the engine wouldn't start... Yes; sad old boat just wouldn't go; and of course we arrived 7 hours late to Cozumel, bye bye come and experience the pyramids because we were in the island for 4 sad hours. One hour to go, one to return, and 2 hours to see whatever you can because we had to go back or the boat will leave you there. Yes, another sad true, it's ok that they are late, but not us of course, they are very strict with our time, after all, we are just the clients, they are not important, are we? So you see me dear traveler, they did not try to make it up for the time, they needed to fix their agenda, and they just did not care if they did that with our time, our precious golden time. Of course it was not our mistake, it was not our problem, but we sure provided our vacation time to fix it. Just a few other details, the tripulation is honestly willing to serve you, they are nice. The boat is old but clean, well maybe not the carpet with chocolate and old gum sticked into it, but is overall just ok. If I were you, I will pick a newer boat. You don't want to get stuck in the middle of the ocean do you? PS, Internet is as slow as the boat. Read Less

The ship was old and the rooms were small, especially the restrooms. The decoration was old and tacky. I was afraid yo walk bare footed on the floor. There was no turkey bacon. The arcade was tiny with about 4 games, boring. Lane 12 during checkin back yo the U.S was slow. So much for a peaceful vacay. We went to Progresso where the locals asked you to purchase things while trying to relax at the beach. I don’t even know why the ship would take someone there on their vacation. It’s the same as taking a trip to the hood. The dolphin encounter excursions place wanted an arm and leg for keepsake photos. $40 per sheet! That’s a total rip off. Overall the trip was Terrible. If the staff wasn’t so perfect, I’d give Royal Carrot 0 stars. Royal Carribean wasn’t so royal. I won’t be choosing that place again. Read Less

We arrived at the port a little before noon and boarded the ship within 10 minutes. Embarkation was quick and easy. We enjoyed a drink in the Viking Crown Lounge and rooms were ready by 1:30. Luggage delivered by 5:00. It’s a small ship and very easy to get around. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Everything was clean and well maintained Food in Main Dining Room was very good with different choices every night. Windjammer buffet had lots of different choices and was better then other Royal Caribbean ships we’ve been on. Main pool area was a little busy at times but never had a problem finding deck chairs. The adult only Solarium was always crowded but provided a quiet place to relax. Entertainment was good with evening shows and daytime trivia and family games. The also had late night adult shows with comedians and games like the Quest. The Vision is an older ship without all the bells and whistles of the newer “mega” ships but still had plenty for all to do. We would definitely do it again. Read Less

This cruise left out of Galveston. The nearest airport is 40 minutes away, and the major airport is 70 minutes out of Houston. It wasn't a problem taking an Uber to our hotel or from the hotel to the port. (I think we paid around $60 from George Bush Airport to Galveston.) We stayed at the Comfort Inn, which was across the street from the beach and one block away from Walmart. It worked out great to walk there and purchase soda to take onto the ship. There were several restaurants within walking distance. We enjoyed walking on the beach and playing frisbee. We chose this cruise because we were looking for a 4 day cruise while our teens were on spring break. The dates lined up with our schedule. This ship doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but we found enough to do to enjoy our time on the ship and have fun. Our only complaint was being the only outdoor activities they did offer (shuffleboard, ping pong and rock climbing), the upkeep was poor. The shuffleboard sticks were missing the round ends, and there were not enough sticks at each location, so we had to share sticks. The ping pong table was warped, and one of the paddles was broken. It doesn't seem like it would take that much to update their equipment since this was basically all they offered. What they lacked in outdoor activities, they made up for it with their service. Service everywhere on the ship by far exceeded my expectation. Food was excellent. Staff was friendly and they were constantly cleaning. The ship was not crowded and we didn't have to wait in lines for anything. Most of our time was spent reading, playing trivia games, ping pong and shuffleboard. In the dining room, our waiters noticed my daughter used the lemons from her shrimp cocktail each night to add to her water. By the third night, there was a plate of lemons waiting for her at her seat. Also picking up on how much she liked shrimp, it seemed as though there was extra shrimp in her seafood linguine. They were very attentive to food allergies and pointed out items to avoid. They were constantly making sure we were satisfied in every way without being overbearing. The Windjammer food offered a wide selection everyday for breakfast and lunch. There were so many choices, it was hard to choose. The cruise entertainment staff were very friendly and quick witted. We could always find a chair by the pool or in the lounges. Staff members were always interacting with guests in a positive way. We participated in their trivia games, scavenger hunts, ping pong tournaments and egg drop challenge. Their planned activities were fun. The SuperDad game was hilarious. Our embarkation was FAST! So was the disembarkation. Our shore excursion in Cozumel was the Three Reef Snorkel booked through RCI. I would recommend it. The guide was pointing out a lot of different types of fish. We saw an eel, stingray, starfish and barracuda in addition to many other types of fish. There was one man who was keeping an eye on the tail end of our group and making sure people were safe and together. The main guide was pointing out all the fish and the third gentleman was feeding fish and taking great photos of us surrounded by fish. I would book another cruise on the same ship, but wouldn't mind if they put a little $ into the shuffleboard/ping pong. :-) Overall-it was a great experience. Read Less

We chose this cruise based on the airfare availability and price. We would have preferred a departure from Florida but it was way too expensive. We wanted a short cruise to introduce our children to cruising. My wife and I are Emerald C&A members with RC and were anxious to get back to cruising after a break to raise the kids. To say the experience was poor would be an understatement. We got on the ship and went for lunch - I thought it would be nice to have a Red Stripe which was a custom for my wife and I - apparently you can't have that now until you are 12 miles out to sea?! Okay - how about a Mojito? No sir - sorry we ran out of mint on the last cruise and still don't have any. Mind you we paid for the upgraded beverage plan! From there things continued to go downhill. The crew was not as friendly an energetic as we have experienced in the past. Mind you there were some bright spots - Jay who was providing beverage service in the dining room was fantastic! Our waiter and assistant were also very good. The food however was not as good as we remember. We took our girls to Adventure Ocean to get them registered and went back once for a family activity. The girl who was running it was apparently not having a good day so we didn't really feel good about leaving the kids there. The cabin attendant did a fine job and our cabin was clean - although on the third day there was a faint sewer odor in the bathroom. We went to one of the shows but for some reason they did not close the doors to the theater - we could smell the smoke rolling in from the casino and one of our girls was coughing so we ended up leaving rather than disturb anyone. Overall the girls loved the cruise and did really well so we will continue cruising. We may just have to go try Disney or another line though. I'm very disappointed because our prior cruises with RC have been great - I just hope this as an anomaly. Maybe we'll be back - but not to this ship. Read Less

Cruised RC before and loved every minute of it...this time not so much. Great food and beverage service! Desmond and Ohla took wonderful care of us at My Time Dining. They were attentive and fun! Bar service was quick and friendly. Only negative was no self service beverage stations like other RC ships and had to wait at bar just for a soda. Entertainment was really good for a small ship. Stateroom attendant was poor at best. I drank a bit too much day 1 and went to bed with full makeup and it rubbed off all over pillows...sheets and pillow cases were never changed entire trip. I had to hunt down an attendant day 4 to ask for toilet paper and tissues since we were out of tissues for 2 days. Floor was never vacuumed, we came back to made bed but dirty glasses and empty water bottles left. Never provided with new bar soap and two days our day planner was left in room after dinner which is kind of pointless. We were not enamored with the 2 ports either... Progreso and Cozumel. We did excursions at both and they were fair at best. Descriptions sounded wonderful but they sounded better than they turned out to be. All inclusive resort in Progresso had a sea shell covered beach you could barely walk on with a freezing cold pool that no one went in due to cold temp of water and sunscreen film floating on top. Small 2 stall bathroom with long waits to void. Watery drinks and greasy food. Cozumel excursion was ATV and beach. ATV in "jungle" was very misleading. It was a rocky path in contained area that we felt like we were going in circles. Very slow! Didn't break 20 mph. Not our idea of fun ATVing. Beach after ATV sucked! Small, overcrowded beach with pushy sales. Sand looked and felt like panko bread crumbs. Your feet would sink 6 inches with every step so you couldn't even walk it. However, the tour guides were fun and helpful and were the best part of the excursion. Read Less

My family and I sailed out of Galveston, Texas. This was the first cruise for everyone in our party. Parking at the port was relatively cheap and embarkation was very smooth. My in-laws are from China and they were pleasantly surprised to be greeted in Mandarin when coming on-board and to find that we had a Chinese server in the Windjammer at lunch. The interior cabins we booked were snug but very clean and had ample storage. Our cabin attendants were very friendly, attentive, and thorough. Every part of the ship was cleaner than most nice hotels I've stayed at. The Royal Caribbean app was great for seeing all the events and booking dining reservations. However, it couldn't fully replace the Cruise Compass, which provided much more detail and was delivered to our cabin every day during turndown service. We didn't use any of the specialty dining options onboard, but the food and service in the main dining room was excellent. The food at the Windjammer buffet was, obviously, not as good but still great. Service in the Windjammer was far more attentive than I would expect from a buffet and, as previously mentioned, the staff members there went out of their way to make my Chinese in-laws feel comfortable and welcome. The two other food outlets we used, Café Latte-tudes in the Centrum and the Park Café in the Centrum were fine for snacks and, most importantly, open late. My five-year old daughter loved going to Adventure Ocean in particular, but staff throughout the ship lavished her with attention. The arcade was, unfortunately, the only blemish on the ship, with only a handful of expensive, not-particularly fun machines, of which only half worked. We didn't get off the ship in Progreso at all, due to the daunting 4-mile-long pier, and elected to explore Cozumel on our own. Perhaps it was a mistake not to sign up for a shore excursion, because we found the port area of Cozumel to be an utterly charmless tourist trap of shops and chain restaurants. The cruise director's staff onboard was great, and all the events in the Centrum such as the Parade of Nations, Thriller performance, and crew disco extravaganza were a lot of fun to watch. We skipped the Broadway-style productions, but the comedian and variety act they had in the theater were both fun shows. There was a married-couple game show in the theater one night that I found cringe-worthy but my wife thought was hilarious. Disembarkation was, unfortunately, a bit of a mess. We were encouraged to not check our bags so we could be "among the first" to disembark, but the reality was that it seemed everyone else received the same advice. The line for just our "first group" to disembark stretched all the way from the theater (or assigned assembly point), through the casino, and three times around the Centrum. Line cutting was rampant and tempers flared. Luckily, once the line started moving, it went relatively quickly. Customs was a breeze, but there were very aggressive state of Texas revenue officers beyond interrogating people about tobacco and alcohol. I've reentered the United States at a variety of ports-of-entry and never seen anything like that! So the is your duty free cigarettes and alcohol may not actually a good deal: my father-in-law had to pay $1.50/pack on cigarettes he'd bought in Cozumel. In summary: great experience overall, but it's the ship's crew that was really exceptional. I look forward to taking another cruise with my family, and will definitely choose Royal Caribbean. Read Less

This ship is just the right size for us. Everything is easily found and without a lot of walking. The Windjammer and the Dining Room were fantastic. The food quality and the service is top flight. Our room man kept the room spotless. Looking forward to our next trip. We have been on the biggest ships with Royal Caribbean and we can honestly say we prefer this smaller one. Just an easier cruise and less crowded. We like the Solarium because it is enclosed and cut off from the wind. The food bar in the Solarium was fantastic.We really like the comfort, service, and view from the Schooner Bar. Very comfortable. We played trivial games there alot. The entertainment was great. We saw all the shows and enjoyed them all. We took the Vision in a Hawaii trip and across the Pacific to Vancouver for 11 days in 2002. It was great then and since it has been updated. Read Less

We chose this cruise as a get away for rest and relaxation after a crazy January and February. The good: Embarkation was a breeze! We chose a later arrival time (1:30 pm) and were in our cabins before 2:30 pm. Our luggage was all carry on, so unpacking was easy and fast. Of note: I travel with a CPAP machine - security confiscated our extension cord and power strip. (Guest services did supply another extension cord, and distilled water for CPAP) We ate most breakfasts and lunches in the Windjammer...the food was always hot and plentiful - finding a table was no problem. There is an egg station where you could order eggs cooked to order and omelets. Dinner in the dining room was great, we enjoyed our Waiter (Arkie), Assistant Waiter (Filannie) and our Head Waiter (Randy). They remembered our preferences each night and were happy to oblige. The food was as expected. We were always able to find a table in the shade to people watch and read. As expected: We had sailed the itinerary before, so chose not to get off the ship. It was very peaceful. Cabin service was 'as expected' our room steward did nothing to engage with us and still did not know our names by the end of the cruise. Not what we expected: There are always items on the dining room menu that did not come out 'as we expected.' The beet salad appetizer - a salad with very tiny pieces of beets. In my mind, if the title was beet salad, the main component would have been beets. That said, it was still a delicious salad. Our cabin (3083) while centrally located was located right below the centrum dance floor. Sometimes, late at night when there was a dance party in the centrum, we could hear the noise through the ceiling. The shows...we had second seating dining and got to see the shows first. During our designated show time, the theater was mostly only 1/4 filled. Breakfast in the dining room - maybe we just got somebody who was having a bad day. On the first morning of the cruise, we ate in the dining room. The waiter told the table at least 3 times that most menu items were on the buffet (a small buffet set up in the dining room) and seemed annoyed that everyone ordered from the menu. The meal was 'assembly line,' and never mind asking for something extra...it was either forgotten, or needed to be requested more than once. Cost saving measures: No longer are chocolates on the pillow the norm (maybe if we were a higher level in the Crown and Anchor Society), there were lots of carts in the dining room - I'm sure this also saved on worker injuries. The show floor seemed empty (fewer dancers and singers) and some of the costumes seemed ill fitting. Debarkation: We did 'self assist' the line was long but very organized and moved quickly. We were able to pick up our extension cord and power strip as we got off the ship. I did notice that they also confiscated people's heating pads as well. Read Less

We chose this trip for an adult-family cruise. We wanted to leave out of Galveston and have an itinerary that was in line with spring break. This was my first time on Royal Caribbean, and I was left very satisfied. We even tried the new "Key" feature, which included priority embarkation and debarkation, 1st day brunch at Chops, and last day breakfast at Chops, internet, and other perks, like prime seating in the theater. I felt the Key upgrade was worth it, especially if you're already planning to buy the Voom internet package. We also bought the specialty dining package for 3 nights, which included dinners at Chops, Giovanni's and Izumi. We loved all three of those dinners as they were both unique and special. Though I'd say Giovanni's kitchen was the last night of our cruise and it really left us with a great memory. We ate at the main dining room the other two nights, and all the food there was really delicious as well. As for other dining, the Windjammer was your pretty standard buffet. Nothing too exciting but it got the job done. We also had a late night in the casino and wanted to grab a bite before the Park Cafe closed, and although they had already cleaned up the food station, the servers there were kind enough to cook a hot pizza for my family to take back to the stateroom. I regret only seeing one of the showtime productions, as the first one I saw was very good. But spent most of our time in the casino, on a lucky streak! As for cruise excursions, we booked directly through RC. In Costa Maya we did the Mayan Ruins and Blue lagoon. Transportation was easy and comfortable in a well air conditioned bus with bathroom and waters. The guide was nice and knowledgeable and able to answer any questions. The Blue Lagoon was a nice escape, almost like a private beach with good lunch buffet and drinks. In Cozumel, we went for the 4 hr Catamaran Snorkle and Beach Break. This was soo fun! Would totally do it again. The snorkelling is brief, but you do get to see a lot of cool fish. The beach was a great time for the whole family, even as adults we enjoyed climbing on the inflatable rafts and acting like kids again. We rounded out the day at Mr. Sancho's, which was a bit crowded but we still enjoyed our lunch and drinks. Can't wait to go on another cruise! Read Less

We cruise out of Galveston several times a year, and this is our second cruise on the vision. If you are looking for a large ship with all the kids amenities etc etc, this is not for you!!! if you like a small intimate ship with all the nostalgia older cruisers like, this ship is for you. The ship is in great shape for a 20 year old ship.....we were in a grand suite and had new carpet drapes and i believe a new couch. Everything ship wide was very clean, and all personnel went overboard to take care of us. Most of the complaints I see on this ship are from people who rented the cheapest cabin, and ate every meal in the buffet, and griped about everything. The buffet is a buffet. Food was good...variety, but dont confuse with the dining room or specialty restaurants....Chops was great, Giovannis very good, as was izumi. RCL need to get out of the menu pricing in Izumi....people dont understand it, and they dont trust it....one price just like Chops. Dining food and service was very good. A special shout out to Isabel, Joel, and Roberto. If you are Diamond or Diamond plus....Jorge and Rayno are top shelf concierges. Gabriella is one of the most educated future cruise agents we have had the pleasure to work with. Ikake for the cabin steward. One complaint....breakfast one morning was cold....I mentioned to the room service steward the next day, and the overall room service captain contacted me twice over the problem, and took care of us for the rest of the cruise. That is first class service. Again...if you liked rhapsody, and splendour, you will love the vision. Ps...small ship...70k tons....there is motion...we love it, some people might not. It was not bad..just saying Read Less

This was a small ship with great staff and activities. Steve, the cruise director, was easy to understand and added energy to the events. There were two comedians and a juggler in addition to the singers and dancers who put on productions. There were several game shows, a guest talent show and the zombie Thriller dancers. We are dinner at the main dining room each night. There was always a good selection to choose from. Lobster was served on the second formal night. The room steward was accommodating and got us anything we asked for. There was a main pool that usually had some type of music playing and many contests were held here on sea days. For some peace and quiet, we usually visited the adults only Solarium. The roof is retractable in this area so it can be enjoyable rain or shine. Check in was a breeze. Many guests began to line up for self debarkation prior to any announcement stating the ship was cleared. They let the people in line off of the ship prior to making an overhead announcement that the ship was cleared. We had an enjoyable vacation and Royal Carribean made sure to see to that (however check the charges on your account, we had to get some corrected). Read Less

Greetings All! This was our first time on Royal. We've done Disney and Carnival multiple times. We wanted to try a different crowd and a smaller ship. !. New Orleans is within driving distance, so we again departed from this port. We were off to a rocky start, as our pre-planning missed the fact it was Mardi Gras!!! ooops. Luckily we drove down the night before, intending to hit the Quarter for an evening, but unexpectedly endured the traffic and blocked streets due to parade. We toured, but only in circles until the streets opened. :( I'm just happy we went the night before!! 2. Royal parking and luggage drop off is different from the others we've done. Parking is uncovered. And we missed luggage drop of as their process is different--- (so again, our pre-planning missed something). This was not a pleasant surprise, but it quickly recovered. Because of #3 3. Embarkation was seamless. No lines, no waiting, no nonsense, no problem! Immediately to our room--- and luggage within an hour!!! WOW! The bars were open--- (something we indulge when we 'check out' of real life) and taking a deep breath, our adventure began! 4. Our room. A scary decision, but one of our nervously anticipated new choices for a new cruise line. Ultra Spacious Oceanview ---- for two :) . I put pics on cruisedeckplans.com with this feedback: This cabin was a pleasant surprise. We have always had a balcony room, but this room was a different kind of choice-- because of the 2nd bedroom. The cabin sleeps 6, but it was just hubby and myself. It was our anniversary--- and he romantically ordered the anniversary decor. It was soooo charming for the week. The second bedroom... we used for a closet!!! (7 days worth of clothes/shoes! And we always dress for every dinner and/or event.) For us, having an out-of-site area for luggage/belongings made the room so cozy and tidy. The bathroom was good. Plenty of room for us, along with the over the door (shoe) organizer for our brushes/jewelry/personals. We also took magnetic hooks for lanyards/sunglasses. Every surface seemed magnetic! Plenty of power outlets for us--- on the vanity as well as one in the bathroom. We took plug converters just in case. WARNING: DO NOT TAKE A POWER STRIP! Disney and Carnival didn't seem to mind our power strips, but Royal does not play! We were called to the "principal's office", and were all but body searched and fingerprinted because of this!!! They kept it during the voyage, and we didn't even bother to pick it up afterwards because it was an unpleasant memory. (Shame on us for testing the the rules). Temperature was great, with two thermostats. TV with limited stations (take your players, as they DO have apps and ports to access your personal movies, etc. on the TV) Despite some of the blogs I've read, there IS indeed a tiny refrigerator. Our steward was always available for our needs. But we are we are very low maintenance--- sleeping late, and staying out till wee hours. We requested ice one time, and it was always there for us. The cabin was perfect for us. There are very few of this floor plan so grab it quick! 5. Overall ship was quaint and well maintained. The crowd was different, as we expected, and actually HOPED. We're reaching the 50yo mark, so it was nice to be a part of the younger 1/3. Not the party/rowdy group of Carnival. Not the helicopter parents of Disney (There were a FEW children/families). It was quiet and peaceful. I must say: THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM people-wise. We NEVER had trouble finding space at tables/pool/bars/deck... I loved this! Our "personal space" is important to us, and this was GREAT! No lines at the buffets, no worrying about tables, no worries of rudeness/getting bumped going through doors/hallways/elevators. A huge difference from Carnival and Disney. 6. Food--- We're not picky. Buffet was ample/variety. Menus in dining room were nice. All typical of a cruise. One thing we did not like, there is no 24 hour snack availability. We could have done room service after hours, but there is a delivery fee. Snacks available until 2am at one area, which we learned to grab something there before 2am. 7. Service --- No complaints at all, (except the Customer Relations and Security listed above as I embarrassingly cringe). Dining staff was superb (we had a table for two). Bar staff was superb and SPEEDY! There is no dilly-dally like the other lines. Alcohol flows freely. Steward was happily available. 8. We did not do excursions this time--- we walked the ports at our leisure, and got our token souvenirs as we do at every stop (ALWAYS a Harley-Davidson Pin for hubby's little "Harley Davidson Christmas Tree"). The ports were clean with a gentle crowd. 9. We did not attend the shows this time. (Boy, we sound boring. But we were very much enjoying our personal time together- wink). There were many to choose from, with a variety of events scheduled for participation. They do have the daily "Compass" similar to the "Navigator" and "FunTimes". The phone app is sufficient. 10. Disembarkation --- Very organized and seamless. Dismissal groups were smaller and well planned. We rolled right off the ship. Customs was a simple walk through (NOTHING like the cattle herding on the others). I was wow'd. Luggage was waiting. Porters were a bit hard to flag down--- but we got the RIGHT one -- he cleared the lobby and took ALL of our luggage ALL THE WAY to our vehicle in the distant parking lot. WOW AGAIN. Overall--- YESSSS --- we will do Royal Caribbean again. Next to test out a bigger/newer ship--- but selectively. Our social/personal space is very important, and this one will be hard to match. So a 5000 passenger ship is now very intimidating-- but I want to see the "Central Park" set up on one of the new ships I hope this wordy review helps. Read Less

I have been on this ship many times and have always considered it one of my favorite smaller ships in the line. However things seemed to have changed a bit in the last year or so. This trip consisted of two one week cruises back to back. Midway through the first cruise the female cruise director was replaced by a fellow named Steve. Fairly soon thereafter the atmosphere on the ship seemed to change a bit. Most notably was the fact that the volume levels on almost all venues of the ship seemed to increase to a level that was actually painful. It became necessary for the doors leading to the cabin corridor to be closed when he was using the pa in the centrum and even then it could be heard in the room with the door closed. Even the bands playing in the centrum and pool deck got louder to the point it was uncomfortable. Other people made comments as well but nothing changed. Perhaps this was coincidence but the crowds during events in the centrum got increasingly more rowdy as the cruise progressed. I have seen the production shows in the theatre many times but on this cruise the dancers were not as polished and singers were the poorest on any RCI ship heard in a long time. The lobster in the dining room was inedible which is not typical on Royal ships. No key lime pie anywhere. Same limited desert choices at lunch and dinner in the buffet every serving. However pancakes and French toast was the best in a long time, but no chocolate breakfast day in the dining room. No full size muffin choice anywhere. The Concierge Club was closed to Diamond Plus level Crown and Anchor Society members even though this is a benefit. The remaining lounge space was so packed during happy hour that there was never anyplace to sit after attending the appetizers table. It was interesting to go to the little visited port of Trujillo, Honduras even if the tenders were slow and there was not a great deal to see there. Dining room and cabin steward service was great as usual. It was nice to visit New Orleans independently between the two cruises. It is within walking distance of the port and the streetcar stops in front of the terminal. Price is $1.25 and exact change is a good idea. For those who would rather shop there is an outlet mall in the terminal. Much to my surprise there is a branch of the famous New Orleans institution Cafe du Monde right in the mall. Who knew! And while there was a substantial line, it was much shorter than the block long one at the original location in the city center. The beignets were the same and as good as ever. Departing from New Orleans and cruising down the Mississippi to the gulf is fascinating with all of the riverboats and the other ocean going ships. All in all a decent cruise but not up to previous standards. Read Less

We chose this cruise as our 'maiden' voyage. We had never cruised before but heard so many good things. All are true. Although Vision of the Seas is an older ship and a smaller ship, we had a lovely introduction to cruising. We took a Junior Suite with balcony - so spacious, so efficient with respect to storage! Impressed! We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment onboard: Special thanks to cruise director Steve - so much energy, so funny; Orlando (on the activities team) - again, so much energy, so much fun and Paolo (activities manager) - so endearing! Food - excellent. Service - excellent. Activities - varied and excellent. Entertainment - fun and good quality. I know we shouldn't really compare to the all inclusive beach vacations....but we did. Dollar for dollar, activity for activity, service for service- this cruise far outdid a high end all inclusive. We'll be cruising again! Read Less