We took this cruise to celebrate my wife's birthday.. Our daughter lives in the Houston area, so it was a good chance to cruise from Galveston for the first time. We had an easy drive down, parked at an off site lot with a shuttle and slipped onboard very quickly. We reserved a PV (panoramic view) cabin for the first time and really liked it, except for the shower. The curtain became very intimate with us.We had not been on the Vision before, but had been on other Vision class ships. It is the right size for us. It's easy to get around and we like the central atriums with music and events happening throughout the day. We joined a really fun group in the Diamond lounge each day and Robert and Mel were fantastic hosts. Robert seems to be able to accomplish anything and everything.Mel is very attentive and pours excellent drinks. We've never had a captain like Captain Marek. What a personality. His presentation at the welcome back Top Tier party was outstanding and he even found time to visit the Diamond lounge one evening. Thanks Captain. We thought that the food was very good at all venues we tried, although Giovanni's wass a disappointment. The crab ravioli wast strong tasting and the side dishes were cold when served. Izumi's on the last night was really great. As experienced Royal cruisers, we did not make the evening shows , but relaxed in the lounge and had late seating dining. The shops seem to be getting stale for returning guests. The premium stores are still expensive and the other shops continue to have the same merchandise as every other ship and cruise line. We took the ships excursion to Merida and enjoyed our first visit to this beautiful city. The guide showed us to a very good restaurant for lunch as well. We would enjoy taking another cruise both from Galveston and aboard the Vision/ Read Less

I will never book with RC again, I’ve never seen a ship so old, rusty and dirty. This ship really needs to be decommissioned, it really gives RC a bad rep! I like many others thought RC would be top notch, absolutely not, the carpet and elevators smelled musty and old the pool and casino area smells like stale cigarettes the outside track has pot holes, the seats are falling apart in the theater, the beds are so hard and cheap that every morning I woke up with a bad back and an extremely sore neck, the pillows were so paper thin that we had to use 3 in order to make 1 pillow!The one good thing is the WiFi, food was ok, port visits were too short, we wanted to do the Symphony of the Sea, but I think we’ll Stick with Carnival! I’m currently seeing a chiropractor now for my back and neck and had to wrap my ankle up due to falling in a pot hole on the track! Please take the time to remove the rust around the windows after all we paid extra for the view, bottom line, we didn’t get or monies worth it was an absolute disaster!! Read Less

We chose this cruise because we can drive to the port. We also wanted a 5 day cruise. This is an older smaller ship. I was pleasantly surprised at how well kept it was. It was clean and most of the crew were very nice. I liked that no matter what we chose to do there was never a crowd or the noisy pushy environment. One day was a little rocky due to the weather and I wondered if we had been on a larger ship if it would have been smoother. I will say that Royal Carribean has cut back on a lot of the complimentary amenities we are accustomed to. Progreso Mexico is still undeveloped and not a lot to do. Some may enjoy the old Mexico feel. Although I was a bit concerned about security, the beach (at the dock), shopping area were mostly local families enjoying an outing. Cozumel has the most beautiful water! We have been here 5-6 times over the past 25 years. Shopping is good but is now so commercialized so no bargaining. I'd suggest an excursion to enjoy the water and beach. Go with a cruise line excursion to be safe. Fun cruise for a short easy getaway. Read Less

We were onboard for a Destination wedding. Food was just average and baked pastries like donuts, rolls, buns, cookies tasted as if they were frozen and reheated. Orange juice is orange drink and I wish they would say so. Cabin was jr suite and 240 sq ft. Wonderfully comfortable. Plenty of storage! Some evenings in dining room had good food other nights were so-so. Desserts were unimaginative and very little chocolate items. We were disappointed that there was no drink service at the pools. Loved the solarium pool and hot tubs for adults (over 16) only. It did get crowded with teenagers, but it was the end of spring break. Embarkation and debarkation went so smoothly In Galveston. Of course we boarded around 2:00 and missed the crowd. It was a relaxing 5days with only two ports, costa maya and Cozumel. Lots of excursion options at both ports. Including great beaches and zip lining. Read Less

We went with 4 other couples for a quick getaway. While we had a good time as a result of the company, our first time on Royal Caribbean was pretty unmemorable. We have sailed on Carnival, Norwegian and Celebrity. I would put RC in the same general category as Carnival - low cost, unmemorable and constantly upselling. We really enjoy Celebrity (owned by the same company as RC I understand) and the few extra $ upfront are more than made up for in the quality of the food, the professionalism of the staff, the more diverse offerings on board and the more relaxing absence of constant upselling. Is it really so hard to put a bathrobe in the room RC? And the militant beach towel policy is interesting to say the least. I for one don't appreciate the ever present sales tables of gift shop merchandise, hair braiding, specialty restaurant hawking or spa services hawking that are set up in the busy parts of the ship. The food in the main dining room was competent but unmemorable. Heavy on lamb (ok with me, but I heard grumblings). There were choices that were there every night like the 3 piece shrimp cocktail and a few choices that changed daily. True to my gripes, there were also a few extra $ items on the bottom to get you to buy more. This was the first cruise I've been on where lobster was not served without paying more. The service was OK, but I think they were a bit overwhelmed. Many of us would order 2 appetizers because of the small sizes. The buffet restaurant was also competent but unmemorable. A relatively narrow selection of foods (minimal international) but nicely laid out and replenished. The staff clearing tables and filling glasses were ever present. The nightly entertainment was also competent but unmemorable (a theme....) The dance company did 2 shows, one of Broadway tunes and the other of "Boogie Nights", 60's and 70's stuff. Neither was really my cup of tea; the dancing was better than the singing. Two comedians on the other two nights were pretty entertaining. The daytime offerings on the sea days is a big weakness. We played at least 6 rounds of trivia because of the lack of much else to do without spending some big $. They push the art auction, the casino, bingo, the ship tours, the shopping, the spa, etc... The daily menu of things to do would be pretty thin without all of the padding of these add-ons. Let's not forget about Diamonds International and Tanzanite!!!!!! Wooopie. I saw many of the same faces in trivia, so I know I'm not alone in this observation. How about some lectures, more 'side acts' like comedians, magicians, musicians, etc? The boat itself is showing its age. While in good enough repair, the decor is dated and it feels quite cramped. The balcony room we had was small but adequate. The shower 'tube' was ridiculously small compared to any other one we've had. No bathrobes. No mints. The small pool and hot tubs were jam packed full with spring break college kids and their sun worshipping. The kind hearted captain even held the boat in Cozumel for 10 of them that were a half hour late in returning. He publicly named them on a couple of occasions and shamed them a bit. They are very lucky as this is the first time I've ever seen a captain hold the boat. All in all we had a nice little jaunt as we were with many friends. Had we been just the two of us I think I would have been very disappointed. Read Less

My husband and I went on this cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary on March 15. It was everything we could have ever wanted. We enjoyed it so much, we booked our next cruise for April 2019 on Liberty of the Seas. Our anniversary was during spring break. Therefore, there were a LOT of kids. This was our first trip ever without kids or traveling for our kids (they are all military). The amount of kids wasn't a big deal there was always somewhere we could go to be alone or enjoy the activities. Choosing Royal Caribbean for our first cruise was a great idea. We enjoyed every crew member encounter. Only one crew member on the entire ship was unpleasant. All of the crew greeted us every day and made our trip memorable. The cabin was small (interior) - we didn't feel a need to get a balcony room when the deck is easily accessible, save that extra money and use it on a shore excursion or drink package. We purchased the drink package which we highly recommend for those that drink. It was a little heartbreaking to see those standing in line scrutinizing their bills. Definitely buy the drink package if you are going for a celebration. We chose the all-inclusive beach getaway at both ports (Progreso and Cozumel) both were worth it as we were on the cruise to relax, maybe next time we will choose an exploration excursion. I would highly recommend using a credit card to pay for everything to avoid the long wait at guest services to review the bill. We were able to leave the ship and you can check your balance at any time to see where you are. If you purchase everything ahead of time, you could potentially leave the ship without any charges at all if you don't participate in the extra $$ activities such as the casino, bingo, pictures. etc. Read Less

I booked this cruise almost 2 years in advance in order to get cabin 8000. It was FANTASTIC. There is only one like it on the ship. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as a large living area and a long hall and tons of closet space (two desks but only one television) . The cruise itself wasn't the best. The food in the main dining room was so bad we quit going. Slow to arrive and just not very good. Some times the buffet was good other times it was difficult to find something to eat. I think they just want everyone to go to specialty restaurants. We even did a Galley tour/Bottomless Brunch on the last day for extra money. My husband got french toast. It was two pieces of bread. Nothing even decorating the plate. The menu said it came with bacon but he got nothing else. Everything seems to shut down around 8:45. There weren't many entertainment options other than a ton of trivia games. We watched a dance team from a local high school perform and saw a comedian. I learned to fold napkins. It's a small ship, I was surprised there wasn't even a sports court. The kids with us were 9, 12 & 14 and they weren't interested in the kids clubs because the 9 & 12 year olds wanted to hang out together and the 14 year old isn't interested in doing anything at all and would rather complain about how boring everything is than try something new. (No fault to the cruise line there). The crew was very friendly. If you just want to relax and not do very much on board it's perfect. Read Less

After several cruises with competitors, we booked this cruise to experience RCCL. After leaving Galveston TX, we explored the Vision. It soon became apparent to us the ship is small and has limited activities. Outside of the routine jogging track, shuffleboard, etc., the only other activity was climbing a "rock wall" on the back of the ship. The wall climbing lasts about 15 minutes, then you are done. Conversely, the entertainment was at great at times. The Love & Marriage show and the adult scavenger hunt were awesome, as was the flag presentation on the last night aboard. Dining was incredibly good. The wait staff and food was excellent. The Windjammer buffet was plain, at best. The food looked good but was bland and unseasoned. Our cabin attendant was wonderful, as was most of the RCCL staff. We like RCCL, and will cruise RCCL again, but likely not on the Vision. Despite the great staff, the ship is small, outdated, and at times boring. Read Less

We’re Houston-area dwellers, and Galveston is the most convenient port for us to cruise out of. True, not many port options to visit, but we’re more boat people and enjoy the sedate port days, spent by the pool or sitting on our balcony. We opt to cruise during times that there will be minimal children on board, which also means that we get the best deals for sailing off-peak times. We are recent empty-nesters, 52 & 56 yr old long-term married couple. We are experienced cruisers (this being our 9th cruise with RCCL). Second time doing a 5-day, first time in Jr. Suite, but the pricing was too good to pass up (less than $1500 total, including gratuities). We’ve sailed in aft balconys for the past three times and are addicted them. Never say never, but I don’t see us willingly picking another location. Embarkation-we find that if we travel in the night before, it makes embarkation much easier. I suggest staying at the Hotel Galvez, because you can utilize their parking garage for the duration for a nominal fee. They do have a shuttle, but we forgot you had to book it ahead of time. We instead Ubered to the terminal ($6, plus tip). That is the way we will likely go from now on. From terminal arrival to sitting in Windjammer, no more than 30 mins. It does help cruising out on Wednesday, cruising back on Monday, because you are not dealing with the previous/next passenger crowds. Disembarkation-we do self-disembark which went well. Again we opted for Uber back to our car, and that was definitely much better than waiting on the shuttle! The terminal employees were very pleasant. (Is it because it’s Texas? I like to think so!) In my review I rate some things as average, but it’s because I didn’t take advantage of them (enrichment activities, fitness, shore excursions). Otherwise, we were happy with the public area (being a smaller ship, you have the Centrum area as opposed to the Royal Promenade on the larger ships). We didn’t go to any shows (typical for us). In my opinion, the MDR items I ordered were very good. I don’t recall being unhappy with any of my selections. The three nights that we dined in the MDR I had the Prime Rib (medium), Leg of Lamb (medium well), and Lamb Chops, and was pleased with all. Shrimp cocktail all nights, but I will say towards the end the cocktail sauce was runny; I wondered if they were running low and watered it down to stretch it out! I know full well that it’s going to be tiny shrimp, but they reduced the number of shrimp from four to three (maybe a new cost-cutting measure?). We had the new condensed menus for the first time, and I actually found that it made dining more enjoyable and relaxed. Escargot one night which is always good. I liked the bread basket at the table instead of the waiter bringing the tray periodically. For MDR, we opted for MTD which we always do. The other 2 nights we dined at Giovanni’s Table (was not impressed) and Chops (always good). However, since the beef/lamb in the MTD has been great, I don’t know if I’ll opt for Chops on my next cruise. We had coffee and pastries delivered every morning, which functioned as our wake-up call, and let us enjoy the balcony to the full. My suggestion-bring a shelf-stable flavored creamer. Later we breakfasted in the Windjammer (okay) with exception of one breakfast in MDR (okay). Lunch was always Windjammer (okay). None of the entrees in WJ were exceptional enough to recall, but we ate and got full, so it served it’s purpose. We are pretty self-sufficient cruisers, so I can’t say we had much experience with service beyond the one mid-trip visit to Guest Services to keep tabs on our onboard spending, or the typical service from the stateroom attendant or waiters. But we were pleased with the level of service; no complaints. I do hate hearing all the announcements and dining room staff comments about giving everyone a glowing review however. We did not opt for Voom this time, but got off the ship in Cozumel and went down to the Starbucks to use their wi-fi. The evening before we got to Cozumel, it was announced that all excursions that involved taking a ferry back to mainland Mexico were cancelled, due to the recent issues with explosives on the ferries (the week before there was an explosion on one ferry, and more recently explosives were found on another). We felt no danger getting off the ship or walking downtown. Do make sure to bring a photo id with you, as the port authorities will ask for it when you head back to ship (the Cruise Compass did mention it, but we overlooked it. We only happened to have our wallets on us, so no issues). Speaking of that, we lucked out and docked at the Punta Langosta Pier (downtown) instead of the International Pier (one mile down the coast). Progresso was actually our first stop, and we did not get off. It was my first time there, and I didn’t realize how far away the dock is from the town. Definitely not walkable, so make sure you line up transportation. My summary: Excellent - dinner in the MDR; embarkation; aft JS balcony Good - pool area, common areas, disembarkation, Chops Okay - Windjammer, ports, Giovanni’s table Poor - vibration at times in stateroom (see my cabin review) Two negatives that, although not extremely important, were irritating: 1. I had requested ahead of time to outfit the room with extension cords and distilled water for our CPAPs. However, they were not there and we had to request them from the stateroom attendant (I know, big whoop, but why request ahead of time if they’re not going to do it?) 2. We had turned Emerald on our previous cruise, so we expected that our new pins would be delivered. We ended up having to go to Guest Services and request them. Again, not life-or-death by any means, but just a bummer that we had to take it into our own hands. All this being said, we will cruise again with RCCL (already booked a fall cruise on Liberty OTS), and we will continue to use Galveston as our go-to sailing point. Vision OTS was a good cruise; not the best I’ve had, but I would go again in a heartbeat, to be honest, just to get to cruise again :) Read Less

Read Less