Having recently been refreshed and refitted the VOS was beautiful. The carpets, decor, pools, everything was very nice and in many ways it was like being on a new ship. This was a four day cruise to Cozumel and it had two days at sea which we love. We wanted to test drive this class of ship as we are contemplating a much longer cruise on a sister ship. Boarding was a breeze 30 minutes from port parking to our balcony stateroom. The first thing I noticed was how clean the ship was and our cabin had been not just refreshed but cleaned - smelled clean - no messy sticky surfaces, no smudged woodwork, very nice.
The boat drill was conducted outside in a blazing heat! Why does RCCL still insist on passengers going outside - most other cruise lines take you to a public room and perform the drill there. Boarding lunch was not so good - food was running out and not being replenished.
Two negatives that stood out from the onset: 1- the staffing appeared in adequate most notably by the pools and in Chops and the Italian restuarant. 2- the staff wiith the exception of the front desk, cruise staff, and Aquarius dining room was not engaged in their jobs, seemed very unhappy, and were solemn and gruff.
Beautiful room. Spotless new bathroom, small balcony but we did sit out and use it so adequate. Great location under overhang of upper decks and near the centrum. Loved having the six foot couch in the room. TV was not great but you do not go on a crusie to watch tv. None of the online services avaialble through TV like on the newer ships.