Although we more frequently sail on Princess or Celebrity cruise lines, we previously had a wonderful Royal Caribbean experience on the Jewel of the Seas so when months ago a 10-day cruise on the Vision of the Seas to Bermuda was offered, we eagerly booked it. Not unlike the Jewel, the Vision is a smaller and older vessel recently updated and refitted with upgraded dining and other amenities. Crew staffers - from guest services to dining to cruise director to captain to everyone - were simply delightful in their friendly and helpful demeanor, attentiveness and professionalism. Our 7th deck veranda stateroom in the aft of the ship was a spacious enough, well-designed space with an admittedly small shower space featuring a cloth shower curtain that seemed more intent on clinging to wet bodies than keeping the water contained from the rest of the "head!" Annoying but workable nonetheless unless one is of quite a size. What was terribly dismaying however was the fact that as only a "Gold" level member of the Crown & Anchor Society, it seemed we did not qualify to have shampoo or anything other than two small bars of soap supplied. No lotion. No conditioner. We subsequently found out that we had to request these basic and needed toiletries. How utterly cheap! If this is some new policy, I would STRONGLY advise RCI to rethink it immediately if not sooner because it really ticked us (and many other passengers we spoke to ) off. Another "alas": the layer of dust on stateroom mirrors and flat surfaces was sufficient enough for me to write "dust me" on the coffee table. A call to and meeting with a housekeeping supervisor quickly solved the sloppy cleaning and we can only imagine that our stateroom stewardess was given a brief but thorough training session by her supervisor because thereafter, the room was properly dusted and we received a bottle of wine and apologies from the supervisor. Dining experiences in the dining room, Windjammer, specialty restaurants Izumi and Chops Grille were very enjoyable. The Chops Grille was particularly excellent in the quality and service of its steak house style menu. We loved the ship and the wonderful crew including a captain with a wonderful sense of humor and desire to mingle with his guests. But the lack of basic toiletries really rankles since we've never before experienced this on any cruise we've ever taken or, for that matter, in even the most "budget" type of hotels. Shampoo is just one of those things that ought to be there without asking.
Perfectly nice cabin with a small veranda. Needed cleaning on this cruise, however.