Vision of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise on the backs of friends itinerary and because the ports were very interesting. As we were first time cruisers we didnt know too much about the excursions and spent a lot of time on line and with our travel agent trying to find information. We didnt find a lot.
The ship itself is very comfortable. Our stateroom was very nice, although ship-small it was smartly designed and the bed was comfortable. It was a little on the cold side but we found extra quilts and were very snug at night! WE had enought closet and drawer space for everything. There are four plugs in the room but two are european and two are north american, so if you have a lot of things to charge remember an adapter.
We didnt get any of the drinks packages as we felt they were disproportionatly expensive, as were many things on the cruise. We did however get the internet package. I would suggest it for those of us who are used to being on line all the time. I had data on my phone but many times, especially on sea days you are out of range. It is an extra 160 USD which is a bit of a pill to swallow but once you get it down it certainly made our trip better.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean View Stateroom
Clean, practical, perfect size, lots of lighting, lots of mirrors. A little cold.
Port Reviews
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We booked and excursions but (thankfully) it got lost in cyberland. It was so easy to get on a train and head to rome, then head back. You have to watch your timings and get to the train station in good time to get your train. We got off the train at st peters square and on again at termini. I would suggest this as the train fills to the rim and if you want a seat termini is the best. The excursion is about 70 USD per person and the train was under 15 round trip.
Kusadasi
We hired a taxi driver and for 100 euro, tip included he took us everywhere, he was aware of ship timings and came from the area so we had a little local flavour. The taxi was new, clean and air conditioned. Significan savings from the ship excursion and totally easy. The tourist informaiton booth in Kursadasi is very very helpful. Ephesus was wonderful, and we had a good time shopping in Kursadasi.
Santorini
Santorini is beautiful but the infrastructure is not made for many thousands of people coming off of cruise ships. We got off the ship not having a clue about santorini or what to do. The map that the cruise guide gave us told us that the famous blue roofed church was in Fira (which it apparently isnt). We decided to get a boat to Ois which was the best decision of the day. For 15 euro we took the boat, then a short bus ride up the hill to Ois, we spent an hour and a half there and in retrospect should have spend another hour there but it was great. Then walked along the wall/street in Fira to the west side that is not so crowded. The scenery was fantastic.
The journey back to the ship was crazy thought. The line for the cable car was about two hours long at 38 degree heat. There were reported punch ups in the line! We walked down. Betwen the hundreds of tourists, numerous donkeys, and a few locals, really slippery walk paths, and loads of donkey poo, the walk was as crazy as anything you could imagine! We felt the ship needed to better prepare people for the trip back down as most people were really caught off guard.
We were happy not to have taken a guided tour although our friends too the kayking excursion and were pretty happy with it.