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General:

My wife and I chose this cruise because of some friends on the cruise, the ports visited, and our ability to get a Grand Suite at a really good deal. After a nice flight on SouthWest from Sacramento to Tampa, we were pleasantly surprised by our stay at the Crowne Plaza Westshore located close to the airport. A hotel shuttle quickly picked us up and transported us to the hotel where we were met by really friendly staff at the front desk. We were then informed that the shuttle would take us to dinner at any restaurant within five miles, and provided a few suggestions. We were then shuttled to dinner. After dinner we again called the friendly shuttle driver who picked us up and stopped a a great liquor store on the way back to the hotel so we could pick up a couple bottles of wine for the cruise.

Embarkation:

The next morning we had a nice buffet breakfast and caught a $5 shuttle to the cruise terminal around noon. Dropping off our luggage was a breeze, but we then had to wait in a long line to get through security. BTW, no one questioned our wine bottles. After security, it was a breeze checking in as we were able to use a priority line reserved for Suites. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before our cabin was ready. And what a great cabin it was! As mentioned before, we got a great deal on a Grand Suite, and it was worth every penny. We had a huge balcony, double sinks, tub/shower, wet bar and plenty of closet/drawer space. Later in the cruise we actually hosted a wine tasting party for 20 friends. We spent the next couple hours meeting friends and exploring the ship which we found to be in very good shape. The muster drill was easy and I liked that they had everyone assemble by their assigned lifeboats. 

Food/Wine:

That night we dined (20% discount first night) with our friends in Giovanni's, one of three specialty restaurants. Giovanni's serves family style and we had way too much food. I felt the food was a bit better than average, but nothing to rave about, which generally provides our opinion on most of the food on this cruise. One bad experience for us was the second night when we ate in the MDR. We were seated in a reasonable amount of time, but then we seemed to disappear, especially when I asked for a bottleRombauer Chardonnay for my wife and a bottle of Rose wine that wasn't on the MDR menu, but was on our Suite wine list. We were told to wait, but then for the next 20-30 minutes we were neglected, except that we saw the wait staff keep looking at us strangely. After about 45 minutes with no wine and no food, we stood up and left and asked to speak to the Maître D'. He apologized and talked us into sitting down at another table (with apparently more experienced staff). After another short wait to smooth out the wine situation, we finally got out wine and were able to order dinner. My feeling is that unlike Celebrity, Royal Caribbean does not have Sommeliers. They do have a Cellarmaster, but for some reason the waitstaff are unwilling to call him, and instead run all over the ship trying to find a bar/restaurant with the wine you want. We experienced this several more times in various venues. We are not wine snobs, but this was very vexing, especially since we felt being in a Suite. we should have received better attention.

The second morning we were in Key West. Before disembarking we had a very nice breakfast in Giovanni's which is reserved for Suite guests, Pinnacle members, etc.We would have eaten there more often for breakfast, but they closed at 9:30 AM on Seas Days. After some comments, I think they changed the closing hour to 10 AM. Unlike our initial experience in the MDR, the service was excellent in the Windjammer Buffet. One negative about the Windjammer was that it closed at 8:00 PM. The Park Cafe served later, but was limited to hamburgers, hot dogs, and pretty tasteless pizza. (I don't understand why cruise lines generally provide way too much food, but can't put more that 5-6 pieces of pepperoni on pizza.). 

We ended up buying a dining package and ate at all the specialty restaurants. Izumi's was a nice experience, and we enjoyed the fun of cooking our food on a hot rock. Chop's Grille was the nicest specialty restaurant. We also ate at the Chef's Table where we met some great people. While this was one of the least experience Chef's Tables, it also rated at the bottom of our list. Other Tables have had much nicer venues, better food, and more wine. again, we rated the food just above average, but a nice experience because of the people you meet.

Service:

Except for our initial dining room experience, we felt the crew and service was great. The Captain is very personable and sets an example for the rest of the crew. Being in a Suite, we had the services of a Concierge. She quickly learned our names and greeted us almost every morning and evening. She helped us with reservations, and tried helping us with our wine tasting party, but she had a bit of a problem understanding our simple requests. Our room stewardess The Concierge and Diamond lounges were great! Drinks were provided from 4:30 to 8:00 every night, although if you didn't have access to these you were pretty limited to the Schooner and R-Bars.

Room/Stewardess:

As I mentioned before, we loved our Grand Suite. Very large and comfortable, and we hated to have to leave it at the end of the cruise. We had heard that you could hear noise from the pool deck, and a couple of times you could hear what sounded like a table clean-up or towel cart, but it was hardly noticeable, and certainly no reason to not book this cabin. We had a very good cabin attendant (Patricia) who kept our cabin tidy, refilled our ice several times a day, and provided us some funny towel animals with our turn-down service. She also did a great job cleaning the room after our wine tasting party.

Activities/Entertainment

To be honest, we didn't go to many of the evening entertainment shows. We found the special activities in the atrium to be very entertaining and the bar entertainment to be standard. We ran our own Cabin Crawl, and attended regular sessions of Left/Right/Center put on by one of our Cruise Critic friends (Kathy). The activities staff did put on some nice sports activities and I won a medal playing Shuffleboard against the officers.

We would have liked to see some sort of golf putting activity.

Disembarkation:

Getting off the ship was quick and easy (due in part to our Suite status).

Overall:

We would certainly cruise on this ship again, but prefer just a little bit bigger ship for TransAtlantics such as Brilliance of the Seas which has a few more dining/bar options.

Good Value for the money!

Great Crew and Service; Average Dining, Activities, and Entertainment

Our 2nd transatlantic cruise with RC. Will always try to travel to Europe this way instead of flying, which we find torture.

   We don't drink or take excursions as we find these very overpriced, but always enjoy our cruises. My wife and I traveled with a friend and were given a family cabin (Cabin 2532) which was perfect for us. The cabin steward, Arlin, was great - low key, friendly and efficient.

   We found the food not quite as good as on our previous cruise 4 years ago, but still pretty good. I'm a vegetarian and I decided to have most of my meals in the Windjammer as there was much more choice for me there. My companions preferred the dining room for the evening meal and tell me the service was excellent.

    Captain Marek was great, and every crew member we met was friendly, personable and efficient. Certainly no complaints there.

    The only real downside was the coffee in the Windjammer, which was terrible! Worse than any coffee we have had anywhere. I hope that RC will make some improvements in that department.

    We used the gym on deck 10 most mornings. Would like to see more treadmills.There was a 20 minute time limit on them due to high demand.

Tampa to Barcelona April 2016

We chose this cruise as an inexpensive and fun way to get to Europe. The ship was older than previous TA cruises we've taken.  We liked the smaller size of the ship because it was easier to learn our way around, and meant we bumped into the same people on a regular basis.  We were disappointed that our inside cabin didn't have a fridge as on other ships, and that the gym was so small - all that constant eating required a daily visit to the gym!  

The food was average, nothing special.  The best thing I ate was the flourless chocolate cake, which I didn't see on the menu until the last night.  (We didn't eat in the main dining room every night, so perhaps I missed it!)  Service in the main dining room was generally good, but since we weren't regulars, it's hard to judge accurately.  

Captain Merek was a delight, and very visible.  The crew all seemed to take their jobs to heart and were willing to listen and solve whatever problems arose.  

Our cabin, on deck 3, was directly under the R Bar, and in the evening we were often jolted awake as someone pushed or pulled a barstool across the marble floor. We were offered a different cabin, but declined because it was further forward and the seas were choppy.  Next time we'll do better research on what's overhead, or perhaps the newer ships have better insulation.

There was some excellent entertainment on board, and the house band was very talented, but we were less than enthusiastic about the ship's singers and dancers.  

We never had any problems at embarkation or with disembarking at any port.  We didn't take any of the RCI tours, but did take a private tour on Madeira.

An inexpensive way to get to Europe, but not a luxury cruise.

Before the cruise we spent 4 days in beautiful FUN St. Petersburg, loved the city so much.

We chose this cruise to get us to Europe and because we did the same cruise last year and had an amazing trip.  

 Deck 10 was very dirty the first week and they seemed to be working on the pool or hot tubs every other day.  Very bad smells deck 4 thru 6 interior around the Centrum bathrooms, smelled it on Deck 5 exterior too.

Overall dining was good, found Chophouse disappointing, do not recommend ordering the NY Strip. Giovannis was great, ask for Ali as your waiter.  Izumi was also very good.

The ship orchestra was great as usual, wonderful musicians.  The other bands and music were sub par.  Needed to update to music from the 60's onward. The most fun was the 70's party in the centrum but as soon as the live band took over, it fizzled and changed to 1930's dance music. Get a clue cruise industry, the baby boomers have arrived!!  

Service was great, top to bottom.  The Captain even sang Mustang Sally in the Centrum and had everyone dancing.  The cruise directors staff worked very hard to keep us entertained, thanks Jhun & Jose. Toward the end of the journey, the entertainment really flagged.  I love Karaoke but the times were often incorrect in the Cruise Compass resulting in poor attendance.  The sessions were too long , resulting in repeated singing by some pretty awful singers which drove many people away.

In regards to ports, loved them all but only had a short stop in Cartagena.  Got in early morning and left at 1:30, stores didn't open till 10am, far too short a visit.

We will do transatlantic cruise again, in my opinion it is the only way to go to Europe!! No jet lag when you get there and you are ready to go.

The baby boomers have arrived.

Had a great time! We opted for an interior cabin in the middle of the ship as it was our first transatlantic. We purchased a 3 dinner package at embarkation.  We loved the chops grill, the food and services was over the top. When we booked we were concerned of how the swells might be a problem for my husband. Even with the largest of waves it was really no problem. The cabin was pretty good, although I would not recommend this one as it backed to the "kitchen area" of the bar and every night at 1-2 we heard loud banging. They did not have any available rooms to switch us to so the cruise line gave us a credit for our next cruise, which was wonderful.  

The dining was OK, there were a few good meals in the main dining room but nothing great. The fish was fishy many times.

The entertainment was good.

All in all a great vacation.

1st Transatlantic

We chose this cruise to be with great friends and travel the Atlantic with so many sea days. We love being at sea and appreciate the activities and time to kick back and relax. We loved the evening Diamond/Diamond Plus events and spent many hours visiting with old friends and making new ones. The crew were awesome and the Captain sure set the tone. He was everywhere and was a real leader for the team. 

We started in Tampa and stayed with friends. We've been to some of the ports before so we were able to discover new places and explore different sites. The only difficulty was the rain in Europe (oh well). 

We had an aft JS on this ship and loved the space and the balcony. It was the site of many wonderful sail away and sail in parties. This also provided us with a great down time zone. The ship is older and showing the age in spots. We had ++ vibration in the cabin due to the position. This was especially prominent at night when they pick up speed. The temperature was good in our cabin but many had difficulties in others. I love the aft so the size and balcony are well worth the other issues. 

The temperature regulation on the ship was problematic. The Windjammer (although I only went in a few times) was always unbearably hot while the centrum on Deck 4 was fridgid. You get a strong smoke smell anywhere near the Casino but this seems to be a problem on all Royal Ships. 

The activities staff and variety of events was excellent. There was always something one could do during the day if needing entertained. Lots of trivia opportunities that we participated in. Once again our favourite spot is the Schooner Bar. The nightly Diamond/Diamond plus event was moved to the Show lounge and it was very nice to sit back there as the noise level was manageable. This ship is just not designed to have a large number of loyalty members in either the Concierge Lounge or Diamond Lounge. I did not spend much time in the Concierge at it was always very warm as well. The nice thing was it was quiet. They didn't have the TV blaring or music so it provided a nice getaway. 

At times there were strange odours throughout the ship…

We ate at all the specialty restaurants and enjoyed the food very much. The dining room service was good and the food very good. The problem with MTD is always getting the time you really want but I understand the difficulties. 

Thank you once again for a great vacation. The Next Cruise Desk know us well. I love that so many people are available now. Thank you to the Loyalty Ambassador for helping us out and providing ample opening times. I found the Loyalty times on the Serenade were extremely limited. 

Cheers and I would do it again…

Great TA with Friends

Our transatlantic voyage on the Vision of the Seas was a lovely experience.  There were some minor issues, but our goal was to get to Europe in the most pleasant and economical way possible.  The weather was generally very good with just a few instances of rainy weather that resulted in some instability.  We had no trouble with walking or sea sickness during these very few times.

The Vision of the Seas is a small ship but very well maintained.  With age comes some inherent issues, such as smaller than usual staterooms and equipment that is challenging to maintain to current standards (the shower water was never very warm, especially during high use times).  There were a few nights where it was a bit rocky with vibrations from the stabilizers.  The Windjammer on VOS has a very small selection without a lot of variety.  In their defense, the serving area is quite small.

Captain Marek Slaby is an excellent captain and the crew was also top notch.  I usually hold most crews in high regard but this group was exceptional.   Captain Marek is personable and quite handsome.  His wife was onboard and it was lovely to see them dancing and interacting.  He was a guest judge each day for the Officers’ Master Chef Competition.  Captain Marek also said goodbye to each guest at disembarkation.

Embarkation: We stayed at the Doubletree Suites which was very nice and in a safe neighborhood.  We had dinner at a nearby Caribbean restaurant.  The hotel provided a shuttle, but we walked back.  The hotel arranged for a shuttle $10 pp to port. 

 The embarkation process was very efficient and we were onboard between 11:30-12:00.  Only the Windjammer and Café near the Solarium are open for lunch on embarkation day.  We toured the ship by ourselves.  The first night’s entertainment featured comedienne Rick Snyder who offered up old jokes.  Things got better after that first night.

Dining: The MDR was generally a very good experience.  Our waiters were excellent and the food was nicely prepared and delicious.  A few beef dishes were a bit tough according to the other guests at the table.  Our table mates were all lovely people and we enjoyed the conversation each evening.  I don’t particularly enjoy waiters dancing and don’t like the pressure to rate them a 10 that increased as the end of the cruise neared.

The Windjammer’s breakfasts featured generally the same items each day with a little variety (scrambled egg with tomato, scrambled eggs with shrimp, etc.)  The fruit was cut into chunks (nice!) but the pancakes and waffles were dry and hard.  The one omelet station was crowded. The food in the Solarium Café was very good and it was pleasant to enjoy a meal there, if you could find room to sit at lunch time.

Cabin: We had a small, but efficient inside cabin on the seventh deck.  The shower was really small and I am a pretty small person!  We dislike a shower curtain clinging to us.  Not much storage in the bathroom but the cabin storage was adequate.  The mattress was sort of hard and they had no egg crate toppers when I asked but our steward did find one softer pillow.  He did a very fine job of cleaning, but we are a couple with few needs.  There were no gel or bathroom amenities automatically placed in the bathroom.

Entertainment: Many of the entertainers were excellent and worthwhile.  We enjoyed Gary Arbuthnot (flutist), James Stephens III (singer/impressionist and comedienne), Mark Preston, Traci Shields, the excellent show band, aerialists and others whom I failed to record in my notes.  The dancers and singers were fine and the other performers around the ship were the same.

One of the best experiences were the many dance classes offered by Miriam and George Moses.   With great skill and patience, they taught the foxtrot, tango, waltz, cha-cha, two step, rumba, swing, etc.   The classes were held in the Atrium which has a small dance floor.  It would have been much better to hold the classes in Some Enchanted Evening which has a large wooden dance floor, but the games and bingo were held here instead (go figure).  Marian and George came each night where dance music was played to help anyone who needed further instruction (or remediation).  They were outstanding!

There was a variety of dance music each night.  We enjoy ballroom dancing but there could have been just a bit more music from the 1960s to1990’s.  Karaoke seemed poorly attended and the venues could have offered dancing instead.

Enrichment opportunities were interesting if you like to learn about economics.  I would have preferred something on history or Europe or Spain, but the presenter did a good job on this topic.

Cruise Director and staff: The cruise director, Mike Hunnerup and his sidekick Elvis were the weak link of the crew.  I’ve really loved every Australian I have met on cruises, up until this point.  His previous mediocre reviews were verified.  I think they both purposely try to avoid passengers.  I don’t find Elvis’ brand of sarcastic humor entertaining.  Enough said.

Elvis was the only crew member at the Meet and Mingle for our Cruise Critic group.  It was absolutely the worst event ever (no fault of the cruise critics).  He held control over it like it was an irritation to be there.  NO OFFICERS were present.

The rest of the crew was outstanding.  Even the customer service staff was kind and efficient and a few went above and beyond which is not typical of many ships.  They even made a ship to shore call for me so that I could confirm a private excursion.

Master Chef Competition: This was enjoyable and something different.  The judges were two passengers who were chosen because they had accrued an ungodly number of cruise days on RCCL.  The man was fine but the woman mumbled and couldn’t be understood and was often critical.  Captain Marek kept the atmosphere fun and upbeat.

The downside was that there were no cooking demonstrations, which I enjoy.

Exercise Room: The smallest I have ever seen and very crowded.  I don’t want to spend my cruise waiting for equipment.  I love a rowing machine and none were there.  The promenade was just fine for walking except that the bow was closed off so the dogs onboard could relieve themselves.  There were at least three onboard, one being a very well trained and “real” service dog.  The others were given rides in strollers…

Religious Services: A priest held mass daily and the Jewish passengers had a Passover dinner.  RCL put the priest in charge of the Sunday non-denominational gathering and he didn’t even show up on the first Sunday.

The Protestants had to sort of fend for themselves.  At first, four different groups posted on the community board but then they all worked together amicably to have one daily at 3:00.  The ship did not allow the service to be mentioned in the daily bulletin even though there were several ordained people in this group.  This group turned out to be another wonderful experience and grew in number each day.  James Stephens III, a performer on the ship attended each day and added immensely to the comradery of the group.  We met many lovely people and a number of people who were on their way to the mission field in Europe.  This group was one of the very best experiences on the ship.  

Medical Services: I had the misfortune of needing to use the facilities but it turned out that the doctor was just wonderful and diagnosed my condition exactly right and the total cost was lower than I expected.  $186 for the exam, lab test and two medications.  I went down to the medical center at 8:00 and was done by 9:00.  Very good experience.

Pool and Solarium: Even though it was April, many guests had a chance to use the pools.  The Solarium is lovely but the chair hogs start coming before 7:00 (I had my AM coffee there each morning and witnessed the claiming of chairs each day).  RCL did nothing to stop it.

The pool and solarium area were large and pleasant with comfortable seating.  

Laundry: RCL had a $30 “special” bag but it was only for items that did not require pressing (pajamas, t-shirts, underwear, socks, etc).  Anything that required pressing was at the regular rate, but the cost was not prohibitive.

Priority Status: A transatlantic often has many people with diamond status and above.  Some Enchanted Evening Lounge featured alcohol and appetizers each day before dinner for the Diamond+ event.  We aren’t at that status yet.  It would be nice to have a free drink before dinner every day!

Comments and Survey: We were told by Elvis to let them know if there was a problem while onboard instead of writing a negative review.  There was no easy way to let people know of problems: no comment cards, not many officers roaming the ship, etc.  A survey was mailed upon disembarkation but expired in seven days.  Many who travel on a spring TA stay in Europe a while, so we had no way of giving our opinion when we returned home after spending 11 more days in Europe.

Disembarkation: The process in getting off was relatively easy but it was raining and the que for a taxi was long and many people had to stand outside in the rain.  We went through European passport and customs in Portugal, so Barcelona was a snap.

Summary: Despite some details that were a bit disappointing, nothing about the cruise would prevent us from booking a cruise on the Vision of the Seas or RCCL again.  The positives far outweighed the negatives and it was a great value.  The crew and the other passengers made the cruise a great experience and were glad we went to Europe on this ship.

Excellent way to travel to Europe

This was my second cruise.  My first was on a Carnival ship and people told me that RC was 10x better.  Well not by my scale.  The boat was crowded there were only 2 pools and 6 small (7 people hot tubs on the ship) 

Our room was nice until it flooded while we were in Belize.  We then had a  fan for over 3 days trying to dry out our carpet so we could not enjoy our balcony state room.  

The activities were Ok but few and far between.  We ate at one of the specialty restaurants and the food was good but not worth the extra money.  The dining room was fine but the food had little flavor, more like cafeteria food.  

When the activities on board were fun they would end in 40 minutes and they would move the party to a new venue but the people never followed.  There were lots of deck chairs but still could not find one at either pool.  Then there would be times when you could not find food between lunch/ dinner. 

The gym was tiny and when I grabbed a clean towel to wipe my face I got a nice whiff of someone else's BO.  If this would have been my first cruise I would never go again.  The only peace offer we were given for the mess in our room was a bottle of wine an 15% WOW off our next cruise with RC.  Really?  Good Faith would give me back 15% of our cruise this time trying to get me to return.  So much for first class.

The vision needs to be put to sea and never let back in to port.

While we have sailed on this class of vessel before, this was our first voyage on VISION and we had a wonderful time.  Although she is an older ship, she went through rehab in 2013 and she looks great.  The crew was among the best we have found an 10+ RCI cruises - everyone had a smile on their face and did everything they could to make our cruise the best possible experience.

Embarkation was a dream, although that was made shorter because we were in a suite.  Once on board we went to Windjammer and had a pleasant lunch.  Our room was ready about 1:00 pm and it was perfect.  Our cabin attendant, Ruel, kept it that way all week - he was a jewel.

We ate in the main Dining Room all but one night and thought the food was very good to excellent.  Our waiter, Jorge, was friendly, smiling and VERY professional.  We also ate in Chops one evening and it was superb.  We usually had breakfast and lunch in Windjammer and found the food to be good.  Windjammer was always clean and the staff there was friendly  and did their best to keep the tables cleared.

A Great Time on Vision OTS

We went to Royal Caribbean and were very excited to go for a cruise. But the ship was old with some renovations but you can feel its old when in your stateroom it feels noisy of whole ship falling apart. Also the food was very tasteless and had the repetition of deserts and other food. We had same breakfast for all 7 days. The entertainment was weak and no other activities on ship as it was so old. The customer service as the only good thing. 

Also they missed one port as it was windy. I took this cruise so i wanted to visit as many ports but they missed one port for some wind. The ship reached the port but we were not able to get down at Costa Maya Mexico. This was so disappointing. 

Would never travel royal back. Heard people saying same thing on cruise and also suggested some good cruises. 

Dont take vision of the seas in royal Caribbean. 

Also they charge 3-4 times for shore excursion so beware

Old Cruise with Lame Food

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