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Vision of the Sea March 21-28 (Away we Go!)


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I spent many months lurking around the cruise critic boards and reading before our trip. The information that I found here was so helpful and I enjoyed it so much. I just wanted to thank all of the poster's for that!I did not find a huge amount of information pertaining to the Vision specifically, so I thought I would attempt a review for all those who are planning to travel this ship!This is my very first post and first ever review. It will be in parts and lengthy (sorry) as I would like to print it and save it as a travel remembrance for my daughter!

A little background: My DD is 8 years old and is on a performance team of dancers ranging in age from 7-30.They are an incredible group of boys and girls that train intensely for months and perform in lots of different venues. They work very hard and of course we are very proud of them all.Through a lengthy audtion process, they were invited to perform on the ship. What a thrill and an honor!Hubby and I have cruised once before and this was to be my daughters first cruise.We were ready for an awesome trip! With the 24 dancers and all of their fans there were 67 total travelling from Minnesota!

We had an hours drive from our home to the Minneapolis airport, meeting our group at 5:00 AM.The flight from Minnesota to LAX was uneventful.Our group travel plans included transfers from the airport to the ship. Soon we were at the pier and ready to embark. My husband and I had been dreading this process as we had cruised on Carnival about 10 years ago and remembered it as being a very long ordeal. What a pleasant surprise on RCCL! We literally walked up to a window, handed the lady our info, and soon we were directed to the area where your picture is taken for your seapass card. After the obligatory family photo we were on our way. Start to finish--ten minutes tops!

Once aboard, we were in awe of the beauty of the ship! Beautiful views from every deck with lots of glass and wood and art work. We proceeded to our cabin which was an outside ocean view on deck 3,category H, room 3576. It was a nicely appointed room with a small loveseat,2 single beds pushed together,and 2 pullman beds from the ceiling. There was a safe, a blowdryer,and plenty of storage space in the form of drawers and a good size closet. Our steward came by and introduced himself.

We did not have our luggage yet, so we proceeded to the Windjammer for some lunch, which was very good. We set off to explore the ship some more and see where the kids would be performing.Their show is called "Fiesta" and has a latin theme--perfect for a ship headed to Mexico. They were scheduled to perform four nights in the Viking Crown Lounge. You cant imagine how excited these dancers were! The Viking Crown is a beautiful space with spectacular views and we would be spending lots of time there!

We then stopped to purchase a kids soft drink package and an adult soft drink package. A sticker was placed on the seapass card and a insulated coke cup was provided. We encountered no problems whatsoever in getting these filled at any time,which has been a problem for some readers. Next, we booked our shore excursions.


Next up was the dreaded muster drill, which was relatively quick and painless! After a Miami Vice (or two, lol) it was time to head back to the cabin to get ready for our early seating dinner.

To our surprise, our luggage was in our cabin and we were able to unpack,freshen up and change before dinner. One tip that I had picked up on this board was the over the door shoe organizer---what a great help in keeping our stuff organized and the room clutter free!

Dinner was wonderful with great service by all the staff serving our table. The whole group was accomodated in one section of the dining room at tables of 8-10. My 8 year old daughter was treated like a queen by the head waiter on this night and every night to follow! There was an extensive kids menu, but she got into the spirit of the occassion and chose to order off the adult menu each night.

Darling daughter wanted to swim at this time, but it was really too chilly and windy to allow her to do that. We went to the Adventure Ocean kids club and signed a registration for her to participate if she chose to do so. Then we played a few games in the small arcade next door. The arcade used tokens (much like a Chuckie Cheese) which was a relief as a parent as we did not want arcade charges on our seapass card.

That evening we went to the Welcome Aboard show which was hosted by Cruise Director Dan Starring, aka "Dan Dan the Party Man". Los Diablos Gauchos was the feature and the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers gave a preview. We learned that the ship was full and there were approximately 400 hundred kids aboard. It truly did not seem crowded at anytime.After a last drink (the Drink of the Day: a Singapore Sling 4.25), it was time for bed.At our cabin the bed was turned down with a chocoate on the pillows, the pullman was out with a safety rail for our daughter, and the compass and kids compass were layed out for us to plan our next day! It was the beginning of a great trip!

Next up....Our 1st full day at sea! Thanks for reading!
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Excellent review so far!!! Can't wait to read your next installment [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

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Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04


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It sounds like you had a wonderful cruise so far, very nice review....please you post the next part soon [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]


Phoenixcruiser...hi neighbor [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Soveriegn 92 E. Caribbean
Majesty 95 W. Caribbean
Granduer 97 E. Caribbean
Rhapsody 00 Mexico
Vision 02 Alaska
Radiance 03 Panama Canal
Brilliance 3/29/04



Radiance of the Seas/Panama Canal 10/18/2003
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff00ff&cdt=2003;10;18;20;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]Are we there yet?
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My bags are always packed!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;3;29;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img] Brilliance 3/29/2004
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  • 8 months later...
I just read your day 1 on board the Cruise. I have been on the Visions of the Sea (my 4th cruise), and I loved it. We are going again in March. Didn't realize you could pre-purchase soft drinks, good to know, as they tend to be costly. The staff are absolutley wonderful. We were treated royaly. The ship is beautiful. I liked the internet cafe, but found it expensive (something like $3.00 a minute). I am so much more excited about our next trip becuase my hubby, and three sons and Girlfriends, step daughter and hubby are all going. Last time I was with my mother, my brother and his family. I loved the ports of call, all of them. (I haven't always loved all the stops on other cruises, - I have been to Carribean, and Alaska). Shopping is best in last stop Peurto Vallarta, as there is huge flea market, right at the pier. I will answer any questions I can if others would like to know something specific. Oh.. you say what did I like best - The Casino, although my hubby will not! Talk to you again.
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