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Pic heavy, detailed Vision OTS review/recount of our 12nighter out of Barcelona!


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Hello! Welcome to my review/recount of our 12 night cruise out of Barcelona on Vision of the Seas. As I'm writing this after our cruise, I made sure I took many, many pics and also wrote detailed notes just in case my memory failed me in any way.

Please be aware... Take this as my disclosure statement... You might get to know me very well, even too well, lol... I'm a cards on the table type person & I say it how I see it... So if you think that this may not be the review for you... then maybe move to the next one. Saying that, I'm a glass half full person and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying reliving it.

This is my second, full scale review, but I write Trip Advisor reviews weekly, so hopefully that helps with me writing this one. We also just finished a 7 night cruise on Splendour of the Seas just after this one, which I'll be reviewing as well.

Please feel free to ask me any questions along the way, & I'll try my hardest to answer them. I've got all of the daily compasses to show as well. (I know how people love their compasses!!!)

Now, I took some really great pics, (I'm no photographer, but i go okay!) & I'd love to post them on here... I'll try and add some and see how I go... otherwise, I might need to upload them on a different app or something, but fingers crossed they look okay just going straight on!

Here is a pic of Mick & I to get the ball rolling!

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Okay... Please forgive me!

I've started a photo bucket account & still have zero idea how to add pics- so for now, they'll be from my camera, to my iPhone, to this post!

 

Ok, let's go! This is Mick & I! ImageUploadedByForums1434881651.855870.jpg.5c6420f1ec491f8d6914cdb8fafc094d.jpg

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I'm not quite sure where to start... Maybe introductions?!

I'm Hailey, 29 years old, (30 on 19th of July!) & I live in Melbourne, Australia. My gorgeous husband is Mick, 33, originally from New South Wales until I snagged him after meeting him because of Royal Caribbean- Lol- indirectly.

I was on my second cruise in December, 2010, which happened to be on Rhapsody of the Seas, with my best friend, Nicky. We were seated every night at dinner with the same couple from Sydney. On the second night, the man asked if I was single, (I did think, "Whhaaaat?! Your wife is just there Buddy!!!" But it turned out he thought I'd be a great match with his best mate back in Sydney & said if I met him, we would get married! I straight away thought I didn't need any help with my love life- I was extremely happy being single, but it was nice of him to offer up his best mate, lol.) Loooooong story short, three months and a 12 hour road trip later with Nicky, I met Mick & within hours of meeting him, knew he'd be the lucky guy I'd spend the rest of my life with. (Ha ha, see what I did there?!)

Six months later, we had a cruise booked, (on Rhapsody, of course!) it was a Queensland cruise, & Mick's very first cruise. I've converted him to ship holidays and he's never looked back! (Oh yes, cruising is meant for us!)

If you don't understand any of my lingo, please ask! I find that I write as I would speak... Sometimes a little bit too Aussie!

Until now, we have done a few cruises, all out of Australia. Two to the New Caledonian Islands & Vanuatu, one to New Zealand and one cruise to North Queensland. All have been spectacular & we have met some amazing friends along the way!

I'm going to add some tips as my review continues. They may be helpful to you, others not.

So here's

TIP NUMBER ONE-

Book through a travel agent. If they are one that deals with RCI directly, then they are more likely to be able to get you cheap, or even free upgrades!

Royal's rules are slightly different in every country. In the USA, if the price drops, you are able to contact your travel agent & get the price you paid, adjusted, (if it's before final payment). This isn't the case in Aus. We are locked in to a price from the start, but you can upgrade your cabin. That's why I do SO MUCH RESEARCH to find the best deal that I can.

This 12 night cruise was booked originally as a 14 night back to back from Venice, until RCI changed our sailing and didn't tell us, (our travel agent said she didn't know & RCI told us she should have)- so with a bit of extra On Board Credit added to our account, we didn't really mind. This also happened to our seven night sailing out of Venice, which we just changed to a later date to fit in with this trip!

So, we thought as we were doing 12 nights out of Barcelona and then seven nights out of Venice, we may as well add on a few extra weeks & really get to know Europe & the UK. Many people joke about Australians being lazy & getting a lot of time off work... Well, yes, we have many vacation days, (which we call holidays) & I'm lucky enough to work my butt off for the education department- so I do get some extra time off through the year as well- but we can't pick our days off, (they are the same as school holidays). This particular holiday was taken as Long Service Leave which accumulates pro rate after working for a specified number of years.

Mick, on the other hand, gets 20 vacation days off a year & he's the hardest working person I know. He really is a super star! Plus he's had to put up with me talking, DAILY, after him doing up to 18 hours a day of work, about what we are doing & where we are going on our #HaverEuroAdventure. <--- Yes, we did make that hashtag! Ha ha. (Our surname is Havercroft & we went to Europe... Also I really like a good pun!) We also had a fb page for our friends to follow & people on our amazing Cruise Critic Roll Call page.

Can I also add that I'm not 100% Aussie. My mum's family is from the USA, California to be more precise, and I was lucky enough to do an exchange to San Diego when I was 15, as well as a 26 state road trip in 2011- so if I do have comments regarding the USA or Australia, please don't think I'm having a dig at either country. I love them both in different ways!

Okay, where are we up to?! I knew getting this set up would be tricky, but I didn't realise how much I would write! I completely understand if you skim over this to get to the juicy parts!

(Didn't I tell you that you'd get to know me well!)

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As quickly as I can, I'll explain how we got to Barcelona...

We flew 14.5 hours from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar. I can't sleep sitting up, so I watched lots of TV shows & movies. The food was absolutely amazing. I never thought aeroplane food could be good- I was pleasantly surprised!

Flying into Qatar was breathtaking. I've never seen anything like it! We flew economy & had ample leg and seat room.

 

We then had 39 minutes to power walk about one mile through the airport to our next gate, where I put on a fresh face of makeup, before jumping on the next flight, which was only 8 hours this time, & into Manchester.

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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND. (4 days)

We arrived in Manchester & met Mick's cousin at the airport, who took us to the hotel where she used to work. It was called, Castlefields & had the best service I've ever known! Plus we got free breakfast every morning, free wifi & discounted drinks!

In the four days in Manchester, we had drinks in the sun, (yes, in Manchester! I couldn't believe it either!), we had Indian food, went shopping, did a private tour of the Manchester United Football Club & saw two of its players filming adverts for TV! (Such a highlight for Mick).

We went to a cricket ground where we saw Aussie cricket players, (another massive highlight for Mick!)

We went to Blackpool, by the beach there was a carnival & amusement park. It was also the windiest place on Earth. I know there has been documented windiest places on Earth, but they mustn't have been to Blackpool. We ate fish'n'chips there with mushy peas. A must do when in the UK!

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We took the fast train from Manchester into London. It was around three hours & absolutely boiling. They had the heater turned up so high that it was uncomfortable.

 

TIP NUMBER TWO:

When travelling in the UK & Europe, you should try to book your trains, planes & other transport, as well as your accommodation, well before you travel to get cheaper prices. We saved over $200 just on this train ride but booking it 90 days before we needed it.

When we arrived at London, Euston station & it was absolute mayhem. After about 30 minutes of negotiating our way around with two huge suitcases as well as two backpacks, we were on another train out to our Finchley Road stop, (20 minutes out of London).

I booked our accommodation through AirBnB. It's an app, as well as a website that anyone can host guests. We chose to rent full apartments & that way we would have a lounge room as well as a bedroom & full kitchens, etc.

We arrived at our apartment & holy heck... It was a teeny tiny hole in the wall under stairs! It was nearly comical. Harry Potter would have been cramped in there! I say nearly, because we did have to stay there for two nights & the hot water didn't work, but we did have a bed & each other, right!? Ha ha! I made sure to give them a not so good review.

While in London, we did a Hop On, Hop Off Tour through "Big Bus" tours. I couldn't recommend them enough. There was about 12 different languages to choose from & always more than enough seats & buses to accommodate everyone.

There are 50 stops, which take nearly three hours to get the whole way around without stopping, (would be best to do over two days). Some of the stops/ landmarks include Big Ben, the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Bucking Palace, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Westminster Abbey and 10 Downing Street.

TIP NUMBER THREE:

Pre buying tour tickets online is always a sure way to save money. Even if it's just a couple of dollars, it all adds up in the end.

The only thing I seriously wanted to do while in London, was go to platform 9 3/4. If you don't know what this is, you mustn't have seen Harry Potter! I'm not a die hard fan, but when in Rome, er, London, why not go to the wall that looks like you're going to Hogwarts! I'd post the pic of us going through it, yes, I did make Mick do it too- but the photo was HIDEOUS! I was def ready to pay the £15 or so, but it was truly awful. Oh well, you win some, you lose some!

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In another life, Mick was an amazing chef in Sydney. Okay, it was this life but he HATES when I tell people, so shhhhh! This whole trip, for him, was about food! So while we were in London, we tried two amazing restaurants. They were both booked 60 days before travel, as it's near impossible to get into them any other way.

The first restaurant was Berners Tavern. It was in Central London & very pricey. The atmosphere was beautiful & the food was delicious. We only had a drink each, a starter each & a main... & the bill was £250, which is equal to $500 Australian. Yes, absolutely crazy prices, but we won't be back to London again, so it was an extra special thing to do.

The second restaurant we visited was "Dinner By Heston". We watch Heston's Fantastical Foods all the time, as well as every other program he's on, & we couldn't pass up the chance to visit. It was a super late sitting of 10pm, but the service was amazing. Jonothan, our server, was also from Melbourne & we chatted to him for a bit. After our mains, he bought out a menu, signed by the one & only Ashley Palmer-Watts, who is the executive chef. Mick nearly died with excitement & we were so stoked to have this special gesture. Written was, "Thanks for visiting, see you both in Melbourne!" as Heston & Ashley are opening up a Dinner by Heston in Melbourne around October this year. When we had finished dessert, Jonothan came back & said he had another surprise for us... We were going into the kitchen for a meet & greet with Ashley himself!!! We got a full kitchen tour, as well as a meet & greet. Boy, were we happy. A quick pic & we were on our way back to the Muggle house, not believing what had just happened!!!

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Mick, waiting for dinner at Berner's Tavern, London.

ImageUploadedByForums1434884538.934600.jpg.e9e48dceb6f4ff7f7995c7234b54e3a0.jpg

 

My starter at Dinner by Heston!

ImageUploadedByForums1434884581.568326.jpg.4166258b64dc1abcac5b18ffdddf3d63.jpg

 

My dessert at Dinner by Heston.

ImageUploadedByForums1434884604.468999.jpg.896f74ea4cf26d560bfb680c440820df.jpg

 

Myself, Jonathan, Ashley & Mick!

ImageUploadedByForums1434884639.076681.jpg.d78bfa7047e9c189ccc49a6160decf49.jpg

 

Out the front. Best night ever!!!

ImageUploadedByForums1434884663.937276.jpg.b252a788c0de4d9251084e85206fd192.jpg

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Is it wrong that I'm reading your review with my version of an Aussie accent (hint of NY'er) in my head - my favorite is "Melbourne", which in my real voice sounds like Mel'Bawrn, but in my "Aussie" voice it's Mel'bin ;)

 

I'm always amazed.. and more importantly, impressed, when I read reviews of people traveling to faraway lands just to get to their vacation (holiday) destination. I couldn't imagine having to organize planes, trains.. hotels.. cruise, and then more than likely do it all again in reverse. :eek:

 

Enjoying your review, and you're not even on the cruise part yet. :)

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Is it wrong that I'm reading your review with my version of an Aussie accent (hint of NY'er) in my head - my favorite is "Melbourne", which in my real voice sounds like Mel'Bawrn, but in my "Aussie" voice it's Mel'bin ;)

 

I'm always amazed.. and more importantly, impressed, when I read reviews of people traveling to faraway lands just to get to their vacation (holiday) destination. I couldn't imagine having to organize planes, trains.. hotels.. cruise, and then more than likely do it all again in reverse. :eek:

 

Enjoying your review, and you're not even on the cruise part yet. :)

 

 

Lmao!!! That's brilliant!!!!!!!

I read reviews with other's accents too!

Glad you're enjoying it so far! Will add more tomorrow... It's bedtime here! :-)

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GLASGOW, SCOTLAND. (4 days)

We got a fast train, (five hours) to Glasgow in Scotland. On the way, we played the BEST card game ever, Skipbo. It's super fun & will come up in my review a few more times I'm sure! We also saw SNOW on the mountains- which was super cool as I'd never seen snow before!

We stayed with my friend Jen & her partner Alan, who I met when I did my road trip through the USA. We also visited Hannah who was on our tour too!

While there, we tried to find the Loch Ness Monster, we went to Luss, gate crashed a traditional Scottish wedding & ate Haggis & Black Pudding. Yes, I agree with what you are thinking.... Disgusting, right?! Mick said I had to try something before I said I didn't like it... So I did... & it actually wasn't bad. I won't be eating either of them again though! Ha ha.

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