uncialman Posted June 25, 2004 #1 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Greetings RCI Cruisers! I will be taking my maiden voyage aboard the Vision of the Seas in November with a large group. I have previously cruised the Radiance (which, outside of sub-par food, I loved), and would like to have some comparisons between the ships as well as some helpful hints to avoid crowds etc. Also, if you could just give me your general impressions of the ship. Thanks! uncialman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncialman Posted June 25, 2004 Author #2 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Wow, this one got left in the dust! I really want to hear your opinions guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundsgn Posted June 25, 2004 #3 Share Posted June 25, 2004 I've been kind of wondering about this ship too...there aren't really a lot of posts on the roll call board for this ship either. We are sailing on Oct 17. for our honeymoon and only one other person has posted for that sailing. Is the Vision not so popular? I hope I didn't make the wrong choice! Sun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerk_fitter Posted June 25, 2004 #4 Share Posted June 25, 2004 I had the same questions before I cruised the Vision in Feb. I don't think the Vision is unpopular because it's usually full. I just think that most of the people that go on the Vision are from So Cal and typically see it as a week long get away and do not look forward to is as much as the carrib cruises. The ship is very nice and you'll have a great time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncialman Posted June 25, 2004 Author #5 Share Posted June 25, 2004 I'd love to have more details such as: 1. How were the crowds 2. Are there places on board that you can find a quiet corner 3. How was the Lido configured 4. Size of standard and outside cabins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auroraknights Posted June 25, 2004 #6 Share Posted June 25, 2004 uncialman when are you cruising in Nov? We will be cruising on the Vision on November 28th. This is my very first cruise and looking forward to just being away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isujim Posted June 25, 2004 #7 Share Posted June 25, 2004 I would also love any thoughts on the Vision........we are booked for October of 2005.......we have been on Enchantment, Splendour and Rhapsody so I'm sure as a Vision Class ship it is basically the same........... Still would love others thoughts on this ship. Thanks Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncialman Posted June 25, 2004 Author #8 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Actually, I have a group of 120 on board November 7th. I have only my experiences aboard the Radiance to draw from as far as RCI goes. Would really love to know more from the cruise base here on the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhips Posted June 25, 2004 #9 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Actually, I have a group of 120 on board November 7th. I have only my experiences aboard the Radiance to draw from as far as RCI goes. Would really love to know more from the cruise base here on the board. :cool: Wow - That is quite a group! My family (all adults, [ages] myself -65,wife - 63,daughter - 36,son - 30] are sailing on the same cruise - I've been on the Roll Call boards for months and have not had any reply nor has the Meet and Mingle party for this cruise had anybody sign up but us :confused: Where have you and your group been? We sailed on the Vision for a 4 day a couple of years ago and had a great time. Please get your group to sign up for the M&M - we had a ball at the M&M Party last year on our Explorer trip to the Western Caribbean Almost forgot to answer your questions! 1. How were the crowds - The 4 day was booked 100% and we didn't have any problem with it being overcrowded if that's what you mean. 2. Are there places on board that you can find a quiet corner - Yes - there always seems to be someplace where you can just lay back away from the crowds - the very top deck aft in the PM - the Library - some of the bars - etc. 3. How was the Lido configured - not sure I remember it 4. Size of standard and outside cabins - interior cabins are approx 145 sq. ft. - oceanview - 155 sq. ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wblynch Posted June 25, 2004 #10 Share Posted June 25, 2004 One of my very favorite ships and cruises.!! Mexican Riviera was more fun than should be legal. Be sure to check out Randi's Happy horses in Mazatlan and the Jungle Canopy Adventure in Puerto Vallarta. The Vision is a great ship. Clean and pretty and they had great entertainment the week we were on her. We booked a week that sailed from San Diego and I enjoted that much more than the Port of Los Angeles. There's tons of stuff to do in downtown San Diego. It would be worth it to go a few days early and hangout in S.D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isujim Posted June 26, 2004 #11 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Thanks Bill and Jane............ Unfortunately our cruise begins and ends in Los Angeles........so.......we shall just have to make do..........we are really looking forward to the Mexican Riviera.......thanks for the tips. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2travel Posted June 26, 2004 #12 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Will be sailing on the Vision in Dec, also have not read many reviews about the ship. But we are counting the day down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseclues Posted June 26, 2004 #13 Share Posted June 26, 2004 uncialman, We have a Vision of the Seas personal planning page, which has many links to Vision of the Seas photo albums & personal cruise websites (well over 1000 cruise photos), Menus, Compass, the ship technology link, the CDC Sanitation Inspection Scores, many review posts, and more. We will continue to update the page: http://cruiseclues.com/shipstips/visionoftheseas.htm :) :cool: :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pieshops Posted June 26, 2004 #14 Share Posted June 26, 2004 excellent site, thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isujim Posted June 26, 2004 #15 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Cruiseclues: Great sight........thanks for taking the time to post the link and sharing. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncialman Posted June 26, 2004 Author #16 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Thanks for posting the link to the reviews, photos etc. Unfortunately, from what I have read of the majority of reviews, the Vision will have the same problem that the Radiance had on our cruise: poor dining room food. I really don't know why RCI is complacent when it comes to this feature: especially on ships that don't have dining options. The group that I have is used to cruising Celebrity and HAL. Unfortunately, in the dining room, it looks like I might have to "prepare" them. uncialman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseclues Posted June 27, 2004 #17 Share Posted June 27, 2004 pieshops, you're welcome. Thanks for the compliment. isujim, you're welcome. Thank you for sharing your webshots photos of the Splendour, Rhapsody, and Brilliance of the Seas. We wish you the very best of cruises. uncialman, you're welcome. We wish you the best of luck with your group and the very best of cruises. :) :cool: :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilly Posted June 28, 2004 #18 Share Posted June 28, 2004 We just got off the ship the day before yesterday. We were on the southbound sailing from Seward, Alaska, to Vancouver, British Columbia. Wow! The crowd was older than we are used to, and that may have been the reason that there were so few planned activities onboard. The activities that WERE planned were great, and the cruise director was the best that we've seen on Royal Caribbean. The food was good, not great, but we were there for more than the food! The scenery was incredible! Hubbard Glacier was the reason the word "awesome" was created! So much activity! We got some great videos of the changing face of the glacier! Misty Fjords was amazing, as well. We were late to dinner one night, because we couldn't tear ourselves away from watching the whales performing outside our balcony! Most of the ports were terrific - Icy Straits is still too new as a port of call, and there was not much there. All in all, though, this cruise turned out to be so much better than we had dreamed! In answer to your questions, we never had a problem with crowds. Even the muster drill seemed less crowded than previous cruises we'd taken! We were always able to find a quiet spot on deck when we wanted to, and the lounges always had space for us, too. The layouts of the main decks were great and typical of Royal Caribbean - Windjammer is up front, the dining room is toward the back of the ship, several decks down. Finding open restrooms was sometimes a problem (they always seemed to be cleaning them when we needed them!), and we often needed to refer to a map to find the nearest one. I was disappointed at first that our cabin's shower had a shower curtain instead of a shower door (like on Voyager-class ships), but that didn't prove to be a problem after all. As for the layout of the cabin, just go the RCI's website. You'll find the layout there. We had plenty of room in our cabin, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! Oh! One piece of advice: if you're sailing southbound (Seward to Vancouver), you'll want a port-side cabin. Northbound, you'll want a starboard-side cabin. Trust me! Our cabin was on the "wrong" side, and while we loved our view, we often went up on deck to see some even more beautiful sights! And I know the advice is to bring warm clothes and layer, but be sure to bring shorts and swimsuits, too! We had lots of warm clothes with us, and the weather was sunny and in the 80's every day! The only day we needed our jackets was when we were at Hubbard Glacier! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhairbill Posted June 28, 2004 #19 Share Posted June 28, 2004 MerrylG, We're cruising on the Vision on 7/30 and were so glad to read about the great time you had. We're also heading SB and have booked the port side -- YEAH! I was wondering if they offered the Wine and Dine program on your cruise? Also, how "formal" were the formal nights. I always like to wear a suit, have even rented tuxs, but the group I'm travelling with are leaning toward sport coats with no ties. Thanks again for your review. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted June 28, 2004 #20 Share Posted June 28, 2004 We did the northbound journey on the Vision of the Seas May 28, 2004. This was our fourth Vision class ship, and I must say I felt the Vision was the best. Great ship, good entertainment, adequate service and large volumes of low quality food. We did the Vision northbound, and Celebrity's Summit southbound, and the difference in food quality is very noticeable. Celebrity offers smaller portions of high quality food. They have added a new lunch menu on the Vision that's much better, however, it is the same menu every day. We gave RCI five cruises, but this may be the last? I think we will stick to Celebrity and replace RCI with the larger ships of HAL. In the food department RCI, Princess, and NCL are all about the same. Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful cruise on the Vision, but with cruise costs being almost equal between the lines, why put up with mediocre food. Enjoy! Kel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilly Posted June 29, 2004 #21 Share Posted June 29, 2004 GreyHairBill - The formal nights were very nice. We saw everything from tuxes to nice sportshirts with slacks. Most of the men wore suits, and the ladies - well, the variety was staggering! Most women wore very nice cocktail length or long dresses or dressy pantsuits, but we also saw an awful lot of skin when the younger gals dressed for the evening. (Perhaps their mothers should have talked to them!) I'm fairly confident that you'll be comfortable with whatever mode of dress you choose. You'll really enjoy this cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGilly Posted June 29, 2004 #22 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Oh! The Wine and Dine program! I really don't know about that! Neither my husband nor I drink, so we didn't take advantage of the drink cards. There were drink coupons in our Crown and Anchor booklets (you'll find them in your cabin during your cruise, if you are members), but we gave them away. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azmtnman Posted June 29, 2004 #23 Share Posted June 29, 2004 We'll be on the Vision, south bound, August 13. This is our first cruise on RCCL. What did you do in Icy Straits? Do you know of anyone who took the whale watching excursion? Did you take a pre-cruise land tour? I'm full of questions. We can't wait. Lianne & John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelmac Posted June 29, 2004 #24 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Lianne and John, My wife and I were in Icy Straits on the 2nd of June (Vision), and then again on the 15th(Summit). The people of Hoonah have worked very hard to build an unique and unspoiled cruise stop. This area of the inside passage seemed to have more whales than other areas we visited. We spoted several orca pods from the ship and people who went on the whale watch tour were very impressed. The activities are still limited, so I would encourage you to grab one of the spots on the whale watching tour. In addition, the people who went fishing had some great stories as well. Enjoy your cruise! Kel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhairbill Posted June 29, 2004 #25 Share Posted June 29, 2004 Hi MerrylG, Thanks for your observations Re: Formal Nights. I'll probably go with the suit and put up with the comments from my travelling companiuons. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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