Just back - Vision of the Seas BALTIC CRUISE. Questions?

[lambs2]

Had a very busy time on our May 8-15 Baltic Cruise from Copenhagen. I will be happy to answer any questions. In our opinion, food was good, but nothing extra special or especially memorable. It was disappointing that no lobster was offered at all any night, and since the Vision has no specialty dining restaurant lobster was obviously never even ordered AT ALL for this sailing! I was surprised as we had it even on a 5 day RCCL Splendor cruise in 2010. Kept hoping and friends even asked but were never answered, but lobster never "happened". My Time Dining worked well except for one evening when we had changed our time to an hour later (made a reservation EXACTLY as requested the night before) and we were IGNORED for almost 45 minutes except for the bread guy! Lots of apologies later (we were told the Maitre'd set us at the wrong station) Due to that and a few other things, no extra tips for dining staff for that cruise from us - just the pre-paid ones...) Our stateroom attendant, Aurora, was wonderful and she got extra tips from us!

 

Ports were fabulous. The Swedish archipelago cruising very early in the morning and then evening we left was EXTRA FABULOUS and should not be missed! Did no ship excurcisions. In fact, did all ports except St. Petersburg on our own. Joined a CC group for a very active SPB tour with TJ Travel. Russian's were HORRID with the time it took to get off the ship that morning however! Our partucular line was EXTRA slow ans thus slowed up our whole group! The Russian folks also did not allow the Military dance troupe on our ship for their scheduled show that afternoon either and I heard it was a very good show! Never saw such a bunch of non-smiling faces in my life as in SPB!

 

Cruise Director Sol was WONDERFUL!!!

[Davidoff22]

Lambs,

 

Did they offer the "Chops" steak on the menu and did they ever have prime rib? Were you happy with the ship overall, did it show it was recently in drydock?

 

TIA!

[HPSE]

Do you know what they have upgraded in the last drydock?

 

Whats the bar price like on Vision for the Baltic Cruises? (Beer, Cognac, Whine)

[lambs2]

Lambs,

 

Did they offer the "Chops" steak on the menu and did they ever have prime rib? Were you happy with the ship overall, did it show it was recently in drydock?

 

TIA!

 

 

Yes, the "Chops" steak (14.95 I think) was offered on the menu each night. They had prime rib on the menu at least twice during the week. I think I had it both times with lots of horseradish! YUMM!!

 

Yes I was very happy with the Vision! We had the inside room closest to the card room on deck 7 so had our own almost private viewing room the morning of the Swedish archipelago sail-by!!! They also bring coffee, hot water, juice and danish to the card room on deck seven most mornings by 7 AM!! We felt like we had our own private suite! :D

[lambs2]

Do you know what they have upgraded in the last drydock?

 

Whats the bar price like on Vision for the Baltic Cruises? (Beer, Cognac, Whine)

 

The carpets all looked very new and all the public rooms very spiffy. I did not get to see any of the suites. The rooms I saw (inside up to an aft mini suite on our CC cabin crawl - all seemed unchanged except for possible new carpeting.

 

Bar prices I do not truly remember or have a copy of, sorry. They seemed generally lower than we encountered on our presceding transatlantic sailing on the NCL Sun, however. All I have are things from the Cruise Compasses and no prices are listed there! I seem to recall Drinks of the Day were $6.95 (but I could be wrong!)

[Davidoff22]

Thanks Lambs, one last thing.. Did you stop and listen to any of the piano players, were any of them decent singers?

[lambs2]

Thanks Lambs, one last thing.. Did you stop and listen to any of the piano players, were any of them decent singers?

 

Greg Sampson in the Schooner Bar on Deck 6 had a nice voice and did lots of sing-alongs, etc. With such a busy itinerary for this Baltic sailing and so many other entertainment choices (never missed an evening show in the Masquerade Theater except for our St. Petersburg night) I had little time to sit in a bar and listen, but that was my impression just passing through the lounge.

[ARCruisinNana]

In the dry dock last fall they added new navigational equipment, new decking around the pool. New carpet in the dining room and new furniture in the Solarium and balcony staterooms. Our JS had 2 chairs and a bistro height table that was nice.

[danne]

My husband and I were on the Baltic Cruise from May 15th to May 22nd. I must admit that I was terribly worried after seeing so many negative comments on Cruise Critic. I lowered my expectations a bit, but soon learned that there was no need. It seems that they fixed most of the problems noted by Cruise Critic members from previous cruises. Maybe they actually read these boards!!! Here were my findings:

 

Destinations: AMAZING! Quite possibly some of my favorite destinations ever and I'm almost Diamond Plus with Royal Caribbean! Just as the original poster mentioned, we did all of the tours on our own with the exception of St. Petersburg, which we booked with Viktoria (Vika) through SPB Tours.

 

Copenhagen, Denmark

We had 3 glorious days in Copenhagen where the palaces and castles were stunning and the people were incredibly nice. The first day and night we visited Tivoli (get the re-entry pass). It was beautiful (no rain) and there was even a free concert that night in English! I was freezing, but put my fur hat I was planning to wear in Russia to good use. We also sat outside, under a hear lamp with 2 blankets over me. That descriptions sort of makes it sound like torture, but it was wonderful--so romantic. The second day we visited Kronborg Castle. This is the castle that Shakespeare based Hamlet on. It felt like our own private castle, as there were only about 5 other people there that morning. at night, we had drinks at IceBar- cool bar made entirely of ice. Although we had such an awesome time, we found 3 days to be plenty of time to see and enjoy the city!

 

Tallinn, Estonia

What a fabulous surprise. It reminded me so much of Rhodes, Greece. It was such a charming city with fabulous handmade gifts and items that we will cherish forever. We found every new site to be picturesque. My husband even spent a few minutes learning how to shoot a bow and arrow...cheesy, I know, but so much fun! It was a wonderful day of getting lost in a stunning city.

 

St. Petersburg, Russia

I never thought I would have loved Russia as much as I did. Getting off the boat was seamless and I had been highly concerned about it, but we got off and on 2 separate times with no issues. I can’t say that they were friendly, but they were fairly fast. We did a private tour (just me and my hubby) with SBP Tours during the day. Our driver was safe and cautious which was relieving. The driving in Egypt, Brazil, Columbia, Panama, etc have nearly scared us to death! The guide, Tatjana, was perfect...flawless. She knew absolutely everything and adjusted our entire day to avoid the rain. We saw and did way more than the large groups...Catherine's Palace, Yusupov's Palace, a little shopping, Church on Spilled Blood, stopped at every stunning view and every major building, subway tour...I could go on and on. Our private tour NEVER waited in line. We were escorted to the front of every line…it was worth every, single penny! We asked to be dropped back at the ship by 4:00 in order to eat something and freshen up before our evening tour. This tour was also with SPB Tours, but was with a bunch of fellow Cruise Critic members. We took an amazing canal cruise with a show and vodka tasting. We also begged the driver and guide to take us back by Church on Spilled Blood for a quick picture, which they did! We were safely back on the ship by 10:00. I still wish I had purchased more souvenirs! This was one of my favorite destinations EVER! An overnight here would have been incredible! We will be coming back and I will certainly be using SPB Tours, Vika and Tatjana again!

 

Helsinki, Finland

So here is where you're going to hear a great deal of debate. Helsinki was only "okay" in my opinion. Copenhagen, Tallinn, SPB, and soon Stockholm would really put this destination to shame. We walked to the Rock Church to find that it was closed for renovations. To say that the outside is disappointing would be an understatement. The inside must really be amazing to make up for the lack of any appeal on the outside. Do not make the walk unless you are sure you can go inside! The main square was quite lovely…steep steps, a few beautiful buildings, a nice view…sort of. It was really nothing spectacular. We found a cute, outdoor market and the locals were wonderful. They were kind and interesting to talk to. We purchased many, many, many things! Please keep in mind that it was raining and very cold. That certainly impacted my feeling of the destination. And don’t mistake me…my husband and I still had a wonderful day, but it didn’t live up to the other destinations. This particular stop seemed to divide the cruisers. Half felt it was the least exciting stop and the other half felt it was their favorite. You be the judge!

 

Stockholm, Sweden

Let me start by saying that I’m IN LOVE with this place. Everyone was beautiful. We spent an hour having the best sushi ever and wonderful wine right on the water, watching the stunning scenery and people. While taking pictures, we had at least 6 people stop and ask if we would like them to take a picture of the two of us…2 of those people were on bikes. They actually stopped their bike, rested it against something and walked over to help. Talk about amazing people. Literally, everywhere you look takes your breath away. Gamla Stan was lovely, but we preferred to walk by the water. We used public transportation or walked everywhere with no problem. Everyone was so helpful. The Vasa Museum was pretty incredible. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that it’s not worth it. We only stayed in the museum for 37 minutes, but it was worth every penny. We just couldn’t wait to explore more of the city.

 

Favorite Moments

Sailing away from Russia was incredible! You could hear everyone saying to one another “We’ve been to Russia”. The Viking Lounge was full and they played some awesome 80’s music. Also, the sail into and out of Stockholm was truly stunning and memorable. It’s very hard to describe it accurately, but I can only tell you that I wish I had woken up earlier in order to enjoy more of it. The canal cruise in SPB was so beautiful and romantic. I would have loved to have stayed the night there.

 

The Food

YIKES! Here’s were I’m not going to be so complimentary. The food was the worst food we’ve had on Royal Caribbean to date. The Windjammer breakfast was pretty good, as usual. However, we found the lunch to be barely edible. We gave up and explored the Solarium Café, which was equally bad. I swear that the pizza had two droplets of cheese. It was more like a stale breadstick with marinara. We gave up on lunch at either location and tried snack instead. Unfortunately, snack was whatever was left over from lunch. Even the salad bar was disappointing…no cheese, no bacon, what was happening!?!? We began stockpiling cereal and peanut butter from breakfast. Dinner was certainly the highlight of the day. It was decent with the exception of dessert (which has always been bad on Royal Caribbean). There was NO LOBSTER! Needless to say, everyone was upset and felt cheated.

 

Ship and Crew

The ship looked fine to me. I’m not super into what the ship looks like anyways though. It was clean and some things looked renovated while others looked dated. The staff was incredible! We tipped everyone extra money and even gave envelopes with tips to some people in the Viking Lounge on the last night. The service was PERFECTION!

 

Activities

We were disappointed with the lack of activities. It is a “port intensive” cruise and I know that can be exhausting, but we met 10 or 15 couples who were looking for something fun to do during the late night hours. It was a very quiet cruise.

 

I’ll be happy to answer any additional questions. As I mentioned above, we did all of the cities by ourselves (except SPB). We walked between 10 and 15 miles in each city so I feel like we could offer some valuable advice…if needed! I know that many of you might have felt differently than me on many of these topics. These were just my feelings and observations.

[jnnlghmr]

Fantastic review! Thanks so much. My husband and I will be doing the Baltics in July (23rd). Our itinerary is slightly different... Stockholm, Helsinki, SPB, Riga (Latvia), Gdansk (Poland), Visby (Sweden). We sailed on Vision back in November for our honeymoon, just before it went into dry dock. So, it would be interesting to see what has changed since then.

 

We will be getting into Stockholm the day before... is this where your cruise ended? If so, did you have difficulties getting to the airport? Something we really want to do is go to the IceBar at the Nordic Sea Hotel. Was this something you might have done? We definitely plan on checking out Gamla Stan and thanks for the tip on the museum. We were thinking of getting a "Stockholm Card"... but I'm not sure if we'll take full advantage. Do you recall the admission for Vassa museum? And perhaps some public transit? Where did you have the "best sushi ever"? I would be interested in checking this place out :)

 

In SPB - we're planning on doing a private tour. Do you mind sharing the cost of your itinerary (day/night). We will be there on a Monday... and I guess a lot of the museums are closed during that time. But I've also heard other CC members say that some tour operators have access during closures. We also want to attend some sort of evening show. Folkdance... Ballet... not sure yet. I don't think I can convince the hubby to go to a ballet, but the vodka tasting you mentioned sounds like it could be fun!

 

Did you meet Johan? He was one of our cruise director staff in November... and I think he's on this ship again. He's a cool cat.

 

If you've ever been to some of the other ports I mentioned and you have some tips, it would be greatly appreciated! :)

[kruzkid]

Did you notice any teens onboad? What were the nationalities of most pax?

[lambs2]

Did you notice any teens onboad? What were the nationalities of most pax?

Only a handful of teens on our sailing (May 8-15). Our sailing had a good mix of Americans, Canadians, Brits, Germans, Danes, Fins, Swedes, Norwegians and a variety of others. Announcements were in English and Swedish plus one of the assistant crusie directors gave some things in Finnish. Predominately English-speakers.

[danne]

Hey Jnnlghmr!

 

Our cruise actually ended back in Copenhagen. We got off the ship and easily purchased bus tickets at the bus stop. Keep in mind that we docked in the northern port…not the one right in the city. Even though the ticket machine was in Swedish, it was very easy to figure out and the bus driver was very helpful. If you have any trouble, don’t hesitate to ask them. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have purchased the bus ticket. It was so beautiful that we walked everywhere (including back to the ship). Our GPS watch logged us in at 15 miles for the day!

 

We did the IceBar in Copenhagen and thought it was really fun. Definitely “touristy”, but we ARE tourists so whatever! One drink is plenty…do not be pressured to buy a second one. We went to another bar right afterwards to warm up, grab another drink and talk about IceBar, but my lips and teeth were too cold to really enjoy the drink inside IceBar. It was more about the experience for us.

 

I believe that the admission was approximately $20 U.S. per person to the Vasa Museum. I can’t seem to recall the name of the place we ate the sushi at, but if you are walking from Gamla Stan to Vasa, it’s right on the water with brown furniture and brightly colored cushions and pillows—lots of orange. And it was the only place serving sushi so that should make it easy! Don’t feel like you have to purchase a water ferry ticket from Gamla Stan to Vasa. It’s an easy 15 minute walk.

 

The cost for the private day tour in Russia with SPB Tours was $290 U.S. per person. The evening tour was thrown in for only $10 each, but I believe that it was only $35 per person for everyone else. The evening Fun Tour which includes shopping on Nevsky Prospect, Vodka Tasting, Canal Cruise down the Neva and a Folkdance performance might be perfect for you! We missed out on the shopping since several on our tour were late, but the canal crusie made up for it. SBP Tours was the best money I ever spent and doing the private tour during the day was incredible. Other, larger tours had to wait in line (in the rain). Since we were such a small group (my husband and I and one guide), we were moved to the front of each and every line. I don’t even recall ever stopping at a line or door. It was AMAZING! And we were able to see so much more than everyone else and still made it back to the ship to shower and eat before the evening tour. Best money I EVER spent on an excursion!

 

Kruzkid-

 

There were very few teens on board our cruise, but I still think there were several things that teens would like. First, the IceBar in either Copenhagen or Sweden was really cool. OF COURSE, they wouldn’t be drinking, but I think my 18-year-old brother would have loved to check it out and maybe have a coke or juice from the ice glasses. You’ll have to find out if they allow underage people in or not. Also, we saw a concert in Tivoli Gardens one night. The entertainer spoke and sang in English. It was so much fun. Many “big time” singers perform there…we saw signs for Kanye West! If your teens have recently read Hamlet, you could certainly take them to Kronborg Castle…the castle Shakespeare based Hamlet on. In Estonia, there are several places to learn to shoot a bow and arrow. Even my husband thought it was fun and didn’t cost very much. Russia was pretty amazing in general. Maybe a subway tour would interest them. It’s so deep and strange, but beautiful. Worth a look. I would definitely do the Vasa Museum in Stockholm and there was this interesting Viking shop right in Gamla Stan that was fascinating.

 

Most of our passengers were American.

 

Hope that helps!

[danglish]

Great details.

 

Glad you enjoyed Copenhagen. My partner is Danish and grew up in Copenhagen. We still have an apartment in the city and spend quite a lot of time over there, especially enjoying in the long evenings of summer.

 

First, the IceBar in either Copenhagen or Sweden was really cool. OF COURSE, they wouldn’t be drinking, but I think my 18-year-old brother would have loved to check it out and maybe have a coke or juice from the ice glasses. You’ll have to find out if they allow underage people in or not.

 

Just a note - the legal drinking age in Denmark is 18 for bars, restaurants etc and 16 to buy beer or wine in a supermarket. So your 18 year old brother could have had a drink if he was so inclined.

 

It is quite rare to be asked for ID, especially if you're in a mixed age family group and I have attended family meals in restaurants were 16 year old teens have had wine without any problems.

 

The attitude to drinking is quite different in Europe to that which I experience every time I am in the US. Just one of the cultural differences which makes travel such a pleasure in my opinion.

[swcruise]

Hi,

 

Thanks for this thread as we are considering this cruise for 2012. I am a liitle concerned as the ship is old in RCI terms, what is your view on the staterooms and public areas ?

 

I throught this shop had gone through a drydock, so perhaps a liitle disappointing they didn't add a new restaurant.

 

All comments on the ship apprecaited.

 

Tks again, S

[danne]

Swcruise-

 

This was one of our favorite cruises (and we're almost Diamond Plus)! We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the destinations and the staff. The ship was certainly not the most beautiful we've been on and the food was definitely the worst we've ever experienced on Royal Caribbean, but honestly, neither of those facts impacted my enjoyment in the least. I would definitely do this cruise again. You should book today!

 

D'anne

[Girl_from_Ipanema]

Hi,

 

Thanks for this thread as we are considering this cruise for 2012. I am a liitle concerned as the ship is old in RCI terms, what is your view on the staterooms and public areas ?

 

I throught this shop had gone through a drydock, so perhaps a liitle disappointing they didn't add a new restaurant.

 

All comments on the ship apprecaited.

 

Tks again, S

 

I just got back from the Norwegian Fjords cruise and it was my first cruise, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I thought the ship was dated. The carpet in my stateroom was very tired and there was a cigarette burn on top of the white TV! When was the last time you saw a white TV??

 

The lounge furniture was very dated. My partner and I wondered if it was hand-me-down when the ship was new because Vision was I think built in 1998, but the furniture had a definite early 90's vibe.

 

That said, the ship was overall spotless, the crew and staff do a wonderful job.

[cruiseequalsfun]

Danne and others - thanks for all the information!

 

What do you suggest per person to take out in Rubles for SPB? We are doing a private tour so that cost is already covered. How much $$ should we exchange per person for snacks (water, soda, small snacks if we get the munchies), souviners (small trinkets like post cards, shot glasses, playing cards, maybe the stacking dolls, etc, things in the 3-10 USD range if purchased sight-seeing in the US, nothing elaborate), bathrooms, etc? Do you recall estimated prices of things that you can pass along to me? I'm just trying to plan $$ for this port.

[madra2112]

How much $$ should we exchange per person for snacks (water, soda, small snacks if we get the munchies), souviners (small trinkets like post cards, shot glasses, playing cards, maybe the stacking dolls, etc, things in the 3-10 USD range if purchased sight-seeing in the US, nothing elaborate), bathrooms, etc? Do you recall estimated prices of things that you can pass along to me? I'm just trying to plan $$ for this port.

 

We did this itinerary last year and didn't take any roubles. Our tour guide paid for lunch in the Stolle cafe and we reimbursed her in euro. We were in three gift shops, each of which displayed prices in euro and USD as well as roubles.

 

We were with TJ Travel, and they were so helpful with regards to their advice pre-cruise, I would suggest you contact your tour company, I understand they are all very helpful in this respect.

[lambs2]

Danne and others - thanks for all the information!

 

What do you suggest per person to take out in Rubles for SPB? We are doing a private tour so that cost is already covered. How much $$ should we exchange per person for snacks (water, soda, small snacks if we get the munchies), souviners (small trinkets like post cards, shot glasses, playing cards, maybe the stacking dolls, etc, things in the 3-10 USD range if purchased sight-seeing in the US, nothing elaborate), bathrooms, etc? Do you recall estimated prices of things that you can pass along to me? I'm just trying to plan $$ for this port.

You won't need any money for bathrooms if you are on an organized St. Petersburg tour. All the sites we visited had good public restrooms at no charge. i used the restroom at Catherine's Palace and at the Hermitage. We were also able to pay for the souvenirs we bought with Euros or a credit card so never felt the need to get any rubles. We also only bought inexpensive items. Actually, when I got back home I was abvle to find some great Rusian souvenir items that I could pay for in US dolars right off of eBay! There are seversl vendors that sell the Russian nesting dolls and Faberge-type Russian egg pendants right online. The cafe at Peterhof took euros for our lunchtime stop as well. At the TJ travel shop all their souvenir items are periced in both rubels and euros and they carried all the souvenir items you mentioned. I recall that DH bought a set of three shot glasses for 4 euros and I purchased a couple cute Russian doll toothpick holders for 3 euros each.

[swcruise]

Swcruise-

 

This was one of our favorite cruises (and we're almost Diamond Plus)! We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the destinations and the staff. The ship was certainly not the most beautiful we've been on and the food was definitely the worst we've ever experienced on Royal Caribbean, but honestly, neither of those facts impacted my enjoyment in the least. I would definitely do this cruise again. You should book today!

 

D'anne

 

Thanks D'anne

 

I have held an option for Aug 2012, it seems a long way out. I have always wanted to visit St Petersburg and Tallinin so all things going well that will come to be next year. I really appreciated your city reviews and the night tour in St Petersbug sounds fun, did you have any concerns that they wouldn't get you back to the ship on time and you would be stranded in Russia..... I think the key to this cruise is that you are cruising for the destinations and not the ship itself....

[swcruise]

I just got back from the Norwegian Fjords cruise and it was my first cruise, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I thought the ship was dated. The carpet in my stateroom was very tired and there was a cigarette burn on top of the white TV! When was the last time you saw a white TV??

 

The lounge furniture was very dated. My partner and I wondered if it was hand-me-down when the ship was new because Vision was I think built in 1998, but the furniture had a definite early 90's vibe.

 

That said, the ship was overall spotless, the crew and staff do a wonderful job.

 

I have been on the Spendour which is a sister ship of around the same era and it was furnished to match it's time, they hadn't updated the look for the new Millenium and it sounds like Vision is the same.

[madra2112]

Thanks D'anne

 

I have held an option for Aug 2012, it seems a long way out. I have always wanted to visit St Petersburg and Tallinin so all things going well that will come to be next year. I really appreciated your city reviews and the night tour in St Petersbug sounds fun, did you have any concerns that they wouldn't get you back to the ship on time and you would be stranded in Russia..... I think the key to this cruise is that you are cruising for the destinations and not the ship itself....

 

 

I would have no worries in that respect. We used TJ Travel on our trip in St P and were delighted with the service, care and attention. I would have no hesitation in saying they will never allow that to happen. We were there on a particularly busy day in the city because schools were going back the next day, and our guide and driver were constantly changing the order of the itinerary depending on traffic movement etc.

 

I have no doubt people who have used Denrus, Allah or any of the other companies will say the same. To repeat a point someone made on the Northern European board a few years ago, these companies make a good living from cruise traffic. The day one of them misses a ship, their business will dry up immediately, and that will NOT be allowed to happen.

 

I agree with D'anne, it was a wonderful trip which I would repeat again in a heartbeat!

[danne]

Cruiseequalsfun-

 

Just like the other posters, we didn't bring or take out any Rubles. In fact, cruisers who brought Rubles with them or hit the ATM at the port were sorely disappointed that they were bringing back almost everything they had gotten. Everywhere we went in Russia accepted credit cards, dollars, Euros, etc. No problem at all...they were thrilled to have the business. I would just make sure you have crisp, new dollars and Euros.

[madra2112]

My review of our Vision cruise last year -

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=72373

 

2010 - A Baltic Odyssey I was a little apprehensive for a while before this cruise. Vision OTS was getting a bit of a critical mauling from some quarters, from suggestions the interior decor was "tired", to intimations of grave dilapidation. The food was awful (people were LOSING weight), and some staff just wanted to get you onboard, take your credit card number, sell you every service they could, and then get you off the ship as quickly as possible. There must be two ships called Vision of the Seas, because I certainly didn't sail on the vessel described above!

 

 

 

After a lovely night in Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens, we stayed at the Absalon Hotel. Cheap as chips, did the job. After breakfast, we got a taxi to the port, arriving at 11am, just as the heavens opened and an almighty deluge soaked as as we were getting out of the cab. It lasted about 10 minutes, and far from being a warning of what was to come, it was the last time we got wet until we got home to Ireland, apart from a little drizzle in Tallin and a shower in Stockholm.

 

 

 

After a relatively painless embarkation, we boarded the ship, and while my better half chose to sit and read near the Champagne Terrace on Deck 4, our two teens and I went to explore. Very impressed with the decor, spotlessly clean, with lots of art all around the interior. Having previously cruised on Navigator OTS and Freedom OTS, we felt the inside of Vision was nicer. Obviously she can't compete in the area of outside facilities but we always knew that. The sea is so much more visible from the public areas, I love that!.

 

 

 

The food was on a par with other Royal Caribbean cruises, I liked the Solarium Cafe more than I expected, but my son and daughter were slightly miffed that chips...sorry, fries were not available in Windjammer, presumably because they were in the Solarium Cafe. The Solarium sandwiches were lovely, and the availability of tea and coffee on the pool deck was welcome. Windjammer was extremely busy at times, but isn't that always the way? We had My Time Dining, and didn't expect to end up with the same wait team each night, but that's what happened. Rodrigo and Charleen were lovely, and helped make MTD "the best of both worlds" as far as we were concerned.

 

 

 

The solarium was lovely, and had a sign saying it was restricted to adults. It wasn't. Obviously, the Baltic is not the Caribbean, and while the weather was very bright and sunny most of the time, it was still very cool. It's reasonable that children should be allowed in the covered solarium in cold weather, and indeed, the Cruise Compass suggested "family time" from 12 noon to 2pm and 4pm to 6pm. Personally, I'd add a proviso of two hours after all aboard. However, there was no enforcement most of the time, and on a number of occasions, it seemed to be the location for a "how many kids can fit in to a whirlpool" Guinness Record Attempt.

 

I found the steam and sauna facilities better than the other ships I've been on, but it's a shame there isn't direct access from the Solarium into the changing rooms. The entertainment was as any Royal Caribbean guest would expect, but as is often the case in Europe, comedians are dropped in favour of juggling and magic. Indeed, the magic show and the Love and Marriage Show both suffered slightly as a result of the language barrier.

 

 

 

Quest was a blast (and any resemblance between me and the idiot blowing a kiss into the camera on the Cruise in Review DVD is totally coincidental, honestly!), and we met some lovely people at the Meet and Mingle that we bumped into regularly on the ship.

All I can say is to my relatively untrained eye, there is nothing wrong whatsoever with Vision of the Seas. I was delighted to spend a week on her, and will happily do so again at some point in the future.