Pink Boas and Pirates commandeer Vision of the Seas to Bermuda!

[Darkwolfe]

Charleston, SC- USS Laffey

 

And so begins the "Hiking of the Ships". If you are planning to do this tour in Charleston, be ready to climb old school ship ladders like mad. There's some handicapped access for the flight and hanger decks on the Yorktown, but very little on the Laffey.

 

A quick visual tour...

 

USS Laffey

There's a pier between my viewpoint and the ship itself. Makes it look a tad odd, but it's all there.

 

Historical Designation

 

Gauges in the Engine Room

 

Captain's Quarters

 

I'm just doing a few pictures from each ship so as not to turn this into too much of a history lesson. :)

[LBumb]

great pics

[Darkwolfe]

USS Yorktown CV-10

 

The Yorktown was the successor to CV-5 USS Yorktown that was sunk during the Battle of Midway.

 

USS Yorktown from the deck of the USS Laffey

 

Hanger Deck

 

Flight Deck

 

Marine Armory

 

I have a great many more detail shots of the ship's compartments, engine room, bridge and so forth. Feel free to hit the flickr sets link in my sig to find the entire album.

 

There was no way I couldn't share that last picture. Anybody that knows me knows that I have an interest in old military arms and the restoration of the same. I have a 1943 M1 Garand of my own restored to near mint condition with new, old stock parts. Every single one of the M1s in this photo appear to be in perfect condition. There are full enbloc clips on the shelves above that you can't see. It's like the Marine detachment stepped off the ship and left the rifles in the racks, ready for duty. But, never returned.

[booklady4]

Great review so far! Thanks for reporting back. We board this Saturday and I can't wait!

[janeyzee]

Charleston, SC- USS Laffey

 

Captain's Quarters

 

So would this be the Junior Suite or a Grand Suite???

 

Thanks for all the great photos.

[Darkwolfe]

Before I show photos from the USS Clamagore, I'm going to tell the story on the photo shop guys.

 

For the last several years I've been running with a Panasonic Lumix camera that's been quite good at capturing good images and still fits in a pocket. On my last trip, it got a bad case of dust contamination on the sensor on the last day or two of the cruise. When I got home, I dismantled the camera and cleaned off the sensor. Worked fine after that.

 

Well, fast forward to this trip and apparently I missed a bit somewhere that got sucked on to the sensor the second day we were in Fort Lauderdale. It pretty much disabled my zoom capability as the spots were mostly invisible until a zoom was used. At that point, the picture is pretty much trashed.

 

So, facing either no pictures (no tools to take it apart on the ship) or buying a camera, I shrugged and headed for the camera shop. They had a newer version of the same camera on the shelf at about the same price I'd paid locally for my old one. Of course no tax at sea so it would come up a tad cheaper. That works.

 

Hmm, menus are in Japanese on the camera. Odd, can't find the icon for the language change. Double check the manual with it, still not finding it. Ok well, sleep on it. I know the interface well enough to get decent results so I'm not going to stress about it. So all of the Charleston picture were shot on a camera that was in Japanese. Table mates gave it a try at dinner and they couldn't find it.

 

Out to sea the next day, the fellow working at the photo shop went through it. He couldn't find it and suggested I wander by later in the day when his manager would be on duty and see if he could assist. Well, he went through it. Same results. Ok, he decided to pull the manual for it off the internet and I'd wander by after that was done. Knowing ship internet speeds, I let that ride until we were a few hours out of Bermuda the next day.

 

Manual in hand, they tried again. Uh.. Hmm.. The menu option is missing entirely. The manager looks at it for a few moments, looks at me and says, "Want to just trade it?" Works for me. I pulled my memory card from the one, tossed it in the other and went on my merry way.

 

End result was I got exactly what I needed and they were very good about it. I never deal with the photo shop on any ship. It's typically a place I pass through without even looking around. But, their assistance solved what could have been a real bit of wreckage on this trip and for that, they get extra points.

[ASeaPrincess1]

Enjoying your review as I did your Serenade review.

I haven't been on Vision since 2008; it looks like a different ship after the renovations.

Can't wait for more! :D

[Darkwolfe]

Enjoying your review as I did your Serenade review.

I haven't been on Vision since 2008; it looks like a different ship after the renovations.

Can't wait for more! :D

 

Much appreciated! :)

[Darkwolfe]

Getting caught up at work and will resume the review as soon as I can.

[kftw]

Hope work evens out soon so you can finish your review soon. Thanks again for taking the time to post one.

[Darkwolfe]

Hope work evens out soon so you can finish your review soon. Thanks again for taking the time to post one.

 

I'll be back on it this evening. Got things reasonably caught up. Thanks for the encouragement! :)

[maxs mom]

Enjoying your review and pictures!! Especially the pictures from Charleston....SC is my home state! Would love to port there on a cruise! One of my parents' neighbors was the Chaplain on the Yorktown during WWII. I used to love to go over to his house and listen to stories. He is in quite a few pictures there on the ship and there is a plaque there dedicated to him.

 

Will be back on Vision next month and can't wait! Look for my review and pictures some time the first week of August!

[Trainman-2]

We are sailing on this itinerary September 1st and are enjoying your review.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write it!

 

Here is a nice GIF for you...

 

 

[Darkwolfe]

We are sailing on this itinerary September 1st and are enjoying your review.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write it!

 

Here is a nice GIF for you...

 

 

 

Good one thanks!

[Trainman-2]

Did you happen to notice where Sweet Iced Tea was available other than the MDR and the Windjammer?

 

Do any of the bars have it?

[Darkwolfe]

USS Clamagore SS-343, Baleo-class, Guppy III conversion.

 

The last vessel on our hike was the only remaining Guppy III submarine. The others have long since been scrapped. Sadly, this one is doomed too. Subs are tough to maintain and the salt water has finally claimed the Clamagore. The physical deadline to make some critical repairs to the sub has passed. The funding was not available. Her outer hull is completely rusted through in some locations.

 

She will be sunk somewhere off the coast of Florida to become a diving location and artificial reef. I do not know exactly when, but it will not be very long.

 

While sad to see the sub come to an end, it is somewhat understandable. Compared to the Yorktown and the Laffey, her history is almost plebian. She was built in 1945, but the war ended before she entered service. She never saw combat and spent most of her service life patrolling the east coast.

 

Aft Torpedo room

 

Main Passage

 

Damage, plus open area for inspection

 

Sail (Conning Tower)

[Darkwolfe]

Did you happen to notice where Sweet Iced Tea was available other than the MDR and the Windjammer?

 

Do any of the bars have it?

 

Jolene tried the sweet tea a couple of times and did not care for it at all. However, it was available in the Park Cafe at all times. So to was the fruit punch and (greatly, yummily improved) lemonade.

 

I found the Park Cafe to be a very good place to get a drink at odd moments throughout the day.

[Trainman-2]

Where is the Park Cafe?

[maxs mom]

I am a southern girl and must have good iced tea! Unfortunately the tea that they have on Vision is some kind of carbonated nasty stuff. I'll be on board next month and will try and make them understand that what they are serving is NOT iced tea!!

 

Oh...and Jim.....the Park Café is in the Solarium.

Edited June 28, 2014 by max'smom

[2catfamily]

I am a southern girl and must have good iced tea! Unfortunately the tea that they have on Vision is some kind of carbonated nasty stuff. I'll be on board next month and will try and make them understand that what they are serving is NOT iced tea!!

 

Oh...and Jim.....the Park Café is in the Solarium.

 

Can't you bring on some of your own ice tea?

[maxs mom]

Can't you bring on some of your own ice tea?

 

I suppose you could, but those bottled iced teas aren't good either. This is the only ship that I know of that uses that carbonated mess. I just drink more water on these cruises.

[TBone2K]

Loving the review. Good job.

 

We found Captain Liz to be the most publically visible captain on our Vision cruise. She and the other officers seemed to be at all the big events.

 

As for the iced tea, not up to southern standards, unfortunately. Its not "carbonated" that I have ever noticed (carbonation would make it fizzy), however it is "concentrated". That is, made from a bottle of iced tea mix to which they add water. Same way as all the free juices.

[Justmekaren918]

Max's Mom make your own tea and bring a pitcher that handle heat and cold like the Mr. Ice Tea one, and just pack stuff in on the trip.

 

I was making my own iced coffee the whole time. Wasn't sure they new what it was outside the MDR.

[Darkwolfe]

Interestingly enough, on the tea front.. They keep bags of various teas available in the Park Cafe pretty much all the time. So you can make whatever hot tea you like.

 

I didn't like their unsweetened either. That's the one place I deviate from the Southern norm. I prefer to taste the tea, not the sugar. Comes from having a grandfather in the Merchant Marine that collected teas like I collect rums. :D

[Justmekaren918]

I brew my own tea at home, because I can control everything tea/sugar. It is so much cheaper and you know how it was made. My chiro. mentioned to brew reg. tea but add in a favorite fruit tea and try that.

 

There is that huge hot water tank, and ice machine near the Park cafe. There was another just out WJ on Brilliance/Radiance class for all that outdoor seating in back. Luv that ship.

 

That hesitant of going to Vision, but that back corner aft is a calling.