Vision ~ B2B ~ 5 Nights ~ July 21st & 26th: My Diary

[maxs mom]

Greetings from North Carolina! Just back from 2 five night cruises on the Vision of the Seas.....both 5 nighters. We last cruised on the Vision in February this year....2 weeks out of Colon.....Spanish Immersion. We had a wonderful cruise then, and were tickled when we found these two cruises at a great price. We did not hesitate to book the Vision again.

 

We were concerned because of all the negative reviews that were surfacing all over the place since the Vision moved to Florida. Some legitimate concerns were raised and we were hoping that those things were being addressed. We wanted to see for ourselves.

 

Everything is subjective and I am only reporting on what WE experienced, so here goes.

 

We are Jane and John. We went on our first cruise in 1985 on the Song of America. It was our honeymoon. We liked this concept of vacationing and have stuck with it for 29 years. We are closing in on 500 nights at sea with Royal Caribbean. We've also cruised with Carnival (once) and Celebrity (once). Because of our higher D+ status, some of our experiences are a little enhanced.

 

This cruise adventure started on July 20th when we caught a Southwest flight to Fort Lauderdale. We have been driving to Florida since I retired last year, but decided to fly for this trip. It was a pleasure to fly Southwest.

 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn on Sterling Road. We had stayed here before and it was fine. I arranged for us to take their shuttle to the port at 10:45. It cost $10.00 pp. We bought a case of water at Big Lots, which was right behind the hotel.

 

July 21, 2014 ~ Fort Lauderdale

 

We had a good breakfast at the HI.....as far as those kinds of breakfasts go. We had all our stuff in the lobby at 10:30 and were promptly picked up by the shuttle at 10:45. We even picked up the comedienne for the next two cruises on the way to the port. She was funny then, too!

 

When we got to the port.....everything went smoothly.....there was no waiting anywhere. From the porters to security and check in.....it was seamless. We were on board at around 11:20.

 

 

I'm sure most of you know that the Vision Class ships are not for everybody. They certainly don't have the bells and whistles that the newer ships have. but we do not need to be entertained 24/7 any more. We don't participate in many of the activities and don't go to many shows. We cruise to relax, read, visit with friends (old and new), and eat food that I didn't have to shop for and cook! So the Vision and Radiance Class ships suit us just fine. I just feel better cared for on these ships.

 

Once on board, we were immediately met by a specialty restaurant person trying hard to get people to make reservations.....which was fine with me. I always wait until we get on board to make these reservations....so I took care of that right then and there!

 

We then parked ourselves in a comfy sitting area on Deck 5, so we could relax and wait for cabins to open at 1:00. So excited to be on board!! After 29 years.....it is still exciting to step on board!

 

 

 

[Lady Hudson]

So glad you are back -- I love your reviews. I will sit back and try to be patient as I wait for more. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[maxs mom]

Oh....I forgot to say that we slapped some luggage tags on that case of water and left it with the porters. It made it to our cabin just fine. We have never had a problem with this.

 

Cabins were open at 1:00, so we made our way to Deck 8 and our wonderful cabin for this cruise....Junior Suite 8588...corner aft! As we were walking all the way aft, we saw our cabin steward.....and lo and behold.....it was the same cabin steward that we had in February, Ahston!!!! He looked at us and smiled and said...."Welcome home!" Awwwwwwww!!! That just gave me chills! We found our way back down the long hallway and around the corner and into our magnificent cabin.

 

 

 

 

This cabin has the coveted wrap around balcony that is to die for. Unfortunately we couldn't get the same cabin for both cruises and we will have to move around the corner for the next cruise. But we will enjoy this balcony and it's fabulous view for the next 5 days!

 

 

 

This is Ashton....he seemed genuinely glad to see us again....and we were glad to see him, too!

 

[Keith1010]

Nice report and photos.

 

Keith

[maxs mom]

We dropped our stuff off in the cabin and walked up to the Park Café via the secret staircase on deck 8 Starboard. This is a great little shortcut up to the PC and the Solarium......love it!

 

 

We thought the Park Café would be much less crowded than the Windjammer and we were right. Hardly anyone there for lunch! Good choice! Those of you that know me, know that I can't stand crowds, so this was great. No waiting and our choice of tables.

 

 

 

 

John loves the roast beef sandwiches here. They were hit and miss during the 10 days. These were much better on the Allure at that Park Café, but he still enjoyed them. I usually get the made to order salad here and they were always good. I tried a lot of the sandwiches and other salads here as well, and I was always pleased with what I selected.

 

After lunch, we went back to the cabin to unpack. On this ship, they deliver the luggage for deck 8, at least, to the centrum area of deck 8. I knew this from before, so I went there and found our luggage and water immediately and a cabin steward brought it all back to the cabin for me.

 

 

 

Great....we could get unpacked early. Lots of space in this cabin for everything. Many drawers and shelves for all our stuff!

[maxs mom]

At 3 o'clock our roll call (which was very small, by the way) made arrangements to meet in the Schooner Bar. I wasn't sure if anyone would show up, but I was there with my mardi gras beads on! I got there first and then shortly Renee came and then almost immediately Connie and Jerry strolled up. We found a place to sit and ordered drinks. (Which came immediately!) We had a very nice time visiting and getting to know each other. Great folks!! This is why I love Cruise Critic.....you just meet the nicest people!

 

 

I enjoyed my favorite sail away drink......a mojito! Thank you, Renee!!

 

 

All too soon, it was time for Muster. I hurried back to the cabin to get John and we walked back down to Deck 5 and found our Muster Station 15. It didn't take too long and it was great to hear Capt. Lis's voice welcoming everyone on board. It's always a pleasure to see and visit with her. We have sailed with her 5 times now.

 

 

We went back to our cabin for sail away, which should have been right away at 4:30.

 

 

Well.....we waited.....and waited.....and waited. We weren't going anywhere. There apparently was a medical emergency....and later on I found out that Renee (from our roll call....that I had just met).....and her SO....had to leave the ship. Jari....her SO, passed out during muster and they suggested that they not continue because of the lack of good medical facilities at the ports we were going. He's fine now. I think he just got overheated and dehydrated at the same time. That's a shame that they missed the cruise.

 

We finally got under way after 6 o'clock. I went ahead and took my shower and missed a little bit of it so I left John in charge of making the sail away pictures.

 

 

[sha88]

Wow, Jane, this is great so far. Thanks so much for sharing photos and experience. Can't wait to read and see the rest. We are on Vision next April :D

 

Shahira

[maxs mom]

Here is a picture of our Welcome Back Gift. They still have he old ones on board Vision.

 

 

Even though it was raining.....it was a beautiful sail away.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2014 by max'smom

[maxs mom]

It was soon time to go to the Concierge Lounge for drinks as we usually do around 7 o'clock. Three drinks were also loaded on to our card that we could use at any bar during the 5-8:30 time frame. That is nice, especially if you are traveling with non C&A friends. We will be doing that in December and it will come in handy!

 

Tonight we get to see our good friend, Betsy Medrano, who is the Concierge on board Vision. We met her in February and became good buddies and have been in touch ever since. We were so happy to be sailing with her again!

 

 

The CL was very quiet this evening....just how I like it! Only two other couples. Betsy told us that there were 5 Pinnacles and 21 D+ on board for this sailing.

 

We met Julio, our bar server for this cruise. He is from Peru. Nice guy. He kept us supplied with beer and wine for the evening.

 

 

We met one of the Pinnacle couples on board, Jeffrey and Charlotte. His daughter went to the university that is literally in our back yard. Small world! This is a picture I took of them later in the cruise.

 

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Justmekaren918]

Jane excellent report so far, and I am getting even more excited for my Sept trip on Vision.

[LBumb]

great job

[maxs mom]

So we always go to Chops on the first night of every cruise and this was no exception. Our reservation was for 8:30. Both the managers at Chops, Jennifer and Monica, remembered us from February, and welcomed us so warmly. They remembered our names and kept checking on us. They always spoke to us when they saw us throughout the rest of the 10 days and always called us by name.

 

 

So we got a great table and put our order in. The new menu is in place. We had the new menu on the Freedom in May, so it was not a surprise to us. Some folks don't like the new menu, but for the most part, for what we like to order (with the exception of the Mud Pie)....it is fine. I used to order the Chops Salad....so now I order the warm goat cheese salad, and oh my......it is soooooo good!!

 

 

John gets the onion soup and it is still on the menu. Jennifer brought us her favorite scallop appetizer to try and it was very good. I would definitely recommend it.

 

 

We both ordered a petit filet. I couldn't possibly order anything bigger than this. It's just so much food! But the filet was perfect. Very tender and seasoned perfectly. I don't like a lot of "stuff" or sauce on my steak.

 

 

We also tried some sautéed spinach and a baked potato.

 

We finished our dinner with dessert and coffee. The Mud Pie of old is gone......so we won't even go there! Instead I ordered some chocolate melting thing that was actually pretty good.

 

 

And John got the favorite dessert.....I think....of the new menu.....the blueberry cheesecake. Very good!!!!

 

[#1packerfan]

Can't wait to read more. We are sailing on Vision for the first time in September and am really looking forward to it.

[Justmekaren918]

Okay those pix's of the food put my leftover chicken to shame!

[KayJay4]

I always love your reviews! Thank you for this one so far. We are on Vision on 18th August so this is very exciting!

 

I am going to book Chops now!

[maxs mom]

Here we are enjoying our dessert and coffee. I really look forward each cruise to our meal in Chops on the first night. Our service tonight was fast and excellent and the food was very good. No complaints here!

 

 

After dinner we went to the casino for a walk through. On our last 3 week cruise adventure....I lost every dime that I put into the machines, so I wasn't exactly bursting at the seams to try anything. I eventually found a machine that I thought would be harmless. When I got $5 ahead...I cashed out!! I couldn't believe that John had the restraint not to play at all! To be honest....the casino needs some updating.....and guess what.....they brought on 20 new machines next cruise!

[maxs mom]

Thanks for all the nice comments, everyone! It really keeps me going! For those of you that do these types of reviews, you know how tedious it is.....but it is so fun to relive the trip. I love answering questions and hope that this can be of some help to those planning cruises. So thanks for stopping by and saying hello!

[1northstar]

As always ... A fabulous review.

[pcur]

Hi, Jane. I'm sorry (again) I didn't get to meet you. I am on a SW flight right now, having debarked the lovely Vision this morning. We had an amazing b2b, too.

 

My one and only complaint is the lack of choices in the Windjammer, and that it's closed from 3 - 6:30pm. Otherwise, it was great, and we LOVED the Salsamore Latin trio in the Centrum every night.

 

Bar staff were amazing, and tipping $1 with each drink for my D+ vouchers worked beautifully.

[Joe12]

Yey!

Another review from Max's Mom,

Vision Class Ships aren't my favourite but it seems you and John have had a good time.

Keep cruising!

Joe

[maxs mom]

Peggy.....yes....so sorry that we missed you. Glad that you had a good B2B. We had good friends on with you for the 4 day. I totally agree with you on both counts in the WJ. I went there one day around 5 o'clock looking for a snack and said "What?" I guess I didn't read the Compass. Hope to see you on another cruise soon!

 

Joe....I know a lot of people that can't handle the Vision Class ships and that's OK, but they are just fine for us. Thanks for stopping by!

[Joe12]

Thanks for responding Jane,

Wish I could cruise as often as you

[Canadian Tyler]

I know it will be a good week because I have another great review to read on my way to work. Thanks for the time you take to share them, Jane.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Realtor at Sea]

So happy to have another of your terrific reviews to read! Thanks!