Vision of the Seas - Photo Review - 1/10/15 VOS

[bettyboop16]

40 more days for us :)

[WinksCruises]

Would you mind telling us the make and model of your camera. I need to get myself the same camera for our cruise, since we are looking to purchase one.

 

Sure, it's a Nikon D90. It's a few years old, so there are more advanced models out there now, but this one has delivered nice shots and is relatively fool proof if you keep it in the auto mode.

 

But note: a lot of my pictures are taken with a wide angle or fisheye lens. These are great for getting interesting, if distorted, shots - which I think makes ship pictures more dramatic. But I also carry a standard zoom lens for general shots as well.

 

Mrs. Winks shoots with a more user friendly Nikon Coolpix. Great shots and she generally can zoom in better than my camera can! I'm in love with wide angle photography, so I wouldn't trade that in. But both cameras are decent.

[WinksCruises]

When we arrived at the cruise terminal just before 11am, the drop-off zone was the typical scene of controlled chaos. Disoriented, disheveled but generally excited travelling parties gathering their belongings together, tagging their luggage and begging porters for assurance that their bags would make it onboard safely.

 

“Now remember, it’s Vision, not Brilliance,” I heard one nervous Nellie direct a baggage handler, despite the fact Brilliance wasn’t even docked in Tampa that day!

 

Boarding the Vision of the Seas in Tampa

 

In looking over our photos for this report, I was surprised that we hadn’t taken any shots pier side. In retrospect, it’s easy to see why. From being dropped curbside by the taxi to boarding the ship, the entire embarkation process went by so quickly, there was never a pause in the action to pull out the camera and take a few shots.

 

We whisked up the escalator, went through security - where no one even blinked at our two carry-on bottles - and were directed over to a kiosk to fill in our health declaration forms. There, a woman looked up from the station opposite of me and said, “Oh my gosh. You did a Cruise Critic review of Freedom last year. I recognize you from the pictures." That was a shocker, when you're fumbling to fill out a health form with a toothpick sized pencil. "Uh, where’s your Diamond pin?” she asked jokingly. Wow, inside jokes at the terminal. That’s got to be the strangest thing I’ve ever encountered during embarkation.

 

After I paused to sign a few autographs - but still failed to take pictures of the terminal - we joined a very short Suites Guest priority check-in line to get our Sea Pass cards. While the agent processed our paperwork, we saw the line start to grow longer behind us. The masses had arrived. When Mrs. Winks noted we’d gotten to the port just in time, the agent smiled and declared the best times to come to the pier are before 11am and after 2pm. “You’ll breeze through then. But between 11 and 1, the lines are generally long and non-stop”.

 

Her words rang true, for our pre-11am arrival saw us through the check-in process and crossing the gang plank within a period of about 20 minutes.

 

Of course, the downside of being early for a Royal Caribbean cruise is the fact you’ll be lugging around your carry-ons until at least 1pm, when they finally open up the staterooms. Until then, you join other passengers who are excited to explore the ship, but feel weighed down by their personal belongings, and end up camping out (much like disembarkment day) in various lounges – but mostly, the Windjammer Café.

 

A chilly start to the cruise.... almost surreal!

 

What made things worse this particular day was the cool Tampa weather. Usually, you can count on a portion of the crowd to throw on bathing gear and head to the pool. But when we explored pool side, carryons in tow, we found huddled masses in sweaters and hoodies, like a sad gathering of Ellis Island refugees. Such a strange site to see on a cruise ship leaving out of Tampa! Unfortunately, the cool and cloudy weather would plague for another couple of days.

 

Chilled by the environment at the pool, we parked ourselves at a table in the Solarium and began reviewing the boarding day edition of the Cruise Compass. We were happy to see that a comedian had been booked for the first night. (We’re a little jaded of Welcome Aboard shows). And we were also surprised to find a number of activities going on, many scheduled in the Centrum atrium space which was used for shows, demos and dancing.

 

The Park Cafe - a new, free, dining option on Vision

 

 

It being noon, our thoughts turned to food. We stuck our heads into the Windjammer and confirmed what we already suspected; total mob scene of passengers, many donned in parkas and overcoats, pinballing their way from buffet station to buffet station. One sight of the carnage was enough, so we opted to slink back to the Solarium pool where the Park Café is tucked away in the back corner. It serves salads, wraps, panini sandwiches and a tasty, hot, carvery beef item they served on a roll au jus. It is opened for lunch on embarkment day and late nights during the rest of the cruise. Sorry, I thought I had a picture of it stocked with menu items, but it turns out all my snapshots were taken hours it wasn’t serving. Anyway, it’s a nice alternative venue, free, and has beverage station and tables along the perimeter of the Solarium pool. Mrs. Winks is quick to remind me, it’s also one of the few venues that regularly had cookies available.

 

The NFL at sea...

 

After lunch, we made a pit stop at our room –which was finally opened at 1pm. Here’s an area Princess has a clear advantage over Royal. When you board a Princess ship, your room is ready. A much saner and civil way to welcome passengers aboard.

 

I’ll post shots of our stateroom a little later on, but for now, I’ll just report we found it to be a standard grand suite layout with everything in working order.

 

Unshackled from our carryons, we headed back up to the pool deck where the NFL coverage was being projected on the big screen in anticipation of the 4:30 game. During the week, games were shown on the pool screen (no audio during afternoon games), at the casino bar and on Ch 19 on the stateroom television. It’s pretty exciting seeing these games on the screen, watching with fellow football fans representing each set of contenders.

 

A chilly mustering

 

At 3:30 pm, everything was interrupted by muster proceedings. On Vision, the promenade deck hosts the muster stations, so we all had to gather out on the deck in the cool weather (usually people complain it’s too hot!) while all passengers were accounted for. We didn’t need to wear our life vests. Contrast this to Princess, where we generally meet in a theater or lounge but do need to bring our life jackets and then don them at the muster finale. There’s got to be a better way?

 

Up next, shots from our suite and the venues around the ship.

 

Thanks for your kind words and readership. Hope the information is of some value.

[TexCruise371]

Hey you two,

 

We live in NY state too, going a month (to the day) after you, same cruise, all that.

 

Hope you kept her in good stead for us.

 

GREAT review, keep it up.

 

Thanks,

 

AND.....we're going with you! :eek::D

[WinksCruises]

Here's the boarding day edition of the Cruise Compass. Jan 10th, 2015 Vision of the Seas.

 

[shipfriend_max]

Great review!

On Liberty otS, the Windjammer Buffet was closed between 04 pm 0t 06:30 pm, but one could have had sandwiches at prmoenade Café.

How does it work on Vision? If Windjammer is closed, where do I get other food? At Park Café? Thanks in advice... :)

[2catfamily]

Great review!

On Liberty otS, the Windjammer Buffet was closed between 04 pm 0t 06:30 pm, but one could have had sandwiches at prmoenade Café.

How does it work on Vision? If Windjammer is closed, where do I get other food? At Park Café? Thanks in advice... :)

 

 

Same hours

[ValerieJo]

Great review and pictures. We're going in 6 weeks and can't wait to hear what you have in store for us in this review.

[Folk Singer]

Sure, it's a Nikon D90. It's a few years old, so there are more advanced models out there now, but this one has delivered nice shots and is relatively fool proof if you keep it in the auto mode.

 

But note: a lot of my pictures are taken with a wide angle or fisheye lens. These are great for getting interesting, if distorted, shots - which I think makes ship pictures more dramatic. But I also carry a standard zoom lens for general shots as well.

 

Mrs. Winks shoots with a more user friendly Nikon Coolpix. Great shots and she generally can zoom in better than my camera can! I'm in love with wide angle photography, so I wouldn't trade that in. But both cameras are decent.

 

 

Thank you for the Tech. Talk and the photos.

[Folk Singer]

Great review and pictures. We're going in 6 weeks and can't wait to hear what you have in store for us in this review.

 

 

We are booked later on. Looking forward to all the advice and stories from your review.

[Deatsch]

AND.....we're going with you! :eek::D

 

My new Buddy Barry (he's the buyer you know).

 

:p

[khank]

We are booked on the Vision for a September Med cruise. Enjoying your review! We've never sailed on this ship and are looking forward to the rest of your review. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

 

Karen

[relaxatsea]

We are also on the Vision TA in April, and really appreciate this great review.

 

Love your photos and attitude!

[wato1963]

Loving the review can't wait for more

 

Sent from my GT-I8190N using Forums mobile app

[WinksCruises]

After muster, we headed up to the pool deck to score a bucket of beer, which on many ships is bargain priced - eg six for the price of five or some such marginal savings - but not on Vision. You buy the six beers at full price – and are thankful they throw in a bucket of ice.

 

While waiting for the bucket, I was recognized for the second time that day. This time by fellow cruise critic member Canadian Tyler, who was at the pool with other “critters” for a sail away party they’d arranged on the Roll Call message board. He introduced himself and then led us over to a small group that included his girlfriend Not_Anna, and LittleKayInOmaha with her travelling companion Nikki and several others who we would see few times during the week - including at the CC Meet & Mingle and the Cozumel Bar Hop on Thursday. All very nice people and fun to run into and trade stories with throughout the course of the cruise.

 

Okay... so what's up with dining?

 

Vision’s Main Dining Room. Traditional downstairs, My Time up.

 

We also stopped by the Main Dining Room to see if we could secure a regular table each night, even though we’d technically signed up for My Time Dining. We explained we would stop by every evening at 8:30 pm, after the rush, and would telephone ahead to report any night we’d be dining elsewhere. The hostess agreed that this shouldn’t be a problem since we were Suite Guests and she’d put us down for a railing side table of two overlooking the traditional dining level. Perfect for people watching and gossip mongering, which, of course, are my two favorite cruising past times!

 

But of course, this simple arrangement became one of the hiccups I referenced at the beginning of this review. For several nights we were seated in various locations, only once on the rail, and then once at a tiny table squeezed into a section of larger, louder tables, where the servers, understandably, saw us as a lesser priority. We spoke with the hostess first, then the Maitre D., but we only resolved the problem by explaining it to our concierge… who, with one phone call, secured what we originally asked for (and were told we would get) in the first place… a table for two by the rail so I could observe people and offer my critiques! Was that so much to ask!?

 

All that said, we found the dining room to be beautiful. The staff competent and friendly. The food for the most part decent – and far better than the horse meat they pawned off on us several months ago on the Regal Princess.

 

The nights the Schooner Bar piano player tinkled the keys on the dining room grand were especially nice. And we had a great time reminiscing with our new, now nightly, head server who had begun his career on the Nordic Empress concurrent with our first Royal Caribbean cruise experience there as well. You never forget your first!

 

And then there's the eatery we all love to hate...

 

Windjammer Mayhem! Well, actually, it was pretty calm most days.

 

The other frequent dining spot for breakfast, lunch, or usually just a snack, was the Windjammer. Always busy, but in our experience it was never super crowded - except on both embark and disembark days. Some of the serving areas are a tight squeeze if you’re trying to bypass one set of trays for another, but overall the flow was fine. Service decent. Food was typical buffet hit or miss. The omelets were good.

 

Most mornings, the Captain himself was at a table, sometimes alone, sometimes with other officers. As a rule, the senior officers were ALL OVER this ship, mingling with guests, saying hello and asking how things were going. Very refreshing to see.

 

Then there's the Specialty Dining... let the upsells begin!

 

Ahhh... Chops. And the never ending debate: Is it worth it?

 

We dined at Chops one evening. The food and service were excellent, though, with the new higher charge, a bottle of wine and some additional add-ons (bottled water for instance is pricey and there’s an upcharge if you want a dry-seasoned cut of meat) I realized it was costing as much as a night on the town at home.

 

My advice, if you’re going to go, be sure you’re hungry! We made the mistake of doing it on a day when we had a late lunch (shore excursion); and then did nibbles at the Concierge Lounge. Didn’t help. We realized we truly didn’t enjoy the great meal as much as we would have had we starved ourselves for it!

 

 

The Centrum - a multi-function space

 

One of the nicest and most heavily utilized spaces on the refurbished Vision is the Centrum atrium. Several decks high and equipped with the aerial rigging up top, the Centrum has become a hot spot for ship board activities. Surrounding it are the photo gallery, the guest services desk, the book nook (aka library), Ben & Jerry’s and one of several Internet work stations.

 

Salsa Dance Lessons, Cake Decorating Class and Nightly Dancing

 

Nightly music was a staple, whether by a band or solo instrument player. But during the day, there were activities hosted in the space – everything from scrap book design tips and salsa dance lessons to a cake making demo. One evening, they hosted the 70s disco party here… complete with the Village People re-enactors grinding innocent bystanders in the glass elevators for all the revelers to see. (Truly sorry we have no pictures of that debauchery!) There was always something going on in the Centrum!

 

And then there were the acrobats...

 

The Aerial Shows

 

And Vision makes up for its lack of ice skating rink or huge theater stage, with an interestingly choreographed aerial show that plays out several times over the voyage. Costumed entertainers come flying down from the top floor on elastic riggings… think what Pink does at her concerts… all synched to live music being played below. While a curmudgeon like me doesn’t see much to this gimmickry, I do admit I didn’t want to look away.

 

Watch it from down below if you want the full effect. Watch it from the top floor, like we did, if you want to see the performers close-up and how the mechanics of the show work. It's fun to see either way.

 

Next up: Suite Life

[WinksCruises]

And speaking of dinner...

 

 

The 1st night's dinner menu

[WinksCruises]

 

 

 

[Rick&Deanna]

Looking forward to the rest. We are leaving Feb 14th 2015 and will be staying in the Owners Suites. Can't wait to see the rest of your great pictures.

 

Thank you for such an informative start!

[TexCruise371]

Looking forward to the rest. We are leaving Feb 14th 2015 and will be staying in the Owners Suites. Can't wait to see the rest of your great pictures.

 

Thank you for such an informative start!

 

 

And we will be in an OS the next week. Let's is know what you think.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Rick&Deanna]

And we will be in an OS the next week. Let's is know what you think.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Will do! You really don't see a whole lot about the OS on Vision. I will make sure to take some good photos and post a review.

 

Have a great trip!

[1northstar]

Enjoying the review as much as your last one. The both of you look like a fun couple. It must have been maddening and stressful for you to deal with all the fanfare that accompanies your new found fame as CC blogger. Hopefully the Concierge delivered the WOW by keeping the aisles clear given your C&A status. All kidding aside , great review. Subscribing because I totally " get it".😉

[PensFan1028]

Excellent review so far! We will be on the Vision 2/7-2/14... Were there any specific "theme" nights? This will be our first on RCI so I'm not too familiar.

[WinksCruises]

Were there any specific "theme" nights? This will be our first on RCI so I'm not too familiar.

I'll be posting all of the Compasses so you can check them out for sure... but the ones we remember specifically were a White Night and a 70s Disco Night. There was no Caribbean/Hawaiian-shirt night per se... and there were two formal nights.

 

And of course, check the weather in Tampa. Your sail away might have an unannounced "Frozen" theme going on!

[FluffsMom]

There, a woman looked up from the station opposite of me and said, “Oh my gosh. You did a Cruise Critic review of Freedom last year. I recognize you from the pictures." That was a shocker, when you're fumbling to fill out a health form with a toothpick sized pencil. "Uh, where’s your Diamond pin?” she asked jokingly. Wow, inside jokes at the terminal. That’s got to be the strangest thing I’ve ever encountered during embarkation.

 

LOL - glad I could be the strangest thing you've ever encountered during embarkation! :) :D

[Bimmer09]

Loving the review-crisp, witty and informative.

 

Fish-eye photos are very effective indeed-especially the Centrum.

 

Can I ask how you get so many shots without borders into the same frame on the board?

 

Following along on this FUN review!

 

Norris