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49 minutes ago, dawebber0922 said:

I am on the Feb 16th sailing as well.  I last cruised on the Rhapsody, so I am familiar with the Vision class.  I enjoyed Rhapsody.  What I am most concerned about is the noise as I am on deck 8 😞    

 

We too are on deck 8 and under the Windjammer, we had the exact room on the Enchantment as we do on the Vision, and we heard only a few times carts rolling out early in the morning. Looking at the deck plans we appear to be mostly under carpeted areas, so shall see. I’m bringing the soft shooters (32 db) ear plugs just in case, because I’m a light sleeper. I also have a white noise app on my iPad if needed. Food in the main dinning room I’m not so worried about, we can eat in other places, Chops, Izumi, Giovanni’s, & the Windjammer. On our roll call we have several b2b, b2b, b2b’ers (puerto penaco lady/ Brenda & Blizzard54/John & Marilyn) that love this ship, and hopefully they will chime in on how it is going for them. It will be fine I’m sure! 

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Diamond suite cruiser:  yes those precautions to decrease noise are great and I have a noise machine as well.  It may or may not be the “carpeted” area above us but it is noisy throughout day and until around 12:00 pm at night.  I assume it is our location and on prior cruises we have always gotten a room sandwiched between cabin floors to avoid this but could not do so on this trip.  Not meaning to be critical but I have found tips on cruise critic very helpful for future sailors and I was just sharing real factual information of what had occurred to us and we are on ship right now.

 

bee guy: yes we agree RCI has great cruises and I think another location on vision would be great.....didnt mean to upset loyal customer and again I was answering questions that I was asked .  I am sure you will have another great cruise and we are going to have a good cruise ourselves

 

rrtexascruiser:  i think our minimal movement we have had has been due to location of ship and it being a smaller ship........no big deal.......no nausea or anything........gentle bit of movement at night but no big deal

 

pcjr2:  congratulations on the trip to Panama Canal as we did it last December from San Diego to ft Lauderdale.   Just my opinion only but I would not want my full 16 days on this particular ship......again, not meaning to upset the loyal RCI customers I am just saying after us being on our ship for 15 days I would prefer a ship as you have chosen for that long of a trip

 

and finally to all........kinda sorry I starting commenting or answering questions as I feel the observations were not wanted by long term RCI cruisers and I did not mean anything to harm anyone and I apologize for doing so........but I have appreciated many many comments made on cruise critic that has helped us plan several cruises based on our needs and personality.....that is all I meant to do.........

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2 minutes ago, creel5857 said:

 

 

and finally to all........kinda sorry I starting commenting or answering questions as I feel the observations were not wanted by long term RCI cruisers and I did not mean anything to harm anyone and I apologize for doing so........but I have appreciated many many comments made on cruise critic that has helped us plan several cruises based on our needs and personality.....that is all I meant to do.........

No apology required.  Different folks have different points of view.  If you are not pleased with something, pointing that out is not a problem, your review has been very helpful in setting expectations.  Please continue, we appreciate it.

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Diamond suite cruiser:  yes those precautions to decrease noise are great and I have a noise machine as well.  It may or may not be the “carpeted” area above us but it is noisy throughout day and until around 12:00 pm at night.  I assume it is our location and on prior cruises we have always gotten a room sandwiched between cabin floors to avoid this but could not do so on this trip.  Not meaning to be critical but I have found tips on cruise critic very helpful for future sailors and I was just sharing real factual information of what had occurred to us and we are on ship right now.

 

creel5857, Please don’t misunderstand what I said as negative. I am enjoying your honest review, and I am not concerned one bit about our upcoming cruise on the Vision, because we will have a great time either way!  I do hate that others take one review to heart and change plans because of it(that is just crazy), & some are second guessing their choice in this ship because of what they read, and so be it. Everyone has different opinions. I just read two reviews a few weeks ago from the long Panama cruise that were great & they had a wonderful time. Maybe the change out in staff and Captain has a lot to do with what you are experiencing.

 

We don’t care so much about noise during the day, so that won’t bother us, but if it is at night or in the early morning hours that will be different. We aren’t RC big fans (or part of the cheerleader club that gets upset if you say anything bad about them), as I stated we sail more now on Celebrity and just occasionally on RC. We’ve out grown RC and love the pampering of Celebrity now. Please don’t take any offense to anything from me, because it is not meant to offend you. Again, I thank you for your honest review and taking the time to do it. Please enjoy your cruise.

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From someone on board as well--I'm definitely enjoying myself although some aspects don't meet my expectations. The problem could be that my expectations are out of date. My last cruise was 2 years ago. I've sailed once on Enchantment and twice on Grandeur, so the size/layout of the ship is familiar and I really prefer this size. 

 

Our cabin steward did introduce himself promptly and greets us by name. We've had ice supplied as requested and the room is made up twice a day. I don't think the glitch in housekeeping up on deck 8 reflects new shipwide procedures, so I can reassure folks in that regard.

 

I would be interested in knowing if the food situation is unique to this ship or this sailing or this departure port, or if it's an across-the-board change since two years ago. On Grandeur, the same dishes were available in the Windjammer as in the MDR. Yes, there were alternative selections for those who like "plainer" fare, but they were off to one side. The main buffet was in the circular section in the center. There were no serving stations just inside the door, so passengers could walk in and out without getting in the way of people serving themselves (and vice versa). 

 

We've been really dismayed that the WJ selections have been as elaborate as an elementary school cafeteria. Plain pasta noodles, accompanied by plain marinara. Not a prepared pasta dish with interesting ingredients and seasonings. Other items have been "steamed fish" (type unspecified), plain. A generic "beef stew." Pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers are on the main buffet (as well as a separate hot dog and hamburger station). The entire central section is desserts, fruit and cheese. It's just badly designed for people to move through, and I wonder if they've ever been on the Grandeur to see how they lay out the stations!

 

I'm not a picky eater, nor are my standards that high, but I expected interesting recipes and intriguing food choices, based on my previous experiences. So, I'm disappointed. We could eat in the MDR but our seating (8) is just too late and conflicts with other things we enjoy. On the other hand, my picky eater daughter would be delighted to get plain ziti noodles in the buffet...

 

On the plus side, there are oodles of activities to do and to watch, and the passengers are enthusiastically participating in everything. We have been happily entertained. Just not particularly well-fed.

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9 hours ago, schlimazel_traveler said:

From someone on board as well--I'm definitely enjoying myself although some aspects don't meet my expectations. The problem could be that my expectations are out of date. My last cruise was 2 years ago. I've sailed once on Enchantment and twice on Grandeur, so the size/layout of the ship is familiar and I really prefer this size. 

 

Our cabin steward did introduce himself promptly and greets us by name. We've had ice supplied as requested and the room is made up twice a day. I don't think the glitch in housekeeping up on deck 8 reflects new shipwide procedures, so I can reassure folks in that regard.

 

I would be interested in knowing if the food situation is unique to this ship or this sailing or this departure port, or if it's an across-the-board change since two years ago. On Grandeur, the same dishes were available in the Windjammer as in the MDR. Yes, there were alternative selections for those who like "plainer" fare, but they were off to one side. The main buffet was in the circular section in the center. There were no serving stations just inside the door, so passengers could walk in and out without getting in the way of people serving themselves (and vice versa). 

 

We've been really dismayed that the WJ selections have been as elaborate as an elementary school cafeteria. Plain pasta noodles, accompanied by plain marinara. Not a prepared pasta dish with interesting ingredients and seasonings. Other items have been "steamed fish" (type unspecified), plain. A generic "beef stew." Pizza, hot dogs, and hamburgers are on the main buffet (as well as a separate hot dog and hamburger station). The entire central section is desserts, fruit and cheese. It's just badly designed for people to move through, and I wonder if they've ever been on the Grandeur to see how they lay out the stations!

 

I'm not a picky eater, nor are my standards that high, but I expected interesting recipes and intriguing food choices, based on my previous experiences. So, I'm disappointed. We could eat in the MDR but our seating (8) is just too late and conflicts with other things we enjoy. On the other hand, my picky eater daughter would be delighted to get plain ziti noodles in the buffet...

 

On the plus side, there are oodles of activities to do and to watch, and the passengers are enthusiastically participating in everything. We have been happily entertained. Just not particularly well-fed.

Problem with WindJammer is was designed 25yrs ago when only about 10% went there for meals. Back in 1990's, did 100+ nites on Vision class back then, all 3 meals were usually ate at same table as Dinner with same Waiters in Main Dining where the majority ate. WindJammer back then was more of a lunch fare without many hot items, Dinner then served same exact item's as Main, had table cloths, waiters at your tables, offering not much else except place you didnt have to dress up and could take the kids. But WJ Dinners have improved on the other ships been on last 2yrs, will be interesting see when I board in April for 26nites including the TA and see what I'm dealt on Vision...

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As noted in earlier post the layout in windjammer is due to age of ship.......but a tip i would give for anyone who has not sailed vision in past would be to walk through to see what all is available before you assume that the food bar at front entrance is the main food.......the first food area you come to has some salad type products and some premade entree items but as you continue on around there is an area of fresh foods like freshly made omelets and freshly cooked eggs, and freshly sliced roast beef and freshly cooked pasta .......and the sweets and fruits are out further in the middle of the seating area........it took us a meal or so to figure it all out.   So just walk around some as sometimes the fresher on the spot cooked food is not at the front entrance.....  as with some buffets it gets very crowded sometimes so we always get someone to claim a table and swap out getting our food

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Grandeur's Windjammer has the identical foot print. But they have placed the serving stations differently and organized the offerings within the various stations differently. It's much easier to navigate, IMHO.

 

The fries are good. I could subsist on fries and soft-serve ice cream. I was just looking forward to something different.

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Yes we have found French fries to be very good and family has said soft serve ice cream very good.  Hotdogs and hamburgers pretty good but not quite as good as some cruise lines who have special areas around pool with real grills making them fresh.....i have not found the pizza as good on vision as with other ships but there is a variety of staff items that should please most people who love salads.

 

 I was asked about price of alcoholic beverages and it appears that most are saying prices are equal to or greater than other cruise lines.  I can say that the few drinks that our crowd has purchased it has been slightly more expensive than the 15 day cruise we took on holland america last December.   But all of them still agreed it was still cheaper for them to buy individual drinks than committing to any of the beverage packages......

 

we went to chops last night (compliments of our travel agent) and found the meal very good.  Steaks were wonderful, shrimp large and of course the quiet elegant environment is an added benefit away from the busy, sometimes noisy dining room.  Our family would not cash up and pay for these meals but nice when you get them thrown in as a thank-you by travel agent

 

regarding questions about shops:  yes there are periods during day that shops are not opened.  Last night we went by to take a stroll through prior to dinner and they were closed until 6:30 and the staff member nearby mentioned that it was opened and closed at various times.  I guess i missed that notice but it was no big deal......

 

regarding medical services:  yes medical services are noted in the daily schedule and mentions specific times that medical unit is open and closed......yesterday it was a few hours in morning and then a couple of hours late in the afternoon

 

regarding cabin services:  yes our services have improved since they did whatever staff changes that took place on our 2nd full day for several of our cabins on the 8th deck.  I think it important to note that it is always good to ask cabin stewards on the first day any questions you might have. (how to operate TV, how to secure certain items or accommodations that you had requested that are not in room, how often you prefer ice).   Some cruise lines have their staff take the time to specifically address this when they come to room to introduce themselves and others do not.  For example on several of our Princess and Holland American cruises we have often had cabin stewards to greet us at which time they ensure they know how to pronounce our name, ensure the items that travel agents have purchased are inour room, ensuring we have items we requested related to medical accommodations, ensuring we have ice and to ensure we know how to operate the TV and telephone.  But a lot of cruise lines dont do that.  So just be sure you ask any questions that you have........if there is no answer or you still have questions then call customer services

 

 

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6 hours ago, creel5857 said:

Yes we have found French fries to be very good and family has said soft serve ice cream very good.  Hotdogs and hamburgers pretty good but not quite as good as some cruise lines who have special areas around pool with real grills making them fresh.....i have not found the pizza as good on vision as with other ships but there is a variety of staff items that should please most people who love salads.

 

 I was asked about price of alcoholic beverages and it appears that most are saying prices are equal to or greater than other cruise lines.  I can say that the few drinks that our crowd has purchased it has been slightly more expensive than the 15 day cruise we took on holland america last December.   But all of them still agreed it was still cheaper for them to buy individual drinks than committing to any of the beverage packages......

 

we went to chops last night (compliments of our travel agent) and found the meal very good.  Steaks were wonderful, shrimp large and of course the quiet elegant environment is an added benefit away from the busy, sometimes noisy dining room.  Our family would not cash up and pay for these meals but nice when you get them thrown in as a thank-you by travel agent

 

regarding questions about shops:  yes there are periods during day that shops are not opened.  Last night we went by to take a stroll through prior to dinner and they were closed until 6:30 and the staff member nearby mentioned that it was opened and closed at various times.  I guess i missed that notice but it was no big deal......

 

regarding medical services:  yes medical services are noted in the daily schedule and mentions specific times that medical unit is open and closed......yesterday it was a few hours in morning and then a couple of hours late in the afternoon

 

regarding cabin services:  yes our services have improved since they did whatever staff changes that took place on our 2nd full day for several of our cabins on the 8th deck.  I think it important to note that it is always good to ask cabin stewards on the first day any questions you might have. (how to operate TV, how to secure certain items or accommodations that you had requested that are not in room, how often you prefer ice).   Some cruise lines have their staff take the time to specifically address this when they come to room to introduce themselves and others do not.  For example on several of our Princess and Holland American cruises we have often had cabin stewards to greet us at which time they ensure they know how to pronounce our name, ensure the items that travel agents have purchased are inour room, ensuring we have items we requested related to medical accommodations, ensuring we have ice and to ensure we know how to operate the TV and telephone.  But a lot of cruise lines dont do that.  So just be sure you ask any questions that you have........if there is no answer or you still have questions then call customer services

 

 

As far as the shops being open....that has to do with laws of operation.  Shops can not be open while in port.  Last night I assume you were still in US waters.  That happened on our cruise out of Baltimore as well.  They were not able to open until they were in (international?) waterways.  So my guess is that you were still navigating in US waters.  

 

If I don't see my room steward for requests on the first day, then I write them a note with my requests which has worked well for me!

 

Have fun!  Enjoying your posts!

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Thank you for posting and follow-ups. Taking my first Mediterranean cruise in August and finally visiting Italy and I could not be more excited. I was aware the ship is smaller and older but I am definitely cruising for Itinerary this time around and not the ship. I think we only have 3 sea days on a 12- night cruise so I didn’t need all the bells and whistles of a mega-ship. Hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise! 

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We will be boarding the Vision in about 10 days and will be on the ship for 6 weeks.  We spent 6 weeks on her sister the Rhapsody a couple months back.  In 2017 we spent 42 nights on the Vision.  We have been cruising for 40 years and have seen lots of changes to cruising since then.  We cruised the Vision when it was a big modern ship...about 20 years ago.

 

It is unfortunate that the OP's trip started out with a substandard cabin attendant.  We have always enjoyed good service on Royal.  It is very important to communicate with Guest Services if something does not seem right.  If they have cut back on something, so be it but if there is an issue they will fix it.

 

As mentioned the Vision is an older ship.  There will be some rust and worn carpet.  Dry docks are primarily for marine maintenance that can not be done in the water, or major refits.  Royal has a rotation schedule for replacing matrasses while the ships are in service.   We were on a series of B2B on a ship where they were replacing at least 100 per week.

 

I agree that the Windjammer on some of Royals ships get a bit boring.  It would be nice if they could figure out a way to serve a decent pizza.  Although I do not have any special insight in this regard I suspect that on ships that are selling cruises at the lower price ranges, they may have a lower food budget.

 

Overall we still enjoy cruising on this class of ship.  We have another 32 days booked for a fall trip.  

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Hey all for those who may be worried about sailing on vision , I also had my reservations about the ship , will be sailing on feb 23 out of New Orleans , and totally looking forward to my first trip on vision , why I’m not at all worried is I just , actually hours ago got off majesty. And was before sailing concerned about the ships size and and activity , after the sailing , I can say was one of the best staffed ships I have been on in a while and the ship never felt small or crowded ,lots of activities, just a great cruise overall, so with that said can’t wait till next month to experience another of the smaller shop ..... oh ya and CHOPS 

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On 1/7/2019 at 9:28 AM, BecciBoo said:

Read that Carnival will be charging for daily turn down and other stateroom things which should be included in fair!  Yeah, it was on national news.  Something like $5 per turn down and towel exchange/bath spiff up for $3 or something like that.  Unfathomable....so enjoy that with Celebrity, it may be going the way of the DoDo bird.

 

Suites should get all that without asking, even ice.  But you can request anything, twice daily turn down and as much ice as you want...simply by asking.  Just sayin.  Not too much do deal with for us.

 

OK went and checked the Carni board and I was misinformed about that.  Apparently its just the Room Service where new charges will be in place...and then they have back tracked that a little since their announcement....lots of complaints I guess.

This is not true. Carnival was going to charge for room service FOOD but got a "push back" from passengers. Since they do listen to complaints/comments, they have decided NOT to charge for room service food.

Also, looking forward to Vision TA April 19 for 17 days!

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Cruising the Vision on March 2 out of NOLA....

 

I am really finding this thread very helpful and aligning my expectations.   Yes, I am probably one of those who hasn't been on Royal in many years and is expecting service and food to be at the same level.  This was a good reminder to me that times have changed.  Everything is for convenience or expected that the cruiser be more hands on with applications and not as "old school".  In reference to the Windjammer food being plainer, I think that is due to all the food allergies nowadays.  Less liability to serve plain noodles with sauce on side.  This provides more options for the picky eater as well as allergies.  

 

I just came off of Holland's, Veendam.  Food was excellent and I was impressed in the Lido Market which is a "Windjammer", napkins and utensils were laid out at each table and there was always someone to serve coffee or assist you.  Got a little spoiled there!  Stateroom attendant was non existent except for the first day of introductions, though our ice bucket was always filled but towel animals were questionable.  I still like the towel animals!  Do they still exist with Royal?

 

Overall, this is a good reminder "The Times are a Changin'"!  :)

 

 

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20 minutes ago, leen50 said:

This is not true. Carnival was going to charge for room service FOOD but got a "push back" from passengers. Since they do listen to complaints/comments, they have decided NOT to charge for room service food.

Also, looking forward to Vision TA April 19 for 17 days!

Yeah, that's what I said in my last sentence, didn't you catch it?: "and then they have back tracked that a little since their announcement....lots of complaints I guess."

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On 1/7/2019 at 8:33 PM, DiamondSuiteCruiser said:

 

Try Celebrity when you get a chance, it sounds a lot more like what you are more used to. Very calming, not many children, great food, no loud intercom announcements, but they still have lots of shows and activities, & no pushy up selling. We cruise more on Celebrity now that we are older, but if we find a great deal on RC we do occasionally switch. Our Feb cruise on the Vision was extremely inexpensive and the port is only 4 hrs from home, so we couldn’t resist. 

Thank you for your updates and honest opinions, please keep them coming.

I'm in a transition.....totally agree with trying Celebrity.  Just a bit upper level in service and food but a tad too calming for me.  I still enjoy the high energy of Royal but reading on other threads the quality has gone down.  Just came off of Holland.  Way too calm for me!   Looking forward to Vision!

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On 1/9/2019 at 11:58 AM, creel5857 said:

As noted in earlier post the layout in windjammer is due to age of ship.......but a tip i would give for anyone who has not sailed vision in past would be to walk through to see what all is available before you assume that the food bar at front entrance is the main food.......the first food area you come to has some salad type products and some premade entree items but as you continue on around there is an area of fresh foods like freshly made omelets and freshly cooked eggs, and freshly sliced roast beef and freshly cooked pasta .......and the sweets and fruits are out further in the middle of the seating area........it took us a meal or so to figure it all out.   So just walk around some as sometimes the fresher on the spot cooked food is not at the front entrance.....  as with some buffets it gets very crowded sometimes so we always get someone to claim a table and swap out getting our food

Not sure if the Class were all set up same in WJ even as built, only been on Grandeur and Enchantment(before they lengthened it). Vision Class was made of 6 ships but 3 subclasses, Vision/Rhapsody, Spendour/Legend and Enchantment/Grandeur. All 3 classes had some differences...

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1 hour ago, Lovincruisin1321 said:

Cruising the Vision on March 2 out of NOLA....

 

I am really finding this thread very helpful and aligning my expectations.   Yes, I am probably one of those who hasn't been on Royal in many years and is expecting service and food to be at the same level.  This was a good reminder to me that times have changed.  Everything is for convenience or expected that the cruiser be more hands on with applications and not as "old school".  In reference to the Windjammer food being plainer, I think that is due to all the food allergies nowadays.  Less liability to serve plain noodles with sauce on side.  This provides more options for the picky eater as well as allergies.  

 

I just came off of Holland's, Veendam.  Food was excellent and I was impressed in the Lido Market which is a "Windjammer", napkins and utensils were laid out at each table and there was always someone to serve coffee or assist you.  Got a little spoiled there!  Stateroom attendant was non existent except for the first day of introductions, though our ice bucket was always filled but towel animals were questionable.  I still like the towel animals!  Do they still exist with Royal?

 

Overall, this is a good reminder "The Times are a Changin'"!  🙂

 

 

We just came off Koningdam with HAL and our impression is the same as yours for both the Lido and ship overall.  

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1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

Yeah, that's what I said in my last sentence, didn't you catch it?: "and then they have back tracked that a little since their announcement....lots of complaints I guess."

 

All the news that I've read says it's just being delayed. So it sounds like it is still gonna happen, just not right away.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2019/01/08/carnival-cruise-line-delays-plan-charge-more-room-service-items/2511565002/

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