Fun In the Sun
Vision of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 42
12 Night Mediterranean Venice (Barcelona Roundtrip)
Sail date: August 06, 2018
Ship: Vision of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 7536
Traveled as: Large Group
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
This was a trip of a lifetime for me and my family. We traveled with another family and assorted in laws and friends and we all had a great time. Royal Caribbean staff does an excellent job making you feel comfortable and well taken care of. I would recommend this cruise to everyone who would like a taste of the Mediterranean, I would have gotten off the ship in Split but I was too exhausted from three intense travel days in Florence, Rome and Sorrento. My daughter and son in law are big Game of Thrones fans and found the Split Croatia stop fascinating. Get yourself pumped for this one as there is a lot of walking.Embarkation
Embarkation was quick and swift. We arrived at the ship at 12:30 and were in our cabins by 1:25. Only thing was my last bag did not reach the room until almost 5:30.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate in the Main Dining Room second seating every night with the exception of going to Izumi Japanese Restaurant one night to try something different. The food in the Main Dining room was great and served up by Denis and Inyoman most efficiently. Denis was as excellent waiter and by the second day knew everyone's name, considering that there were 12 of us it was not that easy. I recommend the second seating as it allows you plenty of time to get ready as you are in different ports every day for less than 12 hours and most of that time is spent getting to the venue, for instance the ship docks 90 minutes from Rome.
Onboard Activities
On board activities on the ship were adequate although newer Royal Caribbean ships have so much more to do. Kids were happy with pool, ping pong and movies. Bingo is extremely expensive and in my opinion a rip off. We enjoyed the trivia games every night in the Schooners Lounge. Great way to unwind after a grueling day of sightseeing.
Entertainment
Was very pleased with ship's stage shows and the musical entertainment. I could have done without the juggler/comedian as I felt his comedy was inappropriate for younger children. The ventriloquist show was excellent great entertainment for the whole family.
Children's Programs
Because one of the children in the group only turned 10 on the cruise and others were 12 and 13 they did not want to be separated
Service and Staff
All wait staff, room stewards, bar staff and all ship personnel we cordial and very helpful. I especially liked the photo staff as they made sure that you found all your pictures on the wall. The photographers spent extra time adjusting clothing and jewelry to make sure that the picture came out nice. They really paid attention to detail. We ate in the dining room almost every night and our waiter and his assistant were a great team taking excellent care of us.
Ship Quality
The layout and design of the ship were great, although it is an older ship it is very clean and well maintained. I was especially impressed with the public bathrooms, they were always clean and spacious and there were at least four stalls in each one. Previous cruises I have taken I only used my cabin restroom as the public restrooms were small and smelly.
Cabin / Stateroom
Cabin was comfortable and actually a little bigger than I thought it would be. The bathroom was adequate although the shower could have used a little more space.
Ship tip
This Mediterranean cruise was grueling, there were seven stops in 12 days, you really have to be in good shape to get around these places.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
We arrived two days before cruise to make sure we had time to explore the city. Loved Sagrada Familia and Gaudi residence. You have to get tickets for both well in advance of the trip if you want to see inside. Having tickets ahead of time saved us for waiting in long lines, which would have been a waste of time.
Took a Royal Caribbean excursion to the sandy beach and spent the day on the beach, rented beach chairs and umbrellas, kind of pricy but I don't like sitting on the sand. Our friends did the rocky beach and it was nothing but big rocks and pebbles not only on the shoreline but in the water. It was nice to walk around the town. This is not an escorted tour and you were left on your own once you got there to find a place to stay for
the day to sit. I think the cruise line could have been a little more helpful in this regard.
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
We did a private excursion as their were 14 of us. It turned out to be much cheaper than Royal Caribbean and we were able to direct the guide prior to the trip exactly where we wanted to go. They sent two 8 passenger SUVs which were extremely comfortable and air conditioned. They also arranged a lovely lunch in a nice restaurant which would have been impossible to do on our own with so many people. Food was plentiful and good. We met our guide in the Pitti Palace and did Boboli Gardens and the Duomo Cathedral. After lunch we went to Pisa. Kids loved this stop.
Did the same tour company in this stop too. We wanted to see Coliseum, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel and Trevi Fountain. Tour company arranged all tickets all we had to do was show up. Did not plan lunch stop as we were so constricted with time but had a quick sandwich and pizza on the run. Tour company had us back to the ship in plenty of time. If you have multiple people it is much cheaper to go privately than thru Royal Caribbean. It cost us 365 euros per couple and I believe Royal Caribbean was $254.00 per person.
This was the best stop of all, again we booked a private tour company for the 14 of us and we were not disappointed. We explored the town of Sorrento shopping in the morning and headed along the coast stopping in Positano for lunch. Fabulous meal at a family owned restaurant high on the mountain with great
views of the sea below. All produce is grown right there, they had about 5 or 6 acres of property on the side of the mountain. Grapes for home made wine which was delicious and momma was in the kitchen cooking. No menu they just keep bringing out food till you can't eat any more. Dessert and wine were included I think it cost us about $30.00 per person. The private tour guide was 220 Euros per couple. After lunch we went to Pompei.
Did a Royal Caribbean excursion first day, this was a two day stop. Were able to see all the highlights Doges's Palace, St. Marks Square and gondola ride. Had ample time after gondola ride to explore the many shops and have an ice cream in St. Marks Square. Wanted to go back at night but we had a really bad storm that night and decided not to go out again.
Did the Montenegro highlights by Royal Caribbean for this stop. Guide was extremely knowledgeable and we enjoyed the afternoon here.