Fantastic crew makes this ship everything it is!

Vision of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

AmberInDallas

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 112

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 11, 2020

Ship: Vision of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2547

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

The best things about Vision of the Seas is that the itineraries offered are great, the staff on this ship is second to none, and the small size of the ship makes it easy to get wherever you're going quickly. It's difficult to get lost on this ship. Also, there's usually seating available at all the venues which is GREAT. The worst things about this ship is the dated feel of the ship, the furniture is starting to show wear and some of the areas are bland compared with other ships. There are too few free options for food on the ship with the buffet is closed (Park Cafe-that is it) which is coincidentally timed when cruise passengers are coming back from their day at port. There are relatively few things to do outside the night club if you're a late night person.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Super fast & easy. Puerto Rico is a very easy port to access and get through to the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Main dining room food was same quality as other RC ships we've sailed on. Very consistent. Buffet area was set up kind of odd, usually only 1 of the two entrance stations was offering food at any time and there was different food on each side of the bar so it made traffic flow very difficult (basically you're walking against the flow of traffic to access food from one side). Suggest RC could add an additional food venue for times when the buffet is closed (which was ironically as soon as everyone was boarding after every port visited) to prevent a massive jam up in the supposedly relaxing "adults-only" solarium area. The little cafe was inside solarium, terrible placement.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

My biggest complaint with the onboard activities was that many of them could have extended hours. On other ships, the steam room areas in the spa are 24 hours and the adults only pool areas can be 24 hours as well as at least one hot tub. There was a lot of dead time for me as a late person looking for things to do after my late dinner seating.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

In addition to the hilarious comics we saw, the ship staff made this a top notch experience! They offered additional games, group participation activities, and other very entertaining shows that made me fall in love with the ship.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

100% best ship crew. Everyone from the dining area, room attendant, retail shops, bar staff, and cruise diredctor...could not ask for better!

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship was definitely showing age in places, the furniture in particular needs repaired and cleaned (e.g. the arm on my dining chair was coming apart and could easily pinch, the couch in my cabin had a very gross stain on the cushion that we covered with a towel for health concerns). But the hard surfaces were sanitized regularly and cleanliness was a priority on the ship. Just the fixtures are starting to show their wear & age.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

The cabin was small (as expected) but the things that were different in this room compared to others was the lack of bathroom shelving. There was only 1 corner shelf to place all your items. Usually there are 6 of them. The bathroom electric plug was not accessible, it was in the ceiling of the bathroom so plugs wouldn't stay in due to gravity. Usually in interior rooms we at least have enough space for 2 end tables by the beds but this room only had 1. There was one additional plug in the room so I highly suggest bringing a USB charge tower so you aren't all fighting over the single plug available. Previously mentioned furniture is dated in the room-our couch had a very specific stain on the seating cushion and more stains on the padded bumpers by the beds. That was gross.