While this was a very enjoyable trip, I don't see myself going on another vision class ship from Royal. They are simply too small with too many people. It honestly felt more crowded than being on a fully loaded Oasis trip.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Honestly, no issues with embarkation from Baltimore. Lines moved quickly, staff was friendly and we had no issues at all. Total time was maybe 30 minutes from getting out of our car to getting on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food on Vision was, ok. The buffet is quite small, even for this size of ship. The selections for breakfast were basically the same every day, which while the food was good, it wasn't great, and some variety would have been appreciated.
Main dining room was quite a bit better. Meals were varied, portion sizes were great, and the overall flavor of the food was better than the buffet for sure.
Only specialty restaurant we ate at was Giovanni's Table, and it was amazing. We received a very good deal to have dinner one night of the cruise, and it was well worth the price. I stand by my opinion that Giovanni's has THE best steak on Royal.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
As this is a very small, older ship, there aren't very many activities on board. There is a rock wall, which, was getting some use, but the weather was too cold / raining to get much of an audience. There is no mini golf on this ship, which, is a bummer but there's really no room anyway. The Solarium area was pretty nice, and the pool got quite a bit of use, as did the hot tubs in this area. When I would walk the upper deck, I did notice a handful of people taking advantage of the fitness center.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
This is where Vision, and likely this entire class of ships, fails in my opinion. The caliber of production shows was simply not up to par with what we have experienced on other Royal ships, even other small ships such as Brilliance.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service received on this ship was simply perfect. We have never had a bad experience with the service and staff on Royal and this was no different. Our main dining room waiter went well above and beyond when he personally delivered our dinner to our room after my wife became sea sick after placing our order in the main dining room. The crew at cafe latte'tudes knew our names and drink preferences by the 2nd day of the cruise and would always call us by name when walking by.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The layout of this class of ship is the biggest downfall. They are simply too small for some areas. Let me explain. The casino, while technically having both smoking and non-smoking sides was way too small and as such had too many people smoking inside. This caused the entire casino, as well as the surrounding areas, to smell like smoke. Honestly, smoking just needs to be banned from all indoor areas on Royal, including the casino.
The deck layout is another downfall. There were multiple "dead-ends" on the ship. Having to go up or down a floor, then walk to the other end of the ship, only to have to go back up or down to get to your destination is, frustrating to say the least.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
This was the first time staying in an interior cabin, and while it was clean, it could stand to be updated. There was no fridge in the room. We did have a cooler that we purchased through Royal with some drinks, but, we had to ask for ice daily, which could have been avoided if there was even a small fridge in the room.
The shower, no matter what you would do, would end up getting water outside the shower. This could easily be avoided by replacing the cloth curtains with a solid shower door. The ventilation in the bathroom was basically non-existent and the entire contents of the room would be damp from steam after every shower.
Boston was great! So much history, so much to see, so little time! The Freedom Trail was a nice long walk through many different areas of Boston's history, and I highly recommend it.
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