Nice Traditional Cruising Experience

Vision of the Seas Cruise Review to Bermuda

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Vision of the Seas

5 Night Bermuda (Baltimore Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 14, 2024

Ship: Vision of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 8020

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 2 months ago

Review summary

Vision of the Seas is a great, classic-style cruise ship, the traditional style of sailing. There are essentially no bells-and-whistles, the interior of the ship is hardly “instagrammable”, but the staff more than make up for it in impeccable service and nonstop entertainment. The ship is extremely clean and well-maintained and although it is doubtlessly old, it doesn’t feel worn out in any way. Plenty of quiet spots to unwind and get away from crowds - and plenty of excellent entertainment and activities. The staff made an incredible effort that truly paid off, they had different celebrations in the MDR on a few different nights, a great “flag parade” with crew/staff representatives from various nations celebrating their heritage, a very thoughtful celebration of veterans, and lovely shows. The food was very good, the cuisine isn’t exactly avant-garde but it is tasty and well-presented. The 2 bedroom Grand Suite was wonderful, can’t believe we’ve been booking 2 connecting balconies previously when traveling with extended family or close friends, it is so much nicer to have a single stateroom with your loved ones. We did have rough weather the first sea day which closed the sun deck, that does put some pressure on the small size of Vision as it takes away key relaxation and activity space. Still, on a sunny day this is a great ship with enough to keep most people entertained. My main takeaway, honestly, is sort of a melancholy feeling knowing that these small ships are largely on the way out - I hope the mega ship trend is reaching its climax and the mainstream cruise lines bring back some semblance of traditional cruising. I can’t recommend Vision of the Seas enough!

Embarkation

4 out of 5
Once in the terminal it all went smoothly. The line to park was pretty rough, but it kept moving.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
The dining room food and service were great, not the broadest selection but the food was tasty and well-prepared. Waiters and service spectacular as with the rest of the ship. The food in the Windjammer Buffet was good but it was overcrowded. We ate room service for lunch after the first day because of the crowding. It was possible to get a table but you did have to sort of make your way through crowds.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Unfortunately the sun deck was closed our first sea day due to inclement weather, which did result in overcrowding of the pool areas (main pool and solarium). On the second sea day, though, it became clear that the sun decks were very spacious and able to easily offer space for everyone. Lounges were very nice.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The staff went above and beyond in making the experience memorable. The stage shows were quite cheesy, but they were fun and the performers were absolutely top-notch.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The staff were fantastic - possibly the best of any cruise ship I’ve ever been on, including the luxury lines. From the wait staff to the suite concierge to our stateroom attendant and everyone else, the service was impeccable.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
I prefer the smaller ships so this one worked great for me. It rarely, if ever, felt crowded. It is clearly an old ship and it does look dated, there is no way around it - but the maintenance and housekeeping is so good that it feels more like you’ve traveled in time (whether you like that or not, LOL) than a relic or an old ship limping along.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Perfect suite for families, especially two couples or parents with older/adult children. Plenty of space to relax and the full sized table on the balcony made for perfect room service “al fresco” dining. Again, quite dated but very clean and well maintained.

Ship tip

If you’ve researched this ship at all you’ll see that this is not Icon of the Seas - the activities and amenities onboard are the traditional cruise experience. It is about sitting on the sun deck, seeing shows, doing trivia, having a cocktail, dining, socializing, and relaxing. If that is not your thing, stay clear - but if you miss “classic” cruising and want to stick with a mainstream line, this is a go-to ship.

Ports of call

Baltimore, Maryland

3 out of 5
The line of cars to reach the terminal was very long. As (most likely) a function of the fact that this was a shorter cruise and that this is a drive market, the crowd was a little rougher than typical on RCI. Nobody was unruly, people were generally polite, but expect to see some bare midriffs in the MDR and sleeveless shirts in the theater.

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5
Love Bermuda. Always a good time, just wish we could have stayed a bit longer.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Very quick and smooth.
Was this review helpful? 9

14 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe     1 month ago

Thanks for sharing

Gwbigdog     1 month ago

Thanks for sharing

Noncapisco     1 month ago

Very thorough review. I agree with you that Vision is a fine ship 🚢. I'll be sailing ⛵️ on it twice next year.

margesu     2 months ago

I agree with everything you said, A great description.

rickfab1     2 months ago

I agree 100% with your review. Love the Vision.

enjoyurdaysmile     2 months ago

Excellent review..thanks. I sailed on this ship in August of 2024. Bermuda overnight night, Nassau and Perfect Day at Coco Cay. The ship is nice and I liked it. We'll be back in her in March of 2025. That's great you got the suite. Thanks again for your review.

DessertSteaks     2 months ago

Thanks for posting

cruising2004     2 months ago

Thank you for your detailed review. Glad you had a wonderful cruise!

NeedToVacation     2 months ago

Agree 👍with your thoughts on Vision of the Seas. Just booked one on Rhapsody of the Seas for next February, which should be similar.

javawoody     2 months ago

Thanks for the detailed review

CarnivalDeb     2 months ago

Thank you for sharing. Glad you had a great time.

AuntPinkie     2 months ago

Appreciate your detailed feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

HeavySeas     2 months ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience and glad you enjoyed your cruise

wkran71     2 months ago

Thanks for your review. A great insight into the older ship.

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