Vision of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We enjoyed the trip for the most part.  Very disappointed that the ship had to bypass Roatan for a medical problem with a passenger.   We had plans for Roatan and will probably not go back for awhile.  The Crew was great but constantly pushing you to buy the overpriced packages (Drink, photo...etc)  The drinks they were serving should not cost $13.  Its not like they ship was buying the ingredients for them from one of the islands.

This cruise was horrific! We we're rerouted for a medical emergency, not sure why they didn't helicopter the poor man off the cruise, but they didn't. We missed our stop in Honduras and the cruise line did nothing to make amends. I would want the best care for my family, but I would not expect a cruise ship full of people to be out on my part with nothing but a "thanks for understanding". Concerning that he was ill enough to need medical attention worthy of rerouting the ship, yet he could stay on board for the 10 hours it took to get to Mexico! Maybe they can't accommodate a helicopter landing?!. The employees were rude overall, felt like it was the ship employees either trained on or were sent to for remediation. The ship is VERY SMALL, you can not get food or drinks 24/7, there is one small outdoor pool so you have to fight for chairs if you want to enjoy the sun poolside. We were given one price for the drink package and charged much more. When we spoke with guest services about the price difference they were uncaring and basically told us the price is what it is. The ship smelled of feces on the last 2 days, a malfunctioning system they said. Unsanitary and disgusting!! We had excursions get cancelled last minute with no comparable alternatives and most already sold out since we didn't find out it was cancelled till the morning of. Nightlife is pretty nonexistent, one bar/club open at night. Sadly if you're not into a night club you will be in bed early!

The good: our room attendant Yvette was amazing, friendly, took great care of us! 

The main dining room had wonderful food and terrific service. Mexico and Belize are beautiful, a definite must visit, just not on the Vision of the Seas!

Keep in mind that this was my first cruise (age 45) so I have no basis for comparison. Also, neither of us drink, nor do we smoke, which I only mention because plenty of others do. One full side of ship, on certain outdoor decks allow smoking and have ashtrays placed every few feet. The casino, which had a small designated non-smoking area, reeks of cigarette smoke. I should also mention that The Vision is a small ship compared to many these days. I believe it accommodates around 2,000 passengers. My BF and I chose this trip for the itinerary, price and dates of travel.We booked the cruise nearly a year in advance and chose our stateroom (large oceanview ) based on advice from my BF, who has cruised multiple times.Be aware that wifi will cost you another small fortune with no guarantee that it will work (we did not purchase, but heard many others complaining). 

We left from Tampa with scheduled stops in Roatan, Honduras, Belize City, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. Sadly we never made it to Roatan as the ship diverted to Cozumel in the middle of the night due to a passenger needing medical care beyond what the ship and/or Roatan could offer.

Prior to boarding the ship we had purchased excursions for each port of call through Royal Caribbean's site. Be prepared! This can be a huge ( $800+ for the 2 of us) expense on top of what the cruise cost. However, the excursions were the saving grace and worth every cent. We had originally booked a dolphin encounter in Roatan, so when we diverted we decided on the Royal Dolphin Swim and Manatee interaction in Cozumel at Chankanaab National Park. AMAZING!!!! We also took our own snorkel gear and took advantage of time left over after our dolphin experience at the park.We chose the Lamanai River and Ruins tour while in Belize (air conditioned, 45 minute bus ride then an awesome, fast speedboat ride in the rain and a tour of ruins followed by a wonderful meal!), a catamaran sail and snorkel in Costa Maya (gorgeous water, but ship sponsored excursion required us to wear life vests while snorkeling in a tightly packed group) and a Mexican cuisine class (we prepared and then indulged in a spectacular 3 course meal) at Playa Mia on our 2nd trip to Cozumel.  

Back to the ship experience. The onboard activities  were limited and many were an upcharge. Some things that were of interest went on too late at night and our excursions all started very early. We started to feel like we were being nickel and dimed to death. There was an evening that we went to the scheduled karaoke to find the venue closed to public due to a group of Elvis fanatics buying out the place. No activity was scheduled to replace and it was never removed from schedule. The explanation was that they had no time to schedule another activity. We only ate in the Windjammer (big selection, mediocre food and many items served were listed as menu items in the main dining room, as well), aside from one night of specialty dining at Giovanni"s. We have traveled to many places and it is very different to stay on a ship vs in a hotel room. Size, amenities, etc. I seriously over-packed due to the inability to do laundry on the ship myself (or pay a ridiculous fee to have it done for us). The ship seemed to be constantly rocking, making me somewhat seasick, which I DID NOT expect to feel. There was also a smell of sewage throughout certain areas of the ship for the entire trip. The staff was pleasant and helpful and our room steward, Daniel was sweet and kept the room tidied up throughout. However, I wish I'd seen more than 2 towel animals in 7 nights and a souvenir Coke bottle from Belize was thrown away when not in a trash can. 

I know there are a lot of negatives mentioned, but we did truly enjoy ourselves.  on this trip. The weather in February (coming from the Wash D.C. area) was superb! The water was warm and beautiful. The breeze on the ship was amazing. Watching the sun rise and set over the water was beautiful! Honestly, I didn't think I'd want to cruise again yet we are already booked for next Feb on a larger ship. 

Ship was great along with the services, meals, snacks, and personnel will book another trip soon. Cheap cruises should have provided us with some on board credit

First, let me start by saying this is our 6th cruise, having previously sailed with Princess and 4 times on Disney. We had a great time, but things were just not up to what I expected. That being said, we already booked our next cruise with Royal Caribbean!

So here goes. First cruise out of Tampa. Port is easy to find, and you can drive right up, unload your luggage and then park. Parking was $105 for the week. Getting checked in was quick and painless. Once on board our room was available by 1 PM, which was quick compared to other ships I've sailed on. The ship was diverted before the first stop due to a medical emergency on board. OK, I can't be upset about that because I'd want them to do the same for any of my loved ones. But as a result, we went to Cozumel twice, instead of Roatan. I've been to Cozumel 3 times before, so that was a disappointment. Everyone's ship-booked excursions for Roatan were promptly refunded.  

On the other cruises I've taken, they were always taking your photo, and pushing you to buy the packages, which I never do. On this ship, the photographers were there, but didn't pester you to take your picture, which was nice.

The crew were all very friendly and helpful! I had only one bad interaction where the woman screwed up our room service order, which took more than a half hour to receive, and we didn't eat because it was wrong. When I called her to complain, she claimed it was my fault. It was too late to place another order. Two nights in the main dining room (both very early) we had to wait a while to be served. There were several who were really nice and went out of their way to be excellent. More than once I asked for two appetizers or two entrees. Once he brought me two portions because he thought "it was too small!" We had MyTime Dining, and if you don't have a reservation, you wait in a line next to the people with reservations to be seated. But our wait times were not excessive. The first night, she gave me a slip with instructions for making reservations, but I never did, because that defeats the purpose of

MyTime Dining. I love the flexibility of eating when we want, but I miss the old way of having the same servers for the whole voyage.

My 9 year old loved the kids club! My 16 year old wouldn't go near the teen center, which seemed like it was just a room. The game arcade had maybe 8 games, none of which were any fun. Plus Air Hockey. 

You have the freedom to adjust the mandatory gratuity amount to your own discretion, but in my mind, taking money off for one bad server only penalizes all the good ones, because the tips are averaged out among all the crew.

Food: Just OK. We ended up eating at the specialty restaurants 4 of the 7 nights. The buffet was good, but not great. Breakfast was the worst. Sausage gravy that tasted like paste from art class. The turkey and pork sausages were both lousy as well. We tried the main dining room once for breakfast and the menu was the same. Not what I would have expected. There was a cafe in the adult section near the spa that had great sandwiches, which we sadly did not discover until about the 5th day. 

P.S. - some of you may wonder how we ate so many times in main dining if we ate at the specialty restaurants 4 out of 7 nights... Multiple dinners, OK? Don't judge me... that's how I can state the quality of the food- I ate it all!

                                       --- Hot Rock Dining at Izumi!---

The entertainment seemed geared toward the ship's demographic, which appeared to be an average age of 70. But we were pretty tired after our days ashore anyway. Movies on the big screen by the pool every night! 

Internet was ridiculously expensive, so days without email--- boo hoo. Soda was not free, but we had purchased one drink package, so we did ok. 

On our scuba dive in Belize, one of the divers was actually the guest services manager on his time off. I got to chatting with him, and he was very friendly. Back on board, he sent us an invite for our family to eat at the Chop's Grill specialty restaurant on the house! At the time of our reservation, he came to our table to meet the rest of my family! Very nice surprise!

Overall, I can forgive the so-so food and lackluster entertainment in favor of the deal we got and the friendly atmosphere. Our stateroom attendant was very attentive and friendly, and I actually gave him an extra tip! We had been eyeing a 12-day cruise for this December which encompasses Christmas and New Years' on the Grandeur of the Seas. We wanted to check out this ship first, and were interested in any deals they may have for booking on board. Glad we did, because the price was the same and they needed only $150 down per stateroom, of which I booked two, and they gave us that amount back in credit to use on the cruise we were on, PLUS another $50 for each stateroom for the next cruise! So basically FREE deposit!

In summation, I would rank Royal Caribbean third out of the three lines we've sailed, but that's not meant to be a criticism. Disney is our favorite, but pricey (we don't pay because we are DVC members, but can only cruise every so often due to the points needed.) Princess is nice, but didn't have the itinerary or dates we wanted. This cruise went to 4 stops in a 7-day sailing which is uncommon, and three of the four were places we hadn't been (Still haven't been to Roatan, sadly.) The Christmas cruise is 12 days, with 5 stops, 3 of which we've never been to. Oh, and the onboard agent was able to list WTH () as our agent, so we can possibly get more promotions through them!

If the saying "you get what you pay for" is true, then I guess we did, because we paid a very low price, yet still had a great time! Any time I started to think "Hmm..." about anything, I remembered the low fare we paid for the cruise. If the litmus test is "would you do it again?" then the answer is resoundingly "YES!" (since we ARE!!)

                                       ---Docked in Costa Maya---

                            ---Costa Maya, seen from the Ship---

                                 ---The view from the deck while at Sea---

                                        ---Sunset, Last Night at Sea---

                                          ---The Vision in Belize---

Lets start with the positive.  The food and waiter was awesome. 

The ship was small, so if you get sea sick easy I would recommend a larger ship.

The ship is old. Staterooms small. Was upset with a couple workers, Casio employees not the friendliest.  My husband was upset that he couldn't have breakfast in the set down dining room because he had no sleeves but he could go sleeveless in the same dining room in the evening. Made no sense. 

Vision of the Seas is an old ship and showed it.  Royal Carribean is not what it used to be, we were on the Freedom of the Seas 5 years ago and it was much nicer.  They didn't even have shampoo in the bathrooms and I didn't bring any.  Only 2 main shows on a 7 day cruise.  Lacking in entertainment.  Food in the windjammer was mediocre, food in the main dining room was very good.  We had just been on a Princess Cruise 2 weeks prior, and my preference is now definitely Princess.  It's just a lot of little things on Princess that made it more special, like clean public bathrooms, shampoo and conditioner and shower jell in the bathrooms, refrigerators in the rooms, service in general.  Unless on bigger ships it's nicer, but on this ship everything was very disappointing, I feel like I wasted my money.  Not sure I even want to try another Royal Carribean ship to see if it's any better, at this point I'm just staying with Princess cruises.

The dining staff was very nice, our servers in the dining room were great and so was our room attendant.

Have not been on a cruise for many years.   After countless all-inclusive destination vacations -- my husband and I decided to give cruising another try.  We were not disappointed.  The staff was a shining example of hospitality.  Always ready to help with a smile on their face!   Our overall experience was very good.  We will be booking another Royal Caribbean cruise very soon!

We thoroughly enjoyed each island we visited in the order that we did.  We started with Roatan where we learned about the culture, experienced firsthand the poverty on the island.  The Land & Sea excursion we booked through Hilton Honors was sketchy at best, but turned out OK.  Our tour guide was a very nice young man just out of high school and actually coming to the states in the fall to attend college on a soccer scholarship.  The next port of call was Belize where we visited their museum and learned a great deal about the Mayan culture.  Poverty level was a slight bit less prevelant than in Roatan.  We headed for Costa Maya and experienced the Mayan tribe doing their ritual pole jump, watched the porpoise show which was great.  Last stop was Cozumel.  There we took the tour to the Mayan Ruins which was fascinating.  It was quite obvious that both Costa Maya and Cozumel were not as poverty stricken as what we had experienced on the other two island, although there are undoubtedly areas that we didn't see that the poverty level was just a great.

The cruise itself was great.  Service in all areas was extremely good, but I must admit not as great as the larger ships, which we cruised on previously.  The weather left a lot to be desired, but of course, that's no ones fault.  You take your chances.  Entertainment was also very good and as always, the food was great..  The Activities Director, Elvis, was exceptional............he basically made the entire cruise what it was!!

If and when we book another cruise, it will definitely be on one of RC's larger ships.

We had a great trip. All the workers were great. Our staterooms attendant and waiter were excellent and were willing to help with anything to make us more comfortable. The main dining room food was always great! For our ports we were very informed and prepared. Overall we were very pleased and would do it again!

Other than a little chaos during the boarding process, I couldn't think of any way the cruise could have been better.  The staff were beyond great, going the extra mile to make us comfortable and happy. The bridge kept us notified of what was ahead and as to our progress through the cruise.  The staterooms were kept in an immaculate state of order as was the rest of the ship.  The dining room staff were very attentive to requests.  Security was very courteous at all the ports when leaving and returning to the ship.  The excursions were great, since the was something for everyone at al of the ports.  The only thing I can say is, I miss the Midnight Buffet.  Good Job RCCL.

Vision  of the Seas is a wonderful ship.  We enjoyed the smaller sized vessel as it was super easy to get around and comfortable having fewer people.  There were never really any lines or waits for seating or service.  The staff was very professional, courteous, friendly and helpful.  It was very clean.  Our room was on 8 and we loved it.  Very comfortable and roomy.  They do provide shower gel, shampoo and conditioner in small tubes/bottles.  They will keep you stocked.  Ice will be left daily if you ask your cabin attendant at beginning of trip for daily ice.  I can honestly say the cabin service was 5+Stars. 

The specialty restaurants are A+++.  They were some of the best meals I have had anywhere.  Giovanni's Table, Chops and Izumi...buy the 3 or 4 night dining package for $70 or $85 and you will not be disappointed.  You will be disappointed if you do not.  The food in the Aquarius dining room is really nothing more than a hotter version of what is in the Windjammer cafeteria/cafe, served on a ceramic plate and not kept in a chafing dish.  Eat breakfast at the main dining room, just hit the Windjammer or Park Cafe in the Solarium for lunch and the specialties for dinner.  If you want a quick dinner, eat in the Wndjammer.  We attended one formal night in the dining room and it was not great food.  We decided to add another night to specialty dining.  

The cafe hours change daily, so be sure to check the newsletter daily for venue hours.  It can be confusing at lunchtime.

Entertainment was okay.  They constantly had something going on.  Three nights had a comedian.  A few nights had perfornances by the RC singers and dancers.  The final night was a little rough so the aerial show was canceled.  The Centrum parties were fun.  Do not miss the 70s dance party.  The Art Auction three to four times was too much.  Try to avoid it.  It is quite disturbing that so many people will buy pieces of this quality and the prices they auction  them.  Art and art history person here...heed my advice.  Go to a real gallery or art show.  Skip this event.  The daily games and game shows are pretty much the same as on other ships.  I swear the trivia, scavenger hunt and love and marriage show are exactly the same as on Carnival.  Same questions.  I think frequent cruisers participate just to win, lol.  

The itinerary was why we chose this cruise.  Key West, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel.  We had excursions booked in all 4 ports. The ship had to skip Costa Maya due to rough waters that would make it unsafe to dock.  We were disappointed that we missed it.  The extra  day at sea was a little rough, literally.  They had to drain the solarium pool because it was rolling with the waves and splashing all over the deck. Yep, it was rough.  We were given a bit more time in Cozumel (extra hour) the next day which was nice.  Cozumel was the best port on the journey...vibrant, beautiful and perfect snorkeling.

The port of Tampa was not the nightmare we had imagined after seeing so many complaints about it.  We got there about 11 am and on the boat before 12.  Check in was a breeze.  Our return was just as smooth.  We opted for self assist.  We were off the boat by 730 and waiting for our car on the curb by 815.  Not sure what others complained about.  Port staff was very helpful and friendly, even the customs officials. 

My cruise this time around was not such a good experience.  Due to the high waves of 8 - 10 feet we could not go to one of the ports.  Travelling on rough seas was definitely a scary experience for me. 

great.......................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................

................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................................................                                                                                                                    ............................................................................................

Dining room food was good, but buffet in Windjammer left something to desire.  Dining staff were excellent in all dining areas.  Cruise director's staff were not sincere.  Prefer our other cruise on Norwegian to Royal Carribean for food and entertainment.

We enjoy the Vision ..We returned to her this year because the crew is outstanding.!  We were disappointed that the ship was not able to dock in Labadee due to protesters in the area but we enjoyed the ship time and other ports of call.  

There are areas of the ship that could use a sprucing up and i think there are plans for that ..The cruise was very relaxing and the care and service was wonderful.

I feel that 10 days on the Visions of the Seas was too long.  We saw the entire ship in 5 days.  Not much to do after 10pm.  The port-of-calls were nice.  The entire staff on board were among the best we have encountered.  The food was great. The Staff made this ship enjoyable, but I would not cruse on it again.

The itinerary is the reason  I booked.  Food was ok. entertainment excellent but had to go an hour before to get   good seat.  Hassle with early dinning MY Time, even though I made reservations on line in October.  The wheelchair situation was a nightmare both boarding and exit.   Luggage misplaced upon return, labeled 17 and I found 2 pieces in 6 !!!! Outstanding dining server, Nalini and Edwin.  And excellent room steward, Lenore Reid.  Felt like we were nickel and dimed to death!!!  The library is a few bookshelves in a hallway.  And no coordination of bridge players for sea days.   Met  delightful people. 

Our cabin was in the "inside inside" of the ship but we had a great room steward.  We originally were given an 8:00 PM seating but eventually with much fuss we were able to sit at the 5:45 PM my time dining with our friends.  I would stay away from the Bingo on this ship as it was not handled in an up-and-up manner.  The ship has been remodeled since my last cruise with it in 1998 and it looks great.  The special dining, Giovannis, was magnificent and well worth going to.  In general the food on the ship was average, the desserts were better than average.  The staff worked out all of your problems and were very helpful and courteous.  We could not tender at Grand Cayman because of high waves but we just sailed a little slower towards our final destination.  Music on the ship was wonderful, the shows were good, but not as good as expected based on previous cruising.  All in all, we enjoyed ourselves and all of the ports we stopped out.

. 

Great cruise but weather was an issue.  Lots of clouds and overcast.  Had to skip Grand Cayman due to rough seas.  Ship was to be tendered so Captain felt the risk was too high.

The crew and staff were great.  I recommend Royal Caribbean and would travel with them again.  This was our 6th cruise. 

Tampa is not the best terminal to utilize.  Took customs almost two hours to clear the ship so we could depart.  Only three customs agents were on duty to cover two ships.  Lines were a bear.  If Tampa can not improve, then Royal Caribbean should stop going there.  It is a hassle there.