Vision of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

 The best experience. The friendly and hardworking staff.

The cruise director Mercedes did a great job, she organized a lot of shows during each day, many of them took place at the same time. 

We were a party of grandparents with grandchildren (19 and 16). The overall experience is good. But we noticed the differences between the previous cruises and this one. The ship is very nice. But nobody greats you when you embark, nobody takes you to your cabin. The cabin is great. Patric was cleaning very well. But there are no chocolates on the pillow at night (our granddaughter was disappointed), no toiletries except 2 pieces of soap (you have to carry them overseas or run around to buy them). Mattresses are not good. The feeling of the 5 star hotel is not there any more. The experience in the dining room was very good. Sandro and Jose were wonderful. We were looking forward for dinner. Also the guy (don't remember his name, who was making the reservations in the dining room) was extremely helpful. The different story about the buffet. There are three times less personnel than before. Nobody cleans the tables. You can't find the table because they are all dirty. I think I can bring a cup of coffee for myself, but find a clean table is more important. Also you have to clean the chair before sitting on it. They are all sticky. The floor is dirty. If you run around and find the person to clean the table, he or she will say 'sure', then turn their back on you and leave. They prefer to bring coffee than to clean a table.

About the itinerary. It was wonderful, if you can get from the port to the city. You are forced to pay for the shuttle, if you want to be on your own. There is no other way to get out of the port. I understand, that the cruise is a big business, but the cruise line should not charge for the shuttle. It is your responsibility to bring passengers to the point in the port were they can walk around and enjoy the city.      

For me, I cruise for the itinerary. I loved this itinerary. The only improvement would be to have an overnight in Rome. I had an excellent time, and bottom line, I loved the trip because I love Italy.  Other than that: service was excellent. Loved the capitain, cruise directors, waitstaff and room attendants. The food was inconsistent--some meals were excellent and some were not good. The entertainment brought on board were all enjoyable, but the ship's entertainers were mediocre at best. I did not like all the pushing of the RC excursions and lack of information provided beyond that. Sometimes I like their excursions but sometimes I prefer a smaller group experience. I'm not really into the activities for the at-sea days (like trivia games and napkin folding), but I was tired from the active excursions and enjoyed quiet days of reading and enjoying the sun while at sea. Overall, this was an excellent itinerary, and I enjoyed the trip. I would recommend it, and I would do it again?

Great sites to see in each port, whether with RCL excursions or private tours.  Deck 8 the uppermost deck is subject to very loud noises overnight as the cleaning crews roll very heavy carts above your head all night long.  Some nights we could sleep through, most nights we could not. Size of junior suite was wonderful as was balcony.  Room service great for morning coffee.  Entertainment was ok, not great. Overall a very standard cruise experience well done, but not on deck 8.

I took the cruise with my daughter since this was her graduation present. We had a great time and we now have great stories to tell.

The service on board was excellent, specially in the main dining area. The made us feel like family!

I would like to repeat the trip as many times as possible! I am very happy

We had a junior stateroom and it really helped being on the boat for 12 days. The only criticism I would give regarding the food was that the steak in the main dining room was really subpar. You had to go to one of their specialty dinning rooms and pay for the meal to get a good piece of steak. Otherwise the food was great. Cost for drinks were really high. Ship was clean. The captain was very visible and we heard from him everyday at each port. Headliner shows were mediocre at best. Some were better but most were just ok. The stateroom attendant and dinning room waiter were exceptional. They could not have done more.

There were eight of us traveling together on this cruise.  We arrived in Barcelona two days before the cruise and enjoyed the city very much.  When we arrived at the port via taxi, Royal Caribbean employees quickly took our luggage and we checked in within 20 minutes.  For the first two stops, Cannes and La Spezia, we explored on our own.  We wanted to catch a train to Nice for the day from Cannes, but by the time we got to the train station it would have been impossible to get to Nice and back in the allotted time.  Instead, we explored Cannes on foot which wasn't a problem.  From LaSpezia, we took the train to Cinque Terre.  We were misdirected and wasted an hour trying to find the right place to purchase our day passes.  For the rest of the cruise, we purchased excursions through Rome Connection, Royal Caribbean, and the link off of .  All of the side excursions were extremely enjoyable.  Everything was well organized and our guides were all informative.  I can't say anything bad about the excursions.  As for the ship and cruising portion, overall it was a great experience.  We enjoyed the trivia, bingo, entertainment, casino, fitness center and Zumba classes.  On ship, the eight of us did some activities individually and some together.  There was something for everyone.  We met up in the dining room for late dining.  I am gluten free, and I was able to order my meals the day before each dinner.  Overall, the food was average.  The gluten-free bread was horrible, but the gluten-free rolls in the cafe were good.  The gluten-free desserts in the dining room were horrible, and did not match their description.  Most were gelatinous molds that had little flavor.  Stick to the ice cream if you are gluten free, or go to the Windjammer buffet where they had gluten-free cookies.   They didn't have all of the wines that were listed on the menu, even only a few days into the cruise.  The accommodations were adequate.  We don't spend a lot of time in our room, so rooms aren't a big deal to us.  All of the staff members were friendly, professional, and courteous.  The gentleman running the Windjammer Cafe, and Elvis the Zumba instructor were exceptional.

The itinerary was great and well-balanced

Ship was well sized and spotless.  The balcony stateroom on deck 7 was spacious with lots of storage, well laid out, comfortable and accessible to dining areas and pool deck.  Pool area was crowded and noisy.  Solarium area was too hot due to lack of open windows, and had heavy chlorine smell.  Neither area was appealing.

Shore excursions were decent and well organized, but not as good as those we purchased from Cruises only.

Dining room waiters and cabin attendant were bright, personable, efficient, helpful and eager to please.  Food in dining rooms was creative, tasty, attractively presented.  Decent variety of offerings most nights. Portions at times could be larger, especially appetizer salads.  Breakfast and lunch buffets at Windjammer offered a very good variety of offerings, and were of generally good quality.  Park cafe was adequate, but opening times were inconsistent and varied from day to day.  There were times of day when lemonade (my wife's go-to drink) was the only unavailable beverage.

Daily newsletter at times had incorrect operation times of the restaurants listed, and staff was misinformed as well.  Guest services staff ranged from clueless to highly helpful and competent.  Upper Management (hotel director), however, was very responsive when we came to them with legitimate concerns. The captain was a gem, and management personnel were approachable, helpful, and eager to please.

Gathering procedure for shore excursions on tender days was not as well organized as advertised, and importance of obtaining a tender ticket, even if an excursion was not planned, was underrepresented.

Culture of upselling, especially during first 3 days, was insulting and annoying. Subtlety was nonexistant.  We were constantly approached by staff pushing packages for the specialty restaurants.  Bottled drinks were offered for sale at the exits during departures at ports.  Placards were everywhere offering drink packages, specials and sales, etc.  We could not escape the concept that we were there simply to enhance the profitability of the cruise company.

Had it not been for the ports, the cabin, and the service people with whom we interacted daily, the experience would have been more negative than positive.  I would do it again because of the special itinerary, but would alter my approach and expectation.  I might look for a slightly more expensive and upscale line to avoid the annoyances which tarnished our experience. Had this been a Carribean cruise, it would have been more negative than positive.

If you want to relax and also enjoy some ancient historic and scenic locations, this is a great cruise.  Royal Caribbean does a great job with customer service and keeping the ship nice and tidy.  Our cabin steward was wonderful and so was the formal dining service. 

My only complaint was that the on board entertainment did not suit my tastes and I thought the shows needed improvement (lead singers were not in tune).  The TV content was very out dated (2012 copyrights) and the programming repeated over and over many times.  With 12 days on the ship, it got bothersome. 

Excellent cruise and staff.  Everyone very attentive and always offering to help or provide with their services. Food was excellent and activities were very entertaining.

We took this cruise as part of our honeymoon.  While we wished we'd had a longer amount of time in some of the ports, we were very happy with this cruise.  The ship is one of the smaller ships in the fleet so you are able to recognize other guests and the staff get to know you within a day or two.  We really liked that.  The specialty restaurants on the ship were fabulous.  We ate in one of them every night as we liked the food there significantly better than the main dining room food.  We also got to know the servers in the smaller restaurants which added to the overall experience.  There was a great variety of events on the ships from trivia to honeymooners mixer to theme nights.  We have told everyone that we are very glad we made this part of our honeymoon!

Enjoyedcruise so very much. Much to do and see. Also time to rest and enjoy quiet time. Enjoyed the Diamond lounge, and the crew there was exceptional.

The ports were amazing, Kotor was the best. It is a must see. 2 days in Rome would be better than 2 days in Venice. The staff were nice and accommodating. The food was much better the second part of the trip. Due to the high prices of the shore excursions we did many of the sights on our own, by hiring a driver when we got off of the ship. Also, the shuttle prices were a little high. We wanted to spend more time in the spa on the at sea days, but, again, the prices were beyond normal, a facial was $169 for 50 minutes. Overall, it was a great trip and we had a blast.

First of all our cabin person Made was superb, he ensured that everything was clean, neat and in place; he always asked if everything was fine and immediately remembered our names.  We appreciate Made.  Cabin 3032

Our table waiters were fantastic!  Rolland was excellent and always available, Gabriel as well.  Absolutely NO complains, just praise for these excellent people and all the personnel at the cruise line.

We booked three (3) land tours, one was cancelled and refunded promptly since we were unable to dock in Villefranche.  However, I paid extra because I was informed that booking at the boat costs more than if I would have done that through internet.  This is not a good policy and I never heard or read about this. 

The land tour to visit Corsica Ajaccio was $53.75, and I paid $161.25 for the three of us.  I noticed that the tour at the city, which is walking distance where the boat docked, is only 10 euros.  I understand that the RCCL has to make some money on tours, but approximately $40.00 per person more is too much and the tour was nothing to rave about.  It did not include an inside visit to any site and again, it was exactly as the one that was offered at the city.  I seriously suggest that this is reviewed and maybe lowered or eliminated.  We are not happy paying so much more really!  

We noticed the quality of certain items are either eliminated or the quality is not as good as years ago, but this is going on just about everywhere and overall, the service is very good.   

WE found racial discrimination while in dining room by the head waiter Marc and Neno. I did speak to senior administration about the same and hopefully it will be taken care that it will not be repeated.

TUVE ALGUNOS INCONVENIENTES ESPECIALMENTE PARA UTILIZAR LA HORA QUE TENIAMOS DE INTERNET GRATIS.  LAS TV DEL CUARTO NO ESTAN PROGRAMADAS PARA VERIFICAR LA CUENTA A BORDO

The check -in in Tampa was not very pleasant and very, very slow!

Food lower in quality, menue differed from reality, shows were low grade.

Positive: friendly personnel, clean, but very small cabin, service over all OK

Internet much to slow even in port! maybe it is only a money making machine.

The food needs to be labeled "vegetarian" properly. This cruise had "vegetarian meatballs" that were meat meatballs. "Vegetarian chicken" that was actually chicken with vegetables. Along with lots of "vegetarian" food that contained oyster sauce or seafood. Aside from that....key west, Madeira. Malaga and Barcelona were all amazing ports. Highly recommended!

Food quality and variety very disappointing.  Was told I'd find food superior on Royal Caribbean as compared to Carnival.   Not so on this cruise. 

Shows were very good as well as onboard bands.

Booked "large" ocean view cabin and found it way too small.

Overall very good cruise. Greats ports of call. My time dining is awesome. Never felt rushed to make it to a dinner time. Lot's of fun stuff to do aboard the ship.