Vision of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was our first cruise and was not sure what to expect. We were pleased with the stateroom and the ship. Our first day at sea was a bit overwhelming due to the number of people trying to enjoy the pool area. Talking with other experienced cruisers a larger ship is better. Once we arrived in the first port things got much better. We had a wonderful time and the service was great. I would recommend this ship for those that want a relaxing trip and older crowd. The itinerary was excellent and excursions were great fun. 

Ship was great! I can get lost in a hotel, but the ship had all types of devices to see where you were, where you want to be and what to do at that time.  Easy process boarding and debarking.  Chose to eat at a scheduled time at a scheduled table, so my 3 friends and I ate with two couples each night.  The waiters were pleasant, efficient and entertaining. The food choices were fabulous and if you wanted a change they were happy to accommodate you.  Food and beverages were available on a number of decks, even a Ben and Jerry's ice cream! Although we were in a stateroom on the lowest deck, it was comfortable for two with lots of storage space.  Entertainment was very enjoyable and available all day and half the night!  I would highly recommend a cruise with Royal Carribbean!

The amazement never stopped. From the beautiful ship to the fine dining every aspect delivered a dream vacation. Our stateroom was clean and the attendant was always greeting us by name and meeting every request. The waiter remembered our drink order and the food was excellent. Cannot think of one negative detail.

I don't know if it was the cruise ship or just getting away from the cold.  We had a wonderful time on the Vision of the Seas.  The staff was very friendly and helpful.  The food was fabulous and the weather was great.  The captain joined in on many activities, which I have never seen before.  He was very friendly and interacted well with the passengers.  He sang to us, played volleyball, walked in the Make a Wish walk and was quite visible throughout the cruise.  Our Waiter and Assistant Waiter were great and very attentive.  I know other areas of the dining room did not receive such good service.  Some complained the ship was older but I thought it was well maintained and clean.  The staff was always cleaning, painting or doing something to keep the ship in good shape.   We met many friendly passengers and crew members since it was only my husband and myself we did not know anyone on the ship but we all felt like family by the end of the cruise.

Well cruising the west Caribbean was amazing. My sister and I had a amazing time. Our excursion's were exceptional with excellent guides and great information to offer. The crew and staff was as always splendid!!!! Friendly, kind the helpful!!! The sea was very rough but great care was taken to go slow and have at had any meds we may need to keep thing from making us sick. Our experience was great!!! The only thing I would say is to have better food at the windjammer café or I should say a better selection. For example many more desserts and what happened to the chocolate fountains as well as fiestas at night? But it was wonderful also my many thanks to our waiters JO and ROLANDO excellent service. Not for getting out room attendant which the name escape's me but he was also amazing!!!!!   Thanks again Janice Mills

Most everything about the cruise was very nice except the dining.  Instead of a regular time to eat, We chose "My way dining".  We have cruised on Norwegian before and knew how this works.  R.C. should go on Norwegian to see how it works.  We went to be seated and were told that without a reservation, we could not get in. The first few nights, we ate in the buffet. Then we tried to go back to the dining. The head guy looked us up on the computer and asked why we hadn't eaten in there before. We told him because they kept sending us away. So after about 1/2 of playing with the computer he found us a seat.  Then before we left, he made us a reservation for the next night, and only at 5:00.  So my time is really only at 5:00 and only if you make a reservation.

Very good cruise. This was our first cruise. Not knowing what to expect and based on reviews we read prior to departing, we felt the Cruise Director on the Vision of the Seas wanted attention and really didn't care about executing his job. He was visible when the spotlight was on. He didn't really plan a lot of activities for people our age (40-50). If you were a senior citizen this cruise would have been perfect. Activities were centered around a much older crowd.

We had a small insect problem in our stateroom. They looked like small flies or gnats. The food was great in both the buffet forum or the dining room. The staff, other than the Cruise Director, really went all out to make sure everyone was taken care of.

It was kind of ironic that the focus of the ports was to buy diamonds and gems from a large retailer and then the movie "Blood Diamonds" was shown on board.

Overall, it was a good experience and we would definitely recommend a cruise just probably on a bigger ship with more on board activities planned.

The entertainment was good. The staff courteous, but food quality was only middle range and the buffet line was closed after 8:30 .. not like the old days, no midnight buffet or great steaks unless you paid for an upgrade to the specialty dinning rooms. Constant marketing from the time you got on board till you got off the shop.  The drink packages were insanely priced, with a coke/water package costing $140 for one person for the week. There must be a better cruise line out there somewhere.

 Everything was just as we expected.  All of the crew were pleasant. The dining staff was very attentive. We did not take part in any of the excursions but still had a fine time.  

We really enjoyed this cruise and would take it again anytime!

Capt Marek Slaby lead a team of professionals that catered to our every need. His fun loving and outgoing nature permeated the crew; everyone was really happy, helpful and treated us like welcome family members.

We did not attend much of the on board entertainment; however, we did watch the musical show put on in the Centrum by Capt Slaby and his crew. Very talented group. Very approachable. Interactive! Lots of fun! They also put on a terrific parade of flags.

The cabin layout was better than any other we have had. The "living space" was adjacent to the balcony, so if you wanted to be inside, you could sit on the 3-seat couch and still feel like you were right outside. Cabin layouts we've had on other RC cruises had the bed adjacent to the balcony door ... so if you wanted to sit inside, you had to sit on the bed ... and had to navigate around the bed to get to the balcony. This layout ... exterior stateroom door / bathroom & closet / bed / living space / balcony ... was much more usable and seemed much more spacious!

Meals were excellent and the wait staff very attentive.

The shore excursions in which we participated were great - snorkeling in Roatan, Belize city tour, Semi-Sub in Cozumel and more snorkeling in Costa Maya. The snorkeling at Tabyana beach in Roatan was the best snorkeling we've every had ... so many different fish, so many shapes and colours ... and the coral was truly impressive!

The ship was very clean and well maintained. We had a few minor concerns that were quickly and effectively addressed by the staff. Our stateroom attendant Zoe was outstanding! She knew our names after the first time we met; she remembered our wants and anticipated our needs. She was one of the first people we saw each day and her upbeat attitude was infectious! What a great start each and every day!

Getting off the boat at the end of the trip was well handled, both ship board and on shore. It ran ahead of schedule ... what more can I say?

My only complaint on this trip regards the dining room management and attention to my food allergy. To ensure things run smoothly, I've gotten into the habit of visiting the dining room on the afternoon I board the ship to explain my allergy ... and I did that on this trip too. I asked that we be seated with the same wait staff each day so they would be familiar with my allergy. On our third day, we were on our third new seating with new wait staff. We raised a complaint on that evening and, finally, the issue received the attention it should. On other cruises, dining room management have ensured that kitchen staff was aware of my allergy to ensure there was no accidental contamination. Because I am careful, there were no issues, but the initial lack of attention to this issue made me feel like a severe food allergy was not important to them. The individual waiters and waitresses were excellent; this was a management issue. Once it was addressed, it seemed like there was overkill to compensate for the initial lack of interest. This was a single issue and there were so many other great things about the cruise, I do not want to leave you with the wrong impression. We would this cruise again in a heart beat!

We had nothing but trouble in the dining room.  Although the service was really good, the entertainment was just ok and the food was almost the same every night.  The ship tends to nickel and dime you to death.

This is my second cruise with Royal and I wasnt disappointed. Although it was an older ship, they had a lot of activities planned. It was an older crowd but we met some great people along the way. The workers on the boat were wonderful and always friendly. Will def be going back again soon!!

This was a very good cruise, with interesting stops, and excellence services.  Some problem with waiting for dinner at "my time" for too long. First two nights at dinner we had to wait 45-60 minutes even though we had reservations for a specific time.

Great opportunities for meeting nice people, appreciating the beauty of the water, and ship.

We felt this cruise was the best.  Royal Caribbean made this cruise an enjoyable experience.  The evening meals with Rommel and Genere were 5 star.  They made us feel welcome and their service was excellent.  The evening shows were Broadway class.  We recommend this cruise.

We were not impressed with the food on the cruise.   There was not the variety as on other cruise lines.  There was only one little café to go to if you wanted a snack at night.  It had very little to pick from, and the items were not that fresh.  They served crumbs for chips.  I had been told when on the ship that there were no late night buffets because it was a waste.  I can understand that, but there should be something edible for people who want something to eat late at night.  The entertainment was very good most of the time.  We thought there was not enough activities like on other cruise lines.  The Cruise Director was very good, and we thoroughly enjoyed the times he was there.  Our room was clean but never vacuumed.  We had threads on the carpet and sparkles the entire week.  We went to the "shopping" seminar, and all they did was plug Diamonds International.  When we were in Cozumel, we were told to take a taxi to the "Forum" to shop for the best shopping; and all it was was Diamonds International and its associates.  We were so disappointed.  I do not think we will be going on Royal Caribbean in the near future.

We particularly liked the smaller ship.  It was nice to meet people more then once which usually is the case on the larger ships.  The Centrum was well designed and offered nice entertainment.  Dining room service was great and food was plentiful and well prepared.  We were disappointed that Royal Caribbean is no longer offering a discounted wine package. 

Everything was great....service good. 

Travel agent outstanding -- very caring and helpful with all of our questions.

Only thing I would suggest to Royal Caribbean is have the photos available online after the cruise for purchase.

Cabin was fine, but there was no shampoo, etc. Even a cheap hotel offers that, and I had not packed any since it's usually a standard amenity. Prices for the same drink were inconsistent from bar to bar and waiter to waiter. One evening I ordered a glass of "house wine" with dinner and was charged $17! Really? What would a glass of premium wine cost?!?! Sound systems were way too loud in some venues and barely audible in others. One afternoon trivia moderator barely spoke English so we not only had to guess the answer, we had to guess the question!

We will probably not use this cruise line again.

The loud PA systems at ALL events was too loud.We had to leave some areas because of it. That is the only thing that kept me from giving you the top rating.

We revisited several ports we've been to before...Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize. Each port has improved since our last visits. However, the port areas were very touristy and very actively trying to sell you souvenir type goods....same goods in each port.

We could not do any of the sports/adventure tours this time and those might have improved our port experiences. The tour of Roatan was interesting but showed the poverty of the area. The reef that encircles the island looked as if it would provide excellent, shallow water snorkeling or diving. We have been to the beach in Roatan before and it is lovely.

If you travel to Cozumel, leave the port area and taxi/walk to downtown. Eat at Pancho's Backyard and shop in their shop. Good food and nice products in their winding store.

The tender into Belize took about 20 minutes and we should have taken a tour of the city. Our friends did and found it quite interesting. A poor area divided from the wealthy area by a local river.

Our ship, Vision of the Seas, was comfortable, well staffed, clean, and fun. We went with a group of friends and met others on the ship. I recommend Royal Caribbean; this was our third cruise with RC.