Vision of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Sailed on Vision to a 10 night southern itinerary to the A-B-C Islands and Key West and Grand Cayman the first week of December 2015 out of Tampa. 

Vision is an older and smaller ship but has had some nice additions with the recent refurbishment.  There is a Park Cafe, Izumi, Giovanni's Table and Chef's Table as well as Chops Steakhouse. We had dinner at Izumi one evening and it was very good and the lunch at Chops was good also. The food in the MDR was disappointing and not up to normal RCI standards.  It was only good at best and the time to get it was painfully slow.  Our servers however did an excellent job.

There were only 2 production shows, which is surprising for a 10 night cruise.  The headliner shows were good, but there was no late night comedy at all and not much entertainment after 11pm. The Quest game show was fun as always.

Enjoyed the movies on the big screen.  Would like to see popcorn and blankets and hot chocolate offered (like some other cruiselines). 

Really enjoyed the ports of call we'd not visited before:  Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao.  Key West was a short stop and Grand Cayman was fun even though we'd been there several times before.

Overall Vision is a very beautiful ship with lots of nice public spaces. 

The Ports of Call.  I will focus on the A-B-C Islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Aruba:  "One Happy Island”   We did an excursion with Trikes Aruba.  We had the orange bike and after a short driving lesson, we set off on the roads of Aruba. (Que the Steppenwolf music.....)   Our tour took us to about 75% of the island and 95% of the highlights. We stopped at the California Lighthouse. We then drove to the Alto Vista Chapel where there was a Pina Colada (made with fresh coconut and pineapple juice) food truck set up. On the way to the Gold Mill Ruins, we drove along the west coast and past several beaches including Eagle, Palm and Arashi (which we planned to take transport back to once the Trikes tour was over). At the Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, we saw hundreds of cairns (man-made rock formations) on the beach. There were also some very rough waves crashing onto the rocks. Not safe for swimming although our tour guide told us that some (crazy) locals do partake in the challenge. This was the only area that the Trikes were able to drive off road. Here we saw the ATV’s and jeep tours stopping as well to visit the ruins. There was also a food truck set up here selling beverages and snacks.  The last stop was the Casaberi Rock Formation. From the top, there is a breathtaking view of Aruba although it is very windy. Our Trikes were the highlight of stop at the Casaberi Rock Formation. Guests on other tours were coming over and taking pictures of the Trikes. We felt like rock stars when they found out that we were riding them!  It was an experience we will never forget.

Bonaire:  The Woodwind crew of Dee, the captain, underwater photographer and assistant snorkler were fantastic.  The provided us with caps and shirts and wetsuits to wear.  They also had a full face over mask that allowed me to breath from my nose and mouth and also had an attached snorkel.  We went to 2 snorkel spots in the Bonaire Marine Park and spent approximately 45 minutes “drift” snorkeling at each site.  We saw turtles and some amazing schools of fish.  When we were finished with snorkeling, we were served a wonderful Thai recipe lunch of noodles, chicken and vegetables along with beverages of our choice including beer and rum punch.  We were even served dessert. One of the BEST excursions we have ever done.  Definitely the BEST snorkeling!!!

Curacao: We reserved a private tour with Gaby of Sand & Stilettos.  She sent us a brief questionnaire so that she could build a tour based on our interests. As a local she knew the best places to see which we would not have seen or been able to spend as much time as we did had we been on a cruise ship tour.  We visited the northern most tip of Curacao at Shete Boka National Park. We saw amazing crashing waves and a very cool cave and there were hundreds of man-made rock formations called cairns all over the place!  We stopped for a photo op at Playa Kenepa - the most photographed beaches in Curacao. Gaby then took us to the Karakter Curacao Restaurant for lunch. We had the daily special which was a whole lionfish! It was fantastic and served with seasonal veggies. The Karakter was right on the beach and there were seating areas under papalas on the beach and also in the open air restaurant. The water was a bit rough and rocky so make sure to have water shoes!  On the drive back to Willemstad, we drove over the Queen Juliana Bridge (apparently the highest in the Caribbean) which divides Willemstad into the Punda and Otrobanda districts. We were dropped off in downtown Willemstad near the Riff Fort which has shops and restaurants and we had to walk through it to get back to the ship. Before heading back however, we walked across the Queen Emma pontoon bridge (which swings open sideways to let ships pass) to the Punda district. It was late in the day, so many of shops were closing. We did get to see the floating market where ships make the trip from Venezuela, bringing fresh fruit and produce to the island for locals and tourists. We ended our day in Curcao with drinks and dinner at the Gouverneur.  We sat outside on the balcony and had a fantastic view of the Punda and the Queen Emma Bridge as night fell on the beautiful island of Curacao. Gaby gave us a great first impression of her beautiful and friendly island and we can't wait to come back again someday soon!

Good ship, great staff and crew, easy to reach everything, short lines. This was a much better experience than when the Enchantment was in Baltimore. i would sail on this ship again and hope future cruises go similarly or better!

Overall an excellent cruise!

We chose this ship because of the itinerary. It fit perfectly with our vacation time (11 nights, just after Christmas), and we had never been to 3 of the 6 ports before. We knew it was an older smaller ship, and didn't expect much of the exciting activities like water parks, thrill rides, etc. The ports were going to be our excitement! And they were! ** Great trip overall. ** We would go on this ship again if the itinerary was this good. Otherwise, we usually choose bigger, newer ships.

This was a great cruise. Small ship was wonderful! Didn’t walk yourself to death to get somewhere. Cruise director Steve had more energy than I have ever seen! Friendly, attentive staff. Negative - No coffee pot in the room, wish they had a popcorn machine for snacks, toilet paper was like tissue paper!

We had a great time but I wish we would’ve canceled it because of the virus. It’s was very risky and we quarantined for 2 weeks after we got back. Not because we where sick or anyone one on the ship was sick but our work thought we needed too.

Relaxing not so much stress staff servicemaided

Vacaciones excelentes. La atención del personal en todas sus areas, la limpieza y la puntualidad en todo fue de nuestra entera satisfacción. Los guías turísticos deben de traducir en español solo lo importante.

Couldn’t ask for a better cruise! It was very port intensive but we loved every minute of it!

Poor, would not return to this ship or similar of this category. Poor cruise director. Not enough to do onboard. Rubbish shows.

We all had a wonderful once in a lifetime trip. Saw so many places, ate different kinds of foods. Our 2 bedroom suite was beautiful. Had loads of fun. The only bad thing is that it went by so quick.

Overall we had a good time. We learned that Vision is just too small for us. I really didn't like the enclosed solarium. Park cafe was too basic. Windjammer too small and basic. Loved that it had less kids probably because it was smaller and didn't offer enough entertainment. Loved the itinerary and will continue to book for itinerary with the ship coming second. Staff were great and really made our cruise good. They were short staffed and under pressure. Our room Stewart was great. Couldn't have asked for better

My wife & I are in our mid 60's & we went on the cruise to see our grandaughter's Jr & Sr Dance Troop perform on Vision of The Seas. There performance was great. We have cruised several times & the last cruise was on the larger Royal Caribbean Oasis Of The Seas cruise ship which we really enjoyed the larger cruise ship & there activities on board too.

Overall I enjoyed my first cruise! Looking forward to going again in the future. I would definitely cruise with Royal Caribbean again! Great staff and entertainment!

Favorite part of the cruise:Ports visited, Entertainment onboard, Dining options onboard

This was our first cruise and due to the fantastic experience we had with Royal Caribbean it will definitely not be our last. From embarkation which was quite orderly and quick, to our stateroom with a window which was very comfortable. The bed was pretty close to being in our own bed!. I cannot commend the Dining room staff enough as well as the food. The meals were incredible. The food in the Windjammer was "okay" to "good". But the Dining room meals were over and above expectations. The cafe desserts were quite good as well. There are a couple things that I would have liked to have: a blanket and popcorn to watch the movies on deck. It was quite cool and popcorn is always a plus for movies!. Would like to have more options to get a snack after dinner. And just one thing. I think that Royal Caribbean should have a highlighter in each room. It would not cost much and would be a nice touch when we receive the daily Cruise Compass. Other than that, we had a superb cruise and thank everyone who helped make our cruise a dream vacation!

Overall, this was a good "first cruise." Not too long, not too short. The ship itself was a little underwhelming because of its age and how dated it was, but nothing was in disrepair. I don't think I would go on this cruise again, though.

This is not the best or newest ship on the seas but it was a very nice trip for 12 days. I think where this ship stands out is the staff. The entertainment director, Mercedes, was very nice. They had good trivia and a lot to do onboard and most of the staff was very accommodating.

The negatives - my travel agent told me they had laudry facitilies on this ship. They don't. I found out none of the RC ships do now. Instead they overcharge you to have a Tshirt washed. The nickel and diming onboard as well can be a bit extreme but is pretty  normal for cruising. The wifi was $20 a day which could be worse I suppose but for 12 days for a cruise we had a $240 wifi bill.

The ship was clean but our stateroom had a strange smell to it and the stateroom attendant, while nice, wasn't really that great.

The excursions were okay with the exception of the shuttle boat to Venice. It was $28 RT per person per day - and was about 105 degrees. One guest had complained that his son was throwing up from the heat and the motion of the boat.

This is a smaller ship and lacks some of the "bells and whistles" that the newer ships feature, but its compact size has benefits as well. The ship never seemed crowded, is easy to navigate, attractive, clean, well-maintained, and the staff is great. Overall, I would cruise on the ship again with the right itinerary, and recommend it to first-time cruisers or those looking for a more exotic itinerary.

We had a great time of the Vision of the Seas cruise. The food was wonderful and the service was top notch. The amount of movement from the boat was pretty high. I have gone on 2 other cruises and I did not feel the rocking of the boat near as much. We had wonderful weather so my only conclusion is that the ship is smaller and therefore you can feel more. It was not a problem for us other than walking a straight line. The hot water in the showers were my favorite part as they got hot and they got hot immediately. We had a window room and the space was nice for a cruise ship. They had lots of activities, but if you are not interested in trivia games, dancing, or gambling you might be bored. They had a rock wall and 2 swimming pools. If swimming on board is important to you, this is not your cruise ship. There were 2 pools: one for everyone and an adult pool. Both were fairly small so it wasn't so much swimming as standing in the pool. There were 4 hot tubs (2 per pool). During are port stay in Cozumel they drained the main pool and worked on it all day. Therefore the kids were allowed to go to the adult pool. There is a sign stating only 100% potty trained kids allowed but there was still an accident that morning which rendered the adult pool unusable for the remainder of the day. This was a bummer for those staying on the ship. But that was really the only negative. There was plenty of food and a great atmosphere. It is an older ship so there are plenty of places that look a bit worn down, but it was nice and clean and still pleasant. I would have no problem going on this same cruise again. I would add, Costa Maya was a really neat port so if you have the chance to visit, do it!

Cruise was amazing. Met or exceeded every expectation. Ship very clean & well-maintained. All staff was very eager to please. Cooking class at Playa Mia very enjoyable.