4TNCruisers

Just curious if anyone has done this and if so how was it?   Thanks!

The first night of our July 3rd cruise they were a little lax about the dress code in the dining room because they knew some of the people hadn't gotten their luggage delivered yet. I took two pairs of pants and just changed into shorts after dinner. My feeling is that I didn't want to be the guy they turned away at the front. Have a great trip!

I have been reading that the specialty Coke machines haven't been working well, causing lots of lines- just wondering if that is still the case? We cruise in 3 weeks. I only use the soda package for the sparkling and flavored waters and if they aren't going to be working most of the time, I don't want to get the package.

 

Also, how much is a soda if we opt not to use the soda plan? There is only Coke products on the ship, correct?

 

Thanks

Hi! We were just on the July 3 to July 10th sailing and didn't have any issue at all with soda machines. Two of my kids had the drink package and they were able to get whatever whenever with no big lines. There are plenty of them around the ship and you will find some that are "hidden" from the main areas. And yes, it is only Coke products. Have a great trip!!!

We are Aft lovers....never had obstructed view on any of them; this includes Independence and Mariner. Our upcoming cruise is our first corner aft room and we couldn't be more excited. The balconies are bigger and I love sitting there early morning and sunset watching the ocean go by.

Loved hearing you liked cabin 1400....that is our cabin for the July 3rd sailing and we cannot wait. We always get aft cabins and this is our first corner aft cabin.

Hi everyone :-)

 

we are planning our first cruise with RCI and trying to find the perfect cabin ;-)

 

we LOVE aft cabins, but don't like the superstructure on freedom class

 

we had afts on NCL Epic, NCL Jade and MSC Fantasia

 

on Epic it was very loud during the night, while the ship had its highest speed

my husband closed the door for the night :-(

 

on MSC Fantasia everything was perfect, not loud, no noise and great view of course

 

on the Jade we had a JS and it was very noisy in the morning when they clean up the great outdoors. only for some minutes, but we woke up every morning cause of moving the chairs

 

 

now my questions: there is no superstructure on deck 10? a great view?? does somebody have pictures of 1400 (or 1700)

 

is there any noise from the windjammer on deck 11??

 

is it very loud while ship is on his way in the night? could we sleep with open door?

 

are there 2 chairs and 2 loungers ?

 

how about sun on the balcony?

 

 

if we decide against an aft, we would like to take a hump on deck 9 or maybe on deck 8

 

what would you prefer???

 

price is almost the same - only some dollars difference

 

 

Thanks for your answers

 

Melanie

First thing....get off here and reserve cabin 1400!! lol We just reserved the same cabin on the Freedom next summer. We only get aft cabins and you are very lucky to get either 1700 or 1400...they are first to go. I was in aft cabin 1702. Hopefully the pictures I've included will help you some. The view is spectacular; no obstructions. To answer your questions....there is no noise from the Windjammer at all. In all of our cruises with aft cabins we have never encountered loud noises at all. We actually went into cabin 1400 before we left ship and it was bigger than our room next door and the balcony was bigger. 2 lounge chairs, a table and 4 other chairs. Book this room and just enjoy!

Can you make reservations for private lessons on embarkment day? Thanks!:D

21 Days Independence of the Seas

Thanks 4TNcruisers, we might do that instead. I appreciate it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

:) welcome

Thanks 4TNcruisers for the review, what kind of shore excursions did you do ? Key West- any of the beaches? Grand Cayman - Stingray?

Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

In Key West we did the Key Lime Bike Tour and it was the best! Great way to see the island and very relaxing! Lot's of time for pictures. I highly recommend this....plus the piece of key lime pie at the end was worth all the work! In Cayman, we have been here before so we didn't do the Stingray City thing again. We did the Island tour and beach time excursion and really had a good time. The tour was fun and just enough time a the beach. We were at Tiki Beach. Each person got a chair and a drink. There were plenty of places to get lunch if you wanted. :)

Thank 4tn for the great review. How was the back aft cabin? Any noise/vibration? Did you run into any seas and how did that work for you in the aft cabin? What was the best thing about Vision?

I am very biased, I only get aft cabins! My family loves them! The best thing is getting room service, eating breakfast with the family and having an unobstructed view of the ocean! Movement is minimal and the only vibration you feel is when they drop anchor and it was minimal at that. Like I said, we only do aft cabins! The best thing about the Vision was it's not too big to get lost and not too small to get bored! Enjoy!! :)

So nice to have a positive review. Glad you had a great time. We sail on the Vision in August. Did you dock at the International Pier in Cozumel? We would like to get a rental car in Cozumel.

Our itinerary on this trip was Key West and Cayman.

Thanks for the review. I appeciate the balance and am glad you had a good vacation. Do you, or anyone else, know if they have mini fridges in inside cabins (K category - deck 8)?

We were on Deck 7 and yes they had a mini fridge. It's full of drinks but you can take them out.

Art.....Thank you' date=' thank you, thank you!! So glad to hear about your trip. I have a soft spot for Vision and have had a hard time with the latest reports!! You just made my day. Looking so forward to boarding in two weeks. Loved your suggestion about the Casino!! Might have to do that!!!![/size']

I have sailed on this class before (Grandeur of the Seas) and the Vision by far was our best time ever! We LOVED this ship and our time on it. We now have a real fondness of this ship.:)

Thanks for the positive review. We sail in a month and have been concerned. Of course going in with a positive attitude definitely helps, which you seem to have done and we plan on as well.

We had a great time and it really doesn't take much to make us happy. Like the Cruise Director says on the first night...get involved, make new friends, and relax; which is what we did!! Have a great trip!!:)

Did any of you participate in the "Thriller Dance" performance?

No we didn't, but we watched the practices and the final performance. It was great! :)

Sorry I didn't....had room service every morning. Breakfast on aft balcony is the best!

Mine showed up within about a month of my sail date. I just got off the sailing that I used them on and no problems! Just call them about when you sail date gets closer and they will be there. :)

I decided to write a small review of my family's recent cruise on the Vision. Being my first cruise on this ship, I have read many reviews and comments on this ship. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being a little bit concerned about all the negative reviews of this ship. I went in with an open mind and came away from this cruise wow'd!

BEFORE CRUISE: Stayed for 2 nights prior to cruise at the Holiday Inn Express Cruise Port on 17 St. All I can say a great, friendly staff and the accommodations were excellent. The only suggestion I can give you here is do not take the hotel arranged van transport to the port...opt for a taxi. The reason is the van charges $8.00 per person. My family of 4 was able to take a taxi; tip and all for only $15.00. Do the math, the choice is an easy one! I would definitely stay at this hotel again.

EMBARKMENT: Taxi picked us up at 10:30 am and we were checked in and on the ship at 11:00. Very quick and very uneventful....the staff here were very friendly, not a grumpy one in the bunch!

SHIP: My first impressions of the ship was WOW! What a clean and beautiful ship. Every crew member that I encountered was friendly and seemed overly happy to have us on board!

FOOD: We did my time dinning and loved it. My suggestion here is to make your reservations ahead of time. We were never delayed in our seating time. The food selection for our family was very good. We always found something great to try and NEVER had a bad meal here the whole trip. Lobster night was on the 4th night. Wait staff was great and very attentive. Windjammer was always hopping, but could always find a nice table to sit. The food selection was not gourmet but was good enough for our family. We always found something great to eat. The deserts as always were great.

DRINKS: We only had the soft drink package here, because my wife and I don't drink enough alcoholic drinks to make it worthwhile. With that said, we did purchase alcoholic drinks during our stay. Most of the complaints I have read from other travelers was that the bar service was extremely slow and waits for servers to take drink orders were invisible. I can tell you this, I NEVER had to find someone to take my drink order either at the pool, shows, casino or wherever. The servers were out in force and drinks were plentiful! A small tip and they always found us. In talking to a few other people who had the ultimate drink packages, they were very happy and had no complaints.

ACTIVITIES: The Cruise Director, Steve, and his staff were THE best. They went out of their way to get everyone involved and were always visible on the ship. The shows were very entertaining and worth watching. Not your typical cruise ship blahh shows. The Love and Marriage show is always a hit! Rondell Sheridan was hilarious and Tony Tillman put on a high energy show. The show NOT to miss was they 70's Disco Inferno Party in the Centrum. High energy and had everybody dancing, clapping and having a great time. Bingo is always a fun thing for us to do and you can always find a game. My kids used the rock climbing wall and they loved that. The staff there was very good about helping them and encouraging them to keep coming back.

CASINO: Not a whole lot of machines here, but enough to keep you entertained. My suggestion here is to avoid the casino and just donate some money to Make A Wish! If you do this you will feel a whole lot better than leaving it at the casino! LOL

DISEMBARKMENT: We left the ship in our group at 8:20 am was through customs and arrived at the airport at 9:30. Taxi fare and tip was $20.00.

This is just my opinion on things and as you know people see things different. I can tell you this....My family and I had a great time on this sailing and enjoyed every minute of it. We were definitely sad to have to leave the ship as it left a lasting impression on all of us. I know I have forgotten some things, but I would be willing to answer any questions you might have. Have an open mind and you will have a great trip!

Family likes Embassy Suites and was just wondering if there was plenty to do within walking distance with kids from this location. Thank you in advance!