Tropicalgal2

We are wondering which section of the Promenade staterooms on decks 8 and 9 are the quietest? Is there a better floor?

What Ocean View room numbers on decks 8 or 9 are the largest rooms?

What Ocean View room numbers on decks 8 or 9 have the floor to ceiling windows?

What would be the best the best JR Suite and why?

Can you get transportation from Orlando airport to Port Canaveral? If so what is the price?

Thanks in advance for the help! :D

I believe that Capital One credit cards do NOT charge a foreign transaction fee. Just to be safe, that's the card I use for my Sea Pass account.

We live in Panama and almost all American credit cards now charge a "Foreign Transaction" fee. Banks stopped using the word "foreign Exchange" fee several years ago. Panama are a dollar based country but we got hit with fees in the late 90's. We changed to Capital One and have not paid a "foreign Transaction" fee since! :)

I officially started packing today!! Getting excited. I see Justin Beiber is in Panama right now! :eek:

Please invite him back to the states . . We don't need him here! :)

I asked the conceirge at my hotel to recomend the man we used, he did give me his card, but 3 yrs and a move, who knows where it went.

Asked the night before we left, so there was time to get someone, and we left the hotel at 10am so we did not have to rush for our afternoon departure.

He was great - took us around various spots and gave us a commontary as we went - then to the canal - told us where to go and waited - then drove us to old way to the port - stopped once at a stand for us to get a drink, and again at the port for my daughter to buy a six pack of coke a cola - he was awsome. Did not rush us, and cost was not bad.

Thanks for getting back . . . Understand about moves and three years! :)

Mario was a no show for me too. I ended up using Michelangelo (yes, that really is his name) for the visit to the locks and the transfer to the ship. He was awesome.

Do you have any contact information for Michelangelo? Would be helpful! :D

We too are wondering what to do. (IOS in February) I think that I will do the Replenish Package...but still am confused about non alcoholic drinks.....do those include the frozen drinks??? Every other package specifies frozen drinks (not worried about any glasses). I like the idea of having everything paid for before we go though.

Here is what I receivecd to email questions I sent RCCI. The answers are in darker blue. Hope it helps! :)

"Are virgin frozen drinks included in the package such as virgin Piña

Coladas and virgin Strawberry Daiquiris? What other non-alcoholic drinks

are in the package? Would all on the mixed drink menu BUT without alcohol

be in the package?

Yes. All non alcoholic cocktails are included.

What Frozen drinks are in the package? The information says “. . .

frozen drinks, non-alcoholic cocktails” or are they one in the same?

This is the same.

How far in advance can you make reservations for mtd? Thanks

You don't need to make a reservation for MTD but you will need to select your dining time, early or late, depending on the ship.

You can choose MTD up to the first supper of the cruise. You will be charged a per person advance tip rate to your ship account at that time. If you reserve ahead of time, before your sail date, you are charged and it is part of your payment due before embarkation.

They still open... click on them. As far as I can tell they only open one at a time

When I click on the photos, it takes me to another page.

http://s828.photobucket.com/user/lainemaxwell/media/HP/visionresized/Image45_zps10e02cb0.jpg.html

The photo is the same as it appears on this page NOTHING. I must signin before I know if I can see the photos. I'm not interested in that! :(

Small world!!! I was in 8588

 

 

 

 

 

Your cabin is the very top HUGE wrap around under the glass on the right side of this pic. You'll have the window washing apparatus hanging above you which is not in the way imo. The glass above is the spa.

 

You are not going to believe what you se when you get out on your deck... you will never want to leave!! :p

Thanks for the photos! This will be ours in March! SOOOOOOOOOOO LOOOOOOOOOOOOOking forward to it! ! ! ! ! :p :)

I'll throw some keywords at the top here so that in the future hopefully people can find this as a reference. These photos were taken on 11/11/13 - 11/13/13 just after a revitalization of the ship was completed in October 2013. (other keywords: dry dock, rejuvenation, re-decorating, rehabilitation, new venues)

 

I took way more photos than I even thought I would; so bear with me as I will post them in small sets of areas. I do not have every area photographed but this should still be helpful to anyone considering the ship.

 

That said; let's knock out the stateroom first.

 

Cabin: 2580 - Outside View - I believe these rooms are new or heavily heavily rehabilitated. It still had a "new" smell.

 

Notes: Starboard side - About 5 cabins ahead of rear bank of elevators. Near silent cabin. No odd sounds. Room is absolutely spotless.

 

New Samsung Flat Screen TV's. There is a photo of the different ports and inputs on the TV, but I don't know if they are disabled or not. Yes the TV is on an articulating arm and can face the sofa or the bed easily.

 

Closet includes tons of wooden hangers for both shirts and pants (with the clips). Personal flotation devices are in the closet

 

A bunch of room service order forms near the door, but no pen in the room. :confused: . No fridge/cool box. Yes there is a safe. It was the touchpad variety for the combination. No I did not use it. I do not own an iPad so don't know if one would fit.

 

Blackout curtains excellent. REALLY effective at blacking out the room to sleep.

 

Bathroom has good amount of storage; there are also opening cabinets to the right of the vanity and shelves with little sea rails on them. 4 hooks on back of the bathroom door. Water pressure, excellent. Temperature control, excellent. Never had an issue with the toilet. Note: All you get amenity wise is two small bars of soap. There is a soap dish by the sink and one in the shower. The showed head can be raised / lowered, pivoted, removed from holder (hand held). Pretty standard stuff but worth a mention.

 

I asked nothing of the room steward (did not even meet him until departure morning) and on the second night I left the do not disturb sign up when I went out as I didn't need anything and thought it would be one less room for him to have to turn down. That said, the evening service the first night, and day service the second day was just as expected. (This was a 2 day cruise)

 

 

I'd take this room again. When I got back on the ship I went up the stairs and was at my room in under a minute for sure. Very quiet. I think deck 2 OV cabins have smaller windows than other decks but they were not "small" really and let in a ton of light. Not sure I'd trade to get a bigger window but potentially be underneath public venues by moving up to deck 3.

 

More will follow later this evening

 

 

 

 

 

What happened to the photos? :confused:

Thank you for your email.

 

We apologize for the delay in our response. More customers than ever before are choosing the convenience of email as their primary mode of communication. As a result, the turnaround time for responses has increased. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused.

 

The Royal Replenish Package offered by Royal Caribbean International includes specialty coffee drinks, such as lattes, cappuccinos, mochas as well as frozen virgin cocktails such as Pina Coladas. Additionally, it includes the following:

 

The Royal Replenish Package, at $20 per guest each day, includes:

Premium coffee

Premium tea

Bottled water

Sparkling (375ml)

Still (500ml)

Fresh squeezed orange juice

Non-alcoholic cocktails (includes frozen varieties) Fountain soda with souvenir Coca-Cola cup

 

This all-inclusive package is available for purchase onboard throughout the voyage when there are at least four days remaining. It must be purchased for the duration of the cruise, and the price is prorated based on the date of purchase. Package prices are subject to change without notice and include a 15% gratuity. The price does not include Value Added Tax (VAT), which may be required on some European sailings.

 

Packages will be available for purchase prior to the cruise at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/beforeyouboard/cruiseEnhancements.do, or by calling one of our Pre-Cruise Planner Specialists at 1-800-398-9819, option 3

 

As a Gold member of the Crown & Anchor Society, we especially value your patronage of Royal Caribbean International and appreciate this opportunity to respond to your inquiry. The Crown & Anchor Society was created as a recognition program that offers members-only benefits and valuable rewards. Please look for the Ultimate Value Booklet so that you can take advantage of the special discounts available to you onboard. We are happy to offer you an invitation to our exclusive Welcome Back Party (information will be in your stateroom), as well as an Onboard Booking Bonus when you plan your next cruise vacation onboard. To view a complete list of member benefits available to you please visit: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do.

 

Thank you, Mr. xxxxx, for being one of the 50 million guests we have had the pleasure of welcoming onboard! We are eager to show you the personalized Gold Anchor Standard service that keeps our guests loyal to Royal Caribbean International, and we look forward to sharing millions of wonderful memories to come. We look forward to welcoming you back onboard.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Linda Seitz

Customer Service Representative

I got almost the same response from my email. I had asked some specific questions. Here are the answers that we received and they were confirmed with a phone call. We were asking for the Vision of the Seas so the answers are specific to it but would apply to other ships.

"I will attempt to answer the questions you have asked below, in blue. Some items vary by ship, itinerary and availability.

1 - What premium coffees are include in the package (cappuccinos and

lattes) any others? Where are these available on the Vision? I am assuming

in the MDR. Are there other locations as well? Are they available 24/7?

Cafe Lattetudes is the main location for these beverages. Here we feature illy coffee.

2 - What are the “specialty” teas? Where are they available?

Cafe Lattetudes is the main location for these beverages, we also have teas available in all restaurants. Specialty teas may be items like Chai.

3 - Are virgin frozen drinks included in the package such as virgin Piña

Coladas and virgin Strawberry Daiquiris? What other non-alcoholic drinks

are in the package? Would all on the mixed drink menu BUT without alcohol

be in the package?

Yes. All non alcoholic cocktails are included.

4 – What Frozen drinks are in the package? The information says “. . .

frozen drinks, non-alcoholic cocktails” or are they one in the same?

This is the same.

5 – What are the types of the fountain sodas offered in the package?

Coca Cola products are included in the program, Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Diet Sprite, Ginger Ale. Not available 24/7 but close to it.

6 – What juices are included in this package? Where on the ship could one

get these? Would pineapple juice and other juices be available using the

package from the bars 24/7?

Orange, Cranberry, Pineapple and Apple juice are available. Not available 24/7 but close to it.

7 – Where would one get the water both still and sparkling water?

All bar locations provide this service.

8 – Where on ship could you get what you wanted from this package besides the MDR, any bar and the Windjammer? ?

All Food and beverage areas, except Room Service and the Stateroom set up - (Mini Bar).

I hope this helps answer the questions you have. If there is anything else I can assist with, please feel free to contact me directly.

Mr. and Mrs. XXXX, thank you for choosing to sail with Royal Caribbean International. We appreciate your patronage, and feel honored that you would chose to sail with us in celebration of Mr. Young's birthday. We look forward to welcoming you back on board the Vision of the Seas in March.

Sincerely,

Flavia Ferrari | Senior Executive Representative"

Hope his may be a help to someone else! ;)

After reading so many conflicting reports here on this thread and elsewhere about the Replenish Package, I decided to e-mail Adam Goldstein directly about the package two days ago. I was pleasantly surprised an hour ago with a call directly from his office answering my questions:eek:.

 

I have asked that they send an e-mail response to me as well as proof of what was discussed in our conversation in case anybody on the ship has a different opinion that what I was just told. When I receive the official e-mail, I will post it here as well for all to read.

 

Basically, I was told that the answer to all of my questions was :DYES:D. The only one that they said was not a yes, was Starbucks, which she said should not be included in the Replenish Package at any time. Below is a list of my questions I sent to them.

 

1 - Does premium coffee include cappuccinos and lattes? If so, where on the Independence are these available? I am assuming in the MDR and at the Promenade Cafe. Are there other locations as well?

2 - Are virgin frozen drinks included in the package such as virgin piña coladas and virgin Daiquiris? My daughters love these and I would prefer to purchase a package for them that included frozen non-alcoholic beverages, such as these, over purchasing pop for them.

3 - Are beverages from Squeeze on the Independence (and other Freedom class ships) included in the package?

4 - Is pineapple juice included in this package? I seem to remember it not being included as a basic drink in the MDR with RCCL, where it was with other cruise lines. Would pineapple juice (our girls love it) be available using the package from the bars during the daytime?

5 - I know that Starbucks is not on the Freedom class ships, but are any beverages from Starbucks included in this package on ships such as the Oasis class ships?

 

 

Like I mentioned above, the answer to all of the questions above was a definite YES (other than question #5).

Thanks for your post. Will be looking forward to the written answers. I got the same answers when I called RCCL directly but . . . We are on Vision wonder where things would be on that class ship?

Thanks again! ! ! :D

Is there any chance you could forward me a copy of the e-mail you received from RCCL. I have printed out e-mails before and taken them on the ship to show employees and then had them change their minds about what they were saying. In particular, I got an e-mail last year telling me what tricks were permitted on the the flowrider from head office. On the flowrider, they were not permitting many tricks, so I showed them the e-mail. A call to the purser's desk and a confirmation from head office and the tricks were permitted. I assume the same would hold true for the issue about frozen drinks being permitted on the Replenish Package if the ship was saying no.

I have written, in December, but have not heard back. Could you send me a copy of your email too?

dcyoung@cwpanama.net thanks!

Years ago I heard that cruises in near the canal have nothing to do in ports. So that's not true? What does the land look like? Mountainous like Virgin Islands or more like Mexico.

There is a lot to do in Panama. You should fly into Panama City and the transit to the Colon side for departure. There is the Panama Canal, Puerto Bello, Panama la Vieja and a lot of other things to see in and around Panama City. Panama has tropical jungles to deserts. Beautiful sand beaches to mountains. It depends on where you are in the country! :p I would recommend that anyone planning on taking a cruise out of Colon plan on a few days before or after the cruise or both!! :D

Are you planning on going this year, 2014? You NEED to do the Colon route this year. I would also recommend that you make your reservations ASAP! RCI is not coming back to Panama next year! :mad:

Would love love any info and pictures of Vision suites

 

Thanks!!:)

I posted this on both of your posts! ;) There are links to photos of Vision at the bottom.

22 March 2014 will be our second time on this Southern Caribbean cruise. We did Grandeur last year and loved it. The ABC islands are beautiful! Cartagena, Colombia is very historic. We did ship sponsored excursions in Colombia and Aruba. We did our own thing on the other stops.

We love this class ship as it is smaller. We have cruised on bigger ships and really didn't like it as well. This class you get to meet people more than once and can visit with them again and again if you choose. We met several different groups and were able to visit throughout the cruise.

This is an immersion cruise. Most announcements are made in Spanish first and then in English. We are bilingual so it wasn't a problem. We found that most English only people could communicate in English with someone when they needed help. The only exception we saw was in the stateroom area there were a very few room stewards that spoke Spanish only.

Would love to have you on this cruise with us. :) There are only a few rooms left as this cruise itinerary does tend to sail full. :rolleyes:

If you copy this link it will take you to photos of the reverberation of Vision.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...=vision+photos

This link will also show you photos of state room 2580.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...=vision+photos

Hope this will help you.

We are getting ready to book our annual March Anniversary cruise and we are considering the Vision of Seas to Aruba etc. has anyone done this since the refurb? Would love info on ship? Experience and ports.

 

We are mid 40s spend a lot of time in our room when traveling just the two of us. Usually in suites. Love the beautiful southern carribean Virgin Islands but know nothing about these places.

 

We like to work out and we love nice pools and dining but don't really care about the mega ships.

Thanks!!

22 March 2014 will be our second time on this Southern Caribbean cruise. We did Grandeur last year and loved it. The ABC islands are beautiful! Cartagena, Colombia is very historic. We did ship sponsored excursions in Colombia and Aruba. We did our own thing on the other stops.

We love this class ship as it is smaller. We have cruised on bigger ships and really didn't like it as well. This class you get to meet people more than once and can visit with them again and again if you choose. We met several different groups and were able to visit throughout the cruise.

This is an immersion cruise. Most announcements are made in Spanish first and then in English. We are bilingual so it wasn't a problem. We found that most English only people could communicate in English with someone when they needed help. The only exception we saw was in the stateroom area there were a very few room stewards that spoke Spanish only.

Would love to have you on this cruise with us. :) There are only a few rooms left as this cruise itinerary does tend to sail full. :rolleyes:

If you copy this link it will take you to photos of the reverberation of Vision.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1922402&highlight=vision+photos

This link will also show you photos of state room 2580.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1944034&highlight=vision+photos

Hope this will help you.

They did not add the Freestyle machines. We were rather spoiled by them on Enchantment.

 

I'm glad we tried it out. Now I'm debating about switching our March 2014 to a Vision of the Seas 7 nighter out of Tampa.

What are your dates in March 2014? We are on Vision on 22 March! :)

I had 8588 on the 2 day prior to the 3 day repositioning to Colon. The suite was fantastic. Completely new fixtures. There was a ton of storage. It will be interesting if they have fixed any of the minor details, like the drawer in vanity that was not fastened and such. Nothing major though and the air did work perfectly there. That wrap around balcony was perfect. They somewhat ruined my planned sail-away party with guests as we left Nassau early without announcement, but it worked out and I sure had space for guests back there.

 

I also really like the 'secret' staircase about 4 cabins forward on the inside that goes up to the Spa and is great for a short-cut to the Solarium and the new Park Café.

By chance did you take photos that you could share? We will be in 8588 for the 22 March, 2014 sailing! Can't wait! ! ! :D

I don't know where you got this information from, but as of today 11/23/13 RCI's website states different from what you have posted.

http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/en_US/pdf/beverage_package_flyer_faq.pdf

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/subject.do?snav=2&faqSubjectName=Food+%26+Beverage&faqSubjectId=336&pnav=5

 

It sounds to good to be true, hopefully it only because they haven't had a chance to update their website. :confused:

According to other lists and RCL the new information will not be available on the web site until AFTER 1 December and maybe as late as 15 December! :(