The Great Adventure! VISION OF THE SEAS 12-Night Med Cruise: A Full PICTORIAL Review!

[Nicole721]

Afterwards, we were led through Chops grilling area and their espresso stations before ending the tour at Giovanni’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

They offered up the dining package again for anyone who hadn’t already signed up. We made a reservation to dine at Giovanni’s that evening and then headed upstairs to get some fresh air.

 

 

 

 

 

We could even see our hotel!

 

[Nicole721]

We walked around the upper decks a bit before heading back to the room to see if our luggage had arrived.

 

 

Sure enough, all of our luggage was waiting for us when we got back to the room. We unpacked as much as we could before we had to leave for muster drill. Mom had her own closet in the separate bedroom, and we designated a shelf to the snacks we’d brought with to take on our excursions. All in all, we had plenty of room.

 

 

 

When it came time for muster drill, Mom was insistent we leave early. After nearly 20 cruises, she still doesn’t get that the first ones in are the last ones out. The key to a least painful muster on ships where they’re still held outside on deck is to arrive late. Last in, first out. Muster drill wasn’t entirely awful, but it wasn’t comfortable. They checked everyone’s cabin numbers and made all announcements in two languages, so it went on longer than we’re used to.

 

[Nicole721]

Bon Voyage!

 

Once we were freed from Royal Caribbean’s experiment in seeing just how many passengers they could fit out onto the promenade (sorry, muster drill), we headed up to deck 10 for sailaway. The weather was just absolutely perfect – warm and a little windy. We didn’t know what kind of weather to expect, but this was almost like a Caribbean sailaway. We pulled out of port and headed off towards Cannes, and the dance team put on a flash mob performance. It was festive, it was fun and we just couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the week had in store for us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we hit open sea, we went back to the room to try to unpack some more, but we were just too excited to be out to sea to really get much of anything done. And before we knew it, it was dinner time.

[Nicole721]

Mangia, Mangia!

 

We’ve dined at Giovanni’s before, onboard the Allure of the Seas, but only for lunch and never for dinner. The menu is more authentic than westernized (you won’t find fettuccine alfredo here), but there is a wide variety of pastas, meats and salads on the menu that should appeal to even the pickiest of eaters (which in our family is our Mom!).

 

 

 

 

We ordered a few glasses of wine as we poured over the menu and enjoyed some crusty bread with oil, vinegar and cheese.

 

 

[Nicole721]

Starters and pastas are served family style at Giovanni’s, with entrees and dessert being served as individual portions, so we ordered a bunch of things to try and share based on the recommendation of our server.

 

Antipasti Per Due

 

Mozzarella in Carrozza alla Giovanni

 

Insalata alla Caprese

 

Crespelle di Ricotta e Spinaci

 

Risotto ai Fungi Trifolati

[Nicole721]

Everything was delicious but erred on the heavy side, and I don’t think we actually cleared a single plate. Our mains were well-composed, but also on the heavy side with rich sauces and flavors.

 

Gamberoni al Forno, Patate Agliate, Asparagi e Zucchine

 

Fagottini di Vitella Ripieni al Funghi Porcini, Provolone e Prosciutto Cotto, Salsa al Tarfuto Nero

 

Filetto di Pollo Ripieno di Ricotta e Funghi, Salsa alla Salvia e Chardonnay

[Nicole721]

Dessert was where Giovanni’s really shines. They wheel out a cart with all of their options and ask you to choose off the cart.

 

 

I had a parfait of amarena cherries with fresh cream that blew my mind. It was rich and flavorful and texturally light and…perfect. Our server insisted we try the tiramisu (which is the house specialty), so he served me a small piece on my dessert plate. Mom had the chocolate cake and Stephanie had one of each of their two kinds of cannoli and we sampled everything while sipping on coffee.

 

 

 

 

The dining packaged covered everything except for our wine and we walked away beyond full. Our server was really passionate about giving us a good dining experience and we thought it was the perfect way to kick off our cruise.

[Nicole721]

It’s Been a Hard Day’s Night

 

After dinner, we stumbled upon Name That Beatle’s Song in the Schooner Bar, which was the hub for all trivia activities during the week (so needless to say, we spent many an evening out there). The bar was crowded and everyone was having a lot of fun with it, especially the trivia host, which made it a really fun experience.

 

No more pictures, Nicole!

 

After trivia, we headed outside to the promenade to watch the sunset. This became a nightly tradition for us to come outside and watch the sunset on either the promenade or deck 10. The promenade was never too busy and, at times, was like our own really big private balcony. The sunsets were still really late but over the course of the week, they just got prettier and prettier. I’ve never seen anything like the sunsets we saw over the Mediterranean Sea.

 

 

[Nicole721]

The seas were a little rough and the ship was rolling by the time we got back to the room. Our steward had our beds turned down and we were pleasantly surprised to see extra pillows on our beds (I sleep with five pillows at home, so the more the better!).

 

 

We tried to unpack as much as we could, but Mom and Stephanie were feeling a little green from all of the motion and I was getting really sleepy. Still, it was too early by vacation standards to go to bed. Normally, we’d watch a movie in the room but they didn’t have any movies playing in the room and all of the local channels coming in were in French or Spanish. Stephanie decided to take a shower and call it a night and Mom and I headed out to the shops.

 

 

I’m not big on shopping onboard – I can usually find better prices and better options ashore – but what I really enjoyed about the shops on the Vision was that they changed their inventory out daily based on whatever country we were in with new local souvenirs that went beyond the typical magnets, t-shirts and shot glasses.

 

 

 

They also had a table out with the necessities at higher than land but not as bad as the $14 Pantene situation (still glaring at you, Carnival Funshops) prices.

 

 

Mom and I wanted to get some tea so we headed across the atrium to the glass elevators. The atrium lights up really pretty at night.

 

[Nicole721]

As we were grabbing some tea, we noticed some activity around Park Café. We’d missed it on our Compasses, but they had late night snacks in the Solarium. The late night options aren’t entirely plentiful on the ship (your choices are limited to room service or Park Café since there is no Sorrentos or Café Promenade on the Vision), but Park Café had every base covered: burgers and hot dogs were out for self-serve (occasionally, they’d put out other offerings like chicken wings), and at the counter, they had pizza, a build-your-own nachos bar, cookies, cakes, salads, soups, build-your-own fruit salad...a selection of late night snacks that ran the gamut. Still full from our dinner at Giovanni’s, we stuck to tea and split a cookie.

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Stephanie was out cold when we got back to the room and Mom all but crawled into bed, leaving me alone and wide awake (because the late sunsets were still messing up my sleep schedule and even though it was past midnight, it was less than three hours post-sunset and my body was convinced it had a few more hours in it before it was bedtime). An alpha five star was called at the jewelry shop as I was settling in to watch the Cruise Director show, so we must have just missed a medical emergency.

 

Every day, our Cruise Director (Mercedes) and her Assistant Cruise Director (Cici) had their own television show that ran on the stateroom tv’s and since our options for American television were non-existent and there were no movies streaming into the cabins, we watched a lot of the Mercedes and Cici show throughout the week. We’d never sailed with a female Cruise Director or Captain before, let alone a female Cruise Director, Assistant Cruise Director AND Captain, but hey – girl power! Mercedes and Cici made a really fun duo and while they may not appeal to the more serious minded, their show was like watching an episode of The View – plenty entertaining for me.

 

And as I finally began to relax and settle in to sleep, I just kind of reflected on how glad I was that we chose the Vision over the Allure, Quantum or another newer ship with more bells and whistles. On a trip featuring such culturally rich destinations, the ports should be the focus. We heavily contemplated voyages on the Getaway, the Quantum and the Allure and on those big mega ships, the ship is the destination and not having the time or energy to explore the ships on a port-intensive trip would have left us feeling like we didn’t get enough out of them. This ship has no distractions, making it the perfect compliment to the ports. It’s interesting thinking back on this as we contemplate a European cruise on the yet-to-hit-the-seas Carnival Vista, but for our first foray into Europe and European cruising, the Vision was the perfect home for us and I couldn’t wait to explore more of her.

[Nicole721]

Oh my, it's super long and with hundreds of pics!!!!

Just means we might have to cruise again together!!! :-)

 

You've got that right! :D

[LizSS]

Ok that's the smoothest, quickest embarkation I've ever heard of, I guess that kinda helps make up for the plane delay debacle

 

I love the vision class ships, I have been on Rhapsody and Enchantment (post stretch) I love how connected you feel to the ocean, I like the charm of the older ships, and feeling like I am actually on a cruise ship instead of a mega mall. Although I do love the bigger ships too

 

The sun set pictures are amazing, would make a nice background for a computer

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Dave4120]

Hello Nicole...my wife and I did this exact itinerary with the exception our cruise was 13nights. We left from Barcelona this past May 3rd and stayed 3 nights in Barcelona prior to the cruise.

 

Most of our ports besides Nice, France were in Italy. I echo your thoughts that after cruising and seeing Europe, I don't want to cruise the Caribbean again.

 

We are doing a 15 night repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale, ending in Rome Italy next April 28th, then staying 3-nights in Rome after the cruise.

 

Your photos are the best I've ever seen on Cruise Critic so you have mastered the camera skills and the patience needed that I certainly don't have, and your writing is excellent, fun and, grabs your attention. Well done.

 

Looking forward to more of your journey, and enjoy your next cruise too in Europe.

 

Dave

[cincicruisers]

I am loving your review! Can't wait to read the rest

[Virtopia]

Amazing continuation and I feel like I need to upgrade my camera before my cruise next year ... your pictures are flawless! Next September I'm doing 2 pre nights in Venice, then my 10 night cruise on the Rhapsody and then flying from Venice to Barcelona for 3 post nights before heading home. You have me so excited about this trip. Even though you didn't travel alone, any tips for a solo female traveler in Europe?

[hugger]

AWESOME READ

You should be a travel writer/editor what a way with words - so talented and creative. And, your photo's are AMAZING!

 

THANK YOU for sharing your travels and experiences with us here on CC :D

[Nicole721]

Ok that's the smoothest, quickest embarkation I've ever heard of, I guess that kinda helps make up for the plane delay debacle

 

I love the vision class ships, I have been on Rhapsody and Enchantment (post stretch) I love how connected you feel to the ocean, I like the charm of the older ships, and feeling like I am actually on a cruise ship instead of a mega mall. Although I do love the bigger ships too

 

The sun set pictures are amazing, would make a nice background for a computer

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Yeah, we were slightly hesitant to book based on the age of the ship but we had zero regrets -- the Vision was perfect for this itinerary!

 

Hello Nicole...my wife and I did this exact itinerary with the exception our cruise was 13nights. We left from Barcelona this past May 3rd and stayed 3 nights in Barcelona prior to the cruise.

 

Most of our ports besides Nice, France were in Italy. I echo your thoughts that after cruising and seeing Europe, I don't want to cruise the Caribbean again.

 

We are doing a 15 night repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale, ending in Rome Italy next April 28th, then staying 3-nights in Rome after the cruise.

 

Your photos are the best I've ever seen on Cruise Critic so you have mastered the camera skills and the patience needed that I certainly don't have, and your writing is excellent, fun and, grabs your attention. Well done.

 

Looking forward to more of your journey, and enjoy your next cruise too in Europe.

 

Dave

 

Thank you so much, Dave! :)

[Nicole721]

I am loving your review! Can't wait to read the rest

 

Thank you! I hope you enjoy the rest!

 

Amazing continuation and I feel like I need to upgrade my camera before my cruise next year ... your pictures are flawless! Next September I'm doing 2 pre nights in Venice, then my 10 night cruise on the Rhapsody and then flying from Venice to Barcelona for 3 post nights before heading home. You have me so excited about this trip. Even though you didn't travel alone, any tips for a solo female traveler in Europe?

 

Ahh! Venice! Venice is on my must-visit list!

 

Solo female travel tips. Hmm. Invest in a really good travel purse. Always be aware of your surroundings and trust your gut.

[Nicole721]

AWESOME READ

You should be a travel writer/editor what a way with words - so talented and creative. And, your photo's are AMAZING!

 

THANK YOU for sharing your travels and experiences with us here on CC :D

 

Thanks, Hugger! One day, if the Travel Channel or Lonely Planet want to pluck me from obscurity, I wouldn't be opposed ;) But really, traveling fuels my soul and writing about it satisfies that part of me that needs to use words and pictures to mark my travels with.

[cinnamon]

Nicole, I'm really enjoying your review, having followed your Live blog at the time.

 

As Europeans who have travelled extensively in Europe, North America and on over 30 cruises, it is great to hear your response to being in Europe for the first time. It is too easy for us to just not notice places and take the architecture and antiquity for granted.

 

Also, as we live only 25 minutes from Heathrow I'm very pleased you had a good experience there.

 

We are also fans of that class of ship but not just for port intensive cruises. We'll be on the TA from Barca to Tampa in 2 months. :)

I did a Live blog from Rhapsody in the Eastern Med in June but have not followed it up with an extensive report like yours.

 

So looking forward to reading more, especially the fantastic train from Barca to Paris. :)

Edited August 26, 2015 by cinnamon

[clochette]

what a great review thank you, I love your pictures.

[Mapleleafforever]

We're looking at another Europe cruise out of Barcelona next May, too. Maybe we'll see you at the Miramar ;) I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

 

 

Excellent!! We're on Brilliance for the May 26 sailing.

 

This is one of the best reviews I've ever seen on CC and there's so much more to come......I'm impressed!!

[mj]

Loving your review. I was on the May 3rd cruise for 13 nights and had a blast. The only negative experience was the tendering in Villefranche and Montenegro.

 

See your pictures in Barcelona brought back great memories and looking forward to hearing rest of your review.