Review: Vision of the Seas- Headed South For Spring Break! Was My Wife Right Yet Again?

[grossnmoe]

11 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

They were scolded once on a previous cruise by an elderly couple as they used the key and walked into the club silently to join us "don't be loud in here, this is an adult place"  It's been years and it kinda still haunts them.  There really are some well behaved kids out there folks.   Give them a chance.

 

My kids were also yelled at by an older couple years ago for laying in sun chairs by the main pool. The couple claimed that the chairs were for adults only.   We still laugh about this now. I totally get it. 🙂

[Lady Hudson]

Loving your review.  Vision coming to Baltimore soon so am very interested.  We sail out of Baltimore about 50% of the time.  Can you tell us your cabin number?  Looks great and your family is adorable.  How your daughters have grown!  Katherine 

[HBCcruiser]

12 hours ago, RCCL Fan said:

They were scolded once on a previous cruise by an elderly couple as they used the key and walked into the club silently to join us "don't be loud in here, this is an adult place"  It's been years and it kinda still haunts them.  There really are some well behaved kids out there folks.   Give them a chance.

People can be so rude and mean to children. It is sad. You have a beautiful family! I’d be honored to meet them one day, including your adorable children. We are on the Vision July 6, 2023. I hope the food gets better! 😔

[happy cruzer]

Thanks for the review with details and pictures.  That "meal" in the main dining room looked pretty sad.  With there not being the "always available option" gone,  they should be executing on the available option.  Not sure I would recommend new cruisers to try RCCL.  I used to say don't worry about food, the staff will find a way to make you happy.  We are ok so far doing the specialty dining but that is not an option for the entire ship.  At the end be sure to let us know what you recommend.  Thanks.

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, Lady Hudson said:

Can you tell us your cabin number? 

From post #7

 

[Lady Hudson]

7 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

From post #7

 

Thank you.  I missed that.

[RCCL Fan]

10 hours ago, soremekun said:

What's the name of your daughter's pink frozen drink?  Looks like it's worth a try!

 

A strawberry daiquiri??

6 hours ago, jean87510 said:

What did your wife get?  I can't eat seafood so I avoid regular Izumi but have done the hibachi with the steak and chicken.  We have 2 upcoming on the Vision in suites so following along.

 

a beef teriyaki bowl with fried rice, and sauteed veggies

[RCCL Fan]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

From post #7

 

 

Funny thing about Cabin 8000

 

Was all week it seemed to confuse the crew.

 

Your seapass only lists the last three numbers of your room number .  So ours said 000 and everyone thought it was a mistake and would always make a face when they looked at it.  When we would say our room is 8000  we got similar funny looks.

 

I think it was the captains cabin, and got transitioned into a suite.

[cruisingpeople]

Hi Wayne.

It's always a pleasure to read one of your reviews as they are always straightforward and entertaining.

First let me says that we were sorry to hear of your dad's passing. Our condolences to you and your family. I'm sure he will always be in your heart.

It's been almost 3 years since we sailed with you and I have to say that your girls have really grown up and still look to be as well behaved as we remember them. I think the last review of yours that I remember reading was when your daughter, (I believe it was the oldest one), broke something and had to tool-around with one of those knee-type scooters. It looks now like she has no problems.

Hope to be able to sail with you and the family in the near future.

 

[Conway733]

Following along, as someone else mentioned...Vision is sailing out of Baltimore and we're interested to know all about it, since we always seem to sail from Baltimore. Next cruise we will be traveling with a 13 yr old...just wondered if your girls ever utilized the teen center or if you have any info on that? Disappointing to hear about the food...but your cabin looks like a win for sure!

[RCCL Fan]

Day 3

Labadee 

 

 

Today's the first of six days in a row of island hopping.... and the first day is the place you go to relax!   I have always LOVED Labadee.  It's much more perfect day for me as it's so quiet and naturally beautiful with the mountains and all the coves.   It's one of my happy places.  All that said I still slept in!  hahaha  Personality wise my wife and oldest are the fun seekers.  They have always loved to go go go go. 

 

 

 

So they got up bright and early, ordered room service breakfast and got off the ship as soon as they opened the door to go ziplining.

 

They had a ball and were so happy to do it.  My wife had last done the zipline with her father, on our wedding cruise.  He had to be helped up the stairs, and they may not haven't been truthful about his health conditions, but that marine loved a thrill and he and his little girl were going to do it together.    Her father died not very long ago and she wanted to do it again.   My daughter well she's 14 she wanted to do it for the instagram pictures.  hahaha 

 

 

 

While that was going on the youngest and I were in bed. hahaha  My wife being a stay at home mom likes to go go go on vacation and me working 12 hour days routinely loves to have some downtime.   My youngest when allowed will lay and snuggle all day.   

 

 

 

When went to Disney and it was a fight every day to get her to leave the room.  She wanted to not walk in DIsney World but lie in bed and watch all the Disney programming on TV. haha  Anyway I finally got her dressed and out of the room by 10:15 or so, so not too bad. 

 

 

We had our beach bag, hopped off the ship and headed to Barefoot Beach. This is the beach for Suite Guests, and those who buy cabanas.   I felt like I should clarify this because I guess it's changed recently.  Barefoot Beach only allows Suite guests and Pinnacles to enter.  However, they do put the cabanas inside for sale on the shore excursion page to anyone and so if you are not in a suite, you can get access here by purchasing a cabana here.   You just can't wander in here on your own without a suite card.  Jamie, the concierge, was at the entrance and greeted us with smile, vouched for us, and had someone get us settled before he came to check on us personally.

 

 

Well this was heaven.  Another small ship score.   Think about this.  Wonder holds 7,000 people and it docks here and there's space for everyone. Vision holds 2,000 people and it docks here and well it's like deserted.  Especially in Barefoot Beach.  There are only a handful of full suites on Vision, so Barefoot Beach was EMPTY.  It was perfect. We pulled up front row beach chairs.... and there were empty ones all around us and we just soaked it up. The water has a slight chill but nothing crazy.  Labadee has rocky beaches, and barefoot was no exception, so it kinda hurts your feet a bit as you're going in. Pro tip to go all the way to the right where the over the water cabanas are.  Its more sandy there and much easier to wade into the water.

 

 

We enjoyed out time out in the cove hanging out and soaking up the sea breeze and sun. We saw the fun seekers walk in, returning from the zip line and getting settled at our spot.   They cracked me up, they could jump off a cliff, but navigating past the rocks and swimming out to us was sooooo difficult for them hahaha.

 

Anyway they had a great time, told us all about, and we all just relaxed and enjoyed the ocean. I did notice service here was not great.  There were two servers but they were rarely checking on anyone or getting anyone drinks.  It was like this at coco beach club in cococay last time we were there too.   I think it's the staffing thing, I dunno.    Basically you had to call for them, no one just came to ask if you needed anything.   They were far away from us too, so we just got our own drinks at the bar.    Drinks were great. Bartender worked to keep us happy, made new and different things too.  I'd walk up and say surprise me, and he'd do it. Soon it was time for lunch.   

 

 

Now last time I was here the buffet was awesome, steak, shrimp. Well the shrimp was still there, but no steak.   I had chicken instead, both were great.  The kids came back one with a hamburger and the other a hot dog. I immediately recognized that greyish grainy looking meat. It was the same hamburgers and hotdogs from Windjammer yesterday.  I had not shared my opinion of them to anyone  in the family.   So I watched and yes, each took one tiny bite and each said it tasted "weird and gross" and ate nothing but fruit and fries.

 

 

We truly LOVED out day here, the quiet peaceful cove was just amazing, and I took about 100 pictures of the same thing lol  We all took turns hanging out one on one.  I got lots of time with my wife and both daughters individually.

 

The cabanas were empty a lot, there were just too many for the number of people on our ship, and since the attendants were no where to be found I ventured in a few to check them out.  Kick the tires so to speak.

 

 

They were very nice, a good home base on a crowded day I would imagine, or if you were with a big group.   But I much rathered be in our front row beach chairs right there a stone's throw from the water.  It was the perfect spot.   I know RCI is thinking about toying with an all inclusive resort in Freeport and I can't wait to see how that goes, because honestly I would gladly spend 3-4 nights in Labadee. It was just a great setting.  No one does private islands like Royal Caribbean.

 

 

 

My youngest doesn't make new friends easily.  She's very shy, it's one reason she hates Adventure Ocean but we were in such a small group here there were two other families with kids and a little girl her age. They started playing together and she left us entirely for her new friend. That's how my oldest is.  So it warmed all of our hearts to watch her connect and have fun with someone her age.

 

 

We wound up being the last two families there at the beach. It was a full and amazing day in Labadee and the trip was made right there.You can't have that kind of experience on the big ships, not at all, and man right then I proudly announced my wife was right about being team small ship.  Having that island with so few people was just wonderful.

 

We headed back to the ship, and my wife pointed out that the ship's beach towels were dirty.  I looked at a few and she was right.  Yikes. old stains.  Not the Royal I know.   

 

 

I pointed it out to the staff when we returned them, hoping they would throw them away.  Since we stayed at the beach so late, and we had early seating for dinner, if we were going to go to the dining room again, now was the time.  My wife and oldest said no, they weren't hungry.  My  youngest was.   I was eager to give this another whirl. I mean the fried chicken meal was bad, no question, but even under the old menu that wasn't my favorite dish.  Anyone's entitled to a bad night,  I really wanted to experience it again.    So, off little one and I went for a date night in the dining room. 

 

 

 

We arrived to find new servers.  Apparently, "due to guest feedback" the servers in the dining room all got rearranged.  I'm guessing something from surveys from previous cruises I dunno.   So new servers, and they were just lovely.  So kind and helpful.  It was Italian night, and when I say Odyssey of the Seas Giovanni's is like some of the best Italian food I ever had (well the ship was in Italy then lol)  My hopes were high for a good meal.

 

 

 

  Arancini for the first course was perfectly prepared. It was an excellent start. I was so happy.    I followed it up with chicken parm, and this was a total disappointment. 

 

 

 

Portion size was much better, but I truly felt like I was eating spaghetti with no salt, and crushed canned tomatoes with a fried chicken breast you'd get for lunch in windajmmer.   It was very low taste, and cheap feeling food.   I sent it back, and asked for lasagna instead. 

 

I'm a huge lasagna lover and this came out and I was much happier.  Portion size again was better than the fried chicken, the meat had some flavor, and it worked. I will say it didn't taste like a traditional lasagna.  It was almost as if the tomato sauce was very very watered down and poorly seasoned.  But the meat was properly seasoned, so it made up for it. 

 

 

 

 

 I think Vision needs some help in the flavor seasoning department.   Now.... I will admit, I'm from New Orleans, so flavor is huge for me, I expect my food to be alive with spice.  So my taste buds may be different.  But in nearly 40 RCI cruises I have never found the food to be overly bland, and everything I've eaten in the dining room so far was,  fried chicken, chicken parm, and now the lasagna.  Oddly enough, all the first courses were good.

 

 

And so was my tiramisu dessert.   Dining room was definitely an improvement tonight.  We went from an F to a  C+; the great servers we had made a difference too.  You can excuse poor food a bit more when you're taken care of very well, and we were.  

 

 

After dinner, we caught up with the other half of the family for drinks.  It's always funny watching the little one grow up.  She went to the bar on her own to get her drink and I watched her laughing and interacting with the staff and it just made me smile. 

 

 

Tonight  was one of our new favorites Royal has introduced recently, SILENT DISCO.   I don't know what it is, but there's something so fun about everyone jamming out to tunes... with headphones on.   If you haven't done this, the headphones have two channels a green and a blue.  You can switch between the two and rock out to one of the two channels of music.

 

 

 

What's so funny is you'll be dancing to one song and having an absolute ball and then notice have the room is doing the YMCA, and you switch over to the other channel and catch up with them.   We did this for the first time on Allure right after the pandemic and now we never miss it.  We want to buy a set for home! I think one the the best things about it, it brings our youth back to us.

 

 

My wife and I have declared ourselves too old to go to the adult "club" or disco on the ship,  We're not staying up late and going drink and dance with all the 20 somethings.   But this.... at 10pm in the lobby with everyone we can do.  It brings me back to my college days of just being on the dance floor all night because the DJ keep the good music going.   Our kids sat in the corner and laughed at us, but that just made us go faster.

 

 

Doing this right in the main centrum of the ship is also just a fun small ship score.  We saw so many people walking back to their cabins stopping and peering over the balcony watching. Because lets face it you have the headphones on so there's no music playing to bother others, but you head it in your head and so well.... you start singing, or let out a wooo! to Michael Jackson's thriller, so it's fun for all.  Great multi generational fun. I did promise the little one a game of shuffleboard.   

 

 

 

Talk about a change in activity!  But that's the beauty of cruising.   I pride myself in being a shuffleboard king, but she shipped my butt and was so tickled with herself doing it. It was a perfect bonding night as we sailed on past the Dominican Republic, making our way to San Juan tomorrow afternoon!

 

 v

[RCCL Fan]

I forgot to add this video from Labadee.   Enjoy!

 

 

[skings]

Hi Wayne, love your reviews and your family is wonderful. My friend and I are sailing the 1st of May repositioning cruise to Baltimore and just wondering if you remember what movies were playing on the pool deck. We are both 80 years old and dancing with headphones 

although we might do it, watching a movie is more our speed🤪

 

[Mom*3]

Always love reading your reviews! You are such a great storyteller! And, enjoy seeing your beautiful family. We are a “big ship” family, but maybe your review will convince us to try a small ship one day. 

[fpcruiser]

A few weeks ago we were on Enchantment( another small ship) and we had a stop at Coco Cay. Wonder of the seas was there with us. It was very crowded. By 11, people were were walking around trying to find chairs together. 

[jbrinkm]

Love your review of the Silent Disco party! We did it last week on Allure and it was fun - I didn't realize that it was a new offering by Royal. The only issue we had with it is that the teens had the same silent disco event for JUST teens in the hour before the general party started, so there were SO MANY teens on the floor, all doing teenage stuff, and it was not as easy for the adults in the crowd. But I was also glad to see so many teens having a good time at a safe dance party! Ours was in Studio B however - the place for the ice show. I'm not sure how it would have worked in the promenade on a completely full ship...

[Sea Dog]

I've never been to Labadee but after seeing your video I want to go. looks very peaceful.

[RCCL Fan]

22 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

I've never been to Labadee but after seeing your video I want to go. looks very peaceful.

 

Really Greg?  We gotta fix that!  It's an amazing spot.

[RCCL Fan]

1 hour ago, skings said:

Hi Wayne, love your reviews and your family is wonderful. My friend and I are sailing the 1st of May repositioning cruise to Baltimore and just wondering if you remember what movies were playing on the pool deck. We are both 80 years old and dancing with headphones 

although we might do it, watching a movie is more our speed🤪

 

 

Oh gosh,  I'm not one to watch movies by the pool. One night the oldest and I went up to the hot tub and we started watching whatever was on, and it's was "unusual" to say the least. 

 

yelling for my daughter now to see if she remembers the name....

 

standby

 

"The Fabelmans"  had Michelle Williams in it from Dawson's Creek. 

 

[RCCL Fan]

1 hour ago, jbrinkm said:

Love your review of the Silent Disco party! We did it last week on Allure and it was fun - I didn't realize that it was a new offering by Royal. The only issue we had with it is that the teens had the same silent disco event for JUST teens in the hour before the general party started, so there were SO MANY teens on the floor, all doing teenage stuff, and it was not as easy for the adults in the crowd. But I was also glad to see so many teens having a good time at a safe dance party! Ours was in Studio B however - the place for the ice show. I'm not sure how it would have worked in the promenade on a completely full ship...

 

Yeah studio B was where it was on Allure when we first did it.    It was in the Centrum here,  the teen one was in the teen club!  imagine that.

[RCCL Fan]

1 hour ago, fpcruiser said:

A few weeks ago we were on Enchantment( another small ship) and we had a stop at Coco Cay. Wonder of the seas was there with us. It was very crowded. By 11, people were were walking around trying to find chairs together. 

 

My understanding is Royal only docks one ship at a time in Labadee.  So just us, and it was empty.

[mo&fran]

1 hour ago, Mom*3 said:

Always love reading your reviews! You are such a great storyteller! And, enjoy seeing your beautiful family. We are a “big ship” family, but maybe your review will convince us to try a small ship one day. 

I recently cruised on Vision's sister, Grandeur for the first time. having been on Harmony   just 2 weeks before, and we liked it so much that we have another cooked next winter.

 WE are usually balcony cruisers but we are sailing in an ocean view on this ship.

 Never thought that we would like this size, but we gave it a shot.  This means we have cruised on every class of RCI ships, except the first generation Q class.

One of the attractions of the smaller ships is they can do longer cruises.

Edited April 15, 2023 by mo&fran

[RCCL Fan]

5 hours ago, Conway733 said:

Following along, as someone else mentioned...Vision is sailing out of Baltimore and we're interested to know all about it, since we always seem to sail from Baltimore. Next cruise we will be traveling with a 13 yr old...just wondered if your girls ever utilized the teen center or if you have any info on that? Disappointing to hear about the food...but your cabin looks like a win for sure!

 

No my oldest has never been.  She is too cool for the teen center. lol   Even when we've had her invite her friends to travel with us they usually do their own thing.   She LOVED Adventure Ocean as a kid but refuses to do the Teen club.

 

My youngest has always had some interest in Adventure Ocean, and the first time we had her go in was during the restart after the pandemic and they had to sit in one spot and couldn't leave that spot. She had to go to the bathroom and misunderstood the rules and held it for a couple hours.   She has refused to go back ever since then.  Another thing the pandemic screwed up!

[RCCL Fan]

2 minutes ago, mo&fran said:

This means we have cruised on every class of RCI ships, except the first generation Q class.

 

That still counts, I haven't been on first generation Q class either.   I still say I've done them all!

[mo&fran]

7 minutes ago, RCCL Fan said:

 

My understanding is Royal only docks one ship at a time in Labadee.  So just us, and it was empty.

Not often, but occasionally there is on on the inside of the dock.