Seniors First RCL cruise, Vision 8 night, March 7 2024 Sailing

[barric]

We cruised on Vision from Baltimore on March 7, 8 nights.  It was our first on Royal and got Diamond due to our Celebrity Elite status.  We also cruise NCL and MSC.   This is what we seniors experienced.

 

Vision was sold out, approx 2000 guests.  Very nice overall condition with few areas showing age (carpets in hallways, eg).  Lounge and theater furnishings all comfy (Unlike NCL who prefers form over function). 

 

We had a Grand Suite which was stupendous.   Big.  Lots of storage.  Fancy.  Great bedding.  Great attendant and 2X per day service.  Small TV, but it accepted inputs from my DV Player and my Fire TV.  Had more tv channels than expected. 

 

Suite class featured concierge service (Jaime was fab) and access to the Concierge Lounge.  This was outstanding.  Nice cocktail hour with appies. Enough seating for all the suite guests and good views.

Suite class also came with breakfast daily at Chops.  Good but still we had some breakfasts in Windjammer (but no smoked salmon).  A VIP area in the theater was good.

 

Still, we were VERY disappointed with dining as a suite guest.  No dedicated restaurant.  Dinners only in the MDR, and no special menu, seating area or timing.  Quite a bit down from our experiences with Celebrity, NCL, MSC. 

 

MDR.  We are foodies and found the main dining to be average some nights, disappointing on others.  Not as good as other lines.  Lobster was an upcharge.  The strip steak was cooked properly but seemed like a lower grade of beef.  Not tender.  Theme nights were unattractive to us.  Breads not a strong point on RCL. 

 

Windjammer:  Fairly good for breakfast, but there was only one inconvenient egg station.  Bacon always crispy!  No milk dispensers.   Had to pour a glass out of the coffee area pitchers.  Sheesh.

Lunches were like average diner food.  Nothing special.  WJ not open early enough for us early birds.  Hard to find coffee in the am unless you don’t mind getting it outside on the pool deck.  Could not even sit in WJ until 7am.  

 

Park Café at the solarium.   Had nice food but lousy hours.  No lunch until 1 pm, when a big line formed immediately.

 

Specialty dining.  We bought the 3 night plan to add to the 1 night which came with Diamond.  Izumi was 10 stars.  Great sushi and sashimi.  Chops was very good with excellent rib steak and filet.  Giovanni was also VG…osso bucco fabulous. 

 

Pleasant surprise:  we left Charleston shortly after docking, due to poor weather.  RCL refunded our port fees.  WooHoo.

 

Solarium and poolside.  Seating and tables commonly available. Tiny hot tubs…only 4 can squeeze in, and they were always crowded.

[BND]

Vision was built long before they started offering suite amenities like CK.  If you want that experience on Royal, you have to book a ship that has those amenities, as in were built for them.   I don't get it when people have expectations without doing research.   MDR is the same across the fleet.

 

We're on Vision for a b2b in 2.5 weeks in a JS.  We've been on GR 7 times, EN 7 times and Vision once before (all the same class) out of Baltimore.  We personally love the class.  

Edited March 18 by BND

[Tlbecker1]

The ship is 26 years old and Royal isn’t paying any attention to the older ships much anymore.  If you would have chosen a ship in the Oasis or Quantum Class, your experience would have been much different.

[smokeybandit]

We're you expecting suite dining options when you boarded?

[barric]

I knew well in advance that  there was no special Suite dining options.  I was simply stating that for such a suite, on this exact ship, for the price, it was disappointing compared to other cruise lines.  

 

My overall experience on Vision was fairly good.  We like the smaller ships.  I was only comparing our first RCL suite experience to what we have had on X, NCL and MSC.  

 

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, barric said:

Specialty dining.  We bought the 3 night plan to add to the 1 night which came with Diamond. 

 

There is no specialty dining perk that comes with Diamond status.  The BOGO specialty dining perk starts at Diamond Plus tier.

[barric]

My 1 specialty dining was a suite perk.  Not diamond.

[zebra36]

Lighten up folks. barric pretty much covered their expectations and guessing they chose this cruise due to convenience of driving vs flying(?) to port.

[Clancy14]

Did you research the ships that were available to you in driving distance from Jersey?  You picked the smallest and the oldest and the least expensive. 

Everything you criticized was available to know online beforehand. I gather you spent more money on a grander suite expecting better perks?

Celebrity is known for their food while RCCL wins in many other categories.  The fact that you're a "senior" should not enter into it. 

 

- Clancy

[barric]

I researched fully.  I knew what was included.   I like small ships and Vision was quite good.  I was not expecting more perks.  I am simply comparing RCL to my many cruises with other cruise lines.  And the price was NOT least expensive.  Came to  400 pp per day with OBC .  And I loved the short drive to Baltimore and the Baltimore port.  As a senior, I do not care for water slides and top deck activities.  Many seniors would be interested in the things we like and our point of view for this RCL sailing.   It just doesn't match well to our suite experiences in MSC, X and NCL.

[Mum2Mercury]

23 hours ago, barric said:

Lobster was an upcharge.  The strip steak was cooked properly but seemed like a lower grade of beef ... Breads not a strong point on RCL

- To be fair, lobster is offered once a week without upcharge.  Personally, I like the option to order a lobster or a good steak in the MDR -- it's cheaper than the whole family going to a specialty restaurant.  Options are good.  

- I agree that the MDR's "included in the ticket" steaks aren't a strong point. Windjammer has better steaks most evenings /pork chops on most other evenings.  

- And, yes, the bread is nothing we can't get at Food Lion's deli.  Good but not memorable.  Personally, I'd like to see some garlic bread in that bread basket -- that might tempt me to eat carbs.  

23 hours ago, barric said:

No milk dispensers.

Didn't they have cartons of milk?  I'm not a milk-drinker, but I know I've seen them.  

23 hours ago, barric said:

Hard to find coffee in the am unless you don’t mind getting it outside on the pool deck

My husband complains about the same thing:  On the older ships, the early risers congregate on deck waiting for coffee.  On newer ships, the Promenade Cafe takes care of this need.  

23 hours ago, barric said:

Tiny hot tubs…only 4 can squeeze in, and they were always crowded.

Exaggeration.  

22 hours ago, barric said:

We like the smaller ships. 

I like the smaller ships too -- they have their perks, especially for anyone with mobility issues.  BUT I expect to pay a lower price for a smaller, older ship with fewer amenities.  

2 hours ago, barric said:

As a senior, I do not care for water slides and top deck activities.  Many seniors would be interested in the things we like and our point of view for this RCL sailing. 

I agree that your stage of life plays into what you enjoy /don't enjoy in a cruise.  Sure, we must allow for individual differences, but -- being mid-50s, retired, and not quite a senior citizen -- and I'm not looking for the same things I did when I had small children.  

 

 

Edited March 19 by Mum2Mercury

[barric]

I researched fully.  I knew what was included.   I like small ships and Vision was quite good.  I was not expecting more perks.  I am simply comparing RCL to my many cruises with other cruise lines.  And the price was NOT least expensive.  Came to  400 pp per day with OBC .  And I loved the short drive to Baltimore and the Baltimore port.  As a senior, I do not care for water slides and top deck activities.  Many seniors would be interested in the things we like and our point of view for this RCL sailing.   It just doesn't match well to our suite experiences in MSC, X and NCL.

[barric]

There was no lobster in MDR without charge for the 8 nights on our Vision sailing. Only a lobster mac and cheese.  Some nights it was available for $17

[Another_Critic]

The current 8 night sailing lists "free" lobster tail on day 7.  Most US sailings offer lobster on the 2nd "formal" night.

 

  

Edited March 19 by Another_Critic

[barric]

On my Mar 7 sailing, day 7 was Cod, Chicken Marsala, Strip Steak, Pasta, Stuffed Peppers and the lobster was $17. 

[Mum2Mercury]

7 minutes ago, barric said:

On my Mar 7 sailing, day 7 was Cod, Chicken Marsala, Strip Steak, Pasta, Stuffed Peppers and the lobster was $17. 

Blasphemy!  

[shipgeeks]

We sail Vision regularly, and there has always been free lobster on the menu one night.

[Another_Critic]

44 minutes ago, barric said:

On my Mar 7 sailing, day 7 was Cod, Chicken Marsala, Strip Steak, Pasta, Stuffed Peppers and the lobster was $17. 

Not to argue, but are you sure you didn't misread the menu?  The first one is complimentary, additional tails are $16.99

 

Maine Lobster Tail

 

Broiled lobster tail with melted butter

Additional lobster tail available for $16.99

[barric]

I wrote down menus from the app.  I am fairly sure the day 7 lobster did not include one free tail and another for 16.99. Only the one for a charge.  Hopefully some other passenger from this cruise will be able to clarify.  

[meadowlander]

On 3/18/2024 at 2:53 PM, barric said:

 Hard to find coffee in the am unless you don’t mind getting it outside on the pool deck. 

 

Did you not go to the coffee shop Cafe Latte-tudes on deck 6? Opened 6:15 every morning on my 12 night cruise in December. Good coffee & great staff.

[Another_Critic]

16 minutes ago, meadowlander said:

Did you not go to the coffee shop Cafe Latte-tudes on deck 6? Opened 6:15 every morning on my 12 night cruise in December. Good coffee & great staff.

I assume they were looking for complimentary coffee.

[Tree_skier]

18 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

I assume they were looking for complimentary coffee.

I haven't been on vision but any ship with cafe latte-tudes I have been on had included regular coffee as well.  Is vision different or is my memory faulty?

[barric]

I just want a regular coffee in the early am.  We don't pay for specialty coffee anywhere.  For us, its a waste of money.  Our suite did have a coffee maker but no cold milk or cream.  We like to welcome the sun up with regular coffee, at a table, indoors.  Not in the suite.  Not outside at the pool deck.  We can have this on all the other ships we've been on.