JUST off the Vision (10/08 sailing)

[spam-la]

hey there,

 

thought of you all while at sea, but @ .50/minute, I used my coups to write the family, but wished you were all with me on the Vision to Mexico.

 

the ship has been through dry dock since I took her to AK a few years back, and she looks great. Service was outstanding, and in spite of what I had read on these boards about the singing CD, John Blair, I found he and his wife (the ever-perky) Katrina, quite delightful.

 

The weather was perfect; food was quite good; all in all no complaints as I also had the good fortune to drive to port for a change, as I am from so. california.

 

Having read so many wonderful things on these boards about the Rhapsody, I booked for next Aug, so I could experience that ship once before she sails off to Asia. Booked the aft corner balcony but I am nervous it will be noisy (same room on the Vision is above the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge, and I found it noisy).

 

thanks for all the great recommendations, even as an experienced cruiser, I benefitted much from the hints offered here (take water shoes, save for tips ahead, etc.)

 

Had a nice meet and mingle in the C and A lounge.....happy sailing everyone!

 

pam

[RCCLCARIB]

What type of shore excursions did you do in Cabo San Lucas, Mazaltan, and Puerto Vallarta?

 

Also, how did you think the ship looked.....(modern and new or old and dated??)

 

Thanks Again and I am so glad you had a great time!

[spam-la]

What type of shore excursions did you do in Cabo San Lucas, Mazaltan, and Puerto Vallarta?

 

Also, how did you think the ship looked.....(modern and new or old and dated??)

 

Thanks Again and I am so glad you had a great time!

 

The ship looked great, and the service and food was better than ever. Check out the recent posts in the "reviews" section of the CC boards for this ship.

re excursions: I was looking forward to snorkeling on Cabo, and I was disappointed. The excursion I booked thru RCCL aboard the Oceanus billed as a luxurious party boat was filled with awful food and rude staff. Also poor snorkeling.

 

The best excursion ever was booked thru RCCL although we met lots of others there who had booked through their resorts. This was in PV and is called "Los Cayotes" (?) which is director John Huston's estate. it is 80 something dollars and is the best money.....it is an all day thing an hour and a half off shore in a very (rainforest) tropical setting. Included are lunch (wonderful), snorkeling, kayaking, a hike, cooking lesson, floaties. extra is diving and spa stuff. I had the massage of my life for $25! It reminds me very much of a Labadee, but a little quieter. Not fancy, but a fun day, and it was done well. The trip over and back was great, they were very invested in your good time. Others we talked to were just as pleased. What a great day.

 

 

In Mat. I chose to stay on board, so no info there.

 

As I stated, the ship looked great, and my last cruise was on the Mariner, so I have something to compare it to. Service, was fabulous. I will have to think about sailing a larger ship....have booked the Rhapsody for next cruise. take care and have fun!!

[LBB]

Did you have the new bedding yet?

[Italy52]

We are sailing in February and have a few questions to ask if you don't mind.

 

1. What time did you get to Port of LA?

 

2. What time did you board the ship?

 

3. Did the ship offer early disembarkation where you could take your luggage off the ship yourself?

 

4. What type of cabin did you have and where?

[wolfcathorse]

How did you like the new captain, Capt Stein. Was he visible, outgoing, or approachable???

[spam-la]

We are sailing in February and have a few questions to ask if you don't mind.

 

1. What time did you get to Port of LA?

 

2. What time did you board the ship?

 

3. Did the ship offer early disembarkation where you could take your luggage off the ship yourself?

 

4. What type of cabin did you have and where?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. 2. I am local (45 min away) so family drove us and we had brunch at a mexican restaurant overlooking the harbor then boarded at 1:30. Rooms were available at that time; luggage showed up a few hours later. I just wanted to spend more time with family who are not local, so chose not to board earlier. You could have gotten on at least an hour if not two hours earlier. VERY easy embarkation; just have your set sail pass ready. We literally walked onto the ship with (at most) a ten minute wait. We arrived at 10:30 or 11:00 then went to the restaurant.

 

3. Yes. this was offered only to the fliers so not sure why we got it. Maybe bec. we boarded with BCs and not passports. Most people in the very unorganized line had their luggage; we did not, and it worked out great. A porter took us into the terminal and we literally walked up to our stuff as it was all grouped by color. By the way, no one checked our early invitations to leave as we walked off, and there was no checking for our luggage. We could have taken whatever we wanted and there was no checking of tags or security. Keep anything valuable with you. Most in the express line had all their stuff with them; and it was a hassle.

 

3. I was quite happy with my OV deck three cabin; one large picture window in the middle of the ship. I am not big on balconies while cruising MX. When I took this ship to AK I had a sup ocean view corner aft balcony. this room had no fridge which was a bummer. What I loved was our table 148 right next to the captains table. no traffic, next to the orchestra, stairs, etc. we saw and heard everything. It made for a great dining experience. Our tablemates agreed. All of us were there together every night. That was a first for me.

 

happy sailing. be sure to look into the excursion at John Huston's estate on PV. a nice day.

 

pam

[spam-la]

How did you like the new captain, Capt Stein. Was he visible, outgoing, or approachable???

 

He was the least visible captain I have ever encountered. We were seated next to his table and I saw him there one night (he must have eaten early the other nights). Otherwise, I saw him only one other time walking around and that was when he was on the phone telling someone that some door needed to be open for safety purposes. I gave him a small wave of recognition and rec'd no response. There were just a few announcements from the bridge, all business this guy.

 

I remember the captain Gary from the Mariner cruising through the dining room, recognizing my teenage son from previous encounters and taking time to joke with him.

 

Maybe this guy will loosen up as time goes on.

[spam-la]

Did you have the new bedding yet?

 

should be coming this week, and I hear it is fabulous.

[wolfcathorse]

We were seated next to his table and I saw him there one night (he must have eaten early the other nights).

 

Captains only eat in the dining room twice anyway, on formal nights, if they want to. They usually eat in the officers mess, or their quarters.

I'll have to wait and see how he is when we sail in WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO 69 days.

[Italy52]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. 2. I am local (45 min away) so family drove us and we had brunch at a mexican restaurant overlooking the harbor then boarded at 1:30. Rooms were available at that time; luggage showed up a few hours later. I just wanted to spend more time with family who are not local, so chose not to board earlier. You could have gotten on at least an hour if not two hours earlier. VERY easy embarkation; just have your set sail pass ready. We literally walked onto the ship with (at most) a ten minute wait. We arrived at 10:30 or 11:00 then went to the restaurant.

 

3. Yes. this was offered only to the fliers so not sure why we got it. Maybe bec. we boarded with BCs and not passports. Most people in the very unorganized line had their luggage; we did not, and it worked out great. A porter took us into the terminal and we literally walked up to our stuff as it was all grouped by color. By the way, no one checked our early invitations to leave as we walked off, and there was no checking for our luggage. We could have taken whatever we wanted and there was no checking of tags or security. Keep anything valuable with you. Most in the express line had all their stuff with them; and it was a hassle.

 

3. I was quite happy with my OV deck three cabin; one large picture window in the middle of the ship. I am not big on balconies while cruising MX. When I took this ship to AK I had a sup ocean view corner aft balcony. this room had no fridge which was a bummer. What I loved was our table 148 right next to the captains table. no traffic, next to the orchestra, stairs, etc. we saw and heard everything. It made for a great dining experience. Our tablemates agreed. All of us were there together every night. That was a first for me.

 

happy sailing. be sure to look into the excursion at John Huston's estate on PV. a nice day.

 

pam

 

Many thanks for all the information, I really appreciate the prompt response.

[LBB]

I had the new bedding on a Freedom preview cruise. It was great.

[rubrrick]

Wolf..............there is a small group of us headed out on the Vision toward the end of next February, also doing the Mexican Riviera. It should be a fun cruise.......we have done it 3 times on the Mercury in the past, so know most of the things that we want to do on shore.

 

I'll look forward to hearing about your X-mas cruise!!

 

Rick

[sherin65]

I also had the good fortune to drive to port for a change, as I am from so. california.

 

What would be the best airport to fly into for this cruise? What port is the Vision in exactly? We are thinking of taking this trip in March but the flight issue has confused me so I haven't booked yet.

 

Sher

[louanne93]

What would be the best airport to fly into for this cruise? What port is the Vision in exactly? We are thinking of taking this trip in March but the flight issue has confused me so I haven't booked yet.

 

Sher

 

I think it is called San Pedro. We usually fly into Long Beach (Jet Blue).

[sherin65]

think it is called San Pedro. We usually fly into Long Beach (Jet Blue).

 

San Pedro is the name of the port? How do you get from the airport to the port/hotel, etc?

 

Sher

[Ron Don]

The terminal is in San Pedro but the actual name for the terminal is the Pacific Cruise Ship Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles and can be accessed at this link www.pcsterminals.com/ . RCCL leaves from Berth 93 most days and you can get to the terminal from the airport/hotel via cab, or shuttle. Long Beach is the closest airport to fly into by far. I wish it were available for us from Dallas in November but we would have to make too many connections.

 

Hope this helps.

[louanne93]

San Pedro is the name of the port? How do you get from the airport to the port/hotel, etc?

 

Sher

 

We always tell the cab driver what ship we are going on and they know where to go.

A cab is cheaper than a shuttle.

[spam-la]

I think it is called San Pedro. We usually fly into Long Beach (Jet Blue).

 

Good luck with jet blue; I can never get a good fare going back east from California. American also flies into Long Beach; your other and maybe most affordable choice would be from LAX. In that case, I would book transfers with RCCL for $25 each way, and they would get you to the port. You would also have priority when leaving the ship. have fun!!

[sherin65]

In that case, I would book transfers with RCCL for $25 each way, and they would get you to the port. You would also have priority when leaving the ship. have fun!!

 

Can you book transfers with the RCL without booking their air? Is the $25.00 per person? That would be a bit steep for four of us.

 

 

Sher

[spam-la]

Can you book transfers with the RCL without booking their air? Is the $25.00 per person? That would be a bit steep for four of us.

 

 

Sher

 

Last summer I flew into MCO and rented a car to spend some time in Cocoa Beach before my cruise on the Mariner. I booked transfers on the way back only thru Royal ($25pp) and got priority to disembark and go straight to the bus. I rec'd my boarding passes on board, and they took my luggage straight thru; I never saw it until I was in California @ LAX. At that time, the boarding passes in advance were offered to Delta and American passengers only.

 

good luck. pam

[Justin.Melissa]

He was the least visible captain I have ever encountered. We were seated next to his table and I saw him there one night (he must have eaten early the other nights). Otherwise, I saw him only one other time walking around and that was when he was on the phone telling someone that some door needed to be open for safety purposes. I gave him a small wave of recognition and rec'd no response. There were just a few announcements from the bridge, all business this guy.

 

I remember the captain Gary from the Mariner cruising through the dining room, recognizing my teenage son from previous encounters and taking time to joke with him.

 

Maybe this guy will loosen up as time goes on.

 

I disagree, Spam-La. We were on the Sept. 24th sailing and we saw Capt. Stein quite a few times. He was always doing rounds, though...but he seemed very friendly. One day, I believe it was in Puerto Vallarta, he was greeting passangers as they got on the boat. Also that same night as we were leaving port, I was up on deck 10 on the port side and peered over the railing and saw him actually steering the ship away from the dock. There were a few of us there--and he looked up, talked, and joked around a little. I agree w/ the person that said he's "all business." In a way, I'd prefer that--at least I know I'm in good hands. :D

[skandls]

Can you book transfers with the RCL without booking their air? Is the $25.00 per person? That would be a bit steep for four of us.

 

 

Sher

 

Long Beach is a much easier airport than LAX. But money wise check out the fares to both combined with a Super Shuttle or Prime Time shuttle to your hotel or the ship. Four in a taxi with all the luggage probably won't work. The shuttle services have a first passenger rate and then the other passengers are much cheaper.

 

We are looking at going out of Florida. So I check the Fort Larderdale and Miami airfares combined with the taxi / shuttle cost.