Just got back from Vision trip. C&A, Suite, kids!

[sdmike]

Hopefully you guys understood why I said "C&A, suite & kids" in the title. I wanted to make sure that anyone with questions about the Vision or the Mexico trip knew that I have insight/answers about these items in addition to normal trip information. :)

 

I will write a longer review as a follow-up later today, but I wanted to throw this out there in case anyone had any questions. However, here is a summary:

 

We had an INCREDIBLE time on this trip. The weather was beautiful, the seas were calm, and the excursions we took were a blast. The ship was in beautiful condition, our suites were outstanding, and the service was impeccable. The food was good for the most part, although there were a few disappointments thrown in there that I'll describe later.

 

There were 11 of us on this trip...two senior citizens, 4 "parents", and 5 kids ranging from 7 to 13. My family of 5 had the Strauss Suite, which is cabin 8504 (owner's suite), my parents had the Grand Suite next door (Crete Suite, cabin 8506) and my brother and his family had the GS next door to them, cabin 8508. 8504 and 8506 connected, which made for one BIG suite combined. :)

 

Now, here's some random information. Again, I'll go into more detail, with pictures, in a follow-up post.

 

Boarding:

• I'm an idiot. We had everything with us from our 2 hour drive from San Diego EXCEPT OUR PASSPORTS! We were able to get a neighbor to go into our house and FAX our passports to the RC desk in the terminal. They had a notary there who stamped the copies for us. This sufficed for both boarding AND going through customs at the end of the trip. Phew!
  
• We got there at 11:30am and people were already going onto the ship
  
• There was a separate check-in line for “preferred guests”, which included C&A members and suite passengers. It didn’t matter though…there was really no line at all.

Rooms/Amenities/Ship

• We each had a bottle of champagne in our rooms with a very nice fruit bowl. This is a suite amenity on the ship. A few days later they brought us each a nice desert tray in the evening.
  
• We also each had two robes, slippers and bathroom toiletries (soaps, etc.)
  
• Each room got priority tender passes for Cabo. They debark by number, and being suite passengers we got #1 (we could leave whenever we wanted)
  
• There was no exclusive lounge for suite owners/C&A members
  
• There was no internet connection (wired or wireless) in our rooms. However, there was an Internet café on deck 8 mid-ship that had their own computers plus wireless access for your own computer. The cost was $.55 per minute. (at the terminal in Mazatlan there’s an internet/phone café that charges $2 for 30 minutes)
  
• Our suite was huge, including a bath with double sink, toilet, bidet, whirlpool tub and separate enclosed shower. I think this was bigger than my inside cabin on my 2006 Disney cruise. Lol
  
• As C&A members we got invited to a free reception and a wine tasting, plus about the 4th or 5th day we got C&A baseball caps delivered to our rooms (not bad)
  
• We also got C&A discount coupon books, although I don’t think we found much use in them. I think all we used was the Ben & Jerry’s discount
  
• People have asked this before, so I want to confirm that there IS a Ben & Jerry’s and specialty coffee shop on this ship. It’s on the 5th deck just off the Centrum. It’s not free, but the prices for icecream and coffee are reasonable.
  
• Speaking of coffee, the regular coffee in the dining room is excellent. The decaf is horrible. I was more than willing to drink better coffee and stay up an hour later. Lol
  
• My kids LOVED the Adventure Ocean program. My 7yo daughter wanted to go in there often, and my 11yo son could often be found with his age group in varying locations on the ship…including the teen’s lounge/club that they commandeered from the teens for a while. I let him check himself in and out, and he had a blast. My 13 year old had the most fun. He met new friends and was the last one in the cabin a few nights. We had our rules about checking in, etc., and he handled responsibility very well. We were proud of both boys
  
• The arcade is small, warm, noisy and expensive. You use your cruise card for the games, but you have to “charge” them with funds using a machine in the arcade before they can be used. There’s danger here in that your kid can run up serious $$$ in this arcade if they have charge capabilities on their card. Luckily, my kids obeyed my rules and only put $ on the card with permission.

Ports/Excursions

• The America’s Cup trip in Cabo was cancelled due to low attendance, and I was really bummed. However, my father and I joined the rest of the family for the dune buggy trip. We had a BLAST. The buggies were complete pieces of crap ready to fall apart any moment, but that just added to the fun. Riding down the deserted beach with waves crashing next to you was simply a blast. The port area of cabo is beautiful, but a few blocks out it’s dirty and impoverished. Careful where you go. Oh, my brother and his family did the dolphin encounter there and loved it. They KILL you with the cost of pictures and ad-ons, but the experience was awesome
  
• In Mazatlan we just went to the Gold Zone and downtown for some local flavor and shopping, and we had a lot of fun. It was a prettier town overall than Cabo (IMO) and I felt safer. The cab rides were E-ticket material too!
  
• In PV we did the Pirate Ship adventure with the entire family. This is a MUST if you have kids. What a blast! I’ll write more about it later, but we spend 2 hours partying on the way to a private beach, played like maniacs on the beach (kayaking, snorkeling, banana boat, etc.) then partied for 2 hours on the way back. The ship is amazing and has an incredible sailing history. The crew, service and food were top notch. I HIGHLY recommend this.

Remind me to tell you about the thunderstorms in PV as we were leaving. Lightening everywhere, pouring rain and flooding, high winds, etc. The Vision didn’t even wobble a bit, but that pirate ship was 10 miles out of harbor when the storm hit. I bet they had a WILD ride. Lol

 

One downer on the trip was the fact we went into virus alert when we were in PV. We were no longer able to serve our own food in windjammer, plus we had disinfectant wipes thrust on us at ever turn. The Disney Magic travelling with us (same itinerary) had the same problem. Turns out that someone did not heed the ship warnings and ended up getting sick from eating at the Shrimp Factory in Mazatlan. We were before we left the ship that eating in town might present additional risk, and it turns out it did. They were quarantined for the remainder of the trip, and the rest of us had to pay for it a bit. Nobody else got sick except this one family (so I’m told), so I guess the precautions worked.

 

Anyway, that’s it for now. Please let me know if you have any questions about the ship, the amenities, our suites, the ports, etc. I highly recommend this trip, as we had a marvelous time.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Nice review!

I can only imagine how panicked you must of been when you discovered you didn't have your passports! :eek: Lucky your neighbors came to your rescue.

 

We've been on the Vision twice, both times a JS one was an AFT and the other the starboard aft.

 

The thunderstorm in PV sounds pretty scary, were you already back on board? Too bad about the virus, Mexico is one place we never eat in port. A few other ports we also have second thoughts and concerns. But it can really happen anywhere.

 

Glad you had a good time! We ready for the Mariner and Mexico in February!

 

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[cruiserbryce]

we did this cruise last year and loved it, glad you had a great time and glad you shared it

[sdmike]

DCIA -

You can't IMAGINE the panic. I was about to get in the car and drive like hell to home, but thankfully RCI suggested the fax thing and we were able find a neighbor and get them into the house. Also, yes, we were back on the ship by the time the storm hit. I have some pretty amazing pictures that I'll post. My folks' room, 8506 had an extended overhang over their balcony from the windjammer hump, so we were able to stand out there and watch the storm a bit without getting drenched. Amazingly, even with the roaring storm (which, by the way, caused severe flooding issues in PV that night) the Vision didn't budge a bit. No blowing by the wind, no additional rocking in the seas. It was just like we were in calm, sunny weather. What a testament to these great ships!

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

DCIA -

You can't IMAGINE the panic. I was about to get in the car and drive like hell to home, but thankfully RCI suggested the fax thing and we were able find a neighbor and get them into the house. Also, yes, we were back on the ship by the time the storm hit. I have some pretty amazing pictures that I'll post. My folks' room, 8506 had an extended overhang over their balcony from the windjammer hump, so we were able to stand out there and watch the storm a bit without getting drenched. Amazingly, even with the roaring storm (which, by the way, caused severe flooding issues in PV that night) the Vision didn't budge a bit. No blowing by the wind, no additional rocking in the seas. It was just like we were in calm, sunny weather. What a testament to these great ships!

 

 

Try explaining that one to CHP!!! :D :D

 

We've never been in a storm like the one in PV, but it is good to know the ship handled it well.

 

***

[dirtgirl]

Thanks for your review! Looking forward to the Vision again in November!:)

[sdmike]

Oh..just a little about the entertainment. Overall it was pretty bad. The ventriloquist ("fresh off a visit on the david letterman show", they said). Was horrible. He was great at not moving his lips, but the material was so bad it was embarrassing.

 

On the flip side, Kyle Knight and his fiance Missy (Knight Magic) was an INCREDIBLE illusionist. He did things that were simply stunning, even with us sitting right in front of him. If you ever get a chance to see these folks, go do it. They even did a little seminar one afternoon where they taught kids how to do some pretty nifty slight-of-hand tricks. They were super nice, and super talented.

 

Some food highlights:

 

The lobster was incredible

Each night the pasta, whatever they served, was very good

Most of the fish dishes were outstanding

The appetizers were very, very good across the board. Try new stuff. You'll be glad you did

The chicken at the windjammer the first evening :) (forget the name)

 

Food lowlights

 

Variety at the windjammer at lunch. Same stuff, new day.

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Must of been the Honey Stung Chicken!! Its usually served only the first day. :(

 

***

[sdmike]

Yes! That was it. The Honey Stung chicken. My picky eater son couldn't get enough of it. It was, as they say, muy yummy :)

[sdmike]

Posted about 50 pictures of our trip here:

 

http://public.fotki.com/ritchiefamily/san_diego_family/2008-pictures/mexico-cruise-public/

[Merion_Mom]

Your pictures: WOW!

[sdmike]

Which part? LOL. Yeah, those suites were very nice. I know the Vision is an older ship, but she's still a "looker". I have hundreds of pictures of the ship and our excursions, so if there's anything you guys want to see just let me know. I just tried to take a sample of stuff, especially the rooms.:)

[oregoncruisers]

Thanks for your photos & review! We can hardly wait to go ourselves. We have been nervous about potential bad weather, so it is good to hear that it did not affect the ship too much. Did it infringe on your excursion that day?

 

How was the weather on the rest of the trip?

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Great pictures!! Thanks for posting :)

 

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[sdmike]

Thanks for your photos & review! We can hardly wait to go ourselves. We have been nervous about potential bad weather, so it is good to hear that it did not affect the ship too much. Did it infringe on your excursion that day?

 

How was the weather on the rest of the trip?

 

We were done our excursion before the weather moved in (thankfully). We started at 7:45am and were back on the ship before 4pm. The weather started getting nasty around 5 or so.

 

The weather except for about 6 hours that evening was OUTSTANDING! It was certainly swimming pool and balcony weather the rest of the time. It got a bit humid, but not enough to keep us inside. :)

 

[ASeaPrincess1]

Thank you for that great review and the fantastic pictures. I am going in December, and now am getting more excited by the minute!

I do have some questions about the suites since we are staying in a GS.

I am just a Gold level, having only sailed with RCI twice before. Do they give out the same amenities to lowly Golds as they do Platinums and Diamonds?

I thought I read somewhere that champagne was only given to Platinum and above. That would be a bummer;).

Another question that may seem dumb, but is it possible to look down from the Windjammer onto any balconies? It is hard to tell from the pictures I took (I did this cruise last year on Princess. I have photographs of the Vision which was "parked" behind us) I would hate to have an audience while I am basking on my balcony:D

Thanks

[sdmike]

Thank you for that great review and the fantastic pictures. I am going in December, and now am getting more excited by the minute!

I do have some questions about the suites since we are staying in a GS.

I am just a Gold level, having only sailed with RCI twice before. Do they give out the same amenities to lowly Golds as they do Platinums and Diamonds?

I thought I read somewhere that champagne was only given to Platinum and above. That would be a bummer;).

Another question that may seem dumb, but is it possible to look down from the Windjammer onto any balconies? It is hard to tell from the pictures I took (I did this cruise last year on Princess. I have photographs of the Vision which was "parked" behind us) I would hate to have an audience while I am basking on my balcony:D

Thanks

 

You should have a great time! While we were in an owner's suite, my travelling companions were each in a grand suite and loved it. It was plenty big for 2 adults and 2 kids, and the main benefit of the OS was having enough room for a fold-up bed for my daughter (we had 5 in our room). The whirlpool tub was a bonus too. :) I really, really like the layout of the GS with the bar area separating the closets from the living room. It's just very, very nicely laid out.

 

To put your mind at rest, my wife and I are only Gold C&A members, and the folks in the other rooms were not C&A members at all. We ALL got champagne, fruit, robes, slippers, etc. These were suite amenities, not C&A amenities. :)

 

Some of the balconies can be seen from the windjammer...just barely. On the sides of the windjammer there are protrusions/humps that stick out from the ship. We were in 8504 (the third balcony), and this windjammer "hump" was over 8506 and 8508. If you get way out in that hump and look down and to the side you could see some of our balcony. This will only be possible for one balcony on each side of the hump. Which stateroom do you have? I can look at my pictures and a map and give my opinion on whether or not you'll have an issue.

 

Let me see if I can find a picture of what I'm talking about....

[sdmike]

ok..I found a couple of pictures.For someone to see a balcony they have to be working pretty hard at it, and they will only be able to see a little of it. you can tell from the pictures here that the angles are not conducive to casual snooping. :) You run a bigger risk of being viewed by your next door neighbors, or when sitting around the pool.

 

8504 is the third balcony from the right. 8506, the fourth balcony, is the first GS.

 

 

You can see here how tough the angle would be to view the balcony. They really can only see the edge by the railing. This is looking aft on our balcony.

 

 

I hope this helps!

[ASeaPrincess1]

ok..I found a couple of pictures.For someone to see a balcony they have to be working pretty hard at it, and they will only be able to see a little of it. you can tell from the pictures here that the angles are not conducive to casual snooping. :) You run a bigger risk of being viewed by your next door neighbors, or when sitting around the pool.

 

8504 is the third balcony from the right. 8506, the fourth balcony, is the first GS.

 

 

You can see here how tough the angle would be to view the balcony. They really can only see the edge by the railing. This is looking aft on our balcony.

 

 

I hope this helps!

 

That is a good picture. I am in 8008, which is on the other side, but 5 balconies down. I would be under that hump. I guess someone would have to lay down on the floor to look down...:D

Thanks for your help.

[sdmike]

They won't be able to see you, even if working real hard at it. :) I really liked the balcony under the hump. When the late afternoon sun was baking our balcony they had shade under the hump.

[ASeaPrincess1]

They won't be able to see you, even if working real hard at it. :) I really liked the balcony under the hump. When the late afternoon sun was baking our balcony they had shade under the hump.

 

Thank you for all your help. I am sure I will have more questions later. I did have a question that was answered previously about noise from the Windjammer. Other posters assured me they heard nothing. Was that the case with you, too?

I am getting more excited by the day. I really need this vacation! Now if I could just get my teenage sons excited about it....

[sdmike]

I didn't hear much at all from the windjammer and pool area. The windjammer closes by 9 and the rooms are underneath the seating areas, not the kitchen area. When it's open we would hear an occasional thump or bump from upstairs, but it wasn't annoying and never happened after 9pm. I was on a Disney cruise under the main kitchen and people worked in there all night! It was horrible!

 

Oh..my father said he could hear some bass notes from the band on the deck when he was in his room, but we never heard a thing.

[sdmike]

I'm not sure if you're a smoker or not, but the ship seemed virtually smoke free to me. The casino had smoke in it, but we didn't spend any time there so it really didn't matter. Smoke didn't get to us on the balcony or deck at all, and even the lounges didn't seem too bad. I think it's because a lot of cruisers on this trip are from California, and we have so many restrictions out here on smoking that usage rates are very low.

[ASeaPrincess1]

I'm not sure if you're a smoker or not, but the ship seemed virtually smoke free to me. The casino had smoke in it, but we didn't spend any time there so it really didn't matter. Smoke didn't get to us on the balcony or deck at all, and even the lounges didn't seem too bad. I think it's because a lot of cruisers on this trip are from California, and we have so many restrictions out here on smoking that usage rates are very low.

Nope.....we are non-smokers. The only thing I hate about casinos is emerging from them smelling like an ashtray. :p

[arcone]

Hi Please if possible please post a review of VOS on member cruise review sight here on CC. The last member review was posted in May of this year. It is part of my pre cruise ritual to read the CC members cruise review on the ship we are sailing, We sail in October. Thanks