Philip Guerrero

Age: 35
Occupation: Higher Ed
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Ship: Vision of the Seas
Sailing Date: March 2nd, 2001
Itinerary: Circle the Caribbean

This was my second cruise.  The first was in April, 2000, on the Norwegian Sea on its Texaribbean itinerary out of Houston.  Ironically enough, the Sea was docked right next to the Vision in Miami when we got there.  The size difference was obvious.  The Sea was a nice ship, but it paled in comparison to the Vision of the Seas.  The itinerary was March 2-12, Circle the Caribbean.

The Vision is a beautiful ship.  Its Centrum soared up from the 4th deck to the 11th with glass everywhere.  The two glass elevators here were filled with wide-eyed passengers almost always.  The use of wood, brass, chrome, and even the stainless steel of the suspended piece of art in the Centrum gave a very classy feel.  We were welcomed by very friendly staff and directed to our stateroom.

We had checked in at the terminal before noon, and it was a very simple process.  It went quickly, too.  Our luggage was at our room within a couple of hours, too.  The stateroom was nice.  We had a "larger interior stateroom."  It was definitely larger than the one on the Sea.  There was an area that dared to call itself a sitting area, but it was nothing more than a very small loveseat.  There was, however, loads of storage space.  A large vanity opposite the loveseat had storage behind every mirror, as well as cabinets to the side.  The safe was in one of these cabinets.  The small TV was in one of the cabinets, too.  Additionally there was a spacious closet with upper and lower hanging rods.

The bathroom was identical to the one on the Sea:  very small.  Someone had once made the wisecrack to me that one could use the restroom and take a shower at the same time.  Believe it.  I'm not a small person, and the shower can be cramped at times.  Luckily, though, the showerheads were of the handheld type, so they were easily adjusted.  Again, there was plenty of storage, most of it behind the mirrors above the sink.

The room steward was very friendly and helpful.  Two changes of towels a day is so nice.  And be ready for some interesting towel art from the steward.  Everything from birds, reptiles, and jungle animals were represented.  The pillows occasionally joined the mix, too.

The Vision has so much to offer.  Along with the usual casino, pools, and lounges you find on most ships, there was also a library, a card room, internet café, and full service spa.  The library allowed you to check out books to read while on the cruise.  That was nice, considering I hadn't brought enough to read again.  It was a nicely-appointed room with leather chairs and plenty of room.

The internet café charged $.50 per minute.  It was convenient for keeping in touch with people at home, and the connection was quite speedy.

One thing that we had done on the Sea was sneak our own liquor on board.  On the Sea you could buy it on board in the store, but they held it until the last day of the cruise for you to take home then.  Because we assumed it would be the same on the Vision, we took our own on board again.  This time, however, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that you could buy the liquor on board at GREAT prices and then take it back to your room to enjoy!  That was nice.  Also, unlike the Sea, soft drinks were free at dinnertime.

Speaking of food, it was very good.  I'm a big steak lover, and after the Sea I was wary of what they would be like on the Vision.  On the Sea they had always been too thin to get a good medium rare steak.  On the Vision it was no problem.  All the steaks were great.  Even the prime rib was excellent!  The only item that was never up to snuff was the salmon.  It was always very, very dry.  Our waitress explained it's usually because they have to prepare so many ahead of time, which I can understand.  Our waistress was outstanding.  She was never shy to recommend and even tell us if something might not be good ("The Mahi Mahi is very fishy tonight.").  She and the assistant waiter worked very well together.  A tip:  if you want more than one lobster on lobster night, make sure you tell your server this BEFORE they go back to the kitchen. 

The theater was magnificent.  On the Sea there were columns throughout that, if you had the misfortune of sitting behind one, blocked your view.  No such thing on the Vision.  In fact, it's a two-story theater, and we always managed a seat in the front row of one of the balconies.  Perfect view.  Entertainment was first class.  Anna Maria Alberghetti, Lenny Welch, The Osmonds (yes, the Osmonds -- sans Donny), a couple of comedy acts, and the local company with two different Broadway-style shows.  It was all very good.

As large as the ship is, the common areas were never really that crowded except for the pool.  If you didn't get to the pool by 8:30, most poolside chairs were gone or "saved."  I got out there once at 6:30am just to see what it was like, and it was amazing.  But there are tons of chairs on large decks all over.  So, unless you have to be by the pool, you'll find a seat somewhere.  The pool area always had a steel drum band playing.  They were ok for the first couple of days, but how many times can someone listen to "Red, Red Wine" or "Who Let the Dogs Out?"  And they were loud most of the time.  The Solarium pool was a polar opposite:  very quiet, almost serene.  It's under a retractable, glass ceiling/roof, but it was never opened during the trip.  Don't know why.  It was a nice respite from the loud outdoor pool.

The casino is nice.  I'm not a big gambler, so I guess it was just your average casino.

The Crown Viking Lounge was amazing.  It's the signature lounge area at the top of Royal Carribean's ships.  It has a wide view of everything courtesy of all the glass that surrounds this lounge.  On the Vision it has a bar, a dance floor, and 3 levels of lounge area.  Very nice.

The itinerary sailed from Miami and included Cancun/Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Aruba and Curaçao.  Having been to Cozumel a couple of times before, we just spent the day walking around town.  We had to pass up Grand Cayman because of rough seas.  Apparently it would have been too rough for the tenders.  The captain made up for it, though, by declaring all the bars "open" bars for a couple of hours.

Jamaica was interesting.  Dunn's River Falls is a must-see.  Beware the gauntlet of shops you have to go through when you leave, though.  I was literally grabbed three different times to come into someone's shop.  Went through a couple of small, outdoor shopping malls.  They were ok, but they were the same shops at both locations.

Aruba was the nicest port.  Very clean, very nice.  Took a snorkeling excursion that went to a couple of spots, the nicest and most interesting being a 1940 shipwreck of a German warship.  Very much worth it. 

Curaçao was nice.  The Dutch influence is obvious in all the colorful buildings.  The architecture was nice to look at.  Try and check out the western hemisphere's oldest synagogue.

Be aware that they have theme nights as far as dress is concerned.  In addition to the two formal nights they had a country/western night, a 50s/60s night, and a Caribbean night.  By the way, I rented a tux through RCI's service (you get a flier in your travel documents), and it was very convenient.  Basically, for $85 you get the tux for the entire time (it includes 2 shirts).  They deliver it directly to your room when you arrive, and you just leave it in the room when you leave.  I would have had a hard time renting a tux locally for that long at that price.  I'm not one that thinks you have to have a tux at dinner; on the contrary, I would prefer NOT to.  But, I had the money, I was in the mood and thought it would be fun, so I did.  Our tablemates were of the same belief.  It was a great table.

All in all this was a great trip.  This ship is excellent, offering a wide variety of activities for every age group (there is a kid's program that we had no need for).  The staff is very friendly, the service is very good, and everyone seems to have a lot of fun.

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