Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas

 

“The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.”

Amelia Barr

It all started when our daughter decided she wanted to go on a cruise over spring break. One of her friends found a great deal on this ship where kids could sail free and told her about it. We looked into this 10 day cruise and fell in love with the itinerary. Then in a flash, we scheduled the cruise. We ended up having a group of 20 people including our daughter and all her children, including her older daughter and four of her friends, and the wonderful couple that found the cruise to begin with. Unfortunately our daughters husband couldn’t get off of work being his busiest time of the year in Augusta.

Initially, we were worried there wasn’t going to be enough things to do for the children but we were mistaken. No, this cruise ship didn’t have all the glamour and bells and whistles of the larger ships like water slides, go karts, and huge parks onboard but we found it was perfect for us and our group. This ship is a vision class ship and was the last of its kind built. It is a smaller ship at only 915 feet in length, and carries a total of 2,416 guests and 765 crew members. It has 10 passenger decks. That made it much easier to keep track of where everyone was during the day and we ran into people we knew all the time. We loved that. We were also able to form bonds between us and some of the crew members.

As soon as we got onboard the ship, we were welcomed with cheerful smiles. We were concerned we wouldn’t be welcomed with so many children but it was the exact opposite. They welcomed our group with open arms as we boarded with 6 children ranging from five years old to 14. Our daughter is a foster mom and after adopting all six of these beautiful children, wanted to take them on a trip of a lifetime.

The staff was more than accommodating with all of us and put us all at ease that we chose the right ship. Since this was not a large ship it was easy for us to get our bearings and learn where everything was located early in our trip. That first day, we got the kids signed up for the kids club, which is a wonderful option for children while on the ship. Our children loved it and wanted to go all the time.

Bal and Zoe

Centrum

The cruise director Bal and hotel director Zoe were great. They were visible throughout our cruise and were very personable. The first day on the ship they had a Sail Away party as we let Fort Lauderdale that was a blast. All the kids and I got up to dance which was a great start to our 10 day adventure. 70’s night was a blast as well with everyone dressing up in seventies outfits and enjoying some great 70’s music. They kept us busy with so many fun events that both the adults and kids loved on board and it was all done fabulous.

Here is a little information about the ship. This ship was first launched in 1997, then in 2013 the ship went into dry dock for a refit, and then refurbished in 2017. It is registered in the Bahamas. It was beautifully decorated and we felt it was a great layout. Our room on the third floor was perfectly located so we could just go up the stairs to the dining room and the elevators were not far away.

Yes, some rooms can accommodate up to four.

Ocean view

Fun towel animals left at night

Deck two and three on this ship were staterooms. Our room on the third floor was right next to our daughters room. We had a king size bed and had a lovely ocean view. This room was perfect for us and was bigger than we anticipated. Our daughter had two adjoining rooms with four bunk beds in each. That worked out great for her. Our stateroom attendant, Darrel, kept our rooms spotless and was great. He was ready to help us in any way possible.

Centrum lights at night

How the Centrum changes at night

Deck four is where the Centrum is located. That is the center of the ship where many events are held. It was a beautiful place to sit and look up to floor 9 and watch the glass elevators coming and going. On each level, there were lights accenting each floor that changed colors continuously. Bar Z was located there that was convenient for bar drinks and soft drinks. The bar tenders were sweet with the kids and always took care of us. On one night of the cruise there was a Silent party where everyone is given a headset where you could here up to three different different kinds of music on three separate stations. What fun. Our 7 year old was singing to the songs at the top of his lungs with incorrect words while dancing around. That was hilarious.

Latin Band

PJ Groove

Flags from all countries working on the ship

Veteran's Program

Avinash

Shaun

All the chefs

Wait staff fun

Dinner fun

We saw some great entertainment there such as the group that played Latin music with Barrio Tumbao, and party music with PJ Groove, and music by DJ Alf. The main dining hall, (Aquarius) is also located on that floor. We had fantastic meals and felt like we were kings and queens while we were there. Our main waiter, Avinash from India and his assistant was Shaun also from India did everything possible to give the kids and us a happy, fun, and delicious meal time. They were always patient and kind to them. If one asked for a fruit salad with just pineapples, that is what he got. Or if they wanted an extra dessert, they made it happen. Thanks guys for making it so special. They were super nice and we were lucky to have them. It was also special that they introduced all the chefs so we could show our appreciation. Another night all the waiters put on a show.  So much fun. 

Masquerade Theater

Billy Prudhomme

Mark Merchant

Love and Marriage Show

Deck five is where the Masquerade Theater was located. It was a stunning venue that stayed busy most of the day. We saw some great shows. We saw a juggler comedian named Billy Prudhomme who was hilarious and a ventriloquist named Mark Merchant who was amazing. I will never figure out how he could sing and drink at the same time. How is is possible? Impressive. The Love and Marriage Show is always a hit on Royal Caribbean Ships.  This show never disappoints. The casino was on that floor and was always hoping when we were out at sea. We gave the slots a try and won nothing. That was our first time even trying on a cruise ship. It was fun watching all the commotion with bells and lights going off everywhere.  

Joe eating at Chops

Katia

Art Gallery

Deck six had the balcony area of the Masquerade Theater, Centrum Shops, photo shop, art gallery, and auction, Cafe Latte-tudes where you could get a fancy coffee or tea for an extra charge, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for an extra charge, art gallery, Chops (a pay steak restaurant), Schooner Bar where Anselmo Boles played a mean piano and entertained the crowd, and Some Enchanted Evening Lounge where they had bands and family Karaoke. That was nice as they they allowed even the smallest children get up and sing and some of the dance parties. We have some good dancers among the children and the audience always seemed to enjoy watching as they had fun. We ate at Chops one time and had an amazing meal. It was one of the best steak I ever ate and our waitress, Katia was wonderful. This was definitely the fun floor.

Deck seven and eight had only rooms and suites.

Vitality Day Spa

Sports Center

Sauna

Solarium 

Windjammer

Deck nine was where the Windjammer buffet was set up that served food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is also where the main pool was located along with hot tubs and a big screen where they played movies. The adults only Solarium was located there with a separate pool and hot tubs. There was a pizza and panini place in the Solarium that serves food all day and most of the night. Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center were located there. There was a steam room and also a quite room where you could sit and think in silence with a great view of the water. The fitness room was a good size with lots of machines to try and keep off those extra pounds during the cruise.

Arcade

Teen dance Hall

Rock Climbing Wall

Shuffle Board

Deck 10 was where the kids club was located named Adventure Ocean. They had different age groups and had plenty of fun things scheduled for the kids. Since we were there over Easter, they had an Easter Egg hunt and many other Easter crafts. There was a baby center as well as a teen center where they had dance parties. The video arcade was small but kept the kids entertained for awhile. There was a climbing wall at the back of the ship that stands 40 feet tall, a running deck, and a couple shuffle boards.

Viking Crown Lounge

Concierge Club

Deck 11 was the Concierge Club as well as the Viking Crown Lounge. Joe and I loved going there as we were able to get great views of the ocean and could sit and enjoy a cocktail. During the day it was a quiet area and then late at night it was another dance venue.

Deck 12 was only the pay restaurant called Izumi which is a sushi bar. They gave classes on how to make sushi that you could pay to join.

Morning Stretch Class

Wassef

Siddhesh

Soma

Iputu

Venky

During the days, we enjoyed sitting near the pool watching the children swim or sitting in the hot tub. While there, we had some of the nicest waiters. Each of these waiters were absolutely wonderful, friendly, and did a fantastic job. We loved Siddhesh from Indian, Wassef from Tunisia, Venky from Indian, and Soma from Indonesia. They all were super nice and stayed on top of bringing us drinks while we relaxed and laughed and joked with us. Also while we were on the beach at Labradee, Iputu Ryan from Indonesia did a great job serving and those around us. 

Anselmo

Silvana

Gusti

In the Centrum while we watched shows we enjoyed two beverage people that worked at the Z Bar. One was Silvana a beautiful lady from Brazil and the other was Gusti from Indonesia. Both were super sweet and did a great job. They were both very personable. The piano player, Anselmo Boles in the Schooner Bar was a very nice guy and took the time to talk with our grands about music and life. We were blessed with the time we had with him.

My critique of this ship is it is a smaller ship but they had plenty to do and see. The ships show performers were good but there shows were only okay. The shows that they brought in such as the comedians were fantastic. The crew on the ship were some of the friendliest we’ve ever encountered. We really enjoyed them all and they did a superb job. The food was good but not great. Would we definitely go on this ship again. Yes, we sure would. We had the time of our life. Royal Caribbean knows how to do it right.

Seeing the ship at night under the stars was always a joy.  It was wonderful having a walk under the stars. 

TIPS: To make your cruise even better. Make sure you have all your documents handy as your board including your passport, your boarding card, and photo ID like a drivers license. That just keeps the lines going quickly. We had a very quick and easy boarding as Royal is very organized.

Put a bathing suit in your carry on so you can use the pool and hot tub before they let you into your room. Buy a ship lanyard to keep your room card in. If you do loose it, go to Customer Service and they will replace it.

If you have issues with feeling the ship rock, get a room that is on the middle deck and in the middle of the ship. Do not get a room under the pool area or disco as you will be able to hear chairs moving throughout the night while cleaning is done.

When you first get to your room, check to make sure everything works and request any items needed such as extra pillows. Then walk around the ship to get familiar with where things are located. Get to the shows about 15 minutes early to get a good seat and not to disturb the performers.

Last but not least. Go on a cruise with a good attitude. This is your vacation so make the most of it. Talk with the crew and other passengers. Go and join in some of the games, classes, dances, and fun. Your cruise is what you make of it. So go out and have fun.

Till next time.  From my family to yours, bye for now.