L-I-V-E from the Vision! 12 Days Sailing the Mediterranean!

I'm still following along too! It is a bummer when you have to skip a port, but Mother Nature is the boss. Your pics on Instagram are beautiful....keep them coming and enjoy the rest of the cruise. Thanks.

Hey everyone,

We're floating still just outside of the Strait of Messina. A code Oscar was called (man overboard), as a small raft was spotted near our ship. A rescue operation was launched and all lower outside decks cleared.

If you have a moment, please send a quick thought for a safe operation -- the crew carrying these out are tasked with a job no one could want to do and it can't be easy.

Sending my prayers!

not religious so no prayer but ive some room in my heart and thoughts for a safe happy outcome now and longterm !.

if only i was on instagram id be able to see these photos :(

if only i was on instagram id be able to see these photos :(

Click on the instgram link in Nicloe signature, thats how i look at her pictures.

So good news: the raft they found belonged to a coast guard exercise. They had asked that we remove it and then later asked that we return it to sea, so we were a bit delayed longer than we should have been. No word I whether or not this will impact our arrival in Salerno, but everyone is very relieved, as this was the best possible outcome.

Not so good news: we had our second code Alpha of the cruise. Poor Captain Lis has had her hands full all cruise long.

Today was our fourth day at sea (third scheduled) and our third and final formal night. It was a low-key day and there wasn't a ton going on. There was a 2/$20 destination t-shirt sale that was busy for hours and a Thriller flash mob, but otherwise, not too much to write about.

We passed through the Strait of Messina a bit earlier than scheduled and we got a lovely view of Mount Stromboli at dusk. I'll put a picture up on Instagram before I go to bed!

Tomorrow, we'll be docked in Salerno and we're heading off on an excursion to Sorrento, Capri and Pompeii, so if anyone has any questions on those, I'll be happy to answer! :)

So happy to see so many people following along! I'll be back tomorrow to chat about our last port day! I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!

Nicole you are doing a wonderful job - I feel like I'm there too :) (ok, I'll be there in September). Did you book your Capri/Pompeii excursion through RCL? I can't wait to hear all about it.

Good morning from the waters off of Santorini! Unfortunately, I can't wish you a good morning from Santorini because gale force winds have forced the captain's decision to cancel the port of call this morning. It really is windy -- there was heavy movement as they attempted to anchor.

 

We're pretty bummed but what can you do? I guess we'll have to do another Med cruise and hope for less winds :P

 

I'll be back later to talk about yesterday's port in Turkey.

Oh that sucks!!! I would have been really upset because Santorini is one stop I really want to go to. I was on Vision end of April and we had to skip Nice, France because of winds too. The ship was tendered, so even if we got off the boat, the winds were picking up in the afternoon and there was no guarantee we would have made it back on the ship. Safety first, but it was disappointing.

BTW, the AM's name is CeCe....I personally wasn't too thrilled with her or Mercedes.

And, if you're on Deck 3, I hope you're not in cabin 3098!

Hello! Still following too! :D. Great job! Sorry about Santorini.... And Ephesus! Did you take the ships tour in Ephesus?

Also, are you doing the ships tour in Salerno? That is a ton to do in one day.... Especially since Capri takes a while to get there from Salerno...but perhaps they drive to Sorrento then you take the faster hydrofoil. Hope you enjoyed it! We wanted to do Capri on our own in September, but unfortunately the ferry from Salerno to Capri only runs a couple times per day. Interested in hearing about your tour! If it is not thru Royal, who is it with

Few other questions:

Confirming days 2, 6, 10 are formal?

Do you know if the bogo on wine in chops is every night or just some? We booked GT, Chops and chefs table, so just curious. Sounds like a good deal!

Enjoy your final days! :)

Hi Nicole,

Thank you so much for doing this live review! It's so helpful! My daughter and I are on the June 9th cruise.

Couple of questions...

1. Have you been to the Chef Dinner? Is it a good idea to book early or ok to book once onboard? Is it even worth doing?

2. Do they ever offer any deals on the drink packages once onboard?

Thanks again! Enjoy your last few days!

Leigh

Sorry you missed the port of Santorini-that is the one I wish to see the most! I would have been bummed!

Was the turkey tour through the ship It is a bummer it wasn't very good.

It sounds like you are having a wonderful trip other than those blips.

Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us! Love your photos!

Laura

Good morning from a very chilly Vision of the Seas! The temps have dropped pretty dramatically and are currently no higher than the low 60s -- a far cry from the Caribbean-esque weather we'd experienced for the first week or so!

Yesterday, we were docked in Salerno and what a stunning port it was. The entry into the dock is quite picturesque with sloping hillsides with colorful buildings and majestic mountains shrouded in clouds.

We had booked the Capri, Sorrento and Pompei excursion through the ship and it, bar none, made up for everything we disliked about our day in Turkey. Our guide, Vincenzo, was knowledgeable and witty and we very much enjoyed spending the day with him.

The tour began with a short bus ride to another pier and an hour and a half long boat ride to Capri, followed by a ride up the funicular to Capri, where we had just under an hour to explore the high-end shopping or grab a snack (cappuccinos and croissants for us!). After a ride back down the funi, we took a 20 minute ride to Sorrento on another boat. Sorrento is a stunning town with tons of personality and many shops and restaurants. We had a fantastic lunch of pasta, chicken and cake at a local restaurant and then 40 minutes of free time to shop and explore before boarding a coach for the short drive to Pompei.

Our visit to Pompei started with a stop in the cameo factory near the entrance. And, in true Nicole fashion, a strap on one of my sandals broke as we entered the Pompei grounds! The walk up to Pompei is very steep but generally leveled once you're up there. Vincenzo was a great guide for the site and after about an hour and a half, we drove back to the ship.

My only gripe about the tour was that we wanted more free time because this area of Italy is so gorgeous and the shopping was amazing, but if you want to see it all in one day, that's kind of what you sacrifice. Now that we've seen Pompei, the next time we visit the Amalfi Coast, we'll do a full day of Capri and Sorrento.

I've posted some pics to Instagram and I'll post a few more throughout the day!

Nicole you are doing a wonderful job - I feel like I'm there too :) (ok, I'll be there in September). Did you book your Capri/Pompeii excursion through RCL? I can't wait to hear all about it.

Yep! We booked all of our excursions through the ship. We wouldn't rule out using private tours on future trips, but since this was our first time sailing into these ports, we felt safer using the ship's tours.

Hello! Still following too! :D. Great job! Sorry about Santorini.... And Ephesus! Did you take the ships tour in Ephesus?

 

 

 

Also, are you doing the ships tour in Salerno? That is a ton to do in one day.... Especially since Capri takes a while to get there from Salerno...but perhaps they drive to Sorrento then you take the faster hydrofoil. Hope you enjoyed it! We wanted to do Capri on our own in September, but unfortunately the ferry from Salerno to Capri only runs a couple times per day. Interested in hearing about your tour! If it is not thru Royal, who is it with

 

 

 

Few other questions:

 

 

 

Confirming days 2, 6, 10 are formal?

 

 

 

Do you know if the bogo on wine in chops is every night or just some? We booked GT, Chops and chefs table, so just curious. Sounds like a good deal!

 

 

 

Enjoy your final days! :)

We did ships tours for both Kusadasi and Salerno, yeah :) It was a ton to do in one day in Salerno, but for our first visit, it was a nice introduction to the region.

Correct -- 2/6/10 are formal (Cannes/Day at Sea 2/Day at Sea 3).

Not sure re: the wine BOGO -- we didn't see it advertised so it was a pleasant surprise when we got the bill :)

Hi Nicole,

 

 

 

Thank you so much for doing this live review! It's so helpful! My daughter and I are on the June 9th cruise.

 

 

 

Couple of questions...

 

 

 

1. Have you been to the Chef Dinner? Is it a good idea to book early or ok to book once onboard? Is it even worth doing?

 

 

 

2. Do they ever offer any deals on the drink packages once onboard?

 

 

 

Thanks again! Enjoy your last few days!

 

 

 

Leigh

1. We considered it but ultimately have too many picky eaters in our family to make it worth it. You should be okay to book once onboard. We didn't do any advance dining reservations and we've been to all of the specialty restaurants.

2. No deals on drink packages once onboard.

Hope that helps! Have a wonderful cruise! :)

Sorry you missed the port of Santorini-that is the one I wish to see the most! I would have been bummed!

 

Was the turkey tour through the ship It is a bummer it wasn't very good.

 

It sounds like you are having a wonderful trip other than those blips.

 

Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us! Love your photos!

 

Laura

Turkey tour was through the ship, yes. From the sounds of it, they received many complaints so perhaps that will drive some change!

Good morning from the Sala Lounge at the Barcelona Sants train station!

Yesterday was our last day at sea and, in typical fashion for this cruise, we experienced some rough seas and large swells for most of the day and evening. The first aerial show was cancelled because of the movement but they were able to do the late one.

It was bittersweet leaving the ship this morning. Despite everything, this has been, bar none, the greatest cruise we've ever taken and adventure we've ever been on, and I can't wait to get started on the trip report (once I upload the 5,000+ pictures I've taken!). Debarkation this morning was a breeze since you don't go through customs when you leave the ship, eliminating the long waits in line. We were off the ship by 7:30, had our luggage by 7:50 and we were sitting pretty at the train station and sipping cappuccinos by 8:30.

We're off to Paris for my mom's birthday (she's been dreaming of visiting Paris since she was in grade school so the excitement of this leg of our adventure is helping us cope with the post-cruise depression!). I'll be around later to answer any last questions about the Vision and our ports, and I hope some of you will read along with our trip report in the coming weeks!

Have fun in Paris Nicole! We are doing Paris pre-trip so would love to hear all about your Paris travels as well :)

I have a question - Did you need a Visa in Turkey?? There seems to be some ambiguity as to whether or not we need the temporary visa.

Thanks :)

I've read and enjoyed your thread, thank you.

Excuse me butting in to answer Laura's question.

If visiting Turkey only as a visitor from a ship you don't need the visa. If on the other hand you fly in or out of Turkey, or stay there in a hotel overnight, you do. They can be done online and cost US$ 20.70.

Thank you for your live report Nicole I've loved following along.

I hope you and your mum have a wonderful time in Paris, it's a beautiful city with lots to see and do.

Thank you so much for a great report- it was so detailed and helpful. I appreciate all the time you took to do this. Have a great time in Paris- it is a beautiful city!!

Have fun in Paris Nicole! We are doing Paris pre-trip so would love to hear all about your Paris travels as well :)

 

 

 

I have a question - Did you need a Visa in Turkey?? There seems to be some ambiguity as to whether or not we need the temporary visa.

 

 

 

Thanks :)

No Visa needed :)

We got confused, too, when we saw mention of it in our docs. It's not needed for a cruise visit.

Enjoyed following along on your cruise vacation! Thanks for sharing with us. Hope you enjoy your visit to Paris.

ive greatly enjoyed your posts and once i found out how to see them your photos too ,i look forward to your paris thoughts also .its a city my wife says she would like to visit and the reason we havent done so yet im afraid is my fault ,i have been lulled into the belief that not speaking french makes paris a difficult city to feel at ease in ! i welcome anyones feedback on this in an atempt to have my fears quashed .

Nicole,

Thank you so much for your daily updates and details about your cruise. My husband and I will be cruising this exact itinerary in 12 days for our honeymoon! I now know what to expect and what to see and do. Enjoy your time in Paris!!

Thanks again for the great cruise review and for answering all our questions! Enjoy France! :)

Are the seas always rough on this cruise in July? I'll be on the Italy/Venice version of this cruise. Are the seas rough at the beginning of the cruise it looks like the ship stays close to the coastline when traveling from Nice to Florence, Rome, Naples.

We have two days at sea coming back from Kotor to Barcelona. How rough can the seas get?

Thank you.

D.