CntPAcruiser

On our Vision cruise in October into early November, there was a water emergency that thankfully didn't result in flooding (as far as we knew), but caused a water shutoff from deck 7 upward, so there was no water available in the food venues or bars temporarily. It affected some restrooms and the spa/fitness center and lasted a few hours. So obviously this issue has been going on for some time.

You do not have to stick to the signup time--this may just be for recordkeeping purposes when booking online. You can definitely go multiple times a day. We always did. Not sure exactly how Icon will look, but generally, the Royal thermal suites have heated loungers, a sauna, steam room, and aromatherapy room, and specialty showers with effects like rain shower, waterfall, thunderstorm, mist, etc.

When I saw the title, "Disappointment," I immediately thought of our most recent cruise to Bermuda, which, because of Hurricane Tammy, was not a cruise to Bermuda. It would have been our first time there, and instead we went to Port Canaveral and Freeport, not at all good substitutes. But after over a dozen cruises, we have learned that things can and will change, and sometimes you will not be happy about it. We made the best of it and enjoyed our cruise, though it was hard not to be disappointed. At least we weren't as upset as the bride-to-be whose dream wedding was planned for Bermuda and ended up being on Coco Cay. I can only hope Royal really made it up to her with a beautiful wedding there. Personally, I would not arrange for such a milestone event on a cruise for this reason exactly.

No savory bites or sourdough rolls on Vision of the Seas out of Baltimore recently. Absolutely pathetic rolls at dinner--no flavor whatsoever. Such a drastic comedown from the good bread they used to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The only decent rolls we had over nine days were in Chops at lunch.

It's just a matter of letting it sit once brought to the table to come to temperature. You'd be getting a few small pieces on a cheese plate, not a big wedge. I do love the hotels in Germany we've stayed at that offer a cheese board at breakfast, and those are most definitely at room temperature, the way they should be.

Every time you check in at the spa reception desk to use the thermal suite, you will get (or be offered) shower shoes and a robe. Or at least that's how it used to be on Oasis/Allure. But mostly it's another cash grab. Imagine what the gratuities will be if you'd ever have to use the lifeboats!

Used to be that Royal Caribbean had excellent breads, now not so much. It's such a shame that they went cheap, even on those recipes they kept. They made an Austrian Striezel (braided sweet dough with raisins) that was available at breakfast that was sublime, but is now barely decent. They no longer serve their good sourdough rolls at dinner either. We had some decent pretzel rolls and french bread in Chops, but it's a shame that the only decent bread was in an extra fee venue.

We heard that, but there were also hints that they might be just waiting out the issues until Vision was sold off. Rumors aren't usually worth much, of course.

No, the equipment was legitimately out of service. Several examples were shown to us as the reason why we were getting inconsistent food in the main dining room, i.e., not served at the correct temperatures, overcooked, undercooked, etc.

If Harmony is like Oasis/Allure, there will be several heated ceramic lounges, two specialty showers that offer effects like thunderstorm, waterfall, rain, mist, etc., and a small sauna, steam room, and aromatherapy room (another steam room that they spray scent into). It is not as nice as the thermal suites on other cruise lines, but since the "spa" part of the cruise is a big one for us, we would still get the couples pass for the thermal suite if we had to sail on one of these larger ships. How busy it is depends on the sailing and when you and other people actually use the thermal suite, and can't really be predicted. We always managed to find times when it was quieter, but often it was very busy and it could be difficult to use some of the facilities because of the number of people in there. It could also get loud with people talking and sometimes even playing music out loud. Most people were not that inconsiderate, however, or responded to a request to stop.

We were given a galley tour of Vision just recently and were shocked to see the state of much of the equipment, and how many things were tagged out and waiting for repair. I'm sure that situation is not limited to the galleys, but can be found in other areas all over the ship. Hopefully they will do a dry dock and replace things so they can keep the old girl going!

Sorry to hear the Coco Cay beach club was a disappointment foodwise. The food we had on Coco Cay from the snack shack and buffet was decent to good and a nice change from the repetitive Windjammer (if you don't count the burgers and hot dogs, something I never touched throughout the cruise). My DH is less adventurous than I am about food and also found it difficult to get a decent meal on board many days at lunch without eating the same thing over and over again.

We just got off Vision last Saturday, and it was hinted that one of the smallest ships would be up for sale, not sure which one. Vision is not in bad shape in the public areas, but behind the scenes, particularly in the galleys (based on a galley tour), many pieces of equipment are tagged out and awaiting repair or replacement. It made food service more difficult and caused plenty of problems with food temperatures in both the main dining room and the Windjammer. Supposedly there will be upgrades to allow food service to go more smoothly.

Just got back from Vision of the Seas and tried the lobster mac & cheese the one evening. What I got was a small bowl on a large plate that contained undercooked pasta shells with what looked like an overgenerous amount of lobster bisque (soup), with no cheese, and little specks of unidentifiable stuff that may have been meant to imitate lobster. It was definitely a fail, and certainly was unlike any mac & cheese I've ever seen, let alone lobster M&C! There was no meltiness, no cheesiness, and little flavor. Of course, I sent it back and tried something else.

Once in Boston I ordered a Manhattan and was asked if I wanted it in a shot glass, or so I initially heard. The bartender really asked if I wanted it in a "short glass," or what I would call a rocks glass, but the accent got me at first. A shot glass would have been a small Manhattan!

This sounds fun--would love to find origami boats. We were disappointed at how few ducks were on our recent cruise on Vision of the Seas. We found one and rehid it, but after the first few days never saw another one. I'll have to learn how to make the boats to hide on our next cruise someday.

We just got off Vision, and the selection and quality of the food was poor. Breakfast was fairly good yet, but it never changed except for the addition of smoked salmon later in the cruise. Lunch in the MDR was by far not as good as it used to be, but was better than the Windjammer for lunch. There, it was hamburgers and hot dogs, bland stir-fry with tough meat, stews with more tough meat, and the biggest issue: hot food not hot and cold food not cold. The main dining for dinner was only saved by the service. We had late seating and for the first time got a bad piece of prime rib on the first night. Well, actually three bad pieces. One and two were mangled beyond recognition, and the third was raw in the center. Steaks later on were poor quality and unevenly cooked. Two of three pieces of fish I had for dinner were badly overcooked and dried out. There was a fish curry dish that tasted like warm ketchup, and even the Indian headwaiter said it didn't look right and must have been made incorrectly. The last night in the MDR saw a tough braised lamb shank (first time ever), and bland, unpleasantly textured turkey with some horrid corn blend, uncooked "stuffing," and what they called mashed sweet potatoes, but was apparently a mixture of mashed sweet and white potatoes that tasted like nothing. The only dish I enjoyed out of the final dinner was an asparagus appetizer. The Middle Eastern appetizer has been reduced to a teaspoon of good tzatziki, a teaspoon of awful, runny roasted pepper hummus, two tiny triangles of pita bread, and a scoop of Greek salad that had more onion and red peppers than anything, and cucumber with the bitter peel left on. We had lunch in Chops one day, and the taste was good, appetizers good, but our side dishes were not hot (how difficult is it to keep mashed potatoes hot?), and the steaks were not cooked to order. We asked for medium and medium rare, and instead got medium well and medium. They were still edible, and we didn't want the bother of waiting for another set to be cooked. Desserts were good.

We just got off a cruise on Vision of the Seas. The one day there were no coconut cookies available, so I tried the oatmeal raisin, and found them to be very good, as long as they were properly baked.

We just got off Vision of the Seas, where coconut shrimp was an appetizer on one of the MDR evening menus. It was served with sweet chili sauce and a slaw that had some sweetness and a little kick. Some of us got five smaller coconut shrimp, and others got slightly larger ones but only four. They were definitely not large or jumbo shrimp, and while the flavor was decent and the coating had a bit of crunch left, they were not hot enough. That was a problem with many dishes at dinner, though.

My DH and I have often had this conversation when watching the Great British Baking Show "biscuit week" episode. It seems that biscuits must be crisp, and most Americans apparently prefer their cookies with some chewiness. There are some cookies I like crisp, in particular an oatmeal crispy cookie my mother used to make. These were thin and had a nice snap to them.

I have heard of people sneaking into the spa locker rooms to shower on those ships, but as I understand, they are supposed to be only for spa guests and those with thermal suite passes. Navigator, Voyager, and Freedom were "amped" and now have no longer have the same kind of locker rooms. I don't know if they have showers on those ships any longer that are openly available.

If they're properly baked, RC's coconut ranger cookies! As long as they don't overbake them, they have just the right combination of cripy edge and chewy center.

If the ladies' locker room in the spa is similar to the men's, there are several showers. That locker room is for use by those using the thermal suite or, presumably, getting spa treatments.

Royal Caribbean has it as an appetizer on one of the main dining room dinner menus.

Agreed! We try to avoid ships that do not have separate facilities.