PICTURES of Vision in Drydock.. Sept. 2013

[mafig]

Thanks, Bob.

[chazg]

What a great thread! Nice to get an inside look at Drydock operations.

[mafig]

So the picture of the new cabins being installed are the new ones around the centrum? I thought that, perhaps, all new cabins were being added.:o

 

Any word on what they will be doing with the existing cabins? Particularly the balconies? A complete re-do, a freshening, or what? I recall that last year the Grand Princess had a complete refurbishment except they didn't do anything to the cabins. They left them alone and they really needed to be redone. A cost saving move, I guess.

[emmy]

There will be 16 new staterooms, added around the Centrum on decks 7 and 8. They are not balcony staterooms, they are called Panoramic Ocean View staterooms - floor to ceiling window that cannot be opened.

 

 

and I just booked on of these on deck 8 yesterday on Vision for the 10 day itinerary she is doing out of Fort Lauderdale on June 9/14

 

Happy to find this thread :)

[Loyal2RCCL]

Thanks Loyal for sharing! Will you be following the Navigtor refurb in January? We have been on Navigator & loved the ship. We are looking forward to the refurb, especially curious about the Flow Rider being added. We just got off Liberty before their T/A & loved the Flow Rider. We are taking the April 20 sailing on Navigator, mainly to enjoy the new areas on the ship. Again, thanks for sharing.

 

I may have a friend that will be working the Navigator drydock, and if so I will post pictures here. Right now, I don't have any other details about this one.

[Loyal2RCCL]

So the picture of the new cabins being installed are the new ones around the centrum? I thought that, perhaps, all new cabins were being added.:o

 

Any word on what they will be doing with the existing cabins? Particularly the balconies? A complete re-do, a freshening, or what? I recall that last year the Grand Princess had a complete refurbishment except they didn't do anything to the cabins. They left them alone and they really needed to be redone. A cost saving move, I guess.

 

The existing cabins will get a refresh.. all new soft goods, carpets, drapes etc. The bathrooms are also supposed to get a refresh.

[Loyal2RCCL]

Loyal-

Thanks for these absolutely FASCINATING drydock photos. I'm one of those folks who simply boards the ship and never thinks about what goes into creating all of the magic behind the scenes. This gives me a new appreciation for cruising, and also a reason to possibly add Vision to my list of possible cruises for next May.

 

Maybe I missed it, but exactly where is this Vision drydock taking place?

 

They're in Cadiz, Spain

[Loyal2RCCL]

Here's the latest from today:

 

Centrum:

 

 

The soon to be new Chops Grille:

[Camlott]

I may have a friend that will be working the Navigator drydock, and if so I will post pictures here. Right now, I don't have any other details about this one.

 

I hope this happens! Can't wait to see everything being done to the Navigator.

 

Thanks for posting these pics!!!

[LuvBNatC]

Looking at these photos it's almost hard to believe I was just on this ship less then a year ago.

 

Looking at these photos, it's almost hard to believe I'm going to be ON this ship in a little over 3 weeks. It looks like they've pretty much gutted the interior. (Not that I'm complaining about the drastic makeover. It all sounds good. :))

 

It's absolutely astounding to me that they can make such a mess and get it all back together in such a short time. The workers on board deserve a ton of credit. They are truly miracle-workers!

 

I wonder if Vision will once again have that new-ship smell??...

[Randy67]

Come join us over at the roll call

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1706015

Hi there, and thanks! We already have. My partner, Joe has already signed us up. We'll see you on board!

[FLACRUISER99]

Another thanks for the great Photos.

[cruzeluver]

Fascinating photos! Allow me to add my voice to those that want to say a big thank you to the OP. We are considering one fo the new Bermuda itineraries on Vision next year so this is of even more interest.

Edited October 3, 2013 by cruzeluver
spelling

[Mimi A]

Here's the latest from today:

 

Centrum:

 

 

The soon to be new Chops Grille:

Enjoying the pics from the Vision drydock. I see you are headed for no. 94 on RCCL in a little over a week. I'm headed on the Grandeur to Bermuda Nov. 1, my 19th cruise, but first on Royal -- your thoughts on that ship or RCCL in general?

[rxziebel]

Thank you for taking the time to post these! Makes the wait for January in Panama all the harder. :)

[Loyal2RCCL]

Enjoying the pics from the Vision drydock. I see you are headed for no. 94 on RCCL in a little over a week. I'm headed on the Grandeur to Bermuda Nov. 1, my 19th cruise, but first on Royal -- your thoughts on that ship or RCCL in general?

 

Thanks for your comments.. I'm glad you're enjoying the pictures.

Welcome to RCCL.. It's been a few years since I've been on the Grandeur, but I've sailed her 4 times in the past and she's a great ship. Actually you really can't go wrong with any of the the Royal ships. IMHO, they have the nicest ships in the industry which makes sense considering they spend more money building their ships than ANY other cruise line.

 

Given that Grandeur recently underwent her $40million renovation, you'll have some of the amenities found on the newer, larger ships. The ship will also be total freshened up, and if they've done half as good a job on Grandeur as they have her sister ships, you're in for a treat. The only negative thing I've heard is for a while the ship had some issues with sewage type smells, but recent cruisers have posted they didn't experience any such issues.

 

I can tell you that the service onboard is excellent. The crew on Royal tend to be genuinely happy to take care of you. Of course there's always the odd grumpy one, but they are very few and far between. I've been cruising with them since 1978, and have made life long friends with officers, staff and crew.

 

Food is very subjective, and yes there was a period where the cutbacks were painfully noticed, however earlier this year, they revamped their menus in the MDR and the food quality is much improved--IMHO. Is it 5 star gourmet, NO... it's not even close to how it was in the 70's and 80's or even the early 90's, but it has improved. I think a lot of the complaints regarding food stem from those who have a certain expectation for gourmet...but times have changed.

 

The specialty restaurants are excellent and well worth the surcharge. They now have dining packages that you can purchase that are an excellent value and allow you to dine in a number of the different specialty restaurants.

 

I encourgae you to communicate with the crew, especially if something is not to your liking. In most cases it will be corrected within their power and resources. You should also communicate any special requests. For example, my groups like to have a cheese plate on the dinner table when they sit down.. one mention of it to our waiter and each night we had 2 nice cheese platters on the table with breadsticks and flatbread waiting for us when we arrived.

We've even had special items prepared with advance notice.

 

Royals entertainment is very good as well. The main production shows are much better on the larger ships, but the nice thing on Royal is there's always plenty to do. There's live music all over the ship, ranging from big band to top 40. So many of the other lines are cutting back on the live musicians, and RCCL is going the opposite way, featuring and hiring some excellent musicians.

 

The Crown & Anchor program is also very rewarding once you reach the upper tiers (Diamond and above), so be sure to enroll after this cruise.

 

If you have any specific questions, let me know.. I've been on most of the cruise lines and some of the exact ships as in your signature line, so I can give you a decent comparion with any questions you have.

 

Enjoy the Grandeur.

[cruiserdudebobby8]

Thanks for Sharing!! Interesting Pictures

[chellecruise12]

There will be 16 new staterooms, added around the Centrum on decks 7 and 8. They are not balcony staterooms, they are called Panoramic Ocean View staterooms - floor to ceiling window that cannot be opened.

 

I don't see any balcony rooms with a pullman.. Do you know if any will be added by chance?

[Loyal2RCCL]

I don't see any balcony rooms with a pullman.. Do you know if any will be added by chance?

 

No, adding pullman beds is not part of the drydock.

[chellecruise12]

No, adding pullman beds is not part of the drydock.

 

Thanks!

[Loyal2RCCL]

Just 1 picture today... Ducktail installed on aft end.

 

[mntommy]

Awesome thanks!! This will be our 1st JS Aft..8588.. Can't wait to see everything when she is completed!!

 

We arte 2 doors down the hall 8592. Looking forward to meeting you.:)

[emeraldcity]

Thank you for sharing these photos. Very intriguing. Although I haven't sailed on the Vision, I've been on two of her sister ships and will be back on the Grandeur in a couple months.

 

It's amazing to me the amount of work they get done in such a short period of time. The pre-planning phase deserves a huge portion of the credit, but people sitting at computers charting timetables and order supplies makes terribly boring photography. ;)

[Darkwolfe]

Very interesting! I was on Vision this past February and loved the ship. Good to see her getting updated.

[simon4fun]

Anyone know where the Vission of the Seas is dry-docked?