Review: Tons of PICTURES, Vision of the Seas: Panama,Cartagena,Curacao,Bonaire, Aruba

[Poorplaya]

Love the review so far, definitely subscribed until the end!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[sailawaybellaluna]

Great so far....thanks a bunch...I looked at the planner you posted and was sad to see no Zumba. Fitness.....bummer....have a happy time...

 

Hi Cathy,

 

I wish I were a fitness nut on a cruise! I didn't see any Zumba either, just yoga and stretching and stuff.

 

I think the Latino's have enough Zumba in their normal life. Wherever we walked, if there was a little music playing in their background, I'd notice several men and women just start salsa dancing in place. At one point, they moved all the chairs in the Centrum and started up a big salsa dance! :) So fun.

[sailawaybellaluna]

As I mentioned, the port in Cartagena is lovely. You could easily spend half an hour walking through, looking at all the wild birds that make their homes here.

 

As we walked to the top, the flat rate price for the taxi into the old town was $20.

 

We walked out and turned left and walked along the sidewalk of the outer perimeter of the bird sanctuary, towards the port exit. In less than five minutes we went through a gate, and the taxi's were much cheaper. We found a nice guy with AIR CONDITIONING to take us for $13. I had read here that people got a deal at $10, but honestly, I would have paid $50 at this point. We were melting.

 

Fortunately, I packed a lot of juice and apple sauce squeezies for my little boy, and kept them in the cabin's fridge. I usually don't let him drink much juice, but in this weather, he pounded it down!

 

In 5 minutes or so we were in the old part of Cartagena. And we just spent our time wandering the beautiful streets! I spoke to a few people who had done a tour here, and they were very disappointed that it just mainly consisted of shopping! (In fact, I didn't speak to many people who loved their excursions...We're DIY people, so we didn't book any).

 

Within the first hour, we paid $2 for this cool coconut, and drank the water inside. YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

 

 

 

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

In Cartagena, I spotted a few great souvenirs to buy. These were: Colombian coffee, paintings using old rustic pieces of wood as a canvas, cigars and hats, much like Panama hats, but made in Colombia.

 

Our little guy desperately wanted a hat and we negotiated with Pedro to buy this one for $8. He was such a cutie wearing it all week!

 

 

We walked along he wall, facing the ocean. It was so picturesque, but unfortunately, we didn't stay long because it was smokin' hot!

 

 

 

We went and had lunch at a "Crepes and Waffles". I really didn't feel like eating in a chain, but the architecture was in an old historic building, it had air conditioning, and we were all about to melt. So, a win-win.

 

After our crepes, we were ready to hit the streets and explore again!

 

My husband found a little cigar shop that he loved, and bought some special cigars there. The owner asked if he'd like to try and smoke some there in the shop, but he declined in case our son would see him! (He only smokes cigars on vacation!)

 

We continued to just wander.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished the afternoon with a quick coffee at the Juan Valdez Cafe. Because, I'm a coffee addict, and decided this was a "must-do". Except...the service was kind of terrible. The manager lady was really rude, and the coffee was so-so. Oh well, I checked it off my list!

 

I will say: This was the cheapest place to buy the proper Juan Valdez coffee beans - even cheaper than the grocery stores and tourist shops! So, a good place to purchase your coffee!

[purplethorn]

loving the review and subscribed!

Cartagena looks amazing.

[sailawaybellaluna]

loving the review and subscribed!

Cartagena looks amazing.

 

Thanks for reading along!

 

Cartagena was definitely amazing. In fact, we loved every single port and would do this cruise again in a heartbeat!

 

More to come later this afternoon...

[KayJay4]

SO thrilled to see this review - especially as we will be in the cabin that was adjoining yours this August! It will be our first time really aft and I LOVE the fact the balcony fits two loungers on.

 

Your photos are fabulous too. Looking forward to the rest! Thank you.

[maxs mom]

Thanks for reading along!

 

Cartagena was definitely amazing. In fact, we loved every single port and would do this cruise again in a heartbeat!

 

More to come later this afternoon...

 

Now you see why we almost pulled the trigger and stayed on board for a third week!!! Would have been so easy to do. So sorry that they are no longer going to do this cruise out of Colon. Your little boy is the cutest thing ever!!!!

[SMN73]

 

This??? Is adorable! He is very stylin' in his hat! :)

[ValerieJo]

Great job. Following along as Vision is our next ship (different itinerary) Can't wait to see your pictures and hear about the ship. Did you dine in any of the specialty restaurants? Any ship secrets we should know?

 

Your son is just adorable! Love his new hat.

[duncanmaria]

Really enjoying your review, thus far. Have subscribed and hungry for more! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences.

[Buccaneergirl]

Love your review!

 

I have a question.......

A tour guide in Key West told us that people that drank the coconut juice got diarrhea from it. Sorry to ask such a personal question, but you guys were o.k. After drinking it? I would love to try it, but he scared me.:eek:

[AussieVisi2r]

Wow!

[sailawaybellaluna]

SO thrilled to see this review - especially as we will be in the cabin that was adjoining yours this August! It will be our first time really aft and I LOVE the fact the balcony fits two loungers on.

 

Your photos are fabulous too. Looking forward to the rest! Thank you.

 

KayJay4 - you will love the cabin! I had read a lot about aft balconies when I got this surprise upgrade, and we had no issues at all! No soot or smoke, noise, etc. It was perfection!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Thanks for the compliments on my little guy, and for reading along everyone!!

 

Love your review!

 

I have a question.......

A tour guide in Key West told us that people that drank the coconut juice got diarrhea from it. Sorry to ask such a personal question, but you guys were o.k. After drinking it? I would love to try it, but he scared me.

 

Buccaneergirl, we had no issues. They keep the coconuts peeled of their hardened sheels in a cooler. When you're ready to purchase, we watched as the vendor took a butcher knife and cut the top off, right in front of us. So I felt it was safe, and fresh! Perhaps they drank from one that had been cut open and laying out on a cart?

[Sky616]

This is such an awesome itinerary. Maybe someday we can do this one. Your boy is cute and is not camera shy. My son looks to be the same age as him. Looking forward to the rest of your journey.

[Tropicalgal2]

Love your review!

 

I have a question.......

A tour guide in Key West told us that people that drank the coconut juice got diarrhea from it. Sorry to ask such a personal question, but you guys were o.k. After drinking it? I would love to try it, but he scared me.:eek:

 

We have never heard of anyone getting diarrhea from drinking coconut water! :) We drink it all the time. You DO need to make sure that is is "fresh-cut" and not soured. You also need to drink it with a straw so as to not get anything from the outer husk. Here in Panama they sell bottled "auga de pipa" or coconut water.

 

We have done several medical clinics in remote areas of Panama and asked the people what they use drink for Kidney problems. They had all told us "auga de pipa" or coconut water. :D

 

After doing some research we have found that it is actually better for Kidney's than Cranberry! Who would have thought! ;)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Great job. Following along as Vision is our next ship (different itinerary) Can't wait to see your pictures and hear about the ship. Did you dine in any of the specialty restaurants? Any ship secrets we should know?

 

Your son is just adorable! Love his new hat.

 

Hi ValerieJo!

 

I know, I need to start posting some pics of the ship! They're coming!

 

We didn't dine in any of the specialty restaurants. We typically don't, but I think if grandma and grandpa would have been on this cruise with us, we would've chosen to eat at Chops. I loved the atmosphere in there.

 

I did notice a "Chef's Table Package" advertised in the Cruise Compass most days: For a fee of $130/person, you can eat at Izumi, Chops Grille, Giovanni's Table & Chef's Table. This is 20% off the usual price you'd pay at each. However, in the casino I noticed there was a special phone number you could call, and get the same offer for only $105. Considering the Chef's Table alone has an $85/person dining fee, I thought this was a quite a good deal!

 

Chops:

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

Okay, back to Colombia!

 

After our coffee at Juan Valdez, we did a bit more shopping from street vendors before heading back. The taxi back was $8 and again, took less than 10 minutes.

 

We hung out with the birds for a bit longer (I'll spare you the dozens of photos I took of Oliver with the birds). :)

 

We were getting ready to board, just as the beautiful sun was setting behind the ship - a perfect end to the day in Colombia!

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

The next day (Day 3) was a day at sea.

 

We didn't order room service because we weren't sure what time we might wake up. So, we headed up to the Windjammer to get breakfast to go - to eat on our balcony! I did order some coffee from room service...

 

One thing I noticed is that they don't have trays in the Windjammer? Perhaps that's only a Carnival thing? Honestly, it's quite nice. It keeps it from feeling like a cafeteria, and probably helps people from overindulging. On the other hand, for a momma of a little one like me, it's very difficult to serve both of you and fill two plates (plus beverages).

 

Anyhow, the food was okay. Another Carnival comparison: I do believe Carnival does a MUCH better job on breakfast and brunch on sea days. The choices are numerous in the formal dining room (and also the buffet area). We ate breakfast in the dining room on the second sea day, so more about that later...

 

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

After breakfast, we decided to explore the ship a bit more.

 

There was a $10 sale happening in the shops, beginning at 10am. It was the typical $10 cruise items: formal ladies' clutch handbags, neckties in a box, logo t-shirts, etc. Except, people were going NUTS. Seriously, you couldn't walk down the aisle it was so crowded! It was way too chaotic (and, I noticed the same stuff was frequently out on subsequent days, still for $10)!

 

One thing we noticed when we awoke today was two huge crystal chandeliers in the Centrum. They were used throughout the day by acrobatic dancers that did Cirque du Soleil style moves to music! Very fun!

 

 

We had lunch in the formal dining room today. I love the custom salad bar on Royal Caribbean, and had a nice salad in addition to a fish burrito (I forgot to take photos)! One thing to note: Orange juice is only free after 11am in the dining room. At lunch time (and later), the option is for freshly squeezed orange juice at $5/glass. We ordered this for our son, and he enjoyed it. I'm not sure enough to pay $5, but still. Something to take note of.

 

After lunch the guys headed back to the cabin to take a little nap, and I (again), lost $20 in the casino. :rolleyes:

 

I spent a few hours laying out on the balcony (I know, my favorite part of this trip!), before getting dressed up for Formal Night.

 

Everyone looked so nice on Formal Night. Much less dressed up than they were on the Independence out of Southampton, England in October, but much more than a typical Carnival cruise!

 

The atmosphere was very festive! There was great music in the Centrum, photographers out on each deck, and the captain dined at a table just below us in the dining room:

 

 

 

Menu on the 1st Formal Night (Lobster was not free today, but it was on the 2nd Formal Night):

 

 

Oliver was thrilled to get yet another plate of escargot to devour! He was able to pull out and eat some of the "ears" separately, and got such a laugh out of that! We've taught him not to say "gross" or "disgusting" at the dinner table when eating, but I felt like saying it every night! I'm not a fan of escargot!

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

Following dinner was the Captain's Champagne Reception in the Centrum.

 

The captain stood on the stairs, and many people lined up to get their photo taken with him. I would have liked to, but the lines were long and my boys weren't too keen.

 

They were handing out trays of champagne, and the acrobatic dancers made another appearance, all dressed up and pouring champagne from their chandeliers. The atmosphere was so fun!

 

 

The captain then spent about half an hour, introducing each member of his staff. Everyone was in the Centrum watching and cheering. The captain (and the translator who was repeating everything in Spanish) really kept the crowd entertained!

 

It was a very fun evening! Soon after, we headed to bed to get ready for Curacao (which ended up being our FAVORITE island)!

 

[sailawaybellaluna]

Today was one of our favorite days!

 

We docked in Curacao, although unfortunately, not in the center of town, but on the outskirts. It wasn't as picturesque as the photos I've seen on previous reviews.

 

In fact, it was quite cloudy and overcast!

 

 

We didn't book an excursion or take a taxi when we disembarked. We simply walked a few minutes, through the "mall" area (you'll see Starbucks!), and through the fort. Then, we took a little free ferry across to the Punda on the other side. This is where the bright colorful photos are taken that you usually see of Curacao.

 

View from the ferry crossing over:

 

 

The colorful Dutch architecture gave this island such a special feel. We wandered around a bit, looking at the buildings:

 

 

 

 

 

The Floating Market and the beach, coming up next...

[purplethorn]

beautiful photos , keep them coming ?

 

what does immersion (?) cruise mean?