Vision-class: Is it outdated?

[sha88]

Vision class is a large ship, IMO. I mourn the passing of the Royal Caribbean "yacht", the Empress.

 

Me, too!!

 

OP, I was on Allure last April and can't wait to get back to a smaller ship. Looking forward to Vision of the Seas next April!

[bigque]

I started on Sovereign and been on Radiance Class and on Freedom on my last cruise. I will be on Enchantment next then Adventure after that. I really have problem with going back and forth on smaller to large to smaller to larger again. For me I enjoy the features of what each ship has when I am on there and don't really think about what it might not have compared to another ship! :cool:

[SPacificbound]

We have sailed on Rhapsody and Legend and enjoyed them both.

We have B2B2B on Vision in 2015. We love this size ship. :)

[Germancruiser]

Grandeur was my first real big ship back in 1997 her inaugural season and so it began- my cruise addiction I mean. Also have such fond memory´s that the Vision Class always is special! Did the Maiden Voyage on borad Enchantment - same year- great ship. Vision the year that followed. So I thing they are not dated but- well older- and with all those new builts every year- people are more and more used to brand new ships and consider a 15 year old as very old- which it really is not- considering that those ships sail for about 35 , 40 years!

[footzz]

Itineraries notwithstanding, would sailing one of these ships feel "dated" or somehow lacking compared to one of the newer, larger vessels?

 

Would Vision class ships feel dated? If someone goes on a cruise to actually experience the sea, likes docking at various ports of call, enjoys great views of the ocean and doesn't like hordes of people, no, they probably wouldn't feel dated.

 

Are they lacking? From the standpoint that they're not floating amusement parks with numerous distractions and a shopping mall ambiance, they might be considered lacking by some.

Edited December 12, 2014 by footzz

[SPacificbound]

Would Vision class ships feel dated? If someone goes on a cruise to actually experience the sea, likes docking at various ports of call, enjoys great views of the ocean and doesn't like hordes of people, no, they probably wouldn't feel dated.

 

Are they lacking? From the standpoint that they're not floating amusement parks with numerous distractions and a shopping mall ambiance, they might be considered lacking by some.

 

:) Yes, and that is what makes the Vision class so attractive to me. :)

[Lovex4]

The largest ship we have sailed is Norwegian's Getaway and if it is similiar to other newer large ships, every square inch of them are designed for maximum revenue. We've sailed Grandeur for two 9 night cruises and she is by far our favorite. We also cruised in the more luxury days in the 80s and Grandeur reminds us of those days. We like open spaces, fewer people, more personal service, and relaxing days by the pool. We like it so much that we are going on the Vision in two months and can't wait.

 

You can keep the mega ships...

[Paulette3028]

The only exception of Vision class ships we've not sailed on is Splendor of the Seas. This is the class of ship that started our cruise addiction, so we will always have fondness for this class.

 

 

Royal has made great strides to update this class of ship. We were glad to see the Park Cafe on our last January cruise on the Legend. Actually preferred the "Park" to the Promenade Cafe found on the larger ships. The idea of using the Centrum area to provide aerial entertainment accompanied by musical entertainment is a nice touch. They have added Diamond Lounges to this class. Loved having lunch at Izumi's one day. Had a great time watching a football play off game on the newly installed large screen tv around the pool area. It was like going to a huge tailgate in the middle of the Caribbean. Everyone was rooting for their favored team and all was good natured.

 

Royal adding some of the best received venues from the largest ships in the fleet points to their commitment to assure this class maintains vitality. Don't see this class of ship as outdated.

 

In the Vision class we have only cruised on Enchantment....but adding these additions to this class of ship, sounds and probably is wonderful. Is this class of ship becoming out dated -- absolutely not. These ships have lots to offer and wonderful experiences to give to new and returning cruisers -- but you do need to have the right expectations. You can't expect to find flowrider or an ice show -- because it isn't there; if that is what you want you need to sail on a different ship.

 

For a wonderful fun cruise, you can SURELY cruise the Vision class.

[Paulette3028]

Royal adding some of the best received venues from the largest ships in the fleet points to their commitment to assure this class maintains vitality. Don't see this class of ship as outdated.

 

How well put. They know what is outdated, and are retiring Her Majesty. She will continue to sail under the Pullmantr namesake, so although she will be retired from the Royal fleet, other cruisers will still get a view of the way cruising was.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Paulette3028

[Homosassa]

Empress (my first love) carries 1800 passengers herself. There are no small ships in the RCI fleet, only big, bigger and humongous.;)

 

 

Ah, but the Nordic Empress (as the Empress of the Seas was first known) was designed to carry less then a thousand passengers, somewhere in the 900's.

 

As the ship went into drydock, over time, more cabins were added. The first drydock increases her passenger load to 1600 passengers.

 

An additional renovation changed her name to the Empress of the Seas (and more passengers).

 

Our last cruise on her, May 2006, found the wonderful lounge areas on each deck that overlooked the beautiful atrium and provided an airy feeling to the core of the ship had been removed and replaced by other walled areas (internet cafe, library, game room, children's play area, etc) that had been relocated to the open core area as their original locations were replaced by more passenger cabins. Open areas on the aft of the ship also disappeared for more cabins.

 

Because the renovations over time decreased the amount of public space and kept some features intended to serve the smaller passenger load, such as the small single pool and pool deck area, the once elegant lady was a slatternly streetwalker version of her former spacious glory.

 

After passing out of RCL hands to Pullmantur (sp?), her passenger capacity became over 2000. Can we say sardine can?

Edited December 12, 2014 by Homosassa

[AltarEgo]

We were on both Oasis and Allure maiden voyages. Had great fun, but have not been back. Have no interest in Quantum.

 

Give me a Radiance class or Vision class ship any day.

 

I still find it inconceivable as to why anybody would want to be crammed into a gigantic floating box with thousands of other people whose idea of a good time is to be crammed into a floating box with thousands of other people.

[negc]

We've sailed on all classes of RCI ships, beginning with Song of Norway and ending with Quantum of the Seas, and have enjoyed the features that each class offers. Certainly Vision and Radiance have fewer bells and whistles than the newer and larger (and much larger) ships in the fleet but they are not without their own appeal (fewer passengers and crew, simpler traffic patterns etc.) Radiance class still remain our favorite but I would not pass up any opportunity to sail on any of their vessels, regardless of its size. Over the next year we are currently booked on Quantum, Oasis and two Radiance class ships and we are looking forward to each with equally eager anticipation. Preferring one class to another doesn't mean that we have to dismiss the worth of the others

[TexCruise371]

We've sailed on all classes of RCI ships, beginning with Song of Norway and ending with Quantum of the Seas, and have enjoyed the features that each class offers. Certainly Vision and Radiance have fewer bells and whistles than the newer and larger (and much larger) ships in the fleet but they are not without their own appeal (fewer passengers and crew, simpler traffic patterns etc.) Radiance class still remain our favorite but I would not pass up any opportunity to sail on any of their vessels, regardless of its size. Over the next year we are currently booked on Quantum, Oasis and two Radiance class ships and we are looking forward to each with equally eager anticipation. Preferring one class to another doesn't mean that we have to dismiss the worth of the others

 

I totally agree. We have sailed every class except the Quantum and every one of them have their own features/personalities. We love the smaller ships. However, we do enjoy the promenade on the Voyager class and up.

 

Our first Royal cruise was on Enchantment before the stretch. Loved it and have very fond memories of her and Rhapsody. Can't wait for Vision in February!:D

[Trainman-2]

Itineraries notwithstanding, would sailing one of these ships feel "dated" or somehow lacking compared to one of the newer, larger vessels?

 

I think that the simple answer to this question is based on what kind of person you are.

 

- Can you entertain yourself, make new friends, enjoy good conversations, relax by the pool and read a book, and simply enjoy being away from home?

 

- Or do you need to be entertained 24/7 by professionals?

 

 

We really enjoy the ship experience and having someone else prepare our meals and clean up after us. We can get that on both the big and small ships.

 

 

But as mentioned above, the smaller ships can get into ports that the big ships can't and this is a major consideration.

[pseudoware]

Give me a Radiance class or Vision class ship any day.

 

I still find it inconceivable as to why anybody would want to be crammed into a gigantic floating box with thousands of other people whose idea of a good time is to be crammed into a floating box with thousands of other people.

We sailed a Freedom class ship once. We were pleasantly surprised. Despite there being >4K bodies on board, it didn't feel as crowded or crammed as we expected.

 

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[JimAOk1945]

The biggest RCI ship we have been on was the Mariner of the Seas and her sister ship the Adventure of the Seas. We have also been on their smaller sister, the Radiance. Next year we will be on their little sister, Vision. We can hardly stand the wait! :D

 

We are actually looking forward to trying a smaller ship. Don't get me wrong. We have enjoyed the Promenades and the ice skating shows. We enjoyed the Radiance even better and didn't miss all the bells and whistles of the Voyager class ships.

 

We seem to be gravitating toward smaller ships. We want a taste of a more traditional cruise experience. We don't feel the need for being on a floating amusement/hotel.

 

Merry Christmas and happy cruising to all!

[Justmekaren918]

We sailed a Freedom class ship once. We were pleasantly surprised. Despite there being >4K bodies on board, it didn't feel as crowded or crammed as we expected.

 

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I can't imagine partying with 2k of people I don't know out on those inward facing balconies. You get no alone other than just being in your cabin. I have heard multiple people who had the outward balconies feel they still couldn't really see the water. The ships are just to big.

 

I really enjoyed being on Vision and I had one of those Queen's View crn aft balcony without having to pay the Queens ransome for it. She is a wonderful ship in great shape. Due to the old drive system she does vibrate some and you beyond knew when she was docking. Now If I could put those crn Vision aft on Brilliance I would be one happy camper, because I really enjoyed Brilliance.

 

Time will tell because I will be on Liberty in March and I wonder if this will change my view.

 

Vision 8088:

 

[bigque]

We sailed a Freedom class ship once. We were pleasantly surprised. Despite there being >4K bodies on board, it didn't feel as crowded or crammed as we expected.

 

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Exactly! You don't get that feeling at all! When you are walking around or in venues it does not feel anymore crowded as it feels on the smaller ships! In fact since the ship is bigger and have more venues, people are more scattered out! :cool:

[molsonschooner]

Freedom is biggest boat we have been on...will do Allure/Oasis and Quantum at some point, but my biggest requirement is the Royal Promenade. It is my favorite part of my Royal boats!!

 

mine too, love to sit at the pub and people watch