Vision of the seas, thanksgiving week, Nov 2014 out of Tampa....your thoughts!

[RC Cruiser 2006]

If you were on VOS this thanksgiving week out of Tampa, Nov 2014, please post and comment your experience.

 

The entire week was bizarre. The port was so unorganized. The ship crew is unorganized. The food was blah and bland in WJ. Main dining rooms running out of food. WJ had no clean silverware and napkins. Room never vacuumed. Smoke from casino filled the ship from Deck 8 to the theater! Performers on the ship were high school experience and it showed. Worst shows ever. Paul, cruise director, seemed fake and Magic Marvin was self centered and obviously wanted to be a stripper! If you experienced this cruise, you know what I mean!

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

Magic Marvin was self centered and obviously wanted to be a stripper

 

Do you have any Pics ?

[RC Cruiser 2006]

Lynn, really?!?! Are you kidding me? If you were not on the ship, please do not reply. This is for those who had a bad experience. Thank you.

[grand isle joe]

.....but tell us how you really feel......:D

[rlbarnes1827]

Geez Lynn, how dare you ask for anything backing up someone's subjective claim!

[RC Cruiser 2006]

I am in hopes that the Vision re-groups, gets the wrongs right and that future cruisers have a great experience. RC is a great line. Our favorite was Freedom out of Port Canaveral. The Vision did have a makeover, but there are still shower curtains and not shower doors. It's annoying because the shower curtain sticks to you at times. The captain was very approachable and lovely. She cares about her ship, but the crew seemed like they were not caring and just self centered. There was nothing to do. The shows were high schoolish with singers who need training in singing and performing. They were very into themselves on and off of the stage. The only show that was professional was Scott Record, professional comedian from Vegas. Now that was a great show! The cruise director and assistant were not into faces or remembering who anyone on the ship was. They seemed fake. I am not the only cruiser who observed this. Also, a kid threw up in the pool in Belize because parents were not watching their kids. The pool was closed and drained at 3:45 on a hot and sunny day. Not good. Supervise your children. There were 560 kids on board too. The Park Cafe is located in the adult pool/solarium and kids were running in and out to get pizza and food all day and night. Very poor planning on the Vision. This is all fact and not just opinion.

[rlbarnes1827]

I am in hopes that the Vision re-groups, gets the wrongs right and that future cruisers have a great experience. RC is a great line. Our favorite was Freedom out of Port Canaveral. The Vision did have a makeover, but there are still shower curtains and not shower doors. It's annoying because the shower curtain sticks to you at times. The captain was very approachable and lovely. She cares about her ship, but the crew seemed like they were not caring and just self centered. There was nothing to do. The shows were high schoolish with singers who need training in singing and performing. They were very into themselves on and off of the stage. The only show that was professional was Scott Record, professional comedian from Vegas. Now that was a great show! The cruise director and assistant were not into faces or remembering who anyone on the ship was. They seemed fake. I am not the only cruiser who observed this. Also, a kid threw up in the pool in Belize because parents were not watching their kids. The pool was closed and drained at 3:45 on a hot and sunny day. Not good. Supervise your children. There were 560 kids on board too. The Park Cafe is located in the adult pool/solarium and kids were running in and out to get pizza and food all day and night. Very poor planning on the Vision. This is all fact and not just opinion.

 

Some of that criticism seems fair, although I don't think you can blame the cruise line for the kid being left unattended unless they were to implement a policy against it.

 

I was mostly speaking to the way you replied to Lynn for asking a simple question about pictures. Seemed a little brash to me. I booked for my parent's first cruise on Vision in February as a 30th anniversary so I'm invested in critiques of this ship from you and others. I also hope that they make improvements because it seems that this ship is trending the wrong way in the reviews on here as of late. I wrote to RCL and expressed my concern. Hopefully they're just going through some growing pains with the new itinerary or they just need some new personnel.

 

As someone who never cruised before, can you give a point of reference on land that I could relate to? What is the food and entertainment comparable to on land?

[RC Cruiser 2006]

I agree, not the ships fault about the kids, but the staff should say about hot tubs and children and supervising your children in the pool.

 

Shows on Freedom of the Seas were broadway caliber, where Vision was high school.

 

Dinner comparison is the Windjammer buffet to the Golden Coral. Ok. Nothing to brag about at all. Same food every day and blah.

I would tell your parents to dine in the dining room for all 3 meals. You get table service and personal attention. The WJ is a buffet and what's out is out and that's it. Nothing special.

Lunch in the dining room

Edited December 4, 2014 by RC Cruiser 2006

[RC Cruiser 2006]

Lunch in the dining room had long lines, but they did run out of certain items. For main dining I would go with 1st seating because 2nd seating did run out of certain meals too.

 

If you would like to do something special for your parents, book a night that is extra at Giovanni's italian restaurant. We did not dine there, but several others on the ship highly recommended it.

 

If they are not sure about excursions, and if they are in Costa Maya book through Cancun-discounts.com and do the Chacchoben mayan ruin tours. It's a nice time and legit! You will get to meet the locals and hear about their heritage and see the latest ruins unveiled. I would book that 1st thing in the morning for that port.

 

If they go to Belize, I did not do anything, but fellow cruisers booked the city train tour. I heard it was a nice time. You don't have to book it through the ship either. There are tours off the ship at the port to get you a great tour.

 

In Cozumel, a taxi can take you to Mr. Sanchos free beach for the day. $16 for one way 10 min cab ride. Mr. Sanchos has chairs and tables. You can buy lunch there too. They have Ala Cart or an all inclusive side for $55 a person, including all you can eat and drink with pool access.

 

In Grand Cayman, you can take the local bus to the turtle farm and pay not even near what the ship has! The bus is about $1.50 and the turtle farm is not that much. It's easy and I would go 1st thing in the morning because it gets hot outside. Same with Beilze too...it's hot! Also, in Grand Cayman across the street at the port the locals sell their wares. There is a Jamaican lady who makes the best homemade items. Her jerk sauce is great. I highly recommend seeing her! Also, the seven mile beach is beautiful!

 

I hope that they have s great time. Tell them to wait for the last day to play Bingo. You can win a free cruise and tell them to buy the machine for bingo. The machines always win. Lol. I never won, but was 1 away from winning. Lol.

 

Lot's of sunscreen too and hats. Bring the towels from the ship to any beach excursions. You can do this.

[RC Cruiser 2006]

Also, tell them to sign up for crown and anchor. Once you are a member you get alot of perks with your status. You get private coctail hours with the captain and staff. You get bathrobes in your room. You can get discounts and upgraded on future cruises. You get discounts on the ship with buying items onboard. Nice perks. We are platinum, soon to be emerald, then n a quick step to Diamond. Diamond has private lounges with coctails and food like a happy hour that is free when a diamond member. You get priority check in once you are platinum and higher too.

 

I hope they have a great time and praying that corporate does check into the legit complaints and corrects them. I have a friend going in Jan, so I'll hear 1st hand if anything changes. I am going to stay positive and say that I can post a BIG reprise in January!

[rlbarnes1827]

Lunch in the dining room had long lines, but they did run out of certain items. For main dining I would go with 1st seating because 2nd seating did run out of certain meals too.

 

If you would like to do something special for your parents, book a night that is extra at Giovanni's italian restaurant. We did not dine there, but several others on the ship highly recommended it.

 

If they are not sure about excursions, and if they are in Costa Maya book through Cancun-discounts.com and do the Chacchoben mayan ruin tours. It's a nice time and legit! You will get to meet the locals and hear about their heritage and see the latest ruins unveiled. I would book that 1st thing in the morning for that port.

 

If they go to Belize, I did not do anything, but fellow cruisers booked the city train tour. I heard it was a nice time. You don't have to book it through the ship either. There are tours off the ship at the port to get you a great tour.

 

In Cozumel, a taxi can take you to Mr. Sanchos free beach for the day. $16 for one way 10 min cab ride. Mr. Sanchos has chairs and tables. You can buy lunch there too. They have Ala Cart or an all inclusive side for $55 a person, including all you can eat and drink with pool access.

 

In Grand Cayman, you can take the local bus to the turtle farm and pay not even near what the ship has! The bus is about $1.50 and the turtle farm is not that much. It's easy and I would go 1st thing in the morning because it gets hot outside. Same with Beilze too...it's hot! Also, in Grand Cayman across the street at the port the locals sell their wares. There is a Jamaican lady who makes the best homemade items. Her jerk sauce is great. I highly recommend seeing her! Also, the seven mile beach is beautiful!

 

I hope that they have s great time. Tell them to wait for the last day to play Bingo. You can win a free cruise and tell them to buy the machine for bingo. The machines always win. Lol. I never won, but was 1 away from winning. Lol.

 

Lot's of sunscreen too and hats. Bring the towels from the ship to any beach excursions. You can do this.

 

Thanks, that's helpful advice. I've been weighing the specialty dining and wondering if it's worth it so I may do Giovanni's, especially considering it's only an extra $20/person for a relatively high odds of them enjoying it. I had really been interested in Chops but at $35/person I kept thinking to myself that you're really already paying for dinner in the MDR every night so that meal is probably really more like $50/person or more when you think about it.

 

Costa Maya: I booked Maya Chan after reading TripAdvisor reviews. Even with the negative reviews about sea grass, it sounds like a no headaches all-inclusive slow paced day they'll enjoy just sipping margaritas and eating chips and salsa. They're from Cleveland, OH so even if it was 60 degrees outside at the beginning of March they would be thrilled.

 

Cozumel: My dad doesn't say he wants much but he has mentioned several times in recent years wanting to swim with the dolphins. I wanted to the Anthony's Key swim and snorkel in Roatan but the cruise line books all the spots and slaps their inflated price on it. I contacted Anthony's Key directly and they said that it was only available through the cruise lines that day. I'm going to go with Dolphinaris in Cozumel because for around $70/person they give you a 45 minute experience and free lunch and drinks.

 

Belize: I'm concerned about this port but might just suggest they hit a local grocery store or something to get some local goods or just have an nice lunch and slow day. I've thought about the cave tubing or zip line but it's a short day and I don't think it would feel relaxing.

 

Roatan: I'm leaning toward a tour with Victor Bodden right now. For $30/person they would get to hold monkeys and go to a beach and for about twice that price they could do zip lining (not sure they're adventurous enough for that).

 

I'm hoping that they get some more energized personnel and improve their dining. I don't think they'll mind the Windjammer since they enjoy Golden Corral (don't judge, we know it's shameful lol) but for the MDR I'm guessing they'll be excited for something a bit nicer than they're used to (Outback Steakhouse or Chili's). I think they'll enjoy formal nights because they aren't used to that.

 

Can you comment on the smoking onboard? I've seen this coming up quite a bit lately. Can it be avoided if you don't like smoke? They won't be interested in the Casino but I'm wondering if it's noticeable in other areas.

[RC Cruiser 2006]

Ok, first I heard GREAT reviews onboard about Maya Chen! They should love it!

 

Book Giovanni's and tell the staff when booking about their anniversary. Make it extra special.

 

Tell them to get their photos taken together on formal night or any night. You can either buy one, none or all during the cruise.

 

The dolphin encounter at costa maya is right at the port. The showers and bathrooms are next to it. It's a blocked off area. Technically you are not at sea, it's like being at Sea World, but a bucket list item. Lol. People seemed to like it when we walked by.

 

Belize City. Well, remember that you are in a third world country. I would not recommend walking the streets past the port exit. Very poor, yet friendly people. You can buy legitimate medications there at the pharmaceutical store at the port. People from the US go there and buy meds if they have no insurance coverage. There really is no local market at the port, just the same tourist stuff. The wet lizard, I think that's the name is owned by a Canadian. Lol. I would do the city train tour and see a good part of Belize and not the part outside the port. They are very friendly at the port too. They will have a great time. You have to tender into Belize City too, so get off first thing in the morning. The tender is about 20 mins to the mainland.

[RC Cruiser 2006]

Smoking was bad. The casino was so filled with smoke that you can smell it from Deck 4 up to Deck 8. The theater smelled like smoke too. We complained about this on and off the ship. This was just horrible. You have to walk through the small casino to get to the theater.

 

Your parents should go to all of the shows. Like I said, I am praying that the performers have been practicing and practicing. Your parents should take advantage of the entire ship, especially with dining for breakfast and lunch.

 

Are they outgoing or private people? The main dining room will seat you with strangers at every dinner unless you request a private table. Just an FYI. We always ask for private by a window. It's an ambiance thing. Lol. But, we end up chatting with tables next to us if they are descent. We met these lovely ladies and they had the rudest people at their table. Just saying that a private table is the best to assure a pleasant dinner.

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

This is for those who had a bad experience. Thank you.

 

I want to make the "Bad" experience into a good one.

At least for me.

 

was the magician from eastern europe ?

Golly Gosh, I hope.

 

Pics would be nice though :D

[P&O Lynn Knickers]

It's annoying because the shower curtain sticks to you at times.

 

This has happened us before. But normally when I use it solo it was fine.

Edited December 4, 2014 by P&O Lynn Knickers

[rlbarnes1827]

They're former smokers so it could be hit or miss for them on how much it bothers them honestly but if it's just a short walk I'm sure they'll tough it out.

 

I think they'll enjoy the seating, although I guess that depends on who is with them at the table. They both never met a stranger they didn't think was their best friend. At times they can seem a little over the top like when I took my dad to NYC and he started talking to people on the subway and ferries when nobody else was talking. Originally I had them reservations for the 2nd dining and on the wait list for first dining but they've since been moved to the 6pm dining. I thought about doing My Time Dining but one of the things I was most looking forward to for them is having the same server who knows your name and preferences by the end of the week. They are both the types to want to get to know the workers just as much as their fellow cruisers.

[RC Cruiser 2006]

Lynn, Magic Marvin was the assistant CD. Named after "magic mike" if you catch my drift. I don't have any pics, but I know alot of people on that same ship have video with him dancing. Just sayin. Didn't mean to sound harsh because I had no idea that you thought he was a magician. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. And, he was from Jamaica . Lol. Lol.

Edited December 4, 2014 by RC Cruiser 2006

[TheInnocentAge]

This has happened us before. But normally when I use it solo it was fine.

 

Like!!

[Shellintampa]

Hi, We just returned form Vision on the 29th of November sailing.

The food in the Windjammer was very bad, we normally do not dine in the dining room but did this cruise. Thankfully I had taken dressier clothes. We had to do Windjammer on the formal nights and it was like poor nursing home food.

Even in the dining room the desserts were mousse types no solid cheesecake or cakes.

Smoke smell was avoidable, although we had some people in our hallway that should be charged the smoking in room fee. The casino was the worst although we normally avoid it anyway.

The ship is showing wear badly. Missing tiles in solarium pool. Rust in many areas.

The Love and Marriage show was bad because of the contestants that were picked. One very crude gentleman (I say that very lightly). The cruise director has a dry sense of humor. We found Marvin asst cruise director to be friendly and energetic. No problems with him. Quest was a blast although the teams are too big and only 4 contestants (team leaders, runners) get medals.

Our room attendant was nothing special, but did her job. Towel animals every other day. That's about average. Always fresh towels and bed made :)

The worst part was the food. We have been on Brilliance, Enchantment, and Legend, all multiple times and the food was excellent.

We loved the ports and our excursions. We have been to all the ports before, but had extremly great days at port on this cruise.

If the food had been better, we would singing praises. We did not complain. It was a week of peace and I will be cooking some good dinner tonight :)

[LMaxwell]

Hi, We just returned form Vision on the 29th of November sailing.

The food in the Windjammer was very bad, we normally do not dine in the dining room but did this cruise. Thankfully I had taken dressier clothes. We had to do Windjammer on the formal nights and it was like poor nursing home food.

Even in the dining room the desserts were mousse types no solid cheesecake or cakes.

Smoke smell was avoidable, although we had some people in our hallway that should be charged the smoking in room fee. The casino was the worst although we normally avoid it anyway.

The ship is showing wear badly. Missing tiles in solarium pool. Rust in many areas.

The Love and Marriage show was bad because of the contestants that were picked. One very crude gentleman (I say that very lightly). The cruise director has a dry sense of humor. We found Marvin asst cruise director to be friendly and energetic. No problems with him. Quest was a blast although the teams are too big and only 4 contestants (team leaders, runners) get medals.

Our room attendant was nothing special, but did her job. Towel animals every other day. That's about average. Always fresh towels and bed made :)

The worst part was the food. We have been on Brilliance, Enchantment, and Legend, all multiple times and the food was excellent.

We loved the ports and our excursions. We have been to all the ports before, but had extremly great days at port on this cruise.

If the food had been better, we would singing praises. We did not complain. It was a week of peace and I will be cooking some good dinner tonight :)

Who made you go to WJ on formal night?

[rt1092]

Lacked the WOW.

 

 

Boarding was by far the worst we have ever had (33 cruises with Royal) wait line went around the block, mother in law needed wheel chair we were told none available. We asked if she could sit somewhere inside while we waited on line. We were told no. This is how they treat D+ members. Once upstairs we had to wait an hour for a wheelchair to board. No list, just first jump up. We learned this the hard way no one told us or helped us.

The cruise was okay. Entertainment was good. Food and service in the main dining room was very good.

Had a problem with the bar staff in the theater. We are D+ so we get 3 drinks at no charge between 5 pm and 8 pm. I ordered a Miller Light at 7:15 pm and gave the waiter my sea pass card. He came back with a bill to sign. I told him we were diamond plus and it should be free. He said "no problem" he would take care of it. I didn't sign the bill. The next day I asked for a copy of my account and saw the charge. I disputed it and it was taken off. 2 days later I order a Coke. at 7 pm and he came back with a bill. Same story "sorry etc, he will take care of it" next day the charge was there. They are thieves. Once is a mistake, twice is on purpose.

The bar service in the casino was questionable also. I ordered a plain drink and they brought me top shelf. I just paid the charge and didn't leave my customary $1 extra tip. And didn't drink there anymore.

The bar staff in the Schooner bar was excellent no problems at all.

Disembarking was another nightmare. We were told to go to the dining room till our number was called called. Then to go to deck 4 for a wheel chair. We did as we were told and wound up the last people off the ship. They were calling our names to leave but we were waiting for a wheelchair.

The price was cheap and I guess we got what we paid for.

[Shellintampa]

No one made us go to WJ on formal night. We just chose to. I had suitable dress and hubby had nice dress shirts and slacks but did not bring a tie. We checked the shops but they had no ties avail. We did not want to go to formal night without him wearing a tie, just our preference. We made it on WJ food for the night :0

[stephaniekleinn]

here's the review I just posted....What a disappointment. I’m a Diamond member and always tout about RC any chance I get. This ship is no where up to RC’s standards. We had table mates at dinner that talked about how great Carnival was (this was their first RC ship) and I had to explain to them that this was not the norm. This was pathetic.

Here is my recap of all the events that led to our disappointment.

• Embarkation was horrible. I’ve never had to wait two hours to get on a ship. We have a 5 year old, we know to get their early, have our stuff in order, and shuffle through the line.

• There were two lines for embarkation, first time cruisers and past cruisers, no special designation for the tiers of the crown and anchor society. All of the perks of other terminals were non- existent in Tampa, no drinks, no cookies, no chairs to sit while you wait. There were a few rows of chairs but they were for use after you check in. There were a number of older people on this trip, I’m sure standing two hours in line was rough on them.

• When we got on board the staff right at the door told us that our rooms were ready and we could head on down. We went down to floor 2, and we were told to turn around, the rooms wouldn’t be ready until after 2.

• We headed up to the Windjammer, the food was mediocre at best and they were out of a lot of things. We thought maybe they were getting their stock replenished while in port so I didn’t think much of it. As the cruise went on, there was zero variety in the Windjammer (with the exception of a taco bar that was never stocked and created a frenzy because it was “new food”).

• We had to separate cabins, one for my mother and son and one for my husband and I. All Diamond members but one room had a phenomenal room attendant and one had the room attendant from hell. One room had robes, ice, shampoo, conditioner, soap, all requests were met, etc. The other room had no robes, no ice, we had to ask twice for a blanket, there were stickers from the previous passengers (the stickers that say the size so about an inch big) clothes on the side of the cabinet, those remained there until the night before we got off the ship. I finally peeled them off myself. I’m not actually sure who the room steward was but when I needed an extra luggage tag I just went over to the other rooms steward and they got it for us. This was pathetic and RC should be ashamed.

• Also we had rooms 2088 and 2588, which are right across from the closet where the room attendants get their supplies. They get their supplies at ALL hours of the day and night and they don’t just shut a door, they throw it open, walk out, and then let it slam shut. Not only did it slam but the handle would then clang. I didn’t sleep later than 630am every day.

• The kids program had an antiquated sign in program that took forever. We never went to the kids club at peak hours but still had to wait in line for at least 10 minutes when we were dropping off or picking up.

• The tables near the pool were never bussed. The evening we spent at least 45 minutes watching people walk by a table that had dirty dishes on it. There was an RC wait staff person that kept walking by but she wasn’t cleaning up the tables. Finally an officer bussed the table. Sad.

• Our dining room experience was horrible, table 118…..we were always the first people in and the last people to leave. The food was mediocre, and the first night our server blamed the table next to us for his service taking so long. He said they got there late so it threw off his timing. We smiled politely, unfortunately the remainder of the nights that table didn’t show up and the service still suffered. I asked the Maître De the second night about the kids program where the kids club staff come and pick up the kids at dinner. He knew nothing about it, the third night, after I spoke with the kids club and got the procedure, I informed the Maître De how it works and he thanked me. He should have had this down pat. The staff comes to the 4th floor dining room doors and they take all the kids up.

• I tried to spend some time in the Solarium, the adults only area. Unfortunately they have decided to put the Park Café at the back of the Solarium so everyone from moms and dads with babies, to rowdy teenagers (and yes, most were disrespectable and seem to have been raised in barns) kept running through there to get roast beef sandwiches!

• We had rough seas and the weather was chilly but that didn’t affect my thoughts of the ship.

• The Diamond lounge was very small, with a limited buffet, we’ve been on bigger ships where they really go out of their way.

• The Diamond happy hour they do is a nice option but it only covers single liquor drinks. I don’t drink but when I have one I like a mudslide or something with more than one liquor. This is only from 5-8 and we had dinner at 530 and it lasted until 8 so there wasn’t much time to take advantage of this. Minor detail but one more thing.

• We had 6 pieces of luggage, one didn’t arrive until 8 pm, of course it was the one with my sons clothes so that was slightly inconvenient.

• These are minor things but as a whole, there weren’t many bright spots to this cruise. The food was lousy, the services were lacking and the ship was supposed to have gone through a rehaul but deck chairs had straps missing or broken, etc.

• I was in line at the guest services desk the last day to get a copy of my bill and make sure everything looked ok, there were kids in line behind us and one of them knocked down the ropes and then fell down (by kids I mean teenagers) and one of the ladies in line looked at the guest services agent and asked “aren’t you going to do anything about this” to which the GSA replied “Boys please calm down”. Everyone in line talked about how much the staff really didn’t seem to care.

• I thought the Cruise Director was a little old and unrelatable. We’re in our 40’s but my mom in her 60’s also thought he was a little past his prime. Marvelous Marvin was just as unrelatable, it was even mentioned in their “morning show” that he was an accounting, body builder, samba dancer, dance instructor, etc….Everyone got a laugh at dinner about that one night by saying “who cares”.

• As a family we blew off most of the shows, we went to the Beattles night, the other guests seemed to enjoy this, it was a little out of my time but they weren’t horrible. We went to the impersonator one night and he was good but also not for my age demographic. We watched the aerial show once, it was ok at best…..everything seemed more carnival than RCCL.

[ksuds]

We were on over Thanksgiving. There was no WOW!

 

The check in process was a nightmare!

 

WJ lines were bad, food was not the best, and they kept running out of things.

 

The bars had no lemons for drinks for the first 2 days. I drink Vodka with water and lemon. I hate limes. I did start to use their box lemon mix since that was all they had. Other days they just simply ran out of things.

 

Even had dinner with Capt Lis. My Filet tasted as if it was cooked hours before. The mashed potatoes were also cold and dry. I could pick up the entire lump with my fork.

 

I agree that Paul - CD was very fake.

 

Entertainment- singers in the centrum, piano were very good. We had a great time with them.

 

Officers were all visable and approachable.

 

It was a disappointment missing Grand Caymen- but we can't help mother nature. They could have made the ship day better though. The pool was pretty crowded and it took us hours to get them to put the radio on. They kept re-airing the captains 9:00 am talk on the pool TV.

 

Inside of the ship was pretty clean and for once my cabin didn't have any odors. The outside really needed some paint work. There was a lot of rust.

 

We more than likely will not sail the Vision again. I'd rather do a B2B on the Brilliance.

[Hailzmick]

This has happened us before. But normally when I use it solo it was fine.

 

 

You're hilarious!!!!!

 

 

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