Review: Vision from Dubai Feb 2017

[welshrich]

Great review, we did this last year on the Splendour of the seas and enjoyed it as it's something different, we also noticed a lot of 1st time cruisers, some happy and some not so. Would certainly recommend it and also felt safe the whole time we were away.

[Deeliteful]

Thanks for the review. I have been looking at the Vision out of Dubai and how cheap a 7 day cruise only is. Shame still need to add flight price onto the cruise only price.

You do but the flights are pretty good value IMO only £460 ret from Manchester and Emirates.The whole thing looks like great value to me even as a solo cruiser. Can't wait for my cruise in March :)

[sgmn]

Thanks for the review - not many from this part of the world. Interesting what you said about first time cruisers and lack of meet and mingle - don't think there is even a roll call started for our cruise on 27Feb !

 

 

Did you notice if there were any drink cards - couldn't see anything on the cruise compasses. If not think we will be going 'dry' - hurts too much to pay their prices for drinks :D

 

 

Was it easy to walk to places in Muscat - we have a dhow tour for the first day but planning on doing our own thing for the second day.

 

 

Thanks again - Sue

[kittencruiser]

Thanks for the review - not many from this part of the world. Interesting what you said about first time cruisers and lack of meet and mingle - don't think there is even a roll call started for our cruise on 27Feb !

 

 

Did you notice if there were any drink cards - couldn't see anything on the cruise compasses. If not think we will be going 'dry' - hurts too much to pay their prices for drinks :D

 

 

Was it easy to walk to places in Muscat - we have a dhow tour for the first day but planning on doing our own thing for the second day.

 

 

Thanks again - Sue

 

We are also the 27th and your right there is no roll call for ours - I was looking the other day, we are also hoping to see a drinks card as the drinks are very expensive! :mad:

 

 

Anne-Marie

[little britain]

My friend Helen is also on 27/2....you can start your own RC. That is 6 of you for the M&M already!!!

 

 

Muscat, yes from the port gate it is an easy 10min stroll along the Corniche to get to the souk. Just turn left out of the port, across the car park where the cab drivers wait and keep on walking. There is new construction of the fish market which means you will have to cross to the other side of the road for the pavement but keep heading left and you will find it.

 

 

No I didn't notice any drinks card deals. As I said I think most people had the drinks package anyway... Don't forget you can take on 2 bottles per cabin. You can buy on arrival in DXB but it is cheaper in England.

I did hear they were offering discounts on the specialty restaurants of up to 30% as the cruise went on. I never saw any restaurant full.

Edited February 15, 2017 by little britain

[little britain]

Day 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In summary: for what we paid it wasincredible value. The ship was looking a little tired in places and theentertainment was not up to the usual standard. Food in the MDR was OK, served quickly and wasalways hot but the menus are getting very tired. This is the 3rd time I have done thisitinerary and I will be doing it again next month, with my elderly mother....soat a much slower pace!

I hope this has helped those travelling in comingweeks or those who were thinking of visiting this fascinating area of the world.

Edited February 15, 2017 by little britain

[Stitchman]

Thanks for the review. I have been looking at the Vision out of Dubai and how cheap a 7 day cruise only is. Shame still need to add flight price onto the cruise only price.

But the cruise plus flights was cheap. We got a balcony for 1299 on that holiday cruise channel.

 

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[Stitchman]

For 2

 

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[Brit-Cruiser]

Thanks for the review - not many from this part of the world. Interesting what you said about first time cruisers and lack of meet and mingle - don't think there is even a roll call started for our cruise on 27Feb !

 

 

Did you notice if there were any drink cards - couldn't see anything on the cruise compasses. If not think we will be going 'dry' - hurts too much to pay their prices for drinks :D

 

 

Was it easy to walk to places in Muscat - we have a dhow tour for the first day but planning on doing our own thing for the second day.

 

 

Thanks again - Sue

 

We are also on 27/2. There is a roll call, as I posted on it in December. There is only us & the person that started it though. It is so old, it doesn't show up unless I search my previous posts. I will post in it now & hopefully bump it to the top of the list, so it can be found. :)

[luvvincruiselife]

Really useful reviews, this will be helpful for our trip in March. Can you let me know what time you had to be back on board during the Sunday night stop over in Dubai. We'd like to have dinner on our last night in Dubai and trying to work out our timings.

Thanks,

Nicola

[little britain]

Really useful reviews, this will be helpful for our trip in March. Can you let me know what time you had to be back on board during the Sunday night stop over in Dubai. We'd like to have dinner on our last night in Dubai and trying to work out our timings.

 

Thanks,

 

Nicola

 

 

 

Luggage has to be outside room as normal at 11pm, but if you carry your own off I guess there is nothing stopping you staying out all night! Just so long as you are off by 8:30am!! People started leaving the ship from early on Sunday onwards, lots of people were on the 2:30am flight back to LHR so the ship is open and active all night.

 

 

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[Bella O]

Thanks so much for this great review- it answered so many questions I had for our March cruise. Just two quick questions: did you bother getter Omani rial for the trip? Did you need cash for dinner in port that night?

 

Also, a silly question about dress code in the mosques. You mentioned about the ankles showing; can ladies wear sandals or do they need to be closed shoes? Are they taken off anyway?

 

Thanks again!

[CAT GIRL]

Thanks so much for this great review- it answered so many questions I had for our March cruise. Just two quick questions: did you bother getter Omani rial for the trip? Did you need cash for dinner in port that night?

 

Also, a silly question about dress code in the mosques. You mentioned about the ankles showing; can ladies wear sandals or do they need to be closed shoes? Are they taken off anyway?

 

Thanks again!

 

You can wear sandals because you will be taking them off when you go inside. They have cubbyholes

at the entrance to the mosque.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[little britain]

Thanks so much for this great review- it answered so many questions I had for our March cruise. Just two quick questions: did you bother getter Omani rial for the trip? Did you need cash for dinner in port that night?

 

Also, a silly question about dress code in the mosques. You mentioned about the ankles showing; can ladies wear sandals or do they need to be closed shoes? Are they taken off anyway?

 

Thanks again!

No we didn't get any OMR - they are all very adept at converting OMR to AED or even EUR!!! They should be currency traders!

For dinners out remember that alcohol can only be sold in international hotels with a licence therefore if you go to a café or even a chain like TGIF - you won't get a drink if it isn't linked to a hotel.

 

Shoes are taken off in the mosques and left in little cubby holes - they are numbered in AD so easy to find but I admit to losing our shoes in Muscat and having to search several areas until we found them!

Edited February 16, 2017 by little britain

[Trickydic]

Great review, thanks for all the information. Very helpfull.

 

For those folks on the 27th Feb cruise here is a link for the roll call, it doesn't show up in searches as the ship name is not in the thread title.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?p=52304957&posted=1#post52304957

 

Cheers

[Stitchman]

You can wear sandals because you will be taking them off when you go inside. They have cubbyholes

at the entrance to the mosque.

That's good, because if you don't wear them, they'll shoot you or hang draw and quarter you .... lol

 

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[gnomeoffice]

the review was really useful, we are off on the same cruise on the 6th March. Just one question - we have 'diamond' status due to lots of Celebrity cruises we have done. We intend to purchase a drinks package but it looks like there was an offer on for diamond members of 30% off which is quite a saving - was this just something they offered on the ship or could you access this before?

thanks, Jacqueline.

[little britain]

the review was really useful, we are off on the same cruise on the 6th March. Just one question - we have 'diamond' status due to lots of Celebrity cruises we have done. We intend to purchase a drinks package but it looks like there was an offer on for diamond members of 30% off which is quite a saving - was this just something they offered on the ship or could you access this before?

thanks, Jacqueline.

 

I believe that the discount off the drinks package for Diamonds is 20%.

 

As I said, it is not advertised on the sheet of benefits left in your room, but if you ask a barman to do a print off of your C&A perks at their till it should show.

 

However remember that you get complimentary drinks in the DL from 5 - 8:30pm and you also have 3 free drinks per person each day to use in any bar during this timeframe (which if you time it right - you leave the lounge at 8;15 - go to the nearest bar, which is the Schooner Bar, and buy 3 glasses of wine to take into dinner with you.....hic....not talking from experience at all....:p); and you can take on 2 bottles of wine at the start of the cruise.

 

 

The discount is not applied if you pre-book on line.

 

Likewise your Diamond internet discount is not applied if you pre-book that package on line. The Diamond internet discount is 1 day (24hr consecutive period free) or $20 off a package. There is free wifi in both Dubai and AD cruise terminals.

[celticgirl]

No 20% discount for diamond on 30th Jan cruise

[little britain]

No 20% discount for diamond on 30th Jan cruise

 

 

 

Did you get them to print out the benefits on a till, or did you just go by the sheet in the cabin? As I have said, this discount was not advertised on the cabin sheet.

 

 

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[celticgirl]

Went to pool bar printed it out i might still have it if i do will post it on but definitely no 20% off.

[Itsbeentoolong]

thanks for the review, that $39 dollars to stay onboard looks good as we are staying in Dubai for 2 extra nights. I'm guessing it doesn't include alcohol though just soft drinks :/

 

 

I hope our March trip is hotter than yours was tho :)

[little britain]

thanks for the review, that $39 dollars to stay onboard looks good as we are staying in Dubai for 2 extra nights. I'm guessing it doesn't include alcohol though just soft drinks :/

 

 

I hope our March trip is hotter than yours was tho :)

 

 

Yes it says that if you have the beverage package you will continue to receive beverages included in the Royal Replenish package !

 

 

Weather is lousy and cold in Dubai at the mo :eek:

[Kristal Blade]

Thank you for posting the daily information sheets.

We are doing our first RCI cruise in December. South Pacific and New Zealand. Different itinerary but I expect the daily activities such as quizzes, stretch classes etc will be similar. We have done 3 Celebrity cruises so I am going to check if we have any "credit" points with RCI.

We may do a Middle East cruise one day so good to know that many ports are easy to do independently.

Thanks again

 

 

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