Vision of the Seas 2022 Europe

[LoriLoriLori]

Hello,  I am interested in your opinions on sailing on Vision of the Seas departing from Barcelona, visiting Italy and France.  

 

Vision seems to have more negative reviews than any ship I've looked up.  They mostly regard lack of activities, food, and smoke filling the ship from the casino.  We have sailed on Enchantment of the Seas and loved it.  I can't remember any smoke issues.  The casino location may be different. We are not too concerned about activities and are mostly interested in a place to sleep to visit ports.  

 

What things should we consider?  Is Vision of the Seas a nice ship and does it compare to Enchantment?  We are thinking about booking flights through RCI as well if we decide to go on this cruise.  Also planning on interior room to save money.  Thanks for any advice.  

[LoriLoriLori]

Well, just booked ocean view GTY.  Pretty excited! 

[Jimbo]

Quick work, didn't give much time for others to answer you.

 

We have been on Vision once, we didn't like it. You should be fine though since your cruise is port intensive and really the ship doesn't matter anyway.

 

We opted for Allure's 7 day cruise........because we are going to tack on some pre and post land tour stuff.

 

Yours I believe is 10 or 11 days isn't it.........if we had chose that we wouldn't have had time to do the land tour stuff that we think we can see more then you can with the 3 or 4 extra days on the ship.

 

But whatever works for you is fine. Enjoy !

[geishagirl2]

I am wondering the same thing.  I have been on ships such as Rhapsody, and didn’t mind lack of activities due to the ports we visited.  Also wondering about Florence/Pisa port of Carrara.  I know the marble quarries are nearby, but would like to know about availability of other shore excursions from that port.  I haven’t been able to find much info…

[LoriLoriLori]

The sailing we are going on is five nights Sept 10 2022.  We are going to spend four days in Barcelona and beyond beforehand.  

 

"We have been on Vision once, we didn't like it. You should be fine though since your cruise is port intensive and really the ship doesn't matter anyway."

 

Can you elaborate on why you didn't like the Vision of the Seas?  Perhaps it's a moot point since we are booked -- still curious to hear your thoughts.

Enjoy your cruise as well!  

Edited June 22, 2021 by LoriLoriLori
Added a quote from Jimbo

[Jimbo]

Basically, just the size of the ship. Everything is smaller, much prefer the Radiance class or the larger Voyager class ships.

 

Granted there are less passengers but all the venues felt really crowded, cabins are smaller, and food didn't seem to be as good.

Edited June 22, 2021 by Jimbo

[LoriLoriLori]

Just now, Jimbo said:

Basically, just the size of the ship. Everything is smaller, much perfer the Radiance class or the larger Voyager class ships.

 

Granted there are less passengers but all the venues felt really crowded, cabins are smaller, and food didn't seem to be as good.

Valid reasons for sure.  Thanks for sharing.   

 

I was looking at a Western Mediterranean on Celebrity in September, however higher cost, longer cruise.  Not as realistic for our budget and time off from work at this juncture.  We chose Vision for the price and itinerary.  If it's anything like Enchantment I'll be happy.  Plus, we are very newbie cruisers.  We are easily impressed at this point.  😁

[LoriLoriLori]

40 minutes ago, geishagirl2 said:

I am wondering the same thing.  I have been on ships such as Rhapsody, and didn’t mind lack of activities due to the ports we visited.  Also wondering about Florence/Pisa port of Carrara.  I know the marble quarries are nearby, but would like to know about availability of other shore excursions from that port.  I haven’t been able to find much info…

I also notice no info for Florence excursions -- perhaps closer to sailing date.  We want to make it to the museums to see David. 

[HicksRA]

If you enjoyed Enchantment, you’ll feel the same about Vision. I’ve been on both ships and like Vision more than Enchantment. Enchantment has been stretched in the middle, thus is a little longer than Vision, but Vision is in much better shape IMO. 
I’ve been on Vision for a total of 29 nights - three separate cruises, and never noticed smoke from the casino invading the ship/centrum area. Unlike Radiance which was terrible. 
As long as you’re not looking for an amusement park ship, you’ll have a great cruise on Vision. 

[LoriLoriLori]

2 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

If you enjoyed Enchantment, you’ll feel the same about Vision. I’ve been on both ships and like Vision more than Enchantment. Enchantment has been stretched in the middle, thus is a little longer than Vision, but Vision is in much better shape IMO. 
I’ve been on Vision for a total of 29 nights - three separate cruises, and never noticed smoke from the casino invading the ship/centrum area. Unlike Radiance which was terrible. 
As long as you’re not looking for an amusement park ship, you’ll have a great cruise on Vision. 

Thank you so much!  Very encouraging!

[kccrzr]

Vision does not have all of the bells and whistles that newer ships have and is showing some wear commensurate with her age. However, she consistently has some of the best itineraries offered by Royal Caribbean and in the past has had some great well-trained crew members. 
 

We tend to pick cruises for the itinerary and have been on Vision  several times.  On the port intensive cruises the lack of some specialty restaurants, entertainment venues, etc is less important to us. We will be sailing Vision again in March to the Southern Caribbean - going to multiple ports including 3 we haven’t been previously. We will be glad to be back aboard. 
 

 

[kccrzr]

54 minutes ago, LoriLoriLori said:

I also notice no info for Florence excursions -- perhaps closer to sailing date.  We want to make it to the museums to see David. 

 

You might want to look into booking a private or semi private tour or transfer to Florence, especially since you want to go to a museum.   We have found that it was the best way to maximize time in Florence and can often be done less costly than going on a cruise ship sponsored shore excursion.  We have done this three times with two different tour companies and it has worked extremely well for us. A big cruise sponsored group on a bus from Livorno to Florence just takes up precious time better spent in town. 

[Hoopster95]

3 hours ago, LoriLoriLori said:

Thanks for any advice.  

 

Saturday, September 10	Barcelona, Spain		5:00pm
Sunday, September 11	Nice (Villefranche), France	9:00am	6:00pm
Monday, September 12	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy	7:00am	8:00pm
Tuesday, September 13	Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy (Carrara)	7:00am	7:00pm
Wednesday, September 14	Toulon, France	7:00am	5:00pm
Thursday, September 15	Barcelona, Spain	7:00am

 

You will barely have time to breathe on the ship.

 

Doing a Mediterranean cruise is totally different than sailing in the Caribbean. Readers... Take a look at the itinerary before giving advice. In my humble opinion, Vision and Radiance Class ships a perfect for the Med, much superior than the larger ships which you just cannot possibly enjoy to their fullest when you're up at 6am and on-shore until 7pm.

 

Lori, you will not remember much of the ship in 10 years. You will not remember your cabin#, what corridors you walked down, which show you watched, what meals you had in the buffet or main dining room, you will remember very little if anything. You are in port 8-10 hours per day with almost zero time on the ship.

 

In 10 years you will be looking at those photos on the mantle of you standing in the Colosseum &  walking through the Forum!! Photos from your excursion at Monaco/Eze, your time at the Ufizi beside David, at Notre Dame Marseille, etc. Bottom line... the ship does not matter a whole lot. The actual trip and your experiences matter 100%.

 

[LoriLoriLori]

So true Hoopster95!  Thank you!

[Luckynana]

 

Ditto everything that Hoopster said.  We've done two Mediterranean cruises, and knowing that we would be off the ship more than on it, we didn't even bother booking balconies.  We were happily exhausted from our daily excursions, would have dinner, a few drinks, and hit the bed.  Enjoy your cruise, Lori!

[Cruisen Elf]

We took a Mediterranean cruise on Vision in 2015.  It was wonderful!  Vision is a smaller ship without all the bells & whistles, as mentioned, but that makes it more accessible to some of the ports, and less crowded.  Again, as previously stated, it is a port intensive cruise, with most of the ports some distance from the cities you will want to see. You will not be spending that much time on the ship, but rather travelling to and from the cities and seeing all the marvelous places on your itinerary.

 

For port specific information, check out the Europe boards here:   https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/8-europe/

 

Also, as suggested, non ship tours usually result in smaller groups and better tours, in our experience.  We did several tours with Rome in Limo, including Florence,  where we saw Michelangelo's David (breathtaking!), and were quite pleased with all of the tours.

Edited June 23, 2021 by Cruisen Elf

[Ashland]

We sailed on Vision May 2019 a 12 night Med/Greek itinerary......It was just fine...she's a classic well cared for ship !!! ...We sail for the itinerary not the specific ship !!!!

[LoriLoriLori]

56 minutes ago, Cruisen Elf said:

We took a Mediterranean cruise on Vision in 2015.  It was wonderful!  Vision is a smaller ship without all the bells & whistles, as mentioned, but that makes it more accessible to some of the ports, and less crowded.  Again, as previously stated, it is a port intensive cruise, with most of the ports some distance from the cities you will want to see. You will not be spending that much time on the ship, but rather travelling to and from the cities and seeing all the marvelous places on your itinerary.

 

For port specific information, check out the Europe boards here:   https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/8-europe/

 

Also, as suggested, non ship tours usually result in smaller groups and better tours, in our experience.  We did several tours with Rome in Limo, including Florence,  where we saw Michelangelo's David (breathtaking!), and were quite pleased with all of the tours.

Thank you for the link to Europe board and for the tour tip.  

 

Thank you all for reassurance that this will be a fine ship.  I am very excited -- our kids are adults now (18 and 20) and this will be our first vacation as a married couple without kids in over 20 years.  I will also be turning 50 the day before the cruise sails so perfect way to celebrate! 😁

[LoriLoriLori]

5 hours ago, kccrzr said:

 

You might want to look into booking a private or semi private tour or transfer to Florence, especially since you want to go to a museum.   We have found that it was the best way to maximize time in Florence and can often be done less costly than going on a cruise ship sponsored shore excursion.  We have done this three times with two different tour companies and it has worked extremely well for us. A big cruise sponsored group on a bus from Livorno to Florence just takes up precious time better spent in town. 

 Appreciate this tip!  Thank you.

[Ashland]

5 minutes ago, LoriLoriLori said:

 Appreciate this tip!  Thank you.

When we've been in Florence the ship offered DIY (transportation there and back with time on our own) worked out great...something to consider.

[trippintex]

Doing two 8 day b2b in june 

[Fabulous97]

15 hours ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Saturday, September 10	Barcelona, Spain		5:00pm
Sunday, September 11	Nice (Villefranche), France	9:00am	6:00pm
Monday, September 12	Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy	7:00am	8:00pm
Tuesday, September 13	Florence / Pisa (Livorno), Italy (Carrara)	7:00am	7:00pm
Wednesday, September 14	Toulon, France	7:00am	5:00pm
Thursday, September 15	Barcelona, Spain	7:00am

 

You will barely have time to breathe on the ship.

 

Doing a Mediterranean cruise is totally different than sailing in the Caribbean. Readers... Take a look at the itinerary before giving advice. In my humble opinion, Vision and Radiance Class ships a perfect for the Med, much superior than the larger ships which you just cannot possibly enjoy to their fullest when you're up at 6am and on-shore until 7pm.

 

Lori, you will not remember much of the ship in 10 years. You will not remember your cabin#, what corridors you walked down, which show you watched, what meals you had in the buffet or main dining room, you will remember very little if anything. You are in port 8-10 hours per day with almost zero time on the ship.

 

In 10 years you will be looking at those photos on the mantle of you standing in the Colosseum &  walking through the Forum!! Photos from your excursion at Monaco/Eze, your time at the Ufizi beside David, at Notre Dame Marseille, etc. Bottom line... the ship does not matter a whole lot. The actual trip and your experiences matter 100%.

 

Just be aware that the ports are a bit of a haul from the cities, Barcelona you are right in the city. Makes me laugh when they call Southampton, London. Bloody miles away! Make sure you have good walking shoes on and enjoy!

[RKHOOKER]

We did Vision Med back in 2019 & it was fantastic.  
We took the express trains from Livorno & Civitavecchia to Florence & Rome, very easy & cheap.  We then did our own Rick Steves walking audio tour of both cities.  Highly recommend Rick’s audio tours!  
 

A floating block of flats or amusement park ship is not suitable for a Med port intensive cruise.  Way too much to do & see on land, hence, no time to do things on the ship. 

[Jimbo]

29 minutes ago, RKHOOKER said:

We did Vision Med back in 2019 & it was fantastic.  
We took the express trains from Livorno & Civitavecchia to Florence & Rome, very easy & cheap.  We then did our own Rick Steves walking audio tour of both cities.  Highly recommend Rick’s audio tours!  
 

A floating block of flats or amusement park ship is not suitable for a Med port intensive cruise.  Way too much to do & see on land, hence, no time to do things on the ship. 

Explain the cost of those audio tours and just how it works please?

[Cruisen Elf]

45 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Explain the cost of those audio tours and just how it works please?

 

The audio tours are free!  Just go to Rick Steves' website and download them to your smart phone or tablet.  You can then listen to them wherever you are.  Here is the link:  https://www.ricksteves.com/

 

He also has a wonderful book for anyone cruising anywhere in the Mediterranean, which I found invaluable during our Mediterranean cruise.  The title is "Rick Steves' Mediterranean Cruise Ports."