Mystery: Vision of the Seas, her name painted over, at anchor in Saint Martin 3/30/22

[LAKaye]

What do y'all  make of this?--  

 

I am on the Jewel of the Seas.  Today there are 4 Royal Caribbean ships tied up at the piers in Phillipsburg, Saint Martin:  The Jewel, The Rhapsody, The Explorer, and the Harmony.  

 

Out in the bay, the Vision of the Seas is at anchor, looking ghostly.  There is no activity to be seen on the ship; no tenders, etc.  The most intriguing thing is that the name of the ship is painted out on the aft end and the bow end.  The blue crown and anchor are still on the stack though.  

 

A few of us in the Diamond Lounge were buzzing about this.  At first when we sailed in we weren't sure what ship she was because of no name on her aft, but then by comparing photos and looking at her sister the Rhapsody, we knew it was the Vision (and not the Grandeur).

 

Why is this?  Anyone know what's going on with her?

 

[shipgeeks]

We saw her out there in February, too.  I'm guessing she is a quarantine ship.  There were two other ships doing the same thing outside of Barbados.

[vikingtraveller]

 According to Cruise mapper the Vision at present is cruising off Honduras, en route to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica.

The mystery ship is still a mystery, I guess.

 

Have a great cruise. Wish I was there.

 

[LAKaye]

9 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

We saw her out there in February, too.  I'm guessing she is a quarantine ship.  There were two other ships doing the same thing outside of Barbados.

Thank you for your response.  I would love to know why they needed to paint over the name on the hull.

[chengkp75]

No passenger ship, or any ship other than a landing craft, is shown in the bay at Philipsburg on Marinetraffic.  Not sure what you're seeing, but I doubt that any harbormaster would allow a large ship anchored in their port to turn off the AIS.  Where in relation to the cruise dock do you see this ship?  If the name is painted over, how do you know its Vision?  Can you see the nameboards? Though limited in scan, don't see anything on webcam either.

Edited March 30, 2022 by chengkp75

[mac66]

We saw her when we were in St. Maarten in February. Anchored maybe a mile or two off shore, not in the bay. Obviously a RCL ship but never got close enough to see her name if any.

Edited March 30, 2022 by mac66

[Jimbo]

Pirate Ship? Does it look like this? Could be all smoke and mirrors as to what you are looking at?🏴‍☠️

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by Jimbo

[chengkp75]

14 minutes ago, mac66 said:

We saw her when we were in St. Maarten in February. Anchored maybe a mile or two off shore, not in the bay. Obviously a RCL ship but never got close enough to see her name if any.

Nothing showing in the Philipsburg anchorage, either.

[Jimbo]

19 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Nothing showing in the Philipsburg anchorage, either.

Think maybe the crew took the ship out for a spin and never returned it? I hate when that happens, turning off all tracking devices too........Heads will roll for this.

 

 

Can't be Vision, this is their current location:

 

Current position of Vision of the Seas: Under way from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, FL) to Puerto Limon

• Departure was 1 d 21 hrs 36 min ago. (at 16:00 h local time)
• Arrival will be in 9 hrs 24 min. (at 09:00 h local time)
• Traveled distance since Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades, FL): 999.84 nm (1,851.71 km)
• Remaining distance to Puerto Limon: 200.11 nm (370.61 km)

• Course: 190°

• • Mon 28/03/22

Edited March 30, 2022 by Jimbo

[mac66]

7 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Nothing showing in the Philipsburg anchorage, either.

That doesn't mean it's not there.  Was going to take photos of it and ask an officer on our ship when we were there but we were on a sail and snorkle. Went right by it both out and back.   It was maybe half way between the port and the airport, probably a couple miles off shore.

Edited March 30, 2022 by mac66

[BND]

1 hour ago, LAKaye said:

What do y'all  make of this?--  

 

I am on the Jewel of the Seas.  Today there are 4 Royal Caribbean ships tied up at the piers in Phillipsburg, Saint Martin:  The Jewel, The Rhapsody, The Explorer, and the Harmony.  

 

Out in the bay, the Vision of the Seas is at anchor, looking ghostly.  There is no activity to be seen on the ship; no tenders, etc.  The most intriguing thing is that the name of the ship is painted out on the aft end and the bow end.  The blue crown and anchor are still on the stack though.  

 

A few of us in the Diamond Lounge were buzzing about this.  At first when we sailed in we weren't sure what ship she was because of no name on her aft, but then by comparing photos and looking at her sister the Rhapsody, we knew it was the Vision (and not the Grandeur).

 

Why is this?  Anyone know what's going on with her?

 

How about a picture?

 

There are several old RCI ships that have been sold and renamed, but Vision is not one of them.  

Edited March 30, 2022 by BND

[Jimbo]

Vision is currently on a cruise, it's not sitting anywhere.

[SilkySal]

We're supposed to board the Vision on April 8th, so I will be following this for better, updated info! Our Royal app is still not showing any info for dining menu, activities, etc., which is weird being this close to our sail date and the itinerary is also not showing under the title. We have received no info from RCCL as of today, and, no I did not use a TA; booked it myself on-line with RCCL. Sure hope we get to go on the 8th, cause it'll be a B2B for us with the following 11-nighter! 

 

Thanks Jimbo; I sure hope you are correct!

 

[Jimbo]

8 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

We're supposed to board the Vision on April 8th, so I will be following this for better, updated info! Our Royal app is still not showing any info for dining menu, activities, etc., which is weird being this close to our sail date and the itinerary is also not showing under the title. We have received no info from RCCL as of today, and, no I did not use a TA; booked it myself on-line with RCCL. Sure hope we get to go on the 8th, cause it'll be a B2B for us with the following 11-nighter! 

 

Thanks Jimbo; I sure hope you are correct!

 

Your date the 8th is still bookable..............if your cruise was canceled it would have happened long before this if Vision has been sitting out St. Maarten since February............the ship sitting out there is not Vision, could it be Rhapsody of the Seas ?  Has that ship been put back in service yet?

Edited March 30, 2022 by Jimbo

[GJustice]

Maybe the new, larger branding is coming?

[Jimbo]

9 minutes ago, GJustice said:

Maybe the new, larger branding is coming?

Parting Gift for Richard Fain. Comes with a new shirt and haircut.

[SilkySal]

What about the ships that were sold? Are they scrapped yet?

[SilkySal]

Maybe they're getting ready for a "sinking" event?

[BND]

Well, since it's not Vision (there's a roll call for 28 March that was very active up until a few days ago and I think those onboard would be surprised to hear they're sitting in/near St. Maarten), I wonder what ship people are actually seeing and why it doesn't show up on AIS.  It needs to be visible to other traffic especially if it's out in the bay.   I wish someone had a picture. 

[SilkySal]

They do say "pictures are worth 1,000 words!" Did I quote that right? LOL!

[chengkp75]

57 minutes ago, mac66 said:

That doesn't mean it's not there.

No, it doesn't, but I don't think it was the Vision (last AIS report was yesterday, off the coast of Cuba.

4 minutes ago, BND said:

I wonder what ship people are actually seeing and why it doesn't show up on AIS.

The ship will show up on radar, so is not a hazard to navigation, but there is generally only one reason a ship will turn its AIS off, for security reasons (pirates, terrorists).

 

17 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

Maybe they're getting ready for a "sinking" event?

Those typically take about 6-12 months of prep work, removing hazmat, cleaning fuel tanks, etc, before they can make a reef out of a ship.

[Anton]

Rhapsody?  When I was last in SXM Rhapsody was moored but was having a lot of hull maintenance being performed.  A lot of the coatings were needlegunned down to the metal.

Edited March 30, 2022 by Anton

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, Anton said:

Rhapsody?

Rhapsody is currently showing at the dock along with Harmony, Jewel, and Explorer. Just as the OP noted.

Edited March 30, 2022 by chengkp75

[island lady]

We are currently on EX in St. Maarten.  I am always up early, and watched as we sailed past Rhapsody in her usual position anchored off shore, where she has been off and on for a couple of years now.  She sits half way between the cruise port and the airport off shore.   

 

After we came in, then Harmony, then Jewel....as we were eating breakfast...here came Rhapsody to dock just behind Jewel.  She is loading supplies next to us as I type.  She is in rough shape (Jewel looking good with her fresh paint job)....but she is the one that was off shore.  

 

There was no Vision of the Seas sitting off shore.  Not sure what OP was looking at...but she was not there and does not show up on any tracking...as Chengkp75 is very talented at.  

 

[island lady]

1 hour ago, mac66 said:

We saw her when we were in St. Maarten in February. Anchored maybe a mile or two off shore, not in the bay. Obviously a RCL ship but never got close enough to see her name if any.

 

It was Rhapsody...and has been for a couple of years.