LIVE / Vision OS / July 6 - 15, 2023

[HBCcruiser]

We have seen a lot of military ships and coast guard vessels zipping around tonight. 🤔 

 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

22 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Boo hoo!

 

what a horrific sight!! 😱

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Thanks for taking us along! 

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

We have seen a lot of military ships and coast guard vessels zipping around tonight. 🤔 

 

 

Norfolk Naval Station is near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

[HBCcruiser]

Our final suite breakfast. We plan to head out at 9. Our flights are not until later so no need to rush. I’ll give my final thoughts when I get home. It’s been a fun cruise!

 

[superduper123]

Seems like a great time was had! And I look forward to reading your final thoughts.

[breezy_carol]

Thanks for your informative and fun posts.

 

Re: The Versailles in Miami.  We ate there in January before our cruise.  We really enjoyed it.  I had an entrée of chicken and rice, DH had the Cuban sandwich.  We did have a wait but not bad.  Were so full we got Key Lime pie to take to the hotel.  It was delicious.

[HBCcruiser]

Well, we all made it back safe and sound. Of course, we each had flight delays which really stinks and causes us to reconsider sailing from ports that require a long flight. We now have to consider flying in TWO days early rather than one, which adds to the cost of cruising. 

 

The Vision is a smaller ship and reminds me of the Caribbean Princess/Grand Princess ships a bit. I will say she sailed smoothly, which was great for my DDs. I think she needs some revamping and upgrading which we were told was going to happen in the next year or so. This is a good thing! The Viking Lounge needs to be reconfigured so that the dance floor is not so separated from the seating areas. Also, the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge needs to be modernized and renamed 😂.

 

Our suite was nice but the balcony was super small compared to other suite balconies. Although the living room windows are nice, they should have made the balcony bigger instead. The bathrooms are on the smallish side compared to other suites as well. I am not sure why the Royal beds and pillows are so uncomfortable. Princess and NCL Haven suites surpass Royal by a LOT in this area. Perhaps the newer ships are better? 

 

Staff: This is where the Vision excels. The staff were some of the very best. Our Concierge, Jaime, was amazing! He surpassed many of the butlers and concierges we have had on other lines. He loves sailing on the Vision so I am not sure if we will see him again. Major Bummer because he is that good. The bar staff were fun and good at making drinks that we love. They learn your names and what you like and will mix up your fav and hand it to you! Nice. 

 

Food: The main dining was hit or miss but the specialty restaurants were wonderful. The steak in chops was one of the best I've ever had. The only disappointment was the lobster. I like fresh lobster so I hardly ever order it on a ship. 

 

Entertainment: This was lacking IMO. There was only one good band onboard. The DJ played the same tired list over and over again. The songs were not even from this century/decade at times. Compared to other ships I give the entertainment a 6/10. Vision is a smaller ship so during sea days there was not a lot of things we were interested in doing - so we would duck hunt and drink. 😜

 

The ports were good to great We love Bermuda and Coco Cay so this cruise worked out well for us. I do wish we could have spent 2 full days in Bermuda. I am not sure why Royal does not offer those longer overnight cruises like NCL does. Coco Cay is THE BEST private island IMO. LOVE IT! That balloon ride was super fun! I am glad we had great weather. 

 

Would I sail Vision again?  Maybe. Sailing out of Baltimore was a breeze (except the flying part), so if they offer great itineraries and revamp/upgrade her, then I would consider it. 

 

Update on the Springhill Suite issue regarding locking my DD out - I complained about it in the survey and they apologized and added 5000 points to my account. I will never stay there again, but at least they acknowledged their HUGE safety issue/mistake. 

 

NEXT CRUISE - August 4th, 2023 on the Navigator. A short 3-day weekend getaway before the school year starts up. I have already ordered ducks which my DD and I will be hiding as we sip on our espresso martinis. Until then - Cruise On!

 

 

[luvcruzing]

Thank you for the review.  I enjoyed following along.  

[retiredgram]

Thanks for the review.  Looking forward to cruising on her in Nov.

[Nadey]

Thanks so much I was following along from the first day. Going on the ship in September on the five nights to Bermuda. First time to drive it's only four hours away so it will be so much better than flying and having a hotel the day before. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. We will only be in an inside cabin . 

[HBCcruiser]

Thanks for following along. Feel free to ask any questions as they come up. I will try to answer them.

[JHU]

On 7/8/2023 at 4:44 PM, HBCcruiser said:

The Rising Son snorkel tour was wonderful as expected. We did this same tour 6 years ago and loved it. I did not bring my GoPro so no underwater pics. We swam in caves and played with the fishies!

 

 

 

 

 

HI:  How deep is the water here?  I don't swim but like hanging my feet off the platform.

[HBCcruiser]

4 minutes ago, JHU said:

HI:  How deep is the water here?  I don't swim but like hanging my feet off the platform.

The water was, at the most, 15 ft. There were areas you could stand too. The water is crystal clear! The platforms are not really conducive to sitting and hanging your feet off of. They do have noodles and life vests you can wear, though. After snorkeling I just floated around with a noodle. The water is very salty and buoyant - It is so easy to float in this water. 

Edited July 17, 2023 by HBCcruiser

[JHU]

1 hour ago, HBCcruiser said:

The water was, at the most, 15 ft. There were areas you could stand too. The water is crystal clear! The platforms are not really conducive to sitting and hanging your feet off of. They do have noodles and life vests you can wear, though. After snorkeling I just floated around with a noodle. The water is very salty and buoyant - It is so easy to float in this water. 

Thank you for responding so quickly.  Regretfully, I'll pass.  

[lovelife]

Thanks for your detailed review. Our turn on Vision is in February - a quick 90-minute drive for us. Unfortunately larger ships cannot depart from that port.

[alleghator]

Thank you for your great review! How long does the balloon ride last on Coco Cay?

[HBCcruiser]

26 minutes ago, alleghator said:

Thank you for your great review! How long does the balloon ride last on Coco Cay?

 

You are up there about 15 minutes. That is plenty of time to look around and take photos. The entire ride was about 20 min. It takes time to get up and down. So fun! Our guide pointed out different islands and places of interest. Cool. 

[Tangibelle]

Thanks so much for the great review. It's really nice to have and idea of what to expect. 16 days until our turn and we can't wait! 

 

We didn't see the point in spending the extra money on the unlimited dining since there are only 3 restaurants but we did get the Chops +1 and based on your review, I am really looking forward to that treat now. 

 

I have found that the itineraries for Bermuda in the NE are generally shorter which makes no sense in my opinion, lol  I keep hoping to catch 2 overnights from Baltimore or Bayonne but no luck yet. However, we did basically the same itinerary on a 9 night on Mariner out of Orlando last August and had two overnights and it was amazing. 

 

I am really looking forward to Coco Cay. We stopped for the first time last year but I couldn't participate. I had tested positive for Covid the morning we got to the island which was the last full day of our cruise. 

 

Thanks again for sharing and I am so glad you are home safe and sound! Looking forward to hearing about the next one. 

Tracy

[HBCcruiser]

4 minutes ago, Tangibelle said:

Thanks so much for the great review. It's really nice to have and idea of what to expect. 16 days until our turn and we can't wait! 

 

We didn't see the point in spending the extra money on the unlimited dining since there are only 3 restaurants but we did get the Chops +1 and based on your review, I am really looking forward to that treat now. 

 

I have found that the itineraries for Bermuda in the NE are generally shorter which makes no sense in my opinion, lol  I keep hoping to catch 2 overnights from Baltimore or Bayonne but no luck yet. However, we did basically the same itinerary on a 9 night on Mariner out of Orlando last August and had two overnights and it was amazing. 

 

I am really looking forward to Coco Cay. We stopped for the first time last year but I couldn't participate. I had tested positive for Covid the morning we got to the island which was the last full day of our cruise. 

 

Thanks again for sharing and I am so glad you are home safe and sound! Looking forward to hearing about the next one. 

Tracy

 

Enjoy your cruise! Yes, I too wish Royal did a longer overnight in Bermuda. We were on the NCL Prima in May and did the three day in Bermuda. That plus a Coco Cay stop would be a dream cruise! 

[Tangibelle]

22 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

 

Enjoy your cruise! Yes, I too wish Royal did a longer overnight in Bermuda. We were on the NCL Prima in May and did the three day in Bermuda. That plus a Coco Cay  stop would be a dream cruise! 

To clarify, cause I don't think I worded it right, Royal does do a three day, only it's not out of Baltimore.  There is a 9 night out of Orlando has 3 days in Bermuda with a stop in Nassau and Coco Cay and other than catching Covid, it absolutely WAS a dream cruise! We are hoping to do that one again someday. 

[blondcat]

loved your review, definitely made me feel happy I purchased the unlimited dining package 😀.

Not long to wait until your next mini break too!

[HBCcruiser]

1 minute ago, blondcat said:

loved your review, definitely made me feel happy I purchased the unlimited dining package 😀.

Not long to wait until your next mini break too!

Thanks! 🤗 We have always gotten the dining package and usually feel it is worth it. On the Vision the specialty restaurant food was better and the ambiance calmer than the main dining room. We definitely received great service too! On my upcoming 3-day we are NOT getting the package. Our friends we are sailing with did not want it plus we all got the Key and Chef's Dinner instead. We plan on being out all day in Ensenada doing a private wine tasting with lunch tour, so having the package would be a waste IMO. Enjoy your upcoming cruise! 

[elizabethbp]

I saw you got a cabana at Baha Mar. Can you clarify how you booked that?  I will be on Anthem in Nov. and cannot figure it out.  Thanks.

[HBCcruiser]

Sure. I booked on their website.  https://bahabay.bahamar.com/cabanas/
First I researched where we’d want to be in the park (near the lazy river). Then, I looked to see which cabanas were closest to the lazy river and booked it. They only book three months or so in advance, so mark the date and jump online when they open bookings to get the cabana you want. The tickets for the water park were much cheaper through Royal so I booked the excursion through the ship. This also included the transportation to and from the park. If you have a family it is worth it IMO.