rccl-vision7

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Lynn Huggins
Email: 2huggins@usaor.net
Age: 37
Occupation: Food Service Director
NumberOfCruises: 8
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Vision
SailingDate: 6/18/00
Itinerary: Alaska Inside Passage
Cabin: 7520D
FoodDiningRoom: 79
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck: 79
DiningRoomService: 99
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 79
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 88
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff: 88
EntertainmentLounges: 93
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 88
EntertShowLounge: 97
OverallPortsofCall: 93
BeautySalon: 95
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 79
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 93
DiscoNightclubs: 95
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 93
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 08 Jul 2000
Time: 13:42:45
Remote Name: dap-209-166-146-223.pm3-4.smds.untn.pa.stargate.net
Remote User:

Comments

I’ve been on 8 cruises and this was the first time sailing Royal Caribbean. We had heard many good
things about them and decided after sailing on Costa, Carnival, Princess, Holland America and
Celebrity it was time to give them a try. This particular trip went to the Inside Passage of Alaska
where we had never been before and began and ended in Vancouver.

We took the air/sea plan offered by the cruise line. We live on the east coast and were flown to the
Seattle and then bussed 3 hours to Vancouver. Not my idea of the best flight arrangements, but
many other passengers was transferred this way not only on RCCL but on other cruise lines as well.
We tried to find out why some passengers were transferred out of Seattle, but to date we still don’t
know why. Luckily, we flew out of Vancouver with one connection in Minneapolis coming home.
Because of the transfer arrangements, we arrived quite late on the ship—around 4:30. The whole
ship was in the midst of the Life Boat drill and there was really no one to guide us to our cabin. On
other cruise lines, we had become accustomed to being greeted at the entrance and then escorted
to the cabin. I had overheard someone else say this wasn’t done regardless of your arrival time.

We also did not receive our excursions book until the week before sail, which was too late for
pre-booking. Immediately upon arrival we filled out the form left in our room and deposited it in the
box provided at the Shore Excursions Desk before this ship sailed and got all but one of our selected
tours, which was an extremely limited horseback ride in Skagway. The Shore Excursions office was
efficient, well run and sufficiently staffed and was able to answer all of our questions. There were no
really long lines and it moved rather well. One of the best we’ve seen.

We had a verandah cabin with more than enough storage space for heavy packers. Although smaller
than the verandah cabin we had on HAL’s Maasdam, it was decorated in bright colors, but the sofa
and bedspread seemed a little worn. The only problem with our cabin was a toilet clog one day and
the theft of $50 cash from my purse the first two days at sea. That problem was never resolved. USE
YOUR IN-ROOM SAFE even for the minutest items.

We were quite impressed with the ship’s public areas. There are windows everywhere, the lounges
and seating areas are all quite comfortable, the show lounges were very, very comfortable, the
boutiques were typical, the Centrum gorgeous with daily offerings of various live music. The Vision of
the Seas has two pool areas and in Alaska the water in the pools was kept extremely warm, so you
could swim almost any time. The Solarium area, with covered pool, entry to the salon and gym, and
where the Pizza and Burger café was located is decorated like a Roman spa and was a warm, cozy
and great place to lounge, take a nap, play ping pong or grab an afternoon bite. While the pizza and
burgers lacked flavor and homemade appeal (you had to order them), everyone raved about the
French fries (which were readily available) and I must have eaten them five days!! The drawback was
that beverages such as iced tea, lemonade and water were located clear on the other side of the
ship in the Windjammer Café (buffet dining spot). Their motive must have been to sell drinks here, as
there was a table set up to purchase sodas and beer right next to the café.

We did not attend the ship’s production shows (when we want Broadway, we go to the real thing) but
we attended all the guest shows including comedians, ventriloquists and Bowser (from Sha Na Na)
and the Stingrays, which were all fabulous. Similarly, the cruise staff always had nightly parties in the
Viking Crown Lounge such as disco night where they dressed up the like Village People and a 50’s
sock hop.

In room TV movies were quite dull and repeated over and over again. Some improvement needed
here.

Let’s get to the important thing—THE FOOD! We found the food on this ship to be fair at best
compared to the other lines we've been on, both in the main dining room and in the Windjammer
Café. The food in the dining room was rather bland and we found ourselves having trouble finding
something to order on a few nights, even though a la carte options of NY Strip Steak, Alaskan
Salmon and Rosemary Chicken were available nightly. We were highly disappointed on the first
formal night to be served instant mashed potatoes with the Chateau Briand and then again with the
Roast Turkey dinner later in the week. The desserts also were lacking in variety, tast and not enough
chocolate for our taste. We had fabulous desserts about 2 or 3 times, the others were so-so. We
were also surprised to see jeans worn into the dining room during Country Western night and the last
night of the cruise.

As for the Windjammer Café, it needs work. I believe RCCL tries to over service passengers in the
Windjammer Cafe and it does nothing to enhance the dining experience. For example, when you first
walk in, an attendant is assembling all the trays by taking a tray, placing ONE plate, napkin and
cutlery on the tray. When then line is long, this is cumbersome and hinders service. They should
eliminate this and either pre-wrap the cutlery and/or allow the passengers to take their own. The
beginning of the buffet line is a bunch of bland, tasteless boring salad concoctions including the
usual meat and cheese trays and fresh fruit. They provided plastic tongs for the fresh fruit, which was
like trying to pick the fruit up with chopsticks. Everyone that was behind the people selecting the
salads and fruit peered from behind the person in front of them as to see how long the process would
take. Somehow, this buffet line should be broken up for better traffic flow. And, as I stated above, you
are given ONE large plate, which you need to use for salads, hot entrees, and your rolls. In addition
to breaking up the buffet line, they need to give more but smaller plates in different areas so
passengers don’t have to travel the long distance from the seating area all the way back to the rear
of the buffet line to get another large plate, when a small one would do. I believe there is a reason for
this as well, probably to discourage overeating. Further inside the Windjammer Café, they had a
soup and sandwich station, which we later found ourselves skipping the daily buffet line (usually
unappealing hot entrees and salads) and opting for pre-made turkey, blt on toast, ham on baguette,
and tuna sandwiches daily. There were two soup offerings daily which were only good in about 2 or 3
instances. Again, rather than attempting to provide fancy soups, such as cold fruit soups or bad
ethnic imitations, they need to just provide some wholesome versions that people regularly
enjoy--vegetable, chicken noodle, cream soups, etc. The dessert station in Windjammer was also
over serviced and an attempt was made at offering fancy desserts but they were far from tasteful.
Swarms of passengers waited as the attendant behind the counter placed desserts on trays and
passengers hovered, hoping to get something other than the crème carmel, fruited Jell-O, three-day
old tiramisu, low-fat pound cake, berry sponge cake and over baked cookies. Occasionally a
chocolate dessert would surface and I’m surprised no arms were taken off when they were placed
out. I don’t understand why the desserts were not pre-plated and placed on trays in the kitchen,
rather than this being done during the busy lunch hour by usually one, but sometimes two,
attendants. The dessert attendant also seemed lacking in a good attitude about his duties, which I
could understand why. The main thing RCCL has going for them in the food department are their
breads and rolls. Outstanding and flavorful, similar to something you’d find in Europe as for texture,
crunchy crust and tender bread. Thank goodness for the bread rolls and the French fries.

The Alaskan scenery was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed all but one of our excursions. I would
say the value was as good as we’ve gotten on most of our cruises. In Skagway, we took the White
Pass train, which was enjoyable but a little slow depending on which side of the train you are on
going up or down. The town was quaint and shopping good. In Haines, we took the Jet Boat tour of
the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve which started out fantastic with the boat drivers tossing fish off the
back of the boat for bald eagles to dive for (which after doing it so many times, the Eagles there are
trained), but after it was nothing more than a cold boat ride in shallow waters, in which the motor
stalled a few times, looking for wildlife—which we saw none. It got boring, but the scenery in Haines
driving en route was beautiful. Our best excursion was the following day in Juneau, where we took the
guaranteed wildlife cruise. We saw a number of wildlife close-up including killer whales, humpback
whales, sea lions, harbor seals and bald eagles. The killer whales are not a daily occurence. Our
tour operator stated they seem them about every three weeks or so. In Ketchikan, we took the Misty
Fjords Sea Plane Adventure, which was a treat not only in flying over the Misty Fjords but landing in
a canal, which found us watching another dozen killer whales from the pontoons of the sea plane.
When we returned from the seaplane, we were greeted at the dock by swarms of bald eagles fishing
for food. Sailing back to Vancouver on the last day, we saw many more killer whales from the ship as
well as many, many dolphins leaping and swimming towards the ship.

There is fair to good shopping in each port except Haines. The cruise ship said Ketchikan was the
best shopping port, but I liked Juneau just as well or better. We enjoyed this cruise a lot and would
recommend it for the scenery and wilderness of Alaska. We also enjoyed sailing with RCCL, even
though not perfect, it was a pleasurable experience.

Name: James E. Brinson
Email: J_Brins@Hotmail.com
Age: 55
Occupation: Accountant
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Vision
SailingDate: June 11, 2000
Itinerary: Alaska
Cabin: 3621
FoodDiningRoom: 96
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 91
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 92
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 96
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 93
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 91
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 93
EntertShowLounge: 94
OverallPortsofCall: 93
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 93
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 91
DeckSpace: 93
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 88
SpaceRatio: 93
OverallCruiseValue: 94
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 11 Jul 2000
Time: 14:32:25
Remote Name: 205.152.13.199
Remote User:

Comments

Overall, this was a great cruise vacation. I was a little concerned at first when I arrived at
embarkation. Outside of entrance was not particularly attractive. There was no cover from the
elements for those of us handling our own luggage. The lines were long but moved quickly and
orderly. Once through customs, the fun began.

The welcoming committee was great and it was very easy to board the ship. My interior stateroom
was very nice and cozy. Our cabin stewart was great and he always greated us each morning with
Mr. & Mrs. Brinson. He always cleaned our room as soon as we went to breakfast each morning and
make different designs daily with the pillars.

The dining room food and service was absolutely fastastic. Our waiter's name was Sekar and he was
always at our beckon call. He was always timely and accurate with our food orders and was very easy
to converse with. He seemed to like his job and certainly seemed to enjoy serving us. This was a
great experience.

Entertainment on Vision of the Seas was very good. Shows started on time and there was always
plenty of room. The view from this ship was great with all of the glass. It was also great getting around
to the different activities. This was a great cruise.

Name: Paul Richard
Email: paulrichard@usa.net
Age: 60
Occupation: computer specialist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Vision
SailingDate: 7/9/00
Itinerary: Alaska - Inland Passage
Cabin: 3598/standard - outside
FoodDiningRoom: 92
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 93
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 92
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets: 90
CabinSteward: 95
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 85
ShoreExcValue: 92
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 89
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 90
LoungeService: 89
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 90
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 89
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram: 85
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 92
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Jul 2000
Time: 11:32:36
Remote Name: swpow.cp.verio.net
Remote User:

Comments

The Alaska Cruise on the Vision of the Seas is the first cruise my wife and I have taken. I was very
pleasantly surprised by the overall experience.

We paid a premium by making our air arrangements through Royal Caribbean, but there were some
benefits. We checked our luggage at the airport before departure, and the next time we saw it was in
our cabin several hours after our departure from Vancouver, B. C.. At the end of the cruise, we
placed our luggage in the corridor outside our cabin. The next time we touched it, we were twenty
yards from the airline check-in counter at the Seattle airport.

The ship was very clean and very nicely appointed. There were many sculptures and paintings in the
public areas. The sculpture in the Centrum was spectacular. I took plenty of pictures of the places we
visited, but I now realize that I should have taken more pictures of the interior of the ship. The carpets
in the elevators were changed daily and always showed the current day of the week.

Christine was our cabin steward. She kept the room in good order and was an excellent source for
information. She was able to promptly address several special requests. Each night our beds were
turned down, a mint placed on the pillow, and the next days activity information was placed in the
cabin.

The ship's main dining room was attractive in appearance. There was assigned seating for dinner,
but breakfast and lunch were open seating. All meals in the main dining room were ordered from
menus, but it was possible to modify the menu offerings to an extent. Our table waiter, ‘June8', and
his assistant, Turguy, did an excellent job in serving us. We were able to finish one course before the
next one arrived. Each course was fresh when it was served. The waiters serenaded the diners on
two different evenings.

There were two formal dinners during the cruise, but sport jacket and tie seemed to be appropriate
for men on those occasions.

We took most of our evening meals in the main dining room but normally ate breakfast and lunch in
the Windjammer Café. The Windjammer was a real treat. It is located on the ninth deck toward the
front of the ship. All exterior walls were made of glass so there were great views while we were eating.

All meals in the Windjammer were buffets. Breakfast fare was pretty standard . . . Scrambled eggs,
potatoes, sausage, bacon, muffins, toast, fruits, juices, and beverages. Lunch and dinner buffets
seem to provide less elaborate renditions of foods that were on the menu for the same meal in the
dining room.

The shore excursions were excellent. We had only ordered one . . . The helicopter trip to the
Mendelson Glacier . . . Prior to the cruise. We ordered several more at the excursion desk en route
to Skagway. Several excursions we wanted were no longer available, but we were very satisfied with
the excursions that we ultimately took. We thoroughly enjoyed each one, and each one seemed to be
more fun and more interesting than the previous one. We had ample opportunity to preview all shore
excursions via television and a familiarization presentation in th ship's theater. Allen made these
presentations and was especially capable and enthusiastic. The entire excursion staff was very
helpful as we planned our side trips.

We took the following tours:

Skagway - Yukon and White Pass Railroad to Frazier, B. C. (returned by bus). Haines - Jetboat
Juneau - Helicopter to Mendelson Glacier Ketchikan - Float plane to Misty Fjord.

We only went to three of the evening shows, but enjoyed each one. I thought that the theater was
very nice. Gordon, the cruise director, did a great job.

The library was a pleasant and quiet retreat. You could sit in a comfortable chair and read or just
look out the window and watch the scenery.

The casino featured slot machines, blackjack, craps, roulette and Caribbean poker. I would have
liked some of the other Las Vegas style table games, but they were not offered. The casino staff was
friendly.

My wife made good use of the indoor and outdoor pools and the exercise facility on deck nine and we
spent some time observing the environment from the walking track on deck ten.

We visited the observation lounge on deck eleven once. This lounge is located mid-ship. We felt that
deck ten and the Windjammer Café were better observation points because they were on the forward
part of the ship.

Captain Bang seemed to be enjoying the cruise as much as we were. He pointed out bears along the
shore line. He told us when whales were in the area and where whales had been observed by other
ships. He went to great effort to get us as close as possible to the Hubbard Glacier, maneuvering
carefully through the ice in the water.

The children's programs must have been pretty good. There were children on several of our shore
excursions, but they were not very visible while we were on the ship. The only exception is that we
were treated with a ‘parade of pirates' at the last dinner. The children had pirate mustaches and
scars drawn on their faces. It was only then that we realized how many children were on board.

Name: Susan Goldsbury
Email: Suz@lightspeed.net
Age: 44
Occupation: Teacher
NumberOfCruises: 2
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Vision
SailingDate: August 13, 2000
Itinerary: Alaska
Cabin: 7041
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 90
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff:
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 98
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 98
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 80
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 100
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 98
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 23 Aug 2000
Time: 21:45:16
Remote Name: 209-165-58.26.lightspeed.net
Remote User:

Comments

We took this cruise to celebrate our 20th Anniversary and it was wonderful. We booked this cruise,
taking over a cancellation, only three days before its sail date after our original travel agent lost
our reservation on another cruise line. The night of our anniversary, our dinner waiters presented
us with a special cake and sang to us. It made us feel very special. We also ordered some French
Champagne for our stateroom and with it they gave us some very tasty chocolate dipped
strawberries. This is just one example of how Royal Caribbean made our trip so special. The food
in the dining room is varied and very good for lunch and dinner. The breakfast menu was the same
every day and we ended up preferring to eat in the Windjammer. The only problem we had was
with the eggs. They are too moist for our taste. Most mornings I just had melon and a pastry which
were fresh and very tasty. My husband really enjoyed their omelets.

Each night at dinner there
were three different appetisers and at least two soups to choose from. There were also at least
four different entre's to choose from as well as salmon and strip steak every night. The staff on this
cruise ship are wonderful and very attentive. Our waiters were always nearby and checking to see
if there was anything more we wanted. I drink a lot of water and my glass was constantly refilled.
Much better than any restaurant I've ever been to. The bartenders were always very friendly and
helpful. After a couple of days, they remembered what I like to drink and would always ask if it was
okay after I took a sip. Our cabin steward did a fantastic job. Every morning when we got back from
breakfast, our room was already made up for the day. At night he would make arrangements out of
the pillows and always left chocolates on them. One night he made a lobster out of a towel. Another
night he took my hooded windbreaker, used the pillows in it to make it look like a person and put
the t.v. remote in one hand and list of activities for the next day in the other hand.

We loved coming
back to the room at night to see what he had done. I really enjoyed the entertainment in the
Masquerade lounge but my husband felt it could have been better. I especially liked their dancers.
They are fantastic. The main singers also have great voices. They had the comedian Norm Crosby
on one night and he was very funny. Everyone I talked to on the ship also enjoyed the shows a lot.
All the people we met on the ship were very friendly. Many were from Canada and we enjoyed
comparing and contrasting Canada and the U.S. We sat at a table with three couples from Canada
and had a great time getting to know each other. We also met people from Bermuda, Mexico and
England. I was surprised how many young families were on the ship. They have an onboard club
for the children and from what I saw, the children were loving every minute of it. We did see a
couple of things that could use improvement. It took over one hour from the time we got to the pier
until we were able to get on the boat. I am not sure if this could be improved or not as there were
so many people trying to get on at the same time. During disembarcation, picking up our luggage
was very disorganized. They were supposed to have the luggage sorted by your color and number
on the luggage tag but it was all mixed up. We were allowed off the boat about one hour after they
started the disembarcation and we still beat our luggage off the boat. This was our first 7 day
cruise and we are converts for life. We are already talking about where to go on a cruise for our
25th anniversary.

Name: Leon Dreiling
Email: broncoman@kanokla.net
Age: 47
Occupation: Associate Engineer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-Vision
SailingDate: 9-10-00
Itinerary: Seven Night Alaskan Cruise
Cabin: 3008
FoodDiningRoom: 99
CruiseDirector: 99
CabinComfort: 92
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 92
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 99
FoodMidnightBuffets: 98
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 99
CasinoStaff: 95
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies: 97
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 95
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 95
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 95
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities: 95
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 98
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 98
Stabilization: 89
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 98
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 21 Sep 2000
Time: 09:49:05
Remote Name: node51.88.kota.net
Remote User:

Comments

This was our first cruise. Royal Caribbean treated us very well. Our evening meals were fantastic. Top
of the line. The waiters, Tayphun and Ervin, were very friendly. Alvaro, our cabin attendant, did
everything possible to make us comfortable. The cruise director, Gordon Whatman, and his assistant,
Adam Li, made the trip enjoyable. The evening shows were very enjoyable. The Windjammer Cafe's
buffets were very good and different every day. We did enjoy seeing Hubbard Glacier, Skagway,
Juneau, Ketchikan and the beautiful Misty Fjord.

The down side of this cruise was the rough seas on the way to Hubbard Glacier. My wife, Pauline, got
really sea sick. We should never have stopped at Haines. It was dark and rainy the whole time there
and it seemed like the community was not set up for tourists.

All in all it was a very good cruise. Royal Caribbean gets two thumbs up from me on this cruise. If we
cruise again, RC will be the way we go.

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