Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Vision of the Seas Cruise Review
Alaska

Sam
Age: 35
Occupation: Professor
Number of Cruises: 3
Sailing Date: June 15th, 2007

We decided to take Alaska Cruise for our anniversary and my wife’s birthday. One thing that I have learned from both my previous cruise experiences is that always arrive at the departure city a day in advance. We almost missed the cruise because of an airline issue. We boarded the ship without any problem in Seattle at 3.45 pm when the ship was supposed to depart at 4 pm. When we arrived on the ship everyone was already done with the mandatory emergency drill.

The first thing we did was to check out our state room (we had a large interior room). It was smaller than what we experienced on Carnival. We had already missed our embarkation lunch, so we headed right on the deck to see the ship depart and the wonderful skyline of Seattle.

Our dining experience on Vision was more than satisfactory in the Dining Room & average in Windjammer. We always had our breakfast & lunch in Windjammer & our dinner in beautifully decorated Aquarius Dining Room. Our waiter, Roshan, from India & asst., waiter Carol from Trinidad, did an outstanding job providing an enjoyable dining experience. They also served hot dogs, burgers & pizzas in the solarium (indoor poolside) I would certainly recommend going for a soda package ($42 per person), which allows you to drink unlimited sodas on the cruise. Otherwise, you have to pay every time you want one.

With regards to shore excursions, we took Salmon Hatchery & Mendenhall Glacier tour in a beautiful capital of Juneau. We were very disappointed with Salmon Hatchery. They said that Salmons don’t come until July. We did not see any point in selling this excursion in June if we were not going to see any salmon. However, the visit to Mendenhall Glacier made us forget that. What beautiful scenery! In Skagway we did Salmon Bake & Gold Rush tour, which was okay. The only port we covered in British Columbia was Prince Rupert, where we did a Rain Forest Trek which was quite good. We had to cover almost 3 miles of rain forest.

The most beautiful part of this cruise was cruising through Tracy Arm Fjord. I don’t think I have scene anything that’s as scenic & breathtaking as T.A.F.. There were lot of ice formations in the water & we also sailed closed to a glacier. We were quite fortunate to experience fabulous weather that day, something that’s very unusual there. Some crew members sailed in an emergency raft & got some ice on board for passengers to touch & feel. Oh yes, before I forget, we managed to see some whales, sea lions & bald eagles during this cruise.

With regards to Vision of the Seas, it’s not the biggest ship, but is comfortably sized for Alaska cruises. They have what they called a “Relxation Room” at the back of the ship. It was empty most of the time. It was really nice to sit there with a book, enjoying some hot tea. There were 2 swimming pools that were crowded at all times. The cruise activities were so-so. The comedian was not good. The RCI production shows were good;  there was a group from Argentina that played drums & also did an amazing florescent show that was the best. Vision also has an internet café, where I checked my emails periodically.

Overall, I would rate our experience on this cruise as 7 on 10 & would consider RCI as one of the cruise companies for our future cruises.


 

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