Vision of the Seas, 7 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera
Written: Dec 09 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Nice rooms, good mix of passengers, newer ship.
Cons: More maintenance needed in the Windjammer Cafe, and debarkation procedures need improvement.
The Bottom Line: No flying is required for Los Angeles residents and the trip is enjoyable.
|
|
|
| mikenyadi's Full Review: Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas |
My wife and I just completed the November 30, 2003 seven day sailing of the Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas Mexican Riviera cruise and share our observations for those considering this ship and itinerary.
THE SHIP:
The Vision of the Seas is fairly new (I think it was built around 1998) and is 78,000 tons in size. This was our third cruise on this ship. There is everything you’d expect: two floor dining room, 8 bars, casino, gym, beauty salon, buffet, rock climbing wall, gift shops, photo shop, plus two pools – one outdoor and one indoor (handy since the ship handles the Alaska cruises in the Summer months). Our two prior trips on the Vision were short 3 days cruises to Ensenada, Baja. Our first room was an outside stateroom (164 sq. ft.), the second a Junior Suite with balcony (246 sq. ft. with 60 sq. ft. balcony), and for this trip a Grand Suite with balcony (345 sq. ft. with 116 sq. ft. balcony). All rooms were perfectly nice and comfortable. The suites feature larger bathrooms with bathtubs instead of showers and of course a balcony and larger stateroom. Ultimately, I think the Junior Suite is the right size. The Grand Suite was nice, but all we did with the extra space was look at it. Also, the bathtubs in the suites can be a little difficult to step into and out of, especially if the ship is rocking.
ITINERARY:
First Stop, Cabo San Lucas:
The first day is "at sea"; the next three days are port stops in Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta; and the last two days are "at sea." Cabo requires the use of tender boats to get to and from shore. At 9:00 a.m. you can collect a numbered ticket. At 10:00 Royal Caribbean starts calling the numbers. You can then go down and board the tender boats to shore. Our number was "13" and we were able to get on the tender boat around 10:45 a.m. The tender boats worked pretty well, but docking is still the best. The Mexican towns are similar, with Cabo the smallest. The one day cruise stop simply does not allow enough time to truly appreciate the town. We've vacationed here 4 times and have taken in the parasailing, jet skis, night clubs, ATV tours, restaurants, relaxing poolside, side trips to Todos Santos, etc. There is more to the town than meets the eye.
Second Stop, Mazatlan:
This was our first trip to Mazatlan and maybe that's why we enjoyed this port the most. The "Golden Zone" with the restaurants and shopping is about a 15 minute taxi ride from the ship. Mazatlan has loads of little taxis called Palnillas, built on a Volkswagen chassis and which looks like a 4 door dune buggy. They are fun and cost $12 one way to the Golden Zone.
Pacifico Brewery Tour – Mazatlan:
We booked the Pacifico Brewery tour which cost $45 per person. A passenger from a Holland America ship said he was charged $59. I understood that Holland America was a "premium" cruise line, it seems they also charge "premium" prices for their shore excursions. For anyone considering the Pacifico Brewery tour, I have the following observations. Shuttles collect all tour members from the docks and deposit them in a small flea market near the cruise ship dock. From there you’ll board multiple vans and will be driven about 5 minutes to the brewery. The brewery is old and in an old neighborhood. We all stood around on the sidewalk for about 20 minutes waiting for two brewery tour guides (they were late). "Frank" the guide who collected us from the ship did his best to entertain us with facts about the brewery and the city of Mazatlan, but it was still a drag having to stand around and wait. Once the tour guides arrived we were told we could NOT carry our backpacks into the plant or take any photos or video tape. All belongings had to be surrendered and put into an office. I felt caught off-guard and it was unsettling to have to leave cameras, camcorders, keys, etc. behind. We were not told in advance about that requirement. We WERE advised to wear long pants, and closed-toe shoes (no sandals), and that the tour may require some strenuous walking. The requirement for long pants and shoes is for safety since the tour is of an operating plant. The strenuous walking entailed 4 flights of stairs to reach part of the brewery. After the tour the backpacks are returned and participants are taken in groups of 4-5 people to the brewery museum which is about 8 floors up (via small elevator) and features good views of the city and your ship. You are also offered free beer and/or water. The return to the ship was in the back of three PICK-UP trucks equipped with bench seats. It’s Mexico after all and safety is not observed as it is in the U.S. "Frank" the tour guide offers to take passengers on a tour of the city afterward (in an air conditioned van we were told). The cost depends on the number of people who elect to take the tour (which he apparently does on his own – don't count on him having any insurance). The price will range from $25 per person for two, to $20 per person for 5-7, and greater discounts if more people go. Overall, it seems to be a decent value. Frank told us he does not adhere to any strict itinerary, if the group wanted to go to a particular location, or stay longer, he could do so. We declined that tour and ventured into town on our own and spent $24 for transportation, round trip, for two.
Third Stop, Puerto Vallarta:
This town has a lot of palm trees and a more tropical feel. A 15 minute taxi ride is required to get from the ship to the "Malecon" or main shopping area, and costs $6 for two people, one way. The shopping district in Puerto Vallarta is smaller than Cabo and Mazatlan with narrow sidewalks and cobble stone streets. The "hawkers" selling tours or trying to get you to enter the restaurants are aggressive and obnoxious – "what’s your name?" "where are you from?" "do you speak Spanish?" "come in and eat" on and on. They are inches from you because the sidewalk is narrow and since you’ll likely walk back the way you came, you pass them twice. It seemed you could not walk 20 feet without encountering one. We did not like Puerto Vallarta when we vacationed here a couple of years ago and this trip confirmed that we still do not like it. We can, however, recommend "Chico’s Paradise" a jungle restaurant and flea market south of town. A taxi driver quoted a round trip price of $100 to get there and back to the ship. That is probably about right, price wise, based on what we paid our last visit (about $70 for a shorter distance). It is, however, a spectacular place with jungle, boulders, natural pools and streams. Kids will beckon to you to throw coins into the natural pools, where they can dive and retrieve the coins. Our second recommendation is the "Blue Shrimp" restaurant which is on a street one block east of the main drag of the "Malecon." It is behind Carlos O’Brien’s. The Blue Shrimp is upscale ($18-$23 for Shrimp Fajitas) and features the smoothest and creamiest Pina Coladas we’ve sampled, anywhere. The food and drink are top notch.
SHIP PASSENGERS:
There were families, a smaller number of party people, and a lot of retired passengers on this ship. I was also surprised to see quite a few passengers in wheel chairs enjoying the cruise. The crowd overall, was more sedate than what we found on the 3 day cruises to Ensenada. The number of children seemed low. At our table of 6, the other two couples were retirees. I find, however, that the older folks are more entertaining to talk to because of their life experiences.
THE FOOD:
The food was decent, not the best. The dining room is very noisy and made conversation at the table difficult. Our waiter seemed indifferent, but our assistant waiter was very attentive. We actually ended up eating in the dining room only 3 times during the cruise, but still tipped the waiters the full load since I understand the staff would otherwise not be paid, or paid very little. The rest of our meals were taken in the Windjammer Café on deck 9. The dinners were buffet style with a good selection of entrees. Table cloths and silverware are set on the tables, with waiters to retrieve your drink orders. Surprisingly, very few people took advantage of the dinners here. There was never a problem finding an open table.
For some reason this cruise had appallingly dirty bowls and small plates in the Windjammer Café. It looked like the bowls and small plates were not washed – they were dotted with food particles. This was not an isolated thing. We sometimes had to set aside 5 or 6 bowls before finding a clean one. In our 7 cruises with Royal Caribbean this was the first time we ever encountered such a condition. Also, disgusting was the food on the floor and under the tables in the Windjammer Café. It looked like it was not regularly cleaned. Our final gripe was that the floor around the drink service area was sticky when you walked across it. These are things Royal Caribbean should look into.
Skip the scrambled eggs, sausage, and potatoes for breakfast, they’re all bad. Orange juice and coffee are also poor. The omelet station, bacon, corned beef hash, pancakes, waffles, and French toast are all good, as is the fresh fruit, cereals, and yogurt.
Royal Caribbean sells a "drink sticker" which allows you unlimited refills of Coke, Diet Coke, or Sprite for a cost of $33, plus a 15% tip charge for a total of $37.95. Skip it. These are not good for cans of soda, only fountain refills. Also, since you can’t get fountain refills in the Windjammer Café, you must walk to the pool bar and carry your sodas back if you want to use the drink sticker. Sodas in the can cost $1.65 including tip. The cost of the drink sticker would therefor be the equivalent of buying 23 cans of soda. Unless you expect to drink 23 or more sodas the sticker is not worth the cost.
ENTERTAINMENT:
We only caught three of the seven shows. "Beatlemania Live From Broadway" was excellent. The other two shows (Vegas -type) were mundane. The Masquerade Showroom however, is terrific. Good seats throughout the showroom.
DEBARKATION:
This cruise, debarkation was a zoo. On prior Royal Caribbean cruises Debarkation worked much better. The problem is that the passengers were told to go to the gangway, but for some reason no one was then let off. The result: chaos on Deck 4. People were crammed together like sardines with luggage, standing and waiting shoulder to shoulder for 10-15 minutes. The elevators continued to spill yet more passengers onto Deck 4, exacerbating the condition. What a mess.
CONCLUSION:
Despite the few downsides, we fully expect to cruise Royal Caribbean again. It’s still our favorite. Three times on the Vision, however, is probably enough. Next time we'll try one of the mega Voyager-class Royal Caribbean ships (138,000 tons)in the Caribbean.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
mikenyadi
|
|
Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 1 member
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.