Vision Of The Seas

The 1998-built Vision of the Seas is the last of the Vision-class Royal Caribbean ships, together with Splendour OTS (now Marella Discovery), Grandeur OTS, Enchantment OTS, Legend OTS (now Marella Discovery 2) and Rhapsody OTS.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US company, trademarked brand and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All Royal Caribbean liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 2435-passenger ship Vision OTS is one of RCI's older liners. Each of the Vision-class vessels, although in the medium-size range, also offers big-ship touches. Vision of the Seas features many of the expected Royal Caribbean facilities: 7-deck-high atrium named the Centrum; a funnel-side rock-climbing wall; a solarium pool with sliding glass roof; signature circular Viking Crown lounge. But what makes Vision of the Seas so appealing is the layout strategy applied there (and even though the Radiance class of vessels that came later). It uses lots of glass walls in the public zones to bring the views of the outside in. In fact, more than 2 acres of glass was used in Vision's construction to make the sun, sea and sky part of the interior as much as possible.

Cruise itinerary program

Vision of the Seas itinerary program is based on Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, Spain in the summer. For the rest of the year, Vision cruises in the Caribbean departing from Tampa, Florida. Vision of the Seas offers cheap Transatlantic repositioning crossings between Florida and Europe.

Cabins

Vision Of The Seas has a total of 1007 cabins (of which 97 Suites, 132 Balcony rooms) in 25 grades. Most of the Vision of the Seas staterooms are 150-190-sq.foot balcony and 130-175-sq.foot inside (405). There are a total of 1024 staterooms in 25 categories. 14 are the wheelchair-accessible rooms. The largest aboard Vision of the Seas are the Royal Suites (1175 ft2).

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Vision of the Seas offers a traditional main dining room - The Aquarius, which is a 2-tier venue spanning Decks 4 and 5 and made elegant by enormous windows and grand staircase. During the 2013 refurb, it received minor decorative touches, new carpeting and Chef's Table. Passengers can book the intimate space for $95 per person and indulge in a wine-paired dinner hosted by ship's executive chef and sommelier.

Chef's Table is nestled towards the back of the dining room, accented with warm lighting, dark wooden panelling, big portholes and chandeliers made of silverware. Three for-fee restaurants, which first debuted on Oasis of the Seas, appeared on Vision: Giovanni's Table, Izumi and Chops Grille. They are open between 6 and 9:30 p.m. (Kids ages 3-13 can only dine until 7 p.m.)

Follows the complete list of Vision of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Aquarius Restaurant (1158-seat aft Dining Room; offers Brasserie 30 lunch on sea days; Chef's Table)
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (454-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7:00-11:30 a.m., Lunch 11.30-3:30 p.m. and Dinner 6.30-9:00 p.m.)
• Chops Grille (74-seat speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Giovanni’s Table (78-seat Italian speciality restaurant)
• Izumi (79-seat Asian speciality restaurant)
• Park Cafe (deli restaurant; complimentary - serves the Solarium area).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Centrum, only located on Vision-class vessels, is a mecca for onboard entertainment. Its central location is best for the activities that abound day and night. Vision of the Seas most notable upgrades during the last refurb are the addition of R Bar and Centrum Experience aerobatics show. During the day, guests head to the Centrum for live music, enrichment activities, art auctions and more. At night, the place to grab a drink and boogie to a live band is the R Bar. The Some Enchanted Evening Lounge and the R Bar are ideal to meet and mingle with friends before heading up to the Viking Nightclub on Deck 11. If you prefer a more relaxed ambience while dancing, better stick to the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge. The updated Viking Crown features tiered seating areas and outward-sloping windows. It also provides the best location for viewing the passing scenery.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry, Self-Serve Laundromats (14).

Follows the complete list of Vision of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• Masquerade Theatre (853-seat, features grand production shows with dance, acrobatics, comedy and games)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery
• The Centrum (7-deck atrium and social hub, offers aerial acrobatics entertainment); Some Enchanted Evening Lounge (300-seat show entertainment lounge); Diamond Club and Lounge; Concierge Club (suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Nightclub
• R Bar (41-seat cocktail bar); Cafe Latte-tudes Bar (12-seat speciality coffee bar, Starbucks Coffee); Schooner Bar (125-seat piano bar)
• Centrum Boutiques (duty-free; clothes, perfumes, accessories, jewellery, logo souvenirs, General Store/alcohol and cigarettes)
• Casino Royale (241-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online centre (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 6 jacuzzis; 3 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Cafe Bar, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor Movie Screen
• Video Games Arcade; FantaSeas Teen Center and Disco; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• Adventure Beach; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall.

Vision OTS was built in 1997, by Chantiers de l'Atlantique Shipyard (St Nazaire France). Ship's godmother was Helen Morin Stephan - wife of Edwin Stephan (founder and Vice Chairman of Royal Caribbean). The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on May 2, 1998.

After boarding the liner, you enter the Centrum - the majestic forward Atrium (7-decks high midship open-floor designed space). At the bottom of the Centrum is located the Champagne Terrace - the relaxation venue decorated with marble, brass, real grass and live palm trees. At the top of it, at Deck 11, is the Viking Crown Lounge - one of the Royal Caribbean's signatures. The Viking Lounge is the perfect place to watch scenery during your always special RCI voyages. The Vision's interior design boasts a huge amount of glass and lots of open spaces.

Itineraries 2017 changes

On August 22, 2017, Vision has scheduled a 16-night Transatlantic crossing (Copenhagen to Cape Liberty, Bayonne New Jersey) visiting ports in Denmark, Norway, UK (Scotland), Iceland. Home-ported in Cape Liberty NJ, Vision starts operations on September 7, 2017, with a 13-night "New England Fall Foliage" cruise USA to Canada (Quebec City). The itinerary will be also offered on September 20 and October 1 and 11 (replacing the previously scheduled Rhapsody cruises) and includes ports in Massachusetts, Maine, Nova Scotia.

• All Royal Caribbean European cruises on Vision of the Seas (2017 August 22 through November 17) were cancelled.
• All booked on the affected itineraries were provided with a full refund, the option to re-book on another RCI ship plus onboard credit (on the re-booked cruises). All customers with purchased through Royal Caribbean airfare were also fully refunded. Those purchasing their own flights were refunded for the airline change fee only. Travel agency commissions were protected for all paid in full cruises.
• In early August 2016, RCI added more Western Caribbean itineraries leaving from Galveston TX (4- and 5-night Mexico cruises to Cozumel and Costa Maya), with bookings expanded through April 2018.

Vision OTS refurbishment 2013 review

The list of deckplan changes after ship's drydock refurbishment in 2013 (October) included:

• new lounges (“Concierge” and “Diamond”)
• new dining options – the complimentary is the deli “Park Cafe”, and an additional charge is “Chef’s Table”/gourmet dining, “Chops Grille”/steakhouse, “Izumi”/Asian cuisine, and “Giovanni’s Table”/Italian cuisine
• Nursery
• new “Centrum” area entertainment programming (now with aerial acrobatic shows and LED-screens wall)
• “R Bar” (1960s retro style bar)
• Jumbotron (the poolside huge movie screen)
• upgraded passenger cabins amenities (flat TVs, iPads)
• Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded to shipwide.
• Digital signage boards were installed.