Vision of the Seas Review
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Additional details
This was our 7th cruise. So far we've sailed with Celebrity, Princess and Carnival. Vision of the Seas was our first (and, I expect, last) experience with Royal Caribbean. We chose this cruise because of the itinerary, which included a stop in Klaipeda, Lithuania. That was a distinct difference from other Baltic cruises offered by other lines.
Pluses: The ship's decor was the most tasteful of any ship on which we've sailed. The stateroom, an 'ocean view', had a nice large window on the port side. Embarkation was handled smoothly and we got our luggage sooner than we had expected. The staff was accommodating to our request for the earliest possible departure from the ship when we returned. Upon disembarking we found our luggage ready to go in the terminal. They had laid on enough shuttles quickly accommodate transfers to the Copenhagen airport. Our stateroom attendant was exceptional, the ship was as clean and in as good repair as could be expected for a 19 year old vessel.
Minuses: Working from minor to major: TV. Two English channels for adults and one lame US news channel (CNN). One channel showed older episodes of US popular shows, but repeated the same two or three episodes throughout the voyage.
Cabin Review
Large Ocean View Stateroom
The cabin was comfortable and tasteful. I didn't like the shower because of the curtain. Seems on other cruises/ships the shower had an enclosure with a door. The curtain tended to adhere to one when showering, reducing the available space in the shower. The closet was roomy and had plenty of hangers
Port Reviews
Riga
Very good 2 hour walking tour of the old city, done by an appealing young woman who spoke excellent English
Stockholm
Thanks to Royal Caribbean's lack of intelligent transport into the city, we wasted a lot of our day on a hop-on, hop-off tour bus trying to get to the Vasa museum. The city is not remarkably different from any other large European city. The Vasa Museum is one of the great museums of the world.
Klaipeda
We met with relatives here, so did not take an excursion. Klaipeda is kind of grimy and run-down compared to glitzier other ports, but is a decent size to walk around in, has all the same mix of old and new sights and good people. it's worth a stop. And, the prices are stunningly low for food and drink.
Tallinn
Charming old town. Easy to get around in and not far from the cruise port for those with the ability to walk a bit.
Copenhagen
Nice city. Good people, if somewhat sanctimonious about their 'green-ness'.