I'm baaaaa-aaack! First of all I must say that Vision of the Seas is a truly beautiful ship following it's revitalization. It was the first of the Vision Class ships which includes Splendor, Rhapsody, Grandeur, Legend and Enchantment of the Seas. It was originally put into service in May of 1998 and just came out of dry dock last week following an extensive revitalization. The ship still only carries 2,416 passengers at full capacity. So it didn't become one of those crazy Oasis type super ships during the revitalization. It just got some improvements, a new outdoor movie screen, lots of new carpet, several new dining options, new bathrooms in all the staterooms as well as other less visible changes.
Now I have to say that this was as much a work cruise for me as it was a vacation. But still we managed to have plenty of fun along the way. My regular travel buddy, Jenny went with me. We left Dallas bright and early on Saturday morning planning to have most of the day to spend in Miami seeing the city since neither of us had spent much time there previously. Arriving in Miami a little after noon, we took a taxi to our hotel the Hyatt Regency Downtown Miami. The hotel is older but is very nice and the staff is really kind of unbelievable.
Upon our arrival, there was some sort of problem which resulted in the lady checking us in not being able to read either of our credit cards for room charges. This was really no inconvenience to us, yet she offered to comp our breakfast the following morning in the hotels restaurant for our inconvenience. What could we do but graciously accept?
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| Draw bridge over the Miami River next to the hotel. |
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| Free beer courtesy of Curtis |
Once in our room, we checked in with our families, checked things out and prepared to head out and explore Miami. We walked around for 30 minutes or so just looking for a place to have lunch. Finally around 2 PM, we decided to go back into the hotel and ask the concierge for help in finding a good pub or sports bar for lunch.
He told us about a couple of places and gave us a map with directions to get to them and then suggested that the hotels sports bar was probably just as good and obviously much closer. So we decided to check it out. With that the concierge, Curtis, walked us over to the bar in question showed us to a seat near the windows so that we could watch the boats and ships go buy on the Miami River and found our waitress Shannon. When Shannon arrived, Curtis announced that he would be buying our first drinks and left us to have lunch.
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| Empty Sangria glasses |
During our second round, and while eating, the rain began. This wasn't just a light shower, it was a full blown downpour! Well, never let it be said that Susan Meyers and Jenny Stankus don't have enough sense to stay in out of the rain! So, we ordered another round and watched all the yachts coming back up the river to get out of the storm. Before Curtis got off from work for the night, he came back by a final time to check on us again and suggested a drink that was apparently the bartenders specialty. It contained watermelon and basil. And I must say, it was pretty darn good and again, Curtis bought the round. So, all in all, we spent a cheap if not uneventful evening in Miami. One of these days, I'd still like to see South Beach and Miami Beach but for now, I'll just tell you that the people at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Miami, know how to treat a guest!
The next morning, we enjoyed our free breakfast at the hotel before making our way over to the port which was a $12 cab ride from the Hyatt. We were at the port before noon and after a short wait for the Coast Guard to clear the ship following the revitalization, we were allowed to board along with the other travel agents and their guests. Upon boarding,we received a bag, which included a tee-shirt, some fliers and a brochure. Since we weren't able to get to our rooms until 1 we were redirected to the R Bar in the Centrum. This is sort of a hub on a Vision Class ship. It is the area that the main elevators look onto. With the revitalization, the 4th floor is the R Bar and the base of the Centrum, the 5th floor contains Guest Relations, the Shore Excursions desk and more seating and also looks out onto the Centrum, the 6th floor contains more seating, the computer area and still another view into the Centrum. Floors above that open up to the Centrum but have no seating areas.
Most of the time in the R Bar a live band performs, if that isn't taking place, you just might get to see an aerial acrobat show taking place much like a Cirque du Soleil performance. The performers dangle and dance from 5 stories high and it is pretty amazing and is a highlight of the revitalization.
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| Photo of the Centrum from the 7th floor which is all rooms. |
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| The Centrum from the 4th floor looking up. |
I must admit that Royal Caribbean does know how to make travel agents happy. Their first tactic was to let us all know immediately that from the time we arrived on board through midnight, all drinks were free! Folks, I'm not sure RCCL will recover anytime soon from the dent several hundred travel agents and their guests put into their liquor stocks in one afternoon and evening. Additionally, they were not pouring the cheap stuff. I will warn you that you should never allow your guest to "surprise" you with a drink order just before muster. It could result in a dirty martini that creates gaps in your memory. But prior to that fateful dirty martini, we went on a scavenger hunt of sorts arranged by RCCL that sent us around the ship searching for new suites, specialty dining venues, bars, children's areas and amenities. This was great since it allowed us to become acquainted with various parts of the ship that we might not get to see otherwise.
One of the more amazing locations was the Royal Suite. This might be my only opportunity to ever see a Royal Suite, so I thought I would share.... Yes! That grand piano
IS inside the suite. When you consider that most of the cabins on board a ship are less than 190 sq. ft. this suite at 1,087 sq. ft. is pretty darn nice. However, unless you are a pretty good piano player who spends a lot of time in the bathroom, you might get better use out of one of the family suites which has less extraordinary bathrooms but sleeps up to 10 people depending on which suite you chose.
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| Shot 1 of the bathroom |
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| Shot 3 of the bathroom |
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| Shot 2 of he bathroom |
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| Shot 1 of the master bedroom |
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| Shot 2 of the master bedroom |
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| Balcony which can be accessed from living room or master bedroom |
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| Living Room |
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| Living Room |
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| Royal Suite Dining Room |
Tomorrow, I'll tell you more about the terrific things on board the Vision of the Seas. For now here is a picture of my chocolate souffle on the first night.
Now I have to say that this was as much a work cruise for me as it was a vacation. But still we managed to have plenty of fun along the way. My regular travel buddy, Jenny went with me. We left Dallas bright and early on Saturday morning planning to have most of the day to spend in Miami seeing the city since neither of us had spent much time there previously. Arriving in Miami a little after noon, we took a taxi to our hotel the Hyatt Regency Downtown Miami. The hotel is older but is very nice and the staff is really kind of unbelievable.
I must admit that Royal Caribbean does know how to make travel agents happy. Their first tactic was to let us all know immediately that from the time we arrived on board through midnight, all drinks were free! Folks, I'm not sure RCCL will recover anytime soon from the dent several hundred travel agents and their guests put into their liquor stocks in one afternoon and evening. Additionally, they were not pouring the cheap stuff. I will warn you that you should never allow your guest to "surprise" you with a drink order just before muster. It could result in a dirty martini that creates gaps in your memory. But prior to that fateful dirty martini, we went on a scavenger hunt of sorts arranged by RCCL that sent us around the ship searching for new suites, specialty dining venues, bars, children's areas and amenities. This was great since it allowed us to become acquainted with various parts of the ship that we might not get to see otherwise. 
One of the more amazing locations was the Royal Suite. This might be my only opportunity to ever see a Royal Suite, so I thought I would share.... Yes! That grand piano IS inside the suite. When you consider that most of the cabins on board a ship are less than 190 sq. ft. this suite at 1,087 sq. ft. is pretty darn nice. However, unless you are a pretty good piano player who spends a lot of time in the bathroom, you might get better use out of one of the family suites which has less extraordinary bathrooms but sleeps up to 10 people depending on which suite you chose.
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