Vision Of The Seas

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

The vessel (IMO number 9116876) is currently Bahamas-flagged (MMSI 311321000) and registered in Nassau.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Group (RCG/shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCG's largest fleet by both vessel number and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities).

All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 2000-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. The boat features many of the expected Royal Caribbean facilities: 7-decks-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 OTS 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.

Decks and Cabins

Vision Of The Seas staterooms (1018 total, in 24 grades) include 97 Suites, 136 Balcony, 380 Oceanviews, 405 Inside. Cabin sizes vary between 130-150-190 ft2 (12-14-18 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 40 ft2 / 4 m2. The largest is the Royal Suite (1185 ft2 / 110 m2 plus 140 ft2 / 13 m2 terrace). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 14.

The boat has 12 decks, of which 11 are passenger-accessible and 5 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Vision OTS 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 the ship's executive chef and sommelier.

Chef's Table is nestled towards the back of the dining room, accented with warm lighting, dark wooden paneling, 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 pm (Kids ages 3-13 can only dine until 7 pm)

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 am, Breakfast between 7-11:30 am, Lunch 11.30-3:30 pm, Dinner 6.30-9 pm)
• Chops Grille (74-seat specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Giovanni's Table (78-seat Italian specialty restaurant)
• Izumi (79-seat Asian specialty restaurant)
• Park Cafe (deli restaurant; complimentary - serves the Solarium area).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Centrum Atrium of all Vision-class vessels is a mecca for onboard entertainment. Its midship location is best for the activities that abound day and night. Vision OTS' 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 ambiance 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); Crown Lounge (fka Diamond Club Lounge & Bar for past guests only); Concierge Club (suite and past guests only); Viking Crown Lounge and Nightclub
• R Bar (41-seat cocktail bar); Cafe Latte-tudes Bar (12-seat specialty coffee bar, Starbucks Coffee); Schooner Bar (125-seat piano bar)
• Centrum Boutiques (duty-free; clothes, perfumes, accessories, jewelry, logo souvenirs, General Store/alcohol and cigarettes)
• Casino Royale (241-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online Center (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 6 jacuzzis; 3 swimming 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.

Itineraries

Vision of the Seas itinerary program is currently based on homeporting in Baltimore MD (since May 2023). The roundtrips visit popular destinations in the Southern Caribbean (12-day itinerary to St Croix USVI, St Maarten, Antigua, Barbados, St Kitts, St Lucia, Dominica), Florida and Bahamas (7-8-day to Port Canaveral, Miami, Nassau, Freeport, CocoCay), Bermuda (5-day to King's Wharf/overnight), Bermuda and Bahamas (9-day to Kings Wharf, Nassau, CocoCay), Canada and New England USA (9-day to Boston, Portland ME, Saint John NB, Halifax NS).

For summer 2021 (June 26 thru August 28) Vision OTS operated Bahamas roundtrips from Bermuda. However, this program was canceled in May 2021. The 7-day itinerary (roundtrip from Kings Wharf/first-time for RCI) had scheduled 2 seadays (before visiting CocoCay Bahamas) followed by 2 more seadays (before the arrival in Bermuda).

Royal Caribbean's unique out-of-Bahamas and out-of-Bermuda voyages were offered as "fly-cruise" deals (flight+cruise packages) and open for booking to customers of all nationalities. By RCI's Air2Sea program, airfare rates were US$99 per person - roundtrip flights from NYC's Newark or LaGuardia airports. For comparison, the cheapest ex-NYC flights in June-July 2021 were US$335 pp.

Vision OTS was built 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, 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.

ex-Bermuda to Bahamas cruises 2021

Following the Coronavirus crisis, for summer 2021 RCI scheduled for Vision OTS Bahamas cruises leaving from Bermuda. The 7-day itinerary (roundtrip from Kings Wharf) had 2 seadays (before visiting CocoCay Bahamas/port stay 8 AM - 5 PM) followed by 2 more seadays (before the arrival in Bermuda).

• The unique for Royal Caribbean ex-Bermuda mini-season (June 26 thru August 28) was based on "fly-cruise" deals (flight+cruise packages), and the voyages were open for booking to customers of all nationalities. Prices were in the range USD 550-1100 per person with double occupancy.
• Bookings opened on March 29, 2021. By RCI's Air2Sea program, airfare rates were as low as USD 99 per person - roundtrip flights from NYC's Newark or LaGuardia airports. For comparison, the cheapest ex-NYC flights in June-July 2021 were US$335 pp.
• However, on May 20th this program was entirely canceled. Reportedly, the RCI's decision was due to poor sales, as customers anticipated the company's ex-USA operations to start earlier than previously expected.

To all affected bookings were offered 125% refund in FCC (Future Cruise Credit/based on the fare paid and automatically issued before/on June 18, 2021) or 100% monetary refund (before/on June 30, 2021).

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 refurbishments review

The list of changes after the drydock refurbishment in 2013 (October) included:

• new lounges ("Concierge" and "Diamond")
• new dining options were added -  "Park Cafe" (complimentary deli), and the specialty restaurants "Chef's Table" (VIP dining), "Chops Grille" (steakhouse), "Izumi" (Asian) and "Giovanni's Table" (Italian).
• Nursery
• new "Centrum" area entertainment programming (now with aerial acrobatic shows and LED-screens wall)
• "R Bar" (1960s retro style bar)
• Jumbotron (poolside movie screen)
• upgraded passenger cabin amenities (flat TVs, iPads)
• Wi-Fi coverage was upgraded to shipwide.
• Digital signage boards were installed.

The vessel was also drydocked in 2018 (November) and 2022 (February). Both projects were routine (for general maintenance and classification works).

Vision OTS' last drydocking was in 2024 (April 20 through May 24) conducted at Grand Bahama Shipyard (Freeport Bahamas). The project included routine maintenance and classification/safety inspections, technical overhaul, hotel upkeep, some upgrades to public areas.