I have mixed feelings about my cruise on the Vision of the Seas. We traveled for 5 nights visiting Key West (never left the ship) and Cozumel. My husband and I are LOYAL to ROYAL, and since we live in Florida, we cruise when I can get away (I travel a lot for my business). We read mixed reviews, and having returned recently from the Allure, we understood that differences would be evident. In spite of this realization, some ‘simple’ aspects were disappointing…

First the good… in spite of the reviews, we enjoyed the majority of food in the dining room. The room is much smaller than we were accustomed to, with one floor being for Anytime Dining and another floor for reserved seating. We were at Anytime Dining, and we spotted a lovely table by the window. However, the Maitre-D told me “the table is reserved for important guests.” I am not making this up… what was I, unimportant. I was really disturbed but his remark, and when I made a comment, he said “I didn’t mean it that way!” Hmmm… not the best way to start our dinning experience. We did end up getting a table by the window (not the table for important guests), and we had a marvelous waiter. Robert was attentive, funny, and had pretty good recommendations. My second complaint was the garlic shrimp that was served with 1 lobster tail (at least, we had lobster!). I am used to the large shrimp that my waiter removes ever so carefully from their shell… the shrimp were smaller than those in the shrimp cocktail and much garlic was missing.

With this said, my husband won a dinner for 2 at Giovanni’s. Initially, I would have preferred Chops Grill (my favorite), but what an awesome experience Giovanni’s was. Believe it or not, my filet mignon was better than Chops. My entire dinner was perfect… the service was remarkable, and we enjoyed every moment in Giovanni’s. Let me add that the scallop appetizer was on par with Chops oyster appetizer, and without a doubt, the chocolate cake in Giovanni’s was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten. We will definitely be back, and I recommend the Giovanni’s experience; it’s well worth the 20.00 extra per person, and as a prize is was even better! Read more