Ajaccio, Palermo, Portofino and More with Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas - Part One

There was a time (not too long ago) when the only boxes a family holiday needed to tick were: yes, it has a pool and yes, it has Wi-Fi.

So when I said, We’re cruising on Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas, and the response was, I've never seen it on TikTok, my jaw practically hit the floor.

Weeks of browsing cruise line websites and booking engines, when all I needed was a TikTok scroll?

'Does it have slacklining? High diving? Mini golf like the last one? Waterslides?' The questions kept firing.

'No. But it does have a rock-climbing wall,' I replied, met with that classic teenage shrug.

'Where does it go?

'Barcelona—

Another shrug.

What’s the matter? I asked.

'I’ve been to Barcelona with school. And with you.'

Fair point.

'Okay... Rome?' I offered, cautiously.

That landed better. 'Yes. We have to go to that gelato place by the Trevi Fountain again.'

There are a dozen of those places, but I said 'Okay,” relieved the teenage aversion was lifting.

'Portofino.'

'Aah! Cool. Can we go back to that hotel with the restaurant over the bay?' The words left her mouth quicker than an F1 car.

'Sure,' I said, joining the rising optimism. But note to self: next holiday, better make sure it’s TikTok-certified.

Vision of the Seas: A Throwback to Classic Cruising

Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas hails from a different era of cruising. She’s one of the line’s older, smaller ships. Old school in style, rooted in what now feels like 'traditional' cruising.

This is a ship built for ports of call, not for roller coasters at sea. It’s where you wore your best to dinner, made friends over fixed-seating meals, and mailed printed photos to them via Royal Mail red boxes when you got home. (Yes, I did that!)

This isn’t the ship for bells, whistles or viral trends. But the eight-night Mediterranean cruise itinerary sealed the deal for us. Not to mention her size, which allows calls to charming harbours like Portofino and Villefranche-sur-Mer that mega-ships can't reach.

Plus, our past Royal Caribbean cruise memories were glowing: from easy onboard communities to generous childcare options (free till 10 pm — still underused by us).

Sailing from Barcelona Under the Summer Sun

Setting off from Barcelona under an August sun, we joined the Sail Away Party from the top deck. Spanish beats, Piña Coladas, a poolside dance-off (Moves not like Jagger), and city lights receding in the distance. This is Royal Caribbean’s way of saying, your holiday starts now.

Royal Caribbean Sail Away

Our balcony stateroom, around 200 square feet, was functional and comfortable. One was midship and whisper-quiet; the other, further aft, gave a little engine rumble but both boasted endless sea views and fresh ocean air.

Storage? Generous. Mr PWT’s 16 shirts, 10 pairs of trousers/shorts, 7 shoes, and even his LEGO Millennium Falcon all found a home.

That's the balcony. Mid-ship and deck seven, the sail is smooth, quiet. Still on deck seven, but moving towards the back of the ship was our other room. Here you knew when the engine kicked in. But regardless, the balconies made up for any misdemeanours of this old girl, with copious amounts of sea air and generous side helpings of sea views.

Generous, too, the storage areas. No complaints from Mr PWT for his sixteen shirts and t-shirts, ten trousers and shorts, seven pairs of shoes and his Lego Millennium Falcon because that's just how much wardrobe space there was.

Wardrobe cruise ready and packed away, the only concern was which pair of heels to pair with the outfit to take me to dinner, followed by an after-dinner show and maybe the nightclub. After all, this is the first night. I only want to dip my feet in, not knock myself out.

Nevertheless, we started as we did, with no intention to continue. Because at 11:30 pm on another holiday, we'd be angling for the covers. With Royal Caribbean, entertainment is non-stop, and it carries over to this ship. But prime time on this cruise is from 7 pm onwards, where the soaring atrium or the theatre becomes the ship's heartbeat.

And this carried over to the Viking Crown Lounge, where each night, practice of our two-stepping routine says we stayed up past midnight. The house music and reggaeton tracks in this club keeping the dance crowd wild until closing. Such was life.

Even now, some two months since we've cruised and finalised this blog, I've got one of the said tracks in my ear, head nodding to the beats, the two steps as clear as the nights.

But it was the days molded by the itinerary that shaped this cruise. We no longer identified days by the day or the date but by the ports we docked. An itinerary that saw us rediscovering the likes of Portofino and Rome and uncovering new, idyllic Mediterranean ports.

Evenings Afloat: Music, Dancing and Two-Stepping at Sea

Our first night aboard started with dinner, moved into a show, and ended with two-stepping to reggaeton in the Viking Crown Lounge. And though 11:30 pm would normally find us tucked in, Royal Caribbean keeps entertainment going strong well into the night.

By day two, we weren’t measuring time in days but by which Mediterranean port we woke up in next.

And each morning began the same: coffee for two, sunrise from the balcony, then a return to bed. Bliss.

There were no surf simulators, ice rinks, or bumper cars — not on Vision of the Seas. We didn’t scale the rock wall either. But we had wholesome, classic cruising fun. Still, next time, we might opt for one of her bigger, buzzier sisters.

What’s Next? The Mediterranean Port Diaries

Over the next post, I’ll walk you through the Mediterranean ports we explored: Portofino, Ajaccio, Palermo, Toulon, Rome, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Barcelona.

This is Part One of a two-part series. So, tell me, which port are you most excited to hear about and why?