The Port of Baltimore

This will be a nine day cruise on the Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas.

Vision of the Seas is a Vision-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, the last of her class. Her maiden voyage was on May 2, 1998. In 2013, Vision went to drydock for a retrofit and she is one of the oldest RC ships still in operation. The ship has a capacity of 2514 passengers and 765 crew.

Vision of the Seas

My home for the next 9 nights. Vision is the smallest cruise ship I’ve ever been on. It is also the oldest. \240I expect there to be fewer amenities and a little bit of wear and tear because vision was last retrofitted in 2013.

Goodbye Baltimore - Leaving the Port

I really shouldn’t judge a city that I only spent one night in, but Baltimore seems to have the same problems as most other major cities. Lots of homelessness, drug and alcohol, abuse, and crime. Baltimore also has an inner city tourist area full of great activities that are surrounded by these problems.

Not a bucket list, destination.

Sail Away Party

At the start of every cruise is the Sail Away party on the pool deck. \240People start drinking and the music is playing. The dance contests are underway. 💃 🕺

Even some of the high ranking officers were “dancing”

This ship seems to offer most of the experiences found on larger Royal Caribbean ships just in a smaller (less expensive) way.

My “Ocean View” Cabin

My cabin has an ocean view, but being on deck 2 at the bottom of the ship means the ocean view is close up - AND the ocean flies past your window when the ship is sailing. Look out your window for even a few seconds and get instant motion sickness 🤢 🌊 🌊 🤮 Keep the curtains closed!

As far as amenities go, my cabin is very basic. No mini fridge and a bathroom with an RV style shower. I don’t know how I will shower without getting the entire bathroom soaked.

Small Shower with a Curtain

And after a dozen cruises with Royal Carribean and reaching Emerald status and their loyalty program. I received a welcome gift of two bottles of water in my cabin. That must have cost RC a fortune! \240

The sad thing is not everybody gets this 😢.

The Centrum

The Centrum is one of the meeting places on the ship. This location has almost non-stop music performances. A great place to relax and people watch.

Remnants of the Francis Scott Key Bridge

About 20 minutes after the ship left port, the partying stopped and everyone quietly stopped to watch, as we passed through the channel where the Key Bridge stood before a container ship hit a pier and brought down the bridge on March 26th, 2024.

Key Bridge Center Bridge Pier

Key Bridge as of 7/12/2024

The channel has reopened but it will take many years for the bridge to be rebuilt.

A Coast Guard Escort out of Port

As you enter or leave major American shipping ports, cruise ships have an escort. Sometimes it’s a local police force other times it’s the Coast Guard. \240The escort clears the way of smaller ships and boats. The guy at the front of the boat with the giant gun ensures prompt compliance.

Windjammer Buffet - Round 1

The buffet on Royal Caribbean ships is called the Windjammer. \240It is open for breakfast lunch and dinner every day and is included in your cruise. Although there are other free and paid locations to eat on board, this is the main dining area.

Every night of this cruise has entertainment in the main theater

Tonight‘s entertainment was CJ McCullough a comedian. Just remember if you ever go to a comedy show, never sit in the front row.

The Masquerade Theater

Tomorrow’s entertainment is Lou Gazzara. He is a finalist from American Idol. Should be a very good show. \240(Sidenote, I was on the elevator with him today and didn’t even know who he was.)

Lou Gazzara

Headed for Bermuda

Sea Day = \240Pool Day

Most of the passengers are spending the sea day by the pools. This is the main pool deck. This ship also has a big pool area for adults 18+ only. That area is a lot more relaxing.

Buffet Breakfast

I like breakfast way too much! \240And on cruise ships it is amazing. The only problem with it is having to dodge your fellow passengers to get some. \240The buffet on a ship has every conceivable combination of breakfast foods. I tend to stick with the basics, eggs, sausage, bacon, and hashbrowns. 🚢 🥚.

Live Music in the Centrum

Great instrumental music, but they should really save the vocals for someone that can sing. 🎤 😢👎🙉

The Centrum

Small Ship - Big Casino?

Where are your priorities 🎰

Dinner at Giovanni’s Table

Ossobuco

Dinner was great at Giovanni’s Table. I forgot to take pictures of most of the food, but I managed to get a picture of the ossobuco and the desert.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

I only ate one small bite 😎 before remembering to take a picture. 📸

Tonight’s Show in the Theatre

Lou Gazzara

2nd place Season 2 American Idol

You don’t get that far on American Idol unless you can really sing. \240Lou can really sing! \240Great show!

Lou Gazzara

Approximately 700 nautical miles to Bermuda from Baltimore

Flag of Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean, not a country. It's the oldest self-governing overseas territory in the British Commonwealth, with a 1968 constitution that gives the island internal self-government. However, the British government retains responsibility for defense, security, and external affairs.

A Cruising First for Me

🇧🇲This will be my first trip to Bermuda. \240I have wanted to visit this island for some time now. Bermuda has a reputation for being a safe, clean, friendly place. Bermuda is a part of the British Commonwealth so the language is English and they drive on the left side of the road. Dollars, Euros and Pounds are all accepted. The official currency is the Bermudian dollar which has an exchange rate of 1:1 with the American dollar making US dollars easy to use.

This will also be the first time I have cruised to a port and had the ship stay overnight. We will arrive at 3:00 pm and the ship will be in port until 2:00 pm the next day. That will allow the ship’s passengers to stay out all night if they wish. 🎉 🍺 🛳️. \240 Just don’t be late for the ship tomorrow 🏃🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️😥because they will leave your 🫏 on the dock!

Lunch Before Bermuda

Forcast Looks Good!

Forgot to include the towel animal from yesterday.

Wouldn’t be a cruise without the towel animals (Rabbit???)

Waiting on my bed 🛌

Royal Navy Dockyards

Cruise ships dock in the Royal Navy Dockyards in Bermuda. A lot of history here.

Haven’t used one of these in a while

Old British tele box just in case you loose your mobile phone. It would be useless to me because I do not know anybody’s number including mine.

Royal Navy Dockyards

Downtown Hamilton

Hamilton is the capitol city of Bermuda. It was not named after Alexander Hamilton of American fame. It was actually named after Henry Hamilton a British military officer that also served as governor of Bermuda from 1785 to 1794.

Downtown Hamilton

More Downtown Hamilton

Hamilton, Bermuda

European style walk/don’t walk signs

You are safe crossing the roads here. There must be a huge fine or penalty for hitting a pedestrian. If I even looked like I was gonna cross the street cars came to a screeching halt. This is an extremely friendly tourist location and has some the most polite people I’ve ever met.

Sun dial in the shade?

I saw this sundial in the Queen Elizabeth Park. It must’ve been there for some time now because it was underneath a huge tree in full shade.

They drive on the other side of the road so you have to be careful

You really do have to be careful when walking out in the street in a country that drives on the other side of the road. Just like in England, you see warning signs everywhere.

Queen Elizabeth Park

A beautiful and small tribute in the center of town to the late Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth visited here in 1975.

City Hall and Arts Center

Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity

(Church of England)

Building codes prohibit buildings that are taller than the cathedral that would block its view from the harbor.

English Apple Cider 4.8%

Went to a great British pub for dinner. Had to get the fish and chips. Some of the best I have ever had. The pub owner and his wife were great and spent some time chatting with me about the state of affairs in the US presidential race. Lots of concern everywhere about this one.

English Pub Food

Fish and Chips and peas! \240🫛

Love the peas! \240This was very authentic British pub food. \240Although I love some pub food, I didn’t get the steak and kidney pie.

Royal Caribbean Logo

The crown and anchor logo of Royal Carribean International on the side of the ship

Vision of the Seas docked in Bermuda

The ship looks big in this picture, but it is one of the smallest ones still remaining in the RC fleet. \240In just over a week I will be on a ship three times this size.

Window Cleaning

Watching the maintenance guys clean the side of the ship. I had to say “you missed a spot”. That went over like a lead 🎈balloon.

They didn’t think my joke was funny 😁

I guess it was a cultural thing??? I think they’ve probably heard that before.

2nd day in Bermuda

I went by water taxi to the capital of Bermuda Hamilton.

Cannons on the grounds of the national museum

I went to the National Museum of Bermuda this morning. It is on the grounds of a fort used for hundreds of years to protect the island.

This is a beautiful place!

Bermuda 🇧🇲 Jokes of the Day

Just Grass?

If it’s grass, and if it is in Bermuda, is it Bermuda Grass?

Chickens 🐓 🐔

Q: \240Why did the chicken cross the road in \240 \240 \240 Bermuda?

A: \240 To get to the museum

I finally know the answer!

Remnants of the British Military Structures from the Colonial times

Unique Palm Tree 🌴

Posiden

We were joined by another ship in port today. The NCL Gem

The Vision viewed from the fort

The Commissioner had a massive home on the island courtesy of England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The Commissioner’s House

A cat today?

New Cast Member?

This lady came down from the back of the theater, stood right in front of the stage and decided to be a part of the show. that’s what happens when you have a little too much of the drink package. She stood there for three songs before finally being asked to sit down.

The centrum was hopping!

Live music in the centrum

That’s all for today, folks!

In the middle of the triangle!

Not much out here just some seaweed

Geography Lesson of the Day

Day five is a sea day. So far, it has just been quiet. \240The open ocean is beautiful and a little scary at the same time. So much of our planet 🌎 is just ocean.

4th Grade

In fourth grade, my teacher had our class read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. In that book, Verne describes The Wide Sargasso Sea. I remember thinking that I wanted to see that place someday and it only took me 50 years to get there.

Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is in the Atlantic ocean. It is an area surrounded by ocean currents that create a relatively still area of water characterized by floating brown seaweed known as sargassum. In some places, the seaweed can be very thick. Christopher Columbus wrote in his journals that he was afraid his ships would get stuck in the seaweed. I have not seen that much floating in the water, but I know that it can wash up in deep layers on beaches.

Bermuda Triangle

Also, we are tempting fate sailing through the center of the Bermuda Triangle headed for Nassau tomorrow.

In port at Nassau

I do not recommend Nassau!

Ask for the price before you order!

My plans were to stay on the ship today. I’ve been to Nassau multiple times. All of my experiences here have been negative. However, when we pulled into port, I could see they had made vast improvements to the port area. There are new buildings in a secure area, full of shops. \240There is security everywhere. \240And although they have greatly improved their infrastructure, they still have a poor man’s mentality.

The problem with Nassau is that they see the tourist as a walking wallet. I decided to get off the boat and look for some medication that I forgot at home. There was a pharmacy very close to the port and I was able to locate what I needed there at a reasonable price. Then I walked down the street and stopped in a small shop where I was instantly approached by multiple sales people trying to sell me anything they could. It didn’t matter what I said they kept hounding me to buy anything. After only a minute there, I decided to go back into the port area. There I found an ice cream store where I decided to get a small one scoop cone. I was amazed when I was handed the cone and promptly charged $10.

$10 for a very small ice cream cone! \240That is the type of thing you will run into all over Nassau. Almost every store will add on extra money at the register to see what they can get away with. \240Even the shops inside the secure area of the port are guilty of this. You have to watch them because they will do whatever they can to rip you off! Better yet if you’re on a cruise that comes here, my advice stay on the ship. That’s what I should’ve done!

Lunch on the Ship

My ship (left) next to the Disney Wish

This is a slow day in the port of Nassau. Only two major cruise ships here. This port has been expanded in the last five years to handle up to six ships.

Disney Wish

Disney Wish

The ships horn plays “When you wish upon a star”

Homeless Towel

I came back to my cabin this morning to find a homeless towel, sleeping in my bed.

Coco Cay

Coco Cay is the private island of Royal Caribbean. Today we will be here from 7 am until 5pm. Coco Cay is one of my favorite port stops!

Welcome to Coco Cay

Sand Sculpture

Oasis Lagoon-The largest fresh water pool in the northern hemisphere

If you don’t like swimming in the ocean, there’s a massive fresh water pool with many places where you can just lounge around in the pool.. There’s also a swim up bar with a DJ playing music. Free chairs and umbrellas are all over the island. Even though there are thousands of people at a time on this island nothing feels crowded because it is so huge.

White sand beaches

There are beaches designated for thrill activities and for chill activities. So you can just thrill or chill.

Just one of many beaches

When we docked at Coco Cay today, we soon had a visitor. Royal Carribean’s newest cruise ship is docked alongside us. The Utopia of the Seas is the second largest cruise ship in the world and the newest in the fleet.

It is an amazing beast! Here is a photo of my ship Vision next to Utopia.

What a difference 😮

The Vision of the Seas looks like a raft compared to the Utopia of the Seas.

I received a call earlier today from the main dining room wanting to know if I was alright because I had not gone to the main dining room all cruise. For many cruisers the main dining room is a fun time, but for me the whole process just takes too long. I tend to go to the buffet or eat at a specialty dining instead. Tonight, I decided to alay the fears of the dining room staff by dining in the main dining room. It was Italian night and the food was great. The head waiter actually came to my table to make sure everything was fine and invited me to come back more often. 🤣🤣🤣

Minestrone Soup

Lasagna Al Forno

Tiramisu

Sunset on a Perfect Day

It was a long and beautiful day full of sunshine and ocean breezes. Royal Carribean has the most beautiful and enjoyable private island. \240

A lot of people saw the beautiful sky tonight and went out on deck to watch the sunset into the ocean.

The next two days are sea days to relax and enjoy the amenities of the ship. I plan on sleeping in in the morning. Good night 💤😴

Headed back to the Port of Baltimore

Lunch from the Buffet - Ribs, Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes 🥔

A sea day today. Lots of activities all over the ship.

Egg Drop Competition

Today was the egg drop competition. Teams built their egg transport vehicles to safely transport an egg from deck 8 to deck 4 in the centrum. Out of over 20 teams about six had their egg survive. There were a lot of creative thinkers that put in hard work to get their egg safely to the bottom.

And now this…

Yesterday it was a homeless towel man in my room and when I returned today I had a towel rat in my cabin. If this keeps up nobody will want to sale on this ship. 🛳️

Where is my towel cat 🐈 when you need him?

I need a trap 🪤

The Nashville Tenors

This evening‘s entertainment is a trio from Nashville called the Nashville Tenors. They played some amazing songs. \240

Another beautiful evening at sea! \240

One more full day tomorrow at sea.

Waiting to sail into the Chesapeake Bay

People doing the morning stretch on the pool deck

Some people actually get up early to exercise everyday of the cruise. Good for them.

🐥 I found a cruise duck 🐥

One of the most 🐣 devisive activities on cruises is the hiding of small rubber ducks. I can’t believe how many people dislike this activity. 🐤 The people (mostly kids) love hiding them all over the ship. I found this one this morning. Most of the time they have a note on them about where they are from and what you should 🐣 do when you find one. Mine is a lucky duck because he is going on another cruise with me! \240I will hide him on the Wonder of the Seas in a couple days. 🐥

🐥

Captain’s Questions

Captain Tony

Today passengers had the opportunity to ask questions of the ship leaders. During the session, the hotel manager, chief engineer, and the ship’s captain answered questions from the passengers. Captain Tony is from Croatia and has been working on ships since he was 14 years old.

The Captain, Chief Engineer and Hotel Manager

Last Dinner of the Cruise

I usually do not like the main dining room. The dining room staff is on a mission to change that. The headwaiter called me again today to see if I was going to come to the main dining room. I have never been on a cruise in which they’ve been so concerned about my eating. I will go to the main dining room tonight for the last night of the cruise. One more chance to try out the main dining room.

Parade of Flags

The Vision of the Seas has a crew of 789 Crew members from 63 different countries. On this last evening we were able to recognize the hard working staff that has worked so hard to make our vacation so much fun. The parade of flags introduced all of the countries where the staff were from. India 🇮🇳, Philippines 🇵🇭, and Indonesia 🇮🇩 led the way with over half of there staff members from these three countries.

Main Dining Room Finale

So I was impressed with the dining room staff. When I walked in they greeted me by name and welcomed me back. They made me feel very special. The dinner was spectacular and I was very pleased that I went to the main dining room tonight. I will have to try it some more on future cruises.

Off to bed. I am flying to Orlando tomorrow to get in place for my next cruise leaving on Sunday.