PORTS OF CALL

Seattle, Washington

Seattle has shopping, fine restaurants, attractions galore, good air service, culture, and a wide range of accommodations—more, in fact, than you’ll be able to take in on just a short pre- or post-cruise visit. It is very much a water-oriented city, set between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, with Lake Union in the center. Practically everywhere you look, the views are of sailboats, cargo ships, ferries, windsurfers, and anglers.

Juneau, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Unlike many other Alaska frontier towns, Skagway has been spared the ravages of major fires and earthquakes. Some of the original buildings still stand, protected by the National Park Service. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historic District, contains some striking examples of these buildings. Other little touches of history are preserved around town, such as the huge watch painted on the mountainside above town—it was an early billboard for a long-gone watch-repair shop.

Having a sweet little historic town is nice for Skagway’s 860 or so year-round residents, of course, but by itself, history doesn’t pay the bills. So, though Skagway is trying to hang on to its gold-rush heritage, it’s also trying to make money off it. New businesses, including restaurants (a Starbucks!) and jewelry stores, are sprouting up as well, many of which have gold-rush connotations only in the sense that they’ve opened to cash in on visitor’s gold.

Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska

Located about 50 miles due south of Juneau, these long, deep, and almost claustrophobically narrow fjords are a striking feature of a pristine forest and mountain expanse with a sinister name – Ford’s Terror.

The place gets its name from the 1889 incident in which a crewman from a U.S. naval vessel (named Ford) rowed into an inlet off Endicott Arm and found himself trapped for 6 hours in a heaving sea as huge ice floes bumped and ground around and against his flimsy craft. He survived, but the finger of water in which he endured his ordeal was forever after known as Ford’s Terror.

Vision of the Seas was launched in 1998. The ship’s mission to keep 2,435 passengers entertained and happy means there are multiple places and spaces up for grabs. With six hot tubs, two swimming pools, a wide Promenade Deck, comfy indoor and outdoor nooks and crannies, and a bar for every occasion, all passengers, both active and passive, can find their own spots to rest, relax, and enjoy life on the high seas.

Why Vision of the Seas?

·  Familiarity: Royal Caribbean is one of the most popular cruise lines around, and after seven years of service, Vision attracts many second- and third-time travelers.

·  Space is the place: On cruise ships, size can make a difference. Even with a large passenger and crew population, it’s possible to find your own corner or favorite seat at bars on deck.

·  Bang for the buck: Cruise fares start in a range that’s competitive among the top-rated, mid-priced cruise ships. Without breaking the budget cruisers receive good food, diverse live entertainment, and plenty of room to wander while onboard.

Who should go
Vision appeals to families with kids and a baby boomer or younger crowd seeking adventurous nightlife, ecotourism in the wild, and edgier recreation on the high seas (the rock-climbing wall on Vision’s top deck illustrates this point in 30 vertical feet). But that does not mean that the senior cruiser won’t feel comfortable engaging in more sedate pastimes in the card room or library, or dancing to big band classics in the atrium.

Who shouldn’t go
If you prefer delectable made-to-order gourmet meals, huge cabins, topnotch live entertainment, or wild and crazy partiers setting nightclubs and dance floors ablaze, choose another ship. Vision boasts none of the above, although she does try awfully hard to be all things for all the people all the time. Also, do not come if you expect niche cruising; this ship reflects extremely mainstream appeal.