Just back - Carnival Vista 6 Day 7/9-7/15

Thanks for your help Liljo22 !

Day 5 (Cozumel) - I think like most, I have a love/hate relationship with Cozumel. I live in Houston and have taken ships out of Galveston and NO so Cozumel is always on the itinerary. We did Playa Mia on our Disney Wonder cruise a few years ago so I thought that would be best for our groups since we have 2 small children plus my two kids. Playa Mia has a nice beach with the inflatable obstacle course for the bigger kids but also has a giant splash park for the little kids.

This was a late arriving port so we had time to make the MDR breakfast today. They tell you its a 25 minute breakfast but our area was running slow so it was more like 45 minutes. They have just about everything you could want for breakfast on the menu and it was nice being able to order a couple of items together. Everything came out great just the wait was a little long. We did show up right before the dining room closed so it might have contributed to it.

After breakfast we got changed into our beach clothes and headed out to Mexico. When we get off the ship we had the Fantasy docked next to us. She was my second cruise ever(behind the Ecstasy) when she was the crown jewel of the fleet. It was neat seeing her but its crazy to think how much ships have changed. The amount of balcony rooms on her is shocking. We also have the Harmony of the Seas in the next slip so that was great to see also. She really is a beautiful ship.

The ships we have taken in the past have always docked by Senior Frogs so this dock was new to us. I am not a fan of this dock though. They try to heard everyone through a long narrow gift shop with people stopping to look at liquor bottles and what not. Its packed but I was able to find a door on the side that lead down side of the building. Once out, you still had to walk through a full mall of shops where you really didn't know which way the taxis where. I figured it was left and kept going that way until I saw the hatched hut.

Once we got there, there was a board with taxi prices. To Playa Mia it was $17 for a car and $34 for a van no matter how many people are in it. We jumped in and was a pretty short ride to the beach. The taxi driver will give you a receipt that you take to the ticket window for a small discount on entrance. You can buy either a day pass, a day pass with buffet, or a full all inclusive package with drinks. Our taxi driver recommended just getting the day pass and buying anything we want. I remember the buffet just being ok and we weren't ready for drinks so that is what we did.

We went down to the beach and it was pretty packed at that point with mostly Harmony and NCL Escape passengers. We were able to find a couple of chairs down by the water to drop our stuff and then go swimming. The water was beautiful and a nice cool temp. After a while, my kids and I decided to head out to the inflatables. They give you a life vest and its a pretty decent swim out. The inflatables are made up of a huge square of obstacles to try with several tall slides at the end. The water can get rough when boats go by so it can be hard to maneuver sometimes. Its fun but you need to be in shape some. I was pretty wiped after a couple of trys but my kids kept going.

We moved on to the pool and splash park after to play with my nieces. They loved running around the pirate themed area. We also did the dueling water slides which were fun and we did them several times. We then hung out in the pool some before deciding to head back closer to 3:30pm. They also have a place for massages and also a building that does a cooking school in it. I was interested in Mr. Sanchos but liked this option better with the kids. I thought it was a good choice for us.

When we got back on board, we again headed for some food. Since it was already around 4pm we were limited to Guy's, Pizza, the sandwich shop, and the Seafood Shack. I wanted a lobster roll so I headed to the tide pool. I ordered my roll which is $12 and came with fries. Not a bad deal since I pay almost double that for a half a roll and fries back home. There is debate on whether it is Maine or Spiny Lobster but either way it was good. I got it with butter instead of mayo. They make everything fresh so it takes a little while. They tell everyone 15 minutes but I think I was closer to 20-25. They hand you a buzzer for when your food is ready.

After lunch, my kids and I wanted to try the Sky Course. Problem is I forgot that everything closes at 4:30 except the slides which close at 6. We did not get to ride the ropes course because it started off closed on the next day and I was already at the casino by the time it opened.

We went down to hang out in the lounge to play games and have some ice cream. We had an 8:30 steakhouse reservation so we had some time or so we thought. We got ready and were dropping all the kids at Camp Ocean. We had trouble getting the little kids to stay in the club so we ended up running late. I went down to secure our table at 8:30 but the rest of the family were late. We also had one member that had khaki shorts on that they would not let into the steakhouse and had to change. All in all we finally sat down at 8:45 which I didn't think was too bad. We then sat down to what ended up being over 2 and a half hours of dinner. The big delay was from the appetizer to the main course. It took over 45 minutes between finishing our apps to getting our main dish. On top, most peoples steaks were over cooked. Wasn't the best dining night for us. Maybe they can't handle big groups? There were 9 of us that night.

From there we went back to the Ocean Plaza for some dancing with the kids. The littlest girl decided to conk out so she went down early. The rest of us went to hang out in the Havana Club. It was another fun night there and our daughter was excited to Latin dance with her Cuban grandma. It was sweet.

We hung out there for a while and then headed back to the room. Sea Day tomorrow but a week of early rising and late nights really takes a lot out of you.

Is the room safe by card or pin number? Do you know if the laundry takes coins or room card?

Is the room safe by card or pin number? Do you know if the laundry takes coins or room card?

Not sure about the laundry because I only went once to use the iron but the safe is opened by pin number.

Day 6 (Sea Day) - This morning we had the 9:45 Green Eggs and Ham breakfast. We signed up on embarkation day on the Lido deck by the main elevators. It's $5 pp and well worth it. If you want to sit together you will need to put it all under one room and then they will charge that room the night before.

We got to the Reflections dining room on time(yah) for the breakfast. Everything is red, blue, and white with Cat in the Hats all over the place. A lot of people came with matching tee-shirts which was cute. The food is mostly the same as the Sea-Day Brunch but they Suessify it. The pancakes are red and white and are stacked like the cat's hat. There is green eggs and ham of course. Items like this included steak and eggs. They play Seuss/children songs very low over the intercom as background noise. First they bring out Thing 1 and Thing 2 and they come around and take photos. They they leave and the Cat in the Hat comes to take pictures. Next Sam I am comes and he and the waiters all dance for every one. Its well worth the $5 and your time.

Next we went to get everyone ready for pool time. I am not a sit by the pool on the last day person so I hit the tables when they went. My only day playing but I couldn't hit anything. Strung along on roulette, played some three card poker, and finished off trying to see if I could pull money out of the Wheel of Fortune slot. Nothing. I left just in time to hit the Pig & Anchor before it closed. There was a short line on both sides but went quick. I order beef, chicken and pork with potato salad and mac & cheese on the side. The chicken was excellent. Pork was pretty good but its soaked in a sweet sauce. My piece of brisket was very dry. I am a little spoiled in Texas that I can say moist and they know what I mean. Its worth a try just for the chicken alone and I wish I got there early to where I could ask for a different piece of beef.

I met up with the family and my daughter wanted to see Despicable Me 3 on the IMAX. We had all seen it right before the trip so we talked her out of it and they hit the Thrill Theater cartoon show instead. They enjoyed the show. I really wanted to see Spider-man 3D all week but just couldn't find the time with all the other activities on board. I was thinking the last sea day would be good but I drank my losing away at the casino and would have most likely fell asleep during the show.

We hit the final day Bingo game and it was packed. We got there and there was a long line to buy cards and all the seats were taken so we sat on the ground by the Red Frog. Nono, Matt's assistant, saw us and had someone bring clipboards over. She also came by during the came to apologize for no seats and thank us for coming. It was the final day jackpot so we were expecting it to be crowded so it was unneeded but a nice gesture. Nono is amazing. She has such a great personality and it right behing Matt in terms of energy. I thought that it can't be long before she gets her own ship and someone in another thread said Matt is pushing the home office to do it. Just like the casino, we were not winners. Funny story. I mentioned earlier that I was on the Fantasy when it was new. I actually won the $3k bingo jackpot on the last day as an 18 year. Best start to college I could ask for. We finished up and had a few drinks at the Ocean Plaza bar before heading down to get ready for dinner.

Dinner tonight went very well. It was Prime Rib on the menu and I also got to try frog legs for the first time. The rare find appetizer was always interesting. Braised Rabbit, Frog Legs, and Braised Ox Tongue are the ones I can remember. We had Romano as our waiter tonight and he was great. One of my favorite for the week. Prime Rib was great tonight also.

After dinner we just roamed around the ship some and danced in the Ocean Plaza. The Shipsie Kings was doing a "Best of the Cruise" playlist so you got a little of everything. We stuck around for a set and then called it a night. By the end of the cruise, my body was pretty tired. I also had a little of the "Last night of a cruise" blues.

Disembarkation Day - We were already docked in Miami by the time we woke up. We were carrying our luggage off the ship and our time for Deck 2 was listed as 8:15. We went to the marketplace to grab one last breakfast before leaving a fun week behind. We grabbed out luggage and headed toward the middle of the ship to get off. Of course the elevators were slammed today but we only had to go up one floor. It was better to go down on the elevator and then head back up so it was empty when you came up. Getting off the ship was pretty easy and we were right to the customs checkpoint in no time. After a look at our passports he let us go. Outside the building was crazy. People everywhere. We had a RT shuttle setup with JR Shuttle but it was a mad house for anyone pickup up in the spots across the street. I walked down and found the driver and jumped in to direct him where our party was. We got packed up and headed off to get back to our normal lives.

I will follow up later with a review later on the pros and cons of the Vista.

Thank you for the information about the room safe. We will be enjoying this cruise next year. Good review. How long to the airport, time wise? I need to think about booking flights.

Thank you for the information about the room safe. We will be enjoying this cruise next year. Good review. How long to the airport, time wise? I need to think about booking flights.

Thank you.

MIA is a short 15-20 minutes from the port. If you are flying out of FLL, you are looking at 45-60 minutes depending on traffic.

Looking forward to hearing your pros and cons.

Thank you for taking the time for your review! I appreciate it.

Sailing in a Havana Cabana Suite in February and very much looking forward to it.

I'm leaving my family at home and sailing with my 72 year old mom and I figure between the

Havana Cabana and spa access (we purchased the weekly pass) that we won't be out and about

too much, just in the evenings.

I look forward to reading your pros and cons.

Final Review

We had a great week aboard the Vista. Wish we would have done the 8 days so we could get a couple of extra days on her. Is she the perfect ship? No, she has her vaults. But she is a great ship. Here is a little run down of the pros and cons.

Pros

Embarkation Process - I really liked the no check-in process. They hand you a board number, they scan in your proof of citizenship, and then you wait for you number to be called. Real easy.

Ship Activities - so much to do on the ship that you will keep busy at all times. I took a two hour nap about half way in and felt guilty because there was so much I could have done on the ship with that two hours. Skyride was a blast. Kalido-slide was great.

Lunch options - There was so many great options for lunch on board. Besides the lido buffet you have a burger and fries at Guy's, tacos and burritos at the Blue Iguana (taco bowl salad is amazing), Pizza, BBQ on Sea Days, Seafood Shack for lobster rolls and other seafood. Lots of options. If you plan on coming back to eat on the ship for a port day, just make sure to be back before 2:30 so you have all options available.

Staff - Can not say enough about the staff on board. Not one single bit of attitude from anyone if you asked for something. Everyone was more than happy to help no matter if it was something they were in charge of or not.

MDR Food - Amazing all week. Very few misses in our group. For all the complaints on here about the American Table selection, there was not a night that I was not able to find something I liked. Deserts were always very good. I found the food to be better than NCL and Disney overall. Have not been on RCL in a while so can not compare.

Live Music - Plenty of great live music around the ship. Violins in the Atrium, Ed Carr in the Red Frog, Latin Band in Havana Bar, Shipsie Kings in the Ocean Plaza. You can always find someone worth taking time to sit down and listen to.

Havana Bar - This was so much fun at night. Usually picked up about 10:30 and lasted until around 1. Great Latin dancing from the guests. They also make a great mojito there.

Hub App - While it would disconnect for getting text messages, it was still handy to help find people. Also, the days activities list is worth the download on its own. It will only show what is going on the rest of the day so you don't have to fight through the whole days activities if say its 3pm and you want to find something to do. It also worked great for pulling up the days MDR menus.

Matt - He really is high energy and keeps the ship going. I don't remember many CDs but I think I will always remember him. Nono is also great on board.

Alchemy Bar - the two women tending bar here at night are great. If you spark up a conversation with them early on, they will take care of what you like to drink the rest of the trip. All fresh ingredients and always tastes great.

Family Harbor Lounge - This is a great area. My kids loved going down there to hang out or have an ice cream. Also served a buffet breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Great meeting point for others in your group on that floor.

Cons

Guest attitudes - Like I said earlier, could be a Carnival thing but more likely a Miami thing since I do not see this out of the Gulf coast ports but the guest attitude sucked. A lot of pushing to get places and snide comments from people.

Liquid Lounge - They need to fix this maybe on the Horizon but definitely on Vista 3. Sight lines are not great from the lower level or upper.

Pools - need to be bigger. Probably the smallest I have seen on a ship especially of this size.

Outside spaces on deck 5 - Mostly wasted space. I did not see any of the restaurants using the outside seating for dinner. You would see people during the day sitting around but not enough to justify the use of space. They even had the door leading outside from Cherry on Top blocked so you could not go out there.

Dinner Options - Wish they had more pay options for dinner. Looks like they are adding a couple of Teppanyaki tables onto the Horizon. While the food was great in the MDR, its nice to have a change of scenery on a few days. I was trying to pre book all three restaurants and it was hard to get a reservation for 13. Was getting back either a 5:30 time or 9:00 time which was too early or late. More options would help this. Also, it seems like NCL and RCL has a lot of different options compared to Carnival.

Ocho Rios - First time there. No need to go back. Had fun at Mystic Mountain but not looking to go back. Most in my group agreed that Ocho Rios was the worst port of the week.

Obsession with twerking - Does everything need to lead to this? Even Lip Sync Battle auditions turned into a who can twerk the best or rub their privates on something(for the guys) in order to get votes. I am so not a prude but I have young kids and don't need them seeing some girl shake their ass right in some guys face for applause.

We had a great week and would not hesitate sail on her again for those on the fence.

Enjoyed your very detailed review.

Really appreciate the comprehensive review.:)

Is the room safe by card or pin number? Do you know if the laundry takes coins or room card?

They take your S&S card.

Really enjoyed your review! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for the review! Very helpful for our upcoming voyage.

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Hi! Was there a couch in 2497?

Looking at deck plans, it is a room for 3,

But it is tough to tell if it is a couch or Pullman

For the third person.

Can I ask was your cabin with 2 bathrooms? Our kids are 22 and 19 and did you think that Family Harbor was worth even for snacks? Trying to figure out what cabin or cabins to get thanks

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Thanks for the review.

Thanks for the review. We are on the Vista May 5, 2018. Can't wait.