Wxman0

Was on the last Vista cruise before drydock. Was on Magic a few years ago. I liked Magic a little better because I felt the public areas on the Magic were bigger. I didn't feel as crammed in some areas on the Magic like I felt at times on the Vista. Also, the theater is way better on the Magic. Whoever designed the Liquid Lounge (theater) on Vista, should maybe think about a different career.

Yes it was at Playa Kenepa Grandi. It was just burgers and fries, cheese curds, that sort of food. Nothing special but it filled the hole in our stomach at that point. I guess we were less concerned about the food and more concerned about taking in the island. But it was at that beach where you could order, they would give you a buzzer, and you could walk back to your chair and wait for the buzzer to go off.

Ok, just got back from our trip. We also used Gone Caribe. Joey our tour guide was excellent!! There was 10 of us so they took another vehicle. The guy driving the other one was good but the main guide was so knowledgeable. Shete Boka was our favorite part by far. So beautiful and interesting I could have stayed there most of the day. I think if we were to do it again we would spend more time there. So much beauty as the waves crash and it sounds like there were more places to visit here if we had the time. I think if you are willing to do a little hiking this would be a good area to stick around. I attached a photo of one of my favorite spots with the water splashing up. Playa Piskado was not on our schedule. I did read some on this and it looks like it may be a good snorkeling site and perhaps where he decided last minute to take us cliff jumping but more on that in a bit. We were suppose to do the restaurant at Westpunt but decided to skip it to and find a food truck or eat at the beach. We wound up eating at the beach. Couple notes there. If you do this, be sure to stop at the food truck right away! It got so busy, we ordered 40 minutes before we wanted to leave and it took an hour and a half for the food to come. They do give you a buzzer that you can take back to your chair or towel so I would suggest to order right away if you are hungry. He was going to quick take us to a place to cliff jump on the way back from the beach but because of the food we ran out of time. They were very concerned about making sure they get us back in time. So we did not make it to the cliff jump site so not really sure where that would have been. Playa Kenepa Grandi is beautiful but a little rocky especially when you first walk into the water so if you have water shoes, they are beneficial to have. Chairs are limited so we threw our towels down on the beach. It is a beautiful beach and I am glad we went there but just know those few things. The other picture is this beach. He mentioned the tallest point in Curacao and how it is limited to when you go up. The latest is 10am because of the heat. I think he said it's about an hour walk up. We would have liked to have done that but that probably would have meant we did that and maybe one other thing. Perhaps next time.

That and I sure wish they would do something with the Liquid Lounge. I don't know if that's possible but it is one of the worst theater setups.

Just off Vista as well. I guess I remember there being one about the stars because I really considered going to it but it is spendy. Didn't know they were turning that to a casino. I had heard the sports bar was getting turned to a smoke free casino.

Boy these forums are really dead. That's too bad. We have the exact same itinerary except we go to Santa Martha Bay and not Playa Piskado. Our trip is next week so will try to remember to let you know what we liked and what we didn't. You must be going through Gone Caribe?

I was sort of leaning toward Iguana Joe's at this moment. Was also wondering if anyone has ever been to Bugaloes or tried the Bochincha Container Yard? Palm Beach area sounds like fun too. Thanks for the suggestions so far!

We arrive in Aruba around 1pm and don't leave until 11pm. Was wondering about places to eat dinner with teenagers? So good authentic food but not crazy expensive either. Fun atmosphere would be helpful. Also, any thoughts on things to do with teens in the area after dinner?

Maybe hijacking this thread a bit but we are on the sailing right before it goes to drydock. Curious if anyone has been in similar situation and ever noticed anything different? Do they maybe cut back on food, options, etc so as to not waste as much ?

Homewood Suites by Hilton was a very nice hotel for us. Shuttle from airport, shuttle to port. They had a nice breakfast when we were there (but it has admittedly been a few years). Nice big rooms https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/fllarhw-homewood-suites-ft-lauderdale-airport-cruise-port/

We did a NYE cruise 2019/2020 (then we got off the ship and the world took a turn with COVID so i blame myself). We did a very similar itinerary with Half Moon Cay instead of Nassau. We enjoyed it so much that we are booked again this NYE. The pools can be a little cool but I think "heat" is relative as the above Wisconsin poster eluded to. I am from northern Minnesota so that time of year, 80s and some humidity can feel really warm so a cool pool actually feels nice in middle of the afternoon. Now the water slides are the other hand do feel cold on sea days. To me the "hot tubs" which are rarely actually hot, may be the pools to actually dip into. I wish we could find the NYE schedule ahead of time as well but I don't know of any way to get them. As an idea of what we did... Here is a link of our NYE 4 years ago. https://vacationingdad.com/2020/02/21/carnival-magic-day-3-sea-day-nye/ An excerpt from it.."They had some sing along going in the lobby and people were having fun but no big countdown, no balloon drop, no free drinks, no free stuff. (We) Move to the lido deck and it was so full that, while I do know there was some champagne going around, you had to be at the right place to get any cause we never even got close to any. Nor were there fireworks at midnight." We basically just danced and counted down to midnight, danced some more, went to eat and went to bed. With all that said, there's not much of a better place to be on NYE then out on the sea!

Were on Magic a few years ago, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar and Red Frog Rum Bar - bars by the pool- were always so busy. On Magic the other busy one was the Lobby Bar. We were on Norwegian before Magic and we found a quieter bar on one of the sun deck and loved that. I kept going back there.

I was wondering about Serenity. Sometimes even though it's adults only places like this can still be crowded. Thanks.

What is your favorite bar on the Vista? and Was there a bar you found to have faster service or maybe is a little less utilized by other cruisers? THANKS!

It used to be, though I've been hearing rumblings this may no longer be the case, that on port days at the Red Frog they would have happy hour specials from about 2 to 5pm. We would buy a bucket of beers and stash them in our fridge. May be worth double checking on though. Maybe someone will correct me here but I think it's deck 4 and 5, in order to get to the aft of the ship you have to go around on the starboard side (right side) of the ship. In other words, there's only one hall that leads to the back unless you go out on the promenade. Not a big deal but that did throw us off when we first got on and were trying to figure out how to get to the back. We often had a hard time finding chairs on sea days so while I hate chair hogs, you almost have to get up early and find spots in the morning. I don't have anything new to add other than agree with: The forward decks are a must at night as someone else noted. My teenage daughter got tears in her eyes when we were out watching the stars. Cucina del Capitano was a nice place for embarkation lunch as it was quieter.