Avril

Hey jimbo5544, thanks so much for the review and especially for the ship pics!! :D I'm sailing on the Vista in October/November (doing the Transatlantic and the 1st cruise out of NYC B2B) so I've been reading all I can about the ship and looking at as many pictures of her as I can. She looks awesome and I can't wait to see her for myself!! :D For the TA, we're staying in an Aft Havana Balcony on Deck 6 so it was great seeing pics of the Havana Bar (and one of the cabins). Do you have any pics of the Havana Pool area? For the cruise out of NYC, we have a regular balcony on Deck 8 (don't know which one yet, we booked a GTY). which seating did you have in the dining room? We have Late Seating and I'm just trying to figure out which dining room we'll be in (since I'm guessing that one is for Traditional Dining and the other is for Anytime Dining). Was it the regular Carnival menu in the MDR (American Table/American Feast) or did they have special menus with more European style food? I'll be happy either way, lol!! :D Did they ever offer tours of the Red Frog Brewery? I love beer so I think that'd be interesting. What was the atmosphere like onboard? Was it a young(ish), fun loving crowd with lots of parties/games/activities going on (you know, a typical Carnival cruise/crowd) or was it more old(er) people and laid back with few activities and no parties? All our other TAs from Barcelona were the 2nd option (very few activities - unless you count things like Bridge, Knitting, and Book Club - during the day and no games or parties at all, not even a deck party, these cruises were on Holland America, the ship was the Nieuw Amsterdam, our TA on the Eurodam was much more like Carnival). Sorry for all the questions (and I'll probably have a few more as I go through the review, I'm only on page 5). :o

Just a question about Barcelona (where we embark for the TA). I've been there a few times for cruises (all have been TAs so have never debarked there, haha) and we usually stay for a couple/few days before the cruise. We're looking at different places to have dinner that we haven't been to yet and I've been thinking about that Bull Ring (even though I am totally against Bull Fighting, it looks interesting. I was happy to find out they banned the "sport" in the city a few years ago because it was and is considered Animal Cruelty which of course, it is). We've seen it from the outside but have never been inside. What kind(s) of restaurants do they have in there and is the food (and drinks) good? Does it still look like a Bull Ring on the inside (as in, do the shops and restaurants go around the outside and it's open in the middle) or have they made it into solid floors all the way across just like any other mall/building (I hope that makes sense)? It is beautiful on the outside and I'd love to go in sometime!!

I see that you're going on the Vista again out of Miami, lucky you!! :D I'd love to do one of her cruises from Miami someday, I just have no idea which one. They all look good, lol.

Thanks everyone, I KNOW we'll have a blast!! :D

Isn't it a wonderful feeling? Have a wonderful time!

It sure is a wonderful feeling!! It makes the cruise seem more real somehow. :D

Wishing you and your Mom a safe journey, sure it will be great. When you return come back and leave us all know how it was. So happy for both of you, sure it will be special!

Thanks!! :D We've been cruising together since I was 18 (I'm now 32) and we've always had fun. I've done most of my cruises with my Mom. This'll be our 4th Transatlantic but our 1st with Carnival (the other 3 were with Holland America). I'm SO excited to try out the Vista, she looks amazing!! :D For the Transatlantic, we have one of the Havana Aft Balconies on Deck 6 so I'm looking forward to that. Of course I'll come back here after and tell everyone all about it (and post pics if I can figure out how to)!! :D We've never cruised this long before (our longest before this was a 17 day Panama Canal cruise on the Sun Princess) so I'm sure it will be special. I hope I don't get tired of cruising before it's over (I don't think that could ever happen, no matter how long the cruise)!!

Just made final payments yesterday for our (I'm going with my Mom) Vista cruises!! :D Man, why does doing that always feel so dang good and somehow make the cruise(s) seem more real? Going on the Transatlantic (October 21st) and the 1st Journeys cruise out of NYC (November 5th) B2B. I'm SO SUPER excited and just had to share with other cruise freaks (o worries, I mean that in a good way)!!!! :D

A FunShip Special closely followed by either another one and/or a Long Island Iced Tea. Ahh, good times. Can't wait to have one (both!) again soon on the Vista (in only 88 more days)!! :D

If you show it to your cabin steward and explain what it is, it will not be confiscated.

That's true. I guess I'd just be worried that they'd see it in my hand and say "no candles" and take it from me without giving me a chance to explain. Yes I know, I'm a worry wart!!

they are not stupid and I am sure they have seen whatever you chose tobring....a flameless candle or tea light does not remotely resemble a real candle....certainly does not feel like one

I know they're not stupid, never said they were. But, there are things that we use/have here in North America that people from other countries may not know about or understand. Do you know about every single thing from one of the countries they're from? I'm not stupid either but I'm sure there are things from the Steward(ess)'s home country that I don't know about or understand. And yes, some of them look very real!!

I think it's a great idea and might have to take a couple on my next cruise!! :D I'd just be afraid that the Cabin Steward(ess) might not know and/or understand what they are and since candles aren't allowed, he/she might confiscate them. I mean, they're from countries that aren't Canada (where I'm from) or the USA so may never have seen or heard of flameless/battery operated candles before. Just a thought.

I was able to buy Cheers just for me. You can send me an email at gmail.com (kcruiser2014) and I will share how. I ordered online.

I would love to know as well as I drink more than my Mom (who is who I normally cruise with) so it would save a lot of money if we could buy it just for me. I tried looking online to see if I could figure it out and no matter what I tried, it was making me buy it for both of us. For our 13 Day cruise on the Vista, it would cost us about $1400 if we had to buy it for both of us. :eek: We're doing a B2B on Vista (the 22nd 1/2 is 11 Days) so it would cost a small fortune for both of us to buy it for both cruises when it's really only worth it for me.

Sorry, hurricane season ends at the end of October. Of course, things can change, but never forget this:

 

June - Too Soon (first month)

July - Standby (for any news of a storm)

August - You must (prepare in case a storm comes)

September - Remember (to standby)

October - It's all over (last month)

 

The month of November is NOT considered to be hurricane season, but it keeps getting repeated here as though it is.

Sorry loubetti, I love your posts and 99.99% of time time, agree with you completely. This time however, you are wrong. Just do a quick Google search (which I just did, like I said, you're usually right but I was pretty sure as I've heard this information many times from many different sources) for "caribbean hurricane season". You'll see that the official hurricane season in the Caribbean is June 1st to November 30th. Now, it's a lot less likely to get a storm/hurricane in November but technically, it's still hurricane season.

We are on the last med and transatlantic cruise. Even tho we've gotten some info it will be nice to hear from the cruisers. The yes and no about everything. I'm sure the first people on the inaugural cruise will flood us with remarks ASAP.

I'll see you onboard for the Transatlantic, I'm sure we'll have a blast!! :D I think most of the info we've gotten so far has been guess work while filling in the gaps between bits of verified info. It'll be great to get the real, full, verified answers from the cruisers. I hope they start posting things ASAP as well but I also hope they get to enjoy their cruise without spending a lot of their time online answering our questions and posting pics for us.

If you are weird I am as well. My family thinks I've gone nuts.

YAY, I'm not the only one!! :D I definatly think some of my family and friends are thinking I've gone nuts, lol. Heck, I'm starting to wonder that myself. Maybe you and I could check into the Loony Bin together, haha!! :D

Just kidding, for all those poor people who actually do have to be in a Psychiatric Hospital for legitimate reasons, it's not funny at all.

Haha, great to know I'm not alone!! :D I just wasn't sure if I was the only weird one to be looking forward to a cruise I'm not sailing on, was thinking maybe I've gone nuts, lol. I just can't wait to see pics and get the answers to questions I've got. My friend who will be onboard for the Maiden Voyage is going to get the Social Media Internet Plan so I'll get to ask her some things and get pics all during the cruise.

I do not sail until January and I am excited too. I have been looking at Facebook all day for John's posts. I want any bit of info I can get, especially about the Havana area. So no, you are not alone!!!

That seems so far away but January will be here before you know it!! :D I've been checking John's Facebook page multiple times a day (huh, maybe I have gone nuts, lol) as well as the shipyard's Facebook page. Carnival Cruise Line Italia is another great Facebook page to go to for pics and stuff. I'm also looking forward to info and pics about the Havana area and cabins. We're booking in a Havana aft balcony on Deck 6 for the 1st half of our B2B (the Transatlantic)!! :D

i am on the same nov 5 sailing as you :)

Awesome, we'll see you onboard!! :D Maybe we can get together for a dirink or something.

....as excited about the Maiden Voyage as I am? I don't sail on Vista till October/November of this year but I absolutely can't wait for the people to sail this Sunday and then hear/read all their stories and see tons of ship pics (hopefully)!! :D We can finally get some real answers to all the questions we've had over the past couple of years instead of just guessing.

Ok, maybe I'm wierd to be looking forward to a cruise I'm not sailing on :o (although I do have a friend who's on the Maiden Voyage) but I am super excited about it!! :D

No - the Fitbit syncs using bluetooth - no need for internet just to sync the Fitbit.

How do I do that then? I've never used Bluetooth and always thought using Bluetooth still required an internet connection. Yes, I'm 31 years old and no, I've never used Bluetooth and have no idea how it works. :o

I have a FitBit Charge HR and I use the app on my phone (it's an iPhone 6 if that makes a difference). Will I have to buy the Premium Internet Plan on the ship to be able to sync it with the app every day (or every couple of days) or would one of the lesser internet lans work? I'm doing a B2B and the 1st half is 13 Days and the 2nd half is 11 Days so I can't wait to sync until I get home because I don't think it stores info for that long. What would be my best option? If what ship it is makes a difference, I'm sailing on the Vista.

Thank You both!! :D

You don't need your boarding pass and luggage tags for the 2nd half. You will tell your stateroom steward your new number and they will move them for you. The boarding pass is not necessary. You can complete the online check in without having a cabin assignment. On our Valor B2B cruise on the first half of the B2B we had picked our room, the second half was a guarantee room. We were able to email and explain the situation and they gave us the same rooms for both cruises. No problem at all! I hope this helps.

Ok, that sounds easy enough. I didn't know you could do your online check in without a cabin number. What am I supposed to tell our Steward though? We may not know our cabin number for the 2nd half of the B2B because we have a Guarantee cabin (8D balcony, that's all we know). How can we tell him/her where to move our stuff to? I don't think calling them would help, we have a Havana cabin (that we definatly don't want to move out of/change in order to have the same cabin for both cruises) for the 1st cruise and those are sold out all the way to 2018 (as far as I know). If we still don't know when we get onboard, could we ask at Guest Services? They'd have a list wouldn't they?

Carnival.com is a free website to use while onboard, so you can log in and get your info for the 2nd cruise.

Oh, awesome!! :D I never knew that. I've always used my iPhone and iPad and before we had those, I was just unconnected for a week. I've never used the ship computers. Can you print from those computers as well (we'll need our luggage tags for the 2nd cruise)?

I'm doing a B2B on the Vista in October/Novembber 2016. We've booked a specific cabin for the 1st half (the 13 Day Transatlantic) but have a GTY 8D Balcony for the 2nd half. I've never had a GTY before so not sure how it works. I know that sometimes they don't assign the GTY cabins until 2 weeks-the day of sailing. My question is, if we don't have our cabin assignment for the 2nd half by the time we have to leave for the 1st half, how do we do our online check in and print our documents/boarding passes and ship luggage tags for the 2nd half? I assume we'll need to print luggage tags for the 2nd half since we're changing cabins and obviously want our luggage to go to the right place. Is there anyway to fill out (and print) our online checkin/boarding passes and luggage tags once onboard the ship? I know we will likely have our cabin assignment before we leave so this won't matter but I like to be prapared for all possibilities. Thanks!! :D

I wanted an aft-wrap, but it was not available -so I booked the L-shape, bigger balcony next to the wrap (6477) and it is a category 8A.

Booked ES many months ago and paid what I think is ALOT (like $1300 each, give or take). I know prices have gone up and this year's July 4 cruise turns out to be a LIVE! cruise with Trace Adkins...anyway, we paid a lot and we are at the "top" of the category, so there is no where to go to upgrade unless we pay more. Here are my concerns - the L-shape cabin does not even have a couch or a chair, so there is no where to sit but on the bed; we are right over the Burgundy Lounge so it is going to be loud and thumping late at night; Deck 6 overlooks nothing but the Promenade Deck 5 and people meandering, so my ocean views are not what I imagined....overall, I am experiencing tremendous buyer's remorse and don't know what, if any options I have to remedy the situation except to try for an "upgrade" and shell out more money.

I had exactly the same cabin on the Breeze (which is a sister ship to the Dream) this past December/January and it was awesome!! :D Ours was cabin number 6499 but is in exactly the same spot as yours. We did have a chair to sit on and the large balcony was great. We never heard a thing from the lounge down below, it was very quiet in the cabin. I'd book it again anytime!! :D Keep the cabin, go and have a blast on the cruise, you will be hooked like the rest of us!! :D

sounds like a plan if the waitlist is the 2nd part.

 

LOL .. I post this ship email list periodically in hopes it will help anyone that needs it.

Yes, the waitlist is the 2nd part. If nothing changes before we leave, I'll see if I can talk to him onboard at some point during the 1st cruise.

The list is very helpful, thanks!! :D

Avril, Ken Burns is the Vista Maitre'd and is currently on vacation, as he recently left the Pride. I sailed the Pride a lot the past several years and always book sort of late, causing my MDR dining time choice to be waitlisted. Ken always seemed to immediately take care of the Platinum waitlisted pax. It was always changed to confirmed the day after booking.

 

I'm sailing Pride April 15th and just booked the week before Ken left (earlier this month). I figured out that he left the waitlisted times for the new maitre'd to handle, as he wont be on that ship and in charge of the MDR. My waitlisted status never changed for two weeks and I like to see that change online prior to the cruise. So, I emailed the maitre' d and it was handled in a couple of days.

 

I seriously think that Ken will change your waitlisted status once he gets on the Vista and sorts through is emails.

 

Have fun sailing the Vista for that many days! Exciting. Ken Burns is the best entertainment on Carnival. I'll miss him on the Pride.

Thanks so much!! :D I'm actually friends with Ken on Facebook so I know him well, he is awesome. I didn't know he was going to be on Vista, that's great. I'll keep an eye on my booking after the Vista sails on May 1st and see if it changes. I was on a cruise once with him as the Maitre'D but I can't remember what ship it was.

Just curious (in case I have to do the same thing), what did you say in your email to the Pride Maitre'D to get your dining time confirmed? Just wonder how to best explain the problem to him/her and ask to be confirmed.

Thanks!! I'm sure we'll have a blast. It'll be my longest cruise so far (the 2 cruises together are 24 days), can't wait!! :D

Has anyone done a journeys cruise? What are the differences from a regular cruise? I know they are 9+ days but other than that what should I expect?

I'm wondering the same thing. I'm booked on an 11 Day Journeys cruise on the Vista and would love to know how they're different from any other cruise. I know (or I think) they have an 80s Throwback Sea Day but I'm not sure what else they do. Not really sure what they do for Throwback day either but I'm sure it'll be fun (after all, they are the "Fun Ships")!! :D

I'm platinum and I always get waitlisted for my preference because I book late. I have never been denied my preference. Platinum has priority after Diamonds, so you should be okay. Just keep watching it online.

Really? I've been Platinum since 2010 and have never been waitlisted (never was wait listed before I was Platinum either). We also usually book our cruises a lot closer to the sail date than this as well. I guess we've just been lucky. Or maybe it's because it's the Vista and a lot of people are booking it. Ok, thanks. I will keep checking and I hope we'll be ok!! :D

if you haven't been assigned to what you wanted (especially since it's B2B) within a couple of weeks of your departure I would email the maitre'd with your dilemma. Doing so allows the change to be printed on your card at checkin.

 

Carnival Ship Codes

Its the two letter ship code then maitred@carnival.com

 

Maitre d' - xxmaitred@carnival.com

Steakhouse - xxsteakhouse@carnival.com (for ships with a steakhouse)

 

BR Breeze

CQ Conquest

DR Dream

EC Ecstacy

EL Elation

FA Fantasy

FD Freedom

FS Fascination

GL Glory

IM Imagination

IS Inspiration

LE Legend

LI Liberty

MC Magic

MI Miracle

PA Paradise

PR Pride

SE Sensation

SL Splendor

SP Spirit

SH Sunshine

TI Triumph

VA Valor

VI Victory

VS Vista

A couple of weeks before I'll be on the ship (the 1st half of the B2B is a 13 day Transatlantic). Maybe I can go talk to the Maitre'D in person during the 1st cruise? Thanks for the email address though, I'm sure it'll come in handy at some point!! :D

I just booked the 2nd 1/2 of my B2B on the Vista and am waitlisted for Late Seating dinner. Mom and I always get late dinner and wouldn't be happy to get stuck with Early (which is way too early for us) or Anytime (we like having the same tablemates and waiters/waitresses for the whole cruise). How likely are we to get late seating and what can we do (if anything) if we don't? I've never been in this situation before. We're both Platinum if that helps.

I know the Valor is sailing a revised itinerary this cruise because she had a medical emergency on her last cruise and didn't get back to Port Canaveral until super late on Embarkation Day of her current cruise. I think she's still going to dock in Cozumel but not sure when. I have no idea why the Elation would've turned around and left without docking. Maybe they have an emergency of some kind as well? I hope you're having a great time in Cozumel!! :D It would be hard though (for me at least) to be able to see all the cruise ships but not be able to get on one, lol.

If you have access to your booking online . You should be able to pre pay the gratuities and buy anything else (ie Excursions) as well. Your TA should of supplied you a Carnival booking number for the cruise.

I've never seen gratuities as one of the things available for online purchase in My Cruise Manager after booking (shore excursions, spa, fun shops, steakhouse, etc sure but not gratuities) but then again, we always pay our gratuities at the same times as eel book the cruise so maybe that's why.

I'm pretty sure you'll have to do it through the online agency you booked with. Carnival won't talk to you or do anything with your reservation if you didn't book through them (either by phone or online). It's a real pain in the a** sometimes but that's the way it is.

I'll be posting Inaugural menus on my blog at kascapades.wordpress.com

 

Keep an eye on it :D

Thanks so much!! :D I'm sailing on the Vista's Transatlantic crossing in October and would love to see all the menus from all the different restaurants/eating places onboard. How long is your Inaugural cruise? Our Transatlantic is 13 Days (most of which are at sea), can't wait!! :D

Yes, today she is back in dry dock. I think for the remainder of construction until her Maiden Voyage on May 1st. Not really sure why the dry dock, I would've thought it was just interior work that still needed to be finished and that the hull/keel would be finished. Especially since they've been out at sea for the past few days, the hull would already have to be done and seaworthy. What's the dry dock for, does anybody know?

I can't wait to sail on her in October, only 205 more days!!!! :D