Spaniel Lover

 

I have to assume that the water in the Havana pool is pulled directly out of the ocean and not heated... because at the beginning of our cruise the water in the pool was noticeably cooler than it was a few days later. Notice that in this picture that most of the people are not actually in the pool. The water was just slightly too cool for that during the first couple of days of the cruise. But then one day, I dipped my toes in and noticed the pool was noticeably warmer than it had been the previous day. We had been sailing south, and had gotten in to warmer waters of the Caribbean. I have to assume that they had drained and refilled the pool overnight. For the rest of the cruise, the water in the Havana pool was a much more comfortable temperature, and a lot more of the Havana passengers got all the way in the pool.

This next picture is NOT a real picture! This is a rendering of what the ship's designers wanted the rear end of Carnival Vista to look like. The actual ship does indeed match up to the "artist's concept" quite well. I'm including it here simply because it gives you a pretty nice overview of the Havana pool area... from an angle that would be impossible for me to get from my camera!

Here's a better look at those day beds.

There were a total of six of them in the Havana pool area.

This photo gives you a realistic look at the Havana area at mid-day on a sea day.

Almost all the seats are in use, but there are still a few available.

At that little hut on the left, you can pick up a fresh beach towel.











 

Our friends, Liz and Kimble, were sailing with us this week, but NOT in a Havana cabin. They had their daughter with them, and families with kids under 12 years old aren't allowed to book Havana cabins. So, we were unable to have them hang out with us in the Havana pool area during the days, but after 7 PM we could invite them in. One night, we all had the best chat out here in the comfortable seating area near the Jacuzzi... on a delightfully warm night in the Caribbean.

It's especially great that the Havana area sits on the the fifth deck of a 15-deck ship, and at the rear... because this means the Havana area is quite nicely protected from wind. Imagine a cruise ship sailing in to the wind. If the ship is travelling at a speed of 15 knots, and the wind is blowing at 20 knots, that creates an "apparent wind" of 35 knots... nasty conditions if you're sitting somewhere exposed to the wind. It has always baffled me why Carnival builds their "Serenity Retreat" on the top deck, and at the front of the ship, on many of their ships. That's a horribly uncomfortable place to be on a windy day. On Carnival's Spirit-class and Fantasy-class ships, the Serenity Retreat is at the rear of the ship and is quite nicely wind protected. And on Carnival Vista, the Havana pool area is perfectly placed at the rear of the ship, down low, to offer some very nice wind protection.

The Havana Pool Area

 

Since the #1 most incredible feature of the Carnival Vista is the un-crowded Havana area at the back of the ship, this story is definitely going to start there.

To truly understand what all the fuss over the Havana area is about, you have to first think about this picture of the mid-ship pool on the Lido deck of Carnival Vista:

 

The Carnival Vista is the largest ship in Carnival's fleet, and it's absolutely huge. The week we were aboard, there were 4600 passengers... and on some weeks, there are even more than that. Imagine competing with 4600 other people for a spot in the pool, or a lounger nearby. On a beautiful warm day sailing the Caribbean, it's an absolute zoo out there on Lido deck at the mid-ship pool. And look at the clarity of the water in the pool! (Or more accurately, the lack of clarity.) The shape of a dolphin is painted in deep blue paint on the bottom of that pool, but you can't even see it through the murky water in that photo. I know you're probably thinking the water is murky from kids peeing in it... and that may be part of the problem... but I think it's mostly from sunblock that has washed off of people's bodies.

Now compare that last photo to this photo of the pool in the Havana area, which only 130 guests booked in Havana cabins have access to:

 

When it comes to cruising, one thing I've learned after 42 cruises is that it's far better to share a swimming pool with 130 guests than it is to share it with 4600. (Or 6700 on the biggest Royal Caribbean ships!)

So, the thing that attracted me to Carnival Vista, and which prompted me to book a Havana cabin, was the un-crowded pool area at the back of the ship. Because when I'm on vacation, I'm all about the water. I want to be swimming at one of the world's best beaches, or relaxing in a swimming pool or Jacuzzi, during just about every day of every vacation. I honestly couldn't care less about touring historical sites, or attending art auctions, or learning about the local people and the way they live. After 25 years at my "real job", I'm getting tired of working now. Retirement is a few years away. When I can take a week away from work, just send me somewhere (Hawaii, Mexico, or the Caribbean are fine with me!) where the water is warm, the food is good, and where a Margarita or a Malibu-and-Coke can be easily obtained. That's all it takes to make me happy on vacation.

I liked this shaded seating area in about one inch of water at the Havana pool.

It's no fun getting a sun burn on vacation, so a shaded spot like this is a great place to sit and enjoy a drink.

The Havana bar is literally just a few feet from this spot.











The Havana pool area is for the exclusive use of passengers booked in Havana cabins, until 7 PM.

After 7 PM, any Carnival Vista passenger is welcome to come and enjoy the Havana area.

I didn't see very many people do so, though. A few came and looked around, but not very many stayed.











This shows a portion of the sun deck on the edges of the Havana pool area.

Just about every time I was here, there were loungers available.

However, those round day beds in the upper right corner of the photo were super popular

and were usually chair-hogged very early in the morning with a towel and a personal item.

I totally agree with beachbum53 on this one...

Bring the cord in your carry-on, along with a printed copy of Carnival's rules.

I had a 6-outlet power strip (without surge suppressor) confiscated a few years ago, and since then have started carrying my power strip in my carry on so that if they tried to confiscate it, I would be there to argue about how it fully complied with the rules. Have never had to argue the point, as they have never confiscated it since I started bringing it in my carry on.

I think the folks that do the security searches at the passenger check-in are focused on very different priorities than the folks that do the searches of the checked bags. It seems to me that the folks that do the searches at the passenger check-in are focused primarily on looking for weapons. They don't seem to care about electronics and cords and such.

I don't believe the slow Internet speeds I measured on Vista a few weeks ago are going to magically get better on a different itinerary.

I took a measurement about 14 hours after we left Miami, when we were heading towards Cuba, and the ping time was 659ms and the upload speed was .36 Mbps.

I took another measurement the next day, when we still had not even reached the Dominican Republic yet, and the ping was 799ms and the upload speed was .24Mbps

I think those kinds of speeds are going to make use of Skype and Facetime very difficult.

I was on the Vista a few weeks ago, for the 8-day Southern Caribbean itinerary. I bought the most expensive unlimited Internet plan. The speeds were absolutely horrible, except when the ship was in Miami.

I did a series of speed tests using Speedtest.net and Fast.com throughout the entire cruise, and was surprised to see some of the worst Internet speeds I've seen in all of my cruises from the last few years. Normally, speed test results are measured in Mbps, but the connection was so poor on Vista that the results were generally displayed in the Kbps range... often as low as 30 Kbps upload speeds.

In other words...

Remember the days of 28.8k dialup modems? Those were the kinds of speeds I was seeing on Vista.

And it had nothing to do with too many passengers all trying to use it at the same time. I did a number of tests at 6 AM, when almost all of the passengers would have been asleep.

If you want a decent Internet connection, you have to stick with Royal Caribbean. They're the only cruise line that I know of that uses O3B Networks and a series of low-orbit low-latency satellites to provide outstanding Internet service at sea.

I was on Carnival Vista recently, and was fortunate enough to stay in the best suite on Carnival's best ship. It was pretty great! I've been editing photos and videos since I got back, and will start writing a comprehensive review of my experiences on the ship... to be posted here in the Carnival forum on Cruise Critic about a week from now.

But until then, I just can't resist posting a couple of photos, plus a video tour of the best cabin on the ship!

There are four Havana Suites on the Carnival Vista, and these are significantly larger than the other Havana cabins... and feature the best shower I've ever seen on a Carnival cruise ship.

Thanks for the great video review! And yes, the Wi-Fi on the ship WAS terrible. I think it's either a capacity issue or location-dependent.

It didn't seem to have anything to do with how many people were using it. I ran speedtests at all hours of the day and night... including times when all the other passengers were most likely asleep, like 5 AM. The Internet speed was consistently horrible.

Another option for a Havana cabin was the one our friends had -- a Havana aft-wrap on Deck 6. It wasn't quite as nice as the aft-wraps on the Conquest-class (there was no directly aft-facing portion of the balcony on Vista), but it was still nice.

I agree that an aft-wrap is a very attractive option to get access to the Havana pool area, but still have some privacy on your balcony, and an awesome view. Plus, you'd be able to look down at the Havana area and see how many people are down there before you headed down yourself. The thing that worries me about the aft-wraps on Carnival Vista is that they are one floor above the Havana bar. I imagine they get quite a bit of noise coming through the floor from the band playing below. I'm more intrigued by the aft-wraps on the upcoming Carnival Horizon... since the aft-wraps on decks 7 and above will all be Havana cabins with access to the Havana pool area. On Vista, the aft-wraps on decks 7 and above are NOT Havana cabins, but on Horizon they will be. When I get ready to book a cruise on the Horizon, it could very likely be in an aft-wrap somewhere several levels above the Havana bar.

Especially considering how I like to be able to shoot sunrise/sunset photos from my balcony... getting away from the Havana cabins on deck five is a strong possibility for my next cruise on a Vista-class ship. But I will miss that big shower in the Havana suite!

I was recently on the 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise on Carnival Vista in a Havana Suite... and I absolutely loved it. This was my 27th Carnival cruise, and clearly the best of them all. I noticed several new things about Carnival Vista that the other ships in the fleet don't have, including but certainly not limited to the uncrowded Havana pool area that only about 130 of 4600 passengers have access to during the day.

If you have 13 minutes available to watch my video review,

It was my pleasure to sail on Carnival Vista recently, and some friends of mine stayed in a Cove Balcony cabin. They were kind enough to let me visit their cabin, and to shoot some video of it... so I could show the world what's so special about this unusual type of cabin. I had never been in a cove balcony before, and it was really interesting to see what having a balcony so close to the waterline did to the overall feel of being out on a balcony.

I'm onboard Carnival Vista this week (full review with photos and videos coming later!) and was shooting some video at the water park. Kids being kids, they noticed the camera and started to show off their waterslide skills and generally clowning around for the camera. Here's a short (literally 5 seconds) clip that shows the most awesome waterslide dismount I have ever seen!

I thought it was pretty cool that these kids were playing on the shortest, tamest waterslide on the ship and sill managed to make it hugely fun!

Here's the video in small screen format. Make sure to have your speakers turned on, because the soundtrack makes it funnier...

I bet the folks who are on Anthem Of The Seas right now (currently in Nova Scotia) are in for one heck of a bumpy ride when the ship heads through tropical storm Jose on the way back to New York this weekend!

We are booked in a Havana Cabana Suite on June 10,2018. $5278

I'd just like to comment on tlbutler33's post...

I'm sure some people were a little shocked at the $5278 price for a Havana Suite!

Be aware that they are referring to a Havana SUITE, not a regular Havana Cabana stateroom.

The Havana suites are actually the most expensive cabins on the entire ship!

In fact, they are more expensive than some much larger suites elsewhere on the ship!

The reason the Havana suites are so expensive has a lot to do with supply and demand.

There are only four of them on the entire ship.

And the reason that they are more expensive than some larger suites elsewhere on the ship is because they are one of only about 60 cabins that have access to the Havana pool area during the day.

Havana suites are larger than Havana Cabanas, and also have a swinging/hanging chair on the balcony.

Another thing about the $5278 price that tlbutler33 mentioned... they are cruising in June, and that's one of the times of the year when cruise prices are at their highest. By comparison, we will be in a Havana suite next week, and it only cost us $3689. So, that's a good example of the difference in pricing between cruising in the summer, and cruising during hurricane season.

Also, it appears that the popularity of the Havana cabins has really started to push pricing higher. I did a mock booking for our $3689 suite for the same date one year from now, and the price has shot up to approximately $6000! I booked mine two years ago, before Carnival fully realized how much they would be able to demand for these suites.

You can always find the latest version of the Cruise Director schedule by going to https://johnhealdsblog.com/ and scrolling all the way to the bottom of the page, and clicking the link that says "Cruise Director schedule" on the right side of the page. This will always take you to the most current version of the schedule. I believe the current schedule is from May. If you check this link from time to time, you will eventually find a new updated schedule. If you follow John on Facebook, he will mention when he updates the schedule... but you have to read a whole lot of other posts to get to that one kernal of information you are looking for.

To elaborate on the previous post, just do what is known as a "mock booking".

Go to Carnival.com and go through the steps as if you were actually going to book a cruise. Select the Carnival Vista, and whatever sail date you think you might be interested in. Follow the booking process just like you were actually going to book a cruise... but, of course, do not continue to the point where you are asked for your personal information such as name, address, and payment information.

The actual pricing will show up once you pick a specific ship, date, and cabin. You can then back up a step or two, change the cabin category or deck number, and see how that changes the pricing.

Experienced cruisers do this all the time, to see what the real pricing is, to verify whether one of Carnival's "sails" really offers any better pricing than what the price was previously, and to see what it would cost to cruise at various different times of the year or in various different cabin categories.

Looking at the bright side for a minute...

The reason that we're getting so many hurricanes right now is that the ocean water is incredibly warm... the warmest it will be during the entire year. So, if you're cruising in the next couple of weeks, you can look forward to some amazingly warm ocean water at the various beaches you'll visit. In the Caribbean right now, there are many places where the ocean water is 85 degrees. So that's going to be really fun to play in!

People who are new to cruising may find themselves thinking "why would someone book a cruise for this time of the year, given the potential for hurricanes to disrupt the planned schedule?" Well, the reason this experienced cruise always books a cruise (or two) in the Caribbean in September is because of that very warm ocean water. I live in California, where our ocean water is typically in the 50's... and the warmest it ever gets is the low 60s. To go to a Caribbean beach and swim in 85 degree ocean water is just the ultimate great vacation day for me.

Besides the warm ocean water temperatures, the other great thing about cruising in September is that the price of cruises this time of the year is among the lowest cruise pricing you ever see. And most of the kiddies are in school, so there aren't as many kids running down the hallways screaming when you're trying to relax!

Wow, am I glad that I decided to check the Carnival board on Cruise Critic today! I would have been so upset if I had missed the show on Smithsonian Channel tonight!

Thank you to all those who spread the news about the show, and the fact that it will be on tonight.

I've watched dozens of YouTube videos about the Carnival Vista... so I already feel like I know the ship pretty well... but I'm a huge fan of "Mighty Ships" and can't wait to see their view of it.

My eastern itinerary looks doomed...leaving on the 23rd. Hello Cozumel along with every other cruise ship.

I'll be right there with you for our cruise starting on the 23rd. I agree that we will definitely not be able to do the original itinerary. Hurricane Maria will prevent us from getting to our first two ports of call: Grand Turk, and the Dominican Republic. I also agree that we are quite likely to get diverted to Cozumel... which doesn't bother me, since that is one of the greatest cruise destinations in the world. There are so many great beaches there, and so many fun things to do. I've been there many times before, and have always had fun there.

What I'm hoping is that we'll be able to get down to Aruba and Curacao as was the original plan. It was the whole reason I booked this particular cruise. It won't ruin my cruise if we don't get there, but I sure am hoping we do get there. I think it's possible, if we just go via a more western route than originally planned. It will be interesting to see how it works out.

I'm especially interested to see how long Carnival waits to notify us of the itinerary change. It will be an interesting test of their customer service. Best case scenario... they send us an email, a day or two before embarkation, explaining that Hurricane Maria will make it impossible to sail to Grand Turk and the Dominican Republic as originally planned. That would be good customer service. They might not do that, though. They might not bother with emails, and just spread the word via their web site and social media. Or maybe they won't announce an itinerary change until embarkation day, simply placing a letter in our cabin to announce it after we're onboard. That would be bad customer service, in my opinion. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

One other thing that wouldn't surprise me... rough seas as we sail out of the port of Miami. I think our sailaway on Saturday will be just ahead of the storm's arrival. Seas may be a bit rough as we sail out of Miami and towards the western Caribbean, with rough seas during our first night. By the next day, however, I would expect much better sea conditions.

I can see that we have the exact same cruising style. At 20 different points in your story, so far, I have found myself thinking "yes, that is exactly what I would have done, too". Everything from your choice of cabin to the excursions you have taken, and the ways you have chosen to spend your time on the ship. Spending lots of time at the Havana pool, and next to none at the main Lido pool. Taking the party bus excursion in Aruba! That was one of the most memorable excursions I've done in all of my cruises. And I completely understood your comment that Carnival's Havana cabins offered a somewhat similar experience to NCL's Haven, at a hugely lower price. I've stayed in The Haven three times, so far, and it was a no-brainer to book a Havana Suite on Carnival Vista to get access to that uncrowded Havana pool area.

Thanks for your review!

Have you been on other cruises before? If so, did it bother you that it was difficult to find an available lounger by the pool? Did you find the loud and crazy environment by the main pool to be fun and exciting, or would you prefer a much more quiet and relaxing environment when your are lounging around in the sun or by the pool? Have you ever found yourself wishing that the other passengers around you were a little quieter and a little older? Were you a little annoyed by the "cattle call" aspects of boarding the ship on embarkation day?

Answering these questions (in your head, not necessarily typing out the answers here) will help you figure out if upgrading to The Haven will be worth it for you.

I wouldn't just limit it to the newer ships like the Escape, the Getaway, and the Breakaway, either... The Haven on the Jewel-class ships (the Gem, the Jewel, and the Pearl) is pretty great, too. Some people might even like The Haven on the Jewel-class better than on the newer ships, since there are less passengers sharing it. The Haven Courtyard and sun deck areas on the Jewel class are even less crowded than on the bigger ships, because there are simply far fewer Haven cabins that share them.

We had a really great cruise in The Haven on the Norwegian Pearl earlier this year. Here are a few photos of The Haven on the Pearl...

This is another great example of how the Carnival Vista is better than the rest of the Carnival fleet. Passengers who book one of the exclusive Havana cabins at the back of the ship have guaranteed use of their own private lifeboat if hostilities break out before 5 PM. After 5 PM, however, the folks in the Havana cabins have to fight for lifeboat space with all the other passengers from the rest of the ship.

I think you should be very careful about drawing any conclusions about MSC Seaside based on the reviews of the Maraviglia. The Seaside is being built very specifically for the American market and to cater to American cruisers. So, there will definitely be differences between the cruise experiences on those two ships.

The Divina was MSC's first serious attempt at appealing to American cruisers. I think the Divina has helped them to figure out, the hard way, about what American cruisers are looking for. It will be VERY interesting to see if they get it right with the Seaside. I'm going to give them a try... but if the overall experience, especially the food, is too Mediterranean and not satisfactory for the American passengers... it will be back to NCL, RCI, and Carnival for me.

I have read the Divina reviews, and they clearly did not understand the American market at first. But I think they're starting to figure it out now.

Some people may laugh, but my favorite month to cruise the Caribbean is actually September, because that's the peak of hurricane season. Let me explain...

For me, the Caribbean experience is all about spending time at the beach, in the water... and the water is warmest during the peak of hurricane season. The fact that the water is so warm is what creates the conditions that cause the hurricanes.

I love being able to walk from my lounge chair on the beach and directly in to the water without for even one minute having to get used to the temperature of the water. During the peak of hurricane season, the water can be pretty darned close to body temperature.

I do also like to cruise in January to take advantage of some of the lowest prices of the year, but there is a big difference in the ocean water temperatures between a January cruise and a September cruise.

I know many of you are thinking that it's crazy to cruise during the peak of hurricane season because your cruise may be disrupted by a hurricane... but I've done it just about every year for the last many years and have yet to be affected by a hurricane at all. Sure, I'm taking a chance, but even if I lose the bet and there is a hurricane in the exact location I'll be sailing to... the ship would simply re-route to somewhere else. A western Caribbean cruise becomes an Eastern Caribbean cruise, or vice versa. Not that big of a deal.

The worst case scenario would be if a hurricane were to hit at the cruise's departure city on the exact day of embarkation. That would be a big deal, and would significantly disrupt the cruise... but the likelihood of that is SO small! For the warmest beach water of the year, it's a chance I'm willing to take.

You can always hedge your bet by buying trip insurance.