DebJ14

You should be fine.  Yes, your cabin is above the theater, but the shows will be over before you go to bed.  The cabin we were in was much closer to the atrium elevators and the noise from the atrium activities came right up the open area. The parties in the atrium were after the shows. You are far enough forward that it won't bother you.  We also go to sleep much earlier than midnight.

If you like to sleep late in the morning you might be awakened by the shore excursions and shopping talks.  But if you are up by 10 am it will not be an issue.

We had an issue with the noise from the Atrium filtering up to the cabins.  They have lots of activities held in the Atrium in the evenings that make lots of noise.  They went on until about 1 am.  We had friends on deck 8 near the atrium elevators and they could hear it just as much as we could in our cabin on Deck 6.  We found the quietest place to be a spa cabin on deck 12.  The odd number forward spa cabins have nothing across from them, so no door slamming and not much foot traffic and no noise from below.  12009 was our favorite cabin of the 3 times we sailed the Breeze.  6278 was the noisiest. 12016 was OK, except for the door slammers across the hall!

My problem with the Hub app was that it would not quit when we got home.  It still gave the weather forecast for Galveston, listed the Vista activities for the newly embarking guests etc.  I wanted to add the next cruise we have booked, but it reverted to the January cruise on the Vista.  I finally had to uninstall it just to get it to quit using my battery.

On 1/29/2019 at 5:41 PM, ccruisequeen said:

In December, they had CNN (USA, INTERNATIONAL, AND SPANISH), HEADLINE NEWS, TCM, and several sports and kids channels

😀Well in January on the Vista there was none of that.  There was a channel called Spydar and the mouth never matched the words coming out on any show.  There were mostly Carnival channels, a couple of kids channels, HGTV, Food Network and sadly no more movie channel.  If you wanted to watch a movie in the cabin, you had to pay.  The shows on HGTV were run over and over and over ad nauseum.  Worst TV on any ship we have ever been on.

We have a friend who is sailing today.  He had a "minor procedure" done in December that was totally elective.  And of course, he acquired an infection in the hospital that was antibiotic resistant.  After a month of no progress in clearing up the infection, they finally brought in an infectious disease specialist who slapped him in the hospital last Thursday to give him IV Antibiotics.  They let him out on Saturday night, he flew to Florida yesterday afternoon and boarded the ship today.  He has several weeks of antibiotics with him, but is still worried about needing to be evacuated.  They had insurance and could have canceled, but chose not to do so. 

I know too many people who have developed infections after surgery so I certainly would never schedule surgery so close to a cruise, unless it was life saving.  Heck, I don't let my DH ride his Harley the month before we sail either for fear he will crash.

Ship -  Carnival Vista

Deck - 5

Stateroom # - 5220

Stateroom Category –  HE  Havana Cabana

Starboard or Port Side -  Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Very quiet location

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - NO

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. –  No obstructions.  Surprised at how well we could see out through the glass lining the deck

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -  Larger patio than a standard balcony

Was wind a problem? -  No issues with wind thanks to the glass along the promenade

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N?A

Any specific problems with this cabin? -  NO

Any other comments? - Cabin and bathroom seemed much smaller than Carnival balcony cabins on other ships.   I would not sail the Vista without a Havana Cabana, but will avoid the ship in the future due to the huge crowds and small venues.

On 1/27/2019 at 1:39 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

Have you sailed on Vista before?  Even Vista’s biggest fans would not call the lounges huge. A big reason why we cancelled a cruise on Vista after sailing on her once is we enjoy going to shows, and the lounges on Vista are way too small for the size of that ship. The lounges are much bigger on Dream and Conquest class ships. 

We were not huge fans of the Freedom, although we loved every other Conquest Class ship. But, I would take the Freedom any day.   We disliked the Vista so much that we came home and canceled our Havana cabana on the Vista for next January.  The Liquid Lounge is awful.  Poles block the view from so many seats, and if you are in the back in the balcony or even in the center section chairs downstairs, you cannot see over the person in front of you.  We walked out of the juggler because we couldn't see a darn thing and also walked out of America rocks after the jerk behind us hit me in the face trying to grab for a bandana they were throwing. 

We were bored to tears on sea days. I absolutely do not understand the fuss over Matt Mitcham.  We have had many other cruise directors on our 42 Carnival cruises who were much better than Matt.

We had a Havana Cabana and on 3 of the 5 days on the cruise when we would have loved to use it, we could not.  Two of the days the steward hosed it down in the morning leaving 1/2 inch of water on the deck and soaking the furniture cushions.  It never dried until very late in the day.  On the other nice day they were redoing the balcony railings on Deck 6 and we were showered with the particles from sanding them and then drenched when they washed them before applying new varnish.

The Havana Pool could have been great, but after a couple hours of very loud Cuban music we left with headaches.  In fact on the port days when we did not go ashore, we sat out at the Tides pool.  The music was not as loud and at least there was some variety.

Also, pack a fur lined parka.  There is an issue with temperature control on the ship and in certain areas of the Lido and down on Promenade deck by the Havana Bar, it was so cold it was uncomfortable to be there, even with a sweatshirt.  And, boy did they do a land office business selling sweatshirts last week, even though it was in the 80's for 5  days of our 8 day cruise.

It was also the most poorly laid out ship I have ever seen.  Even a map did not help as there are so many dead ends.  

Honestly, I am not into crowds like that and if we had not been in the quiet of the Havana area, I would have invoked the vacation guarantee in the first port and flown home!  That, plus a wonderful waiter, made the trip tolerable.

I cannot imagine any Fantasy class ship being anywhere close to the top.  Although, I do have to say we loved our cruise on the Inspiration back in March 1997.  I loved the softer color scheme (peach and pale green) compared to some of the other Joe Farcus decor jobs.  For a very long time the Inspiration and the Elation were my favorite ships.  I still prefer Conquest class to Dream class and will find out what the Vista is like next week.  Hopefully, I don't find it as poorly laid out as some reviewers.

We sailed the Liberty in September and November 2016.  They were the worst muster drills we ever had in over 60 cruises.  When I spoke to the GS manager about it, he said they had to handle it that way because of the class of ship.  I call BS on that as the Valor is the same class of ship and we had outside drills, but they only lasted about 20 minutes on our cruises in November 2017 and September 2018.  And, I don't remember our muster drills on our 3 Freedom cruises being anything like the debacle on the Liberty. 

 I was especially rankled on the Liberty when I advised Miami the week before that I  had a sprained ankle and needed to be on the list for the  handicap drill, and I would need assistance getting down the stairs in the event of emergency.  They assured me that the ship had been notified.  When I boarded I went to GS to inquire where I was to go for the muster drill and they refused to tell me.   About 30 minutes in to the drill my foot and ankle were grossly swollen and turning blue where the circulation  was being cut off above and below the ace bandage.  The guy running the drill at our muster station took pity and escorted me inside so I could put my foot up.  I spent most of that cruise in bed with my foot iced and elevated.  I could barely walk at all because of the drill.  I was angry because up until the drill my recovery was coming along quite well and I had been advised I could put weight on my foot.  I don't think the doctor envisioned one of those Liberty muster drills!

I don't see any reason why they can't make the muster stations the showroom, or dining rooms, like they do on the bigger ships.  Although, they would have to change the signage on every cabin door, and all the signs pointing to the Muster Stations in the public areas.  That would cost a bundle to do it for all the Conquest Class ships.

8 hours ago, kollarism said:

Are these always offered on AARP? We're cruising 2020 and if like to wait till a bit closer to purchase, and stack with new credit card offers.

From time to time they disappear from the list of available gift cards on AARP.  I wanted to purchase some for our cruise next week in late Nov-early Dec. and there were none available. 

Right after Christmas they were back in stock and I purchased 3, which I will apply to our onboard account.  I was worried it would take a long time in the mail, but even with the New Year Holiday it only took about 8 days until they arrived. 

I email mine to Guestadmin@carnival.com

When I sent mine in a few weeks ago they denied mine because the said my name was not on the statement.  Not only was it there, but it was circled.  I emailed them right back and told them to look under the date of the statement on the right side, where the name was as clear a day.  They emailed back within minutes that the credit had been applied.  

It is not really going to be an "aftermath" as the parades will follow each other one after the other.  They each take hours to traverse the route.  And Barkus will have its parade in the French Quarter at 2pm, so there will be lots people with their  dogs.  These Sunday parades are the more family friendly ones, unlike the parades the night before.  

Check to see if you can switch your hotel from an airport hotel to one in the Quarter or along St. Charles Ave. for Saturday night.  The parades Saturday night will be a sight to behold.  It will definitely cost more, but if you are not staying on afterward it might be worth it.  I am seeing availability at the Marriott and Sheraton on Canal Street.  

1 minute ago, bbtbear said:

sounds like a good plan. 🙂

 Unless you have experienced it, you have no idea how bigs the crowds will be.  Sidewalks are 10 deep with revelers.  I would  definitely see about dropping the luggage off first before going off to watch a parade.  And, keep your boarding passes, passports, credit cards and money in a money belt under your clothes.  It is a pick pocketers dream with the throng of people.

On 12/4/2018 at 9:11 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

On Freedom you could eat in Portofino/Giovani but it was the food you grabbed in WJ. Not off a menu. 

That is the way it was on the Liberty on embarkation day when we sailed in May 2018.  We put our stuff down in Giovanni's Table and went through the buffet line and brought our food back to Giovanni's to eat it.  And, once the Windjammer had no seating, they handed out tickets to non-suite guests so they could sit in Giovanni's Table. 

We only got the cooked to order lunch as a suite guest on the sea days. 

The times we have sailed from Port Everglades, and stayed in a suite, we never got off until 8am, and of course there were very few CBP agents working in the terminal, so lines were long.  

I have to agree about the Internet service, but other than that we enjoyed our 2 cruises on the Valor in Nov. 2017 and September 2018 so much that we booked the last sailing from Galveston in May 2014.  It is a 6 day sailing, which is even better.  The ship has a great crew and we were lucky to sail with great fellow passengers both times.  We will miss the Valor when she leaves Galveston1

We usually don't see the steward until real late in the afternoon on the first day and usually don't tip.  However, on our last couple of cruises on the Valor our steward came by right after we got in the cabin.  He immediately brought us robes and ice, so I tipped him.  And on our cruise on the Valor in September he was so concerned that we did not get our luggage (Diamond) until well after we should have sailed, (sailing was delayed until 7pm due to flooding in Galveston) that he went down and got it for us and put it in the cabin while we were at the Muster Drill.  You better believe we tipped him then too!  He turned out to be one of the best stewards we have had in a long time, on any line.

2 hours ago, crzndeb said:

If you are going to arrive late, don’t push it. Give yourself leeway to get there before the last call for boarding. If you are late, you could be denied boarding. Somebody wrote recently that they were 12 mins past last boarding and were denied. They have to turn in manifest and the time is there for a reason.

And the traffic in New Orleans will be a mess because of the parades that start at 11am that morning, so allow plenty of time to get to the pier. 

We used to live there, and only stayed for Mardi Gras when we were invited to a house party at at friend's on St. Charles Ave. where we knew we had food, drink, balcony access,  and bathrooms from early in the morning until late at night.  The other years we, like many other New Orleanians, got the heck out of dodge.  We discovered our first year there that we were trapped in our home one Saturday of every Mardi Gras as a parade went down our street on the West Bank.  

l have no problem with the increase, but I do think that when they announced the other gratuity increase going into effect on December 1 they should have also included this one.  We prepaid gratuities for 2 upcoming cruises.  Many people would have probably purchased their drink packages before the increase as well.  It just looks bad that they were not forthright about this increase.

You only get to use each offer once. 

I have probably had 5 or 6 offers, some were for WLCL and some were specific to Carnival.  I used everyone of them.  

I think it depends on how the offer is worded because in the past I was able to apply an offer to a previously booked cruise.  The past 2 offers had a date when booking had to occur.  

I just check back regularly.  If I see a new offer I add it and then make a payment and if they take it fine, if not, just less due at final payment.

Just be aware that if you cancel a cruise they take back the $100 and you suddenly owe AMEX an extra $100.

7 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

It shouldn't make a difference.  The rules just said a reservation on one of those cruise lines.  Didn't mention who you booked it through.

 

I added it to my card and then called my TA.  I was planning on booking a cruise anyway, so I just asked her to put the $500 down as the deposit. I got the confirmation from AMEX that I used the benefit.  Today, the $100 credit is showing as coming from Carnival reservations. 

The last time they had the spend $750 and get back $150, I paid it toward our January cruise that was booked last year.  No credit came through.  I called AMEX and they said the cruise had to be booked within the time limit stated, so no credit for me.

We planned to book a January 2020 cruise for 3 anyway, so I booked it and paid the $750 deposit and sure enough the credit came through.  That credit also said it was issued by Carnival reservations.

Sorry, but I just tried it again and you have to everyone over 6 in the same cabin purchase the Voom package.   Maybe they are doing it on the Black Friday specials and once the sale is over I will be able to pay full price for just 1 person.

I logged on to see if there were any Black Friday specials on Voom packages.  Imagine my surprise to find that anyone over 6 in the cabin had to buy the package. I was able to just buy one package for one device when we sailed 6 months ago.   Neither of my grandchildren, both over 6  will be bringing any devices (they don't have any)  nor will my husband.  He had to turn in his iphone when he got laid off and just bought a cheap phone without internet access. so he no longer needs a package.  His only other device is a desktop computer, which is definitely not coming with us.  We wanted to be able to stay in touch with the grandchildren's parents, but not at a cost of $279.72.  

We have decided it will be cheaper to use the phone in the room to call home on the sea days and in Belize and Roatan.  I will be able to use my phone the 2 days we are in Mexico as if I were home with no additional fees.  

Honestly, if we did not have a fare with a non-refundable deposit we would be canceling the RCCL cruise for May, even though it is for a special occasion.

I promptly went over to check on our upcoming Carnival cruise and I was able to buy a package for one person for one device, so at least I was able to accomplish something yesterday. 

On 11/13/2018 at 3:53 PM, Nic6318 said:

Hi

 

I know this would be too little, too late, also, I don't know what kind of cruise it was. So it may not have been worth the effort, but did nobody suggest that your husband could board (with your luggage) and you could catch up with the ship at the first port? 

The husband could not catch up with the ship unless the first port was Key West.  He would need a passport to fly to a foreign port in order to catch up.