Carol Jones
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Posts posted by Carol Jones
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Friday- sea day
We slept pretty late today and made it to the Blue Iguana just in time to catch breakfast before it ended for the day. I really like how carnival scheduled the Vista eight day cruise. It’s great to have a couple of Sea days on the front end and back end of the port days. Also, it has really worked well to have one port day, Curacao, be a late port day. I have felt much more rested on this vacation than on other cruises. Many times it seems like I need a vacation from my vacation!!
Breakfast menu and pics -We got all three menu items.
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Here is the pizza menu....
My son always gets the pepperoni and really loves them. They are thin crust pizzas and that’s what we typically get at home. We decided to call it a night and head back to the room.
I got the value package for the Wi-Fi and I have been impressed with how well it works. The connectivity is really not far off from what you get on land. But it does seem that in the late evenings it is slower and the later you are on it the slower it gets. I wondered if that could be because more crew-members are in their rooms at this time using the Internet. Still over all I am very pleased with it
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Aruba day cont’d...
After making a small deposit at the casino we made our way to the liquid lounge to see the “Flick” show. We got there about 15 minutes early. This show had more of a crowd than the other show we watched, but you could still find seats. I ordered a glass of wine and just seeing that little circle clip that’s on the arm of the chair (I imagine is for a drink but in an awkward position) I found myself really missing the little tables that are on other Carnival ships. I liked the other show we saw better than this one, but I did enjoy all the songs from various movies.
We had been walking by the imax/thrill theater and decided to check into it.
The movies are $12.95 and the thrill theater shows are $5.50. We did the dare to be scared show. It only lasts about 15 minutes but well worth it for the price.There are actually three short parts that are shown. I like the first two parts of this better. The third one was pretty gory.... But that’s coming from someone who does not like horror movies. This definitely is a 17+ show. I think I would’ve liked the “thrills and chills” show better but this was the one that worked out for us timewise. Again, I think this is definitely worth $5.50 and if you’ve ever been to Universal Studios it’s very much like the Shrek 4D experience they have there.
We went to the alchemy bar and had a drink. I had the “40 is the new 20” drink. There were a good number of people at this bar and hearing their interaction with the bartender it was obvious they’ve spent a good bit of time here. It’s always good to see passengers and crew having a good time.
Walked around the ship some. What a windy night! The captain had informed us this would be the case. On the Lido deck they were having the 80s party. Wow does this bring back memories. Everyone seemed to be having a blast and Adam was doing an awesome job. He is a really good cruise director. My son wanted a pizza and we were happy to see that there was not much of a line.
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Is the entire Havana area only open to everyone at 7 or just the pool area? Can you go to the Havana bar before 7?
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Well, there is a bar (actually outside of the Havana doors- on the promenade) that has a sign above it saying “Havana Bar” that is open pretty much all the time. I had a drink there the first day and thought this was it to the Havana bar.... but it is not really. What I would consider more of the Havana area bar is beyond the doors (open after 7). When you walk through the doors you are in a lounge area, then a larger lounge area with an area for the band and the bar will be in front of you. Walk some more and you get to the pool. The bar is also open on this side.
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Your review is great! I intend to post a review when I return from a cruise, but I haven't made the time to write it and organize the pictures for years. I truly appreciate the time you are putting into this effort for those of us still anchored on land. We have a small group sailing together on the Vista in October, Your review is helping me prepare the new cruisers in our group and I am getting excited to explore the ship.
Glad to be of help!
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We made it to the dining room early again this evening. I’m not sure if I said before or not but this is our first time doing anytime dining and it has worked out very well for us. The main reason I have been resistant is because I like having the same waiters every night. We have really met some great ones and they almost become like family for the cruise. As it turns out we have been able to get the same group every time and I have enjoyed having the flexibility.
Tonight’s menu...
We had (appetizers) the flat bread and the wild boar. Dinner- flat iron steak and prime rib. I think I’ve already posted pictures of those from previous nights and the melting cake for dessert.
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Aruba, Thursday
Had a quick breakfast and got off the ship to do our tour. Today we did the carnival offered 4x4 jeep safari tour. Really an incredible excursion and I will be sure to go to Carnival’s
site and post about. This is our first time in Aruba and I had no idea how beautiful it is.
Our tour ended at a Arashi beach and we spent some additional time there. We also had lunch at the beach and that I would not recommend. The beach was gorgeous though. As we drove through Aruba our driver pointed out the different beaches and apparently they’re all gorgeous. I don’t think you can go wrong here. Our driver was uncle John Kelly from ABC tours. What a great guy.!! I feel like we now have a friend in Aruba. When we got on the boat I knew it was that time of day and I just couldn’t resist. Back up to the market lido to swing by the sweet shop for the cakes of the day.
These cakes can’t be missed if you like desserts. Shout out to AmBear for putting these on my radar. I know this looks like a lot but keep in mind there are three of us. OK I ate most of it but I’m on a cruise!! I’ll be sure to skip the elevator for the rest of the day. The photo really doesn’t do them justice. Nor does the plating but here goes...
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Hi Carol,
Loving your detailed review. My family and I are sailing this itinerary on the Horizon out of Miami, August 2019. So far, there are 10 of us booked. We’ve booked 3 cabins next to each other on deck 8 and expecting up to 9-12 more family members to book. All 3 cabins purchased FTTF and we have a cabana booked (primarily for my parents) at Margaritaville in Grand Turk. I think we may follow your lead with the tour in Curacao. As of now, we’re looking at heading to Palm Beach in Aruba (may look at an AI day pass for comfort).
Your review has been very helpful and very much appreciated.
Thank you!
~Angie~
We did a tour but the beach part was at Arashi beach. We drove by Eagle beach and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Gorgeous!!
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Curacao- will post this to port page later.... we did a tour, Hato caves, Curacao Liqueur factory, beach, city tour. I enjoyed the liqueur factory much more than I thought I would and ended up doing my trip gift shopping here. We got back on board around 8. After they scanned our cards and scanned our bags she saw the Curacao liq. factory bags and directed us to the table where you check alcohol. I went up to the room and left that with DH. He came up to the room about 10 minutes later, bag in hand. He said he got tired of just standing there waiting. Apparently the person in front of him was having a misunderstanding with the check in person. Not to worry, Carnival, they’re gifts and I won’t be drinking them. Very quickly got ready and went to dinner. The past couple of nights we’ve been eating early (like 5:45) and we can get out of there fairly quickly as there aren’t many people there at that time. Not at all the case if you go 8:15 or later. We had already looked at the menu and we were ready to order hoping to speed things up but it still took a long time. We will be going early again tomorrow. It just works better for us. I posted tonight’s menu earlier. We had: (appetizers) salad, escargot, shrimp
(Entrees) short ribs and flat iron steak. Both were great.
(Dessert) melting cake and yummy good cheese cake
After dinner we went to the Havana area pool and hot tub. The pool
Is rather small but the 2 hot tubs are huge. We were the only people out there. Really cool to have the entire hot tub to yourself.
On our way to Aruba now!
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Loving your review and especially the terrific photos!
Can you tell me exactly how / where you access the Havana Pool area after 7pm? Thx!
It is on deck 5 all the way aft. Just off the promenade. After 7pm you just walk in. The doors are open. Before that they are closed and you have to have something particular (not sure what) to enter. We went tonight after dinner 9:45 and again we were the only people out there. There are two very large hot tubs, one on each side of the pool. I was the only person in the hot tub and the other one was empty too. DH and DS just put their legs in.
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We might be eating in Curacao and not on the ship so in case I forgot, I’ll go ahead and post tonight’s menus.
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Thank you! I was hoping to hear about Adam. He will be CD on our upcoming Valor cruise (out of Galveston in November). I had not been able to find anything about him on CC. Your review is also super helpful since we hope to sail on Vista once it moves to Galveston. Keep your fun spirit!
Thank you!!! Adam is great. You will enjoy him and gosh do I love a British accent.
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Oh and here is cucina del Capitano’s evening ($15) menu
Fun times for today
Off to explore Curacao!
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They had bingo going today. We normally enjoy playing bingo but didn’t feel like it today. I went to the fun shop sale and bought a cute $10 top. Next, we had lunch at the pasta bar. This is in the same location as Cucina del Capitano but that’s what it’s called in the evening and then there’s a $15 charge. This is similar to the way they do the Mongolian wox/ Ji Ji Asian which is also a cost for evening dinner. Both places are only open on sea days and this late afternoon port day . I’ve included the sheet that you use to check off what you want and pictures of our meal. We had a Caesar salad, Lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken. Everything was very good and I highly recommend it.
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Wednesday - Curacao
So since we don’t Port until 1:30 seems that the morning and afternoon are treated like a regular sea day, as far as restaurants go anyway. That’s a pleasant surprise! It was nice to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in the main dining room. Not that I don’t like the Lido breakfast food. It’s great and you certainly everyone can find something they like. It’s just nice to be able to relax, sit down and not fight the masses.
Here is the main dining room breakfast menu. We got the express breakfast and salmon.
My son was being lazy about getting up this a.m. He stayed up late last night. Turns out he went to the Seafood Shack (10 aft) for a late evening snack. Wasn’t there to get a photo. He got the buffalo shrimp and said it was a very big portion for $6. Says it was spicy but he likes a lot of heat so he got extra hot sauce. Here is their menu.
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Although i will not be sailing this ship next month but will be sailing the magic i still found this review to be awesome. We too will be driving with family members from NY, NJ, MD and VA to save on those expensive flights.
Im seriously considering the red frog tour after reading your review and will definitely be trying ther sushi...the photos look great thank you for taking the time to share
Thank you. We have sailed on the Magic before. It’s a nice ship. Have a great cruise.
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Your review and the great close up pics of the menus and Fun Times are great! We're cruising on the Vista Aug 18th. These make it easy to plan! Looking forward to more! Enjoy!
Thank you! I’m hopping the pics...and review... are okay. I’m doing it with my iPhone. My fingers are getting a workout with this small screen.
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Great review.. Following
Super. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Hi Carol, Thanks for your review and I’m so glad that you are enjoying your trip. Where do you recommend sitting in the Liquid Lounge for the best view? TIA
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The Liquid Lounge.... as I’m sure you’ve read on other posts is a bit different than this area on other Carnival ships. Definitely not my favorite. Directly in front of the stage there are about 15 rows of about 30-35 chairs that are not attached to the floor(and no tables in front of them) directly to the left, right and back of these rows there are 12 (4 on each side) booths with semi-circle bench seats with a round table in front of them. I’d say the best place to sit, but I’m sure these spots go fast.
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Vista July 14 cruise review.
in Carnival Cruise Lines
Posted
Forgot to post this earlier. I took the photo so you could get an idea of the size of the theater. Since we were seeing the “dare to be scared show” I asked them to look frightened. Needless to say they won’t be winning any awards.
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