MNKEITH

We were on the 2/25 Vista sailing and ate at the buffet for dinner several times. Don't think you can order steak, although they served the flat iron steak at least once if not more times.

The buffet was pretty quiet at dinner, the days we were there. Not a ton of options but you should be able to find something to your liking.

I am curious as well.

I've never done the airport check in (we usually fly in the day before). But on the Vista in Feb, as soon as they started calling the zone numbers (after the platinum/diamond/FTTF), with each zone they also called 'airport check in's. This would lead me to believe that if you checked in at the airport you did not have to get a standard boarding number when you arrived at the pier and could board immediately (provided that general boarding had already started). We had a 11AM check in time and were at the port right at 11, and received boarding zone 10.

I really look at FTTF as an insurance policy protecting me from the 'unknown', like a delay in getting to the port and showing up when there is a huge line, or some sort of onboard issue where 1/2 of the ship is at Guest Services etc..

I usually buy it when it is available. It was not available for our most recent cruise on the Vista. Looking back, I cant think of one time when having FTTF would have been beneficial this time, outside of dropping my bag off in the room as soon as we boarded.

That said, I will still probably try to snag it next cruise, and then after that it is Platinum City for us and FTTF will no longer provide any value.

Looks like we were getting on when you were getting off gypsywych. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It always surprises me how different peoples experiences can be on the same cruise. I guess it is bound to happen when there are 4K people on board.

We loved the Vista and it is on our short list for our 2018 cruise.

Hi and thanks for your review. I always like comparing others experiences. We sailed on the 2/25 eastern 8 day.

We had anytime dining and our experience was very good. We do not go to the MDR every night. We went on the first formal night. Checked in on deck 5 at about 5:55, no line. They said we could head on down to the dining room and we were seated immediately. The next time we went it was the last or 2nd to last night. We checked in at about 8 and again no line and were seated immediately. Both times we were out within 1:15 minutes.

We are a party of 2 so maybe that impacted our experience. I too had read the reviews of the dining experience and was concerned. For us, it could not have been smoother, but I can understand the frustration others felt.

Thanks for posting. It has only been 2 weeks since I got off the Vista but it feels like months. Your pictures are making me feel homesick for her!

We Loved the Vista, so much so, that I am considering a B2B on her next Feb. Yes the theater has some design flaws, and it doesn't have the 10 story atrium, but that said, she has more dining options than any other Carnival ship.

We had anytime dining and although we did not go to the dining room every night, when we did we never had to wait for a table and service was prompt.

I think you are going to love the Vista, especially since you have a Havana Balcony (we had an inside on 10).

Enjoy!

Haven't been on the Magic, but loved her sister ship the Breeze. That said, we were on the Vista a few weeks ago and loved it. Yes she has some design flaws but we still managed to enjoy the shows in the theater. I vote Vista.

Thanks for the insight everyone!

Hello,

We just got back from our Vista cruise on 3/5. It went great and we are considering doing a back to back on her next year. We have the 6 day cruise picked out (sailing 3/4/18), we just need to decide if the 8 day will be before or after the 6 day.

We have never done a B2B and I was wondering if there are any specifics I should keep in mind before actually booking? Pros and cons sort of stuff.

Thanks

Thanks for the info. In 5 days I will get to check out the Vista for myself !

Thanks for providing your feedback. I get to see for myself in 11 days !

Glad to see you received multiple good reports about the Liberty. She was the ship that started my cruise addiction. I like that it still has the fish and chips place on Deck 10 - above the buffet. The fried fish is ok but the bouillabaisse is what kept me coming back! Have a great time!

Thanks for taking the time to do a review. I'll be on the Vista in about 44 days (not that I'm counting) and cant wait to hear what you think of the ship.

My advise would be to research through the CC boards and Carnival FAQ so you know what to expect, then make a decision that you are not going to let any little annoyances ruin your trip.

For example, if you don't like lines, it is pretty hard to avoid them completely. However, if your ship docks at 8AM, half the ship will go to breakfast at 7:15-7:30. If you go at 6:45, there will be no lines and you can avoid that frustration.

It is hard to know what your preferences are going to be before you have been on a cruise. I had no idea what to expect before mine. But chances are that this will not be your last, so just go with the flow and decide to have a good attitude and keep note of your observations that will make cruise #2 even better.

If the shuttle thing is not a make/break issue, I would suggest the Courtyard Marriott downtown. It is right by the metro mover that will take you to Bayside or Brickell. We stayed there Feb 16, and have it booked again for Feb 17.

There is a drug store (and starbucks) just a short walk away to pick up last minute items.

I have stayed at the intercontinental twice. It's nice but a little flashy for my taste.

I've never used an airport/hotel or hotel/port shuttle, we always grab a cab.

I have stayed at the intercontinental twice. It is nice, nicer than I need actually. The last time we stayed there we spent over an hour waiting for the elevator to get us down to the lobby to leave for the cruise. Every elevator going down was completely full. Eventually we had to ride up to get back down.

On our last cruise we got the Courtyard Marriot and I think that is the perfect one for us. We were very happy to get it for 02/17 as well, at a fairly decent price (150). It is on the metro mover route so you have easy access to bayside or Brickell areas.

I've been on the Breeze, Liberty and Freedom each twice. And though I like them all, I have to say the Breeze was our favorite.

The only thing I really missed from the Liberty and Freedom was the fish and chips option for lunch.

But you will have a great cruise on any one of them!

I was on the Breeze 2/27-3/6 and there was a Latin Duo at the atrium almost every night. They were good and played between the hours of 6 and 11 approximately.

I miss the Breeze so much it hurts like a bee sting!

Out of 7 cruises we have been on, 5 have stopped in St Thomas. It is one of my favorite islands. If you have never been, you can have a great time without leaving the Island. Beaches, shopping, excursions all to be had.

However the last time (4 weeks ago) we decided to venture over to St John for the first time and I have to say we fell in love with the place. So beautiful. I cant wait until the next St Thomas stop, as we will definitely be going back over to St John.

I was nervous going on our own but we had no issues. We wanted an island tour and we were able to go on one of those open air buses that usually pack in 20 people - but there were only 3 of us. It was perfect.

Both islands are great so you win either way.

We were the people getting off while you were waiting to get on. The Breeze is our favorite ship!

Glad you enjoyed your cruise!

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Breeze in 8 days. Your review is helping me get in the mood - as if I really needed help with that!

We will be on the Breeze 2/27. How was the live music, specifically the piano bar entertainer, RFP Guitarist and the band? Is it still Deja Vu?

Glad you had a good time!

If you do book a TBA passenger they will most likely try to hit you with a name change fee when you do book the 2nd person.

When I booked our 2/15 Breeze cruise back in June 2014, I had placed the cruise on a 24 hour hold prior to booking. Somehow the 2nd passenger's name defaulted to TBD. I called back later when I could not find any way to update the name myself and they pulled out the name change fee.

I stated I could not select the name at the time of booking and did not realize the system woudl not let me update it after the fact (which was the truth) and they did agree to waive the fee.

what I found out was that when you place the cruise on hold you have to go as far as selecting the 2nd persons name. If you do not, when you go back to make the booking official it will not let you select the 2nd person.

Maybe they have updated the system since 2014, but that was my experience then.

Not sure where the OP is from, but Jimmy's is a bit misleading. It is a grill, not true BBQ.

It may not be tecnically BBQ but it is still good and worth a try. We had it 2 times on out Breeze cruise back in 2/15 and will definately have it again this year.

It provides a bit of variety from the typical buffet offerings.