KurtJ

On 12/23/2023 at 6:45 AM, EllieinNJ said:

Have a great cruise.  Hope someone does a trip report.

You wanted a report and I am here to tell you that so far it is smooth sailing! We are currently sailing past the Baja peninsula on our way to Pierre Vallarta. Merry Christmas from the Panorama!

She is in port and waiting for us!

Less than 25nm to Victoria!

She appears to be underway so my level of optimism for the Christmas cruise has risen.

I had to take advantage of the deal. Got a cove balcony for 2 on a 4 day for $30 per person. The gratuities and port fees cost so much more than the cruise fare.

I don’t have a pic but in 2019 on a single cruise aboard the Freedom I took home 5 ships on a stick plus 3 medals. Was a good trip for trivia and giant board games.

1 hour ago, ngrund said:

 

I believe that the newer ships now allow Netflix..etc on the premium plan (that is they are not blocked)

 

One question I have-do the TVs have USB inputs if I want to view content from my tablet or phone

I don’t think you can plug into the tv. I just watched on my iPad.

3 hours ago, pokerguy90 said:

Will be on the Horizon soon, thinking of purchasing the premium wifi. Does anyone know if it will stream netflix or prime?

 

On the Vista I was able to do Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, and HBOMax but I couldn’t get Hulu or Disney+ to work.

4 hours ago, jjdmom8 said:

Don't laugh.. Asking for a friend.

On our September cruise, one person in our party is a die hard pokemon addict.. If they purchase the premium internet package, will  pokemon still work at sea?  Or does it not work at all?

I can confirm I was able to log into Pokémon Go with the premium package but there were no Pokémon at sea. Plenty in ports like Cozumel though!

5 hours ago, nina_930 said:

Are they doing massages and facials on the ships?  

I had a facial, a massage, a mani/pedi, and spent time in the thermal suite aboard the Vista. The spa is 100% open!

And just like that Galveston is within sight. It has been fun reporting from cruise 2 of the return of the Vista. Allow me to remind you that these folks have been out of work for months so please remember to tip extra to the staff, have a great time, and be respectful to each other when you get the chance to come aboard!

It does look like debarkation is being handled just like it was in the past. I have picked up my tags so that we can get off the ship pretty early and clear out for the next group to go have fun! I love going cruising but I miss the cats back home. And when you get on board find Elle because he is absolutely amazing!

So there is one thing that bothered me yesterday and it was a passenger and not the at all Carnivals fault. We were on a shore excursion that was cut short due to onboard time and sail away time being made earlier. This made us “pier runners” even though we were on a ship sponsored excursion. I have seem people clap and cheer at that group but there was one person I am hoping none of you will ever be. They were on their balcony shouting for us to “Hurry the f- up because they wanted the f-ing casino to open”. They even shouted this at the old lady with the walker who was with us and the last one back from our group. They did it to the people who arrived after us from the final excursion back as well. Don’t be that person. It’s a cruise and everyone is trying to relax and have fun. Carnival will open up the donation boxes soon enough…

Our day in Cozumel has come to an end and we are departing for our return to Galveston. We went on the Elite Catamaran excursion and it was totally worth it!

2 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Apologies if I missed this... was this trip originally advertised as stopping in Grand Cayman, and switched to roatan due to Cayman not accepting cruises yet?

 

I'm on the Vista in October scheduled to stop at GC but I just read it will not welcome cruise ships until next year or later. 

We were originally Jamaica and Grand Cayman but our itinerary was changed.

2 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Can you make a reservation for the standup show on the app?

You can’t. It is first come, first served seating. We were talking to others on the ship who also thought they should go the reservation route as well.

Good morning from Cozumel! We are in port with another ship for the first time today and the is the Adventure of the Seas. Our day in Cozumel will be shorter because I think they are worried about the same kind of currents that delayed the Vista last week so our port time was cut by an hour. Gonna have a good time snorkeling out there today anyway! 

22 hours ago, Cowboys4ever said:

My wife and I are on the Breeze tomorrow, YAY!   We like to stream music and workout videos in the morning for our workouts.  Does the ship wifi allow that?  

I don’t know about the Breeze but on the Vista I have had no problems streaming from Netflix, YouTube, or HBO Max on premium and my husband has had no problem with YouTube on the value plan. A video May briefly buffer but then it gets going!

I wanna try Royal again soon 

4 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

And this isn't CV related - this was the method long before CV.

It has never happened on a Carnival Cruise I was on before so it was new to me.

6 hours ago, CruisinMama2003 said:

Thanks for this info. Question since you are in Belize, have you heard or read anything about masks being required even on the beaches there (like Caye Caulker, Goffs Caye, etc)? I had read from someone else just off Vista that they were required on the boat if you did a snorkel excursion, but not sure about the beaches themselves. Thanks!

This is what is in the hub app for today. I didn’t leave the ship so I don’t know about the beaches here.

As I think of things to advise everyone I thought about this today: bring multiple face masks! Every single port requires the wearing of masks both indoors and outdoors unless eating, drinking, or swimming. You don’t want to have to wear the same mask if it gets gross.

Today is off to an interesting start. The weather on the way in to Belize is dreary and the medical team has been called to a guest room on deck 14. Probably good that I have no plans to leave the ship today and instead we are getting a massage.

Our cabin steward told us this morning that our stop in Honduras was almost cancelled because of weather but luckily we were able to go. We have also been informed our day in Cozumel will be shorter. If you are traveling out on a Carnival ship and want to see a comedy show you will need to line up early and they clear it out between shows so others can get a chance so you can’t pick a spot and watch b2b shows. 

4 hours ago, LHARTWICK said:

Would be nice if they never go back to 100%....but I guess that's wishful thinking.  😞 Sounds like the MDR may have already worked out the kinks that the first Vista cruisers mentioned.  👍 Flick is a good show for sure!  Plenty of dining options other than the specialty restaurants. CCL's pizza is our favorite! You can walk to the "flying chairs" in Roatan. The Mohagany Bay port is nice and clean, but Roatan is VERY, VERY HOT!  Take some water with you for sure!  If you Google "Mahogany Bay Port Map", you'll find some useful information.  I think CCL now owns this area?? OP - do keep us posted, as we are all living through you this week!  Could you let us know what bands are playing around the ship?  I haven't been able to find that info.  And please eat a chocolate melting cake for me!

Bands! If I see anymore I will update!