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Alot of Negative Vista Feedback


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Very surprised at the amount of negative Vista feedback. Seems alot came from the 11/4 cruise.... We cruised her last year and had a wonderful cruise and found very little to find a complaint with ?! We enjoyed her so much we are booked again next week on the Vista! Granted my 1st cruise and this cruise ...we are in Havana cabins... which definitely eliminate the "crowding" issues. However I have always come across "crowding" issues, especially on sea days on my other dozen or so Carnival cruises on other class ships. As far as food....I take bad feedback with a grain of salt....as I would say "to each their own". I've never gone hungry..... I'll be interested in comparing my last cruise experience, on the Vista, in the Lido buffet to this cruise as it seems past cruisers have been unhappy with the food.

 

I plan on roaming the ship and make more detailed observations during our cruise. My wife can sun bathe and read a book all day....I can't sit still more than 10' (lol) ..So I will be up and about observing and checking things out throughout the cruise.

 

I'll report back with my impressions when I return

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Very surprised at the amount of negative Vista feedback. Seems alot came from the 11/4 cruise.... We cruised her last year and had a wonderful cruise and found very little to find a complaint with ?! We enjoyed her so much we are booked again next week on the Vista! Granted my 1st cruise and this cruise ...we are in Havana cabins... which definitely eliminate the "crowding" issues. However I have always come across "crowding" issues, especially on sea days on my other dozen or so Carnival cruises on other class ships. As far as food....I take bad feedback with a grain of salt....as I would say "to each their own". I've never gone hungry..... I'll be interested in comparing my last cruise experience, on the Vista, in the Lido buffet to this cruise as it seems past cruisers have been unhappy with the food.

 

I plan on roaming the ship and make more detailed observations during our cruise. My wife can sun bathe and read a book all day....I can't sit still more than 10' (lol) ..So I will be up and about observing and checking things out throughout the cruise.

 

I'll report back with my impressions when I return

 

We cruised on the Vista this past April. Overall, I didn't much care for the way this ship is designed and laid out. I'll be quite honest, I wasn't particularly "wowed" by the Atrium. The design and seating of the main theater is terrible. With a bar right outside in the Atrium, why did Carnival think it was a good idea to have one inside the theater as well? Couldn't the entrance to the Horizons Dining Room on Deck 3 for YTD have been better planned so that people wouldn't have to go to a little desk on Deck 5 to check in before going down to the MDR to be seated? While I'm glad I got to sail on a new ship, I won't be going again on the Vista, and have no desire to cruise on the Horizon. Those that do, I hope you have a nice cruise.

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Sometimes I think people nowadays like to complain. I know it’s pretty much always been that people will write to complain and rarely to rave. Understanding that there are legitimate issues. None of us are perfect and that includes CCL. but choosing to take a cruise on the largest class of ship, perhaps during the busiest time of the year, spending most of your time in the most busy areas and then complaining that it’s crowded seems rather ignorant to me.... I mean- “whadja expect, Sparky?”

We have yet to sail on vista but do have a cabin reserved on Horizon for April. I wouldn’t call us typically Caribbean cruisers as we spend very little time sun worshipping. We’ve been on both the Dream and Breeze and never felt overly crowded. I’m excited about the Horizon and all she has to offer. That said- we haven’t avoided the Vista purposefully, just haven’t cruised for two years. If the price were right and we had the time- I wouldn’t hesitate. [emoji5]

 

 

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My wife and I spent 14 days on the Vista and loved it. We boarded October 29 and disembarked November 12. If you are one of those people who have to be in line 10 minutes prior to something opening, then yes you waited in a line, but if you waited 20 minutes there were almost no lines. We did find sections of the lido deck close to the food areas to be full, but if you go back by the desert area there were always tables open. Also on the open decks you could easily find open seats. The only place that had a line was the pig and anchor when it was open, but their hours are limited and the food was pretty good for the 10-15 minute wait. We enjoyed having the optional dining venues. The vista does have its short comings which every cruise ship and line does. One thing is for sure it does not matter what ship or cruise line you are on people love to bitch and focus on things they don't like. Sadly that seems to be the norm for everything.

 

A cruise is only what you make of it, I just booked the Horizon and look forward to that cruise.

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I think a lot of the feedback relates to ship size whether passengers realize it or not. Most Carnival passengers have been used to ships that have 2k+ passengers, but the trend has been to ships that have a higher concentration of passengers (note I didn't say larger ships). Carnival's newer ships are approaching 4k passenger capacity. IMHO, that larger size ship offers a very different passenger experience than the mid-sized ships most Carnival passengers are used to. While those 4k passenger ships offer much greater profitability prospect for Carnival, the passenger experience is very different. I think it's reasonable many passengers may not care for the newer, higher capacity ships, but some others may. Some people are just more comfortable than others in a high density environment.

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I've been noticing all the negative feed back also. We have final payment coming up for our March cruise and I'm starting to have second thoughts about keeping this cruise because of the bad reviews. We're spending more then we paid for Royal Caribbean's Allure and Harmony of the seas. I'd hate to be disappointed after spending so much.

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I think a lot of the feedback relates to ship size whether passengers realize it or not. Most Carnival passengers have been used to ships that have 2k+ passengers, but the trend has been to ships that have a higher concentration of passengers (note I didn't say larger ships). Carnival's newer ships are approaching 4k passenger capacity. IMHO, that larger size ship offers a very different passenger experience than the mid-sized ships most Carnival passengers are used to. While those 4k passenger ships offer much greater profitability prospect for Carnival, the passenger experience is very different. I think it's reasonable many passengers may not care for the newer, higher capacity ships, but some others may. Some people are just more comfortable than others in a high density environment.

 

Your post made me think.... and caused me to do a little research to find out just how they do stack up compared by class...

On cruise deck plans website I was able to see the space ratio for all classes of Carnival ships. Meaning the square feet available per person on a capacity sailing.

 

The Destiny Class (Sunshine) has the smallest ratio at 27

The Vista comes in next with 28

The Dream class is tied with the Fantasy class at 29

Then comes the Splendor, Triumph and Conquest classes at 31 each

The largest is the Spirit Class at 34.

 

In my 14 cruises across the line I have yet to sail on the Sunshine (the smallest ratio) or the Spirit class (the largest)

I am sure that has somewhat impacted my opinions up until now. (As does when I have cruised and whether or not the ship was at capacity.)

That said- I was completely shocked that the Fantasy and Dream class have the same ratio! I have seen numerous people site how they are so much less crowded.... interesting...

I have also seen posts about how people don't like the layout of the Spirit class ships... odd since they have the most space.

 

One thing to be noted, this takes into account all public space across the entire ship- so with 4000 passengers all trying to navigate Lido at lunchtime would certainly seem more challenging on Vista than Fantasy with half that amount. I just thought it was good info to make us think...

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"Couldn't the entrance to the Horizons Dining Room on Deck 3 for YTD have been better planned so that people wouldn't have to go to a little desk on Deck 5 to check in before going down to the MDR to be seated? "

 

 

 

 

This might be one of the dumbest things Carnival has ever done. It makes absolutely no sense. You go to a restaurant, go to the hostess, and then you are seated, not rocket science. Anyone make any logic to this, Bueller?

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"Couldn't the entrance to the Horizons Dining Room on Deck 3 for YTD have been better planned so that people wouldn't have to go to a little desk on Deck 5 to check in before going down to the MDR to be seated? "

 

 

 

 

This might be one of the dumbest things Carnival has ever done. It makes absolutely no sense. You go to a restaurant, go to the hostess, and then you are seated, not rocket science. Anyone make any logic to this, Bueller?

 

I'm just spitballing here... as I have yet to sail Vista. Could the thought process be that they wanted to eliminate the line at the MDR door? Or maybe they do still line up after they check in... I'm not sure. I have read about this "feature" and wondered, "what were they thinking?"

Maybe it was an afterthought...

"Oh, crap- where shall we stick this?" :')

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"Couldn't the entrance to the Horizons Dining Room on Deck 3 for YTD have been better planned so that people wouldn't have to go to a little desk on Deck 5 to check in before going down to the MDR to be seated? "

 

 

 

 

This might be one of the dumbest things Carnival has ever done. It makes absolutely no sense. You go to a restaurant, go to the hostess, and then you are seated, not rocket science. Anyone make any logic to this, Bueller?

 

I really like this setup, the last time I used YTD was on the breeze and if you when between 6 and 8 the wait could be as long as 60min. Carnivals things here might have something to do with people huddling around the dinning room waiting for there buzzer to off.

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Your post made me think.... and caused me to do a little research to find out just how they do stack up compared by class...

On cruise deck plans website I was able to see the space ratio for all classes of Carnival ships. Meaning the square feet available per person on a capacity sailing.

 

The Destiny Class (Sunshine) has the smallest ratio at 27

The Vista comes in next with 28

The Dream class is tied with the Fantasy class at 29

Then comes the Splendor, Triumph and Conquest classes at 31 each

The largest is the Spirit Class at 34.

 

In my 14 cruises across the line I have yet to sail on the Sunshine (the smallest ratio) or the Spirit class (the largest)

I am sure that has somewhat impacted my opinions up until now. (As does when I have cruised and whether or not the ship was at capacity.)

That said- I was completely shocked that the Fantasy and Dream class have the same ratio! I have seen numerous people site how they are so much less crowded.... interesting...

I have also seen posts about how people don't like the layout of the Spirit class ships... odd since they have the most space.

 

One thing to be noted, this takes into account all public space across the entire ship- so with 4000 passengers all trying to navigate Lido at lunchtime would certainly seem more challenging on Vista than Fantasy with half that amount. I just thought it was good info to make us think...

 

Perhaps a simpler way to state the point is to say, I'll never cruise a 4k ship, and I'm guessing there are a lot of other cruisers that feel that way too. I guess if that wasn't the case, we'd all be choosing the Behemoth of the Seas on RCCL.

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Perhaps a simpler way to state the point is to say, I'll never cruise a 4k ship, and I'm guessing there are a lot of other cruisers that feel that way too. I guess if that wasn't the case, we'd all be choosing the Behemoth of the Seas on RCCL.

 

The problem with this approach as I see it, is your are now limited to the same few ports.

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I'm with you, my husband and I sailed on Vista last February and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and rebooked her again for this coming February. I've read many reviews about the wait time at the Lido buffet; however, we never waited more than 10 mins, if that, and that wait was typically during breakfast, and we never had an issue finding a place to sit and eat. Our cruise was a full sailing and there were a lot of people, but we never felt crowded, with all the different activities around the ship, cruisers were well disbursed throughout. The staff was always very friendly, or room steward was one of the best we've had and we enjoyed the food at all of the venues. You can't please everyone and there are some really impatient people who look for the slightest issues to complain about. Granted I've only sailed on the Vista once and I know sailings can vary, but I highly recommend this ship, if you've booked her and are rethinking it based on some of these negative reviews, don't, give the Vista a shot, and if your open-minded, like the larger ships and don't mind a bit of a wait, occasionally, you won't be disappointed.

 

Very surprised at the amount of negative Vista feedback. Seems alot came from the 11/4 cruise.... We cruised her last year and had a wonderful cruise and found very little to find a complaint with ?! We enjoyed her so much we are booked again next week on the Vista! Granted my 1st cruise and this cruise ...we are in Havana cabins... which definitely eliminate the "crowding" issues. However I have always come across "crowding" issues, especially on sea days on my other dozen or so Carnival cruises on other class ships. As far as food....I take bad feedback with a grain of salt....as I would say "to each their own". I've never gone hungry..... I'll be interested in comparing my last cruise experience, on the Vista, in the Lido buffet to this cruise as it seems past cruisers have been unhappy with the food.

 

I plan on roaming the ship and make more detailed observations during our cruise. My wife can sun bathe and read a book all day....I can't sit still more than 10' (lol) ..So I will be up and about observing and checking things out throughout the cruise.

 

I'll report back with my impressions when I return

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Sometimes I think people nowadays like to complain. I know it’s pretty much always been that people will write to complain and rarely to rave. Understanding that there are legitimate issues. None of us are perfect and that includes CCL. but choosing to take a cruise on the largest class of ship, perhaps during the busiest time of the year, spending most of your time in the most busy areas and then complaining that it’s crowded seems rather ignorant to me.... I mean- “whadja expect, Sparky?”

 

 

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So true, LOVE THIS!!!!!:'):')

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They test drove this sign in on deck 5 for dinner on deck 3 with the retro fitted Sunshine. I have not sailed on the Vista but I think from the sunshine one of the reasons was to keep the crowd away from the dining room entrance and to give them a bar and more room to wait in. I think the bar and more money to spend before dinner was the main reason. Not saying I like it but people did have many cocktails in hand while waiting and could listen to music.

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I will say that very rarely do I complain about things. I am as laid back, easy going as they come. In fact I've been called a Carnival Cheerleader on more than one occasion. So my gripes are true gripes, not something just to complain about for the sake of hearing myself talk. While I haven't had a bad cruise (even when I had food poisoning on the Conquest - how's that for remaining positive?!) Vista in my opinion leaves much to be desired and that is why I will not be sailing Horizon. I don't mind larger ships, it's the fact that the layout is poor and they try and cram too many people in the main deck areas. Did it have it's good points? Yes. Did the negative outweigh the good in my mind? Yes. So while it wasn't a bad cruise, it's not something that I would care to repeat at that price point.

 

I won't totally write off the Vista again, but I would definitely need to be in a Havana Cabin of some sort, and the price would need to come way down. Forget Horizon - they added like 18 more cabins to the Havana area due to the high demand and tons of extra profit they will be making, and the ship holds like 32 total more passengers yet is exactly the same size. So until that pricing comes WAY down, it's not on my cruising horizon ;). And really the time of year doesn't have much to do with passenger load as all the ships are pretty much sailing full year round. So ya can expect it to be crowded all the time. Only thing that may change is demographics.

 

Here's my thoughts on Vista just in case anyone would like to see what I thought live as I was on it. You can judge for yourself if I "just love to bitch" about stuff I didn't like or if I represented things fairly.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2474346

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Wishing you a wonderful cruise.

 

Approach it with a positive attitude and have a great time.

 

Keith

 

Thanks Keith.... We've cruised numerous times (20+ on all lines...but the most being Carnival). I've pretty much experienced all. Negative comments don't concern me. I only started this thread because I was surprised at the amount of recent negative feedback especially since my previous cruise , on the Vista , was very good. Very much looking forward to sailing on her again next week

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Thanks Keith.... We've cruised numerous times (20+ on all lines...but the most being Carnival). I've pretty much experienced all. Negative comments don't concern me. I only started this thread because I was surprised at the amount of recent negative feedback especially since my previous cruise , on the Vista , was very good. Very much looking forward to sailing on her again next week

 

All you say makes perfect sense to me.

 

Do post when you return about your experience.

 

Bon Voyage! Enjoy every minute.

 

Keith

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Your post made me think.... and caused me to do a little research to find out just how they do stack up compared by class...

On cruise deck plans website I was able to see the space ratio for all classes of Carnival ships. Meaning the square feet available per person on a capacity sailing.

 

The Destiny Class (Sunshine) has the smallest ratio at 27

The Vista comes in next with 28

The Dream class is tied with the Fantasy class at 29

Then comes the Splendor, Triumph and Conquest classes at 31 each

The largest is the Spirit Class at 34.

 

In my 14 cruises across the line I have yet to sail on the Sunshine (the smallest ratio) or the Spirit class (the largest)

I am sure that has somewhat impacted my opinions up until now. (As does when I have cruised and whether or not the ship was at capacity.)

That said- I was completely shocked that the Fantasy and Dream class have the same ratio! I have seen numerous people site how they are so much less crowded.... interesting...

I have also seen posts about how people don't like the layout of the Spirit class ships... odd since they have the most space.

 

One thing to be noted, this takes into account all public space across the entire ship- so with 4000 passengers all trying to navigate Lido at lunchtime would certainly seem more challenging on Vista than Fantasy with half that amount. I just thought it was good info to make us think...

 

 

 

The devil is in the details. When large public spaces like the Havana are cordoned off - the size/passenger ratio is effectively very different for those in and out.

I also think things like an 8 story Atrium and two story dining room create the impression of more space even though filling in that airspace with floor space would actually be better with respect to crowded on paper. When I step in to these towering areas, I think “this ship has space to burn” and I feel less crowded.

 

 

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