Vista Inaugural 5/1/16 13-nights Trieste-Barcelona Review

[sjn911]

Welcome home...feel better, thanks for the review...enjoying it...take your time.

[cshellz]

Good start, following we're booked in 2454 in Aug.

[NCTribeFan]

I have no idea who the Maitre D was. It's in the Funtimes somewhere I'm sure. I'll try to remember to look tonight. No, he didn't sing, but we did Anytime and missed several nights of the singing/dancing, which was fine by me.

 

As for booking a Family Harbor inside vs a standard balcony, I can't really give advice. I'm not a balcony snob and actually prefer an inside to an OV. I like it dark when I'm sleeping. There were a few mornings when I woke before 6 am because of the light seeping in around the curtain. :(

 

I think the Family Harbor is a great idea. I didn't hear any kids running down the hall in the evening. The only time I saw running and shouting was when kids were with a parent and the parent said nothing to them. Folks, even if it's the middle of the day, please teach your kids that it isn't OK to run and yell up and down hallways at any time, either on ships or in hotels. Lots of people take naps during the day. It's just inconsiderate to allow the running. And, adults, think about keeping the volume of your own voices down, too. Everyone just seems to be SO LOUD these days!

 

They do have a concierge to help with the kids activities and I believe you get some free babysitting time included. I'm sure that was nice for parents to be able to go to a late show or the club without having to pay extra for the service. I think if I have small kids, I'd definitely weigh the differences in the costs. There are also a few FH cove balcony cabins (not the big suites). You should price those, too. That way, you'd get your balcony space and the FH amenities.

[caribnsnrklr]

I would like to hear from NCTribeFan the name of the Maitre d on the Vista. Did he sing in the MDR at dessert time. HAPPY SAILING!!!

 

Hello, if you are looking for Ken Byrne (the singing Maitre d) he is on the ship but in the set dining time restaurant. I had YTD too but heard he was there and went to talk to him. Don't recall who the Maitre d was for YTD since we only went a few times.

[caribnsnrklr]

Got script for an antibiotic for the sinuses and prednisone for the lungs. Should start to feel a bit better in a couple of days. If I can, I'll work on uploading photos and start the review for real with our pre-cruise activities (Thursday and Friday in Venice, Saturday trip to Slovenia, Sunday morning tour around Trieste).

 

Hope you feel better soon! I heard a lot of people were sick during this trip including a few people we met during the cruise. I am very thankful hubby and I didn't get it.

[NCTribeFan]

I always used to write up my review in Word day-by-day and then copy & paste here. Well, I don't have Microsoft Office suite on my laptop now so I decided to try using Google Docs. I do it mainly so I can keep my reviews on my computer. I tend to refer back to them when people post threads/questions later on about the ship or ports. It's easier than finding my review threads.

 

So I've started, and I've uploaded the Venice photos to Flickr. Will post something "real" soon.

 

No, I haven't done any more laundry and my suitcase is still opened in the floor. At least I went to the grocery store and I'm already starting to feel marginally better. :)

[NCTribeFan]

5/28 Venice, Italy

 

Left RDU on Wednesday afternoon at about 1:20 arriving in Philadelphia to meet up with my 3 fellow cruisers. I initially booked an inside Family Harbor cabin hoping to find someone to share with me. That didn’t happen, so I moved across the hall into a Family Harbor Deluxe Oceanview to share with 3 others. One, I’d sailed with the past two cruises. I’d met her on Pride and then moved in with her on Splendor to Bermuda when her travel companion cancelled. Then, she moved in with me on the Sunshine Journeys sailing. I hadn’t met her friends, but they both had sailed multiple times before and both had been on Carnival in the past (one was Red and one was Gold).

 

When boarded our flight to Venice, and, miraculously, I had one of the very few empty seats next to me, so I was able to stretch my longs legs a little bit. I hadn’t been to Europe in over 15 years and have never been able to really sleep sitting up. I purchased one of those headband thingies that has speakers and can be positioned to cover your eyes, too, so I was prepared. The food was better than I remember (we were on American, which was a first for me). Had a glass of wine with dinner, watched part of Mockingjay Pt 1, then put on my headband, plugged in my phone and set my white noise app. There was a USB port in the arm, so I didn’t need to worry about my phone’s battery dying.

 

So, eat dinner, watch part of a movie, semi-sleep for a couple of hours, be awakened and fed breakfast even though you just ate dinner, and before long, you’re on the ground and in the Venice airport. Got our bags, bought our tickets for the Vaporetto, and we were off to our hotel. After a rather long, bumpy, and cool ride, we passed down the Grand Canal and arrived at our stop, hauled our bags down a narrow street, and arrived at Hotel Ala.

 

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The hotel has a magnificent Murano Glass chandelier in the lobby. The four of us squeezed into the tiny elevator while the porter hauled all our big bags up to the 3rd floor. We had two queen beds, which worked just fine for one night. After all, we were going to be ready for a good sleep before long.

 

We headed out to explore and stopped in a cafe on a square (Hostaria Galileo) that had indoor seating as it was sunny but the wind was rather brisk. I don’t remember what I had to eat but it was very good. Had my first Italian beer.

 

 

We wandered around some more, found our meeting point for our tour later, went across the square and had a cappuccino, more wandering, and eventually it was time for our walking tour. I have no idea where we went. I was feeling rather jet-lagged, despite the caffeine. After the walking portion, we had a gondola ride.

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the hotel, we decided we’d just eat there. Except they don’t actually have a restaurant. So we went out to the place across from the hotel and they weren’t open yet, so back to the hotel bar for a drink. Back out for dinner, which was really very good. I had something that was minced veal stuffed in pasta and no idea what else. And wine, of course. Lots of wine was consumed on this vacation.

 

Back to the hotel, showers, and collapsed into bed.

[NCTribeFan]

5/29 Venice

 

We were up fairly early and went down for our complimentary breakfast which, again, was quite good. I’m a hot tea drinker (several cups a day) but knew better than to expect to get a good cuppa in southern Europe so I stuck with coffee. We’d arranged with the hotel to book a water taxi over to Murano. We re-packed and stored our bags in the hotel, then headed out. At one point, I looked out and could just make out the snow-capped Italian Alps in the distance.

 

We had a private guide take us to the glass-making factory where he explained the process and how the family specialties are handed down generation to generation. He was very adamant about the fact that “Murano Glass Made in Italy” was NOT Murano Glass made in Murano. There are shops that carry the real deal, but most of what you find in the shops is Murano-style, not what you can buy directly from them.

 

It was stunning. The custom-made items are just gorgeous. Upstairs, we ended up in the room with wine glasses. Imagine that! One of our party was interested in purchasing some. So, while she was debating, I suggested that if there was something actually in the glasses, she’d get a better of idea of how they were “in hand.” So, our handsome young guide went and brought back a bottle of bubbly! And she ended up buying a set of 6 special edition glasses at a 1,200 Euros. Yeah, just a little out of my price range. I ended up buying my daughter a ring for 20E. Hey, big spender!

 

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We had our water taxi drop us in front of the Doge’s Palace. Fighting the mobs, we walked to St. Mark’s Square for a look at the Basilica.

 

 

Time for lunch! Apparently “the place” to eat is at Caffe Florian. Although still quite cool, we opted to sit outside this time as the quartet was playing (yes, we were charged a “music fee” on our bill). We ordered peach Bellini’s but were told they had only strawberry, so we decided to try them. Again, not sure what I ate, but it was good. Odd how I always remember what I had to drink but not eat. Hmmmm.

 

 

Back to the hotel as I tried to find an ATM. I still had no Euros. Finally found one and made my first ATM withdrawal. We then boarded our water taxi and headed to the train station. We had reservations for the train to Trieste, but had to get to that station from the smaller one in Venice. It didn’t take long but we had to pay a porter 30E to haul our pile of luggage to the station. I took a 25” case and my carry-on. Someone, my travel companions all seemed to have a large case, a carry-on, another small case plus purses. IMHO, they all overpacked.

 

 

 

Finally at the Trieste station, we had some time to kill, so headed to the McDonalds. Yes, you read that correctly. McDonalds. The good news was there was also a bar in there, so I had a glass of white wine with my Double Cheeseburger and fries. And they were generous with the fries. Time to head for the platform and discovered that we had to haul the bags up a long flight of stairs. I went first, then had the oldest (and smallest) of the group come up with only her two smallest bags while I went down to help ferry up the larger bags. Note to people: don’t bring more/heavier luggage than you can manage yourself. There’s no way she could even get her carry-on up into an overhead bin on a plane. You just can’t rely on there people someone to help you. Sad but true.

 

First class seats included a complimentary glass of bubbly and snacks. We talked and looked at the scenery until it was dark, then everyone else dozed. I couldn’t sleep. Once we arrived in Trieste, we hauled out bags out to the curb and got a taxi to the Savoia Excelsior Palace Hotel. We had a little balcony that looked directly across the street to where the ship would be docked the next night.

 

 

Our room for 4 had a queen bed, a chaise made up as a bed, and a cot. I got the chaise because I needed a plug for my phone to use my white noise app. Despite assurances that no one snored, the little one apparently had begun doing so and it woke me a few times the night before, despite my exhaustion. This was not going to be a good thing as we had 15 more nights to share the same space.

[jandb6266]

I want to thank caribnsnrkin for the info on Ken Byrne. We had Ken on the Pride last year and we are sailing on the Pride in 40 days. We loved his singing and how he made a point to come to your table and interact with you. I read a post about a month ago saying he was going to be on the Vista and I was hoping they were talking about when the Vista relocates to the states.

HAPPY SAILING!!!

[LaCal]

Great review so far and awesome photos....Can't wait for more

 

I'm on the Vista Oct 1st 😜

[Ybarrabells]

Following

[mtns2sea]

Thanks for the report.

[mairinmaureen]

Subscribing!

[SenatorsFan]

I'm enjoying the review and pictures so far! :)

Heather

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Good start! Next time have earplugs for the snoring.

[sjn911]

The whole thing is simply bringing tears to my eyes...last and first time i was 20 and so praying to be able to go again. But if not...these pictures and tales make it so vivid and real again...like your travels never ever leave you and they mean so much...almost like sharing a place and feeling with another as we stay on these boards...thank you so very much for your efforts and the beautiful pics. There is never too much and just nothing like Europe and I say that very broadly..many places have not been on that side of the pond and many very briefly. I have a pic of St. Marks square where the lady in foreground I could kiss has a pink dress and big circle pleated skirt that went wide in the wind and all the pigeons took off..1980..but same feeling different angles and same "fixit" scaffolds up...OMG the whole of Italy I loved and so fast..it went...thanks sooooo much..you are making my night before sleep...Please dear Lord...let us keep some of this architecture and sense of place for the world..thanks again..sarah

Edited May 18, 2016 by sjn911

[mississauga]

Interestingly, for a European cruise fellow students passengers were not as diverse, predominantly Americans, with very few other nationalities unlike other lines I have sailed in Europe. As for the burgers... Great they were good with a broad selection of do it yourself toppings. If I had to choose the best however these would be number 2 to Celebrity as they were a bit on the greasy side. I

 

 

 

We got a completely different impression than you did. So many other languages heard.

 

Not to say that this was the accurate demographics on the cruise but based on personal experience of those we spoke to, met or overheard, more than half of the ship were non Americans. Even those we spoke English, many were Canadians and Australians. A lot more than we have cruised with in the Caribbean.

 

A very diversed mix of passengers. JMHO.

Edited May 18, 2016 by mississauga

[mississauga]

The OP has posted that Ken is the Maitre'd in Reflections, the assigned seating dining room. FYI: Kris is the Maitre'd in Horizons in the YTD.

 

Both very personable.

[Surrealistic]

I was also on this cruise and enjoyed meeting you NCTribeFan at the cabin social hosted by Chris & Michele. :) Your photos are magnificent and making me wish I was right back there this moment!! Looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Christine

[NCTribeFan]

MsFB - Earplugs don't really work for me. I can't keep earbuds in when trying to listen to music. Earplugs, if I can even get them to stay in, simply make the zinging in my ears unpleasantly loud. Sort of my own white noise only not a soothing one.

 

Hi Christine! It was nice meeting you. I need to get in touch with Chris and thank him for that lovely get together.

 

mississauga - I agree and said that, too. I heard lots of foreign languages being spoken.

 

sjn911 - this was my first time for all the ports and it was pretty overwhelming. My previous trips to Europe were all UK and France (with brief side trips from France into Belgium and Germany), and it had been over 15 years since I'd been at all.

 

That first day in Venice, we were sitting talking and I suddenly exclaimed "I'M IN ITALY!!!!"

 

I still find it somewhat amazing that you can walk into a metal tube, sit down, and a few hours later, you're halfway around the world in a place where you understand none of the language and have no idea how to get around.

 

It's wonderful, isn't it? :D

[pirate4me2]

OMG awesome pictures. I MUST get over my fear of flying so I can do a Med cruise!

[reerun25]

Enjoying the review so far!

[Raisinkain]

looking forward to it

[Adam Rose]

Great so far!

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

Loving the review so far!:D

 

pirate ~ hope you can get over your fear of flying as there's a big world out there for you to discover. It's so amazing how old some places are & the history & beauty of them.

 

Looking forward to reading more about the Vista as I'll be on the TA in October & can hardly wait!

 

~ Jo ~ :)