Poor quality and service on Vista - new ship

[Shurochk3a]

Very poor quality ship. By far the worst Carnival experience combining with a amazing sites! Cheap, not low prices . From dirty walkways to the long lines at the breakfast buffet- Vista has a long way to go here. It is my 6 cruise on Carnival and by far the worst one. Need to get customer service back. I realized you are getting what you paying for, but it should not be as bad. Sorry , Carnival. Time to find another ways of vacationing.

[bridgetjonesni]

You are literally the only person I've heard complain about Vista as a whole. There are always minor niggles on an inaugural cruise, or indeed maybe the one after that, as they work out teething problems and take on board guest feedback to improve things. If you booked one of these cruises and expected a perfect cruise then clearly you haven't done your research in advance. That's hardly Carnival's fault :cool:

[NCTribeFan]

Certainly wasn't my experience. I'm Platinum, so no long lines for me at the service desk, and not everyone behind the service desk was as helpful or knowledgeable as I would've liked. But I witnessed more than one incident of them having to stand there and be screamed at by passengers and they always kept their cool and remained polite. Don't know how they do it.

 

Service in the MDR for Anytime Dining was hit or miss. Must remember that some of these people haven't worked together as a team. It will take time.

 

Never found long lines for anything else, except disembarking in port and once they started moving, they went quickly.

 

Yes, if you book ANY cruise and expect perfection, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed. Especially a maiden voyage. Why anyone would expect perfection is mind-boggling to me.

 

Dirty walkways? Never saw that anywhere. Now, I think the choice to use a brown carpet in the stairwells and landings was a poor one because they constantly looked like they had sandy footprints on them. Can't imagine what they'll look like when the ship is in the Caribbean and they really do have sandy footprints. But they weren't actually dirty. They were constantly being vacuumed.

 

Oh well. Can't please everyone, can you?

[trippingpara]

I agree with NCTribeFan. I never saw any dirty walkways and they were constantly vacuuming the carpet or mopping the tiled floors. I guess if you consider 5 people in line a "long" line for breakfast than I would agree. Otherwise, I had food in my belly within a couple minutes at every line I was ever in. As for the quality of the build, I never saw any cheap material and from the responses of everyone we heard on board, they loved the build and design of the Vista.

[lizardhowson]

OK, lets reason this through. It's a brand new ship on it's inaugural voyage - carpets and floor coverings, tile are all new, I'm sure the crew has been given a rigid mandate to keep the public areas especially clean to preserve that "new" look and feel. Given this obvious and the reports, reviews, pictures and video posted by so many others - dirty walkways as to be detrimental to the extent to drive someone away from the Carnival brand seems overstated in this case.

 

There are always lines for the buffets on Lido deck - just a fact of cruising. After all, when most people get up, get moving about in the morning they want food and drink. So, some lines at the buffet for breakfast are to be expected. People take some time to pick out what they want and place it on their plate. Other than eating in the dining room every morning, not sure how you get around that. Every cruise I have been on has lines for breakfast - what cruise line doesn't ?

 

Very poor quality ship - ? Not sure what poster is trying to say with this. :confused:

 

Agree with the other poster that the crew is also making adjustments and getting used to working in a different work environment and with different coworkers and supervisors. Might take some time to reach peak effectiveness with regard to customer service (like being waited on by a new server at your favorite hometown restaurant).

 

Every so often you do see a "it was terrible, I am never sailing Carnival again" thread. While not everything on every cruise i have taken has been perfect (mostly weather issues), someone else is cooking, serving, cleaning for me. That is a pretty good start.

 

Noted that threadstarter sought out Cruise Critic, joined up just to make their first post that they are leaving Carnival.

[cruizinisthebest]

Very poor quality ship. By far the worst Carnival experience combining with a amazing sites! Cheap, not low prices . From dirty walkways to the long lines at the breakfast buffet- Vista has a long way to go here. It is my 6 cruise on Carnival and by far the worst one. Need to get customer service back. I realized you are getting what you paying for, but it should not be as bad. Sorry , Carnival. Time to find another ways of vacationing.

 

You are so silly and this post has zero credibility.

[JimAOk1945]

Very poor quality ship. By far the worst Carnival experience combining with a amazing sites! Cheap, not low prices . From dirty walkways to the long lines at the breakfast buffet- Vista has a long way to go here. It is my 6 cruise on Carnival and by far the worst one. Need to get customer service back. I realized you are getting what you paying for, but it should not be as bad. Sorry , Carnival. Time to find another ways of vacationing.

 

Sorry to hear you are unhappy with your Vista experience. Maybe if you go into a little more detail, those who read your post will better understand why you feel this way.

 

What made it cheap? Was it the décor? The layout of your cabin, public spaces, MDR, etc?

 

Why do you say the walkways were dirty? Did you actually see spills or trash?

 

Details needed!

[NCTribeFan]

I've started a review as has trippingpara and Captain Carnival.

 

I haven't even finished unpacking and doing laundry, I'm back at work, I have to go grocery shopping this evening, and I've been sick since the day after we boarded. I still need to upload my hundreds of pics from the ports to a website so I can include them in the review.

 

It's time-consuming.

 

The reviews will appear.

 

I'll repeat what I say over and over - even if a dozen of us who were on the inaugural write reviews, it's still such a teeny, tiny sample size that none of what we have to say should really have any impact on anyone! My experience will be different from anyone else's. It's all "true" to the person who experienced it. We're all being "honest" (I love when someone puts that in the review title as though everyone else isn't being honest :rolleyes: ).

 

Every choice you make on the ship and everyone you encounter and what time of day you do things and when you sleep or don't and how much you drink or gamble has an impact on your perception of the cruise. Most importantly, your expectations really have an impact on how you view your cruise experience.

 

I thought she was quite lovely. The first evening, I overheard someone say she didn't like the decor, that it was "too modern." Perhaps she was expecting Queen Mary II decor or a Titanic replica. Again, managing expectations. It's not like we didn't have months in which to view the renderings of what the ship would look like inside!

[lizardhowson]

I thought she was quite lovely. The first evening, I overheard someone say she didn't like the decor, that it was "too modern." Perhaps she was expecting Queen Mary II decor or a Titanic replica. Again, managing expectations. It's not like we didn't have months in which to view the renderings of what the ship would look like inside!

 

I have always disliked what I consider the "gaudy" decor of the existing ships. I am looking forward to less themed, more modern look.

[Trumpster]

The ship looks fine, apart from its lame thermal suite making the spa cabins not very good choices. Placing family harbor, low, back and under the galley. No tandoor :eek:

 

Still looks like a great ship despite these issues. ;)

[silversneakers]

Very poor quality ship. By far the worst Carnival experience combining with a amazing sites! Cheap, not low prices . From dirty walkways to the long lines at the breakfast buffet- Vista has a long way to go here. It is my 6 cruise on Carnival and by far the worst one. Need to get customer service back. I realized you are getting what you paying for, but it should not be as bad. Sorry , Carnival. Time to find another ways of vacationing.

 

Remember this was the "inaugural cruise"....testing the entire process, including the crew. I did not encounter one single problem and thought the cruise was excellent. A few things needed to be adjusted but that was expected. As the saying goes, "you can't please all of the people all of the time".....and that statement pertains to any ship or resort. Relax and enjoy!:)

[Denisomo]

I was on the maiden voyage and have no idea what this person is talking about. The ship was clean and they were always cleaning . You had to wait in a line for food in a buffet, boo hoo. I bet you were eating within a few minutes and didn't starve. The main dining room took a little while to get going on the first nite but after that it was great. The ship is wonderful, the colors are clean and fresh. The only complaint we had was the embarkation in Trieste, took forever, they were not prepared, worst ever. We arrived by 12:30 but didn't get on the ship until after 4.

[Iluvtocruise01]

i not bashing anyone or blaming anyone this is just my experience:

 

i thought the crew overall did a great job. my dining and housekeeper was great.

 

i do think the material looks great and modern, but yes i would worry about how long it would last, especially once it is down in the Caribbean. i agree the brown carpet and white tiles in the buffet will have its work cut out for the crew. chocolate ice cream and white tiles don't mix but i saw that combination more than once sadly...but they try to keep it clean. i did notice that sound proofing seem to be on thin side since i can hear every door slam as if it was my own cabin door closing.

 

the lines were long at customer service if you're not a platinum member, which i was not sadly so i can see the frustration. there's 2 kiosk, one of which was right across from service but it won't print the statements, i let them know more than once as a courtesy, and they acknowledge it but it still wasn't printing last time i checked it 2nd week into the cruise.

 

there was networking issues that hopefully are now worked out, you order pictures via ipads and when i ordered it with the crew member next to me, it gave us an error network issue, so she order it and from her register, only to realized i was already charged for it afterwards despite the error message. i was also over charge for the "claw machine" that was inside the casino as well.

 

the food at Ji Ji and Seafood Shack was excellent and i thought the debarkation was one of the smoother process (can't say the same for embarkation) i've experience.

[NCTribeFan]

Well, what does calling any poster a troll add to the discussion? If you don't agree with someone, state why. No need to call anyone anything. Either contribute or don't.

 

Everyone has a different experience when sailing than everyone else.

 

Yes, embarkation was rough. But, again, this was a 1-time event for them. I joked that it was like some nightmare where you'd sit in a room for a while, then get up and turn the corner into another room full of chairs where you'd sit, then get up and turn the corner into another room full of chairs where you'd sit...

 

There was no Priority boarding until the 3rd room of chairs.

 

Also, I changed my credit card online several weeks before sailing, and handed my card to the girl at the desk but she said she had all the info and it wasn't need. Silly me paid no attention (although I checked my account multiple times, I was looking at the charges). When I got home and looked at my final bill, they had the other credit card.

 

I wrote to Carnival and complained and got a profuse apology. But what I don't understand is HOW you can enter all that info into your booking yet it isn't in the system when you board the ship. How do they manage to do that?

 

So, word of warning - be SURE they are charging the correct credit card and if not, get it changed at the service desk.

 

And, OP, you are correct that there were very long lines at the non-Platinum desk at times and, yes, the internet connection was messed up for days. And the kiosk across from the service desk was not printing statements. You can check your account on the TV and on the HUB, though.

[lele100]

The ship looks fine, apart from its lame thermal suite making the spa cabins not very good choices. Placing family harbor, low, back and under the galley. No tandoor :eek:

 

Still looks like a great ship despite these issues. ;)

 

No Tandoor? I was just reading trippingpara's review and it states that there is a Tandoor????

[MistyRo76]

The ship looks fine, apart from its lame thermal suite making the spa cabins not very good choices. Placing family harbor, low, back and under the galley. No tandoor :eek:

 

Still looks like a great ship despite these issues. ;)

 

I read in one of the first Vista reviews that there IS a Tandoor Grill on the Vista! They noted that they hadn't seen it mentioned prior to the trip so they were surprised to see it!

[silversneakers]

I read in one of the first Vista reviews that there IS a Tandoor Grill on the Vista! They noted that they hadn't seen it mentioned prior to the trip so they were surprised to see it!

 

I just returned from sailing on the VISTA and I don't remember seeing a Tandoor Grill. I think there is one on the Breeze but I certainly didn't see it on the Vista.

[lizardhowson]

There is no Tandoor Grill listed in the online Carnival dining guide.

Haven't seen a picture or video of it.

[Trumpster]

the person who did mention it said it was in the buffet, which makes me think it was simply an Indian food part of the buffet lines. And not a true tandoor. Which still IMO a stain on the vista.

[Zingy2]

Very poor quality ship. By far the worst Carnival experience combining with a amazing sites! Cheap, not low prices . From dirty walkways to the long lines at the breakfast buffet- Vista has a long way to go here. It is my 6 cruise on Carnival and by far the worst one. Need to get customer service back. I realized you are getting what you paying for, but it should not be as bad. Sorry , Carnival. Time to find another ways of vacationing.

 

This individual gives no real specifics...Purported dirty walkways and alleged long lines at the breakfast buffet. Our family puts no merit into the meager examples cited by this poster. Granted, the Vista is a new ship, she is bound to have issues and growing pains (which are being identified and rectified). We have been following her progress very closely, as family and friends will be sailing on her during the Transatlantic crossing in October 2016. The excitement expressed by her early passengers indicates to us that the Vista is truly a unique vessel. We are looking forward to having an outstanding vacation on her.

[NCTribeFan]

I don't recall seeing a Tandoor either, but I typically don't eat from the buffet. I did have trouble finding the deli (it's listed at Deck 10 aft), so I was hunting for it in the back, where I did find pizza and the seafood shack. I circled the entire buffet area a couple of times and couldn't find it so ordered a late-morning omelette (no line at 11:30 and never more than 2 people at 8 am). While waiting, I looked over and there was the deli, right next to me! :o

 

Asian and Italian are upstairs on Deck 11 which you can reach either from outside on 11 or from a stairwell in the middle of the Marketplace. Took me a little time to figure that out, too.

 

Every "review" by every poster is "meagre" in that it's an impossibly small sample size. Every single person will have a different experience and impressions. Jumping on someone who didn't think their experience was great is pointless. No one can "prove" that there experience was what it was. Just because others didn't experience the same things (or have the same expectations) doesn't mean anyone isn't being truthful.

 

Just read what people have to say, absorb it or don't. I love reading reviews but certainly don't take what anyone has to say as gospel. If my experience was very different, I'll state that, but I don't expect anyone to take my word for anything, either!

 

I try to write very thorough reviews and try to be objective. But I certainly hope that people don't base any of their cruising decisions on what I might say about my own, personal experience!! :eek:

[les37b]

This individual gives no real specifics...Purported dirty walkways and alleged long lines at the breakfast buffet. Our family puts no merit into the meager examples cited by this poster. Granted, the Vista is a new ship, she is bound to have issues and growing pains (which are being identified and rectified). We have been following her progress very closely, as family and friends will be sailing on her during the Transatlantic crossing in October 2016. The excitement expressed by her early passengers indicates to us that the Vista is truly a unique vessel. We are looking forward to having an outstanding vacation on her.

 

The OP was merely posting their personal opinion on a trip they've been on. They are probably better placed to do that than someone who has friends traveling on it in 6 months.

 

They've not criticised your child so I just don't get the need for people to throw their rattles out of their prams. Not particularly aimed at you but it seems pretty completely unnecessary to start labelling people trolls like has happened. I've noticed that Carnival seem to have a fanboy mentality and any criticism brings out this troll cry.

 

OP hopefully they bring it up to scratch before I board and thanks for the info. I'll keep my eyes out for these things. I'm surprised that floors would be dirty. Maybe just some spillage thy hadn't cleaned up properly was to blame.

[trippingpara]

No Tandoor? I was just reading trippingpara's review and it states that there is a Tandoor????

 

I was told my one of the food service officers that the Tandoor was not up and running but will be added to the later cruises. I posted it based off of that. There were a few areas that were not fully up and running yet. I have a feeling though that it is not the true Tandoor though but just Asian/Indian food served with the regular buffet.

[scooter0330]

Just curious if you went to the gym on the Vista and if so were there sauna's in the locker room? I know they have new sauna's and steam rooms in the spa area but you have to pay to access these. On the Breeze, they still had sauna's in the locker room.

 

Thanks

[trippingpara]

Just curious if you went to the gym on the Vista and if so were there sauna's in the locker room? I know they have new sauna's and steam rooms in the spa area but you have to pay to access these. On the Breeze, they still had sauna's in the locker room.

 

Thanks

 

I do believe that there were still regular saunas in the locker rooms.