First Time cruisers on Vista

[Oligorio]

Hello Everyone,

 

My family and I (Wife 28, daughter 3, father 64, mother 60, sister 35, brother in law 35,nephew 8months and me 32) are cruising for first time on the carnival vista west med departing from BCN on Sept 21st’16.

 

We are pretty excited on this trip but have a lot of questions:

 

1. Is it worth it to buy the cheers up package?
   
2. We heard that cruise lines set up for you some specific hr for eating on the main restaurant, but as of this moment (we made final payment already) I see no place to set up my dining preferences. The only thing is a line that says Your time dining, what does that mean? This means that I don’t get to have a table? If so, are there long lines?
   
3. Formal Night, little ones are allowed? Should they be formal dressed?
   
4. Any tips on what to bring?
   
5. We are from the Caribbean, meaning we are used to hot weather. We will be needing coats?
   
6. Is there a drugstore on board?
   
7. Any excursion you recommend?
   
8. What we should take into consideration for the little ones?
   
9. What is the better time to check in/board!?
   
10. Once you print your bosrding pass and baggage tag is there any other information you need to print upon arrival!?
    

 

Regards,

 

oli

[SweetCruiser39]

Hi Oli,

 

I am cruising on the Vista on August 6. This will be my 13th cruise, so I'll try to answer what I can.

 

1. From what I am hearing, it is probably not worth it to purchase the cheers package because in Europe, the cruise line doesn't stop you from bringing bottles of liquor on. Of course, it's all a matter of preference. Some people buy the packages because they like the speciality coffees and such.

 

2. My time dining is where, instead of choosing early or late seating, you just go to the dining room when you are ready. I, personally, do not like this because I have seen people waiting in lines for dinner. I prefer to have late seating dining, at the same table every evening, so that I have the same waiters for the entire cruise. I found that early seating was too early, as it doesn't allow the opportunity to get back from excursions or to clean up after a day at the pool. If you can't set up a seating preference before the cruise starts, you can go after first boarding to the service desk and try to arrange it.

 

3. For formal night, yes, the little ones are allowed in all the same areas as on any other night. As for how they should be dressed on formal night, I would say think of how they would dress for church and that will be fine.

 

4. Tips on what to bring? That's a tough on. That all depends on how you will be spending your time.

 

5. As for bringing a coat, well, we are from Houston, Texas which I think is actually hotter than the Caribbean. When we went to Europe for the first time in August of 2014, we froze. We ended up buying sweatshirts and wearing the one long pair of pants we brought over and over. I don't think you need coats, but light jackets can't hurt just in case.

 

6. There is a store onboard for immediate needs like toothbrush, aspirin, etc. But not a full blown "drug store.

 

7. I'm still trying to figure out the excursions myself.

 

8. Carnival is fantastic for little ones. There is Camp Carnival, but my kids always chose to just hang out with us. Either way, Carnival is very kid friendly. I really can't think of anything specific that you need to know ahead of time, maybe others will have some suggestions.

 

9. I've never been to this port, so I'm not sure about times.

 

10. Just bring your documents, passport, and a credit card. If you check in online, all the information you need should be on there.

 

I think that's about all I can answer for now. Don't worry, Carnival cruises are a great family vacation.

[Cully1953]

Hi Oli

My wife and I are booked on the same sailing, we too, have never been with Carnival before but we did a similar itinerary on NCL Epic last November so I can maybe answer a couple of your general questions.

1. Everyone in each cabin has to purchase the Cheers package and for adults it is $50 per person per day. I usually only drink 5/6 beers a day and my wife doesn't drink alcohol so the package is not cost effective for us.

5. We are from the UK and have spent a lot of time over the years in Southern Europe. In late September the daytime temps are typically between the mid 70s and the low 80s with the evenings being a little cooler.

7. Regarding excursions, there is a roll call thread on here for that particular cruise and there is a lot of information on that regarding excursions. The thread is located at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2198518 I would suggest you join that, it is very informative.

9. I know that it is a different cruise line but last November when we sailed with NCL from Barcelona we arrived at the port at 11.30am and it took us about 45 mins to get checked in and find our way to the buffet for lunch.

 

I know you and your family will have a great time, there are loads of things to see at each port of call.

Maybe we will meet you aboard ship. Best wishes Paul and Tricia

 

p.s. The cruise starts on the 23rd Sep, I am assuming that you are arriving in Barcelona a couple of days early, as we are

[Oligorio]

Hi Oli

My wife and I are booked on the same sailing, we too, have never been with Carnival before but we did a similar itinerary on NCL Epic last November so I can maybe answer a couple of your general questions.

1. Everyone in each cabin has to purchase the Cheers package and for adults it is $50 per person per day. I usually only drink 5/6 beers a day and my wife doesn't drink alcohol so the package is not cost effective for us.

5. We are from the UK and have spent a lot of time over the years in Southern Europe. In late September the daytime temps are typically between the mid 70s and the low 80s with the evenings being a little cooler.

7. Regarding excursions, there is a roll call thread on here for that particular cruise and there is a lot of information on that regarding excursions. The thread is located at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2198518 I would suggest you join that, it is very informative.

9. I know that it is a different cruise line but last November when we sailed with NCL from Barcelona we arrived at the port at 11.30am and it took us about 45 mins to get checked in and find our way to the buffet for lunch.

 

I know you and your family will have a great time, there are loads of things to see at each port of call.

Maybe we will meet you aboard ship. Best wishes Paul and Tricia

 

p.s. The cruise starts on the 23rd Sep, I am assuming that you are arriving in Barcelona a couple of days early, as we are

 

 

You are right, I got confused since we will be roadtriping spain and france before arriving to BCN on the 21st.

 

What you mean by roll call (remember im new to all this.

[Oligorio]

thnk you. How can I set up my dining time? need to wait for my check in? if I get an specific hr. it means that if i miss it, i wont be able to dine in that rest?

[Liljo22]

thnk you. How can I set up my dining time? need to wait for my check in? if I get an specific hr. it means that if i miss it, i wont be able to dine in that rest?

 

You log into the Carnival Website, you should see your cruise listed. Click on cruise details and there will be a Edit hyperlink next to your dining time. You should be able to change it there if the times are available.

[Cully1953]

You are right, I got confused since we will be roadtriping spain and france before arriving to BCN on the 21st.

 

What you mean by roll call (remember im new to all this.

 

A roll call is a thread, similar to this, but it is just for people going on a particular cruise. If you click on the link I gave you it will take you straight to it.

[Oligorio]

Thankyou!! I will be reading it.

 

See you onboard

[thinfool]

thnk you. How can I set up my dining time? need to wait for my check in? if I get an specific hr. it means that if i miss it, i wont be able to dine in that rest?

 

If you cannot find a place to select a dining time it likely means that traditional dining is full and Anytime is the only choice. That's not really a 'choice'. LOL

 

As for you and your children and 'formal night' I suggest you do some research here and on the Carnival website. 'Formal night' is now "Cruise Elegant" night and is far less formal than it used to be. This should work to your benefit as it means less clothing to pack and transport all the way to the Med.

[southerngirl8]

thnk you. How can I set up my dining time? need to wait for my check in? if I get an specific hr. it means that if i miss it, i wont be able to dine in that rest?

You can do the "anytime" dining, which I recommend. This way you can eat whenever you and your family wish. On very port intensive cruises, I recommend this. Otherwise, you do have to go and eat at a certain time each day in the main dining room!