Just off the Vista....Pros and Cons list and anything else you want to ask

[bassmaster150]

PROS:

1. The Hub App - ok...so carnival has really jumped on the technology bandwagon now. The Hub App on your iphone or Android device is really cool. No need for the Fun Times anymore. You can also look at your photos on your iphone as well (will talk more about that later).

 

2. The Internet packages - they work ok, but they are unlimited now for one price and that is really nicethere were three options…Social ($40 I believe), The one we purchased which was Social plus any non streaming websites ($90 if I remember correctly), and one for like $140 that offers streaming, etc and is supposed to be high speed. What we liked was that once you purchase an option, it is unlimited for the entire cruise. It works ok, but can be painfully slow at times.

 

3. The IMAX Theater - this is really cool, and they are actually showing new release movies. We watched The Magnificent 7 the other night in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea on a ship. That movie was only released like one week ago. It is a great experience. We also watched Sulley, and a 3D IMAX movie which was great. We really liked this feature.

 

4. The Checkin process - They now use a scanned image of your passport photo as identification. You no longer have to take a photo as you board the ship. They are also using tablets to scan people on and off the ship. Very fast and very efficient.

 

5. Farenheit 555 - This has always been good for us as we love the specialty restaurants. However, now in Farenheit 555 they have outdoor seating as well which is simply awesome. The food is also outstanding. For $35 per person it is an incredible deal for all that you get. Best steak at sea so far for us…hands down better than Crown Grill on Princess.

 

6. The photo place - no more tons of printed photos. You go to a kiosk and look up your photos electronically and buy what you want. You can also look at your photos from your room directly on your iphone via The Hub app.

 

 

7. The Skyride and Ropes Course – These were pretty cool. The skyride gives you incredible views of the ship and ocean and the ropes course is quite challenging. It is more challenging than the one on the Breeze.

8, Ship Ride – We have been on a bunch of cruise ships in our lifetime, but none has ridden as smooth as the Vista. Not sure if they did something different here, but it felt like it was just gliding over the ocean.

 

 

CONS:

1. The color scheme in the lobby is a bit loud....maybe not Joe Farcus loud, but definitely loud. We don't really care for the blues and oranges that are the theme along with the LED lighting display poles and display ceilings (they have an ocean theme). Again, this is just us...we like the more subdued lobby's like the Breeze and Sunshine.

 

2. The free Drink Coupon for Platinum members - ok...this one is getting old. They give you a free drink coupon, but it can only be used in certain areas at certain times. Pretty much makes it useless to us, but it is a gesture nonetheless.

 

 

3. OK, I told myself that I would never ever in this lifetime comment on this because I thought it was just stupid…..but I have changed my mind. During the entire cruise, we did not go to the MDR as we preferred Farenheit 555 and JiJi which is where we ate the majority of the cruise. We did enter the MDR for a tour meeting spot in the morning and I have to admit….here it comes…..the look of the MDR with no tablecloths is pretty ugly. To us, it looked like a high school cafeteria. That simple thing took away all of the atmosphere of the place. I told myself that I would never comment on this, but it really does look bad. We cannot comment on the fool as we didn’t dine there, but the look is definitely not good in our opinion.

 

 

4. The speakers in Farenheit 555 – not sure who thought of this, however when you are sitting outside enjoying your quiet time and dinner….hopefully an announcement does not come over the speaker…like a cruise director announcement. The speakers are so loud, that you have to wait until the entire message is done before you can start talking again. Kind of ruins the atmosphere a bit. Hopefully they move them at some point.

 

 

If I think of anything else, I will post. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer.

[mirp]

Nice list. Thank you.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[woodman]

I agree 100% about the tablecloths. The MDR on the Magic in Aug. looked just like a cafeteria. It ruins the whole atmosphere. We love cruising so we will continue but just not enjoy the NDR as much as we used to. Happy cruising.

Edited October 13, 2016 by woodman

[dddcruiser]

do they charge extra for the IMAX? just curious what extra fees there are.

[bassmaster150]

do they charge extra for the IMAX? just curious what extra fees there are.

 

Yes...for new releases it was like $12.50 a person. For the 3D IMAX films it was like $6.00 a person

[les37b]

Did you take the cheers package? What was the cost?

 

BTW - I agree with you about the Hub app. One annoying bug they need to fix..... to use chat and get instant messaging, the chat part of the app needs to be loaded and running. If not on screen, there is no live notification that youve received a message which kinda makes it pointless. The info side is good though and a welcome feature.

Edited October 13, 2016 by les37b

[Florings]

Thanks for your comments. Very helpful list.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for sharing your pros and cons.

[Micahs Grandad]

Thanks for your review

[stevenr597]

Thanks very much for the comments. It does appear that Carnival has made a major mistake in regards to the MDR. The absence of tablecloths (American Experience?) may have saved Carnival some money, but has overall cheapened the appearance. In addition, was excited about the IMAX Theater until note was made of a surcharge. It does appear that every improvement comes with a surcharge. Will stick with Celebrity and Princess at this time. But again, thanks for the comments.

[chong67]

Any seafood night (crab legs) on the buffet?

 

Any indian food on the buffet?

[Micahs Grandad]

Thanks very much for the comments. It does appear that Carnival has made a major mistake in regards to the MDR. The absence of tablecloths (American Experience?) may have saved Carnival some money, but has overall cheapened the appearance. In addition, was excited about the IMAX Theater until note was made of a surcharge. It does appear that every improvement comes with a surcharge. Will stick with Celebrity and Princess at this time. But again, thanks for the comments.

 

When we first started cruising entertainment and food was pretty much all inclusive except for alcohol but little by little they give us for pay stuff.

[stevenr597]

When we first started cruising entertainment and food was pretty much all inclusive except for alcohol but little by little they give us for pay stuff.

 

One of the advantages to cruising in the past (besides never having to pack and upack) was the fact that except for the cost of alcohol, everything else was all-inclusive. You get what you pay for. In addition, it was a "classless" experience, if you wanted to book a Suite you paid for the extra space, that was it.

 

It seems that in order to give the "illusion" that prices have been kept down, the major cruise lines have found surcharge and more surcharges to add on. You want room service, you pay extra. You want to see a movie, you pay extra. There are now soft drink surcharges, coffee surcharges, and even a total coffee, soft drink, and alcohol surcharge package.

 

What does this mean. Basically buyer beware. Like any other vacation, the cheapest cruise may not be the cheapest, and passengers may be shocked by the end of the cruise with the real total cost of the economic cruise. I do like that the ships are adding more amenities, but it should be more amenities at a cost.

 

It does appear that the Vista is and will be a great ship. But before one books, the passenger must try to calculate the total (not advertised) cost.

[KPfromCT]

I have to agree with you on the Atrium.:mad:

We were planning DD's high school graduation cruise for next June, and was hell bent on the Vista. Once I started seeing pictures of the atrium ( I know, I know ) It's just an atrium, I just had no desire to go on that ship:D:D

 

Ended up booking Magic, and I cannot wait.:D

 

DH wanted Vista.

DD didn't care too much either way......

 

Not sure why they did the closed off look with that tube over the bar.

It's just UGLY!

 

Love the big open atriums on all of the ships. Breeze is our favorite!

[MuffyKismet]

What room did you stay in. We will be in a Havana Cabana balcony/lani room on deck 5 on 1/8/2017 and was just wondering if you did stay there do you have any pictures to share or comments.

[bassmaster150]

Did you take the cheers package? What was the cost?

 

BTW - I agree with you about the Hub app. One annoying bug they need to fix..... to use chat and get instant messaging, the chat part of the app needs to be loaded and running. If not on screen, there is no live notification that youve received a message which kinda makes it pointless. The info side is good though and a welcome feature.

 

We did not get the cheers package so I have no info for you on that.

[bassmaster150]

Thanks very much for the comments. It does appear that Carnival has made a major mistake in regards to the MDR. The absence of tablecloths (American Experience?) may have saved Carnival some money, but has overall cheapened the appearance. In addition, was excited about the IMAX Theater until note was made of a surcharge. It does appear that every improvement comes with a surcharge. Will stick with Celebrity and Princess at this time. But again, thanks for the comments.

 

I will say that $12.50 is quite the bargain for an IMAX movie. The theater is state of the art and you really believe that you are in a theater on land. I would do it again in a heartbeat....but our next cruise is on Princess. :-o

[bassmaster150]

Any seafood night (crab legs) on the buffet?

 

Any indian food on the buffet?

 

So in the buffet...kind of, but nothing rally to call home about. There is a seperate seafood restaurant on the back of Lido which does have seafood for a fee...I ddin't go there because I forgot about it but really wanted to try it. Also, Guy's Sea Side BBQ is currently under construction on the Promenade deck.

[bassmaster150]

Any seafood night (crab legs) on the buffet?

 

Any indian food on the buffet?

 

Didn't see any indian food

[bassmaster150]

When we first started cruising entertainment and food was pretty much all inclusive except for alcohol but little by little they give us for pay stuff.

 

The pay for stuff is really good. I don't mind the price at all...especially for Farenheit 555. You cannot find that experience for that price anywhere.

[bassmaster150]

One of the advantages to cruising in the past (besides never having to pack and upack) was the fact that except for the cost of alcohol, everything else was all-inclusive. You get what you pay for. In addition, it was a "classless" experience, if you wanted to book a Suite you paid for the extra space, that was it.

 

It seems that in order to give the "illusion" that prices have been kept down, the major cruise lines have found surcharge and more surcharges to add on. You want room service, you pay extra. You want to see a movie, you pay extra. There are now soft drink surcharges, coffee surcharges, and even a total coffee, soft drink, and alcohol surcharge package.

 

What does this mean. Basically buyer beware. Like any other vacation, the cheapest cruise may not be the cheapest, and passengers may be shocked by the end of the cruise with the real total cost of the economic cruise. I do like that the ships are adding more amenities, but it should be more amenities at a cost.

 

It does appear that the Vista is and will be a great ship. But before one books, the passenger must try to calculate the total (not advertised) cost.

 

Agreed...but I do think that you have to take this into consideration. Back in the day when everything was "all inclusive", a new ship didn't cost $1 billion to build. Now it does, and there are two things that carnival can do to offset that huge investment....raise prices, or find ways to add features that they can charge for. All in all, the price for what we did was unbelievable. The fact that the price we paid for a Mediterranean cruise that hit Spain, France, Italy, and Greece was so low that it afforded us the luxury of flying over there in business class round trip. I would rather that the cruise line add these "for fee" amenities and keep the price of the cruise down. Then it gives me the option to use my dollars how I choose to use them rather than charging a higher price up front. Just my opinion.

[bassmaster150]

What room did you stay in. We will be in a Havana Cabana balcony/lani room on deck 5 on 1/8/2017 and was just wondering if you did stay there do you have any pictures to share or comments.

 

We were in a standard balcony on Lido Deck. Once I found out that the entire Havana area was off limits unless you were staying in one of those rooms, I would have booked a Havana room in a heartbeat. The deck 5 wrap around promenade is no longer wrap around. At some point, you come to a set of gates outside that only allow you access if you are wearing a special wristband that is given to the Havana Cabins. If you do not have that, you cannot access the back of the ship.

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[nidaco]

We were in a standard balcony on Lido Deck. Once I found out that the entire Havana area was off limits unless you were staying in one of those rooms, I would have booked a Havana room in a heartbeat. The deck 5 wrap around promenade is no longer wrap around. At some point, you come to a set of gates outside that only allow you access if you are wearing a special wristband that is given to the Havana Cabins. If you do not have that, you cannot access the back of the ship.

 

 

Does deck 5 have hot tubs like the Dream and Breeze?

 

Thanks!

[bassmaster150]

Does deck 5 have hot tubs like the Dream and Breeze?

 

Thanks!

 

I believe so.....can't quite remember now. Sorry