Just back from Vista

[Coach Pedro]

Just got off the Vista 17-24. Overall rating a C.

 

Piano Bar was excellent

Alchemy Bar was excellent

Guys Burgers was the highlight of the meals......

Ship itself was very pretty, but poorly designed.

 

4000 passengers travelling:

 

2 guys making pizza (was awesome) but needed more capacity there, or a few more guys.:(

 

Front desk (waited over an hour on the first day to correct the mess they made with our cards) need more than 3 or 4 ppl working guest services with 4000 passengers.:mad:

 

Service in all the restaurants was sub par. If you give someone a baked potato at dinner, they shouldn't have to wait 15 mins for sour cream......

 

They must have gotten a good deal on Braised short ribs because they were served 3x in the dining room, and in the meat lasagna :mad:

 

 

It looks like they had a bad crew and things didn't work smoothly. I had a good time, but probably won't cruise Carnival again and def not Vista. Too many passengers and the amenities did not scale with the amount of cabins.

 

This was our 6th or 7th cruise with Carnival.....:mad::mad::mad:

[KPfromCT]

You know, when the Breeze finally came back to the US ( after her summer in the Med ) I jumped on the chance to book it, and we LOVED it. So much so, that we cruised on her 2 years in a row.

This year, when booking for June, DH and DD thought for SURE I was going to book Vista. But after reading all of the reviews, and seeing the pictures of the ship, I decided to book Magic. DH was a bit shocked and annoyed. Wanted to go on the newest in the fleet.......

Happy Wife = Happy Life......

:D:D:D

 

I have since shown him the reviews as they have popped up and he has slowly come around to agreeing that I made the right choice....

 

Hopefully Carnival is reading and won't make these same mistakes with Horizon....

 

Thanks for your review! Sounds like you still had a good time and made the best of it.

Edited December 26, 2016 by KPfromCT

[Coach Pedro]

You know, when the Breeze finally came back to the US ( after her summer in the Med ) I jumped on the chance to book it, and we LOVED it. So much so, that we cruised on her 2 years in a row.

This year, when booking for June, DH and DD thought for SURE I was going to book Vista. But after reading all of the reviews, and seeing the pictures of the ship, I decided to book Magic. DH was a bit shocked and annoyed. Wanted to go on the newest in the fleet.......

Happy Wife = Happy Life......

:D:D:D

 

I have since shown him the reviews as they have popped up and he has slowly come around to agreeing that I made the right choice....

 

Hopefully Carnival is reading and won't make these same mistakes with Horizon....

 

Thanks for your review! Sounds like you still had a good time and made the best of it.

 

what did the other reviews say? We did Norwegian Escape in Sept, would book that one again in a heartbeat.

[KPfromCT]

Pretty much the same thing you are saying.......

Exactly what you are saying....

Maybe they just need to get the kinks worked out......

I know we'll be happy on Magic........:D

[nybumpkin]

We sailed on Vista in the Med this past summer. I liked the ship and probably would sail on her again. I felt they just tried to jam too much on the ship, what with all the up-charge restaurants, the IMAX theater, etc. The main lounge and comedy club spaces were completely inadequate. You shouldn't have to line up 40 minutes ahead of time to see a comedy show that lasts 30 minutes (yes, we did that one night. Another night I arrived 30 minutes early and very quickly realized I'd never get a seat.) The midships dining room, which hosts the set seating times, is only one level instead of two (the casino being directly above), so if you want one of the set seatings, plan ahead or be waitlisted.

[DanusLight]

I did the inaugural US sailing from NYC. I will have to agree that they've tried to put too much in the ship. Long gone are the public seating areas on the Promenade. There are a few in the Atrium and on the two decks above the atrium. The public seating has been enveloped by other dining options, Pixels and Cherry on Top. Our sailing lacked bar and dining staff. It was stated that quite a few staff left the ship when it docked in NYC and did NOT return to work. To mirror what Coach Pedro said, most of the dining options, other than the dining room were only staffed with 2 employees. Pizza. Seafood Shack. Guy's Burgers. Blue Iguana Cantina. The coffee shop usually only had ONE person working. Until more staff is added, I would be hesitant to book the Vista again.

[Love2Cruz2015]

LOL...you made me laugh with the short ribs...I agree with you. I hated my lasagna from Capitano's because of that. We were on the same sailing.

 

I too thought the pizza lines were long. I went about 3 times during the cruise and the waits were about 15 minutes. About as much as I wait at my local pizzeria if I don't order ahead. I don't let things like that bother me though as I'm on vacation and I have no where to be.

 

The only time a wait bothered me was for dinner but that was over an hour wait.

 

I agree with you on the service, it wasn't as stellar as past experiences but there was no outright rudeness, more of a "bit off more than I can chew" type thing. The MDR staff was clueless too and service was sub standard. For instance, we never had our drink orders taken. I drank water for the whole cruise during dinner (which is good for me as I try to stay away from soda)

 

I didn't even try Seafood Shack as it was always empty, and empty restaurants always give me pause.

 

As for seating, the promenade interior type seating along the casino's are gone, but they had more than adequate seating outdoors on Deck 5 and there was also the Ocean Plaza with lots of seating....I thought the crowds were dispersed well.

 

 

I already have another cruise booked on her in 6 months, I'm hoping the crew improves by then and the kinks are ironed out.

[Micahs Grandad]

For a few years the pizza venue on most ships has been very short staffed leading to ridiculously long lines and we tend to avoid it most of the time

[Jelly_Toast]

You know, when the Breeze finally came back to the US ( after her summer in the Med ) I jumped on the chance to book it, and we LOVED it. So much so, that we cruised on her 2 years in a row.

This year, when booking for June, DH and DD thought for SURE I was going to book Vista. But after reading all of the reviews, and seeing the pictures of the ship, I decided to book Magic. DH was a bit shocked and annoyed. Wanted to go on the newest in the fleet.......

Happy Wife = Happy Life......

:D:D:D

 

I have since shown him the reviews as they have popped up and he has slowly come around to agreeing that I made the right choice....

 

Hopefully Carnival is reading and won't make these same mistakes with Horizon...

 

We were on the magic last month and booked for next November as well. I'm now on the look out to book for Nov 2018 when itineraries are released and the kids really wanted the Vista, but I'm with you. After the reviews I've read, I'm hesitant to do the vista, not sure about sailing the magic three times in a row. Not sure what to expect of horizon. So up in the air right now.

Edited December 26, 2016 by Jelly_Toast
Typo

[billfish]

what did the other reviews say? We did Norwegian Escape in Sept, would book that one again in a heartbeat.

 

We like you were recently on the Escape and iy was one of the best cruises we have ever been on. We are on the Vista in January and hope Carnival has done some work on what sounds like some big problems. Most of the reviews I have read are Fair at best. This will be our 8th Carnival cruise in 8 years and may be our last.

[BoDidly]

For a few years the pizza venue on most ships has been very short staffed leading to ridiculously long lines and we tend to avoid it most of the time

 

The reasoning behind the long lines ,their hoping people will get restless and bored. Then they will head to the pay restaurants.

[Rosethorn40]

LOL...you made me laugh with the short ribs...I agree with you. I hated my lasagna from Capitano's because of that. We were on the same sailing.

 

I too thought the pizza lines were long. I went about 3 times during the cruise and the waits were about 15 minutes. About as much as I wait at my local pizzeria if I don't order ahead. I don't let things like that bother me though as I'm on vacation and I have no where to be.

 

The only time a wait bothered me was for dinner but that was over an hour wait.

 

I agree with you on the service, it wasn't as stellar as past experiences but there was no outright rudeness, more of a "bit off more than I can chew" type thing. The MDR staff was clueless too and service was sub standard. For instance, we never had our drink orders taken. I drank water for the whole cruise during dinner (which is good for me as I try to stay away from soda)

 

I didn't even try Seafood Shack as it was always empty, and empty restaurants always give me pause.

 

As for seating, the promenade interior type seating along the casino's are gone, but they had more than adequate seating outdoors on Deck 5 and there was also the Ocean Plaza with lots of seating....I thought the crowds were dispersed well.

 

 

I already have another cruise booked on her in 6 months, I'm hoping the crew improves by then and the kinks are ironed out.

 

Its funny how people on the same cruise can have different experiences. I am a bit more understanding now that while I may have had a good/great time on a cruise, for someone else it wasn't so good.

 

For example, we must have been going to the seafood shack at different times. We ate there on Sunday evening and it was not empty. We went a second time, and it was far too busy and DH didn't want to wait so we went to the deli (For just okay Reuben's).

 

We never ate in the main dining room, but I have heard from many about the excessive waits. An hour for Anytime is far too long. I am thinking it was probably due to the fact with all the families on board, and/or people wanting to eat early to go to shows that the times between 6:30-7:30 were really backed up. I spoke to people who had no wait if they went really early or later, say after 8:00.

 

We had some uneven service in the steakhouse and Bonsai, but great service in JiJi's and at the Chef's Table. Service was good at lunch too, the two times we ate at Capitano, where I might add I loved the lasagna.

[firemanbobswife]

The reasoning behind the long lines ,their hoping people will get restless and bored. Then they will head to the pay restaurants.

 

 

At midnight? That's when I like to go and that's the longest lines I ever experienced on any ship because there's really nothing else to eat besides room service.

Edited December 26, 2016 by firemanbobswife

[BoDidly]

LOL...you made me laugh with the short ribs...I agree with you. I hated my lasagna from Capitano's because of that. We were on the same sailing.

 

I too thought the pizza lines were long. I went about 3 times during the cruise and the waits were about 15 minutes. About as much as I wait at my local pizzeria if I don't order ahead. I don't let things like that bother me though as I'm on vacation and I have no where to be.

 

The only time a wait bothered me was for dinner but that was over an hour wait.

 

I agree with you on the service, it wasn't as stellar as past experiences but there was no outright rudeness, more of a "bit off more than I can chew" type thing. The MDR staff was clueless too and service was sub standard. For instance, we never had our drink orders taken. I drank water for the whole cruise during dinner (which is good for me as I try to stay away from soda)

 

I didn't even try Seafood Shack as it was always empty, and empty restaurants always give me pause.

 

As for seating, the promenade interior type seating along the casino's are gone, but they had more than adequate seating outdoors on Deck 5 and there was also the Ocean Plaza with lots of seating....I thought the crowds were dispersed well.

 

I already have another cruise booked on her in 6 months, I'm hoping the crew improves by then and the kinks are ironed out.

 

That may be another problem waiting to become a bigger problem . Some staff members are under a six month contract and then new crew members will board the ship . Some are trained and others not so much.

[easyboy]

Thank you for your honest review.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[BoDidly]

At midnight? That's when I like to go and that's the longest lines I ever experienced on any ship because there's really nothing else to eat besides room service.

 

Good Morning :D you know what I meant ;) But midnight ,ridiculous . another sign of over crowding or people are just not happy with the food or service on Vista

Edited December 26, 2016 by BoDidly

[firemanbobswife]

Good Morning :D you know what I meant ;) But midnight ,ridiculous . another sign of over crowding or people are just not happy with the food or service on Vista

 

 

Haven't been on Vista yet, but we like to go for pizza around midnight and there is always a line. I feel so bad for the guy back there. They really do need more help. There's just not a whole lot of options that time of night unless you want to wait an hour or better for room service and then you're stuck in your room until it comes. We eat at 6pm and with all the running around can work up an appetite at that hour. [emoji3]

[crzndeb]

Haven't been on Vista yet, but we like to go for pizza around midnight and there is always a line. I feel so bad for the guy back there. They really do need more help. There's just not a whole lot of options that time of night unless you want to wait an hour or better for room service and then you're stuck in your room until it comes. We eat at 6pm and with all the running around can work up an appetite at that hour. [emoji3]

 

Something that might help on some nights....although I am usually in bed early and up early, the fridges in the room are truly fridges and keep things cold. You can always take some cold cuts, cheese, etc. down to your cabin for a late night snack. On my Med cruises, this came in handy for a quick snack before going out on port days. I also likes having cold water and other drinks in there. I brought some baggies, so I would take a plate of chocolate chip cookies and transfer to a biggie for fridge. Came in real handy for a chocolate attack...LOL

[firemanbobswife]

Something that might help on some nights....although I am usually in bed early and up early, the fridges in the room are truly fridges and keep things cold. You can always take some cold cuts, cheese, etc. down to your cabin for a late night snack. On my Med cruises, this came in handy for a quick snack before going out on port days. I also likes having cold water and other drinks in there. I brought some baggies, so I would take a plate of chocolate chip cookies and transfer to a biggie for fridge. Came in real handy for a chocolate attack...LOL

 

 

I'm not a big cheese fan, but I can see that. I hear the microwave is in the closet so maybe I'll ask my waiter for a doggy bag and heat up some leftovers [emoji23]

[crzndeb]

I'm not a big cheese fan, but I can see that. I hear the microwave is in the closet so maybe I'll ask my waiter for a doggy bag and heat up some leftovers [emoji23]

 

The safe is in the closet, haven't heard of any microwaves, at least in my 4J, there wasn't.

[firemanbobswife]

The safe is in the closet, haven't heard of any microwaves, at least in my 4J, there wasn't.

 

 

I'm kidding! Somebody was complaining on another site that their microwave (safe) did a terrible job of heating their food. And someone else didn't understand why they couldn't get a doggie bag for their leftovers.

[Love2Cruz2015]

Its funny how people on the same cruise can have different experiences. I am a bit more understanding now that while I may have had a good/great time on a cruise, for someone else it wasn't so good.

 

For example, we must have been going to the seafood shack at different times. We ate there on Sunday evening and it was not empty. We went a second time, and it was far too busy and DH didn't want to wait so we went to the deli (For just okay Reuben's).

 

We never ate in the main dining room, but I have heard from many about the excessive waits. An hour for Anytime is far too long. I am thinking it was probably due to the fact with all the families on board, and/or people wanting to eat early to go to shows that the times between 6:30-7:30 were really backed up. I spoke to people who had no wait if they went really early or later, say after 8:00.

 

We had some uneven service in the steakhouse and Bonsai, but great service in JiJi's and at the Chef's Table. Service was good at lunch too, the two times we ate at Capitano, where I might add I loved the lasagna.

 

Just goes to show people need to take all reviews with a grain of salt. My opinions are my own..and based on MY PERSONAL experience..someone else might have a completely different experience....that's why people should just try what they like and roll the dice!

 

All in all, I NEVER met a cruise I didn't like. :D

 

(Except maybe Majesty of the Seas, I think she turned me off of RCCL for life...but that's not fair either as it's their oldest and smallest in the fleet)

[cruizinisthebest]

Just goes to show people need to take all reviews with a grain of salt. My opinions are my own..and based on MY PERSONAL experience..someone else might have a completely different experience....that's why people should just try what they like and roll the dice!

 

All in all, I NEVER met a cruise I didn't like. :D

 

(Except maybe Majesty of the Seas, I think she turned me off of RCCL for life...but that's not fair either as it's their oldest and smallest in the fleet)

 

I take them with even less than that - especially food complaints. Someone told me today that the pizza onboard was disgusting. I think it's delicious. Others fall somewhere in between. See how that works.

 

Not regretting booking the Vista. Just like I booked the Sunshine and never looked back. But then the Sensation is one of my favorite ships. We'll form our own opinion once we return. Thanks OP for the feedback.

[Rosethorn40]

Just goes to show people need to take all reviews with a grain of salt. My opinions are my own..and based on MY PERSONAL experience..someone else might have a completely different experience....that's why people should just try what they like and roll the dice!

 

All in all, I NEVER met a cruise I didn't like. :D

 

(Except maybe Majesty of the Seas, I think she turned me off of RCCL for life...but that's not fair either as it's their oldest and smallest in the fleet)[/color]

 

Well that is something we do agree on. I've only sailed on RCCL Grandeur of the Sea, before her 6-million dollar makeover, and I wasn't impressed by their product, but I'll never say never.

Edited December 26, 2016 by Rosethorn40

[crzndeb]

I'm kidding! Somebody was complaining on another site that their microwave (safe) did a terrible job of heating their food. And someone else didn't understand why they couldn't get a doggie bag for their leftovers.

 

LOL! I never assume on these boards anymore, although I do know you are very knowledgeable (and very patient) on this board. But you did have me thinking about it.