Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Carnival Vista: January 22-28, 2017: Review

funandsun63

By funandsun63,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

 Share

Recommended Posts

funandsun63

funandsun63

Posted
Posted

I wanted to write this review because we had read so many unfavorable reviews of the Carnival Vista. We did not have a bad experience and wanted to hopefully put other upcoming cruisers at peace! This is my 18th cruise so I feel I have adequate cruising knowledge! We are a couple in our early 50’s.

 

Embarkation: We arrived at the cruise terminal at 12:00pm. There was a very long line outside of the cruise terminal that we entered. The line progressed pretty fast. Once inside the terminal, we had to wait for our group number to be called. We were on board and in our stateroom by 1:30pm.

The ship layout: Overall, the ship was awesome! Some other reviews had exclaimed that there was “no flow” to the ship! We did not find this was the case! It was very easy to find our way around the ship! At every elevator, there is a map! If you are lost, ask someone to help find you your way. When in doubt, look on the Carnival Hub app. (see more about this below.)

Our cabin was very nice with ample storage room. The only thing that was different from other cruises was the electricity/power in the room. When we walk in the door, you have to put your sail/sign card in a slot next to the door. This allows you to have power to the room. So, if you wanted to charge your phone, we would need to do it while we were in the room. Otherwise, the power turns off. I do understand the reason why the designed it this way. It is always good to save electricity. The bed was very comfortable.

 

The Liquid Lounge Theater is on the smaller side, however, the ship offers several showings each night so everyone can attend. My favorite show was America Rocks.

The Atrium is also on the smaller side, however, it has a beautiful LED display that can be seen from several decks. There was also great violin group that played in the evenings. On one of the nights, there was a White Party. Passengers were advised to wear all white. There was a lot of fun music and dancing!

 

The Cruise Director: Matt. AWESOME!!! Very energetic! He was the best Cruise Director we have ever had.

 

Spa: The first thing we did when we got on the ship (after going to our room) was go over to the spa. We had a spa-room. We really wished we hadn’t gone on a spa tour! In my opinion it was uncomfortable and upon every stop there was a very high pressured sales pitch! I felt like I was at a car dealership! We had access to the Thermal Suite for the entire cruise. It was very nice. Despite what other people had posted, there is a Thalosotherapy pool in the Thermal Suite. My boyfriend and I also each had a massage and facial. Again, at the end of each, there was a high pressure pitch to buy “products that you really need to have”. The sauna rooms were really nice! In one of the rooms, you can pick the aromatherapy scent in the room! There were also heated lounges to lay down and relax upon. It felt so good!

Lido Marketplace: The lines were NOT that long! There was not a huge variety of food, but it was sufficient. There are two separate areas that you can get the same food.

Guy’s Burger Joint: Very tasty burgers! They have a wide array of toppings and sauces to choose from. The staff members were very friendly.

RedFrog: I had the sliders and they were pretty good. It always seemed quieter in there, which was nice!

Bonsai Sushi: My boyfriend enjoyed the food!

Blueiguana Café: Great breakfast burritos!

Pig & Anchor: I loved the chicken and mac and cheese. This was the longest line we encountered at an eatery.

Dining Room: We only dined in the dining room for breakfast one time. We had read posts about the long lines for dinner and the posts were true!!! Guests are required to walk up to a desk to get a ticket to enter the dining rooms. I heard a lot of passengers complaining!

 

Steak House: Our dinner was very good! My boyfriend had the Surf and Turf and I had a Filet Mignon. He had cheesecake for dessert but was a little disappointed that it wasn’t chilled enough. I had the Chocolate Sampler which was very good. (I was stuffed by this point!).

 

Carnival Hub App: I highly recommend downloading and paying the $5.00 for it. The app has the hours of the restaurants, a map of the ship, a guide to what is happening all week and most importantly a messenger option. It was so nice to just text my boyfriend if I wasn’t at the same activity as him. We were able to meet up at certain times and locations. It is so much easier than having to leave a note in the room.

 

Misc.: On both sea days there we were notified by the captain about 2 small fires. The captain was very good about communicating the issues and when they were quickly resolved! We were never concerned for our safety. 

In the Lido Marketplace, they had self-service beer dispensers. I believe the cost was $4.00.

On the morning of the last sea day, the Lido pool deck was “invaded” by towel animals! On every chair, bar, etc. there were many different kinds of towel animals! It was very creative and both kids and adults seemed to be amused by the sight. I can post pictures later, if you would like to see it!

 

The band Great Vibes, was really good! They played Jazz and Classic Rock music. The Ocean Plaza lounge was always packed!

 

Women: In the shower, there is only shampoo and shower gel dispensers. If you use conditioner, be sure to bring it with you!

Bring lanyards so you can wear your Sail and Sign cards around your neck. This is the first cruise where the Sail and Sign card already had a hole punched in it! It was so much easier than having to go to Guest Services or the Casino to have it punched!

 

Elevators: I also had read several posts about the slowness of the elevators. We never had to wait long for the elevator. If it is crowded at one set of the elevators, you do have options! If you are going down, take the stairs or I believe there are 3 other sets of elevators throughout the ship. The only time there was an extended wait was when we would be come back on board the ship at the ports. Obviously, we were not the only passengers doing so. We found a way around this also. Walk up the stairs and walk over to the next set of elevators or just be patient.

 

Disembarkation: This was one of the fastest disembarkations that I have ever experienced. We always select self-assist (take our own luggage off) and it was so quick. It truly is so much faster to get on/off the ship when the Guest Services rep. uses a hand held scanner to scan your Sail and Sign Card.

Excursions:

Jamaica: Bob Marley bus tour. This was not my favorite excursion. I had no idea what to expect. Our bus tour driver was nice, however, I was not expecting that she would tell the bus load of people where you can buy pot! (I am so naive). I would say 75% of the riders walked out of the gate and purchased pot and were smoking it during the tour of Bob Marley’s memorial. We walked upstairs and were in a small confined area. Myself and a few other people were unable to get away from the pot odor. The tour guide, at the memorial, was also smoking pot. So, if you do not like the smell of smoke, this tour will not be for you.

Cozumel: We went on a stingray and turtle tour through Carnival. It was so much fun being able to hold a stingray. My boyfriend brought along a water proof camera and was able to take some underwater pictures! The excursion company also took pictures and sold the package of all pictures to us for $50.00. The turtle sanctuary was really cool also. We were able to see alot of turtles, swim with them and again, take a picture holding them.

 

Cayman Islands: We took a Jeep and Snorkel Tour through Carnival. I would probably not recommend this tour. We went to a beach where we could go snorkeling and eat lunch, saw a Ruin, Lighthouse, and an alligator. We feel we would have had a better time renting a jeep and exploring the island on our own.

 

I would have posted this under the Carnival Vista board, however, I can not find the option to submit a new topic. I will keep looking!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tallnthensome

tallnthensome

Posted
Posted

Great review! We have a spa cabin in April. Still confused about the thalosotherapy pool in the spa on Vista. Some swear it is such and others who have been to the Could 9 say it's just a whirlpool. Carnival's own website says there isn't one on Vista.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jimbo5544 "Live from...." Rare

jimbo5544

Posted
Posted
OP,

 

 

 

Thank you for the favorable review. Can you use any card with a magnetic strip to keep the lights on? That's the way it worked on NCL so just wondering if CCL is the same way.

 

 

 

Bill

 

 

Any card period, no mag stripe required. I use a business card.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dsnutz

dsnutz

Posted
Posted

Question about one of your tours. I am not in the same boat but will be stopping in Cozumel in April on he Victory and didn't see a stingray and turtle excursion. Do you remember the tour company or place where this was, maybe I can book it on my own. Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
crewsweeper "Live from...." Rare

crewsweeper

Posted
Posted
Question about one of your tours. I am not in the same boat but will be stopping in Cozumel in April on he Victory and didn't see a stingray and turtle excursion. Do you remember the tour company or place where this was, maybe I can book it on my own. Thanks!!

 

The stingray tour is in Grand Cayman and there are private vendors who will do the same excursion. Go out to the Grand Cayman board for reviews and information. This is THE thing to do for first timers in Grand Cayman.

Was the grab a ticket to enter the dining room thing, for anytime dining?

 

Ticket for dining is for anytime dining, so it isn't really anytime dining. It's a little like making a reservation for a time. Kiosk/desk is next to the Java Café on the Promenade deck

Sent from my SM-T817V using Forums mobile app

 

And in regards to the spa pool...it is a whirlpool/spa similar to those on the outside decks only smaller. Thalasso pools have wave action.

 

We found the Cloud 9 spa to be smaller, more cramped than other ships. The second level on other ships is now cabins. All the spa heated loungers (8), whirlpool, and steam/saunas are crammed into a single space. Spa locker rooms are for gym too and they have fewer showers and sinks and lockers than most other Carnival ships' gym lockers. On the Breeze, Dream and Magic, there are separate gym and spa locker rooms and the spa locker rooms are very nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Johnnymc21

Johnnymc21

Posted
Posted

I was also on the cruise. The ship was great. We had no issues with any lines at all. I waited no more than 15 minutes to get a ticket for anytime dining and that was only because they just opened. Every negative thing i heard about the Vista, i didnt experiance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Outsiders

Outsiders

Posted
Posted
OP,

 

Thank you for the favorable review. Can you use any card with a magnetic strip to keep the lights on? That's the way it worked on NCL so just wondering if CCL is the same way.

 

Bill

 

I just tore a piece off a kleenex box and put it in and it worked fine.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
splintz

splintz

Posted
Posted

i was also on this cruise. i was also on the bob marley experience tour. not sure if i was on the same bus as you. we were on the 3rd and last bus of the day. the tour was okay. i thought it would be better. it was so crowded and rushed i couldn't even hear what the guide was saying because the buildings were so small that the line of people in the group would go outside while he was inside talking. it is unfortunately really a tourist grab. that is definitely an excursion you need to read the fine print and the reviews. any excursion that states you need to be 18yrs old should set off alarms. our guide on the bus was great as was the bus driver. it went down hill at the 9 mile facility. i did go with the full experience. it was definitely overpriced outside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail on Sun Princess®
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...