Our opinion of the Carnival Vista Feb. 19-25

[Gypsywych]

We just got off of the Carnival Vista on Saturday from a 6day cruise to Ochos Rios Jamaica, Georgetown Grand Cayman and Cozumel Mexico. These were actually all new ports for us and we were as excited for the new ports as we were the new Vista. I’m not going to go into great detail on the ports or our excursions as I know these are as “usual ports” as Nassau is on the eastern side of the Caribbean. I will say that we probably will not book another cruise to Jamaica. We didn’t enjoy Ochos Rios at all.

Our embarkation in Miami was a breeze. The easiest embarkation ever. We dropped off our luggage at exactly 11:10am and then parked across the street in the parking garage, walked across the street to the priority door and never stopped walking until we were on the ship. From street to lunch was less than 30 minutes. We waved our boarding passes and passports a couple of times before the escalator and that was pretty much it. We paused at our room long enough to drop our carry-ons, and off we went. The Lido wasn’t crowded then, but it was by the time we finished our lunch.

 

We had a Havana cabin on Deck 5 with the lanai patio and I loved it. My husband was not a fan, and we will likely stick to regular balconies from now on, but I loved the view,the swing and the quiet place to retreat from the crowds. The Havana pool area is wonderful and it was worth the extra $$ for the Havana designation.

I also loved the Ocean Plaza area. Right in that area was the Java Joe shop,the Red Frog Beer Pub, Guy’s Pig &Anchor BBQ on sea days and a short walk up the promenade took you to the shops and the Atrium. Trivia, bingo and other games were played during the day, live music available at night, and you could find breakfast at The Taste Bar without fighting the Lido crowds.

 

 

FOOD - Truly hit or miss on this ship. Lido buffet was the best Lido buffet we’ve experienced yet. Our dinners and lunches up there were excellent. One night we had perfectly prepared medium rare Flat Iron steaks and baked potatoes from the buffet and if Carnival would sell me the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies, I could die a happy woman. J

Cucina del Capitano was wonderful, as was the Steakhouse. Guy’s burgers were good, especially as they were very fresh. The grills never stopped from the time they opened to the time they closed down. The pizza was not very good on the two days we tried it. Both times the crust was underdone and the cheese nonexistent. The Seafood Shak also wasn’t very good, the oil was old and the fish and chips were extremely greasy and smelled like old oil. Room service French fries on the other handwere sooooooooo good! The Pig & Anchor BBQ is only open on embarkation day and sea days. The pork and the beef were pretty good, the chicken had a lot of fat and skin and not a lot of meat. The mac & cheese was okay, the coleslaw was pretty good.

The Horizons Dining Room was designated for Your Time Dining and you had to go to the kiosk at Java Joe’s on Deck 5, receive a dining ticket and then go down to either Deck 3 or 4 to be taken to your table. Once there, if your table wasn’t ready at that time you received a pager. As far as we could see that was the most organized thing about the dining rooms. I believe there was a massive turnover of personnel shortly before this cruise. That’s the only thing that explains the lack of service and the lack of experienced waiters.

I have to say it. I hate the American Table. I hate the lack of table cloths. I hate the water and the basket of bread crowding the already small table. I hate the lack of drink service. I hate the lack of a cup of coffee or tea with dessert. We had 3 different service teams on separate nights and it was never the enjoyable experience we’ve had on all of our other cruises.

 

 

Odds & Ends we liked:

The new Hub app that lets you keep track of your spending and see/purchase your photos. It also lets you chat with other Carnival Vista passengers, though we did not sign upfor that.

The new shops are much nicer and appear to have a great range of sizes and styles.

While we miss the wide open atrium, the new LCD funnel display is very cool to watch.

The new Playlist show “Flick” was amazing. We’d have gone to see it more than once if wecould have.

The amount of live music on the ship on any given night. There was always at least 3 separate acts playing on the ship somewhere every night. Carnival listened when people said they wanted the live music back. It was great!

Matt Mitchum is the first CD that I actually knew who he was by the end of the cruise. The man is an energy machine and seemed to be everywhere. He was just as good at keeping the crowds happy and dancing on the Lido as he was at organizing the debarkations at various ports, keeping the massesfrom stampeding the doors.

 

Odds & Ends ….. Not so much:

Waiting in line for 20 + minutes for a drink or pizza on the Lido deck.

An hour or more wait in line for a comedy show.

The sheer amount of people on the Carnival Vista. Very crowded and it felt it in places, even on port days.

Deck 3. You can't go anywhere on Deck 3. Travel on Deck 5 to above where you want to go on Deck 3 and then take stairs or elevator down.

The layout of the Liquid Lounge. I don’t think anyone is happy with it.

 

And finally…….. our debarkation was also the easiest we’ve ever experienced. We put our luggageout at 10:30 the night before, walked off the ship in Zone 3 at 7:30, found our luggage within a few minutes and almost didn't slow down at customs. The officer took our customs form, glanced at our passports and waved us on. We were having full breakfast in Boca Raton before 9am.

 

Great stuff on the Vista and some stuff they need to work on. I’m going to chalk it up to the ship just being so big and different from other Carnival ships.

 

If you have any questions, I'm happy to try and answer. We also took nearly 1000 photos, so if there’s something you want to see, I’ll see if I can find it.

[mariefisher]

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Clarea]

Thanks for taking the time to post your report.

[easyboy]

Thank you for your feedback.

[pcvtmom]

Thanks for the review. Just one question...why were you unable to get coffee or tea with your dessert in the MDR? We always ask for it, and have never been denied. In fact, we ask for it the first night, and they automatically bring it every night.

[Gypsywych]

Thanks for the review. Just one question...why were you unable to get coffee or tea with your dessert in the MDR? We always ask for it, and have never been denied. In fact, we ask for it the first night, and they automatically bring it every night.

 

We got a blank look and/or a question about espresso. We never got coffee. I chalked it up to American Table changes. Perhaps I should change that to inexperienced waiters along with some other service issues.

[mrpayroll]

Thanks for your thoughts. We were on Vista in January and agree with pretty much everything you said. :)

[Micahs Grandad]

Thanks for review lots of people saying the same thing.

 

Dream class is the best design they have had.

[Keys2Heaven]

Thank you! Only 53 more days for us.

[cruizinisthebest]

If you have any questions, I'm happy to try and answer. We also took nearly 1000 photos, so if there?s something you want to see, I?ll see if I can find it.

 

 

 

If you have any pics of the Imax theater area, the hallway to the entrance, etc., that would be great. Can't wait until it's our turn. Still a ways off yet - August here we come!

[jrtbmoore]

we are doing the same cruise exactly 1 year from when you went. Looking forward to it. How was the lines to ride the skyride?

[sarahfaith99]

Do you have any pictures of menus or the daily itinerary things? Did you pay extra for anything you thought was really worth it?

 

 

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[pcvtmom]

We got a blank look and/or a question about espresso. We never got coffee. I chalked it up to American Table changes. Perhaps I should change that to inexperienced waiters along with some other service issues.

 

 

Yeah, it's definitely not American Table changes. I've sailed twice since they rolled out the American Table, and we've had coffee with our desserts both times. Must be waiters...

[Gypsywych]

we are doing the same cruise exactly 1 year from when you went. Looking forward to it. How was the lines to ride the skyride?

 

We didn't ride it, but the lines on sea days were really long. Someone said he'd waited over an hour. Going early on a port day seems your best option.

 

Do you have any pictures of menus or the daily itinerary things? Did you pay extra for anything you thought was really worth it?

 

I brought home all 6 days of our Funtimes. I'll try and photograph them here shortly for you. I didnt take photos of the menus.

 

We paid extra for the Italian restaurant and the steakhouse. Both were well worth it. Amazing meals!

The french fries from room service were hot and fresh and pretty wonderful but I admit I was starving. We'd missed lunch and came back to the room hungry after an excursion.

The coffee from Java Joe's was also very very good and consistant. Lido deck coffee is still horrible after all these years. :)

If you're any kind of beer drinker, do go down to the Red Frog and try their housemade drafts. Yummy!

[Gypsywych]

If you have any pics of the Imax theater area, the hallway to the entrance, etc., that would be great. Can't wait until it's our turn. Still a ways off yet - August here we come!

 

 

We did not even go up there. I'm sorry. Too much else to do and Vista will keep you busy.

[cruizin*newbie]

If you are able to upload copies of your Funtimes that would be awesome. We are sailing the same itinerary in September. Thanks for the insight!

[Gypsywych]

If you are able to upload copies of your Funtimes that would be awesome. We are sailing the same itinerary in September. Thanks for the insight!

 

 

 

I have all 6, and my husband is going to scan them for me at work in the morning. I tried photographing them, but I can't get them large enough to be read that way.

[telebax51]

We just got off of the Carnival Vista on Saturday from a 6day cruise to Ochos Rios Jamaica, Georgetown Grand Cayman and Cozumel Mexico. These were actually all new ports for us and we were as excited for the new ports as we were the new Vista. I?m not going to go into great detail on the ports or our excursions as I know these are as ?usual ports? as Nassau is on the eastern side of the Caribbean. I will say that we probably will not book another cruise to Jamaica. We didn’t enjoy Ochos Rios at all.

Our embarkation in Miami was a breeze. The easiest embarkation ever. We dropped off our luggage at exactly 11:10am and then parked across the street in the parking garage, walked across the street to the priority door and never stopped walking until we were on the ship. From street to lunch was less than 30 minutes. We waved our boarding passes and passports a couple of times before the escalator and that was pretty much it. We paused at our room long enough to drop our carry-ons, and off we went. The Lido wasn?t crowded then, but it was by the time we finished our lunch.

 

We had a Havana cabin on Deck 5 with the lanai patio and I loved it. My husband was not a fan, and we will likely stick to regular balconies from now on, but I loved the view,the swing and the quiet place to retreat from the crowds. The Havana pool area is wonderful and it was worth the extra $$ for the Havana designation.

I also loved the Ocean Plaza area. Right in that area was the Java Joe shop,the Red Frog Beer Pub, Guy?s Pig &Anchor BBQ on sea days and a short walk up the promenade took you to the shops and the Atrium. Trivia, bingo and other games were played during the day, live music available at night, and you could find breakfast at The Taste Bar without fighting the Lido crowds.

 

 

FOOD - Truly hit or miss on this ship. Lido buffet was the best Lido buffet we?ve experienced yet. Our dinners and lunches up there were excellent. One night we had perfectly prepared medium rare Flat Iron steaks and baked potatoes from the buffet and if Carnival would sell me the recipe for the chocolate chip cookies, I could die a happy woman. J

Cucina del Capitano was wonderful, as was the Steakhouse. Guy?s burgers were good, especially as they were very fresh. The grills never stopped from the time they opened to the time they closed down. The pizza was not very good on the two days we tried it. Both times the crust was underdone and the cheese nonexistent. The Seafood Shak also wasn?t very good, the oil was old and the fish and chips were extremely greasy and smelled like old oil. Room service French fries on the other handwere sooooooooo good! The Pig & Anchor BBQ is only open on embarkation day and sea days. The pork and the beef were pretty good, the chicken had a lot of fat and skin and not a lot of meat. The mac & cheese was okay, the coleslaw was pretty good.

The Horizons Dining Room was designated for Your Time Dining and you had to go to the kiosk at Java Joe?s on Deck 5, receive a dining ticket and then go down to either Deck 3 or 4 to be taken to your table. Once there, if your table wasn?t ready at that time you received a pager. As far as we could see that was the most organized thing about the dining rooms. I believe there was a massive turnover of personnel shortly before this cruise. That?s the only thing that explains the lack of service and the lack of experienced waiters.

I have to say it. I hate the American Table. I hate the lack of table cloths. I hate the water and the basket of bread crowding the already small table. I hate the lack of drink service. I hate the lack of a cup of coffee or tea with dessert. We had 3 different service teams on separate nights and it was never the enjoyable experience we?ve had on all of our other cruises.

 

 

Odds & Ends we liked:

The new Hub app that lets you keep track of your spending and see/purchase your photos. It also lets you chat with other Carnival Vista passengers, though we did not sign upfor that.

The new shops are much nicer and appear to have a great range of sizes and styles.

While we miss the wide open atrium, the new LCD funnel display is very cool to watch.

The new Playlist show ?Flick? was amazing. We?d have gone to see it more than once if wecould have.

The amount of live music on the ship on any given night. There was always at least 3 separate acts playing on the ship somewhere every night. Carnival listened when people said they wanted the live music back. It was great!

Matt Mitchum is the first CD that I actually knew who he was by the end of the cruise. The man is an energy machine and seemed to be everywhere. He was just as good at keeping the crowds happy and dancing on the Lido as he was at organizing the debarkations at various ports, keeping the massesfrom stampeding the doors.

 

Odds & Ends ?.. Not so much:

Waiting in line for 20 + minutes for a drink or pizza on the Lido deck.

An hour or more wait in line for a comedy show.

The sheer amount of people on the Carnival Vista. Very crowded and it felt it in places, even on port days.

Deck 3. You can't go anywhere on Deck 3. Travel on Deck 5 to above where you want to go on Deck 3 and then take stairs or elevator down.

The layout of the Liquid Lounge. I don?t think anyone is happy with it.

 

And finally??.. our debarkation was also the easiest we?ve ever experienced. We put our luggageout at 10:30 the night before, walked off the ship in Zone 3 at 7:30, found our luggage within a few minutes and almost didn't slow down at customs. The officer took our customs form, glanced at our passports and waved us on. We were having full breakfast in Boca Raton before 9am.

 

Great stuff on the Vista and some stuff they need to work on. I?m going to chalk it up to the ship just being so big and different from other Carnival ships.

 

If you have any questions, I'm happy to try and answer. We also took nearly 1000 photos, so if there?s something you want to see, I?ll see if I can find it.

 

 

Hi Gypsywych

i'm booked on the Horizon and have a Havana Cabana what did you like about it and what about it your husband did not like

[Jenny in TX]

why were you unable to get coffee or tea with your dessert in the MDR? We always ask for it, and have never been denied. In fact, we ask for it the first night, and they automatically bring it every night.

 

This has been our experience also. Our last cruise we had a table of 10 and our waiters knew exactly who asked for coffee the first night and brought it out to them as soon as the dinner dishes were cleared to be ready for dessert.

[Jenny in TX]

Thank you for your review of the Vista. We are booked in October 2018. There are 12 people in our group and we all have Havana Cabana balconies in a row. We are very excited about it!

[joyus]

Thank you for your review. Can you tell us which food venues are open on the day of embarkation besides the Lido and Pig & Anchor? I know sometimes there are other venues open and are less crowded because most folks don't know that its open.

[CARNIVALCRUISE3]

Thanks so much for the review! I will be sailing on the Vista in April and in July!

[Gypsywych]

Hi Gypsywych

i'm booked on the Horizon and have a Havana Cabana what did you like about it and what about it your husband did not like

 

I enjoyed the patio feel of the lanai, the swing, the view, the quiet, the short walk to the Havana pool area, the short walk in the other direction to Ocean Plaza. I never felt that it wasn't private. Our neighbors were not outside in the early mornings and early evenings like I was, so I had the whole side to myself. My husband on the other hand, while he enjoyed the Havana pool area, he did not like how open the lanai patios were. He prefers a traditional balcony with sides where he could sit outside in his pajamas in the morning with coffee, and know that no one was looking.

 

Thank you for your review. Can you tell us which food venues are open on the day of embarkation besides the Lido and Pig & Anchor? I know sometimes there are other venues open and are less crowded because most folks don't know that its open.

 

 

As I recall - the Lido buffet, Guy's burgers, the Blue Iquana Burrito bar, Cucina del Capitano, the Pizza place, the Seafood Shak and the Pig & Anchor were all open. I saw some kids with hot dogs, but I never saw where they got them.

I also think I remember the Taste Bar on the Ocean Plaza having food too, but I'm not 100% sure. (.The Taste Bar was open every morning with a hot continental breakfast if you didnt want to fight the crowds on the Lido Deck. )

[Warrior64]

Thanks for the info! We are on the Vista in April. Kicking myself for not booking a Havana balcony! We are in a cove balcony, which I love. Seeing the Havana pool area is what makes me want the Havana! So, that area is open to everyone after 7;00, correct?? Just wondering if its very crowded after 7??

[CarolinaCookieman]

Thank you for your review of the Vista. We are booked in October 2018. There are 12 people in our group and we all have Havana Cabana balconies in a row. We are very excited about it!

 

You will love the Havana Cabana and pool area due to one main thing...lack of crowds. On our January 28, 2017 Vista cruise, we had Havana 5231. The pools are/ was never crowded, even on sea days. Finding a chair or recliner was not a problem. Neither of the 2 hot tubs were crowded, and the pool was the same way.

 

My wife, one month later, tells me that wants to be in "her" swing chair looking at the ocean. During the cruise, I had explicit instructions to keep my big behind out of her swing chair. I did as instructed, and quite frankly it has helped save my marriage.

 

While waiting at the airport for our flight home, my lovely wife told me that she enjoyed the Havana area so much that she would only cruise on Horizon or Vista if we booked a Havana. So....being a loving husband and a smart man, I booked both Horizon and Vista, Havana Cabanas, for January, 2019. I have plenty of time to decide which one to take. Tough decision, isn't it?