Who has cruised on the Vista before?

[gardn198]

Would love to hear some opinions. Is it a floating shopping mall? Crowded and impersonal? Easy or hard to meet people? Debating between this and the Sunshine, same itinerary except Sunshine will not got to La Romana.

[firemanbobswife]

I was on the Vista March 19-25. Haven't been on the Sunshine so I can't compare the two. While I will say I prefer the Conquest Class ships, I didn't have a terrible time on the Vista. You can read my sort of review here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2474346

[Gypsywych]

We cruised in February. We liked the Vista with a few things thrown in that we didn't. We really enjoyed the Havana cabins, and all of the ocean plaza area: inside and out.

my review (along with a few photos and the funtimes) is here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2463685

[CharlesKru]

Would love to hear some opinions. Is it a floating shopping mall? Crowded and impersonal? Easy or hard to meet people? Debating between this and the Sunshine, same itinerary except Sunshine will not got to La Romana.

 

The Vista is a great ship, lots of things to do, lots of options to choose from. The trade off is there are alot more guests on the ship. We enjoyed it, taking advantage of most of the added options for the Trans-Atlantic cruise. We are going again on Saturday, for a 8 day. We are very much looking forward to it again.

 

We have been on the Sunshine as well. I liked that ship as well, however I felt it was harder to get around and honestly felt it was more crowded. The fact that they converted the Destiny into the Sunshine just felt odd to me, in some places just did not flow well. That being said, the serenity area on the Sunshine is outstanding, with a nice pool and waterfall ( not very quiet in that area, but still fun) the havana area is also nice ( not nearly as nice as on the Vista though).

 

I would choose the Vista over the Sunshine... I just think the options on the ship are better... But I would not turn down either if they were my only option.

 

Have a great Cruise.

[caddykid12]

The sunshine is beautiful. And it has an extra port of call. That's a no brainer

 

You will love that ship

[MNKEITH]

I have not been on the Sunshine so I cant comment on that ship, however, we loved the Vista enough to book a B2B on her next March. The Vista did not feel any more crowded than any other ship we have sailed. I don't think you will regret sailing her!

[sb4ever]

I cruised on Vista on a 10-day European itinerary. Because we were in port almost every day, you really didn't get a good feel for how "crowded" the ship was. I, personally, did not feel any crowding issues. There were times they had bingo in Ocean Plaza and there was never enough seating, but I never had a problem elsewhere.

 

We were on Sunshine three of maybe four years ago, but it is my least favorite of all the ships I have been on. As others have said, it has a very odd layout and was difficult to navigate. I felt that it was crowded compared to either a Conquest class or Vista. I actually avoided looking at any of her itineraries when selecting our next cruise. No one in our family liked the actual ship (not that we had a "bad" cruise on it; you can always have fun on a cruise).

[TomCruise48]

We have sailed on both. Both ships have many of the same venues, but of course, the Vista being newer has some newer venues and features. Although the Vista carries more guests, it seemed less crowded. The Sunshine conversion from the Destiny added more guest cabins, but did not increase size of public spaces, so it seemed more crowded.

 

The Sunshine has spectacular Serenity Decks with a waterfall. The Vista has very popular Havana cabins and the Family Harbor area.

 

Both ships share the worst feature that Carnival ever put on a ship - the Liquid Lounge. They have tried to get double duty from the Main Theater by designing it to covert to a night club, and did a terrible job. The lines of sight are horrible and the seating is uncomfortable. As a night club, it has the ambiance of a high school gymnasium. It is also difficult to navigate for those with mobility problems.

[joellebridgers]

The Vista is an amazing ship... Lots to do, just not enough time. Downside is the lines to the shows were awful! We barely saw one CV comedy show and one rock of ages show... Oh and both venues are poorly designed.... There are poles or glass partitions in the way in each place.

They cut back on the crew, so those poor workers kill themselves! So if your a drinker, you will be waiting awhile to get a drink! Lol

 

 

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[gardn198]

We placed the last 2 spa cabins of the Sunshine on hold, waiting a day to make our decision. It's looking like Sunshine will win - we might lose 1 port but with all the money we'd be saving, we can go to Disney for a day or 2 instead! The bride in our bachelorette party LOVES Disney so that will be a huge bonus for her. Plus we can get a spa cabin on Sunshine for less than the cost of a regular inside cabin on Vista. Flights to Orlando are cheaper than Miami and hotels in Orlando are MUCH cheaper than Miami. Right now this seems to be the #1 choice for us! I like the look of Sunshine much better than Vista - it seems to be a nice blend of old and new, Vista seems too modern and impersonal for me!

[Casino Player]

Would love to hear some opinions. Is it a floating shopping mall? Crowded and impersonal? Easy or hard to meet people? Debating between this and the Sunshine, same itinerary except Sunshine will not got to La Romana.

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO gardn198: Been on both ships. There is more room to walk around on the Vista. The theater is the same type. A lounge is obstructing your way on the Carnival Sunshine from a dining room so you must go up to walk around the lounge. It is easy to meet people on any ship if that is what you want to do.

[Janie001]

Another vote for the Vista. Have been on, and enjoyed both, but the Vista felt much less crowded and I prefer the ship layout.

[Keys2Heaven]

Would love to hear some opinions. Is it a floating shopping mall? Crowded and impersonal? Easy or hard to meet people? Debating between this and the Sunshine, same itinerary except Sunshine will not got to La Romana.

 

I'll let you know in 25 days.

[Keys2Heaven]

The Vista is an amazing ship... Lots to do, just not enough time. Downside is the lines to the shows were awful! We barely saw one CV comedy show and one rock of ages show... Oh and both venues are poorly designed.... There are poles or glass partitions in the way in each place.

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That's when you opt for some in-room entertainment! ;)