Frightfully fun time on the Vista October 28, 2018 Review

[cruzin Phillis]

Good Day,

 

Well, the time is here for me to post one of the many Vista reviews. I must say that I have given thought to what this review will entail and what should be shared. I've learned over the course of reading many reviews (some from my faves) that this will be work that I look forward to putting in.

This cruise was planned over a year ago to celebrate my MIL 60th birthday! Originally it was suppose to me (Phillis), DD, DH, both SIL and my BIL-IL. However, my DH could not make the journey as he was going through the process of becoming a police officer and did not want to miss any important steps. Which, let me tell you is a lot!!!! Yes, he is still going through the process.

 

This cruise fell right inline with MIL birthday of the 29th so it was a no brainier to take part in this sailing. I was very excited to return to the seas after a 6 year  involuntary leave. Planning was going well, until I got pregnant...again. I decided not to cancel because I would make the cut off of being under 24 weeks. (more details to mew prego policy later). So I knew that I will not be able to get my fill of that very thirsty frog. But I did take advantage of a couple of mock tails which drew some interesting looks.

The new overall goal was to just relax and take it all in .

 

I figure that I would go through day by day and then give my thoughts on ship, cabin, etc. My goal was to take a lot of pics but looking back, I forgot to grab some keys pics so my apologies if it is not heavy photo laden (I know, I like a lot of pics as well!!). So I will start with the day of and then go from there!!!

 

Stay Tuned!

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by cruzin Phillis
change

[cruzin Phillis]

 

 

Count down mode was in effect and as we drew close to sailing time, my planning time was cut shorter and shorter and shorter till I found myself packing the morning of. I commanded my MIl and the non-married SIL that they had to stay overnight at my home so we all could leave together without delay. I am a big 'lets be on time please" person which we stuck some what to the schedule. The plan was to leave out for Galveston for 10:30am since our check in time was not till 11:30am. As you guessed, we live just north of Houston in the suburbs of Summerwood which is outside of Humble b/w Atascocita.

 

Side note: forgot to mention that our itinerary was changed about 3 weeks out. It was originally:

Galveston - 10/28

2 sea days - 10/29-30

Rotan 10/31

Belize 11/1

Cozumel 11/2

Day at sea 11/3

Galveston. 11/4

 

Due to heavy port in Cozumel the original Friday we were suppose to be there, it got changed to this:

Galveston - 10/28

1 sea day - 10/29

Cozumel- 10/30

Belize 10/31

Rotan 11/1

Day at sea 11/2-3

Galveston. 11/4

 

This was not a big deal as we only book an AI in Cozumel. However, I did have some issues with changing the dining schedule in some of the restaurants.

 

 

Here we are!! all packed and ready to go. DH was our uber driver to take us to the port. However, the journey did not begin without a stop to Kroger....then to Wal-Mart... then to the bank.. Thankfully, I decided we would leave at 9am. After 45 ministries of store hopping, we were I-10 to 610S-to 45S bound!!!!

 

Up next...I spotted the tail first!!!

[TravelE]

Love it! Can't wait to hear more.

[cruzin Phillis]

.More Embarkation Day continued...

The drive to Galveston was uneventful till we exited for the cruise terminal. As we got closer, traffic got worse and worse. Never the less here she is coming into view!!!

 

..

 

 

 

We arrived at the port at 11:20am. we were met with lines of traffic leaving and coming to the port. This was a very busy day because RC LOS and Vista were in port. Around 11:55am we were able to pull up in front of the terminal. It took about 5 minutes to get a porter as they were still being used for people disembarking. Our appointment time was for  11:30am. We walked to the entrance and notice that they were not checking appointment times. we were mixed in with FTTF, and people with later appointment times.

 

I took about 15 minutes to get through pre check-in and then security before we arrived to the counter. Our pics were taken and we were advised that our SS cards will be waiting at out cabins. We were then allowed to embark the ship!!!

 

Here is my DS(5yr) leading the way up the incline. It was a steep incline.

The anticipation building. That walk to the ship long!!!!!!

Home stretch but are we there yet???

 

[cruzin Phillis]

FINNAALLLYYY!!!!!! (Yes, he is holding his pet skeleton. My son loves all things Halloween. I currently have a growing pumpkin patch in my dinning room.)

 

My first thoughts were, wow, nice ship but I miss the openness. I love how the funnel changes constantly throughout the day!

 

We boarded the ship at 12:45pm. We headed straight to deck 10 which is the Lido deck on this ship.

 

 

MIL and un-wedded SIL went to get tacos and DS and I gathered to get our first of my many Guy burgers.

 

 Yes, I did have two. But only because I was hungry and I didn't eat breakfast. This was the only time I could use that excuse!

They are very good. Even better when cooked fresh, which was not an issue during lunch time as people were scooping them up. There was not really a line as they have 2 lines moving constantly.

 

Up next, rooms are ready and muster we must go!

Edited November 7, 2018 by cruzin Phillis
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[cruzin Phillis]

Once I ate, I went to do a couple of errands. I signed us up for the Dr. Seuss breakfast ($5) on deck 10, registered my son for camp on deck 12, and got seats for the IMAX  on deck 6 (which I strongly recommend doing as soon as you board. Popular movies sold out by the end of the day).

 

We chilled in the buffet area till our rooms were ready. We were in no rush to start the elevator competitions. I must say that the buffet area is very spacious. If you do not finding seating near the front, keep going and you are sure to get seating in the middle and towards the back on both sides. I never saw or heard any issues of people not finding seating in the buffet area.

Here are some pics of the buffet area.

 

  

 

1:30pm arrived and we waited till the initial crowd cleared then we proceeded to the elevators to floor 3. I booked us an ocean view room with the double washrooms and connecting doors (which my son took full advantage of!). We were  forward the ship in rooms 3207 and 3209. I'll give my thoughts on the room later.

Here are some pics of our room for the week!!

 

                            

key card holder                  entrance into room        1st bath with only  shower, sink and toilet , and second bath with sink and tub

 

More to come!!!

[cruzin Phillis]

In our rooms, our SS cards were in the mailbox in an envelope. We took a minute to relax and explore our new home for the next 7 days.

Also waiting for us was our Fun Times:

 

 

 

 

 

[cruzin Phillis]

Around 3:00pm, the cruise director started advising people to head to their assigned muster locations. No, you do not have to take your life jacket or wait in the heat. Our assigned station was on deck 4 in the Liquid Lounge.

 

It was some what organized. As you enter they scan 1 SS card for each room to show that you are in attendance. Then they guide you to the seating area. We advise how many were in our party and were seated accordingly. Yes, they will know if you are not there as they had to call a few names to see if people arrived. This took longer than the actual drill!!! Once the remaining people decided to show up, they started. The actual drill took on 15 minutes but the fact that some took their time made it longer than what it needed to be. We ended up being there 45 minutes total.

 

They freed us, just in time for the sail away party on deck 10!

 

 

I took it upon myself to get my a sail away drink, The Chocolate Mocha Getaway (minus the shot ). But it was delicious still!

 

So back to the sail away party. We were approaching 4:15pm, as I was chatting with fellow cruisers, it dawn on me that were have not left the dock yet. I walked midway to the back of the ship and saw that RC LOS was still there as well. I thought that was odd because sail away is always after the muster drill. So I thought maybe we are scheduled to leave at 4:30pm. So, 4:30pm arrived, deck 10 started to clear and again we have not moved!!! I walked to the starboard side of the ship and saw that we were still fueling. 4:45, we are still docked, what is going on??? 5pm, yes, we are still in Galveston!!! I went online to the webcams on Galveston.com and notice we were still tethered to the docks. Ok, what's happening? Its getting hot out here and I am ready for the breeze to flow freely through my hair!! 5:15pm, WE ARE STILL THERE!!!! 5:30, RC LOS finally pulls away and sail off into the sunset leaving us far behind. I give up and head back to the room where my MIL had already taken my son to relax till dinner. Once in the room, I notice that we finally start to sail! That was around 5:45pm. I knew that with 1 sea day between us and the 1st port, the captain will  be hauling booty so I knew Monday we would be rolling in the deep!

 

I later found out in my investigation, that the main tanker for the fuel broke when it was fueling LOS, so that delayed us. I also found out some people tried to sneak contraband on the ship and customs would not clear us to sail until they dealt with that matter.

 

Up next, Dinner with round 1 of menus!!

[cruzin Phillis]

Dinner time!!!! We had your time dining which allows to dine in the aft restaurant on deck 3 from 5:15pm-9:45pm. Only 1 member from your party needs to go to deck 5 (with all room numbers, that's how they book your table) to get a table, the rest can head down to deck 3 aft of the ship. The check in area was between the Java café and Pixel studio. There was never a wait for a table when we dined in the dinning room. I was issued a ticket and told to head down to 3 as my table was ready. Once on 3 at the restaurant which is aft, the hostess took the ticket and escorted the group to the table and we were promptly greeted by our waiter.

Here are the menus and food from tonight's dinner:

 

FYI... I took screenshots from the carnival hub app which had the menus for all restaurants for that day!!

And now the food:

 

Up next...night time and random pics of the closing of the first day!

Edited November 8, 2018 by cruzin Phillis

[Babygal77s]

Enjoying your review..Keep it Coming!  Congrats on your Pregnancy!!!!

Edited November 8, 2018 by Babygal77s

[cruzin Phillis]

50 minutes ago, Babygal77s said:

Enjoying your review..Keep it Coming!  Congrats on your Pregnancy!!!!

Thank you for taking the time to read it!!! 3 more months and I am done!!!

[cruzin Phillis]

So now for the downer. I lost all the fun times except for 3 days!!!! I am so sorry!!! I will try to be a little light on the writing.

I forgot to show the safe that is in the room. You have to set a 4 digit code.

 

MIL and DS in front of the frightfully Pumpkin Pirate.

 

DS was tired, I promised lots of bubbles for his bath if he took this last pic for the day... lol

 

[cruzin Phillis]

Our room steward name was Nyju. He is from the Philippines.

Say hi to Nyju!!!

 

He ask if we wanted the room cleaned once or twice. I decided on twice daily. Then he ask me what time, so I gave an estimate of what that time would be. Throughout the cruise, I realize that we really only needed him once per day on some days so I was kind enough to let him know. He was very friendly and kind to us. I made sure to tip him without regret!!! We even had a brief conversation. He told me that he is on a 15 year contract with Carnival currently on year 3. Works 8 months on and 4 months off. He is currently on month 3. He leaves the ship in April 2019. When he is not working, he runs his father farm where he is from!!

 

Once we decided on the specifics and requests for the room, I got DS in the tub with plenty of bubbles and then ready for bed. I set out the continental breakfast menu for my morning hot tea and biscuits and settled in for the night

Edited November 9, 2018 by cruzin Phillis
correction

[cruzin Phillis]

Thanks to all following along!!! I am on a mission to get those fun times and finish organizing my pics!!

[Jamman54]

Great start to your review. Looking forward to more!

[cruzin Phillis]

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

Great start to your review. Looking forward to more!

YAY !!! I am reading yours as well!!!!!

[cruzin Phillis]

A lot of my pics are taken at night which is why you many not see people in the public areas. Around 2:30am to be exact. Why? well, because it seems that Carnival gave me an unwanted wake-up call every morning around 2:15am. I will go in to details later.

The grand entrance on the ship is the funnel. No more glass elevators . Smoking areas was in the casino, and the starboard side of deck 11 and deck 12.

 

 

More to come!!!

[cruzin Phillis]

Good Day everyone!!

So I am in the process of getting my hands on the Fun Times I am missing. Once I do, I will post them. For now, the show must continue.

 

Day 2 - Sea Day.

My hot tea promptly arrived at 7:40am. It was very relaxing to have a cup of tea and have to rush off to work. It was nice to have it because my sinuses were starting to flare up.

Here is the continental menu:

 

I had wanted all of us to do the sea day brunch but I could not quite get everyone together. While everyone was get themselves together, I need to iron my clothing because this sea day was elegant evening. I used the laundromat on deck 2 to iron.

Here is a pic of the iron area:

 I quickly gathered everyone and decided on the buffet. Again, seating was not an issue if you walk far enough to get to open seating. There are 2 buffet lines. One in the front(which is the most crowed) and one in the back (which is least crowded because people want to find seat near the front of the buffet instead of walking .024 miles to the middle-aft of the buffet.).

 

They had the usual fare of sausage, eggs, omelet station, grits, oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, potatoes, and etc. There is also fresh fruit which my DS went in on the watermelon!!! I love the guava juice that was served. Of course there coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice, and apple juice that is free.

 

Note: There is an early continental breakfast in the ocean plaza area on 5 for the early risers!!

 

Once breakfast was done, my and DS decided to depend sometime together, walking around and playing on the sports deck. MIL and SIL decided to go to bingo and make  the first of many donations to the casino.

 

Lounging, taking it all in:

 

Put-Put time!!!

 

Bean bag toss

 

He decided to try out the water works so we went back to the room and changed into swim wear:

 

Once we were done, we went back to the room to change. MIL and SIL were back and I decided to take SIL around the ship.

Here is funnel looking good!!!

We caught the tail end of the lip sync battle. We headed back to the sports deck as she wanted to try bowling. It is 1.50 per game and you win tickets that goes on your SS card. you can cash in the tickets on deck 6 at the Warehouse arcade.

Here is the bowling machine:

 

After a couple of rounds I headed back to the room and she headed to the serenity deck. She advise that they now have a salad bar in the serenity area.

I stopped to get me a raspberry daiquiri!

I decided to take DS to the camp for 1 hour then to the build a bear workshop. For children 5 and under, they give you a portable phone incase they need to get in contact with you. I receive a call exactly 1 hour later that he was asking to leave so I headed back out to get him. We stop to the buffet to get a small bite to eat.

My DS loves to dance. Here he is as we walked along the buffet area:

 

Edited November 9, 2018 by cruzin Phillis
change

[cruzin Phillis]

Once we ate, we headed back to the room to relax until the build a bear workshop.

Here is DS and MIL headed out with me to BB:

 

It held in the Ocean plaza on 5. they took your family name and rom number, then the CD did a heart ceremony with the kids and we wait till our room number was called to pick a  bear, get it stuffed, and pay.

 

Quick note: If you do not see the bear you want, they will have another workshop towards the end of the cruise. The turtle was popular for most parents and you could hear and see some arguing with each other over a stuff animal .

So as we waited, I went to java café/shake spot to get me delicious blue velvet cake and a strawberry shake.

 

Just incase you need a close up of the cake..here it is:

When it was our turn, DS picked the penguin. We stood in another line to get it stuffed and then another line to stich it. We proceeded to pick out a top and bottom, then got in yet another line to pay.

The cost:

 bear was $26.

Top: $8

Bottom: $8

Total: $42.00 for 1 bear!

Ok we are done. Now back to relaxing till dinner which is also MIL birthday dinner!!!

 

[cruzin Phillis]

We decided on a dinner time of 6:45pm.

My DS and his interesting photos:

Remember, for your time dining, only 1 person needs to check in. I say this because there was a long line and the poor hostess kept asking people not checking to step out the line.

Again, no wait, as soon as we checked in, we headed to deck 3-aft to be seated.

 

Here is the dinner menu for tonight:

 

Here are our dinner in photos:

 

Yes the provided table clothes for tonight's dinner. Everything was tasty except for the crème brulee. It was very running. My fave dessert, such a disappointment.

[grandmarnnurse]

Following along, and loving your review! Can’t wait to read more! 

[cruzin Phillis]

5 hours ago, grandmarnnurse said:

Following along, and loving your review! Can’t wait to read more! 

Thank you so much!! I am having fun reliving the cruise!

[cruzin Phillis]

Here is the beginning of our dinner with the entrance of the wait staff and DS getting his groove on

Edited November 10, 2018 by cruzin Phillis
Change

[cruzin Phillis]

Dinner was fun. The food was ok. Dinner lasted about 1.5 hours. Afterwards, we were ready to call it a night!!

Up next... Cozumel and the All Inclusive 

[Quilcruisers]

Thank you for this review. Good to hear from my hometown. We lived in humble back in the 80s and have a lot of family that still live there.  Congrats on the pregnancy and looks like you all had a good time. I can also relate as my husband is a police officer and has to miss a lot of things, but he loves his career and I appreciate first responders so much.  Looking forward to more.