Vista Embarkation Day Lunch

[firefly333]

59 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

well, it's not that great IMO. Wait until there is no line and try it. This is of course my opinion. I am a self--professed BBQ snob. I have tried their BBQ on 5 different ships (the BBQ is the same whether or not it says Guys on it) and am not impressed.

I'm good with the pulled pork and second choice is beef. I actually liked the cole slaw and potato salad. Some rave over macaroni and cheese but I'm not much of a pasta eater, a spoon full is enough. Me I'd love some fried ocra but I get why they cant do that. 

[Joe817]

4 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I'm good with the pulled pork and second choice is beef. I actually liked the cole slaw and potato salad. Some rave over macaroni and cheese but I'm not much of a pasta eater, a spoon full is enough. Me I'd love some fried ocra but I get why they cant do that. 

I guess my favorite is brisket and sausage combo, with collard greens and pinto beans as the side. But I'm not sure I'd trust Carnival Collard greens. lol.

[AtSeaWithChris]

37 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I'm good with the pulled pork and second choice is beef. I actually liked the cole slaw and potato salad. Some rave over macaroni and cheese but I'm not much of a pasta eater, a spoon full is enough. Me I'd love some fried ocra but I get why they cant do that. 

Yes, they have great sides, it's just the bbq I don't care for. I will try Pig and Anchor on the Mardi Gras just to make sure I try it.

[Liljo22]

8 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Jiji Asian for embarkation lunch. Free, and not crowded. Much more relaxed than the buffet, or standing in line for Guy's or Blue Iguana...

This is the answer.  It’s right above the buffet area so if someone in your group wants buffet, they can bring it up stair.  The buffet line was crazy and there was no place to sit. Jiji was so much easier.

[princess76021]

3 hours ago, babygrljaz said:

Vista out of Galveston ☺

us too!! hopefully end of the month!!!

[IntrepidFromDC]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I'm good with the pulled pork and second choice is beef. 

 

3 hours ago, Joe817 said:

I guess my favorite is brisket and sausage combo, with collard greens and pinto beans as the side. 

I'm from DC but I visit the Dallas area 6 times a year for work.  Texas bbq is AMAZING compared to most places I've been.  Closest thing we have in DC is Mission.

 

I had Pig & Anchor twice on Horizon embarkation days and it was definitely PORT side.

 

firefly, surprised to hear someone from Texas refer to the brisket as "beef".  I think the brisket is good, but FAR below even the bbq saloons between Dallas and FW that have amazing $7 lunch specials including burnt end beans that are good enough alone to be an entree.

 

Joe, I thought the brisket was good too.  For DC area it would have been great.  For DFW area it would have been sub-par though... kinda like any chicken on Carnival including Pig & Anchor.  I thought the sausage was waaaayyy too greasy and the chicken was typical substandard Carnival chicken.  Pulled pork was ok, good if you're not used to better.

 

Really, even Dickey's is better than Pig & Anchor and that's fast food.

Edited June 18, 2021 by IntrepidFromDC

[Bgwest]

2 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

 

I'm from DC but I visit the Dallas area 6 times a year for work.  Texas bbq is AMAZING compared to most places I've been.  Closest thing we have in DC is Mission.

firefly, surprised to hear someone from Texas refer to the brisket as "beef".  I think the brisket is good, but FAR below even the bbq saloons between Dallas and FW that have amazing $7 lunch specials including burnt end beans that are good enough alone to be an entree.

 

Joe, I thought the brisket was good too.  For DC area it would have been great.  For DFW area it would have been sub-par though... kinda like any chicken on Carnival including Pig & Anchor.  I thought the sausage was waaaayyy too greasy and the chicken was typical substandard Carnival chicken.  Pulled pork was ok, good if you're not used to better.

 

Really, even Dickey's is better than Pig & Anchor and that's fast food.

If anyone ever visits McKinney TX or Frisco TX, and if you like really serious TX Q, try Hutchin’s. 
They serve my favorite Q on Planet Earth. 

[sanmarcosman]

2 hours ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

Yes, they have great sides, it's just the bbq I don't care for. I will try Pig and Anchor on the Mardi Gras just to make sure I try it.

Were all your foods served hot? We've tried the outdoor Pig and Anchor walk up station twice on two different ships and the foods were never hot. Same with Blue Iguana, all foods were warmish but never hot. 

[firefly333]

10 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

Were all your foods served hot? We've tried the outdoor Pig and Anchor walk up station twice on two different ships and the foods were never hot. Same with Blue Iguana, all foods were warmish but never hot. 

That's been my complaint about the bbq.. its outside in the heat. I dont like my cole slaw and potato salad melted in the sun. Sept going to still be hot outside.

 

I like it better upstairs where fish and chips was on conquest.

 

Not a clue why intrepid is telling me its portside on horizon. As if I dont know where it is... who knows.

 

Agree on vista it wasnt very good... stupid location. Was good on conquest. Not so much on vista.

 

 

[AtSeaWithChris]

1 hour ago, sanmarcosman said:

Were all your foods served hot? We've tried the outdoor Pig and Anchor walk up station twice on two different ships and the foods were never hot. Same with Blue Iguana, all foods were warmish but never hot. 

The first time on the Breeze I got a chicken leg that was pretty fresh and hot but it's their seasoning and flavor that is just off from what I expect and like. But that's with any food on a cruise I guess. Different culture in cooking. I welcome it but am picky about what I like. Lol. But it doesn't cost any extra to try it. 

[AtSeaWithChris]

56 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

That's been my complaint about the bbq.. its outside in the heat. I dont like my cole slaw and potato salad melted in the sun. Sept going to still be hot outside.

 

I like it better upstairs where fish and chips was on conquest.

 

Not a clue why intrepid is telling me its portside on horizon. As if I dont know where it is... who knows.

 

Agree on vista it wasnt very good... stupid location. Was good on conquest. Not so much on vista.

 

 

I agree about sitting out in the sun. It changes the texture which is my biggest issue with foods. I'm picky lol. 

[sanmarcosman]

57 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

That's been my complaint about the bbq.. its outside in the heat. I dont like my cole slaw and potato salad melted in the sun. Sept going to still be hot outside.

 

I like it better upstairs where fish and chips was on conquest.

 

Not a clue why intrepid is telling me its portside on horizon. As if I dont know where it is... who knows.

 

Agree on vista it wasnt very good... stupid location. Was good on conquest. Not so much on vista.

 

 

That's a good observation about cold foods being served warm due to sun exposure. I am asking if hot foods were served hot. Ours were not.

[IntrepidFromDC]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Not a clue why intrepid is telling me its portside on horizon. As if I dont know where it is... who knows.

the comment about the port side location was not "telling you" - if you scroll back you'll see it was a general comment to a previous discussion about the P&A locations, some comments before your "beef" comment.  My "telling you" was limited to calling BRISKET "beef", as it was the part after "firefly:"... I'm actually surprised other Texans didn't comment with 😱.  My visits to Texas have taught me a lot about the more detailed various parts of a cow, for which I'm grateful.  Up north people tend to think of cow as limited to Filet Mignon, Porterhouse, Ribeye, etc.  I now find myself correcting northerners who refer to "beef" when there's so much more imaginative conjuring with the various Texan descriptions, based on actual cow anatomy.  (Go Cowboys!)

Edited June 18, 2021 by IntrepidFromDC

[sid_9169]

Pig and Anchor outdoor area on the Horizon is definitely on the Port side of the ship, unlike the other ships...

Edited June 18, 2021 by sid_9169

[firefly333]

On 6/16/2021 at 11:57 AM, Bgwest said:

First time on Carnival. 

 

On other lines the staff generally try to push everyone to the buffet for lunch on embarkation day lunch. However, there is always at least one of the MDRs open for lunch. We have always preferred this option. 

 

Wondering if anyone knows which MDR would be open for embarkation day lunch on the Vista on August 14th. 

 

Thanks!!

Off the topic of food what do you like to do? 

 

The comedy club is usually pretty good but crowded, but maybe going before full capacity you can enjoy it.

 

Have you seen ? John announced the singer for the piano bar. Some like to drink a few and listen to a few tunes. Others go to the dance clubs. 

 

From john h. New news. 

 

Introducing you to the Piano Bar Entertainer on Carnival Vista  - say hello to Martin Allen.

I am sure those sailing on the ship will truly love his voice and his brilliant personality

cheers

[sushitex]

On 6/16/2021 at 2:25 PM, firefly333 said:

The mexican is right across from guys burgers.

 

I am wondering about the bbq myself. Deck 5 .. wondering if it was open when we board, closes early 1 or 2 pm.

 

Jijis .. is upstairs I think and might be not too crowded if you get there soon. Renamed mongolian wok, no idea why it has another name if the pay dinner feature. Free for lunch.

 

And yes lol, last cruise was vista, but didnt find bbq the day I boarded. I remember Mongolian wok .. but never went, line too slow. Remember walking by.

 

 

Several years ago, we were onboard a Carnival cruise ship and wandered into a BBQ place that was located outside (maybe on the Promenade deck.) The food was delicious, but I don't remember any brand-name or logo posted, it was just there. In March, 2019, we boarded the Carnival Glory and discovered by happy accident that up on the second level of the Marketplace (?) Buffet, they had recently set up a BBQ restaurant that WASN"T labeled Guy's Pig and Anchor.  I truly believe it was Guy's brand, however, because, later when I read about the Pig and Anchor online, the same food items and sauces were mentioned. Whatever it was, it was fantastic - we ate there for every single lunch of our 5-day cruise, with the exception of our shore excursion in  Cozumel.   Funnily enough, on that first day, we practically had the place to ourselves (with the exception of a few ship's officers) but by the last day, the rest of the passengers had discovered it.

 

We are booked on the Carnival Vista on July 17th, and I fully intend to frequent its Pig and Anchor. My favorite meats from the previous BBQ places were the grilled chicken and the pulled pork, just YUM! 

[SCBarker]

9 minutes ago, sushitex said:

In March, 2019, we boarded the Carnival Glory and discovered by happy accident that up on the second level of the Marketplace (?) Buffet, they had recently set up a BBQ restaurant that WASN"T labeled Guy's Pig and Anchor.  I truly believe it was Guy's brand, however, because, later when I read about the Pig and Anchor online, the same food items and sauces were mentioned. Whatever it was, it was fantastic - we ate there for every single lunch of our 5-day cruise, with the exception of our shore excursion in  Cozumel.   Funnily enough, on that first day, we practically had the place to ourselves (with the exception of a few ship's officers) but by the last day, the rest of the passengers had discovered it.

Now that you mentioned that, it is bringing back some recollection of that as well.  Except I've never been on Glory, so maybe it was Valor for me.  I most definitely remember it being empty up there.

[sushitex]

18 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

This is the answer.  It’s right above the buffet area so if someone in your group wants buffet, they can bring it up stair.  The buffet line was crazy and there was no place to sit. Jiji was so much easier.

I see on Carnival's website that the Vista has a Jiji's. Is it above the buffet area (as stated above) or somewhere else, and is it free during lunch, including boarding day? This reminds me of the Pasta Bar, which we used to go to for lunches on some Carnival ships. 

[Cruise Related]

1 minute ago, sushitex said:

I see on Carnival's website that the Vista has a Jiji's. Is it above the buffet area (as stated above) or somewhere else, and is it free during lunch, including boarding day? This reminds me of the Pasta Bar, which we used to go to for lunches on some Carnival ships. 

It turns into the Mongolian wok, at least it does on the Horizon for lunch. I went on the Sunshine and can’t recall if it turned into the wok at lunch. 

[arkaine23]

Unless something has changed, Jiji's is upstairs from the buffets on Vista.  It is free during lunch including embarkation day.

[firefly333]

5 minutes ago, sushitex said:

I see on Carnival's website that the Vista has a Jiji's. Is it above the buffet area (as stated above) or somewhere else, and is it free during lunch, including boarding day? This reminds me of the Pasta Bar, which we used to go to for lunches on some Carnival ships. 

Vista has a pasta bar or pasta station, or so I'm told. I dont like pasta but carnival says it's there. 

 

We have a lot of good lunch choices. Luckily I can skip the pasta and not go hungry.

 

I also have the picture of the piano bar singer, I posted above, but I guess no one is interested in entertainment. 

[Cruise Related]

2 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Vista has a pasta bar or pasta station, or so I'm told. I dont like pasta but carnival says it's there. 

 

We have a lot of good lunch choices. Luckily I can skip the pasta and not go hungry.

 

I also have the picture of the piano bar singer, I posted above, but I guess no one is interested in entertainment. 

Never been a huge fan of the piano bar. Was always a Alchemy/Red Frog Pub kinda person. 

[amysb]

On 6/18/2021 at 1:42 PM, firefly333 said:

Vista has a pasta bar or pasta station, or so I'm told. I dont like pasta but carnival says it's there. 

 

We have a lot of good lunch choices. Luckily I can skip the pasta and not go hungry.

 

I also have the picture of the piano bar singer, I posted above, but I guess no one is interested in entertainment. 

I for one was very interested to hear about the Piano Bar player, Fire, so thanks for that info!  DH and I are on the Vista on the 24th of July & I'm sure will be spending time in there.

[firefly333]

8 minutes ago, amysb said:

I for one was very interested to hear about the Piano Bar player, Fire, so thanks for that info!  DH and I are on the Vista on the 24th of July & I'm sure will be spending time in there.

Lol I had a picture of him but everyone was so not interested I didnt bother. Seems like everyone is going to the comedy club. ..forget the piano bar, enjoy.

[Nickieboy]

I've never been on a vista class ship, but we'll be boarding the Vista in a couple of days.  We're both veggie so we usually graze the buffet on embarkation day, though my husband really enjoys Blue Iguana if the line is not to bad.  He can be found there almost every morning!