Vista Class VS Spirit Class

[danga]

Has anyone been on both Vista class And Carnival's Spirit class? How would you compare them? I was on the Carnival Spirit Last Christmas and I am going on the Zuiderdam in two weeks and am wondering what to expect!

I have been on numerous cruises including Monarch of the Seas, both Explorer and Voyager of the Seas, Disney Magic, and NCL Dawn. My best experiences were on The Spirit and EOS. Any comparisons would be helpful (first time on HAL)......My worst experience was on the NCL Dawn....

[dougnewmanatsea]

I've not been on a SPIRIT-class ship but them and the Vista-class are the same basic design. The internal layout, decor, etc. is different (though some say HAL's ships show their connection to Carnival too clearly in decor, I feel this is an invalid argument as they were designed by two totally different companies), but the "bones" of the ships are very similar. They were designed in tandem, the Vista-class for HAL, the SPIRIT-class for Carnival and Costa. (The Vista-class are now going to P&O and Cunard as well.)

[loudbmw]

I have been on the Zuiderdam as well as 3 Spirit Class vessels (Spirit, Legend and Pride) and have both the Legend (11/19) and Zuiderdam (8/21) booked again, can you guess I like these ships?

 

The layout is similar but not exact. The Z has more suites and carries a couple of hundred less passengers but you wouldn't notice the difference. I like the location of the Spirit "special" dining room better as it is directly below the funnel with great views and also has entertainment. The Z has a nicer decor in their special dining room - both served excellent food. Cabins are the same size but sometimes the Z has great pricing on the S suites and the extras that go with them are worth it.

 

Service on the Z was wonderful, and the food in the main dining room was good on both. Shows on the Legend had more energy - different crowd I guess. Much fewer kids on the Z.

 

I like them both, if you like the Spirit, you will like the Z.

 

Lou

[lknick]

Been on Zuiderdam, Oosterdam and Legend.

 

The hulls are identical except that Spirit class hull is one section [16 feet] longer.

 

The decor of the Legend was not to my liking. Somehow with all of the urns it reminded me of a crematorium. Neither did I like the layout of the dining room with numerous 4-person booths.

 

I like the Oosterdam decor the best.

 

Passenger flow on both classes of ships were similar. To go anywhere you had to pass something to buy.

 

The signature atrium on the Legend was interesting, but became too crowded. The signature circular deck on Vista was more to my liking. On the Legend, the area taken by the promenade was used for some sort of 'magic forest' [reading area I think] and bar space.

 

The layouts of the Lido are similar on both classes with multiple food stations.

 

Cabins on both classes were similar. In both, we had what HAL calls an A on Vista.

 

All in all, I think you'll find both classes similar in design. The difference will be in the crew.