Just back from the Vista 8 Day

We just got home yesterday from the 8 day cruise on 2/11-2/19 aboard the Vista. After reading several bad reviews on this forum I was really worried. Rest assured we had a wonderful time. Matt the CD was very entertaining and much funnier than most of the comics in the Limelight.

Comedy: Tommy Drake was by far the standout comedian of our trip. Even his adult shows are pretty low on profanity. He does not make fun of the audience, recycle old material or do any of the other lame comedian tricks. He does juggle during his PG show but he is excellent at it. The other comedians were ok but just not up to his level. One was so bad I'm not sure how he got the job. He told old jokes from the Marx brothers era and pretended to be a dog on stage then smelling an audience member.

Food: Not really much to say here, if you've sailed Carnival before then it's more of the same. The Lido deck was well maintained by the staff. I love the taco bar:p

Movies: I'm pretty sure we watched all the shows offered in both the Thrill Theater and the Imax. They were worth every penny. Terrance, Sue and Zee were so friendly and warm. We will miss them all.

The Fun Squad: Christine, Connor, Kelly, Erin, Fluffy and Jax were all very helpful, friendly and entertaining. We played several games of trivia and bingo and really couldn't ask for anything more of this group.

Entertainment: We saw all of the stage shows and all of the musical acts perform. The singers and dancers were absolutely top notch. The band was excellent but were were told that this is their last cruise together. Fans of Benzee (spelling?) should know that he is retiring to land but the others are continuing on elsewhere.

I expected long lines for everything and sold out movies. While there was a wait for breakfast at the Lido, most any other time was no issue at all. The movie theaters were really empty until the end of the cruise. The Liquid Lounge does need revamped, even the Cd stated that it was the largest complaint he receives. The Sky Ride was a 30 minute wait. I'd say all of this was well within what should be acceptable.

We did excursions at all 4 ports: ATV in Grand Turk, Countryside in the Dominican Republic, Land Rover in Bonaire and Submarine in Aruba. All were worth it.

Overall the cruise was a great experience. Much like any other business, employees make or break the experience for the customer. From the CD to the room steward you can tell that these folks care. The only real negative of the whole trip was just how negative some other passengers were. Some people will complain about anything and everything. One woman was offended because there was animal poo observed during the countryside experience. Apparently she's never seen the country before:) Another passenger complained that the guy at the omelet station took too long. Perhaps her private chef at home can cook eggs faster:confused: I'm just happy to have someone cook for me.

We would definitely sail Vista again.

Thanks for the concise review and positive attitude!!

Glad you enjoyed! We will be sailing Vista in April. Looking forward to a "new" ship.

Yes, always complainers. Our first cruise was Miracle out of Tampa in 2005. We decided to eat at an open table for breakfast our last sea day before disembarking. Here we are 1st time cruisers who were having a blast only to be seated with a group of sourpusses.

One guy at our table wrote a letter to Carnival during his cruise because something upset him and was passing it around for everyone to read. We passed and ate one of our quickest breakfasts ever. First time we heard Carnival referred to as the "Wal-Mart of cruising."

While the cruise was excellent, our exposure to negative cruisers that morning resulted in us asking for private dining whenever we can.

Great review! Did you do the countryside experience through Carnival? In any case, could you describe it in more detail.

Thanks for the review. We sail next month. We can't wait.

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Great review! Did you do the countryside experience through Carnival? In any case, could you describe it in more detail.

Yes, all of our excursions were through Carnival. The Countryside Experience consists of riding in an open truck/bus with about 15 other people. Yes it's a bumpy ride at times. They took us to a school to show us some of the children's art and their classroom. They drove us to a field, cut fresh sugar cane and provided us each with a sample. We toured a local person's farm and let us taste fresh papaya, mango, etc. The same farm also had cigars and coffee for sale in a backyard open barn. Later on the tour they took us to some places to buy trinkets and t-shirts. While returning to the truck we encountered several locals trying to sell us jewelry and cigars but they seemed to understand no and move on to someone else. If you want to understand what the locals are like and what it may be like to live there this is a good tour. Expect to walk in some dirt and smell some animals:)

Thank you so much! I think we will look into that tour. Many in our group are educators.:)

I was also on the ship for those same dates. I don't want to hijack the OP as I feel the assessment was spot on. It was one of the much better cruises we've done of the 8 with Carnival. I'm going to jump around a bit. Matt was Great. Gi'sGi's was fantastic. The first Rock and second Havana show (forgot the names) were spectacular. I love the live bands. Flick had nice visuals but I didn't care for the singing. The fresh IPA beer at the red frog is nectar of the gods. The food all around was good but dinner meats are lacking quality as my fillet was super tough. I thought the BBQ meats outside lacked smoke flavoring. It tasted like it was in a smoker for 30 seconds, if that. Their sauces also lacked flavor. Guys burgers is again great. I love the addition of the sweet spot where they churn fresh ice cream at lunch on the Lido. It was sooooo creamy (No charge). My previous posts complained about the creamers for the coffee. Since my last cruise they must be using real Half/Half as it did taste like a dairy product now. Our Havana room was incredible with my only complaint being the hardness of the couch as a 3rd person bed. The Rockwell hardness test fell between our blacktop drive and hardwood flooring. We're again doing Feb 2018 on the Vista but a 6 day this time AND WE CANT WAIT!!!

Thanks for the info. In 5 days I will get to check out the Vista for myself !

It's nice to finally see a positive review of Vista! For a while there it was a parade of negativity. Thanks for going into some detail about likes and dislikes. I cruise June 25. Can't wait!!:D

What extras do you have to pay for on the vista? I'm sailing at the end of the year and was just curious.

Thank you!

What extras do you have to pay for on the vista? I'm sailing at the end of the year and was just curious.

 

Thank you!

Both the Asian Cuisine and the Italian are free for some lunches but otherwise cost extra. Sushi, Steak and Seafood are extra too. Of course soda, alcohol and premium coffee are upcharges as well. There were no surprises for me as everything was listed on the website and in the fun times app (once on-board). I felt as though the upcharges were reasonable.

Thank you for sharing your experience on the Vista

If you did keep a copy of the fun times and/or dinner menu at Horizon's, would you be able to share?

I'm also assuming that 'elegant nights' were 1st & 2nd sea days?

Thanks in advance.

I was also on this sailing and agree with much the OP said. It's true that Lido was a bit crowded in the morning, but we found the Taste Bar very convenient and well set up as an alternative. Oatmeal, grits, cold cereals, eggs, bacon, ham, sausages, toast, pastries and breakfast drinks. It was never busy there.

The Havana area is the best thing ever. For those of you hoping to try food in the Havana bar, it is no longer served. I guess there wasn't enough demand. However, the Taste Bar and the Red Frog Pub are just minutes away.

Loved the brewery tour, well worth the money.

The steakhouse was great but JiJi's Asian Kitchen was even better, make reservations for both in ADVANCE. Many disappointed would-be dinners on our cruise.

If you did keep a copy of the fun times and/or dinner menu at Horizon's, would you be able to share?

I'm also assuming that 'elegant nights' were 1st & 2nd sea days?

Thanks in advance.

I did not keep the Fun Times, we used the app exclusively. Yes, elegant nights were the 1st and 2nd sea days.

Glad that you just set aside the negative reviews you had before the cruise, and eventually enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback.

Glad to hear, we are on the Vista for both the 8 & 6 day sailings on a back to back in a couple weeks. As we all know- some people can't be pleased and spend their entire cruise seeking out the negatives. It's always beneficial to tell yourself on the way to the port- not everything will go right, not everything will be as expected, some things may just go wrong--but it's always better than a week at home!

Going on the Vista in 3 days.....can't wait :D

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I was also on this cruise and had an absolutely fabulous time. High points were: Chef's Table, Brewery Tour, CD - Matt, Alchemy Bar - Gabriel and Anna, Pig and Anchor, Guys, Fluffy for trivia, JiJi's.

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Thanks for the review.

Hello! Taking the Vista in May for an 8 day cruise as well..I'm trying to find info about the Havana pool/bar but have read it's exclusive to the suite guests during the day. Do you know if that the same for both the pool and bar/restaurant? :confused:

The pool is only for Havana suites. The bar is open to everyone and there is no Havana restaurant unless it's out by the pool and I couldn't see it.

Hmm I thought I read somethinf about food at the bar. Maybe one of those sampler type style during certain hours. Looking forward to it and glad I found your review!

The Havana pool is for anyone from a Havana inside, to Havana Cabana, to a Havana Extended Aft Balcony, to a Havana Suite. Just wanted to clarify that in case someone didn't know and thought they had to actually book a Havana Suite to get the perks.