dolfansam

Vista first ever Caribbean stop - San Juan

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I do it for a friends kid for their class. The kids send their stuffed animals on vacations with friends and family. Then we send post cards back from each island. I use an app where the postcard is a picture of the animal on that island.

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the lounges may have to start carding people every night....if people are abusing the perks....makes it harder for everyone else... I would not have a problem showing my card every night tho....rccl will have to figure out how to handle that

I don't have a problem either. I never even thought of going in before I reached Diamond. Heck I did not even think about it til I got close.

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Miami vice is a good one... they may change that we will see....but they are overwhelmed with diamond members...the lounges are always crowded... the concierge will be for suites only....that will be a change also and pinnacle will have to be b in the diamond lounge with d plus

Maybe raise the bar to 100 days. I will still be good after this cruise I will be at 105[emoji41]

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because of the way the freedom class ships are set up you have to come in thru the elevator and the staff does ask to see your card however if the lounge is elsewhere like on anthem it is a little harder when it is really crowded and I think the do get a little lax after first couple of nights. I think that is why they are probably going to change the setup so diamond will just get the three free drinks loaded on the seapass for the outside bars and diamond lounge will be for diamond plus and pinnacle soon......just a rumor....but makes sense from a business standpoint......

I hope not. It is a big difference between their loyalty program and others. Alcohol pkg beats a croc visor any day. If they do change it they up the number of drinks or at least make it so you can get froo-froo drinks. I like Rum and Cokes and beers just fine, but I would prefer a Miami Vice.

I wouldn't think they would need a doorman on the lounge because not a lot of people know where it is at on some ships. I only started paying attn when I started getting close. Didn't care otherwise

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On a TA, I can't imagine them checking since there are literally hundreds if not thousands of Diamonds on board. But I haven't done a TA as a diamond.

 

 

 

JC

It was probably a private event.

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Have never seen a "doorman" at any RCI diamond lounge. We frequently arrive with someone who opened the door a head of us. I have never been asked to show my card, I don't wear a pin, so either we just look like we belong or they are not that worried about it. That said, arriving in the morning you almost always need your card to get into make a cappuccino. We visit the DL every evening, and every morning. We don't stay for long typically, maybe 45 minutes prior to dinner. 5 minutes in the morning to make 2 coffees and gather Austrian Stritzel.

 

 

 

JC YMMV

I thought I saw someone checking cards on Anthems TA. But now that I think it was at the upper level of the Music Hall so it was probably something different. I am new to Diamond level. I have been on only one cruise since achieving it on the TA.

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The WOW bands work 24hrs to get into the D lounge on the Anthem. With regards to person checking your tier--barely. Once you get in, you're in. As a matter of fact, I noticed that when there is a overflow, paxs get in via the Music Hall.

I love the door being opened by card/band instead of a doorman. Although I did overhear at least nonDiamond member in Allures lounge talking about the only cruise they had ever been on. I did not say anything to the staff, but I guess they came in with their friend or roommate. Maybe they had their account linked for status I am not sure. But I realized how easy it would be for someone to come in while the door was open with another passenger.

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The WOW bands work 24hrs to get into the D lounge on the Anthem. With regards to person checking your tier--barely. Once you get in, you're in. As a matter of fact, I noticed that when there is a overflow, paxs get in via the Music Hall.

Thanks, I preferred to wear the WOW when running around the ship on the TA. I will take both the first time or two just in case. I became Diamond on that cruise so I did not get to use it, but I made sure I found it for this trip, lol.

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Do we need to take our S&S card or will the WOW band work? On Allure, we were able to open the door with our room key. Is there a person at the door checking cards?

1) Yes, the lips/plates were...interesting..but after the first day I was used to them. Mind you I also had a stroller to push everywhere. I am sorry if you got hurt though.

 

2) The flow was just like any other Fantasy/Conquest/Dream class ship. If you wanted to go through you had to go to deck 4 or 5, passenger decks, or up to 10/11. This was not a surprise for me.

 

3) Yes the number of stalls in each bathroom, I noticed, was limited. HOWEVER, I did find the stalls MUCH larger than on the Miracle or the Splendor. My god, those bathrooms barely had enough room to sit. I actually had the size as a positive on this cruise (yes, I will review public bathrooms). I also found there were plenty of public bathrooms sprinkled throughout the ship. I had no issues with this at all the entire cruise. If there ever was a wait, I just walked another 100 feet and often found another bathroom.

 

4) I had fixed dining (early), so this was not an issue for me. I had no major issues with service in the dining room, except not being a fan of the menu as much as before.

 

5) I will disagree. HAving the maps at each elevator landing was very helpful. I looked at what floor something was on, got on the elevator, went to the floor I wanted, got off, glanced at the map right as I got off and knew exactly where to go. Perhaps my spatial awareness is better than some (my family STILL got lost after 11 days) but I thought signage was better than on the Miracle/Splendor in terms of mapping, clear signs. Now, as for some of the confusing hallways, yes, I agree. Like going aft on Deck 4. I constantly went down the elevator hallway in the middle instead of the promenade off to the side. However, like Ikea, they had cutouts in almost every elevator to access the main hallway just in case.

 

6) I will say I didn't have much of an issue finding those restaurants, but I also had a pretty solid understanding of the ship layout prior to getting on board. However, I know they are tucked away but it must not have taken people long to find them as I tried going for lunch almost every day and they were very busy so never went.

 

7) Yes, I will agree completely on the Liquid Lounge. Layout and design is terrible. Bad sitelines, HORRENDOUSLY narrow rows when all "moveable" chairs are used (people push the chairs back squeezing in the row behind). John Heald even said he hated the design and it was a trial on a few ships (Sunshine, Vista, Horizon). Uncomfortable. Also, the way the little tables between a number of chairs is setup if you have a drink you cannot put your arm down. BAD design. Definitely a D- on a scale of A-F. As a nightclub, the layout is very good I think.

 

8) I agree that the Limelight Lounge is small, but it's bigger than it looks especially with the seating on the back wall. It's not much smaller than on other ships and they get packed on any ship.

 

9) Ah, the Elevators. Yes, they are terribly setup. The biggest issue? The removal of the Atrium elevators. That's a loss of 3 right there. There were many times I had to wait for elevators a VERY long time. Normally I would just walk but I also had a baby in a stroller so going up and down stairs was not really very easy to do. SIDE TANGENT: This ship also had more wheelchairs and SCOOTERS than I have ever seen in my life. It was even a running gag on the ship. Also, etiquette seemed to be thrown out the window. I could literally be standing right next to the elevator with my daughter in her stroller, no one around, let people off and then out of no where someone on scooter would come and literally buzz past me and take up the elevator to where I couldn't easily get on anymore. This happened more times than I can count. In fact, the general clientele on this ship was the rudest I have ever encountered. Not sure if it was the age, the region of passengers (majority from the east coast, NJ/NY obviously), or what? I never encountered so many people rushing tables, pushing people, etc. Major turn off to cruising out of the region again. There were plenty of pleasant people, but far too many rude and pushy people that actually put a major downer on this cruise.

 

10) With Toddler and a 9 yr old, I spent little time in Serenity but this seems pretty consistent with most other ships except Sunshine and Spirit Class. I did hear lots of people compliment the overall space, though.

 

11) No covered pool. Knew this going in and since this ship is definitely aimed at the Caribbean, I think a non-issue.

 

12) Casino did seem smaller than other ships. I actually noticed this about a lot of the "revenue adding" and internal spaces which seemed counter intuitive to me. If they wanted more money from people, make them bigger, but they did the opposite and really expanded the outside areas of this ship at the sacrifice of the internal spaces. That was actually a positive to me. I don't care about the Casino as I live in Nevada but I did win 35 to 1 at Roulette (won't say how much...) when I stopped by quick. As for the smoke, I thought it wasn't bad at all. Coming from Nevada, again, you smell of smoke on your clothes just walking by a door. I had to be in the casino for a period of time to really notice on the Vista.

I liked the ship just did not love it. When comparing it to other lines newer ships, this doesn't even come close. I had high hopes for Vista, but was let down. I am a travel agent and took the course on the ship before the bookings were available and could not wait to book it. I did so the day they became available.

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I do have positives:

1. Matt is definitely one of the best CDs I have ever had.

2.The ship is beautiful.

3. Our Suite was great. Our room steward was fantastic.

4. Lots of fun activities on board. I enjoyed the throw back day and election day festivities with the Cat in the Hat.

5. John Heald was wonderful.

6. Cookie was definitely entertaining. When he came out in drag for the Quest I almost fell out of my chair.

7. The Medical Staff and facilities were better than I could have hoped for. My mother became gravely ill the last night of the cruise and was intubated. I thought they were going to fly her off the ship. They kept her onboard until we got back to NYC. The staff was more than accommodating and helpful to my family. The port staff and rescue personnel were great too. The explained everything to us and were willing to assist us with anything we needed.

I was on this cruise also. It was a great cruise, but the ship was not. There were many problems with the design of the ship:

1. Metal plates elevated 1/2-3/4 of an inch off the floor kept tripping people. For the first time in 29 cruises I ended up in the Medical Ceonter, because of these. Even after you knew they were there you still tripped. These made pushing and/or using wheelchairs virtually impossible.

2. Unable to get from one end of the ship to another with out changing floors on certain floors.

3. Not enough stalls in the bathrooms outside of the show rooms. The Liquid Lounge holds 1900 people, but only two stalls in the bathroom.

4. MTD reservations are on deck 5 aft with dining on deck 3 forward. Why is it not in the dining room?? You cannot just take the elevator to deck 3 (see comment #2) to get to dinner.

5. Poor signage - The ships tell you where things are, but not how to get there. Do you take the left hall or the right hall. Can you access it from either hall if you went the wrong way.

6. Finding JiJis and Cucina Del Capitano is not easy. Once you figure it out it is ok.

7. Liquid Lounge is poorly designed. The chairs on the lower level move so it can be made into a dance area after the shows are over, but if the chairs are moved at show time it cuts down on the number of usable seats. The blue glass partitions on the upper level make it difficult to see the shows. There are too many huge pillars blocking views.

8. Limelight Lounge (Comedy Shows) is too small. If you want to go to the 830 show you should show up around 730 to get in and if you are lucky you may get a seat.

9. Elevators - Not enough. There are only two elevators that go to deck 14 and only one to go to deck 15, Serenity Deck.

10. No pool on Serenity Pool only two hot tubs.

11. No covered pool area.

12. Casino is very small and very smoke filled.

I was so excited when I first learned of this ship. I could not wait to book it. I booked the day it came out on sale. I think I am only going to do new ships from now on. I sailed on Anthem for a transatlantic and loved it do much I booked it again while still onboard. There is something special about a ship not many people have sailed on.

yes, vista will be in the US in december 2016.

 

the transatlantic is october 26 - november 3. there will be a series of sailings from new york - speculatively - probably first a TA / media event, then perhaps a 2 day cruise to nowhere, followed by a few 8 day sailings, and then an 11 day repositioning cruise (that speculation from a few dates that have shown up, etc.)

 

the final HOME port hasn't been announced yet - when it has been, it is likely then the 2017 sailings will be announced / available. rumor has it that it may be some time later this month, but carnival hasn't officially announced when that will be, other than 'soon'.

Vista will only have 3 sailings out of NYC in November, she will then move to Miami and sail 6 and 8 day cruises to the Caribbean. I just booked the November 7th 11 day cruise in a Havana Balcony for just above 3000 total. Not a bad price for an 11 day cruise.

Thanks for the answers people.

Lisa Richard is one of two cruise directors I would look for a cruise just to be with her. She is one of the top CDs I have sailed with (21 cruises). The other was on Royal Caribbean Jimmy Rhodes. I sailed with him on Oasis but he is now on Quantum. I rarely remember a CD very long after a cruise is over, but these two I still remember years later - Lisa 6 yrs ago and Jimmy just over a year ago.

Lisa was very friendly and just blended in with the group at our CC gathering. I did not realize who she was. Like others have said she is very approachable and friendly. When you hear her perform, you will be amazed. You can see her performances on You Tube when other cruisers have recorded her performance of Winner Takes It All. I also remember her teaching the passengers the dance to Dancing Queen from Mama Mia.

we were on the allure and the oasis... i loved them both, but we have to fly in so the cost of airfare plays into our cruises.

 

We went on the navigator in may. I love having my eggs/omelets freshly made in the windjammer, but it seemed like there was more of a food selection on the oasis/allure.

 

I really liked the big screen on the navigator in the pool area. and yes, if you go around the front of the ship on the pool deck you can see the peek a boo bridge.

 

The shopping area was smaller, but since the ship is smaller, that's to be expected. For kids, the boardwalk on the oasis/allure was really nice, and i did like the aqua shows, the pool area for the kids and the cupcake spot was cool.

 

The navigator is a nice ship, we are sailing her again next sept as it's a 3-4 hour drive. I do like that. The flow rider/climbing wall/ putt putt and kids programs are all on the navigator.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!

When did Navigator get a flow rider? It did not have one a few years ago when I was on her.

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My last RC cruise was on the Allure. I realize there will be no comparison, but my next cruise is on the Navigator. What is/are your favorite thing/s about her? Thanks!

 

 

 

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I have been on Navigator and Oasis. I loved them both. There are only. A few differences, but there are more similarities. My favorite place on the Navigator was the Promenade. We spent most of our evenings in the English pub with the live music. The Promenade Cafe has good roast beef sandwiches, but they cannot compare to those in the Park Cafe. I also loved the fresh salads in Park Cafe. I loved the boardwalk on Oasis and the water show, but my favorite was the ice show. The ice show on Navigator was just as good. I realize that nothing will compare to Oasis or Allure so I would not even bother to compare. Enjoy each ship for its individuality.

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I'm sad to hear they're doing that now. I was able to apply an increased balcony discount on two cruises without a penalty -- once when I moved from Platinum to Emerald, and then again when I moved up to Diamond. AllI had to do was call and they did it without question.

 

 

 

I guess I shouldn't worry too much. I'm a L-O-N-G way from D+!:eek:

That is funny because I booked Quantum the day bookings came open. I was Platinum at the time and got the $100 discount, but already had a cruise booked that would put me in Emerald. They told me to call back when I got off that cruise and they would adjust the discount to reflect my new status. Funny thing is now I may achieve Diamond before then, but I already cancelled the cruise because they changed the itinerary and was not willing to spend that much for San Juan and two days in Labadee.

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My first solo cruise was my birthday weekend and I had an amazing time! I always try to cruise the month of my birthday but that particular year, my birthday fell on a sea day, although I was suppose to be in Nassau - a storm kept us on the water till the following day.

 

I loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

 

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My first solo cruise was also on my Birthday. I had a great time with friends who I met on these boards, We are still in contact and have done other cruises together. My family made sure I felt the love by having my room decorated, goodies sent to my room, drink coupons and a bottle of champagne and cake sent to the dining room.

I usually have real good experiences by walking off the ship and finding a taxi (pay attention to the license plate one is good and other picks up friends and rob passengers. We were warned by our CD). We were in Ochoa Rios, the guy took us around the island for $25 per person. We were gone 4 1/2 hours and I do not think there was much we missed.

True however the reviews have not been as positive about the Allure like the Oasis which alot has to do with the staff and cruise director. Have you been on the Allure yet?

We had Jimmy Rhodes on Oasis in November. I have been on 18 cruises and he is definitely one of my top two along with Lisa Richard.

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We're on the Oasis on Mar 15- thoroughly enjoyed your review and can't wait. We have a Boardwalk Balcony on the 11th floor. Our last RCL was the GOS 5/24/13- hoping this cruise has a little less excitement.

I was on Oasis Nov 16-23 and had a boardwalk balcony on 11th floor (11327) and loved it. The walk down the hall was not as bad as I had anticipated,as we were in the next to last room. We did make the mistake of going the wrong way when we first boarded and walk the entire length of the ship. One tip for you, the casino is directly below you your room area, you can get to all the entertainment by cutting through the casino (mid ship elevator). At the end of the hall, there is a private deck where you can watch Oasis of Dreams w/o going to the Aqua Theater. We also watched from our balcony one night. I think other ships I sail on on future will have a lit to live up to now.

Looking forward to going on Quantum in Jan 2015.

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Sailing with RC in January to Nassau and Coco Cay.

Curious as to where we would leave our belongings while we are in the water snorkeling? I assume neither island have lockers?

I'm reading reviews about shady areas and people. I plan to leave our expensive electronics (DSLR camera, ipad, phones, etc) on the ship, and we'll have our GoPro with us in the water of course. But our cards/cash, documents, sail pass cards, etc. will be in our back pack.

Thanks!

Buy a Beach Safe, it is a plastic water resistant (not water proof) item you can wear around your neck. You can keep your sea pass, money and credit cards in that.