cynalan

Thanks for the feedback. Although I said "private tour", I should have said a private group that is meeting the tour operator in central Lisbon. They do not pick up at the port. I guess my question should have been... the ship is expected to dock at 8:00. Would it be reasonable to assume that we will be able to disembark quickly and take a short 15 minute cab ride to be at our pick up point by 9:00?

Hi Folks, I will be taking my first Azamara cruise on the Pursuit. One of our stops is in Lisbon. My wife and I would like to take a private day trip to Sintra. Our ship arrives at 8:00 a.m. and we would need to be at a pickup point about a 15 minute drive from the cruise terminal for 9:00 a.m. In your experience is this doable or would it be cutting things too close? Thanks in advance for your comments.

Hi,

We are staying at a Hotel in La Rambla quite close to the Columbus monument in Barcelona. Does anybody know if it is feasible just to walk to the ship from La Rambla? Where does Azamara dock in Barcelona? We are not sure if we should order a taxi since it seems to be very close.

Ivi

We've done it from a similar location near the Columbus monument. It's about a 30 minute walk. There's a gentle bridge over an inlet in the harbour, but other than that, not a bad stroll. It really depends on how much luggage you will be dragging along.

Belvedere Lookout has amazing views, however, I found the lookout at Magic mountain to be even better. It offers an amazing 180 degree view of the shoreline and lagoon and the colours were spectacular. You cannot drive a car there, however. You must either hike it are take a 4WD excursion. It's worth it.

We fly to Tahiti on AF on January 4th for our cruise that leaves on the 6th. I was not aware of job action by Tahitian based flight attendants. Hopefully all will be well for our flight. We're spending a night at the Tahiti IC before the cruise and a few nights in an OWB on Moorea at the Sofitel afterwards. I think that this trip will be magical... one to remember.

the piano bar on the Dream sat about 30 people.

 

If there are 4000 guests on the ship only 10% can see the comedy show at one time. And quite a few seats are obstructed so this makes me think the ship is not for us.

 

Just back from the Dream and would think their comedy club sat twice as many with good viewing.

On the Vista, each show was repeated, i.e. each comedian did 2 sets of their G rated and 2 sets of their R rated comedy.

Thanks for your review.

 

What did you think of the size of the comedy club' date=' heard it was extremely small compared to either the Conquest or Dream class.

 

Also seems like seating around the piano bar was very limited.

 

Would like to experience the ship but concerned about our two favorite forms of entertainment.[/quote']

 

I cannot speak for the other comedy clubs as this was only my second Carnival cruise. However, the Vista club seats 400. The only issue is that the way the room is configured, a good number of seats have obstructed views due to pillars. Between shows they clear the room but getting a seat was never a problem. We very much enjoyed the comedians.

 

As for the piano bar... seating directly around it holds maybe 10 people or so. I could not give a count for the total seating in the room but after 11:00 it was standing room only on a couple of nights.

Since CC has not created a thread for the Vista on their review page yet, I thought that I would give a few quick thoughts about my experience on her maiden voyage.

Our first impression of the ship, after a horrendous 2.5 hour embarkation process, was quite favourable. She has attractive lines, a soothing colour scheme and has some unique features, e.g. the LED "champagne glass" in the deck 3,4,5 atrium created some interesting effects. I also like the use of the mini-stage in the Atrium for some of the performers. Our cabin was a good size and well laid out, however other than bath robes, there were no amenities. Nada in the bathroom other than wall mounted shampoo and bath gel in the shower. Minibar was empty through the whole voyage.

Our bags arrived quickly as expected given we were the first passengers. We met our cabin steward, Frank from St. Vincent, who was an amazingly cheerful individual who liked to chat with us and kept our cabin in an impeccable state. I have not seen towel animals for awhile so it was interesting to see what type of beast would greet us each night.

Main Dining Room - We did Free Time Dining and found the MDR to be bright and attractive. I think fixed seating for dinner was in the Reflections Dining Room which was somewhat dark and claustrophobic, definitely not as nice a venue. Food quality and selection were pretty good, service, not so much. There was considerable inconsistency. We had dinners that lasted anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5 hours depending upon your servers. Sommeliers were nowhere in sight. Wine delivery was very inconsistent usually arriving after appetizers and/or during the main course. Overall though, we enjoyed the room and had the good fortune to meet fellow cruisers and share our experience.

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse - I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. At only at $35 surcharge, it was a steal compared to other ships. Service was exemplary. Food quality and presentation were exceptional. We enjoyed it so much we dined there several times. I would say this was the best value for any steakhouse on cruise line we've sailed.

Chef's Table - This was a very interesting experience in the belly of the beast, i.e. a table in the heart of the galley. We were hosted by the Executive Chef who explained each course in detail. (I will post some pics in another thread.) We were given a tour of the galley and even had a sleight of hand crew member entertain us with a few card tricks. The meal was fantastic, though would have been perfect if wines were matched. Only a relatively cheap red or white was available which took away from the gourmet experience.

Entertainers - This ship, arguably, had the best musical entertainment I've experienced. Velvet Vibe provided pop music in the Ocean Lounge most nights.. man can Mickey sing a tune! Magic and Mike, an Irish duo, offered soft rock and ballads, usually in the Atrium. Essencia was an eclectic string trio that proved to be quite popular with their electric violins. Ben was great in the piano bar. (For those who have sailed Celebrity and know Perry Grant - think of him as a young Perry.) He was big on talent and raunched it up after 11:00 for some adult fun. Punchliners Comedy Club also provided 6 comedians over the course of our cruise, most of whom were quite entertaining.

Liquid Lounge - I've posted elsewhere that I hate the room. It is designed to be multi-purpose and it shows. When set up as a theatre, the room is cramped. Very uncomfortable chairs seem to be piled up in any free space with no rhyme nor reason. Sight lines are poor. Unless you are in a booth there is nowhere to put your drink. All in all, a terrible venue. On the plus side, however, the singers and dancers were great. We saw two of three shows, concerts really (Amor Cubana and America Rocks) that were high energy and proudly presented by a talented cast. Great lighting and sound were to be had.

Carnival Hub App - Absolutely loved it. Everyone should do this. It was great to access a calendar of ship activities through my smart phone.

Ship activities - There is a lot of trivia, and I mean a lot. An energetic cruise staff offer a broad variety of trivia competitions to taunt and challenge you. However, if you are not into trivia you will find sea day activities somewhat lacking. By the third sea day the ship's activities had become somewhat repetitive.

Conclusion - She's a really nice ship with lots of bells and whistles. Would I cruise on her again... NO! There was one big problem. The casino opens into the atrium for decks 4,5,6. Smoke was pervasive throughout the entire ship, even into our 6 FWD stateroom. Ventilation was nonexistent. This one issue would keep me away from her in the future. However, if smoke does not matter to you, I think you will find an enjoyable cruise experience on the Carnival Vista.

The liquid lounge is different from anything they have ever done and is gorgeous, that being said, the chairs are very uncomfortable. There are some booths but get there early. It is smaller because of the IMAX theater being above it, trying to cram a lot in a new ship.

Were we on the same ship? I would call the Liquid Lounge many things, but gorgeous is not one of them. Ugly? Definitely.

On the plus side, the lounge has a great sound system and decent lighting system. However, the type of show they can put on is limited as there are no elevators on stage to transition sets (like you would fine on Celebrity or RCCL). What this means is that the shows are more like a concert than a production. Sets are minimal with ambience being added by a backstage LED panel. It works, just different from other lines.

Now on to the lounge itself. The chairs are really uncomfortable. They are strewn about haphazardly as they are removable when the lounge transitions into a night club at 11:45. There is nowhere to put a drink... if you could even find a server to deliver one to you. The room feels closed in (only 2 decks in height) and definitely does not feel like a theatre.

Hi - What deck did you use to leave the ship when you were in port? I'm trying to figure out a good meeting place.

Deck 0 at every port. Meeting places for tours were either Reflections dining room or Liquid Lounge theatre.

A couple of pages back I responded to a post saying I had read reviews about people being left. If you remember, I was challenged to "prove it". I did not dignify it with an answer. How do I know how truthful every post is?

Hmm, having reviewed a few of your posts, you seem to like making unsupported comments and passing on rumours as fact. When asked to substantiate or a least validate your comments you run and hide.

Here come are a few of my Vista pictures. Review will be posted after I return from Barcelona.

I look forward to reading your thoughts. I was on the inaugural and thought she was a fine ship. Aesthecally very attractive, but she has some lumps and warts. I hope that you will highlight the good with the bad.

The most important question: how did our friends across the pond take to our upscale cuisine of Guy's Burgers? :)

Interestingly, for a European cruise fellow students passengers were not as diverse, predominantly Americans, with very few other nationalities unlike other lines I have sailed in Europe. As for the burgers... Great they were good with a broad selection of do it yourself toppings. If I had to choose the best however these would be number 2 to Celebrity as they were a bit on the greasy side. I

I'd like to know what the lines are like for the Skyride and other attractions. They look great but if the line is an hour or so they swiftly lose their appeal!

Depends when you go. At the beginning of the cruise the lines were anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes. Obviously sea days are the worst. However, as the cruise progresses they shorten. I found the best time to go is on a port day. I walked right up with no line up.

Have read that the smoking section is on deck 5. Looks like it is adjacent to the Havana Cabana area. How does that affect the cruisers whose cabins are close?

Have a great trip! Thank you for the forthcoming info can't wait to see

Although the Vista is a very attractive ship, I sadly must report that it is the worst for cigarette smoke of any ship I've ever sailed. Smoking is permitted in the casino (deck 4) which opens into an atrium decks 3-5. I have a deck 6 forward cabin and can smell smoke every night. It permeates the entire ship like no other.

Does anyone know how the cost of the IMAX cinema and whether they will be showing 3D or 4D films. Will you able to book in advance.

I am on the Vista now. $12.95 per film and yes, a reservation can be made in advance though I doubt it would be necessary. There were about 70 people attending the screening I watched.

FYI - current movies on the Vista are: the new Superman vs. Batman, Deadpool, and Star Wars.

Great image quality with a killer sound system!!!!

Maybe the reason attendance is down on the shows is because there are a lot more activities these days to do in the evenings. It is no longer dinner and a show. We don't really even go to many of them anymore. I think the younger cruisers with families may choose other things. I like the smaller theater with more show times. I can make it fit with my schedule.

I cannot comment on other ships, given my last Carnival cruise was 27 years ago on the Elation, however, the entertainment venues on the Vista are packed to the rafters. Production/concerts in the Liquid Lounge,3 shows, are filled. Punchliners comedy club seats 400 and has to clear the room between shows to let the next group in. The Ocean lounge is full every night because of a very talented band called Velvet Vibe. The Piano Bar is full after 11:00 for the adult oriented theme. For this cruise anyway, the ship is full of life and all venues are being enjoyed, with the exception of the Havana Bar, Mambo Magic is often playing to a nearly empty house.

Been interesting seeing the replies to my post. The vista looks like a great ship i guess when i seen pictures of liquid lounge i was stunned. Ya the lounge is not everything I just wish the shows were like they use to be along time ago Ya wont cancel just because of that I really like sailing carnival it is the fun ship

I've seen two new shows on the Vista... Amor Cubano and America Rocks. Both are really concerts as opposed to production type shows. However, that being said, I was quite impressed with the singers and dancers. They were a group of high energy, enthusiastic, talented performers. America Rocks was quite interesting as they merged several of the musical lounge acts on Board. I would say these were two of the best concerts I've seen on ships (other than Celebrity, which continues to have the best productions shows IMHO).

I am pleased to report that tonight's show America Rock's was fantastic. Great energy by a very talented cast. All three shows were standing room only... Packed to the rafters. (although it was entertaining, still hate the venue.)

Been seeing pictures of Vista Liquid Lounge it looks so small nothing like other Carnival ships. I am booked on the Vista but a tiny main lounge could be a deal breaker for me what in the world is Carnival thinking[/b]:eek:

I am on the VISTA now and will confirm that this is the worst show lounge of any ship or cruise line I have experienced. It is very small considering the ship holds nearly 4000 passengers. The seating configuration is terrible... A mix of fixed and movable chairs. It is messy and hard to navigate. Sight lines are terrible as there is no raking of rows. If not in a fixed seat there is no place to put down your drink... If you van get one ad only two waiters work a show. Some rows of seats have less leg room than an economy airline. On the plus side the theatre has an amazing sound system and excellent digital imagery... A good thing as so far the shows have had no sets. Entertainment in the main theatre is important to me and the VISTA has been a letdown. (9 more days... Maybe things will improve.)

On the Glory Journeys cruise in February, the Quest show was the lamest, juvenile, pre-teen treasure hunt that I have evr been to. I attended because the CD shrilled it was X Rated, Raunchy, Adult, and those easily offended should not be in the audience. The Cd had teams form, then they chose a team leader, and went to find things like a copy of the Fun Times and an AARP membership card. After 20 minutes of this banal "entertainment", I walked out totally disaapointed.

We had an entirely different experience when we attended the Quest on the Allure of the Seas. It definitely was raunchy, x-rated and a hell of a lot of fun. it even left the CD speechless. I guess we had a really relaxed, open-minded group of people. It all started with "Show me something pierced" and this well endowed young woman whipped off her top to show a nipple ring... and it got even more interesting from there. We had a great time and left with out stomachs hurting from laughing so much.

I noticed in the MDR they serve pasta dishes, does anybody know whether a person that needs to be gluten free can get gluten free pasta?

I cannot speak about Carnival but I would suspect that they do. My wife has a gluten sensitivity. On every other cruise line we've sailed, access to gluten free pasta was never a problem. It just may take a bit longer at the buffet line as the GF pasta is usually not parboiled as they do with regular pasta which is just heat and serve.

Seriously? When I read this the first time, I thought it was an April Fool's joke. Your travelling companion hates onions but won't tell anyone until the plate arrives and then sends it back. This person needs a big attitude adjustment. My oh my are they self-indulgent and wasteful.

As for what you could do... inform the maitre d' for ATD. Even if you do not get the same wait staff each night, you will be greeted the Maitre d' who should get to know you and help save you some discomfort.

Wow, still cannot believe the arrogance of this one.

Really? Last night in the Silhouette Theater their great dancers and singers, all eight of them, were dressed all in white in what looked like white diapers and t shirts prancing around the stage. The music was LOUD the lead singer had a screechy voice. There was no set just all black curtain. Same tonight with their show called "Pearl". Where's the colorful sets?

Obviously shows change over time. The show you describe was nothing like the ones that we saw. Here are a couple of shots from one of the shows we watched.