Biff Cruizer

Great review - loved all the photos!

Thanks!

Your review and pictures are fabulous!! Thank you for posting-we're sailing on the Vista next year!!

Thanks. Enjoy your Vista cruise.

How is cabin 7255? I will be in that cabin May 13.

7255 is an Ocean Suite. Lots of room. The 2 of us were never in each others way, like we were in the spa balcony on deck 14. The bathroom has double sinks and a tub/shower. The bathroom is spacious too. There is also more closet and other storage space in this cabin. The balcony is extended and has 3 chairs and a small table. You can see people lounging on deck 5 from this balcony, so I am sure they can see you. The fridge was good. We were able to keep our water and wine cold.

Another good thing about this cabin are the overhead lights. You can dim the lights with the buttons above the bed.

Us too, Bill, why take a taxi, and not the shuttle from the Marriott?

We took a car service because we wanted to compare it to taking the Marriott shuttle. We actually liked the car service. The driver arrived a little early. We got our luggage loaded and off to the port/terminal without having to wait for the shuttle to show, waiting for the shuttle driver to load all the luggage and stopping at other cruise ships before getting to the Vista. I don't know if the Marriott shuttle stopped at any other ships this time, but in years past, we were always the last stop.

I remember meeting you at the meet and great. Nice review!

Hope you enjoyed the cruise. I now have to wait a whole year until our next one. Maybe we can sneak one in between.

 

I was pretty pleased when we received our room assignment about 30 days prior to sailing and seeing we were on the spa deck, even though there would be no perks since it’s not a Cloud 9 spa. Our room was underneath the Serenity area which for the majority of the week was VERY nice and quiet. Even better was there were only 6 other cabins on our side of the ship. I say quiet for most of the week because one particular night it was horrible! There’s a Serenity Night party midweek that starts at 1130p and didn’t end until about 3am. We were all woken up from what sounded like deck chairs being slammed down directly above our room. Not a fun night.

 

 

 

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I just began reading your review. I feel your frustration with the late night deck party. We were just on the Vista in a Cloud 9 Spa cabin right below the Serenity deck. Never a noise until that party. Our room was vibrating from the loud music. I believe the party started at 10 and lasted until 2. I went to guest services around midnight and asked when will the party be over. They said 12:30. Fun Times said the party went until late. Guest Services didn't know how late because I called them twice and was told 2 different times.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

The last 2 sea days were good. Relaxing... very relaxing.

I forgot to mention something in my last post. Dinner on 3/1 was at Cucina del Capitano. It was delicious. For starters, we had fried calamari and meatballs. Both fabulous, especially the meatballs. They brought extra meatballs because we liked them so much. The meal was fantastic. All 4 of us order something different, so we got to try each others meal. I passed on dessert, I was stuffed. The others had dessert.

I got another fantastic massage on Friday 3/2. Before the massage, as I was having breakfast, a friend sent me a FB message stating that the power went out in our office building. He said there was a very powerful wind storm hitting our area. I decided to rub it in a little and state to him that the weather was perfect, calm seas and that I was about to get a massage.

I met my wife for lunch and then we lounged around for most of the day. We went to the casino. We played some of the "skill" games like cash cube. No luck there. I went back to the Let It Ride table and made out very well. I took my winnings and cashed out. Dinner was cruise elegant. After dinner, we had some drinks at the Alchemy Bar. After dinner, we watch the late showing of Flick. We have seen it on the previous cruise and really were glad to see it again. It is a really good show.

After the show, there was an 80s party on the Lido deck. I wish the party was more dancing instead of the CD and DJ teaching the crowd a dance to a song. Just let everyone dance they way they want to. Most of the music was 80s hip hop. There was some Michael Jackson, but they did not let Beat It, Billy Jean or Thriller play all the way through. Then there was a medley of 80s pop tunes; again the whole song was not played.

Final day at sea was 3/3/18. My wife and I were not feeling well this day. We were both congested and coughing. We tried to make the best of it. We had Guys burgers for lunch. This was the first time having Guys on this cruise. I have had Guys burgers on many other cruises and I did not enjoy it this time. I think the burger was too well done and the fries were not right out of the fryer. I guess I was missing Five Guys (originated in the area I live in).

At 2:30, we went to the Alchemy Bar for a mixology class given by Yulia. My wife had done this class on the Pride and enjoyed it. The ladies enjoyed the class this time. I had to bow out early. I really was not feeling well and I could not concentrate on the class. I went back to the room and slept for 2 hours.

In the evening, we said our goodbyes to our cabin steward, Leonard and our wait staff. I was feeling better. After dinner, we watched the late showing of America Rocks. It is a very enjoyable show. It features the house band, The Sauce Factor; plus the dancers. All classic rock tunes from groups/artists such as Boston, Styx, Kiss, Joan Jett, Aerosmith, etc. We got a selfie with Matt before the show started.

After the show, we went and played name that tune with Matt in the Atrium Bar area. Lots of fun! I and several others got all the songs correct, but was not the first person to shout out the tie breaker answer. Time for bed...

My wife got up at 6:00 on 3/4 and we were already at the port. We got ready around 7:30 and left our room shortly after. We had our last breakfast burrito at the Blue Iguana. We were zone 1 and were able to depart early. However, we decided to just wait and enjoy our breakfast. Our flight wasn't until 2:40. Finally off the ship at 9:10 and through customs and on on a bus by 9:40. The waiting at the airport is long and boring. We had lunch at the airport. I had mahi-mahi and my wife had a buger. We enjoyed our meals and thought we wasted a lot of time at the restaurant, but we still had over an hours wait after we finished lunch.

Finally on the jet to go home. We transferred in Charlotte and arrive back at Dulles Airport shortly after 7 PM. It was cold and depressing in VA. We got our taxi and headed for home.

We really enjoyed this back to back cruise and will do a back to back again. We have already booked our next cruise. It is one year from now out of Baltimore. Baltimore is about 1.5 hours drive. We don't have to fly or get a hotel the night before. That is what we like about sailing out of Baltimore. And the good thing about the ship in this port (Pride); it goes to Half Moon Cay.

Thanks for reading my review, I hope you enjoyed it. Here are some leftover photos.

St. Maarten: 3/1/18

We docked in St. Maarten next to the Celebrity Silhouette. The last time I was in St. Maarten was in 1997 and this port was a tender port. Glad there is a dock now.

This was a day at the beach (and shopping for the ladies). The beach was in Burgeaux Bay, next to the airport and Maho Beach. Maho Beach is where you can watch the airplanes fly over you as they are landing at the airport.

The water was a little rough, but I enjoyed it. Lunch was provided and good too. There was free rum punch, which is a good beach drink.

One of those really big ships:

.... Next is cruise wrap up

Now on to St. Kitts... 2/28/18

We booked the By Train and by Bus Excursion for St. Kitts. The tour met at the port; in the secure area. We got on the bus in that area and headed out to the train. The train takes you around the island, through old sugar cane fields, etc. There is a tour guide and each car has a server bringing around rum drinks and sodas. Each train car has an upper and lower deck. The upper deck is open air and the lower deck is air conditioned. The best view is on the upper deck. After the train ride, we got back on the bus and took a driving tour of the rest of the island. I would recommend this tour. Also, I like trains. :D

I took more video than photos. Here is a video.

I should have more on my YouTube channel.

After the tour, the ladies went shopping at the port and I went back to the ship. FYI: People have monkeys at the port and if you want a photo with a monkey, it will cost you $10. I don't like monkeys and believe they should not be pets. They are wild animals. Also, if you have to use the public restroom at the port shops, it will cost you $1.00.

... Next is St. Maarten.

More from San Juan (at the port)

... Okay, I got my days mixed up. In my last post, I said St. Kitts was next. It was actually San Juan.

San Juan: 2/27/18

We booked a city/Bacardi tour for this port. I enjoyed it. I learned about Bacardi's history and got to have a few drinks. On the way back to the port, we stopped at the capital building for a few moments.

More from Grand Turk:

Inside the cabana:

Forgot my hat on the ship, so my sister bought me this one.

Good day at Grand Turk. My party wanted to go back earlier than I. I convinced them to stay a little longer. :D

Back on board, showered and went to dinner. I believe this was the Hasbro game show night. It was enjoyable. Matt made it a lot of fun.

.... Next is St Kitts

Grand Turk: 2/26/18

One of our favorite ports. Especially since we like Margaritaville. We have been to GT 6 times. Several times, including this one, we rented a pool side cabana at Margaritaville. When I first checked, they were sold out. However, on the day final payment for the cruise was due, several became available. I guess some people cancelled. I felt luck to get one. They are nice. The 4 of us enjoyed it. We spent time drinking, eating, swimming, shopping and strolling on the beach. I also enjoyed watching the people on the Flow Rider.

1st sea day: 2/25/18

Started the day by going to the Cruise Critic meet and mingle in the Piano Bar. We met at 9:00. It was a decent turn out. There were pastries, coffee and juice available. We met for about an hour and then off to the slot pull. I did not hit anything on the slot pull, but some people were lucky. It was fun to watch.

After the slot pull, we went to lunch at the Mongolian Wok on deck 11. All was going good until some big hairy guy wanted to "parade" around in front of the window we were sitting in front of. There were lounge chairs on the outside and this guy had to park himself there. When I say parade, I mean show off his blessing. We tried our best to ignore him, but he knew we can see him so he kept parading. We were not amused.

The rest of the day was relaxing. Spent some quality time on our balcony. I played some games on my phone and then I napped. My wife and sister were out there too reading. As we were out there, Leonard brought the plate of chocolate covered strawberries/pastries. That was a good surprise for a lazy afternoon. Lazy for me... my wife, sister and friend went to the spa for manicures.

We had dinner in the main dinning room (Reflections) and it was cruise elegant night. The food was good, I had the prime rib. We had the same wait staff as last week. However for this week, they were moved to a different part of Reflections. We were confused at first when we were taken to a different location. The Maitre'D said that the servers are rotated to different tables once a month. We liked the people at the table next to us. The were from IL and very friendly.

After dinner, we had some drinks at Alchemy and then went to bed.

... Next is Grand Turk

Is that something you can order anytime or was that a scheduled event?

It is a special they run about 2 or 3 times per week. You are given a menu with 7 choices and you pick 4. One of the choices is Mixologist Choice. She will make your samples and then ask you to determine which is which. She helps you by getting you to smell, taste and look.

Here are the towel animals from the 1st part of the cruise. We did not get one on the first night.

 

Upload issues: Here are the photos, I hope.

Here is a photo taken around 4:15 AM as we arrived back in Miami on 2/24. We were turning around to dock.

 

Had upload issue... here is the photo.

photos and videos are not working....

Please try it now. I now just have the YouTube links instead of the video being embedded. I did not see any issue with the photos.

Sail away, drinks and dinner: 2/24/18

Muster drill was at 3:20. We were in muster station A5. This would go a lot quicker if everyone shows up for the drill. If you don't show up, your name and cabin number gets called by Matt (cruise director).

After muster drill, we went up on deck for the sail away party.

After Sail Away, we went to the Alchemy Bar for a martini tasting. Go Yulia!

Dinner was at the steakhouse. Delicious as always. Our friend was celebrating her 40th birthday and we told the steakhouse about this on the prior cruise. We asked for and got Ivana again as our server. We ordered the Art At Table dessert. In order to get this dessert, the whole table has to have it; no other desserts. The dessert was entertaining and good. Video and photo below.

Did not do much after dinner. Lounged around and then went to bed.

... Next is first sea day, Cruise Critic meet and mingle and slot pull

Here are the towel animals from the 1st part of the cruise. We did not get one on the first night.

Here is a photo taken around 4:15 AM as we arrived back in Miami on 2/24. We were turning around to dock.

Part 2: Eastern Caribbean

Back to Back Info:

At 9:45 we reported to the Limelight Lounge. That is where we turned in our S&S cards (we got them back later) and issued new cards. We waited in the lounge. There were continental breakfast items and champagne for us. We waited for the ship to be cleared of all other guests from the previous cruise. By 10:05, we were out of the lounge and headed to the staircase between decks 4 and 3 for a group photo. After the photo, we were all lead off the ship to go to customs. We showed the agent our passport and then we were shown where to line up. We were the first in line. After the whole group was processed in customs, we were all lead back onto the ship. On the previous embarkation, Carnival scanned our passport photo to link to our S&S account. This embarkation, Carnival took a new photo. My wife was the first one on the ship and I was 2nd. A very nice feeling. We headed to our new room on deck 7 (7255). The room was almost ready. We met our cabin steward, Leonard, he had S&S cards for us. Now we were confused of which ones to use. Guest services straightened it all out. The ones Leonard gave us were the correct ones to use.

At this point, it is 10:30 AM. We went to the Lido deck and sat at a table at Guys. We made some phone calls and enjoyed the quiet ship. Then at 11:05, the passengers are boarding. We went back to our cabin, which was ready and the luggage was delivered.

We were waiting for my sister and friend to board. Their boarding time was noon. However, they were on a later bus from their hotel and would not be boarding at noon. So, my wife and I went to Guys Pig and Anchor again for lunch. After lunch, we went back to the room. I gathered some laundry (shirts) and went to the laundry room. When I got back to our cabin, the rest of the party was there. They left their carry-on bags in our room and went to get lunch. We had other laundry to be taken care of, so I sent it off to be washed. I like this service.

… Next is the rest of the embarkation day (including the steak house again).

Did you try the lasagna for lunch in the Cucina del capitano? OMG I am drooling waiting for that! Best lasagna I've ever had. And the homemade ice cream /gelato during lunch. I need some stretchy pants :)

 

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I had it on the Breeze and Sunshine and loved it. However, it has meat in it. We, as Catholics, give up eating meat every Friday during the Lenten season. However, we did eat at Cucina del Capitano for dinner one night and had a veal dish that was delicious. Also, the meatballs are wonderful.

Last sea day and cruise (week one) wrap up: 2/23/18 – 2/24/18

On the last sea day, have pity on me… life is tough… I got another massage. This time it was a bamboo massage. Again, Bibi was my masseuse and the massage was wonderfully relaxing. I did like the hot stone massage better and I let Bibi know that. I told her that I may come back for another hot stone massage on the last sea day of the 2nd part of our cruise.

After the massage, my wife and I went to Cucina del Capitano for lunch. Lunch is free and it is the same ordering process as the Mongolian place. You fill out an order form of what type of pasta, sauce, etc you want and then it is brought to your table. We enjoyed our pasta lunch. We are Catholic and do not eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. This is a good place for a meatless meal.

For the afternoon, I played trivia and went to the casino. My wife wanted me out of the room so she can pack our bags. We were moving to another cabin for part 2 of our cruise. All bags had to be packed and ready to be moved Saturday morning. She says she can pack quicker without me being there to distract her.

After trivia (no wins for me), I played Let It Ride in the casino. I did not remember how to play, so the dealer helped me. It was only us at the table. I came out way ahead of what I expected so I took my chips and cashed them in.

After dinner, we had some drinks at the Alchemy Bar. After that, I participated in Matt’s song trivia. We only had to write down the name of the song. I missed one. His trivia was at 10:15 PM in the atrium and a lot of fun.

Matt standing on the bar in front of me:

Matt and I (selfie):

Odds and ends:

I forgot to mention our wonderful cabin steward, Patrick. He was from Jamaica. Very nice guy and kept our room looking good. Always had the bucket of ice ready for us and actually folded some of our clothing that we left on the couch.

The 6 day cruise to the western Caribbean was very enjoyable. We met a lot of good people (passengers and crew). I did not see many kids running around, even though there were many kids aboard. I asked several of them (and their parents) where they are from. Most were from New York. A lot of school districts in NY have a winter break. The bed was very comfortable. A nice firm mattress; just right for me.

Saturday morning around 4 AM, we were in Miami. We got up at 7:30 and left our room at 8:30. Left all our luggage behind. We headed to the Lido deck and had the very delicious Blue Iguana breakfast burritos. At 9:45, we reported to the Limelight Lounge (4 aft) and waited for the next part of our cruise to begin.

Miami in the morning:

... Coming soon is part 2; eastern Caribbean

…. Now for the bad part of our trip…. THE PARTY!

I do not complain about much. I normally let things go. However, this one bothered me.

There was a late night party on the Serenity deck. The Fun Times said it went until late. My wife had a headache and we were both tired. Our room was vibrating from the music above. I went down to Guest Services around midnight and asked when will this party end. They said it should be over by 12:30. 12:30 came and went and the party was still going on. I called guest services and got another answer… This time they said 1:00 – 1:15. Since the party was still going on at 1:30, I called guest services again. Now they said the party will end at 2 AM. We were not happy. I guess “Late” in the Fun Times = 2 AM. Normally, I would let this party go, but I did not like the 20 different answers I got from Guest Services. They had no idea of when the party would end. It finally ended at 2:10 AM. On the bright side, we did get a small credit to our S&S account.

… Next: Last sea day and wrap up of our 1st week.