Liberty of the Seas or Carnival Vista out of Galveston?

Hi all --

We are looking to book a December 2018 cruise from Galveston. It looks like the Carnival Vista and Royal's Liberty of the Seas are both sailing nearly identical itineraries out of Galveston at that time for approximately the same cost, give or take a few bucks. We will have a multi-generational group, including a 1 year old and a 2 year old, on this trip.

Anyone with experience on either or both ships have any insight on which we should pick? I know that Liberty has a baby pool/splash pad area where kiddos in swim diapers are allowed. Does anyone know if Vista has something similar? Would hate for the babies to not be able to use any of the pool/swimming areas.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Havent been on either ship but we are going on liberty in sept! I will let you know how that is.. If it were me I would select RC over Carnival any day! :)

I've been on the Liberty and I've been on the sister ships of the Vista. In general we just prefer Royal over Carnival for a couple reasons....we tend to like the layout better on Royal (at least on larger ships, Voyager class and up), pools seem more spacious on Royal, the adults only area has a pool (not sure about Vista on that), and we like the drink packages better on Royal (no limit whereas Carnival has a 15 max...probably plenty for most lol)

That being said, we really did like the Dream, Magic, and the Breeze! Although similar, they had differences such as some had the Red Frog Pub on the outdoor promenade on deck 5 vs. up on the pool deck. I'm not sure how much they changed on the Vista in comparison, but I'm sure any changes were most likely improvements from the previous ships. As far as food, they seem about the same to me but I do think Carnival has more options for lunch/snacks while by the pool as opposed to the Liberty. We never went hungry on any cruise so that's a minor detail.

When looking into the Vista I was intrigued by the "exclusive" area-I'm sorry, I cannot remember what they called it but it was a section of regular cabins and suites that had their own pool and bar until early evening, then it opened back up for all cruisers. I like that they were trying something different that fits a bit better into our budget as opposed to suites on other lines, Royal included.

I don't have kids so I can't comment too much on the kiddo areas but I will say my nieces and nephews loved the kids area and the slides on the Liberty this past spring. Actually most of the adults liked the slides on the Liberty too :p Obviously the 1 and 2 year olds won't care too much about that!

Good luck on your decision! I don't think either ship will be a bad choice. Galveston is a fun port to try out at least once. Although it's not necessarily the most convenient ports we've still had a blast both time we've sailed out of there!

Edit to add that I just noticed that you're from Austin...please ignore the comment about Galveston as I'm assuming you're driving in...that takes out most of the "inconvenience" of it :)

We sailed with a multi generational group on Liberty of the seas and it was great. Adventure Ocean for the kids, dedicated water play area for kids and babies, as well as the adults only pool for grandparents when they wanted peace. Royal also has the nursery for the under 3 crowd ($).

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Forums mobile app

KG1924, you are thinking of the Havana section on Carnival.

Anyways, this is kind of a no brainer. Both would be plenty fun, but Liberty is 15% bigger than Vista and carries less passengers... Even the Carnival fans don't seem to be receiving Vista very well, including a friend of mine who is very loyal to Carnival and recently sailed Vista... not impressed, overcrowded, spaces too small, not great.

I'd sail Liberty, all things equal. The ONLY question would be the 1 and 2 year olds. If they stay together and you need the nursery, Royal is better and there will be an upcharge. However, Carnival does have kids camp that starts at 2 years old (Royal starts at 3) and if the idea of dropping the 2 year old off for camp (free) is appealing, you may want to consider Carnival. But I am not sure if Carnival even has an under 2 nursery.

Ultimately, you'll have an amazing time on either ship.

I haven't been on the Liberty, but I was on the Vista for 33 nights. KG1924, there are NO sister ships to the Vista. The Horizon will be the first sister.

Personally, I really liked the Vista. There are a lot of extra free eating venues. I thought the outside dining and relaxing space was great. The Serenity deck has its own salad bar on sea days.

The biggest complaints about crowds was the Comedy shows (which I don't attend) and the set up of the main theater, which turns into the nightclub. Sight lines are bad, but since I travel solo, I found my perfect spot for shows.

The Havana cabins seem to be a big hit on the Vista, but you can't book if anybody under 12. They have exclusive use of the pool and hot tubs until 7pm.

If you have any more specific question on Vista, ask away.

Debbie

My daughter has been on Indy, Oasis, and Celebrity Constellation...she went on Carnival Breeze for honeymoon last November. She said never again on Carnival. Nothing specific just the vibe, entertainment, and missed having the Promenade. She also preferred going off the ship and meeting for excursions Vs meeting at a specific place on the ship then going off the ship. She says Royal!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We've sailed the Vista in May 2018. Loved it but our next cruise is on the Liberty. I really like it's setup and offerings.

We are sailing Liberty for the second time in Sept. We loved her on our first cruise. We travel with no kids but for us the lack of waiting for shows, etc. and the larger feel of Liberty is important. Also, the solarium adults only pool area is great. Food venues are more varied on Vista and the Havana area is intriguing. One venue not frequently mentioned on Liberty is Oliver and Twist which is where we go most evenings around ten to listen to "70s, 80's and '90s music. The view is beautiful and the music most nights fun and memorable. (We leave before it becomes a full fledged nightclub later at night.) If you choose Vista please let us know your thoughts. We are not Carnival bashers or Royal lifers but as of now Liberty is the best choice for us.

We have done liberty a couple of times in last few years, have not cruised celebrity in more than 30 years, but have had some friends that did both and they all perfer rccl. Liberty has a great ice show also broadway play Saturday night fever.

Hi all --

 

We are looking to book a December 2018 cruise from Galveston. It looks like the Carnival Vista and Royal's Liberty of the Seas are both sailing nearly identical itineraries out of Galveston at that time for approximately the same cost, give or take a few bucks. We will have a multi-generational group, including a 1 year old and a 2 year old, on this trip.

 

Anyone with experience on either or both ships have any insight on which we should pick? I know that Liberty has a baby pool/splash pad area where kiddos in swim diapers are allowed. Does anyone know if Vista has something similar? Would hate for the babies to not be able to use any of the pool/swimming areas.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

We have done the Liberty and it was a great cruise. We had 50 people in our party and all enjoyed it. It was not an organized party, we just announced we were going and a bunch of our friends decided to go also. The staff seated us in one section of the dinning room. The 3 sea days was very relaxing.

Having read this review

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2656304&highlight=vista

last night I'd be tempted to try Vista. We've sailed LOTS but for some reason it was only so-so.

The main differences I have experienced is that Carnival has more free food options/variety. While RCI has more public spaces and things to do that make their ships seem less crowded.

The only way i could see chosing Vista over Liberty would be if you were on the cusp of jumping up another level with Carnival's VIFP program

We sail both lines. Head over to Carnival boards, there seems to be a lot of negative comments about Vista

We have sailed liberty three times...one being the extending hurricane harvey cruise. I have three boys ages 9, 9, 8 at the time. They love liberty of the seas and so did we! In fact we are sailing her again in June of 2019. So much to do for kids...ice skating, basketball, surf rider, water slides, etc. The kids club is fun also!

I have sailed both and would choose Liberty of the Seas. Although my cruise on the Vista was fun, I didn't like certain things about the ship and will never sail on it again. I loved everything about Liberty of the Seas and it was one of my best all around cruises.

Liberty of the seas splash pad for kids is prob the best out there. Slides are great too. We have sailed her twice. Once as a family with our kids, and the other with our whole family...Grandpa to Grandkids. It is a great multi-generational ship. We have never sailed Carnival and have honestly been reluctant to do so based on all the feedback we have gotten from friends. We are considering sailing on Panorama in 2020 however due to price, newness of ship, and proximity to home. I would highly recommend the panoramic Ocean view rooms on 11 (or whatever they are calling them now) We booked our whole family in that corridor. Grandparents took a balcony, kids and grandkids filled the panoramic rooms...they have been our favorite so far.

The itineraries do have different ports. Mahogany Bay in Roatan for Carnival is very convenient. Costa Maya vs. Belize is more convenient which is usually only the RCL but a few Carnival cruises. I’ve heard the Jamaica ports have different plus/minuses.

Liberty has a small splash area for kids in diapers. Not sure that was mentioned. Already mentioned was difference in kids programs.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Without a doubt I would choose Liberty over Carnival. We’ve sailed in the past on both Liberty and Carnival from Galveston and will never do Carnival again. My comparison as an example is that I got what could only be called “ice milk” on Carnival when I could get real ice cream on Liberty. If the price is comparable, you will get a higher class vacation on Liberty.

Did the TA on the Horizon, sister ship of the Vista, cannot see taking a Carnival cruise if RCI has about the same itinerary at about the same price. The entertainment was inferior to RCI, about the same as Princess. Did not enjoy someone singing to prerecorded music.

Did the TA on the Horizon, sister ship of the Vista, cannot see taking a Carnival cruise if RCI has about the same itinerary at about the same price. The entertainment was inferior to RCI, about the same as Princess. Did not enjoy someone singing to prerecorded music.

We did Vista in May. Shows are the same all year on all ships so we’re doing the Liberty of the Seas as a change.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums