Just off the Vista, good and bad....my thoughts, and ask any questions ya got :)

- Agree 100% with the Internet. It was abysmal. We had gotten used to the Internet on Royal Caribbean and this just paled in comparison.

 

I had the "Value" plan on Carnival Conquest last year at this time and it was lickety-split. I was easily able to make FB Messenger voice calls back home. On Vista....no way. FB Messenger worked well enough for us to text back and forth to establish dinner times and meetups onboard, but even when I "upgraded" to the Premium plan at a pro-rated price, I still couldn't load the content of my emails. A quick visit to Guest Services and the $33 charge was gone (as was my Premium upgrade).

Oddly enough it seemed like the Internet improved a bit in speed thereafter.

 

-I also liked the check-in for YTD by the Java cafe. It was nice to just walk into the main dining room and get seated with no waiting.

 

It worked really well for our extended group of 7. There WAS one night (maybe the first cruise-elegant night) when there was a huge pile of people at the Horizons Dining Room entrance when we were leaving, but I don't know if they had bypassed the check-in at JavaBlue or if there was a bottleneck with the system.

 

-They rolled out the new elevator process during our sailing. We never used it because we had no idea how it worked. Either way, we didn't really feel that the elevators were that slow.

 

Yes, after the first day it seemed like we seldom had to wait too long. There was one instance when I wanted to go all the way up to Serenity Deck 15 and I had to wait about two minutes for Car X to arrive, but it's the only elevator car that goes that high.

What type of cabin did you have? Thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

What type of cabin did you have? Thanks

 

We had an interior on Lido Deck, with one upper berth. My married friends John and Kathy had the regular bed (pushed together as a king) and I had the upper berth. After three days I began getting used to it. :eek:

Love this. No more riding the "local" with kids that press every floor.

 

Where do you host your photos? I'd like to post some!

I have used the new and improved internet on every cruise since it has been offered. The first time on the Vista in 2016 it worked great. This past summer it was almost unusable. My suspicion is that it is simply over subscribed.

Any idea if the elevators wait until your card is scanned to close the doors? Sometimes pushing the wheelchair it takes a bit to get to the open elevator. We've missed many regular elevators because they have closed before we got to them.

Where do you host your photos? I'd like to post some!

 

I uploaded the elevator photos to my personal website, www.paulcashman.com, solely for linking here on CruiseCritic.

 

My full cruise photos (81 plus a video) and my photos from the snuba excursion are in publically accessible photo albums under my Facebook profile, but of course, they can't be accessed or linked from CruiseCritic.

 

I included some of my better pics as part of my "official" CruiseCritic review, but it's still pending approval after three days. :o

 

Any idea if the elevators wait until your card is scanned to close the doors? Sometimes pushing the wheelchair it takes a bit to get to the open elevator. We've missed many regular elevators because they have closed before we got to them.

 

Cards are not scanned as part of the elevator-call process.

I DID notice that the elevators would sometimes close pretty quickly. The good news is, the system will TELL you which car will be yours, so you can go right to the elevator door and wait for it. No mad dash!

....Well, except for this scenario: There were a couple of times when I pressed the button for the floor we were going to, and the elevator was already there for other passengers and closed before we could get to it. We just pressed the floor again. :)

Edited October 18, 2017 by Pellaz
Added info on CC review

CruiseCritic has finally posted my review, hooray! It's a bit "cleaner" than the quickie I posted here earlier.

Also: more photos!

 

 

• Please pardon the typo in the review title. Pretty embarassing, yeah.
  
• The "Miami" port review is actually for Faster to the Fun. CC's review procedures don't seem to be designed for something like FTTF.
  

Here it is: https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=595101

Thanks for the review, just over a month before we cruise on the Vista.

 

One quick question...do they still have cones available at the soft serve ice cream stations? I heard a rumor that Carnival no longer supplied them.

 

Thanks

Thanks for the review, just over a month before we cruise on the Vista.

 

Have fun! Chances are your cruise won't be as wet as ours was!

 

One quick question...do they still have cones available at the soft serve ice cream stations? I heard a rumor that Carnival no longer supplied them.

Thanks

 

I remember seeing at least one fellow cruiser walking along with an ice-cream cone from Swirls (the soft-serve stations), so they must still have them. I prefer using one of the bowls (it reduces the chance of a "catastrophic failure" and a spill :) ) but an ice-cream place without cones would be a poor excuse for one, I think.

Great review! Very informative for a newbie like me!

Wow thanks for the review and the info on the new elevator system on fwd elevators!

Great review! Very informative for a newbie like me!

 

If you have any questions that come to mind, feel free to ask. CruiseCritic has been a godsend for me, a trove of information that doesn't get mentioned much "officially" on the website. The "secret decks," the Behind the Fun tours, best cabana locations at Half Moon Cay, etc.

 

Wow thanks for the review and the info on the new elevator system on fwd elevators!

 

You're welcome!

 

I have to give Carnival props for installing that new system for an elevator bank where some elevators only travel to certain floors. I'll be on a Royal Caribbean ship next February that has a similar elevator bank -- some of the elevators don't go all the way to the top -- and I'd bet a dollar they haven't installed a more advanced system like the Vista has.

Loved your review!

 

Did you happen to take part in any shore excursions?

Loved your review!

 

Thanks, fellow Atlanta person!

Did you happen to take part in any shore excursions?

Yes, all told there were three: FTTF, the Behind the Fun tour (booked onboard), and then I booked the snuba excursion at Grand Cayman.

The snuba excursion was pretty good and relatively inexpensive for snuba, I think it was $80. It started very early but we were taken to the first tender so that was awesome. A quick 3-minute walk from the pier and then we entered from the shore and swam out to a sunken wreck. I'd say it was worth it. There was another snuba excursion offered in Cozumel for $10 less but I chose this one because you were allowed to bring your own underwater camera; the Coz excursion did not allow them.

 

We opted not to do any excursion in Ocho Rios because we were just going to go hang out at Margaritaville.

In Cozumel we had been planning on taking a taxi to Paradise Beach but we got separated in the shopping plaza at the Puerta Maya pier, and we ended up going back to the ship for lunch -- something at which the Vista really shines :) -- then returning outside to do some shopping after the crowds died down.

I will be on the Vista for 14 days next September . I am looking forward to exploring the ship .

I will be on the Vista for 14 days next September . I am looking forward to exploring the ship .

 

It's Carnival's biggest ship, so there's a lot to explore if you're used to smaller ships like the Fantasy-class, or the Triumph or the Victory.

Even so, Vista is much smaller than Royal's new-build ships AND it has three elevator banks compared to Royal's two...so you don't have to do as much walking back and forth!

We're just off the Vista's Oct. 1st sailing, and there were high points and low points involving the ship. I'll summarize my thoughts. Also, feel free to ask any questions about the ship and I'll try to answer them. :)

 

THE GOOD:

-- There were lots of dining options, especially during the afternoon AWAY from the Lido Deck buffet "zoo".... Jiji's Asian Kitchen, the Captain's Pasta Bar, Guy's Pig and Anchor, Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Fresh Creations....all free and included and all were really good. We never went to the Lido buffet during lunch and never had to fight those embark-day lines. We felt sorry for those who did.

-- The staff seemed friendly to us; we had an excellent stateroom steward and most of the bartenders we dealt with were really cool. (Adding a tip on "free" Cheers drinks really makes you some friends.) We had YTD but our wait-staff were so good on Day 3 we asked for them each night thereafter. They literally had us walking out of the MDR with 3 bottles of water and a bottle of Pellegrino two nights in a row.

-- Casino on deck 4 = clearer air on the busy Promenade, Deck 5.

-- I liked the atrium area but DID miss the glass elevators. I found that I didn't really miss the 8-story atrium, though.

-- I liked the "secret decks" in the front. Deck 9's was especially big, since it was over the bridge and you could stand above the two bridge wings for an incomparable view down the side of the ship.

-- Our embarkation (with FTTF) and debarkation were really easy. We slid right by a huge line outside the terminal. It also came in handy when I had to go to Guest Services about the wi-fi (see below), saving me at least 30-45 minutes in line.

-- Although some of the lines were long, I never had a problem finding an open lounger on the decks.

THE BAD:

-- Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put slippery tiles in the Lido Marketplace should be fired. What the HELL were they thinking? The pool deck itself is much less slippery. :o

-- The Wi-Fi speed was pretty lousy, in sharp contrast to my great experience last year on Conquest. I had pre-purchased the Value plan but was unable to read my emails, so I upgraded halfway through to the pro-rated Premium plan. It was no faster than the Value plan, so I asked them to cancel the upgrade and refund the $33. They did.

-- Vista has no adults-only pool or hot tubs...and only two pools available for general use. I was startled not to see any hot-tubs by the midships pool on Lido.

-- No pool or hot-tubs with a retractable roof like on Spirit- and Conquest-class ships. On THIS cruise with our weather, this was a problem.

-- The new elevator system (for the forward elevator bank) is really nifty, but they should send out an email in advance describing how they work. It has only been in place on Vista for about 2-3 weeks, so I can understand some "growing pains" with it.

Side note: this is the third time I've tried to post this. CruiseCritic's rather overzealous "Research" drop-down at the top of the screen has caused Google Chrome to lock up twice. It's really quite annoying.

 

 

 

glad to hear it what nights r captins night going nov 26

Did you use the gym at all? Do you know if it has a steam room and sauna?

hello im going nov 26th what days are the captins nights and what do u suggest for sign up any wait lines for any events we have to do do u have copy of the day to day intinary

Pellas- qq about lunch at Jiji's... you mentioned it's a no-charge restaurant at lunch... do you by chance have a copy of the lunch menu or could you describe what they offer? Are there sushi options?

 

I may try it by myself some evening when we cruise on Vista since none of the family likes sushi except me!

Did you use the gym at all? Do you know if it has a steam room and sauna?

 

I did not use the gym or the spa -- I'm always scared of wandering into an area that you have to pay for. :)

There are saunas located within each locker room, though. (Per the deck plans at cruisedeckplans.com)

 

hello im going nov 26th what days are the captins nights

Those would be Carnival's "cruise elegant" evenings. For our sailing, they were the first full day (day after embark, so Day 2) and then the day we visited Grand Cayman, so that would be Day 4.

 

. and what do u suggest for sign up any wait lines for any events we have to do do

Carnival doesn't have reservations for its shows (theater shows or comedy shows). Just get there a bit early (20-25 minutes) and you should be good to go.

 

"Get there a bit early" is a good motto for the Vista in general. If you'd like to ride the SkyRide or do the Ropes Course....get there a bit early, before the official start times in the FunTimes. Lines will form and you'll save a lot of time by being among the first in line.

 

You DO have to make reservations for the Steakhouse on Promenade Deck 5, Jiji's Asian Kitchen and the Cucina del Capitano for dinner (both on Deck 11 above the Lido buffet), and the Chef's Table special dinner seating (held in its own nice room in the ship's galley). All of those cost extra.

 

do u have copy of the day to day intinary

I have copies of each day's FunTimes (onboard itinerary), but no way to scan them in.

 

If anyone has any specific questions post them and I'll check the FunTimes.

 

BW, this was the Western Caribbean itinerary for Vista, not the Eastern, so....Miami -> sea day -> Ocho Rios -> Grand Cayman -> Cozumel -> sea day -> Miami.

Edited November 6, 2017 by Pellaz
clarity

Pellas- qq about lunch at Jiji's... you mentioned it's a no-charge restaurant at lunch... do you by chance have a copy of the lunch menu or could you describe what they offer? Are there sushi options?

 

No, there are no sushi options. Note that there is a nice sushi place (Bonsai Sushi) along the Promenade on Deck 5, but it is fee-extra.

 

As for a lunch menu at Jiji's....they don't need no steenkin' lunch menu! :)

When you check in at the podium, they will hand you a menu card and a small pencil and lead you to your table. Once there, you fill out the card telling them what you want: type of noodles, type of meat (or shrimp), what veggies you want, what sauce(s)....and then they take it and cook it for you. Beats the heck out of standing in a long line like with the usual "Mongolian Wok"...although I'd be happy to stand, since I'm an Asian stir-fry fiend. :D

The Cucina (Italian place) across the foyer does it exactly the same way with a fill-out card, as it's a pasta bar during lunch. Both the Cucina and Jiji's share the same check-in podium, in fact.

 

I may try it by myself some evening when we cruise on Vista since none of the family likes sushi except me!

Neither myself or my traveling companions were fans of sushi, so I'm sorry I don't have any firsthand experience with Bonsai Sushi. It's a nice, open spot with seats right along the Promenade inside, and I've heard the prices are reasonable.

hello im going nov 26th what days are the captins nights and what do u suggest for sign up any wait lines for any events we have to do do u have copy of the day to day intinary

Smilow15 - which interary are you sailing?

 

Doug