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

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.

Thanks for your objective feedback!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thanks for your review. I hear we are getting the Vista in Galveston next year so I'm trying to learn all I can before then.

Enjoyed your review.

 

Keith

I have some photos to share of the new elevator system's display screens and the elevator call panel.

 

Here is the call panel where you press the floor you want to go to. An unconfirmed report on our roll call said you are supposed to press the deck button once for each member of your party but I haven't been able to verify this.

Oddly enough, every deck has a familiar name here, but many of the names don't appear in print anywhere else, nor does the "elevator voice" announce them except for Lido, Lobby, Promenade, and Mezzanine.

 

 

When there are no pending requests, display screens located on the busier decks (Lido, Promenade, etc.) will show the following instructions screen:

 

 

If there is a pending request, it will show you which car(s) are allocated and to which floors they will go.

 

If I had pressed "15 Serenity" it would allocate Car X to my floor, since it is the only elevator car that goes to Deck 15. Deck 14 is only served by two of the elevators, and the same is true of Decks 1 and 2.

 

 

Note: There are no floor buttons for passengers to press in the elevator cars at all.

Thanks for the review! [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I appreciate your taking the time to post a review of the Vista. My only question is, other factors such as itinerary and home port being equal, would you choose to sail on her again?

Question

 

Doesn't Serenity ( adult only) have hot tubs? I thought it does, just no pool!

Question

 

Doesn't Serenity ( adult only) have hot tubs? I thought it does, just no pool!

 

Can anyone use these hottubs in Serenity?

We are Havana but was not sure for future cruises?

Can anyone use these hottubs in Serenity?

We are Havana but was not sure for future cruises?

 

Anyone over 21 it's suppose to be for Serenity.

Question

 

Doesn't Serenity ( adult only) have hot tubs? I thought it does, just no pool!

 

Yes, it has two hot-tubs. The Serenity area was closed for at least one of our last two days because of high winds.

 

 

I appreciate your taking the time to post a review of the Vista. My only question is, other factors such as itinerary and home port being equal, would you choose to sail on her again?

 

Yes, I would. The negatives didn't quite outweigh the positives and we were very unlucky when it came to weather on this particular cruise...better weather/less clouds/less rain/less winds would have made some of my gripes less important.

 

I also did the Behind the Fun Tour and, while it was different/less inclusive from some I've had before, the visit to Engineering Control was almost worth the price of admission on its own. The equipment and displays are a lot different from the other ships I've toured, and they had a really nifty "tactical table" -- basically a table-sized hi-def flat-screen touch display -- that the 2nd Engineer used to show us all sorts of things...including what actually DOES come out of those holes on the funnel. :)

 

I should point out that the check-in system for YTD, where you go to a kiosk near the JavaBlue café, worked well for us. We never had to wait for a table assignment and they were able to accommodate our extended group of 7 people (3 staterooms) all together....even when we asked for the same server, Arnel, the last three nights. I'd been leery of the new system but it worked fine.

 

I rode the SkyRide, which was pretty cool. It was closed the last two days due to high winds, though.

Get there before it opens at 2:30 and beat the crowd...even on a sea-day the line got long pretty quickly (probably around a 45-minute wait). They have four of them, so two can be loading and unloading while the other two "race" around the track. Both tracks are exactly the same length with the same "hills" and drops, just in different places.

 

I noticed that, as on other ships, many of the dining-room entrees will also be offered on the Lido buffet the same night. There was one night when we just didn't feel up to going to the MDR and went to the buffet instead, which wasn't crowded. It was also a chance to get a "regular" salad instead of Carnival's ubiquitous -- and very good -- caesar salads. :)

 

Speaking of the MDR, I was surprised to see a lot of people in t-shirts and jeans until one of my compadres showed me the new (?) "cruise casual" dining guidelines, which allow t-shirts, shorts and jeans (but not cutoffs or gym shorts). This made me pretty happy as it will reduce my packing requirements on future cruises. :halo:

 

Still, I aw a guy wearing a baseball cap, gym shorts and a muscle shirt on the second Cruise Elegant night -- practically a walking advertisement of Things Verboten that night -- and as far as I could tell he hadn't been hassled for his appearance.

Edited October 9, 2017 by Pellaz
typo correction

We just got back from the same sailing. Our second sailing with Carnival and first on the Vista.

 

I can say we agree whole heartedly with the following comments!

 

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.

 

We found that eating at odd times seemed to really cut down on the lines, but if you were trying to eat at any regular meal time the lines could be a bit excessive. The pizza line was my biggest gripe since our kids seem to want the pizza twice a day or more.

 

 

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.

 

Those tiles in the lido deck could get more than slippery. Even when wearing good hiking shoes they were slick! I made it a habit of walking between tables where I could to avoid being on the tile.

 

 

THE BAD:

-- 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.

 

We definitely did not enjoy the lack of hot tubs near the midship pool on Lido.

 

 

THE BAD:

-- 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.

 

The time we REALLY disliked the new elevator system was during high traffic times (embarkation/debarkation especially). Those times were faster to take the stairs (or go down to a less used elevator bank and walk a bit).

Yes, I would. The negatives didn't quite outweigh the positives and we were very unlucky when it came to weather on this particular cruise...better weather/less clouds/less rain/less winds would have made some of my gripes less important.

 

Thanks for your response and happy sailing!

Thanks for your thoughts.

We just got back from the same sailing. Our second sailing with Carnival and first on the Vista.

 

We found that eating at odd times seemed to really cut down on the lines, but if you were trying to eat at any regular meal time the lines could be a bit excessive. The pizza line was my biggest gripe since our kids seem to want the pizza twice a day or more.

 

It seemed like it was feast or famine at the Pizzeria Del Capitano. They'd bring out a bunch of pizzas all at once, most of them pepperoni, and the line would suddenly move forward a lot, and then there would be a long wait while the next batch cooked.

They DID had two people working, but they needed one more person there to help with the flow and to help with drink orders (sodas, a small selection of beers and Angry Orchard).

 

I was just glad we discovered the "Late Night Snacks" offerings after 11 pm, next to the Deli. The grilled cheese sandwiches and meatball subs there (as well as the cookies) were really good, especially at 12:30 am. We'd just bring them back to the room. :)

 

Those tiles in the lido deck could get more than slippery. Even when wearing good hiking shoes they were slick! I made it a habit of walking between tables where I could to avoid being on the tile.

"Head for the safety of the carpeting!"

 

We definitely did not enjoy the lack of hot tubs near the midship pool on Lido.

I'd gotten used to Trumph- and Conquest-class ships, and was surprised at the lack of room in that midships pool area. It seemed a bit cramped even without the hot-tubs there.

 

The time we REALLY disliked the new elevator system was during high traffic times (embarkation/debarkation especially). Those times were faster to take the stairs (or go down to a less used elevator bank and walk a bit).

Yep, our room was way forward on Lido Deck and we got into the habit of walking across Lido to the aft elevators to get to dinner in the Horizons restaurant, instead of taking the forward elevators down and walking along the Promenade as we're probably intended to.

 

--And then it would rain...again....and we'd shrug and take the elevators down and walk across on Promenade. The elevators DID get a lot better after the first day or two.

It was funny seeing kids -- and some adults -- come running into your elevator and then realize that no, just because the elevator was going down didn't mean it would stop at their floor, and they couldn't push any buttons inside. :D

Edited October 10, 2017 by Pellaz

I have some photos to share of the new elevator system's display screens and the elevator call panel.

 

 

 

Here is the call panel where you press the floor you want to go to. An unconfirmed report on our roll call said you are supposed to press the deck button once for each member of your party but I haven't been able to verify this.

 

Oddly enough, every deck has a familiar name here, but many of the names don't appear in print anywhere else, nor does the "elevator voice" announce them except for Lido, Lobby, Promenade, and Mezzanine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

When there are no pending requests, display screens located on the busier decks (Lido, Promenade, etc.) will show the following instructions screen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

If there is a pending request, it will show you which car(s) are allocated and to which floors they will go.

 

 

 

 

If I had pressed "15 Serenity" it would allocate Car X to my floor, since it is the only elevator car that goes to Deck 15. Deck 14 is only served by two of the elevators, and the same is true of Decks 1 and 2.

 

 

 

 

 

Note: There are no floor buttons for passengers to press in the elevator cars at all.

 

 

 

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

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

 

It was a zoo on embark day and they had employees running the cars manually (there are floor buttons behind a locked panel in each car).

It eventually got a lot better as people got used to it.

 

As elevator "on-demand programming" gets a bit more widespread, I'd expect to see these more and more, and not just on cruise ships. They're especially good -- and almost a necessity -- in places that have "zoned" elevators, like Vista's forward elevator bank.

 

One thing I noticed about ALL of Vista's elevators is that the display that shows you which floor each elevator is on, DOESN'T tell you which direction it's going. On the other ships, that always made it easy to figure out which elevator was heading your way.

DW and I have a rule on cruises, stairs and almost no elevators.

 

We tend to use elevators on first and last days when we have luggage to move.

 

We prefer the exercise and we get to see more of the ship taking stairs.

 

Your review offers great insights. Thank you for taking your time to share. Much appreciated!

 

We sail in less than 4 weeks.

Was on this cruise as well used the stairs more than the elevators as they are very slow at times. I also agree with the tile floors VERY slippery be careful. I did miss the grandeur of the ship when walking into the atrium. The ship height seemed compact and small like low ceilings. Food selections were great as well as the wait staff.

 

If you are doing YTD you have to check in on Deck 5 (between Java Blue Café and Pixels) first prior to going to MDR on Deck 3 Aft. This was kind of a pain but it did speed up going into the MDR. If you are seating with friends ALL parties must be there to check into prior to getting your slip to present to the MDR staff at the door. The MDR is very blah looking no spectacular features.

 

My 5 cents

Thanks for the report and the information about the elevators.

DW and I have a rule on cruises, stairs and almost no elevators.

 

We tend to use elevators on first and last days when we have luggage to move.

 

We prefer the exercise and we get to see more of the ship taking stairs.

 

Your review offers great insights. Thank you for taking your time to share. Much appreciated!

 

We sail in less than 4 weeks.

 

You're welcome, and don't let my gripes deter you from having a "fun! vacation!" :)

The ship has its flaws, but we still had a good time. Not the best, but the lousy weather played a large role too, and that can't be pinned on Carnival at all.

 

Was on this cruise as well used the stairs more than the elevators as they are very slow at times. I also agree with the tile floors VERY slippery be careful. I did miss the grandeur of the ship when walking into the atrium. The ship height seemed compact and small like low ceilings. Food selections were great as well as the wait staff.

 

I thought I'd miss the huge 8-floor-tall atrium more than I did, after hearing so much about it on CruiseCritic. There are some reasons why tall atriums are being phased out in new hotel construction (including liability from objects going over the side), so I can understand the downscaling. I missed the glass elevators the most, but it certainly wasn't a deal-killer, and the nearby elevator bank has 8 cars.

 

And yes, the food was really good, the choices -- especially at lunchtime -- were terrific, and Arnel and his assistant waiter took great care of us in the MDR.

 

If you are doing YTD you have to check in on Deck 5 (between Java Blue Café and Pixels) first prior to going to MDR on Deck 3 Aft. This was kind of a pain but it did speed up going into the MDR. If you are seating with friends ALL parties must be there to check into prior to getting your slip to present to the MDR staff at the door. The MDR is very blah looking no spectacular features.

My 5 cents

Agreed about the MDR being somewhat blah, but it was better than the amorous nude mermaids on Victory. :D

 

The check-in process worked well for us, and on two occasions they went the extra mile to seat our extended three-stateroom party together, or in Arnel's section.

It seemed like, on one occasion, the check-in lady appreciated the fact that WE had followed instructions and only had one person waiting in line, while the rest of our party waited off to the side. She handed us our table assignment ticket immediately, while others had to go to the actual kiosks against the wall. We never had to do that. :halo:

Something else I noticed on Vista that I hadn't seen on other ships was a new type of hand-wash station, located at several points on Lido Deck.

These consist of two inclined "tubes" and you stick each hand in one of them...and a rotating sleeve sprays soapy water and then does a rinsing spray. Process takes about ten seconds total and then there are paper towels to dry off your hands. Not every station was fully operational but those that were, worked really well.

 

There was at least one of the "older" types of handwash stations -- the kind that tries to wash, rinse and dry all in one spot -- located on the Lanai by Guy's Pig & Anchor. As usual, the wash and rinse worked well, the "drying" part....not so much. :)

First time I saw these handwashing stations was in the kids club on the Disney Fantasy. Does anyone know if Circle C has them too?

First time I saw these handwashing stations was in the kids club on the Disney Fantasy. Does anyone know if Circle C has them too?

 

Alas, I didn't explore that area. Sorry about that.

- 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 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.

-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.