Carnival Vista - Not great reviews?

Howdy guys,

 

I was about to pull the trigger on a vista cruise out of galveston texas earlier but when I checked the reviews on here they don't seem to be very good for the vista. People complaining saying ship is simply too big and feels overcrowded etc etc.

 

Ive only ever been on the magic before and that was amazing, I'm keen to try another ship but dont want to feel like ive downgraded - especially as it's a 10-hour flight from the uk to Houston Texas before we board the ship!

 

Sell it to me guys, is the vista as good as the magic?

I would not decide cruising on the Vista based solely on what you read here. A lot of negativity here.

I have posted two reviews from the Vista, anything but negative.

If the itinerary is what you are after, the Vista is a good ship to take. So book it!!!

 

We didn't like it as much as other ships, but our views were tainted by the fact we booked a spa cabin not realizing the spa had been shrunk and even the locker rooms were poor in design. Also our originally booked 2 top was changed to a different dining room and part of a 10 top next to the entrance. When we finally got our 2 top, it might as well have been a 6 top we were so close to other 2 tops. Great dining partners though!

 

That said, we had a great cruise. Loved the Steakhouse, JiJis, Bonsai Sushi, Cucina, Serenity Deck, Alchemy Bar, The Pub (great craft beers on tap, including a good stout/porter so you don't have to drink the US brewed Guiness and stay away from the Boddingtons-not fresh).

We "toured" a couple of regular balconies booked by our "table mates" and a swing through the Havana deck. The regular balconies looked better than the spa balconies and the Havana cabanas were awesome.

 

We're on the Horizon in January in a Havana balcony and looking forward to it.:D

When looking at reviews, throw out the all positive, glowing reviews, the all negative, scorching reviews, and look at the ones in between. That is where the truth normally lies.

Our opinion on the Vista,,,

Things are slightly different on these new, larger ships, then from other Carnival ships!

If you like a new, slightly different experience, you should enjoy it, if you just want what you had, stick with that class of ship!

Crowds, depends on when you cruise, cruise when kids are out of school, all ships seem crowded, cruise when their in school, its not so bad!

We've cruised on both ships, liked both ships, and found the Vista being a little bigger offered a bit more!

The biggest difference is in the showroom! Many don't like it, we did!

The set up is more like a club then a showroom.

The performers much of the time are performing right next to where you are sitting, and we liked the feeling of being 'in' the show! I'd estimate the shows takes place about 50% of the time in the area where you're sitting.

We also like the buffet area on the Vista which had tables, not those dated booths you see on other ships. We never had a problem finding a table in the buffet in our 2 weeks on the Vista!

 

MATT MITCHAM 11/25/18 – JUNE 2019 That's a BIG PLUS if you're planning on cruising during this time as Matt is one of the best! Our other favorite is Dr E who was on our Magic cruise, but has since left for another ship!

Thanks guys,

You know what - I’m going to book it!

I’ve never been to Texas neither and looking at the size of the place it's huge! We’re flying to Houston IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport and from there we will have a three night stay before we board the cruise. Any ideas of nice affordable family places to stay, near the beach or with a good pool? Is it best to stay in the Galveston area?

I think you'll enjoy the Vista. We loved the ship and would go again (or try out Horizon). The pool areas tend to be crowded and loud, but since we only wanted to get some sun, we found plenty of quiet places to sit - aft of the pool deck area, and deck 5 were our favourites. We tried Serenity, but it's the kind of place where you need to claim your seat very early.

 

The food at the Steakhouse was incredible (as was service), and we really enjoyed the Italian restaurant. As for bars, the Havana bar is great and serves fresh squeezed orange juice. We also found ourselves at Java Blue - the coffee shop, several times a day - for morning specialty coffees, the occasional spiked milkshake, and post-dinner boozy coffees.... we spent a lot of time there!

Thanks guys,

You know what - I’m going to book it!

I’ve never been to Texas neither and looking at the size of the place it's huge! We’re flying to Houston IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport and from there we will have a three night stay before we board the cruise. Any ideas of nice affordable family places to stay, near the beach or with a good pool? Is it best to stay in the Galveston area?

 

Go to http://www.galveston.com , that website has many hotel & food options, plus webcams of the island and the cruise terminal.

Enjoy

Thanks guys,

You know what - I’m going to book it!

I’ve never been to Texas neither and looking at the size of the place it's huge! We’re flying to Houston IAH George Bush Intercontinental Airport and from there we will have a three night stay before we board the cruise. Any ideas of nice affordable family places to stay, near the beach or with a good pool? Is it best to stay in the Galveston area?

Depending on your budget the San Luis Resort is on what we call the Seawall and across the street from the beach. The Tremont Hotel is near the port in an area called The Strand which is a Victorian area shopping district. Another area to look at is around Moody Gardens. There are more budget friendly options, but if you stay close to any of these it'll work as a good base to explore the area.

 

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I don't think Vista is a bad ship, but I like the Dream class ships better. I originally had two cruises booked on Vista last year, but after the first Vista cruise, I canceled the second Vista cruise and booked a cruise for the same week on Magic.

 

As others have stated in this thread, there are a lot of good things about Vista. Below are the reasons I like Magic more than Vista; however, none of these issues may be important to you.

 

1. Magic has an awesome thalassotherapy pool, which Vista doesn't have.

2. Magic has a high vaulted atrium with glass elevators, which Vista doesn't have.

3. The show lounges in Magic are significantly larger than the ones on Vista. My wife and I attend a lot of music shows, comedy shows, etc. on cruises. The lounges on Magic are roomy and comfortable; completely the opposite on Vista.

4. One of our favorite bars is the Alchemy Bar. On Magic it is off to the side and right next to Ocean Plaza. It is a great location to relax with a great drink and at night they have bands, musicians, etc. playing at the Ocean Plaza. On Vista the Alchemy Bar is in the middle of the ship with constant traffic walking by the bar all day/night long .

5. Magic has more deck room, lounge chairs, etc. outside. I have never had a problem finding a lounge chair at any time on Magic (deck 5 is a great place to hangout outside during the day). On the other hand, on Vista it was difficult finding a lounge chair on sea days unless you got up early.

We cruised on the Vista this past August. We also cruised on the Breeze(sister ship of the Magic) in August two years ago. We loved both ships and no, I did not feel that the Vista was more crowded than the Breeze even though both cruises were during summer break for the kids. You will find crowds at the usual places at the usual times... pools in the afternoon and buffet around breakfast and lunch. However, I still never thought it was "over crowded" and we always found a place to sit and eat. The Red Frog Pub on deck 5 is one of my favorite places to hang out during the afternoons. The sky bikes are fun, but I would suggest ridding them on a port day. The line will be more manageable and the view of the island is fantastic. If you do not plan on booking a Havana cabin, I would highly recommend going to the Havana pool after 7pm. We went there one evening and we were the only people in the pool and hot tubs. Yes, the theater is designed strangely, but it was done so to serve as the night club late at night. We saw several shows and we would sit on floor level, but on the outer edge just before the tiered seating. We never felt we had a bad seat. Just get there a bit early and you'll be fine. Overall, I think you'll enjoy it... especially if you are a person who focuses on the positive things and can shrug off the negatives.

The Vista was a huge disappointment for this yank and brit. Least favourite ship. We sailed on her in Europe for I think 12 days and it was not a great experience. We loved the Breeze and RCCL Oasis class is amazing if you're looking for a big ship. No one does it better than Royal on the big ships.

 

MATT MITCHAM 11/25/18 – JUNE 2019 That's a BIG PLUS if you're planning on cruising during this time as Matt is one of the best! Our other favorite is Dr E who was on our Magic cruise, but has since left for another ship!

 

Yes DR E was great! He was onboard when we went on the magic - non stop entertainment!

 

So if Matt Mitcham is as good as DR E I guess we'll be in for a treat! :cool:

One comment......the Vista is NOT a BIGGER ship than other Dream Class ships......It is the same footprint (give or take a foot or two?). Don't understand pax who say they love the Magic or the Dream but are afraid to go on the BIGGER Vista??? It is the same layout, not really to be considered bigger, only more cabins squeezed in closing off the open atriums w/glass elevators on the other ships which don't exist on the closed in Vista. But don't be afraid due to the Vista's size......it is the same kind of ship as the other Dream class ships, only newer and definitely more crowded (due to more cabins and added pax capacity which has closed in "open spaces" as they exist on the other ships). It all depends on what you are looking for. We love seeing the ocean through windows when sailing, which on other ships was visible from the Atrium/Promenade deck....but NO windows on the Vista, all closed in! Sorry, if this is construed as 'negative', but the Vista is what the Vista is and CC folks should hear the truth! It was our least favorite ship (from any cruise lines) that we have been on to date - ship wise. However, if you are lucky enough and book when Matt Mitchum is CD, he will definitely salvage any negativity about the ship itself!

Some people will hate it as soon as they see the atrium. It is very different, so people will naturally complain about what has changed that they don't like.

 

There are lots of great changes that people absolutely love. Some things that probably could have been done different.

Depending on your budget the San Luis Resort is on what we call the Seawall and across the street from the beach. The Tremont Hotel is near the port in an area called The Strand which is a Victorian area shopping district. Another area to look at is around Moody Gardens. There are more budget friendly options, but if you stay close to any of these it'll work as a good base to explore the area.

 

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Thanks! Ive heard of 'the strand', this place has bars and restaurants right?

 

Im basically looking for somewhere we can walk to at night and visit a couple of bars and get a good american meal - I love places like millers ale house, buffalo wild wings etc in orlando so would the strand or near moody gardens have places like this? Basically I want ice cold beer and burgers/nachos etc, i'm easily pleased! :p

i think the negative reviews are from long time cruisers who are used to things on Carnival and thrown into the vista is a totally different concept

 

I did NOT like the vista ship

I did not like the lay out- the smaller walk ways I hated the show lounge and the comedy lounge. (LOVED the shows just not the lounges ) I really disliked that they took away a lot of space from the free stuff and made the paid stuff bigger and better.

 

We did not encounter long lines. although we did see the lines for anytime dining check in- BUT these people are told to check in before 7:15 if they did not want to stand in that line-- that line went all the way through the casino

The Strand area has some awesome bars & restaurants and even a confectioners. Most places are "eclectic" but in a fun way. Area is about 6 blocks long, 3 blocks wide but most hangout places are on The Strand itself. Other streets have several hotel options. The seawall area would be good to but is more mainstream/ commercial. It starts to get warm here (like above 35C) from middle May to early October so plan accordingly. We regularly have family coming in from the UK and Galvestion is always on their list. The Galvestion.com site mentioned will give you lots of info.

Thanks! Ive heard of 'the strand', this place has bars and restaurants right?

 

Im basically looking for somewhere we can walk to at night and visit a couple of bars and get a good american meal - I love places like millers ale house, buffalo wild wings etc in orlando so would the strand or near moody gardens have places like this? Basically I want ice cold beer and burgers/nachos etc, i'm easily pleased! :p

 

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Moody gardens is west of downtown so not much around it except a small brewery. Would not consider that area walkable.

Thanks! Ive heard of 'the strand', this place has bars and restaurants right?

 

Im basically looking for somewhere we can walk to at night and visit a couple of bars and get a good american meal - I love places like millers ale house, buffalo wild wings etc in orlando so would the strand or near moody gardens have places like this? Basically I want ice cold beer and burgers/nachos etc, i'm easily pleased! :p

 

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Been years since I was in Galveston, but if Willie Gs or the Hubcap Grill are still around. They'll fit your bill along the strand. Murphy's is a good spot for a cold one too.

 

As I recall, there's not a lot next to Moody's Gardens, but that could have changed over time.

 

Along the Seawall is Salsa's if you're looking for good Mexican.

 

Locals can probably give a better read.

Vista was not my favorite ship. I want to see outside when I'm inside and the views are mostly obstructed everywhere you go on the interior (decks below lido) of the ship.

 

There is a trend now to hide the business workings and staff of places like hospitals. I think this is what was behind the design of the newer ships - to allow people to enjoy their cruise without encountering carts or crew. You will notice on the Vista that crew members will immediately exit to the promenades and walk to where they are going on the outside of the ship. The downside is that, ironically, the vistas are obstucted.

 

The ship is beautiful and the cruise was fun but not my personal ideal cruise experience.

Vista was not my favorite ship. I want to see outside when I'm inside and the views are mostly obstructed everywhere you go on the interior (decks below lido) of the ship.

 

There is a trend now to hide the business workings and staff of places like hospitals. I think this is what was behind the design of the newer ships - to allow people to enjoy their cruise without encountering carts or crew. You will notice on the Vista that crew members will immediately exit to the promenades and walk to where they are going on the outside of the ship. The downside is that, ironically, the vistas are obstucted.

 

The ship is beautiful and the cruise was fun but not my personal ideal cruise experience.

 

 

 

I am not trying to be rude, but I really have no idea what you are talking about with the hiding of staff. What Vistas are obstructed (no pun intended)?

 

 

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Been years since I was in Galveston, but if Willie Gs or the Hubcap Grill are still around. They'll fit your bill along the strand. Murphy's is a good spot for a cold one too.

 

As I recall, there's not a lot next to Moody's Gardens, but that could have changed over time.

 

Along the Seawall is Salsa's if you're looking for good Mexican.

 

Locals can probably give a better read.

 

 

Nice one mate, appreciate the info!

I’ll try and find a decently priced hotel with pool near the strand then. 👍

I am not trying to be rude, but I really have no idea what you are talking about with the hiding of staff. What Vistas are obstructed (no pun intended)?

 

 

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You cannot see outside for most of decks 4 and 5. They are just hallways now. You can walk completely around deck 5 (ocean plaza deck) but you have to either exit from ocean plaza or cut through the red frog pub. There may be other venues to walk through to get to the promenade but I always felt like I was searching to see the ocean. You can no longer see the water at all from the casino and aren't allowed to exit any outside doors from decks 3 or 4.

 

The older ship designs just feel more connected to the outside views.

Edited September 14, 2018 by tinlizzy