Vista Athens-Barcelona 7/19/16 Review - Pictures Included

I know there's only a couple of months before Vista moves across the pond - but for those of you still to sail, and those who are thinking about Horizon in 2018, this was our experience of a Mediterranean cruise. As I always say in my reviews, your mileage may vary.

We sailed the July 19 10-day cruise on Carnival Vista from Athens to Barcelona. We’re Carnival regulars, this being our 22nd cruise. This was the first time we sailed a ship in its inaugural season; however, the main reason for booking was the itinerary, not the ship. The only other Europe cruise we’ve done was the Baltic on Carnival Legend three years ago, and neither of us had been to the Med. The new ship with all the bells and whistles was a plus, though! I do have to admit that given the port-intensive itinerary we didn’t experience everything that Vista has to offer. However, she is an amazing ship and we would happily sail her again.

About us: Sailing was DH and me, in our mid-50s, and our 20 and 16 year-old sons. Our 25 year-old son last cruised with us in 2009, one cruise short of Platinum status. However, since he serves as a Lieutenant JG in the Navy he has way more time at sea than we do! Right now he’s assigned to a patrol craft ported in Bahrain, so he sails the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. We had hoped that he might be able to fly in and join us in one of our ports, but the Navy decided his time would be better spent looking for pirates and contraband.

We decided to book flights and airport transfers through Carnival, as it turned out to be cheaper than booking on our own. At the time we booked they weren’t booking early fly-in or out with hotels, so we ended up flying on July 18 and arriving the morning of the 19th. If I had to do it over again I would have booked a day early to see the Acropolis. I’m also not big on flying in day-of-cruise – in fact, this was the first time we tried it. Last year when we sailed on Breeze we flew in a few days early and spent time in Key Largo. However, we knew that if something went wrong it would Carnival’s responsibility to get us to the ship. A few years ago some friends of ours missed Carnival Freedom sailing out of Port Everglades due to flight problems, and Carnival put them up for two nights in Old San Juan until the ship arrived. They missed two days at sea but still had a great time. We figured the cost was worth the same-day arrival.

Our fight and the airport transfer worked just fine. The outbound flight was on Air Canada from Newark to Montreal, then Montreal to Athens. En route we had a fantastic view of the Alps.

004 Alps by baxted, on Flickr

We arrived on time in Athens and the Carnival representative was at baggage claim to put us on the bus to the port. The port area was a bit confusing (we weren’t sure who was collecting bags), but we were checked in and on board before noon (flight had arrived around 10 a.m.), with sailaway at 7:00 p.m. Lunch on Lido, a Funship Special to drink, and our cabins were ready. We were off to a good start.

005 Pireaus Port by baxted, on Flickr

Pireaus port area

007 Hydrofoil, Pireaus by baxted, on Flickr

Hydrofoil in Pireaus. We rode one of these in St. Petersburg three years ago, and they're quite the ride!

016 Pireaus by baxted, on Flickr

Pireaus, looking out to sea

Our original itinerary called for just one day at sea. However, three days before we flew Turkey experienced an attempted coup. We knew that the prior cruise had canceled its call on Kusadasi that had been scheduled for July 17, and we fully anticipated that our Kusadasi call would be canceled as well. While we were waiting between flights in Montreal we received confirmation that Kusadasi was canceled. The tour operator with whom we booked our tour of Ephesus sent a nice e-mail confirming that our tour had been canceled and expressing the hope we would visit sometime in the future. Kusadasi (supposed to be July 20) turned into another sea day. While I was sorry to miss this port, the extra sea day did help in recovering from jet lag!

109 Mainland Turkey by baxted, on Flickr

Turkey, after leaving Rhodes. This was a close as we'd get....

009 Vista, Forard Lido by baxted, on Flickr

Vista, Forward Lido

010 Vista, Sports Deck by baxted, on Flickr

Sports Deck

013 Tides Pool by baxted, on Flickr

Tides Pool

022 Vista Bridge from Deck 5 by baxted, on Flickr

Bridge from Deck 5

027 Vista Coin by baxted, on Flickr

Ship's Coin. The reflection may give away the location.

028 Vista Lobby by baxted, on Flickr

Vista Lobby. I know some folks were disappointed with the lack of a soaring atrium, but the lobby is nice and the bar staff was fantastic.

Our cabin was Balcony 8310 with the boys across the hall in an inside. Our cabin steward was Wendal, and he was excellent. The cabin location was excellent – only quibble I had was the door slammers that we had on either side. BTW we had the option to book a Havana cabin, but given the nature of this cruise we figured it wouldn’t be worth the extra expense since we were off the ship so much. However it’s a beautiful area and will be well suited to the Caribbean.

We booked 6:00 early dining, which is our usual dining time at home and we’re happy to go with it. This cruise is so port-intensive that we knew we might not make it back aboard by dinner, so we figured that if that happened we’d try getting into one of the specialty restaurants or have dinner on Lido. As it turned out, the latest we made it to the dining room was 6:20 and we were by no means the latest to be seated. On Vista, fixed dining is in the Reflections dining room, deck 3 midships. Your Time Dining is in the Horizons dining room, decks 3 and 4 aft. Reflections is only one level. We had an excellent wait team, led by Dragan, who managed to get me up and dancing several nights. I’m happy with the American Table selections; on this cruise, the “Port of Call” selections were particularly good.

Thank you for doing this review! I'll be excitedly following it as we countdown to our same adventure on the Vista next month!

Thank you for doing this review! I'll be excitedly following it as we countdown to our same adventure on the Vista next month!

Don’t miss sunsets in the Med – they’re pretty spectacular. Our favorite place for sunset pictures was deck 5, with the wonderful outdoor walking and seating area (I think it was our favorite place aboard, not just for sunsets). The first night, CD Matt Mitcham was there taking sunset pictures as well and was kind enough to take a picture of us. He’s a really good CD – very personable, very visible. We talked a little about the decision to cancel the call on Kusadasi – he mentioned that the last time the ship had visited he noticed a tension he had never noticed before.

008 Sunset leaving Pireaus by baxted, on Flickr

Sunset, looking over the bow

023 Sunset Greece by baxted, on Flickr

Greek Isles, Sunset

021 Sunset Greece by baxted, on Flickr

Just setting....

010 Moon, Greek Islands by baxted, on Flickr

Moon Rising

015 Doug and Kathy, Greek Islands by baxted, on Flickr

Sunset pose, courtesy of Matt Mitcham

So instead of seeing Kusadasi and our planned tour of Ephesus, we had a sea day. DH and I opted for breakfast on Lido followed by coffee from the coffee shop and gin rummy on deck 5 outside. Sons opted for the sports deck. Neither of them did the Sky Ride – just too crowded. The younger one did the ropes course, though. This evening we opted for one of the family comedy shows in the Limelight Lounge. The shows were crowded, and we had to be in line for the 8:30 show before the 7:30 show had even ended. The show was good, but it was the only one we made.

029 Basketball, Sports deck by baxted, on Flickr

Older son playing basketball. He loves catching up with other players for a game.

030 Vista Lobby by baxted, on Flickr

Another lobby shot.

031 Day 2 Towel Animal by baxted, on Flickr

Sea Day Towel Animal

Really enjoying your review and photos, thanks.

We arrived in Rhodes around 7 a.m. and back on board time was 4:30. I had downloaded maps to do a DIY tour of the old city, very walkable from the ship. We were in port with Queen Victoria – beautiful ship. A Cunard cruise is on my bucket list (but has to wait for retirement).

084 QV at Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Queen Victoria at dock.

We walked around the old city and stopped at a taverna for beverages – in my case, a local beer served in a boot-shaped glass.

036 Church of the Virgin of the Burgh, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Church of the Virgin of the Burgh, Rhodes. This ruin was right inside the gate from the port area.

040 Ippokratous Square, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Ippokratous Square

043 Palace of teh Grand Master and City Wall by baxted, on Flickr

City Wall and Palace of the Grand Master

045 Socrates Street, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Socrates Street

058 Rhodes, refreshments by baxted, on Flickr

Local beer

Outside the city, we walked out to the lighthouse by the entrance to the Old Harbor. This is believed to be the site of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Statues of a stag and a roe appear on pedestals where the statue’s feet would have been.

069 Palace from Mandraki Harbor, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Palace of the Grand Master from Mandraki Harbor

074 Doug and Kathy, Lighthouse Agios Nikolaos, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

DH and me with the lighthouse

079 Site of Colossus of Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Site of the Colossus. The coluns with the statues of a stag and a roe mark the statue's legs.

078 Palace from Mandraki Harbor, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Harbor view from lighthouse.

070 rhodes Walls from Mandraki Harbor by baxted, on Flickr

City walls from the harbor.

Really enjoying your review and photos, thanks.

We were back on board long before 4:30 and enjoyed watching sailaway from our balcony and the open decks. Dinner tonight was cruise casual, and after dinner we wandered the ship to listen to some of the musical entertainment, which certainly was not lacking.

091 Greek Flag by baxted, on Flickr

Greek flag from main mast. I try to take a photo of the main mast in the ports we visit.

088 Rhodes from Vista by baxted, on Flickr

Rhodes as seen from ship

082 Rhodes from Carnival Vista by baxted, on Flickr

Rhodes Old City, as seen from the ship

093 Kathy, Deck 5 by baxted, on Flickr

Yours truly, on deck for sailaway

102 Pilot Boat Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Rhodes Pilot

103 Ferry, Tug and Pilot Boat, Rhodes by baxted, on Flickr

Tug, Pilot and Ferry, Rhodes

Again, we spent our morning playing cards and drinking coffee. For lunch, I opted to try the Seafood Shack and its fried clams. It was freshly made: they gave me a pager to let me know when my lunch was ready, and the clams were good. In the afternoon we went to tea, after which Radu Ursu, Carnival’s senior photographer, offered a lecture with tips on photo composition, lighting, etc. I’ve tried to follow his tips.

117 Horizons Dining Room by baxted, on Flickr

Tea time

This was the first cruise elegant evening – unusual for me this far into the cruise. DH, youngest son and I all opted for the lobster, while older son had – a cheeseburger. That was his nightly routine. He’s been a picky eater since he was 6 months old. It was a running gag with Dragan, who made a point of making sure he had a menu, then asking him for his order with a grin on his face. Younger son, meanwhile, likes to venture outside his comfort zone.

118 Matt and Dad, Reflections Dining Room by baxted, on Flickr

DH and older son, elegant evening sans cheeseburger.

121 Sea Day Sunset by baxted, on Flickr

Sunset over Vista's bow

123 Lobby, Formal Night by baxted, on Flickr

Lobby Bar elegant night

125 Lobby, Formal Night by baxted, on Flickr

Lobby

126 Towel Animal and Platinum Gft, Formal Night by baxted, on Flickr

Towel animal, Fun Times for Malta and Platinum gift. It's a note set.

This was the first of six straight port days, and our port time was 8 a.m. with back on board at 4:30. Malta is a very unique port, always strategic in wartime. The approach was amazing:

137 Forward Mast, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Forward mast with flags flying

141 Malta Harbor by baxted, on Flickr

Entrance to Valletta

133 Malta Pilot by baxted, on Flickr

Malta Pilot

146 Entering Malta Harbor by baxted, on Flickr

Port entrance

145 Malta Harbor by baxted, on Flickr

Fort, entrance to Malta

148 Malta Harbor by baxted, on Flickr

Malta Harbor

We had booked a full-day tour with a group from our roll call with Amy Pace, whose tours get very good reviews. Our guide, Hendrik, met us a short walk from the ship. There were 14 of us: three 4-person families and a couple. We started with a tour of Valletta, including a tour of St. John’s Co-Cathedral, built in the 1570s. Outside it looks very plain – but inside, it is an unbelievable example of Baroque design.

159 View from Upper Barrakka Gardens, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

View from Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta

174 Victoria monument Valletta by baxted, on Flickr

Victoria Square

150 St. John's Co-Cathedral, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

St. John's Co-Cathedral

148 St. John's Co-Cathedral Malta by baxted, on Flickr

St. John's Co-Cathedral

171 St. John's Co-cathedral, Valletta by baxted, on Flickr

Cathedral Bell Tower

Very nice photos, enjoying the review.:)

We will be on this cruise in a few weeks. Can you explain how the VAT tax worked since you missed Turkey?

What is VAT charged for on the ship?

Can you get any of the VAT back?

Thank you for the review.

Very nice photos, enjoying the review.:)

Thank you!

We will be on this cruise in a few weeks. Can you explain how the VAT tax worked since you missed Turkey?

 

What is VAT charged for on the ship?

Can you get any of the VAT back?

 

Thank you for the review.

For some strange reason, we weren't charged VAT. I don't know if it was because it was a last-minute cancellation. I kept checking our account, because before we sailed it was a worry for me. Our cruise had already had a stop at Izmir canceled before Kusadasi replaced it. At any rate, my understanding of VAT is that for non-EU residents there is a form you can complete to get a refund, and Guest Services will process the forms.

We then visited the Tarxien ruins, an archeological site dating to 3150 B.C. Lunch followed at Marsaxlokk, a fishing village.

160 Tarxien ruis, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Tarxien Ruins

163 Tarxien Runs, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Tarxien Ruins

167 Tarxien Ruins, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Tarxien Ruins

170 Malta Harbor by baxted, on Flickr

Outside Valletta, before lunch

180 Markkosk, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Marsaxlokk. Not sure what was going on with son.

Then a boat trip to the Blue Grotto – absolutely gorgeous.

186 Blue Grotto, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Blue Grotto from above.

185 Kathy, Blue Grotto, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Yours truly, above the Blue Grotto.

192 Blue Grotto, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Boat Tour inside the Blue Grotto

195 Bue Grotto, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Another Blue Grotto photo

208 Blue Grotto Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Note the color of the water.

Finally, a visit to Mdina, the capital of Malta before Valletta was founded. We were back at the ship with some time to explore shops, and then sailed away to Messina.

212 Gateway, Mdina, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Entrance to Mdina. No vehicles allowed.

221 Mdina, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Mdina Street

213 Mdina, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Mdina

225 Mdina, Malta by baxted, on Flickr

Cathedral, Mdina

189 Malta Sunset by baxted, on Flickr

Malta Sunset

This was a busy day. We did see a good portion of Malta, and it was a port we ha never really planned to see. If you're interested in more recent history, look for the "Victory at Sea" episode that covers the defense of Malta during World War II. It says a lot about the Maltese people.

Before we sailed, we did some research and decided that Messina would be a “down” day – i.e. no booked tours. Messina is easily walked from the ship. Today was a Sunday, and we knew there would be a limited number of places that would be open. We decided to walk over to the main square at the Cathedral to be there for the 12 noon ”performance” of the cathedral’s astronomical clock. We took our time getting off the ship, and walked through the cathedral (bonus: a baptism. Much more formal than America Catholic baptisms.)

207 Messina Cathedral by baxted, on Flickr

Messina Cathedral and bell tower. The cathedral was ruined in the 1908 earthquake that struck Messina, and as I write this I think of the people in central Italy who have been struck by another earthquake.

191 Messina Cathedral by baxted, on Flickr

Cathedral interior

We walked around the square a bit, then stopped at a trattoria for drinks and bruschetta.

196 Fotana d'Orione, Messina by baxted, on Flickr

Fontana d'Orone, Messina

209 Messina, Local Beer by baxted, on Flickr

My beverage of choice

221 Messina Cathedral Bell Tower by baxted, on Flickr

Bell tower close-up. The angel is leading the parade of apostles.

223 Messina Cathedral Bell Tower by baxted, on Flickr

Apostles' procession

227 Duomo, Messina by baxted, on Flickr

Duomo, Messina

228 Madonna di Montalto, Messina by baxted, on Flickr

Madonna di Montalto, Messina

233 Messina by baxted, on Flickr

Messina

236 Leaving Messina by baxted, on Flickr

Messina Harbor Entrance

237 Leaving Messina by baxted, on Flickr

Leaving Messina

We were back to the ship early and DH and I decided to try the Tides Pool. Vista has nice pool areas but they are usually full of chair hogs. Since we back on board before most people, we were able to get chairs right by the pool. There were a number of people who had the same idea we did, though, so the pool area was by no means empty.

Since we had decided to do a limited port day, we decided this would be a good night to visit the steakhouse. As usual, it did not disappoint.

234 Vista, Atrium by baxted, on Flickr

Another Vista Atrium View