A few complaints about the Vista

[juanarcin]

I just got off the June 21st sailing from Athens to Barcelona on the Vista and wanted to share my experience. I have some complaints, but I want to be clear that I had a fantastic time and that I would recommend the Vista.

 

Things weren't perfect, in fact I was a bit agitated by a couple of things. I want to also state that this was my first Carnival cruise so I can't say if some of the issues I'm going to complain about were Carnival based or Vista specific. Again these complaints are minor but worth noting. Either way I loved my cruise.

 

Internet Packages

My first complaint is with the internet package. I found out the hard way that if you buy a package for the entire length of the cruise, you were stuck using only plans that covered the entire length. What I mean by that is I bought a social package for the length of the cruise. you can buy a daily or entire length. this package doesnt give you access to email. A few days later I had an emergency at home and needed to send an email. One email. So I decided to buy a full day package just for that one day so I could send that one email. Turns out I was stuck with full length options now. So in order to send one email, I would now have to upgrade to the package that gave me email access every single day. I could no longer pay for just that one day. On RC you can buy by the minute. not a huge deal for most people but for some of us this is a big deal.

 

Energy Saver System

My second complaint was with their energy saving system in the room. I 100% understand the need for it. Some people will be wasteful leaving lights/tv on. The way it works is that you put your stateroom key in a slot and it allows you to use the lights, power outlets and tv. When you leave the room, you take the key with you and it turns off everything. Again, I see the need for this. However, it becomes a huge inconvenience, when you can't charge your cell phone unless you are in your room. We would use our phones as our cameras for this trip. We would go out to port and take tons of pictures, then come back with a dead battery and would want to leave our phones charging while we grabbed a bite, then pick our phones back up and take pictures in the ship or during the shows. This was not possible. We would have to wait in the room for an hour or so while our phones charged, or spend the day enjoying the ship without a camera or carnival app (which was fantastic by the way).

 

Again I know some people have issues with technology on the ship to begin with, but this was our cruise and to us this was an inconvenience.

 

Food

On the non technical side, One of my biggest complaints was with the food. I know flavor is subjective, so I won't touch on that part too much. But the breakfast options were almost non existent to us. You have the buffet, which has about 6 options every morning. I',m used to RC where you have rows and rows of food. Here you had about 6 options in the mian course sections. Of course you had the omelette station which was fantastic, you had the basic fruits, cereals etc...but the hot options were about 6 options. If you went to the main dining room for breakfast, you got the EXACT same options...just served to you instead of serving your self.

 

Now I'll admit that they had some great alternatives. the Blue Iguana Cantina had some awesome food! But it opened at 7. Usually our excursions started around 7 or 7:30. So as much as we loved this option it was usually not an option. The pizzeria was way better than the 24 hour one on RC. But having pizza for breakfast got old.

 

Same went for lunch. But I'll admit I thought Guys burgers blew my expectations, they were some of the best burgers I've ever had on a cruise. The sea food shack was amazing! So they had great food, but these were usually the ones that were only open at odd hours and not always available. for dinner we found ourselves usually at the specialty restaurants and enjoying them tremendously. But I felt we had no choice since the main dining area wasn't too flavorful for us. Again this is subjective, but the lack of options played a big role.

 

Cheers Package

I absolutely LOVED the cheers package. I drank and drank. I'll admit I might not have gotten my moneys worth, but that was due to how port intensive this cruise was. Still the fact that I got to try so many drinks I never would have tried was worth it. My only complaint was that the milk shakes were included, but the machines were broken the entire time! This played a big role in why I bought the package. Not big enough to make a stink about it, I still got plenty so why complain? but it did leave me feeling like I missed out a bit.

 

Your Time Dining

I've always done the flexible time dining on RC. I've always loved it. I did it on The Vista. I hated it. I spoke to some of the others on the ship and not every one had issues so keep that in mind. But on my end, I had to wait about 5-10 minutes for a buzzer. then about 35-45 minutes for the buzzer to go off. During that time I HAD to be at one of the nearby bars for the buzzer to work. This was a huge waste of my time for eating in the dining room, this also led to me usually doing the specialty dining. I only ate in the dining room twice on this cruise.

 

Soda During Lunch

One of the things I love about RC and just realized I took for granted was that they have pre filled soda cups out in the buffet area. You can either pay for it or use your soda package to just grab a cup. I didn't realize how great this was until I had lunch on the Vista. No soda anywhere other than at the bars. I love having a soda with my meals. but this means I had to get my plate, find a seat, then walk to the nearest bar, wait in line, get a soda and come back to my cold food. halfway through my meal when I was done with my soda, I had to once again walk to the bar, wait in line and grab a soda from the bartender before I could finish my meal. I tried asking some of the staff (thinking they might take drink orders in exchange for a tip) but I was directed to the nearest bar if I wanted a drink.

 

That was it. Those were my complaints. I know a lot of you will roll your eyes at them lol, that's ok, but maybe some of the cruisers who have similar interests as me in food or technology will be better prepared when they get to go on their cruise. Other than that I will say that the staff couldn't have done a better job. My bed was always made, everything was spotless, the carnival app was a game changer for me! No more need to carry around a giant paper with all the events, when everything is on your phone and can alert you when an event you want to participate in is about to start. Overall I really loved my time on the ship, just wished some of these minor issues weren't part of my experience.

[M&T ReadyToCruiseAgain]

Thanks for the review. On the energy saving system, we have been on a couple of Carnival ships that had a similar system, but you did not have to use your stateroom key. Just a piece of cardboard, or a used gift card or fake credit card you get in the mail. I hope the Vista is the same way.

Edited July 7, 2016 by M&T ReadyToCruiseAgain

[cruizinisthebest]

Yes any card will do for that slot to keep the lights on. Doesn't have to be your stateroom key. The slot just needs to read something in it. Can't expect you to know that this being your first Carnival cruise.

 

Food is so entirely subjective so if that's how you felt, sobeit. I agree it would be nice if the lunch options such as Guys and Blue Iguana had longer hours. Common complaint.

 

Other than the issues you noted, do you have any other feedback to offer? What type of stateroom did you stay in? What about the ports? I would love to visit the ports on your sailing. They would upstage any minor issues on the ship.

[Need2Bcruzin]

Sorry you had bad experiences. If you had done some research here on Cruise Critic you would've known beforehand that:

 

1. The internet packages are always either per day or per cruise. Once you have a package and you upgrade, that will be your package for the duration of the cruise. Pretty straight forward.

 

2. Any old card would have been ok to keep in your card slot and keep your appliances charging.

[juanarcin]

Yes any card will do for that slot to keep the lights on. Doesn't have to be your stateroom key. The slot just needs to read something in it. Can't expect you to know that this being your first Carnival cruise.

 

Food is so entirely subjective so if that's how you felt, sobeit. I agree it would be nice if the lunch options such as Guys and Blue Iguana had longer hours. Common complaint.

 

Other than the issues you noted, do you have any other feedback to offer? What type of stateroom did you stay in? What about the ports? I would love to visit the ports on your sailing. They would upstage any minor issues on the ship.

 

I stayed in a balcony on the 8th floor. I felt the rooms were bigger than RC's but the balcony's were smaller. Still very enjoyable. One thing I wasn't a fan of was that when looking down from your balcony you got a view of the levels below you and not a direct view of the ocean below you. In my case there were huge lounge areas directly below me and a few times I would step out to admire the view late at night there would be couples..."hanging out" down there. Not something I want to see while just hanging out lol.

 

As for the ports, I felt they were amazing! My only complaint (and it's nothing to complain about) was that they were so many of them. I would come back exhausted and wouldn't have the energy to explore the ship. with only one sea day I honestly had to chose between spending very little time at ports to get to know the ship or enjoy the ports. I chose the ports. Because of that there were lots of areas of the ship I only got to walk through but never really got to enjoy.

 

I LOVED the Red Frog Pub! The bar tenders had a great dynamic arguing and bantering with each other (but in an entertaining and playful way) and dragging you into their arguments. This kept the atmosphere very energetic and lively. The drinks and bar food were very good.

 

My favorite drinks by far were at the Alchemy Bar. I'm sad I wont be able to have many of those creations off the ship. The menu is delicious, but what I loved most was that the bartenders are true craftsmen. Everyday they would offer me something not on the menu. I would say what I had a taste for...something orange that would wake me up, something to relax to, something to ease me into my sleep...no matter what I would ask for they would create something. And every drink would become my new favorite!

[cruizinisthebest]

Yes I love Red Frog Pub! Probably my favorite bar on any ship that has it.

 

Thanks for the additional feedback! Hopefully you'll try Carnival again. :)

[bjstenman]

I just got off the June 21st sailing from Athens to Barcelona on the Vista and wanted to share my experience. I have some complaints, but I want to be clear that I had a fantastic time and that I would recommend the Vista.

 

Things weren't perfect, in fact I was a bit agitated by a couple of things. I want to also state that this was my first Carnival cruise so I can't say if some of the issues I'm going to complain about were Carnival based or Vista specific. Again these complaints are minor but worth noting. Either way I loved my cruise.

 

Internet Packages

My first complaint is with the internet package. I found out the hard way that if you buy a package for the entire length of the cruise, you were stuck using only plans that covered the entire length. What I mean by that is I bought a social package for the length of the cruise. you can buy a daily or entire length. this package doesnt give you access to email. A few days later I had an emergency at home and needed to send an email. One email. So I decided to buy a full day package just for that one day so I could send that one email. Turns out I was stuck with full length options now. So in order to send one email, I would now have to upgrade to the package that gave me email access every single day. I could no longer pay for just that one day. On RC you can buy by the minute. not a huge deal for most people but for some of us this is a big deal.

 

Energy Saver System

My second complaint was with their energy saving system in the room. I 100% understand the need for it. Some people will be wasteful leaving lights/tv on. The way it works is that you put your stateroom key in a slot and it allows you to use the lights, power outlets and tv. When you leave the room, you take the key with you and it turns off everything. Again, I see the need for this. However, it becomes a huge inconvenience, when you can't charge your cell phone unless you are in your room. We would use our phones as our cameras for this trip. We would go out to port and take tons of pictures, then come back with a dead battery and would want to leave our phones charging while we grabbed a bite, then pick our phones back up and take pictures in the ship or during the shows. This was not possible. We would have to wait in the room for an hour or so while our phones charged, or spend the day enjoying the ship without a camera or carnival app (which was fantastic by the way).

 

Again I know some people have issues with technology on the ship to begin with, but this was our cruise and to us this was an inconvenience.

 

Food

On the non technical side, One of my biggest complaints was with the food. I know flavor is subjective, so I won't touch on that part too much. But the breakfast options were almost non existent to us. You have the buffet, which has about 6 options every morning. I',m used to RC where you have rows and rows of food. Here you had about 6 options in the mian course sections. Of course you had the omelette station which was fantastic, you had the basic fruits, cereals etc...but the hot options were about 6 options. If you went to the main dining room for breakfast, you got the EXACT same options...just served to you instead of serving your self.

 

Now I'll admit that they had some great alternatives. the Blue Iguana Cantina had some awesome food! But it opened at 7. Usually our excursions started around 7 or 7:30. So as much as we loved this option it was usually not an option. The pizzeria was way better than the 24 hour one on RC. But having pizza for breakfast got old.

 

Same went for lunch. But I'll admit I thought Guys burgers blew my expectations, they were some of the best burgers I've ever had on a cruise. The sea food shack was amazing! So they had great food, but these were usually the ones that were only open at odd hours and not always available. for dinner we found ourselves usually at the specialty restaurants and enjoying them tremendously. But I felt we had no choice since the main dining area wasn't too flavorful for us. Again this is subjective, but the lack of options played a big role.

 

Cheers Package

I absolutely LOVED the cheers package. I drank and drank. I'll admit I might not have gotten my moneys worth, but that was due to how port intensive this cruise was. Still the fact that I got to try so many drinks I never would have tried was worth it. My only complaint was that the milk shakes were included, but the machines were broken the entire time! This played a big role in why I bought the package. Not big enough to make a stink about it, I still got plenty so why complain? but it did leave me feeling like I missed out a bit.

 

Your Time Dining

I've always done the flexible time dining on RC. I've always loved it. I did it on The Vista. I hated it. I spoke to some of the others on the ship and not every one had issues so keep that in mind. But on my end, I had to wait about 5-10 minutes for a buzzer. then about 35-45 minutes for the buzzer to go off. During that time I HAD to be at one of the nearby bars for the buzzer to work. This was a huge waste of my time for eating in the dining room, this also led to me usually doing the specialty dining. I only ate in the dining room twice on this cruise.

 

Soda During Lunch

One of the things I love about RC and just realized I took for granted was that they have pre filled soda cups out in the buffet area. You can either pay for it or use your soda package to just grab a cup. I didn't realize how great this was until I had lunch on the Vista. No soda anywhere other than at the bars. I love having a soda with my meals. but this means I had to get my plate, find a seat, then walk to the nearest bar, wait in line, get a soda and come back to my cold food. halfway through my meal when I was done with my soda, I had to once again walk to the bar, wait in line and grab a soda from the bartender before I could finish my meal. I tried asking some of the staff (thinking they might take drink orders in exchange for a tip) but I was directed to the nearest bar if I wanted a drink.

 

That was it. Those were my complaints. I know a lot of you will roll your eyes at them lol, that's ok, but maybe some of the cruisers who have similar interests as me in food or technology will be better prepared when they get to go on their cruise. Other than that I will say that the staff couldn't have done a better job. My bed was always made, everything was spotless, the carnival app was a game changer for me! No more need to carry around a giant paper with all the events, when everything is on your phone and can alert you when an event you want to participate in is about to start. Overall I really loved my time on the ship, just wished some of these minor issues weren't part of my experience.

 

Regarding the Your Time Dining, we were on the same cruise (June 21st out of Athens) and also had the Your Time Dining, and we used the Dining Room on 6 of the 10 nights, and literally never were given a buzzer once, or had a wait once. We went to the check-in desk, were assigned a table, walked to the Dining Room, and walked straight in to our table. I guess it must depend upon when you tried to use it. We always used it between 5:30 PM and about 6:45 PM.

[juanarcin]

Regarding the Your Time Dining, we were on the same cruise (June 21st out of Athens) and also had the Your Time Dining, and we used the Dining Room on 6 of the 10 nights, and literally never were given a buzzer once, or had a wait once. We went to the check-in desk, were assigned a table, walked to the Dining Room, and walked straight in to our table. I guess it must depend upon when you tried to use it. We always used it between 5:30 PM and about 6:45 PM.

 

Good to know, I would usually give it a try around 7:30.

[sb4ever]

Regarding the Your Time Dining, we were on the same cruise (June 21st out of Athens) and also had the Your Time Dining, and we used the Dining Room on 6 of the 10 nights, and literally never were given a buzzer once, or had a wait once. We went to the check-in desk, were assigned a table, walked to the Dining Room, and walked straight in to our table. I guess it must depend upon when you tried to use it. We always used it between 5:30 PM and about 6:45 PM.

 

Did you have a good service team that you would recommend or did you switch it up every night? We are on the 7/19 sailing.

[heliwoman]

Energy Saver System

 

Thank you for letting us know about this. This is my 3rd cruise, first with Carnival and had no idea about this. With 2 teenagers it's important to keep the gadgets charged. So if I'm understanding the responses correctly you can "trick" the system by leaving/inserting another card of some sort (fake credit card, piece of cardboard, etc).

[fuddrules]

Energy Saver System

 

Thank you for letting us know about this. This is my 3rd cruise, first with Carnival and had no idea about this. With 2 teenagers it's important to keep the gadgets charged. So if I'm understanding the responses correctly you can "trick" the system by leaving/inserting another card of some sort (fake credit card, piece of cardboard, etc).

 

Correct. I used my drivers license, a credit card, whatever was in my walled I didn't put in the safe. I know other bring a hotel card along just to put in the slot.

 

Having said that, we did make it a point to always turn off the lights and TV but it least allowed our devices to charge.

[bjstenman]

Did you have a good service team that you would recommend or did you switch it up every night? We are on the 7/19 sailing.

 

We switched it up every night and had excellent service on 4 of the 6 nights. The first night wasn't great, not was the last night, but otherwise it was very good. I have to say I'm not a big fan of the American Table menu, but the rest of the family liked it, so it's probably just me... :)

[lablover61]

Interesting comments

[les37b]

Juanarcin, thanks very much for your feedback. Glad you had a good time apart from these annoyances, but getting it off your chest is a great thing to happen as its a heads up and means others can learn by them to avoid or at least be prepared for them.

 

I too selected "anytime" for meals.... I thought when I booked, that was like an upgrade (it felt like it was when explained anyway!) LOL

 

i've never been fond of being told when I must be hungry and need to feed... hence why that sounded a better option. (Besides, some days I will be getting back late from touring... I'd prefer to chose!)

 

Anyway, two things from what you've said, If I turn up at the MDR at 8, how does this work? Will I be expected to just wait... for up to 35 minutes? I'd not be too happy about that! Is the bar nearby? Can you wait in there and get "buzzed" when they are ready? I'd be ok if that was how it worked.. Just waiting though I'd not be best pleased! Can anyone explain how this works? On my previous cruises, I eat when I turn up... never any wait, ever.

 

So you cant get a soda or beer or whatever with your meal unless you go outside to the bar? Really? Is that how it works? Not impressed if it is. Do we get to tip ourselves and take it out of the gratuities pot? lol

 

Good news on the power saving work round... your moan has taught me a new tip I'd not otherwise have known.

 

Food at breakfast - if I'm honest, I'm not a breakfast person, but I do enjoy when on vacation. I always like to get an omelette, some fresh fruit and a danish... I'm assuming that wouldnt be an issue? Pretty basic fare surely?

[bluenose1966]

Thanks for a great review, this is our first ever cruise, so great to get some useful information.

Quick question -do you only get one key card to your room. My husband, son and I will sometimes be doing different things and I was hoping we would all get a key card.

[Jillbu]

Responding to a number of posts all in one....You can get 3 room cards. Bring along an expired or used gift card for the light switch. I have always had too many wait staff asking if they can take my drink order in the Buffet section, perhaps they are still working on their roles on Vista. The other option of course would have been to get the soda first, least the food would have stayed hot. Carnival puts out a continental breakfast for the very early risers, there is a made to order station for eggs and omelets and fresh fruit is standard.

[kidstwo2]

Our room steward had stuck just a paper business card in the light socket - no need for even a plastic card.

[fuddrules]

i've never been fond of being told when I must be hungry and need to feed... hence why that sounded a better option. (Besides, some days I will be getting back late from touring... I'd prefer to chose!)

 

Anyway, two things from what you've said, If I turn up at the MDR at 8, how does this work? Will I be expected to just wait... for up to 35 minutes? I'd not be too happy about that! Is the bar nearby? Can you wait in there and get "buzzed" when they are ready? I'd be ok if that was how it worked.. Just waiting though I'd not be best pleased! Can anyone explain how this works? On my previous cruises, I eat when I turn up... never any wait, ever.

 

So you cant get a soda or beer or whatever with your meal unless you go outside to the bar? Really? Is that how it works? Not impressed if it is. Do we get to tip ourselves and take it out of the gratuities pot? lol

 

Les,

 

As far as drink service goes in the MDR, don’t be surprised when it’s not nearly as quick as a regular restaurant. You can order drinks, however, I’m not sure why but service for drinks is really hit or miss (often miss). The Vista was actually a little better than most but it’s still a rare occurrence to have a drink in hand within 5 minutes of being seated. It can happen but don’t expect it. My recommendation is to bring a drink with you if that’s an important part of your MDR experience. If you’ll want a second drink during dinner, order it long before you need it.

 

For dining – You’ll be at the aft MDR, deck 3.

 

When you enter the dining room there will be two lines. One for those with tickets (left) and 1 line for those without (right). The line for those without tickets I believe is for platinum and diamond. It’s also possibly for those who refuse (or didn’t know) to get a ticket (not sure on that point though). There was never a line for those with tickets. There were some nights that a line developed for those w/o tickets.

 

To get a ticket (I recommend, we did every night). Go to deck 5 near the Java Hut Coffee place. There is a check-in counter near there for the MDR. You will check in with the host and they will assign you a table (if available) and give you a ticket. You will then proceed to the MDR (deck 3 entrance) with the ticket. Give the ticket to the host, they’ll walk around and around and around the MDR until they find your table.

 

If you don’t get a ticket and get a buzzer, you can go to the bar areas around the Java Hut. There’s the Alchemy Bar, Red Frog Pub, Ocean Plaza Bar and Havana Bar all within short distance of the Java Hut. I would not go beyond this area (per the deck 5 host when I asked). We only got the buzzer 1 night (out of 9) and it was about a 25 minute wait. When the buzzer goes buzzzzz, proceed to the MDR with the buzzer.

 

If you are not wanting to get a buzzer and get seated right away I recommend you go to the check-in area prior to 7 pm. Possibly slight earlier, as sometimes Elegant nights get busy as I’m guessing more people go to the MDR . You could also go very late to by-pass the buzzer process too. Since it’s a port intensive itinerary, not many people want to eat earlier than 6. Therefore, at some point around that 7 pm, 7:30 time frame, MDR seating may be full. If it’s full, they have no choice but to give you the buzzer. So if you beat the crowd, you beat the buzzer and get seated right away.

Edited July 8, 2016 by fuddrules

[cruizinisthebest]

Wrong thread. Deleted.

Edited July 8, 2016 by cruizinisthebest

[seabeelarry]

Our cabin Stewart also used a paper buisness card, so we did, too. We used it for charging tech, but made sure lights & tv were off when we were gone.

 

The Red Frog Brewery was amazing.... You can watch the brewmaster actually make the beer & he gives a brewery tour on at sea day.

 

We had late dining, 1st time ever, but we chose late due to the itinerary, our dining worked out great with the long port calls.

But I due agree, the food "AT TIMES" was mediocre comparied to past cruises....

And, it seemd our MDR server had many more tables than other ships, so the service lacked from past cruises.

 

If your plat/ Dia VIFP, it is good to note, that the Capt. Cocktail party was on a port day at 5pm. When a lot of guests were actually still in port or on an excusion....

[cmecruise1962]

Thank you for the feedback! Good intel for my 8/18 cruise!! I am still torn on the Cheers package (I could get my $$ worth, but my daughter, turning 21 the week before the cruise, doesn't really drink and for the first time I have to buy it for her too! :( ) But now, you have me swinging the other way! Sigh! But all your information is appreciated!!

[javamom]

 

 

 

Food

 

 

Same went for lunch. But I'll admit I thought Guys burgers blew my expectations, they were some of the best burgers I've ever had on a cruise.

 

Some of? Some? Please do tell which ones were better. Or even close. ;)

[sailawaybellaluna]

Hello,

 

We were on the same June 21st sailing out of Athens! We have been looking forward to this trip for over a year, but unfortunately, we also had some issues...

 

Dining: We were a party of 10 and all had anytime dining. That being said, when I went to check in each night at 5:30pm they said all 10 of us needed to be present each night by 6pm to get a table together. If it was even 6:10pm, they couldn't seat us. This was a huge hassle, and also, not really "anytime dining". Once seated, we literally were dripping sweat during dinner. It was SO hot. They kept saying they had "refrigeration" problems. On two nights our head waiter even asked me to complain on their behalf so it would be addressed, since his complaints were not acknowledged. It made dining soooooo uncomfortable. On the first formal night, I had to change after dinner from sweating in my new gown. :-(

 

Also, in terms of dining, each night the service took us well over 2 hours. Typically, it was 45 minutes from the time we sat down to the time we would even PLACE our order. One night I ordered a glass of Cab at 6:05pm. At 6:50pm they brought me a chardonnay by accident. :-(

 

You can read in my other reviews that I'm not normally one to complain about cruises. I don't expect perfection and I'm happy to overlook many things in the name of having a good time. But overall, we weren't a fan of this ship/cruise.

 

Decor is really subjective, but IMO, it felt a bit cold and too modern. Kind of a hospital meets Holiday Inn.

 

We had done the Breeze when it was new in Europe (review in my sig) and absolutely loved it! I was bummed this experience wasn't as good.

 

And while we did love the ports, oh my gosh, we came home exhausted! We definitely need a couple more sea days when cruising Europe!