Hello Vista! A Full PICTORIAL Trip Report of Carnival's Newest Ship

[Nicole721]

I had my list of priorities for Lindos down long before we arrived, and it should come as a surprise to no one that our top priority was to find a coffee shop for a round of cappuccino freddos. Greek coffee is addicting and it’s impossible to find a good freddo at home. We found a lovely little café with some great outdoor seating and enjoyed our coffee with baklava and a beautiful view of the acropolis.

 

 

 

Thankfully, the pace of dining is quicker in Greece than it is in Spain, France and Italy, and we were left with just enough time to shop and dodge the donkeys.

 

 

 

I really liked Lindos, but found our time to be entirely unsatisfying because we were so rushed to get back to the meeting spot at the bus. Walking back would take too long and Tina had told us earlier that she wasn’t even sure if the shuttle was running because it breaks down so often, but just as we were getting in line for a taxi, the shuttle showed up. A taxi would have been far more comfortable than the hot, crowded old bus they use as a shuttle and I probably would have paid double the taxi fare to not have to ride the shuttle, but it got us where we needed to be on time. So, pro tip, if you’re looking to visit Lindos, don’t take a ship sponsored excursion, and the uphill walk back will be entirely more pleasant than the shuttle bus if there’s a long line for a taxi.

 

 

After our group was accounted for, we headed towards one final photo stop: a viewpoint of Lindos and the acropolis.

 

[Nicole721]

Now, you might be thinking to yourself “You paid to go on a tour that took you to two viewpoints and gave you a whopping 25 minutes in Lindos? What in the world took up all that other time that made up this four and a half hour tour?” They took us to a ceramics factory. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t in the tour description and it was the same hole we fell into the year before in Turkey, where our day was cut short by a long visit to a carpet weaving school slash Turkish house of mirrors. We spent double the amount of time in this ceramics store than we did in Lindos. The guide was smarmy and the pieces were overpriced (something I was happy to share with our tour mates given that we’d be docking in Kusadasi the next day and I knew from last year that the same pieces were sold in Turkey for half the price).

 

 

 

 

It started raining again on our drive back to the ship, so we opted to go back to the ship instead of taking advantage of the optional drop off at the entrance to Old Town.

 

 

We dropped our bags off at the room before heading upstairs for a quick lunch. Mom and Stephanie went back to the room to take naps and I wandered around the upper decks, looking out at Old Town. I think the next time we visit Rhodes, we’ll spend the day exploring Old Town or we’ll just take a cab to Lindos. Rhodes is definitely a port you can DIY for a day.

 

 

[Nicole721]

I’ve probably mentioned it before, and I’m probably going to mention it again, but one of my favorite parts of the Vista was the way space was optimized for sea views, especially on the Lido deck, where the outdoor seating for the Marketplace faces the water. It’s a great spot to hide out with a cup of coffee and a book.

 

 

In need of a little pick me up, Stephanie and we headed next door to the Havana bar for some cortaditos and an extra afternoon energy jolt. The Cuban coffee offerings at the Havana Bar were super inexpensive and did the job in keeping us energized to explore the ship after a day in port.

 

 

We wandered around the ship for awhile, strolling along Sports Square, catching some live music along Ocean Plaza, people watching in the lobby. We decided to skip the dining room and have dinner up on the Lido deck, where they had extended the hours of Guy’s Burgers through the evening.

 

 

The evening’s entertainment was headlined by a new Playlist Production show, America Rocks!, a tribute to classic rock bands. The Liquid Lounge opened early for some pre-show fun, where the entertainment staff mingled with the crowd, a face painting booth was set up at the foot of the stage and Free Bird played in the background.

 

[Nicole721]

I’ve been critical of the Playlist Production shows in the past, but I think Carnival has made great strides in improving them. America Rocks! is one of the best new shows they’ve rolled out. The show was backed by a live band, something Carnival has veered away from in recent years, and it really upped the energy level of the show. The set list was fantastic and we spent the entire show dancing in our seats and singing along.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

The show let out just as the sun was about to set, and we found our way to a secret little area at deck 5 forward. The deck wraps all the way around the front of the ship, affording us an amazing view of the horizon ahead, and best of all, no one else seemed aware of it and we had it to ourselves to enjoy the sunset.

 

 

 

We stopped back at the room to find our transfer tickets to the airport had been delivered. Suddenly, this was all coming to a close as quickly as it had began, and even though we had two more ports and almost a week in Switzerland and Paris after our cruise, the immanence of the end of this trip became a reality. And we faced it the only way we really could: by spending the rest of the night up on the Lido deck for a Mamma Mia singalong at the Dive In Movies.

 

[nybumpkin]

We dropped our bags off at the room before heading upstairs for a quick lunch. Mom and Stephanie went back to the room to take naps and I wandered around the upper decks, looking out at Old Town. I think the next time we visit Rhodes, we’ll spend the day exploring Old Town or we’ll just take a cab to Lindos. Rhodes is definitely a port you can DIY for a day.

I'm sorry your excursion in Rhodes wasn't the greatest. We opted for exploring Old Town on our own and enjoyed it. The combination of Western, Eastern and Muslim influences was really interesting. Again, many thanks for letting me re-live my vacation!

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

Nicole ~ still following & loving your review. :D The pictures are amazing & I admire your enthusiasm for the food, architecture & mood of the places.

 

You're also bringing back memories from my Vista TA. I noticed there was a few pictures of pie during your cruise but unfortunately the pie man must have been away for our cruise, just 1 pie on the last day!:( I might just have to do Vista again to experience some of the things you did.

 

Your ceramics experience reminded me of something that made me enjoy Florence less than I thought I would as we had to endure time in a leather shop. I am not a shopper so resented it then when trying to find my paper that said what was included on the tour, forgot to take my souvenirs off the bus. I was so upset!

 

Did you get to see the the Cuban show in the Liquid Lounge? I liked it so much I went to both shows. Some of those dancers were h-o-t! I also sang along to ABBA. lots of fun!

 

Glad to hear the review will not end too soon with 2 more ports & a week of land vacation to go.;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[Jamericannn]

Great pictures and detailed review. Where do You rank this ship among the ones you've been on?

[Nicole721]

I'm sorry your excursion in Rhodes wasn't the greatest. We opted for exploring Old Town on our own and enjoyed it. The combination of Western, Eastern and Muslim influences was really interesting. Again, many thanks for letting me re-live my vacation!

 

It looked fascinating! Wish we had more time to explore it on our own, but there's always next time! :)

 

Hi all!

 

Nicole ~ still following & loving your review. :D The pictures are amazing & I admire your enthusiasm for the food, architecture & mood of the places.

 

You're also bringing back memories from my Vista TA. I noticed there was a few pictures of pie during your cruise but unfortunately the pie man must have been away for our cruise, just 1 pie on the last day!:( I might just have to do Vista again to experience some of the things you did.

 

Your ceramics experience reminded me of something that made me enjoy Florence less than I thought I would as we had to endure time in a leather shop. I am not a shopper so resented it then when trying to find my paper that said what was included on the tour, forgot to take my souvenirs off the bus. I was so upset!

 

Did you get to see the the Cuban show in the Liquid Lounge? I liked it so much I went to both shows. Some of those dancers were h-o-t! I also sang along to ABBA. lots of fun!

 

Glad to hear the review will not end too soon with 2 more ports & a week of land vacation to go.;)

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Hiya Jo!

 

I'd be livid if I missed any time in a city as magnificent as Florence for a leather demo! We ducked away from our group when they were walking in for an "optional" leather workshop because we couldn't bear to lose any time walking around the city. Last year, we lost all of our free time in Kusadasi because our time in a carpet weaving school/shop/most bizarre house of mirrors ever ran over and we got back to port late. It's the worst! The art is lovely. Losing any time in these magnificent ports is a bummer.

 

And I did see Amor Cubano. Really loved all of the shows we saw onboard the Vista. America Rocks might have been my favorite, but it's really hard to choose!

 

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[Nicole721]

Great pictures and detailed review. Where do You rank this ship among the ones you've been on?

 

Hmmmm, good question!

 

Across ALL of the ships I've been on, I'd still rank the Vista behind the Allure of the Seas, but I really loved the Allure of the Seas because it's just so...unique...and I really love Central Park.

 

Across Carnival's fleet, I'd probably rank the Vista near the top (the Miracle will always be my favorite for sentimental reasons). It might be an unpopular opinion (or maybe not...I haven't read a ton of Vista reviews!), but I felt like the Vista took all of the things we loved about Carnival cruises and elevated them. We loved loved loved the Havana area (and our Havana cabin), the Sky Ride was probably the most fun activity I've ever done on a Carnival ship and the ship, itself, is just gorgeous. So I really like the Vista :)

[Nicole721]

Day 12: Kusadasi, Turkey

 

I didn’t think we were going to make it to Turkey this time.

 

We almost didn’t. Our scheduled stop in Izmir was cancelled for safety concerns due to the political climate weeks before we left for Barcelona. We weren’t entirely heartbroken – we had no plans for Turkey, having done an extensive tour of the ancient ruins of Ephesus the year before, and with only one sea day on our voyage and a brand new ship to explore, a cancelled port in Izmir meant an extra day to enjoy the Vista.

 

 

As we were boarding our flight to Barcelona (literally!), we received an email from Carnival announcing we would be making a stop in Turkey after all – Kusadasi instead of Izmir. So while we’d be back to one sea day, I was super excited to return to Kusadasi and explore some of the things we didn’t have the chance to see the year before.

 

Kusadasi is a fairly modern port, a gateway to a big city. The dock is right at the entrance to town, and there are plenty of options for a day here. There are two big historical sites nearby: the Virgin Mary house and the ancient ruins of Ephesus. Ephesus is breathtaking and magnificent, and if you haven’t been there, it’s a must-see. With that under our belts, we opted to explore the port area and do some shopping at a local bazaar.

 

 

It was gray with some bouts of rain when we left the ship, having docked alongside a Celebrity ship. Unlike many of the ports in the Mediterranean, the pier at Kusadasi had tons of shopping both in the terminal and in a mall immediately outside.

 

 

 

Carpet weaving is the local art and there were weavers in the window fronts of many stores we passed on our way to the bazaar. Unlike the year before, though, we were free to browse at our leisure.

 

[Nicole721]

The Kusadasi Bazaar was no more than a ten minute walk from the ship, and there are plenty of signs pointing the way. We weren’t sure what to expect – we encountered some pushy vendors on our visit to Kusadasi the year before at Ephesus and again at the carpet weaving school – and we were relieved that we were generally left to ourselves as we explored the bazaar.

 

 

[Nicole721]

Oh, and the shopping? Amongst the best we found on the trip, maybe second to Florence. If you’re looking for textiles or ceramics, Kusadasi is your port. The same bowls we saw the previous day in Rhodes for upwards of €10 were €2 in Kusadasi. We stocked up on ceramic bowls (they make excellent souvenirs for friends!), pashmina scarves and little odds and ends. We marveled at the colorful accents that we’d find in unexpected places and made our way in and out of as many stores as we could.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Thunder rumbled in the distance and creeped closer, and we started our walk back to the ship in the hopes of avoiding the impending rainstorm.

 

 

As we approached the secure shopping area that leads to the ship, Stephanie realized she didn’t have her ship card. She couldn’t find it in her purse and wasn’t sure if she dropped it while she was shopping or if she got pickpocketed. It took 15 minutes of searching before she found it in a safety pouch inside her purse (I guess you can be too safe!). Relieved and ready to reembark, we flashed our cards at the security checkpoint and made our way through the mall, picking up some last minute souvvies and ducking into a Starbucks when the skies opened up. A heavy downpour made way for some brilliant sunshine and we hopped back onto the ship before the next round of rain came.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

With most of our fellow cruisers ashore, we walked around the ship, taking pictures of the unoccupied decks and making our way up to Sports Square, because with everyone exploring Kusadasi, it was the perfect time to try out the Skyride!

 

 

The Skyride is a brand new attraction, the first of its kind on Carnival’s fleet, where you can pedal around the aft of the ship, taking in panoramas of the sea and ports of call. The ride, itself, only takes a couple of minutes to complete the loop, but the lines got lengthy really quickly since only two people can ride at a time. I had about 15 people ahead of me and waited upwards of 45 minutes. They have lockers for small items (you can’t have anything on you when you ride, like your phone or a camera) and you need to wear closed-toe shoes to ride. As my turn to ride came up, the Sports Square staff helped me into a harness and then buckled my harness into the Skyride – there was no turning back now! You can go as fast (or slow) as you want, so while there are a few dips in the ride, it’s definitely on the mild end of wild. And the views can’t be beat, especially if you’re in port!

 

 

 

When the ride was over, Mom and Stephanie were waiting for me at the exit and we headed down to the Lido deck for a quick lunch from the Blue Iguana Cantina. Many of the Lido eateries have outward facing seating (one of my favorite features of the Vista), and we had a beautiful view of Kusadasi as we enjoyed our burrito bowls.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

We split up after lunch – Mom went to do some laundry and start her packing. I can’t pack until we’re about to leave, so Stephanie and I went out to the Havana pool to catch some of the sun that hid from us while we were exploring the port.

 

 

After an hour in the sun, we were ready to head in and get ready for the Diamond and Platinum Party in the Liquid Lounge. A year or so ago, Carnival changed the party from past guest (where anyone who had sailed before was invited) to just Diamond and Platinum guests, theming the party as a family reunion kind of affair. I can’t say I miss the old parties – there are so many past guests at this point that they were out of control, with lines to enter that started an hour before the doors opened and long waits for drink service. There weren’t many people at the party this time, and the servers were more than willing to bring out custom drinks (read: come at me, Miami Vice). Sushi and small appetizers were handed out by servers making the rounds, and a string trio provided some live music before Matt came out to introduce the senior staff.

 

 

 

After a couple of rounds of fruity umbrella drinks, we took our last round to go and headed out to that secret deck space we’d discovered a few days earlier and watched as we pulled out of Kusadasi.

 

 

[Nicole721]

When our drinks were empty and there was nothing ahead of us but open sea, we headed inside for dinner. It wasn’t formal night, but the menu for the evening was one of the formal night menus.

 

Lobster Bisque

 

Michigan Pasty

 

Flatbread

 

Tomato Salad and Green Beans

 

Beef Wellington

 

Penne Siciliana

[Nicole721]

Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake

 

Fresh Fruit Plate

Edited December 28, 2016 by Nicole721

[Nicole721]

We had a little time to kill before the headliner show, so we headed back to the room to sit out on the patio and enjoy the sea air and plan out our day in Athens.

 

 

 

The Liquid Lounge was packed for the headliner show this evening, a new Playlist Production show – Amor Cubano. We grabbed some seats and as we were getting settled, I felt it – that tickle in the back of your throat that makes you stop and say “****. I better not be getting sick.” Maybe it was too much sea air. Or the changing weather (high winds and rapidly cooling kept the ship rocking as we made our way back to Greece). Whatever it was, while the Vista part of our trip was coming to an end, our vacation wasn’t – we still had nearly a week in Zurich and Paris after our cruise, and I hoped hoped hoped my spring sinus infection wasn’t popping in to say hello while I was overseas. The show started before I could run through my I-watch-a-lot-of-Grey’s-Anatomy-so-I-can-totally-self-diagnose checklist. I thought Amor Cubano was an interesting show – it’s super high energy and they ditch the pre-recorded music for a live band, which is the greatest improvement these productions can make. The cast is smaller than America Rocks and the songs are lesser known, but it was nice to see the improvements Carnival is making as they iterate the production shows.

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

The Cuban fiesta continued in the Havana Bar, but we headed out to the shops to explore the bag options – predictably, we bought more than we could fit into our suitcases. Our overnight in Athens the following evening meant after this evening, the shops would not open again before we disembarked, so we scoped our options and picked up some last minute souvenirs.

 

 

This also meant it was our last chance for some Cherry on Top, so we indulged in one last sundae.

 

 

 

Mockingjay Part 2 was playing upstairs at the Dive In Movies, so Stephanie and I changed into our sweats and headed upstairs. It was very cold and very windy, so I grabbed blankets while Stephanie grabbed us some water glasses so that we could…toast with some Emergen-C. It was pretty clear at this point that something was invading my body to challenge my immune system and Stephanie won’t travel without Emergen-C because she’s convinced it will ward off anything.

 

 

 

We didn’t make it through the entire movie – it was just too cold – so we ducked inside to make some hot tea and finalize our plans for Athens. It was hard to believe our time on the Vista was just about drawing to a close, and that we only had one day and one port left.

[CruisinMama2003]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU again for this awesome review! And the pictures are terrific :):) Are we going to be treated to this again on your Sunshine trip? Please say YES lol

[Nicole721]

Just wanted to say THANK YOU again for this awesome review! And the pictures are terrific :):) Are we going to be treated to this again on your Sunshine trip? Please say YES lol

 

Thank YOU for reading along! And I will absolutely be writing another review on the Sunshine! We just got to Orlando a few hours ago for a few days in Disney before we board the ship on Saturday :) Probably won't start the review for a few weeks, but I'll be posting pictures on Facebook and Instagram while we're onboard next week!

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[dmathias12]

I've so enjoyed reading your review and look forward to your sunshine review as we sail on her in 2018

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

Nicole ~ have a great time at Disney! Looking forward to your Sunshine review whenever you do it.

 

Happy New Year & all the best in 2017!:D

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[easyboy]

Your review was very informative and enjoyed reading along, together with its nice pictures.