I miss the Vista

[tommytune42]

I have been reading all of the comments about the Vista with great fascination. As so often happens when I read others reviews, it often feels to me like people who were on the same cruise with me must have actually been on a completely different ship or something, because their perspectives are so different than mine. With that in mind, I wanted to give some thoughts about the Vista from the point of comparing it to another Carnival ship, the Pride.

 

I have been fortunate in the past two months to have two cruises--the New York City to Miami reposition cruise on the Vista in November and the Baltimore to Tampa reposition cruise on the Pride in January. Both of these cruises were Journeys cruises, and so they had similar activity schedules. Both of these cruises skewed older, although there were more kids on the Vista as that cruise included Thanksgiving. And they obviously had different itineraries. But for comparison purposes, I want to focus primarily on the ships themselves.

 

First of all, the Pride was my very first ship. My DW and I sailed her for our 25th many moons ago, and we have been back several times simply because Baltimore is easy and the prices are usually quite a bit less. Because of my fondness for the Pride, I was eager to be on her for 13 days for the Panama Canal partial transit, but I was surprised to find that, while I had an amazing time, there were many things about the Vista I missed:

 

1) I missed the Vista atrium. This seems to be a particular sticking point with a lot of cruisers, but I have to admit that beyond the "wow" factor when first stepping on the ship, the atrium to me has always been a place to walk through to get somewhere--to guest services or shore excursions, to get from the front of the ship to the back and vice versa, etc. The atrium bar has always seemed very small, the music has seemed a bit loud, and what seating there is has always felt somewhat separated from all the action. On the Vista, however, the atrium has truly become a gathering place. From the large and spacious bar to the multiple seating areas on multiple decks, I found myself actually there nightly listening to the wide variety of music being performed. I liked that they had more premium cocktails at the atrium bar (on the Pride I had to go to the steakhouse bar to find a nice Scotch--they had the same selection at the atrium bar on the Vista) and that there were plenty of places to sit or stand (not in the photo gallery, as on the Pride) to enjoy my time there. I also like the Video Funnel--it was intriguing and fun and made every trip through the atrium a new adventure.

 

2) I missed the Ocean Plaza. I enjoy playing trivia, and on the Pride the trivia was crammed into the same area where people were getting their coffee, coming in and out of the Red Frog Pub and Sports Bar, and talking to the future cruise specialist and the shopping specialist. On the Vista trivia takes place in the Ocean Plaza, and this was my second favorite gathering place. There was a nice bar right there, there was live music every night with a decent dance floor (unlike being crammed into the Red Frog on the Pride) and there was room to spread out for the trivia and other games. I also liked the location of the Taste Bar on the Vista and the fact that breakfast was served there every morning. It was a great place to meet people and enjoy the ship.

 

3) I missed the Lanai. That wonderful wrap around deck was another place I truly enjoyed just hanging out. I could be outside and yet in the shade. I could have a drink, eat barbecue, read, find power outlets for my computer, people watch, read, and nap in genuine comfort with a magnificent view of the ocean. On the Pride if I wanted to do this I could go to the Sunset Garden or snag a table along a window on deck 2 or 3, but I'm inside rather than outside.

 

4) I missed the Red Frog Pub. The RFP on the Vista is impressive, with indoor and outdoor seating, food options, and lots of different kinds of seating to be either in or out of the action. The selection of beers was also more diverse, which is expected with the on board brewery.

 

5) I missed the food. The Pride has a great steakhouse and the food in the main dining room was just fine. But I missed JiJis and the Cucina. Even the options in Bonsai Sushi were better on the Vista than on the Pride. I missed the Cuban bites in the Havana bar and the barbecue on the Lanai. I missed the fresh ice cream on Lido and the mix-in ice cream at Cherry on Top. Don't get me wrong--I didn't come home hungry from the Pride, and I was not disappointed in the food there--I just missed the options available to me on the Vista.

 

6) I missed the IMAX theater. I only went once on the Vista just to try it out, and it was AMAZING. We had several days of rain on the Pride, and those days I thought about how nice it would have been to have the IMAX as a place to get away from the elements and do something different. I'm still blown away by the quality of the movies in there--and the price was less than what I would pay on land for the same shows.

 

7) I missed the running track. The Vista has a decent running track which is quite a bit longer than the one on the Pride. To get in a decent run on the Pride you have to run on deck 10, where you dodge loungers and gawkers and have to fight with the wind. The Vista made keeping up with a regular walk and/or run much easier.

 

8) I missed the shows. Amor Cubana may be one of the best shows Carnival is producing right now, and while I still don't fully understand Flick I did enjoy it. The cast on the Pride was not great, and they were the same Playlist shows I didn't like when they first came out. While the theater on the Pride is FAR superior to the Vista (I did not miss fighting for a seat), I much preferred the entertainment on the Vista to the Pride.

 

9) I missed the photo center. I have always hated digging through pictures to find the ones of me, and I have even more strongly hated throwing them into the recycling bin. What a waste. The system on the Vista isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn close, and it's far superior. I liked the fact that walking through the photo area it was never congested because they were able to get people out of the main traffic areas to look at their pictures.

 

10) I missed the Serenity area. The Vista serenity area is expansive and divided down into nice segmented areas, which I like. On the Pride it just feels like one more big deck with lots of people, and if you want any privacy to just have conversation it's tough. On the Vista, however, there were lots of seating options and places where I could gather with friends and we could have conversation without being disturbed or feeling like we were disturbing others. It was also, surprisingly, less windy on the Vista than it was on the Pride, making it more usable at times. I also loved the salad station on the Vista.

 

I could go on and on about the sky ride, the water slides, the color/décor, etc.(all of which I enjoyed), but I do want to take a moment to talk about what I didn't miss on the Vista while I was on the Pride.

 

1) I didn't miss the main show lounge. I get what Carnival is trying to do--by not having a dedicated nightclub and by reducing the size of this lounge they are able to increase revenue, but the overall design of the venue is poor. I found it easier to just stand in the back than try to climb into a seat. I don't know how they go about fixing this, and I suspect they will have the same issue on the Horizon. That being said, however, the shows were good enough that, given the opportunity, I would make the effort to be there to see them.

 

2) I didn't miss the comedy club. The Comedy Club on the Vista is beautiful, and it's plenty large enough, but the movable chairs presented a problem with getting people in and out. Also, because of where the door is located, it feels more crowded. There were more people standing on the Pride than there were on the Vista, but because they were behind the audience it didn't have that same crowded feel as the Vista had.

 

3) I didn't miss the split dining rooms and the galley that has to be navigated around. If you've been on any Carnival ship with this configuration you know what I'm talking about. I was assigned to the forward dining room and it took five or six nights for me to remember that I had to go around a galley to get there.

 

4) I missed the extra closet in my cabin. I think it's very cool that each cabin now has it's own unique heating/air conditioning system, but losing that closet space could be problematic for some. Given that cruising is becoming less formal, however, this probably won't be as big of an issue to most.

 

When it's all said and done, I had a great time on both of these ships and will sail them both again. I will be on the Pride in February and I will be on the Vista two more times this year. Is the Vista the best ship ever? Of course not--no ship is as they all have room for improvements/changes. But on the whole I enjoyed the Vista very much. I would like to sail again in a Havana Cabin just to have that experience, but I'm enough of a tightwad that will probably never happen.

 

One final note. In my 11 days on the Vista I lost 3 pounds, and in my 13 days on the Pride I only lost 1. In the 11 days on the Vista I walked or ran 105 miles, and in my 13 days on the Pride I only walked or ran 101. The Vista is a larger ship physically than the Pride. For me that is an advantage--but your mileage may vary.

[CARNIVALCRUISE3]

I feel the same after having sailed on the Breeze, and returning to smaller ships. I have been spoiled by the Breeze! I live 30 minutes away from The Port of Miami, and will be sailing aboard the Vista in April and July! I can't wait. Thanks so much for your comparisons and differences on both ships.

[jimbo5544]

Interesting post, and coincidentally the last two sailing we have done on Carnival (Vista in July and Pride for NYE and also the next two sailings Vista in April and a large group on the Pride in July). The two ships certainly off a contrast and both offer some unique options. Thanks for posting it.

[mysticlady2]

I total appreciated your post. It's been many years that I have cruised and just booked on the vista for 12/2/17. If you don't mind I have a few other questions to get your input. What type of dinner seating did you choose? Did you choose any excursions? Not sure what ports you were at. Thank you in advance

 

Have a magical day

[tommytune42]

I total appreciated your post. It's been many years that I have cruised and just booked on the vista for 12/2/17. If you don't mind I have a few other questions to get your input. What type of dinner seating did you choose? Did you choose any excursions? Not sure what ports you were at. Thank you in advance

 

Have a magical day

 

Thanks! I had late dining. I was in the middle dining room, and Ken Byrne was the maître d, so it was very special. On the cruise I was on anytime dining was in the rear dining room and fixed time was in the middle dining room. I think that this can be moved around based upon how many people they have for anytime dining, but don't quote me on that.

 

As for excursions, this was an unusual itinerary--Grand Turk, Bonaire, Aruba, St Maarten. I did do an excursion in Aruba--it was a basic intro to the island. The rest of the ports I just did my own thing.

 

Enjoy the Vista!

[IntrepidFromDC]

So refreshing to finally see a well-written, positive review of Vista, with points not mentioned in many Vista reviews I've read. Changes my outlook and I thank you.

[riclop]

You were sailing on a new ship and much larger with more things to do so there is a big difference.

[IntrepidFromDC]

You were sailing on a new ship and much larger with more things to do so there is a big difference.

 

Captain Obvious! You really DO exist!! ;)

[tommytune42]

Yes, the Vista is a newer and larger ship with more bells and whistles, but she's really been taking a beating in the reviews. Is she a perfect ship? Of course the only ship that is perfect is the one we imagine in our minds. Do I still love the Pride? Very much so. But for those who have not been on the Vista I think you will find things from other ships you will miss when you are on her and then when you go to other ships you will find things from the Vista that you miss.

 

As I said, my next cruise is on the Pride again, and I fully intend to enjoy myself just as much as I did a couple of weeks ago. But I sure will miss that JiJi's....

[sigmastar]

Thanks for your exciting and interesting review. I am a seasoned senior who finally will be taking my first cruise on the Vista 10-21-2017. I have always vacationed with my physically challenged daughter, spending lots of time trying to maKe sure things were accommodating for her. Traveling from Michigan to New York for plays on Broadway, visiting Toronto, and so I don't go into listing all our adventures, visiting 39 of the 50 states in the US. Hopefully we can get to the 11 that we have missed.

 

I believe that any vacation is what you make it. I am planning on pushing my daughter around the ship, getting off the ship at the various ports and just having fun. Life is too short. Thanks again for the review can't wait until October.

 

 

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[tommytune42]

Thanks for your exciting and interesting review. I am a seasoned senior who finally will be taking my first cruise on the Vista 10-21-2017. I have always vacationed with my physically challenged daughter, spending lots of time trying to maKe sure things were accommodating for her. Traveling from Michigan to New York for plays on Broadway, visiting Toronto, and so I don't go into listing all our adventures, visiting 39 of the 50 states in the US. Hopefully we can get to the 11 that we have missed.

 

I believe that any vacation is what you make it. I am planning on pushing my daughter around the ship, getting off the ship at the various ports and just having fun. Life is too short. Thanks again for the review can't wait until October.

 

 

How wonderful for you both! One of the things about the Vista that I forgot to mention is that the corridors, especially in the cabin areas, are wider than many ships. The way the Lido buffet area is laid out is also a bit wider. I think this makes it easier to assist someone physically getting around the ship (be it someone who needs a steadying hand, someone in a mobility scooter, or two people who are holding hands). Even in the main dining rooms there seems to be just a bit more space in between the tables, making it easier for traffic to flow more smoothly.

 

Just out of curiosity--what part of Michigan are you from?

[sigmastar]

We are from Mount Morris, Michigan, just north of Flint, Michigan.

 

 

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[bjd2]

The Pride was our last ship, and Vista is our next. I know that I missed JiJi and Cucina as I had them on the Sunshine. We are in a Havana cabin so looking very forward to some of the great new things that the Vista has to offer.

 

Thanks for the comparison!

[JMKreno]

I have been reading all of the comments about the Vista with great fascination. As so often happens when I read others reviews, it often feels to me like people who were on the same cruise with me must have actually been on a completely different ship or something, because their perspectives are so different than mine. With that in mind, I wanted to give some thoughts about the Vista from the point of comparing it to another Carnival ship, the Pride.

 

I have been fortunate in the past two months to have two cruises--the New York City to Miami reposition cruise on the Vista in November and the Baltimore to Tampa reposition cruise on the Pride in January. Both of these cruises were Journeys cruises, and so they had similar activity schedules. Both of these cruises skewed older, although there were more kids on the Vista as that cruise included Thanksgiving. And they obviously had different itineraries. But for comparison purposes, I want to focus primarily on the ships themselves.

 

First of all, the Pride was my very first ship. My DW and I sailed her for our 25th many moons ago, and we have been back several times simply because Baltimore is easy and the prices are usually quite a bit less. Because of my fondness for the Pride, I was eager to be on her for 13 days for the Panama Canal partial transit, but I was surprised to find that, while I had an amazing time, there were many things about the Vista I missed:

 

1) I missed the Vista atrium. This seems to be a particular sticking point with a lot of cruisers, but I have to admit that beyond the "wow" factor when first stepping on the ship, the atrium to me has always been a place to walk through to get somewhere--to guest services or shore excursions, to get from the front of the ship to the back and vice versa, etc. The atrium bar has always seemed very small, the music has seemed a bit loud, and what seating there is has always felt somewhat separated from all the action. On the Vista, however, the atrium has truly become a gathering place. From the large and spacious bar to the multiple seating areas on multiple decks, I found myself actually there nightly listening to the wide variety of music being performed. I liked that they had more premium cocktails at the atrium bar (on the Pride I had to go to the steakhouse bar to find a nice Scotch--they had the same selection at the atrium bar on the Vista) and that there were plenty of places to sit or stand (not in the photo gallery, as on the Pride) to enjoy my time there. I also like the Video Funnel--it was intriguing and fun and made every trip through the atrium a new adventure.

 

2) I missed the Ocean Plaza. I enjoy playing trivia, and on the Pride the trivia was crammed into the same area where people were getting their coffee, coming in and out of the Red Frog Pub and Sports Bar, and talking to the future cruise specialist and the shopping specialist. On the Vista trivia takes place in the Ocean Plaza, and this was my second favorite gathering place. There was a nice bar right there, there was live music every night with a decent dance floor (unlike being crammed into the Red Frog on the Pride) and there was room to spread out for the trivia and other games. I also liked the location of the Taste Bar on the Vista and the fact that breakfast was served there every morning. It was a great place to meet people and enjoy the ship.

 

3) I missed the Lanai. That wonderful wrap around deck was another place I truly enjoyed just hanging out. I could be outside and yet in the shade. I could have a drink, eat barbecue, read, find power outlets for my computer, people watch, read, and nap in genuine comfort with a magnificent view of the ocean. On the Pride if I wanted to do this I could go to the Sunset Garden or snag a table along a window on deck 2 or 3, but I'm inside rather than outside.

 

4) I missed the Red Frog Pub. The RFP on the Vista is impressive, with indoor and outdoor seating, food options, and lots of different kinds of seating to be either in or out of the action. The selection of beers was also more diverse, which is expected with the on board brewery.

 

5) I missed the food. The Pride has a great steakhouse and the food in the main dining room was just fine. But I missed JiJis and the Cucina. Even the options in Bonsai Sushi were better on the Vista than on the Pride. I missed the Cuban bites in the Havana bar and the barbecue on the Lanai. I missed the fresh ice cream on Lido and the mix-in ice cream at Cherry on Top. Don't get me wrong--I didn't come home hungry from the Pride, and I was not disappointed in the food there--I just missed the options available to me on the Vista.

 

6) I missed the IMAX theater. I only went once on the Vista just to try it out, and it was AMAZING. We had several days of rain on the Pride, and those days I thought about how nice it would have been to have the IMAX as a place to get away from the elements and do something different. I'm still blown away by the quality of the movies in there--and the price was less than what I would pay on land for the same shows.

 

7) I missed the running track. The Vista has a decent running track which is quite a bit longer than the one on the Pride. To get in a decent run on the Pride you have to run on deck 10, where you dodge loungers and gawkers and have to fight with the wind. The Vista made keeping up with a regular walk and/or run much easier.

 

8) I missed the shows. Amor Cubana may be one of the best shows Carnival is producing right now, and while I still don't fully understand Flick I did enjoy it. The cast on the Pride was not great, and they were the same Playlist shows I didn't like when they first came out. While the theater on the Pride is FAR superior to the Vista (I did not miss fighting for a seat), I much preferred the entertainment on the Vista to the Pride.

 

9) I missed the photo center. I have always hated digging through pictures to find the ones of me, and I have even more strongly hated throwing them into the recycling bin. What a waste. The system on the Vista isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn close, and it's far superior. I liked the fact that walking through the photo area it was never congested because they were able to get people out of the main traffic areas to look at their pictures.

 

10) I missed the Serenity area. The Vista serenity area is expansive and divided down into nice segmented areas, which I like. On the Pride it just feels like one more big deck with lots of people, and if you want any privacy to just have conversation it's tough. On the Vista, however, there were lots of seating options and places where I could gather with friends and we could have conversation without being disturbed or feeling like we were disturbing others. It was also, surprisingly, less windy on the Vista than it was on the Pride, making it more usable at times. I also loved the salad station on the Vista.

 

I could go on and on about the sky ride, the water slides, the color/décor, etc.(all of which I enjoyed), but I do want to take a moment to talk about what I didn't miss on the Vista while I was on the Pride.

 

1) I didn't miss the main show lounge. I get what Carnival is trying to do--by not having a dedicated nightclub and by reducing the size of this lounge they are able to increase revenue, but the overall design of the venue is poor. I found it easier to just stand in the back than try to climb into a seat. I don't know how they go about fixing this, and I suspect they will have the same issue on the Horizon. That being said, however, the shows were good enough that, given the opportunity, I would make the effort to be there to see them.

 

2) I didn't miss the comedy club. The Comedy Club on the Vista is beautiful, and it's plenty large enough, but the movable chairs presented a problem with getting people in and out. Also, because of where the door is located, it feels more crowded. There were more people standing on the Pride than there were on the Vista, but because they were behind the audience it didn't have that same crowded feel as the Vista had.

 

3) I didn't miss the split dining rooms and the galley that has to be navigated around. If you've been on any Carnival ship with this configuration you know what I'm talking about. I was assigned to the forward dining room and it took five or six nights for me to remember that I had to go around a galley to get there.

 

4) I missed the extra closet in my cabin. I think it's very cool that each cabin now has it's own unique heating/air conditioning system, but losing that closet space could be problematic for some. Given that cruising is becoming less formal, however, this probably won't be as big of an issue to most.

 

When it's all said and done, I had a great time on both of these ships and will sail them both again. I will be on the Pride in February and I will be on the Vista two more times this year. Is the Vista the best ship ever? Of course not--no ship is as they all have room for improvements/changes. But on the whole I enjoyed the Vista very much. I would like to sail again in a Havana Cabin just to have that experience, but I'm enough of a tightwad that will probably never happen.

 

One final note. In my 11 days on the Vista I lost 3 pounds, and in my 13 days on the Pride I only lost 1. In the 11 days on the Vista I walked or ran 105 miles, and in my 13 days on the Pride I only walked or ran 101. The Vista is a larger ship physically than the Pride. For me that is an advantage--but your mileage may vary.

 

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!! WOW! I had the same feelings about almost everything on the Vista. It was my favorite ship BY FAR within the fleet, despite the same misgivings you mentioned (yes, the show lounge is terrible). I never gave the atrium a 2nd thought after the first day. Yes, it's not as WOW as the other ships but that wears off and just becomes a pass-through area. I actually spent more time in this atrium than the others. I never did get a chance to finish my review of the vista (job searching, holidays, sick kids, LIFE got in the way) I may get to it eventually.

 

I almost feel like I am missing something on other ships. Let me add that I loved the Family Harbor with my kids. Not having that on other ships will definitely be missed. Just having a full breakfast, milk, snacks, and more space just down the hall was utterly fantastic!!

[crusinpsychRN]

Nice to read some positives. On Pride with trivia being done by the coffee shop it did get really noisy. Ocean Plaza on Magic was freezing cold.

[tommytune42]

We are from Mount Morris, Michigan, just north of Flint, Michigan.

 

 

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Cool. I'm from the Grand Rapids area and was just curious. Happy travels!

[tommytune42]

I COULD NOT AGREE MORE!! WOW! I had the same feelings about almost everything on the Vista. It was my favorite ship BY FAR within the fleet, despite the same misgivings you mentioned (yes, the show lounge is terrible). I never gave the atrium a 2nd thought after the first day. Yes, it's not as WOW as the other ships but that wears off and just becomes a pass-through area. I actually spent more time in this atrium than the others. I never did get a chance to finish my review of the vista (job searching, holidays, sick kids, LIFE got in the way) I may get to it eventually.

 

I almost feel like I am missing something on other ships. Let me add that I loved the Family Harbor with my kids. Not having that on other ships will definitely be missed. Just having a full breakfast, milk, snacks, and more space just down the hall was utterly fantastic!!

 

I hear what you say about the Atrium. Like you, I find that I seldom spend time there, but on the Vista there was such an amazing array of different seating and the entertainment was really good (and always seemed to be happening) that I was drawn to spend a lot of my time there.

 

I did take a wander through the Family Harbor area and thought it looked really cool. Perhaps someday I will have to take the grandkids with me and we will try it.

 

Good luck on finishing up your review!

[tommytune42]

Nice to read some positives. On Pride with trivia being done by the coffee shop it did get really noisy. Ocean Plaza on Magic was freezing cold.

 

Yes to the noisy part of the trivia. And with all the traffic going through it seemed like it was hard to control the crowd there, too.

 

I did not notice a real temperature difference on the Vista's Ocean Plaza--but I kind of like things on the chilly side, so even if it was cooler that might not have caught my attention.

[tommytune42]

The Pride was our last ship, and Vista is our next. I know that I missed JiJi and Cucina as I had them on the Sunshine. We are in a Havana cabin so looking very forward to some of the great new things that the Vista has to offer.

 

Thanks for the comparison!

 

The Havana cabins are really, really cool. I had a friend on board who invited me back to see hers and the décor was lovely. She told me that quite often she was the only person using the pool and hot tub area on the Havana deck during the day, so it was kind of like having her own serenity area. With them having breakfast available on the Ocean Plaza and drinks in the Havana area, she said there were days she never left the back of the ship. I hope you have a great cruise!

[tommytune42]

So refreshing to finally see a well-written, positive review of Vista, with points not mentioned in many Vista reviews I've read. Changes my outlook and I thank you.

 

Thanks for your kind words!

 

And...you're welcome! :)

[Port of Tampa]

Great rundown on the two ships. I have cruised on the Pride twice and do enjoy it but noticed on the last cruise it is showing signs of wear. I can't wait to try the Vista hopefully before it leaves Miami for Galveston.

 

Cheers and happy cruising!

[tommytune42]

Great rundown on the two ships. I have cruised on the Pride twice and do enjoy it but noticed on the last cruise it is showing signs of wear. I can't wait to try the Vista hopefully before it leaves Miami for Galveston.

 

Cheers and happy cruising!

 

Thank you. You're right about the Pride showing signs of wear. Of course, these ships are on the ocean and subject to the effects of salt water, etc., but there's something about the cleanness of the design of the Vista that, I hope, will allow it not to feel as "tired" as some of the Carnival ships feel.

 

Hope you have a GREAT time on the Vista!