Vista revisited (Havana Cabana this time)...... A fairly lengthy review with pics

[jimbo5544]

Thank you! I am booking the Horizon in 2019 and really wanted a Havana after your review but going with the grand-kids so it is Family Harbor instead. I hope it is a good choice.

LOL, we have the same issues on our next Vista class cruise (which was supposed to be this August, but now need to cancel). When in Barcelona on the Vista, I took some sneak peaks of the Family Harbor area and was impressed. Sadly, it was debarkation day and did not have my camera with me. We will be doing the Horizon in July out of New York next year, so check back, one of our kids is booked in there (I am sure you will hear more about before then, but check back anyway for my review of that cruise).;)

[firemanbobswife]

Thank you! I am booking the Horizon in 2019 and really wanted a Havana after your review but going with the grand-kids so it is Family Harbor instead. I hope it is a good choice.

 

 

My family really enjoyed Family Harbor. Good choice.

[sjcruiser]

I'm this way also, and as suggested, the plastic dry cleaners bag work miracles for not getting things wrinkled. Some of my shirts and jackets have come out of the garment bag or suitcase without a wrinkle. For military standards, it may need an iron touch up, which is what I do even if they're not wrinkled (i just feel better knowing that I pressed them one more time). I also spray my jacket and pants with Downy Wrinkle Release as soon as I get my luggage, but this may be an issue with the emblems, insignia's, or medals on your jacket. Good Luck, and Thank you for your service!!

 

 

12 years in the Army, I am very fussy about wrinkled clothes. How did you solve this?

[jimbo5544]

I'm this way also, and as suggested, the plastic dry cleaners bag work miracles for not getting things wrinkled. Some of my shirts and jackets have come out of the garment bag or suitcase without a wrinkle. For military standards, it may need an iron touch up, which is what I do even if they're not wrinkled (i just feel better knowing that I pressed them one more time). I also spray my jacket and pants with Downy Wrinkle Release as soon as I get my luggage, but this may be an issue with the emblems, insignia's, or medals on your jacket. Good Luck, and Thank you for your service!!

 

 

It seems silly that a tiny thin piece of plastic can do that, but as mentioned it works.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

So on the last night, we said goodbye to our wait team (probably the quickest service we have ever had), and our room steward and made the most out of the last night on the Vista. It was a little cool and breezy, but still nice as we sailed towards Miami. As we spent some time out on one of the upper decks before going to bed, I could make out no fewer than five other cruise ships heading in the same direction.

We vary as to how we debark, usually driven by the group we cruise with and maybe more importantly, the flight we have scheduled (most cruises we fly in and out). Regular debark, self assist early flight, transfer scheduling, none of these mattered, this time it just being us, and the fact that our flight was scheduled for 1 PM out of Miami. We had made arrangements with one of the transfer companies we work with to take us to the airport at 9, thinking it would coincide with what their workload was.

[jimbo5544]

So we just kept our carry on bags and put our bags outside the door and went to bed. As we arose on Sunday morning, I have an alarm clock in my head, we showered and headed upstairs to lido for one last breakfast. As we got our food and sat down, Mike Peck said they had already cleared customs and they began priority self assist debark. By the time we finished and decide to head downstairs, they were well beyond the Diamond exit for regular debark and onto zone 5. Wow, things were moving quick....

[JaniceB]

LOL, we have the same issues on our next Vista class cruise (which was supposed to be this August, but now need to cancel). When in Barcelona on the Vista, I took some sneak peaks of the Family Harbor area and was impressed. Sadly, it was debarkation day and did not have my camera with me. We will be doing the Horizon in July out of New York next year, so check back, one of our kids is booked in there (I am sure you will hear more about before then, but check back anyway for my review of that cruise).;)

I will be looking for any reviews you write, this one is awesome! Thanks for the heads up about the Horizon FH.

[jimbo5544]

I will be looking for any reviews you write, this one is awesome! Thanks for the heads up about the Horizon FH.

Thanks!

[firemanbobswife]

I'm OCD and I thought maybe it was a typo the first time but I have to chime in. It's Mike Pack not Peck. Sorry. I feel better now [emoji4].

[jimbo5544]

I'm OCD and I thought maybe it was a typo the first time but I have to chime in. It's Mike Pack not Peck. Sorry. I feel better now [emoji4].

LOL, and apparently I am dyslexic....

[jimbo5544]

Peck, Pack, Puck....you knew who I meant....;) any way, as we made our way down to disembark, we ran across our good friend Miele (the assistant Hotel manager... I might have his title wrong) who gave us a hug and then we said goodbye to the Vista. Down the gangway and into the baggage claim area where our bags were among the last 10 or so in zone 1 bags (which does make the claim process quicker....). Then as we approached customs we saw that they had a line for global entry (which we are part of) which I do not remember it being there before...and it had no one in line and two minutes later we were outside.

[JaniceB]

What an awesome debark experience.

[jimbo5544]

What an awesome debark experience.

Clearly one of the easiest we have had in the U.S.

[jimbo5544]

Once outside, we prepared to call the number for the pickup service only to find the owner waiting for us to personally transport us to the airport in Miami. She is a great vendor we use all the time and had declined the free transfer option when we booked the airport transfer with her. It was extremely nice for her to do it and we talked about both business and personal things on the way.

Soon enough we were at the airport hugs exchanged and we went in, checked in and made our way thru security to the gate. Fast forward a couple of hours and we were on the plane headed home, a cocktail for the ride,,,,, (maybe a couple).

[jimbo5544]

Next up, my thoughts on the Vista......again.;)

[jimbo5544]

Embarkation: This new process is so much easier than what we have experienced in the past. Yes, you have to get your sign and sail once outside your room. That said, everyone, and I mean everyone on the ship knows and understands it and there were no issues at all. This new enhancement makes a longer process easier, and significantly so.

The ship: When we sailed on the Vista in July, I had high expectations for all the new things on this ship. My assessment at that time was that for the most part, Carnival delivered on those expectations. When I read some of the.... how do I say....less than positive reviews from cruisers (and some non-cruisers) I began to question whether I had rose colored glasses on when we did our first sailing.

After sailing on her again, my original assessment stands. I really like the Vista. Is she a perfect ship? No way, but then again, we have not been on a perfect ship in our almost 40 cruises. Here are some highlights (both good and bad) of the ship, at least from my perspective.

[jimbo5544]

The Havana Cabana area... A flat out home run on this one. There was a little part of me that had (and maybe still does to a very tiny degree) some reservation about this area and how it could be interpreted as a caste system like old cruising. When we decided not to do a Havana room on our first cruise, it was for all the right reasons (cost, so much time being spent off the ship in an intensive port driven Med cruise). Once we saw it, we wanted to try the experience. We flat out loved it. It far exceeded my expectations from about every aspect. I had concerns with being so close to where the band played. These concerns were unwarranted. This area was the quietest we have ever experienced on a Carnival ship (the next highest was an 11 floor Spa Suite on the Splendor). Having coffee literally around the corner, was almost like it was put there for us every day.

[jimbo5544]

The sliders and the fob access to them, took a bit of getting used to, but we finally got it. The chair on the chains....not sure why they abandoned the hammock, would have rather had that. There are also some different things like in a spa room, shampoo, body wash and hand lotion and different robes and slippers which are nice, but not a big deal to me. Losing a third closet for an individual room a/c unit is a home run also.

[cruises42]

Once outside, we prepared to call the number for the pickup service only to find the owner waiting for us to personally transport us to the airport in Miami. She is a great vendor we use all the time and had declined the free transfer option when we booked the airport transfer with her. It was extremely nice for her to do it and we talked about both business and personal things on the way.

Soon enough we were at the airport hugs exchanged and we went in, checked in and made our way thru security to the gate. Fast forward a couple of hours and we were on the plane headed home, a cocktail for the ride,,,,, (maybe a couple).

Who did you use to get to the airport?

[jimbo5544]

Who did you use to get to the airport?

VIP shuttles, we have used them for a long time and fond them extremely reliable.

[JaniceB]

Awesome review and summary. Leaving the ship can put such a damper on an otherwise great vacation. I sure hope I experience such an easy one one day.

[jimbo5544]

So I will jump to an area that gets a lot of attention. That is the main atrium. It is true that there is not this grand open space as commonly found on new ships. That said, the LED funnel is eye catching and we found this area a good one to have a drink at before dinner. We also very much enjoyed the trio of women who played violins to some canned back ground music (some might think that distasteful, but we did not. In fact I really enjoyed them. They played to all different types of music including Queen and Journey (also did more classical stuff) and did it very well. This was a different group than we had on the Med cruise on the Vista but still very enjoyable.

Another topic that I have seen get attention to was the lack of glass elevators. Not a biggie in my book (there is no big open atrium) but....... here is something that I did change my mind on. With the loss of those glass elevators there are less elevators forward than on say the Breeze. On the Breeze there are 6 "regular" elevators and 4 glass, and on the Vista there are 8 regular and no glass with an effective loss of two.... This came into play occasionally during times of heavy use....embarkation and debarkation and other really busy times, like after a show etc.

[jimbo5544]

Awesome review and summary. Leaving the ship can put such a damper on an otherwise great vacation. I sure hope I experience such an easy one one day.

It sure can, we have found debarkation the worst part of cruising. They have improved the process substantially over time through different measures, airport style baggage carousels (in Miami anyway), and self assist, which is some home ports can be the majority of the ship. That said, you can see stress returning on debark morning with everyone on their phone and the rust to wait to get to an airport.

[Beachiekeen]

Great review! So glad we are getting the Vista next year. We are looking forward to our Havana premium Vista balcony in 2019!

[jimbo5544]

Great review! So glad we are getting the Vista next year. We are looking forward to our Havana premium Vista balcony in 2019!

Thank you for the kind words, I do not think you will be disappointed in the Vista or the room.