Thinking about Vista - feedback

[mjonis]

OK, it's been a while since I've been on a Carnival Cruise (as you can see from my signature). The last cruise we were on (the MSC Divina) was the worst cruise of all the 4 I've taken (I think my signature is missing one). Mainly due to the incompetence and inconsistent service. And horrible pool/chair availability unless you spent $3000/person for Yacht club.

 

We're looking at Caribbean for Jan/Feb of 2019.

 

Potential cruise lines:

RCI, NCL and Carnival.

 

I'm leaning towards Carnival because we'd take the Aft-view Extended Havana Balcony, so the pricing (if you do Balcony on RCI and Mini-suite on NCL) are about the same (OK, by the time you include a drink package probably within $200 of each other since NCL we'd take the drink package).

 

However, obviously with balcony and minisuite on the others, you don't get the dedicated pool/bar like you do with Vista with a Havana cabin.

 

From my understanding, Horizon is the same ship class as Vista, so the layout/problems with that would be the same?

 

We know that the shows won't be as good as MSC or RCI (don't know about NCL as we've never done one). Food-wise (last time I was on Carnival) I thought the service/food was pretty good (better than MSC/RCI), but again that was a while ago.

 

RCI/NCL Suites are out of the price range (even the Havana cabin I want is kinda pushing things, but we did get spoiled by the MSC pricing but you do get what you don't pay for-haha).

 

I think we'd like the IMAX and the skyride thingy (provided it's working and we're not in lines for like 2 hours). We would definitely not stay on ship all day for the port days (AFAIK).

 

We know that the comedy can/will be raunchy (unless they still have the short 10-15 min "family" ones) and that the layout of the lounge area is horrible, but I'm sure we can deal with that or find other things to do.

 

Should I look at other ships on Carnival? (again, I really like the dedicate pool idea that Havana cabins provide). Obviously this far in advance, anything can happen (that's what trip insurance is for).

 

Do you need any more info for suggestions or possibly "bad/good" things I'm missing?

 

Thanks!

[maxydu]

We were on the Vista May 6-14. Although it's new and we had a good time, I won't be booking that ship nor its sister ship the Horizon. There were people everywhere. Not shoulder to shoulder but everywhere. The way they styled the Atrium does away with the wow factor. No glass elevators adorning the area. In fact there were less elevator options as a whole.

The Main theatre is a nightmare. First off it's half the size of the Conquest/Glory/Valor size ships for twice as many people.

There are poles everywhere which block the sight vision to the stage. The architect failed on this layout big time.

To see shows, comedy club etc. you had to get on line 40 minutes early due to the magnitude of the crowds. Getting off in ports was tedious. Better off waiting 30 minutes after arrival rather than waiting on line for an hour before.......The food in the MDR was very good. Lunch on the Lido deck was a challenge due to people everywhere......

So....this was our 13th Carnival Cruise and we enjoyed them all. Our 14th will be on the Conquest where there are less folks and where you can see the shows.......Hope this helps in your decision.

[riclop]

OK, it's been a while since I've been on a Carnival Cruise (as you can see from my signature). The last cruise we were on (the MSC Divina) was the worst cruise of all the 4 I've taken (I think my signature is missing one). Mainly due to the incompetence and inconsistent service. And horrible pool/chair availability unless you spent $3000/person for Yacht club.

 

We're looking at Caribbean for Jan/Feb of 2019.

 

Potential cruise lines:

RCI, NCL and Carnival.

 

I'm leaning towards Carnival because we'd take the Aft-view Extended Havana Balcony, so the pricing (if you do Balcony on RCI and Mini-suite on NCL) are about the same (OK, by the time you include a drink package probably within $200 of each other since NCL we'd take the drink package).

 

However, obviously with balcony and minisuite on the others, you don't get the dedicated pool/bar like you do with Vista with a Havana cabin.

 

From my understanding, Horizon is the same ship class as Vista, so the layout/problems with that would be the same?

 

We know that the shows won't be as good as MSC or RCI (don't know about NCL as we've never done one). Food-wise (last time I was on Carnival) I thought the service/food was pretty good (better than MSC/RCI), but again that was a while ago.

 

RCI/NCL Suites are out of the price range (even the Havana cabin I want is kinda pushing things, but we did get spoiled by the MSC pricing but you do get what you don't pay for-haha).

 

I think we'd like the IMAX and the skyride thingy (provided it's working and we're not in lines for like 2 hours). We would definitely not stay on ship all day for the port days (AFAIK).

 

We know that the comedy can/will be raunchy (unless they still have the short 10-15 min "family" ones) and that the layout of the lounge area is horrible, but I'm sure we can deal with that or find other things to do.

 

Should I look at other ships on Carnival? (again, I really like the dedicate pool idea that Havana cabins provide). Obviously this far in advance, anything can happen (that's what trip insurance is for).

 

Do you need any more info for suggestions or possibly "bad/good" things I'm missing?

 

Thanks!

If you disliked the Divina which is a fabulous ship with great entertainment you will hate the Vista.

[lightbalb2003]

I read really positive things about the Carnival Breeze and the Magic with them being a departure from the old Carnival styling and a little bit trendier with most of the latest amenities. I booked the Magic on an 8 day to Aruba/Curacao this Fall and am eager to try out this class of ship. I too have done the MSC Divina and thought it was just "meh". I just got off the Norwegian Pearl to Alaska and I have to say it was fantastic. I loved the freestyle dining and overall atmosphere on NCL. The main theatre shows were just okay but it felt more similar to an upscale Carnival than it did a Royal Caribbean. (For us we really liked that) The fun factor was there but it was also not overly crowded on this class of ship. (I heard the Escape and Epic are nightmare city on NCL when it comes to too many people). On the pearl they actually said the next class of NCL ships will be smaller for this very reason.

[cruisinpips]

"And horrible pool/chair availability unless you spent $3000/person for Yacht club."

 

 

I have checked many MSC Divina cruises, and never have I seen one with those prices even in Yatch Club! 3 ppl in a YC1 the first week of March on the new Seaside is $5060. Never been on MSC, but that price sounds reasonable to me.

[BIGREDIOWAN]

I personally enjoyed the Vista and would sail on her again. Yes the main theater was a nightmare, but I didn't really "miss" the extravagant elevator area in the main lobby like I thought I would. I also didn't really notice people everywhere that was any different from any of our other cruises. I do think the other ships are easier to get around than Vista, but we figured out her quirks pretty quickly and figured out how to get around fairly easily. If you are looking at the Havana area from my observations on the Vista from May 14th to May 20th that seemed like a pretty nice area to book and was less crowded than the rest of the ship for sure.

[meremarflorida]

Loved the Vista. So much fun. For mases of info you should check out the group for the vista on another social media platform... you'll have to guess which one as i doubt we can post it here... there are 32,000 people on it with pics and reviews. Incredible intel.

[Cinders411]

The Vista had some things that I liked and others that I did not. Overall, we still had a wonderful cruise. That being said, we won't likely book the Vista again unless the price is really low or solely for the itinerary. I would say that my biggest regret was deciding to book a spa cabin instead of a Havana cabin. The Havana area looked wonderful.

[mjonis]

If you disliked the Divina which is a fabulous ship with great entertainment you will hate the Vista.

 

If you read my post, it wasn't the shows that we disliked it was the incompetence and inconsistent service.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2433492

[mjonis]

"And horrible pool/chair availability unless you spent $3000/person for Yacht club."

 

 

I have checked many MSC Divina cruises, and never have I seen one with those prices even in Yatch Club! 3 ppl in a YC1 the first week of March on the new Seaside is $5060. Never been on MSC, but that price sounds reasonable to me.

 

when we booked it was $1050/person plus taxes/port charges for a 10-night cruise. The price for yacht club was $2850/person plus taxes/port charges for the same cruise. Granted, cheaper than Haven on NCL, but especially after the cruise, I would not have spent an extra $2k/person just to have better pool/dining service.

[mjonis]

Thanks all. I'll probably have to go ask/see the NCL group as if we choose NCL, it will not be the Epic class or Breakaway/Getaway class of ships, but probably Pearl/Dawn/Gem. Just not sure how crowded the pools/chairs situation is on the smaller ships.

 

I am on the "other" Vista group (the group that shall not be named--haha), and it, like the MSC Divina seems to be a love it or hated it, no in-between. Perhaps that's not a good sign, if you happen to fall on the "hated it" side of the coin.

 

Too bad Carnival doesn't have the Havana on other ships or NCL doesn't have something in-between (Haven is WAY too expensive for me unless I win the lottery).

[mrsfuzzmo]

The biggest thing that I didn't like on Vista (beside the very bland decor) was the lack of seating along the promenade decks, and I guess....everywhere. Pool decks were packed like sardines and in the evening....no place to sit and people watch, really. The main atrium is not terribly exciting (and the worst bar service there throughout the ship) with not nearly enough seats to just hang out and relax. I missed the rows and rows of funky couches and comfy seats along the promenade where you could listen to music from the lounges and sip a cocktail while watching people walk by. The promenade deck is outdoor (there is an indoor promenade, but it's more of a hallway), with lots of seating, but not many people outside using it at night.

 

We DID like our Havana Cabana Cabin, the Main Dining room food was awesome as was our waitstaff, the drinks at the Alchemy Bar and the entertainment throughout the day in the Ocean Plaza (although people were sitting on the floor for trivia and games because there was not enough seating.....see above). We loved the Havana Bar decor/seating/service. We liked the Food venues and there was plenty of Kid-centric activities onboard, although we didn't take kids so didn't use it. Loved our itinerary and our time with our friends!

[Beachiekeen]

We booked the Vista for 2019 (Havana Premium Balcony) as Galveston is so convenient for us and we liked the Havana area. We are not big show people so the theater reviews don't bother us. It is a cruise mainly for the ports, to celebrate my 50th birthday, and to hang out and relax and the Havana seemed perfect for that.

 

I will be on NCL Dawn in October. All anyone talks about on the NCL boards is the Haven. I used to think a cruise in the Haven on a big ship with Vibe would be my dream vacation but after reading about it more, it doesn't appeal to me. I do not want to pay that much money to be surrounded by kids and the whole Vibe thing just sounds stressful. I am looking forward to the Dawn though. The Vista will be my first "big" ship to be on so I am anxious to see how it compares.