Willdra's Vivacious Carnival Vista May 14-20 Cruise

[willdra]

Those shrimp do not look buffalo at all but glad they tasted good.

 

 

 

At first I thought "Maybe I said it wrong", then I saw the bleu cheese. [emoji15][emoji33][emoji5]

 

 

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[willdra]

Love your review. My family will be on the Vista in August. I cannot wait.

 

 

 

I'm so jealous!!! Take me with you!!! I'm no trouble at all!! [emoji12][emoji12][emoji12]

 

 

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[Cruzin2paradise09]

Your review is so incredibly fun! Very detailed and exciting. Will be on the Vista in December for our first b2b! I thrive on these reviews and I cannot believe the anticipation I feel while reading yours! Thanks for sharing with us!

 

 

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[willdra]

I'm not mad at your husband's food alarm! Actually, it gives me ideas....!

 

 

 

Most people check the Funtimes and map out their fun itineraries. He checks the Funtimes to map out his food itineraries. [emoji58]

 

 

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[Destaw71835]

This review makes me want to Carnival for the first time. Did the ship feel crowded at any time?

 

What's in the "40 is the new 20" drink? Looks delicious [emoji39]

 

 

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[JaniceB]

Just loving your pictures and your review. I can't wait to try the Alchemy bar, never been on a ship with one. Of course, the Breeze got one right after I got off.

[momof4girls]

Another new one to your review...love your style of "story telling"! You're beautiful, you and your hubby are an awesome couple, and you love baseball.:cool:

 

Quick question...it seems like so much less counter space in the cabin than on the Dream class ships. Did you notice that?

[willdra]

This review makes me want to Carnival for the first time. Did the ship feel crowded at any time?

 

What's in the "40 is the new 20" drink? Looks delicious [emoji39]

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Thanks for reading along! 👍🏾😍Here is the recipe in case you wanna try it at home. Cheers! 🤗🍹

 

Forty is the New Twenty

 

1.25 ounces Skyy Vodka

1 ounce Parma Pomegranate liquor

1/2 ounce Pomegranate syrup

1/2 ounce Vitality lemonade mix

1 ounce cranberry juice

 

Add ingredients into shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into glass. Garnish with lime.

[cynt]

Thank you for helping me get thru this rainy Friday at work. You're review has me LOL and now I need to tinkle. LOL!

 

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[crusinpsychRN]

Your photos are stunning. You have a beautiful smile.

[aztekpm]

I'll be having a 40 is the New 20 on my next cruise, that sounds fantastic!

[Beachiekeen]

What great pictures of the ship! We don't cruise until 2019 but I'm really enjoying your review!

[willdra]

Just loving your pictures and your review. I can't wait to try the Alchemy bar, never been on a ship with one. Of course, the Breeze got one right after I got off.

 

The first time you go to Alchemy, go when they have the Martini Tasting. You get to pick a few of them that you think you might like for $20 I think. That way you can see which ones are your faves. ;)

[willdra]

Your review is so incredibly fun! Very detailed and exciting. Will be on the Vista in December for our first b2b! I thrive on these reviews and I cannot believe the anticipation I feel while reading yours! Thanks for sharing with us!

 

 

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Thank you so much for hanging in here with me! :hearteyes:

[willdra]

What great pictures of the ship! We don't cruise until 2019 but I'm really enjoying your review!

 

Thank you!!! :D

[willdra]

Thank you for helping me get thru this rainy Friday at work. You're review has me LOL and now I need to tinkle. LOL!

 

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LOL!! Thank you for getting it!!! ;p

[willdra]

Your photos are stunning. You have a beautiful smile.

 

Awwww!!!! Thank you so much that was sweet!! :ship:<3<3<3:ship:

[willdra]

I'll be having a 40 is the New 20 on my next cruise, that sounds fantastic!

 

Yes, do it, it's delicious! :*:*:*

[skiingj]

Awesome review! You have such great writing skills. We did the Vista in Europe and our group of six was disappointed with the Vista. Too many cutbacks, didn't like the disco/theater setup. We could never get to a show because they all started before late seating finished. Very slow service in the MDR as well. Small portions and the quality of the food was not good. As Platinums we have decided to branch out and try other lines due to the cutbacks and lack of loyalty programs benefits. So far our two Royal cruises this past year have been a better product for us. We did really liked the Havana area which is a great idea. Many other areas are just like the Breeze which has been out favorite ship. Thanks again for the wonderful review! Look forward to the rest!

[woodman]

Willdra thanks so much for another one of your fab reviews. We were on the Vista for New Years and had the best cruise in over 20 years. Your pictures bring back such good memories of good times and good food. You say you have the Horizon booked already well so do we for 10/6/18. We loved the Vista and I'm sure we will all love the Horizon. We were both on the same cruise last year but there was no M&M so we never got to meet. Sorry for that. Can't wait for the rest of your review.:cool:

[the_lovely_voyage]

Following along to this amazing review, and have spent the last few hours with my fiance reading your two Magic reviews as well. We LOVE your style of writing and your hilarious sayings, we can't wait to keep reading your review! Also, if you're looking for another cruise and want to meet new friends, we'll be on the Vista this November, the Magic June 2018, and the Horizon March 2019. Just saying :D:cool:

[willdra]

Awesome review! You have such great writing skills. We did the Vista in Europe and our group of six was disappointed with the Vista. Too many cutbacks, didn't like the disco/theater setup. We could never get to a show because they all started before late seating finished. Very slow service in the MDR as well. Small portions and the quality of the food was not good. As Platinums we have decided to branch out and try other lines due to the cutbacks and lack of loyalty programs benefits. So far our two Royal cruises this past year have been a better product for us. We did really liked the Havana area which is a great idea. Many other areas are just like the Breeze which has been out favorite ship. Thanks again for the wonderful review! Look forward to the rest!

 

 

Thank you so much for reading along! [emoji2]❤️❤️

 

 

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[willdra]

Willdra thanks so much for another one of your fab reviews. We were on the Vista for New Years and had the best cruise in over 20 years. Your pictures bring back such good memories of good times and good food. You say you have the Horizon booked already well so do we for 10/6/18. We loved the Vista and I'm sure we will all love the Horizon. We were both on the same cruise last year but there was no M&M so we never got to meet. Sorry for that. Can't wait for the rest of your review.:cool:

 

 

 

Thanks for jumping in! [emoji16] We are booked on Horizon out of Barcelona on April 15. Your Horizon 10/6 date might work for us, since we always cruise in Oct for our birthdays. I will definitely check it out! ❤️[emoji924][emoji924]❤️

 

 

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[willdra]

Following along to this amazing review, and have spent the last few hours with my fiance reading your two Magic reviews as well. We LOVE your style of writing and your hilarious sayings, we can't wait to keep reading your review! Also, if you're looking for another cruise and want to meet new friends, we'll be on the Vista this November, the Magic June 2018, and the Horizon March 2019. Just saying :D:cool:

 

 

 

LOL!!! [emoji23]Thank you so much!!! [emoji847] I will keep this in mind when I start planning our next adventure! [emoji924][emoji924]

 

 

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[willdra]

Grand Cayman Port Day

Part 1

 

 

My alarm was set for 8, and I got up officially at 8:15. Today was not a sleep in day, we had to wake up and do stuff! W got up around 8:30. He said he was giving me extra time to get ready.Yeah right. We all know he was getting as much sleep as possible! We made it to breakfast at around 9. This morning my breakfast theme was a collection of carbohydrates. I try to limit carbs at home but carbs don't count on vacay so I went in! I had my coffee too, to avoid punching somebody in the throat for no reason, since it's generally frowned upon.

 

Breakfast

 

 

We got a letter in the cabin that morning instructing us to go to the Red Frog Pub for Priority Tendering into Grand Cayman. I'm so glad W actually read the letter because when I saw it, I just picked it up and put it on the table. Reading is still very fundamental. We got our necessities together and went up to the Red Frog Pub when we were ready to leave the ship. When we got there, we were promptly greeted and asked to wait a few minutes. About 5 minutes later we were taken to the tender. Fresh! Platinum.Pays.Off. We waited for the tender to fill up since we were the first ones on. The wait was around 15 minutes. No worries though cuz we had a gorgeous view of the Freedom. The sun was shining and it was nice to be able to see the Vista from the outside! It was also nice to be outside! The tender was a very short ride and very soon we were docking.

 

 

 

Everybody and their grandma was at the port waiting for other people, blue Smurfs, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and whatever else people stand around waiting for. I don't mind waiting for stuff when it's necessary. I do mind miscellaneous crowd waiting tho. Sometimes I see people waiting in a "line" then other people will just stop and wait there too. They never even bother to ask "What are we waiting for?" Or "Is this the line for….?" Yep they see a line and immediately assume that's their line. I think it all boils down to FOMO (FOMO = Fear Of Missing Out for my "seasoned" readers).

 

 

We bypassed the lines, and went through the gate to Ground Transportation, and asked about a taxi to Royal Palms. We were told to follow the people in front of us. Okey dokey. No Prob Bob. We were led to a bus and I asked again to make sure we were in the right place. Yes this bus will take you there was the reply, just tell your driver. Fantastic. We went to board the bus and I told the driver we wanted to go to Royal Palms. She said ok. We waited for them to fill up her van and we were moving. The bus driver started to explain the difference between the beaches and what each had to offer. The majority of the van wanted to go to the Public Beach. Then she said do I have anyone for the other one? Silence. "What about the couple? You wanted the Royal Palms right?" I replied. "Yes we still want to go there". Again. I started to wonder whether she was judging us or was she remedial? Or maybe the owner of the taxis also owns the bars and restaurants on the other beach so there's an incentive for bringing more people there? Hard to say.

 

We were thankful for the short ride to Royal Palms. We got there in about 8 minutes. Checked in at the front then we were told to meet the hostess for our cabana. The cabanas were very nice! I was very happy that I splurged on one. It was $75 for a pool cabana. I reserved it online beforehand, but we could've totes just showed up and got it. There were several cabanas available. When you reserve beforehand, you don’t have to pay the $2 per person walk in entrance fee. In lieu of the cabanas, you can also walk in and rent chairs for $12 each and an umbrella for $15. If you do opt to walk in, go early. The chairs filled up on the beach pretty fast.