Willdra's Vivacious Carnival Vista May 14-20 Cruise

[willdra]

Once again loving your review! They always are awesome to read. I've been going through your other reviews and thought I would ask if you prefer Grand Cayman or Costa Maya? I'm trying to choose between those two for a Western Caribbean cruise. Thanks again! You're awesome!

 

 

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Ooohhhh that's a hard choice! [emoji50]I really like them both! I guess if someone said pick one [emoji1489], I would have to go with Costa Maya. Just because it's still developing and as of last year, I felt like we got more for our money there. I think there were more choices in Costa Maya than Grand Cayman for us to do stuff, but still be lazy which is a priority. [emoji16]

 

 

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[BettyPC]

Great review! I will have to go back and check out your other reviews!

[JaniceB]

What was the cost for Paradise Beach? I would assume the food was extra too or was it all-inclusive? The beach looks very nice compared to some in Cozumel with rocks. Nice pictures and info about the Chef's table. I am such a picky eater I probably will never try it but my DH would like it.

[Lem_On_Ade]

I <3 your reviews. Reading them puts me in the best mood!

[funkidd]

Great Review!

 

Thanks for sharing.

[MistyRo76]

Chef's Table Part 4

 

 

 

 

 

The champagne was flowing and we relaxed and got ready to be very well fed and entertained. They really make you feel like royalty! After the preliminary briefing Plato led us into the Chef's Table Dining room which is inside of the galley. It was very beautifully decorated and a welcome change from doing it at a table that they setup in the middle of the galley. We could actually hear and interact with each other in there. As soon as we were all in our assigned seats, the servers started popping bottles. We had a red and a white wine, sparkling or tap water. I liked both of the wines so I had both the whole night. Because YOLO. This was our 4th time doing Chef's Table and I must say this time was our favorite. This is another activity that I highly recommend! They give you personalized attention and this is a place where you can ask questions if you are curious about anything that goes on with food on the ship. We took lots of pictures of the food because we wanted to remember it all. We were done around 9:15. Yes, that means there's almost 3 hours of eating. W's nirvana.

 

 

 

 

Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your experience with the Vista Chef's Table. My hubby and I have signed up for it on our upcoming Vista cruise as well. I'm so looking forward to doing it! Even more so now after reading your comments and seeing your pics. :)

[MoreMouse]

YOU are awesome! Thank you. :)

[HeyJut]

Oh My Goodness!! This is my first time coming across one of your reviews, and I LOVE it!! I can't wait to read more!! It's like a great book that you just can't put down.

 

This!

[HeyJut]

I posted too fast as I have read and loved your other reviews.

[kbklcamp]

I've enjoyed your review and am hoping we will meet on the Horizon

 

 

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[skiingj]

I was on the Vista in Europe last September and I don't remember those yellow chairs with covers in Serenity. They look hideous. I would imagine they removed lounge chairs to fit those in. Thanks for the Cozumel review. That beach resort looks nice and would be a great alternative to Nachi Cocom!

[Sugarlift]

Loving this review!! You are hilarious :D Going to go check out your others now!

[Destaw71835]

Paradise beach looks great. We always go to either Mr. Sanchos or Nachi when in Cozumel. I might have to consider Paradise as an alternative the next time.

 

 

 

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[willdra]

Great review! I will have to go back and check out your other reviews!

 

 

 

Thank you![emoji7]

 

 

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[willdra]

What was the cost for Paradise Beach? I would assume the food was extra too or was it all-inclusive? The beach looks very nice compared to some in Cozumel with rocks. Nice pictures and info about the Chef's table. I am such a picky eater I probably will never try it but my DH would like it.

 

 

 

They charge a $3 entrance fee, which gives you access to the beach, pool, and lounge chairs. Then they ask that you spend $10 on food and whatnot.

They have a fun pass to use the water toys on the beach, but we don't want to be active. Our goal is to lay around being lazy. [emoji2][emoji1476]

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com

 

 

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[willdra]

I <3 your reviews. Reading them puts me in the best mood!

 

 

 

LOL thanks!!! [emoji23][emoji23]

 

 

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[willdra]

I <3 your reviews. Reading them puts me in the best mood!

 

 

 

Thank you for reading!! [emoji2]

 

 

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[joand452]

We went to Paradise Beach a couple of years ago. We loved it, and it will be our go-to place next time we go to Cozumel. We've done Nachi Cocum and Chankanaab. Both were nice, but we loved Paradise Beach.

 

Still so many days until our cruise. I may not make it. :eek:

[JaniceB]

They charge a $3 entrance fee, which gives you access to the beach, pool, and lounge chairs. Then they ask that you spend $10 on food and whatnot.

They have a fun pass to use the water toys on the beach, but we don't want to be active. Our goal is to lay around being lazy. [emoji2][emoji1476]

http://www.paradise-beach-cozumel.com

 

 

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Thank you.

[Pugster4]

Ooohhhh that's a hard choice! [emoji50]I really like them both! I guess if someone said pick one [emoji1489], I would have to go with Costa Maya. Just because it's still developing and as of last year, I felt like we got more for our money there. I think there were more choices in Costa Maya than Grand Cayman for us to do stuff, but still be lazy which is a priority. [emoji16]

 

 

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Thanks so much! Enjoy all you have to share!

 

 

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[willdra]

Last Sea Day

Part 1

 

 

I woke up to two competing noises. One was W snoring like a wild boar, and the other one was the crew cleaning the balconies. I didn't know what the second disrespectful sound was until I jumped up and opened the curtains to look out. Whoa, what did I do that for???? There were crew members right there on our balcony! I promise you I almost had a coronary on the spot, and I'm not 100% sure that I didn't have a small accident on the carpet. In any event, the noise was the product of them unlocking the partitions between the balconies and letting them bang around in the wind. Lovely.

 

Since falling back asleep was now as likely as W sporting a Male Romper on the Lido Deck, I started organizing my life for our return trip home. Bummer. W got up a short while later and I asked him how he slept through alladat balcony banging. He said that before he went to bed, he put some of my earplugs in. Lucky. I keep a bag of earplugs in my toiletries just for this purpose. The unfortunate thing is that you have to remember to put them in before bed. I usually don't. I barely remember to brush my teeth. Fail Whale!

 

We cleaned ourselves and dressed just enough to not be arrested, then started the slow migration towards food. There was a little wait to get into brunch this morning, which seems to be the norm at the end of the cruise. I guess lots of people discover it on the last Sea Day.

 

We were seated in Darinko's section, and he and Rai made us feel welcome and comfortable. Our orders were taken quickly and soon we were drinking coffee and enjoying the pastries that they bring out first. I had the lemon cake because I love lemon flavored desserts. Well, lemon flavored everything. Just about. We chatted until our food came out and then we jumped in. Everything was fabulous and I actually cleaned my plate which hardly ever happens. It looked like I hadn't eaten in weeks!

 

W giving his very crucial food order

 

Darinko's looking like he's taking notes for his thesis

 

I'm just glad that I will be eating the Holy Grail of breakfast food soon

 

Perfection on a plate!

 

W's nothing special Steak and Eggs

 

Lovely Lemon Cake

 

Edited June 16, 2017 by willdra
typo

[krismas_tina]

Your captions on the Sea Day Brunch pics are cracking me up!

 

Thanks for the great review! Can't wait to see the Vista in person in July!

 

 

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[willdra]

Last Sea Day

Part 2

 

 

After brunch I wanted to get a printout of our Sail and Sign bill. I use it as a reference for the next cruise so I will remember how much we spent. Plus, I like to stay under the amount that I put on the account with the gift cards and our onboard credit. We used the kiosk on Deck 5 and yes we were still good to go. Except. I was charged for my "free drink". W wanted to go to Guest Services, but that was about as appealing to me as getting a root canal by a monkey using rusty instruments, so yeah I decided to let it go. As we were walking through Deck 5, we noticed there were a lot of people looking at pictures in the Pixels area. There are a couple of stations setup on Deck 5 where you could use the iPads or the big display panels to view and purchase your photos. Or you could view them on your TV in your cabin or in the Hub App on your devices.

 

 

This walking was way more work than we wanted to be doing today, so it was time to slow down our metabolism. We grabbed our bags from the cabin, and went to check out Serenity. Serenity gave us a big Honey Bunches of No! There was literally No Shade. Don't cry for me Argentina, the truth is there's always a Plan B. We went down to Deck 5 and slid in to our tried and true lounge chairs outside of Cherry on Top. There was a nice breeze blowing and it wasn't too hot so we made ourselves at home. It's usually really quiet over there until you get the stray families walking thru speaking loudly to one another. It must be the sea that takes people's hearing. I placed an order on the Hub App for the pictures that I wanted earlier, and the confirmation said that we could pick them up after 5pm.

 

 

 

Shortly after adjusting my seat to a comfortable position I was sound asleep. I stayed that way until around 2 when Matt made an announcement about an activity which I had neither the desire nor the energy to attend. At 2:15 or so I got up and decided that I wanted Guys Pig and Anchor for lunch. It was closing at 2:30 so I went and got in the line. The line was long, but it really moves fast. I picked chicken, beef, mac n cheese, and beans. It was fabulous as always.

 

 

W got up when I came back with my food. He could sense the presence of sustenance close by. He wanted deli tho, so he headed up there to get a turkey sandwich, lox, and bagel. We ate on The Lanai and did the very least until it was time to get ready for the Platinum/Diamond party. The party was on and popping as usual! Matt is a great host and he kept us laughing the whole time. We got lots of drinks and really enjoyed the celebration of cruising. We took some drinks for the road and we were out of there at 4:45.

 

 

 

[willdra]

Last Sea Day

Part 3

 

 

The line to pick up pictures was long and slow, so we detoured and went up to get souvenirs from the gift shop. I still needed to buy a few things for my team members at home. The gift shop was another good thing about The Vista. There was lots of new stuff that I had not seen on the other ships. Needless to say, I was in there awhile. A long while. When I was absolutely sure that I had not missed one thing, we left the gift shop then went back for the pictures. The line had miraculously gotten worse! There was no way we were going to waste valuable last sea day time standing in line. No thank you. The last sea day is for breathing, eating, drinking, and enjoying. I checked the app and saw that the gallery stayed open until 11 pm so we would come back later.

 

On the way back to 2282, we had an important announcement from our Captain. The Vista was in the process of turning around to look for something or someone in the ocean. W and I, along with 4000 of our new best friends, walked outside to see if we could spot anything. We only saw water, so we went back to 2282. When we got there, Gusti told us that our liquor had been delivered (you read that right, they deliver it to the cabin on The Vista) so we could finish packing. Booooooo!!! Nobody wants to do to that! I sat on the balcony looking for something interesting and pretty soon the Captain was back saying the search was over and that we would be in Miami on time. Turns out alladat hullabaloo was about a renegade buoy that detached from its mooring. Boring.

 

 

W and I had some time to burn before dinner so we really got serious about packing. Once we were no longer interested and done with that activity we went to dinner. This was the night that they sang that sad depressing Leaving Our Funship song. After that was Gangnam Style. Someone please remind me to write on my comment card that it's time to retire Gangnam Style! Just let it go.

For dinner I had Mango Cream, Shrimp Cocktail, and Prime Rib. W had the Flatbread and Prime Rib. He said the Flatbread was delicious.

 

 

 

 

Flatbread

 

Mango Cream

[willdra]

Last Sea Day

Part 4

 

 

 

After dinner I went to get our pictures while W went back to the cabin to make sure that we had everything ready to go out into the hall. I went to the Internet Café to check in for our flight and print our boarding passes once the pictures were finally retrieved. The internet is very slow so bring a big ole box of patience! I felt like I could've washed dishes, cooked dinner, and knitted a sweater in the time it took to load a page. I got all checked in and tried to print our passes, then nothing. I tried to print like 4 times but the printer didn't budge. I asked the attendant if the computer was set to the correct printer. First she gave me a look that said "I'm just here so I don’t get fined", then she simply said "yes". I noticed the computer next to me was working for someone else, so I hopped over there after they were done, and started the long wait to get to the boarding pass page. I printed the passes on the other computer and I noticed that the printer setting was different than the one that didn't work. After a humongous forehead slap, slow wall slide, and eye roll, I strolled back down to 2282.

 

 

The trouble making pictures:

 

 

 

There weren't any activities that we wanted to attend that evening, so W went to the casino to make his final donation, and I read and played games on my iPad while enjoying our balcony.

 

 

Before I fell asleep I said a quick prayer thanking God that I had clothes on when I opened the balcony curtains that morning. It would've been really interesting if I didn't.