My view of the Vista June 3-11

[Runaway Parent]

Just off the Vista this morning. As an experienced cruiser, I'll share some things I found different than other ships. I can post pictures later- this will just keep me occupied in the long drive home!

 

Some of these seem very random, just thought I'd share my observations!

 

1) The shower gel was turquoise rather than the traditional green. (I told you these were random!)

 

2) The robes in the cabin were much lighter fabric than usual- loves them! It seems like these might have been the robes we had in a spa cabin before, if remembering correctly. (We didn't have a spa cabin this time.)

 

3) The Havana pool area was heavenly! We visited one night after 7 pm, as allowed. We will definitely book a Havana cabin on an upcoming cruise.

 

4) Anytime dining was in the aft dining room, not the mid-ship one. Weird.

 

5) Elevators were not as I expected based on an earlier review. Someone could still get on and push every button. Some elevators went from 0-10 and others from 1-14, or whatever the exact numbers were. Not much different than normal. The only time we were directed to specific elevators was by crew on embarkation day because we were going to our cabin, not to Lido

 

6) Serenity was quite a bit larger. I think I counted 21 clamshell chairs. Of course, other types of seating as well, but those were the hot commodity. No hammocks.

 

7) Atrium was turned "sideways." Raised stage was on starboard and dance floor aft. No atrium-facing glass elevators.

 

8) No designated nightclub. The "comedy club" lounge or main theater space are used for the nightclub, and then the Havana Bar for Latin music/dancing almost nightly.

 

9) Casino and comedy club were on deck 4 instead of deck 5. I LOVED the move of the casino. As a non-smoker, I appreciated the move.

 

10) The Vista is primed for any itinerary- stairwell art is tropical fish in the aft stairs, cityscapes i. The mid-stairs, and "North American" in the forward stairs (think purple mountain majesties and amber waves of grain).

 

More later- time to stare out the windshield for awhile![emoji12]

 

 

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[TVMet]

Just off the same cruise. More random thoughts:

-Had a Spa cabin. Not worth it on this ship. Spa is small compared to Dream class. Always seemed crowded and they seemed to sell many day passes.

-Disappointed in lobby. Boring and will probably seem dated in a few years. Miss the wow factor and all of the people gathering there.

-Wife really loved the artwork in the staircases.

-Saw no big lines in Lido, well laid out with many other eating options.

-Ate at steakhouse twice. First and last nights. On the last night, a guy brought his young son who was obviously not feeling well and coughing. I thought back to the CC discussions about kids in the Steakhouse. I looked at the young man and could tell he was s i c k. Then without warning the kid threw up all over the floor of the Steakhouse! It next to us just as our desert was about to come out. The staff moved quickly and moved us away for desert but it sort of ruined the evening.

-Entertainment was good all around as was the entertainment staff.

-They did some things really right, like improving movement through the ship by pushing photographers out of the way. The middle of Spirit class are like an LA freeway. None of this on Vista.

-Everyone we talked to seemed to love Havana cabins.

-Never talked to anyone who thought Vista was their favorite ship. Most said Breeze (even some crew) was still their favorite.

-Didn't buy nearly as many photos with the new system. Wonder how it has impacted their sales?

-Enjoyed the sub CD Chris. Very talented.

-Spent several evenings in the Piano Bar, enjoyed it, laughing and singing.

-Got to meet Mickey Arison and eat pizza with him, so that was cool.

-Overall a good cruise and glad I got to experience Vista class. Back to Spirit class (Miracle) next year.

Edited June 11, 2017 by TVMet

[Runaway Parent]

Ok- finally crossed the border into Alabama after over 9 hours! Here's a few more:

 

11) Deck 5 Dream class hot tubs have been replaced with seating. In fact, outdoor promenade has lots....and lots.....and lots of seating outdoors.

 

12) Most of the previous "one at a time" food service areas now have two lines- one entering from both directions with the exit in the middle (deli, Pig and Anchor, etc.). Great improvement!

 

13) Speaking of Pig and Anchor....wow! So good! This was as much of a step up from Seaside BBQ as Guy's Burgers was from Off the Grill.

 

14) No more Snoozin'/Cruisin' signs. Only double-sided Snoozin'. Room steward explained-- too long to type here in my iPhone. Will add that later.

 

15) Alchemy Bar is now mid-ship rather than aft - about where casino would have been.

 

16) Ocean Plaza exits are revolving doors rather than sliding doors. No more gusts of wind through the area.

 

16) Alas the atrium is only 3 decks high. Deck 6 is now the Cineplex- IMAX and thrill theater. I remember lots of snarky comments about removal of soaring atrium being about adding more cabins and Carnival Being greedy. The Cineplex takes a lot of real estate, and there were lots of people lining up to see a movie! To each his own Vista!

 

17) Serenity bar faces forward rather than the side of the ship. There is a self-serve salad bar on the side during lunch.

 

18) One of the water slides was with an inner tube.

 

19) Mongolian does still exist, but it's like Cucina at lunchtime-- paper checklist and table service.

 

20) Photos have gone TOTALLY digital! They don't have walls of printed photos- you find your photos on the digital devices and request prints, I guess (we didn't do any). Also, much fewer paparazzi attacks- a couple permanent photo stations in Pixels area (which wS actually on deck 5 promenade), a couple in the atrium lobby, and maybe 1-2 roamers.

 

Now, let's get across another state line!

 

 

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[ibm_db2]

I have a friend on next Saturday's 8 night, he wanted to know if they have two formal nights or just one?

 

 

Thanks,

[TVMet]

2 Elegant nights. Very few dressed formal at all.

[Runaway Parent]

I would agree that most weren't in full-length gowns and suits (some were), but a lot of people got "dressed up."

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[georgiafan]

Looks like last week and this upcoming week that Mitchum hasn't been on the vista that's getting me nervous as Everyone has raved about him. Good to see you have positive reviews for the sub

 

 

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[Mleonardelli5]

Thanks for the review and looking forward to pictures

 

 

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[easyboy]

Thanks for the review!

 

 

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[smileyone]

Looks like last week and this upcoming week that Mitchum hasn't been on the vista that's getting me nervous as Everyone has raved about him. Good to see you have positive reviews for the sub

 

 

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I was also disappointed when I realized Mitchum wasn't on my cruise (June 3-11) and I hadn't heard much about the Scotsman but he was great and an incredible singer. He has a ton of energy. He performed a concert of rock classics and he really had the crowd going.

 

 

Upcoming Vista; past cruises Magic, Sunshine, Fascination, Dream, Pride, Liberty, Triumph, Glory, and Fantasy

[ksmcdonald]

I too just got off the Vista on Sunday. We were in a Havana Cabana cabin on Deck 5 and loved, loved, loved it! I think we are now spoiled and will only book a cabana if offered.

 

We also had a very bad experience in the Steakhouse. I had ordered lobster and it was not edible! Earlier in the week the lobster in the MDR was awesome, we actually ordered two or three, so I was looking forward to the lobster in the steakhouse. My husband's rib-eye was the worst he has ever tasted. We always have enjoyed the steakhouse in the past and were very disappointed. We realize this must of just been a off night as we've always had great meals in the past.

 

Pig and Anchor turned out to be our favorite! Best brisket and pulled port I've ever had. The macaroni and cheese was pretty bland tasting, but everything else there was top notch! Loved the Seafood Shack and the lobster rolls served there. We had Guy's burgers at least 3 times and loved those burgers. Also Mongolian Wok in JiJi's for lunch was good as well as the pasta bar in the Italian restaurant for lunch. Both we ordered with a piece of paper and selected items we wanted. Nice not to have to wait in a buffet line. They seat you at a table and bring your food and drink to you. We had the Sea Day Brunch two days and that was really good too. Steak and eggs is a nice change from the stuff on Lido for breakfast. Never even got to try the Blue Iguana for tacos! Pizza was not what I remembered but with so much other food, it really didn't matter.

 

One thing we noticed about the Vista was there were not any comfortable chairs to sit on! The MDR had chairs that sloped back, so it you wanted to lean back for support, you were too far away from the table to eat. You actually had to sit up straight, without using the back of the chair while eating. This made us start critiquing the other seats/chairs/bar stools on the ship. The casino had nasty looking material that was stained covering all their bar stools. The stools had no backs and were very small. The seats and benches in the main atrium were hard as bricks. The chairs in the comedy venue felt like if you leaned back or to the side the chair was falling. It was on some kind of swivel that made the chair move all the time. If you leaned back, it felt like you were right in the lap of the person behind you. Wondering if they just don't want you to get to comfortable in any one spot, keep moving!

 

Loved this cruise more than any we've taken so far, and we've been on a lot of cruises, mainly due to the Havana Cabana area. The Cheers program was great and even included spiked milk shakes and specialty coffee.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for your view on the Vista!