Last minute Vista questions

[2xsin12mths]

Vista cruise is FINALLY here. You would think I can deal with waiting 6 mths between cruises (we cruise May and November) but it's getting harder and harder:(

November 4th we board Vista and we are looking forward to a newer ship.....mostly been sticking with Pride, Miracle etc. since we really like that class.

Havana was sold out when I booked (12 mths ago!) so we went with a cove, which we had on Dream and loved. I did book a Havana balcony on Horizon next November.

So my couple questions:

 

Do I need to get up at 8:00 (at latest) and take my breakfast up to Serenity to snag 2 chairs? DH and I usually lay out till 1:00 or 2:00 and I have found that Serenity is so much more relaxing and quiet.

 

Is the Seafood Shack worth paying for? We pretty much never pay extra for dining since we both really enjoy all the "free" food. My DH will get surf and turf one night from the steakhouse in the dining room for a 20.00 charge. That's a great thing they offer by doing this! I LOVE seafood and just might need to try the Seafood Shack.

 

Is Alchemy really crowded? We fell in love with Alchemy on Pride several years ago but it's obviously become very popular and the last cruise on Sunshine the area it was in was SO crowded. Ugh! Often we would just get a drink and go out on the deck .... but hanging at the bar and talking to people is 1/2 the fun of Alchemy.

 

We also are looking forward to new run movies in IMAX. That's a great plus!

 

Really looking forward to another fun filled Carnival cruise :hearteyes:

[steveweese]

Not trying to hijack this but maybe my questions will fit in here.

 

If you are not a Havana guest can you not go to the bar until 7pm?

 

Which bars and restaurants are open on port days, during the day?

 

Is the sea day brunch worth doing and what are the hours?

 

Thanks for starting the thread

[bucks724]

My own experience. That of others may differ:

 

Is the Seafood Shackworth paying for? No. I found it to be bland and not very enjoyable. I had a lobster roll that was horribly in need of some seasoning, and buffalo shrimp (which just had a few little sprinkles of blue cheese on fried shrimp).

Is Alchemy reallycrowded? It wasn't too bad when we were aboard - but that was in January. Full ship, but you never know.

 

If you are not aHavana guest can you not go to the bar until 7pm? We walked through the door into the pool area way earlier than that. Like mid-afternoon. I *think* the bar is outside of the Havana guest only area, but could be mistaken. Like I said, we just walked right in.

Which bars andrestaurants are open on port days, during the day? I believe everything is open during normal hours on port days except the BBQ. That's sea days only.

 

 

Is the sea day brunchworth doing and what are the hours? Never tried it. Sorry. Several of our family members have and enjoy it though.

 

Have fun!

 

[Pellaz]

Not trying to hijack this but maybe my questions will fit in here.

 

If you are not a Havana guest can you not go to the bar until 7pm?

 

The bar is open to all. The doors to "Havana Outside" are just beyond it, and that is where Havana wristbands are checked.

Which bars and restaurants are open on port days, during the day?

Restaurants -- Lido deck buffet, Guy's Burger Joint, the Deli, and (I think) Jiji's Asian Kitchen and Cucina del Capitano. The latter two are free for lunch (but $15 for dinner) and are a great non-crowded option for embark day. We went there and neither was crowded, meanwhile the Lido buffet right below them was a zoo...as usual.

Not certain about the bars. I'll check my Fun Times when I get home later tonight.

Is the sea day brunch worth doing and what are the hours?

Yes, I think it is. The hours are approx. 8 am to 1 pm. I'll try to check that too.

[BENNETT531]

Sailing on the Vista on the 18th. Please update us when you come home. Would love to hear what you loved and didn't love.

 

Curious about disembarkation...what's the latest time we can get off the ship? 10am?

[riclop]

Vista cruise is FINALLY here. You would think I can deal with waiting 6 mths between cruises (we cruise May and November) but it's getting harder and harder:(

November 4th we board Vista and we are looking forward to a newer ship.....mostly been sticking with Pride, Miracle etc. since we really like that class.

Havana was sold out when I booked (12 mths ago!) so we went with a cove, which we had on Dream and loved. I did book a Havana balcony on Horizon next November.

So my couple questions:

 

Do I need to get up at 8:00 (at latest) and take my breakfast up to Serenity to snag 2 chairs? DH and I usually lay out till 1:00 or 2:00 and I have found that Serenity is so much more relaxing and quiet.

 

Is the Seafood Shack worth paying for? We pretty much never pay extra for dining since we both really enjoy all the "free" food. My DH will get surf and turf one night from the steakhouse in the dining room for a 20.00 charge. That's a great thing they offer by doing this! I LOVE seafood and just might need to try the Seafood Shack.

 

Is Alchemy really crowded? We fell in love with Alchemy on Pride several years ago but it's obviously become very popular and the last cruise on Sunshine the area it was in was SO crowded. Ugh! Often we would just get a drink and go out on the deck .... but hanging at the bar and talking to people is 1/2 the fun of Alchemy.

 

We also are looking forward to new run movies in IMAX. That's a great plus!

 

Really looking forward to another fun filled Carnival cruise :hearteyes:

8 am may be too late.

[tcw92]

Vista cruise is FINALLY here. You would think I can deal with waiting 6 mths between cruises (we cruise May and November) but it's getting harder and harder:(

November 4th we board Vista and we are looking forward to a newer ship.....mostly been sticking with Pride, Miracle etc. since we really like that class.

Havana was sold out when I booked (12 mths ago!) so we went with a cove, which we had on Dream and loved. I did book a Havana balcony on Horizon next November.

So my couple questions:

 

Do I need to get up at 8:00 (at latest) and take my breakfast up to Serenity to snag 2 chairs? DH and I usually lay out till 1:00 or 2:00 and I have found that Serenity is so much more relaxing and quiet.

 

Is the Seafood Shack worth paying for? We pretty much never pay extra for dining since we both really enjoy all the "free" food. My DH will get surf and turf one night from the steakhouse in the dining room for a 20.00 charge. That's a great thing they offer by doing this! I LOVE seafood and just might need to try the Seafood Shack.

 

Is Alchemy really crowded? We fell in love with Alchemy on Pride several years ago but it's obviously become very popular and the last cruise on Sunshine the area it was in was SO crowded. Ugh! Often we would just get a drink and go out on the deck .... but hanging at the bar and talking to people is 1/2 the fun of Alchemy.

 

We also are looking forward to new run movies in IMAX. That's a great plus!

 

Really looking forward to another fun filled Carnival cruise :hearteyes:

 

JMO.....Seafood Shack is not worth paying for. We sailed on Triumph last month and though we would try it. Very greasy and not flavorfull at all. It is like it was cooked (deep fat fried) and then deep fat fried again to heat it up. It actually made my husband sick from all the grease. He even soaked a cloth napkin with grease by squeezing the grease out of the food before eating it. But again....this is just my opinion.

 

As far as the serenity location......I don't think I have ever been seen it overly full. We have always been able to get chairs, loungers at most anytime of the day.:cool:

 

We are looking at booking this week to sail on Vista in September '18 :)

[mikel24m]

We are on the cruise with you on the Vista :) you may want to skip the seafood shack and try Jijis they say the food is incredible and at only $15 pp it's a steal!

 

On embark day you may want to try Cucina de capitano for lunch they have my favorite lasagna ever. Both restaurants are free for lunch but $15 for dinner

 

Try to do brunch if you can. We love the steak and eggs and crazy French toast and a couple of free drinks with our coupons :)

 

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[mikel24m]

Forgot to add we booked the spa passes for the cruise for $229. If you like relaxation you NEED to look at this video :)

 

 

 

 

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[Sam_Eagle]

Sailing on the Vista on the 18th. Please update us when you come home. Would love to hear what you loved and didn't love.

 

Curious about disembarkation...what's the latest time we can get off the ship? 10am?

That sounds about right, but it may depend on when the ship actually arrives & the disembarkation process begins. We waited as long as we could, and I think it was around 10, maybe a little later. I know some friends we sailed with were already at the airport before we left the ship.

 

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[Sam_Eagle]

Not trying to hijack this but maybe my questions will fit in here.

 

If you are not a Havana guest can you not go to the bar until 7pm?

There are 2 Havana bars, 1 inside, 1 outside. The inside bar is open to everyone all the time. The outside bar is only open to Havana guests until 7pm, along with the rest of the outside Havana area.

 

 

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[CA_Cruzing]

Forgot to add we booked the spa passes for the cruise for $229. If you like relaxation you NEED to look at this video :)

 

 

 

 

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Shhh. You’re going to make the spa crowded. See you next week.

[Pellaz]

We are on the cruise with you on the Vista :) you may want to skip the seafood shack and try Jijis they say the food is incredible and at only $15 pp it's a steal!

 

Jiji's during lunch was great, too. It had been 4 cruises since I'd been able to get Mongolian Wok on a Carnival ship and having that fresh stir-fry for free, right after embark, with no waiting in a long line was just awesome.

 

On embark day you may want to try Cucina de capitano for lunch they have my favorite lasagna ever. Both restaurants are free for lunch but $15 for dinner

 

Both the Cucina and Jiji's were almost empty on embark day and never very crowded for lunch on the other days. The free lunchtime pasta bar at the Cucina was about as good as the Mongolian Wok across the foyer. Vista has some faults but food choices, especially during lunch, are not among them.

Try to do brunch if you can. We love the steak and eggs and crazy French toast and a couple of free drinks with our coupons :)

 

Another vote for the steak and eggs. The Sea Day Brunch is one of Carnival's best-kept secrets, IMO.

[Pellaz]

Which bars and restaurants are open on port days, during the day?

 

Referring to my Fun Times (for the Grand Cayman port-day)......

 

Restaurants:

The Deli (11a-11p)

Mongolian Wok (12n-2:30p)

Pasta Bar ((12n-2:30p)

BlueIguana Cantina (12n-3:30p)

Lido Buffet (12n-3:30p)

Guy's Burger Joint (12n-6p)

Seafood Shack (2p-11p)

Pizzeria del Capitano (24 hours)

Swirls (24 hours)

 

Drinks/Bars:

JavaBlue Cafe (7a-11p)

Shake Spot (7a-11p)

Red Frog Rum Bar (7a-12m)

Tides Bar (9am-12m)

Havana Bar (10a-late)

Vista Bar (11a-late)

BlueIguana Tequila Bar (1p-7p)

Serenity Bar (2p-6p)

Red Frog Pub (3:30p-late)

Vista Casino Bar (3:30p-late)

 

SkyBox Sports Bar (5p-late)

Plaza Bar (5p-12m)

Alchemy Bar (5p-1a)

[steveweese]

Great info. Thanks for all replies

[mikel24m]

Jiji's during lunch was great, too. It had been 4 cruises since I'd been able to get Mongolian Wok on a Carnival ship and having that fresh stir-fry for free, right after embark, with no waiting in a long line was just awesome.

 

 

 

Both the Cucina and Jiji's were almost empty on embark day and never very crowded for lunch on the other days. The free lunchtime pasta bar at the Cucina was about as good as the Mongolian Wok across the foyer. Vista has some faults but food choices, especially during lunch, are not among them.

 

 

Another vote for the steak and eggs. The Sea Day Brunch is one of Carnival's best-kept secrets, IMO.

Did you happen to notice what time and where the daily fresh made ice cream was in the buffet area ?

 

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[mikel24m]

Shhh. You’re going to make the spa crowded. See you next week.

Oops :)

 

This one does seem a bit smaller than the other ships with cloud 9 spas for some reason. You would think with the amount of passengers it would be huge. Hopefully it'll be our quiet retreat

 

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[lohgan]

We are on the cruise with you on the Vista :) you may want to skip the seafood shack and try Jijis they say the food is incredible and at only $15 pp it's a steal!

 

On embark day you may want to try Cucina de capitano for lunch they have my favorite lasagna ever. Both restaurants are free for lunch but $15 for dinner

 

Try to do brunch if you can. We love the steak and eggs and crazy French toast and a couple of free drinks with our coupons :)

 

Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Forums mobile app

 

Super random - but do you know if the lasagna is made with ricotta cheese? I've heard countless people talk about how good it is, but I cannot do ricotta sadly!

[surfjock27]

Vista cruise is FINALLY here. You would think I can deal with waiting 6 mths between cruises (we cruise May and November) but it's getting harder and harder:(

November 4th we board Vista and we are looking forward to a newer ship.....mostly been sticking with Pride, Miracle etc. since we really like that class.

Havana was sold out when I booked (12 mths ago!) so we went with a cove, which we had on Dream and loved. I did book a Havana balcony on Horizon next November.

We cruise the Vista for the second time in 36 days and were lucky enough to snag a Havana Cabana this go round!

 

So my couple questions:

 

Do I need to get up at 8:00 (at latest) and take my breakfast up to Serenity to snag 2 chairs? DH and I usually lay out till 1:00 or 2:00 and I have found that Serenity is so much more relaxing and quiet.

We found the Lido to be busier that time of the morning, as opposed to Serenity. The Serenity on the Vista is quite large as well.

 

Is the Seafood Shack worth paying for? We pretty much never pay extra for dining since we both really enjoy all the "free" food. My DH will get surf and turf one night from the steakhouse in the dining room for a 20.00 charge. That's a great thing they offer by doing this! I LOVE seafood and just might need to try the Seafood Shack.

I’m not a seafood fan, so I cannot give my own personal opinion, but friends of mine who were cruising said that it was pretty good and that says a lot because they are from New England and seafood lovers.

 

Is Alchemy really crowded? We fell in love with Alchemy on Pride several years ago but it's obviously become very popular and the last cruise on Sunshine the area it was in was SO crowded. Ugh! Often we would just get a drink and go out on the deck .... but hanging at the bar and talking to people is 1/2 the fun of Alchemy.

SO CROWDED! So when we did the Vista last December it was nearly impossible to even get a drink, let alone a seat. The sad part is that most of the crowd every night was staff. We cruised the Sunshine in April and loved the Alchemy. We went the first night and made friends with 8-10 other people and we’d all show up every night after dinner. Javorka is amazing.

 

We also are looking forward to new run movies in IMAX. That's a great plus!

 

Really looking forward to another fun filled Carnival cruise :hearteyes:

 

Hope this helps.

[surfjock27]

Not trying to hijack this but maybe my questions will fit in here.

 

If you are not a Havana guest can you not go to the bar until 7pm?

You can go to the bar at any time.

 

Which bars and restaurants are open on port days, during the day?

I honestly cannot remember.

 

Is the sea day brunch worth doing and what are the hours?

We’ve never been a fan.

 

Thanks for starting the thread

 

Hope this helps. :)

[surfjock27]

We are on the cruise with you on the Vista :) you may want to skip the seafood shack and try Jijis they say the food is incredible and at only $15 pp it's a steal!

 

On embark day you may want to try Cucina de capitano for lunch they have my favorite lasagna ever. Both restaurants are free for lunch but $15 for dinner

 

Try to do brunch if you can. We love the steak and eggs and crazy French toast and a couple of free drinks with our coupons :)

 

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I second JiJi’s!! On our last 8 day cruise, we had dinner at JiJi’s 4 Nights. LOL

[2xsin12mths]

JMO.....Seafood Shack is not worth paying for. We sailed on Triumph last month and though we would try it. Very greasy and not flavorfull at all. It is like it was cooked (deep fat fried) and then deep fat fried again to heat it up. It actually made my husband sick from all the grease. He even soaked a cloth napkin with grease by squeezing the grease out of the food before eating it. But again....this is just my opinion.

 

 

 

I kinda figured that......on the ships we sailed that have the seafood,on the second floor of the Lido area, it was not good. They just have a small menu over lunch and my husband got fried oysters once and was half sick afterwards. They were terrible. The fish I got was all breading. This is free (I believe it's the conquest class that has the 2nd floor over the Lido deck).....we love that area...we get our food at the crowded Lido Buffet and then head up the stairs to eat. VERY uncrowded in this area.

I think I'll skip Seafood Shack....the last thing I want is bad fish...:(

[surfjock27]

Did you happen to notice what time and where the daily fresh made ice cream was in the buffet area ?

 

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The homemade ice cream is near the dessert station on the Lido. As far as times go, it seemed to be super random. The lines were always very long, so we never tried any.

[mikel24m]

Super random - but do you know if the lasagna is made with ricotta cheese? I've heard countless people talk about how good it is, but I cannot do ricotta sadly!

You know I'm not sure but am sure it'd not traditional. It has sweet potatoes and spinach and big chunks of beef like stew meat.heres a picture

 

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[mikel24m]

The homemade ice cream is near the dessert station on the Lido. As far as times go, it seemed to be super random. The lines were always very long, so we never tried any.

I'm an ice cream junkie lol. I'll wait in line if I have to :)

 

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