Celebrity/Royal Caribbean Cruisers: will we like Carnival Vista?

[micmacmissy]

I will admit I have been suckered in by the Havana area and their dedicated pool area, and the excellent prices!

 

So we're in our 40's but we are not party people- we seek out quiet reading spaces on sea days (which is why that Havana aft pool area is so enticing - we HATE fighting for chaise loungers).

 

Important to us:

-Good dining (don't mind paying additional for specialty restaurants)

-Good service

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!)

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking)

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!)

-Lines and crowds

-Fighting for deck chairs

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read

 

So...that being said, is a Havana room on Carnival Vista a good choice? (We will go in January, not during a high-kid travel time.)

 

I just have always pictured Carnival as this rowdy ship with tons of partiers...give me your thoughts, and thank you!

[crewsweeper]

We think the food in the MDR on Carnival is better than on RCCL, which can be hit or miss. Some RCCL ships like Oasis and Harmony are huge and crowds tend to get scattered. Serenity deck on Carnival is equal to Solarium on RCCL, albeit a bit more crowded. But only on Vista, maybe new Horizon is food served at lunch time (good salad bar) . Solarium breakfast/ lunch and dinners are really good. Nice peaceful dining area at night. Havana deck will give you that peacefulness.

 

Personally the layout on the Vista leaves a lot to be desired. No Central Park or for walking around. No Boardwalk type area.

 

Steakhouse at night is better than Chops. Toss up between Giovanni's and El Capitano(?) Italian. JiJi's beats Izumi's. Carnival doesn't have a wine/tapas place like Vintages (great spot) or a separate upscale dining venue like 150 Central. Guys burgers and Johnny Rockets are about even. Blue Iguana beat Savor(?) for Latin American. Do try the lobster rolls and oysters at the Sea Food Shack.

 

For ports, Carnival typically stops at open ports, not private islands that gouge you with upcharges for everything. Not sure which itinerary you've booked, but we like the Southern route with Aruba and Curacao. My fav stop on a Western route is Costa Maya. Fav on an Eastern is St Martin.

[Cinders411]

I will admit I have been suckered in by the Havana area and their dedicated pool area, and the excellent prices!

 

So we're in our 40's but we are not party people- we seek out quiet reading spaces on sea days (which is why that Havana aft pool area is so enticing - we HATE fighting for chaise loungers).

 

Important to us:

-Good dining (don't mind paying additional for specialty restaurants)

-Good service

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!)

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking)

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!)

-Lines and crowds

-Fighting for deck chairs

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read

 

So...that being said, is a Havana room on Carnival Vista a good choice? (We will go in January, not during a high-kid travel time.)

 

I just have always pictured Carnival as this rowdy ship with tons of partiers...give me your thoughts, and thank you!

 

There were things that we enjoyed about the Vista and things we did not. The food in the dining room/lido deck in our opinion, was about the same as on RC. We did however really like the Guy's Burgers & Bluelguana Cantina breakfast burritos. The entertainment on RC is better to us. The theatre on the Vista has some issues which if you search on here you will find. If you are spa folks, the Vista's is lacking compared to others such as the Dream. We would cruise on the Vista again but, only if we had a Havana cabin. Those are worth the cost to me for the private pool area. I doubt you will have to fight for a lounger in there. January after school resumes should not be a rowdy time. I have seen misbehaved guests on both lines but, nothing too extreme. We have dined in Bonsai Sushi and the steakhouse. Both were good. In the end, any cruise is a good cruise to us. Enjoy your trip!

[mdin]

I really enjoyed the food at the Steakhouse and the MDR for dinner. Everything I had was excellent. I didn't have dinner at JiJi's or Cucina de Capitano, however I ate there for lunch (complimentary) and the food was excellent as well.

 

Other great choices for lunch are Guys Burgers, the Cantina, and Pig & Anchor. The Marketplace Buffet was average. I only ate there once for lunch but wasn't impressed and the lines were long. Sometimes the lines at the other places mentioned were long too, but those were worth the wait.

 

I didn't have any complaints with the service. Everyone was very kind and very helpful.

 

Plenty of places to get a good drink. Definitely try Alchemy Bar. Has a nice upscale feel to it. I personally liked the ship decor. It's contemporary and low key.

 

Usually heard good live music at the piano bar, the Havana night club, and Red Frogs Pub. All different but very good.

 

On sea days, it would sometimes be a challenge to find a deck chair, but eventually my wife and I would find one. Serenity is a more quiet spot ideal for reading. The library as well, although that's indoors. I also found on deck 11 towards the aft of the ship was a nice quiet area with deck chairs usually available.

 

We didn't stay in Havana, although we are now sold on staying in there next time we book a cruise based on reviews and videos.

[skiingj]

I’ve been on the Vista (10 day) and 13 Carnival Cruises with all but one were a 7-12 day cruise. With Royal just 2 cruises (Allure & Harmony) both 7 day.

 

-Good dining – IMHO Royal’s MDR is better for service, choice and portion size. Buffet and a la carte in MDR is a great idea on Royal. Windjammer buffet layout is far superior. Steakhouse equal, Pizza CCL by a long shot, Italian both very good just different concepts, burgers Carnival but Royal has much more fast food choices. When Guys rolled out all you got was a burger and lost steak & chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, nachos, etc.… Royal room service fees & pre-packaged takeout options are much better.

 

-Good service – Similar, although Carnival has been cutting back which has been affecting MDR and stateroom service.

 

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!) – Depends…

 

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior – Vista is boring and cheaply done, lots of negative comments on design and layout. We did not like it except for Havana area. Never found bars lacking on any cruise ship.

 

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking) – No idea avoid it like the plague.

 

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music – Hands down Royal. Carnival playlist productions is a cutback all around. Royal shows are far better, and reserved seating is much better although I was skeptical at first. Vista has a horrible theater setup. Most Vista complaints fall to the Liquid Lounge.

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds – Goes to Carnival hands down but 7+ day cruises are generally better depending on time of year.

 

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!) – Not sure I’ve seen loud music piped in on any ship.

 

-Lines and crowds – Vista, Vista and Vista. Did I say Vista? Check out the reviews lots of complaints in this area. They packed in more cabins on this baby.

 

-Fighting for deck chairs – It’s much easier to find a chair in solarium then serenity. Both are great choices, but deck chair hogs are at any resort or cruise line. Although cruise lines have is easy compared to Europe, north Africa, and the middle east.

 

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read – You can always find an area on any ship. Never found this a problem.

 

 

Good luck!

[bakersdozen12]

Personally the layout on the Vista leaves a lot to be desired. No Central Park or for walking around. No Boardwalk type area.

 

 

Because the Vista is still a cruise ship, not a floating hotel. If I want to walk around outside, I will walk outside when we are in port. When I’m on a ship in the middle of the ocean, I want to know that I’m on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Don’t get me wrong, I really want to try Royal someday, but the fact that they are moving away from being cruise ships and instead turning towards making bigger and bigger floating monstrosities is a slight turn-off to me.

[Cap'n Ron]

My wife and I love Celebrity! We were on Vista back in February and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. Was it perfect, no way, but we enjoyed it enough to book a B2B on Horizon next summer in a Havana interior cabin. The Havana area provides a great area to chill with far less crowds during the day, and fixes most of the complaints from the main pool areas.

 

Vista offers a lot of dining and entertainment options, and we felt the food compared well with Celebrity and in some areas surpassed it, especially the lunch options, which are very limited on Celebrity. MDR isn't as good on Carnival, but we never went hungry and always enjoyed our meals.

 

I say keep an open mind, realize it isn't Celebrity and shouldn't be, as they are very different cruise lines. For us, Carnival offers a lot of value for the price. You never know until you try it for yourself, but we were pleasantly surprised by Vista despite some of the ships well documented concern areas (theater, main pool crowds, etc).

 

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[mikel24m]

I will admit I have been suckered in by the Havana area and their dedicated pool area, and the excellent prices!

 

So we're in our 40's but we are not party people- we seek out quiet reading spaces on sea days (which is why that Havana aft pool area is so enticing - we HATE fighting for chaise loungers).

 

Important to us:

-Good dining (don't mind paying additional for specialty restaurants)

-Good service

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!)

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking)

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!)

-Lines and crowds

-Fighting for deck chairs

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read

 

So...that being said, is a Havana room on Carnival Vista a good choice? (We will go in January, not during a high-kid travel time.)

 

I just have always pictured Carnival as this rowdy ship with tons of partiers...give me your thoughts, and thank you!

Just off the Vista Sunday so I can help some.

 

Chair hogs were BRUTAL! I'm an early riser and had my coffee on lido deck, by 6:30 am there were ZERO chairs on the lido pool area open.They all had towels. I did watch them tag chairs but also saw one day 15 chairs being saved by 2 ladies and the other chairs were not tagged so I asked a senior officer for informational purposes why can they save so many chairs and her response was it's for their family.

 

Casino was smokey everywhere and they didn't enforce non smoking anywhere in the casino area

 

Lines were horrible! We like the Comedy shows and ALWAYS had to be super early to get seats. Always a wait for elevators although we always did stairs. Buffet lines were busy but not horrible unless certain times of the day. Food quality was fine not gourmet but edible. We aren't picky eaters.

 

We ate at the seafood shack for dinner one night it was $27 we got a pound of grilled shrimp, a fried seafood platter and a bowl of clam chowder in a bread bowl. One night we ate at the Italian place it was $30 plus a tip and was good too. I'll post a few pics at the end for you. If I can answer any other questions I will feel free to ask

 

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[mikel24m]

Don't know why the pics posted twice that's strange.

 

I guess it fixed itself

 

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[Joebucks]

I will admit I have been suckered in by the Havana area and their dedicated pool area, and the excellent prices!

 

So we're in our 40's but we are not party people- we seek out quiet reading spaces on sea days (which is why that Havana aft pool area is so enticing - we HATE fighting for chaise loungers).

 

Important to us:

-Good dining (don't mind paying additional for specialty restaurants)

-Good service

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!)

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking)

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!)

-Lines and crowds

-Fighting for deck chairs

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read

 

So...that being said, is a Havana room on Carnival Vista a good choice? (We will go in January, not during a high-kid travel time.)

 

I just have always pictured Carnival as this rowdy ship with tons of partiers...give me your thoughts, and thank you!

 

For what is important you you, you will find all of that stuff on the Vista, and done pretty well. The live music is probably not their strongest point. Many reviews will give their MDR an edge. Their specialty selection is also very good on Vista. The bar selection is pretty good too. I agree with the mention that it needs a wine bar. That would be a very good addition.

 

One of the biggest complaints of the Vista is some of the lines. They have not completely figured out how to flow some of the traffic. Reading your dislike column, it sounds like you definitely want a Havana room.

 

The picture painted of Carnival is largely overstated. I have been on two cruises, both short ones (normally called booze cruises), and couldn't find all of these drunkards. I was surprised at how many of the older crowd was there.

[micmacmissy]

Because the Vista is still a cruise ship, not a floating hotel. If I want to walk around outside, I will walk outside when we are in port. When I’m on a ship in the middle of the ocean, I want to know that I’m on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Don’t get me wrong, I really want to try Royal someday, but the fact that they are moving away from being cruise ships and instead turning towards making bigger and bigger floating monstrosities is a slight turn-off to me.

 

I agree! We went on Allure - and I'm glad we did, that is a bucket-list ship - but we felt cutoff from the ocean.

 

My other big complaint about Royal is that they are homogenizing all of their ships - same venues, same bars, same restaurants. I've only sailed them twice and I prefer to change things up!

 

I will say: their floating monstrosities handle the crowds beautifully, even during spring break.

[micmacmissy]

Just off the Vista Sunday so I can help some.

 

Chair hogs were BRUTAL! I'm an early riser and had my coffee on lido deck, by 6:30 am there were ZERO chairs on the lido pool area open.They all had towels. I did watch them tag chairs but also saw one day 15 chairs being saved by 2 ladies and the other chairs were not tagged so I asked a senior officer for informational purposes why can they save so many chairs and her response was it's for their family.

 

Casino was smokey everywhere and they didn't enforce non smoking anywhere in the casino area

 

Lines were horrible! We like the Comedy shows and ALWAYS had to be super early to get seats. Always a wait for elevators although we always did stairs. Buffet lines were busy but not horrible unless certain times of the day. Food quality was fine not gourmet but edible. We aren't picky eaters.

 

We ate at the seafood shack for dinner one night it was $27 we got a pound of grilled shrimp, a fried seafood platter and a bowl of clam chowder in a bread bowl. One night we ate at the Italian place it was $30 plus a tip and was good too. I'll post a few pics at the end for you. If I can answer any other questions I will feel free to ask

 

Thanks - food looks great - and I'm not super picky. If I don't have to shop for it, prepare it, or clean it up, I'm pretty good with whatever.

 

The chair hog thing makes me INSANE. It's so rude. I feel like cruise lines could police this if they wanted to instead of leaving passengers to fight it out. (On our most recent cruise I moved towels and plunked myself down, which works 90% of the time!)

 

The lines bother me. I don't want that stress on vacation!

[micmacmissy]

My wife and I love Celebrity! We were on Vista back in February and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. Was it perfect' date=' no way, but we enjoyed it enough to book a B2B on Horizon next summer in a Havana interior cabin. The Havana area provides a great area to chill with far less crowds during the day, and fixes most of the complaints from the main pool areas.

 

Vista offers a lot of dining and entertainment options, and we felt the food compared well with Celebrity and in some areas surpassed it, especially the lunch options, which are very limited on Celebrity. MDR isn't as good on Carnival, but we never went hungry and always enjoyed our meals.

 

I say keep an open mind, realize it isn't Celebrity and shouldn't be, as they are very different cruise lines. For us, Carnival offers a lot of value for the price. You never know until you try it for yourself, but we were pleasantly surprised by Vista despite some of the ships well documented concern areas (theater, main pool crowds, etc).

 

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Thanks, appreciate the feedback. We have really enjoyed the laid-back Celebrity vibe. But the prices on the new Edge ship have me looking for other options...

[Tatka]

MDR food surpassing Celebrity? Wow. This is a good sign. Wasn't a case in the past. MDRs were not even comparable.

 

As for floating cities Royal still has 15+ which aren't in Oasis class and is building more.

[Cap'n Ron]

MDR food surpassing Celebrity? Wow. This is a good sign. Wasn't a case in the past. MDRs were not even comparable.

 

As for floating cities Royal still has 15+ which aren't in Oasis class and is building more.

 

I would say Celebrity MDR food is still better than Carnival's, but I wasn't disappointed at all with our dinners in the MDR on Vista. The breakfast and lunch options were head and shoulders above Celebrity's offerings and the MDR breakfast/brunch options were much better than our experience on the Reflection. MDR service was better on Celebrity, but you are paying a good bit more for that experience. We have found that Carnival offers us a good alternative to Celebrity, and allows us to sail more often.

[jason3695]

I would say Celebrity MDR food is still better than Carnival's' date=' but I wasn't disappointed at all with our dinners in the MDR on Vista. The breakfast and lunch options were head and shoulders above Celebrity's offerings and the MDR breakfast/brunch options were much better than our experience on the Reflection. MDR service was better on Celebrity, but you are paying a good bit more for that experience. We have found that Carnival offers us a good alternative to Celebrity, and allows us to sail more often.[/quote']

 

 

 

As someone who loved the Reflection and just booked the Vista, this is great to hear. Exactly what I would’ve guessed so I appreciate the confirmation.

[Oh Not Him Again]

Judging by your likes and dislikes, I'd skip Carnival.

 

Agree, i think Holland or Cunard would be geared more to the OP....Read a book, listen to a string quartet, finger sandwiches, in bed by 8 pm

[micmacmissy]

Agree, i think Holland or Cunard would be geared more to the OP....Read a book, listen to a string quartet, finger sandwiches, in bed by 8 pm

 

:o I'm 45. And I will have you know that I think finger sandwiches are disgusting and I go to bed at 11, not 8.

[micmacmissy]

I would say Celebrity MDR food is still better than Carnival's' date=' but I wasn't disappointed at all with our dinners in the MDR on Vista. The breakfast and lunch options were head and shoulders above Celebrity's offerings and the MDR breakfast/brunch options were much better than our experience on the Reflection. MDR service was better on Celebrity, but you are paying a good bit more for that experience. We have found that Carnival offers us a good alternative to Celebrity, and allows us to sail more often.[/quote']

 

This isn't hard to believe. Celebrity's MDR has really gone downhill. On our last cruise (Silhouette), the dinner options were decent, but the tables were SOOOO close together it was ridiculous. And it took forever to get seated. Celebrity is off their game when it comes to the MDR.

 

We always cobbled together a decent lunch in Celebrity's buffet, which features homemade, hard-scoop ice cream with all the toppings - fantastic! Their poolside mast grill food is DELICIOUS...and I heard they are doing away with that venue. Figures.

[Cap'n Ron]

This isn't hard to believe. Celebrity's MDR has really gone downhill. On our last cruise (Silhouette), the dinner options were decent, but the tables were SOOOO close together it was ridiculous. And it took forever to get seated. Celebrity is off their game when it comes to the MDR.

 

We always cobbled together a decent lunch in Celebrity's buffet, which features homemade, hard-scoop ice cream with all the toppings - fantastic! Their poolside mast grill food is DELICIOUS...and I heard they are doing away with that venue. Figures.

Vista has the same issue with tables being too close together, but with Your Time Dining you can request specific table numbers, so after the first night you can find one away from the other tables. If you enjoyed the Mast Grill, Guy's Burgers blows it away (delicious hamburgers). Reflection's Lawn Club burgers are still the best, but they are a $10 upcharge vs. free Guy's Burgers, and the fries at Guy's are quite good as well.

 

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[hockeyguru32]

I will admit I have been suckered in by the Havana area and their dedicated pool area, and the excellent prices!

 

So we're in our 40's but we are not party people- we seek out quiet reading spaces on sea days (which is why that Havana aft pool area is so enticing - we HATE fighting for chaise loungers).

 

Important to us:

-Good dining (don't mind paying additional for specialty restaurants)

-Good service

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!)

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking)

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!)

-Lines and crowds

-Fighting for deck chairs

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read

 

So...that being said, is a Havana room on Carnival Vista a good choice? (We will go in January, not during a high-kid travel time.)

 

I just have always pictured Carnival as this rowdy ship with tons of partiers...give me your thoughts, and thank you!

 

Why does everyone assume Carnival is a rowdy party ship? You people who think that are so blinded by other peoples comments and assumptions. Please go on a Carnival cruise and TRY FOR YOURSELF and MAKE YOU'RE OWN ASSUMPTIONS.

I am in my 50's started cruising in 2013 I had zero intentions of cruising, as I was use to all inclusive land vacations. I didn't want to be seasick and waste my hard earned money in my cabin puking all night from sea sickness.

I also read about how Carnival was a "party ship" and I'm not one to party. Sure I like to have a few drinks and go see a band and a show.

I did my research and said to myself I'm going to give this a go and see what cruising is all about. I chose Carnival for the $$$$$$$$$$ not because of what I heard not because of Itinerary not because of the ship, or dining. I had no idea what classes of ships there were it based on the MONEY.

I will tell you it was the BEST DECISION I EVER MADE. I love Carnival's product they give me a great value for my money.

Now as for the rude people and partying I have never encountered that on a Carnival ship. I however did encounter it on a NCL cruise it was way more of a party ship than ANY Carnival ship I have been on.

A cruise is what you make of it and if people are doing things you don't like it's easy move away from the situation. Make YOUR cruise how you want it to be. You are in control of your own cruise.

[Tatka]

Agree, i think Holland or Cunard would be geared more to the OP....Read a book, listen to a string quartet, finger sandwiches, in bed by 8 pm

Ambiance wise yes, but we were surprised by unimaginative food in MDR on QM2. It was in Britannia though, maybe it is much better in Grills, but with a huge price tag.

 

I strongly disagree about 8 pm in bed.

Entertainment ran quite late actually and there was pretty cool night club G32. And their musical venues with jazz and other types of music are terrific.

 

One thing I absolutely loved was that on sold out 5 dayer ship was completely uncrowded. 2600 pax for ship of that size is nothing!

 

Have you sailed with Cunard?

Edited April 4, 2018 by Tatka

[AmBear]

I will admit I have been suckered in by the Havana area and their dedicated pool area, and the excellent prices!

 

So we're in our 40's but we are not party people- we seek out quiet reading spaces on sea days (which is why that Havana aft pool area is so enticing - we HATE fighting for chaise loungers).

 

Important to us:

-Good dining (don't mind paying additional for specialty restaurants)

-Good service

-Good ports (we get off the ship every time!)

-Variety of bars and a good looking ship interior

-Casino (bonus if it's non-smoking)

-Entertainment in the evening - preferably live music

 

What we dislike:

-Rowdy, drunken crowds

-Loud music piped in public places (it makes the pool decks unusable on a lot of ships!)

-Lines and crowds

-Fighting for deck chairs

-Lack of quiet space to relax and read

 

So...that being said, is a Havana room on Carnival Vista a good choice? (We will go in January, not during a high-kid travel time.)

 

I just have always pictured Carnival as this rowdy ship with tons of partiers...give me your thoughts, and thank you!

 

At night, this area is open to everyone, and we've read it turns into quite a party area at night!;)

From what you said, if money isn't most important, check out the 'ship in a ship' idea with MSC Yacht Club, and NCL The Haven.

The service is outstanding, with private bars, private restaurants, private pools, private concierge service your whole cruise, etc., they even meet you at the pier, take you and your bags through the port, and security directly to your cabin!:D

We'll be sailing on the Vista for 2 weeks in late May, so our review will be up in June!