Vista July 14 cruise review.

[Carol Jones]

This was a great review and has me excited for the Vista in October thank you for taking the time to write it!

 

 

 

Thanks!! Enjoy your cruise! The Vista is wonderful and October will be a great time to cruise.

 

 

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[Carol Jones]

Carol, thank you for a wonderful review of the Vista. It seems you covered every aspect of the cruise and I appreciate that you did so with such care of the staff and fellow cruisers. Some reviews seem to 'bash' the staff, the food, fellow cruisers, but we saw none of that from you. Thanks again for the valuable information.

 

 

 

Goodness! Thank you for your kind words. I’ve been meaning to post some final thoughts on the cruise but I’ve been so busy trying to unpack and get my house back in order. Thank you again for your response.

[Carol Jones]

In summary.....

 

Embarkation- smooth and quick if you are diamond, platinum, FTTF or you get there at your scheduled time.

 

Debarkation- we did self assist and it was perfect. We got into port earlier than expected so I would guess it went faster for everyone.

 

Ship. Lovely ship!! Some miss glass elevators, but I didn’t. There are so many other beautiful areas with so much to do it made up for it. Sky ride, ropes course and water slides are great. It seemed like people really enjoyed the theater. We certainly enjoyed the thrill theater. The Liquid Lounge is a miss! Please Carnival do not duplicate it on your new ships.

 

Food. YTD worked well especially if you can get same staff each night. We were able to get the same waiters each night without any extra wait. We didn’t have to wait long for any course of our meal and we were able to interact with the staff. I’m thinking this might be somewhat contingent upon getting there early. We normally checked in every night right around 5:30. We were very pleased with our meals in the main dining room. Our steaks were cooked better on this cruise than on any other we’ve been on. I must admit that I have long been opposed to the extra cost restaurants. I have totally changed my mind. Having so many extra options at different price points makes this very appealing. The steakhouse is pricey but worth every dollar. If you’re going on the first night on formal night they typically have an offer for a free bottle of the house wine or half off another bottle. I’m always happy to get anything free (and thankful) but I would suggest going with the 50% off of a bottle instead of getting the house wine free.

 

Cabin- room 10264. Nice big TV. Only 2 closets on the ship (seems like most have 3) but there was extra storage other places. Sure did miss the over the bed reading lamp. We enjoyed having a balcony and being on the Lido deck. So convenient!! Our room was pretty close to the elevator and I always like that. We did not hear any Lido noise. I think we were down far enough so that was not an issue. The Havana area was very nice but the Havana cabanas didn’t seem very private. Of course I didn’t stay in that area, so this may not be completely accurate. I did enjoy the Havana hot tubs!

 

I will finish a few other aspects in the next couple of days.

 

 

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[Carol Jones]

Food- For us YTD worked well especially since we were able to get the same staff each night, without any extra wait. We didn’t have to wait long for any course of our meal and we were able to interact with the staff. I’m thinking this might be somewhat contingent upon getting there early. We normally checked in every night right around 5:30. We were very pleased with our meals in the main dining room. Our steaks were cooked better on this cruise than on any other we’ve been on. I must admit that I have long been opposed to the extra cost restaurants. I have totally changed my mind. Having so many extra options at different price points makes this very appealing. The steakhouse is pricey but worth every dollar. If you’re going on the first night or on formal night they typically have an offer for a free bottle of the house wine or half off any another bottle. I’m always happy to get anything free (and thankful) but I would suggest going with the 50% off of a bottle instead of getting the house wine free.

 

Cabin- room 10264- Nice big TV. Only 2 closets on the ship (seems like most have 3) but there was extra storage other places. It was nice to have USB plugs in the room so I didn’t have to waste an outlet for charging my phone. Sure did miss the over the bed reading lamp. We enjoyed having a balcony and being on the Lido deck. So convenient!! Our room was pretty close to the elevator and I always like that. We did not hear any Lido noise. I think we were down far enough so that was not an issue. The Havana area was very nice but the Havana cabanas didn’t seem very private. Of course, I didn’t stay in that area, so this may not be completely accurate. I did enjoy the Havana hot tubs!

 

Ports- Excellent! Enjoyed the way things were scheduled for this cruise, seadays- ports- seadays. I’m not so wild about Grand Turk as the area right by the pier is so touristy. I’m glad we explored beyond. I really enjoyed Aruba and Curacao. Should’ve taken advantage of Curacao evening time. The excursion we went on pretty much started right when we came into port. We went to Hato caves, Curacao Liqueur factory and then the beach. We didn’t get to the beach until 5:00 and it was a beach that was next to a big shopping area and it was so crowded. I’m not really crazy about going to the beach in the evening. I wish we would’ve just taken a taxi back to the ship showered and went back out. I would’ve enjoyed more time to explore the downtown area of Curacao- it’s beautiful and has a great pm vibe-! AND we were there until 10pm.

 

Room steward- Never asked if we wanted once or twice a day cleaning. He did two times, unless we were in the room when he came. He did seem very busy.....time enough to clean rooms but not enough times to check in with passengers.

 

Entertainment- Comedy clubs were great and I enjoyed the shows in the liquid lounge as well. I think carnival might be improving in this area (shows) but it may still be an area for some growth. Having a live band really does make a difference.

 

CD- In general it’s not a make or break for me. I was excited about having Matt Mitchum considering all the hype, but Adam Cornes was great! Actually he will probably be a stand out for me. He was charming and genuine. Visible but not inyour face.

 

Well, that about sums it up. We had an awesome time and can’t wait until our next cruise, Christmas Cruise 2018- Elation. We never do Christmas at home anymore.

 

 

 

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[LakeWobegon]

Tuesday, LaRamona- Today we had a Saona trip with Seavis tours. I’ll post more on this on the “ports of call page”. Basically, a speed boat ride to a private island with lunch and snorkeling. Had a great time. We had lunch on the island so when I got back on the ship just got some dessert before I went back to the room. They were making salted caramel and passion fruit gelato today. I got the passion fruit but it wasn’t to my liking. I’m sure I would’ve liked the other but it wasn’t ready. Still needing something for my sweet tooth I went over to the sweet spot area of the Lido marketplace. The six layer cakes they have are not only gorgeous to look at and they are very very tasty. Good move Carnival to add these cakes. The desserts they used to have on the Lido deck all just looked good but really did not have a taste at all. These are wonderful!!

 

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I guess I did have a few questions. I am assuming you had the 9:30 - 4:30 port time in La Romana? I've read great things about the Seavis tour you reference and booked it. I know they say they adjust their excursion time tables to the ship's time in port and pride themselves on never having you miss the boat, but how close were you to getting back on the ship on time? It just makes me a little nervous. One thing I would note is it looks like they have at least 2, maybe 3 boats going out and I thought I read on ship days, its usually only cruise passengers. So, why he certainly doesn't have to on a non-ship tour, the captain might be willing to wait just a bit longer if something happened they're missing 50-75 people. Thanks!

[Carol Jones]

I guess I did have a few questions. I am assuming you had the 9:30 - 4:30 port time in La Romana? I've read great things about the Seavis tour you reference and booked it. I know they say they adjust their excursion time tables to the ship's time in port and pride themselves on never having you miss the boat, but how close were you to getting back on the ship on time? It just makes me a little nervous. One thing I would note is it looks like they have at least 2, maybe 3 boats going out and I thought I read on ship days, its usually only cruise passengers. So, why he certainly doesn't have to on a non-ship tour, the captain might be willing to wait just a bit longer if something happened they're missing 50-75 people. Thanks!

 

 

 

You are correct on the times we were in port. There were 3 maybe 4 boats that went out on our excursion and from what I could tell everyone on the excursion was from Carnival. The excursion is great and I would recommend it. I cannot tell you exactly what time we got back but I know we had plenty of time and didn’t have to rush back at all. Are you getting a discount? I don’t remember the exact details.... I think... if 10 or 12 people book with the same code you get 10% off. If there is a roll call for your cruise ask if anyone is going on the Seavis excursion and you should be able to get the code.

 

 

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[LakeWobegon]

Yes, we got the discount. I really appreciate the insight. Read good reviews on TripAdvisor too including one that said a motor on one of the boats wouldn't start upon return and the tour company scrambled and had a back-up plan in place and all was good. Thanks again! Puts me more at ease as I help manage risk as part of my job. My wife was like, let's just go for it. I was like, ah, have you looked into airfare from La Romana to Curacao then?

[Carol Jones]

Yes, we got the discount. I really appreciate the insight. Read good reviews on TripAdvisor too including one that said a motor on one of the boats wouldn't start upon return and the tour company scrambled and had a back-up plan in place and all was good. Thanks again! Puts me more at ease as I help manage risk as part of my job. My wife was like, let's just go for it. I was like, ah, have you looked into airfare from La Romana to Curacao then?

 

 

 

If you can, try to get the front seat of the boat. We had that on the way over but not on the way back and it’s a big difference. When you sit in the front it’s like being on a roller coaster- your stomach dips so much. Really fun!!

 

 

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[LakeWobegon]

Wow. My wife and son will rush for the back of the boat while my daughter and I the front. lol. Thanks for the advice!

[Silent Penguin]

. In quite a few places in the Lido marketplace (buffet area) they have these really cool machines that you put your hands into and the machine washes them. Above the machine there is a dispenser that has cloth napkins. I took a stack back to the room..

 

Not that your review doesn't contain a thousand other great details, but this one is especially notable to me. I hate poly-blend napkins!

[Carol Jones]

Not that your review doesn't contain a thousand other great details, but this one is especially notable to me. I hate poly-blend napkins!

 

 

 

I know, right!? They don’t absorb anything and they smell funny.

 

 

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[OceanDreams]

Awesome review!!

Thanks for taking the time to share with us. 8 of us are going the 1st week of September. Now I'm even more excited.

OceanDreams

[Carol Jones]

Awesome review!!

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to share with us. 8 of us are going the 1st week of September. Now I'm even more excited.

 

 

OceanDreams

 

 

 

Thank you! Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

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[PhillyFan33579]

Very good review of Vista. almost makes we want to sail her again. However, I still don’t like the small atrium, I don’t like the theaters/lounges, and I don’t like the Spa 9 area as much as the Dream class ships. For those reasons I have continued to book Dream class ships instead of Vista. However, I do have a cruise booked on Horizon. I am always willing to try any new ship at least once.

[Carol Jones]

Very good review of Vista. almost makes we want to sail her again. However, I still don’t like the small atrium, I don’t like the theaters/lounges, and I don’t like the Spa 9 area as much as the Dream class ships. For those reasons I have continued to book Dream class ships instead of Vista. However, I do have a cruise booked on Horizon. I am always willing to try any new ship at least once.

 

 

 

All in all I really enjoyed the Vista, very much. But if you ask me my favorite Carnival ship it is in the Dream class too. Breeze is my favorite.

 

 

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[jmwvpens]

Great review. My family of 10 was also on this cruise. My sister actually made it in one of your pictures. We had a great time. No major complaints. Highly recommend.

[Carol Jones]

Great review. My family of 10 was also on this cruise. My sister actually made it in one of your pictures. We had a great time. No major complaints. Highly recommend.

 

 

 

Thanks! Your sister in one of the pics..... too funny!

 

 

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