Thanksgiving on carnival VISTA

[Izena]

Just returned .   I joined family 12 of us. I booked late and prefer balcony cabins. Ended up on deck 7 the last side aft cabin.  I thought it would be awful if had rough seas.  I was pleasantly surprised.  We had rough stormy seas for first 2 days -  couldn’t walk down Hal’s without bouncing from side to side.  My room was awesome  didn’t move noticeably more than mid ship.  Also it’s quieter very few people walk past my cabin.

 

room stewards were great.

 

Dining experience in Reflections was a disappointment .  Obviously very understaffed. Had  2 waiters no busboys.  Service was VERY  slow.   Food was mediocre  chicken was either dry over cooked or raw.   Caesar salad had no taste.  Serving sizes  small  ( we could order more).    Getting dependable or anyone to work nowadays is very difficult.    We had early dining and  we’re unable to get to child appropriate shows .  
 

yes the cruise was completely booked.  Lots of kids.   I’m retired and prefer quiet -  there were plenty of areas for me enjoy the cruise  the ship has something for everyone.   Of course I  will cruise with carnival again.

[BarbieGee]

Carnival, it would seem, is mainly a family oriented cruise line and I base this on the great prices and specials geared towards 'free' for additional 3rd and 4th cabin occupants. Hence, lots of kids on your cruise, yes?
Food issues seem to be a common complaint across all the cruise lines. We can only hope that Carnival is listening this will improve over time.

Staffing also has been an issue for the cruise industry. Most of the staff on board are international people and I suspect COVID issues has a lot to do with the lack of availability of staff right now. Again, we can only hope that the next months will show improvement.

I have an up coming cruise on Carnival in February and hope some of these issues will have been conquered.

[hillbillycruisers]

We were on the Vista first week in November, and while it was an enjoyable cruise, I gotta say it was my least favorite ship and cruise so far...out of ten cruises. The MDR was often extremely slow, and they messed up my dinner order 4 of the 7 nights. I wonder if they were covering more tables than normal...not sure. I ordered an ice bucket my first day for our cabin, and didn't get one until late in the day on day two...and that took a few  reminders. The piano bar was the most dismal, drab piano bar I've ever seen on a ship. But...it was still a cruise....still a good time....we had very calm seas...decent food...GREAT table mates in the MDR, funny comedians, a fun, energetic cruise director, and great weather. 

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Sounds like you are recent cruisers.  Did any of you have children in your group - particularly kids in the Circle C age group?  I'd love some insight into what that was like.  Thank you.

[Izena]

There was a 10 year old girl -  she really enjoyed the activities for her age group.  There was a 12 year old boy ( he’s already 6 ft) he’s more into sports and didn’t participate this year.