Willdra's Visual Carnival Vista Oct. 15-22 Review

[willdra]

We got downstairs around 4:55 and there was a long line to get into the Liquid Lounge. This means the number of Platinum and Diamonds on this cruise is astronomical! We figured it was when we saw that it would be in the Liquid Lounge and not the Limelight. When we got in, we saw another reason why the line was long and slow. They had drinks on the bar for people to grab on the way in. Anytime lots of people need to make a quick choice it leads to chaos. There were literally like 2 cocktails and beer, however it was impossible for folks to grab one and go. Decisions are tough.

 

W and I grabbed a rum punch then went to sit down. We tried to figure out what was going on with the drinks. Some peeps were going and ordering directly from the bar, while others were ordering from the servers walking around. They didn’t have the trays loaded up and they didn’t keep coming around like on Sunshine last month. #Disorganized.

 

When a server got close to us, we ordered another drink. We also ordered the same drinks when another server came by. W had more cash this time, so he was tipping them when they brought us a drink. I think I got 3 drinks and W had 4. That was far less than the 8 a piece that Savannah said she wanted us to get. It was all good tho cuz I would barely finish the ones that I got. I brought my cup and poured 2 of them in there to take with me. Drinking alcohol fast is not my jam. I needed to take my time and sip like a lady.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

After the party it was time to run errands. I went into the gift shop to get a few things. When I checked out, Tau assisted me and he had me laughing the whole time. He was trying to get me to buy some Pure White Hennessy and he kept telling me how great it was. Then this lady rudely interrupted him while he was talking to me, to ask for a pink version of one of the purses on the shelf behind him. When he said they didn’t have it, she acted like he was lying, so he told her she could imagine the one that she was holding was pink. She was still like "No I want it in pink". She didn't get it. He and I both laughed cuz first of all ma’am, he’s already helping somebody else, and secondly this is a cruise ship with limited supplies. Thy aren't hiding more colors in the back. What you see, is what you freakin get. Maybe leave him alone to finish what he’s doing, and he may be more inclined to explain this to you. Manners matter. Duh.

 

I grabbed my bag after Tau was done ringing me up, then we went to the Casino to get our $25 credit. The line was medium long and it moved slow. When we got up there they scanned our cards had us sign a slip then said the $25 was credited to our account. This meant that I could use my card in the slot machine and Carnival would give me a $25 credit. I may come back to use it after dinner. Or I might forget. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

Unfortunately, it was time to complete the disrespectful chore of packing next. W went first while I sat on the couch. 10 minutes later he was done. How sway? How? Why does it take him 10 minutes, but it takes me 60??? Not fair.

 

Oh I know. It took me longer cuz I was organizing stuff, and multitasking. There was a good amount of stuff to be done. W doesn't do anything else or prep for the future while he's packing or unpacking. He does the one thing and dats it.

 

Right when I finished, we checked in for dinner. Oh yeah that’s what I was doing also while I was packing. Getting ready for dinner.

 

Our table was ready instantly. There’s usually not that many people eating in the MDR on the last night. This was no surprise. I ordered the Steak Ale and Cheddar Soup, Penne Mariscos Appetizer, Braised Short Ribs, and WCMC with butter pecan ice cream. W ordered the Steak Ale and Cheddar Soup, Chicken Tenders, and Enchiladas. I loved everything that I got. W ate his appetizers then picked at the Enchiladas. I think he snuck and ate earlier while I was packing. He may as well have cheated. Cuz same. So now he’s sitting there looking crazy. Cheaters never win.

 

After we “ate”, W went to the casino, and I went back to the cabin. We were gonna go to comedy, but he came back too late, and I didn’t feel like fighting for a seat. We stayed in the cabin and got ready for the all-day long travel that we were about to be doing on Saturday.

 

 

Before I fell asleep, I said a prayer thanking God for umbrellas. How in the world did folks stay dry in the rain before umbrellas? Did they use palm fronds? Bags? Newspapers? Or did they just stay in and not go out in the rain? Either way, I'm thrilled that someone said "Enough is enough. I refuse to walk around in this wet wig. I'm gonna invent something to keep me (and my wig) dry in the rain".

 

 

Shout out to our neighbor for having this witch on the door. She cackled whenever anyone walked by, which helped me remember our cabin was next door (after the unfortunate incident earlier).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MistyRo76]

On 12/11/2022 at 10:29 PM, willdra said:

 

 

 

 

 

Did you snap a pic of the printed Chef's Table menu? I'm curioius see how all the dishes are described. We did it on the Paradise in 2019 and it was amazing! I'd love to do it again! 

[Megan_Strick]

On 12/11/2022 at 10:11 PM, willdra said:

The presentation officially started around 6:15 and ended right at 9pm. It was a lot of fun, and I was happy with the peeps that we sat with. Shout out to the lady in our group who kept offering me Splenda to sweeten up the red wine. The look on her husband's face was priceless when she whipped it out of her purse. The food was different this time and as always, we were full to our toenails between the food and wine. Per usual I can’t even explain it. Chefs Table is one of those things that you gotta experience for yourself. It is difficult to do it justice here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is this a set menu or does it change? Is there anywhere that I could find it? I've never done it and would like to do it on my cruise in March.

[willdra]

12 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

Did you snap a pic of the printed Chef's Table menu? I'm curious see how all the dishes are described. We did it on the Paradise in 2019 and it was amazing! I'd love to do it again! 

 

9 hours ago, Megan_Strick said:

Is this a set menu or does it change? Is there anywhere that I could find it? I've never done it and would like to do it on my cruise in March.

 

Here are the menus from the last 2 that we did on Vista and Panorama. We were told that the Chef decides the Chef's Table menu on each ship, so there have been some variations. However, the presentation is always spectacular, and every time we've done it, we were seriously stuffed. Also now, you can pick which night you would like to attend in your cruise planner before the trip. This was wonderful, cuz I got to go on my birthday the last 2 times. Before we wouldn't know which night it was on until we boarded the ship. 

 

 

 

[willdra]

Eviction Day

 

How does the saying go? You don't have to go home, but you gotta get out of here! Yep, that’s what this was.

 

I got up at 6, saw that it was 6, and went back to sleep. My alarm went off at 7, but I officially got up at 7:13. I could hear Savannah talking on the intercom, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. For the life of me, I will never understand why they don’t have the announcements going in the cabins (except for the Silent Sunshine of course).  I knew that we needed to be out of the cabin by 8:30, which I guess was the most important thing. We got busy with our business then walked out of the cabin at 8:14. 

 

We were surprised to get an elevator up to Lido right away. There were lots of bodies everywhere too. We found a table, dropped off a bag then went to our separate food corners. I wanted my last Arepa and Huevo-less Rancheros. W went for the omelet and random line. When we met back up, I put my omelet on my Rancheros and it was so life changing good. W and I sat around talking and eating. I wasn’t ready to go back to the real world yet, so I didn’t even take my phone off airplane mode. Whatever it was could wait. No rush.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

After I ate, I went to the restroom cuz I knew that it could be a while before I was able go again. Watch out when going in there. The floors were super slippery. Thank goodness I was holding onto the door handle when I walked in, cuz my feet started sliding as if they were racing to separate corners of the room. If I wasn’t holding on to anything, I would've busted my butt for sho. Thank you God that I didn’t become a "medical emergency". That would've been embarrassing.

 

At around 9:06 Savannah called the rest of Self Assist, and Tags 1-4. We were finished eating and just gazing off into space, so it was a good time to go. We got up and went back to the aft elevators to go down. We didn’t have to wait for an elevator then either. An empty one came right along. We had to go down to Deck 4, then walk forward and down to Deck 3. Deck 3 was on pandemonium mode. We couldn’t get all the way down the stairs because the line was horrific. We stood there listening to people complain and try to get around standing in line.  One lady behind us said she hadn’t seen a line to debark like that since 2000. 2000 really? Huh? Where the heck has she been? There’s typically some sort of line. This one just wasn’t moving. Maybe she hadn't cruised at all since then. Cuz girl, please.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

Maybe about 4 minutes into us standing there, the crowd started parting and there was some commotion down on Deck 3. We could hear a guy yelling but couldn’t tell why. A couple of seconds later we saw why. About 4 police officers came thru escorting a guy in handcuffs, who was being extremely vocal about his situation. In all of this time cruising this is the first time I've seen someone arrested and getting carried forcefully off of the ship. I wondered what happened, but I knew wasn't the time to find out. I would check our FB group later. Someone would post it, I’m sure.

 

As soon as they took the perp out, the line started moving. And fast. We dinged off of the ship at 9:18. After we left the ship, went down the ramp right into area where the luggage was. There were 2 lines to get to your luggage. Passengers with passports went to the left, to Smile and Go. Passengers with Birth Certificates went to the right, to wait in an extremely long line. This is absolutely a reason to get a Passport. 10 years of not having to do whatever that is in that line, is totes worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

Our luggage was staged right after the citizenship check. We grabbed both of our bags then headed out of the building. A short walk to the left and we saw the Carnival buses in the same spot they were when they brought us. W and I again got the last seats on the bus. Our tickets said 10am, but it was around 9:29.

 

There was a bad wreck on 45, so we sat in traffic awhile. Lucky for us, we were sitting behind a girl talking really loudly and having an argument with someone on the phone. We really didn’t want to hear her conversation, and it was actually hard for me to focus on talking to y’all while she was talking on her phone, saying the same things over and over. I knew W was over it when he dug out his ear buds and started listening to music. #Cancel her. I felt bad for the person on the other end of the phone cuz if she was getting on our nerves, I could only imagine how they must’ve felt.

 

We pulled into the airport parking lot at 10:53. Yes, the girl was STILL on the phone. We couldn’t get off of that bus fast enough. This time we were the first stop. We grabbed our bags then walked in to check in with Southwest. After we tagged and dropped off our bags, we were directed to security.

 

The line was short, so we were lulled into a false sense of security. It took a whole whopping hour to get through the tiny line at TSA. There were issues with strollers, wheelchairs, and walkers first. TSA Agents acted like they'd never had to get these thru before. They had one lady get out of her wheelchair and try to walk thru. The same thing happened with a lady in a walker. Then we basically just stood there waiting for them to get these ladies past the scanners. This took a while. It was like no one knew what to do. In addition to that, there were several different agents giving very different instructions to passengers. It was chaotic and confusing.

 

After I blacked out for sheer self-preservation the line started moving again and I went thru the scanner. It literally started shrieking. Very loud and unnecessarily. I went back thru as instructed. It shrieked again. I was told to go thru the body scanner. Alright. Bet.

 

I pass thru the body scanner. Then I was told to wait there while the agents had a meeting. I was pulled to the side and a female agent came to wand me. First, she swabbed my hands then she ran the wand around my body, but she lingered at my midsection. She asked what was under my shirt. I told her a waist trainer, which I always wear, and never had this type of issue. She said ok, but then had me point out where it began and ended. Girl why? Is a waist trainer suddenly a weapon? What the heck am I gonna do with it? Threaten to snatch the waist of an unsuspecting crew member? Le huh? She was satisfied after that exercise, and she let me go.

 

As I'm collecting myself, I look back and W is basically going thru the same thing. On top of that BOTH of our bags are now in the "We don’t know y'all like that" line. After all was said and done, our iPads in our bags were problematic. This is what makes my eyeballs itch. There is no consistency from one airports TSA to another. We don't take out iPads in the ATL, so it's hard to remember to do it anywhere else. 

 

At the conclusion of all of this drama, an hour was gone. On a better note, we were telling A and Z (our offspring and offspring in law) about it when we got back, and they strongly suggested TSA Precheck. I'm happy to report that I applied, and I got my Known Traveler Number in 1 day after my in-person appointment. W said he is getting his next week while we are on Christmas vacay. I wonder now if TSA roughs people up to get them to break down and pay the $78. If so, then it worked for us! I can't wait to use my KTN and stunt on dem TSA lines. Y'all know I'm gonna walk thru as bougie as can be.

 

Our flight wasn't until 2:15, so we had a couple of hours left to wait. Thank goodness, it was an uneventful wait to board. On the flight back I watched Buzz Lightyear and minded my own business. W offered to sit in the middle this time, so he was next to a young lady who was trouble free. That's always the way. I get seated next to all of the nut jobs, but W sits next to regular degular everyday people. Sheesh.

 

After landing, we waited an eternity for our bags, but that's no surprise for Atlanta. The shuttle picked us right up, and we got back to our car fast. I reminded W to pull up the code so that we could exit the garage once we got there.

 

It wouldn't be us if everything went well. We get to the gate to leave, and the code doesn’t work. W tried everything. Then he started trying to pull up another email with no luck. We sat there forever. I'd turned on my phone by then, so I didn’t even look at him. Not my circus. Not my monkeys. Finally again, the gate agent did some clicking on her computer, and let us out. There's one more little gate after that. We pulled up to it, nothing. There is a place to scan your code, W did that nothing. There's a button to call for help. He pressed it, and it went back to the scan your code. We pulled over a little, then W got out and asked the attendant that was not that far from where we were. He said "Oh it works by motion, just pull up to it, and it will open". Sizzle Burn Crumple to the floor. Dassit? He drove closer to the sensor, the gate opened, and we were free.

 

I wish that I could say that from now on, I will just do all the things, and not let W do anything. But I low key think that he might be self-sabotaging so that he doesn't have to do stuff. I'm not falling for the okey doke folks. He's gotta learn, and the only way he will learn is to continue doing a thing or two.

 

We were home at a really decent time, and I was happy that we flew, and our flight wasn’t too late.

 

Nobody was in our yard asking to use our power when we returned, so we made it in, unpacked, then I think I slept until I had to return to work on Tuesday.

 

Before I fell asleep, I said a prayer thanking God for PTO. Who in their most divine wisdom determined that employees needed paid time off to go on cruises, eat apple pie, sit in a corner, or knit a sweater? Whoever it was, I prayed that their life (and their descendants) was blessed with the best parking spaces, the best piece of chicken, and that their cheese always melted perfectly.

[rwest898]

We used TSA precheck for the first time this past weekend.   All I can say is that was the best $85 I have ever spent and wondered why I waited so long. 

[RockinRobin]

Thank you, thank you for taking us on your cruise with you and W.  It was a blast!  So much of what you described was sooooo real in my life too.  I love your sense of humor and your writing style. Thanks for sharing!

[bluetardis]

@willdrawonderful review, it was a blast to read. I loved everything from the grumpy smurf to getting tipsy on the beach from rum punch. What a great time you had with W. Thank you for sharing 

[pcvtmom]

Your reviews ALWAYS make me smile! Bless you for entertaining and informing us!

[MistyRo76]

TSA Pre-check is EVERYTHING! I got it initially when I was traveling regularly for work...but now, even for the 2-3 times a year a may fly, I can't imagine not having it. Even when the pre-check line looks longer than the regular line, it's still worth it just to not have to take off your shoes, drag everything out of your luggage, and basically disrobe! It's a game-changer! You're gonna LOVE it! 

 

As always, stellar review....you take us right along with you each and every time! And you and W are too cute together! BTW - I've noticed his Bengals hats/shirts in previous reviews. Is he from Cincy? I live just south of the city in the Kentucky (i.e. the "good side of the Ohio River"). 🙂

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Thanks for taking us along with you! Your reviews are the BEST!! 😄

[Sadebud]

Thanks @willdrafor another great and super funny review!!  When do you cruise again???

[Megan_Strick]

13 hours ago, willdra said:

 

 

Here are the menus from the last 2 that we did on Vista and Panorama. We were told that the Chef decides the Chef's Table menu on each ship, so there have been some variations. However, the presentation is always spectacular, and every time we've done it, we were seriously stuffed. Also now, you can pick which night you would like to attend in your cruise planner before the trip. This was wonderful, cuz I got to go on my birthday the last 2 times. Before we wouldn't know which night it was on until we boarded the ship. 

 

 

 

You're awesome. Thanks from a fellow Georgian!!

[crazy4themouse]

Bravo! Thank you for taking us along with you, @willdra! If I had the $$, I'd fund more trips for you and W, just so that we could read about them. 😊

 

[ARcruisin2]

16 hours ago, willdra said:

" I wonder now if TSA roughs people up to get them to break down and pay the $78. "

TOTALLY!

I swear the agents at Springfield, MO, just do it out of boredom!

 

I had been traveling 5-9 times a year for work back before covid... and had gotten "randomly" checked multiple times.

The final straw for me was getting rub down frisked in a dressing room for "an anomaly"... I had a freaking TISSUE in my pocket! 

 

Fine! take my money, I am not going through THAT again!

[josieallen]

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo.  I cannot wait until you go on another cruise so you can give us laughter, laughter, laughter.  We could start a ***** so y'all can cruise and we can live vicariously through your cruises.  Thanks for taking so much time to entertain us.  You are the BEST

 

[willdra]

18 hours ago, rwest898 said:

We used TSA precheck for the first time this past weekend.   All I can say is that was the best $85 I have ever spent and wondered why I waited so long. 

I can’t wait for it to change my life! ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[willdra]

7 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

TSA Pre-check is EVERYTHING! I got it initially when I was traveling regularly for work...but now, even for the 2-3 times a year a may fly, I can't imagine not having it. Even when the pre-check line looks longer than the regular line, it's still worth it just to not have to take off your shoes, drag everything out of your luggage, and basically disrobe! It's a game-changer! You're gonna LOVE it! 

 

As always, stellar review....you take us right along with you each and every time! And you and W are too cute together! BTW - I've noticed his Bengals hats/shirts in previous reviews. Is he from Cincy? I live just south of the city in the Kentucky (i.e. the "good side of the Ohio River"). 🙂

Thank you and yes W is from Cincy. He drags me up there every chance he gets! 😁😆

[willdra]

6 hours ago, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Thanks for taking us along with you! Your reviews are the BEST!! 😄

Thanks for joining my journey! 😍😍