Our Carnival Vista B2B - Havana Style - (with pics!) - 4/14/24

[canes20]

9 hours ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

Speaking of ol' Stubby, we saw her go out today. We were out on the balcony admiring the gorgeous blue water, so pretty this afternoon! And then I went back inside and took a nap! 🤦‍♀️

 

 

[canes20]

10 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

 

The Carnival Freedom, (Ol’ Stubby II), departs Port Canaveral…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

We were on here for the April 22nd 5 day. Missed you by 1 day in Grand Turk. Margaritaville was not bad even with Mardi Gras in port. We love Fantasy class and will be really sad if they all bite the dust. Freedom was in great shape and we had a blast. Buffet food could have been hotter and MDR (2 nights) did not take long after finally getting getting a table. BBQ was terrific. love Mongolian Wok but the wait stinks. Pizza line moved well. 

[mamiamjo]

Just caught up and along for the ride! 🙂

[Jamman54]

20 minutes ago, mamiamjo said:

Just caught up and along for the ride! 🙂

Glad to have you aboard! 😎

[WhiteOptima]

Following!  Nothing beats Vista class Havana area and I agree-we paid quite a bit for Havana Cabana and totally not worth it.  Did interior on Horizon.

[cruiserNC]

Loving the review as always.

[ober134]

Reporting for duty to a Jamman watch party. We've been looking at Havana cabins on Vista class but haven't pulled the plug yet. I hope this review pushes us over the edge.

[ggooglyboogly]

I've been looking forward to this! 

[Jamman54]

26 minutes ago, ober134 said:

Reporting for duty to a Jamman watch party. We've been looking at Havana cabins on Vista class but haven't pulled the plug yet. I hope this review pushes us over the edge.

I believe it will! 😁

[Knights on the Beach]

1 hour ago, ober134 said:

Reporting for duty to a Jamman watch party. We've been looking at Havana cabins on Vista class but haven't pulled the plug yet. I hope this review pushes us over the edge.

 

It totally should and this is coming from someone who did NOT have Havana on Vista the last two weeks and wished we did.

[PammyMouse]

Thanks for this review.  I go solo about once a year, and have considered the interior Havana cabins, but I was worried that they are too close to the bar.  It is good to know there are some that are quieter.  PM

[Jamman54]

1 minute ago, PammyMouse said:

Thanks for this review.  I go solo about once a year, and have considered the interior Havana cabins, but I was worried that they are too close to the bar.  It is good to know there are some that are quieter.  PM

There were no noise issues. For us, closer to the bar is a good thing! 😁

[pirate4me2]

15 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Patti orders the grilled brie and the scallop risotto…..

 

 

I ordered teriyaki boneless wings and the fried seafood combo….

 

 

The Carnival Freedom, (Ol’ Stubby II), departs Port Canaveral…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

Ahhh, my favorite place to eat in PC! I may have to try that risotto, it looks yummy!

And poor Ol' Stumpy.....I can't believe she JUST got her tail replaced and lightning took it out again. 

 

14 hours ago, Knights on the Beach said:

 

Speaking of ol' Stubby, we saw her go out today. We were out on the balcony admiring the gorgeous blue water, so pretty this afternoon! And then I went back inside and took a nap! 🤦‍♀️

 

I am soooo jealous of your view!!

 

2 hours ago, WhiteOptima said:

Following!  Nothing beats Vista class Havana area and I agree-we paid quite a bit for Havana Cabana and totally not worth it.  Did interior on Horizon.

Vista Havana area all the way for the win! It's the best way to sail a Carnival ship!

[Krisco]

2 hours ago, WhiteOptima said:

Following!  Nothing beats Vista class Havana area and I agree-we paid quite a bit for Havana Cabana and totally not worth it.  Did interior on Horizon.

 

Same.  Have had cabanas in the past but had an interior Havana in February. We would just head out to havana area for sail away and sunsets, etc.  while in the pool or hot tub.

[TxTeach79]

Finally caught up and onboard!! Loving it as always thus far. ready to board Vista!

[Jamman54]

Before I continue on with the nuts and bolts of this review, I want to tell everyone how proud I am of my wife Patti. What a trooper! Let me explain. After Patti retired from teaching, to keep busy, Patti went to work for Target. Her job is to shop for other people. Now what woman doesn’t like shopping! She loves the job even though it requires her to walk miles every day around the store. The positive was that it also helped her to lose quite a bit of weight. The negative was that her feet, which were never great to begin with, began to hurt her more, especially her right foot. Over time the pain got worse and worse. Her foot doctor recommended that she quit her job. Nope, that’s not happening!

 

Four years ago, she had had enough and had surgery on her right foot. Though it wasn’t 100% pain free, it was a lot better. She continued to work at Target, though with reduced hours, and continued to walk for miles on our cruises taking the pictures that both you and I love so much. Now since then the pain has increased in her left foot to the point that it is much worse than the right foot ever was. Having to walk “funny” is also giving her some back pain. During the last few cruises I told her to take it easy, and if we needed a shot to illustrate a point, we could use some of our many “stock” pictures. She was having none of that. So as I looked through the thousands of pictures that Patti took this trip, I wince when thinking about how painful each step was for her when taking them.

 

The good news is that on May 17^th she will be having surgery on her left foot. We hope this will make her foot pain free, but realistically don’t think that will happen, but any improvement will be welcomed. Her foot doctor will again recommend that she quit Target. Nope, that’s not happening. Will she stop walking for miles taking pictures for us? Nope, that’s not happening either! That’s why I am so proud of Patti. Love you Babe! ♥️

[Jamman54]

Day # 1- (April 14th) – We board the Carnival Vista!!!

 

It’s cruise day!!! We were up at 5:30am for the big day. It’s going to be sunny in the mid 70’s today. Patti heads down the hallways to check out the ships in port today. Here’s our Carnival Vista waiting for us at Pier 6…..

 

 

 

The MSC Seashore is at Pier 9……

 

 

The Wonder OTS is at Pier 1……

 

 

We decided to not eat the hotel breakfast today. We repacked and tagged our luggage and then loaded up the car. We have a 10 – 10:30am check in time this morning. We had read that the previous week that the parking garage didn’t open until 10am and that there was a huge line waiting to get in. We are hoping it isn’t the same for this cruise. A little before 9am we checked out of the hotel and made our way over to Pier 6…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, oh. That’s the line for the parking garage……

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

We circled around to drop our luggage off by the front of the terminal. That done, we got in the line for the parking garage. Within a few minutes they opened up the parking garage to start letting people in. We paid for our parking, ($254.66 for 14 days), and then parked in a very favorable spot on the first level. We take a picture of our location because we are very forgetful old people. The timestamp on the picture says that it’s 9:28am……

 

 

We make our way to the Priority Line where we meet Knights on the Beach, (Beth & Mark), for the first time. You’re going to see them quite a few times during the course of this review. What a great couple!

 

 

Around 9:40am they let the Priority Line in. We breezed through the check-in process, security scan, and the friendly sniffing K-9 dog, and before heading upstairs to the Diamond waiting area, had our embarkation photo taken……

 

 

This is the Diamond waiting area…..

 

 

From up here you can watch the whole check-in process……

 

 

At 10:35am, after a wedding party, we were allowed to board. You board into the Vista Lobby on Deck 3. The first thing that catches your eye is the Dreamscape. Patti loves these and will take a zillion pictures of these during the course of the cruise, all different…..

 

 

 

We grab two seats at the Lobby Bar. Here are the menus……

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

These are our first drinks of the cruise. Patti is having a Funship and I’m having a Cruiser…..

 

 

 

Across the way are Beth & Mark enjoying their first drink…..

 

 

Now that we are aboard, here are today’s Fun Times……

 

 

 

 

After a couple of drinks it’s time to head to muster. Our muster station is D3 which is on Deck 3 of the Horizons Restaurant all the way aft. As we head back there, Patti gets these pictures of the Vista Casino on Deck 4…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[SenatorsFan]

Jeff, please wish Patti all the best with her surgery from Peter and me! I hope her foot feels much better after. 🥰

[Jamman54]

14 minutes ago, SenatorsFan said:

Jeff, please wish Patti all the best with her surgery from Peter and me! I hope her foot feels much better after. 🥰

I will but she'll also read it. Thanks so much! 

[Stallion]

JAMMAN: "We paid for our parking, ($254.66 for 14 days), and then parked in a very favorable spot on the first level."

 

STALLION: "Well I hope your car has a nice 2 week vacation"

[Jamman54]

11 minutes ago, Stallion said:

JAMMAN: "We paid for our parking, ($254.66 for 14 days), and then parked in a very favorable spot on the first level."

 

STALLION: "Well I hope your car has a nice 2 week vacation"

Old Betsy had to rest up for the return trip home! 

[blarko]

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

Before I continue on with the nuts and bolts of this review, I want to tell everyone how proud I am of my wife Patti. What a trooper! Let me explain. After Patti retired from teaching, to keep busy, Patti went to work for Target. Her job is to shop for other people. Now what woman doesn’t like shopping! She loves the job even though it requires her to walk miles every day around the store. The positive was that it also helped her to lose quite a bit of weight. The negative was that her feet, which were never great to begin with, began to hurt her more, especially her right foot. Over time the pain got worse and worse. Her foot doctor recommended that she quit her job. Nope, that’s not happening!

 

Four years ago, she had had enough and had surgery on her right foot. Though it wasn’t 100% pain free, it was a lot better. She continued to work at Target, though with reduced hours, and continued to walk for miles on our cruises taking the pictures that both you and I love so much. Now since then the pain has increased in her left foot to the point that it is much worse than the right foot ever was. Having to walk “funny” is also giving her some back pain. During the last few cruises I told her to take it easy, and if we needed a shot to illustrate a point, we could use some of our many “stock” pictures. She was having none of that. So as I looked through the thousands of pictures that Patti took this trip, I wince when thinking about how painful each step was for her when taking them.

 

The good news is that on May 17^th she will be having surgery on her left foot. We hope this will make her foot pain free, but realistically don’t think that will happen, but any improvement will be welcomed. Her foot doctor will again recommend that she quit Target. Nope, that’s not happening. Will she stop walking for miles taking pictures for us? Nope, that’s not happening either! That’s why I am so proud of Patti. Love you Babe! ♥️

She’s the best ❤️ So are you Jeff

[Jamman54]

We’ve made it to our muster station. It took all of three minutes. Don’t know why this is so hard for some people. The solution would be no drinks until you do your muster!

 

 

Next, we walked up two flights of stairs to drop off our carry-ons. We have an interior Havana Cabin # 5214. The cabin isn’t ready so we drop off the bags and leave…..

 

 

 

Patti checks out the sideways cabin next door # 5208.......

 

 

 

We decide to head up to Deck 11 and have lunch at Cucina……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…….