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

[Megan_Strick]

Finally caught up. Another great review. Until next time. Don't forget I'll be waving from Exit 38 in Georgia as you go by!

[MtnSeaGirl]

I always hate to see your reviews end.  I absolutely love them.  Deeply appreciate Patti for all her hours on the pictures.  Together, you two make a fab review team!

[Amadawn1]

Jeff, thank you and Patti so much for sharing another adventure with us.  Patti's photos were fantastic, and brought back many memories for me of the Vista.  She is very much missed in Galveston. The Jubilee is also a beautiful ship and I hope you two enjoy sailing on her next year. I really look forward to following you both again on your next adventure! Thank you again. 😊

[Jamman54]

2 minutes ago, Amadawn1 said:

Jeff, thank you and Patti so much for sharing another adventure with us.  Patti's photos were fantastic, and brought back many memories for me of the Vista.  She is very much missed in Galveston. The Jubilee is also a beautiful ship and I hope you two enjoy sailing on her next year. I really look forward to following you both again on your next adventure! Thank you again. 😊

We were glad to have you along for the ride! 😀

[mamiamjo]

On 5/27/2024 at 7:23 PM, Jamman54 said:

Our final thoughts, observations, and ramblings!

 

What follows is not in any special order or importance, just what pops into our minds concerning our two weeks aboard the Carnival Vista.

 

When the Carnival Vista was introduced back in 2016 we were not impressed. To us it was just a “Sunshined” Dream Class ship. They both were 14 decks high, and 122 feet wide. The Vista was just 51 feet longer. We’ll get back to that 51 feet later.

 

Now why do I say “Sunshined”? The Dream Class has the three deck high Main Show Lounge. On the Vista they made it a two Deck Liquid Lounge and filled up Deck 3 below it with cabins.

 

The Dream Class has that soaring ten deck Atrium with the glass elevators. On the Vista the Atrium is only three decks high and no glass elevators. Above that they have added an Imax Theater and even more cabins. They did give us the Dreamscape to try to make us forget the soaring Atrium with the glass elevators!

 

The Dream Class has the Limelight Lounge all the way aft on Deck 5. On the Vista the Limelight Lounge was moved down to Deck 4, and Deck 5 aft was filled with cabins. But here is where things got interesting. Remember that 51 feet we talked about earlier? That 51 feet extended up to Deck 5, and supported the new Havana Area. The cabins added to Deck 5 aft became higher cost Havana Cabins, with exclusive access to the Havana area. Now that intrigued us, especially since children under 12 were not allowed.

 

We were planning  to book a Havana cabin on a Vista Class ship in 2020, but we all know what happened then. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, our first cruise back post Covid was on the Horizon, but not in the Havana Area. We did learn that we didn’t need a Havana cabana or balcony, and that an inside cabin would do just fine. We confirmed this with an inside Havana cabin on the Panorama in 2021, and then booked the inside Havana cabin for our Vista B2B.

 

We felt that this was one of our best cruises ever, because it was our most relaxing cruise ever. Having access to the Havana Area everyday was heavenly, and with the Cheers Package even better. It never really got crowded back there. We really didn’t need to get off the ship, and at most ports we just got off to stretch our legs and check out the port area. We did have Pool Cabanas at Amber Cove and Grand Turk, but Pool Cabana days are relaxing as well. As we neared the end of our cruise Patti said to me that she wished we could stay on another week. I agreed! After we got home we immediately booked a B2B on the Horizon in April of 2026 going to the Western Caribbean and the ABC islands, and of course we booked the same Havana inside cabin for the two weeks!

 

Once again we did not go to the MDR for any of our dinners. We enjoyed our dinners at Bonsai Sushi, Fahrenheit 555, Cucina del Capitano, and JiJi’s (the best!). The other days the Lido Marketplace was just fine. Most of what was being served in the MDR was being served there anyway. At times a salad, the Deli, or some pizza was all we needed.

 

I’m pretty sure that we had drinks at every bar on the ship, but the three bars we frequented the most were the Havana Bar, Lobby Bar, and Alchemy.

 

At the Havana Bar huge thanks to Jendra, Kiran, Katherine, & Lin! You never let our glasses get empty! Also kudos to Jerlyn and Khim who handed out the towels, swabbed the decks, and brought us frozen fruit several times a day, every day!

 

We also spent a lot of time at the Lobby Bar and had a lot of fun there. How can you not when you had Melissa, Yanti, and Mustafa taking care of you! You guys are the best!

 

We had a great trio of mixologists at the Alchemy Bar. A huge shout out to Aleksander, Janko, and Goran!

 

I have to give another big shout out to Setyo at the Ocean Plaza Bar who made my coffee for me every morning. Simply outstanding!

 

We didn’t go to any of the shows since there wasn’t anything that we hadn’t seen before. I did manage to see every comedian on the ship for the two weeks at least once, and I thought they all did a pretty good job.

 

My Husband Daycares for this cruise were The Paddock in Aruba, and Karel’s Beach Bar in Bonaire. I highly recommend either one of them!

 

On every cruise we meet some of our fellow Cruise Critic members. This cruise we had the pleasure of meeting Knights on the Beach (Beth & Mark). What a great couple, and we shared quite a few drinks together during the two weeks. They had also done the B2B. We look forward to seeing them again at sea or on land. Thank you Beth for sharing your photos and experiences during the course of this review!

 

My mind has gone blank, so if you have any questions at all we’ll be more than happy to answer them for you. If I think of anything else, I’ll be sure to post it.

 

And now here are our future cruise plans. On August 31^st  2024, we will be boarding The Carnival Venezia from our homeport of New York, on B2B cruises to Bermuda and Canada. It just so happens that Lee Mason will be boarding the ship the same day as us, to take over as Cruise Director. It should be fun.

 

2025 will be a special year for cruising for us. To start off, we will be making a mega road trip that will take us to New Orleans and Galveston, two ports we haven’t sailed from, on two ships we haven’t sailed on. On March 31^st, 2025 we will be boarding the Carnival Valor in New Orleans for B2B 5 day cruises to the Western Caribbean. Upon return we will head over to Galveston where on the next day, April 12^th, 2025 we will board the Carnival Jubilee on a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean. That should be some adventure!

 

Then in September we will be flying out to Seattle, where on September 26^th, 2025 we will be boarding the Carnival Spirit for a 15 day cruise to Hawaii. It will be great to go there once again! Will any of you be sailing with us? If not, we’ll be bringing the cruises to you!

  

 

Before I end this, I have to thank my beautiful wife Patti. I couldn’t do these adventures, these reviews, or live life without her. She is my best friend, my rock, and a heck of a photographer! I’m happy to report that her recovery from her foot surgery is going very well, and she’ll be ready for action when we board the Venezia!

 

 

Speaking of photography, the photos you see on these reviews are only a small portion of all the photos Patti takes during our cruises. If you would like to see the whole package, there is a link in my signature for our Cruise and Vacation albums. Feel free to check them out if you are so inclined.

 

 So, until next time, may you have blue skies and calm seas!!!

Loved your review Jeff! Sorry to see this one over 😞 It also looks like we are going to just miss you on Jubilee next year as we are getting off when you are getting on (unless I can convince DW to do a B2B, but it's the same itinerary so not sure that will fly). 

Looking forward to your next cruise 🙂

[Jamman54]

3 hours ago, mamiamjo said:

Loved your review Jeff! Sorry to see this one over 😞 It also looks like we are going to just miss you on Jubilee next year as we are getting off when you are getting on (unless I can convince DW to do a B2B, but it's the same itinerary so not sure that will fly). 

Looking forward to your next cruise 🙂

Convince her!! 😁

Edited May 31 by Jamman54

[Saint Greg]

On 5/27/2024 at 7:23 PM, Jamman54 said:

Will any of you be sailing with us? If not, we’ll be bringing the cruises to you!

We will narrowly miss each other in ports again as I’m on Prima out of Galveston around the time of your Western Caribbean cruises.

 

 

[Jamman54]

8 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

We will narrowly miss each other in ports again as I’m on Prima out of Galveston around the time of your Western Caribbean cruises.

 

 

Missed you by a week. 😎

[Knights on the Beach]

Great wrap up, Jeff! I'm looking forward to following along on your future cruises and hope our paths cross again sooner rather than later! We've been on vacation all week (at a resort, not cruise) and I thought I'd have plenty of time to read CC but I'm not taking my phone in the lazy river. 😂 I'll have to catch up on the other threads on the way home tomorrow.

[Jamman54]

44 minutes ago, Knights on the Beach said:

Great wrap up, Jeff! I'm looking forward to following along on your future cruises and hope our paths cross again sooner rather than later! We've been on vacation all week (at a resort, not cruise) and I thought I'd have plenty of time to read CC but I'm not taking my phone in the lazy river. 😂 I'll have to catch up on the other threads on the way home tomorrow.

Thanks Beth! I'm sure our paths will cross again, whether it be on land or at sea. Enjoy the rest of your vacation! 😀

[Indiansbaseball]

Another fantastic adventure ! Sadly, we will be boarding Venezia shortly after you. Looking forward to Lee Mason !! 

[Jamman54]

1 hour ago, Indiansbaseball said:

Another fantastic adventure ! Sadly, we will be boarding Venezia shortly after you. Looking forward to Lee Mason !! 

Thanks! Wow,  another near miss. We got to get the stars aligned! 😎

[LatinaInTexas]

Loved revisiting the Vista hate that it's so far away until I sail her in March. Booked this cruise for husband's birthday and haven't even told him yet lol. 

I wish my itinerary was the ABCs you did, the ports looked lovely! I still have 2 Carnival ships I need to try. The Venezia and the Horizon so I will get there some day.

Good news that Patti continues to do well since her surgery. Can you imagine if you had to write the review and take all the pictures😮 

Thank you again to the dynamic duo for your time and energy to keep us all entertained💜

 

 

[pooksma]

Thank you so much for sharing your Vista voyage. We haven't been on the Vista for a few years and are now even more excited for our December cruise. 

[Jamman54]

1 minute ago, pooksma said:

Thank you so much for sharing your Vista voyage. We haven't been on the Vista for a few years and are now even more excited for our December cruise. 

Thanks for reading and enjoy your return to the Vista! 😎

[jimbo5544]

Nice job as usual Jeff.

[Jamman54]

6 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Nice job as usual Jeff.

Thanks Jimbo! 

[momatibm]

On 5/22/2024 at 9:01 AM, Shaded Lady said:

 

I DO remember and my heart and prayers are with you all today!

I remember also and send you happy memories of the good times.

[Cinnamon2]

I enjoyed your review and look forward to your next one.  Best wishes for Patti's fast recovery.

 

[Jenny in TX]

We live about 30 minutes from Galveston so the majority of our cruises have been out of there although we are going to have to start flying to Florida more so we can do some new ports.  We sailed on the Vista in 2018 in a Havana cabana and absolutely loved that area.  We are looking at booking another cruise on the Vista just so we can book another Havana room.

 

We are sailing on the Jubilee next year at the end of February.  We were going to fly to Florida, but when we realized there would be a new ship in port we changed our minds.  Looking forward to it.

 

Thank you for another wonderful review and look forward to future ones.

Edited June 6 by Jenny in TX

[Jamman54]

28 minutes ago, Jenny in TX said:

We live about 30 minutes from Galveston so the majority of our cruises have been out of there although we are going to have to start flying to Florida more so we can do some new ports.  We sailed on the Vista in 2018 in a Havana cabana and absolutely loved that area.  We are looking at booking another cruise on the Vista just so we can book another Havana room.

 

We are sailing on the Jubilee next year at the end of February.  We were going to fly to Florida, but when we realized there would be a new ship in port we changed our minds.  Looking forward to it.

 

Thank you for another wonderful review and look forward to future ones.

Thanks for reading! The Vista Class Havana area is a home run for sure! We are looking forward to our mega road trip next March to NOLA and Galveston. Our first time cruising from these ports! 😎

[jimbo5544]

18 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Thanks for reading! The Vista Class Havana area is a home run for sure! We are looking forward to our mega road trip next March to NOLA and Galveston. Our first time cruising from these ports! 😎

It sure is, whomever came up with the idea, better have gotten a good raise an a bonus.

Edited June 7 by jimbo5544

[Stallion]

....and whoever ruined the Havana concept on the most recent Carnival ships should be tarred and feathered and forced to walk the plank in shark infested waters. Just my opinion. 

[Jamman54]

4 hours ago, Stallion said:

....and whoever ruined the Havana concept on the most recent Carnival ships should be tarred and feathered and forced to walk the plank in shark infested waters. Just my opinion. 

Agree. Will never book Havana on the Excel Class ships. 😎

[jimbo5544]

16 hours ago, Stallion said:

....and whoever ruined the Havana concept on the most recent Carnival ships should be tarred and feathered and forced to walk the plank in shark infested waters. Just my opinion. 

LOL, the comparison to bonus and walking the plank may be a little extreme, but the point is valid.  When Excel class renderings were announced we were invited to an industry awards ceremony with some big whigs from CCL. I expressed similar concerns on the placement of Havana on the Excel Class.  Their response made sense (does not mean we have to agree).  Placement of pools is a significant weight factor on ships (location).  Higher is worse but what the market wants and lower is better but harder to obtain.  They needed the area where Summer Landing is for a pool for the whole ship to use, not a relative select few that book Havana Rooms.  We have done both, obviously prefer VIsta Class.