Rock Chalk Jayhawk

Our family of 16 cruised on the Vista in May. This was either the first or second cruise for all of us, so we're not seasoned cruisers, but we all had a great time. My absolute favorite part was the Havana area! My boyfriend and I booked a Havana Cabana and we were in the pool/hot tub every single night after dinner and had them to ourselves. The rest of the family opted for other rooms.

We went to Lamanai on May 24th and thought it was a great tour. It was definitely a long day though. The last tender back to the ship was supposed to be at 3:15, and our bus arrived back to the port at 3:10 (and there were a few hundred people in line for the tender).

When was your cruise? We will be cruising next May and I'm trying to decide between Tracy Arm Fjord excursion or whale watching in Juneau. I've already booked whale watching with Jayleen's, but it sounds like in May we might not see the quantity of whales I would like. So it makes me want to book Tracy Arm, but I don't want to book it if it's likely to be canceled due to ice!

I've enjoyed following your review (although I must say this is the first time I've seen multiple people hijack someone else's review with their own). I'm booked on this ship next May, although a different itinerary. I am pleased to know that you enjoyed exploring Ketchikan on your own. This is the one port that I was having trouble with because nothing jumps out to me. I kind of figured we would just explore town on our own as well.

I thought about doing this, but I’m very skeptical as I’ve heard the prices are outrageous. I know people are usually pleased with Dreams Studio and say it’s worth it, but I do not have upwards of $1k just to spend on photos. My hope was the Pixel people would be able to get some shots of our entire group and we could just purchase a few that turn out. Our group of 16 includes a three-year-old and one-year-old twins. So it could be interesting!

Did you have to make an appointment for the group picture? Our family cruises next month and they want to do a family photo (16 of us). All of the packages state that they do not include groups over 10 and we would need to make an appointment. I plan to purchase a few digital images of my favorites of my boyfriend and I, but I need to figure out the group photo as well.

Thank you for your recent first-hand report! We have this excursion booked in May!

Thank you for the update.

Forgive the naive question, but do PVPs only get commission on cruises that they book? What about excursions and add-ons? I'm new to cruising (cruised once in 2014 and have my second cruise coming up in May). I booked both cruises myself. I did not know that I had a PVP, until recently when I was looking at an email from Carnival and it had her name listed. I realized this after I booked our upcoming cruise. So if I do any add-ons through her, will she get credit? Or not since I didn't book the actual cruise through her?

Oh shoot - I didn't realize climbing was off limits now. Wonder if that is the same at X? Good tip about the wipes.

I'm having the same issue as you. Our cruise isn't until May 2024, so obviously I can't see the excursions offered on our ship. However, I've just been researching so I can have an idea of what we might want to do - and come up with how much we need to budget. I'm having a hard time with this port. My boyfriend would like to go fishing, but I don't fish so I'm not paying that kind of money to ride on the boat. We do enjoy kayaking, but I'm wondering if it will be too cold in May! I have a lot of time to research, but this might be a port that we just explore on our own and not pay any money for an excursion.

Thank you for posting this!! My boyfriend loves cheesecake and will be looking for this on the Vista in May!

I haven't been there yet, but I did learn of The Cabana Beach on here and it looks absolutely fabulous! I have a cabana booked for our cruise next year! I look forward to hearing what you think about it!

Thank you so much for your reply! I was all set to book Xunantunich, but now I’m having second thoughts. I think the ruins would be awesome, and the hand cranked ferry would be neat. However, not thrilled about a two hour bus ride. I’m sure I can’t go wrong with Lamanai anyway!

We'll be on the Carnival Vista in May 2023 and will visit Belize. We would like to go see Mayan ruins, but I'm having a hard time deciding between Lamanai or Xunantunich. Our time in Belize will be from 8a-5p. The excursion "Lamanai: Majestic Ceremonial Ruins & River Cruise" appears to be a 6 hour tour with three departure times listed. The "Xunantunich Mayan Ruins with Lunch" says it is a 7 hour tour with only one departure time listed. Both tours look interesting. For reference, we're 40-somthing folks who can handle adventurous things and walking distances if needed. If anyone has done one (or both), I'd love to have your input. Bonus if you have a link to a review that you can post! Thanks in advance!

Good to know! I’ll definitely start checking a few times a day as well. Thanks!

I was actually wondering the same thing as the OP, but my cruise is in May 2023. I do not see them available yet. Hopefully soon!

The private cabana at Mahogany Bay is kind of what made me post my question to begin with. I see them listed on Carnival’s website when I explore excursions at Mahogany Bay port of call. However, they are not currently listed as an option when I look at the shore excursions offered on our specific cruise.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate the recommendations! I was thinking the ruins in Belize sounds fun. I know it will be a lot of traveling, but not sure when I’ll have the opportunity again!

Thanks for the reply. There are 16 in the family going on the cruise, but everyone is free to do as they wish on excursions. This should allow for us all to book excursions that individuals are interested in. My boyfriend’s siblings all have kids so they’re interests will definitely be different than ours.

Hi! I’m a cruise newbie….we will be taking a family cruise vacation on Carnival Vista in May 2023 (total of 16 people). Can someone tell me if more shore excursions will be added as it gets closer to the date of the cruise? I’ve been looking at excursions at the various ports of call so I can get an idea of what I want to do (and to budget for the excursions). I realize we are still 13 months out from the cruise, so maybe it’s too early to start planning anything definitive. At this time, there are 12 excursions listed for Mahogany Bay, only six listed for Belize and 13 listed for Cozumel. Should I expect to see more as it gets closer? Or will this be it? Thanks in advance for any input!