ATLCruiseJunkie

Ship - Carnival Vista

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9327

Stateroom Category – Balcony (8E)

Starboard or Port Side - Port

 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – This is located right underneath the main lido pool area on deck 10, so you can hear music and sometimes even kids running. Not suggested for someone who may like to nap in the room during the day. Can also hear pool activities and music out on the balcony. Nighttime seemed to be a bit quieter, but we also usually didn't return to the room until later after the louder night deck parties were over.

 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No.

 

 

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – The view was great! No obstructions

 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal for class.

 

Was wind a problem? - No problems with wind due to location - just one particularly windy day due to weather.

 

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - Mid/forward location.

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? - No problems with this cabin when we sailed (December 2017).

 

Any other comments? - As noted above, if you want to have quiet during the day and want to sit out on your balcony during the day with no noise, I would suggest you get an aft cabin and not one in this location.

Are you talking about Half Moon Cay? It is a private Carnival Corporation-owned island, so you aren't going to find any independent local bars. Any bars there are owned by the cruise line. There are tenders running to and from the ship all day.

I just got that notice too :-( Apparently they are moving the Magic to Port Canaveral early in April 2016. I'm really disappointed, but at least it's so far away that no other arrangements have been made.

We had one of the L-shaped rooms on the Glory on 6. Never heard any noise from the stairs, and only heard noise from the lounge below when we were in the hallway. We will be in one on the port side on the Valor later this week, and I think it is right over the stage, so we'll see how that works out.

 

Other than that, we love the extra room on the balcony, and how out of the way it is. You can be in bed and look out of the large picture window to the balcony and the sea beyond. The lack of the couch didn't bother us, but it does take away extra seating. The bathroom is actually in the room next to the bed instead of in the entry hall, so be prepared for that.

They will offer some discounts during the cruise - just watch the flyers you get in the Fun Times each night (I was just about to type Capers!). Some of the ones I remember seeing were pick three specials, where you could pick 20 or 30 minutes of three different services for a base price. However, the best specials are on port days. They are great if you only have a short activity planned on shore or you don't want to get off the ship at all.

If you have YTD I recommend trying to get a seat in Tomi's section.

 

We do have YTD - I'll ask for them.

Thank you for the report! We will be on the Valor in 17 days, and will also be in one of those long balcony rooms. We love them - extended balcony for regular balcony price :)

They will have a few specials throughout the cruise, but the best prices are the port day specials. I'm not really big into massages, but my mom always chooses a port day massage, especially if it's St. Thomas or the Bahamas (been to both of those sooo many times).

Gratuity is included in the $35 fee, but you are welcome to add more if you'd like. We usually do give a bit more because the service has always been excellent. It's completely at your discretion.

If you book with a reputable tour company or driver, then you shouldn't have any issues getting back to the ship on time. Independent operators know the competition they have for excursions, and with the way they depend on online reviews, they would not risk getting a reputation of causing people to miss the ship. I have booked independently at least one of the ports each cruise, if not all, and have never come close to missing the ship.

As a previous poster stated, it's actually better if the crew collects the trash so it can be properly sorted for recycling, etc. Even the trash bins in your room are sorted through by the stewards. We usually just try to leave ours at a bar as we are passing or with another group of dirty things or trash so it isn't spread out so far for the crew.

I think "best" depends on the person. The best night for you might be making an elegant night even more special by having a great meal in the steakhouse. The best for someone else may be going the 1st night to get the free wine. Others may choose to go on a night they know they dining room isn't serving something they particularly like. We usually like to go somewhere in the middle of the cruise on an elegant night. On our last cruise with a steakhouse, we did go on the very first night of the cruise, but we regretted it just a tiny bit because we spent the rest of the cruise comparing the MDR food to the steakhouse!

Yes, either go early or late to avoid the lines. On our cruise out of NOLA a year ago, there was a lot of gridlock as we approached the port, but that was because a train was coming through town. Unfortunately, the train tracks run along the river front, between the convention center and the port, so no traffic was able to get through. However, once traffic was moving, we were parked and on the ship within an hour. We probably parked around 11:45.

We really enjoyed the Embassy Suites in Brandon. Less expensive than the downtown hotels, and great for us because there were restaurants and grocery stores nearby to pick up last minute items. We drove in from Atlanta in our own car, so transportation wasn't an issue. It only took about 10-15 minutes to drive to the port.

Is there typically a wait? We tired that on NCL and it was a mess! long waits, and ended up having to select a time/place for the rest of the trip so we didn't have long waits. Or can we select a time? like 6 rather than 530.

 

Thanks.

 

I don't think it will be as much of an issue as it may have been on NCL. Fromwhat I understand, everyone has YTD on Norwegian. On Carnival, a lot of people still have assigned dinner. We have had to wait no more than 15 minutes, and that was only because we prefer to wait for a table by ourselves. We tend to eat around 7, and there are two of us.

What brands do they offer onboard? I love to buy a new bottle at the start of my vacation and wear it throughout so when I get home that smell reminds of my trip. Does Carnival carry Chanel, Dior, Hermes, etc? I just can't remember from my last cruise. Thanks!

 

It varies. I bought a bottle of Chanel Mademoiselle right around when it first came out on a Carnival ship. My mother first bought Armani Code, which is now her favorite, but I didn't see it on our most recent cruise. It probably changes every once in a while, but overall they are good brands.

I've never seen any requirements for vaccinations in order to board.

There are also some weight machines. Can't remember if there are any free weights.

Cruising is my favorite time to try new things! This time around it will be my first time in Aruba and Curacao. I'm also planning on trying the Chef's Table. Every cruise I say I'm going to try blackjack in the casino, but I never get up the nerve. Thinking of trying snorkeling for the first time in Turks and Caicos. Oh, and this is my first time on the Valor, thought not on this class of ship.

Waiting until you get on the ship to book your shore excursions (if you choose to stick with ship excursions) isn't more expensive on the ship, but there may be some sold out already. As long as you aren't set on doing one particular thing, you'll be fine.

None of the "excursions" are available yet but will try when they do begin. :)

 

Yes, that is also the case. Booked my next cruise more than a year out, and no excursions were available online until a few months ago, and more keep showing up every once in a while, and we're 36 days out.

DW and I are considering sailing on the Dream next January. Our first cruise was on the Serenade of the Seas, so we have a few questions about how Carnival does things.

 

1) Can you purchase OBC ahead of time? Or do you just add to your shipboard account when you board? Would love to do it ahead of time, just put some dollars on it during the year.

 

 

2) Are you allowed to bring your own sodas on board? If you buy the Bubbles package, what flavors of soda are on the Dream?

 

3) Is there a self-serve laundry on board? I've heard that some cruiselines have them.

 

4) Which Itinerary should I choose? Key West/Freeport/Nassau or Mahogany Bay/Belize/Cozumel? And why...

 

 

 

Thanks in advance for any information you might give...

1. I would say buy Carnival gift cards. You can then have them applied to your account once you're onboard.

 

2. Yes - sodas, water, and don't forget your 750 ml bottle of wine per person! I never really buy sodas on the ship, but they are the basic Coke products, I believe (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Coke Zero, etc.). If you do a search for drink menus, I'm sure there's one posted somewhere on the forums.

 

3. Yes, every ship has self-serve laundry. You can bring your own detergent or purchase it in the laundry room for $1 I think. Location depends on the ship layout. Never used it for washing, but definitely for ironing.

 

 

4. I would go with the Mahogany Bay/Belize/Cozumel itinerary. Nothing really against the Bahamas, but after going there 2 or 3 times, I don't need to stop there any more. Never been to Mhogany Bay, so I can't speak to that port, but I think there is a greater variety of things to do in Belize and Cozumel. Great beaches and water sports in Cozumel. Ruins in both Belize and Cozumel. GORGEOUS water in both places!

Good luck with your decision!

If you decide to forego the connecting staterooms, on the Breeze you'll have deluxe oceanview staterooms. They offer more square footage than insides or standard balconies, and they have split bathrooms which will be useful with 4 people.

 

I definitely agree with this. We had one of the deluxe oceanview rooms on the Dream. No kids, but there were three adults. I believe for four, you would have the regular twin separated/king together bed setup, the sofa will be made up in the evenings as a bed, and there is a pull-down bed. Two bathrooms - one with regular shower/toilet/sink setup, and the other with a shower/tub combo and a sink. If you are really budget conscious, this could work out well since the 3rd and 4th passengers in the same cabin are substantially less expensive.

 

http://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/staterooms/specialty/extra-bathroom-rooms.ashx

 

Otherwise, if you really want room to spread out, the connecting rooms would be the best option. Some also do an oceanview or balcony for themselves and find a much less expensive interior room directly across the hall for the kids.

Availability of FTTF varies. They only offer so many FTTF spots based on how many platinum and diamond guests they have. That's why it sometimes pops up after it hasn't been available for a while - another diamond or platinum guest has probably canceled their booking.

Again, I can only speak from experience. This has not been the case when I asked for a table for 2 at your time dining. Putting in a request in advance for table for 2 for assigned seating will increase your chances of getting one.

 

You are correct, it will increase your chances of getting one at assigned seating. We requested to be moved on one cruise. It took a couple of nights to rearrange people, but it was done.

 

And in my experience with your time dining, I've never had them tell us there wasn't a table for two available at all . Again, we have had to wait up to 15 minutes for one to become available, but they've always been able to do so.