SweetCruiser39

I've been on both. If you can get a Havana cabin, then the Vista is definitely the way to go. If no Havana cabin, then the Dream.

Love the idea of quieter, restricted access pool area that Havana offers. When I booked my cruise there weren't any interior Havana rooms available for 2 ppl. One room for 4 which was abut 3k total. So today I see a Havana room for 2 interior...about 2500. I'm surprised it is that high, it is 800 more than interior room I have now. Thoughts on if it is worth price. Is it typically that much more? I like the darker interior rooms and have normally done midship bc I can get nausea. So also advise of how much more movement is the Aft in comparison. Thanks in advance...

Well, remember, WHEN you are sailing has a lot to do with the price. For example, I paid 9k for one of the Havana suites for 3 people, for the 12 day Med cruise on the Vista in August. And that was the cruise only. That was three times what I normally pay to cruise. But was the Havana area worth it? Absolutely! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We are doing the Vista in April 2018. It will be doing the southern loop. Help me pick the best deck and room!!

 

A little about me, we prefer inside rooms because I like the dark to sleep:) We spend a lot of time in the pool and casino. We enjoy being close to both!! We are 30+ who travel with several friends and enjoy drinking, eating and laughing!!

 

I'd love to hear your opinions:)

 

 

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If you enjoy the pool, a Havana cabin is the only way to go. I am the same way, so I booked one of the Havana suites and my daughter stayed in one of the Havana interiors. The Lido pools were so ridiculously crowded, I don't see how anyone could actually enjoy them. Plus the water was yellow by the second day. The Havana pool, however, was PERFECT. My family were the only ones using the pool and one of the jacuzzis at 1:00 pm on a sea day in hot August! It's absolutely worth the extra cost. Plus, it's so convenient to go between your cabin and the pool since they are just steps away from each other. We already have our next Havana cabin booked for the Horizon. I'll never go back to a traditional balcony cabin again when cruising with Carnival and I'll only book Carnival ships that have the Havana area.

The Vista and the Horizon have the Havana pool area, which is even better. I read somewhere that Carnival has made what used to be the adults only aft pools on their other ships now family friendly.

If everyone is 12 and over, I would book a Havana cabin on the Vista. Experiencing a Havana cabin and the Havana pool area made the Vista our favorite cruise so far out of 12. If traveling with younger children, I think either ship will provide a similiar experience.

What is the "secret" in booking a Havanna Cabin? How far in advance does one have to book, they seem almost impossible to book.

 

We are booked on Vista for Southern in March 2018 in a cove balcony which we really enjoy the cove balconies!

Well, I can tell you what I did. I booked a family harbor suite a year before our August, 2016 cruise. But I really wanted a Havana cabin. I called on the day of final payment, which was three months prior to sailing, and three of the four havana suites had opened up at that time, so I snagged one. I have heard people cancel all the time, so my suggestion would be to just keep checking for cancellations. For the Horizon, we decided against a suite and just booked the Havana "balcony" on deck 5. Same patios as the suites, which to us, was the best part. Well, that, and the exclusive pool area!

"Not True" haha You contradict yourself saying people can walk by them. Yes people can absolutely walk by them at ANY given time. Just as you said they can walk thru the bar and access that area. During the day they have to have a wrist band, so those people CAN walk by and at night ANYONE can walk by. So it is true! :eek::eek::eek::eek:

 

As for the view I didn't stay in one but from walking by those cabins at night the view was not nearly as good as a regular balcony. The high glass got in the way and the cabin/balcony is set some distance back from the edge of the ship. The view was obstructed compared to a regular balcony.

Ok, I think I just repeated myself commenting to the comment that was commenting to my commenting on a comment. 😜 Lol. I've talked so much about these cabins, it gets confusing. If you want to be technical about it, yes, during the day, your neighbors in the Havana cabins can walk by your patio. And in the evening, you may have the occasional person not staying in a Havana cabin exit that way. But oddly enough, the patio felt very private to me. If I stood at the end of the patio and looked up and back, I could see everyone's balconies from deck 6 up. I've heard someone say if you really want absolute privacy on the Vista, the only way is to book a cove balcony.

"Not True" haha You contradict yourself saying people can walk by them. Yes people can absolutely walk by them at ANY given time. Just as you said they can walk thru the bar and access that area. During the day they have to have a wrist band, so those people CAN walk by and at night ANYONE can walk by. So it is true! :eek::eek::eek::eek:

 

As for the view I didn't stay in one but from walking by those cabins at night the view was not nearly as good as a regular balcony. The high glass got in the way and the cabin/balcony is set some distance back from the edge of the ship. The view was obstructed compared to a regular balcony.

Well, I have stayed in one, for 12 days in the Med. I spent A LOT of time on my patio, and in the evening when the pool is open to everyone, I literally counted 5 people who walked by the entire time. And those folks were really just curious to see the Havana cabins. The walkway that runs along the side of the patios is for people staying in those cabins. And there is a locked gate to keep everyone out. We were given a key that worked for our sliding glass door, and the gate. But yes, in the evening, everyone who enters through the bar to the pool area can then exit through that gate, but few did. And even when the area is open to everyone, the gate still remains exit only without a key. Most people exited back through the bar, the same way they came in.

I was on the Vista in Europe and stayed one floor above the aft balcony cabins. They looked nice and the pool area is cool. Kind of like Serenity. I would however never book the cabins that are on the same deck as the pool. They may be called Lanai cabins. People can walk right by them at any given time. You can barley see the ocean from them... I would consider a regular balcony if the price was right. Some of the Havana cabins and other aft cabins can hear the music from the Havana bar.

Not true. The deck in front of the Havana cabin "patios" is for people staying in those cabins only. There is a locked gate coming from the public areas on deck 5 to where the Havana cabins start, and only people staying in those cabins have a key. In the evening when the area is open to everyone, I counted maybe 5 people who walked by my patio in 12 days. They could exit that way in the evening, but still not enter. Most people just went back through the bar, the same way they get in.

Also, "can barely see the ocean?" Are you kidding? The view is fantastic. The patios are so large and open, we actually felt "closer" to the ocean. There are class partitions, but they are from the deck up and crystal clear. We felt the views were actually much better than in a traditional balcony cabin.

You need to be 12+ to stay in the room, but it's 18+ for the aft pool area. Also, most of the rooms are only 2 person occupancy with the exception of about 3-4 which can hold one or two more. It's pretty clear this is intended for couples, but if you intend to bring teens, it's doable if you book EARLY.

Not on the Vista. There are no adults only pool areas.

When I was on the.Vista in August, the area was always full, but never crowded. Yes, I was always able to get a chair. And yes, it is very much worth it. I will not go back to a regular balcony room when a Havana cabin is an option.

Just booked a trip on the Vista in August, and it's been a while since I cruised. I saw a video of someone's balcony stateroom and it looked like it overlooked another deck? I want to be overlooking the water. What is this about and is it just on certain areas? Do I have to stay really low on the ship to avoid this? Thanks.

The balconies on the Vista overlook deck 5 where the Havana cabins are. That's the big difference between the Vista and the previous Carnival ships. I was on the Vista in August in a Havana cabin, and I could walk to the end of my patio, and look straight up at all the balconies. From what I understand, the only way around this is to book a cove balcony.....but they are on deck 2.

Thanks. I can envision the car stuck in the middle, if someone gets tired, or like a zip liner who brakes too much

We actually saw this happen several times. People wore out or couldn't make it over the strenuous part. Crew members had to take another bike behind them and push.

Which movies are playing on the Vista in the theatre and IMAX? We are leaving the 16th and so excited!

 

Thx

The theatre is one of those Thrill Theatres and just has a variety of 20 minute or less short films. The IMAX changes every few weeks. Last I heard, they were showing Deepwater Horizon. I think that is the name of it. Not sure what else. Up on the Lido deck on the outdoor screen, they show older movies.

We were on the Vista in August and we didn't think the Havana pool was saltwater? If it was, sure didn't feel like it! Not sure about the other two.

Thank you for taking the time to review, and I'm truly sorry for your lose. I'm glad you decided to still go on the Vista and I understand what it means to take that first cruise without someone being there that you had loved dearly. I had always cruised Carnival with my mother, my best friend, since I was very young. Our last cruise together was in 2010, on the Dream. I lost her exactly one year later. She had plans for us to cruise on the Carnival Magic once she was out of the hospital, but that day never came. It was 6 years before I finally booked another Carnival cruise, on the Vista, for this past August.

I understand how difficult it is to prepare, worrying if your cruise will be so filled with reminders, and knowing things will just not be quite the same without our loved one there. I'm glad you pushed on, instead of waiting for years as I did, because even after all that time, I was constantly thinking to myself during my voyage how my mom would have loved this or enjoyed that. This first cruise after losing your partner will definitely have been the hardest. But hopefully you made some new memories, met some great people, and next time, it will be easier. And thank you for being honest about what you were going through.

Does deck 5 have hot tubs like the Dream and Breeze?

 

Thanks!

There are two jacuzzis on deck 5, but they are in the Havana area next to the pool. There are none on the sides of the ship like on the Dream.

That's possible, but it's not their official listed capacity. They may have allowed it if there were extra capacity on the ship, but I do not think you can originally book it with four pax.

Are you talking about the Havana suites or the regular Havana cabanas? There is only one Havana cabana on deck 5 that you can book for 4 people. But as for the Havana suites, two of the four do allow for 4 people. (Cabins 5235 and 5236). The difference in those two suites is that the sofa makes out into a queen size bed. It''s even shown on the deck plans.

Since only a total of three Havana cabins with the patio on deck 5 are available for 4 people, they are difficult to come by. But I did mock bookings, looking for one next summer, and sure enough, they came up. Unfortunately, it was not the itinerary that I am looking for, so I will continue to look for a cancellation.

Carnival makes no exceptions. A cabin is either equipped for 4, or it is not.

Thank you for doing that. I came across it while researching the Havana Cabanas. One came open for our sailing and there was so much negativity surrounding it. Her review was so helpful. Thank you for posting it!

Absolutely. That is the exact reason I posted it. When I was scheduled to cruise in August in a Havana suite, all I could find was a bunch of negative speculation from people who had never stayed in one of these cabins. Thankfully, I found that article right before my cruise, which comforted me some. And As soon as I actually got on the Vista and saw my cabin, well, it was more fantastic than I had ever dreamed and all the negative speculation was nonsense. I think all the negativity comes from people who have never sailed on the Vista, or from those who have, but didn't book a Havana cabin (and probably wished they had). The sad thing is, I've seen several posts from cruisers who had a Havana cabana booked, but changed to a different cabin after reading all the negative speculation. I'm sure they were kicking themselves once onboard.

Neither are available on that sailing. Only the Havana Interior and Family Harbor.

 

I also thought other people could walk in front of the Habana Cabanas or Suites on deck 5? I like to sit on the balcony in my PJs with coffee in the morning! lol

They were not available for my sailing either until the time of final payment. I switched from a family harbor suite to a Havana suite and Havana interior at that time for my party of 5.

During the day, the only people that can walk by the Havana patios on deck 5 are other Havana guests. There is a locked gate that separates the public promenade deck from the Havana patios. For people with a Havana cabana, the key card that unlocks the cabins sliding glass door also unlocks that gate. In the evenings when the Havana pool area opens to everyone, they can exit through that gate on deck 5, but very few ever did. Most will go back through the bar. Even people staying in Havana interior cabins don't use that walkway. I had my coffee and breakfast every morning on my patio and no one ever walked by. I would say a total of 5 people ever strolled by my patio in the 12 days I was onboard, and I was out on my patio ALOT!

Are you the woman behind Sunglasses and Umbrella Drinks?

LOL. No, I am not. There has been some confusion about that. I just posted the link to the article. I didn't write it.

I would try for a Havana cabana or Havana suite on deck 5. The patios are so much larger than a balcony, and you can't beat having an exclusive pool and jacuzzi's!

Actually, two of the Havana suites do sleep 4. I know for a fact that the one I was in, # 5235, slept 4 because I had the option to add one more person to my cabin (we already had 3) for an additional 1800.

I booked my Havana suite just 3 months before my cruise and at the time, 3 of the 4 suites were available. My daughter also booked a Havana inside at that time. So my suggestion to anyone who wants one of these cabins, check at the time of final payment. Most likely, there will be some cancellations.

The late dining doesn't work for watching the shows right? What time is late dining?

You can catch the shows before dinner, at 7:30, or after, at 9:30, if you have late seating dining at 8:15. I have only done YTD once and hated it.....never again. And on the Vista, we walked by a ridiculous line of people every night waiting for YTD as we went to the dining room.

I just looked at the deck plans, was kind of curious myself. So two of the Havana suites hold 4 people, but as for the others, Steph is correct. Only one regular Havana cabana will sleep 4, and only two will sleep 3. I imagine it is because of the age requirement, not many families are able to book these cabins.