mvaughn11

Really enjoying the review! Great pictures!

I would have to second that emotion! I agree with others that port intensive cruises can be taxing but pacing is essential. We did this cruise in June. Stayed 2 days in PR before cruise ( doing old San Juan things) and 2 days after (staying in a nice hotel right one one of their gorgeous beaches). We did beach days at most of the ports except St. Maarten, where we did the snorkeling excursions where the jumbo jets fly over) and St. Lucia where we did the grand tour b/c we wanted to see the Pitons. I was concerned before the cruise that we would not like the ship. It is small and old but... you’re not on the ship that much and IMHO it’s not one of those cruises where you need a grand ship and all that comes with it. I would have to put this cruise up these as one of our favs b/c of all the beautiful places we got to see.

Loving the review and all the marvelous photos!

Thank you for your detailed review. Very informative. We’ve sailed both lines and some others and each time we begin researching our next cruise, we look at all the lines, generally looking at destinations and cost. Our last cruise was on one of Holland America’s new ships. We chose it b/c of itinerary and believe it or not it was cheaper than Carnival. We enjoyed the cruise but I’m not sure we will cruise with them again. We didn’t quite feel that we fit in, even though we liked the food, ship, crew and ports of call. There are ships we’ve been on that we would not do again. Generally for us, there is a lot of factors to consider when deciding on a cruise. We’re not settled on one line so we’re still playing the field, so to speak...

Thank you rkacruiser! Those all sound wonderful!

We will be on her next Sunday! Bon voyage!

Thanks *Miss G*!

Is the food warm when you order MDR room service?

I receive email when I Fax my request. I always print the email and take it with me on the ship, just in case. Never had a problem.

Is Dr. Pepper a PepsiCo product?

@GlennG can you please elaborate? Many here have replied that Canaletto is good. What has been your experience that you would rate it like Olive Garden? Any info. you could provide would be helpful. We are on NS for our 1st HAL cruise in 2 weeks and want to be able to make an informed decision. Thanks!

Yes

We checked in on Vista 2 weeks ago today. We did not have FTTF. Our checkin time was 12:00 to 12:30. We arrived at 11:40. There was no line. We walked right in, checked in and walked all the way onto the ship. No waiting in a loading zone. We were on board before 12:00.

Do you need or have to get reservations in advance or do you just Taxi there and show up ?

We are going to stay at the Sheraton Old San Juan across the street from the Port.