April 1st Vista Review - No Fool's! :)

Just returned yesterday from our 6 day Western Caribbean on the Vista. I read many reviews leading up to our cruise, and thought I would attempt a short review to help others.

"We" are myself, DH, and DDs 14 and 11. We have all cruised before. We were excited to try the Vista! I will cite the good and the bad.

PreCruise Day:

We arrived in Miami on 3/31 around 11:00, and took Uber to our hotel - Hampton Inn Brickell. (Quick note here...we always checked Uber vs. Lyft...UberXL was cheaper than Lyft to the hotel, but for the rest of our trip, Lyft won - DH had Lyft on his phone and I had Uber, so it was quick to check!) Thank you to those (especially Keith) that recommended this hotel. Perfect for what we needed, nice pool, decent breakfast! The area had plenty that was walkable. Last year we were in NYC for spring break, and fell in love with Neopolitan Pizza - upon a suggestion I heard on here, we went to Mister01 for pizza. Delicious, inexpensive, quick and outdoor seating! We were all immensely pleased with our choice!! Next, we decided to wander South Beach. We used Lyft to South Beach. We loved the beach, walking Ocean Ave. and people watching. Had read about the crazy dining prices there, and wow...people weren’t kidding! We decided to head back to Miami for dinner. Kids were getting tired, too, after travelling early that morning. We used Lyft back to Bayside Marketplace and ate there - not the best, still touristy, but we were all tired and it was nice to be by the water. Headed back to the hotel to rest up and get ready for the cruise!

Embarkation Day!

Finally, it had arrived! We had waited and planned over a year out, so after a quick breakfast at the hotel (simple, but tasty!) we left around 10:15. We had FTTF, so once we had been dropped off, we didn’t stop...made it through all lines to the waiting area in about 10 minutes! Sat at the FTTF waiting section for about 15 minutes, and embarkation started right at 11:00! We were shocked how early it was! (Pleasantly shocked...when asking a security guard, he mentioned it had started around noon the day before.)

Made our way quickly up the gangway and to the shore excursion desk to try to get Behind the Fun. We were 3rd on the list (yay!!! - more on that later!) and had drink in hand by noon! Truly the easiest embarkation ever. Lunch, unpacking and getting ready for the muster drill took some time. It was painless, we were sent to the Liquid Lounge upstairs. It was then where I realized what I’d read about - what a horrible set up! We were in the second row balcony, and I couldn’t fathom watching a show from there. No worries, just made a mental note to myself! :) Drill went smoothly, then headed to the Sail Away party and laid eyes on Matt Mitchum for the first time. WOW! What an engaging and charismatic CD! Never thought they mattered much until we had him! Just full of life, fun and energy!! What does he EAT?? After the party was winding down, we went to the front of the ship - low and behold, found Matt and his crew! Got a great shot with him, and he was so nice about it. Went to the dining room to see about switching from late to YTD, and the maitre’D was very helpful and we were set! Explored the ship the rest of the day… Checked in at YTD, waitstaff was okay, wasn’t sure what to make of our choice until the second day… Just hung out that night exploring and having fun! Went to the Welcome Aboard show and all of us laughed - how Matt comes up with things that quickly is beyond me!

Short summaries of each day:

Sea Day:

We (I) never really sleep in on vacation, so we were up early and ready for breakfast. DH had been dreaming of Breakfast Burritos, so we went there while the girls went to the continental breakfast line. Burritos were delicious, and kids ate typical breakfast food. While at sea, we played bags, had cocktails, did the ropes course (ummm...note to anyone afraid of heights...be sure to drink before AND after!). Line for SkyRide was long (no surprise!) so we skipped that for the time being. Read, napped, got Vitamin D, swam, did the water slides….which was all fun! Got dressed up for Cruise Elegant night, then went to the Alchemy Bar before dinner (this was our ritual!). We were seated with Bryan and Marcus, whom we requested every night after! They were wonderful to our girls, funny and sweet and truly a pleasure to meet!!

Ocho Rios, Jamaica:

Here we did the Party Cruise/Dunn’s River Falls excursion through Carnival. We don’t usually do Carnival excursions, but we did this time. It worked great - we took a catamaran to DRF instead of a bus, hiked the falls and returned.

Grand Cayman:

DH and I have been to GC often, and we have done the stingrays with our girls. Youngest DD really wanted to snuba, so we decided to do it in Cayman at the shipwreck. You could only book this through Carnival, so it was yet another Carnival excursion! It was great, though - a short walk to the site, simple instructions, and off we went! It was amazing once you (me) got over your fear of claustrophobic drowning! To anyone who hesitates...just keep repeating, “You CAN breathe, you CAN breathe….” :) We did some shopping at the port after then headed back to the ship. Dinner that night was back with our requested waitstaff! In essence, YTD then is able to be like assigned seating, just without the assigned time, if that makes sense? On this trip, we decided it is all we will do from now on…

Cozumel:

Having been to Cozumel many times, and because we did get spots on Behind the Fun, we elected to more or less stay on the ship this day (our first time ever not doing an excursion!). The girls and I went to port to shop a bit, and returned before lunch. We rode the SkyRide (10 minute wait vs. 60!) a few times, did the ropes courses again, and took advantage of the water park! DD14 and I, who are foodies, had Steakhouse reservations this night - DH and DD11 had JiJi’s reservations. It was fun to separate for an evening. JiJi’s, in their opinion, was just meh (though was loved by all for lunch!!!!!). The Steakhouse was….phenomenal! We loved each course, and my DD especially loved the pampering and one on one time. I won’t ruin the dessert course, but order the Art...it was incredible (and delicious!)

Sea Day 2:

Up early for our Behind the Fun tour. We met at 8:45 in the Steakhouse. This was such a unique opportunity, I’m so glad we did it!! The tour included the galley, engine control room, crew areas, storage areas, and, of course, the bridge! It was a great “peek” behind all that happens to make cruise vacations special! It was mind boggling to think of all they make happen! (Of course now both girls want to work on a cruise ship….#gapyear) There were unexpected surprises and nice touches that made us feel it was worth the money! Likely won’t do it again, but if you have the chance, it was a great 4 hours! The rest of our day was spent sunning, swimming and bemoaning the fact that it was only a 6 day instead of 7 day cruise! #neveragain #nexttimeeight

Debarkation:

All good things must come to an end! We were in no hurry to get off the ship, with a flight at 1:55 out of FLL. We had a leisurely breakfast. Debarkation seemed slow, according to announcements and grumblings, but like I said, that didn’t affect us. We left the ship around 10:30, and went quickly through customs, with plenty of time to waste at the airport.

To sum up!!

The Good:

• Cruise Director Matt was the best ever! Never thought I’d search a CD out, but I might in the future!
  
• YTD was perfect for us - if you haven’t tried it, go for it!
  
• SkyRide - super fun, but do on a port day!
  
• Havana Hot Tub at night (the whole area, actually...made me want to stay there!)
  
• Serenity Area (except on the last sea day when there was a woman with the LOUDEST voice ever...would take a quiet 17 year old any day!)
  
• Deck 5...there are quiet spots in the sun and shade ALL OVER deck 5. If you can’t find a pool chair by the Lido, go to Deck 5 - one of our favorite places on the ship.
  
• Speaking of Deck 5, there was an Ocean Plaza bar just past the Alchemy and before the Havana area that was NEVER crowded!
  
• Breakfast Burritos! :)
  
• Dive In Movies - especially The Greatest Showman!!! One of our favorites, and under the stars...incredible!!
  

The Not-So-Good

• Pizza line...really?! They can’t anticipate pizza needs any faster? They need more than 2 people!
  
• View at the main lounge - if you don’t have floor seats near the front, forget it! How did no one notice this during planning?!
  

Random Notes:

• Had read lots of people missed the big atrium. We didn’t feel one way or the other, really. Liked the funnel and changing scenes. And as for decor, felt less “gaudy” which can be positive or negative depending on your preferences. When we cruise, we aim to spend as much time as possible outside, so maybe that is why it didn’t really matter to us?
  
• Shows - we saw the Welcome Aboard show, Love and Marriage, and Flick. All were good, but again, see note about seating. Can’t say I would’ve enjoyed them if I had to sit anywhere besides the floor towards the front!
  
• Lip Sync battle was fun to watch on the Lido deck, bummed we missed the “finale”!
  
• Embarkation Day - stay away from the Lido bars, go to the back of the ship!
  

All in all, we had a great time with amazing weather! Any questions, more than happy to answer! Thanks to everyone who offered help or answered questions through my planning!

Did you happen to notice if there were any booths in the YTD dining room?

Also, is lox still on the Deli menu?

Thanks for any answers you can provide.

I don't recall seeing booths, but there were definitely tables that were separate by the windows. There are 2 levels to YTD, though, so not sure about the upper (we always went to 3rd floor because of our request).

And yes, I think Lox was still there, but only ate the Reuben! :)

GREAT review! For the Behind the Fun your, do you get to go on the bridge or at least view it? Thanks.

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We had many of the same observations of our cruise on the Vista in March. In fact I made many of the same comments in my trip report.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the cruise.

Vista was the first ship to be refitted with all high speed wireless and internet access

Was it better than in the past on other Carnival ships?

Thanks!!!!!

Thanks for the review.

GREAT review! For the Behind the Fun your, do you get to go on the bridge or at least view it? Thanks.

 

 

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You get to go on the bridge - that is where we got a picture with the captain. Incredible to see their view!!

Vista was the first ship to be refitted with all high speed wireless and internet access

 

 

Was it better than in the past on other Carnival ships?

We didn't use the wifi - we go to unplug! But we did use the chat function on the Carnival Hub app, and it was quick (I had heard of delayed messages).

Thanks for the Review!

Vista was the first ship to be refitted with all high speed wireless and internet access

 

 

Was it better than in the past on other Carnival ships?

We didn't use the wifi - we go to unplug! But we did use the chat function on the Carnival Hub app, and it was quick (I had heard of delayed messages).

We paid the $5 per device to use the chat function and it was terrible, most messages were never delivered and if they were it usually took over a day.

I have seen people posting live videos from on board while at sea though so it does seem to work for some people.

We paid the $5 per device to use the chat function and it was terrible, most messages were never delivered and if they were it usually took over a day.

 

I have seen people posting live videos from on board while at sea though so it does seem to work for some people.

On Vista? What week were you on?

On Vista? What week were you on?

We sailed on the Vista from March 4th to 10th.

Did your kids go to the kids clubs at all?

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We felt the same about most all of your observations. Deck 5 MAKES this ship - so many places to sit comfortably in shade or sun. Matt is spectacular, would follow him anywhere! The ship isn't pretty, the Liquid Lounge is downright ugly. Ditto for the MDR.

Thanks for the report.

Glad you enjoyed the Vista...We too had a wonderful time on Vista this past November. Glad to hear Matt still is in form!!