Anyone enjoy the Vista?

I'm recently off the Vista. I was worried after reading recent reviews, but I enjoyed the ship and the spaces. I had fixed time dining, so I didn't have any issues with lines at dining, and I booked specialty restaurants months in advance. I never had any trouble getting into the comedy clubs. We even stayed through a show, got back on line, and got right back in. Many of the spaces are smaller, but there are so many simultaneous activities, it was manageable. There were even chairs available by the pool through mid morning. The big negative is probably the big theater which doesn't exist. It is half theater and half nightclub. I made sure I went early for shows. The sight lines are bad from just about everywhere in that odd space. Not for everyone, but I loved the IMAX. That space was amazing and people go even in the middle of a beautiful sunny day. I will admit I like the Breeze better because it is a prettier ship.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I'm down to five days and I'm stoked based upon what I've seen. Everything has been booked for months including the steakhouse and the dinning time. So all in all I think it's going to be a killer trip!

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Some minor drawbacks, but in all..... BEST CRUISE EVER!!

 

Thank you! I had fun putting it together.

When Vista started sailing in Europe what was the itinerary? I am wondering if Horizon will follow the same itinerary in Europe when it starts sailing in 2018.

Thanks

If you have time, I've written a review on our Europe experience on the Vista (and the Breeze), found in my signature below! Still struggling to finish the last day of the Vista. Sorry...:o

To the OP, Vista wasn't my favorite ship. Lots of small issues that may have been worked out now that she's been sailing a bit longer. Also, (very personal matter of opinion): I didn't care of the decor. To me it felt a bit cold. But I know others have loved it! Of course, I'd never let any of these ruin a cruise for me! You'll have a wonderful time!

I went on the 8 day Eastern Caribbean cruise with 2 friends, 1 in a wheelchair. This is the review that we created while still on board the ship, we were alarmed at the challenges and treatment of people using wheelchairs, scooters, etc. Also concerned about high pressure sales tactics and promised made to my friend who has MS. CruiseCritic declined to publish our review because they said that we didn't work with the cruise company to resolve the issues, but we did in fact attempt to raise our concerns with the cruise ship guest services manager while on board. They suggested that we instead post our "comments" on the boards, so I figured I would put it all here.

We have been cruising for 3 days on the new Carnival Vista and feel that we should warn people with disabilities to look into alternative cruises if they were looking at this new ship. We have 5 days left to go and hope for the best, but we all feel that we would have been better off booking a cruise with Norwegian or Royal Caribbean based upon past experiences. The Carnival Vista's corridors are very narrow. We read some reviews from other passengers and it's true. With the wheelchair, we cannot make it past the vacuums, linen carts and other housekeeping equipment without moving the equipment up or down the hallway. This is true for the balcony floors from 6 up to 9, which is surprising as the hallways for the ocean view rooms, which are less expensive, are much wider. The sales agent assured us that our balcony room would be wheelchair-friendly, but we don't think the hallways on 6 through 9 work for wheelchairs or scooters. And we have a small scale wheelchair. We decided to go with the Anytime Dining option, and it requires a lot of running around the ship with the wheelchair during crowded dinner time lines. First we have to go to Level 5 to get a seating assignment, then we have to go to a different elevator bank to go down to either Level 4 or Level 3 with our ticket to be seated. We have been told by 3 different reservationists the following things: 1. You must go to Level 5 each evening to get your table ticket. No exceptions. 2. Because you have a passenger in a wheelchair, just go to Level 4 of the dining room and the manager will get you right in. 3. Because you have a passenger in a wheelchair, just go to Level 3 to stand in line there to get your table ticket and to be seated. 4. Just go to Level 3 in the lobby between 5:20 and 5:30 pm and get your table ticket from the young lady with the tablet, then you can be seated on Level 3 or Level 4. This random roulette game of how to get our dinner table assignment is confusing because we cannot get the same answer from 2 people. We mentioned all of the craziness to a guest services supervisor who told us that we should just go to Level 4 tomorrow to be seated. The gentleman gave us his name, but we are curious if he has any authority or not and if he will truly follow up on this complaint. We followed up with the supervisor's manager in a closed door session and he was concerned enough to contact our dining room to allow us to simply go to Level 3 to get a table assignment and seated. That was a nice gesture on his part, not sure if they will implement that treatment as a policy for people in wheelchairs or not. The problem, for us, in being assigned to Level 3 of Horizons Dining Room is that there is no wheelchair bathroom on that floor at that end of the ship, so you have to wait during a busy dining period for an elevator to go up to Level 4 to use the wheelchair bathroom, then wait for the elevator to go back down again. It would seem to make more sense to offer the "Anytime Dining" option for both levels and to flag the guest rooms with wheelchairs or scooters to be assigned to Level 4.

We embarked during our assigned half hour and the terminal experience was fine. Once on board the ship, we waited in the lobby bank area for 25 minutes for an elevator that was empty enough to handle the wheelchair and 2 more passengers in our group. Carnival had 2 employees stationed in the elevator lobby area who did nothing to assist passengers with walkers, scooters and wheelchairs. All passengers were frustrated by waiting times for the elevators and were rushing to the opening doors, pushing past our friend in her wheelchair to get inside a car. It would seem that Carnival would be wise to have 1 of the 8 elevators (other elevator banks are used for luggage transfers for several hours) reserved for passengers with mobility devices, but it's hard to know how to convey that type of suggestion to anyone on the ship because the crew and supervisory staff are very quick to let us know that they have no control over these kinds of things. I guess Carnival has never heard of continuous process improvement or the good old fashioned suggestion box.

The thresholds in many public areas of the ship are too high and require "popping a wheelie" to get the large wheel of the wheelchair across the thresholds. This is annoying and potentially unsafe and dangerous for our friend in a wheelchair. It made us wonder if the Vista passed any kind of quality control inspections before the ship was put into service. Perhaps Carnival is not familiar with how to do an inspection to assure smooth transport for passengers with wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers/rollators.

The worst part of the on board experience had to be the post-massage sales pitches to a person with MS and using a wheelchair. We all had the 90 minute seaweed wrap and massage, which was great. We all received the sales pitches afterwards, but our friend with MS and in a wheelchair got an extended version. They took her into a fitness room used for classes, hooked her up to a machine to read fat, bone density, etc. and get a printout. They then moved her to another room where the fitness instructor told her she was a "hot mess" and they had solutions to all of her ailments and would get her off all medications by the end of the cruise. Our friend had just recently switched MS medications and was under the advice of a neurological team and fitness center back home, and this fitness instructor on the ship trashed her team extensively in an effort to sell sell sell. It was our dinner time and we all had to get showered and dressed for dinner (it was past 7 pm), and we booked her another "appointment" to get her out of there because this person would not take "no" for an answer. One of us filed a complaint with the guest services manager about this shameful experience and he assured that the phone calls to our cabin would stop, and they did. If Carnival truly had a miracle cure for MS, then I would expect all Carnival ships with spa services to be booked up 100% by MS patients seeking their cures.

Sorry to hear about your negative experience, Lindakfl. Having traveled with a person in a wheelchair on Princess and Disney ships, we have also experienced the dreaded threshold issue between public areas. As you say, oftentimes popping a wheelie is the easiest method if the person pushing has the strength and dexterity. Otherwise, going backward across the threshold is typically the safest method.

As for the stateroom, I think your travel agent may have unfortunately steered you to the wrong type of cabin (that is, if you were in a standard cabin). While standard cabin might have been able to accommodate the width of the particular wheelchair your companion was using, the hallways are difficult to navigate. I can't speak to the location of accessible cabins on the Vista. But, the accessible rooms we have used on Princess and Disney are at or very near the entryway to an elevator bank. Hence, no need to traverse a long hallway, which can often be blocked by cleaning carts. The doorway in front of the accessible cabin have also been wider, making it easier to get into and out of the room. (I can't recall if the hallway was also wider or not. But it really didn't matter since the room was located near the elevators.)

I loved the Vista. I didn't feel crowds were any worse than other ships, in fact, in some occasions where I expected lines there weren't much of any (BUFFET at lunch..that marketplace is fantastic!).

Sure, the atrium wasn't grandiose and the decor more subdued, but honestly after 2 weeks I didn't even notice anymore.

I loved the Family Harbor cabins and amenities. I loved the waterpark and kids club.

Liked the ship so much we are looking to go again out of Galveston or the new Horizon, probably out of Miami!!!!!

I'm curious to know people's thoughts on the Vista. I have cruised on the Breeze and assume it's very similar? Though it also seems like people don't like it as much. Any insights would be appreciated.

 

 

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we loved Vista! cant wait to check out Horizon too! :)

Just off the Vista last week. Likes and dislikes. Dislikes were primarily structural--small spa, gave away space for cabins on deck 14 versus a 2 deck spa like on the Breeze, Dream, and Magic. Small whirlpool, not a Thalasso, which was always crowded and water looked murky, few heated loungers crowded into the space with the whirlpool, steam rooms never steamy. Missed the glass elevators. Pig and Anchor offerings weren't that great. America Rocks show was so loud it became basic distortion the likes of which would drive a Metallica fan to listen to Mantovani.:D

Likes though were many. Sky Ride. All the specialty restaurants. Alchemy Bar. Craft brews in the Red Frog Pub. Havana Bar's Latin Combo. The fact that you didn't have to walk through the casino to get from one end of the ship to the other. Serenity deck and its great make your own salads. Sports Bar with great TVs. Pixels; although taking up too much space, IMO, a great easy way to see all your ship pictures and order the ones you want on any day of the cruise. Java Cafe in the morning. And more.

The cruise is what you make of it regardless of what others like or dislike. Go, cruise, have a ball:)

DH and I don't care what the reviews say, we are going to have a great time because there is never a bad day on a cruise ship. We are on the Vista Feb 5th Super Bowl Sunday! GO FALCONS!!!

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I'm curious to know people's thoughts on the Vista. I have cruised on the Breeze and assume it's very similar? Though it also seems like people don't like it as much. Any insights would be appreciated.

 

 

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We love it! But too bad we didn't had time to enjoyed because our cruise

was port intensive.

I asked the similar question a month ago and received many responses from people who absolutely loved the Vista. I know that no ship will be perfect, but I am okay with that. Cruises allow me to get away from everything - totally away. (I refuse to ever get the Internet package because I don't want to be connected.)

There are some common complaints among the negative reviews that I will try to plan around, but in previous cruises I never had the problems that some reviewers had on the same ship. I really think a lot of it has to do with differences between people. Some are easy to please, some are extremely hard to please. As a vacation type B person, I am very easy to please. And my husband, who is normally an extreme Type A, is a type ~AB on vacation and has always enjoyed his cruises. I fully expect to have a blast on our next cruise - the Carnival Vista March 2018!:)

We just got off the Vista 11 days ago. We absolutely loved it and have no complaints whatsoever. It's one of our best cruises yet and we've been on 19 of them. Part of that is because there was so much to enjoy on the ship. We ate everywhere, did almost everything and loved it all. I'd go on the Vista again in a heartbeat if it wasn't so expensive. But we're booked on the Breeze for our next cruise since it's almost half the price we paid for the Vista and it has a lot to offer as well.

Thanks for all the great information. We are book Nov 12th to celebrate my birthday and I can't wait!

I would like to hear about the cabins, specifically the Havana Cabana Cabins just booked one on the new ship Horizon, maiden voyage to Europe April 29,2018 if you can tell me why you like the cabins and their location on the ship