Carnival Vista - Back to Back Review - Feb 18 - Mar 4

[Biff Cruizer]

Can you comment in more detail about your Deck 14 balcony? Specifically, how was the lack of roof? Location? Was rocking bad that high up? These balconies are the only ones left (I'm currently booked in inside spa cabin on deck 11) and I'm debating. Thanks!

 

Our cabin was 14214 and was directly below the hot tub. On our balcony, if I stretch my neck, I could see a person in the hot tub; provided they were sitting on the seaside. From the hot tub, I looked down and could not see my balcony. Maybe if I really leaned over, I could have. However, I did not want to fall off the ship. We were in this cabin for the western Caribbean part of the cruise and did not have any rocking. The only issue was that there was a party on the Serenity deck on the 2nd to last night of the cruise. The Fun Times said it went from 10 PM - Late. Late = 2 AM. We complained enough to Guest Services about that. More on that in a later post.

 

Deck 14 has the hair and nail salon. You can go directly there without checking in on deck 12 (there is no deck 13). Also, at the end of the hallway, you will exit to the Water Works. Only 2 elevators go to deck 14 and they tend to stop on every floor. Best bet to catch an elevator quicker is to go down one deck. All elevators stop there.

 

 

I hope this info helps. It was a quiet room, except for the party above us for that one night.

[Biff Cruizer]

Cozumel: 2/22/18

 

There were many ships in Cozumel on 2/22, including the Miracle. Our friends were on the Miracle. They originally told us that they were to be in Cozumel the day before us. I believe they missed Belize due to weather/rough seas and headed to Cozumel instead. We first spotted our friend’s parents. Then after our excursion, our friends spotted us at Fat Tuesdays.

 

We had fun at this port. We went on an excursion called Salsa, Salsa and Margaritas. The tour took us to Hotel Cozumel. We first learned how to make 2 kinds of margaritas. Then we made 6 different types of salsa (red tomato, tomatillo, guacamole, etc). All were good. The margaritas were good. After we made and drank our initial margaritas, our cups kept getting refilled with more and more margaritas. I had to stop after 5 refills. We had the salsa to eat plus some light snacks. After food and drinks, we learned how to salsa dance. Fernando was our tour guide and was wonderful. Stephanie and Daphne were the hosts/instructors. They were very fun. I recommend this excursion.

 

After our excursion, we shopped a bit at the port and then went for a late lunch and some drinks at Fat Tuesdays. That is where our friends spotted us.

 

Good port day. After dinner, we watched Flick. We really enjoyed this show. It showcases famous songs from movies.

 

 

 

Chef Joe:

 

 

 

All we need:

 

Salsa:

 

 

The group:

 

Our friends at Fat Tuesdays:

 

 

 

 

 

… Next: A disruptive party

[Biff Cruizer]

…. Now for the bad part of our trip…. THE PARTY!

 

I do not complain about much. I normally let things go. However, this one bothered me.

 

 

There was a late night party on the Serenity deck. The Fun Times said it went until late. My wife had a headache and we were both tired. Our room was vibrating from the music above. I went down to Guest Services around midnight and asked when will this party end. They said it should be over by 12:30. 12:30 came and went and the party was still going on. I called guest services and got another answer… This time they said 1:00 – 1:15. Since the party was still going on at 1:30, I called guest services again. Now they said the party will end at 2 AM. We were not happy. I guess “Late” in the Fun Times = 2 AM. Normally, I would let this party go, but I did not like the 20 different answers I got from Guest Services. They had no idea of when the party would end. It finally ended at 2:10 AM. On the bright side, we did get a small credit to our S&S account.

 

 

 

… Next: Last sea day and wrap up of our 1st week.

[RS77471]

Following!

[Get your fat pants on]

…. Now for the bad part of our trip…. THE PARTY!

 

I do not complain about much. I normally let things go. However, this one bothered me.

 

 

There was a late night party on the Serenity deck. The Fun Times said it went until late. My wife had a headache and we were both tired. Our room was vibrating from the music above. I went down to Guest Services around midnight and asked when will this party end. They said it should be over by 12:30. 12:30 came and went and the party was still going on. I called guest services and got another answer… This time they said 1:00 – 1:15. Since the party was still going on at 1:30, I called guest services again. Now they said the party will end at 2 AM. We were not happy. I guess “Late” in the Fun Times = 2 AM. Normally, I would let this party go, but I did not like the 20 different answers I got from Guest Services. They had no idea of when the party would end. It finally ended at 2:10 AM. On the bright side, we did get a small credit to our S&S account.

 

 

 

… Next: Last sea day and wrap up of our 1st week.

 

 

 

Thanks for the review. We leave on the Vista in April doing the same back to back!!

 

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

Great start to your review, a B2B is on our bucket list. Enjoy the reading of it and the pics as well.

 

 

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[jimbri]

Great review and photos!

[Mikew0805]

Fantastic review and pics so far. Looking forward to more.

 

 

FYI - Celebration was released by Kool & the Gang in September 1980. Still not quite the 70's but it is a "70's" fave.

[chefjellynow]

Fantastic review and pics so far. Looking forward to more.

 

 

FYI - Celebration was released by Kool & the Gang in September 1980. Still not quite the 70's but it is a "70's" fave.

Party pooper hehe

[Mikew0805]

Party pooper hehe

 

I love the song... you will see me doing this...

 

[Biff Cruizer]

Last sea day and cruise (week one) wrap up: 2/23/18 – 2/24/18

 

On the last sea day, have pity on me… life is tough… I got another massage. This time it was a bamboo massage. Again, Bibi was my masseuse and the massage was wonderfully relaxing. I did like the hot stone massage better and I let Bibi know that. I told her that I may come back for another hot stone massage on the last sea day of the 2nd part of our cruise.

 

After the massage, my wife and I went to Cucina del Capitano for lunch. Lunch is free and it is the same ordering process as the Mongolian place. You fill out an order form of what type of pasta, sauce, etc you want and then it is brought to your table. We enjoyed our pasta lunch. We are Catholic and do not eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. This is a good place for a meatless meal.

 

For the afternoon, I played trivia and went to the casino. My wife wanted me out of the room so she can pack our bags. We were moving to another cabin for part 2 of our cruise. All bags had to be packed and ready to be moved Saturday morning. She says she can pack quicker without me being there to distract her.

 

After trivia (no wins for me), I played Let It Ride in the casino. I did not remember how to play, so the dealer helped me. It was only us at the table. I came out way ahead of what I expected so I took my chips and cashed them in.

 

After dinner, we had some drinks at the Alchemy Bar. After that, I participated in Matt’s song trivia. We only had to write down the name of the song. I missed one. His trivia was at 10:15 PM in the atrium and a lot of fun.

 

 

Matt standing on the bar in front of me:

 

 

 

Matt and I (selfie):

 

 

 

 

Odds and ends:

 

I forgot to mention our wonderful cabin steward, Patrick. He was from Jamaica. Very nice guy and kept our room looking good. Always had the bucket of ice ready for us and actually folded some of our clothing that we left on the couch.

 

The 6 day cruise to the western Caribbean was very enjoyable. We met a lot of good people (passengers and crew). I did not see many kids running around, even though there were many kids aboard. I asked several of them (and their parents) where they are from. Most were from New York. A lot of school districts in NY have a winter break. The bed was very comfortable. A nice firm mattress; just right for me.

 

Saturday morning around 4 AM, we were in Miami. We got up at 7:30 and left our room at 8:30. Left all our luggage behind. We headed to the Lido deck and had the very delicious Blue Iguana breakfast burritos. At 9:45, we reported to the Limelight Lounge (4 aft) and waited for the next part of our cruise to begin.

 

 

Miami in the morning:

 

 

 

... Coming soon is part 2; eastern Caribbean

[mikel24m]

Last sea day and cruise (week one) wrap up: 2/23/18 – 2/24/18

 

On the last sea day, have pity on me… life is tough… I got another massage. This time it was a bamboo massage. Again, Bibi was my masseuse and the massage was wonderfully relaxing. I did like the hot stone massage better and I let Bibi know that. I told her that I may come back for another hot stone massage on the last sea day of the 2nd part of our cruise.

 

After the massage, my wife and I went to Cucina del Capitano for lunch. Lunch is free and it is the same ordering process as the Mongolian place. You fill out an order form of what type of pasta, sauce, etc you want and then it is brought to your table. We enjoyed our pasta lunch. We are Catholic and do not eat meat on Fridays during the Lenten season. This is a good place for a meatless meal.

 

For the afternoon, I played trivia and went to the casino. My wife wanted me out of the room so she can pack our bags. We were moving to another cabin for part 2 of our cruise. All bags had to be packed and ready to be moved Saturday morning. She says she can pack quicker without me being there to distract her.

 

After trivia (no wins for me), I played Let It Ride in the casino. I did not remember how to play, so the dealer helped me. It was only us at the table. I came out way ahead of what I expected so I took my chips and cashed them in.

 

After dinner, we had some drinks at the Alchemy Bar. After that, I participated in Matt’s song trivia. We only had to write down the name of the song. I missed one. His trivia was at 10:15 PM in the atrium and a lot of fun.

 

 

Matt standing on the bar in front of me:

 

 

 

Matt and I (selfie):

 

 

 

 

Odds and ends:

 

I forgot to mention our wonderful cabin steward, Patrick. He was from Jamaica. Very nice guy and kept our room looking good. Always had the bucket of ice ready for us and actually folded some of our clothing that we left on the couch.

 

The 6 day cruise to the western Caribbean was very enjoyable. We met a lot of good people (passengers and crew). I did not see many kids running around, even though there were many kids aboard. I asked several of them (and their parents) where they are from. Most were from New York. A lot of school districts in NY have a winter break. The bed was very comfortable. A nice firm mattress; just right for me.

 

Saturday morning around 4 AM, we were in Miami. We got up at 7:30 and left our room at 8:30. Left all our luggage behind. We headed to the Lido deck and had the very delicious Blue Iguana breakfast burritos. At 9:45, we reported to the Limelight Lounge (4 aft) and waited for the next part of our cruise to begin.

 

 

Miami in the morning:

 

 

 

... Coming soon is part 2; eastern Caribbean

Did you try the lasagna for lunch in the Cucina del capitano? OMG I am drooling waiting for that! Best lasagna I've ever had. And the homemade ice cream /gelato during lunch. I need some stretchy pants :)

 

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[PrettyHazardous]

Great Review So far. We were on Vista last August. Sorry to see that Anna is no longer at Alchemy. She as awesome! Looking forward to the rest of ur review!

[Beachiekeen]

Great review, will be on Vista next year--seems like it will never get here!

[Biff Cruizer]

Did you try the lasagna for lunch in the Cucina del capitano? OMG I am drooling waiting for that! Best lasagna I've ever had. And the homemade ice cream /gelato during lunch. I need some stretchy pants :)

 

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I had it on the Breeze and Sunshine and loved it. However, it has meat in it. We, as Catholics, give up eating meat every Friday during the Lenten season. However, we did eat at Cucina del Capitano for dinner one night and had a veal dish that was delicious. Also, the meatballs are wonderful.

[Biff Cruizer]

Part 2: Eastern Caribbean

 

Back to Back Info:

 

At 9:45 we reported to the Limelight Lounge. That is where we turned in our S&S cards (we got them back later) and issued new cards. We waited in the lounge. There were continental breakfast items and champagne for us. We waited for the ship to be cleared of all other guests from the previous cruise. By 10:05, we were out of the lounge and headed to the staircase between decks 4 and 3 for a group photo. After the photo, we were all lead off the ship to go to customs. We showed the agent our passport and then we were shown where to line up. We were the first in line. After the whole group was processed in customs, we were all lead back onto the ship. On the previous embarkation, Carnival scanned our passport photo to link to our S&S account. This embarkation, Carnival took a new photo. My wife was the first one on the ship and I was 2nd. A very nice feeling. We headed to our new room on deck 7 (7255). The room was almost ready. We met our cabin steward, Leonard, he had S&S cards for us. Now we were confused of which ones to use. Guest services straightened it all out. The ones Leonard gave us were the correct ones to use.

 

At this point, it is 10:30 AM. We went to the Lido deck and sat at a table at Guys. We made some phone calls and enjoyed the quiet ship. Then at 11:05, the passengers are boarding. We went back to our cabin, which was ready and the luggage was delivered.

 

We were waiting for my sister and friend to board. Their boarding time was noon. However, they were on a later bus from their hotel and would not be boarding at noon. So, my wife and I went to Guys Pig and Anchor again for lunch. After lunch, we went back to the room. I gathered some laundry (shirts) and went to the laundry room. When I got back to our cabin, the rest of the party was there. They left their carry-on bags in our room and went to get lunch. We had other laundry to be taken care of, so I sent it off to be washed. I like this service.

 

… Next is the rest of the embarkation day (including the steak house again).

[tchakra0124]

I love the song... you will see me doing this...

 

Love it, too. Even tho, Kool's "Get Down On It" is the better song.

 

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[Katie62]

Great review. We were on the Vista last June for an 8 day Southern Caribbean itinerary. Our first B2B coming up soon on the Breeze.

 

 

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[Biff Cruizer]

Here is a photo taken around 4:15 AM as we arrived back in Miami on 2/24. We were turning around to dock.

 

[Biff Cruizer]

Here are the towel animals from the 1st part of the cruise. We did not get one on the first night.

 

 

 

 

 

[Biff Cruizer]

Sail away, drinks and dinner: 2/24/18

 

Muster drill was at 3:20. We were in muster station A5. This would go a lot quicker if everyone shows up for the drill. If you don't show up, your name and cabin number gets called by Matt (cruise director).

 

After muster drill, we went up on deck for the sail away party.

 

 

After Sail Away, we went to the Alchemy Bar for a martini tasting. Go Yulia!

 

 

Dinner was at the steakhouse. Delicious as always. Our friend was celebrating her 40th birthday and we told the steakhouse about this on the prior cruise. We asked for and got Ivana again as our server. We ordered the Art At Table dessert. In order to get this dessert, the whole table has to have it; no other desserts. The dessert was entertaining and good. Video and photo below.

 

 

 

Did not do much after dinner. Lounged around and then went to bed.

 

 

... Next is first sea day, Cruise Critic meet and mingle and slot pull

Edited March 14, 2018 by Biff Cruizer

[ABQrobin]

photos and videos are not working....

[Biff Cruizer]

photos and videos are not working....

 

Please try it now. I now just have the YouTube links instead of the video being embedded. I did not see any issue with the photos.

[Biff Cruizer]

Here is a photo taken around 4:15 AM as we arrived back in Miami on 2/24. We were turning around to dock.

 

Had upload issue... here is the photo.

 

[Biff Cruizer]

Here are the towel animals from the 1st part of the cruise. We did not get one on the first night.

 

 

Upload issues: Here are the photos, I hope.