Superbowl Cruise #3 on the Vista!

[Gumbo4Life]

We were pleasantly surprised by the Vista.  We have sailed on the Breeze twice and the Valor once and absolutely loved the Breeze and reviews we had read before the cruise had us expecting a ship that was crowded, long lines for everything, smoke coming out of the casino all the time and not so great food, etc.  You get the idea.  I am happy to report sailing on the Vista was a very nice experience and we would definitely sail on her again in the future.

 

The good:

+ A big shout out to Matt M. who was born to be a Cruise Director, he really is a natural and contributed to our cruise experience. Funny, funny, funny...

+ Music - I finally have been on a cruise that I liked (most of) the music.  From the band Farmer to the Piano player (Josh) and the other musicians, "the horns" etc, we really enjoyed the music.

+ Music #2 – The Vista actually had live music for one of the shows, not too many cruise ships are doing that nowadays and it was a pleasant surprise!

+ The food - we did not have one single bad experience related to food.  From the MDR, Steakhouse, Iguana burritos, Guys burgers as well as the buffet, salad on the Serenity deck, etc. the food exceeded our expectations (this is one area we were really concerned about, again, based on some of those reviews).  There were several areas that we did not eat though, will have to try them out on the next cruise.  😊  

+ Big TV - we had an Ocean suite and while we didn't watch TV that often it was nice to have a full size TV in the room! (I’m not a fan of the TV remote though).

+ Embarkation.  Getting on the ship was great, I don’t think we ever stopped walking (well, maybe a time or two) but never had to sit down, just walked onto the ship!

++ A big "thank you" to the medical crew that took care of my better half, very professional, friendly, understanding and efficient - really exceeded my expectations!  I understand that there were quite a few folks that came down with some type of 24 hour bug.  When we got to the medical center we were the only patient but when we left there were 3-4 waiting.

 

Opportunities:

- If you have read any review on the Vista you will no doubt have read about the theater.  The design of the Liquid Theater is OK but could have been better.  At two floors it seems smaller than the theater in the Breeze, I could be wrong though, it may have the same number of seats.  The floors are flat so back rows don't have a good view, additionally, the posts block many views as well. 

- When we first walked into our cabin (7333) it had a pretty strong what seemed like a mildew smell but thankfully keeping the bathroom door closed kept the smell isolated and it was completely gone in a few days.  Never figured out what it was... 

- Balcony had 3 chairs and one table, would have preferred one chair, table and lounger.  It was not that big of a deal and I didn’t ask if any loungers were available. 

- Disembarkation - They parked us in the Reflections restaurant while we waited but we couldn't hear any announcements and subsequently were delayed getting off the ship.  This can be improved on, someone should be in these areas making announcements (I heard that other areas had the same problem). 

- We did miss being able to walk completely around the ship on deck 5 like you can on the Breeze as on the Vista you run into the “Havana” area which by the looks of it is very nice.

- Overall the crew were ok, they were polite, professional and did their jobs.  Our cabin steward was efficient, we barely saw her, but she did keep the room clean and the ice bucket full!

 

Other:

When we were boarding in Galveston we definitely could smell smoke in the stairways near the casino but interestingly it was not an issue again for the rest of the cruise (did not smell smoke).  Probably something about the ventilation when docked.

This was our 3^rd Superbowl cruise in a row and the New England Patriots have been in everyone.  While the game proved only so interesting, I was looking forward to the commercials but alas, the commercials are not shown on the boat (I should have known that) but we did hang in for the whole game this time. 

It is amazing that looking back on it, we spent an entire week on this ship and there are so many things we didn’t see or do.  We never got to a comedy show for example.  How does that happen?

 

In Cozumel we did what we always do, rented a car, drove around the island and flew my drone in a quite but scenic location.  We ate at the highest restaurant on the island “Coconuts” and rented the car from Alamo.  Easy and not very expensive.  Always a good day in Cozumel.

 

In Belize we just took the tender to the port area and did some shopping, went back to the ship and enjoyed a quiet afternoon.

 

In Roatan in Honduras we did the “Best of Roatan” tour with Bodden tours.   http://www.boddentours.com/bestofroatan.htm   With this tour you get a private driver for the day and basically set your own schedule.  They will suggest things to do or see but it is up to you.  Your driver is a local and knowledgeable about the area and will tell you as much or as little as you want to hear.  We ended up seeing the Monkeys and Sloths and took a boat for 1 hour or so for snorkeling.  Also had lunch on the water, a very nice day overall and I would do it again if back in Roatan.

 

Now that we are back I stopped by the cafeteria at work and came home and said I ate at “the buffet” which got a good laugh. 

Thanks for reading… Any questions?

Now, to select the next ports!
🙂

 

If you know Galveston, we had the typical fog on the first day but it didn't delay departure.

 

The Vista!

 

The atrium

Salad bar on Serenity deck

 

Cozumel as seen from the drone

One of many very nice sunsets!

Edited February 15, 2019 by Gumbo4Life

[Beachiekeen]

What nice pictures, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the Vista in April!

[bury me at sea]

Thanks for posting such a nice review of your Vista cruise.  I'm glad you enjoyed your experience and the ship.

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the review.

Great pictures!

[elcuchio24]

great pics, go Pats!

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the review.  I know about the fog in Galveston, we were delayed a day on our sailing, glad you were able to make it out on time.

[Joebucks]

Was also on a Superbowl cruise, it was a great time. I also really missed the commercials. Never thought I would say that line in my life.

[five.]

I am surprised the drone is allowed on the ship. Would you risk flying it with the ship underway? Off of a balcony or lido? I am not condoning it or saying it's a good idea. Just curious how well drones work these days, if it would be super risky to do so.

[asdjl]

they didn't fly the drone on the ship, they flew it on Cozumel

 

[Gumbo4Life]

5 hours ago, five. said:

I am surprised the drone is allowed on the ship. Would you risk flying it with the ship underway? Off of a balcony or lido? I am not condoning it or saying it's a good idea. Just curious how well drones work these days, if it would be super risky to do so.

 

No, flying on the ship is not permitted.  I was many, many miles away from the ship when we flew and in an area where is it permissible to fly safely.  I have been flying R/C aircraft as well as drones for a long time and wouldn't risk my drone or the safety of other people just to get a picture.  Thanks for your comment as I'm sure others may be thinking the same thing - and hopefully won't try to fly off of the ship.  I have noticed most of the ports have "no drone" signs.  🙂

 

 

 

        

[mvaughn11]

Great review! Not too long, not too short... we’re looking forward to Spring Break on the Vista!