Better late than never photo dump, Vista Thanksgiving '21

[TxTeach79]

Hey y'all! 

 

I know this is a good bit late and all, but I recently sailed solo on the Vista over Thanksgiving week (third cruise post-COVID, first two on the Breeze), and as I'm getting amped up for my March Horizon sailing I wanted to relive it a little and dump some photos here. It won't be great, since I wasn't planning on doing any sort of review and never had that mindset when taking pics, but hey, it's a little something at least. 

 

Long story short, my gf had a wedding in Savannah she had to attend, and since I'm still riding the wave of ridiculous deals, I went ahead and booked a solo jaunt on Vista. My first time on a Vista class ship after several on Holiday/Fantasy/Conquest/Dream class...

[TxTeach79]

Four hours down the road after work on Friday and into Houston. Hotels in Galveston cost twice as much, and since I'm solo and I've been there done that many times over, I'd just as soon save the money and get a good's night rest.... so, let's hit the ol' standby Fairfield Inn in Spring, TX.

 

 

Yeaaahhh, brah! Gnarly room number, amirite????

 

 

 

Streaming my favorite sports radio station on the way down makes the drive so much quicker. 

 

 

Pretty roomy for a Fairfield. Nice room. Didn't do much but shower, watch about a half hour of the Mavs game, and crash, but it did the job!

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

Is the Fairfield breakfast a culinary treat? Absolutely not. But does it immediately kick my brain into "Hey, you're on vacation!" mode? Unequivocally YES. 

 

 

1472. I love my weird aft corner L shaped massive oceanviews. 

 

 

Funwagon South! Beautiful day for the hour and a half to G Town!

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

I swear, it's like the shuffle on my Apple Music just KNOWS...

 

 

 

Heading over that Galveston Bay bridge onto the island is always a big moment.

 

 

Whipping around Harborside, got my first glimpse of Dream and Vista! Big adrenaline moment. 

 

 

Parked, grabbed my bags, document folder, and hustled to the shuttle. Worst thing about the port facilities at Galveston is the parking location, but I'm used to it. Usually try to stay at the Harbor House hotel next door and walk it, but it's been astronomical lately. 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

So a quick note about my near fiasco getting onboard.... in the hustle to the shuttle, dragging my luggage, off the shuttle, into the pier... well, at some point my vax cards sprung loose from the folder I had them in. I backtracked, nothing. Nada. Zip. At this point I was resigned to the fact that I'd just need to book a few nights at the Horseshoe in Bossier City and go drink and gamble my cares away, but lucky for me Denton County Texas USA keeps great online records of vaccinations and the records on my iPhone breezed me right through with no problems. WHEW.

 

Anyway, I was in group 2 and hardly sat down before I was onboard. Actually, there was a brief delay as they held off embarkation for a few minutes while a few Galveston cops literally ran through the embark room and onto the ship, so that seemed exciting and shady... anywho, a few minutes later I was on! 

 

Odd to me, we embarked down on Deck 2 and walked down a stateroom corridor, not into the lobby/atrium....

 

 

Dropped my bag off, headed up top..

 

Tides Pool 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's the Harbor House hotel where I usually try and stay. 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

a tradition unlike any other.... straight to Guy's for that first onboard meal of the cruise....

 

 

Had to check out the IMAX since I've never been on Vista class before... I had the best of intentions to see the new Ghostbusters movie at some point during the week, and I saved it on my Fun Times on the app almost daily, but I just never ended up getting around to it...

 

 

Me trying to explain to my late 70 something parents back home exactly how the menus were gonna work on their upcoming Breeze sailing.... waaaaay easier said than done!

 

 

Rum Jumper from RFP... first of many. I'm excited about Flavortown, but I'll miss the Frog on Horizon.

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

Also meant to do the brewery tour dealie in the RFP, but drank my way past that too. Maybe on Horizon. 

 

 

Pixels. I never do pictures, but I thought it looked cool. Much better setup on this class of ship IMHO. 

 

 

Where the casino bar once stood... is it still there on Horizon? (Also, that little devil gave and took away. A lot. Mostly the latter. Can't trust satan. Who knew??)

 

 

Piano Bar 88. Okay, we spent a lot of time in the piano bar on our recent Breeze cruise, and I don't know if it's because the bar is more open and less enclosed on the Breeze or what, but for this entire cruise there was a crewmember stationed outside the door metering people in and out based on occupancy at night. Kind of a bummer. 

 

 

Skybox! Spent a ton of time in here. Great bartenders, they had basically every NFL game (getting to see my beloved Cowboys vomit all over themselves twice was a real treat... at least I was at sea!), and I was more often than not able to score a seat at the bar.

 

 

 

 

I really dug the stairwell art. It's the little things. I'm easily amused. 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

Tried to embed a tour of my weird big cabin, but I don't think it's happening

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

Okay maybe this'll work

 

https://youtu.be/LI3gdZmnjQg

[TxTeach79]

Getting closer to sailaway time now. Muster is the most ridiculously easy thing ever now and I hope it never changes back. Bars didn't close or anything. I think they were supposed to, but the Tides Bar kinda put on a "we're closing" show and just made me another drink... everyone wins. 

 

 

Heru was the man. I chose evening, per usual. He was awesome. Never waited for anything, always upbeat, did a great job. 

 

 

Dream in her fancy new paint. I'm digging the look!

 

 

 

Had two great cruises on her. Despite that whole art gallery/RFP debacle, I'm still a fan.

 

 

 

 

I also think the Carnival logo/nameplate looks great

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[Joe817]

3 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

Okay maybe this'll work

 

https://youtu.be/LI3gdZmnjQg

Worked great! Thanks for the review. Loving it. That's quite a stateroom you have there, and to solo to boot. What deck? And what class was it?

[TxTeach79]

8 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Worked great! Thanks for the review. Loving it. That's quite a stateroom you have there, and to solo to boot. What deck? And what class was it?

Yes! They're all the way aft on 1 and 2 for sure. Those weird cabins turned sideways on the deck plan. I've sailed in these solo on Victory, Dream, Breeze, and now Vista. They're just an outlaw 6A, so usually cheap to boot!

[TxTeach79]

Dream sailing away! Love all the waving and horn battling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TxTeach79]

23 minutes ago, TxTeach79 said:

Okay maybe this'll work

 

https://youtu.be/LI3gdZmnjQg

 

 

[TxTeach79]

Kyndall Fire, CD. It's cool having a gal from Texas as CD on a cruise out of Galveston. Hearing her cruise director origin story was awesome (and highly relatable as a kid who fell in love with all this on the Celebration in 1988).

 

 

Sailaway. Maybe the wobble, maybe the electric slide. You know the routine. 

 

 

Whale tail

 

 

ThirstyFrog Red down in the Skybox after sailaway 

 

 

Pop open YouTubeTV to watch former North Texas Mean Green great Mason Fine get some playing time forthe Saskatchewan Roughriders. #GMG

 

Also, the premium internet was WAY faster on Vista than any other ship I've been on. Not even close. No problem streaming almost any time. 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[RenoNanaOz]

Thanks for sharing! Vista has been one of our favorites, definitely don't mis JiJi's. It was awesome.

[TxTeach79]

Edit 

 

[TxTeach79]

Okay, it won't let me edit or delete that last post, but....

 

Heck yeah.... free play dude even has my refined fashion sense down pat. It's so much easier when the free play is just loaded on your card. I wish we didn't have to line up at the cashier to claim our #25 plat free play, but that's a really lame thing to whine about.

 

The drink is a Hurricane in the casino. I was worried that with no casino bar service would be slow (like it is in the Dream class annex casino), but it was as fast and friendly as ever.

 

Eastern European Ladies string trio in the atrium. Not sisters, a bet I would have lost.

[TxTeach79]

SOMEBODY STOP THE DAMN MATCH!

 

 

Guy next to me just hit a Royal Flush. Then while he was waiting for his handpay, he hit a Royal Flush on the  machine next to it. I hate that guy.

 

 

Another 'cane

 

 

Buffalo Trace and Diet 

 

 

Gimme 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

 

 

All quiet in Havana

 

 

It's a busier than normal Hurricane SZN

 

 

Strings still going in the atrium 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[mondello]

Thank you for posting. We'll be on Vista 3/26, our first cruise on a Vista class ship, and first time from Galveston. 

[TxTeach79]

Look, I'm a trash human in general. On a cruise?? It all just goes right to hell. I love the Deli. Maybe a had too many Hurricanes and tripled up. Maybe not. Who could know, really?

 

 

Good Boy

 

 

Havana area at night. I love nighttime pool & wake shots. 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[TxTeach79]

8 minutes ago, mondello said:

Thank you for posting. We'll be on Vista 3/26, our first cruise on a Vista class ship, and first time from Galveston. 

 

Awesome. Hope you have a great time!

[TxTeach79]

Morning!

 

 

I swear, I don't think this picture was taken that close to waking up. I don't think. 

 

 

Heru always had a "helper" on his cart.

 

 

Happy as a clam down here in steerage

 

 

Keep the train a rollin

 

 

I always like the early morning sea day spread in the casino for us degenerate gamblers. 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by TxTeach79

[mondello]

Coffee and pastries setup for the casino, were you pulling an all-nighter? Your cruise experience seems to reflect mine. I enjoy the casino nearly every night. I hope to enjoy the IMAX, too but seems plans go astray.