Vista 4/2-9, 2022 Review -- It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...

[cmukid87]

My family of 10 was also on this sailing and you are hitting the nail on the head. 

 

I'll start with with our ***** moment.  Around day 4 my wife gets a letter in our mailbox saying she needs to being her travel documents to Guest Services for verification.  We don't get around to it that night so day 5 we get the same letter.  I get the documents but the line at guest services was long, go figure.  Later that night we get a call to our stateroom saying it's urgent that she brings her documents.  We finally get into guest services and my wife straight out asks the employee "so who messed up during embarkation?" to which she was answered with "this is a random CBP verification and it has nothing to do with Carnival".......nope.  Debarkation comes along and her S&S gets scanned and a big X shows up on the screen.  We have to wait to be escorted off the ship by a Carnival Officer.  Our group is escorted to CBP and the officer who was extremely nervous the entire time explained to the CBP that my wife was NEVER CHECKED INTO THE SHIP.  According to Carnival records she wasn't even on the ship, just her S&S was being used.  There was no record of her until night 5 when we provided documents.  So yes, this was 100% on Carnival and not a CBP thing.  Lied to again.  Extremely disappointing.

 

My wife thought Savannah was great but I am in your boat.  I think my wife gets enamored by things and our son (11) was all about Savannah and would participate in everything that she was doing.  I seem to have a eye for the details.  In comparison to all of my Carnival cruises she was 2nd worst (Jen Baxter being the worst in case you were wondering).  It's not that she did anything bad but she didn't bring the energy that others had.  The onboard arguments/quarrels were extremely awkward and the funsquad was almost nowhere to be seen across the ship.  My biggest complaint was an uncomfortable and awkward moment the last seaday in the Ocean Plaza for a trivia match that had Dean and Savannah came though.  It was towards the end and they basically aired their laundry of being a couple to everyone.  TBH that's your business and has no implication to passengers.  You could tell she was young, green, and immature and honestly I expected more from a CD on Vista.  She seems more suited for a smaller class ship.

 

The port times were extremely aggravating.  Having a total of about 4 hours in Grand Cayman, which used to be my favorite port, was disappointing.  You know it's bad when the last water shuttle was supposed to leave at 1:15 and there were buses of people being dropped off at 1:15, 1:20, 1:30.  We ran into the port area from our bus at 1:25 and found a LONG line waiting to get on a water shuttle.  3 shuttles later and we were finally onboard around 2:15 if I remember right.  Then of course was the Cozumel Debacle.  That turned me and my family off big time.  The misinformation and lies that were being said.  Things happen, we get it.  As cruisers we've bought into that possibility.  So why blame something that was not an issue.  

All in all we will sail Carnival again but will be much more careful to look at ship, homeport, CD, and ports of call.

[1kaper]

How was the ship overall?

I am debating booking for next year but I have heard there aren't many spots to sit and watch the world go by.  We would be booking family harbour without a balcony. 

[keels81]

3 hours ago, cmukid87 said:

My biggest complaint was an uncomfortable and awkward moment the last seaday in the Ocean Plaza for a trivia match that had Dean and Savannah came though.  It was towards the end and they basically aired their laundry of being a couple to everyone.  TBH that's your business and has no implication to passengers.  You could tell she was young, green, and immature and honestly I expected more from a CD on Vista.  She seems more suited for a smaller class ship.

 

OMG, I was at the Plaza Bar waiting for a spot for the next round of trivia when that all went down and it was sooooooo cringey, I just convinced myself it was all an act that they thought was funny and not at all real.

 

1 hour ago, 1kaper said:

How was the ship overall?

I am debating booking for next year but I have heard there aren't many spots to sit and watch the world go by.  We would be booking family harbour without a balcony. 

 

So, this ship itself is fine. It's in lovely shape and is well kept. There are plenty of spots to sit outside on Deck 5 as well as the higher decks, so if you have kiddos I think you'll be happy.

 

For ME -- and this coming from a kidless woman in her *cough* 40s *cough*, this ship is a one and done for me. The class likely will be as well after my sailing later this month on the Horizon. I just didn't like it. No casino bar was a real miss, even though drink service was slightly more responsive than on other ships. Having the SkyBox was fine because I got to watch my Pels in there and then later in the cruise I could watch the Masters, but if there wasn't a sportsball that I cared about going on, it was a weird place to hang out compared to the traditional casino bar.

 

I also HATED the elevators. I usually spend most of my time on the Serenity Deck and was looking forward to it this time since the ship has Fresh Creations, but good freaking grief getting the one elevator that got you anywhere close to 15 was a beating. After a while, I just bailed and started hanging out in a lounge pod on 5 outside Bonsai Sushi.

[keels81]

Happy Monday! Pour yourself a nice, big mimosa and settle in ... it's time to get this trip started!

 

 

In the days leading up to the cruise ...

 

So, as I mentioned earlier, this was a pre-birthday celebration with two of my girlfriends. When we originally booked this cruise, the plan was for us to dive in all three ports to see if 1 & 2 enjoyed scuba diving enough to go through the process of getting certified for big dives on our upcoming Mardi Gras, Celebration and Jubilee sailings. Of course, the minute I get all that arranged and intro dives scheduled in all three ports ... this happens:

 

 

Yup. That's me, in the Emergency Room, with a dislocated elbow.

 

See what had happened was ... I'm a klutz and was walking home from the Muses parade on St. Charles during Mardi Gras and was talking to my husband and friends, not paying attention, and I tripped on an uneven sidewalk brick, fell and dislocated my elbow. So, at this point, I was watching the rest of the parades during Carnival at home on the couch, my Sailabration cruise on the Breeze was SEVERELY in doubt and Birthday on the Vista was now up in the air in the event I was going to need surgery.

 

Way to go, Keels. Good job, good effort. Impeccable timing, right?

 

Long story short, I didn't need surgery and my ortho cleared me to go on the Breeze as long as I wore this MASSIVE splint (that had to be rewrapped every day, as you can tell) and I didn't get in any water.

 

I was a good listener and an even better patient:

 

 

I celebrated Elbow Emancipation a week after the Breeze cruise, didn't need surgery and was released to Physical Therapy where my PT almost immediately cleared me for easier activities like light swimming for the Vista. Yay! But no scuba. So, I scrambled to find new excursions for us to do in all three ports and about a week out we were completely set to go.

Edited April 11, 2022 by keels81

[Joe817]

Ouch! So sorry to hear this happened to you. I learned early on, that while touring the Quarter to never get distracted, keep a close eye on the sidewalk, and stop frequently to just look around. Those uneven sidewalks are dangerous!   I do hope you have a great time(s) on your cruise(s) with your g.f.'s. 

[jedi bobs]

Not that I am in anyway defending your CD, but when it comes to planning, and sceduling shows/events/trivia, that is at the sole discression of the Entertainment Director. All the Cruise Director is the public face of the Entertainemnt department and if push comes to shove has no say in anything abord the ship, his/gher boss the entertainment director does.  Just to simplify for all us older cruisers, the Cruise Director does the Hosting duties only, kind of what the Assistant Cruise Director Did, while the Entertainment Director deals with all the paperwork.

[keels81]

And here we are ... it's

 

CRUISE WEEK!

So with everything settled and important business handled (and by that, I mean the entirety of season 2 of "Bridgerton" binge watched in one day), it was time to get serious about setting sail.

 

I packed ...

 

Was SO VERY NEGATIVE ...

Got all VeriFly'd: 

 

And then checked in for my flight to Houston ... which was promptly canceled and I was rebooked on a flight that involved an overnight layover in Austin. 🥴

 

That should have been a sign of what was to come for the rest of the week, but I ignored it, was able to move to a flight later in the day on Friday and headed out for MSY. 

 

MSY was very festive on April Fool's Day ... mostly because NCAA fans from around the country were coming into town for the Final Four. I grabbed some sandwiches from Mondo (muffuletta, of course) to share with the girls on the drive to Galveston and mosey'd on down to Bar Sazerac for a French 75 before boarding.

 

I know it's strange to have affection for an airport, but I just love the new Louis Armstrong airport. It really celebrates the great food and cocktail and culture we have in the city. And there's a mini Cafe du Monde AND a Lucky Dogs! On this day, the Kinfolk Brass Band was playing in the terminal and it was so nice to hear some great brass music before boarding.

 

Wheels up!

 

 

The flight was short and uneventful, and next thing you know, my friends were picking me up at the airport and showing me my first birthday surprise!

 

 

I enjoyed my Joe T's drink in the parking lot while 1 & 2 purchased some last-minute items (mostly carry-on drinks, etc.). And then we were on our way to Galveston.

 

For this trip, we'd decided to stay at Gaido's Seaside Inn. It's a cute little place with a really great pool. Unfortunately, it was chilly and incredibly windy on this night, so we didn't get to take advantage. But I was nice being able to sea the Gulf from right outside our door.

 

We were up at at 'em early Saturday morning because it was CRUISE DAY!

 

First up, a quick stop for my favorite breakfast in the whole world -- potato, egg and cheese taquitos from Whataburger!

 

 

And then we were off to the Port!

 

This time, I'd pre-booked the Express Lot for parking at the Port of Galveston. It's the same cost as the lot across the street that requires a shuttle, but is easily in walking distance of Terminal 2. We had an arrival time of 10:30, so we drove through and dropped our bags with a porter and continued on to park and eat our Whataburger breakfast.

 

Thanks to VeriFly, we were through check-in and security in like 10 minutes ... the only real hold up was having our cans of sparkling water and bottles of wine thoroughly inspected. And having to relinquish a very tiny pair of scissors in a nail kit because obviously we were going to make murder with them.

 

Boarding started around 11:15 and in no time, I was admiring this beauty:

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by keels81

[satx78205]

Thanks for the report.  We're going on the Vista at the end of this month.  We were on Vista over NYE with Kyndall Fire as the CD.  She had a lot of energy. 

[ninjacat123]

22 hours ago, keels81 said:

I loved all of Mike Pack's Fun Squad from the Mardi Gras and am so happy to see so many of them as CDs on their own now (Andy, Jake, Georgia and Leilani) so I'm hoping to sail with them soon.

 

I'm just going to miss Donkey by a couple weeks this summer on the Mardi Gras, so I'm a little disappointed by that but I'm sure I'll catch him soon.

We had Jake as CD on Sunshine in January and end of March.  He was "Jake" tas-tic!😀

 

[ninjacat123]

29 minutes ago, keels81 said:

 

 

Wheels up!

 

 

You were served a drink on the flight?  When did this start?  Happy bday late!

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by ninjacat123

[Joe817]

Loving your review! 👍 Joe T's! A Fort Worth institution and must do when you are in Cowtown. Our most favorite restaurant in the world. I've been eating there since 1964.

 

Have a fun cruise! 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Joe817

[keels81]

For @ninjacat123 -- on Southwest, maybe in March? 

 

15 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

Loving your review! 👍 Joe T's! A Fort Worth institution and must do when you are in Cowtown. Our most favorite restaurant in the world. I've been eating there since 1964.

 

Have a fun cruise! 

 

I lived in Fort Worth for about 15 years until I moved here to New Orleans, so Joe T's was definitely my jam! I wished they'd brought enchiladas too, but the marg was good enough! 🤣

[ninjacat123]

1 minute ago, keels81 said:

For @ninjacat123 -- on Southwest, maybe in March? 

 

 

I lived in Fort Worth for about 15 years until I moved here to New Orleans, so Joe T's was definitely my jam! I wished they'd brought enchiladas too, but the marg was good enough! 🤣

I'm flying to Las Vegas today on American.  Let's see if I can score a drink!🤞

[Don Kehote]

So, Savannah.  Is she still going by "Savannah Ooo Nana?"  "Say Bye" sound familiar?

 

If this is indeed the same Savannah as I remember, she's been around since at the very least December of 2019, when she was on Carnival Victory.  TBH, we weren't terribly impressed with her then, either.  Perhaps that is because we had most recently been on Jaime Dee's final sailing, which was just freaking remarkable.

[keels81]

12 minutes ago, Don Kehote said:

So, Savannah.  Is she still going by "Savannah Ooo Nana?"  "Say Bye" sound familiar?

 

If this is indeed the same Savannah as I remember, she's been around since at the very least December of 2019, when she was on Carnival Victory.  TBH, we weren't terribly impressed with her then, either.  Perhaps that is because we had most recently been on Jaime Dee's final sailing, which was just freaking remarkable.

 

Yup,  is the one and the same. And I get that let down because I just had Cookie three weeks prior on the Breeze.

[CarolSW]

Thanks for your honest review. 
I appreciate your candor.

 

However, that picture of the Whataburger bag is triggering a mighty longing for ANYthing from that hallowed eatery.  And I live in Houston, so it’s not like I can’t get it.  But I HAD NO IDEA I would have such a visceral response to a simple but highly suggestive photo like the one you posted.  And anytime I scroll through this great thread looking for new replies I SEE IT…over and over again and again.  I am sailing on Vista twice in the coming months, and I would like to look as cute as you do in your curtain sundress, but the Whataburger triggers are putting that into serious question.  Have mercy!!   

[keels81]

19 minutes ago, CarolSW said:

Thanks for your honest review. 
I appreciate your candor.

 

However, that picture of the Whataburger bag is triggering a mighty longing for ANYthing from that hallowed eatery.  And I live in Houston, so it’s not like I can’t get it.  But I HAD NO IDEA I would have such a visceral response to a simple but highly suggestive photo like the one you posted.  And anytime I scroll through this great thread looking for new replies I SEE IT…over and over again and again.  I am sailing on Vista twice in the coming months, and I would like to look as cute as you do in your curtain sundress, but the Whataburger triggers are putting that into serious question.  Have mercy!!   

 

Whataburger is not a food chain ... it's a LIFESTYLE.

[crazy4themouse]

16 minutes ago, CarolSW said:

However, that picture of the Whataburger bag is triggering a mighty longing for ANYthing from that hallowed eatery.  And I live in Houston, so it’s not like I can’t get it.  But I HAD NO IDEA I would have such a visceral response to a simple but highly suggestive photo like the one you posted.  And anytime I scroll through this great thread looking for new replies I SEE IT…over and over again and again.  I am sailing on Vista twice in the coming months, and I would like to look as cute as you do in your curtain sundress, but the Whataburger triggers are putting that into serious question.  Have mercy!!   

 

You should stay in a grand suite on Vista -- They look like Whataburger was the interior decorator!

 

 

[keels81]

21 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

You should stay in a grand suite on Vista -- They look like Whataburger was the interior decorator!

 

 

oh.

my.

gosh.

Edited April 12, 2022 by keels81

[mkcurran]

On 4/10/2022 at 12:41 PM, keels81 said:

 

I used to cruise exclusively on Celebrity, so my only experience with Carnival has been since 2019. On Celeb, the cruise director isn't overly entertaining but is very heavy-handed with the daily on-ship experience so that's what I was used to.

 

My first cruise director was Lee Mason and one day, I got to sit next to him and talk to him and it was like talking to a rock star. Just a totally different experience and one of the reason I keep going back to Carnival more (other than just sheer convenience and casino offers). I've cruised with Lee, Cookie, Flying Scotsman and Mike Pack, just to name a few, and they all create such a fun vibe and you can really feel the "culture" that they create on their sailings among the crew and Fun Squad. I loved all of Mike Pack's Fun Squad from the Mardi Gras and am so happy to see so many of them as CDs on their own now (Andy, Jake, Georgia and Leilani) so I'm hoping to sail with them soon.

 

I'm just going to miss Donkey by a couple weeks this summer on the Mardi Gras, so I'm a little disappointed by that but I'm sure I'll catch him soon.

Lee is truly amazing! I *may* have just a wee bit of a crush on him.

[talkorpi]

16 hours ago, keels81 said:

 

Whataburger is not a food chain ... it's a LIFESTYLE.

Oh goodness... I'm a TX native that has been working temporarily in Washington, DC since January... I will be here until May and words cannot express how much I MISS WHATABURGER.  The pain is so real!

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Whataburger IS a lifestyle - and so is Buckees!

Edited April 13, 2022 by MagnoliaBlossom

[crazy4themouse]

26 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Whataburger IS a lifestyle - and so is Buckees!

 

Buc-ee's is more of a cult -- One that I am proud to be a member of. Give me Beaver Nuggets or give me death!

 

[MagnoliaBlossom]

43 minutes ago, crazy4themouse said:

 

Buc-ee's is more of a cult -- One that I am proud to be a member of. Give me Beaver Nuggets or give me death!

 

And nobody, but nobody, has quirkier billboards.

[HolySpearit]

Yay love the start to this we just booked the Vista for November. Things I am excited for about this trip:

 

 

1. cuise

2. Buc-ee’s

3. Whataburger

 

Your review is right up my alley! 😍