This was a lovely cruise with friends and family, but, I was not a fan of Carnival’s high pressure sales tactics on the ship. It had been a long time since I sailed with Carnival, and while it may seem cheaper than other cruise lines, you actually pay more by the end of the cruise. Carnival wants to get you onboard to sell you more stuff, as most cruise lines do, but no other cruise line has been as deliberate or obvious in my opinion. I had a great time and I would recommend going with carnival if you have children or if other family members planned the trip and you want to tag along, but be prepared to be marketed to for the entire length of your stay. The Spa is notorious for doubling their tips and adding on mysterious fees, so watch you bills CLOSELY if you visit.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I was in a suite, so this was a fast and smooth process. We boarded quickly, and all of the port staff were friendly and helpful. The Carnival staff seemed happy to welcome us aboard.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The main dining room was pretty good. The Lido Buffet was pretty bad. Many times my family and I would find food that looked really tasty, but tasted really badly. We found ourselves gravitating towards pay restaurants, simply because we knew that the quality would be good or better than what we found in the free eating places. Guys Burgers was really good, but it was only open in the afternoon, and was outside in the heat. The same could be said about the Pig and Anchor, and the Blue Iguana. All were really good, but were open for small amounts of time and required waiting in long lines in the middle of the day out in the hot sun.
555 Steakhouse was good. Jiji’s was good. Bonsai Sushi was really good. There was never a WOW moment for me food wise, but I can appreciate the effort the staff and crew put into making the experience nice for us.
Lido Marketplace
2 out of 5
This area is hot, crowded, and the crew is TIRED here. The food often looks great but tastes badly.
Redfrog Pub and Brewery
4 out of 5
A great spot to hang out with friends or loved ones. At times it felt cramped and small, but lovely for the most part.
Cherry on Top
3 out of 5
Expensive, but tasty.
Vista Lobby and Bar
3 out of 5
Crowded, loud, and not the best place to hang out. Overflow from guest services often backed into the area, thus resulting in grumpy atmosphere.
Guy's Pig & Anchor
4 out of 5
Tasty, but the lines are long, the hours are short, and you have to wait in the hot sun for food.
Serenity Bar
3 out of 5
Hot and crowded. Very little shade to be found, and only one elevator brings you to the location.
Seafood Shack
4 out of 5
Decent food in a lovely area of the ship. it can be a little pricey, but worth it for most items.
JiJi Asian Kitchen
4 out of 5
Really good food for a value price.
BlueIguana Cantina
4 out of 5
Tasty Food, but the hours are short, the lines are long, and you have to wait in the hot sun.
The Chef's Table
4 out of 5
Beautiful area with good food.
Havana Bar
5 out of 5
Fantastic music, drinks, atmosphere, and seating. A real gem on this ship.
Guy's Burger Joint
4 out of 5
Great food, but the lines are long, the hours are short, and you have to wait in the hot sun for food.
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
4 out of 5
Good for for a value price. My NY Strip was a little fattier than I like, but it was a nice experience.
Bonsai Sushi
4 out of 5
The food was really good here.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The pools were small and crammed full of people. The Lido deck felt small for the amount of people who were on the ship. Very few hot tubs for most passengers, and the activities onboard felt like sales pitches 75% of the time. By the end of the cruise, I felt like I had spent a week at a marketing or time-share conference than a vacation. The effort of Carnival to sell more stuff was really, really annoying. Especially when activities like “Spa Relexation” and “Pamper Party” were really high pressure attempts to sell things. People quickly discovered that trivia and karaoke were the only events that weren’t sales pitches, and so these events were packed full of people. But, to be fair, I did find those things enjoyable when I attended.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
The Havana area had fantastic musicians. The dancers in the Liquid Lounge were awesome. The singers were hit and miss, and the Piano Bar was horrible the two times it was open during our cruise.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The staff was just amazing. I have only wonderful things to say about them.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was modern and clean. Overall, it was the nicest carnival cruise ship I’ve been on. That being said, the layout was quite choppy and disjointed, with the planner caring more about forcing people to walk by or through shops, than about people getting from one place to another.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
I was in a Havana Suite. It was really lovely, and I liked having access to the private Havana area. That being said, I think I could have stayed in a Havana Cabana and been just as happy. The Suite living room was barely used, and I hated that there is a partition that separates the bed area from couches, so that if anyone visits, you cannot see them if you are laying down. The bathroom shower was nice, but not worth the cost of upgrading to a suite from a Cabana. We loved the balcony area, but would absolutely save the money and just get a Havana Cabana if we had it to do all over again.
Ship tip
If you’re going on the Vista, book a Havana area room if you can. The private area is well worth the money.
I love Jamaica, but Montego Bay is a bad port. There is nothing in the port area itself and you have to drive into town if you want to do or buy anything remotely interesting.
WillWork4Cruise, the ship is set up in a way, that walking deck 5 to get from one area to another, you are asked every store on the way from one elevator to the next if you want to take a picture, buy a picture, buy some candy, buy some jewelry, and buy some shirts all before getting to the next elevator. That’s why I mean.
Cn you elaborate on the intensive sales pressure? We have all heard/read the persistent 50% off sales notifications on cruises. None of that ever pressures me into buying anything and if it's something I wanted anyway, I appreciate the notice. I heard the spa techs try to sell a lot. Was there something more than that?
Nicholas H, your experience was not my experience and I’m glad. That, however, does not mean that my experience was invalid or wrong. I’m just being honest about how the cruise was for me. If you didn’t experience that, GREAT. Overall, I said it was a good cruise. I just pointed out things I noticed that were not good for me. I’m not understand the desire to comment multiple times on my review to invalidate it because you personally have a different opinion.
Also I walked by the piano bar every night and it was open so not sure what you meant there. Quick look at your fun times will give all the information you need and if certain shows will be trying to “sell” you something. And also regarding your statement about “waiting in the hot sun” for food, the 4 venues that are outside are covered by full shade and lines literally only take about 5 minutes if they are real busy besides the pizza place which does take pretty long.
Great review!! I had the same thought when we were on the Vista for the first time in February. It’s obvious the “Carnival Marketing Team” had a lot of influence on the design of that class of ship. Lol. Just like every stop we’ve made at Jamaica…you eventually become immune to people “pawing” at your wallet. 😂
I was on the same cruise. I thought the lido buffet was actually really good. I’m not picky at all and everything I tried was pretty good. And I’m not sure how you felt like everything was about sales? If you don’t want to buy anything just simply walk past the shops and tables set up; not that hard. Every event I went to like the comedy shows, parties, game shows, etc. didn’t feel pushy at all. And I do agree about the pools but that is mainly during rush hours. After 3 pm or so we didn’t have any problems finding a seat or relaxing in the pool.
Nice review, and a VERY important point on checking the shipboard spending accounts, mistakes happen more than they should and once you leave, corporate has no clue and usually rules with ship’s accounting.
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