Very nice itinerary, good value for the price, ship layout, food and entertainment are okay.
Carnival Vista Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean
10 Night Mediterranean (Barcelona To Athens)
Sail date: June 11, 2016
Ship: Carnival Vista
Cabin number: 10282
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 8 years ago
Review summary
The ship stopped at many nice ports. Considering we were mid-ship in the Lido deck with balcony the price was pretty good at about $135 a day. The rooms were slightly cramped, but nor bad knowing space onboard is at a premuim, although we thought The balcony itself was a little small. The excursions were well priced compared to other options, and as long as you aren't on a "Top 10" (mostly bus tour) excursion were nice, and those including lunch or dinner were very good.
The ship layout is a little confusing as they require you to go through certain common areas (e.g. Casino) in order to get to other areas of the ship, which required us to pass through a smoking area. The ship diagrams by the elevators help when you get disoriented or can't get from fore to aft on certain decks (e.g. deck 3 where the crew is quartered). Some of these are common on ships, but hoping they would do something different with new ship designs. I was surprised given the fact the cruise was fully booked, that we could usually find a place poolside during the day.
The good at standard dining was only okay. Guy's burgers, The Blue Iguana and JiJi's (lunch free) were nice free alternatines no-cost alternatives. The on-board service was pretty good.
The entertainment was hit-and-miss. Most of the shows were not as good as other cruise lines I've been on, but there were a couple of gems (e.g. Flick), and while the comedy shows were also hit-and-miss, it was nice to have this as an alternative to the regular shows.
While it was not a bad cruise or experience, my wife and I (soon free to travel without our teenager who is becoming an adult and doesn't really care for travel) will be looking for a more upscale cruise experience, so we will probably cruise on a more mid to upper scale cruise lines (versus budget oriented). So it's A matter of preference, not value or experience. This is a was a good value for the money.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Don't forget to leverage other dining options - some free (including JiJi's and Capitano Cuccina for lunch), Guy's Burgers and Blue Iguana, and some worth a little extra. I thought the lobster roll was very good!
Ports of call
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy