Big ship still has some growing to do...

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 106

Review summary

The Vista is pretty darn impressive looking up at it from the dock but, once on board, doesn't seem merely as large.  Most of the public places on the ship felt smaller than usual - there is no grand foyer or lobby, just a couple smaller areas - the "lobby" floor you cannot even get across without having to go up a floor since parts are blocked due to interior restaurants.  The larger restaurant (the Horizon) just didn't seem grand at all, it is difficult (unless you are right in the middle of the room on the 3rd floor) to even realize it is a 2 story dining area.  Pools areas even feel a bit congested and smaller.  This cruise felt like there was less wait staff than any we've been on - lots of tables with dishes and drinks and we had to find a bar for a drink as there was rarely anyone rotating around serving in the pool areas.  They've done away with most hot tubs (there are 2 in serenity and 2 in the back of the ship on Lido were all we found).  The electronics were spotty... still some kinks to work out there (Thanksgiving day football anywhere but in the sports bar was pretty much impossible to watch and wireless was largely unusable 2 of the 3 days I purchased the "top end" connectivity package).  That said, a bad day cruising is far superior to just about any other day on the planet.  Carnival isn't near competing with the likes of an Oasis-class ship with this offering.  General consensus of those we spoke with was that the ship was just ok - there really isn't anything the ship does better than others or that really differentiates it. 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Onboard Activities

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Ports of call

New York, New York

Grand Turk Island

Bonaire, Netherlands Special Municipality

Oranjestad, Aruba

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Miami, Florida