Nice and relaxing trip.

Item: Carnival Vista
Rating: 4.5
Author: bonnie490

Carnival Vista Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

bonnie490

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 105

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

Verified Review

8 Night Southern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 26, 2017

Ship: Carnival Vista

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1297

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

I hate the fact that you have to pay to get entertainment (IMAX) and to get really good food now sucks!!! The steaks, sushi, even the fish and chip restaurant you have to pay..... i thought cruises were supposed to be all inclusive. Every cruise that I go on, more and more things are extra!!!!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Excellent!!! We arrived within our appointment time and everything was finished we just walked on and started our vacation

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Food was ok... nothing to write home about.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Matt the cruise director was a lot of fun, and he got a lot of people to participate in funny things

Entertainment

5 out of 5

shows were excellent

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our waiter IKOMANG was truly professional. We never had to wait for our food and he went out of his was to make sure that everyone sitting at our table was happy. He also made sure that our food was hot and delicious. His helper IGUSTI was also great. This team worked very well together!!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

It was ok.. the bathtub was unnecessary because a full size adult cannot fit in it... I would like to have seen a bigger room or instead of the tub another toilet

Ship tip

It was different. The casino is normally on floor 5 on other ships, the Lido was also different. I thoroughly enjoyed the shows and the entertainment

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida Did not visit port

Grand Turk Island

5 out of 5

Jeep 4 by 4

Thumbs Up 0

La Romana, Dominican Republic

4 out of 5

We went on a Dolphin tour and could not retrieve our pictures because of electrical outage... very disappointing

Thumbs Up 0

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5

4 x 4 we love Aruba

Thumbs Up 0

Willemstad, Curacao

4 out of 5

was nice. Nothing to scream about. No excursions booked

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

We are priority travelers however when we arrived to pick up our luggage, #1 was mixed with #8 and #10's. It took us over 45 minutes to retrieve our luggage. At other embarkations in different ports usually all luggage is put in numerical order ....

24 Comments

BOOGIEMAN 7 years ago

Nothing is as groovy as a lido dive in movie where the popcorn n food are free!

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cruiser086 7 years ago

Movies at the lido are free food at the lido is free. Now what's wrong with being charged for sushi or a nice steak at the steakhouse? You don't have to eat there.

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BOOGIEMAN 7 years ago

Carpe diem, my friend!

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GRWILK 7 years ago

BOOGIEMAN - no guilt and not really a confession; its enjoying vacation! Some people suggest cruise lines are the only entity that up-charge for amenities - NOT! I always purchase a balcony, not because I think the food will taste better, I want a private view. On the Vista in February we will enjoy the Chefs Table again, not because we don't like the dining room or the Lido food, it's an amazing dining experience. Spending my money is a choice, spending a few extra dollars to have a more memorable vacation, no brainer. No complaints here - enjoy the day because tomorrow isn't guaranteed!

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BOOGIEMAN 7 years ago

@grwilk & @YSprings, No guilt nor confessions are needed, you both used your money as you wished and enjoyed yourself as a result, this was a well informed choice that was made with your eyes open after doing your research on the cruise line and ship.

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YSprings 7 years ago

okay...had dinner in Chops a couple of times on Royal...we enjoyed the setting, delicious food and just something different from the dining room every night😊

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GRWILK 7 years ago

Luckily I don't suffer from "FOMO" - l am guilty of once, just once spending money on food, the Chefs Table...and it was an amazing experience! I do enjoy grabbing breakfast in the dining room and Sea day brunch and...they're free! Last cruise we didn't even see a show and I have NO REGRETS!

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GIL155 7 years ago

twangster - good taste. Not too old for others.

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twangster 7 years ago

Gotta admit, had a crush on Julie. Sadly she was too old for me.

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GIL155 7 years ago

will_work_4_cruise - FOMO - lol - every cruise we take on Princess, we watch every episode available of Love Boat.

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YSprings 7 years ago

😂😂😂

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willwork4cruz 7 years ago

I think I might have "fomo". Is binge watching Love Boat a symptom?

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BOOGIEMAN 7 years ago

Sometimes I think people suffer from "fomo" (fear of missing out) along with assuming that they know what they don't know. If they would do the research on the cruise line's website instead of assuming that what they've seen on love boat reruns is gospel then they could budget to take the kids to the imax which cost extra just as it does at your local theater.

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jeet 7 years ago

the dinner menu in the dining room usually has excellent food not to mention the burger joint and burrito joint plenty of good food equal to the pay food restaurants.

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vmbailey4010 7 years ago

Be happy the extra charges are things you can say no to. I don't have kids but if I did I'd be thrilled for the free activities the kids have with no charge unless past 10 pm.

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YSprings 7 years ago

perhaps you would prefer an all inclusive resort like Beaches or Sandals...I hear they're nice.

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VladColeman 7 years ago

Glad u weren't like the weirdos n give 1-2 stars. I'm looking forward to it in late Oct. Can't wait😃

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VladColeman 7 years ago

I'm sure we all bring some spending money, use it! 😂🤣😂

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VladColeman 7 years ago

They have more than enough free food options. Don't be so picky! As for more to pay, the Disney Cruise CEO is now Carnival CEO so we will see minor changes and upgrades that have to be paid for n some free. The new card idea was from the Disney CEO where your card is at your room door.

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BOOGIEMAN 7 years ago

I'm one who doesn't want to pay extra for fancy gourmet foods or internet, and have never felt pressured to make any additional purchases.

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twangster 7 years ago

I like internet. Some people don't. Years ago even when the internet was main stream, it wasn't on ships. I don't expect free internet, I pay for it. Why should people who lock their phones in the safe for 7 days pay more so I, in the minority, can have internet? Same with IMAX. For those who want it, it's there but at a cost.

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willwork4cruz 7 years ago

Everything that used to be free on a cruise is still free. Only the new extra things have a cost. I love it, only those who want the extras pay. I can still have the same cheap all inclusive vacation I've gotten the last 20 years. No reason to be upset. It's like I went to the movies and now they have gourmet food but it costs extra. I never used to have to pay for gourmet food (because it didn't exist) Should I be upset?

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twangster 7 years ago

The trend in the cruise industry is to offer new things, but at a charge. You aren't required to buy them. MDR is still in included, most shows, etc. Some folks want more, some don't. Doesn't make sense to charge everyone more especially if you are the camp of folks who don't want the extra stuff. Most cruises have never really been all inclusive, nor have they claimed to be.

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GIL155 7 years ago

IMO - it is because we keep paying. If NOBODY went to the (insert name) steak house on the ship for two months or more, do you think the cruise line would hold the price? drop the price? I believe all the extras come down to supply and demand. As long as demand exists, nickels and dimes will continue to be removed from cruisers pockets/accounts.

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