Overall, be prepared to be on long lines and long waits just to disembark the ship in the beginning. The themed parties (white party and 80's party) were very nice. I wish they were longer in time. The Vista is a beautiful yet small ship, but, oh so worth all the small headaches.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was OK for me. I knew that Carnival didn't honor what time you're supposed to be there, so we arrived earlier than we were supposed to and got a better zone number to embark on the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I thought the food and drinks were on point. Yes, breakfast was the same pretty much everyday, but who doesn't love bacon every morning? The coffee was weak, but, eh, it was good for what it's worth. The lines for food, entertainment, etc were ridiculous. Not really sure what Carnival would be able to do about that. Even with many areas to eat breakfast, most always went to the Lido to eat. The Steakhouse, Farenheit is so goood, I didn't want to leave. The steak house is of course additional, but it is soo worth it! I can't really speak on the buffets (besides breakfast) because the lines were just extra long. Often times I waited until I disembarked to eat lunch.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The pools were uber small - was never interested in getting in the pools.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Karoake entertainment is the best entertainment ever because it contains raw 'talent'. Some good singers and others...not so much. But very entertaining nonetheless. The comedy show is a must. If you have the comedian, Macio, on your ship, you must see every show (the adults only show is absolutely insane!) The Latin dance show was awesome. DJ Blease was awesome. Overall the entertainment seem plentiful. So much so that we forgot we wanted to attend other shows/entertainment because the entertainment overlapped each other. Carnival eill definitely keep you busy on excursion and at sea days for sure!!!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service was pretty slow. Not sure what I would expect with 4k+ people on board wanting some alcohol, but they made the drinks nice and strong. However, the rooms stewards were awesome. One day I thought they'd forgotten to make the towel creature for the bed. But, low and behold, he made a bat that was hanging for the A/C on the ceiling; so creative those guys. LOL The ships' personnel were friendly and others seem like they've been cruising too longand wanted off the ship. I guess that's cruise work life.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ahhhhh now to the meat of the review. I understand that the Vista is bigger. But bigger doesn't always mean the design of things would be better. Before I went on my cruise, I research and read reviews of the ship being small and I thought you all that said the ship was small, "must be crazy". But when we got on the ship and into the atrium on Deck 3, I thought I'd stepped into Vista's closet. Surely this wasn't the atruim where the action happens. But, it was. Also, I'd like to touch base on the laundry/iron service. I really can't believe for such a big ship that we only had one iron and four washer and dryers for the whole deck - unreal. I hope that I am wrong and just saw only one laundry room - but I don't think so.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was a good size. There was room to move around and not bump into your s/o. It was clean and comfortable.
Ship tip
Be prepared for long lines - when you book your cabin, book the middle of the ship. However, book away from elevators as it could get quite noisy at times.
I liked this port. It's always tons of shopping, but this looked like a lot of local shopping - which was different from all the other ports with tons of jewelry stores. We did the Dunn's River and Party boat excursion. When I tell you that was thee most fun I've had in a long time..even though I sprained my ankle, I still had a good time. Rum punch makes you feel nothing!! lol
Did not like this port and really didn't do much as the excursion we wanted to do was sold out. :/ However, I've cruised to GC beaches before and the rating is up there with Hawaii.
I liked this port a lot too. We did the Cozumel by Land and sea excursion. The sub ride was OK, we saw more snorklers and scuba divers than fish. It's was still a nice excursion. There were little fish and some colorful fish that made appearances. Land: Was tequila tasting. Who doesn't love te-kill-ya?!?!?!?! I really liked this excursion a lot. The facilitator was informative and of course, true to his native land.
cruised the Vista 9/23/2017 & had a great time despite some inconsistencies of Carnivals sister ships (Dream, Magic, & the Breeze)....long lines are to be expected with over 4,000+ guests so I always go with the mindset to “relax and enjoy your cruise”🚢😎🍹🍷
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