While better than most vacation options, still, I would not suggest this ship to anyone. We still had a relaxing time, but there are much better options for cruising than the carnival vista.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Scheduled to get on the ship between 12:30 and 1. We arrived at the first booth at exactly 12:30, and didnt board until nearly 3.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Buffet food was just okay, which is to be expected. What isnt to be expected and left the most to be desired, was food in the main dining room. Food was barely warm, lacked taste, and took a long time to be delivered. Also worth noting that we were unable to get our requested dining time even though we booked over 2 months before cruising. Guys burgers, the cantina, and the seafood shack literally saved this cruise for us.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Comedy club acts were incredible, though the comedy club is too small. We arrived early and stood in line before each show so we had a seat, but the club was at capacity for 85 percent of the shows. Song and dance performances were pretty poor, so we only saw two. Having a full Imax on board was nice, though it cost 13 dollars a ticket. There were also only two movies showing, so after see those two, we didnt get to return. The amount of on demand movies for free or 5 dollars was a nice amenity in the room, which was a good thing because we found ourself bored and watching movies pretty often. Also worth noting that the skyride thats so well advertised was closed nearly the entire cruise.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
3 Stars strictly for the comedy club performers being so funny! Was not impressed with any other performer at all.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
Staff was slow, took too long to deliver food in the dining room, and other than our steward and one person picking up dishes in the lido buffet, left a lot to be desired.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
I'm kind of torn here. The ship seemed clean and well maintained, but I do believe I'm fighting a cold now that I picked up there.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
For two people the balcony cabin was nice. The TV was much nicer than on previous cruises I've been on. One star has been docked because the beds were so believably uncomfortable I found myself sleeping on the couch or a hammock on the balcony.
Ship tip
Honestly, I would look at almost any other ship in carnivals fleet. We've had a much better time on the breeze.
Free beach to the right of the island with a fat tuesdays. Pay for the 14 dollar day pass for the chair lift to save yourself some walking and get some really nice views.
Every shop had the exact same thing with the exact same price. There wasnt much real shopping to do here other than to get off the boat. The tender ride is also pretty long. Overall, if I stopped here again and wasnt going on an excursion, I would elect to stay on the boat.
Cozumel is just cozumel, it's okay, but every ship in every fleet seems to stop here. On our day this cruise, seven ships were in port so everything was crowded or sold out. That said, getting on and off the boat is a piece of cake so it's still worth it to walk around some.
Was that you who complained to the staff...on the very last night.. that your food was last to be brought out? Prolly should have mentioned that early on. Our waitstaff was incredible, room steward was great, entertainment staff outstanding... all in all Vista is my favorite ship
Check in time is not the same as boarding time. And if you read it when you set it, it does say that. Picking a dining time is never a guarentee you will get it, and if you had checked with dining room when you boarded, or anytime after, to see about getting it changed.
I am in agreement with others, cruising doesn't seem to be your thing. Sorry you didn't have a good time, but I am happy to take your place.
Have to agree with most of your review. We still had a good time in spite of the negatives but of our 14 cruises, the Vista was our least favorite. But we still believe no such thing as a bad cruise!
I completely agree with your sentiments about the Valor. My least favorite ship ice sailed so far and this is my 4th Cruise. In my review I talk about the fact that they couldn’t even keep up with the cleanliness on our sailing. Dishes were piled up, there were burn marks in the furniture on the Serenity deck...it was not inviting. And I feel like the staff was overwhelmed and you could definitely tell, just not as happy and outgoing as other sailings I’ve had. Maybe they were understaffed? My biggest problem was with them only having one buffet line open during lunch. We sailed at capacity and can you imagine feeding that many ppl at one buffet in 2 hours??? We stood in line for a half hour every time we went to the buffet. Just like you the specialty restaurants and the room service saved us.
Booking only ‘over 2 months’ before will definitely, or highly likely, NOT get your requested dinner time. You get what is left from people like us who book a year & half out. Well, depends on what cruise ship, etc. the Vista is new to Galveston and we were eager to book! 😁 I did book my mom & sis around Thanksgiving, & were able to add them to our dining time... we leave this Sunday. I have heard the entertainment is lacking, a number of times, and about the elevators 😕. We shall see.
U really did not articulate what ur point was. U did u not like this ship. U dont show to have any previous cruises to compare it to. U also seem very ho hum about the port so maybe cruising isnt really ur thing
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
