Fun but the most expensive trip I've ever taken!

Item: Carnival Vista
Rating: 3.6
Author: BIGMACII

Carnival Vista Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

BIGMACII

Contributor Level: Second Mate

449 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 130

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 10, 2019

Ship: Carnival Vista

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6209

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Good but more expensive than a 10 day trip to Hawaii or a 12 day trip to Europe.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Dining room was good. Burger joint & Sushi fantastic! Buffet was ok/typical... Steakhouse lost our reservations from several months ago and would not accommodate seating, even after escalating to management.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Pools were small and one was closed due to a child accident. Havana pools restricted to cabins. Fitness center equipment was limited. Casino was fun but stingy.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Comedians, music and shows were all great!

Children's Programs

2 out of 5

Kids 12-14 not allowed into 15-17 and visa versa, so if you have kids in those age brackets, expect them to be separated if attending kids club. That said, our kids did not go on their own and we did not participate in either program. Arcade is expensive.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All did a fantastic job!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Very clean overall.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Bed was fine and room was clean. Shower small as expected.

Ship tip

Be aware that Adult drink package not included for day 1 or 7 and that prices are hiked up on day 1 (e.g., two mixed drinks = $23USD; while at sea = $13.50).

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

3 out of 5

Montego Bay, Jamaica

2 out of 5

Hardrock is overrated and staff was unprofessional.

Thumbs Up 1

George Town, Grand Cayman

4 out of 5

Sea Trek was fantastic! Lunch for four was expensive at Guy Harvey's (e.g., 4 panini sandwiches, fries and sodas = $182 USD).

Thumbs Up 5

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Dolphin swim is fantastic. Photos were expensive but negotiated 80+ pic package down from $450 to $220.

Thumbs Up 11

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

4 Comments

lindatel 5 years ago

I would like to know why it was so expensive? Was it the drinks?

Thumbs Up 0

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DFromATX 5 years ago

Glad you had a good time. On one of our past cruises, one daughter was 14 but they let her join her older brother and sister with no problems. Maybe we were just lucky, but it didn’t seem to be a big deal. And yeah, cruising is not as cheap as you think it will be (unless you go in the middle of winter, etc), especially one you add in excursions and all the other extras.

Thumbs Up 1

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rhonda2019 5 years ago

Our family of 4 was 2300 for balcony room. Even with drink package and Excursion money the total budget was only $4,000. I'd like to know where you get a Hawaiian or European Vacation for a week and a half or two weeks 4 less than that?

Thumbs Up 3

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jenn2831 5 years ago

Cruise r only as expensive as u make them once u have paid all u need is included.

Thumbs Up 5

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Other reviews of this sailing

excellent trip best one yet!

Very Enjoyable Family Cruise

Excellent cruise!