Overall, the Vista is a beautiful ship. the layout is completely different and I did miss the glass elevators in the Atrium. For an asthmatic, I recommend avoiding the Casino. if you find that your cabin is hot contact your room steward and don's suffer in the heat all 7 days like i did. The Private Photo session is VERY expensive. If you don't plan on spending at least $300 for a minimum package, don't waste your time.
We did notice that this ship rocked more than any others we have been on however, we both agreed that we would sail on the Vista again.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
During Embarkation, the gangway was not working properly. While we had Faster to the Fun, we were told to wait in the general boarding line for about 45 minutes. Once the line started moving quickly, we rushed up to the Priority Boarding area and ended up waiting inside the building while they reset the gangway again. While our wait was longer than we expected, there were many people that waited for 3-4 hours in the rain as it was storming heavily.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food and drinks were great and we had no complaints. We have found that the food is pretty similar from ship to ship in the Main Dining Room.
BlueIguana Tequila Bar
5 out of 5
I am not crazy about tequila however they were quick to make your drinks and very pleasant.
Alchemy Bar
5 out of 5
The Alchemy Bar was great. Dimitri and Alex were our favorites! No menus are placed until your are out of Texas borders because they are required to use Texas alcohol only for the first hour and a half to 2 hours when leaving the port. But I explained what I wanted and Dimitri was able to make it without telling me the name and staying in compliance
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse
5 out of 5
The food at the steakhouse was great! We were all stuffed when we left. Well worth it.
Guy's Burger Joint
5 out of 5
What can you say bad about a guys Burger. Whenever we went there was either no line or it moved very quickly. We didn't eat there as much as in the past but by no means is an indicator of the quality of the food or service.
Redfrog Rum Bar
5 out of 5
They bartenders (I wish I wrote down their names) were great. They were very pleasant and worked quickly to prevent people from waiting.
Reflections Restaurant
5 out of 5
Everyone was very accommodating when we brought to their attention that we had a large group with bookings linked that were not sitting together. So grateful we were able to get things moved around.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The Onboard activities kept us busy. We attended several parties on the ship and Matt is an awesome cruise director. We only attended one comedy show early in the cruise. Because of our late dining, we found it difficult to get into the nightly comedy show.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
DJ Flip is awesome! He kept us dancing even when we thought about sitting down. He evaluated his crowed and adjusted accordingly when things seemed to start to fizzle.
IMAX Theater
4 out of 5
We watching both Captain Marvel & John Wick 3. We only wished they had fresh popped popcorn.
Carnival's Seaside Theatre
5 out of 5
We enjoyed the movies shown just wished that the popcorn was popped before the movie started.
Children's Programs
We did not bring any children with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our room steward was very attentive, I am usually very cold in the cabin so immediately asked for an additional blanket the day we arrived and it was left in our room that evening. The Maitre'd was very accommodating when we brought to his attention that we had a group of 16 that had their bookings linked in order to sit together during dinner. By the end of our first dinner, everyone had their account updated to reference our new table # for the following evening.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship design was different than we are used to and I often got turned around however it was not awful with the exception of the Casino. You had to walk directly through to get to one end of the ship or another and there is no or very poor ventilation there. I found myself avoiding the casino deck and going up a level to go around. All other areas were very clean and you always saw someone picking up something or wiping down a surface.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Our cabin was comfortable with the exception of the air shutting off during the night which made it very uncomfortable to sleep and we both woke up often. Our room was always clean and the size was perfect for the 2 of us. Cabins have 2 plug outlets and 2 USB.
Travel via the water taxi in Belize went smoothly. The ride took about 20 minutes. We then took the Horseback Riding and Eco-Park with Lunch excursion. The ride there took approximately 30 minutes or so. The tour director told us about all of the plants that are used for medicine in Belize versus taking medicine. The horse I got was named Trek and he was a jerk. He didn't want to follow directions and decided he was going to go where he wanted to go. Overall a great excursion.
In Cozumel, we took the Twister over to Isla Pasion. The Twister ride was really fun. If you are afraid of water or getting splashed, THIS EXCURSION IS NOT FOR YOU! We had a great time and laughed during every spin the boat took to drench us in sea water. Isla Pasion was much to be desired. This was supposed to be all inclusive with all you can eat and drink. They were understaffed and could not keep up with all the people from the 3 ships that were there. Prior to leaving, they gathered our group and asked that we all provided tips in their Crown Royal bag prior to taking us back to our Twister boat to leave. Because this was our shortest port, we didn't get a lot of time at the island and by the time we got comfortable, it was time to leave.
During Disembarkation, the gangway was evidently struck by lightning and was no longer working so we had to disembark through deck 0. The lines to get through customs when you do not self-disembark can be long and take a long time. In Texas, if you purchased alcohol to take home with you, you are required to declare it and pay Texas tax on each bottle.
*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.
