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Carnival Vista Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

babraddy

Contributor Level: Second Mate

101 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 25

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 14, 2022

Ship: Carnival Vista

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9280

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

i’ve done this cruise on the Vista now three times. Both first and second times for great and we made all the port stops. For anyone making it their first cruise I am sure they were very disappointed. I know cruising has just resumed but there were numerous issues, everything from the logistics of just getting to the port, engine trouble, the port innJamaica we were taken to due to the engine problem, and our Jamaica arrival time not to mention the Grand Cayman port cancellation. The internet service was spotty regardless of the level of service purchased and could not be depended on. Our late return to Galveston resulted in a chaotic disembarkment exercise. Importantly, ship staff and cruise director did their absolute best to make the cruise enjoyable for everyone.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Fast and efficient; getting to the ship was the challenge (road construction on the Galveston causeway stalling traffic almost to Houston).

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Main Dining Room was above average with great service but steakhouse was exemplary as was my Chef’s Table experience.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Average stuff. Did enjoy Deal or No Deal.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Shows were entertaining!

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship understaffed. Cabin stewards say there are no backups and they are working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. Rumor on board was it was the last cruise where Chef’s Table and the Italian Specialty Restaurant (each day) would be offered due to insufficient staffing.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Cabin steward was very cordial and kept the room clean and tidy.

Ship tip

If Grand Cayman is the reason you booked the cruise don’t go at this time. It was cancelled on our cruise and on the previous seven day cruise due to engine problems and the ships inability to cruise the max speed allowing it to make all three ports as advertised. We arrived in Jamaica at 2 PM Tuesday and were there only a few hours to pick up someone to work on the ships grinding engine. We docked at a location that appeared to be quite the industrial district so we could pick up a repairman who boarded and cruised with us to Cozumel. Our scheduled port stop in Grand Cayman was replaced by a sea day. Cozumel was the only port visit the passengers could truly visit.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas

3 out of 5

Chaos both getting to Galveston due to heavy traffic and construction in both Houston and Galveston to board then chaos due to late return (engine issue) disembarking. Moored about 9 am; disembarkment didn’t start until after 10 am. I didn’t get off the ship til 12 noon and didn’t even go through customs. There were no agents there!

Thumbs Up 0

Montego Bay, Jamaica

1 out of 5

No excursion. Stayed on ship. Not a safe country to visit per US State Dept.

Thumbs Up 1

George Town, Grand Cayman Did not visit port

Port stop cancelled by Carnival.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Did the Chef Maestro Cooking & Tasting Excursion, clearly in what I consider my top 3 best excursions in the 10 years I’ve cruised the Caribbean. It was fun, educational and entertaining all in one! Don’t miss it!

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Miserable!

Traveler Photos

Sweated down . . . but enjoying the cooking excursion in Cozumel. It was 95 degrees in the shade.

Photo of one of 2 jackpots, each around $1300.

Photo of Jamaica port stop. Disembarkment began around 3 pm and it was getting dark by 6 pm. All aboard was about 7:30.

Cozumel excursion: Chef Tabasco Cooking and Tasting . . . a shot of my cooking partner flaming the tequila off the dessert glaze.

Cozumel excursion: Chef Tabasco Cooking and Tasting . . . a shot of our instructor.

Cozumel excursion: Chef Tabasco Cooking and Tasting . . . a shot of our completed Ceviche.

Cozumel excursion: Chef Tabasco Cooking and Tasting . . . a shot of our completed Chile Relieno.

Filet minion in steakhouse was amazing and fork tender!

Deal or No Deal game was entertaining and fun. . . . but I didn’t win! (additional fee charged)

Cozumel excursion: Chef Tabasco Cooking and Tasting . . . a shot of our dessert prep.

Cozumel excursion: Chef Tabasco Cooking and Tasting . . . a shot of our dessert meal prep. Too many photos but sharing a few.

Too many photos to post . . . but was a great experience.

A shot from Three Amigos Restaurant & Bar where you first enter the port in Cozumel.

Amazing stuffed mushrooms in the steakhouse

5 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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chandy2555 2 years ago

Good to know for my September cruise so I can manage my expectations and get psyched to enjoy my vacation. No cooking, no cleaning, no work, and hopefully lots of fun in the sun

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback. Sorry it wasn’t as good the other sailings on the same ship.

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GabeNSteph 2 years ago

Thanks for the review

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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Other reviews of this sailing

Ship has issues ..

1st Carnival Cruise

this was my first cruise a little disappointing because we didn't get to go to Grand Cayman Islands our ship was having problems so I'm going to try again in December and hope it's better