Family Friendly

Item: Carnival Vista
Rating: 5
Author: jpsmilledge

Carnival Vista Cruise Review

jpsmilledge

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 33

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 30, 2022

Ship: Carnival Vista

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 1434

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Had a fabulous time. Would definitely cruise again!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Our check in was scheduled at noon, it took us about 40 minutes from the time we stepped into the terminal to stepping onboard the Vista. We had a party of 8 and everything went smoothly. We didn’t check any luggage. We used The VerIFly app which made the entire controlled chaos process move a lot faster. Absolutely no complaints here if you want to compare it to an airport.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

That’s the great thing about being on a cruise… get spoiled rotten with the variety of food options! I was just glad I didn’t have to cook or clean!

The Chef's Table

5 out of 5

We got seated at different tables with different wait staff each time for dinner at the Horizons MDR. The service was always good. We checked the menu ahead of time every day, there’s always something on the menu but there’s also the standard same items as well to fit everyone’s choice. Used the Carnival Hub to reserve our table and never had issues. We never saw any entertainment during dinner, in the past the servers would present a dance or songs. I didn’t know if that was a thing of the past or we just weren’t there at the right time.

JiJi Asian Kitchen

5 out of 5

For lunch, this place is called the Mongolian Wok and it’s free. We didn’t get to try it until our last day at sea, and I wish we had tried it sooner. It is stir fried noodles dinner the way you choose. The lo mein noodle is the best.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

Guy’s Burger was awesome and the lines always moved quick! It’s amazing how cheerful the staff at Guy’s always are and you can tell they worked their tails off! The Ringer was out favorite choice!

Cucina Del Capitano

5 out of 5

For lunch, this place is called Pasta Bella and there is no charge to eat here. Our teenage boys loved this spot for lunch.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Liquid Lounge

4 out of 5

We spent quite a few nights here taking in the nightly performances. They were great artists and they work so hard to deliver memorable shows. The only bad part is the way the liquid lounge is set up. If you’re on the top floor, beware of the seats where you won’t be able to see the stage. There are also these giant poles that will obstruct your view. Just poor design of the stadium seating arrangement. Lines can also get quite long, doors open 30 minutes before showtime BUT if you want a good seat you have to be there 30 minutes before the doors open, that’s an hour before showtime. On top of that, you also have to deal with the line cutters… there’s always those people who just feel that entitled. We didn’t let them ruin the night, we made friends with the folks in line around us and together we stood our ground and didn’t allow the line cutters to come through.

Limelight Lounge

4 out of 5

We watched a standup comedy show once. The line was horrendously long, you have to plan on getting in line at least 40 minutes before showtime to make sure you get a decent seat. The comic was good.

Ocean Plaza

5 out of 5

We spent almost every night here enjoying the Vista Band. It doesn’t help that our teen boys were completely smitten with the female vocalist of the band. Lol!!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Fantastic staff, always smiling, always courteous. We appreciate their hospitality!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The cruise staff were constantly cleaning. Kudos to them!!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Our room steward was Leonides. He was fantastic and took excellent care of us!! He always greeted us in the hallway and checked on us to make sure everything was tip top. The one downfall was the fact that there wasn’t a fridge in the room. The thing that looked like a fridge is just a cooler. Leonides brought us ice everyday so we could chill our wine and sodas.

Ship tip

Enjoy yourselves! Carnival ships are fun ships, so have that mentality and it’ll all be good.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

5 out of 5

We booked the Maya Key excursion and we had a blast! The snorkeling is a must-do!! The lunch buffet was delicious but you could only go through it once. Our teen boys were starving!

Thumbs Up 1

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

We didn’t book an excursion but we tindered to port and enjoyed a few hours there shopping and had a few drinks.

Thumbs Up 1

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

We made reservations at Paradise Beach on our own. What a great time!! Our servers Luis and Jesus were so attentive and accommodating. The beach and pool were busy but you never felt crowded. You could order from the menu and everything except RedBull drinks were all inclusive. The food was GREAT!! We took a cab back and forth, the cab price is fixed, so you know how much it is before you get in. We took a van each time because there were 8 of us and it was $30 cash per trip. If you had less people, it would cost less.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Understandably, this was a arduous task to unload 4500 passengers and their luggage. Huge bottleneck funneling everyone to one stairway. Mostly everyone were patient and cordial, there’s a handful of entitled folks who thought they were the only ones who mattered and they just forced their way through the crowd. We did not check our luggage, by the time we stepped out of the terminal, we were all sweating due to the humidity and heat. Took us about an hour from the time we left our staterooms to get out of the terminal and back to reality.