First Havana Experience
Carnival Vista Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 28
7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 01, 2022
Ship: Carnival Vista
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 7450
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Overall, we're thrilled to be back on Carnival. I won't travel on Vista, specifically, any time soon but we have already booked our next trip on the sister ship (Horizon) for next year. I found the weather in October to be perfect (upper 80s) the whole trip.Embarkation
For the first time, we allowed ourselves a late boarding time. Boarding at 1:00 and carrying on our luggage was a game changer. Everything was more enjoyable - except the elevators - those still sucked.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Cucina del capitano for lunch was amazing as usual.
Pig and Anchor BBQ was amazing - just be mindful of the short lunch hours, hidden location and fact they only open on sea days.
Guys Burger Joint was fantastic.
Bar service was okay. We had to learn which bars were a little more generous with the alcohol and then frequent those areas. Havana bar service was understaffed and slow. Alchemy was our bar of choice for strong drinks.
Main Dining Room menu did not disappoint. We typically miss at least 1 night in the MDR, but we found ourselves going back every single night. The service and food was all we could ask for.
Lido buffet was great and tended to move lines quite well. Breakfast at the omelette stations could get backed up - but after realizing there are 2 stations, and 4 lines, we were able to expedite this most mornings.
About the only downer on food was the pizza. The food was good - but the lines were always so long we often chose to skip out.
Onboard Activities
Being in the Havana, pools and hot tubs were amazing. They were never crowded and the other cruisers were very social. I wasn't thrilled with the scenes in the public back pool area which was often over crowded with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder in both the pool and hot tubs.
We rode the skyview - that was fun and we had no line.
Putt putt looked nice but we did not play. The little bowling game left much to desire...and wasn't free!
Arcade was fairly impressive. Casino had a decent assortment of games but ventilation could be improved. The smoke really lingered.
Entertainment
The 3-person string instrument group was amazing in the guest services area. They played a huge variety of music that consistently had us lingering to listen a little longer.
The comedians were very lacking on this trip. Brad Trackman was decent but Keith Nelson was horrible.
The main entertainment stage, Limelight Lounge, has a horrible design. Lots of obstructed views and the glass barrier in the upper deck rendored that seating virtually unusable. We sat in the stadium seating on the lower floor and had a much better experience. There are still a number of pillars that must be avoided due to obstructed views but it's far better than the balcony experience.
The Vista Rock band was great - we caught several of their shows in the Ocean Plaza. They played a great variety of music and engaged with the crowd.
The piano bar was always rocking. I believe the entertainers name was Misso(?) Finding a seat was the only problem with that option so arriving early is a must if you plan to go.
Limelight Lounge
Worst design - Carnival really not doing their great performers any justice with the design of this lounge. A lot of obstructed viewing areas and the balcony virtually useless with the weird glass panels used as a rail.
Children's Programs
We didn't take our kids this trip
Service and Staff
Staff was always friendly and entertaining. We didn't experience any negativity like some others have noted. Our cabin steward checked in on us often and made sure everything was tip-top. We moved from late dining to any time dining for one evening - that server, Camilo, was amazing. We saw him at the Tide Bar the following day and he remembered our names and our drinks - and he had the same amazing energy he'd shown the night before.
Ship Quality
I miss the glass elevators but the lighted funnel was pretty cool. It just didn't give the same 'awe' as the open lobbies of older ships when you first walk in.
I spoke about the limelight lounge above and those shortcomings.
Vista, even as a newer ship (6 yrs old), had a lot of issues. We were without hot water for 2 days. Carnival would later compensate each cabin $50/person for the inconvenience but it was a sour point. The biggest issue are the continued propulsion issues. Our port stops were cut by several hours and made it challenging to experience the areas. I felt Carnival could have been more forthcoming with the issues and their impacts.
Cabin / Stateroom
Great corner balcony in Havana. Loved having a view from the side and the rear. The balcony was semi-private (standing near the rail was not private - but stepping back from the rail was private with ample overhang). We had 2 chairs, a table and 2 loungers on the balcony. I took a few naps on the deck - including one nap during a light rain storm. The overhang was adequate enough to keep me out of the rain.
Our room had plenty of space for the 2 of us. We heard people complaining about the refrigerators not getting cold but we never used ours. The shower is small - but the pressure was great. Our room had 3 windows which led to a lot of natural light in the room. The blackout curtains did a wonderful job and shielded us in the mornings.
Ship tip
Don't forget about Cucina del Capitano for free lunch!
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
The port shows it's young age. The facial recognition worked very well and streamlined our experience getting on and off the ship. The biggest issue was the proximity to airports. We had a decent drive and I understood, from our driver, that traffic is often an issue.
We used resort for a day to visit Hilton Rose Hall. It took us approximately 45 minutes to get to the hotel with some heavy traffic. The resort was gorgeous and we'd certainly return. They have a large pool, great food and drinks. Don't forget the 2nd pool with a swim up bar, water slide and lazy river. The beach was decent but we preferred the pools.
We had very little time here and chose simply to walk around and shop. There weren't very many shops that were open - some even had signs to call to shop. Many of the few that were around seemed to have much of the same inventory.
Visited Mr Sanchos - again, we had a short stay due to Vista issues. We only had about 4 hours to visit. We had to cancel our scheduled couples massage on the beach after Sea Sense failed to uphold our 11am session. Mr Sanchos check-in process took a long time and the resort was a bit overcrowded.
Disembarkation
We had no issues - almost surprised how easy customs was to get through.