Carnival Vista Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Overall I enjoyed the cruise. Director Matt was AMAZING!!! There were tons of events and things to do. My kids loved camp Ocean. Biggest draw back was the choppy layout and food was just okay.

Best Vacation ever. Wish we done this a long time ago. We loved the Carnival Vista.

Just got off the 7 day cruise to Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cozumel. Had a wonderful time (3rd and best cruise so far), however we did have some complaints. First off, this isn’t Carnivals fault, it’s more of a heads up, but the guy who was supposed to take our luggage to the ship pretty much demanded a tip. He placed our luggage behind him, put out his hand and said... “I’m the one who makes sure you get your bag...or not...” and finally someone said he’s expecting a tip. So I gave him $5 for the two of us. Each of us part of the Faster to the Fun program, which gave our bags priority. Well my bag was delivered pretty much immediately. My spouse bag didn’t show up until around 9pm, and the Porter had intentionally covered up the “FTTF” logo, so it was no longer priority. All because I tipped and my spouse did not. Beware of some of those porters, go to another one if they act like this. Thy can’t hold your bag ransom for money, and you can report them for doing so. We had the Havana Aft room 6465. Which was decent sized with a nice patio area directly over the private Havana pool/hot tub area. While it was nice having a more secluded area from the masses, I don’t know if we’d pay this much again. The bar only ever had 1 bartender and it was extremely slow service. We regularly left to other bars and returned quicker than the people still waiting. The Havana club was neat, but loud until 12:30am. We were able to sleep through it, but light sleepers beware. The shows were incredible. The cast was great and very friendly. However, for the people doing multiple repeat events (bingo for example) try not doing the SAME EXACT jokes in the SAME EXACT order for every single show. By the end of the cruise people were openly annoyed with the 2 girls who ran it. It was embarrassing to watch. The cruise director Emma was nice. But she seemed new and slightly held back. Not as entertaining as the last 2 we’ve had. But she tried, so maybe it’s just jitters or something. Food was good. Room service now charges you after 10pm. Which is fine, but costs you a bit more. Dining halls had great menus and we made some great friends in there, but be prepared to rush along the waiters if you are trying to make a show. The Dive In theater was nice, but the small pool was located directly below the screen, so you couldn’t watch the movie in the water unless you were on the edge and looked directly up. And no hot tubs in the area either, which we found odd. But overall we enjoyed The Greatest Showman and Peter Rabbit from deck 10 and deck 11. Overall we loved the Vista. We would definitely recommend it to anyone and go again in a heartbeat.

This ship is amazing! There is so much to do - and the schedule was good for our group (various ages). Emma was awesome (so happy to have her as CD again - she was on the Sunshine with us last year). Hope one day to book again on this ship - maybe I’ll splurge for a Havana Suite (yes - it looked totally worth it)

The Vista is a beautiful ship. This was an anniversary trip for my husband and I so no kids with us. I loved the dreamscape in the casino and atrium. The sky ride is a must, even if you are scared of heights like me, and the water slides are fantastic. We had an interior room in the Havana area and I'm so glad we booked it. It was nice to have a less crowded area to sit, plus the pool wasn't full of kids. There is definitely plenty of things to do on board. We were not fans of the bbq place, but all the other food was really good. We found a light lunch place near the Havana rooms that provided breakfast and lunch without the crowds. My biggest complaint about the ship was that it seemed overly crowded at times. It took forever to get a drink at most bars. At the shows we would get there early and order drinks immediately and they would not show up until about halfway thru the show.

My wife and I went on this ship in May’18 with our daughter, son in law and 2 of our grandkids. The staff was so attentive and friendly, making this a very memorable 1st cruise for the kids. Thank you Carnival!!

Carnival Vista is the best cruise ship I've been on so far. Every ship has it's good and bad. The best food was on Royal Caribbean "Empress of the Seas". But overall was the vista. I think the bigger the ship, the more it has. If your a first time cruiser, I recommend you do the research on the ship before going on.

This was a great cruise. The ship and crew were excellent. The food and entertainment were awesome. Couldn't have gone better. Looking forward to our next one!

I enjoyed all 3 ports. I did the Bob Marley Excursion and the Crystal Caves excursion. Both were fun. I walked around Cozumel and did some shopping. The ship was nice.

Ship was super modern, new, and clean,... But we did feel like there was way too many people abord. Almost every area felt crowded. Maybe I just like the medium sized ships 🤷🏻‍♂️

We had an awesome time on the Vista. Emma the cruise director was great but I couldn’t help to wonder if Matt was better since I’ve heard nothing but great reviews on him. I didn’t think the buffet food was all that great. Guys burgers and the Mexican restaurant were both delicious. Entertainment was okay. Overall we had a great time. It was my husbands first cruise and he already wants to book another one for next year.

Just got off the boat yesterday 5/19/18. The ship was fine. But my family was staying in the family harbor and the staff dropped the ball. If you were staying in the family harbor suite then you got a family gathering room just for staying in the family harbor. People from other parts of the ship would come down and people that was leaving would let others in and the staff wouldn't say a word to the others. So basically your wasting your money on paying a little extra for the family harbor.

It was ok. Upgrade with food but guys was good and our waiter for dinner was amazing. Kids camp was great.

It's a really pretty ship and I loved that I barely felt the ship rock, but the inside spaces felt too small and too crowded. No matter what we were drinking (soda or alcohol), it was difficult to get a bartender's attention to get served. The dreamscapes in the atrium and casino were pretty cool. I enjoyed seeing the different scenes daily.

I loved going on the cruise. I didn't like being lied to when I went to Guy's Burger Joint and was told that the burger was well done and it was pink in the middle. I wasn't even offered to have it cooked longer.

What Happens on The Island... Stays on The Island! I have No Complaints at all about the Vista! I will travel on her again! Hands Down!

Carnival Vista you are a beautiful ship. The 8 day Southern Caribbean cruise was wonderful! This ship is big and our room was 7th deck, aft. easy to get to every where we wanted to go. Our room was taken care of 2x daily by Indra, our steward. He did a fantastic job. Always clean. Very polite and courteous. The food was good! The only night it was just ok was the first formal night. The lobster wasn't good and I didn't care for the shrimp either. We started out with anytime dining but switched it to early dining about half way through. Much better service with early dining. Getting on and off the ship at each port was quick and efficient. The ports were beautiful. The entertainment on the ship was really good. We laughed and had a good time every day. The ship was clean, the staff were gracious and worked so hard. Best cruise I've been on!!!

We chose the Vista mainly for it's newness and it's Southern Caribbean itinerary. We didn't want to fight the crowds and hawkers at the Bahamas and the other heavily traveled islands. This cruise hit 4 ports, Grand Turk, La Romana, Curacao and Aruba. We had only one other ship in port at Grand Turk and Curacao, making it far less crowded. Room- It is detailed below. Loved it and loved the spa being nearby (and free for the basic areas) Ship- Yes, it is lacking wow factor. Miss the glitz of the atrium etc. Dining rooms, especially the Reflections Dining room very spartan. As for layout, I'm a map guy so by day 2 I had it down pretty well other than the skip and a jump needed to get to Horizons on Deck 3. We avoided Casino with a passion due to smoke. By the way Carnival, if you ever have a non smoking floor of the Casino, you would likely double your take. Heard numerous guests say they would never enter because of smoke but really wanted to play at least a little bit. Me too. Pool/Outdoor areas- Two pools, both on the small side. Beach pool where the action is. Tides aft pool very quiet and much older crowd. There is a third pool for Havana clients only. Went back there once with our Spa bracelets on and they thought we were Havana residents so we got in! As for the Beach pool, it was a great people watching area and that's where the big screen is and the fun. Many dance contests, etc. Matt, the cruise director knows how to keep the action and fun going. Wife liked that the aft end of pool under TV would shade quickly, keeping her out of the sun as she is fair skinned. Allowed her to be near the action but not fry. Another good shady area is Deck 11 leeward (starboard is for smokers..). Did get to do the SkyRide (caught it at opening and waited 4 minutes!). Golfed twice, played basketball but never did water slides or ropes course. Walking track was nice. Serenity Lounge was ok, but no pool just hot tubs. It was already hot up there and a hot spa we could get on deck 12. Overall the public areas outside were solid. Indoor areas- Ship was fairly easy to navigate. Stores were actually fairly priced, especially the main store for shirts, extras, snacks, etc. The waterproof hanging phone case was actually a dollar less than what I paid on Amazon. Atrium wasn't glitzy but we hung out there to watch the singers and string trio frequently. Elevators weren't nearly as bad as everyone says. Never had to wait more than 5 minutes. Also took the steps when it was less than 4 floors away. Food- Mixed at best. First, never ate sushi, mongolian, or Blue Iguana. Many did and liked. Pizza was ok. Nothing special but not bad and very edible. Never had to wait for more than 7 minutes. Ate at the pub once, grub food was good. Ate at the Seafood Shack once. Had clam bucket and wife Fried Shrimp. Freshly breaded and cooked to order. Good but not great. Guys Burgers......ok, as good if not better than advertised. Greasy and flavorful. Not too light or not too heavy. Smelled and tasted delicious. And the fixing bar was huge. And potato sticks on the bar?? Sold. Once took a bowl of nothing but them for a snack! And Vista knows how to cook fries. Absolutely delicious, other than in the MDR. My local fries at home will always pale to those. MDR was anytime dining. We got to deck 5 to check in at 515 every night and were always one of the first dozen seated, which means the best tables. Sat by the windows 7 of 8 nights. And twice at the back window for the perfect view. But with ATD, you never get the personalized service from the wait staff as they are different every night. As for the fare, it was mixed at best. If you like your beef medium well (my wife does), it comes out well done and dry. Her filet with short rib was inedible. Should have sent back. Mine was medium and came out medium well but was ok. Rib was tender. Other nights parts of meal would be good, others missed. Didn't like the flat iron at all, or the pork chop (dry). Veal parm was good as was the brisket. Desserts hit and miss. Creme Brûlée wasn't formed enough but still tasted good. Grand Marnier Souflee was not what we would get elsewhere but still tasted ok. Baked Alaska was indeed good the last night. But overall, you take a Carnival cruise for the fun, not the MDR food. Did Steak house 555 on Monday. While the service was wonderful, we found the steak just ok. Our local steakhouse in Little Rock was better. Lido buffet was ok. Breakfast we ate most days there. Carnival needs to learn how to cook bacon. Each and everyone in front and behind us asked for crisp bacon. Lady would smile and hand us 5 pieces of limp greasy bacon. Everyone crumbled. Pastries, while cooked on board were just ok. Cakes at lunch were good. As were the cookies. But others looked good but had little taste. Wife loved the fresh gelato at the Lido. Had it daily. Never had lunch or dinner there. Fare looked basic and ok. Excursions- Did the snorkel at Turks. Good excursion but the water was rough and wore you out fast. Not their fault. La Romana many stayed onboard, including us. Gave us time to golf, SkyRide, and lay by pool. Curacao we did the submarine and rum tour. Ok. In Aruba we did the Kukkoo bus and had a blast. Highly recommend. And once you hit beach, walk five minutes down beach to Pelican Bar and Pier for drinks, food and great scenery, far better than where they let you off. Embark-Debark- Did FTTF. Got us on quick, only behind Platinum level. Only to find our room locked and no luggage til 3 (muster time). Went to guest services and they promptly refunded me my $99 but kept the perks. Well done staff to correct the problem!! Getting off we let them have luggage at night, went to Liquid Lounge at 830 and got off in 5 minutes. Took 5 min to walk to luggage and 5 more to get. 10 min in customs line and by 855 we were on the bus to go to airport. Five stars for both. Extras- Since we did FFTF we got on fast and the first thing I did was go to guest services and sign up for the Behind the Fun tour. It's unannounced and is only for 32 people (two tours, both back to back on last or second to last sea day). It was $89 a head and the highlight of our trip! Three hours long. We saw the galley, laundry, control room, store rooms, bridge (and pic with captain), back stage at the Liquid Lounge and much more. Was fascinating. Highly recommended to anyone doing cruise. First come first serve and cannot be done online. Overall- We had a wonderful time on the Vista and it's what you make it. We went to every show (forgot to review entertainment!). All the shows were good, especially the Rock and Roll show. Atrium singers and players always solid. Never did IMAX. But you have to get involved. We did lip sync, games, volunteered at entertainment (won a Ship on a Stick) and made it fun. You can stay in your room and make the fun come to you or get out there, jon the conga line at the pool and let go. We're 58 and 57 and never let that slow us down. Get out there and experience all they have to offer. Would I cruise Vista again? Likely not but only because we cruise so infrequently. We'll try another ship only to experience something different. But we had an excellent trip and had the MDR food been better it would have been 5 stars.

Second time on the vista because the itinerary fit my schedule

We had a GREAT TIME!! If you have a chance to cruise with Matt he's the best cruise director