I've been on 3 different cruise lines and 9 cruises - we have learned that the newer ships offer the best in new entertainment and cleanliness - so we opted for the Vista. The Carnival Valor had been our favorite followed closely by RC's Allure of the seas to this point and I was hoping Vista would exceed those two. The main pool area where we typically love to watch the various laugh ensuing competitions and line dancing was really condensed and did not work well for any kind of staging or any sort of a dance floor - the activities here were few and far between on sea days. If you are looking for a quieter area, there was a nice pool area near the back by the pizza parlor that we frequented.

The food was OK - I've had better on other carnival ships and we got cornered into the my time dining which worked fine for us since we like to eat early, but heard from some of the other later eating passengers that the lines and waits were excessive. The main lounge where shows took place is in need of a major overhaul. There are limited tables for drinks or to place your bingo cards and what I think were supposed to be individual small tables on every other chair are all bent and leaning and I saw more than one drink take a plummet due to the poor design. The chairs are not fixed to the ground which allows for flexibility but also made the room look cluttered and unkempt. There was a lack of Bingo - while we typically participate in all of the 7-10 bingo sessions onboard a typical weeklong cruise - apparently Carnival did not want my money and only offered 3.

I loved the water play area - even though we have teenagers, we checked it out and it was a lot of fun. The outdoor bike ride and obstacle course was a lot of fun as well. Mini golf was well laid out as well as the some indoor ping pong and bowling! The IMAX theater was very cool and offered a nice alternative for the kids who did not want to see a song and dance show and would have preferred to blow my life savings in the arcade. Read more