I love Carnival & haven't tried any other cruise lines & really have no plans to do so. This cruise was one of the best I have been on. This is our first time leaving our of Miami and we were so tired from the trip down, we really didn't do much sightseeing. Maybe next time! I am very impressed with the Vista! The ship is really laid out well. I did some research on this site and Carnival's before going onboard & had no problems finding where I needed to go. I like the more subdued color scheme of the Vista and didn't miss the glass atrium elevators at all. I liked the LED funnel display and took several pictures different days. Our cabin was very spacious and was kept immaculate from the beginning of the cruise till the end by our room steward, Svetislav. He was very friendly and called us by name from the first day. I loved the balcony & think we will always get one from now on. Embarkation was ok. We were told to wait in the special needs room at first after coming through security. This was because they mistakenly thought my husband needed to be pushed in his wheelchair; he has a power wheelchair that he operates excellently and needed no assistance. Once we cleared that up, we were allowed to go to the VIFP waiting area. I was not impressed with the Miami terminal. We had to stand outside until embarkation began (thankfully, it wasn't hot that day yet) and once inside, the waiting area was freezing cold and there were no refreshments to be seen or to purchase. In the past, we always left from New Orleans terminal, and they have complimentary beverages, cookies, etc. while you wait in the VIFP section. Once we got onboard, our room was ready and the sail & sign cards were in the mailbox outside the door.

Once an issue with my status was cleared up, we headed to eat.

During our cruise, we ate at Guy's Burgers: great; Pig & Anchor Barbecue: ok, the chicken was really good, but we live in a city known for great bbq & we are very good at smoking bbq at home, so we're spoiled; Lido Marketplace: always something there that we could enjoy, even though the food quality has dropped a little bit; Cucina del Capitano: great pasta; Ji Ji Asian: stirfry was excellent; Seafood Shack: loved the buffalo shrimp; and Blue Iguana Cantina: tacos were very tasty, maybe a little greasy, but I like them that way. We also had sea day brunch twice and really enjoyed that. All of the drinks we had were very tasty and we were served twice while at the table by the pool. Even when I went to the bar, the wait was minimal. Read more