We chose this cruise because of the intensive port offerings and the opportunity for a European vacation at an attractive price. Our previous experience with Carnival for an Alaskan voyage was very positive, and the new Vista looked like it would offer more than what we had experienced on the Carnival Miracle. The Carnival "Fly to the Fun" program enabled us to get a well priced flight to Barcelona and back from Athens. The program was flexible with dates so that we were able to experience Barcelona and then add an extended stay in Athens, Santorini and Istanbul.

Embarkation was well organized and we were able to board without delay. Decent food options were immediately available, and we were able to get in our stateroom fairly quickly. We were initially disappointed that our group of 13 were not scheduled to dine together and had to plead with the dining room staff to correct this. It was corrected and we had a wonderful table for 13 for all of us for the entire cruise. Our charming waiter Valdamir provided excellent service with a special flair. He made dinner so entertaining that none of our group ventured into the specialty restaurants for dinner. On a couple of nights it was noticeable that they were short staffed but the wait was tolerable. On a few nights we had to hustle out of the dining room to get a seat in the Liquid Lounge. That venue was crowded.

We had an interior stateroom which was quite sufficient for our needs. It was spacious and offered adequate storage. We chose not to upgrade as we planned to be off the boat all of the time with the exception of the single sea day. In Alaska we had gone with a balcony because we spent so much more time on the boat. We considered a Havana cabin but were concerned about the lack of privacy and the loud Latin Music. It was difficult to hear the overhead announcements in the cabin when the door was closed. Read more