We chose this cruise ship because we wanted to be on the newest and largest Carnival ship. The staff was absolutely amazing throughout the 14 days that we were on-board. We had heard many negative things recently on the Carnival Facebook page about how lobster and prime rib were no longer being served - they were served under both itineraries - and also that the cabin stewards only came in once a day. Our cabin steward was amazing and he came twice a day. Word of warning to over packers like me - the cabin storage was minimized to make room for a much larger TV in front of the bed where the additional shelves and cabinet doors used to be. There were only two of us in the cabin so we found other ways to make it all work.
My one and only complaint for the entire ship is the casino. My husband and I love to gamble; however, the casino was so thick with cigarette and cigar smoke it was absolutely unbearable for either of us. Because of that simple reason, the Vista is not high on my list of ships to sail on in the future. Hopefully the Horizon will fix the problem that they have with the casino's ventilation.
The cove balcony overlooks the water whereas the other balconies overlook decks....we prefer the water view but there are a whole lot more steps to go up throughout the cruise.
We love the simplicity of this small island. Just wish that the ship would stay in port longer.
We have been to Cozumel many times and have always gone to Mr. Sancho's. We did that again this time and although the food was wonderful and the staff went out of there way to make you happy it has become too crowded - especially with 5 ships in that day.
We had an excursion scheduled but it was raining that day so it was cancelled and we spent a couple of hours walking around the shopping areas close to the port. A local was selling golf sized umbrellas as soon as you walked off the ship for $10 to entice people to get off the ship - it worked.
We were on the ship very quickly and the process to get on board has been minimized with your room keys waiting for you in the mailbox of your room.
We have been here many times so we didn't do an excursion - we did shop at Diamonds International and found a watch that my husband had to have.