Carnival Vista Review
Wonderful Cruise... Havana Experience Amazing!!!
Rating by category
Additional details
Impressions of Ship
Ship is in beautiful condition. Saw maintenance people working on it daily. I really liked the layout of the ship. They have an upper Promenade (deck 5) and a lower Promenade (deck 4). Both connected to the Atrium area so you had options to bypass the crowds (mostly on Deck 5) especially in the evenings when it seemed there were more photographers than passengers and people lining up for pictures made a bit congested!! Majority of shops were on deck 5…with a few on Deck 4…all off atrium area. Most of the restaurants, bars, libraries, etc were on Deck 5. The Casino and Sports bar were main attractions on Deck 4. The outside promenade deck ….like the Dream Class…is wonderful. Outside seating for the Red Frog Pub and Brewery, Bonsai Sushi, Pig and Anchor (had actual picnic tables!) and the Steakhouse. Plus lots of sitting areas. Only thing missing compared to Dream class is that there were hot tubs on this deck as on the Dream class ship. The deck wrapped around whole ship and stopped at the rear where the Havana cabins and pool area began. There are several floors on ship where you can have Bow viewing access with just railings…no 6’ glass dividers….I believe those floors are 5,7, 9,and 11. And yes… the interior color scheme of the ship seems a bit bland (cream and brown colors) ….but I didn’t find this of any concern or did it make the ship feel “cheaper”.
Staff
Cabin Review
Havana Cabana (Balcony)
Since my wife and I were cruising alone for the first time in a long time….I decided to splurge and book a Havana balcony cabin and am I glad I did!! We had cabin 5239 which was closest to the pool area…very convenient to everything! Had 2 options to get to our cabin…main entrance and the balcony/porch entrance…you get a special access card allowing you to go into your cabin through balcony door, Great option and saved a lot of steps to the pool and bar!! Only wish they had more comfortable seating on your porch area. Swing seat was great…other pieces of furniture they can throw overboard…not comfortable or very practable. Our Room steward Lawrence was visible and engaged with us daily. We opted for morning room service ….He gave us a choice if we wanted both morning and evening service. It felt like we had our own Butler at the pool area. Our Bar Server Julio constantly stopped by and chatted and took care of our drinks throughout the cruise. Never felt crowded…always had a nice seat anywhere in this dedicated portion of ship. Saw very little non-Havana passenger traffic after 7pm. It was like our own little retreat and you got to know your fellow passengers which was really nice. Once you do the Havana….you will be hooked. No crowds, quick service…and spacious area. If you want to mingle and get involved with the rest of ship…. You can do it when you want….Awesome time!!
Port Reviews
Grand Turk
Grand Turk
Considering they were racked by the Hurricanes… the area around the ship was in very good shape. Margaritaville was hopping…and the beaches by the ship area were busy. Very short stop…only there until 2pm
Curacao
Curacao
Really enjoyed our port time here. We just walked the area…RIF Fort was very nice and we walked into downtown and visited the shops and bars. Crossed the Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge which is really fun when you get stuck on it when they move it to allow a boat to pass!! All in all a great Port. Would like to go back. Didn’t dock until 2pm so daylight tour options were limited
Aruba
Aruba
Loved this island…Probably the most touristy but still beautiful and the beaches are great. Did not do an excursion as we met up with some of my family who just happened to be vacationing in Aruba that week at a time share. Fun day.