I was invited to go on this cruise by some family members and friends. I had never been on Carnival before (only Princess, Paul Gauguin and HAL). I had thought that Carnival wouldn't match those other lines in terms of service, food and overall quality, but I was wrong! It actually seems that there are many more similarities between different cruise lines than there are differences.

I am not a big party animal. I prefer somewhat quiet experiences, and I love cruises for sailing and enjoying the sun and sea - not for gambling or loud, crazy games on the Lido deck. So my review is based on that perspective.

The ship itself was very nice. Of course, it is a new ship, so that's partly why it was so aesthetically pleasing. There are a lot of design similarities between the Vista and the HAL Koningsdam, actually. Makes me wonder if both ships had the same designer. Read more