I selected carnival because I enjoyed the previous carnival cruises. This one was not what I expected. On previous carnival ships the atrium was amazing. This was the first thing you saw so you were in awe as you entered the ship. The Vista' s atrium was something you might see as you entered a medical clinic,not even as nice as a shopping mall atrium. Very disappointing. It took 5 days to find my way around. In some cases you were forced to travel through the casino which was all open smoking. I am an ex-smoker and it was disgusting. My eyes burned for several hours. They had very few shops. The food at the buffet was terrible. Twice I attempted to eat a Caesar Salad and both times it tasted like fish. One night the fried chicken was under cooked. Other than the salads the choices were very slim on the buffet. Buffet was self serve slowing the line down. In the past there was carnival staff dishing up the food.

The liquid lounge had a horrible design and was too small. The cruise director and the carnival dancers were amazing. The props appeared to be unprofessional but I believe they did the best with what they had. If it had not been for the dancers I would be requesting a refund. I spoke to several people on the cruise and not one had a good thing to say. I'm not sure there will be very many return cruiser to the Vista. The smaller ships are so much better.

I had an extended balcony cabin cabin. It was pretty nice. I understand the regular balconies are very small. Read more