When I heard the Vista was coming to Galveston I immediately made 3 reservations. I booked a Havana Cabana Suite with a friend (Oct) and two solo cruises (Dec & Jan) with interior cabins. The Havana Cabana area was idea for privacy and no crowds. A bit pricey but after seeing how crowded the two Lido deck pools were the HC area was the right decision. I was solo on my last cruise and did more of the activities this time than I did back in October. I think it was because we had our private area with no real need to venture out very much.
Overall, I expected much more from the Vista. I'd been on the Magic and Breeze and was looking forward to larger and wider open spaces. I was sorely disappointed. There is no atrium that goes up 7 or 8 stories. Just a 3 deck atrium that had a digital champagne glass like revolving monitor. The Liquid Lounge is only two decks high and they have removable seats in the middle of the bottom viewing area so they could make more space for their production numbers. The balcony has those glass safety partitions that interfered with most seating positions to see the main stage. There also were these huge chrome columns that blocked your view as well.
The public restroom areas are SMALLER than any of the other Carnival ships I've been on and they are difficult to find at first. The casino is also much smaller than the Magic or Breeze and it doesn't have the high ceilings which made me feel hemmed in.
The cabin was quiet, well lit and big enough to rest, change clothes, shower, and sleep. There was not enough space for two people to hang their clothes in the one closet. There were 3 drawers and 3 shelves in the other closet. The bathroom was the typical size for Carnival. The shower was just big enough to get washed, there was one sink and three glass shelves on either side of the mirror. No medicine cabinet. Carnival provided 3 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 2 wash cloths. The beds were comfortable enough for me. The TV was mounted to the wall and had no way to adjust its direction. The area was quiet and the room steward was very good.
Mahogany Bay is a great stop. I don't feel there is a need to do an excursion because of what the Bay has to offer.