We chose the dark side - Carnival VS Disney

[Ofinn]

I wont miss Flick. Ill try that dessert. The desserts are really good on this ship. Love the homemade ice cream. As you can see Im enjoying the unlimited internet package. I really like all the outdoor seating on this ship. There's been no trouble finding a chair in the shade. This is our second sea day. I havent seen my kids at all so the teen club must be getting better. I would never do a longer school season cruise like a TA or Panama on anything other then dcl. I think my kids would be bored to death. The demographics on this cruise is a little older then Im used too. I guess its the time of year.
It will be interesting to get my kids thoughts when this is over.
I actually like this ship better then the Fantasy. We are aft deck 2 and there is absolutely no vibration at all. The family harbor longe is excellent. I love the expresso and latte machine. Coffee is good fresh brewed. Its not a continental breakfast like I thought. They serve a full hot breakfast with actual real scrambled eggs not the powdered kind you get on dcl. IMax is nice. Weve seen deepwater Horizon and Sully. Its pricey, but no worse then on land.

 

[RedSox68]

If they offer these two drinks on other cruises, I cannot recommend them highly enough: The Painkiller, and Dark and Stormy. They will both make you feel wonderful!

 

[mevelandry]

On the Victory we were obsessed with two drinks: "Funship" and "Punchliner".

 

[kaseyC]

I wont miss Flick. Ill try that dessert. The desserts are really good on this ship. Love the homemade ice cream. As you can see Im enjoying the unlimited internet package. I really like all the outdoor seating on this ship. There's been no trouble finding a chair in the shade. This is our second sea day. I havent seen my kids at all so the teen club must be getting better. I would never do a longer school season cruise like a TA or Panama on anything other then dcl. I think my kids would be bored to death. The demographics on this cruise is a little older then Im used too. I guess its the time of year.
It will be interesting to get my kids thoughts when this is over.
I actually like this ship better then the Fantasy. We are aft deck 2 and there is absolutely no vibration at all. The family harbor longe is excellent. I love the expresso and latte machine. Coffee is good fresh brewed. Its not a continental breakfast like I thought. They serve a full hot breakfast with actual real scrambled eggs not the powdered kind you get on dcl. IMax is nice. Weve seen deepwater Horizon and Sully. Its pricey, but no worse then on land.

Glad to know you are enjoying the Vista. I definitely think the demographics is based on the time of the year. Our sailing in June, the same itinerary had a ton of kids and teens.

Don't forget to try the breakfast tacos and burritos at the Blue Iguana in the mornings. Yummy especially with their watermelon salsa.

 

[Love2Cruz]

We are on Vista right now. I have to say this has been the best ship, best room, best room steward, and best food we have ever had on a cruise We have had my time dining and we have had excellent service every night. The servers seem a little more relaxed then DCL. The kids clubs activites have been kind of a bust only about 20 teens on board, but my kids new that coming in. There's actually more kids on board than I expected. I cant believe how good the food is compared to DCL. The crew is very friendly. I really dont notice a difference between the dcl crew and carnival.
I do miss the Disney vibe and the little girls running around in princess dresses, but everything else has been great.
Like you we will still sail dcl. I have a cruise booked for next year on dcl, but I think this ship will always be my first choice in the caribbean.
I will give a more detailed comparsion when we return.

Glad to see you are enjoying your first Carnival cruise! I can't wait to sail the Vista in a couple of months.

 

[Love2Cruz]

Ofinn, a few of my favorites...if you get a chance to try them:

For frozen alcoholic drinks, I love the Twilight Zone,
Try the chocolate warming cake and as Chander suggested, the bitter blanc is great too
Try the Strawberry cheesecake from the Coffee Bar
As suggested, the breakfast burrito ( I like the Mexican one) from Blue Iguana and the made to order omelette station...get there early!
Their Nova sandwich from the NY Deli (I dont' know if vista has one, but if they do)
Order a chocolate cake, for ANY reason, only $10, it's made to order and they are delicious!
Pizza, (almost as good as MSC)

We have a family harbor cabin too, glad to see they serve a full breakfast...but I will probably go on deck to get their made to order omelettes and burritos.


Have a GREAT time!

 

[Love2Cruz]

On the Victory we were obsessed with two drinks: "Funship" and "Punchliner".

Next time, try the Twilight Zone

 

[mevelandry]

Next time, try the Twilight Zone

I will!

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Mocha Chocolate Getaway! Just sayin'.

 

[RedSox68]

Ofinn, a few of my favorites...if you get a chance to try them:

For frozen alcoholic drinks, I love the Twilight Zone,
Try the chocolate warming cake and as Chander suggested, the bitter blanc is great too
Try the Strawberry cheesecake from the Coffee Bar
As suggested, the breakfast burrito ( I like the Mexican one) from Blue Iguana and the made to order omelette station...get there early!
Their Nova sandwich from the NY Deli (I dont' know if vista has one, but if they do)
Order a chocolate cake, for ANY reason, only $10, it's made to order and they are delicious!
Pizza, (almost as good as MSC)

We have a family harbor cabin too, glad to see they serve a full breakfast...but I will probably go on deck to get their made to order omelettes and burritos.


Have a GREAT time!

I'm taking notes........

 

[Ofinn]

Glad to know you are enjoying the Vista. I definitely think the demographics is based on the time of the year. Our sailing in June, the same itinerary had a ton of kids and teens.

Don't forget to try the breakfast tacos and burritos at the Blue Iguana in the mornings. Yummy especially with their watermelon salsa.

My kids have made some friends today and seem to be having a great time. There's a lot of European kids on the cruise. Its Fall break in Europe, but they seem to hang with the family. My homeschooled kids want nothing to do with us on a cruise. Lol. We eat dinner every night together at home, and we definety dont lack family time so Im good with that.
I wouls say 50% of the ship is over 65. I just watched a group of 70 year old women having a really great time in the Red Frog. They kept calling the bartender "studmuffin".

Love the watermelon salsa. The food and service we have had in the MDR has been outstanding. So much better than dcl. The food we had Greece was incredibe. Everything was fresh and homemade. None of the processed, GMO stuff Im used to eating in the US.

 

[Ofinn]

Ofinn, a few of my favorites...if you get a chance to try them:

For frozen alcoholic drinks, I love the Twilight Zone,
Try the chocolate warming cake and as Chander suggested, the bitter blanc is great too
Try the Strawberry cheesecake from the Coffee Bar
As suggested, the breakfast burrito ( I like the Mexican one) from Blue Iguana and the made to order omelette station...get there early!
Their Nova sandwich from the NY Deli (I dont' know if vista has one, but if they do)
Order a chocolate cake, for ANY reason, only $10, it's made to order and they are delicious!
Pizza, (almost as good as MSC)

We have a family harbor cabin too, glad to see they serve a full breakfast...but I will probably go on deck to get their made to order omelettes and burritos.


Have a GREAT time!

I love being able to walk 50 feet in the morning to get a cup of coffee. Im not a big breakfast eater, but its very convenient for me to get some eggs and coffee before I go running up on deck 11. We bought the wine plan with diiner because I love wine. Ill try the twilight. I had a drink called The cruiser that was really good. Ive also had few martinis that were good.

 

[Love2Cruz]

I love being able to walk 50 feet in the morning to get a cup of coffee. Im not a big breakfast eater, but its very convenient for me to get some eggs and coffee before I go running up on deck 11. We bought the wine plan with diiner because I love wine. Ill try the twilight. I had a drink called The cruiser that was really good. Ive also had few martinis that were good.

Yes, that's a great convenience. I hear they also have milk and cookies at night...my DD will be all over that. I hope she makes friends. She's an only child but is very friendly so hopefully there will be kids her age on the ship.

I loved Greece too....especially their Iced Coffee. Santorini was awesome, as were the other islands we visited. I would go back in a second.

 

[kaseyC]

The food we had Greece was incredibe. Everything was fresh and homemade. None of the processed, GMO stuff Im used to eating in the US.

The food in Greece was amazing. So fresh. I still crave the Greek Salad, the little resort in Mykonos served at their pool bar. Almost all of the ingredients were grown on site and the olive oil and feta cheese were made locally. So delicious.

 

[Ofinn]

Yes, that's a great convenience. I hear they also have milk and cookies at night...my DD will be all over that. I hope she makes friends. She's an only child but is very friendly so hopefully there will be kids her age on the ship.

I loved Greece too....especially their Iced Coffee. Santorini was awesome, as were the other islands we visited. I would go back in a second.

In the afternoon they have sandwhiches, brownies, cookies, cakes, chips and vegetables and dip. The fridge is always full of of white milk, chocolate milk and yogurt. At night they put out cookies. They have two nice apple desktop computers, and a couple of xbox consoles with tvs. A very large big screen tv for movies, and multiple board games. The xbox seems to be pretty popular with the older kids.I believe there were 1200 kids on one of the August sailings so I dont think there will be a lack of kids in the summer.
I will find out from one of the counselors what a normal caribbean sailing is like for the teens so Ill be able to pass that on to anyone with teens thats interested. The activities are very similar to the edge. Theres just not enough teens participating this cruise.

 

[Love2Cruz]

We are going for Xmas break so I think we'll have enough kids. The lounge sounds awesome. How is the room decor? We got an OV but it's one of those odd double width rooms with 2 portholes instead of one. One thing I love about CCl is that ALL cabins have robes. It's those little extra touches that I appreciate. You don't have to be a big spender to get the full service, less of a feudal system on CCL lol.

 

[ilovetexas]

I wont miss Flick. Ill try that dessert. The desserts are really good on this ship. Love the homemade ice cream. As you can see Im enjoying the unlimited internet package. I really like all the outdoor seating on this ship. There's been no trouble finding a chair in the shade. This is our second sea day. I havent seen my kids at all so the teen club must be getting better. I would never do a longer school season cruise like a TA or Panama on anything other then dcl. I think my kids would be bored to death. The demographics on this cruise is a little older then Im used too. I guess its the time of year.
It will be interesting to get my kids thoughts when this is over.
I actually like this ship better then the Fantasy. We are aft deck 2 and there is absolutely no vibration at all. The family harbor longe is excellent. I love the expresso and latte machine. Coffee is good fresh brewed. Its not a continental breakfast like I thought. They serve a full hot breakfast with actual real scrambled eggs not the powdered kind you get on dcl. IMax is nice. Weve seen deepwater Horizon and Sully. Its pricey, but no worse then on land.

I am so glad you are enjoying Vista. We are booked on her next May but it will just be us (leaving the last remaining kidlet at home) so we didn't book in Family Harbor but got a Havana Aft Balcony instead. If you happen to be out in the Havana area one evening (after it opens to the whole ship) will you please let me know if you think the noise would be annoying if you were in an aft balcony on deck 7? That's two decks up so I'm hoping it won't be a problem. If you don't get a chance, don't worry about it. I can't wait until your review when you return. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

 

[Ofinn]

I am so glad you are enjoying Vista. We are booked on her next May but it will just be us (leaving the last remaining kidlet at home) so we didn't book in Family Harbor but got a Havana Aft Balcony instead. If you happen to be out in the Havana area one evening (after it opens to the whole ship) will you please let me know if you think the noise would be annoying if you were in an aft balcony on deck 7? That's two decks up so I'm hoping it won't be a problem. If you don't get a chance, don't worry about it. I can't wait until your review when you return. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

The Havana bar has been empty every night. That might change on a caribbean cruise. This is a very port intensive cruise so not a lot of late night partying going on.

 

[mevelandry]

I am reading at how some big cruiseship can be busy (like the NCL Breakaway) My husband likes when most public places are busy. He likes when restaurants are full. The only place he doesn't like crowded are pools and beaches because he's self conscious (still trying to encourage him to wear a UV shirt to swim like I do).

Starting to think we would love those Carnival -NCL-RCCL behemoths.

 

[ilovetexas]

The Havana bar has been empty every night. That might change on a caribbean cruise. This is a very port intensive cruise so not a lot of late night partying going on.

Thanks for the info. I've been thinking I'm not going to get a good read on that area until the ship is in the Caribbean. PIF date isn't until mid-February, so there's still time. Enjoy the rest of your trip!