Carnival Vista 2019 7-Day Caribbean Cruise Review
Day 1   Part 1         May 18, 2019                        Galveston, Texas                                      
Scheduled Departure:  4:00pm              
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Carnival Vista Docked At Cruise Terminal #1

Arrival In Galveston & Parking:
              After over 15 months of anticipation the day of the Carnival Vista cruise arrived! My alarm was set for 4:45am, but since I was awake since 2:00am I decided to get up around 4:30am to start getting ready for the day. I couldn't sleep because of the excitement of getting on the ship and my constant desire to keep looking up the ship's position on the tracker overnight. After getting out of bed I showered, finalized my packing, and ate breakfast. We left around 6:20am and began our journey to Galveston. Due to traffic being very light, we arrived in Galveston around 8:30am, but stopped at McDonalds first to get a dollar large drink. 
              We parked at EZ Cruise Parking and had a great experience.  Prior to the day of our cruise, I reserved a parking space on EZ Cruise Parking's website and picked their "Park & Walk Special". Selecting this special meant we received a discount for not using the parking lot's shuttle. Upon arriving at the lot, we showed our online receipt and were instantly directed to a parking spot. After securing our vehicle, we walked about 4-5 minutes to the cruise terminal. A police officer was working the crosswalk along Harborside Drive and he stopped traffic to let us across. Having a police officer working this crosswalk made the walk across the street much safer because vehicles had to follow the officer's instructions to stop.

Carnival Dream Docked At Cruise Terminal #2

Back-Side View Of The Carnival Vista

View Of Carnival Vista From Harborside Drive

Arriving At The Cruise Terminal & Check-In:
              After arriving at the cruise terminal our suitcases were taken by a porter. We followed the outside signage to find where embarking passengers should go to check-in. One thing I have always liked about Galveston's Cruise Terminal #1 is the signage is very clear. Since we arrived too early the doors to check-in were not yet open. As we waited outside we were able to watch debarking passengers get into taxis and parking lot shuttles. Thankfully it was not too hot outside and the wind blew every few minutes. This made the wait much better. Around 9:30am, some cruise terminal employees came outside to finalize setting up. One staff member organized the outside area into two different lines. One line was for priority guests and Faster to the Fun. The other line was for all other cruisers based on arrival appointment time windows. There was a wedding taking place on the ship and the wedding party guests were directed to another line to wait. 

Carnival Vista - View As We Waited To Cross The Street

                Around 10:00am the doors to the cruise terminal for check-in were opened. The line with priority guests and Faster to the Fun was let into the building first. Before being allowed into the building boarding passes were checked to ensure each cruiser was in the right line. I overheard a terminal staff member tell a newer staff member to also check the ship name because sometimes cruisers will go to the wrong cruise terminal on days when two ships are in Galveston. After entering the cruise terminal building, we had our passports and boarding passes checked again. The staff member doing this scanned our passport and uploaded the passport photo into Carnival's system. If a cruiser's appearance differed from the passport photo a new picture was taken on the spot for Carnival's identification system. Thankfully my passport photo is relatively recent so my passport photo was able to be used. 
​                     Following this part of the check-in process we went through security. After going through security, we were directed up an escalator to the cruise terminal's second floor. This was my first cruise being Platinum in Carnival's VIFP club and as a result I was directed to the Captain's Lounge in the cruise terminal. This area was for Platinum and Diamond guests. Some refreshments were available for everyone in this lounge to enjoy. During my wait I kept getting up to walk around and look out the nearby cruise terminal windows. I was able to see the very back of the Carnival Vista as well as the front of the Carnival Dream docked at terminal #2. 

Coffee, Water, & Lemonade In Captain's Lounge

Forklift on the Pier

View Of The Carnival Vista's Back

Boarding The Carnival Vista:
                     Boarding the Carnival Vista was delayed because the cruise terminal's gangway was broken. The gangway broke one week prior to the cruise and was unable to get fixed by the time our cruise departed. Due to the broken gangway debarking passengers had to get off the ship on Deck 0, which made the process of getting cruisers off take longer. This delayed our embarkation and meant the wait in the cruise terminal was longer than normal. Around 11:40am announcements about how the boarding process would work were broadcasted over the cruise terminal's PA and by 11:45am the boarding process began. First, wedding guests were allowed to board the ship. Next, the VIFP Diamond and Platinum guests were allowed to board.  After Diamond & Platinum guests boarded, Faster to the Fun guests were allowed to board. Cruisers with Faster to the Fun paid extra for priority boarding as well as a few other perks. There were several Faster to the Fun guests sailing on this cruise. Once Faster to the Fun guests boarded, the boarding process continued by zones and arrival appointment times.

View Of The Ship's Side & Fuel Truck On Pier

Underneath The Gangway On The Pier

Looking Up At The Ship From The Pier

                          Since the gangway was broken cruisers were directed down to the lower level of the cruise terminal to board from the pier. Before entering the pier, we were stopped by cruise terminal staff because forklifts moving luggage needed to pass. The same area of the cruise terminal that would be used to get passengers on the ship was the same place that forklifts needed to use. This meant terminal staff had to stop people throughout the day because of forklift traffic. After the forklifts passed we were able to continue walking towards the ship. The walk across the pier was short and covered areas were setup due to the chance of rain (thankfully the rain held off for the afternoon).

Large Green Lift Being Used To Paint The Ship

The Other Gangway Being Used To Get Guests On

Crossing The Gangway: Looking At The Ship's Side

Officially On The Carnival Vista:
                After walking up the gangway I was officially on the Carnival Vista! We entered the ship on Deck 0 and were directed into elevators being operated by crew members. The crew members operating the elevators were only willing to go to Deck 4, 5, or 10. The lady working our elevator told us she could not make exceptions because staterooms were not ready yet. Since we were ready for lunch we chose to go to Deck 10, which is the ship's Lido Deck. The elevator ride was quick and the crew member operating our elevator was friendly. After getting out of the elevator we walked across the ship's main Lido pool area on our way to the Lido Marketplace buffet. 

Carnival Vista's Main Lido Pool Area & SeaSide Theater

Main Lido Pool

Looking Up At The Carnival Vista's WaterWorks

                     As I continued walking towards the ship's buffet I passed by the Blue Iguana Cantina. The Blue Iguana Cantina serves burritos and tacos. Outside of the Blue Iguana Cantina is a salsa bar that has a variety of different toppings for tacos and burritos. Although I did not eat from this line on the first day, I ate from this food station almost every other day of the cruise. I will discuss this more in later parts of the review. Here are some pictures of the toppings bar at the Blue Iguana:

Blue Iguana Cantina Salsa Bar

Blue Iguana Cantina Salsa Bar

Blue Iguana Cantina Salsa Bar

Carnival Vista's Lido Marketplace Buffet

Carnival Vista's Lido Marketplace Buffet

First Lunch On The Carnival Vista: 
                      The Carnival Vista's Lido Buffet is called the Lido Marketplace. One of things I liked about the Carnival Vista's Lido Marketplace was the number of buffet serving lines. This helped with crowd control and made no line too long. Two lines were located near the front of the buffet with a Gelato station in between the two lines. The Gelato station served two different flavors every day of the cruise and toppings were available. I will discuss the Gelato in a later part of the review. Near the back of the buffet two additional buffet lines can be found. The deli is in between these two buffet lines. Furthermore, the dessert station is across from the deli in this area. Besides the main buffet lines and deli, cruisers wanting to eat on the Lido Deck can enjoy Guy's Burger Joint, the Blue Iguana Cantina, and Pizzeria Del Capitano. The Carnival Vista also has a place located at the back of the Lido Deck called the Seafood Shack, but this food venue is not complimentary. Here are some food pictures I took of the ship's main Lido buffet lines:

Lido Marketplace Buffet Line - Various Food Dishes

Lido Marketplace Buffet Line - Various Food Dishes

Lido Marketplace Buffet Line - Various Food Dishes

Lido Marketplace Buffet Line - Various Food Dishes

Lido Marketplace Buffet Line - Various Food Dishes

Lido Marketplace Buffet Line - Various Food Dishes

                        The Carnival Vista has Carnival's new style of Lido buffet desserts. These desserts were a major improvement compared to some of the old desserts. I enjoyed several different flavors of cakes during the cruise. However, the only thing I did not like about the new desserts was there was too much icing. Most of the time I ate the cake & some icing, but found myself getting tired of the icing by the time I was finished with the cake. Also, the cake flavors are not typically repeated during the cruise. If you see a cake flavor available one day you need to get it when you see it because it will likely not be available later in the cruise! Carnival's traditional Lido chocolate chip and sugar cookies were available throughout the cruise. Both of the cookie flavors were just as good as always!

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

Lido Marketplace Dessert Buffet Line

                My first eating stop for the cruise was the Carnival Vista's deli. The deli menu was different than during my other cruises and I was excited to try the BLT sandwich. I got the Bacon Lettuce Tomato ("BLT") sandwich and it was very good! The bacon was crispy and not too greasy. The lettuce and tomato were also fresh and had a great taste. The crew members working the deli were friendly and did a great job. Here are some food pictures I captured from my family's first lunch onboard: 

BLT Sandwich From The Deli

Inside Look at my BLT Sandwich

Taco From The Blue Iguana Cantina

Southwest Chicken Wrap From The Deli

Quattro Formagi (Cheese) Pizza

Stir Fry From The Mongolian Wok

Plate Of Desserts

Funfetti Cheesecake (It Was Good!)

Shrimp Burrito From The Blue Iguana Cantina

Touring The Carnival Vista After Lunch:
                     I was very excited for an after lunch walk around the Carnival Vista. This was my first time onboard the Carnival Vista and at the time of writing this review the Carnival Vista is the largest cruise ship I have ever sailed on. I began my afternoon walk at the back of the Lido Deck (10) and went up first to Deck 11. Here are a few pictures taken from Deck 11:

Carnival Dream Docked Behind The Carnival Vista

View Of Pelican Island From The Carnival Vista

Looking At Deck 10's AFT Pool From Deck 11

Deck 11 AFT (Back) Area

Deck 11

Sign Indicating Smoking Was Prohibited Due To Fueling

              After looking around the back of Deck 11, I went up another deck to Deck 12. Deck 12 contains many of the Carnival Vista's outside amenities. The Carnival Vista's SportsSquare area is located near the back of Deck 12. SportsSquare contains the ship's mini golf course, jogging track, basketball court, ropes course, SkyRide, and Clubhouse. 

SkyFitness Equipment - Outside Excercise Equipment

SkyTrack (Jogging Track) At SportsSquare

SkyCourt (Basketball Court) and Seating Area

Looking Towards Galveston

Mini Course Area & Outside Games Tables

SportsSquare

              The entrance to the SkyRide and ropes course ("SkyCourse") are both located on the back part of Deck 14. The upper level of the mini golf course is located on Deck 14 as well. There are stairs by the mini golf course that go up to the this part of Deck 14. The SkyRide is essentially like a bicycle that cruisers pedal while suspended above the Carnival Vista's outside decks. I rode the SkyRide later in the cruise and will discuss it in more detail in later parts of the review. The Carnival Vista was the first ship to get the SkyRide attraction and it appears Carnival is going to limit this attraction to the Vista class of ships only. Here are some pictures taken from the Deck 14 part of SportsSquare:

SkyRide Entrance On Deck 14

SkyRide - Bikes Parked In Station

Looking Down From Deck 14

                    After walking down from the Deck 14 portion of SportsSquare I was back at the mini golf course. In the middle of the mini golf course on Deck 12 is a door that leads to an area of SportsSquare called "The Clubhouse". This inside area contains a mini bowling alley, small bar counter, and ping-pong. It felt nice being in this area because it was air-conditioned. 
NOTE:  The bowling alley costs extra and is similar to an arcade game. Unfortunately, this is not the ship's original bowling alley that I saw online prior to my cruise. Carnival must have decided to replace the original bowling alley with an arcade style game. 

Bowling Alley In The Clubhouse

Bowling Alley

The Clubhouse - Part Of SportsSquare

                       Once I was finished looking around SportsSquare I continued walking towards the front of Deck 12. As I walked towards the front I looked down at the main Lido pool. There were already people enjoying the pool and deck chairs, but it was not as crowded as I expected. The Carnival Vista's WaterWorks is located near the front of Deck 12. The ship's WaterWorks contains the Twister Waterslide as well as a large slide called the Kaleidoscope slide. The Kaleidoscope slide requires a tube and gives an illusion to the rider that makes it seem like the cruiser is in a giant kaleidoscope. Besides the two main slides, the WaterWorks contained a splashpad and buckets that dumped water. A smaller waterslide was available in this area for younger cruisers. The entrance to the Twister and Kaleidoscope slides is located on Deck 15. 

WaterWorks

WaterWorks

Chairs & Umbrellas Located By The WaterWorks

WaterSlide Landings

Looking Towards Pelican Island

View From Deck 12 Of The Ship's Main Pool & SeaSide Theater

                     After walking around Deck 12, I went up to Deck 15. Deck 15 is the highest deck on the Carnival Vista and is home to the Serenity Adults Only Retreat. This area is for cruisers that are 21 years and older. The Carnival Vista's Serenity area has several different chairs that are great for relaxing and getting some sun. At the front of the Serenity Adults Only Retreat is a bar area that serves salads at lunch on select days.  Here are some pictures of the Serenity Adults Only Retreat:

Kaleidoslide & Twister Slide Entrances On Deck 15

One Of The Serenity Adults Only Retreat Entrances

Serenity Adults Only Retreat

Serenity Adults Only Retreat

Serenity Adults Only Retreat

Serenity Adults Only Retreat

Serenity Adults Only Retreat

Serenity Adults Only Retreat

Serenity Adults Only Retreat Bar Counter

                  After walking around Deck 15 and the Serenity Adults Only Retreat, I back down to Deck 12 to look at the ship's SPA & Gym facilities. The Carnival Vista's gym had a ton of equipment compared to the other Carnival ships I have sailed on. The SPA staff were offering tours of the facilities, but we declined because we only wanted to see the gym. I used the gym on the sea days of the cruise and had a good experience using the ship's exercise equipment. One thing Carnival should consider improving in the gym is the air flow. At times it felt like there was no air conditioning in the gym facility. Here are some pictures of the Carnival Vista's gym:

Treadmills In The Gym

Gym Equipment

Gym Equipment

Gym Equipment

Clean Towels In The Gym

Area By The Gym Used For Classes

                     After looking at the ship's gym I was done looking around Deck 12 and was ready to begin touring the ship's interior spaces. I first went down to the Promenade Deck (Deck 5). The Promenade Deck (5) is home to the ship's upper level of the Liquid Lounge (main show room) and is the highest level of the ship's atrium. I will have atrium and Liquid Lounge in Day 2's review because the atrium's lobby was crowded on the first day. I could not get pictures of the Liquid Lounge because of the wedding ceremony taking place in the Liquid Lounge.  I started walking towards the back of the Deck 5 and came to Bonsai Sushi. Bonsai Sushi serves sushi dishes for a fee. The dining venue was closed at lunch on the first day, but later in the cruise was open at dinner each night and lunch on select days. Bonsai Sushi, the Alchemy Bar, and Fahrenheit 555 steakhouse are all located very close to each other. The Carnival Vista was designed to have a small open to below that would allow cruisers on Deck 5 to see into the ship's casino on Deck 4. I greatly liked this design.  Here are some pictures of Bonsai Sushi and the Alchemy Bar:

Deck 5 Area By Bonsai Sushi & Open To Below

Bonsai Sushi Hostess Table

Tables at Bonsai Sushi

Bar Counter at Bonsai Sushi

Alchemy Bar

View From The Alchemy Bar Of The Promenade Walkway

 The next part of Day 1's review will start on my walk towards the back of the Promenade Deck (5). The link to Day 1 Part 2 is below.

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Carnival Vista Fun Fact #1:
The Carnival Vista was the first cruise ship to have an Imax Theater at sea. On the Carnival Vista cruisers can find the Imax in the Carnival Multiplex, which is located on Decks 6 and 7. 

​NEXT PART:  Day 1 Part 2 Is Now Available!
​Due to taking many pictures on Day 1, I had to split it into 2 parts. Day 1 Part 2 includes many more pictures & information about the Carnival Vista's interior, my cove balcony stateroom, muster station drill, sail-a-way, dinner, and more!
Click Here To Go To Day 1 Part 2's Review! 
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