Carnival Vista 2019 7-Day Caribbean Cruise Review
Day 7 May 24, 2019 Last Day At Sea
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Day 7 May 24, 2019 Last Day At Sea
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Last Sea Day's Morning Walk:
Since it was a sea day, I made sure to get up extra early in order to be able to enjoy a walk around the Carnival Vista before breakfast. My alarm was set to go off at 5:45am, but I ended up waking up a few minutes earlier. I was able to leave my stateroom by 6:05am and decided to begin my walk on the Lido Deck (10). My first stop was the ship's main pool area. The pool was still closed for the morning, but would be packed with people in a few hours.
Since it was a sea day, I made sure to get up extra early in order to be able to enjoy a walk around the Carnival Vista before breakfast. My alarm was set to go off at 5:45am, but I ended up waking up a few minutes earlier. I was able to leave my stateroom by 6:05am and decided to begin my walk on the Lido Deck (10). My first stop was the ship's main pool area. The pool was still closed for the morning, but would be packed with people in a few hours.
Near the front of the Lido pool area is a small desk called the "Towel Station". The towel station is a place where cruisers can check-out towels or buy souvenir towels and bathrobes. For towel check-outs, guests have to show their Sail & Sign cards in order for the crew members to capture the folio number. If a towel is not returned it will cause a guest to get billed for the towel. Always make sure you return your towels by the designated time or you will get billed! The same thing applies with the beach towels in your stateroom because you will get billed for those too if they are not returned to your stateroom.
I did not stay on the Lido Deck for long because I saw the sun was beginning to rise. I headed up to Deck 12 because I knew I would have a better opportunity for sunrise pictures from this deck. After going up two decks, I passed by the ship's WaterWorks. The WaterWorks was still closed, but would be open in a few short hours.
There were a few other people out on Deck 12. Those people were also taking pictures of the sunrise. However, the rest of Deck 12 was empty. I was expecting to see people using the jogging track, but did not see anyone using it at this time. The mini golf course and other SportsSquare facilities were also deserted.
After walking to the back of Deck 12, I went down to Deck 11 and then went inside. I was at the ship's aft elevator/stairwell area so I went straight down to Deck 5. Once I was on Deck 5, I saw the Havana Bar area was empty so I went inside to take pictures.
The Ocean Plaza was empty as I walked through. There were a few crew members cleaning the Ocean Plaza and a crew member was setting up the continental breakfast buffet line that was at the Ocean Plaza. From the Ocean Plaza, I headed into the Red Frog Pub & Brewery. This venue has three doors. One door is from the Ocean Plaza, the other is from the Lanai's outside area, and from inside the ship people can enter through the main entrance at the photo gallery. The Carnival Vista was the first Carnival ship to have a brewery at sea.
After leaving the Red Frog Pub & Brewery, I continued walking towards the front of Deck 5. I passed by the Alchemy Bar and Bonsai Sushi on my way. These venues were closed until later in the day.
Once I reached the front of Deck 5, I went down to Deck 4. I saw the doors to the Liquid Lounge were open so I went in. The Liquid Lounge is usually much brighter and looks nicer when all of the lights are turned on. Since it was early in the morning, most of the lights were off.
After looking around the Liquid Lounge, I went down to Deck 3. On Deck 3 cruisers can find the Shore Excursions and Guest Services desk on the sides of the atrium lobby. I really enjoyed the Carnival Vista's atrium, despite it not being very tall. Carnival did a good job making this atrium feel spacious even though it is only three decks tall.
My morning walk this morning was not following any type of organized pattern so I went up to Deck 4 and went inside the Skybox Sports Bar. The screens were turned on and showing a variety of different sports related shows. There was nobody in the bar watching any of the games or pre-game shows. I did not pay attention to what sports games or channels were being broadcasted.
When I got to the back of Deck 4, I went up to Deck 10. Since I was at the back of the Lido Deck, I stepped outside to see if I could still see the sunrise. The sun was mostly up and the water was becoming more blue because of the sunlight.
I was planning on staying on the Lido Deck for breakfast, but realized my camera battery was going to die. I took a quick trip down to Deck 2 in order to get a fresh battery and charge my almost dead battery. On my way back up to the Lido Deck I went by the Carnival Multiplex on Deck 6. The Carnival Multiplex is home to the Carnival Vista's Imax and Thrill Theater. Both of these venues show a variety of movies or shows. Tickets can be purchased from a self-service kiosk even when the crew members are not working the Carnival Multiplex. Snacks are available for sale in this area too.
Breakfast At The Lido Marketplace:
Since today was a sea day, breakfast was not scheduled to begin as early as the port of call days. Once again, we had breakfast at the Lido Marketplace. For cruisers that wanted to eat at the Lido Marketplace , breakfast was scheduled to begin at 7:00am and end at 12:00am. The Blue Iguana Cantina did not open for breakfast until 7:30am, but it closed at 10:30am. For cruisers that did not want to eat breakfast in Lido buffet, Sea Day Brunch was available in the Horizons Dining Room (aft main dining room) from 8:30am - 1:00pm. Another dining option was a Continental Breakfast buffet line at the Ocean Plaza that was open from 8:00am until 10:00am. These options are the exact same as the prior two sea days! However, Carnival was offering the Dr. Suess themed breakfast for an extra fee at 8:30am and 9:45am in the Reflections Dining Room.
My breakfast on this day of the cruise consisted of some french toast, bacon, potatoes, fruit, and a pastry. I usually love the ship's omelet station, but was feeling full so I didn't want to get an omelet and waste it. Here are some food pictures from this day's breakfast:
Since today was a sea day, breakfast was not scheduled to begin as early as the port of call days. Once again, we had breakfast at the Lido Marketplace. For cruisers that wanted to eat at the Lido Marketplace , breakfast was scheduled to begin at 7:00am and end at 12:00am. The Blue Iguana Cantina did not open for breakfast until 7:30am, but it closed at 10:30am. For cruisers that did not want to eat breakfast in Lido buffet, Sea Day Brunch was available in the Horizons Dining Room (aft main dining room) from 8:30am - 1:00pm. Another dining option was a Continental Breakfast buffet line at the Ocean Plaza that was open from 8:00am until 10:00am. These options are the exact same as the prior two sea days! However, Carnival was offering the Dr. Suess themed breakfast for an extra fee at 8:30am and 9:45am in the Reflections Dining Room.
My breakfast on this day of the cruise consisted of some french toast, bacon, potatoes, fruit, and a pastry. I usually love the ship's omelet station, but was feeling full so I didn't want to get an omelet and waste it. Here are some food pictures from this day's breakfast:
In the buffet, where the dessert station is located at lunch, a separate continental breakfast line can be found. This line contains fruit, cheeses, and pastries. The following pictures are from the Lido Marketplace's continental breakfast buffet line:
After Breakfast Quick Walk Around The Ship:
Once breakfast was over, it was time to see more of the ship! I wanted to get some pictures of the blue water so we started by walking on Deck 11 and at some point we decided to go down to Deck 5.
Once breakfast was over, it was time to see more of the ship! I wanted to get some pictures of the blue water so we started by walking on Deck 11 and at some point we decided to go down to Deck 5.
Morning Trivia:
Morning trivia was being held in the Liquid Lounge at 9:45am again this morning. Just like the other sea days, morning trivia consisted of general topics. The trivia was only scheduled to last 15 minutes because the morning show was coming up at 10:00am. Although we did not win morning trivia, I enjoyed the trivia game and the host made the game an enjoyable experience.
Morning Show:
Our cruise director, Matt, had his morning show scheduled for 10:00am in the Liquid Lounge. Today's morning show discussed the upcoming debarkation talk and some of the events taking place around the ship for the day. The show was enjoyable and lasted around 30 minutes.
Q&Awesome With Our Cruise Director, Matt:
Following the morning show, a Q&A session was being held in the Liquid Lounge. This event was hosted by our cruise director, Matt. He answered a variety of questions from people. Some questions were about the ship's operations, his job, personal life, and how the entertainment department on the ship functions. One person asked a technical question about the ship and he admitted he wasn't sure what the right answer was. I was impressed our cruise director picked up his phone and called someone that would know the answer to the question. I enjoyed this Q&A session.
Debarkation Presentation:
The Debarkation Presentation was being held at 10:45am in the Liquid Lounge. We stayed in the Liquid Lounge for this presentation after the Q&A event. The Debarkation Presentation essentially contained the same information as the Debarkation flyer that was delivered to everyone's staterooms. However, people are allowed to ask questions after the presentation, which is more convenient than waiting in line at guest services. Our cruise director, Matt, hosted this presentation and he made it fun and interesting. At the end, several crew members from various departments came on the stage. The presentation ended with the captain saying a few words and thanking us for choosing the Carnival Vista. People were allowed to get pictures of the crew members that came on-stage. It was nice to clap for some of the crew members that worked hard to make this a great cruise vacation!
Morning trivia was being held in the Liquid Lounge at 9:45am again this morning. Just like the other sea days, morning trivia consisted of general topics. The trivia was only scheduled to last 15 minutes because the morning show was coming up at 10:00am. Although we did not win morning trivia, I enjoyed the trivia game and the host made the game an enjoyable experience.
Morning Show:
Our cruise director, Matt, had his morning show scheduled for 10:00am in the Liquid Lounge. Today's morning show discussed the upcoming debarkation talk and some of the events taking place around the ship for the day. The show was enjoyable and lasted around 30 minutes.
Q&Awesome With Our Cruise Director, Matt:
Following the morning show, a Q&A session was being held in the Liquid Lounge. This event was hosted by our cruise director, Matt. He answered a variety of questions from people. Some questions were about the ship's operations, his job, personal life, and how the entertainment department on the ship functions. One person asked a technical question about the ship and he admitted he wasn't sure what the right answer was. I was impressed our cruise director picked up his phone and called someone that would know the answer to the question. I enjoyed this Q&A session.
Debarkation Presentation:
The Debarkation Presentation was being held at 10:45am in the Liquid Lounge. We stayed in the Liquid Lounge for this presentation after the Q&A event. The Debarkation Presentation essentially contained the same information as the Debarkation flyer that was delivered to everyone's staterooms. However, people are allowed to ask questions after the presentation, which is more convenient than waiting in line at guest services. Our cruise director, Matt, hosted this presentation and he made it fun and interesting. At the end, several crew members from various departments came on the stage. The presentation ended with the captain saying a few words and thanking us for choosing the Carnival Vista. People were allowed to get pictures of the crew members that came on-stage. It was nice to clap for some of the crew members that worked hard to make this a great cruise vacation!
Once the debarkation presentation was over, we had about 30 minutes before lunch was scheduled to begin in the buffet. Since I was platinum I had a free drink coupon that could be redeemed at the Sea Day Brunch. I went by the Horizons Dining Room to get my free drink. I got a strawberry smoothie and it was good! I did not finish it before lunch because I wanted to be hungry for lunch foods so I took the smoothie back to my stateroom before heading to the buffet. Our stateroom steward had come by the room and she left a towel animal elephant. The elephant's trunk had a little card that said "Thank you" on it.
Lunch At The Lido Marketplace:
The daily activity newsletter, the Fun-Times, listed the variety of places cruisers could eat on the Carnival Vista. Here are all of the choices cruisers had for lunch on this day of the cruise:
The daily activity newsletter, the Fun-Times, listed the variety of places cruisers could eat on the Carnival Vista. Here are all of the choices cruisers had for lunch on this day of the cruise:
- Fresh Creations - This dining option is located on the Serenity Adults Only Retreat and serves salads. The Fun-Times showed this dining option only being available to guests 21 years and older because the Serenity Adults Only Retreat is an age restricted area. The Serenity Adults Only Retreat is located on Deck 15 at the front of the ship. This option was available from 11am until 3:00pm.
- Seafood Shack - The Seafood Shack is located at the back of the Lido Marketplace by the Tides aft pool. This venue costs extra and was open from 11:00am to 5:00pm for lunch. Dinner was also served at this venue from 5:00pm until 9:00pm.
- Blue Iguana Cantina 12:00pm - 2:30pm
- Bonsai Sushi - This dining option is located on Deck 5 and costs extra. Bonsai Sushi serves a variety of different sushi related dishes. For lunch, this venue was open from 12:00pm until 2:30pm.
- Guy's Pig & Anchor Smokehouse (BBQ) - This dining venue is located on the Lanai on Deck 5 and is complimentary. BBQ is served here. The Carnival Vista had this dining venue open from 12:00pm - 2:30pm.
- Light Lunch - The Ocean Plaza was serving some lunch food items from 12:00pm until 2:30pm.
- Mongolian Wok - This was located in JiJi Asian Kitchen on Deck 11 (right above the Lido Marketplace buffet). The open time was from 12:00pm until 2:30pm.
- Pasta Bar - This was located in Cucina Del Capitano on Deck 11 (right above the Lido Marketplace buffet). The open time was from 12:00pm until 2:30pm.
- Guy's Burger Joint - 12:00pm - 6:00pm
- The deli was open for lunch, but was also available for dinner (it closed at 11pm).
Chocolate Extravaganza Buffet Line:
Although the chocolate extravaganza line was not advertised in the Fun-Times newsletter, it was located at the ship's dessert station. The amount of chocolate seemed scaled back from prior cruises, but there was still plenty of sweet desserts to choose from. The line was long and took about 20 minutes to get to the dessert counter. Here are some pictures of the chocolate extravaganza line:
Although the chocolate extravaganza line was not advertised in the Fun-Times newsletter, it was located at the ship's dessert station. The amount of chocolate seemed scaled back from prior cruises, but there was still plenty of sweet desserts to choose from. The line was long and took about 20 minutes to get to the dessert counter. Here are some pictures of the chocolate extravaganza line:
After lunch I walked around the ship some. One of the places I wanted to go was the front of the ship to look out. The water was nice and blue! I could not have asked for better weather. It was a great day to see the ocean!
My afternoon consisted of some packing and later in the day I went by the gym to walk on the treadmill. After using the treadmill I was thirsty and asked a SPA staff member if there was any water available in the SPA. She pointed me towards a room called the "Relaxation Room". This room had several chairs, but also had infused water available. One pitcher of water had lemons and the other had oranges. I enjoyed the lemon water more than the orange water, but both were good. Below are a few pictures of the relaxation area of the SPA:
Last Dinner On The Carnival Vista:
Unfortunately, tonight was our last dinner on the Carnival Vista. We ate dinner at the same table and with the same waitstaff as the prior five nights. I wish we would have discovered this set of waitstaff on our first night, but I'm glad we got them for the majority of the cruise. For my appetizers I had two romaine caesar salads. For my main course, I had a flat iron steak with a side baked potato. Tonight we did not get asked if we wanted a copy of the dessert menu. Our waitstaff brought out baked alaska for everyone at our table. It was very tasty and I really enjoyed it. The Carnival Vista's dining room team went above and beyond throughout the entire cruise. The food was always served at a proper temperature and the service was prompt. Good job Carnival Vista waitstaff and galley team! |
Below you will find the menus from tonight's dinner. These menus were posted on the Carnival Hub app. Click any of the menus to make it larger!
Here are my food pictures from this night's dinner:
After dinner we decided to take a walk around the ship's outside open decks. First, we stopped by the room to change, but then we headed up to Deck 12. The sun was in the early stages of setting, but we still had at least an hour of daylight before it got dark. This was the last time we used the jogging track during the cruise. From the ship, we were able to see oil rigs and other ships in the distance that were also heading towards Galveston or Houston.
We did several laps on the jogging track, but decided to go down to Deck 5 to see the sunset from here. Most of the outside areas of Deck 5 were empty, but the inside areas were packed. The Ocean Plaza had a band performing. They sounded great! We went outside and stopped at the front of the ship for nearly 45 minutes to watch the sunset. It was very calm and peaceful at the very front of the ship. Here are some pictures:
I was highly disappointed it was our last night of the cruise because I wanted to stay on the Carnival Vista longer. Our week on the Carnival Vista had passed by quickly. The Lip Sync Battle show was taking place in the Liquid Lounge, but we did not attend this entertainment. There were no Playlist Production shows scheduled for this night of the cruise. I went to sleep early because my plan was to wake up early on the last morning. Some last minute packing needed to be done, but I wanted to have enough time before breakfast to have a last morning walk around the ship! My alarm was set for 4:30am and I planned on enjoying every last minute of the ship before we had to get off. The last day's review is up next!
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NEXT: Debarkation Day Review
Check out my last day's pictures, breakfast photos, and our arrival back to Galveston. Unfortunately all cruises have to come to an end at some point. Click Here To Continue To My Last Day's Review Click Here To Return To The Review's Main Page |