CARNIVAL VISTA
8-NIGHT SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN
08/09/2024:
Port Canaveral, Florida
08/10/2025:
Sea Day
08/11/2025:
Sea Day
08/12/2025:
Curacao
08/13/2025:
Aruba
08/14/2025:
Sea Day
08/15/2025:
Sea Day
08/16/2025:
Celebration Key, Bahamas (Private Island)
08/17/2025:
Port Canaveral, Florida
We
just got back from our 8-night Southern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Vista.
In addition to this detailed blog, we've posted several video's from this
sailing on our YouTube channel. Make sure to check those out and don't forget
to Subscribe to our channel. Below is where you can find all of the videos from
this trip.
PROS
-
Food at the main dining room, Ji Ji Asian
Kitchen and Cucina del Capitano were all incredible.
-
Ship crowd level felt very good and even low at
points.
-
Chair selection on the Lido by pool was
plentiful, even during sea days.
-
Havana pool area was nice and enjoyable.
-
MarQ was awesome, we had him before on Splendor
and he was great then too.
-
80s Rock-N-Glow party and some of the other
parties that MarQ hosted were so much fun.
-
Great passengers and crew, everyone was very friendly
and just there to have a great time.
-
Enjoyed the amount of comedy shows throughout
the cruise.
CONS
-
Buffet selection lacked and felt very small.
-
Havana chair hogs were in full effect, even
hours prior to the pool officially opening.
-
Smell of smoke from the casino was horrible at
times. Between the casino, Heroes Tribute Bar, Limelight Lounge and even down
to the dining room it was bad at times.
-
Slippery floors, apparently it was due to the
humidity around the ship. Well that could be, I also think it had to do with
the cleaning chemicals from the crew was using to clean the floors.
-
Ship was very warm at times in many of the
different areas around the ship.
-
Our stateroom was on the warm side on and off.
-
Room location wasn’t the best, between 6am and
10pm everyday the gym is open and we were right under where they have the dumbbells,
so we heard that all day long.
-
Pizza was terrible. They actually had pizza out,
which was rare for Carnival, but flavor lacked.
-
Dining room menus have very limited options
compared to what they used to, however on the PRO side, we felt the food
quality and flavor was better because of it.
-
Playlist Production shows need an update. We’ve
seen these so many times and they are just not enjoyable anymore.
-
Wish they offered more trivia/games/things to do
on sea days, felt overall it was very lacking.
DECK 1
Staterooms
Location of staterooms located on deck 1
Staterooms
Location
of staterooms located on deck 2
Family
Harbor Lounge (Family Harbor Guests Only)
The
Family Harbor Lounge is located in the back of deck 2 and is for anyone staying
in the Family Harbor rooms on the ship. They also include snacks throughout the
day. We enjoyed the nautical theming in the hallways and in the lounge and
rooms that we’ve seen.
Vista
Lobby & Bar ($)
The Vista Lobby is where you will first enter the ship. This is also home to the Lobby Bar which was always busy and many events throughout the trip. We spent time here listening to the Ethereal Whisper Trio Violin players, who by the way were incredible. Also we had the White Hot Party here which was so much fun. This area spans decks 3 to 5 and you will find a lot of the shopping areas and other passenger venues here. One complaint we had was that numerous times it was a bit hard to stand in certain areas for a long time since the smell of smoke in the casino was very present and strong. We will get into that a bit more below in other venues. On the plus side they offer seating areas which have good and bad views, depending on what you’re there for. Wished the lobby was a bit bigger and wider, but it is what it is.
Off to the side of the Vista Lobby is the Carnival Adventures (Team Orange), which is the shore excursions desk. They can help you with any questions or help with booking an excursion. Best part of booking an excursion through the cruise line is no matter what happens the Captain will wait if you’re running late due to your excursion. If booking on your own if you’re a second late, you’re out of luck. We don’t book excursions often, however most of the times we do it through the cruise line.
Dream Studio
If you’re looking for professional photo sessions, you may do that here at the Dream Studio.
Guest
Services
On the opposite side of the Vista Lobby is Guest Services. They have a Platinum and Diamond section as well. They did get busy at times throughout the cruise. We ended up here once about some small things, nothing crazy. Did hear a lot of people on our sailing and previous sailings get “double-charged” for things, so be on the lookout for that. Also a rumor we heard was that when tips were added to accounts they had also added them to people who already paid for them. Not sure how true that is or not.
If you have a set time for dining, this is your dining room. Now we only came in here once or twice to record footage, each time most of the dining room smelled like cigarette smoke in most of the dining room. Word of caution, if this is an issue for you head to your table earlier in the day just to make sure you’re okay eating here, if not see what the staff can do to move you to a better part of the dining room or to the Horizons Restaurant where it wasn’t bad at all, which is also any time dining.
Horizons
Restaurant – Lower Level (Decks 3 & 4) (Complimentary)
If
you have any time dining this will be your dining room. It did not smell of any
smoke that we noticed. Major complaint here was the way to check in. Carnival
has this habit to try and modernize their technology, which usually just makes
things worse. We had to check in for every meal on the app, then once we got a
table number had to wait again for someone to take us to our table. Problem is,
there was just a lot of waiting, the dining room was never packed at the times
we went. However on the flip side, at least for us at dinner we did notice
things didn’t take as long as they used to. Could be a one-off, so take that
with the grain of salt on your table. Overall service for dinner was solid.
Felt the crew here was a bit over-worked and it showed at times. We did our
best to talk to them and see what could make their lives better onboard. That
way we get rely feedback on land to help improve moral. Now this wasn’t
everyone, but you can just tell sometimes. Overall everyone was very friendly.
Dinner menu’s seemed to be lacking options compared to years prior, but
everything we ate was good, no complaints at all. Also the lobster was some of
the best we had on a cruise, it was perfect in all honesty.
One issue we encountered, which has been ongoing since Carnival started doing brunch years and years ago was their brunch. Service is always chaotic. Food was always ehh at best and we left disappointed. We went early in the cruise and this was just the case yet again. However later in the cruise I said to my wife let’s try it out again. We did, and it was so much better. Service was better, food was better. Overall better.
Breakfast Menu (Port Day's Only)
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast Menu
Breakfast Menu (Vegan)
Breakfast Menu (Vegan)
Sea Day Brunch Menu (Sea Day's Only)
Sea Day Brunch Menu
Sea Day Brunch Menu
Sea Day Brunch Menu
Sea Day Brunch Menu
Chicken & Waffles
Dinner Menu - Night 1 (Embarkation)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
Cocktail Menu
Cocktail Menu
Dinner Menu - Night 2 (Sea Day) (Formal Night)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Express Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Gluten Free Menu)
Dinner Menu (Vegan Menu)
DECK 4
Liquid
Lounge – Lower Level (Decks 4 & 5)
In
the front of the ship on decks 4 & 5 is the Liquid Lounge, otherwise known
as the main theatre aboard the ship. Here you will find a lot of different
things, including the Welcome Aboard Show, Past Guest Party and all of your
Playlist Production Shows, just to name a few.
 |
| Me with MarQ, our cruise director. |
We first came here on our first day at see for the “Shop. Eat. Explore: Onboard & Ashore”, previously called the “Fun Ashore, Fun Aboard” show. Which was a better title in our opinion. No matter what the name is, this is a MUST DO event. It gives you a chance to win free things such as dinner for 2 in the steakhouse, excursions at each of the ports and so much more. We however, did not win anything, but we still go here each and every time. It is also a good way to get to know the ports you’re going to during your trip, even if you’ve been before.
The ship offers several production shows, including;
STUDIO
VIP – Inspired by the sophistication of Studio 54 and the funk fashion
of “Soul Train”, our Playlist Performers celebrate the stunning revolutions of
NYC’s nightlife in the ‘70s.
FLICK
– Sit back and watch in amazement as our Playlist Performers bring the silver
screen to life through the power of motion pictures in a magical mystical
cinematic adventure.
AMERICA
ROCKS! – Get ready for the high-energy rock concert experience with
your Playlist Performers and Vista Rockband. Pump up your firsts to the best
American rock anthems as we R.O.C.K. in the USA!
AMOR CUBANO – The exhilarating, rhythmic sounds of Cuba combines with today’s Latin hits create an authentic, larger-than-life Caribbean dance romance featuring the Playlist Performers.
We
seen all of these shows already several times, so we had no expectation to go
to them again unless we were that bored. So with that said we checked out
America Rocks! & Amor Cubano. Both were okay, not blown away in general.
Will say not every song can be sung by everyone. Overall good cast, but cruise
lines have a habit, of just sticking singers to every song, no matter their
range and ability.
We
also got a chance to play Deal or No Deal, well at least get the ticket for it.
Overall it was pretty fun to play along. Wished we had gotten on stage. During
our trip the same person won the chance to go on stage twice. But him and his
wife walked out with some money, so that was great for them!
Other
than that the Liquid Lounge was host to the Platinum and Diamond party. I guess
we will enjoy it while it lasts. Now at no point did anyone check to see our
status level, it was super packed and all they really did was recognize the
youngest and oldest cruiser with the most sailings. And a ton of free drinks.
Problem is, no one checked to see who was allowed in the lounge or not, also
bigger issue, anyone could have came in and grabbed drinks since they were
sitting out in some cases open for the taken. I did bring this up to John
Heald.
We
did not check out the Love and Marriage Show at all. We went on it on Glory and
were the talk of the ship. This time we decided to skip it, also they did it on
the last night of the cruise, which was kind of odd.
Things with the Liquid Lounge to note. People will start to line up about an hour before the doors open, so keep that in mind. Once in, the lounge isn’t massive, like other ships. They have chairs in the middle and then theatre seating around the lower and upper level. Didn’t care for this setup at all. The staff did come around to open doors (on the lower level at least) five minutes before the doors officially opened to take in anyone in a wheelchair, scooter, walker or using a cane. Something we’ve never seen before, but glad they are finally doing this. We did have people like usual who cut in front of everyone and saved a ton of seats. Don’t be that person, because we know it was the same one every day at the Lido deck doing the same thing with the chairs there.
Fun
Shops
In this area you will find several of the different shops on board the Carnival Vista, including their logo shop.
Cherry
on Top ($)
While we sometimes will bring our own sweets or settle for an ice cream on Lido. The Cherry on Top is going to be the spot you can get tons of different treats. This does come at an extra cost.
Vista
Casino
This
was probably the busiest casino we’ve had on any of our 45 cruises to date. If
the casino was opened it was packed, plain and simple. Only time we saw the
machine’s we wanted to play on was when the casino was closed. Someone did win
$10K. We always heard bonuses on the machines whenever we walked past. Not
usually on ours though.
If we had to list one major complaint on the Carnival Vista, it is the smell of smoke in the casino, no matter the time of day or night. So much, it would smell in the Limelight Lounge, Heroes Bar, Vista Lobby and even downstairs in the dining room, it was terrible. Will say we didn’t often smell it upstairs at Bonsai and at the Fahrenheit Steakhouse. But that was a major complaint we had. Other issue becomes if you’re on this deck the only way to get across is through the casino. At least on other classes the casino is off to the side of the promenade, not here. Major reason why we wouldn’t do another Vista or even Dream class ship again. Just a bad design.
Non-Smoking
Casino
Around the corner is the non-smoking casino. A lot smaller than the regular casino, but the smell of smoke ironically isn’t too much in this area at all, which was great. Just odd since every other venue was just as bad as the casino in the area. I did play here, played on the slots, won a bit, then saw my wife and lost a bit. 😊
Heroes
Tribute Bar & Lounge ($)
Many of the bars have their own dedicated menu of drinks you can only get at that location. The Heroes Tribute Bar is no exception. This bar is dedicated to the brave men and women who have served and who are currently serving in the armed forces. To anyone reading this, thank you for your service.
Art
Gallery
The art gallery team is always moving around pieces and you can purchase whatever you’d like. They did have some cool pieces.
Limelight
Lounge
The
Liquid Lounge we came to a lot for comedy. There was usually a line before
doors opened, but never had an issue getting a seat since there were so many
shows, some repeat shows as well. They do offer bar service, or you can head to
the Heroes Bar next door for a quicker way to get a drink. Biggest complaint
here was the smell of smoke from the casino. The first night of the cruise it
was horrible, making our throats burn. It got better as the cruise went on.
We
had a total of four comedians on board. Felt the ship offered a lot chances for
comedy during our cruise, which was a plus. Our first comedian we saw was Sean
Finnerty, who came from Ireland and we saw his PG show. I will say an Irishmen
and PG do not mix well. Majority of the jokes were meant for adults. But
everyone was enjoying the show, so that is what matters. We did hear the 18+
show was much better, we did not get a chance to check that out. Next comedian
was JR Brow, he was good. Saw two of his shows. Both started out slow, but
ended really good, where we wanted more. He mixed in music, which made the show
stand out for us.
Later
in the week our comedians switched out, first one was Marc Yaffee. We saw both
a PG and a 18+ show, both really good. He was probably our favorite comedian of
this cruise. Our final comedian was Lance Montalto, where we saw his PG show.
It was decent. Not much of a crowd since it was early evening on our last day
on the ship. A few laughs here and there. Still enjoyable at the end of the
day.
The
Limelight Lounge was also home to the late night dance club, problem was, most
nights it never opened until 11pm or later, by this time we were already
asleep. I realize now the issue is that they don’t have a proper nightclub like
some of the other ships do. Each night is different with the music, for
example;
Embarkation
– ‘90s & 2000s Night
First
Sea Day – R&B and Soul
Second
Sea Day – Country, Pop & Rock Night
Curacao
– Latin & R&B Night
Aruba
– ‘70s & ‘80s Night
Third
Sea Day – Dance, House & Pop Hits
Final
Sea Day – No Music
Celebration Key – Afro-Caribbean Hour
DECK 5
Fun
Shops
In the Vista Lobby you’ll fine even more shops on deck 5.
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| They have the original design model as well as the new design with the blue front for sail. |
The
Library
The Library was a place we spent a really good amount of time during our cruise. We were in here either playing Uno or Sorry, or we were joining other cruisers and completing puzzles. It was a lot of fun and I think a great way to play a game (or puzzle) with anyone from anywhere. It’s really great. One of the highlights for us.
Piano
Bar 88 ($)
We came in here for about 4 minutes, when the piano player Mat goes, “Who likes the Beatles?”, that was our cue. Don’t get me wrong there are some great songs from the Beatles, but we just want one time where they actually play something newer and not from decades ago. This is the same on every single ship. Needless to say we didn’t spend much time here at all. Also when we wanted to come back it wasn’t open until really late at night, which was odd.
Fahrenheit
555 Steakhouse ($)
For $52 per person you can have a full meal. We live in Orlando, we pay $52 just for a steak. Here you get starters, entrée, sides and a dessert. Which is all really good. We’ve been to the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse on many Carnival ships, other than the Carnival Magic (due to Covid training), all of them have been good. It will never be a steak that blows you away, but you’re going to go, have a great and fulfilling meal and leave happy. We didn’t get a chance to come here on this trip with all of the other delicious options on board, but do either way highly recommend it. People we talked to who dined here did really enjoy it.
Bonsai Sushi ($)
Across the way is Bonsai Sushi. We’ve dined here last on Carnival Mardi Gras and got the same exact thing, the Sushi boat. We enjoyed it very much. My complaint here isn’t the food, but it’s the actual ship. A few spots near our table and other tables kept getting water dripping from the A/C units, at points onto my clothes and near the food. Wasn’t too big of a deal, but worth noting. Also the restaurant isn’t that large and does fill up quickly. The first time we went we waited over 20 minutes before just walking out since no one came to our table after they seated us. So we decided to try it out again. Everything was so much better. We recommend eating here if you enjoy sushi. I wouldn’t rank this our favorite, I will say it was better than Celebrity’s Raw on 5, but compared to Izumi it was a distant second. Izumi is just that good every time we’ve gone.
 |
| We went with the sushi boat. It was a good amount of sushi, flavors were all really good. We've gotten this before on Mardi Gras and enjoyed it there as well. |
Alchemy
Bar ($)
Well, never got here for a drink like usual. Not sure what it is about this bar, but when it’s open it is ALWAYS busy and everyone always rave’s how good it is. We just never get here for some reason.
Photo
Gallery “Pixels” ($)
Any photo’s taken during your cruise you’re able to view here.
Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse (Complimentary)
Heading outside for a minute we come to Guy’s Pig & Anchor. This is where you’re going to find some delicious BBQ. When we boarded the ship and were ready for lunch we skipped the Lido Marketplace and all that hustle and bustle and headed here instead. Overall the food was pretty good, best flavor came from the chicken. It was a good meal if you’re looking for something quieter to start your vacation. Also our next place on this tour is where we decided to have our first lunch on board, highly recommend doing that.
 |
| Overall flavors were decent, best thing we had was the chicken. |
RedFrog Pub & Brewery ($)
After we got lunch at Guy’s Pig & Anchor we came to the coolest bar on the ship, the RedFrog Pub. This place is pretty large and actually really cool with all the fans blowing. It is an actual brewery, that throughout the week we saw the batches of beer being made. Back to lunch, we came here after getting some BBQ, set up our table and got some beer. The staff here was always amazing, we found ourselves here mainly on some nights to relax, cool down, enjoy a beer and listen to Neil on the Steel Drums. One of our favorite spots to come. Also a great spot to play games. They do also have adult pub games here as well as beer pong. Check out the Funtimes for days and times for that.
JavaBlue
Café ($)
As we make our way towards the back of the ship we come to the JavaBlue Café, here you will find a menu of coffee options, as well as shakes and much more. Remember to get a coffee card, your 7th one is free. We actually had an old one that we brought, and wouldn’t you know it they changed the design after 10 years, but they honored it and punched our card!
 |
| Flavors on this was were lacking, wasn't a fan. |
 |
| This was way better than it looks, and it looks incredible. So rich and flavorful. |
After you grab a beer or coffee (or both), you can head over to Ocean Plaza, this is where MOST of the trivia and other games throughout the day will be played. We did come here quite a bit throughout our cruise. It did get warm at times since the doors to the outside were always opening and closing from the walking deck, making it hot and humid at times. Overall a lot of fun in this area during the day. At night they offer live music to enjoy, as well as karaoke. It will get super busy here at times, especially for trivia, so keep that in mind.
Empanada
& Pie ($)
Inside the Ocean Plaza area is Empanada & Pie. This is where you can find a variety of different empanadas (both savory & sweet) and pies. These come at an extra fee. Location is generally only open at night. We did try it on one of the last nights of the cruise. Honestly, we were not big fans of this place. Here is why. First off, I went to order one of the options and the crew member working at the station said he had to go to the steakhouse and cook more, which was totally fine. Said I can either take the other ones I wanted or wait for them all, I said I would wait. He then made up about a dozen or so and took them to cook, leaving the station empty for about 5 to 8 minutes. Everything is still out in the open and if someone wasn’t paying attention to the fact that you had to pay for these, they’d be able to just take them without anyone knowing. So, he came back and most of the empanadas were undercooked on the outside with the dough. Yes, they still cook them in the oven, but that is for a very limited amount of time, and it will not cook them that much. I did tell him that those needed to be cooked longer, but I don’t think he understood. So, I had the most cooked one. Now the sauces, some are dairy-based, and I was not messing around with them since Carnival has this habit of just leaving sauces out that should be served cold. So, I skipped that. Overall, we had a few different empanadas and a couple of pies, not impressed at all. Flavors lacked and all were very messy on the inside, making it hard to enjoy. Having to pay extra money isn’t worth it in general considering most other lines you get this bar-style food for free. Carnival just likes to nickel and dime you on things like this.
Plaza
Bar ($)
As we keep moving towards the back of the ship we come to the Plaza Bar. Here is where you can find some coffee options, if you don’t want to wait at JavaBlue Café, which never seemed to be packed as well as grabbing a cocktail to enjoy.
Havana
Bar ($)
Finally in the back we end up at the Havana Bar. This location is open to the public and not limited to only guests staying in the Havana rooms. As you walk into the bar you have several tables where you can hang out and play games at. Will say we noticed this area to be very humid at times. In the back of the room is the actual bar, also at night they do offer live music. We came here one of the nights to listen to music, there wasn’t much of a crowd here. On each side of the bar are the doors leading you to the outside Havana Pool & Spa area, this section is ONLY for Havana Guests.
Havana
Pool & Spa (Havana Guests Only)
This area is for Havana Guests Only, you must have a Havana bracelet in order to come outside and enjoy the area, yes, they do check. Shout out to Carnival for giving us some of these bracelets so we can experience and enjoy this area of the ship. We enjoyed a few mornings here, generally the pool’s opened around 8am, by then most of the chairs and day beds were already taken at least an hour prior, yet not too many people actually in the area. We call that, chair hogs. We ended up just grabbing a chair or two in front of the bar area and enjoying the pool and hot tubs. Most mornings we were lucky to have the entire pool to ourselves for a good hour or so. It was nice. The other benefit to staying in the Havana area is the access to your stateroom and being able to go into it from the walking promenade on each side. A cool concept. Now we can’t speak about the actual room, I will leave you with this. We felt when walking through the Havana Bar as well as the corridor to the rooms, it was very humid at times, most of the ship was, but this was a bit extra. That was a downfall for us. Also was it really worth it with the pool and lounge area? No, in our opinion the fact that seats were taken that early in the morning, before the pool actually opened it wasn’t worth that extra cost. The pool was fine, but not worth spending too much more. We say if you find a good enough deal, like we did on the Spa cabin, then go for it. But to pay that much more, we don’t think it’s worth it.
DECK 6
Staterooms
Location of staterooms located on deck 6.
Circle
C (Ages 12 – 14)
For the younger children between the ages of 12 and 14, this is the area dedicated for you.
Club
02 (Ages 15 – 17)
For teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17, this is the area dedicated for you.
The Warehouse Video Arcade ($)
The Warehouse Video Arcade is located right outside of the elevators and it always open, bad part about that and the nearby teen area is that this section of rooms are always very loud. The arcade alone is super loud and from what we can tell is never lower. So beware of that if you’re planning to stay in nearby rooms. As far as the arcade, this is your basic arcade, nothing too impressive here.
DECK 7
Staterooms
Location of staterooms located on deck 7.
IMAX
Theater (Carnival Multiplex) (Decks 7 & 8) ($)
One popular thing a lot of other cruisers were doing during our trip was heading to the IMAX Theater to watch movies. During our sailing we had a few different options such as Superman. If you want to see what will be on your sailing, reach out to John Heald on Facebook.
DECK 8
Staterooms
Location of staterooms located on deck 8.
DECK 9
Staterooms
Location of staterooms located on deck 9.
DECK 10
Beach
‘Lido’ Pool Deck
As
we make our way to deck 10 we head outside to the Lido Pool deck. At no point
was this pool or deck too crowded, which was very unusual to see. We think it
was due to so many other cruisers heading to the casino, which was one of the
most packed we’ve ever seen on a cruise. At most points during the day you
could always find at least one or two open chairs, even next to each other. Of
course in the mornings you had some chair hogs, which on our sailing was this
one group, who also did it in the theatre at night, but other than that not bad
at all.
On sail away we did not attend the party, so we cannot comment on how that was or what types of songs were played, which is a current topic of discussion. We did come here for the ‘80s Rock-N-Glow Party with MarQ. This party was so much fun. We had MarQ several years ago on Splendor, which was also the first time we did The Quest, which is no longer around. So we were excited to have him again this cruise. His parties we were not disappointed at all. This was one of the most fun ‘80s parties we’ve done.
BlueIguana
Tequila Bar ($)
For the tequila drinkers, the BlueIguana has exactly what you’re looking for.
RedFrog
Rum Bar ($)
We’re more of a RedFrog fan. What are you?
BlueIguana
Cantina (Complimentary)
The BlueIguana Cantina is a perfect spot for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast they serve some tasty breakfast burrito options as well as arepas and huevos ranchos. For lunch more tasty burritos and tacos. They also have a toppings bar. All of that is free, for an extra charge they now offer chicken wings. Although we did not try them, we have heard they were really good. This is another thing we felt should be free on a cruise, but just out opinion.
Guy’s
Burger Joint (Complimentary)
Across the way is Guy’s Burger Joint, here you’ll find some very tasty burgers as well as a burger topping bar. We did have one of them during the cruise and it was very good, we’ve learned how to make them taste really good. For me, a double patty with cheese and bun, simple and delicious. They also now offer a kid’s portion burger, which is a smaller slider bun and half of a patty. This was also just as tasty. Wish they were opened for breakfast and did breakfast burgers, that would be really good.
Lido
Marketplace (Buffet) (Complimentary)
As
we make our way inside, we come to the Lido Marketplace. This is going to be
the main buffet on the ship. You have your front section which is two
medium-sized buffet stations, serving identical options as well as the back
buffet which is sometimes the same options or different, usually lunch and/or
dinner will have more options. Also in the back buffet is the Express buffet,
meant for kids, but open to anyone.
Overall
we tried not to eat here, felt options were very limited. Bacon and hash browns
were not available everyday. All meals were a basic handful of options just
located at most of the buffet stations. Again not a huge variety. Now keep in
mind, we recently sailed on Utopia of the Seas and Celebrity Beyond, who’s
buffet’s are incredible, probably the best at sea in our opinion. So coming
back onto Carnival it was very lack-luster, but we will say in general since
this isn’t our first Carnival cruise, actually 20th it was still
lacking big time. This is where we felt Carnival starting to cheap out, but I’m
sure they have their reasons for it.
Temperature around the Lido near the pool’s was very warm, so much so we didn’t eat anything from those buffet stations, especially the salad. We headed in back when we did eat here since it was a little bit cooler.
Breakfast
The buffet selection for breakfast will change slightly each day. Noticed Hashbrowns and Bacon are not available everyday.
Comfort Kitchen
The Comfort Kitchen menu's will be available throughout most of the cruise and will slightly change each time.
Family Express
The Family Express is available daily for lunch and dinner. Options will change slightly daily. This section is open to anyone of all ages.
Gelato
Lido Marketplace
The Lido Marketplace is the generic buffet the ship offers. Also changes slightly daily.
Salad Station
The Salad Station is available daily.
Sweet Spot (Desserts)
The Sweet Spot is near the Express buffet and is changing with options daily.
Latin America (Theme)
The Latin America buffet is usually only available once a cruise.
Mexican (Theme)
The Mexican buffet is usually only available once a cruise.
Tex-Mex (Theme)
The Tex-Mex buffet is usually only available once a cruise.
West Indies (Theme)
The West Indies buffet is usually only available once a cruise.
Carnival
Deli (Complimentary)
If you’re looking for something simpler, the Carnival Deli offers some good sandwiches. This area is open most of the day, into the night. I wish they offered potato chips, but the sandwiches are solid here. One thing we forgot to take a picture of, which was the best thing we had, was the Turkey & Swiss. That was so good. Everything was good, but that was the best item we had.
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| This was the Meatball Sandwich, this used to be amazing, this time not that good at all. |
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| On the left was the Steak & Cheese Sandwich, this was my favorite, very good flavors. On the right was the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, felt it was okay, nothing amazing. |
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| This was the BLT, felt they toasted the bread and it got very, very hard. Overall as good as you'd expect from a BLT. |
Tide’s
Pool & Bar
As we head out of the Lido Marketplace, we come to the Tide’s Pool, this is the 2nd pool (that is open to all guests) on the ship. Again, not very packed at all during the cruise. They also have a bar in the middle of the deck back here, so a cocktail is not too far away.
Pizzeria
del Capitano (Complimentary)
Ugh… We seriously cannot win with pizza on Carnival. Well, we did see at least 3 crew members working here, but still never saw pizza that often. Usually if we did it was something not even on the menu. We did try it twice and both times flavor was lacking big time. I remember a time we LOVED pizza on Carnival, and it was some of the best at sea, nowadays Sorrento’s is a contender, and if you know us that is a bad thing. I’m going with a mixture of cheaper ingredients as well as something different in the dough, because it was just lacking overall. Not a fan this time around.
Seafood Shack ($)
Across the way is the Seafood Shack. Another pay option. We did hear a lot of people enjoy this spot. For us, it’s just not worth the extra cost. Much like the chicken wings at BlueIguana and empanadas at Empanada & Pie, they should offer a free option. Why not do fish & chips? Some of the older ships back in the day offered this daily for free.
DECK 11
Spa Interior Stateroom 11207
We ended up booking a Spa Interior on this cruise, we've never stayed in a Spa Cabin before so we were a bit excited to try it out. To quickly run down the perks, you get "upgraded" bed linens, amenities, a robe and slippers. In the actual spa you have access to the relaxation room, warming chairs, sauna's and hot tub. We will go into that on the tour of the spa.
For the actual room. We felt it was nice overall, nothing amazing, but clean. On the temperature side it was warm at times, but wouldn't say hot. It was generally much cooler during the daytime. Only time it was warm (and even a bit humid) was during the middle of the night. Again nothing too hot here, we managed just fine. Our location of the room was one of the most front rooms you can get, so the door was only a few steps away, so any heat from that would go in the halls, also the other end of the hall went right to Lido, so we were basically in a heat bubble the entire time.
Location for us to the spa was one of the best. We walked out, went around the corner, up the stairs and right into the spa. Also just down the hall from the Lido area and front elevators. Overall a great spot. Was this our favorite room? No. Would we book the spa room again? Most likely no. We got a good deal on it which is why we booked in the first place. We wouldn't waste too much money on this perk, since the spa itself was very dated and felt it wasn't worth the extra money. We also are not big on the spa in general. So it may actually work for you better than us.
A bit of a tip, bring some magnets and a tapestry, we did this and made the room feel not as small.
Camp Ocean (Ages 2 – 11)
For the younger cruisers, Camp Ocean is their area.
Ji
Ji Asian Kitchen (Complimentary Lunch) ($ - Dinner)
Up on deck 11 you’re going to find Ji Ji Asian Kitchen. We had plans originally to do lunch here, but just never had the chance to. However we did book dinner here, which was $24 per person. I will say overall the food was great, the duck was the best we’ve ever had, highly recommended. Service was also really good. Our biggest issue, was a group sitting at the table about 5 feet from us who were on their cell phone on speaker the entire time. Which several other guests did complain about as well. Didn’t seem like the staff did much on that. Luckily it lasted maybe 15 minutes, but still, have some respect. Overall food, really good and we’d come back here again for sure.
Cucina del Capitano (Complimentary - Lunch) ($ - Dinner)
Across
the way is Cucina del Capitano. Also free for lunch, we did check it out one of
the days, which happened to be after we had dinner here. To compare the lunch
flavor was just as good as dinner. They give you a slip of paper of options you
can get, nothing crazy. The flavors of the sauce were delicious, the pasta,
cooked perfectly. This was a great option.
Onto
dinner. On the first night of the cruise, Carnival offers in most specialty
dining venues a free bottle of wine. We booked this prior for our first night.
Our waiter was Simba, who was incredible. From the starters to the entrees to
the desserts, everything was very, very good. At the cost of $24 per person,
well worth it. Also Simba was nice enough to drop off a second bottle of wine
for us, so you know we had an incredible dinner.
DECK 12
Cloud
9 Spa & Fitness Center (Decks 12 & 14) ($)
The Cloud 9 Spa we had access to, which included the relaxation room, steam rooms and heated loungers. At times it was hard to get one of the loungers since there was only 9 of them. We came here off and of throughout the cruise, not something we’d go out of our way for again. If you don’t have a pass, both restrooms have a sauna in it you can use. Also note, if you do have a pass, you cannot use it on the first day of the cruise since they are “showing” the spa off to people. So those loungers, sauna and heated tub are a no-go for you.
Carnival
Waterworks (Complimentary)
If you’re looking for more of a thrill, the ship offers a few slide options that you can check out.
Jogging
Track
They also have a jogging track that wraps around the deck area.
SportSquare
This area is made up of the mini golf course, some table games and the basketball court. All free to use and play.
DECK 14
SkyRide (Complimentary)
For the more adventurous cruisers, you can check out the SkyRide. We never had a chance to do this, however did make our way up here on one of our last sea days, never looked busy at all.
Ropes Course (Complimentary)
Also up in this area is the ropes course. I did say I was going to do it, but just never had time. Funny, you think you’re going to get to do so much on a cruise since you’re on for 8-nights, but we always leave saying we didn’t have time for something. Or didn’t really want to? Hmm….
DECK 15
Serenity
(Ages 18 & Up)
Up on deck 15 is the worst elevator on the ship. Now if you actually make it up to deck 15 you will come to the Serenity deck, which is an 18+ area to relax. They do have a full bar, salad station (which we never saw open) and a few hot tubs. Never once was this area too crowded. We enjoyed a few days here relaxing. Still say our favorite was on Carnival Sunshine, no other Carnival ship has come close. Overall a really relaxing area, especially later at night when the sunset is happening.
Port
Canaveral (Embarkation Port)
We
got to the port around 10am, which is normally when the terminal opens. However
we got in, right through security and onto the ship in no time at all. So they
must have started around 9am (cannot confirm the exact time). It was just very
rushed, I guess that was a good thing, just did not expect that at all.
Curacao
We had a very late arrival time into Curacao, roughly 2pm. So, that did not give us much time to have any type of beach day since most places closed around 5pm or so. We ended up just getting off the ship and walking around town for a while. It was a beautiful city, architecture is filled with bright colors and great photo opportunities. Next time I really wan to get here a bit earlier in the day and head to one of the beaches. It always looks so beautiful. This was our second time at this port of call. Last time we did the same exact thing, that was mainly due to weather.
Aruba
Last
time we came to Aruba we ended up doing a tour, which brought us to many of the
highlights around the island and finally to the beach. Well our bus broke down
before we left to the beach, leaving us with only 40 minutes to stop, enjoy the
water and back on the bus. So this time we had a plan, which we found from
someone else online and that was to hop a local city bus to the beach. We
headed off the ship and towards the main street at the port. Then we headed
across the street from the Diamond’s International to the bus depot. Bought a
round trip bus pass ($5 USD per person) and waited to get onto the bus. Keep in
mind that this is a local bus, so people are going to and from work as well.
The bus took no more than 8 minutes from where we left to the start of Eagle
Beach. So we got off and headed right over to the sands. The beach is public
and they had a few table areas to put your stuff down on, which we ended up
doing. We spent about 3 or 4 hours relaxing in the beautiful water. Then we
walked down the beach to the tip, it was wonderful. We then went back to the
main road, waited a few minutes for the bus and headed back to the bus depot
and back on the ship. This was the best way to spend $5 per person in our
opinion for a beach day. Couldn’t have asked for anything more than that for
our day here. It was exactly what we wanted and worth doing. We will do the
exact same thing next time as well, might even bring some food to enjoy as
well.
If you're heading to the local bus to go to the beach. Go right outside the port to Diamond's International.
Then you take the bus to Eagle Beach (which is less than 10 minutes away).
Celebration Key
This is Carnival’s BRAND NEW destination at Grand Bahama Island. We arrived slightly later than we were supposed to, but we got right off and headed down the pier and through the sandcastle. Headed to the left by the swings bar and put down our things. I ended up doing a full tour of the destination, which is up on our channel. After the tour I got into the lagoon and we enjoyed our day. The water was great! Not too busy at all, plenty of seating all over. We ended up getting some food, nothing outstanding, but it was food. Overall a great day. We even checked out the beach, besides the rocks all over the area, the water was perfect. Keep in mind the rocks are not only at the beach, but also around all the sand pathways around the area as well as the lagoon. So shoes are a must. Overall we really enjoyed our day here. This was a great addition for Carnival. Cannot wait to come back here again. As far as the crowd, right now this area can handle two ships. On this day it was us on Vista and the Carnival Glory. Those are mid-sized ships, so it was not crowded at all. I’d go as far as saying, even if you had two excel class ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration etc…), you’d still be fine. Now they are currently in the process of building another pier, which can handle another two ships. So it may get busier for sure, but they are also doing a waterpark. So I really don’t think crowds will be much issue here at all.
Now we're going to do our BEST to take you on a tour of Celebration Key.
Also we did a full detailed tour of Celebration Key on our YouTube channel. Here is the link to check that video out.
Food Options
Below is a guide of what food is included and what have extra fees. Any location with "Island Eats" on the menu is your one free option you can get. If for whatever reason you don't want to use that voucher there, you can also pay for that and use the free voucher later on. At the Full-Service restaurants you will get 25% off one entree.
Private Island or Private Destination
This is a private destination, just like Amber Cove. Rather than a private island like Half Moon Cay.
Celebration Key Map
The entire area is large, but I wouldn't go and say it was massive. It is very easy to get around the area.
Starfish Tram Line
You have the option to walk from the ship and around the port. Or you can take the Starfish Tram, which takes you to different areas around the port. This is free to do.
Paradise Plaza (Portal)
Celebration Key is made up of 5 Portals. The first being Paradise Plaza. This is where you will find the main hub along with tours, trams and the giant sandcastle and waterslides.
Lokono Cove (Portal)
Behind the sandcastle is Lokono Cove, this is where you will find a coffee shop and tons of shops including a Bahamian straw market.
Calypso Beach
As you head to the left of the map, you'll come to Calypso Beach. This is an adult-friendly beach that offers complimentary loungers and umbrellas. Beware the rocks all in the sand, make sure to bring water shoes with you.
Mingo's Tropical Bar & Kitchen (Calypso Lagoon)
Across from the beach is Mingo's, which is located at the Calypso Lagoon. This location offers a sit-down meal or you relax in the water at the swim-up bar.
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Pearl Cove Beach Club (Portal)
Our next portal is the Pearl Cove Beach Club. They offer a few different packages from just having beach club access to open bar and an all-inclusive option. Also in this location is an Adults-Only Beach, the Pearl Cove Beach Club Restaurant as well as the Pearl Cove Beach Club Bar.
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Calypso Lagoon Food Trucks (Calypso Lagoon)
As we continue around the Calypso Lagoon side of the port we come to the food trucks. These are some of the areas you can use your free meal voucher with the Island Eat's side of the menu, or pay out of pocket for it.
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%20-%20Calypso%20Chicken%20Co..png)
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Snack Shacks & Beach Snacks (Calypso Lagoon)
You'll find a few of these throughout the port. This is the menu from the Calypso Lagoon side.
Gill's Grill (Calypso Lagoon)
Next is Gill's Grill, a Caribbean-inspired sit-down restaurant.
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Surf N' Sauce BBQ & Brews (Calypso Lagoon)
If you're in the mood for some bbq, then this will be your sit-down restaurant for that.
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Calypso Lagoon (Portal)
In the middle of the port is one of two massive lagoons, this being the Calypso Lagoon. This is geared more towards adults, however the only adult-only area is near Mingo's. We spent most of our time here and it was great. Never too loud or crowded. Not all of the food trucks and restaurants are located on the outer permitter of the lagoon.
Sunshine Swings (Calypso Lagoon)
This bar was so cool with the swings, reminded us of the one at Coco Key, but much bigger. Also it never got too crowded, mainly people came, grabbed a drink, swung until the drink was ready and left.
Guppy Grotto (Starfish Lagoon)
As we head over to the Starfish Lagoon side, we come to Guppy Grotto, which is for the younger cruisers.
Lagoon Bar West (Starfish Lagoon)
You'll find several bars around the port. This one is as soon as you walk into the Starfish Lagoon side.
Snack Shacks & Beach Snacks (Starfish Lagoon)
You'll find a few of these throughout the port. This is the menu from the Calypso Lagoon side.
Starfish Lagoon (Portal)
On the opposite side of the port is the Starfish Lagoon, which is family-friendly.
Starfish Lagoon Food Hall (Starfish Lagoon)
You can use your vouchers here as well. Now they also have food trucks on the Starfish Lagoon side, so we still have plenty more food to come. This is just the food hall closest to the Starfish Lagoon.
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Starfish Beach
This beach was a bit nicer, but rockier. Overall beautiful. Is this a Half Moon Cay look? No. Will is suffice for anyone wanting the beach? Absolutely.
Starfish Lagoon Food Trucks (Starfish Lagoon)
Here are the other sets of food trucks at port.
DAILY FUNTIMES
EMBARKATION DAY
FIRST DAY AT SEA
SECOND DAY AT SEA
CURACAO
ARUBA
THIRD DAY AT SEA
FINAL DAY AT SEA
CELEBRATION KEY
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