Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista: Action-packed sailings through Caribbean
Snapshot
The 3,934-passenger Carnival Vista debuted as Carnival Cruise Line's largest ship when it launched in 2016, and it's been matched in size by sister ships Carnival Horizon and Carnival Panorama and overtaken by the considerably larger 5,282-passenger Mardi Gras and the 5,374-guest Carnival Celebration.
Carnival Vista is a handsome and action-packed ship, boasting the first IMAX theater at sea, an adults-only Serenity retreat area, a Cloud 9 spa, Camp Ocean for kids up to 12, a 450-foot waterslide, a SkyRide that lets passengers pedal on an 800-foot track located 150 feet above the sea, and Cuban-themed rooms and outdoor hangouts such as the Havana Bar & Pool.
Where Carnival Vista sails
Home port: Galveston, Texas
Destinations: Carnival Vista now sails out of Galveston on mostly 7-night Caribbean cruises to Cozumel, Ocho Rios and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
A fun animated tour of new features on Carnival Vista.
Dining
Carnival Visa has some 20 dining and drinking options, including an at-sea brewery. Here are a few:
- Seafood Shack: This seafood restaurant mimics a New England-style seaside spot where you can enjoy your meal with an ocean view.
- Horizons Restaurant: Choose Your Time Dining is available for this dining venue, which offers a menu of contemporary favorites mixed with new inventive dishes.
- Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse: This steakhouse features your choice of steak cuts, lobster, lamb and more. Inside, there’s a full bar to pour pairings of wine. Outside, there’s seating for dining al fresco.
- Bonsai Sushi: Dine indoors or out amid pruned bonsai trees while enjoying sit-down service and a menu of catches plus soups, sides, sakes and desserts.
- The Chef's Table: Take a seat at The Chef's Table and be served a cascading series of courses. Dinner is the main event, but guests can also enjoy a galley tour for a behind-the-scenes look at where dinner preparation takes place.
- Ji Ji Asian Kitchen: Enjoy your meal among Asian prayer rolls and Mongolian-inspired fabrics in this unique culinary experience, which includes a full-service menu featuring a mix of exotic and familiar dishes.
- Cucina del Capitano: This restaurant serves up Italian favorites family style and is adorned with old snapshots from the family albums of on-board officers.
- Guy's Burger Joint: This partnership with celebrity chef Guy Fieri brings passengers delicious burgers and fries amid a rustic atmosphere you’d find at, say, a roadside burger shack just off a coastal highway.
- BlueIguana Cantina: Carnival's on-board Mexican restaurant serves up tacos, burritos and other Mexico-inspired fare and also features a salsa bar.
Bars & lounges
Havana Bar
This Latin-inspired venue on deck 5 is near the Havana pool area and offers Cuban cocktails such as the Havana Especial, Cuba Libre, classic mojitos, and even Cuban coffee. During the day, this bar is a bit quiet with several guests reading or playing cards in the venue. But the Havana Bar comes alive in the evenings with Latin music and dancing.
RedFrog Pub & Brewery
The next-generation RedFrog Pub comes with an amazing brewery that churns out its own microbrew options. Everything else there is to love about RedFrog Pub is back — the snacks, the games, the live music, plus atmosphere by the pint.
Activities
SportsSquare featuring SkyRide
At the all-new SkyRide, strap in and zip around a bike course high above the deck. The Clubhouse features indoor activities like mini-bowling and arcade-style basketball while soccer, volleyball and ping-pong are just steps away. Try for a hole-in-one at SkyGreens, sink threes on the basketball court, and push yourself to amazing new heights at SkyCourse, a ropes course.
Havana Bar & Pool
On Carnival Vista you'll find Havana Bar & Pool, an onboard space that's an exclusive retreat by day and a dancing hotspot at night. Grab a seat at the bar and order up handcrafted Cuban cocktails such as the classic mojito or a traditional daiquiri, plus fresh and free Cuban snacks. The bar is just steps from the Havana Pool, whose ocean view and atmosphere mingles with the bar’s own, for a bit of that old-time Cuban resort flavor.
Carnival Multiplex featuring IMAX
Two theaters make up the Carnival Multiplex. It features an IMAX Theatre — the first at sea — and Thrill Theater, a 3D experience where jump-off-the-screen visuals are only the beginning of a moving experience.
Carnival WaterWorks
Classic spiraling waterslides, a giant bucket, an expanded SplashZone, water toys and more are simply overflowing here for your hydro-delight. Make sure to see the all-new Kaleid-O-Slide. This raft slide — for one or two — takes speedy-good times to the next level with lights, colors and all-around fun.
Serenity Adult-Only Retreat
The Serenity Adult-Only Retreat is a world of complete peace, sea breezes and swaying hammocks. And now, you can get a light bite with a chopped salad station right here.
Staterooms
Carnival Vista offers a wide variety of staterooms, including Havana-themed cabins complete with an outdoor shower and lounge-ready hammock. Family Harbor staterooms feature a nautical theme, while Cloud 9 Spa staterooms feature a relaxing setting matched by spa robes and slippers. Interior staterooms, ocean-view staterooms, balcony staterooms and suites are also available.
Your take
How about you? Have you sailed on Carnival Vista yet? What did you think?
Interested in a cruise on this ship?
If you're interested in a cruise on Carnival Vista, contact a Cruiseable travel advocate at 1-877-322-3773 or by email. We can usually offer a better deal than you can get by contacting the cruise line directly.
Top highlights on this ship
- Delicious burgers and fries at Guy's Burger Joint
- Fun waterslides and fountains at Carnival WaterWorks
- The first IMAX theater at sea