Southern Caribbean Itinerary: December 3-11, 2016
I was excited to take a cruise aboard the brand spanking-new Carnival Vista last December! Dream Vacations/CruiseOne and Cruises, Inc had their annual National Conference aboard the ship, so it was the perfect opportunity to not only enjoy a cruise to the Southern Caribbean and see the many countries and islands (Grand Turk, La Romana, Dominican Republic, Aruba and Curacao), that I had never visited before, but to have a new ship to explore as well!
I took some notes while we sailed and noted some observations:
Embarkation…we arrived very early as requested and got through the new checkin process very quickly. Carnival Cruise Lines was testing a new process in which you do your check-in at home, and add your credit card information to your file. Once complete, you just show your boarding pass and passport as you enter the cruise terminal, and your checkin is complete! A much more streamlined process. Keys are then waiting for you in an envelope outside your stateroom door.
Ease of access for me and my wheelchair from the cruise terminal onto the ship itself was seamless. Rampage was manageable for myself and my husband to maneuver together (while he rolled his carry-on along).
Once on the ship…
When you enter the ship’s lobby, you are greeted by a large open area with a HUGE centerpiece that rises up several floors, it has video images of marine life and abstract colors and is quite impressive. Definitely makes a statement. The overall colors and decor of the ship are muted and soothing, yellows and blues. The banks of elevators have 8 lifts, which makes getting a crowd dispersed easily without any elevator ‘joggying’ or stress.
The Lido Deck (Deck 10) is a wide open area with a gorgeous LED screen for watching movies or whatever else might be shown…in each corner of the Deck is a bar or food outlet…one corner had Red Frog Rum Bar, the other is a tequila bar, then the food outlets, one corner features Guy Fieri’s burgers, the other is Blue Iguana Cantina (a taco/ burrito bar), yum!
There is a wide open area around the main pool that later was used for a fun dance floor and Conga line during the kick off departure party. Very fun and did not feel crowded.
The ship is very wheelchair friendly. 99% of the thresholds I’ve encountered since being on board are beautifully smooth. The thresholds leading to the bank of elevators do require a little wheelie and some forethought before crossing, but SO much easier than on most ships I’ve been on.
Prior to heading to our cabin for the first time, we checked out the Liquid Lounge (Decks 4 and 5-Forward). It is a two-story showroom, but what I liked about it is the seats were not fixed, meaning, if I wish to stay in my wheelchair, as I do 99% of the time, I can sit anywhere, just move a seat out of the spot I want. May not sound like a luxury to those reading this, but most often I am relegated to the back row of most theaters, so this is a nice perk.
We are now off to our cabin, #11203.. our bags were waiting for us…nice! Our cabin was located at the front of the ship next to the spa. It is considered a ‘Cloud 9’ spa cabin, and is VERY large! We have a king bed and a double pull out couch! It is oceanview with a big picture window. The bathroom is beautiful and again, zero threshold to enter, nice and easy. I’ll check out the shower tomorrow, but visually it looks great. One thing I wish they had more of was drawer space in the bathroom to put my toiletries in.
Our busy first day continued on to a cocktail party at the Tides Bar (Deck 10-Aft) and then dinner in one of the Main Dining Rooms–Reflections (Deck 3-Midship), again, super easy to access, but felt it was odd that we needed to pass through the Buffet Restaurant to access the Tides Bar.
The food and menu overall…basic items, nothing that really sounded special…there were a few items, surf and turf, lobster, filet mignon, that could be requested for $20 per person surcharge. The first night, I had the corn chowder with the flat iron steak, with peppercorn sauce and baked potato, while Mike had the shrimp cocktail with Mahi Mahi…neither of us was too impressed with our meals, they were adequate.. not exactly high praise. This was the general consensus throughout the cruise.
After dinner we went exploring for entertainment, we headed to Deck 5 where the musical entertainment resides. They have a piano bar, jazz club, dance music spot and Havana, a Latin music bar, to name just a few. We went to Havana first where a really good Salsa band was playing. Great music and fun to see lots of older people out dancing and having a great time. Then we went to the Ocean Terrace bar, good dance cover band..very fun!
It was definitely time for bed after this full first day…
Back in our cabin, we had a towel lobster waiting for us. Our room steward, Budi, introduced himself. I then got into the very easily accessible bed…perfect height–And promptly passed out!
After our first day of exploration, there was not much to report… small annoyances were the cleaning carts kept in the hallways the majority of the time, making it difficult and a hassle to navigate in a wheelchair. The shower stall in our bathroom was perfection. I love the L-shaped shower seat.. the controls are close and easy to navigate.
Handicapped bathrooms throughout the common areas of the ship…some had lights to indicate usage, some didn’t…the one by the photo gallery was broken all week. The one in the Red Frog Pub was broken (locked from inside) as well. …no wheelchair section in the IMAX theater, but we were able to watch the movie from the front row.
Compared to the many other ships I’ve sailed on, the Carnival Vista was heads and tails above the others as to ease-of-accessibility in the common areas as well as in our cabin. Being able to navigate around the ship alone was a new experience for me and a welcome one as I attended classes all day in various locations while my husband was able to sleep in and enjoy his vacation.
I can highly recommend the Carnival Vista to those with a mobility challenge. Not only were thresholds between areas easy to pass over, but the layout of the ship was easy to get to and from all areas without getting exhausted with the exertion. I would sail on her again! A true vacation!
–By Dawn Beers O’Brien/Dream Vacations’ Travel Specialist
