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Carnival Vista

A Whole New Seriously Fun Ballgame

By CHRIS OWEN

August 31^st, 2016

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the next generation

Carnival Cruise Line knows all about Fun; they’ve been providing it for decades. Opening up a world of travel to many who might not have gone beyond the borders of North America, Carnival delivers what they advertise. It’s a travel product that has evolved over time to include just about every possible demographic. On new Carnival Vista, all the core elements of The Fun Ship experience have been not only preserved but made better.

the fun ships

Fans of the world’s most popular cruise line will find a lot to like. Rolling in some new features, expanding a number of existing offerings from other ships and carefully staffing Carnival Vista we see the past, present and future of the line all in one neatly wrapped package.

From the outside, Carnival Vista casts a profile similar to other ships in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet, complete with trademark Funnel. Step inside and it’s hard to miss the familiar curvature of a giant LED charged funnel of sorts that will change patterns, scenes and looks throughout the day.

Interestingly, entertainment is a much greater part of the onboard experience on Carnival Vista. A wide variety of live music weaves its way through the ship, covering nearly every genre possible as we experienced as lovely violin music filled the atrium space before dinner.

Also interesting, it appears that Carnival Vista is built to be everything to everyone. Leaving the atrium area and the classical music behind, I walked past the Red Frog Pub and Brewery where a bunch of passengers were excitedly playing a beer game of some sort. Continuing on to the Ocean Plaza area of that same deck, passengers were involved in a complimentary dance class. This is all in the course of a five minute walk on a very big ship where venues are nicely spread out to accommodate a variety of tastes and interests.

On the topic of healthy lifestyles (or not), Carnival Vista has cruise travelers interested in either covered. At the top deck Serenity adults-only retreat, healthy fare is featured and just steps away from comfortable lounge chairs and no children.

No denying it, top deck features command a great amount of attention from passengers. Rightfully so, they’re pretty hard to miss. Kudos to the wiz kids at Carnival for coming up with an active lifestyle top deck star in the SkyRide. A ride around open decks, high above the sea it is. What SkyRide is not is a passive, sit and watch stuff go by ride. It requires pedaling. SkyRide fits the space too, located right next to the popular Sky Court and SkyFitness attractions where we don’t find the typical ‘feed my gaping maw’ stereotype cruiser that seems absent here.

I remember writing a dozen years ago how Carnival saying they were simply “The Fun Ships” was more than a slogan, they really knew how to do it. I confidently said “If you’ve been on a Carnival Funship, you know this to be true” and was never challenged on that accurate statement. For those who want to hear it: that’s back now, enjoy. More accurately: Carnival Vista is a whole new, seriously Fun ballgame.

A solid and dedicated focus on Family travel brings unique accommodations to Carnival Vista. Located within a new dedicated family zone on Deck 2, the Family Harbor accommodations offer an array of staterooms and suites in a nautical flag motif that accommodate up to five family members. Parents and kids will have even more room to relax at the exclusive Family Harbor Lounge, a secluded space designed as the ultimate family hang out with large-screen televisions, games and complimentary breakfast and snacks. A special family concierge desk will be available here to assist families in making this their best vacation ever.

Guests in Family Harbor staterooms are entitled to:
-Exclusive, 24/7 Family Harbor Lounge access
-Kids (under 12 years of age) eat free at the ‘for-pay’ dining restaurants (excluding Chef’s Table and the Seafood Shack) – Children must dine with adult and order off the kids’ menu.
-One free attendance to Night Owls (up to 3 hours of free babysitting)
-Use of child-size bathrobes