Carnival’s newest ship, Carnival Vista, made its inaugural sailing last year on May 1st out of Trieste, Italy. The vessel, the cruise line’s twenty-fifth and largest of the fleet, joined fellow Dream-class sister-ships Carnival Breeze, Carnival Magic and Carnival Dream. Prior to moving to her homeport, Miami, in December, Carnival Vista cruised from the ports of Athens and Barcelona followed by repositioning to New York where the 3,954- passenger ship was christened on November 6th.
Referred to as the “most family friendly ship” of the cruise line, Carnival Vista features an IMAX Theater with a three-deck high screen and seating for 187 passengers as well as a 455-foot long water tube. The former is the first IMAX at sea while the kaleidoscope-looking water slide known as the Kaleid-O-Slide is part of fleet’s WaterWorks park. The family-friend vessel features Family Harbor Lounge with a new space specifically dedicated to families offering 24-hours complimentary dining, concierge and baby service, movies, board and video games.
While known as a family-friendly vessel, the ship does offer an adult-only area. Serenity, the adult-only on-board retreat, allows the twenty-one and over passenger the capability to get away to enjoy a peaceful time, the sea breezes, swaying hammocks and a private bar. The casino along with more than a dozen bars and lounges, including Vista Atrium Bar with live music as well as the Havana Club for Latin-style dancing, provide the adult plenty of action in the evening.
Havana Bar Live band playing at Havana Bar
Dining options aboard Vista include free and extra-fee venues. New to Carnival cruise line is the Seafood Shack. The New England-inspired eatery serves steamed lobsters, lobster rolls, crab cakes along with other seafood fare for lunch and dinner with indoor and outdoor seating available; pricing is a la carte. Well known celebrity chef Guy Fieri has two eateries on Vista – Guy’s Pig and Anchor Bar-B-Que and the popular Guy’s Burger Joint. The vessel’s close to twenty dining locations definitely provides the passenger cuisine for all palate-preferences.
Activities are plentiful onboard the ship; Vista’s SkyRide is the cruise line industry’s first open-aired, pedal powered aerial ride. The passenger climbs aboard a hanging bike and pedals cycling his/her way around the 800-foot suspended track while at 150-feet above sea level. SkyRide is part of SportSquare which has an indoor hangout, mini-bowling, ping-pong and SkyCourse. SkyCourse is a ropes course in which passengers are safely strapped-in to allow children to participate.
Vista voyages disembarking from Miami sail to Eastern, Western and Southern Caribbean. Itineraries include the port destinations of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cozumel, Jamaica, Grand Turk, Saint Kitts, Saint Maarten, Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao. Special Needs Group is pleased to service all Carnival ships, including Vista sailing out of PortMiami.
Travel Agent – January 2017 Newsletter Full Article