Day 4 - La Romana and Dinner at Cucina del Capitano

This morning, Carnival Vista docked in La Romana, Dominican Republic. We were here three years ago on Carnival Breeze where we enjoyed a pretty intense Zip Line tour. In our opinion, it is the best excursion offered here. Since we are not interested in repeating history, we saw La Romana as another opportunity to enjoy the seclusion of Serenity on Deck 15 forward. It was great! When it came time for lunch, with most people still off the ship, it was the perfect time to enjoy another burger from Guy's Burger Joint.

Guy's Burger Joint

On a typical day, the line at Guy's Burger Joint can get insanely long. So, here was a rare opportunity to walk right up and get a fresh, hot burger with no wait. After my second Guy's burger on this cruise, I can now declare this to be one of the best hamburgers anywhere. They are that good. For those of you who follow our blog, you know I have been complaining for years about the poor quality of burgers on cruise ships. Carnival appears to be the only cruise line to have mastered this relatively simple culinary achievement.

Even the French fries are excellent, and perfectly seasoned. I think I may have to have at least one more of these burgers before the end of the cruise. After lunch, we spent the afternoon competing in a series of trivia competitions. Rickee finally won the Sports Trivia and collected her coveted "Ship On A Stick" trophy. In case you are unfamiliar with the famous Carnival trophy, they are solid 24-carat gold and priceless!

Ship-on-a-Stick trophy

While we were playing trivia, the Captain made an announcement from the bridge that, due to a tropical storm, we would not be able to make our port calls in Aruba or Curacao. The ship is being diverted to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and St. Maarten instead. The reaction from the crowd in the Ocean Plaza was overwhelmingly positive.

For dinner this evening, we had a reservation at Cucina del Capitano, Carnival's Italian-themed restaurant. We made our reservations online a few weeks before the cruise through Carnival's 'My Cruise Manager' website. The restaurant is typically fully-booked, so advance reservations are highly recommended. We arrived at 6:30pm and were instantly greeted by the restaurant manager who showed us to our table for two.

Cucina del Capitano

The decor is decidedly Italian with red-and-white checkered tablecloths. Each table is set with a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. As soon as we are seated, our waitress greets us and delivers a plank of crusty bruschetta with roasted garlic, tomatoes and mascarpone cheese.

The menu is divided in half with the left side offering appetizers, soups and salad. The right side highlights pasta dishes and entrees. The idea is for each guest to order an item from the left side plus an item from the right side. However, the waitress never suggested that more than one item from the appetizer list could be ordered. I ordered Nonna's Meatballs and Rickee ordered the Il Capitano's Signature Arancini.

Nonna's Meatballs

My meatballs arrived piping hot in a rich, flavorful tomato sauce with melted mozzarella and crispy basil leaves. They were delicious and I found myself sopping up the remainder of the sauce with a leftover chunk of bruschetta.

Il Capitano's Signature Arancini

Rickee's arancini consisted of four deep-fried risotto balls mixed with cheese and served in a tomato sauce. They were good, but we both agreed that between the two, the meatballs were the better choice.

For an entree, Rickee ordered the Spaghetti Carbonara and I ordered the Bistecca Alla Griglia. When our main courses arrived, Rickee was surprised because she thought she had ordered Spaghetti Bolognese (which is not even on the menu). The Carbonara is a cheese sauce, like an Alfredo, with Pancetta. Rickee thought she was getting a tomato sauce (she should have read the menu!). The waitress did not hesitate to offer to bring her Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and left the Carbonara for us to share in the meantime. My Bistecca (a New York Strip) was cooked perfectly to order and was good.

Bistecca Alla Griglia

The real star of the evening was the Spaghetti Carbonara. Even Rickee loved it once she gave it a taste. The portions of spaghetti were huge, easily enough for two people to share. The Spaghetti with Captain's Tomato Sauce was also very good, but the Carbonara is the best on the menu, in our opinion.

Tomorrow, we will be in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Day 3 - Grand Turk and Serenity Spa

Just as I was finishing my blog this morning, Carnival Vista was docking at Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos. Soon after 7am, guests began disembarking for a day at the nearby beach, or to enjoy one of the many shore excursions offered by Carnival. We had a different plan in mind. Having been to Grand Turk several times (been there, done that, got the magnet), we decided to enjoy a little "Serenity." Of course, I am referring to Serenity, the adults-only sun deck!

Serenity is located at the highest and farthest forward spot on Vista, Deck 15 forward. Only guests 21 and over are allowed to occupy Serenity. So, if you are looking for a place to enjoy the sun without the kiddos running around, this is the spot!

Serenity has its own bar, Serenity Bar, and a self-serve salad bar, Fresh Creations, so you can enjoy a light meal without leaving the sanctuary of Serenity.

One advantage of repeating an itinerary is the ability to stay on board and enjoy the ship without the huge crowds. And, let's face it, once you have been to Grand Turk, or La Romana, you have pretty much seen everything you need to see. We had Serenity virtually to ourselves for the entire morning while most guests were off the ship exploring!

Relaxing at Serenity

The first task is to obtain pool towels. Carnival provides complimentary use of large pool towels, but you have to use your stateroom key to check-out towels. If you do not return a towel and check it back in, a $22 charge will magically appear on your stateroom account. The second task was to find one of the large "cocoons" with enough shade so I could stay out of the sun while Rickee roasts herself on a nearby lounger.

Cocoons and loungers are scattered around the deck, facing a variety of directions. Each cocoon can easily hold two people and there are plush pillows to make lounging even more comfortable. A small wicker footrest/table/bench is at the end of each cocoon and makes a great place to set your drink, or enjoy lunch.

Mini-cabanas

There are a few bright yellow "mini-cabanas" scattered around the deck. They are quite unique looking, but I am unsure of the usefulness. There are also two whirlpools (one port and one starboard) located at Serenity. The whirlpools offer a great view of the ocean, or in our case, Grand Turk!

In our opinion, Serenity is one of the best spaces on Vista for adults, especially if you enjoy a quiet retreat in the sun.

Rickee relaxes at Serenity

As we left Serenity, we could not resist the temptation to try out the water slides. There are two water slides at Vista's Carnival Waterworks area: Kaleid-o-Slide, a more sedate ride which requires the use of an inner-tube, and Twister which is a faster and more invigorating ride down three decks.

Kaleid-o-Slide (red) and Twister (yellow)

Both slides are fun, but Twister is our favorite because you don't have to haul the inner-tube up the steps!

Rickee emerges from the Twister

For lunch today, we decided to try Blue Iguana Cantina (Deck 10 midship, port side). Here you can enjoy burritos made-to-order a' la Subway sandwich-style. Guests walk through the line and select the desired ingredients for their burrito while servers scoop selections onto large round tortillas. The burritos are quite substantial, delicious and very filling.

Soon after lunch, guests began re-appearing from their morning in Grand Turk. Carnival Vista departs at 1:30, so it was a relatively short visit. After showering from our morning in the sun, we spend the afternoon attempting to regain trivia chops, but we are unsuccessful. No ships-on-a-stick for us!

This evening we decide to try the Your Time Dining which now requires checking in at the Your Time Dining Desk on Deck 5 (Java Blue Cafe). Your Time Dining is available from 5:30pm until 9:30pm each evening. We chose to dine early tonight because we want to make the 7:30 production show in Liquid Lounge.

Your Time Dining Desk

After checking in, we are handed a slip of paper and directed to the Horizons Restaurant on Deck 3 aft. We are seated at a table for two and presented the evening's menu.

The menu changes each evening and offers a choice of appetizers ( including soups and salads), and a variety of main courses. Cruise ship dining has transformed from what used to be a multi-course extravaganza to a three-course meal. Basically, Appetizers, Mains and Dessert. However, you can order more than one from the appetizer menu, as we did, to simulate a four-or five- course meal.

Enjoying dinner in Horizons

This evening's show was Amor Cubano held in the Liquid Lounge, the ship's main showroom. We sat on the front row (better for photos). The show was a lively mix of Cuban dance and music and the utilization of the live band made for a good show. However, the vocals sounded muffled. I'm not sure if it is due to the acoustics, the sound system, or simply a symptom of sitting on the front row. We noticed the same thing on Carnival Breeze in 2014.

Amor Cubano

We left the show and headed straight for Limelight Lounge for the 9:15 Punchliner Comedy show. You have to show up early and get in line to get a good seat at these shows as they are very popular. Tonight's comedian is Kelly Terranova and the show was well worth the 45-minute wait to get in.

Tomorrow, Carnival Vista will be in La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Day 2 - A Relaxing and Fun Day At Sea

I think days at sea are our favorite. Carnival refers to these as "Fun Days at Sea", and they certainly deliver on that promise. I counted more than 72 individual planned activities listed in the Carnival Fun Times today.

The Fun Times is a daily newsletter delivered to your stateroom each day. It is perhaps the most comprehensive and well laid-out newsletter we have seen on any cruise line. Carnival has gone high-tech by creating an electronic version of Fun Times with their Carnival Hub app. Carnival Hub is a free download for your smart phone or tablet and gives you a list of all activities going on around the ship each day. You can create a list of "favorites" and the app will send you a friendly reminder 15 minutes before the scheduled activity. Very cool!

As you can see, the first item on our list today is TV Tunes Trivia, at which I thoroughly sucked. Ryan, one of Vista's cruise staff, conducted the trivia and is immensely entertaining. It is worth going to trivia just to watch him perform!

Ryan conducts TV Tunes Trivia

After failing miserably at trivia, we were on our way to have lunch when we walked by Fahrenheit 555 and noticed a cooking demonstration about to begin. We decided to pop in and see what was going on. This venue is not the best for observing the chefs' cooking techniques, but a cruise staff member does a good job of narrating and explaining the process.

Cooking demo

Unlike most cruise ship cooking demos that show how to prepare a single dish, on Vista four different chefs each prepared a different item. And, we all got to try a sample of each dish: beef goulash, arugula salad, chicken cacciatore, and tiramisu.

Chicken Cacciatore served at cooking demo

In spite of the delicious samples at the cooking demo, I was still in need of something a little more substantial. Time to visit Guy's Burger Joint on Deck 10. Carnival has partnered with Food Network star, Guy Fieri, to create the best hamburger you will find on any cruise ship. Period. I remember enjoying several of them on our 2014 Carnival Breeze sailing. By the time we arrived, the line was already pretty long, but the wait is worth it.

There is always a long line at Guy's Burger Joint

After obtaining some pool towels, Rickee and I found a couple of secluded deck loungers on Deck 11 where we were able to enjoy our burger and fries. The burger and fries were as good as I remembered. Just as Rickee was starting to enjoy the Caribbean sunshine, a brief rain shower forced us back inside the ship.

For our evening entertainment, we started with a visit to the Limelight Lounge for Carnival's Punchliner Comedy Club. Our comedian tonight is "Noodles", a popular comedian who has performed on Showtime, HBO and other television shows.

Noodles performs at Punchliner

The 7:15 show just happened to be competing with the Captain's Reception, making for a very sparse crowd in Limelight Lounge. There's nothing harder for a comedian than trying to perform before a small crowd in a large room. Nevertheless, we felt Noodles delivered enough laughs to warrant another visit for us to Punchliner.

After the comedy show, we decided to get a bite to eat. Neither of us were very hungry, so we chose a light meal at Bonsai Sushi (Deck 5 midship). Bonsai has an a' la carte menu and we remembered enjoying it on Carnival Breeze. An order of edamame ($2), a chicken skewer ($2) and a Spicy Tuna Roll ($5) was all it took for a perfect light meal. And, the sushi served here is as good as I have found on any cruise ship.

Spicy Tuna Roll at Bonsai Sushi

After our light meal, we planned to go to the 9:30 show in Liquid Lounge. We had about an hour to kill before the show, so we stopped by the Red Frog Pub to hear Edd Carr play guitar and sing.

Edd Carr plays in Red Frog Pub

The pub was so crowded that we decided to go next door to Ocean Plaza where The Shipsie Kings were performing.

The Shipsie Kings

We literally only heard one song before their set ended! What a shame! They were really good, too. We will be back to listen to them again. Fortunately, on Carnival Vista you are never more than a few minutes from another form of entertainment, especially on Deck 5. We looked at the Carnival Hub app on my phone and saw that Elizabeth was performing a "Sing-A-Long" at Piano Bar 88. We still had 30 minutes before the show starts, so we thought we would drop by Piano Bar 88 and check it out.

Elizabeth performs in Piano Bar 88

What began as a way to kill some time before the show turned out to be our final stop for the evening. Elizabeth has a rare gift for making a venue on a giant cruise ship feel like a quaint neighborhood bar. She greets everyone when they come in, and encourages everyone to hop (kangaroo style) when they leave. I don't think there is a song that she does not know. Everyone was having a great time singing along to classics from the 60s and 70s. We stayed through her entire set and will be going back again.

It was a fun-filled day at sea on Carnival Vista, just like they promised. Tomorrow, the ship will be docked in Grand Turk.

Day 1 - Carnival Vista Embarkation in Miami

We checked out of our South Beach hotel this morning and scheduled an Uber ride to Port of Miami. Our Uber driver showed up in less than two minutes and soon we were on our way! It only takes about 15 minutes to get to the port from South Beach resulting in a meager $13.25 Uber charge. When we arrive (around 12:10pm), a very long line of Vista guests is already forming outside the terminal building. We have been given a unique opportunity to test Carnival's Priority Check-In (reserved for Diamond and Platinum VIFP members and those who purchased the Faster to the Fun option). After we hand our two large duffel bags to the porter, we locate a Priority Check-In sign.

After we showed our Priority Check-In certificate to one of the employees, we were basically allowed to "cut in line", shaving at least 30 minutes off of the wait just to get inside the terminal. Once inside, we had a brief security check of our passports, sent our carry-on bags through x-ray machines and headed upstairs to the main check-in counter. When we approached one of the employees upstairs and showed her the Priority Check-in certificate, she acted like she had no idea what it was, and directed us into the main line for check-in. Fortunately, I noticed a sign for Priority Check-in (with nobody standing in it), so we just got over there on our own and walked right up to the counter. That saved us another 30 minutes of standing in line.

Check-in lines for Vista

After we were completely checked in, we were told the next security person would walk us past the line and directly to the escalators leading up to the boarding level. That never happened and for the first time, we were standing in a long line to get to board the ship. I am sure if we were more persistent, they would have walked us directly to the escalators, but we weren't. One thing Carnival has changed in its check-in procedures is the use of a new Boarding Pass document to board the vessel. You are no longer issued stateroom keys at check-in. Stateroom keys are waiting for you in your stateroom after you board the ship. I am not sure why they made this change, perhaps to streamline boarding?

Our boarding pass indicated that, with Priority Check-in, we could occupy our stateroom at 11:30am, but when we went to our deck, all of the fire doors into the stateroom area were closed and a sign indicated that staterooms would not be accessible until 1:30pm.

We decided to have lunch while our stateroom was being readied. On our last Carnival cruise, we never had the opportunity to try Guy's Pig and Anchor BBQ, and since it was one of the venues serving lunch today, we decided to give it a try. Guy's Pig and Anchor is located port side on Deck 5 midship. A fairly long line had already formed by the time we arrived. A selection of beef brisket, chicken, pulled pork and smoked sausage is offered along with a variety of side dishes.

Some of the choices at Guy’s Pig and Anchor

Once you reach the serving line, simply tell one of the servers what you want and they will begin piling your choices onto a pizza pan. You can order as much or as little as you like. I decided to try the pork, the beef and the sausage. Rickee had the chicken. Instead of sitting outside in the heat, we took our plates back inside and sat at a table in the Ocean Lounge.

Lunch

Everything we tried was good, just not hot. Even the side dishes (mac and cheese, baked beans, etc.) should have been hot but were cold. There is a choice of BBQ sauces and we both tried the sweet molasses sauce which was very good.

After lunch, we decided to check and see if our stateroom was ready, which it was. The mat was laid out on the bed waiting for our luggage to arrive.

We were also pleased to find the bottled water we had pre-ordered through the Carnival Fun Shops website was waiting for us on the desk.

Pre-ordered bottled water

A 12-pack of purified water is only $4.50 and is delivered right to the room -- a bargain and a good service. You can also pre-order soft drinks and other beverages online prior to your cruise.

When we arrived at our stateroom, we found the cleanliness to be below Carnival's typical standards. There were fingerprints and noseprints all over the balcony door and the closet mirror. The drawers underneath the sofa were not completely closed. The connecting stateroom door was open as was the door that separates the balconies. It appears as though whomever prepped the stateroom was in a hurry, or got interrupted and did not complete all the tasks. We will do a more thorough review of the stateroom later in the blog.

After a cursory look around the stateroom and dropping off our hand luggage, we decided it was time for a welcome aboard cocktail! We stopped by the Plaza Bar (Deck 5 aft) for two Pirate Punch rum punch drinks (Drink of the Day). Tropical drinks are $8.95ea + gratuity + Miami sales tax since we had not yet sailed.

Drink of the day

At 3:45, the ship's crew conducted the mandatory safety briefing. Our muster station is the restaurant on Deck 3 aft. Fortunately, guests are no longer required to bring life vests to the briefing. Instead, crew members demonstrate the proper way to put on the vest and give other important safety information. After the briefing, everyone is invited up to Deck 10 (Lido) for the Sail Away party.

Sail Away party

The Sail Away party is in full swing as Vista pushes away from the dock in Miami and heads out on her way to the Caribbean. After sail away, we went back to our stateroom to find our luggage has been delivered. We have just enough time to unpack and get cleaned up for our 7pm dinner reservation at JiJi Asian Restaurant.

When we arrive at JiJi (Deck 11 aft), we're surprised to find only a couple of tables of guests. The cost to dine at JiJi is $15 per person. The four-course menu offers a selection of appetizers, entrees, side dishes and dessert. We will post a thorough review of JiJi to our Cruise Ship Dining Reviews blog soon. Suffice it to say that the food and service were way above our expectations.

Pot sticker appetizer at JiJi Asian Restaurant

After dinner, we spent time exploring more of the ship. Our plan was to make it to the 10pm Punchliner Comedy show, but by the time we arrived there was a huge line of about two hundred people already formed. We decided to skip it and show up earlier to get a better place in line for the next show.

Tomorrow is a "Fun Day At Sea" aboard Carnival Vista.

Carnival's My Cruise Manager

Once we received our booking number for our Carnival Vista cruise, we went to Carnival.com to access the My Cruise Manager section. Once you create an account on the Carnival.com website, you can manage multiple bookings. The first task was to complete the Online Check-In process. A series of personal information pages collects information such as passport numbers, email addresses, emergency contact information, etc.

One thing that the website does not allow is any changes to the spelling of guest names. On our reservation, my last name was misspelled ("DIKMAN" instead of "DIKMEN"). These fields are not accessible, so I suppose you would have to go back to your travel agent, or through Carnival Reservations to get these changed. More unsettling was that I learned my gender had been altered by Carnival without my consent, so I now begin my new life as a female. This too, was unable to be changed online.

Completing the Guest Information forms was pretty straightforward otherwise. The website now lets you select an "Arrival Appointment", or embarkation time. I think we will select the latest time available to avoid the large crowds. Our experience has shown that it is better to be one of the last to board.

You are also prompted to select Stateroom Preferences such as how you would like your beds configured. You are also required to set up how you plan to handle Onboard Expenses by entering a valid credit card. The final step is to accept the Terms and Conditions of the Cruise Contract (which only a lawyer could begin to understand). Once this is complete, you can then print your cruise documents (Boarding Pass, Luggage Tags, etc.). One nice feature is that Carnival includes the Public Health Screening form in the documents so that you can bring it filled out to the port. No more having to stand in line filling out the form!

Once the online check-in is complete and all documents are printed, you are pretty much done. However, there are other cool things you can do from the My Cruise Manager website. You can do all of the following before your cruise:

• Make spa appointments

• Book shore excursions

• Make restaurant reservations

• Pre-purchase Internet/WiFi packages

• Purchase drink packages

I decided to pre-book reservations for three of the alternate dining restaurants (Steakhouse, JiJI Asian, and Cucina del Capitano). The restaurant reservation form is not a "live" reservations system like some cruise lines offer. It is basically a form that, when submitted, forwards your request to the restaurant manager on board. You can select a date and a dining time, but the date/time you select may not be available. You must wait for an email confirmation from the restaurant.

I submitted three different dining requests, but only received an email from two of the restaurants within a few hours. The Steakhouse was unavailable on the date/time I selected. I received the following email:

Our reservation at Cucina del Capitano was accepted, and I received the following email:

I have not heard from JiJi Asian Restaurant yet, but in fairness, it has not been 24 hours. This method of making reservations is a bit clumsy and requires a lot of manpower on the part of the restaurant managers on board. Knowing how reliable (or unreliable) cruise ship Internet connections can be, I am surprised that Carnival would employ such an Internet-dependent method. However, it is better than no reservation system at all!

I also noticed that only the reservation page for the Steakhouse gave the dining charge ($35/pp). This is something that Carnival should add to the other restaurant reservations pages. The other thing that would be nice to know is the dress code for each evening. I looked everywhere and could not find that information. The reason? We wanted restaurant reservations on "casual" nights so that we did not have to meet any "elegant" dress code. On "elegant/formal" nights, we would just dine in the buffet or skip dinner altogether so we don't have to pack any dressy clothes.

I have not tried booking shore excursions or spa appointments, so I am not sure if the same system is employed.

All-in-all, the My Cruise Manager website is a good resource and well organized. It is not the best cruise website we have used, but it is far from the worst.

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JULY 4 UPDATE - I did finally get replies from all three restaurants and have secured reservations at each. However, the mechanism was a little clumsy. When I did not hear back from JiJi Asian on my initial request for July 19, after two days, I submitted another request for July 15. A couple of days ago I received two replies, one for each date confirming our reservations. So, now I have to cancel one of the reservations, and the only way to do that is through email. I also somehow ended up with two reservations for Vista Steakhouse. I guess I will have to straighten all of this out once we get on board which sort of the defeats the purpose of having an online reservation system.
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JULY 7 UPDATE - I went back into the website today to place an order through the Carnival Fun Shops section. Rather than hassling with trying to carry on bottled water when embarking the ship, I ordered a case of 12 bottles of water to be delivered to our stateroom for a very reasonable $4.50.

Soft drink prices are also reasonable compared to what you will pay in a ship's lounge, but the alcoholic beverages can get pricey. A bottle of Crown Royal is $95, which I can buy at home for $21. Nevertheless, you have to compare with what you pay for a drink at one of the ship's lounges. It is probably a good value from that standpoint, but you have to consume it in the stateroom. If I am going to sit in a small room and drink Crown, I will do it at home! However, if you are a big drinker (by my standards), you are better off with Carnival's Cheers and Bottomless Bubbles package for $49.95 per day/per person ($54.95 on board). Even at $10 per drink, I could never make that pay off. If I tried to have five drinks a day, I would pass out after number three! But, for some, $50 per day for drinks is not unheard of and you have the added convenience of not having to keep track of how much you’ve spent on drinks during the cruise.