Carnival Vista

Theaters and Shows on Carnival Vista

The Liquid Lounge theater offers up four 40-minute, high-energy Playlist Productions shows every sailing; examples include Studio VIP, which pays homage to the disco-loving '70s and America Rocks, a faux-concert featuring some of the USA's greatest rock songs -- get there early for the best views as seats toward the back do not have great views of the stage.

If you'd rather watch movies, the ship also has an outdoor screen on the Lido Deck. There is also the extra-fee IMAX at Sea and 4D Thrill theaters.

Things to Do During the Day on Carnival Vista

Daytime activities might include, but are not limited to: trivia and trivia-like games, bingo, pub games, dance classes, outdoor sports competitions, art auctions, cooking demos and spa and shop seminars. (Be aware, seminars led by the spa or retail staff are always more about selling you something than educating you and often come with a hard sell.)

Other options during the day include the Clubhouse at SportSquare, where you'll find mini-bowling, Ping-Pong and arcade basketball. Outdoors at SportSquare are billiards tables, nine-hole mini-golf and even a Twister board painted onto the deck.

Nightlife on Carnival Vista

At night, the bar scene comes alive, especially at the Havana Club and RedFrog Pub, while the 18+ shows at the Punchliner Comedy Club are usually standing-room only. (Do* not *go to the comedy club if you are easily offended.)

The ship has a busy casino with a variety of table games, slot machines and a variety of tournaments.

Dancers will want to head to Havana Club for Latin-style dancing, while a DJ spins dance hits in Liquid Lounge until late.

Carnival Vista Bars and Lounges

With more than a dozen bars and lounges on Vista, there's a spot for just about everyone to enjoy, whether you prefer wine, cocktails, beer or a frozen drink.Highlights include:

**Limelight Lounge (Deck 4): **Limelight is where you'll find the Punchliner Comedy Club as well as drinks with "funny" names like the witty margarita and zany zombie. You'll have a choice of four comedy shows most nights; one or two will be family-friendly.

**SkyBox Sports Bar (Deck 4): **The only place on the ship to catch sporting events, SkyBox Sports Bar is dominated by rows of oversized TVs showing various sports.

Alchemy Bar (Deck 5): You'll find lab coat-clad mixologists putting together inventive cocktails with names like the Deal Closer, French Kiss and Perfect Storm at this pharmacy-themed cocktail bar. Or, tell the Alchemy bartenders your favorite base drink and what kind of mood you're in and they'll whip up something special just for you.

**RedFrog Pub & Brewery (Deck 5): **One of the most hopping joints on Vista, the RedFrog Pub & Brewery is the place to be for cold brews (including three brewed-onboard craft beers) and pub trivia. Brewery tours are offered every sea day, last about an hour and cost extra. In the evening, Caribbean-inspired pub grub is served, and you'll find live guitar music after 8 p.m.

**Piano Bar 88 (Deck 5): **The ship's traditional piano sing-along bar.

**Havana Bar (Deck 5): **Havana is Vista's large Cuban-themed lounge. Morning, noon or night it's the place for strong Cuban coffee, while the daytime drinks menu is dominated by Latin American favorites including mojitos, Cuba Libre and daiquiris (frozen or on the rocks). Every night a live band plays Latin dance songs (salsa, cha-cha and the like) to a packed audience.

**RedFrog Rum Bar (Deck 10): **During the day, you'll be hard pressed to find a seat at this Lido Deck staple. Rum lovers flock to RedFrog Rum Bar in droves for its coladas, daiquiris and mojitos. Sun deck loungers can also get buckets of beer or pitchers of hard lemonade.

**BlueIguana Tequila Bar (Deck 10): **Also on the Lido Deck, BlueIguana is where tequila lovers go to get their drink on. The bar pours several different types of tequila, along with frozen margaritas and a handful of tequila-based cocktails. Beer buckets and hard lemonade pitchers are also available.

Carnival Vista Outside Recreation

Pools on Carnival Vista

For a ship this size, Carnival Vista surprisingly only has two pools to service entire ship. There's one additional pool for guests staying in Havana cabins, which might help in your decision making process when choosing a room.

Water Slides, Sky Ride and Ropes Course on Carnival Vista

Testing your mettle on the ship's ropes course, which offers two pathways -- one easy, the other slightly more scary.

One of the most unusual distractions at sea is the SkyRide, an elevated recumbent bike ride you can pedal while suspended 150 feet up in the air. It takes about a minute and a half to pedal your way around the course, which includes dips and zigzags.

Most popular with the kids is the WaterWorks water park, which features two water slides, a splash zone for kids and the PowerDrencher soaking bucket. (Children must be potty trained to use any of the pools or the water park.)

Sundecks on Carnival Vista

For those who want to spend more time lazing about than playing, there is lots of sun deck space for simply lounging about, including on the adults-only Serenity deck, a quiet respite from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship.

Carnival Vista Services and Wi-Fi

Carnival Vista has a variety of services, including guest and shore excursion desks; future cruise sales; a library; a photo gallery and camera shop; several stores -- including designer accessories and clothing; fine jewelry; Carnival-branded items; toiletries; snacks; duty-free alcohol and cigarettes.

There's also a DIY launderettes (quarters needed), with iron and ironing board for use free of charge; an ATM and a medical center.

Wi-Fi on Carnival Vista can be accessed through packages, which you set up onboard.

We love that Carnival Vista's free restaurants outnumber those that cost money, though with many free venues only open at select times or on select days it doesn't always feel that way. (Fresh Creations salad bar, for instance, is only open for lunch on sea days.) There's still plenty of food included in the Carnival Vista cruise fare, and, in fact, our favorite lunchtime venue was complimentary (The Pasta Bar).

Generally speaking, the food on Carnival Vista is good, though we'd have to say our meals in the specialty restaurants (both free and extra fee eateries) tended to be a tad better than what we had in the main dining room or buffet. With that said, we never had a truly bad meal. Most of the complaints we heard about the overall dining experience were gripes about limited hours for spots like Bonsai Sushi and Guy's Burger on port days.

Free Restaurants on Carnival Vista

There is a great array of food options on Carnival Vista. Restaurants included in the cruise fare run the gamut from casual outdoor spots for a quick bite to multicourse meals in formal dining rooms with waiter service. Food menus are varied and tasty and include international options such as a Mexican cantina and an excellent pasta bar.

Horizons (Decks 3 and 4) and Reflections (Deck 3) Restaurants
Meals: Breakfast (B), Dinner (D)
Carnival Vista's two main dining rooms: The two-deck Horizons Restaurant is for the flexible Your Time Dining program participants (choose when you want to dine and a table will be assigned at the time), while the smaller Reflections dining room, on Deck 3 of Carnival Vista, is for those with assigned seating; dinner is has two seatings. Horizons also has a small bar inside, perfect for a pre-dinner drink if you're waiting for a table.

One unusual detail regarding the Your Time Dining: Diners who have chosen Your Time Dining must first stop at a desk on Deck 5 near Java Blue cafe, to sign in for dinner and get their table assignment. It's out of the way, depending on where you're coming from, and you then have to wait in line twice.

Breakfast is served in Horizons on port days; on sea days, it's brunch. Both are sit-down affairs. The breakfast menu features standard morning items, while the brunch menu is double-sided -- one side for breakfast items, the other for lunch items.

For dinner, both restaurants offer Carnival's 

American Table

 on most nights and American Feast on cruise elegant nights. The casual American Table is characterized by a lack of tablecloths, which some veteran Carnival cruisers don't like, but we didn't miss. On American Feast night, the white tablecloths do come out. Dinner menus are the same in both restaurants.

Dining is banquet style with a multicourse menu that includes rotating items, along with always available dishes. Food tends to be Pan-American with the occasional ethnic dish (Tex Mex penne, lasagna, sweet-and-sour shrimp, etc.).

Each night also offers a few special items; one, an appetizer, is labeled a "Rare Find" and described on the menu as "food you always wanted to try, but haven't yet dared." These items could include alligator fritters, tuna tartar, braised ox tongue and escargots.

 Also available every night are several steakhouse selections that carry a surcharge.

The menu is slightly smaller on American Feast nights when the dishes available are bumped up a notch.

Regardless of whether it's an American Table or American Feast night, dinners on Carnival Vista are a festive affair, as they are on all Carnival ships, and your waiters will sing and dance for you every night. Feel free to join them, they love it when you do!

Lido Marketplace (Deck 10)
Meals: Breakfast (B), Lunch (L), Dinner (D)
Lido Marketplace is Carnival Vista’s buffet. It offers an impressive amount of seating, both in terms of quantity and variety, so you'll rarely be wandering around looking for a spot to sit.

Breakfast features all the usual morning options, while at lunch and dinner, Lido Marketplace is divided into distinct areas. Comfort Kitchen, located near the entrance by the Lido Pool, offers a variety of American favorites; at the back of Lido Marketplace, you'll find the carving station as well as a section called (on a rotating basis) Caribbean Favorites, Italian Favorites and Good Eats. You'll find a small salad bar in each section and the Carnival Deli is located all the way at the back of Lido Marketplace. Both sides of the buffet have a Sweet Spot dessert station. Around the corner are the popular 24/7 soft serve ice-cream machines.

Also on both sides of the buffet are self-pour beer taps with Bud Light and ThirstyFrog Red; swipe your card to activate the tap. Self-service beverage stations, scattered throughout the buffet, offer complimentary lemonade, water, tea (iced and hot) and coffee. At breakfast, the beverage choices are orange, apple and orange-passion fruit-guava cocktail juices.

Pizzeria del Capitano (Deck 10)
Meals: Open 24/7
Located at the back of the ship, right by the Tides pool and across from the Seafood Shack, this is the place to get pizza on Carnival Vista. It offers five varieties of individually sized pizzas, all available free of charge 24 hours a day. Slices and gluten-free pies are available as well.

**Guy’s Burger Joint (Deck 10)
Meals: L **
One of Carnival's most popular eateries, 

Guy's Burger Joint

 is the brainchild of celebrity chef Guy Fieri. Build your own or choose from five pre-designed burgers. You'll also find delicious crispy fries and a generous toppings bar. Be prepared for a long line during prime lunch hours, but it usually moves fast. Veggie burgers are not advertised but are available upon request.

**BlueIguana Cantina (Deck 10)
Meals: B, L **
It's Cinco de Mayo every day at this poolside Mexican venue, where tacos and burritos are on offer for lunch. Choose a tortilla (or have your taco or burrito served up on a platter if you don't want the wrap), protein as well as optional ingredients, plus there's a salsa bar with even more toppings. 

BlueIguana Cantina

 is hopping for lunch, but breakfast is quiet and the scrambled egg burritos are delish.

The Captain’s Pasta Bar (Deck 12)
Meals: L
Located inside Cucina del Capitano, The Pasta Bar (a somewhat misleading name as you actually eat in a sit-down restaurant) is a great, free spot for Italian food lovers to get a quick meal. Choices, which you indicate by filling out a paper form given to you by your server, begin with the pasta itself, but also include five sauces and a variety of ingredients. You can also order a meat lasagna if you don't want pasta, and can supplement any meal with a Caesar salad and bread. Half-portions are available, as well.

Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que (Deck 5)
Meals: L
This casual outdoor spot offers all the smokehouse classics, including mac ’n’ cheese, potato salad, sausage, nachos, chicken wings, beef brisket, and ribs.

Fresh Creations (Deck 15)
Meals: L (sea days)
This salad bar is located in the adult-only Serenity area and offers more toppings than the salad section in the Lido buffet.

Room Service
Meals: B, L, D
Free in-cabin dining is available 24 hours a day, though breakfast choices are all cold options. Anytime options are sandwiches, garden or Caesar salads, and a market vegetable platter. For a small fee, you can order wings, chicken tenders, fried shrimp, chicken quesadilla, Philly cheesesteak, pizza and fries.

For-Fee and Specialty Dining on Carnival Vista

The Chef's Table (Deck 5); prix fixe
Meals: D
Located inside the Reflection's main galley (kitchen), the 16-seat Chef's Table on Carnival Vista is separated from all the action by a glass wall so diners can watch the hustle and bustle as waiters come and go. The evening kicks off with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres inside the galley, followed by a tour of the galley and then concludes with an eight-course meal, all hosted by one of the ship's master chefs. The Chef's Table is proving to be very popular with cruisers, and on most sailings it's already sold out by the time the cruise departs. Pre-cruise or first-day reservations are essential.

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse (Deck 5); prix fixe; children’s menu available
Meals: D
With its sophisticated atmosphere, Carnival Vista’s steakhouse is a great date night choice. The menu offers a selection of aged beef steaks, lamb chops, lobster tail and grilled fish specialties, along with 17 appetizer, salad, soup and side dish choices – there’s something for nearly everyone. (We don't recommend it for vegetarians.) Reservations are highly recommended.

**Bonsai Sushi (Deck 5); a la carte
Meals: L (sea days), D **
Hands down the most popular eatery onboard Carnival Vista, 

Bonsai Sushi

 offers a comprehensive menu of sushi, sashimi and bento boxes, as well as cooked-to-order items. The more adventurous can choose the Omakase meal, in which the chef prepares a series of sushi and sashimi dishes just for you. Reservations are not permitted so be prepared to wait.

RedFrog Pub & Brewery (Deck 5); a la carte
Meals: D
In addition to its liquid libations, you'll find small-plate Caribbean-inspired pub grub at Carnival Vista’s 

RedFrog Pub

.

Seafood Shack (Deck 10); a la carte
Meals: L, D
Fans of comfort seafood, like fried shrimp, lobster rolls, crab cakes and good old-fashioned fish and chips, will want to check out 

Seafood Shack

. Order at the outdoor counter and your food will be delivered to one of the picnic-style tables located a few steps away. You can also purchase fresh fish, bought at one or more ports along your cruise. Pick which fresh fish you'd like and have it cooked on the spot or preorder to have it delivered to whichever restaurant you're dining at that night. Carnival Vista’s Seafood Shack prices go from just a few dollars for a single item to per-pound charges.

Cucina del Capitano (Deck 11); prix fixe; children’s menu available
Meals: D
Carnival Vista’s Cucina del Capitano’s menu is similar to what you would find on other Carnival cruises: large portions of Italian staples, so prepare to walk away stuffed to the gills. Located across from the kids’ and teen clubs, the atmosphere is family-friendly, with an old-fashioned trattoria feel that makes for a laid-back, cozy meal. Reservations are recommended but not required.

JiJi Asian Kitchen (Deck 11); prix fix; children's menu available
Meals: D
Dining at JiJi is a smorgasbord for the taste buds, where menu items from China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore are shared family style, giving everyone a chance to taste multiple appetizers, entrees and sides. We highly recommend the super spicy Kung Pao chicken. Reservations are recommended but not required.