Carnival Vista

Carnival Vista was the first of her class, and that fact explains most of her. Fincantieri delivered her in April 2016 at 133,596 gross tons, with 3,934 guests at double occupancy and close to 5,000 when full. The decision that defines her turned the upper decks into the main attraction. SkyRide, a pedal-powered aerial track running an 800-foot course above SportSquare, was the headline. She also carried the first IMAX theatre at sea, and the Havana complex on deck five, a block of cabins with an aft pool area reserved for the people staying in them. Being first carried a cost. Carnival cancelled three sailings in June 2019 over problems with her propulsion system, she lost power briefly in the Gulf of Mexico the following month, and the azipod repair was done in the first floating drydock operation on a passenger ship. More propulsion trouble followed in August 2024, before a refit at Navantia in Spain. She sails today from Port Canaveral, on six and eight-night Caribbean itineraries.
Her strengths are practical. The RedFrog Pub and Brewery makes beer on board and is an easy place to sit. Guy's Pig and Anchor handles the barbecue. Bonsai Sushi and the Chef's Table cover the paid end of dining. WaterWorks and the Kaleid-O-Slide will occupy children for days. The Limelight Lounge comedy club draws queues.
The criticism is consistent and fair. Cruise Critic's editors rate her four out of five, praising the value and the spread of cabin types while noting tight bathrooms, small showers, cabins without bedside charging points, and long waits at popular venues. At full capacity she feels crowded, and the Lido deck is where you notice it.
She suits families watching the budget, groups, and anyone who wants a lively ship without paying Royal Caribbean prices. Carnival's fares sit lower and the crowd is louder and more casual. If you want quiet lounges, a restrained bar scene, or the scale of an Oasis-class ship, this is not that, and does not pretend to be.
The cabin decision matters more on Vista than the ship does. Havana is the interesting one. Most Havana Cabanas sit aft on deck five with floor-to-ceiling doors onto a private patio, behind a gate off the promenade. A few on decks six and seven have extended balconies instead, and inside Havana rooms buy the pool access without the outdoor space. That access, restricted to Havana guests and subject to a minimum age, is the real reason to book one. The trade-off is position: deck five sits close to the Havana Bar and Ocean Plaza, which light sleepers should weigh. Elsewhere, deck nine cabins sit under the Lido deck and its dragged loungers, and deck fourteen cabins sit alongside SkyRide and the ropes course. We are still mapping her venues, so treat the above as guidance, not as our scoring.
Browse the deck plan before you book. On this ship, the position of the room is the decision.