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I haven’t, in the past, done wrapups of cruises, except the long ones. This cruise, on the Carnival Vista, was just 6 days. But it was remarkable in some ways, so I will do a quick wrapup.
Highlights:
Casino winnings. I left the ship up $2,400 and Marlene was about $900 to the good. So we won, combined, about $3,300. This is incredible, especially since neither of us could recall ever winning anything in a cruise ship casino.
The ports of call. We didn’t do anything spectacular in any of the ports – or much that was even memorable – but these ports (Nassau Bahamas, Amber Cove Dominican Republic and Grand Turk) were three new ports for me. Considering that I have done more than a dozen Caribbean cruises, being 3 for 3 on new ports is pretty amazing.
The cost. The cruise itself cost just $250 (plus port taxes), an incredible bargain. Couple that with our casino winnings and it was, hands down, the best bang for the cruise buck ever.
The in-cabin entertainment. The Vista had a large number of on-demand movies and some interesting TV channels (e.g., TCM). This makes the Vista way better than the Luminosa in this respect.
Lowlights:
The buffet. This ship simply does not have enough serving stations for its 3,900 passengers. The breakfast lines the first morning were the longest we have ever seen – probably over 100 people in each station line. Simply unacceptable.
The buffet food. It simply wasn’t very good or even interesting. The scrambled eggs at breakfast were runny and tasteless.
The elevators. They were slow. And, like the buffet, were too few to serve the passenger volume. At disembarkation we, along with many others, walked our heavy luggage down rather than waiting perhaps an hour for an elevator.
The condition of the ship. It had a “beat up” look. The exterior was rusty and the interior was dirty and worn. I was told that it is scheduled for refurbishment and it certainly needs it.
Other facilities – the pools, sports facilities, night clubs, comedy venues, etc. – were adequate (and better, in most cases, than the Luminosa). But I would expect no less.
We got up early, around 6am, to pack. We had breakfast in the buffet and disembarked around 8am. It was difficult as many people were waiting to use the elevators. We had our bags with us and decided to take them down, from Deck 8 to Deck 3, using the stairs. I carried the large bags, one floor at a time. It was hard labor and took a while, but was faster than waiting for the elevators.
In addition to having an insufficient number of serving stations in the buffet, the Vista also has an insufficient number of elevators.
Once through the passport check, getting on the shuttle back to the car was a breeze. We got on the road, got some gas, then stopped at a large flea market (bought almost nothing) and a small yard sale (bought a few things). The route back took us right by the Brighton Seminole Casino and I thought Marlene might like to stop since she has been on a good luck streak, but we rolled on by.
LJ’s
We stopped for a lunch/dinner at the Log Cabin in Labelle. The fish sandwich there is terrific and they have complimentary bowls of homemade soup – a delicious cheddar broccoli this time. Always a treat.
In the evening we went dancing at LJ’s. Because we hadn’t done enough dancing on the cruise.
Despite the late night we were up early, before 8am. We went to the casino on the theory that on the last day the odds were best in the morning. That didn’t work for me as I lost $175 (some in the morning, some at night) but still ended the cruise up $2,400. Can’t complain about that. Marlene ended the cruise up about $900. Neither of us had ever finished a cruise in the black so this was an unexpected bonus.
After breakfast we explored the ship a bit. The SkyRide looked interesting but we weren’t properly dressed so we couldn’t try it out.
Games areaSkyRideMini golfMain poolMarlene looking lovely
We went to a magician show and were, as always, amazed at some of the tricks.
We had tacos for lunch and they were terrific. Some of the best I have ever had.
After lunch I spent some time in the cabin backing up the laptop’s disk (it is a regular first-of-the-month chore).
Dinner was forgettable. After dinner we danced to a C&W DJ.
Marlene stayed in the casino until 5am. She lost, but not much. I got up around 8 and went to breakfast by myself, figuring she would be asleep until noon. But she surprised me by joining me in the buffet before 9.
The Vista from the beach on Grand Turk
This was the last port day for the cruise: Grand Turk. Once again we did not leave the port area and it was similar to the port area of Amber Cove, but without the 56-ounce drinks. And the souvenir prices were higher. We didn’t stay long.
One thing that Grand Turk had that Amber Cove didn’t was a beach, right at the end of the pier. If we had been in a sunning/swimming mood it would have been a good place to hang out. But we didn’t.
We had lunch back on the ship and then took a nap.
Dinner was elegant once again. Marlene was beautiful, as always, but I dressed down – just a tie, no jacket. The food at dinner was disappointing. The lobster tail was chewy and the prime rib was tough. It is difficult to have a prime rib that is hard to cut, but I had it this evening.
The evening show was a “VIP Show” which was a musical revue in which the performers went into the audience and picked people to include. It was pretty entertaining.
Ashore in Grand TurkElegant Marlene and not-so-elegant meAudience participationScenes from the VIP Show
After the show we spent a lot of time in the casino, leaving at 4am. But it was productive: I won $225, leaving me up $2,575 for the cruise.
I am writing this the day after the cruise ended so I have some catching up to do.
We had breakfast in the buffet (tolerable lines this time) then went ashore. We wandered about the port area and bought a few souvenirs. Then we wandered down to the pool area in search of a VERY large drink that we had seen someone consuming. We found it at CocoCana, a bar by the pool – 56 ounces of frozen fun with 6 shots of run. It is called a “CoCo Party” and is delivered by 4 waiters chanting “CoCo Party! CoCo Party!” It cost $21 which included the souvenir goblet. Not bad for what you get. And the refill (which we got) was just $13.
We returned to the ship in a very pleasant mood and immediately took a nap.
After dinner we attended two game shows in the theater – Family Feud and Love and Marriage. Both were hilarious.
We ended the night in the casino. I almost broke even but lost $20. Still up $2,350.
Waterfall on a short nature walkJust proving we were hereAshore in Amber CoveAt the CoCoCana pool barThe Vista from shore
First, the usual disclaimer: David Benjamin is one of my best friends. But he is also a very talented author. I enjoy his books very much.
Benjamin’s work can’t be pigeon-holed. He can write romance, mystery and historical fiction. Choose Moose is a political novel. About a school board in Blackhawk WI. I can’t imagine a political novel smaller than that – a school board in a small town. But the unlikely protagonist is Henry Haddock, an 11-year-old sixth grader who becomes agitated when some popular teachers and programs – including art, Henry’s favorite class – are cut due to a budget crunch. He starts attending school board meetings and tries to ask some questions but is ignored by the school board’s chairman, the imperious “Scooter” McDuff. But Henry persists and learns about school committee procedures and meetings. He finds evidence that the school board has violated the state’s Open Meeting law, gets the local paper involved and general becomes a thorn in the side of McDuff.
He then starts to learn the importance of money in politics. In the case of Blackhawk, the town’s most prominent (i.e. richest) citizen, Paul Lamartine, is a staunch backer of both McDuff and the “Thundering Three Hundred,” Blackhawk’s famous marching band. Why was the band not cut along with the teachers? Because Lamartine’s daughter is in the band, of course.
This all seems wildly unfair to Henry. After his attempt to get three members of the school board recalled is thwarted he organizes opposition to those three in the next general election, enlisting, as candidates, former Town Attorney Charlie Mulcahy, a flamboyant gay man and a just-turned-18 high school sports star, “Moose” Fulton. These three become the “reform” candidates.
The local election of a small town’s school board is not, in global terms, important. But the vivid characters make this a very enjoyable tale of small town politics. I never lost interest.
We got up early today to avoid the horrendous breakfast buffet lines. There were still line, but only had to wait a few minutes to get our breakfast. Better, but still not good.
I attended a General Knowledge trivia session and did badly – 7 out of 20. It was a tough set of questions. The winner got 14 right.
We spent some time in the casino but it was in a “let me take your money” mood. I quickly lost $100. Then lost another $100 in the evening. But still up $2,270.
I read after lunch. Finished the book.
Dinner was formal. I had a filet mignon and short rib combo that was terrific. One of the best cruise meals I have ever had.
After dinner (and the trip to the casino) we danced to the Vista Rockband and met a few of our fellow passengers. A very good evening.
I really thought that I had been to Nassau before. But it didn’t seem familiar at all. Must have been Freeport.
Before disembarking in Nassau we had breakfast on the ship. We tried to have breakfast in the buffet, as we always do. But on the Vista the lines were staggeringly long – over 100 deep everywhere. Horrible. Unacceptable. My review of the cruise will reflect this. Whoever designed the Vista simply did not provide sufficient serving stations for the volume of passengers.
We went to the dining room instead and were annoyed to learn that we needed a reservation. We never needed reservations for a dining room breakfast on other ships. We dutifully requested one via the app and were immediately awarded a table. Why was a reservation necessary (the dining room was nearly empty)? Don’t know. Seemed like an unnecessary hurdle. That, too, will be mentioned in the review.
The service was pathetically slow – perhaps to not make the buffet look bad? But we were seated next to Rob and Pat, two seasoned cruisers who proved to be entertaining breakfast companions. So the time – nearly an hour for breakfast – passed quickly.
Nassau, like every other Caribbean cruise port, has a large cluster of souvenir shops near the dock. And restaurants, jewelry stores and pubs. I bought a coffee cup and had a beer (a nice pilsner at the Pirate Republic) while Marlene went in search of clothes. I went back to the ship but had to return when Marlene texted me that she had found something that I urgently needed to see. After a search to find her (she said she was “near the Barcardi Rum building” – a description that puzzled even the three policemen that I asked – she cleverly texted me a photo of the building. The police recognized the building and gave me directions.
The thing I “had to see” was a God-awful pair of Bermuda shorts that she liked. Fortunately they didn’t fit well. But she did get three very nice summer outfits.
After returning to the ship I napped and read. After dinner (in the buffet again) I lost $100 in the casino in about 20 minutes (but am still up $2,570). I then attended the show which was a revue of rock songs featuring the Vista Rockband. Not a bad show, but the Vista Rockband is a pale imitation of the Luminosa Rockband. I also went up to the pool rock party but didn’t stay long. Wasn’t in a dancing mood.
The day started early because we were out dancing on Saturday night and just couldn’t find the energy to pack. So we set the alarm for 5am, got up, did the usual morning ablutions, packed and got on the road for the 3-hour trek to Port Canaveral before 8am. We were still early – our appointment to park the car was for noon – so we stopped midway, in Okeechobee, to browse a flea market. I bought a 3-pack of underwear.
We parked the car at a remote lot, took the shuttle to the ship and then got in a very long line. Carnival issues boarding times which we have always ignored – they were always willing to let us check in whenever we arrived. Not this time. We had to cool our heels for an hour. I didn’t remember what time was given to me (it was a factoid to be ignored, right?) but I knew it wasn’t before 1pm, While waiting I downloaded the Carnival Hub – the smartphone app that we use on board to see the schedule of events and to text each other. But I couldn’t log in. I got some IT assistance from a fellow traveler but it, with the long wait to check in and the long wait for an elevator, was an annoying start to the trip.
But that was all about to change.
After unpacking, grabbing a bite to eat, doing the obligatory muster station check-in and exploring the ship a bit, the ship got underway. It didn’t take long to reach the 12-mile boundary and it didn’t take us long to settle into the casino. We both had some “free play” money – casino gift money to get the gaming started. I put $50 of the free play money into a machine, was up about $57, then hit a bonus on an 80 cent bet. The prizes available were a Mini (about $33), a Maxi (about $43), a Major (about $82), a Mega (about $292), an Ultra (about $2,100) and a Grand (over $20,000). I have never won more than $600 playing slots so I figured I was in line for the Mini or Maxi. But this was a bonus where I could pick coins and I had to match 3 to get the prize. I flipped 7 coins and had 2 Minis and 2 Maxis, a Mega, and Ultra and a Grand. The next coin I flipped was a special one that eliminated all of the Minis, which meant my prize would be Maxi or better. The next coin I flipped was another special one that eliminated all Maxis. I was now guaranteed at least a Major which I was certain would be the next coin. An $82 prize would be just fine, thank you. But the next coin was an Ultra. And the next coin… another Ultra! Yes, after 20 minutes in the casino, using the casino’s money to bet, I was suddenly up over $2,100!
And it didn’t end there. Another machine awarded me 132 free spins which resulted in another $500 in my pocket. After that I pretty much broke even but ended the day up $2,670. That is what I call a very good day at the casino.
The Mega winThe second big win
Meanwhile Marlene, who has been winning consistently every time she has entered a casino over the past two months, continued her winning ways. The big one for her was a game which gave her almost $1,200. That is actually the perfect amount as she did not have to fill out a W-9, as I did, to report her winnings to the IRS.
Between the two of us we took the casino for over $4,000. Amazing. What a great way to start a cruise!
But we never got to the dance floor. Too busy winning in the casino, I guess. We will dance tomorrow.
I just spent over $700 to replace the “power steering gear box”. I don’t know what that is but I know it can leak power steering fluid – I have spots on my pavers to prove it. Now I am told I need about $1,000 in extensive work on the front brakes (and I know that isn’t a bad estimate – that is the lower of the two that I got). And on my way over to get the second estimate, the A/C went out. Another $300. So over $1,200 (and nearly $2,000 if you include the power steering gear box) for a truck that has barely been used in 3 years. But as long as I have the fifth wheel I need the truck.
Every time I put money into it I think “that should fix it for a while.”
But I am beginning to think that “for a while” means “for a few days.”
Carnival Vista wrapup
I haven’t, in the past, done wrapups of cruises, except the long ones. This cruise, on the Carnival Vista, was just 6 days. But it was remarkable in some ways, so I will do a quick wrapup.
Highlights:
Lowlights:
Other facilities – the pools, sports facilities, night clubs, comedy venues, etc. – were adequate (and better, in most cases, than the Luminosa). But I would expect no less.