11 reasons Carnival Vista is a family-friendly cruise ship
After writing about all the things we got up to on our eight day family cruise on the new Carnival Vista I received quite a few questions about how family-friendly it was as a holiday. In a nutshell, I would say ‘very’.
Here’s a bit more information about what guests with young and older children can expect on this family-friendly cruise ship.
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Carnival Vista: a family-friendly cruise ship
A family-friendly team
Everyone on the Carnival Vista has a smile for you and your children. OK, mainly the children. They really are made to feel like the stars of the show.
From the moment we were ushered to the Priority check in lane at Barcelona Port, to our extremely attentive cabin steward, Francisco, we were made to feel special. I lost count of the number of towel and napkin animals that were spontaneously made to entertain our girls during the week.
Family staterooms
Carnival Vista is the first ship in the fleet to offer accommodation designed specifically for families.
The Family Harbor Staterooms are decorated with a colourful nautical theme, have a lot more space and, at the higher end, offer separation between the adults’ and children’s sleeping areas – essential for those nights when the kids are pooped and you want to watch a film.
Guests in Family Harbor Staterooms also have exclusive 24-hour access to the Family Harbor Lounge where they can have breakfast, grab snacks and enjoy board games, movies and video games.
We stayed in an Ocean View Stateroom and were really impressed. It could sleep up to five people with twin beds, a bunk and double sofa bed below.
We requested a cot for Tin Box Baby and this sat comfortably in front of the sofa, which we had no intention of using anyway. There was loads of wardrobe space, draws, shelves, and storage for cases under the bed.
We had two bathrooms, one with a small bath with a shower over it and a sink, the other with a sink, toilet and shower. This meant the girls could have their own bathroom and we could give them a proper dunk in the tub after the pool.
The power sockets are US so you need travel adaptors to suit. There are also a couple of USB ports above the desk for mobile phone and tablet charging. Under the desk there was a fridge where we kept some milk for the girls. Top tip: you can order milk and cookies from room service.
One of our very favourite things about our stateroom was the large window, which gave us great views of the Mediterranean and our ports of call. It also became a spot for us to relax and plan our next day when the kids had gone to bed.
Soft play for babies
Throughout the cruise we had access to the Dr Seuss Bookville – a children’s library come soft play area with shelves of books, baby toys and board games. We spent a lot of time here with Tin Box Tot allowing her to roam around and play with toys larger than we could bring in our suitcases.
Ocean Club for children and teens
We registered both our girls, aged three and one, for Carnival Vista’s kids club and babysitting service before joining our cruise. We knew Tin Box Baby wouldn’t be able to use all of what Ocean Club had to offer because she was under two.
However, we were pleasantly surprised about what was available for her.
Ocean Club is open from early morning (the start time varied each day depending on our arrival in port) right through to 1am. If your child is over the age of two then sessions are free up until 10pm when the Night Owls babysitting service takes over.
This cost $6.75 (plus 15% gratuity) per hour, per child and was available for children of all ages. During the morning there was between two and five hours (again port dependant) when under two-year-olds could join in with play sessions for an additional fee.
During the afternoon there was a full schedule of themed activities for children aged two to 11-years-old ranging from shell painting to story time, and parachute games to magic shows. You could also leave your kids with the Ocean Club team for lunch and dinner if you wished.
We used the club during the evenings either after we’d eaten an early dinner together or the girls had had their food. Tin Baby Baby would nod off in her pushchair (most nights) and Tin Box Tot would go to parties in Ocean Club. She always came away with a huge smile, crafts or gifts, and a lot of stories to tell.
Finding adult time
You may have surmised that after we dropped Tin Box Tot off at Ocean Club each evening we did go off and have some date nights, albeit with a sometimes napping, sometimes not 13-month-old.
At home the girls would usually be in bed between 6pm and 7pm, so having this natural break was really valuable for us especially when our days were so full.
We spent our adult time eating dinner in the Horizons Restaurant, catching an open air film on the Lido Deck big screen or chilling out in one of the many live music bars.
Swimming and splash pools
Tin Box Tot couldn’t get enough of Vista’s Waterworks – Carnival’s largest ever splash park. While she was too short to go down the 455-foot-long Kaleid-o-Slide or the cruise line’s first tube-riding slide, she did enjoy the smaller mini-racers waterslide.
Meanwhile Mr Tin Box and I took turns at the big slides and, boy, they are fast!
We also used the seawater Beach Pool on the Lido Deck a lot and could have taken a dip in Tides Pool at the ship’s stern but this seemed more suited to adults with jacuzzis and easy access to the bar.
One disappointment for us was that only children who are potty trained can use pools on Carnival ships, so Tin Box Baby had to sit out during the water fun. This is not an unusual policy and is the same on a lot of cruise lines for health reasons.
SkyRide
If you’re into adventurous sports then Carnival Vista can cater for all your adrenaline needs with bicycles suspended 150 foot above the sea.
SkyRide is another new feature for Carnival. It involves two pairs of recumbent bikes on a 800-foot monorail track with sea views to give you goose bumps.
Mr Tin Box had a go while I looked after the girls. Sadly the queue was a bit long the next time I had the opportunity to have a go (cough cough – I’m not great with heights).
Eating on Carnival Vista
Where do I start? There are so many places to eat on Carnival Vista and far too little time. The buffet in the Market Place Restaurant was our go-to place for breakfast and most lunches as we could guarantee a variety of food to suit the whole family’s tastes.
In the morning, the Tin Box girls feasted on cereal, yogurts, toast and fruit, and then helped polish off our cooked breakfasts.
If we were onboard at lunchtime the buffet also offered a wide choice of toasted sandwiches, pasta, rice and salads followed by fruit, cakes and ice cream.
We changed things around a bit in the evenings either eating al a carte in Horizons, grabbing an early bite at Guy’s Burger Joint, sampling the pub food at the RedFrog Bar or ordering a fresh pizza at Pizzeria del Capitano.
This is just a fraction of dining choices on offer, but they were probably the most family-friendly.
We never had problems finding somewhere to dine whenever the Tin Box girls’ bellies were rumbling and the waiting staff were happy to locate a high chair for us within a couple of minutes.
Tours and excursions at your own pace
Our eight day Mediterranean cruise took us to Sicily, Naples, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Marseilles and Palma de Mallorca.
There were guided or self-guided excursions from every port and some cities could be explored by walking or taking a short shuttle ride from the ship costing up to $15 per person (although we didn’t pay for our baby and toddler).
We knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to take too many excursions with our girls so we chose two that we really wanted to do: a guided tour of Pompeii from Naples and a self-guided tour of Florence and Pisa from Livorno.
The self-guided tour involved getting on a coach chartered by Carnival and being given instructions by a local guide about places to see and meeting points for our return journey.
As both our girls are under the age of four they went free but they had to sit on our laps on the coach. We really enjoyed the experience of exploring these magical places with our children and it was good to be part of excursions that we knew would get us back to the ship on time.
Taking a relaxed walk around Florence (and not having to worry about keeping up with a guided tour) was one of the highlights of the cruise for me.
We also went ashore in Marseille and saw the sights from Le Petit Train.
Family entertainment
As with the restaurants, we only scratched the surface of the entertainment programme on Carnival Vista.
We took the girls to enjoy early evening live music in the bars, watched some very entertaining competitions run by the fantastic Cruise Director, Matt, and saw a juggling and comedy show in the Liquid Lounge theatre.
On deck we visited the open air SportSquare to play mini-golf, Twister and table football. There’s also a small children’s playground and interactive light and movement games in the NEOS(R) Playzone on the same level as the Ocean Club.
Had our girls been a bit older I’m sure they would have been asking to go to the first IMAX cinema at sea, the family-friendly comedy shows, bowling in the ClubHouse and the SkyCourse high ropes.
Getting around Carnival Vista with a pushchair
Having read a few cruise reviews by parents with pushchairs I was prepared for long waits by the lifts as we travelled between our stateroom on deck one and the main amenities several decks above.
However, we were pleasantly surprised about how little time it took to get around with our stroller.
Even on disembarkation day we were able to get up to the buffet on Deck 10 and back down to the gangway on Deck 3 for our allocated leaving time without any stress. There were plenty of lifts and they took no time at all to travel between the 15 decks.
The only time we did find bottle necks at the lifts and on the stairs was on busy port days when everyone was leaving to see the sights in Rome and Florence at the same time.
At the end of the day and at nap time there was plenty of room to park our Britax stroller in the corridor between the wardrobes and bathroom in our stateroom. Some parents also parked their’s in the passageway outside their cabins without issue. There was still plenty of room to get by.
Carnival Vista: a family-friendly cruise ship
If you are thinking of taking a cruise with your family I hope this post has answered some of your questions. If there’s anything else you’d like to know then drop me an email or comment below. You might also find my post about cruising with a baby and toddler handy.
More cruise reading
Here’s some more posts I’ve written about cruising:
- A guide to cruising with toddlers
- What to pack for a cruise
- How to have a more environmentally-friendly cruise
- Toiletries to pack for a winter sun holiday
- Are cruise drinks packages worth it?
- Review: The Retreat on P&O Azura
- A 15 night Caribbean cruise without kids
- Tips for disembarkation day
- Advantages of booking a luxury cabin
Need more help planning your next cruise?
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Disclaimer: we won our cruise on Carnival Vista at the Family Travel Show. We paid for our own flights, excursions and expenses. I am under no obligation to write about our experiences and all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase I may earn some commission. This does not affect the price you pay.
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The picture of you sitting in window. Was that your room or a public area onboard the ship? If it was your room what room number was it..Love that feature
It was our room and sorry, I cannot remember the number. We were in an Ocean View Stateroom.
We have taken many cruises over the years, and we always bring candy with us to give to the staff. It is amazing this little act of kindness brings a smile to their faces. Be friend with them and they will serve you well.
Khourshem recently posted…Top Things to do in Dubai – Must add in Your Plan
Oh my this was absolutely perfect. I had booked a cruise on Vista for my family of four containing my husband, my 16 yr old son and my 23 month old daughter. Yes, 23 month which means she’s only 1 month shy of turning 2 yrs old. Having her attend this trip was important but very scary because I wasn’t sure how it would work with her being too young to be a part of the toddler camp. This article has made me feel so much more confident that we will be able to have a great time with her and time for us without her. Thank you for this post and wish us luck on our trip on October 7-15, 2017!
Fantastic! You are going to have the best time. I’m very jealous. No luck needed 🙂
I’m not a major fan of cruises but I guess it’s because I’ve been on 1 cruise ship and it did not have as many activities as the Sensation. I went on regular Caribbean (not even Royal Caribbean) years ago, and it was very simple
khourshem recently posted…Planning your trip to Dubai – Travel to Dubai
I am going to be on a cruise in April. My daughter is 2 and isn’t potty trained yet. Do you know if she is allowed in the water park area?
If you’re cruising with Carnival, then sadly no. Unless your daughter is potty trained she’s not even allow in the splash park areas 🙁
Wow it looks amazing. We went on Harmony of the Seas in the summer but our oldest child really wants to try Carnival.
david F recently posted…Independence of the Seas Grand Suite Review
We’ve only done this one cruise with Carnival but I hear such great things about all the operators. Carnival’s staff really went out of they way to make use, and particularly the girls, feel welcome.
Well our oldest lost out…we are off to caribbean on Jewel of the Seas in April. Really looking forward to it apart from the flight having to get to Puerto Rico
david F recently posted…Disney World By Numbers
How exciting! I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time when you get there 🙂
Yes looking forward to it will perhaps do Carnival in future
david F recently posted…The Hidden Costs of Cruising
Wow! It looks like you and your family had an amazing vacation! It’s great so many options were available for the little ones. All of those towel animals are awesome!
Just reading your review of the Carnival Vista is getting me so excited about our family cruise with P&O Cruises Claire! What an incredible ship. Great that you could still use the kids club facilities even though baby was not old enough to stay. The outdoor movies sound like alot of fun!
Sooooo much fun Lisa. You are going to have an amazing time. Tiny bit jealous!
Omg Claire I so want to go on the Vista now our boys would just love it, cruising is my idea of a perfect holiday x
Sarah Christie recently posted…Our First Picnic of the Holidays
It’s a great ship, but I have no where near as much experience as you. I was wowed though. I can’t wait to go on another cruise and really need to start saving!! 🙂 x
This ship is amazing!! I love the window of your room, sooo cosy!!
It’s definitely family friendly, I’m impressed! That Sky Ride, I’d probably hesitate on going hahaha but looks pretty cool!!
Happy to have you on #MondayEscapes 😀
Packing my Suitcase recently posted…7 reasons to fall in love with Astypalea
You and me both re. the SkyRide, but I do regret not giving it a go now 🙂
Hi Claire
I am going on the vista in August with my 2 and 4 year old. We want to take the kids to the club in the evening so we can have ‘date night’ too. Our kids go to sleep at 7pm at home so what do they do in the camp at that time? Is there place for them if they want to go to sleep?
Hi Adam, first if all, you are going to have an amazing time. I’m a tiny bit envious! 7pm is our girls’ usual bed time as well but we relaxed this a bit on the cruise. My eldest – three-years-old – went to the club most evenings from about 7pm and there was so much going on that she kept on going through to 10pm when we picked her up. We benefitted from a few lay ins! Night Owls with sleeping arrangements for the younger kids kicks in from 10pm. I’m sure if your kids were flagging the staff could make arrangements for them to bed down ‘early’. On the day you join Vista there’s a familiarisation session in the Ocean Club where you can meet the staff, see the room and ask any questions. I’d advise getting along to that so you know exactly what to expect. Bon voyage!
So cool that you won this! The photo at the top with all the bright colours says it all – looks like loads of fun and it’s reassuring to see someone with two under-fours on a cruis because I’ve often wondered how my two would fare and thought they may be too young! One to add to my bucket-list… #MondayEscapes
It’s not as holiday we would have done at this stage if we hadn’t won it but I was pleasantly surprised how much there was for our girls to do. Had they both been over two there would have been a lot more options but I think you find that on every holiday. We had such a good time!
I love the choice of Dr Seuss – and it’s great that so much childcare was available if you needed it. A bit of adult time together can really make a holiday. (I don’t think either D or I would have been as brave as your husband on the skyride, though. Terrifying!
Nell (the Pigeon Pair and Me) recently posted…Six places to visit in Europe before 2018
I’m gutted that I didn’t try the SkyRide. I think it was a really hot day when I had the opportunity so I used my ‘leg-wobbling dislike of heights’ as a bit of an excuse not to stand in the sun and wait for my turn. I would definitely do it if I had another chance. Imagine the views!
Looks like you had a fantastic trip! We’ve taken our son on a few cruises and he really enjoys them. We’ve only done Celebrity but all of your awesome pictures are making me rethink Carnival. I also really want to try that Skyride – looks like so much fun #KCACOLS
This was out first family cruise so we have nothing to compare it with, but it was a fantastic holiday. SkyRide got a big thumbs up from Mr TB
This sounds great! I love cruises. I’m obsessed with those animal towels, though I’d never want to use them! Love the Dr Seuss room! #KCACOLS
We had a ridiculous collection of towel animals by the end of the eight days 🙂
Claire this cruise ship sounds like an actual dream! I have been craving a cruise more and more recently, and I will definitely keep this one in mind when I finally talk round the hubby. I may wait until Kinley is two though, we totally need a couple of date nights! Thank you for linking up to #KCACOLS we hope you come back again next Sunday xx
Clare recently posted…Exciting News! Changes on the horizon…
Yes, I would say two was a really good age to start cruising. Good luck with talking hubby around 🙂 x
Looks like an incredibly family-friendly cruise and perfect for small kids as well as older ones. I love their soft play area. Glad you had such a great time!
It was brilliant Jo. The soft play was nice surprise. We made a lot of use of it!
You’ve got me convinced! I’m still looking into planning a summer trip and taking a cruise is very high on my list. Didn’t know about the SkyRide feature – sounds fun 🙂 #MondayEscapes
Deb Che recently posted…Ganges River: Trip of a Lifetime
Mr Tin Box recommends it and I wish I had gotten up the courage to have a go now 🙂
This looks amazing. I would have never considered a cruise ship for a family holiday before x#KCACOLS
Wow, I have never been on a cruise and hadn’t realized that modern cruise ships were so well equipped. Looks like you got some great weather too! The sea looks very flat and calm under that beautiful Mediterranean blue sky, and just thinking about all that delicious Mediterranean food makes me want to book now!
Nick Davison recently posted…Ten Great Family Days Out In Yorkshire
It was very calm – we hardly knew we were moving most of the time. And we were very lucky with the weather. I think the only day when we didn’t see sun was the day we were at sea 🙂
Hi there! I love cruising too, in fact we all have the bug on We Blog Travel. I’ve not cup ruined with Carnival yet, but it certainly looks very family friendly. Things like baths are something you rarely find on cruises, perfect if you have toddlers and babies!
Amanda recently posted…What Not To Pack On A Cruise
Yes, we were really surprised by the bath as we hadn’t heard about them in any of the other cruise reviews we’d seen. It made the days when the girls really did need a good wash so much easier!
It all looks amazing and your photo’s have made me really excited to go. Wish I had caught up with you at Britmums for a gossip. I am hoping that the teen is entertained and can’t decide which excursions to go on although Pompeii is top of my list!
Kara recently posted…Project 366 2016 – Week Twenty Five
Pompeii was top of our list too and I’m really glad we went despite a bit of an issue with the guide. Carnival were great about it too. We saw less teens on our cruise as it was outside the school holidays but with the SkyRide, SkyCourse, IMAX, bowling, video games…I could go on…I’m sure your teen will enjoy it!
I have been toying with the idea of cruising for a long while now. You’ve sold it to me! The whole concept of having adult time, and having the kids looked after and having a ball is very appealing. And the food options… think I’d be as big as house! Funnily enough, our friends are getting married next August on a cruise to Norway and we’ve been invited…
You have to go!! You know what I didn’t see during our cruise? A club sandwich! You’ll have to do your research to make sure they are available 😉 Oh, and I may have put on a couple of bricks during our cruise. It’s been salads all the way since we got home!!