Carnival Vista- 11/4 Embarkation Day- Post Two

Saturday, 11/4- Embarkation Day, continued:
Deck 4:
Horizons Restaurant


Liquid Lounge:


I'll take a bar like this in my house please:


Limelight Lounge/Punchliner:


Loved these awesome 3D murals/photos on the staircases:

Deck 5:
Piano Bar


Library Bar:


Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse:


Bonsai Sushi:


The Ocean Plaza had palm trees!:


We went back to the sports bar again to catch up on more college football (can you tell how we like to spend our Saturdays?) then moved on to exploring the sun decks, including the lido and the Serenity. We were very impressed with the adults-only location as it had multiple two-person sun beds and cuddle pods (what’s the actual name for these?) as well as a ton of chairs and tables. Unfortunately this would be the most empty we ever saw it, as it was often very hard to find a seat, let alone two seats next to each other. Stay tuned for my encounter enforcing the 40-minute rule later in the week. The full bar at the Serenity was awesome, and a big upgrade from our Liberty trip in which the bar was a little hole in the wall. We also loved the concept of the salad bar and couldn’t wait to try it out on a sea day.
We also watched the Carnival Glory and NCL Escape sail away, and enjoyed waving at other cruisers beginning their trip.

We returned to the room and opened the champagne that was gifted to us by my parents. I also thought it would be great to film it, so here’s that for your viewing pleasure (make it full screen):

We sat on the balcony and sipped the champagne and watched the terminal and hard workers down below. The balcony was a good size for the two of us and I didn’t feel as nervous out there as I thought I would. Unfortunately, we only enjoyed the balcony a few more times throughout the whole week, and we quickly realized that for us, it’s not worth the extra cost. I was a little worried about the saying that floats around out there (Heh, cruise pun) about “Once you try a balcony you’ll never go back.” I thought that by splurging on a balcony for the honeymoon, going back to an oceanview would be terrible. Luckily for us, I think we enjoy the oceanview more as it gives us the sunlight and views, but without the added cost that we never really enjoyed the benefit of. I know MANY cruisers will disagree and that’s okay, it just leaves one more balcony space for you to book!



We were so excited for the chance to finally try out an Alchemy Bar (the Liberty was always packed) and our time officially arrived at 5pm when the bar opened and we headed up to meet AnnaMaria (a Cruise-Critic renowned mixologist) and try something out of our comfort zone. My husband ordered a spicy pineapple martini and oh my it was awesome! A fun fact about me is that I don’t do spicy, at all. The chili I make is fairly mild, I don’t eat chicken wings if they’re coated in anything but sweet BBQ, and I don’t even like black pepper on my eggs. That being said, this drink was phenomenal. It certainly had pineapple and the heat of the spicy jalapenos was there, but it was a gentle burning aftertaste instead of an in-your-face spice. I actually ordered a few over the week because they were so interesting and delicious. Also, AnnaMaria really does live up to the hype- she’s fun to talk to and the way she makes the drinks is an art form. We visited her multiple times throughout the cruise and really enjoyed talking with her.

Forty is the New Twenty and the Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martinis


Next stop was the sports bar to cheer on our Iowa Hawkeyes (This was the game where they DESTROYED “The” Ohio State Buckeyes!). We met a couple that were also Iowa alums and several other Hawkeye fans, which really made my heart happy. I tend to wear a lot of Iowa gear whenever we travel because there are a lot of Hawkeyes across the country and love finding good company on a cruise or in a random Caribbean country. After seeing our big win, we headed up to the Seafood Shack for dinner. This is an upcharge dining venue but we had read some really good things about the lobster roll and we knew we needed to try it. A single order of the lobster roll ($12) actually comes with two filled rolls and a huge pile of fries. I apparently was too busy eating to take a picture! The buns they use were a buttery amazing goodness and the lobster was pretty great too. We were able to have a view of the Miami skyline all lit up at night since we still hadn’t left port.


We made a quick stop in the room to change so we could head up to the spa and get a start on using our Thermal Spa Suite 8-day couples package. We’re not really spa people, but we sure do enjoy relaxing and thought that this would be a nice wedding/honeymoon gift to each other. The 20% off online sale sure helped make the decision easier too! We checked in at the spa's front desk and got stickers put on our Sign & Sail cards and two white wristbands (like the rubber Livestrong bands that are removable). We were also given a keycard to get into the thermal suites. The changing room has lockers that are activated using a number pad and you create your own 4-digit code.

There are four different thermal suites/rooms as well as four aromatherapy showers, eight heated stone/tile loungers, and a whirlpool (not a thalassotherapy pool). The first night we were there, the aroma-steam room wasn’t working, which was a bummer. It did get fixed and was awesome for the rest of the week, however. The infrared room was very nice and warmed my core. The dry heat room and the regular steam room were INCREDIBLY toasty and I couldn’t stay in there for longer than a minute. I spent most of my time on a heated lounger, and my husband tried out the aroma-shower and the whirlpool, which was very warm and he enjoyed for a while. It was nice to have another adults-only place to relax, and the view from the giant windows was also a huge bonus.

The dessert in our room called our names, so we headed to the room and ate cake on the balcony while watching sailaway. Whatever problem that was delaying our departure must have gotten fixed ahead of schedule, because we sailed away around 9 instead of the previously noted 10pm. After cake, we went to the Ocean Plaza and listed to the band Sweet Soul Six perform country songs. We closed the night watching more football in the sports bar before heading to the room for much-needed sleep.

UP NEXT: Sunday, November 5th, Sea Day
LINK: Sunday Sea Day, Post One