Disclosure: Our cruise fare is being covered by Carnival, however all thoughts, posts, and opinions are my own.
The other day in my Instagram story, I eluded to a surprise I was sharing today. Well, today has come and I’m excited to tell you Bobby and I are going on a cruise! We will be going on an eight night Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Vista this September.
The Carnival Vista departs Crete, Greece. The largest and most innovative cruise vessel in Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet, Carnival Vista measures 133,500 tons, 1,055 feet long and has a guest capacity of almost 4,000 passengers. Photo by Andy Newman/Carnival Cruise Line
Bobby and I haven’t been alone on vacation together since January of 2016 (another cruise) so we are excited to have some time away just the two of us. Emma Kate isn’t quite potty trained yet (almost!) and we would hate for her to get upset that she couldn’t use the pool, so she is going to have to sit this one out.
WaterWorks aboard the Carnival Vista features a number of slides and other water attractions.
Anyway, I have so many exciting things to share with you, and I can’t wait to invite you on our trip with us via the blog and social media. The Vista is Carnival’s newest ship, and it looks so amazing. First of all it’s huge, it has tons of dining options, entertainment galore, and we will be stopping at some new to us ports, check it out:
We leave from Miami, have 3 sea days, and 4 port days in San Juan, Grand Turk, St. Kitts, and St. Marteen. Has anyone been to these ports? I would love suggestions. There are so many great things about the Vista I can’t wait to share with you, like SkyRide (pictured below), specialty dinners, the Serenity adults only area, and the fitness center.
Guests onboard Carnival Vista participate in SkyRide, an opportunity to pedal hanging recumbent-like bikes around an 800-foot-long suspended track some 150 feet above the sea.
I can’t wait to share with you how you can have an amazing cruise on an awesome ship for a lot less money than you think. I will post more as we get closer, but I just wanted to let you in on my surprise.
QOTD: Any tips for what to do in our four ports?
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I have been wanting to go on the Vista!
Grand Turk….. If they still have cabanas available, reserve one now. It’s a semi-private island, so it’s mainly swimming and eating. The cabanas have AC, have locks, and have food service (for purchase).
Get a Cabana in Grand Turk and get one now. St. Thomas we had a lot of fun at ziplining and St. Martin we did a bike tour.
You are the second person to mention this. We were planning to head to governors beach and jacks shack, is that not a good idea?
St. Marten is beautiful. I’ve never cruised but went on an 8 day vacation. The beaches are spectacular and all so different. If you have time, check out the airport bar. It’s super fun, great drinks and food and you can watch the planes take off. If you want a thrill, you can check this out. My boyfriend did it and has the t-shirt to prove it 😂 http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/lifestyle/2011/11/st-maartens-extreme-airport-a-caribbean-paradise-for-thrill-seekers-aviation-enthusiasts/
wow!
You are going to have a blast! Enjoy!
In St. Maarten, check out Bernard’s tours. They are right at the cruise terminal. When the Disney Fantasy used to stop at St Marrten, we used them and they were awesome. Very high reviews on trip advisor too. http://www.bernardstours.com The island is actually 2 countries: Sint Martin (french) and St Maarten (dutch). Bernard’s stops at an Oyster pond where some guy pulls starfish and other ocean life out for you to see. Then we went to see iguanas and on to a few hours at Orient beach (which was amazing). We shopped in the french capital of Marigot where there is a fabulous bakery and then went to Maho Beach (the world’s most dangerous airport). It’s amazing to see the planes fly right over you. They have you back in plenty of time to catch your ship. This isn’t an “official” cruise line excursion but we had a much better time than the folks who went on official excursions. And, they give you some sort of rum punch along the way. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. The website link below shows you pictures from our tour.
Thank you!
I’ve been to those ports- you’ll have an amazing time! I would recommend the Randon Wind boat in St. Martin (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147350-d1014743-Reviews-Random_Wind-Simpson_Bay_Sint_Maarten_St_Maarten_St_Martin.html). We had a wonderful time. Lunch was included and delicious and we had a great time, the organizers taught us a lot about the island and we stopped to snorkel as well.
Grand Turk is a great beach day, there’s not a ton there but they do have Margaritaville if you’re into that. We went to the forts in San Juan and also got local drinks and food.
We’re going on a cruise in October too and I’m really excited.
So did you just walk around San Juan from the cruise terminal?