Ten Things Not To Miss Aboard Carnival Vista

We have just returned from an amazing holiday aboard the Carnival Vista cruise ship which has so much to see and do onboard that you don’t actually have to step onshore if you don’t want to.
Some activities only run on sea days and we only had one sea day on our 8 day Mediterranean cruise so you need to be on the ball not to miss some activities.
Our top ten things to do onboard the Carnival Vista are:
1. The Sail Away Party
Hosted on the Lido Deck as you leave the first port of the cruise, in our case Barcelona, it is a sight not to be missed. You can party on the Lido Deck and learn some new dances with Cruise Director Matt, meet the Cat in the Hat and Thing One and Thing Two or you can watch from above tapping your toes along to the music.

2. The Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast
We sat down to a truly fantastical feast at Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with The Cat in the Hat and Friends. The tables were decorated in the style of The Cat in the Hat and had some fun and unique menus to choose from.

You can choose Green Eggs (scrambled eggs with green food colouring) and ham, brightly coloured fruit, gravity-defying pancake stacks, funky french toast, “Moose Juice” ‘n’ ”Goose Juice” (Orange or Apple) and much more. We also got to meet and greet the stars of Dr. Seuss and take part in special photo opportunities and fun interactions.

3.  The Seuss-a-Palooza Parade and Storytime
An unforgettable experience. Firstly we were given banners or instruments to hold and then practiced our marching skills before parading around the ship chanting “Dr Seuss is on the Loose”

The parade then finished in the Liquid Lounge where we were treated to The Cat in the Hat story with Matt, with some poor unsuspecting parents and children volunteered up on stage to take up acting roles like fellow blogger Kirsty from Hijacked by Twins.

4.  Cruise Elegant nights
Most evenings they have a ‘Cruise Casual’ dress code but there were two ‘Cruise Elegant‘ evenings where we got to dress up for the evening. There are professional photographers onboard and these evenings are the perfect time to get your photo’s done as a reminder of the cruise.

5.  The Entertainment
There was plenty to do day and night and the kids loved enjoying a film night under the stars. Every evening on the Lido Deck they show one or two films. A kids one at 7.30pm and an action film at around 9.30pm under the stars. Curl up on the deckchair with popcorn and a blanket and enjoy.

There were shows aplenty with live music in most bars, something to suit everyone’s taste. There was also a live theatre which hosted entertainment evenings, including game shows, dance and our favourite, Flick a celebration of filmmaking with songs from popular movies like Footloose, Dirty Dancing, and others.
6.  Ride the Skyride
Possibly my favourite activity on the whole cruise. Climb onboard the hanging bikes and cycle your way around the 800 foot suspended track for panoramic views 150 feet above the sea.

7.  Play in the Waterpark
If you are not quite brave enough for the SkyRide but want the views, the waterslides are situated at the highest point of the ship and also have some amazing views across it. The Kaleid-o-Slide has you sitting on an inflatable raft and sends you racing down in a kaleidoscope of colours and all-around fun as you whizz down the slide.

8.  Eat in one of the speciality restaurants
Possibly our favourite restaurant was the Steakhouse which offered mouth-watering premium cuts of beef cooked to our exact specification and gorgeous desserts to finish.

However, I feel guilty mentioning just the Steakhouse as everywhere we ate I cannot fault. JiJi Asian Kitchen deserves a special mention too, not only for their amazing selection of food, but for their fabulous service too. It was Kian’s 16th birthday whilst we were onboard and they arranged a cake and sang Happy Birthday to him and Cucina del Capitano had singing waiters and waitresses.

9.  Go to the Cinema
There is an IMAX Theatre in all its big-screen, big-fun glory, the first of its kind you’ll find anywhere at sea and the kids loved watching Finding Dory, or if you are feeling brave, next door is the Thrill Theatre for some 4D fun.

10. The Red Frog Pub and Brewery Tour
Possibly our favourite place to chill out on the whole boat, the Red Frog Pub has fun pub games to play, real ales that are brewed onboard to sample and chilled out music in the evenings.

On a sea day you can also do the Brewery Tour so you know how the ales are made but the tours are limited to 12 passengers so you best book in fast.

Click the link see more about the activities Carnival Vista has onboard and view our family accommodation onboard Vista here too.

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