Here we go with Part II. When we left off we were on Deck 5 and had just made it to the Red Frog Pub. As I said a blog or 2 ago… Mark and Trenton were on a mission to be the first guests. The first 2 guests of each cruise in the Red Frog Pub receive a free beer. Trenton didn’t qualify for the beer, but he is rather competitive. Lol
We had group shirts made for embarkation, but like I mentioned before... it seriously was herding cats so we only got a picture with the 4 of us ... (the 4 who are well aware of my craziness), but it was a fun idea.
I was afraid that was going to happen so I took a picture of all the shirts before they had people in them! lol
What is different on the Vista in the Red Frog Pub is it also has a functioning brewery where the beer is made on the ship. You can sign up for a brewery tour. It was $35 per person. If you wish to do the tour I would recommend signing up early. Our cruise there were only 3 tours offered and each tour holds 12 people.
You are given 4 different beers to try and even though those little glasses look small, they also place large pitchers on the table. There is plenty of beer to drink during this process! When the tour was over we got a certificate for 2 more free beers you could use anytime during the cruise and souvenir glasses to take home.
The Red Frog Pub itself was just like the others we have visited, fun atmosphere, great music and entertainment, wonderful staff. It was a great meeting and hangout place. There were lots of tables where you can play cards, etc. The Vista is equipped with stations at the tables where you can pour your own beer at the table if you choose.
If you have a large group… or you are just thirsty here are some deals… You can get a “fishbowl” for around $25 and 101 oz tube of beer is $35.
So here’s a story that started in the Red Frog Pub. Trenton, Mark and I walked through one evening and we walked out the doors going onto the deck. Undenounced to us, there was a little storm rolling through. The wind caught the door behind me and slammed it so hard, I swear the entire ship shook. There were some singers on the stage… so clearly that was an interruption. We sat outside under the covered awning and enjoyed the rain. After several minutes the rain did not let up and Mark wanted to go back inside. I was too embarrassed to go back in the Red Frog Pub after I had slammed the door, so I said let’s just walk down a little way and go back in. Well… that door was closed. As we kept trying to go further, the rain got harder. We ended up having to weave our way all the way back to the Liquid Lounge at the very front of the ship before we found a door we could get back in. We were DRIPPING wet! People looked at us like we were crazy, but it was fun!
If you were to continue aft after the Red Frog Pub you would encounter the Ocean Plaza where trivia and games were held, and the back of the ship is rounded out by the Havana Bar. It’s beautiful, but sadly, another spot we did not have time to check out.
If you splurge for a Havana Cabin on this ship, your pools and hot tubs are behind the Havana Bar on the back deck. I was going to go walking through there one night, but I completely forgot.
Deck 6
Deck 6 is mostly cabins, except for some fun things in the front of the ship. This is where the arcade can be found. We spent lots of time in there. It’s a nice arcade and Trenton walked away with an Ipod we probably could have bought a couple of times over for what it cost us in tickets, but the fun we had trying to win it was priceless!
This area is also the entrance for the Carnival Multiplex which is home to the Thrill Theatre and IMAX.
Thrill Theatre has several levels and it was my understanding the level you sit on determines the level of interaction you get from the movie. I think the shows were around $7.95 each or you could purchase a pass for the entire cruise. We didn’t attend any of the thrill theatre shows, but we did see people coming out (and heard them screaming while we were waiting) and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.
We decided to go to the IMAX one evening after dinner. We went to see Mission Impossible: Fall Out. The price was $12.95 per person. They do have a small concession stand where you can purchase candy and sodas. Mark was disappointed they didn’t offer popcorn, but I could see how having to clean up that mess in between each show would be cumbersome. Everything tells you to get your seat early, however, the show started at 7:30pm. It was a sea day. We showed up at 7:15 to get a great seat…
So I guess it really depends on how popular it is with the cruisers on your sailing.
I can say I was hesitant to book a cabin in this area because I was unsure of the sound from the IMAX. I did not hear any complaints from passengers. Nor could I hear sound outside in the common area from the movies when I was passing through. What I can say is this area was very populated with kids. Many just seemed to hang out on the steps between the arcade and movie plex. Just food for thought if you are picky when it comes to choosing your cabin.
Stay tuned for Part III
