Vision of the Seas vs Vista

The Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas was built in 1998. It was renovated in 2021. It's 18 years older than the Vista, which was built in 2016 and renovated in 2024. The Carnival Vista was the first cruise ship to have a working brewery on board.

Comparison Overview

• Ship Size
• Number of Passengers
• Food and Restaurants
• Bars and Drinks
• Pools and Hot Tubs
• Ship Features and Activities
• Cruise Costs
• Onboard Costs

Ship Size

The Vision of the Seas is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 915 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.5 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 11-story building. Compared to the Carnival Vista, the Vision of the Seas is 41% smaller in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas holds 48% fewer passengers than the Vista based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you compare the total tonnage of the ship to the number of passengers, or what we call the "Space Ratio," the Vision of the Seas has more space per person compared to the Vista. This means that you might have a bit more space to yourself on the ship, although there still could be some crowded areas like buffets, pools, etc.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Vista
Class	Vision	Vista
Gross Tonnage	78,340	133,596
Length	915	1,055
Beam/Width	106	122
Passenger Decks	11	15
Passengers (double occupancy)	2,050	3,934
Crew	742	1,450
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.8	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	38	33

Food and Restaurants

Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.

The Vision of the Seas has nine different dining options like Chef's Table, Windjammer, and Giovanni's Table. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other six options have an additional fee.

The Vista has ten more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are JiJi Asian Kitchen, Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue, and Bonsai Teppanyaki. fifteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other nine have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Vista might be a better choice. It has 111% more dining options than the Vision of the Seas.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Vista might be a better choice then the Vision of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Vista
Total Dining Options	9	19
Complimentary Dining Options:	8	15
Additional Fee Dining Options:	6	9
% of Included Options	33%	53%
	See the options	See the options

Bars and Drinks

The Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas has 7 fewer bars than the Carnival Vista. The Vision of the Seas has 7 bars like Casino Bar, Schooner Bar and Viking Crown Lounge. On Vision of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 14 different bars such as Alchemy Bar, Java Blue Cafe and Ocean Plaza Bar.

Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Vista
•Casino Bar • Pool bar • R Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Some Enchanted Evening Lounge • Viking Crown Lounge	•Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Fahrenheit 555 Bar • Havana Bar • Heroes Tribute Bar • Java Blue Cafe • Limelight Lounge • Ocean Plaza Bar • Piano Bar 88 • RedFrog Pub and Brewery • RedFrog Rum Bar • Serenity Pool Bar • Tides Pool Bar

In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Vision of the Seas serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations. The Vista serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew.

You can check out recent the bar menus for the Vision of the Seas and the Vista below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas has a total of 2 pools and 6 hot tubs.

Carnival Vista has more pools than the Vision of the Seas and the same number of hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Vista. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.

Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Vision of the Seas.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Vista
Total Pools	2	3
Pools - General Access	1	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	0
Pools - Exclusive	0	1
Total Hot Tubs	6	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	4	2
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	0	2

Ship Features and Activities

Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Vision of the Seas. Only 62% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Vista, 65% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Vista
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✓
Arcade	✓	✓
Basketball	✗	✓
Brewery Tour	✗	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✗
Comedy Club	✗	✓
Dr Seuss Breakfast	✗	✓
Fitness Center	✓	✓
IMAX Theater	✗	✓
Mini golf	✗	✓
Outdoor gym	✗	✓
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Ropes course	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Skyride	✗	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✗	✓
Thermal Suites	✗	✓
Water slides	✗	✓
	Learn more	Learn more

Carnival is also known for its energetic theme parties which vary per ship.

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean and Carnival are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.

Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Vista.

Onboard Costs

Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.

Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.

The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.

	Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas	Carnival Vista
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50	$16.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	18%
Soda Price	$3.50	$3.00
Domestic Beer Price	$8.25 See drink menus	$8.75 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more	$83 - $88 Learn more
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day	$18.70 to $23.80 per device per day
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates.

Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.

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