Carnival Vista - Western Caribbean

Where this cruise calls, day by day

5 ports and 3 sea days over 7 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Galveston, TX

   United StatesDepart

   Galveston is the Gulf's second-busiest homeport and it is an island, which shapes everything. Hobby is about an hour away and Bush Intercontinental closer to 90 minutes, so a same-day flight is a gamble - and in winter, bay fog can close the ship channel and push a departure back by hours. Arrive the night before and stay on the island.

   • The Strand Historic District, blocks of iron-front Victorian buildings that survived the 1900 hurricane
   • Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier out on the Seawall
   • Moody Gardens and its rainforest and aquarium pyramids
   • Bishop's Palace, the 1892 Gresham house - the best hour of architecture on the island

   Getting ashore

   Three cruise terminals sit side by side on adjacent harbour piers (10, 25 and 28) with covered parking; Houston Hobby is about 45 miles and an hour out, Bush Intercontinental roughly 70 miles and 90 minutes.

   Best months

   Feb-May and Oct-Nov (Aug-Sep is hurricane peak; Dec-Feb brings fog delays)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Roatán

   HondurasPort

   Roatán is a long, thin island sitting on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, and the day splits by pier. Carnival ships use Mahogany Bay at Dixon Cove, which has its own manufactured beach and a chairlift down to it; Royal Caribbean's Port of Roatán is in Coxen Hole, the workaday capital. Neither is really where you want to be - the reef at West Bay starts about twenty feet off the sand, half an hour west.

   • Snorkel the reef straight off West Bay Beach
   • West End village for dive shops and lunch
   • Gumbalimba Park's macaws and capuchins
   • A day pass at Little French Key

   Getting ashore

   Both Mahogany Bay and Port of Roatán are alongside berths, not tenders; West Bay Beach is a 30-45 minute taxi from either, and drivers negotiate hard.

   Best months

   Feb-Sep for the clearest water; Oct-Jan is the wet season, with November the heaviest month

4. Day 4

   Belize City

   BelizePort

   The barrier reef keeps ships several miles offshore, so everyone tenders - a 20 to 30 minute ride each way that eats an hour of the day and gets cancelled outright in a stiff easterly. Tenders land at Fort Street Tourism Village, a fenced shopping compound; Belize City beyond it has a serious crime problem and is not a place to wander. The day is really about what is inland.

   • Cave tubing through the Caves Branch river system
   • Altun Ha or Xunantunich Maya ruins
   • Snorkelling Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley
   • The Belize Zoo, which keeps only rescued native animals

   Getting ashore

   Tender port - ships anchor several miles out and the run to Fort Street Tourism Village takes 20-30 minutes each way.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is dry and the tender ride is calmest; Jun-Nov is wet with hurricane risk peaking Aug-Oct

5. Day 5

   Cozumel

   MexicoPort

   Cozumel is an island 12 miles off the Yucatán that runs almost entirely on cruise traffic - three piers, up to six ships at once, and a downtown built to absorb them. Which pier you draw matters more than anything else: Punta Langosta puts you in San Miguel on foot, while Puerta Maya and the International Pier sit a few miles south and need a taxi. The reason to come is underwater, on the Palancar and Colombia reefs.

   • Snorkel or dive Palancar Reef
   • Chankanaab Park's lagoon and shore snorkelling
   • A beach club day at Mr. Sancho's or Nachi Cocom
   • San Gervasio Maya ruins in the island's interior

   Getting ashore

   All ships dock; Punta Langosta is a walk into San Miguel, while Puerta Maya and the International Pier are 3-4 miles south, about 10 minutes by taxi.

   Best months

   Dec-Apr is driest and calmest; Jun-Nov is hurricane season, and sargassum can wash ashore May-Aug

6. Day 6 · At sea

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Galveston, TX

   United StatesArrive

   Galveston is the Gulf's second-busiest homeport and it is an island, which shapes everything. Hobby is about an hour away and Bush Intercontinental closer to 90 minutes, so a same-day flight is a gamble - and in winter, bay fog can close the ship channel and push a departure back by hours. Arrive the night before and stay on the island.

   • The Strand Historic District, blocks of iron-front Victorian buildings that survived the 1900 hurricane
   • Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier out on the Seawall
   • Moody Gardens and its rainforest and aquarium pyramids
   • Bishop's Palace, the 1892 Gresham house - the best hour of architecture on the island

   Getting ashore

   Three cruise terminals sit side by side on adjacent harbour piers (10, 25 and 28) with covered parking; Houston Hobby is about 45 miles and an hour out, Bush Intercontinental roughly 70 miles and 90 minutes.

   Best months

   Feb-May and Oct-Nov (Aug-Sep is hurricane peak; Dec-Feb brings fog delays)