Carnival Vista - Shore excursions and activities

Even if you don’t “know” much about art, of course you can still tell when you like something — who needs a refined palette to know when a piece is good? Carnival® leaves snobbish cultural pretensions ashore, and makes art something that everyone can enjoy with a series of events designed to bring great art where it belongs — to the people. Take part in an art-themed battle of the sexes or check out showcases highlighting the best of, say, European artists or world-famous pop artist Peter Max. You can’t get any closer to great art… without buying it.

Go from ‘normal vacationer’ to ‘world-traveling art whiz’ in one cruise flat — Carnival® offers such a variety of educational and enlightening seminars that we should hand out Art History degrees at the end of each cruise! We may not be an accredited university, but your cruise features an ‘Art 101’ lecture series designed to be your entrance into this vibrant world. We’ll go from the earliest cave paintings to the modern masters — with stops at topics like the Renaissance, Baroque, Surrealism and Pop Art — and cover both theory and technique. You’ll walk away with a spectrum of knowledge to use at your next art auction… or to elevate your cocktail party chatter.

A room full of too-serious old men, many wearing monocles, paying top-dollar for priceless antique works of art. If that’s the “art auction” that comes to mind, adjust your expectations before your Carnival® cruise! Unlike a stodgy auction house, your vacation features a series of auction events designed to turn high art into high fun. From the rapid-fire ‘Lightning’ action to the cheap thrills of the ‘under $500’ event, there are plenty of chances to try your hand at bringing home something great and have a blast doing it. Unlike land auctions, we even hold fun interactive events like the “Guess the Price” competition. That said, our onboard auctions aren’t completely without fancy things — after all, what’s an auction without free-flowing champagne?

Gather your most delicately-palated friends and family to join you at Alchemy Bar® — the premier onboard spot for a uniquely tasteful bar experience. Choose any four mini-martinis, selecting from flavors like Spicy Chipotle Pineapple, Curative Peach Cosmopolitan… or let us craft you a custom. And once you’ve found a favorite, you can make the full-size version your next order.

Learn to cook, Steakhouse-style from our team of chefs as they demonstrate the tricks of the trade used to make those multi-course dinners everyone loves so much. We take the joy of cooking and transform it into a delightful hour-long presentation of kitchen skill and ingenuity… where taste tests are always included.

Tip: This fun-for-the-whole-family event fills up fast, so get there early.

Are you known back home as the cocktail captain; raising spirits, mixing it up and pouring it over ice… pleasing the palates of friends and family, alike? Come cruise and show us what you’ve got. The onboard competition may be stiff, but don’t let that shake you — stir up your signature concoction and make flavor worth a savor using spirits from all over the map. We’ve got rum, mon, and there’s tequila, hombre… plus there’s even more to work with. Throughout the cruise, everyone will be able to enjoy this winning cocktail at bars throughout the ship.