Carnival Vista Cove Balcony Cabin Tour

A tour of cabin 2286 on the Carnival Vista cruise ship. It's an unusual type of cabin called a Cove Balcony cabin. They sit low on the ship, on deck 2, which gives you a feeling of being very connected to the ocean during your cruise. You can see and hear and feel the power of the ocean as you sit on your balcony or stay inside your cabin and enjoy the view out the window.
This was not my cabin on the Carnival Vista... I was staying in a Havana Suite... but my friends Kimble and Liz were kind enough to let me shoot this video in their room so I could show everyone on KZbin what's so special about a Cove Balcony.
I made a mistake in narrating the video when I said that all the cove balcony cabins are essentially identical to the one in this video. In retrospect, I think that's probably incorrect. I suspect that only some of the cove balcony cabins have the additional bed that folds down out of the ceiling. Sorry about that!
This video was shot with a DJI Osmo, which is a camera with an integrated gimbal to create smooth motion-stabilized video even when walking around with the camera handheld. It uses a nice wide angle lens that works well when shooting in tight spaces like a cruise ship cabin.
Music credit for the end of the video:
"Guiton Sketch" by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
Source: incompetech.com...
Artist: incompetech.com/

[@kubiak6405]

i just want to say thank you for being the only person on youtube to finally show the OUTSIDE of the rooms too

[@carolyngardner4999]

Love this kind if balcony, so cozy.

[@dedgriewilliams7887]

Wow...well done Jim. This is exactly what I was looking for!

[@christinatuscani1567]

That's the exact cabin we have for spring break, can't wait! Thanks for the video!

[@gilrobb5241]

Jim I truly enjoy your vlogs, you give great perspective of all there is to offer.

[@jim8241]

Stayed in Cove Balcony on Carnival Dream. Was just an awesome experience but words of warning: 1. There will be noises that echo because of metallic balcony. People speaking next door and such. 2. If anyone is smoking on their balcony (NOT SUPPOSED TO!!!!) the smoke will waft into your balcony. 3. My neighbor got busted fishing from his cove balcony. This isn't allowed. : )

[@15cadule]

Oh wow! Fishing! lol

[@b.atwater3904]

The last thing I want to deal with on a cruise is the stink of cigarettes. .. especially when I paid a premium price for my cabin. Sorry, but I would complain about that, I'm allergic.

[@1Deejay7]

Did he catch anything??

[@jojohns9670]

This vid is so well done; the voiceover is perfect! super professional! If Carnival has not bought out this vid, and hired you to make promo vids for them yet, then they're cheapskates....! This is my first vid of yours... imma binge watch the rest now. Great Job!

[@amya7066]

I think the cove balconies look so nice and cozy!

[@athielivas1303]

I really don't mind the inside cabins with no windows. It's cozy and I sleep so well with how dark it gets. And can't beat the pricetag!

[@JimZim]

My son is the same way. He really likes the inside cabins because it is totally dark in the morning, no matter how late he decides to sleep in.

[@WaveRidingMachine]

They say windowless cabins prevents seasickness...BS!!! I had a bunk for a few nights on the Amphibious Assault Ship Bataan, I spewed every night and the food sucked.

[@walkertomes9397]

Athie L +

[@cousinjudeskitchen7146]

Athie L I feel the same way.

[@blackchemist2013]

Those are great for outgoing people who likes to party! I am more of an introvert and see the balcony as my space to reset.

[@carolyngardner4999]

Great laid out, upper bed over sofa.

[@winky848]

I was wondering what a cove balcony was like. I am about to book a cruise now I know not to book a cove balcony I much prefer the openness of a standard balcony. This video is awesome and very informative!!

[@SupermanZephyr]

Great video! Actually sailing in a cove balcony for the first time in December so it’s nice to see how it looks. Thanks Jim!

[@inyourface3154]

How was it?

[@mitchellmilitello]

We’re going on the Vista this Christmas break! Thanks so much for the video

[@JimZim]

There will be several more Carnival Vista videos coming in the next week or two.

[@treadmillsongs]

Stumbled across this channel. These vids are very informative & professional. Thank you! Subscribed

[@kjwdeuce88]

I love his voice!

[@nickikurosaki8439]

Such a well put together video. I appreciate your work.

[@suryowirawanwibisono3440]

Thx for the video, surely enjoyed it👍

[@vickyskye8492]

You do great reviews, thank you. I just shared this with my cruise facebook group :)

[@JimZim]

Thanks for sharing my video! That's actually the ultimate compliment for a KZbinr... for someone to like one of my videos enough to share it with others. I appreciate that!

[@vickyskye8492]

Your very welcome! Your videos are very well done! The group I shared it with is called Carnival Cruises All Things positive. If your a face book member please join us! We are group of cruisers who maintain a purely positive outlook on our page and offer help to new cruisers without criticism. I'd be nice to have an expert like you join our cruise family

[@sergiod6781]

It's like the sheltered balconies on the Queen Mary2, these balconies have been in existence for more than 10 years, although in another line within the same group (Carnival owns Cunard and the QM2 was designed and built under the direction of Carnival Corporation,

[@Shell0903]

Great video Jim! We were on the Vista Oct 7-15 and we stayed in our first cove balcony, cabin 2379. We've stayed in upper balconies before but I've wanted to try a cove and I LOVED it!!! The water views were so close and the sound of the waves were very soothing. In my opinion, the lifeboats hanging over the balconies were a positive because they provided shade while I was reading and I feel the shade kept our room cooler than we've experienced on higher balconies. Our friends were booked in the next cabin, 2381, and we requested the balconies to be opened, which provided us with a large balcony. My next goal is to try a suite but it's sure going to be hard to go back to a higher balcony now.

[@JimZim]

If I had been a little smarter, I would have brought along a good microphone with me to that cove balcony cabin when I shot that video... in order to get good audio of the waves and the water from the balcony. I agree that the sound out there on the cove balcony is VERY cool... and I totally failed to capture it in my video. I also probably should have mentioned that Liz said there was a lot of noise at night inside the cabin... music coming from somewhere, possibly from the atrium.

[@Shell0903]

It was still a great video, very informative and the best cove balcony review I've seen. I could slightly hear the waves so at least you did capture the serenity of being on that balcony. Using cruise deck plans cabin checker tool, I can see that your friends cabin was below the atrium lobby and dance floor so I can see why they could hear music. You definitely need to do a little research when choosing a cove balcony on deck 2 because deck 3 consists of the atrium lobby, the Reflections restaurant and the Horizons restaurant. Our cabin was right on the border of being under Reflections so every morning around 4:30, I could hear what sounded like chairs scraping but it didn't last long and I think I got use to it and started sleeping right through it.

[@Proteinpapi210]

Going on the vista next July!!

[@limeyosu2000]

another great video Jim!

[@cocosmom1000]

Great video

[@ada627]

That is so cool

[@carolyngardner4999]

Some of the cabins have to bathroom, one with a tub, and the other with shower. The oceans view room with the Windows have two bathrooms.

[@angeliastone-tolcher2386]

I think the cove balcony could be for me because I like looking at the water and I like the noise

[@dario.failla]

FYI the crew cabins are on deck Alpha under water

[@agm6095]

Thank you for a fine video. Do the bunk bed have a railing to prevent a child from falling?

[@JoelZapata1]

Yes

[@maizanassime8852]

i was waiting for this one !

[@lisawitte5331]

The lower you are to the ocean the better the experience.

[@danmyers2934]

I love the Cove Balcony on our 1st cruise in 2016

[@Soccermom145]

We've been in cove balconys a couple of times and will have another one next year. Love them.

[@lydiapetra1211]

@@Soccermom145 isn't the rail a little too low in the balcony?.. can't someone tumble out?

[@CruiseTipsTV]

Great video Jim! Was the balcony floor wet due to rough seas?

[@JimZim]

No. There was a quirk with that particular cabin. Whatever was right above it got frequently hosed down by the crew, and the water splashed down on to my friend's balcony. It even happened one time when my friend was just sitting out on the balcony. Also, because that balcony is in constant shade, it stayed wet almost all the time.

[@mjwallace9334]

Beware a premium balcony is nothing different than a standard balcony, experienced on the liberty last year and was severely dissapointed

[@mindyschocolate]

Jim Zim wow, that would suck to have to worry about getting a shower.

[@sholagan]

Thanks. Brilliant!

[@ashleyr125]

Any videos on interior rooms with 2 tin beds and 2 upper pullmans?

[@wellifthemediasaysit]

Great until you hit a storm! Are the windows watertight? I have seen other vids where, even on the 6th floor, sometimes you are underwater during a storm!

[@wellifthemediasaysit]

Sorry, watched the rest, yes, they are watertight!

[@warriorseamonkey1693]

What happens when your outside when the storm happens

[@jlizardi5013]

I had one on the C Magic. It was great as you said because of the proximity to the water and privacy. However for the same reasons need more maintenance and unfortunately, at least on the Magic, it is not happening. Also when they work on the lifeboats, debry, to say the least, get on those balconies...

[@MusicLuv80]

great video. what is that pipe?

[@warriorseamonkey1693]

What happens if you’re already outside when the door shuts

[@JimZim]

You use the handle on the outside of the door and open it.

[@aimercab8630]

This looks like my kind of cabin...

[@espnluver7525]

If u dont mind me asking may I ask is ur real name really jim or is ur real name really James???????? Also looks great I can't wait to have my cove balcony on the Horizon in June do all cove balconies have bunk beds or do they have some with sofa beds as well??

[@JimZim]

Legally, it's James. Everyone calls me Jim. When anyone refers to me as James, it's a tip-off that they don't actually know me and are reading my name from some document. The majority of the Cove Balcony cabins have a couch that does NOT convert to a bed, and do NOT have that upper "Pullman" bunk bed. A few of the Cove Balcony cabins have couches that do also convert to a bed, to allow three passengers. A few of the Cove Balcony cabins also have what you see in this video, which is a couch that converts to a bed, PLUS the upper "Pullman" bunk... which would allow a total of four passengers to sleep in the cabin. The deck plans show exactly which cabins have which arrangements. Also, there's a trick you can do in the booking process to make sure you see the available cabins of the type you want. If you want to see only the available cove balcony cabins that are like the one shown in this video, with both a Pullman bunk and a couch that converts to a bed, specify that you are looking to book a cabin for four passengers, not two. When you specify four, if will only show you the available cove balcony cabins that have the Pullman bunk and the convertible couch.

[@espnluver7525]

my parents and I r 3 we will have a Cove Balcony with a sofa bed for me

[@sarahsorensen6050]

Did you have to request the pull down bed or is it already equipped with it? We are staying in this very cabin on our up coming cruise.

[@JimZim]

Will you be in cabin 2286? Or one of the other cove balcony cabins? If one of the others, which cabin #?

[@Noosic]

I worked as a ships doctor for Carnival for four years. A Cove Balcony cabin in nothing more then a balcony cabin enclosed with a window. It takes away from the experience of having the fresh sea air and sounds of the waves.

[@JimZim]

Did you ever actually visit (or stay in) a cove balcony? I don't think you really understand what they're about. The balcony is totally open to the outside... and of all the balconies on the ship, these are the lowest to the water... so you actually get the experience of the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean better than you would on any other cabin on the ship. A lot of Carnival cruisers will ONLY stay in cove balcony cabins because they give you such a better feeling of being close to the water than the balcony cabins higher up on the ship do.

[@adamcallahan242]

How much cheaper are these rooms compared to regular balconies, and are these on carnival horizon?

[@JimZim]

Usually slightly cheaper than a regular balcony cabin. The easiest way to determine exactly how much cheaper is to go over to Carnival.com and price it out for a particular week you might be interested in cruising. And yes, you'll find cove balcony cabins on Carnival Horizon. There are some people that absolutely love the cove balconies and won't sail in any other kind of cabin, because they love being so close to the water line and they love hearing the sound of the ocean going by.

[@mccrarycharlie]

Is the Cove Balcony cabins on the first and second decks? Which level was this cabin on?

[@JimZim]

All the cove balconies are on deck 2.

[@mccrarycharlie]

Okay, thanks!

[@trainboy1926]

Holy cow. Were you in Cozumel this week

[@JimZim]

No, the ship visited the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao.

[@trainboy1926]

Jim Zimmerlin oh okay. I did see the vista in Cozumel. I was on the fantasy

[@lydiapetra1211]

@@JimZim hi there....great narration! Thanks What happens when the ship is under storm..does water get in the cabin..or it's airtight enough to keep it out?..., thanks!

[@JimZim]

If you look at the video a little more carefully, you'll notice that the door that leads out to the balcony is a very heavy-duty watertight door. No water will come in the cabin during a storm, as long as the watertight door is properly closed.

[@lydiapetra1211]

@@JimZim thanks so very much...what about the railing isn't too low... what if someone suffers a stroke on the balcony...they can tumble over..no?

[@MusicLuv80]

what happens when there is a storm? I saw one video on youtube and they were in the somewhat on the top floor but yet it looked like the water was about to come in.

[@JimZim]

If you watch the video again, you might notice the watertight doors and windows.

[@MusicLuv80]

@@JimZim Thanks for the answer.

[@mrbat0003]

does that cabin have airconditioning?

[@JimZim]

Of course!

[@claudiaduncan3419]

Whats the cabin number?

[@JimZim]

2286

[@albertabreu8]

Are the cove balcony cheaper?

[@JimZim]

Here are the prices for the Carnival Breeze Eastern Caribbean cruise, September 30th through October 6th. These prices are per COUPLE, not per PERSON, and these prices DO include taxes and port charges. Interior cabin, with no window or balcony: $935 Ocean-view cabin, with a window but no balcony: $1253 Cove balcony cabin: $1335 Regular balcony cabin: $1475 Suite: $1913 So, yes, the cove balcony cabins are cheaper than regular balcony cabins... but interior cabins are even cheaper, as are ocean-view cabins.

[@albertabreu8]

Jim Zimmerlin carnival vista?

[@JimZim]

Go to Carnival.com and do a mock booking, just like I did for Carnival Breeze. Use the dates that you're interested in, not the dates I used. That will give you the most meaningful data. But as you can see, the cove balcony cabins are the cheapest balcony cabins... which is (I think) what you were asking.

[@CC-vq1yg]

We just booked on the Carnival Dream, the Cove balcony was cheaper than the ocean view. So we're getting a balcony for the first time 😀

[@kristymacknowski9298]

If u get sea sick easily definitely dont book a room here lol

[@jameslucero9547]

Actually if one is subject to sea sickness these lower balconies are perfect.

[@sandygrogg1203]

I woukd be terrified in stormy weather... Have seen videos where cabins on much higher decks had waves covering their windows.. No thanks.

[@JimZim]

There is a water-tight metal door that completely seals this cabin from the balcony in times of bad weather. Like you said, in extreme conditions, it is quite possible that waves would go higher than this cabin... and the ship is completely designed to handle that. In greater than 99% of the cruises this ship will ever do, those kind of conditions do not exist... but the ship is fully capable of handling it if those conditions do ever occur.

[@harryaxe5167]

Do NOT like Cove Balcony. Too wet too noisy ugly life boats above. Wow, really bad!!

[@JimZim]

I agree with you! That's not a cabin I would choose. But some people like them because they are usually the least expensive balcony cabins, and also because they are so close to the water. The sound of the water going by is refreshing.

[@DCol]

@@JimZim and all that privacy too! ;)

[@parkeryocum6830]

We booked it on the new carnival panorama and it’s 2286!

[@russianbear420]

On panorama towards end of the month, 2294 looks like it will be an awesome experience

[@TRUMP-2024-MAGA]

Undercarriage wash.... 👍