Victory 8/3, 4 Night, Mini-Review

[yogimax]

Just back from victory 8/7. The layout of the shop IS AWFUL took some time to figure it out. The food was good for the most part but even in the dining room breakfast was sub par and cold. Crew was good and ship is well maintained but the entertainment was lacking. What's up with the guitar player in the piano lounge????? Thought my 13 y/o son's eyes would pop out when the dancers at the show were in fishnet stockings and thong underwear with bikini tops!! :D not expecting that. Otherwise had a good time even though most of the other people on the boat were way over 60. My sons found the dance club empty by midnite. So, everyone has an opinion that's what makes the world go round.

 

We were on the same cruise. I am surprised at your comment that most of the folks were "way over sixty." It seemed to me like there were a large, large number of young families with children. One small annoying fact was the two teenagers who were allowed to roam the casino at will scooping their hands in every bin of every slot machine... not once did anyone ask their age or question what they were doing.

 

This was our sixth Carnival cruise and I was expecting more in the way of food quality, having heard that Carnival had "upgraded" its offerings. The breakfast buffet was awful, with cold sausages and way undercooked bacon. The soups at dinner were excellent, but the first night's steak was so fatty it was almost uneatable (is that a word?)

 

Of course, the total experience was fine (a cruise has to be). The magic show was top-notch.

 

On the other hand, I was deeply distressed by the apparent change in areas designated for smoking. But I'll post the details separately since I think it is important and I hope does not indicate a lessening of Carnival's so-called commitment to providing non-smoking areas.

[rvrgirl]

Wow, I bet you could have kept that comment to yourself.

Ditto!

[rvrgirl]

Hi Luna's Mom -

Makes me wonder if they've ever tried RCCL,

Princess or Celebrity. They all are far ahead of Carnival in my opinion.

 

You are way of the mark here! Yes alot of us have tried other lines. And no, they are not far ahead of Carnival (in my opinion) Just because you had one bad cruise with Carnival :confused: give me a break! And Oh by the way Princess is owned by Carnival:D

[yogimax]

You will find people on these boards who will not accept the slightest negative remark regarding Carnival. Makes me wonder if they've ever tried RCCL,

 

Yes, absolutely. It's sad that any sort of rational comment which in any way challenges Carnival's quality is immediately rejected and challenged on this board. The OP made the statement that the layout of the Victory is confusing. That is absolutely TRUE.

 

Carnival offers much for the money, but RCCL is definitely a cut above.

[MaryAnnKacz]

Went on the Victory 7-20. Ended up going to St John New Brunswick because of Beryl. Scheduled to go the Halifax. I agree the food was the least best of the Carnival cruises we have been on. This is newest, biggest ship we have been on. Have only been on Western Caribbean and Bahamas. I actually did like the cooler weather (during heat wave this summer). I loved the fog, even the fog horn. I loved the view of the Manhattan skyline from the ship. Best nightlife of the Carnival cruises I've been on. I didn't find the ship hard to navigate, although I heard people say this on the ship. The shows were excellent(yes, the dancers were wearing thongs), boyfriend loved it! I just liked going out of NYC for a change, instead of Florida. But, I will admit service and food was much better on smaller older ships we have been on. One thing I do love about Carnival is the bedding. I sleep better on their ships than I do at home. The pillows, the comforters, even the beds are so so comfortable.

[Lisa63]

The negative reviews come from people who have cruised many times on different lines.

This may be true in general, but not always. We had a wonderful time on the July 1st-6th Carnival Victory cruise -- it was cruise #22 for us and we've been on about a dozen lines. The key for us was not having the same expectations as we would for some other lines. Sorry to hear your recent cruise wasn't among your best.

 

My review is somewhere on this board... probably around page 8 or 10 by now. :)

[Buster27]

I don't think you can go on ONE Carnival ship and then write off the entire cruiseline. Each ship is different. Each route is different.

 

We sailed the Victory out of NY to Canada...it was a nice cruise, but DEAD at night and FULL of older people. Yet, we've sailed the Victory out of Miami 3 times, eastern and western route and found it to be very lively with lots of younger singles and couples.

 

And to say that RC is a cut above is a joke. I have sailed the Victory and 5 other Carnival ships, along with 3 different RC ships. EACH one has it's ups and downs. We sailed the Navigator and the food was the worst I've ever had on ANY ship...yet it was very good on the Mariner. We sailed the Inspiration...one of Carnival's older ships and the food was the best, yet it wasn't very good on the Glory...one of Carnival's newer ships.

 

Personally, I love the Victory and didn't find it difficult to navigate after the first night. We will be sailing her again this Dec. and can't wait !

[Luna'sMom]

I did not mean to imply that you could only get good food in NYC. One of the best meals I have EVER had in my life was in St Augustine, FL. I WILL NEVER post another review on this site, I cannot believe the NASTY people. I posted this review to give my opinion and I am tired of defending myself. I wrote in the comment card that I thought the food was terrible and the deck plan was confusing, but I also praised the staff and in fact we gave an additional tip to our wait staff.

[txdecruiser]

I think the fact that you mentioned inexperienced cruiser gave the good reviews might have upset some folks. Our family had a wonderful time and I wrote some great things about our Victory cruise and I have been on two other cruises prior to this. One Caribbean from San Juan and one Western Mexico from Long Beach. My 11 year old son had the layout figured out in 1 day, and our waiter brought his food to him and personally cut up his steak for him when he need help. (On more than one occasion as he just got his arm out of a cast since Easter). He also brought him tokens for the video game room and food that was not even on the menu when he was tired of eating "fancy" food. We had a wonder cabin steward. He came by 2 time before we even pulled out of port to make sure we understood about the child lifevest and how they would attach the special muster band for him. Our breakfast was never cold and we ate in the dining room 3 mornings and had cereal and grapefruit from the buffet the rest of the time. My son's favorite cereal was not out and the guy behind the buffet line went somewere and hunted down the boxes for him. I know your biggest complaint was about the food, but it was really pretty good as far as we were concerned.

[rebecca.sarge]

I guess I'm just confused...I know you're feeling kind of beat up right now, but I do have to say that it sounds like your biggest complaints were the food and the layout, but that otherwise you had a pretty good cruise. Or am I missing something?

 

this was the WORST cruise I have ever been on. But' date=' I do have some good things to say, first, the crew was wonderful, never had a problem with anyone, always a smile and a good morning. Second , we met some wonderful people and really enjoyed talking to them. Good luck to all of you on the Victory, you’re going to need it…. Sorry Carnival but you will never see me again![/quote']

[Luna'sMom]

Yes, my biggest complaints were the food and the ships layout. This cruise was soo inferior to my other 12 cruises that I felt I had to make a comment. At the time of the review I did not mention the fact that the production shows were also pretty bad. I did not mention it because I felt that when I see a show 99% of the time it is on Broadway so it would not be far to compare the two. I know when to be fair and when something is just not right, so give me a break.

[rvrgirl]

And to say that RC is a cut above is a joke. I have sailed the Victory and 5 other Carnival ships, along with 3 different RC ships. EACH one has it's ups and downs. !

 

This is the truest comment I have heard so far on this thread. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Like Buster said :" EACH ONE HAS IT'S UPS AND DOWNS" It does not matter what cruiseline it is.

[LHP]

We were on the same cruise. I am surprised at your comment that most of the folks were "way over sixty." It seemed to me like there were a large, large number of young families with children. One small annoying fact was the two teenagers who were allowed to roam the casino at will scooping their hands in every bin of every slot machine... not once did anyone ask their age or question what they were doing.

 

This was our sixth Carnival cruise and I was expecting more in the way of food quality, having heard that Carnival had "upgraded" its offerings. The breakfast buffet was awful, with cold sausages and way undercooked bacon. The soups at dinner were excellent, but the first night's steak was so fatty it was almost uneatable (is that a word?)

 

Of course, the total experience was fine (a cruise has to be). The magic show was top-notch.

 

On the other hand, I was deeply distressed by the apparent change in areas designated for smoking. But I'll post the details separately since I think it is important and I hope does not indicate a lessening of Carnival's so-called commitment to providing non-smoking areas.

 

Let me know where you post the separate notes about the change in designated smoking areas. Thanks!

[LunchCompanion]

All ships have their quirks. Wierd things in the layout that can make for annoyance.

If I remember the layout of the Victory correctly, all I had to do was get on broadway and was able to walk the length of the ship. I found it best to get to the main traditional dining room by walking broadway past the piano bar and the karaoke bar and then using stairs to get down to the main dining level.

I am going traditional dining on my next cruise, the newest Princess mega ship and have studied the deck plans. The only good way to get to the traditional dining room, if i map read correctly, is to go down to the promenade deck, go to the rear stairway, and down the stairs. Similar to the way I remember the Victory.

I liked the twenty four hour pizza on the Victory. I better go check where the pizza is on my next cruise.

[luv2cruz44]

Wow, now I'm concerned!! We leave on 9/30 for a 7 day trip aboard the Victory. This will be our 3rd cruise, all on Carnival and the dining room experience has always been one of the highlights. I too, thought that the menus were the same regardless of which ship. Our past cruises have been on Spirit class ships. Was the food bad because of the way it was cooked, presented or you didn't care for the choices? I agree with the poster who suggested trying the Spirit class ships as they seemed easy to get around.

 

Ann

[Buster27]

I really don't think you need to be concerned about the dining room food on the Victory. Everyone's taste and expectations are different. Two people can eat the same meal and come away with completely different opinions.

 

I do think the menus are the same on the Carnival fleet, but the chefs and servers on each ship are different and can make a difference in the final product. I've always enjoyed the dining room food on Carnival...especially the soups...they are DELICIOUS ! I always wonder when I read a criticism of the food on ANY cruise...what on earth someone expects when you go on a mega cruise ship and are dining along with like 1500 other people! If you happen to choose an entree you don't care for...order something else. You can order everything on the menu if you so desire! There's no reason for anyone to leave the dining room and not have enjoyed their meal.

 

The Victory is a great ship and I have no doubt you will have a wonderful time. You simply can not please all the people all the time. Don't let one person's opinion ruin your excitment for your trip.

[Knights on the Beach]

And could someone please tell me if ALL Carnival ships have the terrible deck plan of the Victory? No other cruise ship that I have been on is designed that way. You have to go to another deck to go forward or aft. It is the craziest thing, but someone mentioned to me that all Carnival ships are designed that way..

No, all Carnival ships do not have the same layout as the Victory (where you have to go up or down a deck to get to the other side of deck 3) because Fantasy class and Spirit class ships don't have the galley in the middle of a deck.

 

Carnival offers much for the money, but RCCL is definitely a cut above.

I absolutely disagree, or there would be more RCCL cruises in my signature line. In some cases their ships may look more "elegant", but we've found the food and entertainment to be of a higher quality on Carnival -- at least on the ships we've been on.