Carnival Victory

[JLJS_NY]

Just got back from Carnival Victory 5 day to Canada...

 

Had a GREAT time with my mother and boys. 13 yr old LOVED the Teen program...15 yr old didn't care for the older teen program. "Just a lot of hip-hop music and hanging out".

 

Other than the company and the fact that my little guy was happy and with nice group of kids...most everything else was really disappointing!

 

Embarkation: Hubby dropped us off at the port and boarding was smooth, efficient and quick! Unfortunately, although a Main Seating dinner reservation was confirmed prior to sailing, my Sign and Sail card read 8:15. I explained to the Maitre'd that it was important to my Teens to be able to participate in the Teen activities which often start at 8 pm and on the 2nd day it was changed to meet my needs. Although I am thankful they accomodated me, the aggrivation was still not necessary if they had just been more efficient to begin with.

 

Service: Dining Room Staff was pleasant, friendly, likable. Did not receive Iced Tea WITH our meals, Boys ordered Chocolate Milk with breakfast and never received it. Water was so chlorinated it tasted like it came from a swimming pool! Teens with soda cards were often ignored at Bars and opted to get themselves Iced Tea or Lemonade instead. Bar service for adults was good. On deck we were constantly asked if we wanted the drink of the day and were often approached 5 or 6 times in a short amount of time (20 min). It became obnoxious after a while so I made sure I had SOMETHING in my hand at all times. Even if it was fruit punch mixed with lemonade!

 

Food: Not very good. It was nice not to have to shop, prepare and clean it up! Other than that, somewhat bland, too salty, weird flavors (I am NOT a picky eater!) Buffet was boring, bland... Breakfast was good.... The Gala Buffet was weird! Had these weird gelatinous, unrecognizable things (looked kind of like sushi-because it was round) but did not even have a CLUE what it was! Ice sculpture was pretty, but the food was terrible!!! There were many cakes and chocolate deserts to choose from, Rum balls had huge raisins/dates in them...YUK! and were the size of large meatballs, Chocolate mousse was not at all creamy and was more like chocolate Jello! Chocolate cake was sooooooo sweet that it was nauseating. (AND I LOVE dessert!!!) Ran out of Vanilla ice cream!!!

Salad was one of the "Starters" at dinner. So we had to order two starters if we wanted salad with our meal and it seemed to slow service down. After having our salad or soup, the appetizer was usually cold. A couple of my meals were served cold. Filet Mignon was not great, also cold, had a "funny" taste. Sauces/Gravies were often way too salty and cornstarchy. Place setting only had one fork for dinner and starter. I like separate forks, especially if i order a fruit/sweet starter. Chocolate Melting cake was delicious! All other desserts were - so-so. Nothing outstanding!

 

Cabin: We had an OV on Deck 2. It was comfortable for 4 people. Carpet was worn, window dirty (OUTSIDE). Steward was GREAT! Room was always clean! Beds were okay - not as comfortable as my sleep number bed at home! Body Wash in bathroom was not good at all...

 

Entertainment: Production shows were great! Fire onstage was scary! (A special effect put a speaker in the stage on fire and theater had to be evacuated.) 2nd show was delayed and late Rated-R comedian was re-located. Malcom Burns was delightful, but not around much. (My Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas Cruise Director was EVERYWHERE we looked!)

 

Ship's Decor - Garish, Gaudy! I didn't get it. After sailing on Royal Caribbean which was elegant, this seemed tacky! Hurt my eyes! :rolleyes: LOL!

 

Maintenance: OH MY! The ship was definitely showing wear and tear. Although mostly clean, there were SO MANY light bulbs out! EVERYWHERE! The Caribbean Lounge was missing so many bulbs that my mother and I spent time waiting for the show to start pointing them out to one another!! (I guess it was entertaining!) Around the Siren's Pool there were at least HALF of the Iron Lanterns were not lit! Only makes me wonder about the engines! :eek:

 

Bars, Disco, etc...were abundant, pretty, and busy at night. Because many were smoky, we stayed away.

 

Hairy Chest Contest! - Oh my! and it was on the TV 24/7! Nauseating!!! Don't get me wrong, I'm not a party pooper! I LOVE those kind of things! But 24/7? GROSS! I only want to look at a GROUP of hairy men for a short time! Have a laugh! Then be done with it! Let them buy the DVD to watch over and over themselves! LOL!!! On Explorer of the Seas I enjoyed the Quest (equally tacky) game and get queazy watching the men on the DVD! (Even my own hubby!)

 

Ports - St. John...boooorrrinnnggg! Did the Highlights tour. Sweet lady for a guide. It was nothing special. If I ever cruise to Canada again (on another line) I would stay on the ship in St. John.

Halifax - Did the Peggy's Cove and Hop-on Hop-off City tour. It was GREAT! Peggy's Cove is so beautiful - even in the rain and fog! And the bus was interesting, easy to coordinate, fun, and well worth the price! Will definitely love to go back to Halifax with my hubby!!!

 

Debarkation: We opted for the Self-debarkation. It was quick. Much better than sitting for hours on Explorer. My only complaint about that was they called too many people at once (when we were called it was TWO decks at once) and it was tough to get OUT of the elevator on deck 3! The whole elevator area was packed tight like sardines (with luggage) and people were just getting angry at eachother and pushing and shoving. Many of us were stuck in the open elevators with no where to go!!! Not sure if that was safe!

 

Speaking of safety - I never saw staff around the pool/deck area. Not in the daytime or at night. Shouldn't there be someone walking the decks?

 

All in all, I will never sail Carnival again. I would rather pay a little more to get better quality service, food and environment. I will definitely sail Explorer of the Seas again!!!!

[Mjasp]

I just read Omichele's post and she said the food also had a gel texture. What's with that?

 

Anyway, you get what you pay for, I'll stick with RCI and Disney. :)

 

Thanks for an honest post at the expense of being flamed.

[Gingee]

Oh no we are on the Victory in a couple weeks.

[Carnival Game]

We loved the Victory in May!

 

Light bulbs out in the lounge? :rolleyes: I wouldn't notice that. The ship appeared clean and in good condition.

 

Tacky decor? We thought the green/aqua was very pretty.

[Mjasp]

We loved the Victory in May!

 

Light bulbs out in the lounge? :rolleyes: I wouldn't notice that. The ship appeared clean and in good condition.

 

Tacky decor? We thought the green/aqua was very pretty.

 

I'm sure you would notice if many bulbs were out, they must have been on for your cruise. Must have blown since then.

 

You have to watch out when they don't maintain simple things. My uncle when he use to buy houses would always look at light switches and simple things, figuring if they didn't take care of the simple tasks, they wouldn't take care of the major ones. That was way before engineers came and checked your house for you.

[MrPete]

Sorry to see nothing's improved on the Victory.

[polandspring7562]

Oh my god, you have me worried im sailing the victory in 8 days =/

[lovestocruise@yahoo.com]

We are sailing The Victory in September and now you have me worried. We have a group of 15 and none of them, except my family, have cruised Carnival before. Last year we did Princess to Alaska...Hope this isn't going to be much of a let down for them! I guess the bottom line is.....it is what you make it!

[onceagain]

Can't wait to get on the Victory. I was a little concerned until you mentioned how gross the hairy chest contest was - we love it!

 

And St. John's boring.....wow, if St. John's is boring to you then I can see why you dislike most everything else. St. John's is absolutely beautiful in my opinion!

 

We'll be on the Victory in January and can't wait - a cruise is what you make of it so I know we'll love it!

[onceagain]

BTW: We sailed Explorer of the Seas :p and would put it at about a 2 on a scale of 1-10. Different strokes for different folks!

[Kat4Carolina]

I guess the bottom line is.....it is what you make it!

 

I can't agree more. Of course we went hoping and expecting a great time and that's what we got. But I think part of the reason is because we weren't looking for things to be wrong. I read the reviews, but took them with a grain of salt. I know there is no way to please everyone and just went knowing that I was on vacation, cooking and cleaning were being taken care of, and I wasn't at work. What more can you ask for?

 

I never noticed any thing physically being wrong with the ship, but then again I wasn't looking for it. We took part in the activities and had FUN. Yes the ship may be a little older, but considering the number of people that have been on the ship over the years, I thought it looked great. We even saw them painting the exterior while in port. It was clean and that's important to me.

 

Still working on that review...work has been crazy...go figure!

[Mr. John7322]

We just sailed the Victory July 7, 2008 and had the best time! If you found the hairy chest contest on TV 24/7 "nauseating" and "gross", then why didn't you change the channel??? It definetly wasn't the only channel on the television. We also didn't notice any light bulbs burnt out, but then again we were having too much fun to notice and actually care. The food was great and the service in the dining room was wonderful! The ship was very clean and in great shape for being almost 9 years old. Overall, our experience with Carnival was excellent. We would do another Carnival cruise without hesitation based on our experience on the Victory. People will take notice of minor issues and turn them into lengthy negative comments. People should not be worried or swayed by these comments, but rather just take the cruise with an open mind and enjoy themselves.

[dznymom]

Thanks for posting your review. I always appreciate when someone takes the time to explain the reasons for their opinions. Could you elaborate on the fire onstage? That certainly does sound scary!

 

I wish people would stop blindly defending everything and let those of us with a brain draw our own conclusions!! To justify poor maintenance and upkeep by saying that a ship is old when it was built in 2000 is simply ridiculous!

 

I'm sailing the Victory on Monday, and I am very much looking forward to it, even though Cristobal may be joining us :D

[Ascott318]

I'm sure Carnival will miss You.

[jeff1948]

we were on the victory june 19-23; st john was very nice and enjoyed out excursion, but the carnival experience.......after being treated like royalty on royal caribbean, we were so disappointed in carnival. the food was mediocre, barely hot, meager portions; sides missing from entrees, hard rolls,, in-attentive wait staff...

and cold pools and luke warm jacuzzis..when they were running.

the fitness center and spa were outstanding.

we are on princess this october. will let you know.

jeff in penna

[jrmende63]

Laura,

I am sorry you didn't have a good time on the Victory, we loved it. I don't know if you are aware but dining room times are NOT confirmed before boarding. You choose what you would like to have but it does not always work out to the time you wanted.

I can't believe you did not see the Ocean/ sealife theme on the Victory. Beautiful blues and greens everywhere.

Possibly the RCI line would be more your taste.

A cruise is what you make of it. Enjoy RCI, I wil stick to Carnival and the Carnival Corporation.

[spinkk]

My wife and I took a five-night cruise aboard the Victory on 5/26.08 from Charleston, SC to the Bahamas and enjoyed the ship. We found the colorful decor a little over-the-top and some of the Lido Deck activities a little too loud (we're in our sixties and this was our first cruise) but overall we were well pleased with the service, cleanliness, food and overall experience. We had a balcony cabin and found the staff's attention to detail was extremely thorough. I thought maintenance was very good, and noticed that our steward cleaned our cabin windows and balcony glass inside and out, daily. We ate in both the Atlantic and Pacific dining rooms and enjoyed the meals and had great service from Naidu and his crew. We found the Lido buffet crowded and not very good - typical buffet food. I liked the New York Deli's sandwiches. We ate most breakfasts on our balcony but had the breakfast buffet on Lido a couple of times and it was okay, if crowded.

 

Overall we thought the cruise was great value and would do it again.

 

My pix are at http://americansabroad.blogspot.com then click on the "Bahamas Cruise" link

[dragonflymy2000]

hmmmmmmmm....sorry everything was below par for your expectations.....i found the Victory a wonderful ship, yes she's a little old and wearing at the edges, and yes carnival is know for its "vegas style decor" (maybe they should have climbed down the side of the ship and cleaned your windows) to those who will sail on her soon enjoy your trip and remember it is what YOU make of it (ive been on RCL and that was nasty but another story...lol)

[jrmende63]

My wife and I took a five-night cruise aboard the Victory on 5/26.08 from Charleston, SC to the Bahamas and enjoyed the ship. We found the colorful decor a little over-the-top and some of the Lido Deck activities a little too loud (we're in our sixties and this was our first cruise) but overall we were well pleased with the service, cleanliness, food and overall experience. We had a balcony cabin and found the staff's attention to detail was extremely thorough. I thought maintenance was very good, and noticed that our steward cleaned our cabin windows and balcony glass inside and out, daily. We ate in both the Atlantic and Pacific dining rooms and enjoyed the meals and had great service from Naidu and his crew. We found the Lido buffet crowded and not very good - typical buffet food. I liked the New York Deli's sandwiches. We ate most breakfasts on our balcony but had the breakfast buffet on Lido a couple of times and it was okay, if crowded.

 

Overall we thought the cruise was great value and would do it again.

 

My pix are at http://americansabroad.blogspot.com then click on the "Bahamas Cruise" link

Spinkk...We live in Huger, near Charleston. Our son lives in Summerville ( Ladson road)

"howdy neighbor!"

[The Big Booper]

We took the Victory on the 5 night Canada run in 2006 and felt the same about the ship as the OP. Signs of poor and ignored maintenance everywhere. The decor was second and third rate Vegas and gaudy, and if you looked closely could see all the shortcuts and cheap-outs that Carnival uses in designing and building it's ships.

 

We didn't appreciate that almost every night the ass't waiters had to stop what they were doing and climb up on the platforms and pretend they were dancers. This messed up more than one meal. Thankfully RCI has eliminated this except for one night when they do the waiter parade at the end of the meal, not in the middle.

 

We also felt that the main theater and secondary lounge were poorly designed. The theater had a flat floor and support poles everywhere making it hard to see the shows. And a show lounge that we went to twice had support poles in many places. Cheaping out and cramming too many people into too small a ship, makes Carnival money and hurts the cruise experience.

 

The main lighting fixture in the theater, all garish and green like the rest of the ship, had more than half of the bulbs burned out. The photo arcade was crammed around the atrium and unlike RCI, which bends the outside skin and corridors of the ship around the big atriums (creates the much sought out hump cabins), the walkthrough around the atrium was narrow and congested, not to mention the anti-theft gizmos at the edges. Tells me what Carnival thinks of it's passengers.

 

There were people smoking everywhere, even in areas where no smoking signs were posted.

 

The crowds were everywhere, the ship is way too small for the people they cram in, just like most of the Carnival fleet and the newer Princess ships. At least the weather was cool and cloudy so we were not tempted to use the pool deck. Just looking at the staggered ampitheater seating, ouch! And the Lido buffet, with two serving lines for 3,000 people and having to carry plates and beverages upstairs to look for seating!

 

Back to the Exporer and the RCI Liberty OTS when it deploys to Bayonne for 2010. And the Victory is 8 months older than the Explorer but looked 8 years older. Deferred (and never done) maintenance always catches up with you.

 

This was our third (and last ) Carnival cruise. We always try to make the best of the situation but this still was the second worst cruise (of 24) we have ever taken. Only one worse was the Fascination in 2004 ( a booze cruise I guess). The pits in almost every way.

 

Last point, why do the lines copy each other's names? Liberty, Freedom, Splendour, etc.

[jrmende63]

For those of you who will be booked or going soon on the Victory, the previous poster was on the Victory BEFORE the dry dock of last year. A cruise is what you make of it. There are always going to be "cheerleaders" for each line, that is why there are so many different lines.

[The Big Booper]

For those of you who will be booked or going soon on the Victory, the previous poster was on the Victory BEFORE the dry dock of last year. A cruise is what you make of it. There are always going to be "cheerleaders" for each line, that is why there are so many different lines.

 

I was careful to point out that I was on the ship before the drydock so I can't comment on the current condition of the ship. My post talked about the basic design of the ship which pretty much mirrors all the Carnival Fleet except for the Spirit class.

 

There are too many people squeezed onto the ship and the layout is poor in terms of functionality and passenger flow, especially with the midship dining room blocking access to the rear dining room unless you hump and bump up and down the stairs along with hundreds of your fellow cruisers.

 

And the obsolete cafeteria lines in the Lido with limited seating on the serving level, no fun doing the juggling act with plates as you climb the stairs and then look for a table.

 

Decor is a matter of personal tastes.

 

And the flat floors and many poles in the theater and lounges. All the other lines have long since changed their theater layouts to eliminate these problems

 

There is a poster (Dzny??) currently on this ship doing a Live from.... thread. Her first morning and she complained about the long lines everywhere for breakfast. Poor ship design and saves a lot of money for the company at the expense of the passenger. She seemed to accept it as normal.

 

We tolerate the lines at the Disney parks because they have a wonderful and unique product.

 

Carnival doesn't, on either point above.

 

JMHO

[pungo3]

Wow, what a difference in opinion. I just got off the Victory on 7/21. I thought the ship was great. This was my 9th Carnival cruise and since it was only a 4 nighter, I really had no expectation. I just wanted to be on a ship and I needed some rest. I was very pleasantly surprised.

 

I thought the food was great. Even my tablemates commented that they thought the food was much better than their last cruise on NCL. I've only sailed Carnival and Princess but I do feel Carnival's food is a bit better than Princess.

 

I was surprised at how well maintained the ship was. I was looking closely because I wanted to add a section about the ship's condition in my review. All I could find wrong were a few broken tiles by the Siren pool and some of the hallways had carpet stains (not really bad stains but I could see them). Other than that, I thought the ship was in great shape.

 

Yes, St. Johns is rather boring but I knew that before I booked the cruise. I didn't get off the ship but my husband and nephew went into town and found plenty to keep them entertained for about 5 hours. Best of all, it was free. The walk to town from the ship is less than 10 minutes and the walkway is very well marked. It couldn't have been any easier.

 

I guess it's all in the 'eye of the beholder' but I thought the Victory was great and the cruise exceeded my expectations in all categories.

[Wags67]

Oh no we are on the Victory in a couple weeks.

 

Take it with a grain of salt, Gingee....I've read so many negative stories about the Destiny...we sailed her this past Oct and it was great! We are sailing on the Victory this October and I'm looking forward to it....negative reviews or not...Happy Sailin:)

[Gingee]

So what is there to do in St. John's that is different from the U.S.?