cruise virgins - considering Carnival Victory

[sunseeker09]

My husband and I have never been on a cruise. (I can hear you gasping, but it is true). We are all-inclusive addicts, and have been to several Caribbean destinations. We love the freedom of the all-inclusive concept, not pulling out the wallet all the time, scuba diving, snorkeling, and lazing on the beach. Typically we go for smaller, more laid back resorts and avoid crowds. So I am not entirely sure that cruises are for us. I have been trying to research the ins and outs of cruising (for dummies 101? lol) to be sure we are fully informed before we decide. So here I am on this site.

So why are we now considering a cruise? Well, it's expensive and difficult (long flights) to get to the islands of the Lesser Antilles from where we live, so are thinking that a Southern Caribbean Cruise would be a good way to see several islands on one trip, then perhaps make a plan to go back for longer stay on a favorite one.

So the cruise I found that fits the bill is a Southern Caribbean cruise (at Xmas) on Carnival Victory. The ports are all ones we would be interested in and have not vacationed at, and I love that it does 6 ports and is not at sea on Xmas day. Plus, the price is much cheaper than other cruises I am looking at. However, that raises red flags for me. Should it? How does this ship compare?

Priority one for us is the ports, not so much the ship. We've done 3.5 star AIs, so luxury isn't important. A balcony is important, as I believe I would be claustrophobic in an inside cabin. But the balcony price is affordable on this cruise. We've been places with lame evening entertainment. No big deal. We don't care that much and don't gamble. A drink on the balcony after dinner sounds nicer to me than partying. We'd be getting up early anyway. We often do adult-only AI resorts. Does this line/particular ship tend to be very popular with families and hence a lot of children? I don't know that it would be a big issue, as I think we'd be having breakfast and disembarking for the day, but it might be nice to know what to expect.

Which leads me to a few questions?

Do a lot of people do this? Not go back to the ship for lunch? Do many do their own thing (like go and find a beach), rather than partake in the organized group excursions?

Oh, and if you have been on a cruise over Xmas, what's that like? Is everything closed in the ports?

Those of you who have been on this ship, what do you think of it?

Or not... do you think this cruise might be a good fit for our first cruise? I would love some honest input. TIA

[scchasgal]

My husband and I have never been on a cruise. (I can hear you gasping, but it is true). We are all-inclusive addicts, and have been to several Caribbean destinations. We love the freedom of the all-inclusive concept, not pulling out the wallet all the time, scuba diving, snorkeling, and lazing on the beach. Typically we go for smaller, more laid back resorts and avoid crowds. So I am not entirely sure that cruises are for us. I have been trying to research the ins and outs of cruising (for dummies 101? lol) to be sure we are fully informed before we decide. So here I am on this site.

So why are we now considering a cruise? Well, it's expensive and difficult (long flights) to get to the islands of the Lesser Antilles from where we live, so are thinking that a Southern Caribbean Cruise would be a good way to see several islands on one trip, then perhaps make a plan to go back for longer stay on a favorite one.

So the cruise I found that fits the bill is a Southern Caribbean cruise (at Xmas) on Carnival Victory. The ports are all ones we would be interested in and have not vacationed at, and I love that it does 6 ports and is not at sea on Xmas day. Plus, the price is much cheaper than other cruises I am looking at. However, that raises red flags for me. Should it? How does this ship compare?

Priority one for us is the ports, not so much the ship. We've done 3.5 star AIs, so luxury isn't important. A balcony is important, as I believe I would be claustrophobic in an inside cabin. But the balcony price is affordable on this cruise. We've been places with lame evening entertainment. No big deal. We don't care that much and don't gamble. A drink on the balcony after dinner sounds nicer to me than partying. We'd be getting up early anyway. We often do adult-only AI resorts. Does this line/particular ship tend to be very popular with families and hence a lot of children? I don't know that it would be a big issue, as I think we'd be having breakfast and disembarking for the day, but it might be nice to know what to expect.

Which leads me to a few questions?

Do a lot of people do this? Not go back to the ship for lunch? Do many do their own thing (like go and find a beach), rather than partake in the organized group excursions?

Oh, and if you have been on a cruise over Xmas, what's that like? Is everything closed in the ports?

Those of you who have been on this ship, what do you think of it?

Or not... do you think this cruise might be a good fit for our first cruise? I would love some honest input. TIA

I loved this ship but it took my about 5 days to find my way around cause it was so large. I don't think for a first cruise you should do a Christmas cruise. We went on one this past Christmas and they are booked beyond the double occupancy number listed for the ship. We were 700 passengers over the double occ and you know that was kids since they are out of school. There were lineups for everything and most of the kids were unruly as they were excited. We set sail on Christmas day and arrived in Nassau on the next day and most things were closed.

 

 

Since you said you usually do AI's for adults I would definitely NOT do a Christmas cruise but choose another time when the kiddies are back in school maybe the second week in January?

[sunseeker09]

Good point! Thanks for your honesty. We typically travel in Jan. or Feb, so we're unprepared for all the kids and extra people at Xmas time. :o lol.

So... if we were to do the same cruise in Jan. you think we'd likely enjoy this ship and route?

[scchasgal]

Good point! Thanks for your honesty. We typically travel in Jan. or Feb, so we're unprepared for all the kids and extra people at Xmas time. :o lol.

So... if we were to do the same cruise in Jan. you think we'd likely enjoy this ship and route?

 

Yes I wouldn't hesitate to sail her again. We are like you and don't party just a cocktail or two in the evening. We love balconies and order coffee room service in the morning to have coffee on the balcony - heaven. We get up early as we don't want to waste our cruise sleeping late.

[trock]

HI

We have been on about 10 cruises, the Victory being one of them and I really would not recommend this for a first cruise.

I feel it's poorly laid out -maybe not so much confusing but inconvenient.. Not a fan of the stadium seating around the pools..

 

I would suggest something in the Spirit Class, Miracle, Legend Pride..

These ships seem to consistantly get great reviews.. The Victory not so much..

 

Good Luck!!

[scchasgal]

HI

We have been on about 10 cruises, the Victory being one of them and I really would not recommend this for a first cruise.

I feel it's poorly laid out -maybe not so much confusing but inconvenient.. Not a fan of the stadium seating around the pools..

 

I would suggest something in the Spirit Class, Miracle, Legend Pride..

These ships seem to consistantly get great reviews.. The Victory not so much..

 

Good Luck!!

 

We love to people watch and stadium seating gives us the best views LOL

[nuthut]

My wife and I done 2 southern Carribean cruises with our most recent Feb 8 on the Victory. Absolutely wonderful! Enjoyed all the ports and San Juan too. I would not go during Christmas try anytime in Jan or Feb except the third week of Feb. (Presidents week-Very busy)

[emtccdoc2]

My honeymoon was on the Victory. My husband and I are now addicted to cruising. The balcony is wonderful and key to having your own privacy when children are around. I would also advise you to travel in January, less children and the airfare is usually cheaper. We have done both excursions with the cruise lines, and explored on our own. If you go on your own, just leave yourself enough time to get back to the ship on time. They will leave without you. Hope that helps.

Helaine

[pomm1972]

I went on her 6 years ago when she did western. Yes it is a large ship but everything is on the same deck as far as bars, casino, clubs, etc as they are on I believe all CCL ships. Of all the cruises (5) It was my favorite. My favorite place ended up being the piano bar we were there every night. As far as the stateroom, if money is an object, an inside room is fine. You will not feel claustrophobic. I have found myself not spending much time in the room anyway. However, that being said I'm looking forward to my first balcony on the Legend in July.

[Dr Cruz]

We were on the Victory several years ago and LOVED it. The crew was extremely friendly, we had great service. We also used to do All Inclusive resorts in the Caribbean but we love cruising more. You do have to pay for drinks on the cruise but the level of service is great and we love visiting multiple ports in one trip. We've never cruised at Christmas, we don't love kids, so we usually travel when kids are in school.

 

Don't let the price scare you, Carnival has the best values in cruising. I recently compared the same cruise itinerary on 5 different cruise lines and Carnival beat them all hands down. :)

[sunseeker09]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel better now that the ship would be fine for us, but I agree that going at Xmas wouldn't be the best experience. I prefer not to travel at Xmas, since it's so busy and expensive. Since we don't have kids, it wouldn't be neccessary, except my husband's company will be shut down for the holidays, which is why we're considering it. If we do vacation then, I think we'll seek out another adult-only AI. But... we will keep this cruise on our list. Hey, we can't know if we'll like cruises unless we try, right? ...and this one has the perfect itinerary, which is key for us.

In the meantime, I'll be reading this forum to learn more about cruises. Thanks again :)

[wentworth]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I feel better now that the ship would be fine for us, but I agree that going at Xmas wouldn't be the best experience. I prefer not to travel at Xmas, since it's so busy and expensive. Since we don't have kids, it wouldn't be neccessary, except my husband's company will be shut down for the holidays, which is why we're considering it. If we do vacation then, I think we'll seek out another adult-only AI. But... we will keep this cruise on our list. Hey, we can't know if we'll like cruises unless we try, right? ...and this one has the perfect itinerary, which is key for us.

In the meantime, I'll be reading this forum to learn more about cruises. Thanks again :)

 

 

We loved our Southern Caribbean cruise on the Victory. The islands

are beautiful and there is plenty to do. We usually cruise in late Feb

or early March. Most of our excursions are booked over the internet.

However, you can wait until you dock and make arrangements for

an island tour with any of the MANY taxis or tour people waiting as

you get off. They will also take you to a beach. We usually get lunch on the islands as we love to try different cusines.

 

Of our nine cruises we enjoyed this one the best, we like touring all

the islands and keeping busy. Most days we were back on the ship

around 2............just in time to take a nap before getting ready for

dinner and the shows:).

[NCTribeFan]

You might want to read this thread...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=983541&highlight=

 

I just got home on Tuesday night and I'm still tired.

 

There is NO WAY that I would recommend this cruise for a new cruiser.

 

My #1 priority is also the ports, which is why I did an island tour (5 also included a beach stop) in every port. I didn't go all that way to sit on the ship or "just" go to a beach.

 

So although most of the time was spent sitting in a minibus, it was still exhausting. We didn't even do "activity" type excursions. The most activity was Levi Baron's tour in Dominica.

 

I plan on writing and posting my review this weekend.

 

Victory is a lovely ship and I absolutely love San Juan, but I just would not recommend this for a first cruise.

 

Even if the ship isn't that important to you, you still should get some of the ship experience. We literally just got up early, had breakfast, went on tour, got back mid-afternoon and had a late lunch, took showers, had a nap, went to dinner, spent a brief amount of time in the casino, and went to bed.

 

And we're both still exhausted (and DD just turned 23)! I thought it was a wonderful cruise but I'm not even sure I'd do an all-port itinerary again!

 

I know everyone thinks you absolutely MUST do a 7-day cruise whenever possible, but I actually think a 5-day is a great introduction to cruising. If you hate it, you haven't invested nearly as much time or money, yet it's long enough to give you a good taste of what it's all about, with a good mix of port & sea days.

 

But if you really want 7 days, I'd do one that has 4 ports & 2 sea days.

[FlaKrznNubie]

Here is alot of info on the Victory...

 

http://unofficialcarnivalwiki.com/images/f/f4/Carnival_Victory_Info.pdf

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=980056

 

 

I agree with above poster, the Victory cruise is in no way a typical cruise itinerary.. it's very port intensive so you miss the relaxing time of sea days unless you decide not to get off a certain ports....

 

I would not recommend this as a first cruise.... you will be too busy and might not feel like it was a vacation.

[tiggerman101]

Alright, I am in the opposite camp then the above. I just did this cruise in March. Based on what you wrote you were looking for I think you would love this cruise. True, you won't get to know the ship as well as other cruises, but that doesn't sound like what you are looking for anyway. You can just get off the ship and stay off all day if you want (which is pretty much what we did). The islands are incredible and it is a great opportunity to see a lot which sounds like what you are looking for. Our dinner table consisted of 6 other people, all who had never cruised before and they loved it. It sounds like you would be using the ship as a means to get to all the islands and this is perfect for that.

 

As for a few other questions, I think the prices are a bit lower due to the fact that Carnival knows a lot of people are factoring in the airfare prices to San Juan. The ship itself is nice and has a lot of good features. I mean no offense here, but I never really understand how people get really lost on a ship after a day or two. Just look at the deck plans and realize the Promenade deck can get you just about where ever you need to go. You need to go up or down a few levels to get to the dining rooms, etc but it really isn't a big deal.

 

I do agree that Christmas might not be the best time of year. There will most likely be a lot of kids running around. We had 700+ kids on our Fascination Christmas cruise last year and that is a smaller ship. Look at January or February and you should find some great deals. Or look at the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I loved our balcony on this cruise (aft) because we passed so many islands in the night and it was fun to see us cruise past them.

 

As for the ports, they are all wonderful. You can do whatever you want in the time allowed. We only did 2 Carnival excursions and the other four islands we went off on our own or booked a private tour. All in all, for what you are looking for I think it would be a great opportunity. This was my favorite cruise so far and I would do it again easily. I have a detailed review with a lot of pics in my signature. Just click on the link next to "Victory- Southern Caribbean".

[livestocruisetoo]

Four of the my first five cruises where port intensive. There's a little of that 'I ate the whole thing!" syndrome but it is worth it. Besides, there will be plenty of things you won't be able to do so you can go over and over and over again. :D

 

If you pick a 5 day, the Fantasy out of New Orleans is great. Spend a day or two there to get primed. Great prices on places to stay and you need to get infected by the joie de vivre.

 

Jusr remember you can always rest up when you get back to work. :eek:

[sunseeker09]

My #1 priority is also the ports, which is why I did an island tour (5 also included a beach stop) in every port. I didn't go all that way to sit on the ship or "just" go to a beach.

 

.....We literally just got up early, had breakfast, went on tour, got back mid-afternoon and had a late lunch, took showers, had a nap, went to dinner, spent a brief amount of time in the casino, and went to bed.

 

And we're both still exhausted (and DD just turned 23)! I thought it was a wonderful cruise but I'm not even sure I'd do an all-port itinerary again!

 

 

I appreciate all the warnings about doing a very port intensive cruise, especially for a first cruise. I do realize it would end up being a much busier vacation than an AI, but that would be the purpose... to see and do more. If we spent a whole day at sea I'd be pining for a beach to lay on or an island to explore.

 

Lots of great food for thought here.

 

But NCTribefan, you pretty much exactly described what we're looking for.

 

So if the ship is in port until 5pm, when do you typically head back? Does it take awhile to board? When we were in Grand Cayman there were soooo many people all lined up waiting to get on, and so many people in town that I would avoid cruise ship days like the plaque. I know if we'd gotten off one of those ships we would have bee-lined outta there to SMB beach or Rum-Point. So I could see port days as also being relaxing, no?

 

Are there 4 or 5 days cruises in the Southern Caribbean route? We know that is the route we want to do. We've been to Jamaica, Mexico, Caymans, Turks & Caicos and Cuba, so we want the Lesser Antilles for sure, and we'd want to leave out of either San Juan or Barbados (be nice to combine with time at a resort there I'd think)

 

Thanks for all your advice everyone :)

[tiggerman101]

You have to be back on the ship 30 mins prior to sail away. You have a good amount of time at each island. All of these islands are docked so getting back on is no problem at all. Maybe a short line, but it is not like tendering (which is what you have to do at Grand Cayman). Also a lot of these ports are not cruise heavy places. Barbados was the only busy port we stopped in. We were the only ship in Dominica and St Kitts.

 

You can do a shorter cruise and go from San Juan to Barbados or Barbados to San Juan, but I would just do the full loop. I understand why people are leary recommending such a port intensive cruise to a first timer. However, it really seems to fit what you are looking for judging by your posts.

[April-in-NC]

My first cruise was on the Victory in 2006, but we had the Western route. I really liked the ship and the only thing that we had trouble finding was the Internet Cafe (it was in some random location that you could only access through one set of stairs).

 

If you do this cruise, please fly in a day or two early. This will make sure you actually get there in time (especially if you are traveling in the winter from storm prone areas) and will give you a day or so to rest so you don't start your vacation exhausted. :)

[sunseeker09]

You have to be back on the ship 30 mins prior to sail away. You have a good amount of time at each island. All of these islands are docked so getting back on is no problem at all. Maybe a short line, but it is not like tendering (which is what you have to do at Grand Cayman). Also a lot of these ports are not cruise heavy places. Barbados was the only busy port we stopped in. We were the only ship in Dominica and St Kitts.

 

You can do a shorter cruise and go from San Juan to Barbados or Barbados to San Juan, but I would just do the full loop. I understand why people are leary recommending such a port intensive cruise to a first timer. However, it really seems to fit what you are looking for judging by your posts.

 

Yes, good point. The fact that Grand Cayman is tendered, and can often have as many as 7 ships in port in a day, is what makes it so busy. It's so nice to hear that other ports aren't as busy.

 

Ok, now I really want to go. You guys are awesome at selling cruises! :cool:

So what's the fall like? Less busy? Cheaper? (although honestly, under $1000 per person, w/balcony, at Xmas is already a good price to me!) I know it's technically hurricane season until the end of Nov. but at least ships have the ability to change course.

[sunseeker09]

Ok, so I keep thinking about this cruise, the ports, looking at photos, etc....

So when does it typically start to get busy for the Xmas season? The weekend before?

We did Jamaica over New Years one time and the resort (not aven adult only) wasn't tha busy since kids needed to get back to school.

I ask because if we decide our vacation must be over the holidays, maybe we could go early, (or late) then spend time in the port city over Christmas itself?

[geologygeek]

Hey Sunseeker09 - we got back from this cruise at the start of May. The ship is fine (the interior is pretty over the top and vile - we felt like we were in a tacky nightclub). But, we (just like you) went for the ports. Dinner on the ship was fine and service was pretty good (breakfast was pretty feral and well lunch - well we never had it).

 

Just make sure you get a balcony cabin - because you embark in San Juan you can pick up as much alcohol from the duty free shop in the terminal as you can fit in your bags and carry it on. It was great to be able to come back from ashore have a couple of drinks on the balcony, go on down to dinner and then have an digestif or two and plan the next day (again on the balcony).

 

I'd also advice you to get the public bus to most places, very easy to do in St Lucia, Antigua, Barbados and St Thomas - and it never cost more than US$3 each to get where we wanted to go! Those tours (especially the Carnival ones) can add up - $80 a day per person for six ports - yep ....

 

I'd book the cruise for an early/mid December departure or an early January one - cheap time to travel.

 

Enjoy!

[geologygeek]

Oh and yep before the cruise we went to Vieques in Puerto Rico (45 minute drive and then 1 1/4 hour ferry from Fajardo). These were by far and away the best beaches that we went too. And Old San Juan is an excellent place to stay for a few days - good food and mojitos to boot! Perhaps you could do this after you cruise - I'd highly recommend it.

[hues of blues]

sunseeker09,

We are doing cruise #8 this next February and it will be our 4th southern caribbean one ( twice on Destiny and twice on Victory). Three of these cruises have been the 3rd week of Feb ( and will be next yr) and I have to disagree about there being alot of kids on board because of Presidents week. We have never witnessed that I believe it because the air is generally much higher to San Juan then say Miami or Orlando ,so if people are traveling with children they don't seem to do this one as much. If you love to explore and wake up somewhere new every morning then any cruise will be ok for you. I think the key is to not try to do too much or to see everything. Do your research on the islands and pick a few to just relax on and the others to explore. We have done many things ( some adventurous and some not) on many of differant islands but I can say without a doubt that southern caribbean is my favorite. Also, we always book our excursions ourselves as the prices are much cheaper and usually end up with a much smaller group of people and therefore more personal.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at sheflann@aol.com

 

Sherri

[hues of blues]

Sunseeker,

Just another comment. We always fly down the day before our cruise ( especially when going to San Juan) and this last year we decided to fly back out the Monday after the cruise. That turned out to be our day to relax before returning home -to a frozen water main-pretty much wanted to get right back on the boat at that point.:)