Carnival Victory Review

3.5 / 5.0
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Had a Great Cruise!

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Victory
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BigBillFL
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Apr 2013
Cabin: Interior

This was our second cruise with Carnival, and our 13Th cruise since 2005. Carnival Exceeded my expectations, No kidding! We went to Key West, and Cozumel. Been to Key West several times, Cozumel once. We did the Dolphin Experience which was everything we'd expected. It was Magical!

We were looking for a quick, long-weekend getaway. Carnival had this cruise available for a very good price. We normally get a balcony room, but for a last-minute short cruise (4 nights) we opted for an inside cabin albeit with some trepidation. When arriving at the port, check-in was very straightforward and moved along as best it could with 2700+ passengers there to board. Once on board, I was pleasantly surprised with the beauty and interior of the ship. After reading many reviews here, I was expecting the worst. The Victory is aging well! We found the comfort of the ship to be surprisingly smooth! She handles the seas very well, and we hardly felt any movement. The ships master's were Pros in her handling! Actually, the smoothest handling of any of the ships we've cruised on. The seas were running in the 3-6 ft range which made for an exceptional ride! The ship was clean and there was an abundance of staff maintaining it's cleanliness and appearance throughout the ship. I did read some reviews that "the flow" of the ship was off... well, not really. It's just different. The Lido deck buffet entryways were constricted a bit from what we are used to, but it was no more cramped than any of the Princess ships we've been on. Maybe just a little, but not enough to complain about. Other reviews talked about the buffet choices of food offerings. I agree somewhat with those assessments. But hey, this is Carnival... They are the "McDonald's" of the cruise industry. You get decent bang for your buck. The food was always good no matter where on the ship you were eating. The Pizza was excellent, the Hamburgers at the Pool grill was equally excellent with a host of other condiments as well. There were many soft-serve ice cream machines around which we liked. The Omelet station on the aft deck was manned by very friendly staff and did a great job making my omelet. The sandwich bar on the port side of the Lido buffet area was excellent. They could make you just about anything, and it was delicious. The shining star in my opinion was the Asian Wok station on the starboard side of the Lido buffet. Their food was nothing short of Outstanding! and we ate there often.

The dinner fare in the Atlantis dining room was excellent. The Maitre D was super friendly and seated us at a table that was more accommodating than the booth were were originally assigned. We requested late dining but got earlier dining, not a problem, you've just got to roll with it... We sat at table #348, our waiter "Peter" and his assistant were outstanding! Our dinners were very good with the exception of the prime rib. Peter offered to replace it, but it was acceptable enough to eat, just dry. One thing I believe the Executive Chef should do is include a "sauce" with his en tree's. The prime rib had no Au jus, as was the same with our other dishes. Not sure why. That's not so say dinner wasn't good, it was EXCELLENT! I'm just being a bit picky on this issue. The bread offerings were fresh and delicious, the desserts were terrific, specifically, the Chocolate Pudding cake... to die for! There was also an alternate menu that was very good too. No complaints at all in the dining room. Didn't try the Sushi bar, or do any sit-down breakfasts in any of the dining rooms, so I can't offer a critique there.

Cabin Review

Interior

Cabin 4B

Wide hallways, easy access to ships elevators, staterooms were very roomy and closet space average. Bathrooms were surprisingly large and well equipped. I've been more cramped on Princess' ships in Balcony rooms! believe it or not. We loved the room even though it didn't have a balcony. We were midships, port side, we always had a terrific ride, hardly felt any ship movement. Seas were relatively calm 3-6 ft. - for a cruise ship, that's nothing really. We were very comfortable in our stateroom.

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