Carnival Victory Review
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This was our second cruise, but first family cruise. Our first cruise was on Carnival 18 years ago. Our main complaint about cruising is you're never in a port long enough to get a feel for the place. The on-board experience on this cruise made up for those short times in port. Our kids( ds15, dd14, and ds11) absolutely loved the cruise and my dh and I were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it, as well.
We booked (through Carnival) 2 inside cabins on the main deck, but were told they didn't have any adjoining cabins left. After a month, prices had dropped and 2 adjoining outside cabins on the main deck towards the rear of the ship near the elevators became available for an additional $40 per person. We were also told our fares were lower because of a residency discount (not enough pax from OH). Spirit Air had great rates to Ft. Lauderdale. I tried to get rooms on Priceline for pre and post stays. It only worked post and we got a 4* hotel for $140/night. I recommend www.biddingfortravel.com to see winning Priceline bids.
Check-in at noon was a breeze, even without a previously completed FunPass. Our staterooms were slightly smaller than a hotel room, but nicely appointed. We had robes and a basket of sample toiletries in the bathroom. The bathroom was SMALL and the single outlet was made for men's shavers only. The two twin beds (pushed together) were comfortable. The kids had 3 single beds (3rd bed where we had a sofa). Closets were large and had around 15 hangers. The rooms were cleaned twice daily, but the cabin steward wasn't the one scrubbing the bathroom. Apparently he has others working for him so I'm not sure how many people were entering our cabins. They only work mornings and evenings. Unfortunately, ds11 vomited in the middle of the room one afternoon and we couldn't reach anyone to clean it up. We even tried the housekeeping pager #. Even though I went on the ship tour, I still had a hard time getting around. 3rd and 4th level hallways don't go through the ship. I thought the decorating was nice and the ship was in fairly good shape...only one carpet stain in the main deck hallway.