Let me start by saying this will be a review of the CARNIVAL VICTORY and the cruise. NOT a review of all the garbage people complain about on these reviews that the cruise line has no control over (like 6 ships in St Thomas at the same time :rolleyes:)

We took a Western Caribbean cruise on 4/22-4/29 of 07. First, the embarkation in Miami went very well we felt, especially since my party got there too early. Suggestion: Do not arrive before 11AM. Traffic is absolutely horrendous with people leaving and arriving at the same time. After 11 or so, the traffic seemed to really slow down comparatively. The baggage handlers were nice and helpful, taking our bags, checking for tags, trying to direct traffic to keep it moving, and not get killed. It was a fairly organized chaos in my opinion. We got on the ship around 11ish and were given a flyer that said we could not go to our rooms until approx 1:30 but we could enjoy lunch until that time. Very nice, no issues. That worked out well. At 1:30 or so we went to our room. We had a balcony cabin on the Empress deck(7) that was very nice. Clean, tidy..no issues. Maybe could have used a few extra hangers, but no that's small potatoes. We didn't get our beach towels at first, but that was fixed quickly with a call to our room steward. The room steward by the way was a very nice man from India. In fact, the entire crew on this ship were friendly, smiling, etc. Probably hard to do all the time with their jobs, but they did it. The crew are an asset to the ship. Our cruise director was OK too. So all in all the set up of the ship was fine. Rooms and public areas were clean, bars nice, people nice. A pleasant experience from that perspective. I liked the ports as well. Especially Grand Cayman. Do the stingray swim..quite fun!!

Food: this is the one that I rated lower than the rest, and mostly for the buffet. I was on Victory last year and the buffet I felt was exceptional, a little less than that this year. Some of the choices at lunch and dinner were strange. Breakfast was the same everyday and not that great. The sausages reminded me of the ones you get from Dennys (ick) and I LIKE sausage. The dining room was nice. We only did one formal night and actually met a couple who lived one mile from us in Michigan(small world). I had the Prime Rib and liked it quite a bit. My wife had the salmon, which was I believe broiled on the menu, she asked for grilled, the waiter didn't blink an eye and it was very good. Probably the best salmon I have ever tasted. I ordered the Lobster, just to try it, because I have never had it. Realizing I can't stand Lobster after trying it, I won't review that...for all I know it was superb. Entertainment was good, comedian was FUNNY. Some of the goofball stuff they do like the hairy chest contest are OK, but nothing spectacular. Drinks were decent. I was ordering a single Dewar's on the rocks from the Lobby Bar and she was filling my glass to the top. So basically I was getting about a double for $5. Not a bad deal. Mixed drinks were strong, they were not being cheap. Yes it's pricey overall, but everyone elses is too. Weather was great! Ride a little bumpy at times, but you got used to it. On time in every situation. We did the self-assist debarkation and it was fine, except for the mad dash for the elevators!!! Couple notes from the other reviews I have read about the Victory: 1) It is NOT a non-smoking ship. I don't know where the reviewer got that info, but it's incorrect. There are non-smoking areas, but in the open air, you can smoke. Worked for me, I smoked probably 3 cigars a day, always in the open air or on my balcony. 2) Booze. THERE IS NO LIMIT. You can buy as many bottles as you want. The limit is on the tax and duty free portion. We came back with 7 bottles of hooch, and paid an extra $13 in duties for going over the limit. Not a bad deal at all. Extra bottles will run on average $2 per over your limit, if the customs agent feels like going through the hassle of calculating it. Last year we paid no duties. Also, the ship will match any price you get on land. Just snap a picture and show it to him. I did it, and he matched my price, and made me delete the picture in front of him (HA HA). 3) Read more