Hello fellow cruise enthusiasts, this was my 20th cruise. I had not sailed with Carnival Lines since 1986. I chose the 9/11/2004 New England/Canada sailing from New York City on the Carnival Victory. One of the reasons, I chose 9/11/2004 was that the 7 day itinerary began for New England/Canada. As an avid fan of Celebrity due to their outstanding food and service, I had very little expectations of Carnival in the same regard, but I wanted to try it.
Glad I did. Okay, there were positives. Since I was a single traveller, I had to pay practically two fares. I was advised that my cabin would contain bunk beds. What a pleasant surprise!! My cabin was the largest I ever had on a cruise ship. I had one single bed, a sitting area, tons of closet space, lovely terry robes, and two large windows! I loved the music channels in the cabin -- lots of selection.
The ship is typical Carnival. Some public rooms were magnificently decorated and in good taste. I especially liked the selection of piped in music at the outside buffets. The main lobby area is very green and really a bit too glitzy. The Atlantic and Pacific restaurants are downright ugly in decor. You should request a seat on the lower levels in order to get a view. I loved one of the bar areas where you could see videos of live marine life. Neat! The ship is an architectural monstrosity. It is huge and the public areas are not reached easily. One finds themselves going up, down, and around and the maps are not helpful. The gift shops had a lot of great bargains on perfumes, cosmetics, cigarettes, and hair accessories.