Carnival Victory for the Royal Caribbean crowd?

[offdutyOshawa]

I realize there are many opinions on this, but for someone who has cruised RCI many times out of San Juan, and likes their ship, 'Adventure', how would we enjoy Carnival 'Victory'?

 

It seems Adventure is getting quite pricey, while Victory's prices appear very attractive, looking at February 2012.

 

What's the deal there? Two big ships. Same port. Similar itineraries. How different can these really be, and why?

 

Thanks!

[James in SA]

If the price is attractive why don't you try it?

 

I've only been on Voyager, and I found it to be a nice ship. The artwork on Voyager was nicer and it was a little bigger than my home port Carnival ship Conquest.

 

On the other hand the rooms are quite a bit larger on the Carnival ships. On the Victory an oceanview is 220sf, and even an inside is 185sf.

 

I think either ship will show you a good time. If You see a good price on Victory, give her a try. :)

[CORKY_Q]

We've done RCCL a number of times and love them, but...........we're sailing the Victory 10/02/11 and really looking forward to it.........We've done the Southern Caribbean before so this time the ships the destination and we're looking forward to a real restful trip.:D:D:D

[joeyancho]

There is a big difference between the two ships. I have sailed both and prefer the Adverture. But money talks. Bon Voyage.

[pjhootch]

Victory is less... classy? Not sure what the word I'm looking for is. Don't want to make it sound like the Victory is a garbage barge. :D

 

Victory is a smaller ship. The itinerary is great. I actually love the ship, even the biting seahorses. I've heard people describe the decor as tacky... and although that wouldn't be my first word for it, it may not appeal to everyone.

 

The rooms are nice and large. The facilities are fine, dining rooms are nice, pools are small but I don't go in them anyway. The last time we cruised her there was no serenity area, so I'm looking forward to that this time around.

 

The ship isn't brand new, and the last time were on her she was a bit frayed around the edges. Since then there has been a dry dock with new carpeting and some other basic upkeep.

 

We found the food to be good (although haven't tried the new menus which are a sore spot around here).

 

I didn't have any complaints and didn't find anything that was a problem. If people are looking for a sleek, glittery, modern cruise ship, the Victory probably isn't the right ship. Good food, okay entertainment, nice staterooms, and an itinerary that can't be beat at a really good price. Works for us enough we are doing it again.

 

If I had to dig up something to complain about, the only thing I can think of is the lido deck bathrooms by the main pool were pretty consistently disgusting. Staff seemed to constantly be cleaning them, but after a couple of tries I gave up and just went back to our room since we were on the Panorama Deck very close by.

 

There is a thread with everything Victory in it, and there are many pictures in reviews. Take a look at them and if you like the price, take the plunge.

[twocruiseguys]

We sailed the Adventure of the Seas on the Southern Caribbean itinerary a few years ago. Absolutely loved the ship and the itinerary. But even then it was a bit more pricey than a similar sailing on Carnival.

In comparing the AOS to the Conquest-class ships on Carnival (we have sailed the Conquest multiple times), I tend to prefer the overall layout of the AOS. To me, the concept of the one 3-level dining room instead of the two 2-level dining rooms seems to open up more space. And of course the open feeling of the Royal Promenade is awesome. A one-stop shop for stores, bars, foods, and people-watching. In fact, we had a Promenade stateroom on that cruise. Great view of the sail-away parades.

Now, all that being said, we tend to stick with Carnival. Pricing is a key factor, and with all other factors being equal (food, entertainment, itineraries), Carnival usually wins out for us. We are treated well, the staterooms are noticeably larger, and we have never been disappointed.

I think you will enjoy the Victory, if for nothing other than the opportunity to explore a new vessel.

Have a great cruise !

[ricew001]

We did the Carnival Southern Carribean in January of this year and it truly was a perfect ship. I have the review in my tag line if you're interested in details. I don't see how you can be disappointed! Enjoy!!

[twocruiseguys]

We sailed the Adventure of the Seas on the Southern Caribbean itinerary a few years ago. Absolutely loved the ship and the itinerary. But even then it was a bit more pricey than a similar sailing on Carnival.

In comparing the AOS to the Conquest-class ships on Carnival (we have sailed the Conquest multiple times), I tend to prefer the overall layout of the AOS. To me, the concept of the one 3-level dining room instead of the two 2-level dining rooms seems to open up more space. And of course the open feeling of the Royal Promenade is awesome. A one-stop shop for stores, bars, foods, and people-watching. In fact, we had a Promenade stateroom on that cruise. Great view of the sail-away parades.

Now, all that being said, we tend to stick with Carnival. Pricing is a key factor, and with all other factors being equal (food, entertainment, itineraries), Carnival usually wins out for us. We are treated well, the staterooms are noticeably larger, and we have never been disappointed.

I think you will enjoy the Victory, if for nothing other than the opportunity to explore a new vessel.

Have a great cruise !

Oops. My bad. The Victory is a Triumph-class ship, not a Conquest-class. The Victory is a bit smaller than the Conquest, but the comparisons I was drawing are still valid with regards to layout and amenities.

[PurpleDog]

My wife and I took AOS out of San Juan in Oct 2008 and then Victory a year later in October 2009. Both were 7 day cruises. The itinerary's and ports of call were almost identical. We had a balcony on AOS and a balcony suite on the Victory.

 

The 2 main differences between the 2 ships were - to us anyway - very obvious. The entertainment and the food were - in our humble opinion - superior on AOS. AOS has a skating rink and put on a couple of amazing shows using the rink. They also had a fantastic Beatles cover band the week were were on the ship. I would gladly pay to see any or all of those AOS shows again in Vegas or Atlantic City. The entertainment on Victory was mediocre at best.

 

On the 1-10 scale, we'd give the food on AOS an 8-8.5, and the food on Victory a 6. The presentation and quality of the food on AOS in both the MDR and the buffets was much nicer. The Victory buffet seemed to be the same old thing day in and out. The Victory deli was a great, and I had several great meals there, but in my opinion, the best meal on a cruise should not be a hot pastrami sandwich.

 

We liked the room on the Victory better, but a suite is supposed to be nicer than a standard balcony room. Both casinos were about the same. AOS seemed "newer" and more upscale. The Victory seemed more crowded.

 

Having said all of the above, I will also state that Victory was a heck of alot cheaper for the same amount of cruise time. I remember thinking that I would never cruise with Carnival again because of the food. I have since altered my thoughts on that - I'm on a 5 day Carnival cruise on Elation in about 40 days. I don't expect to be wowed on Elation, and if I am, great. I'm going to relax and enjoy the time with my wife. I would expect to be wowed on AOS. It's like going to Applebee's vs. Morton's Steakhouse .. both are good, both are fun, and each has their own set of expectations.

 

I would choose RC for a 7 day and up, and Carnival for 3, 4, and 5 day trips.

 

Just my 2 cents ....

[cruisin'grandma]

I have done both, two times. I love the Adventure as far as the layout and decor of the ship. BUT.....Carnival cabins are bigger and the balconies are brighter. The balconies on RCI seem more closed in and no air moving.

 

The cabin decor on Carnival is very nice. Nothing like the rest of the ship. I do not care, for the most part, about the decor throughout the ship. My biggest concern on any ship is #1-clean, #2-good service and friendliness and #3-decent food.

 

Both ship offer the same. So.............money talks. RCI is pricing themselves out. I will stick with CCL in most cases. A lot depends on the itinerary also.

 

But, both ships offer a great itinerary.

So......good luck with your choice. It is one of those terrible decisions that we have to make during our life. :rolleyes:

 

ps.....as far as cruising goes, the ship is required to give me the 3 things above. I am responsible for making sure I have a good time.

[H82seaUgo]

personally, going from the adventurer to the victory is the wrong move. a very crowded ship with a poor lido layout.

[frito58]

I realize there are many opinions on this, but for someone who has cruised RCI many times out of San Juan, and likes their ship, 'Adventure', how would we enjoy Carnival 'Victory'?

 

It seems Adventure is getting quite pricey, while Victory's prices appear very attractive, looking at February 2012.

 

What's the deal there? Two big ships. Same port. Similar itineraries. How different can these really be, and why?

 

Thanks!

 

Wow thats a tough one we just got off of the Victory , we have cruised the AOS twice both times we have had the corner aft on deck the ones that have the HUGE balcony I cant recall the cabin number I think it was 7388. We loved the AOS and would do it again it a hearbeat. We have sailed Carnival 8 times no complaints , The Victory was OK . The room storage was tight, tighter that a Conquest class ship. Everything else was good , depending on how much you are talking I would choose the AOS if its under $150 more pp if its not than that go with the Victory. Either way its great stops you can't lose.

[DOUGLASH]

I will be going on Victory next month and have been on the Carnival Legend and Spirit as well as the RCL Explorer of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of Seas, and Liberty of the Seas. I am not tied to any cruise line but doubt I will return to either Costa or NCL. The rooms on Carnival as considerably larger than RCL, the lunch buffets on Carnival are better quality and variety than Royal Caribbean, entertainment and main dining room for dinner are roughly the same though RCL does a better job serving lunch in dining room (love the salad bar). In general the RCL ships are more impressive than Carnival in design and amenities (promenades,parades nicer pools. love the jazz lounge in the upper area of the ship, ice skating rinks and shows) which explains the higher cost but with a port intensive cruise like the Southern Caribbean, the differences are less important in my opnion.

[erby2283]

I've only been on the RCCL's Mariner of the Seas but am sailing on the Victory on Sun - I will try and remember to post an update post cruise :o