Newbie to Carnival

[RIvacationgirl]

Hello everyone.

I am currently looking to book a Carnival cruise for this July. I have only sailed on NCL. We are looking at the Carnival Paradise, Victory and Ecstasy. From what I can see from the member reviews the Victory seems to be the best favored. Can anyone who has sailed on these help me with the good, bad or ugly and any differences if any between these ships? I would appreciate your input.

Thanks from bitterly cold Rhode Island !:)

[k2excursion]

Paradise & Ecstasy are sister ships. Their setup is very simple. From bottom to top: 4 floors of rooms (lobby/atrium on the highest of those levels), 2 floors of dining & entertainment (serenity area on the higher deck), then the lido deck with the buffet/pool/waterslides. Ecstasy got the Waterworks upgrade, with a large waterslide which is great for everyone & a few kiddie water features in the back of the ship. Plus, they redecorated the lido deck as a "resort style" pool area. Paradise didn't receive those. It has a medium sized waterslide dropping into the main pool, but it still has the extra small pool in the back that Ecstasy doesn't have. Ecstasy also had balconies fused onto the side of the ship that Paradise didn't get.

 

Victory from bottom to top: 2 floors of rooms, 3 floors of dining & entertainment, 3 floors of rooms, then the lido buffet/pools/waterslides. Victory is the only one of the 3 ships with the big screen outside above lido deck, for movies under the stars. Victory has more pool space, more hot tubs, and a large waterslide. It also has a lot more balconies, 2-story dining rooms instead of 1-story, and a 3-story theater instead of 2-story. It also has more passengers, but it has enough extra public space to handle it. All 3 ships have 2 buffet lines, so no extras there for Victory.

 

I think both styles of ships are nice, having sailed sister ships of them, and I have enjoyed both. Ecstasy was built in 1991, Paradise 1998, & Victory 2000. I think Victory is about to go into drydock. The good news is that it might receive some name-branded food stations, to give more options & help spread out the crowds. The bad news is that it will probably receive the theater shows which are only 30 minutes long & have no live music & very few performers. Ecstasy already has this. Paradise doesn't. Paradise has a full show band with hour long shows & plenty of performers. In my opinion, after Victory goes through drydock, Paradise will probably be the best ship for entertainment, Ecstasy for the waterslide/waterworks area, and Victory for the ship setup/layout. But Ecstasy or Paradise would be good ones to go with if you prefer a smaller ship & more of a throwback feel to a ship. (Throwback to the 80s & 90s)

[SNJCruisers]

Can I ask why those three ships? Is it possibly because of a 5 day itinerary? If so, then the 7/20 Conquest out of Fort Lauderdale would be a great option. It visits the same 3 ports as the Victory (GT, HMC, Nassau) it's the same size, but it was refurbished more recently in 2012 and thus it has the 2.0 upgrades, which gives you better food and bar options.

[serene56]

Victory is going for upgrades and refurbishment in the next few weeks.

 

Take the Victory

[pirate4me2]

I can't comment on the ships as I have not sailed any of them, but I just want to say have a great cruise on whichever one you choose!