Victory Canada 07/24/06 Review!

[maggioml]

We just got back from a great time on the Carnival Victory sailing 07/24/06. A little background about myself. My wife and I are in our mid-20s and we also brought along our 2 year old son. This was our 2nd cruise and our first on Carnival. Our previous cruise was on the Celebrity Millenium last year. We decided to go out of New York as it was driving distance from where we live now.

We decided to drive in the morning of the cruise. The terminal in manhattan was easy to find and parking was a breeze. I guess because we were carrying our child, they thought that we should go through the VIP screening. Fine with me. All in all-we were probably on the boat in 25 minutes! We were eating by the pool around noon. Everything seemed very organized.

We were very impressed by the ship. It was in very good condition. Crews were constantly cleaning up this and that on different port days. Bear in mind, that my wife and I aren't very picky and never do any complaining about cruising. We had an inside cabin. Plenty of room for the 3 of us. Our stateroom steward had a trundle bed for my 2 year old, but I told him that he still preferred sleeping in the crib. After dinner, the crib was ready to go. The room had plenty of storage for the suitcases, but I did bring some extra coathangers to hang extra clothes up. The bathroom had one loose tile and some of the desktop needed new formica, but we felt these were extremely minor details and I wouldn't have noticed had I not been on lookout for these things. Room and steward get an A in my book.

Camp Carnival

We went to the camp meeting on the first night after dinner to get the capers for the cruise. Very informative and did not take a lot of time. We tried to take my son there the next day, but he didn't care for it and they paged me back. We tried again later that day and he went no problem. We tended to use them just for part of the evenings. I kept him with us at the ports and during the day. I found their hours to be very accomodating and the staff very friendly. No complaints here.

Saint John

Saint John was a very lovely port. We walked around a little to visit the city market and such. I did't think the port was as terrible as everyone had made it out to be. I actually walked to the reversing falls. It was a great walking/running path. At a leisurely pace-it doesn't take more than 45 minutes. For me it was a place I had never been and wouldn't necessarily need to go back to for a while.

Halifax

Halifax was nice and had plenty of things to do. You can tell there is a much larger population there and they tend to cater to more tourists. Again in this port we walked around and enjoyed the sights. It was also a place I had never been but could visit again if the opportunity came along.

Casino/Entertainment

I played a lot in the casino. I used the feature on the ship card to move from slot machine to slot machine instead of dealing with the quarters. Thumbs up to carnival for that one. The casino was never extremely crowded and the bar service was great. I only went to see Vroom which was okay and the magic show, which I found the guy to be quite funny. The irish sea bar never had a piano player there when I went by.

Fun Days at sea

Our Fun days were spent by the pool which we thoroughly enjoyed. There weren't too many deck chair hogs as I was able to find a lounger pretty close to where I wanted them. The pools were a little chilly, but in Halifax the pool in the back of the ship was heated to at least 80 degrees. The hot tubs were nice as well. Adults on these boards always complain about the kids, but there was 1 adults only hot tub in the back of the ship in addition to the 2 in the workout area. I thought that was pretty good. I never saw any kids in the adults only hot tub. All of the children were well behaved on the boat.

Dining

We ate in the dining room every night for dinner. I had mostly beef selections which I thought were very good. I also had lobster on lobster night. I found it very tasty as it was not tough or rubbery. I ate lunch in the dining room one day and found it to be good as well. The breakfast always seemed like the same thing and the water eggs didn't even look appealing. I did use the omlett station a couple of days. The deli was very good and my wife liked the asian restaurant a lot. Pizza was good as was the ice cream.

Disembarkation

Very easy. We decided not to use the self assist. We were off the ship by 9:30 for sure. Customs was a breeze. They didn't even open up my passport. Taxi line was about 10 minutes. We stayed an extra 2 days in New York utilizing the cheaper parking at the port. Our hotel wanted $48 a night!

Overall

A fantastic cruise! Rates up there with Celebrity in my opinion. I would choose Carnival again. Great ship, great price, great service, great food and so on. Please feel free to ask me more questions because I'm sure I left some things out.

[POPPA_DADDYO]

We just got back from a great time on the Carnival Victory sailing 07/24/06. A little background about myself. My wife and I are in our mid-20s and we also brought along our 2 year old son. This was our 2nd cruise and our first on Carnival. Our previous cruise was on the Celebrity Millenium last year. We decided to go out of New York as it was driving distance from where we live now.

We decided to drive in the morning of the cruise. The terminal in manhattan was easy to find and parking was a breeze. I guess because we were carrying our child, they thought that we should go through the VIP screening. Fine with me. All in all-we were probably on the boat in 25 minutes! We were eating by the pool around noon. Everything seemed very organized.

We were very impressed by the ship. It was in very good condition. Crews were constantly cleaning up this and that on different port days. Bear in mind, that my wife and I aren't very picky and never do any complaining about cruising. We had an inside cabin. Plenty of room for the 3 of us. Our stateroom steward had a trundle bed for my 2 year old, but I told him that he still preferred sleeping in the crib. After dinner, the crib was ready to go. The room had plenty of storage for the suitcases, but I did bring some extra coathangers to hang extra clothes up. The bathroom had one loose tile and some of the desktop needed new formica, but we felt these were extremely minor details and I wouldn't have noticed had I not been on lookout for these things. Room and steward get an A in my book.

Camp Carnival

We went to the camp meeting on the first night after dinner to get the capers for the cruise. Very informative and did not take a lot of time. We tried to take my son there the next day, but he didn't care for it and they paged me back. We tried again later that day and he went no problem. We tended to use them just for part of the evenings. I kept him with us at the ports and during the day. I found their hours to be very accomodating and the staff very friendly. No complaints here.

Saint John

Saint John was a very lovely port. We walked around a little to visit the city market and such. I did't think the port was as terrible as everyone had made it out to be. I actually walked to the reversing falls. It was a great walking/running path. At a leisurely pace-it doesn't take more than 45 minutes. For me it was a place I had never been and wouldn't necessarily need to go back to for a while.

Halifax

Halifax was nice and had plenty of things to do. You can tell there is a much larger population there and they tend to cater to more tourists. Again in this port we walked around and enjoyed the sights. It was also a place I had never been but could visit again if the opportunity came along.

Casino/Entertainment

I played a lot in the casino. I used the feature on the ship card to move from slot machine to slot machine instead of dealing with the quarters. Thumbs up to carnival for that one. The casino was never extremely crowded and the bar service was great. I only went to see Vroom which was okay and the magic show, which I found the guy to be quite funny. The irish sea bar never had a piano player there when I went by.

Fun Days at sea

Our Fun days were spent by the pool which we thoroughly enjoyed. There weren't too many deck chair hogs as I was able to find a lounger pretty close to where I wanted them. The pools were a little chilly, but in Halifax the pool in the back of the ship was heated to at least 80 degrees. The hot tubs were nice as well. Adults on these boards always complain about the kids, but there was 1 adults only hot tub in the back of the ship in addition to the 2 in the workout area. I thought that was pretty good. I never saw any kids in the adults only hot tub. All of the children were well behaved on the boat.

Dining

We ate in the dining room every night for dinner. I had mostly beef selections which I thought were very good. I also had lobster on lobster night. I found it very tasty as it was not tough or rubbery. I ate lunch in the dining room one day and found it to be good as well. The breakfast always seemed like the same thing and the water eggs didn't even look appealing. I did use the omlett station a couple of days. The deli was very good and my wife liked the asian restaurant a lot. Pizza was good as was the ice cream.

Disembarkation

Very easy. We decided not to use the self assist. We were off the ship by 9:30 for sure. Customs was a breeze. They didn't even open up my passport. Taxi line was about 10 minutes. We stayed an extra 2 days in New York utilizing the cheaper parking at the port. Our hotel wanted $48 a night!

Overall

A fantastic cruise! Rates up there with Celebrity in my opinion. I would choose Carnival again. Great ship, great price, great service, great food and so on. Please feel free to ask me more questions because I'm sure I left some things out.

I was on this same cruise back in June. I had to deal with many smokers smoking in non smoking areas. How was the smoke on your cruise? Were there smokers around the back pool smoking with the roof closed? Just following up before we leave on our carribean cruise.

[A.S.]

Sounds like you had a great time. We are going on the same cruise in about 30 days.

 

Did you happen to notice if there were any men in the dining room on formal night without jackets on? The men in our group are griping about having to pack a jacket for one night. Did any have nice shirts and slacks on?

 

Thank you or anyone else for any answers.

[ItaliaAmerCruzLady]

Thanks for a great review and taking the time to post it! We are leaving tomorrow for the 4-Day victory, and I was excited to see positive things about it.Thanks again!:D

[POPPA_DADDYO]

I was on this same cruise back in June. I had to deal with many smokers smoking in non smoking areas. How was the smoke on your cruise? Were there smokers around the back pool smoking with the roof closed? Just following up before we leave on our carribean cruise.

I can't believe I spelled caribbean wrong. LOL

[maggioml]

My wife and I aren't smokers so we do notice areas where smoke is obvious. Since you mention it, there were smokers in the back where the pool was with the roof closed. It wasn't bad, but they seemed to line up along the edges. The casino was the only other place I noticed, but it was not that bad either. Only when one sat right next to you. I did have to move slot machines one time because of a smoker.

As for the jackets, most seemed dressed up. I saw a tux or two but not that many. I did see some without jackets. I even saw shorts in the dining room. I really didn't care that much to what other people wore, but we did get some great pictures on board dressed up. Lines weren't that long. Hope this helps.

[trvllover]

This gets me excited about my cruise in 52 days. Don't you just love that the Carnival site does the countdown for you?!

[goodml]

Thanks for the great review. Every time I read another good one I look more forward to our cruise. Less than three weeks now!:)

[POPPA_DADDYO]

My wife and I aren't smokers so we do notice areas where smoke is obvious. Since you mention it, there were smokers in the back where the pool was with the roof closed. It wasn't bad, but they seemed to line up along the edges. The casino was the only other place I noticed, but it was not that bad either. Only when one sat right next to you. I did have to move slot machines one time because of a smoker.

As for the jackets, most seemed dressed up. I saw a tux or two but not that many. I did see some without jackets. I even saw shorts in the dining room. I really didn't care that much to what other people wore, but we did get some great pictures on board dressed up. Lines weren't that long. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the feedback on the smoking in the back of the ship while the roof is closed. That is another rule Carnival had about no smoking that they did'nt enforce, when the roof was closed. I like Carnival and that is why I am going back, but I am just doing research so I know my rights to a smoke free environment when stated as smoke free. Sometimes the food is great and sometimes you miss. Its like the same as rude smokers, you get them or you don't.

[synet165]

Thanks for the great review, we are sailing on the Victory next week on 8/12. I am one of those persons who hate ties, I will give in and wear a jacket but a tie is really a no-no.

My question is: Did you see any men without ties in the dining room on formal night?

Thanks for your help.

synet165

NCL Star-Alaska June 2005

NCL Dawn April 2006

Carnival Victory 8/12/06

[maggioml]

I did see some without ties on formal nights. If you look the part, then I don't think you will have a problem. By the way, we only had one formal night on this 5 night cruise. I guess they fixed the capers by the time we had our cruise.

[POPPA_DADDYO]

Thanks for the great review, we are sailing on the Victory next week on 8/12. I am one of those persons who hate ties, I will give in and wear a jacket but a tie is really a no-no.

My question is: Did you see any men without ties in the dining room on formal night?

Thanks for your help.

synet165

NCL Star-Alaska June 2005

NCL Dawn April 2006

Carnival Victory 8/12/06

I seen plenty without ties. I also seen many without jackets. I also seen shorts, sandals and jeans. I never seen anyone turned away. Tell him that he will be fine. Have a nice cruise!

[Lisa63]

Thank you for your review. We were on the ship in early July and I enjoy reading others' reviews. Glad to hear you enjoyed it, as well. I was also very impressed with the Carnival product.

 

When you walked to Reversing Falls, did the boardwalk extend all the way there yet? The boardwalk is pretty recent... I had wanted to do the walk, but we'd had a long day already, and decided to save it for next time.

[maggioml]

The boardwalk extended along the waterfront to a new "Resthouse". From there you walk across the street down another street until you see signs for the jetboat tours. I guess that it's not completed, but there were sidewalks the entire way until you almost got to the park. Another sign it wasn't completed was the lack of signage.

[maggioml]

Check out these children Capers if anyone wants.

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=552794029&security=YhxauI

[time4agetaway]

Thanks for a great review! I am so excited about cruising tomorrow!!!

 

Glad to hear parking was a breeze...we're driving to the pier.

 

Glad to hear good things about Camp Carnival...maybe next year we will take our 2 children with us!

[goodml]

Check out these children Capers if anyone wants.

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=552794029&security=YhxauI

 

:D maggioml I've been bugging pretty much everyone who has posted a Victory Canada review about this but since you posted the Camp Carnival Capers would you consider doing the same with the regular Capers? We'd love ya forever!!

[Lorimike]

Thanks for the great review. We are leaving on 8/7 and can't wait. One question about the $$. Is it better to use american money or exchange it or whatever it is you do? I am confused about this because I know the exchange rate is in favor of U.S. $$ Any help?:confused:

[maggioml]

Okay-So I only had 3 days of Capers. Saint John, Halifax, and one day at sea. I did throw away the day at sea "Today at a Glance". Hope this helps.

Maggioml

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=viewAllPhotos&albumID=552796504&security=PwxqzU

[maggioml]

Thanks for the great review. We are leaving on 8/7 and can't wait. One question about the $$. Is it better to use american money or exchange it or whatever it is you do? I am confused about this because I know the exchange rate is in favor of U.S. $$ Any help?:confused:

I never exchanged, because I didn't want to get stuck with worthless canadian. I did use my visa whenever possible. The further you venture from the terminal, the more people who don't take american. I did want some coffee one time in Halifax from a chain coffee store there, but they didn't take VISA. I just had to do without. No big deal. The coffee store on board was cheaper than the Chain stores in the USA.

[goodml]

Thanks so much for posting the capers maggio (although I will admit I'm bristling a bit about the "worthless Canadian" thing.)

[bleuiz]

Got home a few minutes ago from our Victory Canadian cruise......what a fabulous time! We went with another couple (this was our 3rd Carnival cruise, but this time our son stayed home) and had an aft balcony.............that was great! Some evenings were misty, so the chairs were damp, but it didn't damper our trip.......

Concerning smoking........the four of us are nonsmokers, so we looked for evening activities in non smoking areas.........we spent 3 evenings in the Red and Black Lounge, watching karioke..(sorry for the spelling).......and a few activities in the Carribean lounge........

Formal night saw a few men in tuxedos...........a few women in gowns, but mostly dresses........I wore a pantsuit........my hubby left his tie at home, but without a tie was fine..........

Saint John and Halifax were pleasant places to shop and tour........the air was cool (by NY standards).........but we did charge our items instead of getting Canadian change.......

Now I have the task of unpacking and preparing to fix dinner.........

And no one to make towel animals to leave on my bed..........

[synet165]

Hi Bleuiz,

Glad you had a great time. We are leaving 8/12 on the Victory.

 

Never having been on a Carnival ship before, we have some questions:

#1: We have cabin 7424 aft, are the cabin and balcony larger than a standard balcony cabin?

#2: What dining room did you eat in and what time did they have you scheduled for? We are a brother and sister getting together and would like a table for two, we have alot to talk about.

 

Thanks for your help.

Synet165:)

[bleuiz]

Hi Bleuiz,

Glad you had a great time. We are leaving 8/12 on the Victory.

 

Never having been on a Carnival ship before, we have some questions:

#1: We have cabin 7424 aft, are the cabin and balcony larger than a standard balcony cabin?

#2: What dining room did you eat in and what time did they have you scheduled for? We are a brother and sister getting together and would like a table for two, we have alot to talk about.

 

Thanks for your help.

Synet165:)

 

We weren't far from you, just the other side (we were on the odd number size)..........can't tell you if the balcony/cabin are larger than standard, but it was plenty of room for myself/hubby..........

We were scheduled for the later dinner, but didn't want it......the Maitre' D' was not able to make a change that first evening, but in the morning we received a note that we were now in the 6:30 seating.........and we had a table to ourselves (husband, me and another couple whom we went with)......If you booked with an agent, perhaps the agent can make sure you have the table for two..........or wait and see what you are scheduled for.........

Have a great/safe time........

[gregandamy]

We just got off the Victory this morning on this same cruise. Maybe half the men had ties, so don't sweat it if you don't want to wear one. I don't think anybody minds.

 

We spent a lot of time at the aft pool and saw smokers, but it wasn't a problem, the roof was open from 9:00 am to at least 6:00, not sure when it closed.

 

We charged most of our purchases and had no trouble with US money for the others. Vendors in St. John had signs saying they would give US change for US purchases. I don't know what the exchange rate is, but it's not too far off $1 US for $1 CDN.

 

The Citadel in Halifax is pretty cool, I think it's $10.90 to get in. Well worth it.