Victory Cruise

[ortech]

im looking to see if anyone has gone on this boat i can't seem to find anyone here who has.. or any info.. is it an ok boat are they all the same???

so new to crusing!!!LOL:p

[Beyondships]

I have been on Victory and thought she was a good ship. My review of a cruise to Canada last year is at:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=31337

I also put together a photo tour of Victory which you might find helpful.

http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalVictorytour1.html

 

I do not find all the Carnival ships the same. There are similar amenities and the general approach to cruising follows a similar pattern but a number of factors lead to differences. For example, the interior decor follows a different theme in each ship. Then there are differences owing to the officers and crew, where the ship sails from, the length of the cruises etc.

[trock]

im looking to see if anyone has gone on this boat i can't seem to find anyone here who has.. or any info.. is it an ok boat are they all the same???

so new to crusing!!!LOL:p

 

really? its been one of the most reviewed and controversial ships talked about here.. I think more negative than positive... but i just may still have a bad taste in my mouth... I would not recommend trying the Victory for a first cruise.. but then again, it was renovated so maybe someone who was on before and after will reply

[belle907]

really? its been one of the most reviewed and controversial ships talked about here.. I think more negative than positive... but i just may still have a bad taste in my mouth... I would not recommend trying the Victory for a first cruise.. but then again, it was renovated so maybe someone who was on before and after will reply

Why do you not recommend the Victory for a 1st cruise? My DD & I are booked on the Victory 6/8 for a 4 day cruise. I'm looking for both the positives and negatives.

Thanks,

[trock]

Why do you not recommend the Victory for a 1st cruise? My DD & I are booked on the Victory 6/8 for a 4 day cruise. I'm looking for both the positives and negatives.

Thanks,

 

 

I am going to get slammed for this.. but here goes...now keep in mind its been renovated since July 07.. i found it dirty, tacky -more rude crew members than not.. the CD was useless.. just bad.. boring.. i had swore off Carnival but after reading all the wonderful reviews about the Miracle we are going in May.

 

Now since then i heard the Victory was renovated and that they did a wonderful job!

 

Take the negative and positive reviews as an education and go and form your own opinion.. What may or may not be acceptible to one may be no big deal to another.. i am big on service. I treat the crew very respectfully and tip well, in turn i expect some respect also as a paying guest. I just didnt find it here..

[rabx5]

I sailed on the Victory for my first cruise in November 07. In April I will sail my 2nd cruise on the Victory again. I was very happy with the ship and more than happy with the crew. I was very impressed with our dinner staff (John and Juan) :D I was happy with the crew everywhere on the ship.

 

Have a great trip :D

Jodi

[nybumpkin]

I agree with trock that there are lots of posts about Victory cruises here, both good and bad. We've sailed Victory three times and have a fourth booked for August - obviously we had a different experience or we wouldn't be repeaters. It was our first cruise in 2004, and we were hooked! I have two reviews posted on the "Cruise Reviews" page at http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=175 (8/07 and 8/06). I like Victory's "seven seas" theme generally, although there are some exceptions - I think Victory's Atlantic Dining Room is my least favorite dining room, as an example. The mermaid heads around the ceiling are just plain ugly. On the other hand, the Coral Sea Cafe is really neat, and the Ionian Lounge is still my favorite lounge on any ship (with Winston's on Valor running a very close second).

[volfan22701]

we would cruise on this ship again any time. it was a wonderful first time, and has us hooked on cruising. took a second on the valor and am in the planning stages for our third. do not hesitate to book the victory, as it is all in what you make of your vacation. could be good or bad experiences on any vacation. as a ship she is as nice as any other, and you will love the colors.

[belle907]

I am going to get slammed for this.. but here goes...now keep in mind its been renovated since July 07.. i found it dirty, tacky -more rude crew members than not.. the CD was useless.. just bad.. boring.. i had swore off Carnival but after reading all the wonderful reviews about the Miracle we are going in May.

 

Now since then i heard the Victory was renovated and that they did a wonderful job!

 

Take the negative and positive reviews as an education and go and form your own opinion.. What may or may not be acceptible to one may be no big deal to another.. i am big on service. I treat the crew very respectfully and tip well, in turn i expect some respect also as a paying guest. I just didnt find it here..

Thanks for your honesty.

How the crew is has a lot to do with the whole vibe of the ship and can throw off your whole trip. We encounted this on Disney one cruise but still managed to make the most of the trip.

I also look at cleanliness as a sign of good service. Sounds like you ran into a bad crew for your trip.

Thanks again and enjoy your upcoming cruise.

[AnnieB925]

We just cruised on Victory last week on an Eastern Caribbean itinerary and it was GREAT! The ship has been refurbished and has lots to offer. We could not have been happier. There is a recent thread here where someone else on the same cruise did a review and I added my opinions.

 

The negative reviews come from those who take Victory out of New England and go North. I would not recommend that itinerary.

 

The crew was fabulous, very attentive service!:)

[Lulachick]

My 1st cruise was on the Victory and I found it to be clean, the staff to be very nice and accomodating. The CD was funny to me. Take all of the negative opinions on this board with a grain of salt. I don't think there is a perfect ship out there or they would not keep building new ones. Everybody has an opinion just like they have a rearend. You can read my review of the Victory and I'll be glad to answer any question you may have.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=586138

[PaulMedik]

We sailed Victory in 2005 and really enjoyed ourselves.

 

I'll give you a mini review.

 

We arrived at the terminal around 9:30 and we were on board by 11:00. After boarding we tried out the lobby chairs and took in the scenery;

 

 

We then proceeded to our room (1065 on Panorama) and looked down to see if our luggage was following us;

 

 

We were on Deck 9 Forward for sail away;

 

 

On sea days we explored the ship and found a sunny spot to relax;

 

[astropilot]

really? its been one of the most reviewed and controversial ships talked about here.. I think more negative than positive... but i just may still have a bad taste in my mouth... I would not recommend trying the Victory for a first cruise.. but then again, it was renovated so maybe someone who was on before and after will reply

 

 

Really... I don't know what left a sour taste in your mouth about the Carnival Victory; We all have our own preceptions and expectations. But in my experience the ship was fine, and the service first rate.

 

I would, and probably will, sail on her again in the near future.

[PaulMedik]

The Aft Pool area has a couple of hot tubs that were never too crowded along with soft serve ice cream, pizza and a bar;

 

 

 

We always found quiet and uncrowded seats up on Deck 10 above the Lido buffet areas for breakfast and lunch;

 

 

[PaulMedik]

We did the Western route with stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios.

 

In Grand Cayman, we tendered in and caught a cab to the Hyatt at Seven Mile Beach;

 

 

 

 

[PaulMedik]

In Ocho Rios we hired a private guide and toured Dunn's River Fall, Fern Gully, Mahogany Beach and went sight seeing and shopping along the way;

 

 

 

 

The tour included a stop at a pottery factory where each of my sons got to make a cup on the pottery wheel;

 

 

[PaulMedik]

After Mahogany Beach we returned to the pier and did some shopping then headed back to our ship;

 

 

 

 

We had managed to spend all of our cash we had with us so I had to go back to the ship then return to the security area to pay our guide. He was our guide and our body guard and I can honestly say that we didn't feel or experience any of the negative things heard about Jamaica. He was obviously known to everyone so nobody spoke to us at all. As I returned from paying him, I took a picture of my boys up on deck 10. (top deck of balcony cabins near the red stripe);

 

 

After boarding we enjoyed a leisurely sailaway from Ocho Rios;

 

[PaulMedik]

I'll skip reviewing Cozumel because the pier we used along with all of the shops were blown away in a hurricane. We went to Paradise Beach which is also a little diffent now too.

 

Suffices to say we enjoyed Cozumel as well as our entire trip.

 

I'll include a few pics of the ship. Here's my oldest son up on the Sun deck; (Obviously it's not crowded)

 

 

Here he is with the topless deck in the background (And yes you could see the topless folks from there!);

 

 

Here's DW and my youngest and oldest sons in the same area on Sun Deck beside the slide entrance;

 

 

Here's a shot down the starboard side from deck 9 on top of the bridge;

 

 

DW and my oldest son taking a stroll on Panorama (It sure is crowded eh?);

 

[PaulMedik]

Here's some random pics of Lido;

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seating was rare at the crowded bars;

 

[Carnival Game]

Great pictures, Paul!

 

I bet your boys loved it!

[PaulMedik]

Funship Freddy was on board too;

 

 

The pools were drained and the decks were scrubbed EVERY evening;

 

 

The piano bar was always crowded;

 

 

I had a hard time finding space in the hot tubs;

 

 

And my son had a hard time finding a space in the pool;

 

[PaulMedik]

The view down to the main lobby was sea green and beautiful;

 

 

On the last night, the hallways were a mess;

 

 

ortech,

 

I've read the reviews where it's mentioned the ship is old and showing it's age or the carpet is worn etc, but we didn't find anything to complain about. The ship was beautiful, the staff was friendly, it wasn't crowded even on sea days and there was always something to do. It's been almost three years since our cruise, but based on what we saw going on in terms of maintenance and what we've read about here on CC, they are still keeping the girl in top shape.

 

Anyhow, there you have a review of Carnival Victory.

 

 

 

Carnival Game,

 

Yes they had a great time and still talk about that trip. :)

[davesgirl]

Thank you Paul (and family), I am sure if anyone is wondering about cruising on the Victory, their minds should be at ease now, mine is! We are booked on the Victory (May11), this will be my 8th Carnival cruise and I was a little apprehensive after reading some of the Victory comments, but now I am very excited, like I should be! Yes, I have had some "not-so-pleasant" experiences while cruising, BUT they where just part of everyday living, not any different than dealing with a sales clerk who is having an off-day (or maybe I was), or not having something exactly as I had wanted it (again it could have been my expectations vs. reality). THE FACT is NOTHING beats a cruise, the worse day cruising is still better than the best day cleaning house, washing dishes, washing clothes, planning meals, cooking meals, cleaning after meals, figuring out how to entertain bored children (or worse yet teens!), etc.

[CrusingOnMyMind]

PaulMedik - THANK YOU so much for your "mini review" and all the pictures!! We are sailing this ship in January and haven't heard too many positive things about it, even from friends who have sailed it. Your pictures really put things in perspective and showed SO much of the ship - we're even MORE excited now!!

[chaoticbeauty]

Great pics. My husband, and I are planning on sailing on the Victory in October out of Charleston, SC.

 

Best Wishes

Gina