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Carnival Cruise Line

MS Carnival Victory

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Donald N.
# previous cruises: 2
Date of Trip: April 25, 2004
Itinerary: Caribbean

In my experience Carnival does a great job with their target cruisers -- families with kids and party-iers. With that in mind, it's your own fault if you don't have a good time. If you have a chip on your shoulder going in, you are doomed to have a bad cruise. Given that, we have never had a bad trip with Carnival. Overall, it was a wonderful trip. I would probably prefer a slightly smaller ship with fewer people next time, but they really did a great job with that many people, and I never felt crowded.

I found the ship to be beautiful, with colored glass sculptures and artwork throughout. The only decorations that I found to be tacky were the mermaid heads that adorn the walls of the pacific dining room. Kind of strange...

The main pool area was nice, but usually very crowded. The design of this area, with its high sidewalls, also meant that there was little breeze, and it was much too hot for sunbathing. I preferred to get my sun on an upper deck, or to swim at the much quieter aft pool.

The food was very good; the dishes were flavorful, imaginative, and well presented! The wait staff was as good as any I have seen on any cruise line. The Pizza was great, as were the Reuben Sandwiches at the deli. One area in need of improvement is breakfast and lunch in the dining room. I prefer to be seated at my regular table, but that option is not available. Also, the food was a notch below the dinner offerings, nothing special. Overall, though, awesome experience.

I only book inside cabins for three main reasons. First, they are always cheaper. I am seeing the same shows, eating in the same dining rooms, and enjoying the same amenities as all the other guests, for a lot less. Second, I am a light sleeper. When I see the sun peeking in between the curtains, I am wide awake. Remember that at sea there is nothing between you and the horizon, so sunrise is early and bright! Third, I have a 3 year old who likes to climb railings, so this gives us great peace of mind. Our cabin slept four comfortably, and was just big enough. Contrary to what I have read, there was no soap or shampoo in our cabin. The dispensers had been removed. The cabin steward, Justin was exemplary. The room was always clean and he was always available for that extra towel or pillow.

As usual, entertainment was fantastic. We looked forward to the nightly shows and timed our day so that we would get there early and get a good seat. I would have liked to see some of the lounge acts but we simply did not have enough time. The pool-side band was very good also, mixing it up between Caribbean hits and pop favorites.

Cozumel: This was our second trip to Cozumel, and we went to Chankanaab Parque again, and had an awesome time again. We took the cab $10 each way for the four of us. We brought our own gear, so all we had to pay was admission ($6?) to get in. We were greeted immediately in the water by a six foot barracuda (he eventually left), but also saw some amazing fish and coral. It is a great way to spend the day. After we got back to the ship, got cleaned up and had dinner, we went back out to San Miguel, but we never made it. This is due mainly to our first stop at Fat Tuesdays, where we indulged in several high-octane cocktails. We had been to San Miguel before, and decided that in our drunken state that we would stay in the terminal area this time. As it turns out, the prices on some items were better in the terminal area, and we had a great time. Not to be missed: Margaritas at Poncho's backyard patio. The view alone was worth it.

Grand Cayman: Also our second time here, you need a strategy because there is not much time. We rented a car online at Andy's rent a car (I think it was about $30). We got up early to get the first tender that we could, then asked the girl at the information booth at the terminal to call Andy's for us. They sent a shuttle to pick us up, then we explored. We decided to drive up the West End this time and wound up at the Turtle Farm. While the kids loved it, my wife and I thought it was not a nice place at all, and they could have place more emphasis on the aesthetics of the farm. It was basically just a bunch of big tanks. After that, we went to Hell to send some postcards, then to Tortuga Rum to get some cheap liquor. I got some Stoli for about $7 a bottle, and some 151 Rum. The highlight of our tour was a stop at Cemetery beach. I will not provide details on how to get there because a large part of the beauty is how we pretty much had the place to ourselves. I paddled out about a hundred yards and saw some of the most beautiful coral and fish that I have ever seen. The beach itself is gorgeous, too, with white sand and shady trees for the fair-skinned. Since our time was short here, we headed back to Andy's and hustled to the tender. It was over way too fast. I would really like it if Carnival would increase the amount of time spent here. Not to be missed: Mudslides at Rum Point. My wife says they are the best she ever had (I stuck with my beer).

Ocho Rios: We were concerned by everything that we had heard about crime, etc. in Jamaica, so we decided to book a tour. I must say that was a good move. For $30 each we got a day of touring, including the $10 admission to Dunn's River Falls. After the falls, we saw Fern Gully, drove up the mountain for some photos, did some shopping, and still had time for a great Jamaican Jerk lunch. We met up with some other Internet cruise friends, and had a great day. I can definitely recommend hiring an experienced guide like Ionnie Queen McBeam for this tour, although I understand there are others. Getting back on the ship, there was a huge line several hundred yards long. Tip: there were actually 2 gangways open, but everyone was lined up at the first one. We walked right past the line for the first gangway (with some glares) to a much smaller line further down.

As stated earlier, families with kids and party-iers. Lots of friendly fellow cruisers, lots of drinking, never dull. If this is not your cup of tea, choose another line.