We had only cruised on smaller ships prior to this, so at first the size of the Carnival Victory was a little overwhelming. However, it didn't take long to get used to the ship and its many areas where you could go to escape crowds and relax.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
I had been led to believe the food on Carnival was not as good as other cruise lines, but this is not the case! The main dishes were excellent, especially the beef offerings. Variety was good. Long lines were sometimes a problem in the buffet area, so you had to work around the 'peak' times. The dining room meals and service were outstanding.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Our two biggest complaints: 1) The activities held in the smoke-spoiled Ionian Lounge. People smoked there during the event we attended, and we chose not to return for the finals round because of the smoke odor. 2) The lack of a place for older couples to have nice, romantic music to dance to. If there was such a lounge, we could not find it. Not everyone is into the music and dancing offered nightly in the disco lounge.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
A warm, friendly atmosphere, no matter where you went on the ship. Stewards, waiters, crew, all were friendly and helpful the entire time.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Accessibility could have been a little better, especially to the dining rooms. More and better information and floor plans could be provided in the staterooms. The ship was very clean and well-maintained. Some of the decor in the public areas initially seemed dark and almost foreboding, but this was part of the underwater theme, and eventually was a non-issue.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
As mentioned earlier, it was a magnificent, larger-than-usual room on the starboard stern, Upper Deck. Our steward kept it beautifully maintained throughout the trip. Contrary to our pre-trip concerns, the stern provided as smooth a ride as you could possibly expect. One slight drawback: We were as far away from the Caribbean Lounge (the theater) as you could possibly be, so it was always a long walk to and from there, as well as many of the other public areas and activities.
We did our own walking tour. It was a quaint little town that we enjoyed touring on foot on our own. Excellent lunch of Lobster roll and fish chowder at Grannans along the Market Square across from Loyalist Plaza.
We took the bus tour of Downtown Halifax and Peggy's Cove. The cove, village and lighthouse are beautiful and well worth the trip. My only wish is that we had more time than the one hour allowed in the village. We were a bit rushed and would have liked to look around more.
Pros: The stateroom was magnificent! We were guaranteed a balcony, and were upgraded to a cabin which had a wrap-around balcony on the starboard stern, Upper Deck. It gave us an excellent view on both the stern and the starboard side. The cabin also had more than the usual interior floorspace.
Cons: The activities that were held in the Ionian Lounge. Smoking is permitted in that lounge, and the lingering odor made that otherwise beautiful place very uncomfortable to walk through it or to participate in any activities held there.
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