It was OK, but it's clear the Victory is ready for her upcoming refurbishment
Carnival Victory Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 62
4 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: August 12, 2019
Ship: Carnival Victory
Cabin type: Balcony
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
This was our second trip on the Victory. This sailing was to Key West and Cozumel, while the previous trip was a few years back from NY to Canada. On this most recent sailing, we noticed areas that were dirty, rusted or otherwise somewhat neglected. We had the feeling that the crew are letting things slide a bit because they know the Victory is scheduled for a major overhaul in the near future. Nothing too terrible, but wall paneling was worn and stained in our cabin and in some public areas, cushions on lounge chairs were worn out and sometimes missing, toilets and fixtures were stained. None of the issues were so bad that I would avoid cruising on Victory, but just know you're sailing on an old vessel that's ready for an update.Embarkation
This was quick and simple. Hardest part was figuring how to get to the parking across the street due to a lack of signs.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We had 'Your Time' dining. We found the food to be very inconsistent. On the first night, we had great appetizers, but the main entrees were nothing special. On the 2nd night, lobster (extra cost) was over-cooked, creme brulee' was very under cooked, but on the 3rd night, almost everything was cooked to perfection. I know it's tough cooking for 3000 or so guests, but it seems they are missing a bit of quality control in the kitchen.
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
The performers at the evening shows were, overall, a talented group. But unfortunately, they seem to be saddled with bad choreography. The comedians were OK, but it seems that they were just being disgusting at times to justify an 'R' rating for the later shows.
Service and Staff
Our cabin steward was OK - friendly enough, and responsive when we had problems, but on arrival, things were a bit dirty, with some trash still in cans, hair in a couple of drawers, and greasy finger prints on the walls. I suspect this is due to the rush to 'turn over' the ship for the next arriving passengers - but again, like with the food, it seems a bit more quality control is needed here. Our dining staff were, like the meals, inconsistent. We had one group of servers that were excellent (KUDOS to Dino, Dedik, and I Made - they knew our names, refilled drinks, and were pleasant to talk to), and then the next night, we had the worst shipboard service we've ever encountered from a different group of servers, bringing food and drinks very slowly, never checking on us afterwards. Fortunately, we were able to ask for the first night's service crew for our remaining dining visits, so that was appreciated.
Ship Quality
The ship is crowded and poorly laid out. With an upcoming major overhaul, I suspect some of the outdated designs will be fixed.
Cabin / Stateroom
The cabin, 7225, was comfortable for 2 adults and one teen. It was a bit worn, with stains on paneling and the toilet. It was a good location for convenience to ship activities without being too close to noisy venues. Biggest issue was that we were surrounded by rude, inconsiderate guests that ran around yelling all night, and other nearby guests were smoking on the 'no smoking' balconies.
Ship tip
Wait for the upcoming ship refurbishment if you can.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
The time here was way too short, and the shuttle back to the ship was disorganized. We were able to take the included shuttle to the center of town and visit most of the tourist spots.
Plenty of time to enjoy this port. We did the 'Mayan Ball Game' excursion. It was informative, interesting and fun.
Disembarkation
We found Carnival's new debarkation procedure to be a bit confusing. They now debark 2 different groups, somewhat consecutively, but it was a bit unclear how it was going to go until groups were called. In short, if you carry off your bags, you're called to leave based on muster station, in reverse order (so muster station A is last). Almost simultaneously, but starting a bit after the 'bag people', are the folks that put bags out the night before. You get called based on tags that you pick up outside of the casino the night before, with an early group and a late group. What wasn't clear is how the early group is called in relation to the muster station groups - and even after going through the process, we're still not quite sure what happened :-) but we had 'early' tags for the luggage assistance group, and we were called after 4 of the muster station groups were called. And when you get to the warehouse to find your bags, be sure to check the 'decoder' sign, because your bag might not be where you'd expect (ie: we were group 9, but our bags were in area 'D' with many other groups).
Traveler Photos
