Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Victory Cruise Review
Halifax, Canada

Adele
Age: 45
Occupation: Medical
Number of Cruises: 5
Sailing Date: June 22nd, 2006

This was our first cruise aboard the Carnival Victory. We previously sailed on the Nordic Empress (Royal Carribean Line) to Bermuda. We sailed thru customs and boarded the ship around 2 P.M. Our luggage arrived at our stateroom about one hour after we arrived, which was no big deal. We met our cabin steward, he was extremely courteous. We brought a bottle of our own vodka abroad, which we later found out was a no-no. But that didn't deter our steward from keeping it nice and cold in the ice bucket every single day! They stock your room with shampoo, mouthwash, floss, razors, sample packs of gels and also self tanning lotions (pretty nice) also a low wattage blow dryer, complimentary plush terrycloth bathrobes. Nice touches for this particular line.

At dinner time (late seating) we were seated by ourselves at a table for eight. Our waiter saw that we were not pleased with this arrangement and suggested we talk to the Maitre'd Marion Romano about an alternate seating. The Maitre'd immediately accommodated our request and seated us at a different table, which was perfect. Dinner was good, not great, but this is really a value cruise line, you will get a lot of bang for your buck. Good quality dinners 3 out of 4 nights, breakfast in the dining rooms was less stressful that the buffet on the Lido deck, lines were very long and also very noisy. Lunch was very good in the dining rooms versus the buffet on the Lido Deck. Excellent deli and Chinese food can be had most of the time on the Lido Deck, as well as burgers and pizza. Our waiter was very polite, but he did not go above and beyond what was expected of him, I think this is because the tip is added to your sign and sail account prior to sailing.

The shows were very good, we really enjoyed the Ionian Lounge where you can listen to live jazz and enjoy a cigar and a great martini. Shopping on the ship is also very good. Lots of things to choose from and pretty reasonable. Cocktail Party with the Captain was great (free drinks and snacks). Happy Hour had reduced drinks, very reasonable.

Unfortunately, the weather was really lousy throughout our trip to Halifax, thick fog, rain and wind. The port of Halifax was pretty dreary. Nothing much to do, the excursions were pretty expensive, why the ship stops there is beyond me. We couldn't wait to get back to the ship.

To sum it up: Great value, good food, clean rooms, lots of the usual activities, lots of people and pretty noisy, remember this is a big ship, I would definitely sail again with Carnival, but not to Halifax!

 

Ask a Question About Carnival Cruise Lines

Ever thought about becoming a home based travel agent? Check out my web site for home based travel and cruise agents located at;

Home Based Travel Agent