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OVERVIEW
In September of 2007, I had the pleasure of visiting Carnival Cruise
Line's Carnival Victory.
Upon boarding the ship, I entered the ship's nine story Seven Seas Atrium.
The Atrium is done in dark colors with bright seaweed colored accents.
Although at first the room appears dark and somewhat drab, once you
experience the rest of the ship, the decor of the atrium contrast all of
the other public rooms and helps to cement the underwater theme present
throughout the ship.
I was very pleased with the layout, creativity and undersea theme .
With 15 plus public rooms, the ship did not seem crowed and offered a
place for everyone to escape.
DINING
Dining is assigned seating in the beautiful Atlantic and Pacific Dining
Rooms but guests always have the option to dine at the nicely appointed
Mediterranean Restaurant (offering buffet style dining).
There are two seatings for those wanting to dine in the dinning room.
Passengers will be assigned early or late seating. Requests for a
preferred seating are taken. Every effort is made to accommodate people's
request but seating preferences cannot be guaranteed.
The ship offers a 24-hour Pizzeria and has free ice-cream available
poolside. For a taste of Asia, there is an Asian food station There is
even a specialty coffee station and cakes at the beautifully decorate
Coral Sea Cafe.
I found the food on board to be good. The buffet provided a varied
selection including beef, chicken, fish and vegetarian entrees. The food
presentation was good.
The service and staff was very good too. I was always greeted with a smile
and I found everyone to be attentive.
PUBLIC ROOMS
The Carnival Victory has a number of show rooms. The main show room, the 3-deck high Caribbean Lounge,
has two balcony levels. There
is not a bad seat in the house and each offers an excellent view of the
stage.
The Adriatic Lounge, located astern, is somewhat unique in that it does not face
forward or aft. The room is situated on an angle, which I find unusual,
but actually quite nice.
The Carnival Victory also offers an Irish-Style Pub, a piano bar and the Ionian
Showroom which are perfect for an after dinner drink with
ambience.
The Club Artic disco has a flashing dance floor and wall panels to
help you boogie the night away.
Interested in trying your luck? The Seven Seas Casino is quite large and
decorated in an Asian theme. The casino has all of you standard gaming
tables and machines. The adjacent Seven Seas Bar is an excellent retreat
for a gambler needing a break.
For those looking for a quiet escape, there is the Indian Library.
The Carnival Victory has a shopping center featuring traditional
wares sold onboard ship including perfume, alcohol, T-Shirts, jewelry and
souvenirs. One unique store, hidden from the main shopping area, is the 19th Hole Golf
shop.
The ship also has an internet cafe for writing friends at home.
SPA AND GYMNASIUM
The Carnival Victory also has an extensive Spa program, offering many
different treatment, All treatments are available at an additional charge. There is also
a hair salon, where you can look you best for that night's activities.
The gymnasium is very impressive with its wide array of equipment. In
the Gym are two hot tubs for relaxing.
LIDO DECK - POOLS
The Lido deck has multiple tiers of sunbathing chairs and features 2 pools
and hot tubs. A favorite among passenger is the giant twisty slide which
is popular among kids of all ages. The aft pool has a retractable roof
which allows swimmers to swim in any type of weather. It should be noted
that when the Carnival Victory sails close to capacity, finding a deck
chair can be a challenge, since passenger seem to reserve seating by
claiming them with their belongings.
KIDS PROGRAM
The Carnival Victory is one of the most kid friendly ships afloat. The
kids program called "Camp Carnival" offers an extensive program of
activities.
The children are grouped by age. Usually the kids program is broken-up
into 3 age groups.
For the younger kids, activities include: Pirate shows, movies, arts and
crafts, story time, pizza making, sporting activities and more.
For the teens a the program includes: teen dances, scavenger hunts
and team activities.
The Carnival Victory offers a Teen Disco - the Club O2. There is an arcade.
For the younger children there is a wading pool.
The Carnival Victory even has a miniature golf course located on the
Sun Deck.
ENTERTAINMENT
The Carnival Victory offers Las Vegas style shows, comedians and/or
magicians, live bands and recorded music.
Because of the the size of the ship, there are usually shows and music
being performed in multiple rooms simultaneously, making it easier for
passengers to find entertainment pleasing to them.
CABINS
The cabins are nicely appointed and provide ample storage space and enough
room to move around. The balcony cabins are very nice and offer an
adequate room for two people on the balcony.
Inside cabins and outside cabin are approximately the same size as the
balcony cabins (minus the balcony portion).
All cabins offer adequate storage area for personal belongings.
The bathrooms, like all ships, tend to be compact and offer a shower and
sink and are sufficient for the length of the cruise.
CONCLUSION
I would sail on the Carnival Victory. The ship offers pleasant decor,
good food and nicely appointed cabins. The service was good and
the ship was very clean.
The Carnival Victory is a large, high density ship in the "quality"
category, so passengers should expect crowds at times but for the price -
I find the ship to be a value. |
