This is my second time on the Victory. I initially rode her in 2007, and it was my very first cruise. This time around there were many positives to the vacation, along with a couple of small areas for improvement. I'll start with the most important...
Food & drinks: Victory was recently updated with a Guy's Burger Joint, Red Frog Rum Bar, Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, and Blue Iguana taco bar, all located on Lido deck. Just inside there is a Chinese station and a sandwich station, then the Lido buffet, and the pizza place beyond that.
Positives- The tacos were tasty, and the burgers were very yummy. Loved the fully stocked condiment stations for each option. Lido buffet offered a nice salad bar, and Sunday's lunch was great! It was themed Southern Comfort and was yummy! They also had a dessert theme of Chocolate Extravaganza that same day and I loveeeee chocolate so this pleased me greatly! Also enjoyed the 24 hour soft serve ice cream.
Negatives- Lido buffet was hit or miss with some days being really good and some days leaving more to be desired. The sandwich bar was a miss for me. I tried a Southwest Chicken wrap and it was made up of about 90% lettuce, 5% chicken, and 5% tomato, cheese, and bacon. I wondered if it was just a fluke, but saw other people's sandwiches looked like lettuce-only sandwiches, too. To make matters worse, there was a LARGE bone in my wrap and I had to spit out several pieces of chicken fat/skin. Gross. The pizza was okay, but the dough was entirely too thin. I am all for a thin pizza, but the bread has to hold the cheese and not just disappear. Flavor was ok. Also, fruit punch used to be offered all day but they have scaled back and it was only available at breakfast time. Only water, lemonade, and plain iced tea were offered the rest of the day. That sucked.
Alcohol: My first drink was at the Red Frog Rum bar and it was meh. Ordered a Captain & coke and it was poured on the skimpy side. Measured exactly with no extra pour that bartenders typically do. It was $7.95 plus a 15% gratuity and I wasn't very pleased with it. I then went in search of the Happy Hour special, a Rum Punch. The happy hour was only offered in the casino bar, and here I was pleased. The bartender was more friendly and poured a good, decent strength drink with that little extra pour at the end. Thank you!! Overall, alcohol is a fair price and a 15% gratuity is reasonable.
Entertainment: I was impressed with the variety of happenings. We were traveling with my daughter (her first cruise!) and there was Trick or Treating available for her the first night. Super cute! Gave us a bag and map and we got to have fun exploring the ship while getting candy! She loved it. There was also a "Scary Chest" contest on Sunday that was hilarious and entertaining. Be aware if you volunteer to be a female judge, they ask you to twerk to earn your spot. I found out the hard way, lol. They also had pumpkin carving for the little ones!! Loved the poolside movies!! Showing great movies each night!!
Amenities: Gym was great! Yoga classes were available for a fee for all you yogi's out there. Good selection of equipment and everything was clean and organized. Steam room and sauna available, separate for men and women. Running track located above Lido. The ship is pretty large and back in 2007 it was running 6 night cruises. There are several pools, hot tubs, an adults-only area, and a fun water slide. As with any cruise, the pools are not very large, and start to be gross mid-day as the drunkards are in full swing and using it as a toilet. They should drain it and refill it mid-day... flush the toilet.
Crowd: This Cruise seems to attract a rowdier crowd. Mostly groups of singles, some adult family reunion types, couples looking to party, and some families with small children, the minority here. Still, Carnival does a good job trying to make the kids feel welcome amidst all the debauchery. Camp Carnival was a cute option, and a nice opportunity for the parents to have a little time for themselves! They also offered after-hours care for a fee. Thank you Camp Carnival!!
Staff: I have always been impressed with the Carnival staff. They are 90% polite, very friendly, and helpful. Always smiling and offering help without having to be asked. We ordered some dessert for room service and it came SO fast! I called for ice and it was there right away!! My expectations were always surpassed. Great team of people!!
Overall: Victory is a good ship; a trusty ship. There are no pretentious attitudes here. People are here to let loose and have a good time. You will meet people from all different walks of life. Biggest recommendation is if they could categorize some floors as quiet floors. I was awoken SEVERAL times each night by rowdy guests hollering down the hallways, and that part SUCKED. I don't do well if I'm not well-rested and I slept like CRAP the entire trip. read more