At
first glance my mission appeared simple: Find a warm-weather cruise
that offered a variety of ports for two weeks, a cruise that catered
specifically to families, that offered good value for the money
spent, and with easy access from Great Britain. I
selected Carnival Cruise Lines because it offers exceptional cruise
vacations at reasonable prices, and its Camp Carnival is probably
the best children's program at sea. I chose the Victory because
it is based in Miami, offering alternate 7-day cruises to the Eastern
and Western Caribbean.
The
M.S. Victory, docked in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
My
intent was to find a couple of families, follow them around for
a few days, watch the kids enjoy their time at Camp Carnival and
the parents take advantage of the adult pursuits. That was my intent,
but it wasn't that simple, because what I found were honeymooners,
retirees, grandparents, single women friends sharing a cabin, single
men friends sharing, and many, many extended family groups. They
were all on the Carnival Victory to have fun, to enjoy a holiday
in the sun, to be pampered and catered to.
Click
on pics
to enlarge
The
ship "I
wanted something that evoked the seas of the world," says Joe Farcus,
the interior designer for all of Carnival Cruise Lines' ships.
And
from the moment you step on board The M.S. Victory, all of the seas
of the world are yours, from the Pacific and Atlantic dining rooms
to the Caspian Sea Wine Bar, the South China Seas casino and the
Adriatic Lounge. 'Neptune's Way' serves as an interior promenade,
the Irish Sea Bar has karaoke, and the Arctic Disco offers crackled
glass walls to replicate that icy feeling. Greens and teals and
pale blues are the predominant colors in the public areas, with
mermaid décor in the dining rooms, sea-horse sculptures anchoring
the stairways, and hand-made glass tile mosaics showing up in unexpected
places throughout the ship.
Launched
in August of 2000, Victory is the third of the line of Destiny-Class
ships (the M.S. Destiny and the M.S. Triumph preceded her), with
13 passenger decks and 1358 staterooms. A full 60% of the accommodations
have ocean views and 60% of the ocean view staterooms have balconies.
Fully loaded, including guests in uppers and in sofa-beds, the passenger
capacity is 3,470.
These
ships were built to maximize space and to give the passenger a full
resort experience, for that is what the Victory is: An ocean-going,
floating resort. To Carnival, the ships don't provide just 'cruises',
they are 'cruise vacations', and Carnival Cruise Lines does not
want that misunderstood. The 'Fun Ships' of Carnival are just that,
with non-stop entertainment for all ages from early morning to the
wee hours.
The
accommodation The
Victory offers 7 basic accommodation types ranging from a large
'deluxe suite with balcony to a small interior room. Twin beds
in most cabins can be made into king-sized beds by request. Most
cabins have a sofa; some of these can be made into a bed, and
many cabins have upper berths that drop from the ceiling. Families
booking two balcony cabins can open the door between balconies,
and there are family accommodations that have interior connecting
doors as well. The balcony sides are made of tempered plexiglass,
providing a wide-open view with no obstruction.
The
furnishings are simple and utilitarian, yet brightly colored and
pleasing. Each cabin has a closet section with room for hanging
garments, a cupboard with shelves, a chest of drawers, and a nightstand
with a shelf. The "wood" elements are made of a faux birdseye
maple, the surfaces of a burnished gold composite, and the soffits
and moulding of a gold metal. Most have a soft salmon-colored
leather sofa and a small adjustable table. (Suite accommodations
have a different layout; the furnishings are also more elegant.)
All have a large remote control color television with a variety
of programming options.
The
bathrooms in most of the cabins are large by cruise ship standards,
with a long counter (in a very bright pink) and plenty of shelf
space for cosmetics and toiletries. Suites have bathtubs, other
cabins have shower only. A powerful hairdryer is furnished as
are very small packets of soap, shampoo, and other toiletries.
Exterior
cabins without balconies are generous, with nearly full-sized
sofas and plenty of space. Balconied cabins lose some of the interior
space; the sofa is smaller as well. Aft balconied cabins are smaller
still because the balconies are much larger than those along the
side, as large as many patios. The side balconies measure approximately
four feet deep by nine feet wide with suite balconies being wider.
The aft balconies are approximately nine feet by nine feet. All
are furnished with a small chaise, a chair and a small table.
Dining
and entertainment The
Victory has two main dining rooms on the Promenade level and a buffet-style
restaurant on the Lido deck for more casual dining. In addition
to those three venues, there is a New York-style deli for sandwiches,
a take-out window for Chinese food, a burger-hot dog- and steak
sandwich bar, a poolside grill, a 24-hour pizzeria that also serves
Caesar salads, a juice and fruit bar, and 24-hour room service.
The Coral Sea Café offers a variety of coffees and pastries for
an additional charge; all of the other dining options are included
with your fare, but soft drinks, wine and liquor are not.
Meal
times in the main dining rooms are staggered so that there are four
seatings. Most families with young children take the earlier dining
times. Evening entertainment is often presented twice to accommodate
both the early and late diners; there is usually a midnight show
as well that is less suitable for younger people.
Entertainment
options are almost non-ending and run the gamut from the ultra-tacky
'Men's Hairy Chest Contest' at poolside to a delicate and sweet
classical music concert with tea. Magic shows, full-scale musical
productions, jugglers and comedians are the main staple of the evening
shows but throughout the day there are musical performances, karaoke,
games, and contests that are scattered throughout the 18 bars and
lounges on the ship. In addition to all of that, in-cabin movies
are offered on a rotating basis at no charge.
Activities The
Carnival Victory is like a small floating city with a population
of 3,000. Age-appropriate activities are available all day and
night.
She
boasts one of the largest casinos on the seas, at 9,000 square
feet. The 270 slot machines range from U.S. nickels to a solitary
$25 USD machine. There are 22 table games including blackjack,
Caribbean stud poker, roulette, and two dice tables.
The
Nautica Spa is one of the best equipped sea-going gyms in the
world and offers a full range of massages, facials, manicures,
pedicures, and hair care. Most of the treatment areas and all
of the workout areas face the sea at the bow of the ship. State-of-the-art
equipment and London-trained spa professionals are available for
both vigorous workouts and relaxing massages. Saunas and hot tubs
are available at no charge while the massages, facials, manicures
and other beauty treatments are often put 'on special' during
the length of the cruise.
For
children there is Camp Carnival, fully staffed with trained professional
child-care providers. It has its own play area and wading pool.
For adults there are three large swimming pools and several 'hot
tubs', and there is the 214-foot-long curly slide which delights
both grownups and kids. 'Virtual Sea' is a high-tech gaming arcade
which includes air-hockey, race-car simulators and other reality-based
games.
Contests,
games, Camp Carnival, pool activities, spa treatments, bingo,
art auctions, music, the casino, dancing, dance lessons, the arcade,
the fitness classes and workout equipment in the gym plus sunning
and eating whenever one chooses makes for an active sea-day itinerary.
For those who prefer more tranquil pursuits there is a quietly
elegant library, a card room, an Internet café, and several areas
in which one can just sit and read or engage in conversation.
On port days there are excursions that can be purchased from the
Carnival specialists, but the ship remains your 'home' while in
port.
Evelyn
The
Pashniks
Country
music legend Charley Pride
The
guests Mary
and Kim, thirty-something career women, had booked themselves into
a balcony cabin. The cruise was a break from work and their way
of celebrating Kim's 31st birthday. "We want to come too!" said
Mary's parents, so they booked an outside cabin on one of the lower
decks. The two younger women played and partied hard while Mary's
parents enjoyed quieter activities. They met in the evenings for
dinner most nights, and did a few things together, but mostly they
all went their own separate ways. On occasion they would all gather
on Kim and Mary's balcony at the stern of the ship to have a drink
and watch the sunset.
Terry
and Vicki were on the Victory with their two daughters, Correy,
two, and Caitlin, seven. Vicki's parents were on board too. This
was a really special trip for all of them. Correy was baptized on
the same beach in St. Thomas on which Terry and Vicki had married;
they decided to renew their wedding vows at the same time. Caitlin
and her grandparents were joyous participants in the ceremonies.
They spent all of their time on board the Victory together, as a
family. The grandparents had an outside cabin on the Main deck while
Terry, Vicki, and the girls shared a deluxe suite with a balcony.
Although Camp Carnival has programs for children of these ages,
neither of the girls participated; they stayed with their parents
or grandparents through all of the on-board activities, mostly hanging
out at the aft pool.
That
was the general routine for the Pashniks, too. The five of them
shared an inside cabin with two ceiling bunks (for the 13 year old
and the 11 year old) and a rollaway bed (for the five year old).
They wanted this vacation time together and chose the Victory because
the pricing was right for their budget. They spent all of their
time together, often playing cards at a shady table on the Lido
Deck.
Kenny
Jr., 11, and his brother, Seth, seven, couldn't wait to get to Camp
Carnival. They were part of a 13-member family group headed by Evelyn,
their grandmother. She was sharing a cabin with her granddaughter
Whitney while Whitney's father and brother shared another cabin,
all on Riviera deck. Kenny Sr., his wife Brenda, Kenny Jr., Seth,
and their brother Matthew had a suite on Empress deck. Matthew,
severely disabled since an accident in his infancy, is wheelchair
bound and unable to move around without assistance. "The ship is
very well suited to accessibility," said Kenny Sr. "We haven't had
any problems on board, and the only complaint we had was with one
of the shore excursions. It wasn't as accessible as we had been
told."
Evelyn,
Matthew's grandmother, enjoyed spending time at the Nautica Spa.
"Camp Carnival didn't really work out for Matthew," she said, as
she soaked in the bubbling hot tub within the spa facility. "He
requires too much care, and Kenny Sr. had to stay with him. Kenny
Jr. and Seth had a wonderful time there though," she said.
Whitney
is 16, too old for Camp Carnival and too young for the casino, but
she found plenty of things to do on board, from pool activities
to hanging out at Virtual Sea, the arcade, where her 19 year-old
brother topped the scores on the air hockey game. "I can't get used
to the dining here," she said. "All of the courses, and the way
they're served! I feel like royalty and I don't want the trip to
end. I don't want to have to go back to clearing the table and doing
dishes!"
Country
music legend Charley Pride was on board too.
"I
feel really relaxed," he said. "OK, the casino was tight, but aside
from that little issue, I had a wonderful time. The best part, for
me, was being able to chat with my fans in a comfortable atmosphere
with no pressure. There were no handlers dragging me to my next
gig, I got to sit and chat with people who know my music and to
meet people who don't. The whole thing was just great."
At
first glance my mission appeared simple: Find a warm-weather cruise
that offered a variety of ports for two weeks, a cruise that catered
specifically to families, that offered good value for the money
spent, and with easy access from Great Britain. I
selected Carnival Cruise Lines because it offers exceptional cruise
vacations at reasonable prices, and its Camp Carnival is probably
the best children's program at sea. I chose the Victory because
it is based in Miami, offering alternate 7-day cruises to the Eastern
and Western Caribbean.
Web Site
