Carnival Victory Tour

[desirod]

Thanks to Brad Hatry of the World Ship Society for organizing this great event.

Photo album

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The Victory departs from the most convenient Manhattan Cruise Terminal. I prefer it to Brooklyn and Bayonne despite the decrepit condition.

 

The ship's exterior is an upturned milk carton with an interesting integration of the bow and forward superstructure albiet the bow is too short.

 

Inside was a pleasant surprise of real wood, brass, and ceramics. The detailing and workmanship is excellent but the design is north of garish. It does have that ship smell.

 

Like most modern cruiseships all of the rooms that try to evoke 19th century or earlier themes come out ghastly and this ship is no exeption. There are a few good rooms. Cabins are nicely sized and well laid out.

 

The bow to stern circulation is not so good on the Victory class with dead end stair towers. On deck 4 one has to pass through the dining room.

There is no forward observation lounge, a gym is in its place.

 

The exterior decks are well laid out with 2 pool courtyards, with the aft one being a quiet zone; midship kiddies and noise. It is very much an outdoor ship. By comparison the Costa Condordia clone is completely different in its deck configuration with more sheltered areas.

 

Food on board for the luncheon was typical convention hotel quality.

 

To compare to the next berth over Norwegian Dawn which I toured twice: The Dawn has a better flow and outer deck space, but the detailing, materials, and workmanship are not as good. The RCCL Voyager feels to me like a shopping mall with an amusement park atop, where the Victory and the Dawn feel more like ships. All of the 3 have little connection to the sea.