Carnival cruise dilemma?

[Bubba31]

Definitely want to do a Carnival cruise next year and have 2 options:
Carnival Sensation going to Grand Cayman & Jamaica or
Carnival Victory going to Key West & Cozumel, both sail from Miami.
Has anyone done either of these and have a preference or can offer tips or advice please TIA.
I don't want to do a Disney Cruise.

[bonnies mum]

Haven’t done either of these 2 cruises but have been to all of the ports of call.
Grand Cayman has some lovely beaches and the cruise port is straight into the town, however it is a tender port so you can’t come and go from the ship very easily.
Jamaica is a beautiful island and an excursion like Dunn’s River Falls is a fantastic trip. Drawbacks are that the locals are incredibly pushy even in the port area.
Key West, if you have never been, is quite a unique place. There are lovely historical buildings, Southernmost Point for a photo opportunity. Duvall Street has loads of shops, bars and cafes. The Conch Tour is close to the port and a great way to see round and get your bearings. My only drawback is that it is still the US but with a very laidback feeling.
Finally Cozumel, have never done the downtown shopping so can’t advise on that. There are taxis just outside the port which will take you anywhere you want, island tour, historical sites, beach, tequila factory etc. Locals are very friendly. This year we did a snorkel and beach tour - fantastic. We have visited Cozumel several times and I can’t really think of any drawbacks.
Your choice is quite difficult as all the ports are great, but if you haven’t been to Key West before I would go for that one.
However, you will enjoy either.

[Cloverlady]

Originally Posted by Bubba31

Definitely want to do a Carnival cruise next year and have 2 options:
Carnival Sensation going to Grand Cayman & Jamaica or
Carnival Victory going to Key West & Cozumel, both sail from Miami.
Has anyone done either of these and have a preference or can offer tips or advice please TIA.
I don't want to do a Disney Cruise.

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Hi, we are just back from doing your second option.

We sailed on Carnival Victory from Miami to Key West and Cozumel. (Although our ports were switched round, going to Cozumel first due to sailing to avoid Hurricane Matthew's path)
We really loved Key West and plan to go back there, and the sail in to Key West on the ship blew us away. Never seen such beautiful pale blue water!
We had an aft extended balcony and any time dining.

Have you sailed with Carnival before?

[Bubba31]

Originally Posted by Cloverlady

Hi, we are just back from doing your second option.

We sailed on Carnival Victory from Miami to Key West and Cozumel. (Although our ports were switched round, going to Cozumel first due to sailing to avoid Hurricane Matthew's path)
We really loved Key West and plan to go back there, and the sail in to Key West on the ship blew us away. Never seen such beautiful pale blue water!
We had an aft extended balcony and any time dining.

Have you sailed with Carnival before?

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Yes, we sailed from Port Canaveral to Nassau in 2016 on Carnival Sensation and loved it. What was the atmosphere like on Victory, we liked the party atmosphere on Sensation.

[Bubba31]

Originally Posted by bonnies mum

Haven’t done either of these 2 cruises but have been to all of the ports of call.
Grand Cayman has some lovely beaches and the cruise port is straight into the town, however it is a tender port so you can’t come and go from the ship very easily.
Jamaica is a beautiful island and an excursion like Dunn’s River Falls is a fantastic trip. Drawbacks are that the locals are incredibly pushy even in the port area.
Key West, if you have never been, is quite a unique place. There are lovely historical buildings, Southernmost Point for a photo opportunity. Duvall Street has loads of shops, bars and cafes. The Conch Tour is close to the port and a great way to see round and get your bearings. My only drawback is that it is still the US but with a very laidback feeling.
Finally Cozumel, have never done the downtown shopping so can’t advise on that. There are taxis just outside the port which will take you anywhere you want, island tour, historical sites, beach, tequila factory etc. Locals are very friendly. This year we did a snorkel and beach tour - fantastic. We have visited Cozumel several times and I can’t really think of any drawbacks.
Your choice is quite difficult as all the ports are great, but if you haven’t been to Key West before I would go for that one.
However, you will enjoy either.

See more...

Thanks, I have done Jamaica, Cozumel & done Key West last year on day trip from Miami before but not on a cruise. The kids want to do Jamaica for the Dunns River falls, Skyride & Bobsled but it's on Sensation, I'd prefer Carnival Victory as its bigger and newer ship but it goes to the other ports. This is going to be difficult lol.

[Cloverlady]

Originally Posted by Bubba31

Yes, we sailed from Port Canaveral to Nassau in 2016 on Carnival Sensation and loved it. What was the atmosphere like on Victory, we liked the party atmosphere on Sensation.

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We actually did 2 Carnival cruises on this holiday, our first time(s) with Carnival. We did Carnival Victory followed by Carnival Miracle. If you like a party atmosphere you will be happy on the Victory.

Of the 2 ships we did, the Victory was by far the better, in all aspects, atmosphere, friendliness and the cabins were newer and more modern. Victory also had the great Guy's Burger Joint, which Miracle lacked.
I think Victory is a newer and slightly bigger ship than Sensation if that matters to you. It was definitely a 'fun-ship' as their advertising claims!

If you've any other questions I'm happy to try to help