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Kokomo_Man

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    Live From the Victory... Full Moon(s) cruise review with pics.

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    The great Victory full moon(s) adventure.

     

     

     

    Review & pics - Part 2

     

     

    A bit more about the ship...

     

    The cabin I was in did not have a refrigerator. For those that like to bring sodas on board with them like I do, this is a little bit of an inconvenience. Sure you can go somewhere and get ice, but that is a bit of a “pain” to have to chase around. I think this is something you will find on the older ships. I think the Conquest and newer ships have refrigerators in all their cabins. For the Victory, I think only the suites have them. Maybe someone else can update us on this.

     

    Each of the stair-cases on the ship has a sea monster guarding the stairs. (see the pics coming up.) It’s really a sea horse, but I called it a sea monster because of the snout that protrudes beyond the end of the banister. Several people told me that when rounding the corner the snout jumps out and bites your knee... or depending on how short you are, takes a chunk out of your thigh. It didn’t happen to me, but watch out if you are on this ship.

     

    Service in the main dining room was very good... that is after I was moved from the very uncomfortable booths. On the first night, the others seated with me in the booth got their starter (soup) but I didn’t. Just before the other two people got their main course I got my heart of iceberg salad. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. Perhaps it was just first night confusion. Fortunately, we were moved to a table in the middle of the dining room for the remaining nights. Service was beyond good from then on. In fact, it ranks in the top of the Carnival ships I’ve been on.

     

    I’m surprised that I did not hear any comments about the mermaids... ummmm, almost naked mermaids that are adorning each booth in the dining rooms. Maybe most people didn’t notice, but hey... I’m just a guy. These aren’t tiny little figurines. They are large and almost seem to be everywhere. Take a look at the pics when I get them posted next and you be the judge.

     

    On deck 4 aft there is a very nice lounge that used to be the Cigar Bar. It is very well appointed with comfortable furniture, and a nice bar. It goes largely unused these days. I say used to be the Cigar Bar because all smoking in there is now banned because it used to be that the only access to the “internet cafe” was through the Cigar Bar. So... smoking was banned. I find it interesting that what used to be the internet cafe is now a portrait studio.

     

    The internet area has been moved to the hallway next to the lounge. There are now only a handful of computers in the area. I don’t smoke, but I think the tradition of a Cigar Bar should be revived. They could easily move the internet and merge it into the almost unused library. The Cigar Bar could then be returned to its former glory. By the way, the “disco” area on the Prominade deck is a smoking area. If the Cigar Bar was once again a smoking area, the disco could be made non-smoking. None of this is likely to happen, but just maybe... Carnival is listening.

     

    That’s all for the ship for now unless I think of some stuff I’ve forgotten. Tomorrow I’ll start on the ports we visited.

     

    Bob

    Live From the Victory... Full Moon(s) cruise review with pics.

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    The great Victory full moon(s) adventure.

     

     

     

    Review & pics

     

     

    My original “live from” thread has been closed, so I’ll be posting my review and pics from the cruise here.

     

    It’s been a few days since the cruise ended. As always, it’s quite a zoo for me when I get back home. But it does give me time to reflect on the cruise before writing a review. So, over the next few days I’ll be posting my reviews and a ton of pics that I took during the cruise. This will all be just my opinion, so take it for what it’s worth.

     

    As I sit here writing this I have Radio Margaritaville on playing island music. I’m suffering from PCD... Post Cruise Depression. So, the first thing I should say before I go on is that I would go back on the Victory any time. She is still a first class ship and I had a lot of fun. I wish I was still cruisin’ on her somewhere in the Caribbean with a frozen concoction to help me hang on in my hand. Oh Well... on the ship riview.

     

    The Ship

     

    The Victory is one of the older ships in Carnival’s fleet. She is a “Triumph class” ship. She was built in 2000 and had her last dry-dock in 2005. I heard a few very minor complaints about the condition of the ship but overall, I think she is still bright, shiny, and well maintained. I personally never saw anything that was in need of repair.

     

    Being older is kind of a double-edged sword.... some good and some bad. But I do need to say that if I hadn’t been on the newer ships, I would not have known the difference. And when compared to the older ships of other cruise lines I’ve been on, I would say she fairs better.

     

    In the good category is that there aren’t as many passengers on board. Processing on or off the ship is quicker since there aren’t so many people to move through the doors. Other, larger ships, have the same number of doors and the same number of “dinger” contraptions to run your sail and sign card through. On this cruise there was never more than a few minutes wait to get to the dinger.

     

    Also in the good category is the number of elevators on the ship is the same as the larger Conquest class and even the newest gargantuan Breeze. After the initial rush at the port of Miami, the wait for elevators was always reasonable. They could use some “smart controls” but even the Breeze doesn’t have that. So, the elevators were definitely better than the larger ships since they had to carry fewer passengers.

     

    Service at the bars around the ship was good. I didn’t count the bars around the ship, but I think there is the same number of them as on all the larger ships. In any case, getting a drink was never a problem at any of the bars. The bartenders always had a smile on their face.

     

    Now for the not so good. I must say that with one exception these were more irritants than bad. So I’ll talk about the exception first... and it was ugly. The internet service. This was the worst internet that I’ve had on any ship... Carnival or other. Just when I was thinking Carnival was getting their act together, I had to suffer through the internet on the Victory. It was all but useless though it cost the same as every other Carnival ship. Shame on Carnival for inflicting this on their customers and bilking them with the price. Enough said.

     

    There were always long lines during the day at all the eating places on the Lido deck and especially in the buffet. There are 1/3 the number of serving stations in the buffet compared to the newer Conquest Class ships. Those ships hold about 3000 passengers compared to about 2700 for the Triumph class. So, you can see that with fewer serving stations, the lines are bound to be long. The outside “mini-buffets” for hamburgers did some to help, but the lines were very long for those stations too.

     

    The last “not so good” is that the ship hasn’t had all the 2.0 upgrades. That means no Guy’s ferengie burgers... no Red Frog Pub... no Tequila and Rum bars on the Lido Deck. Of these I missed the Red Frog Pub most. I don’t know where they would put it on this ship, but I liked to hang out there a lot on the Breeze.

     

    There are a few odds & ends to tell about that are not in the good or bad category... they just are. I’ll tell you about these as I think of them. The first that comes to mind is on this ship kids are allowed in all pools. The only area that restricts under 18 is the Serenity decks. There weren’t a lot of kids on this ship, but I was surprised at how many were playing hookey. Anytime during the day when we were at sea, there were kids in each of the three pools if open.

     

    Carnival has eliminated the bands... even the one-man band... that used to play on the Lido deck on sea days. This is fleet-wide. Instead, they have replaced the bands with a DJ. Some people will think the DJ is better playing a wider variety of music. But... I miss the bands with their island music. Island music and steel drums just belong on the Lido deck during a Caribbean Cruise.

     

    That’s all for this part. I’ll add some details about a few venues in my next post. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy the pics of the ship.

     

    Bob

    Free Wi-fi at Nassau pier??

    in Bahamas

    Posted

    I recommend you take the short walk through town to Duncan Donuts. They always have good wifi in there... and good coffee... and good donuts! You do have to buy something to get their code. Did I mention good donuts?:D

     

    I will be there Tuesday and I'll post something if I find out they have wifi in the port terminal.

     

    You can follow my adventure to Nassau and other places aboard the Carnival Victory at this cruisecritic link:

    http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1928390

     

    Bob

    Searching for Kokomo

    The Love Boat

    in What Ever Happened To........???

    Posted

    Hello my cruise lovin' friends... I started this thread a bit over a year ago. I guess for me, hope springs eternal. When I first wrote this, I kinda hoped that there would be some kind of ground swell of sentiment to save the Love Boat.

     

    Well... I'm sorry to say that it didn't happen. The Love Boat has been sold for scrap once again. Now it has made it's way to Turkey where it will be dismantled.

     

    Here's the USA Today story.

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2013/08/08/love-boat-cruise-ship/2630821/

     

    Sad for all of us. But perhaps we will all get to sail on her when we get to Kokomo.

     

     

     

    Bob

    Searching for Kokomo

    Park West Gallery Warning

    in Norwegian Cruise Line

    Posted

    When (if) I go to the Park West Gallery auctions, I do it for amusement only. I always take my laptop or ipad so I can do a search for some item I might be interested in. Park West often has some sports memorabilia stuff that interests me. But when I find the price for the same thing on the internet, the Park West staff stops talking to me. I do however seem to make new friends as I walk around with my laptop/ipad. Tee Hee.:p

     

    Bob

    Searching for Kokomo

    Carnival's Best Frozen Drink

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    I posted it earlier... but I'll repeat here.

     

    Woman to Blame... is a frozen concoction to help you hang on.

     

    Tequila (ToKillYa)

     

    Mango Juice & Pinaple Juice... equal parts blended with ice and Tequila to make the frozen concoction part.

     

    Grenadine (put in the bottom of the glass before pouring in the frozen concoction. The red & sweet grenadine "shoots up into the yellow concoction to make a yummy looking boat drink.)

     

    Garnish with an orange slice.

     

    This has been one of the best selling ever winners of the "Master Mixologist" contest on the Breeze.

     

    Bob

    Searching for Kokomo

    Carnival's Best Frozen Drink

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Any frozen concoction to help you hang on is good... try them all. Any of the frozen Margaritas are good. A Hurricane Wave and a Chocolate Mocha Whatchamacallit are two of my favorites.

     

    However... a drink that won the Master Mixologist contest on BC6 seems to be a new favorite. It's called "The Woman to Blame".

     

    If you ask for "The Woman to Blame" in many of Carnival's piano bars... especially the Breeze, they will know exactly what to fix up.

     

    Otherwise, tell the bartender:

    Tequila

    Mango & Pineapple (blend as a frozen concoction)

    Grenadine in the bottom of the glass

    Garnish with an orange slice.

     

    Mmmmmm.... Mmmmmmm Good.

     

    Bob

    Searching for Kokomo

    Where are good Wi-Fi Hot Spots in cruise ports?

    in Ask a Cruise Question

    Posted

    Carnival seems to be having second thoughts on their unlimited wifi. It seems that we need to post more here to good wifi spots so that no one has to pay the rip-off prices any more.

     

    There's good wifi at the Margaritaville in Grand Turk. You can also pick it up on the beach just outside Margaritaville. A nice way to spend some time... laying out on the beach and getting your internet fix for free.

     

    There are also several "free wifi" "watering-holes" along the beach. I have not tried out the wifi in any of them, but they are good watering-holes.:D

     

    Bob

    Searching for Kokomo

    The Love Boat

    in What Ever Happened To........???

    Posted

    I was doing a little research for my book today to find a bit of info on the "Love Boat"... the TV series that is credited with increasing the popularity of cruising in the United States. While searching I found out that the "Love Boat" (the original Pacific Princess) was sold for scrap back in March... a sad day. But wait! The company that bought her defaulted on payment and she is for sale again.

     

     

    Would you cruise on the original "Love Boat" if she was brought back to being cruise ready.

     

    Here a link to a story about her.

     

    http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/06/love-boat-pacific-princess-cruise/714251/1?csp=34travel&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomTravel-TopStories+%28Travel+-+Top+Stories%29

     

    This is the link mentioned in the story for pictures of the "Love Boat" today.

    http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Cruise+Ship+Tours/Pacific/G1773,A12714

     

    Bob

    Memories of Naked Fanny

     

     

    Here a link to a story about her.

     

    http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2012/06/love-boat-pacific-princess-cruise/714251/1?csp=34travel&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomTravel-TopStories+%28Travel+-+Top+Stories%29

     

    This is the link mentioned in the story for pictures of the "Love Boat" today.

    http://mediagallery.usatoday.com/Cruise+Ship+Tours/Pacific/G1773,A12714

     

    Bob

    Memories of Naked Fanny

    Best Piano Entertainer on Carnival? (Part 2)

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Hey Laura,

     

    A small update on Brad Alexander... On your advice a few weeks ago, I emailed Brad telling him about my "hoard" sailing on the Valor on June 17. I "begged" him to extend at least to the following cruise. After a couple of nice emails back and forth HE DID EXTEND!!! So now he will be there through June 23. YIPEEEE!!!!

     

    Bob

    Memories of Naked Fanny

    Best Piano Entertainer on Carnival? (Part 2)

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Laura & All,

     

    I sailed with the Valor on Sunday. The Piano Bar entertainer is Doug Ross. I asked him and he said he will be here until Feb 19 (He said, "or something like that").

     

    I had him last year for my "New Years" cruise and I thought he was pretty good then. I'll post a full review at the end of the cruise. (You can read my previous review of him in the Live from the Freedom link in my signature.)

     

    Bob

    Memories of Naked Fanny

    Best Piano Entertainer on Carnival? (Part 2)

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Hey Laura,

     

    Do you (or anyone else for that matter) have any information on who is following Brad Alexander on the Valor. I'm getting on for the Jan 1st cruise. Maybe Brad will just extend and stay on for a few extra weeks. I sure would like to do a cruise when he is on board. (I know... that's wishfull thinking.)

     

    While I've got you... are we still celebrating our birthday together in the PB this year? I'm still going, are you?

     

    Bob

    Memories of Naked Fanny

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