Just back from the Victory

Just back from a 4 night cruise on the Victory April 30 - May 4. It was just me and my 24 year old daughter this time. We sailed from Miami to Key West and Cozumel. All in all it was a great trip.

We arrived in Miami on April 28th and spent the first 2 nights at Crest Hotel on Miami Beach. It was a decent hotel and was only 2 blocks from the beautiful beach.

Monday morning we took an Uber and headed to the Port of Miami.

We had Faster to the Fun and arrived a few minutes before 11. It was all very fast and well organized. We were at the FTTF waiting area in less than 5 minutes. I love that there is a separate area now. Previously it was quite difficult to get through the crowds when FTTF was called. We only waited 5-10 minutes and were boarded. This is the earliest we were boarded in years. Every cruise we've taken for at least 5 years, there has been a delay to board and we haven't boarded until 1:00 ish so we were seriously debating FTTF. I'm so glad we got it since we were able to get in, get a cocktail and head straight to the room to put down our carry-ons.

The room (7370) was ready and our keys were waiting. It was a great room and had been renovated since our last trip aboard the Victory a few years ago. We decided to go up for lunch before all the crowds arrived but were surprised that there were already long line ups at Guys burgers and the buffet. This was one downside to the cruise - there were long lines for food every day. It didn't matter what time and what meal there was always a minimum of 15 minutes in line to get anything - this was true of the deli, the buffet, the Mexican food, Guy's and Pizza. Although we're on vacation so waiting here and there isn't a big deal it was frustrating that if we just wanted a little something we had to wait for so long to get it. We did manage to get a Guy's burger on that first day and it was yummy!

We got the Cheers program and headed to the bar for a second drink. This was another area that was always crowded and seemed to take a long time to get a drink. Not as bad at the bar though because we would just look through all the drink selections and sit on a stool so it was much more comfortable for waiting.

Next we went back to our cabin and unpacked a few things and waited on the balcony for the Muster drill. The Muster didn't take as long as usual and we headed back to our cabin to get unpacked.

By this time it was around 5 so we got showered and ready for Anytime dining. We headed out for dinner around 6.

The first night we were seated at a nice table but our server although not rude at all, was not friendly at all. We really enjoy our dinners and getting to know the server a bit. I think he may have just been overwhelmed but it was disappointing that he didn't tell us his name, or ask ours. Anyway, the food was good. The only complaint I have about the food in the dining room is that it never arrived hot, like not even warm really. I don't remember this as an issue in previous cruises. There was lots of selection and everything tasted great though so we didn't complain or anything, we were just surprised.

There was no show on the first night so we went to the Karaoke bar. We didn't sing but had fun listening to the other guests.

By around 11 we were tired so we headed back to the cabin. I like to sit on the balcony for awhile before bed so I did that and then headed to bed.

We docked in Key West around 7 am. I was pleasantly surprised that we did not dock at the Naval area where we were supposed to but rather downtown. It's so convenient to get off the ship there. We rented bikes and toured around Key West for a couple of hours. We went to Zachary Taylor beach, the Southernmost point in the US and Ernest Hemingway's home. We did a little shopping and were back on board by 11

Great review and it sounds like you had a lot of fun. I get to cruise Sept.8-21 on a back to back on the Sunshine.

Thanks for the review! We’ll be sailing on her on 5/21.

Any tips for Cozumel?

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We spent the rest of the day relaxing in Serenity. It's so great there when you can get a good spot. It's been redesigned since we were last on the ship and they have added 2 person beds and hot tubs. I know a lot of people like the hot tubs to be adults only and since Serenity is 21+ we didn't see any kids in the hot tubs at all. We did the slide a few times and that was fun.

On our first night we saw a waiter named Alex in the section beside us who seemed very friendly with his guests. We asked for and got that section on night 2 and ended up getting excellent friendly service for the rest of the cruise.

We went to the live show that night called "Living in America". It was good. The female singer in particular was very good

We went back to the Karaoke bar but it was in the smaller lounge this time and there wasn't much room so we left after 15 minutes or so.

We headed back to the room around 11 and again I sat out on my balcony for my nightly fix.

I forgot to mention cabin service. Our cabin steward Amir did a really good job. He asked us on the first day to fill out a form which asked if we wanted morning, evening or both for service. We chose both and filled out we would like to have bathrobes. we got great service morning and evening.

Thanks for the review! We’ll be sailing on her on 5/21.

Any tips for Cozumel?

 

 

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We went to Paradise Beach. I'm about to write about our day in Cozumel

The next day we went to Cozumel. We got into port just before noon so we were able to take our time getting up and getting ready.

We took a taxi to Paradise Beach. The taxi's are all regulated in the area where you leave the port area. They have standard prices. It's $15 to get to Paradise beach. This is per taxi, not per person. Once there it is only $3 per person to spend the day at the resort. You get a lounger and umbrella and there is a very nice pool and the beach and ocean of course. The down side is the drinks are a bit pricey, like $2.75 for a coke, around $10 for a cocktail. Also they have a ton of large water toys in the water, like water trampolines and things like that so it's not a great ocean view in front of about 3/4 of the loungers. We just located ourselves at the end so we had a nice view and after a couple of hours headed to the pool. There was hardly anyone there so we had our choice of loungers and we loved the ones that were right in the pool. We swam for an hour or so. The water was nice and warm. We packed up around 4:00 or so and headed back to port. There are lots of taxis just waiting right there to take you back.

Once we got back we went straight back to the ship to shower and have a couple of cocktails before dinner.

Thanks for the report.

Loved the Victory in March!! Thank you for the great memories!! My only complaint was the lines for food. Same experience. Didn’t seem to matter when or where, there were lines. Great review. Thank you!!

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Since you docked early in Key West what do you think first timers should do until the on and off trolley starts at 9am?

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I know you mentioned the ship got to Cozumel just before noon, but what time did you get to Paradise Beach? Trying to figure out if it's worth getting AI at Mr. Sanchos or just going to Paradise Beach for a few hours. Also, How hard was it to get chairs on the Serenity deck? Looking forward to that since our last 2 Carnival cruises were on the Conquest which didn't have one.

The Victory was my first ever ship. I loved that boat. The Serenity area was the best I've seen so far.

The next day we went to Cozumel. We got into port just before noon so we were able to take our time getting up and getting ready.

 

We took a taxi to Paradise Beach. The taxi's are all regulated in the area where you leave the port area. They have standard prices. It's $15 to get to Paradise beach. This is per taxi, not per person. Once there it is only $3 per person to spend the day at the resort. You get a lounger and umbrella and there is a very nice pool and the beach and ocean of course. The down side is the drinks are a bit pricey, like $2.75 for a coke, around $10 for a cocktail. Also they have a ton of large water toys in the water, like water trampolines and things like that so it's not a great ocean view in front of about 3/4 of the loungers. We just located ourselves at the end so we had a nice view and after a couple of hours headed to the pool. There was hardly anyone there so we had our choice of loungers and we loved the ones that were right in the pool. We swam for an hour or so. The water was nice and warm. We packed up around 4:00 or so and headed back to port. There are lots of taxis just waiting right there to take you back.

 

Once we got back we went straight back to the ship to shower and have a couple of cocktails before dinner.

Awesome! Thanks for the info. It’s on our list now [emoji1417]

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Thanks for the review!

I took my first cruise in the Victory and looking back, I think the long lines really turned me off. I decided I did not like cruising. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it, but I spoke to my PVP, who helped direct me to ships, departure ports, and duration that might make my time more enjoyable.

Next ship was the Liberty and I had a great time.

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Since you docked early in Key West what do you think first timers should do until the on and off trolley starts at 9am?

 

 

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Most things were open at 8 am. We have done parasailing and it is fantastic. If that interests you go through Fury tours. We rented bikes on Green street - 12.99 for the day. You could walk over to Ernest Hemingway's house. Or just start going into the shops.

I know you mentioned the ship got to Cozumel just before noon, but what time did you get to Paradise Beach? Trying to figure out if it's worth getting AI at Mr. Sanchos or just going to Paradise Beach for a few hours. Also, How hard was it to get chairs on the Serenity deck? Looking forward to that since our last 2 Carnival cruises were on the Conquest which didn't have one.

We were off the ship about noon, in a taxi 5 minutes later and it was about a 10 minute drive to Paradise beach

We leave in 3 weeks so it was nice seeing your review. I am concerned about the lines. Did you wait that long even at the buffet?

Dinner that night was really great. I had the tacos and tortilla soup but I don't recall what my daughter had. Right after dinner we got back off the ship to do some shopping since it was cooler out and the port area was not busy at all. We bought a few souvenirs and took some photos. After an hour or so we got back on the ship and had a few drinks.

We were pretty tired from all the sun so we turned in fairly early.

The next morning my daughter slept in but I was up fairly early. I went to the coffee shop and had some tea. It's so great that all kinds of drinks are included in the Cheers program. We visited the Coffee shop a lot as my daughter loves lattes and those kinds of drinks whereas I just got English breakfast tea each time.

I went up to Serenity to snag a clam shell bed. Serenity was closed due to high winds. I forgot my sunglasses so went back to the room to get them and then went back to get a lounger on the lido deck and noticed the signs saying Serenity was closed were gone. So since it had just opened back up I was able to get one of the very few coveted clamshells. I messaged my daughter to come up as I got us a bed and she joined me a few minutes later. I love seaday brunch but really didn't want to give up the clamshell so I went on my own to the dining room and ordered for both of us. I messaged my daughter when the food arrived and she came and joined me and this way we only left the clamshell for 20 minutes of so.

A couple hours later we left Serenity and went to the casino for about half an hour. Then we went to bingo to try to win the big $5000 jackpot. No one won it but a woman did win $750.

Once that was over we checked out the shops for a while and then headed to the cabin to get ready for dinner. I haven't mentioned this much but in between I did spend a lot of time on the balcony just mesmerized by the sea. I love having a balcony when I cruise.

Dinner was great but sad since it was the last night.

After dinner we decided to look at the photos. It's all changed now so they don't print out 5 million pics that no one buys. You enter your room # on an ipad and all the pics that have been taken throughout the cruise are there.

We only wanted the embarkation photo and ordered it. It said it would be ready at 8. We went and started packing for a bit and planned to come back for the photo and to see the final show. We got to Pixels around 8:10 and the show was starting at 8:15 so I sent my daughter in to get us a seat while I quickly got our photo. There was a big line up and it was extremely disorganized. The staff were really miserable actually and it was surprising since you never see that kind of thing on Carnival. At least I never do. The manager was raising his voice at customers saying "one line only" For some reason they kept serving people behind me so I spoke up and said I was next. After the woman served the girl behind me she finally served me and didn't even bother to say "oh sorry, somehow I didn't see you standing right in front of my face". I asked for my photo and it wasn't ready. It was about 8:20 at this point. I asked when it would be ready and she was just very irritated and said "ask him" who seemed to be a manager. I spoke with him and said my photo was supposed to be ready at 8 did he know when it would be ready. He was also very rude and asked when I ordered it. I said I didn't recall the exact time but that the kiosk said it would be ready at 8. He then said you ordered it at 7:20 how do you expect it to be ready? I told him I didn't expect it to be ready except that the kiosk said it would be. I asked what time they closed which was 11 and I said I'd be back.

I went to the show but honestly wasn't that interested as I was still so shocked by what had just happened. I understand there have been issues with Pixels because it seems they oversold the packages and couldn't deliver so the staff were probably overwhelmed but it was upsetting to be treated that way for no reason. After the show we went back to get the pics, this time my daughter was with me. The woman and manager was even worse this time. We asked her for the pics and she asked our room #. We gave it to her and she left the counter calling back something about go to another counter. She never came back. The manager eventually came over and said that someone set up a counter at the other end of Pixels, go there and see if the pics are ready. We went over there and they were ready. They were 2 5x7's and we wanted them cut but the other counter didn't have one of the cutters so we went back to get it cut. As soon as the manager saw us walk up to the counter he walked away and started folding boxes. After waiting about 5 minutes with him ignoring us, my daughter walked up to him and asked if he would please cut our pictures? He said "why, don't they have a cutter over there"? She said no they don't. So he picked up a cutter and went to the other end, dropped it off and disappeared. So we walked back over to the other end and the man there did it for us. The whole experience was bizarre and annoying on the last night after having such a lovely time.

Woo-hoo we were on the Victory a couple of weeks ago. At the bar on the Lido I cash tipped the same bartender several times on the first day It was the best thing I did. Every time I walked up I didn't have to order. I hear my name and handed my drink I tipped him on the last day too. Cheers package is handy and no lines for me. Sutresna was the bartender.

If the manger/ salesperson treated me like that, I would've told them to keep it & give me my money back. There's no cause for such rudeness. Especially when customer service is your job.

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After we got the pictures we went back the cabin and finished packing. Saddest part of the trip is always packing up to leave the next morning :(

We went to the comedy club as I love a good comedian. This guy wasn't so funny and I won't go into details since I got roasted on a facebook group for saying I found some of his material way over the line. I am not at all easily offended or thin skinned and it wasn't about adult humour or swearing or anything like that, but to me he was way over the line about one particular race of people (not my own by the way) so we just left and decided to go and get some pizza. The one main guy who worked there was such a hard worker. Every time I saw him he was always working at full speed and then some. Always friendly too. The pizza was pretty good with crispy crust and lots of pepperoni, just how I like it.

We had a couple of cocktails with the pizza and turned in for the night.

We tipped extra for our dining room waiter and our steward.

In the morning we got up about 6 to shower and get ready and headed to the dining room for breakfast around 7. By 8 we were back in our room and we just relaxed until 8:30. We then did the self assist debarkation, meaning we carried off all of our own stuff. It was very back logged and hard to get an elevator. I don't think the issue was with Carnival but rather with the customs terminal. They only had 3 people working for thousands of people to get through. It took about an hour to get off the ship between the line up on the ship and in the terminal. Worked out well for us though because we requested our shuttle for 9:30 and that's the time we got out.

We flew home from FLL and got to the airport around 10:30.

All in all it was another great cruise.

Summary

Pros

Great embarkation - onboard just after 11

Great service in the dining room

Good selection of food and it tasted good

Nice new cabin

Decent entertainment

Excellent steward

Cons

Slow bar service

Long line ups for food

Rude Pixels staff

Any questions please feel free to ask away.

If the manger/ salesperson treated me like that, I would've told them to keep it & give me my money back. There's no cause for such rudeness. Especially when customer service is your job.

 

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I was pretty shocked and would have not gone back for the picture but I really wanted it as a memento My daughter is usually very timid and quiet but was so offended she went to guest services and told them what happened. I didn't want to bother so just went back to the cabin and packed. The person at guest services went up to Pixels and when he came back he was VERY apologetic, refunded the picture and even offered some free drinks. We are assuming from this the manager up there treated him as badly as he had treated us and he saw for himself something was off with that guy.

Loved the Victory in March!! Thank you for the great memories!! My only complaint was the lines for food. Same experience. Didn’t seem to matter when or where, there were lines. Great review. Thank you!!

 

 

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Thanks L1211!!

thank you for the review! Any chance you have Funtimes? Just trying to get a glimpse of what is going on for the 4 day :)