Victory Review Feb. 16-21- The good and the very UGLY

[ThirstyFrog203]

Ports of call - Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay & Nassau

 

Just wanted to stop in and write a reasonably quick review.

 

Day 1 was great. We got to the ship around 2pm and headed straight to Lido to get some drinks and prepare for sail away. Weather was outstanding. 75 and sunny. Where we came from (CT) that morning was a frigid -5. So it was a huge temp swing that felt great. Vacation off to a great start!

 

Day 2 - Sea Day, very windy. Top deck of Serenty was closed off. Not that it mattered, because as with all cruises we've been on, if you don't get to Serenity by 6am, You'll never get a seat there. So we walked the entirety of the deck looking for a lounge chair in the sun. No dice. The chairs that didn't have people on them had personal belongings... for hours. So we sat in the windy, cold shade for a couple hours hoping one would open up, but nothing.

 

We had Made (Mah-Day) as a waiter in the MDR all week. He was great! The most personable waiter i've had on a cruise. Great guy. My wife and I ordered the Surf & Turf that night and it was very good. Steak a little under seasoned but good.

 

Day 3 - Highlight of the trip. Grand Turk was amazingly beautiful. We had perfect weather. 85 Degrees, a little humidity. Perfect beach weather on a perfect beach. Excellent cruise center. No need for an excursion here. Also had the best Pina Colada i've ever had at the swim up bar in the pool. Great place.

 

Day 4 - Half Moon Cay - The sole reason we booked this cruise over 8 months ago. Everyone raves about this place and i was beyond excited to go there. This is when our vacation took a nose dive. I'm getting ready in the bathroom, getting dressed, waiting for the announcement when they would start tendering in. Then our cruise director makes the annoucement that we are skipping HMC due to high winds. So yes, the port i've been waiting 8 months for, with an excursion for jet skis booked (would have been first time riding one) has been cancelled and it would now be a sea day as we head to Nassau.

 

Please spare me the lectures on how i shouldn't book a cruise for a specific port because things can happen. I'm fully aware of that but this port was everything to me and my wife. If it wasn't for HMC, there is no way we would have booked the Victory. It is in need of some serious work.

 

So now, stuck in a sea day with high winds, the lido deck was empty because of the wind and cold. The wife and i saw this as an opportunity to hit the lido hot tubs only to find out that they are luke warm and pretty much useless. The aft pool had two hot tubs, but only one worked. So yes, ONE fully functioning hot tub on the entire ship. Missing HMC really brought the small things to the forefront for us....

 

Day 5 - Nassau - Windy and down right cold. Temps 20+ degrees below normal with barely any sun made the day a little torturous. We enjoyed our sting ray excursion here but it was too cold to enjoy anything else.

 

At this point, we were ready to go home. Other than Grand Turk, it was a complete and total letdown that has us looking into resorts next year instead of another cruise.

 

To sum up

 

High Points -

1. Grand Turk

2. Cigar City beers on the ship

3. Our waiter Made, in the MDR

4. Chopsticks in the buffet area, great food from 12-3pm

 

Low Points -

1. Old ship in need of work

2. Lack of quality entertainment (one good stand up comic though)

3. Being our third cruise, we expected a complimentary drink like we received on our 2nd cruise. This time we got a bottle of water... a bottle of water.)

4. Missed Half Moon Cay, utterly disapointing.

5. One properly functioning hot tub, ONE.

6. Chair hogs, EVERYWHERE, not just Serenity this time.

7. Cold and windy most of the trip

8. Did i mention we missed HMC? The one specific place i wanted to go.

9. Horrible water pressure in the shower

10. Missed Half Moon Cay and Jet skis.

[gone_cruisin]

Sorry you did not have a great cruise.

 

You don't want to be lectured about your disappointment in missing HMC, however, you're most likely going to get it anyways.

 

Low Points -

 

1. Old ship in need of work

Yes this is true, and having been on cruise critic, you should have already known she's on older ship.

 

2. Lack of quality entertainment (one good stand up comic though)

This varies from ship to ship. Some ships have great entertainment. I usually find it's on the newer ships.

 

3. Being our third cruise, we expected a complimentary drink like we received on our 2nd cruise. This time we got a bottle of water... a bottle of water.)

Again, being on CC you should have already heard the news about the VIFP changes. It was also emailed to you.

 

4. Missed Half Moon Cay, utterly disapointing.

I've missed many ports and never let it ruin my cruise. I used it as an excuse to book another one hitting that port.

 

5. One properly functioning hot tub, ONE.

Just off the Triumph (even older than Victory), it also only had one hot tub for a few days while they did maintenance.

 

6. Chair hogs, EVERYWHERE, not just Serenity this time.

Chair hogs on every single cruise I've ever been on. You'll just have to take a deep breath with this.

 

7. Cold and windy most of the trip

It's the time of year you chose to sail. Try a warmer month.

 

8. Did i mention we missed HMC? The one specific place i wanted to go.

See my answer to number 4

 

9. Horrible water pressure in the shower.

There's low water pressure on every ship. Unless you know how to take out the flow restricted from the water head, you'll have to learn to take longer showers.

 

10. Missed Half Moon Cay and Jet skis.

Number 4 again.

 

 

 

Best recommendation I can give is to try a newer ship like the Magic during April or May. Anything after June, you will be in hurricane season and there is a higher chance of missing ports.

 

10. Missed Half Moon Cay and Jet

Edited February 24, 2015 by gone_cruisin

[Cruzlover7]

I sailed the Victory last November and even with 4 people we never had a problem getting a deck chair. Now Serenity was a tough one, and I knew it would be, but we managed to get a spot on one occasion and use the hot tub almost every day. All hot tubs were working then.

 

The shower and water pressure was excellent for us..did you happen to call GS for maintenance?

 

HMC- My first trip to Grand Turk I thought it was the ultimate paradise....Now I don't want to rub salt, but HMC was the true Paradise IMHO of course.

 

Perhaps you can try again on another ship and during less harsh winter months. I wouldn't write of cruising just yet. After all, a bad day of cruising is better than a good day at the office!

[ThirstyFrog203]

I sailed the Victory last November and even with 4 people we never had a problem getting a deck chair. Now Serenity was a tough one, and I knew it would be, but we managed to get a spot on one occasion and use the hot tub almost every day. All hot tubs were working then.

 

The shower and water pressure was excellent for us..did you happen to call GS for maintenance?

 

HMC- My first trip to Grand Turk I thought it was the ultimate paradise....Now I don't want to rub salt, but HMC was the true Paradise IMHO of course.

 

Perhaps you can try again on another ship and during less harsh winter months. I wouldn't write of cruising just yet. After all, a bad day of cruising is better than a good day at the office!

 

We probably won't write off cruising but we'll likely take a break. It was a big disappointment missing HMC and the last thing you want on a vacation is to be disappointed.

 

As for Grand Turk, i was pleasantly surprised. To be honest, i didn't do much research into this port because i was so focused on HMC. So when i looked outside the ship for the first time, i was blown away at how beautiful it was. The water was just glowing. Had an amazing time there and would go there again in a second.

[dadof2boys]

I would feel the exact same way. I know that everyone says not to count on/book for the ports, but that seems crazy. Who would book a vacation just for the hotel/ship. Where you're going has 100% to do with your vacation.

 

Sorry to hear that things went this way. Others said to book in less harsh winter months, honestly, weather is always a gamble. We've had wonderful weather in December and awful weather in August.

 

All that to say, it sounds like you at least had the one nice day. The ship sounds like a bummer, thanks for the heads up. As Carnival moves forward with it's renovations and new builds, it makes those that are the old style look even worse.

[Son of a son of a ...]

She is an old ship. We are going on her (again) in May after her drydock. However, I just learned on Cruise Critic that she will not be getting many of the 2.0 upgrades so we are a little disappointed now.

[nchikk]

I agree with you about GT...we never left the beach area or cruise centre. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this cruise as much as you feel you should have, but gone_cruisin does make some valid points.

 

 

2. Lack of quality entertainment (one good stand up comic though) The lack of trivia may have bothered me as well, but I'm sure I'd have found some way to amuse myself. The travel agent who booked my first cruise (Carnivale, 1993) told me something that, to me, holds true today...if you get bored, it's your own fault. As to other entertainment options, this is subjective...I'm sure there were those who loved most of what was offered. It's just like food...Carnival can't please everyone.

 

4. Missed Half Moon Cay, utterly disapointing. You said it yourself, you were fully aware that things happen and you may miss a port.

 

5. One properly functioning hot tub, ONE. Unlike #4, I'm with you on this one. Just one thing, though...was this reported to anyone by any chance?

 

[kublaieod]

Half Moon Cay is one of those ports that gets skipped a good bit, especially in certain times of year. I was on Liberty in January and we got the same wonderful message. We talked to a lot of frequent cruisers that went on that cruise specifically for HMC and they were not surprised. Just can't let it ruin your trip. Still beats being at home IMO.

 

CHOGS - so many times we hear about this. People drop their gear and reserve it all day and use it 30 minutes to 1 hour. Totally frustrating but there are ways around it. Approach an employee and have them enforce the guideline they set of 40 minutes or if you are patient or know it has been there at least that long move it yourself. I usually don't feel it is that big of deal, but if it is take appropriate measures..

 

Sorry you had some DOWNS, we all want our vacation to be perfect.. As I said earlier, still has to be better than being at home..

 

:)

[ThirstyFrog203]

I would feel the exact same way. I know that everyone says not to count on/book for the ports, but that seems crazy. Who would book a vacation just for the hotel/ship. Where you're going has 100% to do with your vacation.

 

Sorry to hear that things went this way. Others said to book in less harsh winter months, honestly, weather is always a gamble. We've had wonderful weather in December and awful weather in August.

 

All that to say, it sounds like you at least had the one nice day. The ship sounds like a bummer, thanks for the heads up. As Carnival moves forward with it's renovations and new builds, it makes those that are the old style look even worse.

 

Thanks for seeing it my way! I look at the quality of the ship as an added bonus, i'm there for the ports! We were on the Liberty last February and had great weather and it's a great ship too, so win win there. Of course we went further west and south, so that ensured we see more tropical weather.

 

We chose February because with living in Connecticut, it's this time of year that you really start getting fed up with frigid snowy weather, especially this year, so it kind of breaks the winter up a bit.

[tandemcruzr]

... but we are currently 0 for 2 at HMC and will try again in April. (Sure hope this post doesn't jinx us.) :D

[ThirstyFrog203]

Half Moon Cay is one of those ports that gets skipped a good bit, especially in certain times of year. I was on Liberty in January and we got the same wonderful message. We talked to a lot of frequent cruisers that went on that cruise specifically for HMC and they were not surprised. Just can't let it ruin your trip. Still beats being at home IMO.

 

CHOGS - so many times we hear about this. People drop their gear and reserve it all day and use it 30 minutes to 1 hour. Totally frustrating but there are ways around it. Approach an employee and have them enforce the guideline they set of 40 minutes or if you are patient or know it has been there at least that long move it yourself. I usually don't feel it is that big of deal, but if it is take appropriate measures..

 

Sorry you had some DOWNS, we all want our vacation to be perfect.. As I said earlier, still has to be better than being at home..

 

:)

 

To be honest, i'm feeling a little better now that i had a chance to vent. Still stings though

[In2why]

Sorry you didn't have a great time. I also get excited about the ports and even knowing there is a possibility of not tendering it does suck when you miss a good one.

 

I do wonder about the chair hog situation. Why don't more people just move the towels saving them? Or get someone to do it? Even on land vacations I will move people's stuff and grab a chair I want if it is empty for a long time and I never have had a confrontation about doing it. Especially the one with one flip flop on each chair.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Chair hogs are rude...so I have no qualms, what-so-ever, in being rude right back. If chairs only have a towel...well, too bad folks. You'll find it in the pile I created over behind the pillar. Unless a chair has actual personal belongings indicating someone is "actually" sitting there and just taking a quick dip I just move the towel, the banana, and the single flip flop. And, no one has ever confronted me about this.

 

I've also had cruises where I missed a port or the weather (even in early April) was cold, rainy, and windy. It's the throw of the dice...and I've done land vacations where the same weather came barrelling in...including a tropical storm or two.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if our cruise ticket came with a guarantee. Wouldn't it be nice, too, if life came with one.

[opshannon]

Sorry you did not have a great cruise.

 

You don't want to be lectured about your disappointment in missing HMC, however, you're most likely going to get it anyways.

 

Low Points -

 

1. Old ship in need of work

Yes this is true, and having been on cruise critic, you should have already known she's on older ship.

 

2. Lack of quality entertainment (one good stand up comic though)

This varies from ship to ship. Some ships have great entertainment. I usually find it's on the newer ships.

 

3. Being our third cruise, we expected a complimentary drink like we received on our 2nd cruise. This time we got a bottle of water... a bottle of water.)

Again, being on CC you should have already heard the news about the VIFP changes. It was also emailed to you.

 

4. Missed Half Moon Cay, utterly disapointing.

I've missed many ports and never let it ruin my cruise. I used it as an excuse to book another one hitting that port.

 

5. One properly functioning hot tub, ONE.

Just off the Triumph (even older than Victory), it also only had one hot tub for a few days while they did maintenance.

 

6. Chair hogs, EVERYWHERE, not just Serenity this time.

Chair hogs on every single cruise I've ever been on. You'll just have to take a deep breath with this.

 

7. Cold and windy most of the trip

It's the time of year you chose to sail. Try a warmer month.

 

8. Did i mention we missed HMC? The one specific place i wanted to go.

See my answer to number 4

 

9. Horrible water pressure in the shower.

There's low water pressure on every ship. Unless you know how to take out the flow restricted from the water head, you'll have to learn to take longer showers.

 

10. Missed Half Moon Cay and Jet skis.

Number 4 again.

 

 

 

Best recommendation I can give is to try a newer ship like the Magic during April or May. Anything after June, you will be in hurricane season and there is a higher chance of missing ports.

 

10. Missed Half Moon Cay and Jet

 

So what this poster is saying is, you have no right to be upset. It's your fault things didn't go the way you expected them to. This poster knows the ins and outs of why you booked when you did and has drawn the conclusion that you need to book at a warmer time of year. Knows that there was no good reason for you to have cruised when you did. Also this poster knows that you received an email to inform you of changes to a policy involving a bottle of water. Knows that you didn't overlook it, didn't fail to receive it, and read every single email every day of your life.

 

Long story short, sorry you ruined your cruise.

[gone_cruisin]

So what this poster is saying is, you have no right to be upset. It's your fault things didn't go the way you expected them to. This poster knows the ins and outs of why you booked when you did and has drawn the conclusion that you need to book at a warmer time of year. Knows that there was no good reason for you to have cruised when you did. Also this poster knows that you received an email to inform you of changes to a policy involving a bottle of water. Knows that you didn't overlook it, didn't fail to receive it, and read every single email every day of your life.

 

Long story short, sorry you ruined your cruise.

 

 

Quite the contrary. The OP seems disappointed in Carnival over most things that are beyond Carnival's control. The only exception would be the water pressure issue....but good luck getting the maintenance guys take the water restricter out. (Anyone intersted, just google up how to remove water saving ring from low flow shower heads).

[ThirstyFrog203]

So what this poster is saying is, you have no right to be upset. It's your fault things didn't go the way you expected them to. This poster knows the ins and outs of why you booked when you did and has drawn the conclusion that you need to book at a warmer time of year. Knows that there was no good reason for you to have cruised when you did. Also this poster knows that you received an email to inform you of changes to a policy involving a bottle of water. Knows that you didn't overlook it, didn't fail to receive it, and read every single email every day of your life.

 

Long story short, sorry you ruined your cruise.

 

Yeah, i just don't understand how people don't get upset. My wife and I are comfortable but by my no means are we well off. So when we spend money, i want what we pay for. I don't have the money or the time to do B2B's or mulitple cruises a year. We're lucky to get one vacation a year, so i want what i want.

 

We've been fortunate to take a cruise each of the past 3 years and the the first two were great, especially last year on Liberty.

 

I wish i could look at it as an "it is what it is" situation but that's BS. I booked for HMC specificly. Counted down the days for 8 months to just to get another sea day. Is it better than being at the office? Yes it is, but that's not the point to me.

Edited February 24, 2015 by ThirstyFrog203

[opshannon]

Quite the contrary. The OP seems disappointed in Carnival over most things that are beyond Carnival's control. The only exception would be the water pressure issue....but good luck getting the maintenance guys take the water restricter out. (Anyone intersted, just google up how to remove water saving ring from low flow shower heads).

 

My sarcastic point was that the OP didn't even get one response to a disappointing experience before the finger pointing started. Why are people not allowed to be disappointed on the Carnival boards on Cruise Critic? I dare anyone to find one thread where someone expresses disappointment over a trip they spent good money on and waited anxiously and excitedly for that didn't turn out the way they wanted that doesn't include the kind of finger pointing and chastising that you exemplified in your reply.

 

The bottom line is this, the armchair finger waggers WEREN'T on the trip and did not experience the frustration and disappointment. You (collective) aren't equipped to speak with authority on another poster's experience. There are no awards given for Fastest Scold in the annual Cruise Critic Awards.

[FlorenceItaly]

I understand your disappointment about HMC. We booked a cruise that we leave on this weekend specifically because of HMC(and it was cheap, lol...Fascination). Fortunately, we've been to HMC a few times so if we miss it at least I have experienced it. I am happy to hear you had a wonderful dining room experience. For myself, the quality of service can really impact my cruise. I am glad yours was great.

 

As for the chair hogs, I would have asked deck personnel to take care of the situation. This should not be allowed. It is not acceptable for chairs to remain "held" for hours when there are people looking for chairs!

[hillcitygirl]

What ya do when you have moved the flip flop or whatever, when they came back by us last March and started griping we stole their chairs....I replied. "No speak English"....they just moved on.....We did have the staff move their stuff to the towel hut. I stood there for an hour before I asked. Then when they returned they had the gumption to say they had been gone for 15 minutes.....I just shrugged and said "no speak English" again and looked away. The couple who took the other two chairs did the same....

[SMSACE6]

Sorry you were disappointed with your cruise. I know how it feels when you are looking forward to a port of call, and then dont get there or get there too late to do anything worthwhile (That was San Juan back in 2004 for me). As far as Half moon cay goes...from what I read here on CC repeatedly...that this port is frequently not gotten to, if I booked a cruise with it on the itinerary, I would consider the chance of getting there 50/50. I would be prepared to be disappointed, and then if we actually got there, I would be thrilled. I sincerely hope that your next cruise if better and that you do some day get to HMC.

[hotsauce126]

What ya do when you have moved the flip flop or whatever, when they came back by us last March and started griping we stole their chairs....I replied. "No speak English"....they just moved on.....We did have the staff move their stuff to the towel hut. I stood there for an hour before I asked. Then when they returned they had the gumption to say they had been gone for 15 minutes.....I just shrugged and said "no speak English" again and looked away. The couple who took the other two chairs did the same....

 

Same thing happened on a cruise I went on last year. My friend just told them that the staff did it on their own because they were gone too long.

[In2why]

What ya do when you have moved the flip flop or whatever, when they came back by us last March and started griping we stole their chairs....I replied. "No speak English"....they just moved on.....We did have the staff move their stuff to the towel hut. I stood there for an hour before I asked. Then when they returned they had the gumption to say they had been gone for 15 minutes.....I just shrugged and said "no speak English" again and looked away. The couple who took the other two chairs did the same....

 

I would just tell them to talk to the staff since the rules state items will be removed. Only once has anyone even approached me and I do it all the time on cruises, at Water Country, and at pools at campgrounds. This woman came to the pool about 4 hours after we took her loungers at the pool and threw a fit because she had her daughter bring towels out at 6am so they would have chairs. I laughed and said that was quite selfish, I pointed out her folded towels and told her we would be leaving for lunch in about 30 minutes and she could have the chairs then if she wanted. She huffed about, but that was it. We are grown ups and even if the worst happened and someone yells at me, oh well.

[In2why]

Funny, I just usually remove stuff from the chairs we want after they have been empty for a long time or obviously being saved with no one there. Never been a big deal.

[kybluecruiser]

So are you blaming carnival for missing HMC?

[opshannon]

So are you blaming carnival for missing HMC?

 

You will find the answer to your question in the first post of this thread. I don't want to spoil it for you, but the answer starts with the letter 'n'.