My Victory Cruise trip report 7/5 - 7/9 (long)

[DeeT]

When we sail next August my kids will be the same ages as yours (9 and 11). Did they have fun in Camp Carnival? Did they use it a lot? Thanks for any info.

[RizzoLee]

I've been putting off doing something til I had finished reading day 4... Now I find out day 4 isn't done yet!

 

Quoting Jack Sparrow: "Where has all the rum gone?"

 

Where has day 4 gone? :D We're on the Victory in 189 days. Have had it booked since November of last year. I live for reviews! Thanks!

[Loralie]

When we sail next August my kids will be the same ages as yours (9 and 11). Did they have fun in Camp Carnival? Did they use it a lot? Thanks for any info.

 

Hi, thanks for responding. My kids did like Camp Carnival when they went. It was a little annoying for us because they closed during lunch and they closed right before our early dinner so we felt like we would put them in and have to pick them back up during an activity we wanted to do so sometimes it was easier to keep them with us. My kids liked it but they did not LOVE it.

 

Loralie

[Loralie]

Hi Guys,

 

Sorry for the delay with day 4. I had to work and things got busy here but I am so happy to hear that people actually liked reading my trip report. Thanks for the positive responses.

 

Here's day 4-

 

After such a great night sleep because I was exhausted the night before, I woke up nice and early and full of energy. I got dressed and headed to the gym for my second workout of the trip. I was happy that I planned to workout twice and now I did it. Like the other days, after the gym we all got ready and went to the lido buffet to have breakfast and meet the rest of my family. This day was my Dad's 65th birthday so we were hoping to see my Dad at breakfast but he was not feeling well that day and stayed in the cabin for most of the day. My brothers and I were kind of keeping our plans open in case my Dad was up for something to do but he basically slept most of the day and we did not see him until dinner.

 

My kids and my DH went back to the room for a little while and I went to the photo shop to see our pictures. I have read people complain about how the photo shop is set up that if more than one person is paying it can cause a back up and I totally agree. It was not too crowded when I went but I can see how that could happen. On formal night we posed for a picture of just the 4 of us and it came out really nice so I bought that one and also on formal night we had the photographer take a picture of the 16 of us in the dining room at one of the dinner tables and it's great that pretty much everyone looked good. I also bought the embarkation picture even though I did not think we all looked that great but it's a nice memory. They were selling a photo album on sale for $7.95 (originally $11.95) and if you bought it they gave you a free 8x10 of the Victory so I bought that too and then they gave me a free 8x10 picture frame. Total price was about $74.00, well worth it to me instead of throwing away my money in the casino...but that's just me.

 

I took the pictures back to the room where DH was with the boys and we just relaxed and enjoyed having time to ourselves. My DH and I really had a chance to enjoy the balcony because for once it was not wet and it was not foggy and the weather was pretty nice...not great but not bad. We took some pictures on the balcony and really just talked about the trip and my family and the boys and we had a really nice time.

 

We met up with one of my brothers and his family and we went to the dining room for lunch again. I had the ribs and they were so good and tasty. I also had the bread pudding for desert and it was one of my favorite deserts. I think it had almonds in it, or some sort of nuts but it was so delicious. I have to say the service in the dining rooms were wonderful.

 

After lunch we met up with the our other brother for the newlywed game. I was really looking forward to this game because I had heard so much about it and it did not disappoint. Malcolm was the host of the game and he did a great job. They had the couple who got married on the ship as one of the couples then they had another couple who was married for about 30 years (I think) and the last couple was married for 67 years. Malcolm said on all the ships and all the newlywed games they had this couple was married the longest. We had the kids with us and it was funny because one of the questions was something like...describe your husband on your wedding night, was he more like...

 

A - Tiny Tim?

B - Quick Draw Mcgraw?

C - Tazmanian Devil?

 

Of course everyone was laughing in the audience and my 9 year old says to my DH Loudly "Dad...why is everyone laughing, what's so funny?". The people who sat behind us said to my DH "go on Dad...tell him why it's so funny". We all had a good laugh at that one. :-)

 

After that we were walking around and I looked at the capers and realized that they were having a tea in the Ionian room so we made our way to that. It was just the 4 of us and it was really nice. When we got there pretty much all the tables were full so we sat at the bar and they had people playing classical music. My DH and I like tea and so does my 11 year old but my 9 year old does not drink tea. This was the only time that I was not crazy about the server we had. They come around with the box of tea and you pick what you want. I asked them if they had anything for children to drink or if they can use their soda card to have a soda and he told me that they only had tea. My 9 year old says to the server, very nicely, he says "I see you have milk for the tea, can I have some milk please?". The server told him "no, it's only for the tea". I could not believe that they would not give him anything to drink. I said to my DH...pass me the milk for my tea and then when he gave me the little milk holder, I poured it into my son's cup and told him he can drink the milk. I did not let it ruin my time but it annoyed me a little and took a little bit away from the experience. Also...when we were sitting at the bar counter there was 2 women sitting next to me on the other side and the server kept going over to them and offering them the little cookies or sandwiches or whatever they had to eat and then he would walk away from me and I would have to ask the server if I could try that too. He was nice and always gave me what I wanted but I did not understand why he would offer them without them asking but for me I would have to ask. Again...not too much of a big deal but after the milk thing it was a little bit annoying. Maybe if we were sitting down at the tables instead of at the bar it would have been a better experience but it was still nice overall.

 

We got ready for dinner and since it was my Dad's birthday his girlfriend ordered cake for the 2 tables and with the regular deserts it was too much that I did not even taste the cake although it looked good. We all took turns taking pictures with my Dad and we made a toast for him and gave him some presents and I think he had a nice time. The food and service again was really good.

 

After dinner we decided to try karaoke again and this time I was determined to sing. I just did not want to be first so I ordered a drink and looked through the book and picked a song. The song I picked was Killing Me Softly. I was hoping they had the version that Lauren Hill did but they only had the Roberta Flack version. As soon as I gave the woman the paper with my song on it she told me I was next. I was so nervous but it came out pretty good. At first she put the wrong song on and she put on Hit Me With your Best Shot by Pat Benatar and the crowd seemed to like it and then I felt like I was disappointing them because it was the wrong song and she switched it so later when I wanted to sing again I decided to sing the Pat benatar song and it was a little more upbeat and I felt a little more confident so I think it went a little bit better. My boys were in the camp carnival when I sang the 1st song but they were there for the second song and I was standing on stage and I hear my 9 year old yell out "That's my Mom!". I was so proud. LOL.

 

That's it for day 4, after that we went to bed and then it was all over the next day. The last day was basically breakfast and self assist off the ship and it all went so smoothly and fast. I would definitely use self assist on a 4 night cruise.

 

Thanks for reading and reliving my cruise with me. I hope you had fun reading it because I had so much fun writing. Now I can't wait to book another cruise. Any questions, ask away.

 

Loralie

[KroozFoolz]

Loralie,

Thanks so much for writing and posting your review. I really enjoyed reading it.

[zebra36]

Loralie,

Thanks for the terrific review and nice to see that you had such a wonderful time. It is hard to believe this is the same ship that is getting slammed so much lately, just goes to show.

[DeeT]

I agree, since we'll be sailing on her next year it's really reassuring that you had a such a nice time. The milk thing would have bugged me too since that person wasn't very nice to your child but like you I wouldn't let it ruin my cruise.

[just4kixx]

great job on your review. I am pleased that you had such a terrific time! Have fun planning your next trip!

A~

[bleuiz]

Hi Guys,

 

Sorry for the delay with day 4. I had to work and things got busy here but I am so happy to hear that people actually liked reading my trip report. Thanks for the positive responses.

 

Here's day 4-

 

After such a great night sleep because I was exhausted the night before, I woke up nice and early and full of energy. I got dressed and headed to the gym for my second workout of the trip. I was happy that I planned to workout twice and now I did it. Like the other days, after the gym we all got ready and went to the lido buffet to have breakfast and meet the rest of my family. This day was my Dad's 65th birthday so we were hoping to see my Dad at breakfast but he was not feeling well that day and stayed in the cabin for most of the day. My brothers and I were kind of keeping our plans open in case my Dad was up for something to do but he basically slept most of the day and we did not see him until dinner.

 

My kids and my DH went back to the room for a little while and I went to the photo shop to see our pictures. I have read people complain about how the photo shop is set up that if more than one person is paying it can cause a back up and I totally agree. It was not too crowded when I went but I can see how that could happen. On formal night we posed for a picture of just the 4 of us and it came out really nice so I bought that one and also on formal night we had the photographer take a picture of the 16 of us in the dining room at one of the dinner tables and it's great that pretty much everyone looked good. I also bought the embarkation picture even though I did not think we all looked that great but it's a nice memory. They were selling a photo album on sale for $7.95 (originally $11.95) and if you bought it they gave you a free 8x10 of the Victory so I bought that too and then they gave me a free 8x10 picture frame. Total price was about $74.00, well worth it to me instead of throwing away my money in the casino...but that's just me.

 

I took the pictures back to the room where DH was with the boys and we just relaxed and enjoyed having time to ourselves. My DH and I really had a chance to enjoy the balcony because for once it was not wet and it was not foggy and the weather was pretty nice...not great but not bad. We took some pictures on the balcony and really just talked about the trip and my family and the boys and we had a really nice time.

 

We met up with one of my brothers and his family and we went to the dining room for lunch again. I had the ribs and they were so good and tasty. I also had the bread pudding for desert and it was one of my favorite deserts. I think it had almonds in it, or some sort of nuts but it was so delicious. I have to say the service in the dining rooms were wonderful.

 

After lunch we met up with the our other brother for the newlywed game. I was really looking forward to this game because I had heard so much about it and it did not disappoint. Malcolm was the host of the game and he did a great job. They had the couple who got married on the ship as one of the couples then they had another couple who was married for about 30 years (I think) and the last couple was married for 67 years. Malcolm said on all the ships and all the newlywed games they had this couple was married the longest. We had the kids with us and it was funny because one of the questions was something like...describe your husband on your wedding night, was he more like...

 

A - Tiny Tim?

B - Quick Draw Mcgraw?

C - Tazmanian Devil?

 

Of course everyone was laughing in the audience and my 9 year old says to my DH Loudly "Dad...why is everyone laughing, what's so funny?". The people who sat behind us said to my DH "go on Dad...tell him why it's so funny". We all had a good laugh at that one. :-)

 

After that we were walking around and I looked at the capers and realized that they were having a tea in the Ionian room so we made our way to that. It was just the 4 of us and it was really nice. When we got there pretty much all the tables were full so we sat at the bar and they had people playing classical music. My DH and I like tea and so does my 11 year old but my 9 year old does not drink tea. This was the only time that I was not crazy about the server we had. They come around with the box of tea and you pick what you want. I asked them if they had anything for children to drink or if they can use their soda card to have a soda and he told me that they only had tea. My 9 year old says to the server, very nicely, he says "I see you have milk for the tea, can I have some milk please?". The server told him "no, it's only for the tea". I could not believe that they would not give him anything to drink. I said to my DH...pass me the milk for my tea and then when he gave me the little milk holder, I poured it into my son's cup and told him he can drink the milk. I did not let it ruin my time but it annoyed me a little and took a little bit away from the experience. Also...when we were sitting at the bar counter there was 2 women sitting next to me on the other side and the server kept going over to them and offering them the little cookies or sandwiches or whatever they had to eat and then he would walk away from me and I would have to ask the server if I could try that too. He was nice and always gave me what I wanted but I did not understand why he would offer them without them asking but for me I would have to ask. Again...not too much of a big deal but after the milk thing it was a little bit annoying. Maybe if we were sitting down at the tables instead of at the bar it would have been a better experience but it was still nice overall.

 

We got ready for dinner and since it was my Dad's birthday his girlfriend ordered cake for the 2 tables and with the regular deserts it was too much that I did not even taste the cake although it looked good. We all took turns taking pictures with my Dad and we made a toast for him and gave him some presents and I think he had a nice time. The food and service again was really good.

 

After dinner we decided to try karaoke again and this time I was determined to sing. I just did not want to be first so I ordered a drink and looked through the book and picked a song. The song I picked was Killing Me Softly. I was hoping they had the version that Lauren Hill did but they only had the Roberta Flack version. As soon as I gave the woman the paper with my song on it she told me I was next. I was so nervous but it came out pretty good. At first she put the wrong song on and she put on Hit Me With your Best Shot by Pat Benatar and the crowd seemed to like it and then I felt like I was disappointing them because it was the wrong song and she switched it so later when I wanted to sing again I decided to sing the Pat benatar song and it was a little more upbeat and I felt a little more confident so I think it went a little bit better. My boys were in the camp carnival when I sang the 1st song but they were there for the second song and I was standing on stage and I hear my 9 year old yell out "That's my Mom!". I was so proud. LOL.

 

That's it for day 4, after that we went to bed and then it was all over the next day. The last day was basically breakfast and self assist off the ship and it all went so smoothly and fast. I would definitely use self assist on a 4 night cruise.

 

Thanks for reading and reliving my cruise with me. I hope you had fun reading it because I had so much fun writing. Now I can't wait to book another cruise. Any questions, ask away.

 

Loralie

 

You are reminding me of what a nice trip we had......

On formal night, did you see the large group (must have been 40 or so people) on the stairs to get a photo taken? Our group of 15 chose not to wait, and instead we took a photo the next night....the photographer, who said he would be there, couldn't make it, so we used our own cameras.....

I loved The Newlywed Game....the older couple was so cute!

I'm sorry I didn't see you at karaoke...we went to the show before karaoke.....

I'm glad we all had a pleasant cruise, particularly since you and I had large families with us (by the way, we did order the cake for my parents anniversary....it was served on Formal night.......and it was delicious)

[terisu10]

Loralie, you did a great job. I think you wrote a fair review. I will be on the Victory next April and I can't wait. You were awesome not letting the milk incident ruin your cruise. I hate it when someone is not nice to my kids :mad: I do enjoy those formal teas on cruise ships. I want to taste everything.

[matt082600]

Loralie:

Thanks for the great review!!! My family and I (25 in all) are sailing the Victory Aug. 2 to St. John, NB. We are looking forward to it. My wife and I sailed the Victory last summer to Halifax. My only real complaint was the weather. Tough to get into the "cruisin groove" when it is cool and foggy. But any day on a ship is better than a day at work!!! Happy sailing.

[luv2cruiseny]

I was starting to panic - I sailed on my first cruise 4 years ago on the Victory and it was what got me hooked on cruising. I am the coordinator for our 30th High School Reunion (this year - but the party is next year - long story) - but we held a mini unofficial reunion a few weeks ago and the conversation naturally turned around to us all turning 50 in 2 years.

 

My suggestion was "what better way to turn 50 :( but to do it in a crowd" - so now, not only am I planning the reunion - but we are taking the 4 day cruise on the Victory for our collective 50th Birthday's.

 

Just started the planning on it and was starting to panic with all of the poor reviews I was reading - We have gathered a group of 20 families so far and it hasn't been officially announced yet.

[bleuiz]

I was starting to panic - I sailed on my first cruise 4 years ago on the Victory and it was what got me hooked on cruising. I am the coordinator for our 30th High School Reunion (this year - but the party is next year - long story) - but we held a mini unofficial reunion a few weeks ago and the conversation naturally turned around to us all turning 50 in 2 years.

 

My suggestion was "what better way to turn 50 :( but to do it in a crowd" - so now, not only am I planning the reunion - but we are taking the 4 day cruise on the Victory for our collective 50th Birthday's.

 

Just started the planning on it and was starting to panic with all of the poor reviews I was reading - We have gathered a group of 20 families so far and it hasn't been officially announced yet.

 

My family is still talking about what a great time we had on the July 5-9 cruise........

[NoPiratesPlease]

LOL, this has got to be the most reviewed 4 day cruise ever.

 

Keep it coming, Pete seems to have given up.

 

Uh-Oh! I guess I'm to blame with my review of the Victory and the 5 day version...Started a bit of a firestorm because I wasn't completely positive.

[RatherBFishin]

Uh-Oh! I guess I'm to blame with my review of the Victory and the 5 day version...Started a bit of a firestorm because I wasn't completely positive.

 

I don't remember which one yours was (after a few weeks they all start to blend together in my head), but I've been reading them all in an effort to prepare for my 8/20 sailing.

 

I don't think that Loralie was "completely positive" either, but I enjoyed the way she wrote it. Not overly fixated on one thing (eg Hand Sanitizer or Drink Names), but more like a daily diary.

[luv2cruiseny]

Rather b Fishing - it wasn't just yours - there were a number of them - some only focusing on the negative.

 

We can find fault with anything and everything - it really depends on your own personal point of view. Loralie's touched on most of her own experiences - both positive and negative. Will it ever be perfect - doubt it - The company I work for is a sister company of Crystal Cruise Lines (can't afford to sale on them - even with the discount) - but I'm sure they aren't perfect either.

 

It's like anything else in life - if everything goes smooth - you never hear about it - I have a staff of 15 - and if I don't hear complaints from our customers I know we are doing a good job - but we will never hear it - if something goes wrong - I hear it from 10 different people - 5 times a day.

[rgbigun]

Yep... I know what you mean. It was hard to swallow that...but we will.

Hubby has the horrible task of taking clients to the Texas race every fall for 4days and where they have hot passes that lets them go anywhere. (as long as they stay out of the way) His favorite was his picture with "the King".

 

I keep hoping Jr. will do another cruise. I see Rusty is doing one in December again this year...but I really want to wait for Jr to do a Nascar cruise.

 

 

Sounds like a dream job to me!!:D I used to come to Texas every year with my high school buddies for the yearly race but things changed a couple of years ago when I told them that i couldn't make it for one race so they decided to come to Alabama to Talladega that year. That date worked out for me and we had so much fun that they now go to the Texas race and come here for the Talladega race!!.

 

I would love to go on a "JR." cruise!! I love cruising anyway but a "Jr." cruise would be awesome!!! Have a blessed day!!!

[yuckylucky]

if something goes wrong - I hear it from 10 different people - 5 times a day.

 

 

Do I detect an ode to Office Space? LMAO

 

After dinner we decided to try karaoke again and this time I was determined to sing. I just did not want to be first so I ordered a drink and looked through the book and picked a song. The song I picked was Killing Me Softly. I was hoping they had the version that Lauren Hill did but they only had the Roberta Flack version. As soon as I gave the woman the paper with my song on it she told me I was next. I was so nervous but it came out pretty good. At first she put the wrong song on and she put on Hit Me With your Best Shot by Pat Benatar and the crowd seemed to like it and then I felt like I was disappointing them because it was the wrong song

OMG! Loralie! I was there when you sang "Killing Me Softly." I gave you and the other singers props in my review!

[Loralie]

OMG! Loralie! I was there when you sang "Killing Me Softly." I gave you and the other singers props in my review!

 

 

Thank you so much. It was my first time ever singing karaoke in front of a crowd. I was so nervous but I am so glad I did it. I just finished reading your review, you did a great job.

 

Thanks again,

 

 

Loralie

[dance4fun]

It's great to read a positive review. Please tell us more!

[LHP]

Uh-Oh! I guess I'm to blame with my review of the Victory and the 5 day version...Started a bit of a firestorm because I wasn't completely positive.

 

It did not cause a "firestorm" for being "negative". You were simply corrected for presenting generalizations and exaggerations instead of facts.

 

All of these great reviews have negatives in them (some of them a lot of negatives)...no one cared.

[LHP]

Loralie:

 

Way to go at karaoke!!! Everyone starts with that first song!!

 

Keep it going...

[yuckylucky]

Thank you so much. It was my first time ever singing karaoke in front of a crowd. I was so nervous but I am so glad I did it. I just finished reading your review, you did a great job.

 

Thanks again,

 

 

Loralie

 

It didn't sound like your first time! I've never had a first time for karaoke...okay, there was that one time in my living room...quasi-inebriated...that doesn't count though, right? I DID have an audience of colleagues though...eh, nevermind.

 

Glad you enjoyed the review...yours was so much fun to read as well!