Victory Review- 5-18

[sassy0930]

Sunday, May 18

Embarkation Day

Well, we had to arrive at the port by 10:30 to receive priority boarding for my wedding. Like everyone says the parking can be pretty confusing, but if you just read ALL the signs you’ll figure it out. We parked in the garage and actually got a spot on the first level. They tell you to take a ticket so you don’t have to pay upfront (that could be a problem if you don’t have the 140 after the cruise!!!! I guess you have to budget better…). Once we got there we went through security pretty harmlessly. The guards were a little confused because I had some non-sailing guests, but once they figured out they didn’t have passports because they didn’t need them everything was really fast. Liz, the TWE coordinator, walked us all up to check in and then took the guests to their check-in. We got through all of that in maybe 15 minutes. Then we had a special lounge (the caribe lounge) to wait in until the ship cleared customs. Everyone else was given a zone number after they checked in (or maybe right before???) and they would be called by zone to board. It seemed like a pretty good system. Everything was pretty routine. While we were waiting we rehearsed some of the things for the wedding and finalized some details with the officiant. We were onboard by 11:45 (it might have been earlier, but we didn’t have a clock) and we started getting ready.

Wedding:

About 20 minutes before the ceremony Liz called to check on me and let me know she’d come and get me in a few minutes. My sister, who’d been helping me get ready, went down with my cake topper and I just waited until she came (I had to do something so I was cleaning up my hair and make-up mess). Then she called and said she was on her way up. She walked me down to the Ionian lounge and we took a few pictures with my dad. He walked me down the aisle and we had the ceremony!! It went off without a hitch and we were officially married. Then the photog took a million pictures of us and every combination of people he could think of, then we cut the cake with more pics, then we had our champagne toast with more pics, then we ate our cake with more pics… (there was a pattern). Finally everyone had finished their cake and it was time for my guests to leave. We walked them back to our room to gather their stuff and then they left and we went back down for “formal portraits.” It was kinda fun, but mostly annoying.

Then we changed into our swim suits for sailaway and enjoyed what was left of the day before dinner at 6. Our table mates were terrible. They didn’t have any interest in getting to know us and it seemed as though they had a superiority complex. Too bad we love eating in the dining room!!!

Monday, May 19. Sea Day

Well It was pretty much a sea day. We explored and hung out. We found some decent seats on the Lido deck near the back pool midship (not the sirens pool at the VERY back, but higher up from the Triton's Pool) where the slide comes out. It was a little quieter and we were still close enough to hop in the pool when we got warm. This was formal night so we got dressed up again and went to dinner. LUCKILY tonight our table mates were waiting in line to talk to Decio the shopper. (this is his last week, but he was pretty funny)so they didn’t make it to dinner!!! We loved having the dinner to ourselves. We went to the “livin’ In America” show and it was pretty good. It seemed recycled though. We think the singers were the same as when we were ont he Elation. I know they rotate and recycle shows a lot so maybe we just got hit with it! Then we spent a few minutes at the karaoke before heading back the room to get some swim suits on and go take a dip in the Sirens Pool hot tub. While I was relaxing I noticed the ship was turning around so after arguing with my DH about why we decided to go check it out. It turns out that we had turned around to pick up some Cubans in a row boat who were being tossed around at sea. That was pretty much the highlight of the evening. Luckily we had been going fast enough during the day that we still made Cozumel on time.

Tuesday, May 20. Cozumel.

Well we’re boring so we just kinda hung out and shopped in Cozumel. We did have lunch at Mr. Chiles. It’s right on the main drag there but it down an alley. We saw signs for $1 coronas and decided that was the place for lunch. We ordered three coronas, chicken Flautas and steak tacos and the total came to 20 after tip. It was really great food and the people were friendly. PLUS it wasn’t very packed like Carlos N Charlie’s and Senor Frogs and Margaritaville. We had planned on going on a tour of the ruins, but after we got back to the ship to drop off our purchases we decided we’d rather do some spa treatments. ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION!!!!!! The spa services we totally overcharged and not that great. I had a massage with a mini facial that was supposed to be 75 minutes. Well, we talked about the sheet I filled out for 10 minutes and then she left after the back massage for about 5 minutes before she came back to do my legs and facial. The facial was really just washing my face and putting on a mask. I am really careful about my skin anyway so I wasn’t very impressed. For someone who doesn’t do a lot normally, it might have been really great. We also forgot that nothing is open when we’re in port except the spa so afterwards we didn’t have enough time to go back to Coz and too much time to hang out on the ship before dinner. This was the grumpy day I guess. Our tablemates were back for dinner too so that was not nearly as good as it could’ve been. PLUS the ship was sailing pretty fast and I started feeling a little seasick. (I was able to take some bonine early enough to not ruin the night, but I was pretty woozy for a little while) We went to karaoke again and had fun watching people make fools of themselves. We checked out the “deck party” but realized how lame it was because our” calypso band” sucked royally. There were two guys who couldn’t play or sing for their lives. It was a shame too, because we really enjoyed the last band… OH and the comic/juggling act that was supposed to go on was delayed and didn’t get on in Cozumel so we had someone else. We stopped by the lounge and didn’t like it so we took off and did the other stuff.

Wednesday, May 21. Sea Day

Well, total relaxation by the pool and napping and lunch and then a galley tour!!! The show in the main lounge tonight was Rand Woodbury the magician who tells the snow story about the little boy. He wasn’t the greatest because most of his tricks were easy to figure out. We called it a night pretty early because the next day was Grand Cayman!

Thursday, May 22. Grand Cayman

Getting off the ship was pretty fast and easy. The capers say the tender takes 45 minutes but it’s kind of a trick. It only takes 45 on the way back!! We were off the boat and into the city within 25 minutes. We walked around for a while to see where we’d want to shop when we were done at the beach then caught a cab for $4 pp to 7 mile Beach. I can’t remember the beach she took us too, but she answered a lot of questions people were asking on the way there. She was really friendly. We just laid our towels out in the sand instead of renting a chair and umbrella. We thoroughly enjoyed swimming and snorkeling and we got VERY sunburned because we didn’t pay attention to the time while we were in the water. (Wear a shirt or make sure you don’t stay out too long) When we were done at the beach and had paid WAY too much for a red strip (5 American dollars….) we grabbed another cab back to the port to do some shopping. We were both exhausted from the beach so the shopping was slim and we went back to the pier to tender back to the ship. When we got there the line was almost to the street (it was about 2:40 and the last tender was at about 3:15). We waited for about 3 boats (two small one deck styles and one large two deck style) boats before we finally got on one of the smaller ones. THIS IS WHY IT TAKES 45 MINUTES!!! The lines were horrendous, but that’s what we get for going back so close to when we left. When we got back on the ship all we wanted to do was get some food and a nap before dinner. The dinner mates were there again but I guess it could’ve been worse. This was the night of Percy Crews 2, the comedian. He was pretty funny. A lot of what he said was funny because it was true!!! I don’t remember doing anything this night after the show, maybe walking around, getting MORE food, might have watched the karaoke… nothing exciting.

Friday, May 23. Ocho Rios

We booked the Dunn’s River Falls and Bamboo Beach Club through carnival and so we got up early to get off the ship and to the meeting place at the pier. Well, this is the best port to have a balcony or window!! When I pulled back the curtain that morning I was shocked at how beautiful it was. Most of the ports you just see a bunch of shops and buildings all around, but here you could see the mountains and the beach and it was really beautiful compared to the last two we’d seen. So we had our room service breakfast and got off the ship to meet up. The first woman we talked to gave us our “wrist bands” which were red or green yarn! (depending on which excursions you booked) and then walked us over to where the buses and our “hostess” were waiting. We wrote our names down and got on the bus to the falls. Pretty easy cheesy!! Then we got to the falls and walked through everywhere while our hostess “Toya” told us some things to remember (where to meet her, about the lockers etc…) Then she showed us where to rent water shoes if we didn’t have anything to wear. We stopped at “BJ’s” which was in the middle and the man there was pretty unconcerned with sizing. Me and the lady next to me both got sizes around 4 sizes too small the first time. Then we kept asking for bigger and he’d go up a size, then give us the same size in a different color, the go up a size. It took quite a few pairs to get a size that would go on. I could’ve used a bigger size than the last ones I ended up with but I decided to deal with it! That was a bad idea. My feet hurt so bad I was complaining the whole time (I know I could’ve kept my mouth shut, but the rocks that would slip in would get lodged next to my pinky toe and gouge a hole in it until I could sit down and take it off and put it back on again! That was quite a hassle. BRING YOU OWN WATER SHOES!!!!! Just the cheapy-s form wal-greens would’ve been better than what they rent you for $5. But overall it was a good time. Then we walked back to where we had to meet Toya to ride back to the beach club and waited. And waited and waited. Apparently our group got split up during the tour or something and we had to wait for all of us before we could go to the beach. It wasn’t TOO bad but I had had plenty of waiting already. Once we got to the beach club she kept the drinks and food coming. I liked that she brought us everything, but it was a little misleading. We were told the food was “buffet” style and that it changed a lot throughout the day but really she just brought it to us one item at a time. But the food was good and the drinks were strong. My new husband got a LOT to drink and was pretty much drunk for the rest of the evening! When we got back on ship we went to nap and get ready for the second formal night. He passed out and even when he woke up he was silly. At dinner we kept making fun of him for being drunk. This was the most fun our table mates had been all week! Nothing too special happened he was just really silly. This nights show was VROOM! The new show they put together and it was pretty cool. Some classic rock and roll songs from about the 50’s through the 80’s. There were some pyrotechnics and lights and other neat stuff happening (don’t want to ruin it) and It was well done. Tonight was also the midnight buffet and the midnight comedian (why they had to be the same night I just don’t get…) so we chose the comedian. Well, hubby felt too sick (he was starting to get hung-over!!) and he didn’t stay for the show. I did. It wasn’t any better than his regular show, he just had a really long sex bit towards the end. It was a little raunchy but it was kinda funny. I don’t know, but I might have rather had go to the buffet. Well, after that it was off to bed.

Saturday, May 24. Sea Day

Well today was spent packing and eating. REALLY!! That’s pretty much all we did. We went to watch the wedding show and that was pretty funny (we didn’t play. There was a couple who got married in Ocho Rios so they were the “newly weds” with less than 24 hours under their belts. We did some laundry, packed some clothes, bought some souvenirs on the ship (t-shirts while they were on sale mostly) and hung out. It was a pretty boring day and because we’d already had a few sea days and had sunburns we didn’t want to hang out on the Lido. It was relaxing though because we slept so much. It helped us recuperate so we could drive home. There was a gorgeous sunset so we went up on deck to take pictures just like everyone else on the ship. It's a wonder the ship didn't tip over form all the people on the port side. But while we were out there Malcolm made an announcement that a Cost Guard Cutter was coming to pick up the 10 cubans we got WAY BACK on Monday night. So they did just that. We didn't really care so we went back for... MORE NAPPING! Tonight was the “legends show” where they have people who auditioned throughout the week at karaoke perform. We had seen most of the auditions and didn’t really care to see the show so we napped and took a dip in the hot tubs one last time.

Sunday, May 25. Debarkation

WHAT A NIGHTMARE!!!! Well compared to the last time on the elation. We opted to use self assist debarkation and were ready by 7:15 because that’s what the sheet said!! Of course no call was made. The ship didn’t clear customs until almost 8 AM. We waited until 8:30 when they FINALLY called the first couple of zones with priority dabark for flights and the top couple of floors of self assist. Once we were off the ship we waited and waited and waited in the customs line. The only real problem with the (which OBVIOUSLY is not carnival’s fault) is they didn’t have EVERY line open to check people though. There were several people in the office when our line snaked past it that were snacking and talking, so maybe it was just break time, but I feel that they should work while the people are there and take breaks when we’re gone. We didn’t wait too long by my standards, maybe 40 minutes, but it was just so crowded and humid. That many people in that small of a space is NEVER a good idea. It there had been a fire plenty of people would’ve died. It was simple enough and once we could actually SEE the customs booths the line went pretty fast, we just had to swipe our passports, hand over our declarations form answer a few simple, “is this your name” type questions and we were off!!

GENERAL CRUISE OPINIONS

Cruise director: Hilarious. I had heard he wasn’t that great but he was really funny and kept us entertained.

Food: well it met my expectations, but I wasn’t impressed by any means. I may just be too simple but it seems they try to make everything TOO gourmet. Something as simple as a grilled chicken breast can be ruined if you try to drown it in some tastless pasta (that was the last night). I tried adding everything on the table to the pasta but nothing would help!! Plus it was pretty dry. Must’ve been plated up too early. But I certainly didn’t go hungry.

Ship: She was beautiful. I loved the décor. It was very peaceful to walk around the less crowded areas of the ship and look at the art on the walls and the structure. HOWEVER this ship is too medium sized for it’s own good. The last cruise we were on (and the only other, the Elation back in Nov of 06) had fewer passenger and was smaller. BUT the public areas like the lounges, bars, casino, lido all seemed the exact same size. SO we figured they made the Victory bigger but instead of adding a few more rooms and making the public areas larger, they just added a LOT more rooms and kept the public areas the same. The ship felt crowded all the time, the lines to get a cheeseburger when all the buffets were open took about 20 minutes to get through. The theme of this cruise was “hurry up and wait” because you’d hurry to hope to get in line first, then you weren’t and you had to wait. The only thing that wasn’t TOO busy all the time was the pizza stand and that was because the pizza wasn’t that great. The regular styles they offer (not a custom pie) always seemed doughy, like they hadn’t been cooked long enough and the cheese was often sparse. Not terrible but not great. (OOPS maybe that should be in the food section… oh well)

Staff: As I’ve read in some other reviews, they didn’t seem as friendly as before. Well, not the ones we worked with. Everyone we saw in the hallways was friendly and smiling while they worked. But our steward was nowhere to be seen and his pager number didn’t work so if we tried to get a hold of him to ask him anything we couldn’t find him. We had to go out and down the hallway and ask whoever had a cart for what we wanted, be it more ice, towels, anything. Our Head server was too pushy with us. She was nice, and pleasant, but she actually told us not to leave her negative comment cards because her boss would “call her at midnight” (that’s her story) to chastise her. It felt like the same thing as when a porter or river guide specifically tells you to tip them. She whined a lot. I had a dirty fork one night and she complained because someone else had gotten her silverware ready for that night because she was working somewhere else that afternoon and didn’t have time. I didn’t care WHY there was a dirty fork, I just wanted her to give me a clean one. Not a big deal. She always hovered too. She would say something, we would respond and then she’d stand there and look around for a minute before she left. It was a little weird. The assistant waiter was nice and friendly and helpful all the time, but it seemed like he got chewed out a lot. The head server always seemed to be whispering things to him. I don’t know if he was training or if she had a lot of instructions but he didn’t seem to make a move without her telling him to. Plus we’ve come to hate the singing and dancing. The first time around I didn’t care either way. This time it made me wait for my dessert on two separate occasions. The servers shouldn’t be required to dance if they aren’t finished working. We can go to the shows if we want to see dancing and singing, I am there for dinner and when that is interrupted so the servers can DANCE It makes me frustrated.

Cabin: We had a Balcony on the Empress deck. 7353. It was great for us. It seemed small because of the couch, but it had enough room for two people. (It was supposed to be a quad. I couldn’t imagine that many people in there though!!) We were close to everything we wanted and almost right in between the aft and mid-ship elevators. It was pretty quiet, a few kids running up and down the hall once In a while but no big deal.

Ships activities: well, we didn’t care about them. We don’t gamble much we probably lost 5-6 dollars in the slot machine because we were bored and needed to find something to do in between dinner and the show. We mostly enjoyed soaking up the sun on the Lido deck.

I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head, but if you have any questions feel free to ask.

[irishlizz]

First I love the ship, the crew, the service. Victory is probably my favorite ship, with the Imagination running a close second.

 

:D Re: the buffet, the deli, pizzeria, chinese... never a problem or line when I was there morning or afternoon. Maybe I am the exception...? Okay, I take that back, the Midnight Mexican buffet line was about as slow as slow can be, but not really a big deal. Loved the pizza, always do, same for deli and everything else re: food! LOL

 

The Captain's Cocktail Party - late seating the crowd before the doors opened couldn't have crammed in any closer, but not Carnival's fault in any way, shape or form. It was just in my opinion, stupid people.

 

Lido Deck "band" - not one. My boyfriend is a musician, has done a two man gig with assorted processors, pedals and what have you and trust me, definately could put those two guys in the dirt. Or under the water...! LOL Their skills and talent... lacking big time.

 

Do not like at all the Seaside Theater, big screen THING. Think that is why the Victory resorted to a two man "band" in lieu of a real band such as Cool Runnings. No space for equipment, etc. Too bad. The big screen detracts from anything going on entertainment wise and also detracted from the scenery in many of my photos. An irritant, but didn't take away from me still having a great time!

 

:D Formal dining, Pacific Dining room, second seating table 403... just the two of us, Bill and I, and we couldn't have been happier! Had been assigned to early dining, table 310 but the matrie d' took care of our request to change without any problem. Our waiters, Bhutti and Claudio... the best! Food was wonderful. Always is.

 

:D Room stewards, this is the first cruise really didn't get to know the guys, but they were great. Never saw them much, but whenever I needed a third hand to get the door open (while juggling drinks) one of the guys would appear and help me. Bravo guys!

 

:D Last but definately not least, drink guy I Made from Indonesia... on top of his game and kept us well "refreshed" (never without a drink) at both the Captain's Cocktail Party and Past Guest Party. Might have looked like preferential treatment, but hey, tipping well has its perks!

 

The ports... second time in Cozumel, first was post hurricanes a few years back. Not too crazy about the herding effect when getting off the ship and heading into the shopping areas, but again, oh well. Did a little shopping and returned to the ship to enjoy it without everyone else on board. Did the same in Grand Cayman. Didn't bother getting off ship in Jamaica. Been there. Done that. Enjoyed the ship without too many other people on board.

 

:mad: Debarkation... what a joke! Bill and I decided against VIP debarkation (too early, and a late flight) and what a poor decision! Could not believe how long it took to get through... lucky we did have a late flight. Most I attribute to people not being prepared. What part of filling out your customs form and having proper identification ready do people not understand?

 

The worst part of the trip was knowing the Cuban's were going to have to be shipped back to Cuba due to our government's lack of relations with that country. You know their lives are going to suck even worse than before when shipped back to their homeland. Broke my heart and almost made me cry.

 

Bottom line... despite the last night ending on such a sad note, I STILL HAD A GREAT TIME AND CAN'T WAIT TO DO IT AGAIN!

 

:cool:

[imlulu]

Congrats on your wedding. Glad you have a good time overall.

 

 

We went on our 1st Carnival cruise for our honeymoon.

[sassy0930]

Irish Lizz- Thanks for the other view! We had Imade as our bar server in the Dining room for 3 nights then for some reason he was transferred and the woman who replaced him was awful. Didn't even come by two nights because our tablemates didn't want anything and we hadn't sat down yet.

 

We had the pacific dining room 425 for the 6:00 seating.

 

I agree with the last note too. I had a convo with a couple sitting near us during the sunset and they too were saddened because the likliehood of them surviving once they returned home is slim. It's really tough. I know this isn't a political board, but my opinion is that we shouldn't be hurting the citizens of the country by not having relations with them because we don't like their government.

 

You must have had GREAT timing for the buffets, we might not have because we spent a lot of time in our cabin and enjoying the balcony not up on deck, we weren't able to get there as they opened or right before they closed. Often we would think "let's go later this time" and when we went by they'd already started taking down the line to prepare for the next meal. I really think we're just the couple with THAT luck... HAHAHA

 

As for the Debarkation and people with proper ID and customs HAHA... We were in line directly behind a couple from germany (not that that is any of the problem really) but they had there passports and customs form and green card (It was a green slip so I don't know what it really was) and everything checked out and the german guy started arguing with the customs official about something. They were ok to leave and the guy said no you're supposed to do this first and then that, and he started to argue. It took an extra 5 minutes. I was pretty upset with them by then even though all through the line while we were standing behind them they seemed nice.

[vanislandcruisers]

Congrats on the wedding.......Thx for the Review...did the same Itinerary on the Freedom in January and had the same results from the Bamboo Beach Club

[irishlizz]

Sassy~ Forgot to say congrats to you and your hubby on your Carnival Victory wedding! :D

 

In one of your pre-cruise posts you had asked if anyone had Ionian Room photos, I thought I did, found out I didn't so just wanted to say thanks for asking that question! :) Made a point of taking some this last time out. When I finish getting my cruise pics uploaded to shutterfly will post the link. Who knows... maybe you were hanging out and soaking up some of that sweet sunshine on the Lido Deck same time as me! I don't gamble, the shows don't do much for me (basically, don't care about them) and being a Southern California chick at heart (been in New Hampshire five years), the sunshine and getting a little color while having what we call the appropriate cruise "glow" (buzz) is my main activity when cruising... :cool: :)

 

Lizz :cool:

[nybumpkin]

Best wishes on your wedding, Sassy! The Ionian Lounge is my favorite lounge on any of the Carnival ships we've sailed. (DH and I are celebrating 25 years next month and are sailing on Victory in August - maybe we should look into doing a vows renewal in the Ionian!)

[sassy0930]

Best wishes on your wedding, Sassy! The Ionian Lounge is my favorite lounge on any of the Carnival ships we've sailed. (DH and I are celebrating 25 years next month and are sailing on Victory in August - maybe we should look into doing a vows renewal in the Ionian!)

 

 

I thought it was beautiful too. If I can make my internet go fast enough I'll try to upload some photos. It was beautiful set up with a few white pillars. Unfortunately they kept the piano covered instead of pulling it off. It would've looked better in the photos, but I guess they just didn't think about it.

[Joe19fan]

Sassy,

We were in the Ionian lounge right before our disembarkation on the 18th! We had been on the previous cruise! So we saw the pillars set up, commented that someone must have been getting married, and how pretty it looked! And it was you getting married....small world!

[curious4]

Ive been reading your posts for months and I thought honestly you were a very smart girl with big personal motives from Carnival and posters, ex. free drinks, room upgrades, basicaly free anything!!! We were on the same cruise and I stayed on deck 2 with an interior room and loved every minute of my vacation. It is what you make it. Im just amazed at your review, are you looking for a free cruise? Like I said your a smart girl but I dont buy into it. I had the time of my life, great service, great yummy dinners, waiters, "loved the dancing and singing" they were a stich, there was so much to do and see when did you have so much time for sooo many naps. I dont get it. I give you the two man band on the lido deck was kinda rough but after a few cocktails it was comical. I keep hearing the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday song in my sleep. There was so much going on all the time if you were looking for change you just went somewhere else. WHAT A FABULOUS FUNSHIP EXPERIENCE WE HAD!! Maybe Im a little cheesy! It was as good as you make it. Good luck on more freebies it seems to be working for you!!;) ;) :D :D

[irishlizz]

Curious4~

 

Where on deck two? :) I was in interior cabin 2229.

 

Lizz :cool:

[curious4]

Not far from you down the hall. I dont want to say more Im afraid maybe not everyone will agree with what I have said. Alberto was are room steward. What a great guy. Always came back with a clean room and bed turned down at night with choclate on my pillow and those towel animals were a treat!! That was heaven. Lets give that choclate melting cake a hand!!! My soups were hot and my steak was perfect and drinks were plentiful. I was a pampered princess and wore my sunscreen no burns for us. What a glorous week, weather was divine. Carnival did you make that perfect too!!! WOOHOO!!! I tried to win a free cruise in bingo but that darn G 55 never came up!!

[skuttduck]

I was on the Victory a week prior to this one. We did the Eastern Route.

 

I went through the ship one morning and took pictures all around the ship, including the Ionian Lounge.

 

If you are interested.

http://home.comcast.net/~skutt/2008-caribbean/07-final-sea-day-ship-pictures/index.html

[wenocancer2]

Okay, now I feel a little dumb. I thought the magician was awesome! I couldn't figure out how he did his tricks. How did he do the one with the random girl picking a random girl and her picking a card and it being the one he picked?

[posh08]

I was on the Victory a week prior to this one. We did the Eastern Route.

 

I went through the ship one morning and took pictures all around the ship, including the Ionian Lounge.

 

If you are interested.

http://home.comcast.net/~skutt/2008-caribbean/07-final-sea-day-ship-pictures/index.html

 

Thanks for the photos. They were great.

[irishlizz]

Curious4~

 

Can't believe that this cruise I didn't know the names of my room stewards, but they were great AND every night with a new towel animal I set it aside on the thing that held the lifejackets and had an entire gang of them by the end of the cruise. I loved it! On previous cruises the next day they would be gone and a new one in its place so having a gang was fun.

 

I do have to agree it was a wonderful and glorious week. The soups... OH MY GOD TO DIE FOR! I'm a major soup fan. The chilled ones are also very good. My very favorite is the Chilled Curried Apple Soup. Served in the dining room at lunch one of the days at sea. It is one of those things I look forward to every cruise. My steaks, prime rib, etc. always perfect. The service, well I felt kind of like the Queen Mum! Totally taken care of. And inside cabin...? Who cares. It was wonderful, always is, and for the price... well the savings means more cruises. Like the back to backs booked for November! Woo-hoo! The only complaints I have are nothing major. The Lido Deck band didn't thrill me, but realistically, who cares? Not like I was paying $$$$ to go to a concert! LOL Unfortunately I didn't make it to sail away party. Had been up since 2:30am to catch my flight out of Boston, drank too much when I hit the ship, ate too little, and was totally whacked by lifeboat drill, then passed out for the night. :eek: Oh well. Was up bright and early the next morning!

 

I will be posting that link SOON for pictures. :cool:

[ovcruises]

Curious 4: Good email, I couldn't have said it better. Oh I didn't ha ha!

I am always amazed as to how much poeple can COMPLAIN!

[ovcruises]

when they are on vacation.. I hit send accidentally sorry about that.

Glad you all had a good time. We leave on 1 June out of Norfolk VA> Can't wait to sail her.

[mommyof4cuties]

My husband ,and I were on this cruise .We had a great time.Everything was so good.With the exception of debarkation.(that was not fun!)We loved Jamaica .WE also did the falls and beach club.That was fun!!!We were'nt that crazy about the other two ports .WE wished we would have had more time in Jamaica.

Overall we loved the ship,and all the workers,room stewards,entertainment(I did get a little tired of the band on the lido deck) It would have been nice if they could switch bands halfway through or something.

We will definately cruise with carnival again!

[pamrose228]

When does the Victory go up to New York for the Canada cruises? Do they change staff? Too bad they don't have a New York transitioning cruise for a few days, that would be fun.

[curious4]

I had a cold strawberry soup I think the second night on, it was also very Yummy. Did you do breakfast in the dining room it was a must do whenever possible. I loved when they placed your napkin on your lap. I know "how corny" But Im simple and very thankful! I FINALLY CRUISED AND IT TOOK 41 YEARS!!!!! WOOHOO.....

[dommer573]

Thanks for the review and congratulation!.

[cuted126]

Congrats on your wedding!!!

 

 

What day was the past guest party?

[irishlizz]

Curious4,

 

You know, that is one thing I have never done is have breakfast in the dining room. Will put that on my list of 'must do's' for next cruise. Oh, and the napkin thing, not corny at all! I too love it... along with the seat pulled out for you, and on and on. Things that you will not find happening at a local steak joint or whatever! Oh, and re: finally cruising at 41 years, my first cruise was five years ago, at 47! I have now cruised ten times, eight with Carnival and TRYING to catch up to my boyfriend Bill who has cruised around twenty-five or more times.

 

Anyways, following is a link to photos uploaded to shutterfly from the cruise. irishlizz.shutterfly.com

 

I uploaded ONLY 55 of the over 700 photos I took! Yeah, a little obsessive in the picture taking department, but that is one of the wonderful things about digital. The photos taken first day of cruise all show May 19, 2008. Didn't realize until the next day that the date was off... but I did fix immediately! Quite a few 'mystery' people in the first day pictures. We were buzzed and having a great time with the people we met in casual dining that first afternoon! :eek: :cool: There are also albums from previous cruises at the same site.

 

The link should work, but if a problem, please let me know. :cool:

 

Lizz

[dragonflymy2000]

hi sassy....congrats, since we didnt find you on the ship.....we had an awesome time, stayed away from the main pool so have no clue about the band ( the aft pool seemed a little quieter) had awesome service from everyone and fantastic food...yes the lines were long at the buffet, but oh well.....the worse things on the ship were rude people but Carnival cant control that...lol.....we only went to 2 of the shows (first night and Vroom) thought Vroom was awesome (spoke with the singers at the art auctions and it was a different show than the Vroom on the Pride) , married to a guy who worked his way thru college doing magic and ive had it with anything that disappears...lol.....heres to all our May 18th Vistory sailors.....awesome time