Carnival victory

[Kaboochi]

Hi everyone,

 

We just came off of the 2/1 Victory cruise and I have one HUGE complaint, directed to Alpmac's attention. Since reading your posts on another Victory thread I had my heart set on going to Rockley/Accra and the Indian resturant. After touring Harrison's cave (pretty good) all 18 of us started to pile back into our 2 vans. Our driver got the attention of a gal in our group and said we wouldn't like Rockley. Long story short, we ended up at Surfside(?) I think that was the name. I wonder what type of kick back he ended up with!!! After a really stiff rum punch I resigned myself to the situation. I vow to get to Rockley next year come hell or high water!!!!!

 

Cigar Dude, You and DW(?) will have a fantastic time on this ship and itinerary. The ship is hopping and each port is better than the last. You can get Cuban cigars at the duty free shop in Dominica. It is right across from the pier. I forget the brand but it is well recognized, DH bought some, 5 for $24.

 

Happifeet, I am sorry we never met at the bar when in St. Thomas, our group kept me hopping. I'm sorry about the music piping into your room. I did enjoy it while in the casino as I cha-chinged away. Freddy, the casino host, became my best friend. As I pushed every button I could he bought drinks and gave me some nice gifts to bring home - the most expensive free drinks and trinkets I ever got!!! But I did win and had a blast.

 

Embarkment was a breeze. Head over to port at 12pm and you'll be on by 12:30. It was the EASIEST embarkment ever.

 

I truly enjoyed this cruise. Our Steward was fantastic. I brought a cooler and he kept it filled with ice. Others in our group didn't bring one, but put a large plastic bag in one of the metal garbage cans and BINGO they too had a cooler. I loved the towel animals. Room service was great for midafternoon snack. The shrimp salad sandwhich - excellent.

 

We were on Lido, 9225. If you have a chance, go to the bow on that deck for approach and sail away. It is a huge deck with easy access and the views are fantastic.

 

The ship was freezing, especially at night. I only brought one 3/4 sleeve shirt and wore it and my fleece jacket, that I flew down in, every night after dinner. Positive point - I will def pack less next year as I found out how little you really need to bring.

 

Dinners were good, not great but def not bad. Our waiter, George, must have been new because he kept referring to his notes, never learned our names, kept forgetting what people ordered, and never had a spare moment to ask if everything was ok. However, we traveled with a group of 20, had 2 tables and we were so busy laughing and having a good time that George's lack of attention gave us another reason to laugh. I loved the songs the waitstaff performed.

 

With so many ports there were always chairs at the pool, no need to get up at 6am and reserve the chairs.

 

The ship is pretty and very clean. I did get a chuckle at the worker that spent the entire week polishing the tile floors near the elevators on Lido.

 

Each day off ship was fantastic. Visited our jeweler (Mac, the owner of Trident Jewelers) in St. Thomas. We've dealt with him since 1992 and I highly rec. him. EVERYTHING I and my friends have purchased there have ALWAYS appraised for more. We visited Screws Spa in Dominica for the 2nd year in a row. His hot springs are FANTASTIC - you have to go there. He has a website that does not give very much info but google it and you get all the info you need to convince you to go.

 

This was our 1st cruise with Carnival and I now know why they call it the fun ship. It is by far the liveliest cruise we have ever been on. At 12 midnight people are still up, singing, dancing, and having a good time. I would repeat this ship/itinerary in a heart beat - with warmer night time attire:D. If you have any questions, fire away. Ready to go again, Kaboochi

[geezersgirl]

Hi Kaboochi sorry we did not get to meet your group. You must get to Rockley next time we loved it! I posted a review of the excursions but I agree with most of you that this was an amazing cruise. We did notice a few things here and there but it is what you make of it. We thought the dining room food was great and sometimes fantastic, I think it all depended on what you ordered. We had a blast and would do this cruise again in a heartbeat.

[Bella50]

This is a great cruise! I went two years ago, and I'm going again in March. Don't listen to all of the negativity. Go! You'll love it!

[Bella50]

We were on this ship in December and loved the different islands. A lot of people complain about the Puerto Ricans that are on the ship. They must be jealous that they come on the ship already tanned. :p Yes, there are a lot of them onboard and they are a boisterous group. The kids run around and jump in the pool. Isn't that what kids do?

 

Hey Vegas Man!

Love your attitude! Who cares about the various groups on board? I thought the idea was to HAVE FUN! I'm going on the Victory in March and can't wait!

Lucky you for getting to go to Playa!! LOVE IT!!

[Bella50]

We just returned from Victory Southern Carribean on Feb 1st. Our first cruise, so nothing to compare it to.

We had a blast!

I didn't notice many Puerto Ricans. I would say the ship was more than half full of Canadians.

The 7 ports were outstanding! We enjoyed every bit of this cruise, except embarkation, which was all messed up.

We flew down to PR the day before the cruise and stayed at one of the best hotels we've ever stayed at - the Condado Plaza Hotel. We want to return there.

Supposedly there were 300 kids on our cruise, but we never saw them.

We met some awesome people and we had a spectacular time.

We stayed in a cat 11 suite and it was more wonderful than we had anticipated.

The food was excellent in the dining room, and the Lido buffet was good.

There were many many empty lounge chairs at the pool every day.

Everything that we had read (on the negative side) did not happen to us. It was ALL a positive experience.

The casino is tight, so skip the casino and go to the shows instead.

We docked at every port and never had to be tendered (another positive).

The 2 excursions that we booked thru Carnival were well organized and well worth the money we paid.

We would do this itinerary again in a heartbeat.

 

Do you remember what time the open dinner was on the first night in Puerto Rico? Was there a show that night?

[SCFCRUISER]

Hey Geezersgirl, Hapifeet, Kaboochi, sorry we couldn't meet up with you guys the first day, as you said, things got kind of screwed up for the boat drill. We had a great time as well, sorry you had problems Hapifeet, we never book cabins above or below any bars or the casino, but would recommend this ship to anyone. We're ready to go again!!!

 

We thought the dining room food was very good, but DW had a problem Wednesday night before the Mexican buffet party. She is allergic to shellfish, & she had the penne pasta in the rear buffet & her throat started to close. The nameplate on the dish did not state that it was made with seafood. But we did find out that it was stated in spanish, that it did have seafood in it. We had to call 911 from the lido pool area, because she could not swallow & they did not respond until 10 minutes later!!! I thought she was going to die right there!! I will be taking that issue up with Carnival. She needed 4 shots of epi-pen etc. Bad deal, but she was good to go the next day in St. Lucia & for the rest of the cruise.

 

Our cabin steward was the best one we have ever had, we were in 6321, which was pretty close to a couple of you guys on deck 6. We befriended one of the lido bar waiters Wija (short name) for the week, he was our personal waiter.. he made a lot of money off of us last week, great guy!!

I thought the ship was in good shape, the only thing we noticed (we are both in the electrical industry) was that there were a lot of burn't out light bulbs in the dining room & casino bar area..how hard is it to replace bulbs?? Anyway, no other issues come to mind.

We also got to the pier at 11:30 & had our first bucket of beers at 12:45, & boy were they tasting good!!! Also, DW is a wine drinker, so we carried on 2 bottles of wine each & our friends took 2 on as well for us & they didn't say a word to us. The brochure only states 1 each!! Saved some money on that deal..

We stayed at the Condado Plaza as well before the cruise & that place was SWEET!!!!

 

Steve

[VABeach]

Well, I have been wanting to do this itenerary F O R E V E R .

 

I have passed up doing this cruise because of all of the *bad reviews*.

 

Until.... Carnival sent out this really great deal that I just couldn't pass up.

 

So now I guess I'll get to see what all of the fuss is about and/or what I have been missing all these years. :D

 

Although, I do remember the Victory being a little bit GREEN.

[SCFCRUISER]

Well, I have been wanting to do this itenerary F O R E V E R .

 

I have passed up doing this cruise because of all of the *bad reviews*.

 

Until.... Carnival sent out this really great deal that I just couldn't pass up.

 

So now I guess I'll get to see what all of the fuss is about and/or what I have been missing all these years. :D

 

Although, I do remember the Victory being a little bit GREEN.

 

The interior colors are mainly greens & blues, but not overdone IMHO, it looks very nice. With stopping every day, it did get kind of tiresome, with staying up late & getting up early the next morning. Have a good time!!

[*CruiseFan*]

With all due respect, if you booked a cabin right above the promenade deck, and then complain about the noise, you have no one to blame but yourself. There is a reason those cabins are cheaper.

 

We'll be in 6360 on this sailing, and typically pick rooms that are close to the elevator and right in the center of the ship, knowing it'll be a little noisier. I can't imagine a room being so noisy that you can't sleep -- it's always a muted sound and kind of lulls you to sleep :)

 

Apples and oranges -- another example of all the differences we have when we cruise and another example of what I was saying before!

[Denise40]

We will be on this same cruise on Aug 30. I can't wait to go. Anyone else on this cruise?? Thanks for all of the great info.

[Grand Kman]

I'm booked on the July 12 Victory cruise. My teens summers were full till then! We chose this cruise for the amazing ports of call. Nothing about the boat would faze my bunch. We have fun wherever we go and I can't imagine having a week with this itenarary be anything but "out of this world". We last cruised about 9 yrs ago (w/Carnival to W Carribean) so we are really excited to be "at sea" again. The kids over-ruled the "one destination" vacation this year and our last cruise was so much fun we decided to do 'er again.

 

The hard part (also the fun part) has been deciding what to do at each port. Nothing is final yet, but it is starting to look like a St Johns trip to snorkel for our St Thomas day...Champagne reef and emerald pool for Dominica...Catamaran to swim w/turtles in Barbados...Herad's or Cosol's tour in St Lucia...stingray city in Antigua...and Cockleshell beach in St Kitts.

 

Throw in a beautiful ship, lots of excited people, and several boat drinks and summer can't get here fast enough for me. :D

[Aplmac]

She's a pretty, pretty ship. My fav so far with Carnival--

--the atrium is gorgeous!! I like all the blues and greens on her.

[tiltedkilt]

as we are goin on this very cruise this March!!! First time cruisers. My only concern will be my bar bill as we usually did all inclusive - so modifications have to be made LOL.

Good luck and go for it!!!!!

:p

I am considering booking the 7 night southern carribean cruise on the Carnival Victory out of San Juan, but I have read alot of really bad reviews. The intineary looks amazing and is by far the best intinerary and cabin I could afford. Has anyone sailed this and is the intineary worth it???

[Aplmac]

I have one HUGE complaint, directed to Alpmac's attention.

 

Since reading your posts on another Victory thread

I had my heart set on going to Rockley/Accra and the Indian restaurant. ===> ...and?

After touring Harrison's cave (pretty good) all 18 of us started to pile back into our 2 vans.

Our driver got the attention of a gal in our group and said we wouldn't like Rockley. ===> ...and?

Long story short, we ended up at Surfside(?) I think that was the name. ===> on Holetown Beach

I wonder what type of kick back he ended up with!!!

After a really stiff rum punch I resigned myself to the situation.

I vow to get to Rockley next year come hell or high water!!!!!

Oh man...after all my instruction and cautions, you guys got railroaded again? :(

 

How the heck do you allow a local taxi-driver to tell you what you wouldn't like?

 

Hey...you wave two US$20-bills in his face

and let him know that they say we go to Rockley, where we want to go,

not where you get a kickback,dude!

 

These guys are semi-bandits,okay? They just happen to drive taxis part-time as well.

 

 

Here's what you wouldn'ta liked..

Aren't you glad you got railroaded into mere Holetown instead:cool:

[Cigar Dude]

I'm not making that mistake! We'll be at Rockley Beach; period!

 

I might even have aplmac with me! :D

[cowetamom]

Thanks Kaboochi for your review. I have been waiting for it.

 

We won't be going until September so I look forward to all those reviews before us!!

[Aplmac]

The interior colors are mainly greens & blues, but not overdone IMHO, it looks very nice.

These beautiful light fixtures caught my eye..

 

 

somewhere along Neptune's Way..

 

 

-where you'll also find this amazing glass-art!

 

.

[Aplmac]

I'm not making that mistake! We'll be at Rockley Beach; period!

 

I might even have aplmac with me! :D

Only for awhile,though..

 

I'm no longer a beach person...I've had too many 'bad bits' carved out of me over the years!

You live in this sun all your life, it starts to catch up with you!

Basal cell carcinoma's and various keratoses -you learn(the hard way) to stay out of the sun.

 

 

If all goes well, CG...the sorta plan I have in mind

is for you to catch one of those outside-the-Port's-gates taxis up to my house in suburban Bridgetown(cost about US$12-15,depends..)

and then I can quickly shoot you up to Bottom Bay, Harrismith, Crane -in my car..

 

-to catch the amazing views and get some pics

 

 

 

- and then back down to Accra/Rockley

where you can beach it the rest of the day.

How's that?

 

Later in the year, I'll email you detailed directions for the taxi driver to find my house

-not difficult for an islander taxi-driver

[Debde]

I'll be on this ship in the near future. I'm in a cat. 12 and was wondering if you got priority debarkation. Also, how was the priority embarkation? And how many electrical outlets did you have?

 

Thanks!

 

Hello all on the Carnival board.

I have never sailed Carnival but thinking about this ship in a catagory 12 too. I'd love to hear about all the suite ameneties carnival offers and embarkation too.

Travelling with two older teen boys. Seems like that is not a poblem as far as things for them to do-correct??

Any help or links here on this board to answer some of my questions would be great.

As you can see-only sailed RC so would love a Carnival/Victory newbie guide!!!;)

[Grand Kman]

aplmac...it has been said many times...but your pictures are just incredible! Thanks for sharing and don't stop until at least July 12.;)

 

No doubt, when we return from "swimming with the turtles", we will finish our Barbados day at Rockley. Just wish we had 1 more day to do "the Crane" and Bottom Bay! Those 2 are "top 10" in the world type beaches. Oh well...I'll just have to go back! (so much to do...so little time):D

[Aplmac]

aplmac...it has been said many times...but your pictures are just incredible! ===> Glad you like them!

Thanks for sharing and don't stop until at least July 12th. ===> Tall order! but I'll be back on Victory Apr.21st! :):)

 

Just wish we had 1 more day to do "the Crane" and Bottom Bay!

Those 2 are "top 10" in the world type beaches. ===> Oh yeah! the pictures say so!!

Oh well...I'll just have to go back! (so much to do...so little time):D

You realize you need 4-5 days here, don't you...

 

 

This cruising thing stopover for 8 hrs. is just to give you a sip of each island

and you don't get to see interesting little bits like this..

-unless you happen to go to St.John's Parish Church.

 

 

_________________________________________

There's rather a lot to do and see at Barbados

too much to possibly do in just a half-day

 

.

[VABeach]

Wow. Such awesome pictures!! Thanks so much for sharing.

I haven't even STARTED looking at shore excursions and what to do on this trip.

 

12 weeks, better at least start looking. :eek:

[marniegirl]

We sailed the Victory 1/18 and LOVED the itinerary. Here's one of my Sigma lens shots from Rockley Beach...dedicated to aplmac (thanks for the lens recommendation)

 

 

Clouds were starting to roll in and the beach was crowded THAT particular day, because it was a national Holiday. Absolutely gorgeous!

 

 

Telephoto of the Liquid Turquoise

[Aplmac]

We sailed the Victory 1/18 and LOVED the itinerary.

Here's one of my Sigma lens shots from Rockley Beach.

 

I see you did the Boardwalk..

If you're on Facebook

there's a special-interest group for the BARBADOS BOARDWALK -you might take a look (and join)?

 

go to...

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46787187730

 

Lotsa pics there too.