Victory trip report with pictures and Fun Times

[LMaxwell]

Hi Susan,

I just thought of another question I'd like to ask you...are the safes in the rooms the kind you have to put in your own code or are they the kind that any old card with a magnetic strip works?

 

TIA

It's a mixed bag post dry dock. We had an OV on deck 2 and it was magnet stripe card activated. I don't know if there is any sure way to know which rooms get what type.

Ours was the kind with the 4-digit code. I like those better.

[CruisinCrow]

It's a mixed bag post dry dock. We had an OV on deck 2 and it was magnet stripe card activated. I don't know if there is any sure way to know which rooms get what type.

 

True. I've also heard that some of the cabins got flat screen TVs but ours was the old tube kind. So we had an old TV and a new safe. :) You'd think that during dry dock they would have gone ahead and updated all the cabins.

Edited April 6, 2016 by CruisinCrow

[ShellLoves2cruise]

It's a mixed bag post dry dock. We had an OV on deck 2 and it was magnet stripe card activated. I don't know if there is any sure way to know which rooms get what type.

 

Thanks to both of you...I guess it's just the luck of the draw with the safes and TV's. It's not a big deal really, I was just curious but I also prefer the 4 digit code kind.

 

As far as the TV's, well we won't be watching much TV no matter what kind is in our cabin :D

[CruisinCrow]

As far as the TV's, well we won't be watching much TV no matter what kind is in our cabin :D

 

I'm the same way. We hardly turned the TV on so it didn't bother me at all. I was just kind of surprised since the ship had recently gone through dry dock. It wouldn't have been that difficult to replace the TVs, maybe even with the kind where you can check your sign and sail account or buy excursion tickets.

[Lgarth]

Thanks so much for the great review and pictures!! Awesome job!! :)

[jgive]

As promised, here is a link to the Fun Times: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

 

I also wrote up a little article for my blog about the Alchemy Bar. Here is the link to that: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/2016/04/carnivals-alchemy-bar.html

 

If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer.

 

Thanks for your review and the Fun Times!

[thedrunkestmonk]

Hi Susan,

I just thought of another question I'd like to ask you...are the safes in the rooms the kind you have to put in your own code or are they the kind that any old card with a magnetic strip works?

 

TIA

 

Just got back Sunday. Room 1058 had the magnetic stripe safe and tube TV.

[AHS123]

I would like to meet the guy who looks like Herman Munster, fun looking man. Thanks for all the great photos.

Edited April 27, 2016 by AHS123

[Kel040]

Great review & pictures ! thanks for taking the time to share your experience with us ! :)

[cruiseonthebrain]

Your photos are beautiful!!!!!

[CruisinCrow]

Thanks, all!

[makeda]

You're welcome!

 

Yes, the horror stories about the buffet lines on Victory are true. We ate lunch there before we got off the ship for the Segway tour, and (I timed it) it took 5 minutes just to get to the plates. 15 minutes to get through the line. It has to do with the way the buffet is laid out with everything in a single line. It would be so much better if they would separate things into different stations. It doesn't help that people seem to forget what they want by the time they get to the food and just stand there while they make up their mind. :)

 

I actually thought the lines were slightly better this time than our last cruise on Victory, but maybe we just learned how to avoid them better. Also if you just want one item, I recommend nicely asking someone in the line if you could reach in and get it. Most people don't mind since they aren't moving anyway. :)

 

Seating isn't an issue. If you can't find a table on the main level, there are plenty more one deck up. Take the stairs behind the dessert area. A lot of people don't realize there is additional seating up there.

 

There were a lot of families with school age and teenage children on our cruise. Not many college age that I saw. The loudest drunks were the full grown adults. The kids really weren't a problem. I mainly noticed them the last night when they were roaming all over the ship is big packs.

 

I don't get it...its a cruise ship with thousands of guests, are you seriously complaining about buffet lines? geez...smh...patience is indeed a virtue and being respectful of people in line is just plain common sense...I will not rush anyone taking their time to decide what they want to eat...hopefully it will make for less waste

[LMaxwell]

I don't get it...its a cruise ship with thousands of guests, are you seriously complaining about buffet lines? geez...smh...patience is indeed a virtue and being respectful of people in line is just plain common sense...I will not rush anyone taking their time to decide what they want to eat...hopefully it will make for less waste

 

I read a valid review of a very bad layout. I have been on the Victory and the layout is indeed poor compared to many other ships. The lines ARE long and slow. When you go on different ships that have better layouts it is easy to make the comparison so people have information.

 

There's a reason the new ships do not use this same layout. It does not work well.

 

You should try reading reviews as just being factual downloads and not take all critiques as complaints.

[CruisinCrow]

I don't get it...its a cruise ship with thousands of guests, are you seriously complaining about buffet lines? geez...smh...patience is indeed a virtue and being respectful of people in line is just plain common sense...I will not rush anyone taking their time to decide what they want to eat...hopefully it will make for less waste

 

I'm sorry, did you somehow get the impression from my review that I didn't enjoy the cruise? That doesn't mean everything was perfect and when someone asked me about the buffet lines, I answered truthfully.

 

If you want to read more about the long lines, check out Gambee's review. :)

[piper45maru]

I read a valid review of a very bad layout. I have been on the Victory and the layout is indeed poor compared to many other ships. The lines ARE long and slow. When you go on different ships that have better layouts it is easy to make the comparison so people have information.

 

There's a reason the new ships do not use this same layout. It does not work well.

 

You should try reading reviews as just being factual downloads and not take all critiques as complaints.

 

Absolutely agree. After being on a cruise ship that holds 50% more passengers than the Victory and experiencing virtually no lines at the buffet and then cruising the Victory with way less passengers, I was amazed at the buffet lines. And this was in spite of reading critiques/warnings (which I wouldn't consider complaints) here, including this one, ahead of time. I was glad I had the reviews so I was able to make the decision ahead of time to eat in the MDR for lunch. A decision I was glad of every time I had the occasion to pass by the buffet and see those lines--with my tummy already satisfyingly full from MDR food! :)

[ohitssunshine]

Absolutely agree. After being on a cruise ship that holds 50% more passengers than the Victory and experiencing virtually no lines at the buffet and then cruising the Victory with way less passengers, I was amazed at the buffet lines. And this was in spite of reading critiques/warnings (which I wouldn't consider complaints) here, including this one, ahead of time. I was glad I had the reviews so I was able to make the decision ahead of time to eat in the MDR for lunch. A decision I was glad of every time I had the occasion to pass by the buffet and see those lines--with my tummy already satisfyingly full from MDR food! :)

 

I just realized I've never eaten in the MDR for lunch and don't know that I realized this was an option. Is it open every day for lunch?

[ohitssunshine]

Thanks for the review! We are taking this itinerary in September. For the BTS, silly question but do you take elevators at all? I'm deathly afraid of elevators after getting stuck in one, but I've always wanted to take this tour.

[Miss Kellybean]

Once we were out at sea, Ron and I went down to the Promenade Deck for a pre-dinner drink. One of the biggest changes made on Victory during the dry dock was the addition, or conversion I should say, of two bars. The Aegean bar had been turned into the SKYBOX Sports Bar and the Caspian Wine bar was now the Alchemy Bar. I had been looking forward to trying the Alchemy Bar, a cocktail and martini bar with a vintage-pharmacy theme. The drinks all looked interesting, and I hoped to try as many of them as possible during our cruise. I decided to start with “The Antioxidant” (grapefruit vodka, Aperol, tangerine, fresh lime juice and a dash of orange juice). After mixing my drink, the bartender, Ioana (pronounced “you wanna”), heated a slice of orange peel with a lighter to release the citrus oils and then squeezed the peel to produce a quick flame. Then she rubbed the peel around the rim of my glass for a little extra flavor. So good! Ron chose “The Perfect Storm”, which had rum, strawberry puree and a fresh rosemary sprig. Since the bar was small, it was easy to chat with the bartenders and the other guests, so there was a lot of “Ooo, that looks good! What did you order?” I could tell we were going to be spending some time at this bar. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

So far my favorite review of all time!! The people in the Alchemy Bar are my husband, stepson, mom and friends! I know exactly when the picture was taken because they were waiting for me finish getting ready so we could go to dinner. Hahahaha! We got married on this cruise on March 24 so if you ask me, everything was PERFECT!!

[CruisinCrow]

Thanks for the review! We are taking this itinerary in September. For the BTS, silly question but do you take elevators at all? I'm deathly afraid of elevators after getting stuck in one, but I've always wanted to take this tour.

 

Are you asking about the Behind the Fun tour? We only needed to take an elevator once. One of the women on our tour was also afraid of elevators so they made a different arrangement with her. There is a lot of standing and walking and some steep stairs.

Edited May 7, 2016 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

So far my favorite review of all time!! The people in the Alchemy Bar are my husband, stepson, mom and friends! I know exactly when the picture was taken because they were waiting for me finish getting ready so we could go to dinner. Hahahaha! We got married on this cruise on March 24 so if you ask me, everything was PERFECT!!

 

Congratulations!

[CruisinCrow]

I just realized I've never eaten in the MDR for lunch and don't know that I realized this was an option. Is it open every day for lunch?

 

The MDR wasn't open at all for lunch according to my Fun Times. They did have the Seaday Brunch.