VICTORY sailing 1/1/06

[laura1960]

Well, I'm extremely disappointed. I've been home for over a week, and no one makes up my bed when I leave, nor is there a mint on my pillow. I have no choice when it comes to dining room or lido deck buffett, there's no Camp Carnival, and, as my daughter sobs, "I miss my waiters!"

 

I guess that should tell you we had an absolutely faboo time aboard the Carnival Victory, sailing New Year's Day on the the Western Caribbean itinerary. Sure, there were things that weren't quite right, but all in all, it was a fantastic cruise.

 

We left San Francisco Bay area in the middle of a massive flooding - we were worried that we weren't going to make our flight because the main highway was closed and we had to make numerous detours. However, all turned out well in the end, and we made our flight with no further problems.

 

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Miami International, just a few miles from the airport. It wasn't in the greatest location, but it was suitable and clean, and offered free shuttle service from the airport and to the Port the next morning. We took the first shuttle out - at 10 a.m. - and it proved to be a great decision. We arrived at the terminal about 10:30, and were on deck having a Reuben sandwich by 11:45! Very smooth and easy embarkation process. TIP: if you have small children, bring some games, a deck of cards, or some books to keep them occupied. My kids and my husband played a few games of poker, much to the intrigue of several nearby passengers. I think they were surprised my 7-year-old could play five card stud!

 

THE CABIN: We paid for a guaranteed oceanview, and were thrilled to be upgraded to a balcony! We stayed in room 8414, aft on the Verandah deck, directly under the pizzaria. In many ways this was an ideal location....only one deck up to the Siren's pool, and marvelously convenient for late-night pizza and ice cream runs. We loved having the balcony and looking out over the beautiful blue Caribbean sea. On the other hand, every evening, around 11 or 12 o'clock, there would be the Nightly Dragging of Tables and Chairs Party. Odd, since I never saw this mentioned in the Capers, but certainly heard the sounds overhead. Shortly after the dragging, often performed by (I think) heavy German women in stilleto heels, would be the perfunctory rolling of dishwasher cart. Roll...roll...thud thud thud.

We found this rather amusing, and it definitely did not affect our sleep. It was just part of the price you pay for being in that location. We also would occasionally get the scent of french fries or pizza dough wafting through the cabin, again, about 11 or 12 at night. It wasn't a huge problem for us, but for some, it might be.

 

This is getting fairly long, so I'll continue on another post!

 

Laura

[laura1960]

THE FOOD: We found the deli to be fantastic - definitely a plus in our book. The Reubens and the Corned Beef were to die for. Wish I had one right now. The buffet food was average - your typical steam table offerings. I thought the Taste of Nations, though, particularly on Indian and Greek days, was fantastic. But the dining room...ahh, that's what stood out. It was consistently great. I found the food on the Victory much, much better prepared than on the Elation, where the meat was tough and flavorless. It might have just been the week we sailed, it might have been a certain shipment of meat and seafood, but I was very impressed. The lobster tail was delicious! Our tablemates were in the catering business, and they, too, found the food to be superb. As a rule, my kids had to order off of the grown-up menu every night, and there was always something they could eat. (Maybe I'm a meanie, but I can't see letting them order junk food - chicken nuggets, pizza, etc seven days a week). Young 5-year-old Christopher proclaimed the strawberry bisque and the cream of mango soup his favorite. Seven-year-old Michael, who is very, very picky (the kid basically lives on air) often enjoyed a plate of plain pasta, with some grilled chicken strips on the side. Daughter Hannah loved everything off the grown-up menu; wouldn't even look at the kid's menu.

 

OUR SERVERS: We had Angel, from Honduras, and Monika, from Slovakia, both very personable and professional - they always had ice teas for us and milk for the kids waiting on the table, always cheerful, very, very nice to us.

 

OUR CABIN STEWARD: Did a great job, but wasn't the friendliest. But no matter - he did a terrific job cleaning up and made adorable towel animals (yes, including some of the "scary" ones). The kids and I retailiated by leaving towel animals for him: a snake, a lobster, and a stingray. We also left several exquisitely fashioned towel rocks. I have no idea whether he found this amusing, or just thought we were plain off our rocker.

 

THE SHIP ITSELF: Was beautiful, generally very clean and elegant throughout. The overly green decor sometimes got to you, but some of the beautitfully designed public rooms gave you a break from all the green. We saw crew members cleaning all the time. Every now and then, one would get a whiff of some unpleasant sewage type smells, occasionally on the Lido deck, but hey, when you're taking care of the sewage needs of close to three thousand people, a little smell is to be expected at times. It wasn't overpowering or constant, however. I don't think this is germaine to the Victory.

 

CAMP CARNIVAL: was great. We have three children: a girl, 12, a boy, 7 (almost 8), and another boy 5 (almost 6). I started out with the two boys in different age groups (2-5, and 6-8) but on several occasions the camp counselors asked me if I'd like to switch Christopher to the older group, as he doesn't have much in common with a lot of 2 and 3 year-olds. It was fine with him to switch, so we did. The boys had a good time, partaking in such things as water slide races, ice cream making. arts and crafts, Freddie hunts, etc. Some days we only put them there for an hour, other days, there was a variety of activities that interested them. My daughter participated in the teen 12-14 group, and had SO much fun, she's having Camp Carnival withdrawal. She loved the teen disco, the pizza hang, swimming under the stars, etc. Her group had an awesome counselor, Marissa. The teens loved her so much that they pooled their money and bought her a chocolate cake from the Coral Seas cafe, with the inscription "We love you Marissa."

 

ENTERTAINMENT: also was very good. We liked the two main shows, "Livin' in America" and "Vroom." They were both cheesy Las Vegas revues, but hey, as cheesy Las Vegas revues go, they were tops. It was just nice for DH and I to go see a show every night, sometimes with kids, sometimes without. We thought the magician was excellent, and the comedian, Allyn Ball, was hilarious. We thought the hypnotist was just plain stupid, but other people thought it was wonderful. Basically the hypnotist made people on the stage do ridiculous and humiliating things, for the audience members' enjoyment. There were obvious plants among the participants, too.

[laura1960]

Costa Maya - definitely not authentic Mexico - it's a manufactured port, strictly for the cruise ships. There's some touristy stuff around the pier, but definitely go grab a taxi to Mahahual. The water is crystal clear, the drinks and food cheap and delightful, and it's an excellent way for a relatively inexpensive, relaxing port day. The kids loved swimming, and we could see several different types of fish. We sat at a table owned by the "Reef" restaurant, and had two orders of chips, salsa, and guacamole, four diet cokes, and a pina colada, and the bill came to about $22. We hung out here most of the day, and then took a taxi back to the pier, where we swam at the swim-up pool bar.

 

Grand Cayman - beautiful island, although it's very Americanized. DH and I didn't feel like we were in a foreign country, with the plethora of Burger Kings, TCBY, Wendy's, etc. Some people might like that; we didn't. However, we did take an awesome tour through Clint with NativeWay. We hadn't booked prior, we just arrived at the pier and asked. He took us to Hell, the turtle farm, and seven-mile beach, before dropping us off to catch the boat for the stingrays. Swimming with the rays was an incredible experience - we were all a little apprehensive at first, but the rays themselves are so gentle, so graceful and friendly. They are like puppies of the sea! I held one, and it was like trying to control a moving portobello mushroom!

 

Jamaica - was probably our favorite port, mainly because a) it was so different from where we live now; b) it was so lush and tropical, it reminded me of my homeland, Hawaii; and c) our tour guide, Mark Morris, was just so personable and knowledgeable he made the tour a joy. For $40 p/p for adults, $30 for kids, he took us in his air conditioned van to Fern Gully, to Coyaba River Garden, to Shaw Park, and to Dunn's River Falls. The falls were a bit tough to climb, but beautiful nevertheless.

 

CRUISECRITICS: I had the good fortune to meet two cruise critic members, quite by accident. On the first morning, we went to breakfast in the dining room, and were seated at a table with a couple who turned out to be pointpetre and his wife, Linda. We had a nice chat. And then, from embarkation on, I kept seeing this one family from Chicago all over the place - directly behind us at embarkation, all over the ship, in the pools, and even at the beach in Mahahual. Finally, I found out that it was crkalb, one of our roll call members! Hope you had as great a time on the cruise as we did!

 

THE CRUISE: All in all, a wonderful cruise. The weather was brilliant, and even though the forecast called for "scattered showers" in the Caribbean, we saw nary a raindrop until the last day, as we were approaching Miami. We had some movement in the aft section of the ship, but not enough to make us sick or anything. It's a beautiful ship with a great itinerary.

Would I sail Carnival again? Probably...but not for a while. We've only ever sailed on Carnival (first the Ecstasy, and then the Elation), and while we've been very pleased with our experiences, more or less, it's time for a change. I'd like to see what's out there with other cruiselines. I wouldn't hesitate to come back to Carnival at some time, though. I probably wouldn't sail the Victory (or any other ship for that matter) again, simply because I like change.

 

Well, this has certainly been a lengthy review. Apologies to anyone who may have fallen asleep during it, and if I've helped you with your insomnia, I can take cash, checks, and Mastercard. ;-) If you have any questions, ask away!

 

Laura

[Dabbler]

Very nice review Laura and I agree 100% with it

 

Your review kinda puts mine to shame :D

[laura1960]

"Your review kinda puts mine to shame"

 

No, not at all! I enjoyed reading yours as well. It sounds as if we had similar opinions. I agreed that there could have been less noise from the lido deck band. Hard to concentrate on your latest novel when the band is blaring away!

 

Laura

[caprcorn28]

Awesome review!! Thank you!! Very informative, well-balanced, loved it!! We'll be on the Victory in 73 days!! (But who's counting?!)

[rickcop44]

Laura, thanks for the great review!! We're on Victory on January 22. What can you tell me about the new mattresses? I've read so many descriptions, I don't know if I'm coming or going. I have read here that the new mattresses are like pillowtop mattresses and that they are not real firm. Is this true? If it is, I'm in heaven.

 

Thanks again for the review.

[laura1960]

I can tell you this...at home I often have a backache from sleeping on my mattress...every morning on the Victory I woke up refreshed, no backache!

It's not rock-hard, not pillow soft...kind of in-between. DH disliked the duvet, thought it was way too warm. I liked it, however.

You'll have a great time on the Victory. I envy you...having a cruise to count down to. No more cruises for us for quite a while.

[laura1960]

Couple of other things I observed on the Victory: (but happens on other ships as well, I'm sure)

 

No one seems to pay any attention to rules. To wit:

 

- Kids in diapers in the main pools, parents blissfully unaware.

- Chair-saving was rampant. After waiting for people to come reclaim their chars (which they had staked out with such items as shoes, a bottle of suntan lotion, a novel) and waiting, and waiting, and waiting, I simply took manners into my own hands. I just moved their things elsewhere, and sat down. No one ever came to claim their items.

- Kids in the adults-only pools and hot tubs.

- People saving seats in the Caribbean lounge, even though "no-seat saving" is the rule.

 

I kept waiting for Carnival employees to say something to people, especially about the diapers in the pools, but no, not a word.

[CrazieNCruisingGypsy2]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Victory 2/5/06! And we are taking our DS (7, almost 8 also!). I'm looking forward to it.

[sea_breaze]

Very well done Laura. Sounds like some things never change regarding the rules. Glad to hear your embarkation was painless. This is a big concern of mine because of our last trip with Carnival- 2 1/2 hours to embark. Sounds like early arrival is the best way to go. The dining room food and the deli have been consistently praised on these boards which is exciting though I have yet to lose weight on any cruise I've been on.

 

Couple of questions for you. Was there any basketball, volleyball, ping pong, or shuffleboard available on the upper decks? We like to be outside during the day but get bored with reading & people-watching after awhile. Did you spend any time @ the aft pool and Sirens Bar and if you did was the pool in the sun or covered? On the Spirit this was a great place to hang out instead of the main pool.

 

Thanks with your help on these, we will be on her right after rickcop44. Save some beer for us Rick.

 

Oh yeah, how did disembarkation go? We have a 12:15 flight in Ft Lauderdale the day we get back. Looking @ self diembarkation but hauling the luggage around doesn't sound too appealing. Hoping to talk to the purser's desk and get off right after self disembarkers. Dunno.

[laura1960]

No, you won't lose weight on the cruise, unless you stick to the Spa Carnival menu (and maybe not even then). I gained two pounds, but it could have been a lot more. I tried to stay far away from the buffets, because I tend to eat like Caligula at a buffet. I took the stairs a lot, instead of waiting for the elevators.

I know for sure there's ping pong, and possibly shuffleboard. I can't recall seeing basketball or volleyball, but I wasn't specifically looking for them.

We spent most of our time hanging at the aft pool, because it was so close to the room and I found the Lido deck pool area way too noisy. There is a retractable dome, but they would typically only use it at night or on cloudy days. It was great. There are tables in the shade, if you feel you are getting too much sun.

Disembarkation wasn't too bad - we just hung around our room till our color was called, and then proceeded down. There were lines, but not horrible. What WAS horrible was Miami International airport. Awfully crowded. I think if I ever take another cruise out of Florida I will leave the following day.

[caprcorn28]

No, you won't lose weight on the cruise

 

There is a retractable dome, but they would typically only use it at night or on cloudy days. It was great. There are tables in the shade, if you feel you are getting too much sun.

 

I think if I ever take another cruise out of Florida I will leave the following day.

 

Yay!!! The retractable roof!! I was wondering about that!! I have asked about that in the past, but no one had really noticed...I swore that I saw it in pictures on the website! Sounds really cool!!

 

I have never gained weight on a cruise...but that I attribute to the fact that I am lost all the time on the ship...walking and walking....up the stairs, nope, supposed to go down the stairs...oops, other hallway...:rolleyes: :p

 

Yep, not only have we learned that flying in at least a day early is necessary...flying out the next day is great too!! Last time, we checked in to our hotel, and took naps!!! Ahhh felt so good. Great way to unwind from the exciting week. Took some time to swim in the pool, relax in the hot tub...get to bed early for the flight home!! (Plus, lots cheaper to fly home on Monday -from a Sunday cruise- even taking in to consideration the cost of the hotel!! That was our case!)

[kytten_kat]

Great review ...

 

It has been almost 3 months since I was on the Victory and I still have the blues about not being onboard ... so much so that I am booked on the Victory for 12.10.06 ...

 

Thanks for your review ...

 

Candy