Anyone fresh off Victory cruise to Canada?

[mirrajay]

Hey there - I have been searching for a review of the 9/11-9/18 voyage of the Victory up to Canada, but doesnt look like anyone has had the time (not that I blame you - it usually takes me about a week to unpack).

But there are a few of us that would love to hear about it! I'll be on this itinerary in 2 weeks and would love to hear some feedback from those gone before us :)

 

Hope you all had a great time!

 

~Carey

[LSauls7537]

Carey, I'm also watching, we leave this Sat....so excited, but really surprised so little written about the Victory.

 

Linda

[mirrajay]

Someone posted a review on a different message board - said the ship was very clean and the dancers were great, and that they had a great time but thats all the info they offered. I asked a few questions - I'll pass the answers along to you when/if he/she responds.

 

I started packing yesterday...I just cant help it :)

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

[jturner901]

We're back from the 09/11-09/18 voyage. Fire away. We didn't do too much, but will be pleased to answer all questions the best we can.

[Babs1121]

Hi: Hope you had a great cruise. Can you tell me if it was hard getting around the ship? Our cabin is on the Riviera Deck so we are on the bottom. Was it crowded at the pool or was it just to cold to use the pools? How was the food? Any problems with the ship? Thank you in advance for any information you can give us..

[mirrajay]

Well, I got my answers on the other board and fear that I have made a huge mistake.

The other reviewer said that he and his wife are in their 40s and felt as if they were among the youngest on the ship. I knew this itinerary would attract a slightly older crowd, but I figured there would still be some people in our age group as well. In your experience was it really THAT lopsided? Most passengers in the 60s!? :eek: I know age is what you make of it, but we are in our 20's!

 

How about the embarkation process, jturner, was it fairly smooth?

[LSauls7537]

Did Carnival offer any new york tours when you returned, or just straight to the airport?

 

Which was your favorite port and why? Did your fellow passengers seem to all rave about one particular thing?

 

Was there anyone in the disco's late at night?

 

How cold was it? Any rain? Any suggestions from you are appreciated, we've cruised the caribbean many times, but this is first "northern" cruise.

 

Thanks

Linda

[mirrajay]

According to the other passenger I have spoken to, there were only 5 people in the discos on any given night :(

 

I was just checking out the weather channel and it looks like you are going to have perfect weather for the first half of your cruise (thats as far as the forecast went). 60s and low 70s with no rain predicted as of yet for the particular days you are in each port. It doenst get any better than that!

[jturner901]

Hi: Hope you had a great cruise. Can you tell me if it was hard getting around the ship? Our cabin is on the Riviera Deck so we are on the bottom. Was it crowded at the pool or was it just to cold to use the pools? How was the food? Any problems with the ship? Thank you in advance for any information you can give us..

We were really wanting to hate this cruise. We have cruised on several other "higher end" lines and expected to be disappointed. We were seriously searching for things to dislike about the Carnival experience. The reason we took it expecting to hate it was because we got it for next to nothing.

 

We were in Riviera 1365. The cabin was huge compared to most of the insides that we usually book. We booked an inside this time too and were pleasantly surprised to get bumped to a 6A outside. Riviera is the basement of the ship, but that was fine for us. Elevators were a short distance in either direction of our cabin. We are cardioaholichs and fitness freaks, so the stair climb was okay for us too. The only down side of our cabin was that we appeared to be over top of one of the staff kitchens. One morning at 8:00 Am we can hear, loud and clear, chop chop chop chop on a metal table. This went on for a while. Apparently, according to our next door neighbours, it happened on other days too, but we only heard the one day. Not a biggie for us. I would take this cabin again in a second, if the price was right. Navigating the ship is a breeze. Lido is deck 9, so getting from Riviera to Lido is a bit of a climb.

 

 

The food was surprisingly good as well. We are also chocoholics. There selection of chocolate desserts at dinner pretty much sucked. What they did offer in chocolate was weak at best. Skip dessert in the dining room and go upstairs to get a bowl of frozen yogurt or ice cream which is always available out of machines. Even better, skip the bowl and do what we did. Use the coffee mugs. More in, easier to handle and it doesn't melt as fast. We had chocolate yogurt twice or three times a day. Yummy. Search for the chocolate muffins in the morning too. They are a chocoholic’s fix. Now you know why we use the stairs so much.

 

 

The lobster tails were huge. Order two and the prime rib for a really big surf and turf dinner. They will happily give you as much as you want to ask for in the dining room. The final night turkey dinner was phenomenal. Almost as good as Mom's. Everything was more than barely edible. It was by and large very satisfying, not gourmet, but very good. The deli makes great big turkey on roll sandwiched. I had heard everyone rave about Reuben sandwiches. I had one the first day and she had turkey. When I saw and tried her turkey, that was the end of the Rueben’s. Get some fries from the grill with your sandwich and you're good to go. The pizza was fair, but even bad pizza is good. Again, I have heard people say that the pizza is the best on the earth. They have probably never been to John's in NYC. But, if you are in the groove for pizza, it'll pass.

 

 

We saw people in the pools. The weather was in the mid 70's most days and the pools were all listed as being around 80-ish, so if you wanted to swim you could. Some did. The main pool area was not crowded. It was warm in there because it is below the deck rails, so the wind blows over top, protecting the sunners. The water slide was open and being used.

 

 

More in the next reply later.

[vesw01]

Uh oh - I am 33, my kids are 2 and 11 - were there any kids to be seen? My oldest will shoot me if I booked him on a cruise with only people his grandparents age (no offense)....

 

So who is going on this Saturday's cruise - being solo (my grandmother is coming as well) I would love to "bump into" some people to go to the Irish Bar with ....

[Rambler]

Just returned Saturday 09/18. Some thoughts:

 

Overall, for the price we paid, it was a great bargain. We were on main deck (2) in a surprisingly large window cabin. Plenty of storage. Bathroom very roomy compared to some other ships. Cabin attendant was great.

 

Portland and Halifax/Peggy's Cove were interesting. We arrived at Boston at 1:30 PM, so after disembarking, time was very limited. It should have been the highlight of the cruise. Sydney, imho, was a waste of time.

 

This was the largest ship I have ever been on, and I will probably try to avoid another one like it. To me, it was so large as to be difficult to navigate. If you are assigned to the Pacific dining room, you will need a guide to find it. You have to go up to 5, walk across, and then go down to 3 or 4 to enter. There are multiple buffet and short order options on the Lido deck, but get ready--you will wait in line. The main lunch buffet did not open before noon (12:30 a couple of days), so it seemed everyone showed up at once. The food in the dining room was ok, and we enjoyed our waitstaff.

 

The 2 production shows were high energy if nothing else. I thought the other entertainment in the show lounge was pretty forgettable. Again, get there 30 minutes early to get a good seat.

 

Disembarkation was not organized well. They just started calling for people to depart according to their deck. Started at the top and worked down. It didn't matter when your flight was, you got off when your deck was called. Since we were on the next to bottom deck, we were among the last to get off. When we exited the cruise terminal, it was the biggest mess I have ever seen. There were hundreds (if not a thousand) of people standing around waiting on cabs. There was no line. Someone was supposed to be passing out numbered tickets, but that person was not to be found. We finally on our initiative found an illegal limo that took six of us to Laguardia for $60 per couple. We were glad to pay it. We would not have made our flight if we had waited in the very short-tempered mob at the curb.

 

Again, this cruise was ok, but in many ways, it reminded me of Saturday afternoon at WalMart.

[mirrajay]

 

Again, this cruise was ok, but in many ways, it reminded me of Saturday afternoon at WalMart.

 

Please tell me you just mean b/c there were places that were crowded and hard to navigate...

Crowds I can handle rather well, I actually enjoy them sometimes...WalMart, for various reasons, I cannot handle as well.

 

Ugh! - this just keeps sounding worse and worse...What have I gotten myself into!?!?

 

But, arent we scheduled to get into Boston at 3:00? Thats what our itinerary says, so 1:30 would be excellent!

 

vesw - I'd love to "bump" into anyone who is ready for some fun at the Piano bar, but we will be getting on as you are getting off. I hope that place at least has more people than the discos apparently do.

[jturner901]

Well, I got my answers on the other board and fear that I have made a huge mistake. The other reviewer said that he and his wife are in their 40s and felt as if they were among the youngest on the ship. I knew this itinerary would attract a slightly older crowd, but I figured there would still be some people in our age group as well. In your experience was it really THAT lopsided? Most passengers in the 60s!? :eek: I know age is what you make of it, but we are in our 20's! How about the embarkation process, jturner, was it fairly smooth?

We are 38, but aim to "act" as if in our mid-20's. Almost everyone was older (yes 60's and above) but had a fine time. Unfortunately, there is not much in the way of eye candy of either gender to look at. We do not have kids and don't do kids well. There were kids aboard in all age categories - young to mid-teens. They were not seen or heard and not a problem to us. They were pretty well taken care of by the Camp Carnival crew. There may very well be a younger contingent on your sailing. Who knows till you get there. Don't plan on going for a Caribbean style drinking all night wild party. Just go and enjoy each other and any new friends you may wish to meet.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. We were at the port by 11:15, they started embarkation at 12:00 and we were aboard by 12:30. Simple and easy. Interestingly, we are Canadians. The very first Carnival employee who we met at the pier who was separating the US and non-US citizens into two lines, did not know that Canadians are non-US citizens. That was funny!

[jturner901]

Uh oh - I am 33, my kids are 2 and 11 - were there any kids to be seen? My oldest will shoot me if I booked him on a cruise with only people his grandparents age (no offense).... So who is going on this Saturday's cruise - being solo (my grandmother is coming as well) I would love to "bump into" some people to go to the Irish Bar with ....

Two words...Camp Carnival! There will be kids his age on board.

[jturner901]

According to the other passenger I have spoken to, there were only 5 people in the discos on any given night :( I was just checking out the weather channel and it looks like you are going to have perfect weather for the first half of your cruise (thats as far as the forecast went). 60s and low 70s with no rain predicted as of yet for the particular days you are in each port. It doenst get any better than that!

Karen and I were probably two of the five that the other person you were taliking to, were talking about. We were in there every night, dancing for a couple hours. We danced alone and danced with the production staff. There were some other pax on the dance floor too. At any time, there could be 2 to 30 on the dance floor, although 30 was a rarity.

 

The weather was excellent for that time of year in the east coast of Canada. A taxi driver in Sydney told us that the past two days prior to our arrival were threatening snow. We had it in the low 70's. Sweet.

 

There isn't much to do in Sydney, but we hopped into a cab and went to the Miner's Museum in Glace Bay. Karen was born in Glace Bay and her maternal grandfather was a miner. We went there as an ode to him and really enjoyed the tour. Karen and family moved to our area from Glace Bay when she was 5, but they spent every summer down there until she was 16. We walked from the Miner's Museum to her grandparent's (both deceased) old house for memory sake.

[jturner901]

Please tell me you just mean b/c there were places that were crowded and hard to navigate...

Crowds I can handle rather well, I actually enjoy them sometimes...WalMart, for various reasons, I cannot handle as well. Ugh! - this just keeps sounding worse and worse...What have I gotten myself into!?!? But, arent we scheduled to get into Boston at 3:00? Thats what our itinerary says, so 1:30 would be excellent!

vesw - I'd love to "bump" into anyone who is ready for some fun at the Piano bar, but we will be getting on as you are getting off. I hope that place at least has more people than the discos apparently do.

The piano bar was whooping every night. That is not our scene, so we weren't in there, but it was crowded and boisterous. They all seemed to be having a great time. If that's your thing, you'll be set!

[jturner901]

Just returned Saturday 09/18. Some thoughts:

The 2 production shows were high energy if nothing else. I thought the other entertainment in the show lounge was pretty forgettable. Again, get there 30 minutes early to get a good seat.

We found the production shows pretty much the same as any other ship we went on. They reminded us why we don't go to the shows. You will be pleased to hear that the female lead singer (screecher) had her contract end on our cruise. She was absolutely terrible. She did not have a voice to speak of. She would not have made it past the entry audition of any "... Idol" show. Next to her, William Hung would have sounded divine.

[mirrajay]

The piano bar was whooping every night. That is not our scene, so we weren't in there, but it was crowded and boisterous. They all seemed to be having a great time. If that's your thing, you'll be set!

 

 

Ahh...I will sleep better tonight :) We have a bar here in Denver where the main attraction is dueling pianos and as silly as it sounded the first time we went, we have a blast there. So hopefully it will be the sing along, everyone acting goofy kind of piano bar and I will be happy. Im not really one for discos or dancing unless there is a big crowd and that certainly doesnt sound like it was the case. However, like you said, our cruise could have a completely different crowd. Only 11 days until I get to find out.

 

Oh and one more thing: Did you go into the Casino at all? How late does it stay open? I've been itching to play some craps (and lose all my money I am sure)! :)

[LSauls7537]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on her on Sat, hoping for good weather. Ah, though we're one of the "grandparent" age, you won't find us sleeping on the decks. We've been known to close down the disco.

 

We're all going to have a great time...we're away from work, cell phones and stress!

 

I did hear disembarkation was awful, but also heard that to avoid the problem, take your suitcases and walk a block North to get a cab. Guess we'll see!

 

Linda

[jturner901]

So hopefully it will be the sing along, everyone acting goofy kind of piano bar and I will be happy.

This will be the place for you. It is right beside the disco, so you can go from room to room if you want to check back and forth. They were goofy, for sure!

 

Oh and one more thing: Did you go into the Casino at all? How late does it stay open? I've been itching to play some craps (and lose all my money I am sure)! :)

The casino is dead centre of deck 5. You can't help but go through it. Having lost thousands and thousands of dollars in ship casinos in the past, we have learned that they cheat ;), so we stay away. The did have a craps table, roulette, let it ride, blackjack, fun 21, three card poker and all the machines you could possibly want.

[jturner901]

Thanks for the review. We'll be on her on Sat, hoping for good weather. Ah, though we're one of the "grandparent" age, you won't find us sleeping on the decks. We've been known to close down the disco. We're all going to have a great time...we're away from work, cell phones and stress!

I did hear disembarkation was awful, but also heard that to avoid the problem, take your suitcases and walk a block North to get a cab. Guess we'll see!

Linda

Funny you mention cellphones. Because we are so close to land through most of the cruise and in several ports, cellphones were ringing and being talked on all over the ship. To us, this is not a vacation. Our cellphone stayed in the car, no where near the ship.

 

Disembarkation for us was a breeze. There are two methods for getting off the ship.

 

Method 1 is the traditional style. The night before disambarkation, you put your tagged bags outside your cabin and they get you off by colour. This they call assisted disembarkation. Assisted disembarkation does not occur until after all of the non-assisted disembarkation described below finishes. You leave your cabin and head to the common areas and wait for your colour to be called. Same as always.

 

Method 2 is new to Carnival and for that matter, new to us as well. This is non-assisted disembarkation. You must be able to carry or roll all of your baggage off the ship by yourself. You stay in your cabin until they call your deck, then you walk out your door, to the gangway and off the ship. Whoosh breeze.

 

We were Riviera deck 1. When disembarkation began, the CD called decks 11 and 12 to the forward gangway and deck 1 and 2 to the aft gangway. Once disembarkation began we were off 3 minutes later.

[jturner901]

Did you go into the Casino at all? How late does it stay open?

Just checked my Capers and the casino is listed as open "until late." I don't recall ever walking by and seeing it closed. We were in bed most nights between 1:30 and 2:00 AM, so use that to gauge what "until late" means.

[nybumpkin]

Getting off the ship was relatively easy - getting away from the pier was another story! Even if you self-assist, you cannot carry your luggage directly to your car; the elevators do not go to the rooftop parking. Someone has to wait with your luggage at the drop-off while another person brings the car around to load luggage. When we disembarked, Victory, Miracle and Zenith all were in port - roughly 8-10,000 people trying to leave the piers! I found myself caught in a mob, trying to keep track of 3 kids and 5 bags, while DH tried to get the car out of the lot to pick us up. In my many trips to NYC, I have nevery been so happy to leave the city! It certainly was a harsh entry back to reality after a great vacation, and I can understand why some of the cruise lines are moving across the river.

[Shnarker]

Well, I got my answers on the other board and fear that I have made a huge mistake.

The other reviewer said that he and his wife are in their 40s and felt as if they were among the youngest on the ship. I knew this itinerary would attract a slightly older crowd, but I figured there would still be some people in our age group as well. In your experience was it really THAT lopsided? Most passengers in the 60s!? :eek: I know age is what you make of it, but we are in our 20's!

QUOTE]

 

Mirrajay,

 

I was told by my TA that the age difference could be a downer for my wife & I (we're in our late 30's). On the flipside, she also said that if we were one of the "younger couples" on board, the staff there could have lots of fun with us. Either way, if it is an "older" crowd, that will be cool by me. I have partied with many older friends. Some can put a hurtin' on me!!:)

 

I hope to meet you on board!

[mirrajay]

I guess I should learn to not assume things about people based on their age. I am sure there are 50 and even 60 year olds who still love to party and that could be great fun. Thats a good point about the staff - a little extra attention never hurts ;)

 

The thing that has me a little perturbed is that the info that Carnival itself offers about this ship raves about the nightlife (best nightlife at sea, etc etc.) and they have the average passenger age at 30-45, and they never mention how much the itinerary changes things. I just feel a little mislead.

 

But its silly to dwell on it...I very well may come back looking like a total idiot even spending time worrying about this. Good to know you and your wife will be on board and are also looking to let loose and have a little fun.

The way things are looking - you will have no problem identifying my friend and I on the ship - we will be the only ones in our 20s :)

 

Only 10 days to go! I am ashamed to admit, I have almost finished packing already!