ANY QUESTIONS, CONCERNS? VICTORY, JUST GOT BACK ON JULY 24,

WE JUST GOT BACK FAMILY OF 11, KIDS AGES 5 THROUGH 12. WE EXPERIENCED EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE. ask me anything. i will be honest with you. we loved the ship but did have some problems, changes, disappointments and i have many suggestions for carnival and all of you cruisers.

i wish we could take the family every couple of years.

we flew into miami on saturday, the day before the cruise and stayed in coconut grove at a hampton inn( it was great) and we went to cocowalk and enjoyed latin entertainment and dinner(we had a blast finding our way back to motel on shuttle, laughing at midnight) breakfast at hampton was wondrful and found great taxi driver for all 11 of us from airport and to pier next morning.

EMBARKATION: for my husband and me( i was using a walker to help with my leg and hip and we were escorted past everything and everybody) however the rest of the family with all of the kids had to do the mile long lines and securities, and on and on and the looks on their faces when they walked through the doorway into lobby of ship were not happy ones. i felt so bad. ONE OF OUR WORRIES WHEN WE FIRST WERE DROPPED AT THE TERMINAL BY THE TAXI DRIVER WAS MAKING SURE OUR LUGG AGE NOT GO TO THE VALOR WHICH WAS DOCKED RIGHT NEXT TO THE VICTORY

THERE SEEMED TO BE LOTS OF CONFUSION WITH PORTERS YELLING ABOUT SEPARATING THE VALOR AND VICTORY LUGGAGE. WHAT A SCENE THAT WAS.

we self debarked and with all of the luggage we had my husband looked like packhorse. we took the elevator down to lobby deck where we were suppose d to meet and the doors opened and wall to wall to people. we stood there thinking this is awful but it started tomoving in two lines. luckily all 11 of us ended up outside the pier building and by the buses withing minutes of each other.(all five kids intow)..

OH THE BUSES AND THAT IS A WHOLE STORY IN ITSELF getting on the bus was not too bad, but at the miami airport , what confusion, i still have not figured out what was going on there. we did make our 11:45am flight to cleveland with loads of time to spare and some of us were not in real good moods but we all arraived in cleveland safe nd sound and wishing we were still on the ship and heading out for another week on the victory. please ask me questions and i will be happy to help the best i can. patty

[JoannFla]

Hi! I was wondering if you had a favorite spot on the ship to eat..fav restuarant or buffet?
Also was it confusing finding your way around??? I am going in oct Thanks again

Hi--We're counting down for our trip on 9/18 on the Victory! This will be our first family cruise vacation, taking our 4 year old son with us. Did the younger children in your group use (and more importantly--enjoy!) Camp Carnival? And as Joann asked, any particular parts of the ship that was considered "favorite?"

Been on the Victory several times I believe Carribean Ecstasy plays on the ship and I think they are the best band on the CCL fleet . If they are on the ship say hello to Johnny Thomas.

Gary

During the week in July we were on, Cool Runnings was playing around the pool area and they were also good. The Michael Leasure Trio was good too, but they were usually in the Ionian Lounge and it is a smoking area. I didn't spend any time in there except to walk through to the Internet Cafe.

Victory is a big ship. Not hard to get around on once you learn what floors do not go the length of the ship. The dining rooms are several stories and those floors don't go from end to end. If you do internet, it is right off the second floor of the Pacific Dining Room and we would check email every night after dinner.

The lobby bar is nice and right off the side of the pursers desk are two double doors that go outside to an open deck area with padded lounge chairs. Didn't find it until next to last day of cruise. Go get a good drink, a good book and plop down for the day. Much better than fighting the lounge chair hogs on the pool decks!

Definitely do room service sometime.

If you want to self-debark, stay in your room with door propped open until they call for you. Much easier, even if you have to get an elevator or bounce down the stairs with your luggage, than going to the Caribbean Lounge and waiting for the mass exodus!

Good luck with Port of Miami. Hope they've made some changes..................

[missdeels]

We are going on our first cruise in October to the western caribbean on the victory - family of 6 with kids aged 20, 17, 13, and 9.
You said you have some suggestions - what would those be? What were your disappointments?
What about onshore excursions? Any that you would highly recommend or adivse to stay away from?
Thanks much!