FlyingCruiserNJ's Victory Tour (Carnival Victory-OCEAN SUITE) 11/28-12/2

[marci0914]

Are you allowed to bring wine back on the ship from key west or do they hold it for you until the end of the cruise? Leaving in four days!!!

 

 

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[easyboy]

Enjoying your review and photos.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Are you allowed to bring wine back on the ship from key west or do they hold it for you until the end of the cruise? Leaving in four days!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

By rule, no you cannot bring wine back with you in Key West or any other port. They will stop you when you go through the xray and metal detector. They will direct you to a table where you have to surrender the wine and they will tag it with your cabin number where you will either pick it up on the last day (Norwegian does this, not sure about Carnival - have never done it) or they will deliver it to your cabin on the last day to take home. However, I am sure people have bypassed this process before but you are not permitted to bring alcohol for consumption while onboard with you from a port.

 

*Although Princess let us bring our bottles of wine that we got as part of a ship purchased excursion from the La Cetto winery in Ensenada back last fall, as we had told them it was a tour souvenir, we would not be drinking it onboard, and it was only a day from the end of the cruise anyway so they let us bring it back to the cabin with us. But that is not the norm.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Enjoying your review and photos.

 

Thanks and I am finally going to get to my day in Cozumel in just a few moments here. Long time coming I know, lol. Season's Greetings!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

OK, it has been a while since my last post in this update, but here we go. I finally found some time to add to my review. Just 2 days to Christmas, it is a busy time of year after all. Thank you again for your comments and I hope you have enjoyed this so far. I hope you continue to enjoy as I talk about my day in Cozumel. I will talk all about my day in town, and give a mini-tour of the ship as a port day where most people are off the ship is a perfect time to walk around and sightsee some as it is not as crowded.

 

DAY 3: COZUMEL, MEXICO

 

Today featured a visit to the island resort of Cozumel, Mexico. After having a very early port visit the day before in Key West, it was nice to be able to sleep in without missing anything as today featured an approximately 1200 arrival to Puerta Maya.

I got up around 1030 and headed out to the balcony to see what was up. It was a warm and humid day as we were still out on the water but you can tell by how the air is when you step outside. Cozumel weather is warm and humid or hot and humid, the coolest I have ever experienced there is maybe 75 degrees on a visit there last January. And that was because the tail end of the storm system that caused a major blizzard along the whole east coast of the USA had just passed through the night before. Anyway....

 

As we approach from the north I believe, we go between the mainland and Cozumel, which is an island some miles away and you can see land for quite a while as you approach. There are three docks that cruise ships park at there, and Carnival's is the furthest to the south. I have also been to Norwegian's dock, which is downtown and closer to more stuff but Carnival's is nice as it is fairly new and built just for Carnival Corp and its ships. It looked to be busy today, as you could see another ship parked at the nearby dock to the north, and two Carnival ships at Puerta Maya as we slowed down and approached the dock. I like that about Cozumel, that almost everyone is awake enough to watch the ship pull up and park and everything that goes with that. I like that and many others do, as people are always watching from all over the ship.

 

 

As we neared the dock, you could see the pilot boat off to the side and he guided us in and we pulled in forward, between the Carnival Fantasy and the Carnival Freedom. I had never seen that many ships in port, as the other ship was the Mein Schiff of the TUI line, which supposedly was doing a trans-Atlantic journey and this was one of the North American stops. That was probably the biggest of all four ships also. We were the last to dock today and would be the last to leave later in the evening.

 

 

We were obviously arriving early, as we were up to the dock and secured well before 1200, probably more like 1130, and announcements were made shortly thereafter by the cruise director as to when people could begin getting off the ship. This being my and my mom's millionth time there, we were in no hurry to exit, rather today would be a day to just hang out onboard until we felt like going out to explore.

We went to the late riser's breakfast, in the Lido dining room at 1130, and it is the only place you can get breakfast right before noon as they are in the process of changing everything over to lunch, which opens at 1200 sharp. The usual, potatoes, bacon (yes, the bacon police are still out but judging by the cost of bacon in the store these days, I can see why they are stingy with it), sausage, pancakes, etc. No scrambled eggs though, ever. Anyone who has cruised knows they are just awful all around. You can get hard boiled eggs or omelets however, but the omelet station was too long today so I skipped that. Carnival's breakfast does not vary, ever. They have meats such as ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, pancakes, waffles, omelets, along with cereal and fruit with grits, but there is almost no variance in their offerings. I wish they would do a better job with that as it is easily their most avoidable meal on the ships.

 

However, I got a second course at the Chopsticks, which did offer something different today and it was not bad. Kung pao chicken (was best kung pao I had ever had actually), fried rice and mei fun noodles was pretty good. I think they had a soup offering and a few other things, but what I got was good. Just know the line does get to be about 10-15 minutes long at peak times. Never longer than the buffet line though.

 

After lunch in the not-so-crowded and air conditioned lido dining room, I headed up to the top decks to check out some stuff upstairs and get a good view of the landscape and fellow ships all around us. This was the Carnival Fantasy, parked to our left. Much smaller ship, never been on it but have been on its sister ships and although they are old and don't have any new attractions on them, they are good in their own way. The folks on there seemed to be having a good time.

 

 

More shortly.....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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More of the Fantasy. Not many people on lido on there, but the music was loud and since it left around 1700, I guess most people were off the ship enjoying their days. They had been there since early morning though.

 

The Freedom was off to our right. I have been on this ship before and it was nice, it is similar to the Victory actually. It had also been there early in the morning but it left somewhere around 1800 or so IIRC. I remember trying to get a picture of it departing with the sunset in the background as I sat at Fat Tuesday's, lol.

 

My mom went back to the cabin for a while and I went upstairs to explore some, as the ship began to empty out at this point. People had excursions and stuff to get to I guess. Many of them meet right after arrival. Just don't bring food products off the ship in Cozumel, as they make strict announcements about this but I have seen police dogs there searching for that stuff before and have seen people stopped for this. They are serious about it there for whatever reason. I guess it is because most of the island is jungle, and they don't want certain things getting into the ecosystem.

 

I went up to Deck 12 and took some pics of the panorama view around the ship and got a good view of Playa del Carmen, which is on the other side of the channel, on the mainland and there is a ferry that shuttles people back and forth all day long if you are interested. That famous Trans-Caribe barge I think.

 

 

This is the aft pool, not crowded but would be on the last sea day, will talk about my unique experience there later on. Two pools and hot tub setups on this ship, the aft is quieter and closer to the pizzeria and bar that is open later at night, midship is close to the large screen tv and to the lido deck main activity area. The hot tubs are never very hot, and the pools are salt water, so keep that in mind but they are fun to hang out at. Just don't be a chair hog on busy sea days as your towel might not be on the lounger when you get back, lol. When it is not busy, they don't bother you though.

 

By now it was close to 1300, and I decided to go upstairs to play some miniature golf. Most ships have courses, and this one seemed to be pretty good. Located on deck 13 I think, behind the giant tv screen, near the funnel this is a fun but challenging course, It was not crowded at this time, and that seemed to be the only time it was not crowded. There are rules for play but nobody abides by them, lol. You can get putters and balls right at the course but for some reason, as the cruise wore on, golf balls were harder to find. I don't know why anyone would want to not but a mini golf ball back on the rack when they were done. Also, a pet peeve is people dropping putters on the ground when they are done instead of storing them back where they found them. In the past, Carnival made people check them out against their sign and sail card and they might have to start doing that again if people continue to be careless with equipment. I mean, at night someone could trip over one if it is laying flat in the astroturf grass between the holes and they don't see it. Anyway, it was fun to play. I didn't break par. As you can see, it is all about finding the angles and hitting your spots here.

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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As I continued with the ship tour, I next went to the waterworks area, which features a pretty big slide. I do not do waterslides, I am a wimp, but there were people on here when it was open and it looked like it would be fun. You have to go up stairs all the way to the top deck, and it is right above the Serenity area, towards the forward. Hard to miss. I think it was open until sunset most days.

 

The giant chess board on lido deck. I am not any good at chess so I did not play it but it looks like fun and most ships have something like this.

 

 

The entrance to the Serenity deck. Very excusive, so much so that anyone above the age of 21 is allowed there, LOL. Also, the bar and the "hot" tubs. They are nice tubs though, and the bar is convenient.

 

 

 

A close-up view of the Lido midship hot tubs and pool. Nice location but in a very busy area, but they are usually open until like midnight, except for this evening, when they had a mega deck party right in that very spot.

 

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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I then continued downstairs, to check out some of the promenade attractions. I first checked out the casino, which is pretty large and has plenty to do, but my complaints are that the payout is lousy (you know this going in though) and most of the slot machines are for "high rollers" and not people who just want to drop $20 on slots for an hour or so a few times during the cruise. The casino bar nearby is nice though, ESPN on the screen and the cover band played there each night. Downside is that it is extremely smoky in there in the evenings.

 

The internet cafe, located not far from the casino, in the main promenade corridor. You have to purchase internet from Carnival to use these computers, and the tiered plans they have now are good (3 tiers, one lowest for social media and flight check-in, one for most internet searches, one for unlimited access to streaming content plus, can be bought per day or for the entire cruise), and I did not buy any this time but did on the Magic a few years ago and it is pretty good and affordable - better than the pay per minute or blocks of minutes they used to do. Not crowded at this time, obviously but did see people using these computers the next day.

 

The coffee bar, also on promenade, open late most nights and specialty coffees and such sold here. Not a fan of coffee but if you like it, this is a good place to go I guess.

 

 

There is also an arcade here, you have to pay for the games, but it looks like something for teens and younger. Near the aft, towards the lounge I think.

 

The Arctic nightclub. Semi-hopping late at night, as it is open late, but not crowded now obviously. Not open on this night either, as the deck party was outside instead of in the club. Looked nice in there though.

 

The Alchemy bar. I think most ships have one of these, supposedly specialty high-end concoctions here, never gone to one though so cannot say for sure. Near the aft.

 

More in a little while....

 

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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I believe this was the piano bar. They had someone playing most nights, named Mat - did not go in here but heard music there while walking past during the evenings. They had a guitar player on deck 4, named Jason also, heard him a few times and he would be playing on this evening.

 

 

The Cherry on Top. Candy sold here, and I think they took care of formalities and specialty stuff as well. Never went in here and it was closed while in port, but it looked cool. lol.

 

The EFFY high-end jewelry store. Closed along with everything else while in port, but there it was. You will never see me in one of these places, but the brand seems to be expanding as you see it in many stores back on land now as well. Hard to miss.

 

EA Sports Bar, I think. Nobody in here now, but I guess it got busy at night when games were on. I felt like the casino bar had a better atmosphere to watch sports though, believe it or not.

 

The gift shop. The usual, clothing, mugs, magnets, keychains. Snacks, minor medical OTC stuff, liquor, cigarettes. The quality of non-alcohol or tobacco stuff has gone downhill a lot lately on all Carnival ships though. Make sure you buy port-specific stuff such as magnets in port and don't wait until you are back on the ship as they might not even have what you want, it is that lousy now. You still can get a mug with the ship name on it though, usually. Went in here once on the last sea day, headed right back out as there was nothing of any value to me there. Sad. But I guess you can get a decent deal on cigarettes or liquor duty-free there if you want one.

 

 

The sign-and-sail kiosk. Convenient if you don't have the Hub app or you don't want to go to guest services to get a printout of your onboard charges. Pretty easy to use. Located near the atrium on the promenade deck.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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The photo gallery, it was closed now but you can see how it was laid out. Deck 4 near the atrium I think. Pictures broken down to port, time, which dining room you were in etc. I saw the few we had taken, decided not to buy anything and you get better package deals based on how many you buy. My mom has a few nice photo albums purchased on Carnival cruises as part of the photo packages she sometimes gets. I think newer ships like the Vista are going to the Norwegian-style of having everything digitized and people being able to look at everything in one place before they buy. Less photo paper wasted and less man hours for the development staff I guess. I like the old system though.

 

The promenade deck walkway, outside. Nice to stroll along here but it does get windy if the ship is moving.

 

I then went back to the cabin after my tour around the mostly empty ship and got a pic of the Fantasy, from the balcony before taking a nap around 1530. I had a Coke in my hand most of the time while walking around, lol. Gotta drink about 4 cokes a day based on individual soda prices to break even, haha. When I woke up from the nap around 1630, Dr. Phil was on the TV, as we get the local Miami FOX feed as part of the very limited tv channel selection in the cabin.

 

Since the ship did not depart Cozumel until 2200, there was still plenty of time to get off the ship and do stuff in the port area. So, I got cleaned up and changed and we were off the ship around 1700. It is a long walk down the pier to the port area, and you have to go through a Dufry shop but after a few minutes, we were in Puerta Maya. My mom stopped to get a picture of me on the pier with the ships in the background. Would get another as we were headed back at night.

 

 

As usual, make sure you bring your sign and sail card and photo ID as the serious-looking Seguridad Privada guys will want to see them before letting you back on the ship.

 

As is usual with a trip to Cozumel, we went to the Pancho's Backyard restaurant, located past the shops and near the exit to the street and taxi stand. Always good, and not crowded. Guess most people were either back at their ships or were drinking at the Fat Tuesday or Three Amigos. Never had a bad time here, got a mango margarita and black bean soup. Since it was not too long until dinner, I did not overdo it on the food so I would not be full once we got back on the ship. My mom got some chicken taquitas though and they were good. I tried one. There is also the original Panchos, downtown near the Norwegian port, never been there but heard it is nice as well.

 

Anyway, after that, my mom went off to look at some stuff that she might want to buy as Christmas gifts in the store next door, and I went out to the street to see what was up. The usual hustle and bustle. More on that shortly....

 

Edited December 24, 2016 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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The last picture I showed was taken right across the way from the Pancho's Backyard restaurant. They created a little beach area with chairs and a nice view of the water and the ships as they come and go. You can see some of the tour boats as they arrive and depart here as well. We watched the Fantasy depart as we sat at the Pancho's outdoor patio with our food and drinks.

 

When you head out to the town, you pass by a taxi stand and a little welcome center I think. They also have a nice little monument that spells out Puerta Maya, which is the name of the port and translates to Mayan Window. The Mayans were in that area for many, many centuries and you can see the Ruins of Tulum, which is offered as an excursion and I have not done, but have heard is great. I also heard it takes your whole day however. But past that is an area with multiple welcome centers, horse and buggy rides, taxis, and the opportunity to walk to the north, where there are some shops and little restaurants. Not a whole lot to see in the local area however. Especially not this late in the afternoon.

 

 

I once took a taxi tour all through the island, on a private taxi, it was affordable but it was just me and my mom as we had begun the tour too late in the day and nobody else wanted to join us to spread out the cost. It was nice however, the driver was a local and showed us the entire island in a few hours. Cozumel really is a prosperous island with not that much crime and most people enjoy living there it seems. We passed an agave plant farm (plants used to make tequila), a lot of wilderness (government owned, no development - even Donald Trump {well before he was President - no political debates please - just making a point how serious they are about no development in these areas} wanted to build a resort there years ago and was turned down by the government so we were told), downtown, the President's vacation home, Punta Sur - the southernmost point on the island, etc that time. So plenty to do, you can rent a jeep or take a taxi ride around, just obey traffic laws if you drive. Cell coverage out of the city area is also spotty they say, so be careful going too far on your own.

 

 

 

They also have private beaches to the south, you can look them up in other reviews or google them, and things such as tequila tasting seminars to the south. I did that a few years ago, really good. I heard a few other people talking about doing that tour the next day. You can also do boat tours, glass bottom boats, jetski I guess, pretty much anything. We have just done most of that stuff already, so no need to do it again this time around. But find something you want to do and you will surely find something you will enjoy.

 

I didn't stay out here long, and headed back towards the port area to meet up with my mom again. I took a picture of the Puerta Maya sign at one of the rare times that other people weren't up on there, haha. Popular spot. The taxi stand lists prices for each dropoff point so there is no issue with having to negotiate prices with drivers as you know what it will cost before you get into the cab.

 

 

This is the pic I got of the Fantasy leaving. The Freedom did not leave too much later, right around sunset. Neat, huh?

 

This was a pic of the little informational setup they have in the port area, explaining the ecosystem of the area and what Carnival is doing to try to help maintain it.

 

Up next was a good time at the Fat Tuesday....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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Oh yeah, I forgot they also offer bench massages in the beach area but I have never gotten one. Another thing to do. Also, tons of shops selling the touristy stuff up to jewelry, the usual. They had a Christmas tree setup in the courtyard area but it was not lit yet.

 

Forgot to show the Pancho's stuff - menu and food/drinks

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the Freedom left at a time we were not in the area, so I missed its departure and it left behind our ship into a cloudy sunset, so it wouldn't have been a great shot anyway but I still got this of our ship with the obscured sunset in the background. It was time to head to Fat Tuesday's for a drink or two.....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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Not much else to do after sunset, but head to one of the drinking establishments in the port area. Right? I have been to Three Amigos, which is across the walkway from Fat Tuesday's and thought it was very subpar in every way. So I won't go there but have been to Fat Tuesday's a few times and had a good time there each time. So, that is where I went. My mom walked around some at the shops outside and I sat down at the bar with a Modelo beer and a 16-ounce 190 Octane drink. WOW, the Octane was absolutely devastating. I had one that was larger than that on a past cruise at the Fat Tuesday in Nassau along with other drinks and it did not hit me like that. To the girl behind the bar who made it, you da best, haha. Anyway, the drinks there are affordable and it is a fun atmosphere with a DJ, dancing, etc. My mom showed up, got a soda (lol) from the bar and they put a party hat on her head, LOL. I saw many people up dancing - some of whom I would talk to the next day in the hot tub, they were having a blast.

 

The shopping area, pretty deserted by now but it was after 1800 and people were beginning to make their way back to the ship.

 

 

Nice little sign near the bars and shopping that showed what time each ship was due to leave and the local time so it was impossible to say you did not know when you were supposed to be back at your ship, hehe.

 

 

Modelo and 190 Octane. Yeah! I didn't keep the cup BTW.

 

The atmosphere at the Fat Tuesday's.

 

I walked off my um, buzz and hit the bano on the other side of the shopping area before meeting my mom back at the ID checkpoint around 1900 as it was getting to be time to go back to the ship, meeting up with a dude from Roxborough (Philly) who saw my Phillies t-shirt and struck up a conversation about the team and their chances for next year on my way back, LOL. Also got this picture of our ship from right near the Christmas tree display, pretty good considering how "off" I was at this point, erm.

 

We met up at the gate, went back through the Dufry shop - my mom got some kind of trinket for a relative of ours who wanted a souvenir from Mexico and I slowly made my way back to the ship. Got a nice pic of me with the ship in the background also, cool.

 

It was 1930 by now, and it was time for dinner in just a few minutes. I was very sleepy, but I was determined to not miss dinner, so buzz and all, I headed up to dinner with my mom in the MDR. That will be next.....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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I should have mentioned what the 190 Octane was, a mix of some orangey' flavored stuff and 190 proof grain alcohol. Tastes surprisingly good but lethal. Anyway....also forgot to mention that you can get wifi at the Fat Tuesday if you need to check up on stuff at home or post on social media or whatever.

So, before dinner I poured a glass of red wine (yeah, why not?) to take with me to dinner and sat out on the balcony to watch the Mein Schiff push back and head out to sea.

 

I should also mention that the cabin had already been turned down for the night and our next day's Funtimes and towel animal were on the bed. OK. You could also still hear the music from Fat Tuesday's from the balcony and could see people coming back along the pier, which would be cause for some comedy after dinner, right before departure.....

 

 

 

I stopped by the casino on the way to dinner, and listened to Sweet Spot play some, they were good as usual.

 

We sat down at dinner, and it was pretty much the same people as the other nights, and got our nightly meal. My app was meatballs, which were good, navy bean soup (great, would have ordered another one but wanted to save room for entrees), and spring rolls.

 

 

 

More dinner coming.....

 

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

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My dinner entrees were lamb shank (best I have ever had maybe), and a medium-cooked flat iron steak. Good as usual, they say it is a cheap cut of meat that is bad quality but I can't say I have ever had a bad one on Carnival. Even the baked potato was good, and those are easy to screw up, especially when it is not served to you immediately after cooking as it probably isn't on a cruise ship.

 

The waiters danced to Oppa Gangam Style I think, neat.

 

I got a fruit plate for dessert, as they are always good and I wasn't feeling up to a wcmc this time around.

 

We stopped back at the cabin after dinner, and it was time for departure. Well, for a good half hour before that, you kept hearing the same names being called on the PA system. Seasoned cruisers know what this means, haha. Sure enough, 2200 comes and we can hear some ladies in a balcony below us yelling "RUN, RUN!" to some people making their way back to the ship. They seemed to be enjoying the show. Naturally, I had to go investigate and see the fun unfold. I guess they were drunk or forgot what time it was or whatever, but a few people came up and went in through the gangway. Then another one. It was getting serious by now, as ship officers were now waiting out on the pier for the last 2 pier runners. They did not look happy, LOL. And instead of hurrying back to the ship as it was 15 minutes past departure time, this guy took his sweet old time walking. Come on, that's just bad. The entertainment that group provided was good but you should NEVER cut it that close, especially that late at night. What is there to do that late? The bars are all closed by then, nothing to do in town. Oh well. As soon as that last guy was onboard, the gangway was immediately pulled, the ship untied and we were on our way. The next time we would be on land would be Friday morning, in Miami.

 

I headed up to the deck party on lido at 2230, listened to some music and watched people dance around with direction from the entertainment team, saw them throw neon beads into the crowd, etc, the party went for a good hour or so. Looked like fun. At midnight, I think the party moved up to the Serenity deck for the club under the stars or whatever they called it. I didn't go up there but heard the next day it was good. Something unique I haven't seen done before.

 

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After the club, I went to see comedian Percy Crews at 2330 in the Punchliner comedy club. I have seen him before and he wasn't as funny this time as in the past but better than the other guy, Macio. I got a picture of the stage before the comedian came up, no photography allowed during the show. The comedians usually do late shows, which are 18+ and an earlier show around 1900 that is family-friendly. Percy did pick on those near the front of the lounge as is usual, lol.

 

After that was over, I stopped up by the pizzeria for a few slices and a late night Coke, as usual waited in the line, but got my stuff and was back in the cabin drinking a little more wine before bed as I sat out and listened to the ocean until it was time for bed at around 0200. The next day would be a sea day, so again no need to be up early. But I have plenty to talk about for that day as well, so be sure to check it out.

 

Thanks again for reading along, have a merry Christmas and happy New Yea, happy Hanukkah and any other holidays celebrated this time of year. I should be back with the next part sometime between Christmas and New Year's, so be sure to take a look when I get to that.

 

[Jobeth66]

LOL, I was actually just up that way this past weekend. Burlington City exit right? :) I am actually from further down a ways, near the semi-permanent construction zone known as the 42/295/76 interchange, so not far at all from Philly. The only time I ever go on the Turnpike is if I am going up to North Jersey or NYC or going to that awesome Roy Rogers at the rest area on the Turnpike in Cherry Hill (if it's still there), between Exits 3 and 4 I think. Just hate paying tolls if I don't have to.

 

That's the place - I live not far from the exit off 295, in Burlington Township. :) My hubby's family is in Oaklyn and our oldest son lives in Collingswood (works at Edmunds) so I know exactly where you are. As much as I'm looking forward to that being a MUCH better exchange when it's done, I'm ready for it to be done already, I can't even imagine what it's like for you - I came back from a business trip late at night a few months ago, landed in Philly, and jumped across the Walt like I always do, and nobody gave me the heads up that the exit to 295 from there was closed - I had to go up to Deptford and turn around and go back up to 130 to get home. Blah. :)

 

Anyway, thanks for checking out the review and I am glad you are enjoying it. I should be getting on with the next part of it fairly soon, tonight or tomorrow so be sure to check that out. I have never done a charter cruise but I have heard they are a ton of fun. Maybe I will do one sometime. I don't know if the Victory is doing a dry dock before 2018 though, I don't know when the last one was and if they plan on adding any specialty dining stuff to it in the future. I will surely be back with many, many more photos of the ship and of our off-ship activities as well as we move along.

 

Loving your review. I don't believe they're doing a dry dock, they just did one last year - but all of the cabins will be redone at that point and hopefully they'll have backed the boarding times back up (it's my understanding that the ongoing construction is the reason for the late boarding times). I'm hoping to get FTTF (assuming it's available on charters) and be on the ship the second I can be. :) Specialty dining would be fantastic, though I'm not counting on it. A Guy's Burgers would definitely be welcome and is absolutely our speed.

[Jobeth66]

Oh - and FYI? The island off Mallory Square is called Sunset Key. :)

[pshortie265]

I'll echo a big thank you for your review. MY mom and I were talking on Christmas about a potential February trip on the Victory. I sadly have not sailed in over two years so wasn't sure what all had changed. Thanks for giving an in depth look and for the Fun Times copies!

[nessz79]

Following along! We'll be on the Victory with the same itinerary for spring break in March :).

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

That's the place - I live not far from the exit off 295, in Burlington Township. :) My hubby's family is in Oaklyn and our oldest son lives in Collingswood (works at Edmunds) so I know exactly where you are. As much as I'm looking forward to that being a MUCH better exchange when it's done, I'm ready for it to be done already, I can't even imagine what it's like for you - I came back from a business trip late at night a few months ago, landed in Philly, and jumped across the Walt like I always do, and nobody gave me the heads up that the exit to 295 from there was closed - I had to go up to Deptford and turn around and go back up to 130 to get home. Blah. :)

 

 

 

Loving your review. I don't believe they're doing a dry dock, they just did one last year - but all of the cabins will be redone at that point and hopefully they'll have backed the boarding times back up (it's my understanding that the ongoing construction is the reason for the late boarding times). I'm hoping to get FTTF (assuming it's available on charters) and be on the ship the second I can be. :) Specialty dining would be fantastic, though I'm not counting on it. A Guy's Burgers would definitely be welcome and is absolutely our speed.

 

Yep, not terribly far from that Collingswood/Oaklyn area - the suburban towns all kind of run into one another. The land of a hundred townships, separate school districts, governments, etc. LOL. It is convenient to get everywhere, including Philly, NYC, the shore, Baltimore, but it sure is crowded. During off-peak times, 295 around 42 is really not that bad assuming there is no overnight construction, but at rush hour, forget it. Very heavy traffic going to Philly and that whole interchange backs up 10 miles or more every weekday afternoon. 42 is not too much better. It is taking so long to do that project because it is in such a congested area, there is not a whole lot of room to work and they did their best designing it to keep from destroying entire neighborhoods, which is why it still isn't going to be a straight shot interchange. Just a total mess there, but those roads were not built to handle this kind of traffic more than 50 years ago, sigh. I sat in traffic on 42 to 295, and then at an off-ramp to Black Horse Pike that took me a good 45 minutes to navigate a few-mile stretch just last week, haha. But it will be a lot better when it is done, probably not for another 5 or so years though. Traffic is a way of life around here, just plan extra time for it. And it's another brilliant design characteristic that you cannot get from 42 north to 55 or from 55 north to 42 south directly, creates even more of a mess in the Deptford area traffic-wise. But it is what it is.

 

But anyway, I was surprised to see how few things like the Guy's burgers and Blue Iguana are not on the Victory. I expect that on the Fantasy class ships but it is kind of a bummer that they don't have more specialty options and if I am not mistaken, no steakhouse or Cucina on that ship either. The stuff they offered was good, and they had the Seafood Shack (which I will talk about during my seaday wrap-up, hopefully later tonight) which I had never seen on any other ships but not a whole ton else. And the hot dog and burger grills were on separate sides of the Lido, odd. The ship itself is in good shape however, but the TVs in the cabins still do not let you access your folio charges, like the Breeze and newer ships do. No biggie because I had the Hub app but if you don't, and are expecting to be able to see things like menus and spending charges on the television, you might miss out. I see that the boarding does seem to be delayed every week, which is not a huge deal I guess, makes for a cool departure at night this time of year, but they should do a better job of telling people about it. We did not see the email they said they sent about it, and apparently most of the rest of the pax did not either as many, many people arrived early along with us. But the work does have to get done sometime. I didn't have issues with embarkation as we are both Platinums and my mom usually gets extra assistance because of her mobility issues, but yeah, when boarding is delayed, FTTF can help you get on way earlier than you would otherwise. We were on early and got a nice quiet lunch, but the ship was packed about an hour later and I would hate to have to wait in that line to get on the ship after waiting in the terminal for hours already.

 

So, I hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise and I promise I will be done this review thing fairly soon. Hopefully it helped you prepare for your experience and I hope you are having a great holiday season.

Edited December 28, 2016 by FlyingCruiserNJ

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Oh - and FYI? The island off Mallory Square is called Sunset Key. :)

 

Ah, thanks for that. Looks like a nice place to live but I don't know if I would want to live where the only way off the island is by boat, would get to me after a while.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I'll echo a big thank you for your review. MY mom and I were talking on Christmas about a potential February trip on the Victory. I sadly have not sailed in over two years so wasn't sure what all had changed. Thanks for giving an in depth look and for the Fun Times copies!

 

I was on the Victory years ago, and I cannot remember much about it then compared to now but it is a nice ship either way. Hopefully you have a great time on your cruise if you decide to sail the Victory in February. I will include the Funtimes with the sea day's wrap-up, and will talk a bunch about debarkation and our Everglades tour on the last day. Plenty more to come still! Have a happy New Year!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Following along! We'll be on the Victory with the same itinerary for spring break in March :).

 

Thanks, have a great time on your March cruise. I have cruised at spring break and it is a different experience, but a fun one for sure. I should be getting this review done shortly, so be sure to check out the wrap-up of the last few days.

[CARNIVALCRUISE3]

Thank you so much for the great pictures, and your interesting and well written review! You made me relive my cruise from last week. I sailed from 12/19-12/23. It was a great cruise!

[easyboy]

Very nice photos!