Victory - My Review - In Pieces

[jas1178]

Just back from Victory's 03/30/08 Sailing. This sailing was fun, but had a bunch of positives and negatives. I find myself surprised that this sailing had so many negatives. Far more than past cruises. Would I do it again? Yes, however I might choose a different ship, and or port of embark.

EMBARKATION: Leaving from the port of Miami really wasn't bad. Dropped the bags off, and went to park. The parking signs put you into a loop and aren't correct, which the security guy agreed happens a lot. After parking, and checking in, we had about a 30 minute wait due to late disembark. Overall, not bad.

SHIP APPEARANCE: I really liked the greens, it really was pretty. Overall the ship really looks good. I'm not a fan of the over use of the pink/corral look which has aged.

SHIP LAYOUT: I have read about the choppy layout of the ship, and while you do learn your way around, it is inconvenient, and just rather annoying.

STABILIZERS: Do they really work? I've been in worst storms and this ship really had some issues.

[grandmato4]

On our cruise in Feb I thought the stabilizers were working just fine. We had a night of a bit of rough sea as a cold front went through, but still nothing to complain about.

 

Look forward to hearing more.

[jas1178]

EVACUATIONS: We had at least 3 separate evacuations. The first was the Sea Day before San Juan. The evacuation was announced and the aft open decks were cleared. Apparently a lady slipped on LIDO and smashed her face critically. A coast guard helicopter hovered over and raised up the evacuee. (See Pictures – It was COOL!)

When we arrived in San Juan, debark was held up to evacuate someone via ambulance.

After St. Maartin, we had to return to St. Thomas to offload a crew member who was critically ill. (Thus requiring them to shutdown shops and casino due to US Waters) It was a site to see the Pilot jump on to take us into the harbor.

The last two days we just kept expecting another one, but it didn’t come.

 

 

[firstyearteacher]

I was on this cruise as well, I am still not stabilized... Although I enjoyed my cruise and have been on many, I have NEVER felt a ship rock as much ever.. Can't wait to hear the rest of the review... Did you ever hear what happened to the crew member who was taken off ship in St. Thomas?

[jas1178]

Ports of Call:

 

San Juan – We did a self guided walking tour of Old San Juan. Would have preferred more traditional hours rather than the evening visit. This was our least favorite of ports, however, it was still nice. Wish we could have done the fort, etc. Next time.

 

St. Thomas – Took a taxi in and shopped in downtown. It was nice. Unlike some of the other places I have been, this stop did not have the pressure salesmen lining the road outside there shop. It was a friendly stop. We took the skyride up to Paradise Point (Note: You can make as many trips as you like with the wrist band you receive. FYI- you have to exchange your cruise tickets, so there is no real point to getting them in advanced. Pictures were great, and the bird show was fun.

 

St. Maartin – This was our favorite stop. We booked Joyce Prince (http://www.joyceprince.com) for a private tour ($150 for the 3 of us for 4 hours). She was amazing! She was friendly, and informative hitting the things we wanted to see. If anyone is wondering if they should book Joyce, DO IT! She’ll show you the good, the bad, and the everything. Joyce had mentioned that she would be taking us by RIMA on back street, and we would see the best prices on everything. We had seen RIMA at St. Thomas in many shops, so we took note of the prices. Apparently they resell to lots of shops throughout the islands. The prices we found were half or more off. While I was skeptical, and while I am sure she gets a commission for bringing us in, the prices and selection was well worth the wait.

[jas1178]

STAFF:

 

One of the shining portions of the trip was the staff. Everyone we met was very happy to be there, and so friendly. Our room steward was INCREDIBLE. He kept everything in perfect order, and became my two year olds best friend. She fell in love with Ahmed. Everytime we walked the hall, she would look for Ahmed. He always took a moment to engage her. He spoiled her with extra chocolate, and even a second towel animal on her pillow. He was a complete opposite of previous stewards which weren’t very good.

 

Our Wait staff was also awesome. Wilber engaged my 15 year old (our head waiter). Santos (our assistant waiter) was also very good. Wilber kept us laughing the entire time, and other than the fact he brought out the poor food, he was excellent!

[jas1178]

MATRE’D:

 

Was there one? He came by on Friday Night and did a quick intro (think…fishing for a tip)

 

 

CRUISE DIRECTOR:

 

I am going to be very careful when I address this. Honestly, I got the distinct impression that Malcom is really an immature social host that some how got the Cruise Director. Simply put, he isn’t very good. He is funny, and in that regard is good. He lacks the organizational aspects that makes a good cruise director. There were constantly typos in the Capers, incorrect details, etc. Anyone who watched the poor attempt at a Morning Show on Channel 17 (NOT 16!) really revealed so much about Malcom. He had no control. Another example was debark in San Juan. He gave bad advice: For example: DO NOT TAKE YOU PASSPORT OFF THE SHIP! (Ok, ummm, if you get stuck in St. Maartin, how are you going to fly back without it????) His assistant Ingrid was just as poor. They didn’t work as a cohesive team. I could go on, but will just leave it at that. Oh, and the WOO-HOO didn’t bother me.

 

 

CAPTAIN:

 

He seemed friendly, humorous, and jovial. However, he seemed EXTREMELY old. (anyone else get that impression?)

[jas1178]

CAMP CARNIVAL:

 

One of the big reasons for selecting Carnival was the fact they take 2 year olds. We attended orientation, and received our cordless phone (no beepers anymore). NOTE: These are COOL! I have commented at the Purser’s Desk and via letter that they should be made available to RENT. While we had walkie talkies, the phone was a huge plus in keeping in contact with folks in the cabin, etc.

 

Our initial problems with the CC was they were not changing my daughters diaper. 2 times she was soaked through when I picked her up. I spoke with the director, who apologized and would bring it up in staff meeting, reminding everyone of the hourly diaper checks. It did get better the next day, but went back to not happening the following day (ever poopie diapers).

 

I noticed when picking up and dropping off, my little one was not really being supervised. I made little peek stops and had my suspicions confirmed. At pickup, they get a mic and call out your childs name to come to the door. I’m sorry, my two year old isn’t responsible enough to do that yet. She would ignore the pages. When they finally would try to figure out who she was, she never had her name tag on, nor shoes, and this would keep it going.

 

For dinners, I was shocked to see 1-2 counselors responsible for 30-40 kids. The two 2 year olds just got lost in the shuffle. They never once asked what she eats etc, and I watched as they asked the kids if they wanted Bugers, Pizza, Chicken, etc. The older 2-5’s could tell you, the younger ones just stared at them.

 

When we left Emma on the ship for our excursion, we attempted to leave a contact phone number and was told, we can’t call you, there would be a charge for that. Amy, the director overheard it and said if there was an emergency, they WOULD call regardless of the cost.

 

Also, many of the kids were give the T-Shirts they colored, and other goodies through out the week. Guess what, Emma never had any of them. We finally began asking, and was told she must have not been there when the activity was done (SHE WAS!) Finally Amy begrudgingly gave her the shirt and bag.

 

This put a huge damper on the cruise for me and my wife. I felt guilty taking my daughter to Club Carnival, because I knew she wasn’t being cared for or given the attention a young 2 year old needs. Its hard to go enjoy yourself with that on your sholders.

 

 

CLUB O2:

 

My 15 year old loved Club O2. However, I must also say she was concerned about that going ons happening there. Ashley the Club O2 director, was a cool “friend” to the kids and made sure they knew they could do whatever they wanted. She told them to dance or make out to there hearts content, because there parents couldn’t see it…no adults allowed. She partied with them.

 

When walking by I was really shocked to see from the door the make out sessions, and more. My daughter confirmed that there was very open sexual activity happening (I’ll save the graphic descriptions).

 

I assumed there would be activities to encourage kids to be involved and busy to avoid that. I really didn’t think there would be overt sexual activity permitted infront of the director.

[jas1178]

SHOWS:

 

I enjoyed both productions, the comics, and the Legend show. I thought the magician/illusionist (Magic Moments with RAND WOODBURY) was one of the best I have ever seen. I LOVED the story he shared at the end….(From Memory)

 

He said on the Celebration when it was doing 7 day voyages out of Miami. Every week they would stop in St. Maartin back when the roads weren’t even paved. He found out by accident that one of the crew members would take the day, and disappear. This crew member would take crayons and gifts to the local hospital. This crew member in his broken English asked the magician to come with him on one of these trips. He went and performed card and coin tricks for the kids. After he had been doing that for a while, the crew member pulled him away into this one childs room. He really builds the story at this point, and says little did he know this was going to change his life. This child had (liver issues?) and was undergoing treatment. He asked this kid what kind of a trick he wanted, card or coin. The kid picked up a snow globe and shook it and said, can you make it snow?

 

Rand told him he would do that trick for him next week, and performed some other tricks. The next week when he went back to that hospital he figured out how he could do this, and after visiting this kids, went to this kids room to find an empty bed. He inquired and found out that the child had been flown off island for treatment.

 

Rand then tells the audience that he always ends his show with this illusion, to keep a promise he had made in person… and he makes it snow on stage with the paper he has been ripping during the story.

 

I saw many tears as he finished the show…I myself was holding them back.

[jas1178]

DEBARK:

 

One word: Disaster. Ingrid as well as the officials are both equally to blame. They had less than 1/2 the ship debarked by 11:30! I'll just leave it at that.

 

 

SUMMARY:

 

So finally in summary, I did have a pretty good time (in contrast to my last trip that was incredible).

 

I found a bunch of areas that need improvement.

 

Should any of these things keep you from going on this ship? No.

 

Oh, and I was wondering, could it be the reason why they are putting Victory on the southern route (destiny's old route) is because of the stabilizers? They wouldn't be needed or missed near as much, right?

 

TIme to move on, and find they next cruise I am going to start counting down too...

[belle907]

Thanks for your review - both good and bad. It's always good to hear both.

As far as your debarking issues, were they actually Carnival's fault? I've been hearing there have been lots of issues with debarking in Miami and it's not been Carnival's fault but issues on the port side.

[jas1178]

On Debark: It was both. We had an opportunity to clear the ship. THe lines were moving early, and Ingrid was to busy playing with the social hosts to call the next group leaving big gaps. When things did slow down (not her fault) she continued to play, while not informing anyone on board as to what was happening for over 1 hour (not a single announcement).

 

I blame her for what happened from the gang plank back (calling of passengers, direction to the 2 lines, etc.

 

The immigration and custom officials were also a part of the problem (as we have read on John Healds Blog Thingy.

 

My personal opinion (and I may be wrong) was if we had gotten going when things were moving well early, we would have all been off the ship by 10:30.

 

However, I probably would not choose Miami again, if I could avoid it.

 

 

In regards to the stablizers: Its funny that Malcom kept making such a big deal about telling us that the CAptain had deployed them etc. in every announcement, it made me wonder...

[belle907]

I certainly hope the stabilizers will be working - if needed - in June. Can't stand to have motion sickness or be seasick.

 

Thanks again,

[emmysmommy]

SHOWS:

 

I enjoyed both productions, the comics, and the Legend show. I thought the magician/illusionist (Magic Moments with RAND WOODBURY) was one of the best I have ever seen. I LOVED the story he shared at the end….(From Memory)

 

He said on the Celebration when it was doing 7 day voyages out of Miami. Every week they would stop in St. Maartin back when the roads weren’t even paved. He found out by accident that one of the crew members would take the day, and disappear. This crew member would take crayons and gifts to the local hospital. This crew member in his broken English asked the magician to come with him on one of these trips. He went and performed card and coin tricks for the kids. After he had been doing that for a while, the crew member pulled him away into this one childs room. He really builds the story at this point, and says little did he know this was going to change his life. This child had (liver issues?) and was undergoing treatment. He asked this kid what kind of a trick he wanted, card or coin. The kid picked up a snow globe and shook it and said, can you make it snow?

 

Rand told him he would do that trick for him next week, and performed some other tricks. The next week when he went back to that hospital he figured out how he could do this, and after visiting this kids, went to this kids room to find an empty bed. He inquired and found out that the child had been flown off island for treatment.

 

Rand then tells the audience that he always ends his show with this illusion, to keep a promise he had made in person… and he makes it snow on stage with the paper he has been ripping during the story.

 

I saw many tears as he finished the show…I myself was holding them back.

 

Wow! Just Wow!

[AprilRN]

Just back from Victory's 03/30/08 Sailing. This sailing was fun, but had a bunch of positives and negatives. I find myself surprised that this sailing had so many negatives. Far more than past cruises. Would I do it again? Yes, however I might choose a different ship, and or port of embark.

 

 

EMBARKATION: Leaving from the port of Miami really wasn't bad. Dropped the bags off, and went to park. The parking signs put you into a loop and aren't correct, which the security guy agreed happens a lot. After parking, and checking in, we had about a 30 minute wait due to late disembark. Overall, not bad.

 

SHIP APPEARANCE: I really liked the greens, it really was pretty. Overall the ship really looks good. I'm not a fan of the over use of the pink/corral look which has aged.

 

SHIP LAYOUT: I have read about the choppy layout of the ship, and while you do learn your way around, it is inconvenient, and just rather annoying.

 

STABILIZERS: Do they really work? I've been in worst storms and this ship really had some issues.

I was on this sailing as well and had a very relaxing, but not incredible cruise. However, any cruise is what you make it and I would rate this one 4 out of 5 stars.

 

I agree that the directional signs for parking are ridiculous! They were not properly marked and I never even saw a sign directing cruisers to the Victory. We just assumed (correctly) that it was the one that wasn't mentioned (plus you could see the ship docked at the port). Once my husband made it back from the parking garage we were on the ship within 45 minutes (about 1:30pm).

 

I really really like the color scheme on this ship. It was definitely not guady, in fact it was relaxing to me and did not seem to be an impersonation Vegas.

 

As far at the ship's layout, it was very annoying to have to go up a deck, walk aft, and then go down a deck for dinner. It was confusing for me and my family for the first half of the cruise. Royal Caribbean does a much better job of ship design, making the flow of passengers seamless and efficient. Overall, I would choose to cruise on Victory again before I made a repeat trip on any of the other Carnival ships I have sailed.

 

As far as the stabilizers being in use (or not) I have no idea. I do know that the weather was not good and that I have been on ships with less intense swells and rocked alot more. I am very prone to motion sickness and only felt queasy once or twice and that was when I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. I just gave myself over to the rhythm and it lulled me to sleep.

 

Jas, I am loving your review and will add my own comments as I read through. Thanks for sharing!

[AprilRN]

EVACUATIONS: We had at least 3 separate evacuations. The first was the Sea Day before San Juan. The evacuation was announced and the aft open decks were cleared. Apparently a lady slipped on LIDO and smashed her face critically. A coast guard helicopter hovered over and raised up the evacuee. (See Pictures – It was COOL!)

When we arrived in San Juan, debark was held up to evacuate someone via ambulance.

After St. Maartin, we had to return to St. Thomas to offload a crew member who was critically ill. (Thus requiring them to shutdown shops and casino due to US Waters) It was a site to see the Pilot jump on to take us into the harbor.

The last two days we just kept expecting another one, but it didn’t come.

 

 

I was accidentally on the Lido deck when the passenger was being lifted. I was so concerned for everyone's safety as the wind was really blowing and the line and litter were whirling around like a pinwheel. I did not know the reason for the evacuation. I hope that lady is ok. And it was definitely COOL to watch even though I have seen many a helicopter transport a patient from rooftops. This was like something out of a movie. Sorry it happened, but it was awesome to watch! Jas, your photo are great! Thanks for sharing them.

 

The San Juan evac may have been the one my tablemates were talking about. They said that a passenger on their deck, close to their cabin (they had the prime 6434 with the wrap around deck-at Carnival's expense due to an internal snafu-lucky them!) had a mild heart attack and that since we were so close to port the captain made waves and got us to San Juan earlier than anticipated as we were going to arrive late due to the rough seas.

 

Another rumor was that the crew member was evaced in St Thomas because he/she was ill with malaria.

[Carnival Game]

Oh great, if that happens when I sail I won't make my 11:15 am flight home! :confused:

[jas1178]

Carnival Game, keep in mind, if you have your proof of early flight, you can register for priority debark at the purser's desk Saturday.

[Carnival Game]

I'll do that, and carry my own bags.

[AprilRN]

Ports of Call:

 

San Juan – We did a self guided walking tour of Old San Juan. Would have preferred more traditional hours rather than the evening visit. This was our least favorite of ports, however, it was still nice. Wish we could have done the fort, etc. Next time.

 

St. Thomas – Took a taxi in and shopped in downtown. It was nice. Unlike some of the other places I have been, this stop did not have the pressure salesmen lining the road outside there shop. It was a friendly stop. We took the skyride up to Paradise Point (Note: You can make as many trips as you like with the wrist band you receive. FYI- you have to exchange your cruise tickets, so there is no real point to getting them in advanced. Pictures were great, and the bird show was fun.

 

St. Maartin – This was our favorite stop. We booked Joyce Prince (www.joyceprince.com) for a private tour ($150 for the 3 of us for 4 hours). She was amazing! She was friendly, and informative hitting the things we wanted to see. If anyone is wondering if they should book Joyce, DO IT! She’ll show you the good, the bad, and the everything. Joyce had mentioned that she would be taking us by RIMA on back street, and we would see the best prices on everything. We had seen RIMA at St. Thomas in many shops, so we took note of the prices. Apparently they resell to lots of shops throughout the islands. The prices we found were half or more off. While I was skeptical, and while I am sure she gets a commission for bringing us in, the prices and selection was well worth the wait.

San Juan was beautiful! I wish we had arrived earlier so we could have explored the fort. When we were pulling into the harbor we were on the 'hidden decks' on 5 & 6 and snapped some gorgeous photos of the fort. It is windy up there, but well worth the view! We walked around the city and shopped for souvenirs. Starbucks is even in San Juan and I bought my co-worker a tumbler for her collection. My best buy was a Coach purse from the Coach factory store. The purse was $300 and I bought it for 60% off. With tax (yes, San Juan is NOT duty free) the purse totaled about $150. Ladies, you will LOVE the Coach factory store! I suggest wearing tennis shoes because the streets are paved with blue glazed brick and are hard on your feet. I had on good quality walking sandals and my legs ached for the next day or so.

 

St Thomas was surprisingly underdeveloped and dirty. We went to Coral World (don't waste your money-it's a cheap imitation of a good quality theme park) and our helmet dive was cancelled due to weather. We then went back to town and rode the skyride up to Paradise Point. It is beautiful up there and food and drink are delicious and priced just right. The Bushwacker was yummy!

 

St Maarten was our favorite port by far. It is more developed than St Thomas and cleaner (although it was still dirty). We booked a shore excursion through http://stmaartencruiseexcursions.com and had a blast. We were on a small boat with 4 other people and scheduled to travel around the island to 4 different snorkeling sites, but the weather was too rough. We motored through some harbors and saw yachts owned by the Victoria's Secret owner and Frank Perdue and other RICH people. Made a stop at a small shopping area and obtained a free straw hat that blew into the water. The captain took us to a couple of quiet spots and we were able to snorkel at one, but the water was pretty dark due to the weather. We then took a short walk across the golf course and took a swim at Mullet Bay Beach. The surf was so rough I got tossed a couple of times and was a little frightened. It was violent but beautiful and our photos turned out great. The captain then took us to a private beach were we ate a french baguette and fresh fruit for lunch. Unlimited soda, beer, and rum punch were included so we really had a great time! We were on the boat with the couple that got engaged during the photo shoot that they showed on the cruise video. It was fun to hear their story and see how happy they truly are. Our cab driver dropped us off at Front Street for shopping and we definitely did that! We then took the 10-15 minute walk back to the ship. I was hoping to see some nice scenery, but it was not to be. Save your legs and your heat index and take a cab back to the ship.

[AprilRN]

STAFF:

 

One of the shining portions of the trip was the staff. Everyone we met was very happy to be there, and so friendly. Our room steward was INCREDIBLE. He kept everything in perfect order, and became my two year olds best friend. She fell in love with Ahmed. Everytime we walked the hall, she would look for Ahmed. He always took a moment to engage her. He spoiled her with extra chocolate, and even a second towel animal on her pillow. He was a complete opposite of previous stewards which weren’t very good.

 

Our Wait staff was also awesome. Wilber engaged my 15 year old (our head waiter). Santos (our assistant waiter) was also very good. Wilber kept us laughing the entire time, and other than the fact he brought out the poor food, he was excellent!

The staff on this ship were the best by far of any Carnival ship I've sailed. I rarely saw my room steward, but the room was always clean, the ice bucket was always full, and the towels were plentiful.

 

The dining room service was INCREDIBLE. We had 2 different seating times (due to Carnival's snafu) and both sets of waiters were excellent. They definitely went above and beyond to correct any issue (and these were few). It has renewed my faith in Carnival and I will sail with them again some time in the future.

 

The staff in the buffet and on the Lido deck was ever present and I must say that they actually cleaned the dirty trays away in a timely manner. That had been a huge issue to me since I began sailing with Carnival-the trays would just sit and sit and sit and there would be no clean table to eat at. I am happy to see that has improved.

[AprilRN]

MATRE’D:

 

Was there one? He came by on Friday Night and did a quick intro (think…fishing for a tip)

 

 

CRUISE DIRECTOR:

 

I am going to be very careful when I address this. Honestly, I got the distinct impression that Malcom is really an immature social host that some how got the Cruise Director. Simply put, he isn’t very good. He is funny, and in that regard is good. He lacks the organizational aspects that makes a good cruise director. There were constantly typos in the Capers, incorrect details, etc. Anyone who watched the poor attempt at a Morning Show on Channel 17 (NOT 16!) really revealed so much about Malcom. He had no control. Another example was debark in San Juan. He gave bad advice: For example: DO NOT TAKE YOU PASSPORT OFF THE SHIP! (Ok, ummm, if you get stuck in St. Maartin, how are you going to fly back without it????) His assistant Ingrid was just as poor. They didn’t work as a cohesive team. I could go on, but will just leave it at that. Oh, and the WOO-HOO didn’t bother me.

 

 

CAPTAIN:

 

He seemed friendly, humorous, and jovial. However, he seemed EXTREMELY old. (anyone else get that impression?)

The Maitre'd was very helpful to us as far as our dinner seating snafu. He came by our table(s) a couple of times each and was very accomodating with our needs.

 

Malcolm did not seem to be the same Malcolm I sailed with on the Inspiration last June. He was not as animated, organized or forthgoing with the WOOHOOs (they don't bother me either). I caught the morning show only once and it was scattered, boring, and out of control. What a disaster!

 

NEVER saw the Captain. Not even at the Welcome Back party. Although I did appreciate his daily noon announcements.

[AprilRN]

CAMP CARNIVAL:

 

One of the big reasons for selecting Carnival was the fact they take 2 year olds. We attended orientation, and received our cordless phone (no beepers anymore). NOTE: These are COOL! I have commented at the Purser’s Desk and via letter that they should be made available to RENT. While we had walkie talkies, the phone was a huge plus in keeping in contact with folks in the cabin, etc.

 

Our initial problems with the CC was they were not changing my daughters diaper. 2 times she was soaked through when I picked her up. I spoke with the director, who apologized and would bring it up in staff meeting, reminding everyone of the hourly diaper checks. It did get better the next day, but went back to not happening the following day (ever poopie diapers).

 

I noticed when picking up and dropping off, my little one was not really being supervised. I made little peek stops and had my suspicions confirmed. At pickup, they get a mic and call out your childs name to come to the door. I’m sorry, my two year old isn’t responsible enough to do that yet. She would ignore the pages. When they finally would try to figure out who she was, she never had her name tag on, nor shoes, and this would keep it going.

 

For dinners, I was shocked to see 1-2 counselors responsible for 30-40 kids. The two 2 year olds just got lost in the shuffle. They never once asked what she eats etc, and I watched as they asked the kids if they wanted Bugers, Pizza, Chicken, etc. The older 2-5’s could tell you, the younger ones just stared at them.

 

When we left Emma on the ship for our excursion, we attempted to leave a contact phone number and was told, we can’t call you, there would be a charge for that. Amy, the director overheard it and said if there was an emergency, they WOULD call regardless of the cost.

 

Also, many of the kids were give the T-Shirts they colored, and other goodies through out the week. Guess what, Emma never had any of them. We finally began asking, and was told she must have not been there when the activity was done (SHE WAS!) Finally Amy begrudgingly gave her the shirt and bag.

 

This put a huge damper on the cruise for me and my wife. I felt guilty taking my daughter to Club Carnival, because I knew she wasn’t being cared for or given the attention a young 2 year old needs. Its hard to go enjoy yourself with that on your sholders.

 

 

CLUB O2:

 

My 15 year old loved Club O2. However, I must also say she was concerned about that going ons happening there. Ashley the Club O2 director, was a cool “friend” to the kids and made sure they knew they could do whatever they wanted. She told them to dance or make out to there hearts content, because there parents couldn’t see it…no adults allowed. She partied with them.

 

When walking by I was really shocked to see from the door the make out sessions, and more. My daughter confirmed that there was very open sexual activity happening (I’ll save the graphic descriptions).

 

I assumed there would be activities to encourage kids to be involved and busy to avoid that. I really didn’t think there would be overt sexual activity permitted infront of the director.

I had no experience with Camp Carnival on this cruise, but never had a problem with it before. Sorry to hear it wasn't a good one for you. You would think they would keep the 2s with a little younger group.

 

My daughter went to Club O2 and she really liked it. She was with friends and they had a great time: no dirty dancing or make-out sessions for them. I did witness some questionable activity on my infrequent drop-ins. On Friday night the girls found one of the other teens drunk and quickly reported it to Dad who in turn reported it to Security who in turn promptly shut down Club O2 for the night and took the offender to his parents. I was proud of the girls and Security. Ship's Security usually doesn't mess around and certainly did not in this case.

[AprilRN]

SHOWS:

 

I enjoyed both productions, the comics, and the Legend show. I thought the magician/illusionist (Magic Moments with RAND WOODBURY) was one of the best I have ever seen. I LOVED the story he shared at the end….(From Memory)

 

He said on the Celebration when it was doing 7 day voyages out of Miami. Every week they would stop in St. Maartin back when the roads weren’t even paved. He found out by accident that one of the crew members would take the day, and disappear. This crew member would take crayons and gifts to the local hospital. This crew member in his broken English asked the magician to come with him on one of these trips. He went and performed card and coin tricks for the kids. After he had been doing that for a while, the crew member pulled him away into this one childs room. He really builds the story at this point, and says little did he know this was going to change his life. This child had (liver issues?) and was undergoing treatment. He asked this kid what kind of a trick he wanted, card or coin. The kid picked up a snow globe and shook it and said, can you make it snow?

 

 

Rand told him he would do that trick for him next week, and performed some other tricks. The next week when he went back to that hospital he figured out how he could do this, and after visiting this kids, went to this kids room to find an empty bed. He inquired and found out that the child had been flown off island for treatment.

 

 

Rand then tells the audience that he always ends his show with this illusion, to keep a promise he had made in person… and he makes it snow on stage with the paper he has been ripping during the story.

 

 

I saw many tears as he finished the show…I myself was holding them back.

We only saw the Legends show and it wasn't as good as some others, but then again, the performers are not professionals. They certainly have more courage than me! I would NEVER get out there and do that so KUDOS to them!

 

Thanks for sharing the magician's story. It was beautiful.

[jas1178]

...I caught the morning show only once and it was scattered, boring, and out of control. What a disaster!

 

Did he do it any morning other than Saturday?