Hi Tracy. I noticed on another thread that you were curious about Carnival Victory. I was on the ship a few months ago...I had a wonderful time overall and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Yes I'm bad bad bad for that Lisa (Starting new threads on others questions! hehehehe
What can you tell me about Victory? We are on the special 8 day cruise leaving out of Miami. Our plane gets to Miami From Toronto at 10am!!! Yikes, they do say we can't board until 4:30pm but seomeone else said if we show up early, we can board early. Now I see I need to ask for a table for two? Yikes As you can tell I'm not anti social or anything but we have 4 kids, and need some peace! (Kids are at home) Tell all about the Victory!!! And pricing for a few drinks? they have mini laundromats I see, are they jammed with people trying to get laundry done? How much do you tip everyone? Who is extra for tipping (I know of the porter who brings your luggage and its 1$ a bag I presume? What do you bring on a cruise for clothing..... Tell all Girl!!
Also another question. WE are in an interior room, this cruise was booked and paid for by the ownder of my husbands company (A little "Atta-Boy) for doing such a great job.... If we decide we want a suite with a balcony or another room that is more spacious, and there are rooms available, are we able to pay onboard for an upgrade?
Nah...I'm the bad one, as I have not yet submitted my review to the site. Maybe I'll do that tonight.
You're right about dining room arrangements -- you'll have to finalize those when you board. See the maitre d' immediately. He will be set up in one of the dining rooms, although this might not be specified in the daily Carnival Capers newsletter. This won't guarantee you a table for two, but the sooner you get there, the better your chances.
Drink prices -- I don't recall too well, but was pretty reasonable. Laundromats -- not too crowded except for last day. So, do what we did and use them mid-week. Tips were charged automatically to our onboard accounts for waiters, maitre d', and cabin stewards (will be $160 total for both of you combined), and added automatically to bar tabs. For the porters, we usually tip $1-$2 per bag... but it's been ages since we left from Miami. (Our Victory cruise left from NYC.)
Clothing -- mix and match a must! For daytime, I usually wear capris or sundresses. For the evenings, I usually have a pair of black pants (that I wear twice, different blouses), a couple of formal dresses, skirts, and tops. And, comfortable shoes. I also bring workout clothes, but rarely use them.
P.S. The ship is beautiful, but is not easy to find one's way around if you are going to Decks 3 or 4. Here are some tips I finally figured out around Day 4 of our cruise:
(1) For the Pacific Dining Room, take the aft elevator to either Decks 3 or 4. Alternatively, take the amidships elevator to Deck 4 and cut through the Internet Café and Ionian Bar.
(2) For the Atlantic Dining Room, use either the forward (lobby) or amidships elevator.
(3) For the photo shop, library, main show lounge, shore excursion desk, pursers desk and lobby bar, use the forward elevator only.
Great advice! I have no idea why people want to wash before they go home. I am excited though that they even have do it yourself laundry services! I can bring half the clothing I was oging to.... (Like that would ever happen!! )
I'm originally from Toronto but now live just west of Ottawa Ontario Our flight leaves through Toronto because thats where the flight was booked from. Its actually great because though its a four hour drive, hubby and I got a hotel for the night before and the night after we come back. (Wow extra time away from everything)
Now that I know about the dining arrangements, I'll be first in line for the Maitre-D woohoo
About drinks, when people were talking about prices being too high, I must admit I was scared. I looked up on the Cruise review another Carnival ship and drinks were around 3.50 and beer (for hubby) 3.75. Ok to me thats super duper cheap! We are members at the local Golf Club and the prices range anywhere between 4.75 to 8.00 a drink depending on what you get. We always like all inclusives, but really, we don't go out and hammed up at all because we are too tired from the day. Anyhow, I'm a young 37 and get severely hungover if I drink more than a few..... Not like when I was 20.... hehehe
Why though can I ask, would they charge us 160 yes Its an 8 day cruise, though we board on Saturday at 7pm and get off the boat at 8am Sunday morning (Kind of deceiving calling it an 8 day cruise don't you think?)
Well off to await your MSG! (Hubby decided to pick up son from hockey....)
Why though can I ask, would they charge us 160 yes Its an 8 day cruise, though we board on Saturday at 7pm and get off the boat at 8am Sunday morning (Kind of deceiving calling it an 8 day cruise don't you think?)
Tracy, actually you will be on the ship 8 nights, that 8 nights that the cabin steward will turn your bed down, 8 nights that you will be waited on by your waiter and asst waiter, and yes only 7 mornings that the steward will clean your cabin, but then again, he/she has it all cleaned for you when you board. So yes, $160.00 is very resonable considering the service you will get. Believe me, once you board and see how hard these people work to please you...you will be happy to pay that and even possibly extra.
I didn't even think about the 8 nights. I totally agree with you on the tipping. The cost of 10 per serson per day is CHEAPPIE! In my eyes of course! So since we bring up tipping again, what tipping is over and above the mandatory tipping fee? (What workers on the ship aren't covered with the 10$ per day)
If you order room service you want to always have some dollars for the tip. If your cabin steward goes above and beyond what you expect then yes leave an extra tip for him. My husband always finds a good bartender or bar waiter and he always hands them $10.00 or so at the beginning of the cruise, you will be amazed how they will search you out to wait on you and your drinks are always great..not watered down. Example, we were on the HAL Zuiderdam last summer and we had about 4 great bar staff that waited on us, my hubby made sure to give them extra tips. At their caribbean deck party one night, they had all you could drink Pina Coladas in the actual coconut shell..purely watered down..hubby told the waiter and before you knew it we had the most potent drinks..in fact they kept making special pitchers for our table. Later that night the wait staff was handing out jello shots..lol..they brought our table an entire tray of them, we were giving them to everyone sitting close to us.
So sometimes it pays to "pay the little extra" because the staff will go out of their way for you. He also always tips them extra at the end of the cruise.
On Carnival Triump last year we did not have a refrigerator in our cabin, but we brought some bottled waters and diet soft drinks with us, my hubby asked our cabin stewardess if she would keep some ice in our cooler, every morning and every evening she would literally drag our cooler to their closet and fill it with ice. You know he took care of her at the end of the cruise, and of course we always let the gratuities stay on our onboard account.
Thats Great advice Cruise SPecialist! So you tip just about what I tip at the resorts we go to every year. Bartender, and room attendant service and waiter. Great to know. Now I think I'm going to go upstairs and start packing. Yes I know its early but I'm working night shift all weekend Friday, Saturday and Sunday, sleep Monday, than only have Tuesday off. I have to work Next Wednesday and Thursday. So I told hubby I'd be packing today and he looked at me like I was CRAZY!
Have you ever had eny experisnce getting on your ship a little early?
I asked a question earlier in this topic starter which didn't get answered! Thank God I was thinking about it today and thought I'd post the question again!
If we decide we don't like the interior room which is booked for us, AND if the Victory does have rooms available which are more spacious or a balcony etc WHATEVER, What do we do, where do we go, who do we see, Has this ever happened to anyone that you picked a room and decided to upgrade? This is the 8 day cruise leaving out of Miami and to the Western Caribbean. This trip was booked by my husbands Boss (Owner of the company) and the room is Interior but for a few extra dollars, Dale and I can pay for the upgrade. Any tips from all of you?
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