The first plus of Victory II is the ship herself. We were very satisfied with our room selection. Since we were on the fourth deck, we had two chairs outside our room allowing for great views of the sea as we traveled. Also, we had easy access to the deck on the bow and to the bar and grille on the stern of the ship, where we ate every breakfast and lunch. We had a panoramic view as we enjoyed our meals. The configuration of our room was the best of any ship we have traveled on so far, with adequate storage space for all our possessions, including room to store our suitcases under our bed. The tavern was quite cozy and the lounge comfortable and large enough to accommodate all passengers when necessary.
The crew and staff were truly a plus, also. We were fortunate to be invited to the Captain’s table for dinner one night and enjoyed interacting with him and his wife during our voyage. I am sure you arranged that for us. Thank you. He was friendly and informative throughout. The rest of the crew and staff were friendly and helpful as well. Manny, who cleaned our room, was always ready to provide assistance if needed and others were as well. The kitchen crew and servers, including the bar tenders, were efficient and went out of their way to satisfy.
We were very satisfied with the food, also. I especially enjoyed the pastries, from the croissants at breakfast and the delicious scones at tea to the special desserts. My favorite was the poached pear! We were pleased with the choices at dinner and appreciated the inclusion of several items on the menu every night as backups. As I said, we ate all of our breakfasts and lunches at the grill and appreciated the local items, such as, the mussels. We also liked the buffet style of breakfast and lunch. We tried the grill two times for dinner and were pleased with the choices and quality of the food at that venue also. The coffee machines were appreciated too. I often made a cappuccino in the mornings. The appetizers were tasty and fun after a day at sea or exploring a port, as well. It was nice the way they come around and serve them to you.
The onboard activities and amenities provided interesting options to the cruise. We attended the lectures and found them fascinating and informative. They enhanced our understanding and enjoyment of cruise and were one of our favorite pluses of the voyage. We both also had a massage, which was so relaxing.
I must point out the great itinerary of this cruise. I don’t think it could have been better! We fell in love with Halifax and plan to return. We have always wanted to visit all the ports we visited, as well as whale watch. Getting wonderful introductions to Quebec and Montreal with our tours plus free time to explore couldn’t have been better. All of our tour guides were well informed and interesting. Lunch at the winery was such a relaxing respite after the thrill of Niagara Falls.
The most important suggestion I would have to improve an already wonderful cruise would be that clearer and more detailed instructions be provided each evening regarding the next days activitiies. For example, if the ship is docked and the passengers allowed to visit a port with free time, the passengers should be given the pier number and a sign posted on the dock pointing to the ship. When we were docked in Montreal, two passengers were late returning to the ship because they could not find the correct pier. The ship was not easily visible from the dock. A sign would have been so helpful. Also, the shuttle driver did not know the schedule and failed to pick them up timely. I know this is the first visit to this port for the Victory ll. So I would think this would be ironed out for the next voyage.
Another suggestion would be to record the lectures and play them on the TV in the rooms. We took a nap and missed one of them and it would have been nice if could have picked it up on the TV at our leisure.
We also would have enjoyed an interactive map, showing us where we were at any given point.
Linda, again, thank you for alerting us to this great cruise. You are great to work with and I am sure we will again.
—Mary
