Victory Review 12/16/2012 w/lots of pics

This cruise was going to be our Christmas celebration. We had planned for lots of fun and things to do for our cruise and our time in Puerto Rico. The trip was a rousing success, everyone had a great time.

First some details about our group: Myself (Dirk) & DW Lisa, DD (Ashley) and SIL (Laine) her husband (married in May 2012), DS (Broc) and his best friend (Colton), My MIL (Anne). All of us except Laine (SIL) have been on cruises before to different places. Our kids and us have seen the most ship time and certainly the only ones that have done the southern route on the Victory before. Everyone except DD and SIL are starting vacation on Thurs Dec 13th. We leave SLC airport at 11:27 pm and arrive in SJU on Fri Dec 14th at 1:05 pm with only a short layover in JFK (pretty smooth) My DD and SIL are flying out Fri at 5:45pm arriving in SJU at 1:37pm Sat Dec 15th after a hellish 9+ hour layover in JFK on Delta. The last time we went on the Victory (Feb 2010) I went through much trouble booking flights to avoid possible weather delays only to be delayed in Dallas by a clogged toilet.

So this time I just booked the most convenient travel. We flew on Jet Blue and I can tell you they are a little more expensive but by the time you figure the luggage price, the free TV in the headrest, and the extra room it is worth it. Our flights had no problems. They were very peaceful in fact I even was able to sleep some and I can never sleep on planes. One of my favorite things about flying in to San Juan is it just feels more exotic and even the people on the plane act differently. Every time I have been there the entire plane starts cheering and clapping when we landed…. We are on vacation officially!! Once we got off the plane, which by the way is the very longest wait in the world, we made our way to the luggage carousel. We picked up our gaggle of bags and found a porter. Actually just pointed out our bags to the porter and he retrieved them, loaded them on his cart and got us a taxi….. All very efficient.

Some details of our accommodations for those who want them…

Pre cruise stay: 2 nights, 4 rooms at the Radisson Ambassador $85 rm/night. Post Cruise stay: 3 nights 4 rooms at Caribe Hilton $125 rm/night. Additional night at Conrad Condado 1 night 4 rooms $95 rm/night.[/]COLOR]

We had the one night at the Conrad because hotels were booked first and flights were not working on those dates for the right price….. Anyway it worked out. I got all the hotel rooms on Price Line with bids.

Our taxi to The Radisson Ambassador was $35 but we also had 10 pieces of luggage plus our carry-on bags. The hotel was quite nice, The staff was very helpful and friendly, and their facilities are great. I would definitely stay here again. They are in a good location with a couple of fast food options right next door (Burger King, Taco Maker, and Subway) plus there was a Walgreens within a block of the front door. We checked in to our rooms and got our luggage situated where it went and walked to get a Subway sandwich since we really had not had anything to eat (other than plane snacks etc) since dinner on the way to the airport on Thursday night.

We came back to the hotel and took a little nap for a couple of hours and the rooms were very nice and comfortable. When we got up we debated on taking the bus or just getting a taxi to go into Old San Juan… the taxi won out. It cost us $16 plus tip for the 5 of us where the bus would have been $0.50 or $0.75 each way depending on the bus that came first. We walked around shopping a little and just looking at all the beautiful Christmas decorations.

Then we walked down to the waterfront by the pier where we would be boarding on Sunday and then headed west toward the Paseo De la Princessa. The last time we were on the Victory we had some street vendor food and my DS and DD got a sandwich called a Tripleta that has 3 meats (beef, chicken, and pork) all chopped and cooked stir fry style on a big grill. They cut open a big hoagie type bun and pile mounds of meat on, after they ask you what sauces you want….. your choices- ketchup, mustard, mayo, and cheese sauce. If you don’t specify they do all 4 and that is the way to go. It kind of blends together for a Puerto Rican BBQ sauce. The sandwiches are very good and very filling most of us took at least half back to the hotel for later. On a Friday night there was quite a bit of foot traffic there so we were able to take in the atmosphere and people watch. It was a great night.

There were all kinds of street performers… some wanting tip some just wanting attention I think. Also we did have an experience with the guy that comes up to you and asks if you speak English… then he tells you that his dad or him (it changes) just got mugged and are in the hospital and need help getting home. It is a scam and he has been doing it for years and years. Don’t fall for it. He hit us up right in front of the CVS across from the pier.

So glad you had a great cruise! I can't wait to read your review :) BTW, I saw that same guy on the motorcycle with the neon lights, but it would have been the day after you saw him since I saw him on Sunday night after I disembarked (probably at the exact same time as you were sailing out!!)

I will be checking back in on your review.....I enjoyed the Southern Caribbean itinerary years ago when we cruised out of San Juan on the Destiny

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

So glad you had a great cruise! I can't wait to read your review :) BTW, I saw that same guy on the motorcycle with the neon lights, but it would have been the day after you saw him since I saw him on Sunday night after I disembarked (probably at the exact same time as you were sailing out!!)

Yeah I noticed him on the Sunday we got back also. He was all decked out with lights on him and his motorcycle. It was kind of cool looking... much better than the picture shows.

After that we headed to Fajardo for our Bio-bay Kayaking tour. It was supposed to be about a 45-50 drive but there was traffic and it took us about an hour and 10 min so we were just a little late for the 6:00 time but it worked out. If you get the chance do this tour, we used Kayakingpuertorico and they were great, but there are a number of vendors. There are 2 people to a kayak My Wife and I, DD and SIL, DS and friend, and MIL went with a guide (total of 7 in our group) There was also a group of about 40 people total that we were with. To get to the actual Bio-Bay you paddle across a lagoon then through a channel for what seems like about ¾ of a mile then into the actual bay. We went on the early tour so it was just turning dark as we started. Being rookies of the kayak we needed a while to get across the lagoon and had our difficulties steering etc. By the time we had reached the other side our main group was started into the canal that is lined on both sides by Mangrove trees and when you can see them there are Iguanas hanging in them. Let me set the stage… the Kayaks are hard plastic and you do get wet = slick. My back rest (kind of a sling with straps) slid down under me and I could not hold myself up because I slid in the seat.

My wife as she paddled.....

The problem comes when I tried to boost myself up…. It rocks the kayak and they are kind of tricky to balance anyway, so my DW says just stay put and don’t tip us over. She takes over the paddling and gets us through most of the canal until a guide that was stationed in there to take pictures noticed we were kind of struggling. I was so embarrassed I could die. A guide from a different operator saw me in the flash of a picture started laughing at me and called out that he liked my style (just kicked back laying on the back of the Kayak) Our operator guide came to the rescue She was very nice and just helped us to the side so I could use a branch and lift myself up again and she helped me fix my seat rest. Before that though my DW was telling me to look at the water where she was paddling. It was awesome the swirls from the oars made little whirlpools of sparkling blue and green it was beautiful (the next day my abs were so stiff from basically doing a constant crunch but well worth it) Now just so you don’t think I was the only problem child in the tour there were others who fell in a few times, but it was me who caused the problem in our group (yay for me) Lol. Once we got into the bay they gathered us in a big group to explain how and why the plankton light up the water. You could see fish swim by because they would look like a shooting star in the water, if you swirled your hand in the water it would sparkle and when you brought your hand out it would still have sparkles on it. The wakes of the kayaks moving through the water were lit up. It was such a cool experience. When you get back to the starting point after going through the channel and across the lagoon again they line you up side by side the grab one kayak at a time to unload and get out of the water… guess who is first? Yep my beautiful wife and her fluffy husband. She gets out no problem… I put my right leg in the water then bring my left leg over and of course it hooks on the strap so I fall into the knee deep water….Awesome. Then instead of gaining my bearings I try to stand up and since we had been sitting for a few hours my legs were asleep so when I tried to stand they were like rubber …. So back down I go. I am sure the other people are just terrified that this must be a very hard dismount. Little did they know I was just the entertainment!?. Still a great time though. After everyone got out of the water they took some group pictures and I made sure to tip our guides that rescued me and helped my wife schlep me through. Then we went across the street and got some pina coladas at the bar there. When we were refreshed and had used the bathroom we headed back to our hotel. Man we slept good that night.

Son with his GoPro camera on... unfortunately I don't think there was enough light for it to pick up anything.

The group of us that went.... it was a great time.

Love Big Pics!!

Today we finally get to let our surprise out......

Sunday Dec 16th Embarkation day This morning we woke up and went down to burger king for breakfast together. Then went and finished getting ready and got luggage packed up and ready for the ship. I took the rental van and took a bag over to the Caribe Hilton (they were going to store it for us) and then back to Enterprise to return the rental, then they took me to the cruise port. Everyone else got into a taxi with luggage and just met me there. It worked pretty slick I got there just as the porter at the port was wheeling our bags through. We all walked through the initial security and walked under the building to the actual check-in. It was a very painless operation, there was a little bit of a line but not bad. We were through and on the ship within 45 min all said and done.

We got on the ship and went straight to the Purser’s desk / Hotel desk whatever you want to call it. We needed to change who was in which room etc, also while we did that we had everyone buy their Bottomless Bubbles stickers. Then we headed up to our rooms hoping they were ready (they were) Here is where we really were hoping for the group to not pay attention to where we were going. We had been telling them all along that we had Ocean View rooms, when in fact we had balcony rooms on Lido deck 9 FWD. We had never had a balcony before so it was very hard to keep this surprise to just DW and I. We had everyone open their rooms and just told them Merry Christmas… it took most of them a few minutes to notice they had a balcony (sensory overload) but then they got all excited. It was a fun moment.

Then we went and got lunch on deck (it was so weird to just walk there and not have get on the elevators) we found lunch and a Bar waiter to bring us DOD’s so we could toast the start of the cruise. [/color]

We always met up at the upstairs tables when we were going to just meet at the buffet for a meal. There was always plenty of room and big tables. There is even a drink station up there. We kind of just enjoyed being out of the more crowded Lido level of the buffet area, It worked for us......

The ship was really quite pretty with all the Christmas decorations up.

More ship pictures.....

Then we went back and got ready to go to Old San Juan and we got off the ship and walked around down town along the water front again and down past all the vendors. My mission was to go to the orange guy (one of my favorite things in Old San Juan) and get some oranges. They are so good you just have to experience them.

Those Orange peels smell so good.....

Means the oranges are $0.50 a piece.

This says juice with ice is $1.00 and without Ice is $1.50.

We then walked around the city wall and through the city gate and up to the Great Lawn at El Morro taking pictures and enjoying the atmosphere the whole way. By the time we got up to El Morro it was getting dark. We knew we were coming back there next Sunday to explore the forts so we just enjoyed the scenery and lights then made our way back down to the pier. I love walking around San Juan; there is just a cool vibe there. I don’t know if it is the old buildings or the cobblestone streets or the people… probably a combination of them all. We got back to the ship around 7:30 pm and got back on board very easy. We then went to dinner. We got to the Dining room about 8:30 pm there were still lots of people still eating. They sat us down and were pretty quick with service (worked well since Muster was at 9:30). We always enjoy the food in the dining room….. Yes there are always things that someone does not care for but never a shortage of good things to eat. If you need pictures of food porn let me know…. They called for the Muster Drill (always a highlight of the cruise experience LOL) we went and of course got put against the wall at the back of the crowd in our station…. It got a little stuffy in the heat but we survived. All along my son had been telling our new SIL that he had to wear his life vest to muster because he was a newbie….but because he was paying attention to one of the info shows on TV in the room he realized he did not have to…. Oh well, they love to tease each other. After muster drill was done we went up to the front of the ship just above the bridge for sail away. I love the port of San Juan for how picturesque the walls are at night when leaving… one of those sights you just can’t do justice to with pictures. We went back to our rooms and enjoyed the balconies for a while then off to bed as we had had a full day. Up next St Thomas.

More Old San Juan pics.....

I love Sail away in San Juan... sailing out through the harbor past El Morro and the old city wall all lit up is one of the things in pictures or words you just can't explain. You need to experience it.

Thanks for sharing, we did the Victory twice and loved it each time.

Yay! Another Dirkgun Victory review. Been hoping you would do another one when you returned! Great start!

Just reading it takes me back there again - nice change though, that you did it at Christmas this time. Love the decorated ship pix, especially the blue casino lions with their Santa hats. :p

And I have to agree with you - there is just something about Old San Juan that is very special. We, too, love wandering around there!

Can't wait to read more!

Well be on the victory in 2 months out of Miami.. Hope to hear a lot of good stuff about her from ya!

Sent from my Galaxy 3S

Yay! Another Dirkgun Victory review. Been hoping you would do another one when you returned! Great start!

Just reading it takes me back there again - nice change though, that you did it at Christmas this time. Love the decorated ship pix, especially the blue casino lions with their Santa hats. :p

And I have to agree with you - there is just something about Old San Juan that is very special. We, too, love wandering around there!

Can't wait to read more!

Thanks for the nice comment. Yeah I loved reading your review also. It really one of the best Itineraries.

Well be on the victory in 2 months out of Miami.. Hope to hear a lot of good stuff about her from ya!

 

Sent from my Galaxy 3S

I really do think the Victory is a great ship. I like the Aqua green decor and all of the undersea decor. You will have a great time on her.

See the review but don't have time to read it right now! :o So, I'm subscribing so I can tomorrow! :D

We are sailing on Valor in March doing the Southern Caribbean itinerary. So I am looking forward to reading your review to see what you did on each island!

See the review but don't have time to read it right now! :o So, I'm subscribing so I can tomorrow! :D

Thanks for reading....

We are sailing on Valor in March doing the Southern Caribbean itinerary. So I am looking forward to reading your review to see what you did on each island!

I will deifinitely be putting that info in the review and if you have any other questions, please ask.

Mon Dec 17th; St Thomas USVI: This beautiful morning we woke up in St Thomas and looked out our balcony and saw the prototypical Caribbean port…. What comes to mind when you think Caribbean.

Today we had scheduled with St Thomas Taxi Association (Sttac) to pick us up at 9:00 am to take us to Coki Beach for some snorkeling then back to the ship at 11:30 to get lunch and change clothes the back out for a tour of the island for a couple of hours. It worked out great, that early at the beach and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. We got some chairs and put them in the shade and went and played in the water. If you have never been in the Caribbean water… you need to experience it. It is the right balance of refreshing but not cold at all, kind of like a comfortable swimming pool and almost as clear ( I wish I was there now). We all enjoyed our day there…. Even my MIL enjoyed a massage on the beach for a while then she joined us in the water.

Pictures continue....

More Pics of Coki Beach...

Son with his GoPro camera

The eastern end of Coki Beach... the building is part of Coral World.

As scheduled John (our driver) showed up promptly and took us back to the ship. We went in and cleaned up and changed, got some lunch and met him (John) back outside at 1:30 for a tour of some sites. He took us to an overlook of the harbor that had some great views of the ships along with a few craft vendors.

Our next stop was Drakes seat overlook. Historically this was where Sir Francis Drake would watch over his fleet and the comings and goings of ships… making sure they were on the up and up so to speak.

Then up to Mountain top the home of the Famous Banana Daiquiri. It has an overlook of the surrounding islands as well as Magens bay. The gift shop here is fairly expensive but has some pretty cool things in it. The last time we visited St Thomas we visited the Great house because the mountain top had burned down and was under repair (we did not know they were different places until this trip) Both places have their own charm but Mountain top is definitely a better view. When we got back to the Haven sight mall (the port shops by the ship) we walked around for a while and found some things. My SIL needed to find a dress shirt because Delta had damaged their bag and when they unpacked they realized that among some of the clothes that must have come out was one of his dress shirts….. Unfortunately not the type of thing you find there. Oh well it worked out. We got back on board, ordered some room service, enjoyed sail away on our balconies and relaxed with a nap until our late dinner seating. Overall a great day. Tomorrow is our one and only sea day.