Carnival Victory June 10-17 - Southern Caribbean plus Pre Cruise **pics**

This is my first review and I'm afraid it's taking longer than I wanted to get it organized I had to figure out how to include pictures too.

This was our first family vacation with the whole family We were a group of 12 all together. Myself, Connie, DH, DD, 2 DS and my Mom, 2 sisters, 2 bro-in-laws and 2 nieces. We flew to PR on Thursday to have a few days before the cruise. This review will include that too. Sorry if it gets long but I am a detailed person. We left DFW at 5:20 am and connected planes in Charlotte NC. Our flight left Charlotte about 45 minutes late. We landed in San Juan about ½ late. We picked up the rental car from Budget with no problem. We headed out in the wrong direction but quickly got turned around okay. Headed to ManatI to see family we had never met before. It was great to meet them and spend a short bit of time with them. DS held a fighting rooster and chased his sister with it.

It was then on to Isabela. Arrived safely after a beautiful drive to the west end of P.R.

We booked a beach cottage for the five of us at Parador Villas De Mar. We checked in to our great cottage right on the beach. Couldn’t ask for a better view.

After getting settled in, we headed to the on-site restaurant Olas y Arenas and had a wonderful dinner. Some had mofongo and then there was Chuletas Kan Kan and Fish Empanadas. The Pina Coladas were excellent. No alcohol for the kids but still delicious.

We had a long day so not beach swimming that night but the kids and I went and played some beach volleyball and then a quick cool off in the pool before heading off the shower and hit the sheets.

Nice! Looking forward to the rest! :)

Friday, June 8th. I got up early to watch the sunrise. It was well worth it. Such a beautiful morning.

I took a long walk along the beach towards some large rocks. I realized later that it was the Pozo de Jacinto. One of the things DH wanted to see while we were there. I was glad it was so close.

I headed back to the cottage after DH called saying he was up and ready for breakfast. We headed down the road to get some fresh baked bread and butter, ham and cheese. Great store, it sold everything we needed. It was also a liquor store and hardware store. One stop shopping. After breakfast we headed to the beach and were so surprised at how clear the water was and there were little fish swimming among us. The kids had a great time splashing and swimming. We had brought our snorkels and masks with us for Barbados so we got them out and put them to use early. We were glad we had them.

After a while, we decided to walk down and hike up to the Pozo de Jacinto again. We took some fun pictures and then walked back down the beach.

Julio and Josh headed out to a cafeteria and brought back some fresh empanadas. He had some leftovers of mofongo and pork chops. Great lunch overlooking the beach. We had a bit more swimming time and then we packed up and headed out.

great!!Cant wait for the rest of your review:) we sail on the victory august 19 and are also doing precruise in PR:D

Next stop Arecibo Observatory. We had a bit of rain on the way but nothing terrible. The directions to get there were easy enough so we were happy with that. What we weren’t happy with was the state of the satellite dish and the area around it. The trees surrounding the site were very unkempt and overgrown. We paid $10 each to enter a small museum about science, space and technology. Then out to the platform to overlook the dish. It is a long steep walk up the hillside to the exhibit. Lots of steps and steep path. I wouldn’t recommend it for those unable to walk in those conditions. We stayed there for as long as we thought we needed and then headed out.

Today was a full day of family and friends visits. We did a little shopping for souvenirs and then back to Tia’s house for a wonderful homemade lunch. Chicken fricassee and rice and beans with platanos. A great visit all around but time came too soon to pack up and head to our next stop. The drive over to Luquillo was pretty easy. There had been lots of traffic yesterday out of San Juan but on Saturday it was a lot better. I had printed out maps and directions for most of our trip in PR so that helped. We made it to Luquillo and checked into the Hotel Yunque Mar Beach Resort.

Another beautiful view right on the beach. Highly recommend it for a pre cruise stay if you plan on visiting El Yunque before the cruise.

The rest of our group had checked in about 15 minutes before us so it was perfect timing. We said all our hellos and hugged as it had been 5 years since seeing a couple them, a year for a couple more. We had some time so a few went for a short swim, a few went to find snacks and a few others went for a walk down the beach. The rest of us hung out and chit chatted and enjoyed the view.

Friday, June 8th. I got up early to watch the sunrise. It was well worth it. Such a beautiful morning.

I took a long walk along the beach towards some large rocks. I realized later that it was the Pozo de Jacinto. One of the things DH wanted to see while we were there. I was glad it was so close.

I headed back to the cottage after DH called saying he was up and ready for breakfast. We headed down the road to get some fresh baked bread and butter, ham and cheese. Great store, it sold everything we needed. It was also a liquor store and hardware store. One stop shopping. After breakfast we headed to the beach and were so surprised at how clear the water was and there were little fish swimming among us. The kids had a great time splashing and swimming. We had brought our snorkels and masks with us for Barbados so we got them out and put them to use early. We were glad we had them.

After a while, we decided to walk down and hike up to the Pozo de Jacinto again. We took some fun pictures and then walked back down the beach.

 

Julio and Josh headed out to a cafeteria and brought back some fresh empanadas. He had some leftovers of mofongo and pork chops. Great lunch overlooking the beach. We had a bit more swimming time and then we packed up and headed out.

Where was that awesome arch that you have a picture of?? We are doing the Victory again in December (last time was feb 2010) I would love to see that rock formation. By the way thanks for doing this review I love reviews of the victory. Can't wait for more.

Soon it was time to load up the rental vans and head to the Marina Del Puente in Fajardo. We booked the Bio Bay Luminescent Catamaran Nighttime tour to Vieques with East Wind Cats. They were really great to work with. We got there and signed all our waivers and boarded the catamaran. Before we knew it, the rum punch and pina coladas were flowing freely.

Before we boarded, we looked at the menu and got our dinner orders placed so everything would be ready when we got there. The boat ride over was about 40 minutes or so. Great to see the setting sun from the back of a catamaran.

We reached Vieques and boarded vans to head to the restaurant. Our group of 12 quickly filled one of the vans so we had it to ourselves. The dinner was delicious. There were several things to choose from. Mofongo de cassava, Pork Chops, Fajitas, Quesadillas, Shrimp and of course burgers. A great variety.

After dinner they split us into groups. We were in the second group that would head out to the Bay. We used the time to hit the restrooms and gift shop as there wouldn’t be another chance. When it was our time, we got onto an OLD school bus for the ride down to the bay.

Talk about a bumpy ride. Huge pot holes along the way, branches flying in open windows. It was crazy yet fun, we all had good laughs about it. It was quite the adventure. The pontoon boat held about 20 or so of us. Not too large of a group. We went out into the bay and learned all about the bio luminescent organisms. The guide was fun and very knowledgeable. One highlight that was a bonus for me was getting to see the Southern Cross so brightly in the sky. The guide told us how to set our cameras to capture the glowing particles but I didn’t get it right till the very end unfortunately.

My lens had its own manual or auto focus setting and even though the camera itself was set on manual, the lens had it owns setting. They had buckets of bay water on board that you could wave your hand around in. It was neat because as the guide said, it almost looked like you were wearing Michael Jackson’s glove. After more talking, we were able to climb down the ladder and get into the water a bit (no swimming allowed since August 2011). So very cool to be sparkly like that. After we all finished up and we started heading back, we got a small rain shower. This was another highlight to me. It was SO beautiful as each rain drop hit the bay, it caused a tiny splash. This was just enough to aggravate the organisms and cause them to glow. It was amazing to get that kind of glistening light show. An unforgettable moment for sure. The bus back took us directly back to the vans and we headed straight to the catamaran. More free drinks on the ride back. We arrived back a little after 10:30.

Where was that awesome arch that you have a picture of?? We are doing the Victory again in December (last time was feb 2010) I would love to see that rock formation. By the way thanks for doing this review I love reviews of the victory. Can't wait for more.

This is in West PR in Isabela, it's the Pozo de Jacinto (Andrew Zimmermn from the food channel went there so we had to check it out) Sooo beautiful.

The Yunque Mar Beach Resort included breakfast. We had a few things to choose from. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, egg sandwich, pancakes. Juice and coffee were also offered. We had a nice breakfast after my sister and I took a long walk on the beach just after sunrise.

After breakfast, DH and I headed to Walgreens to get some snacks to take with us on the ship for port days. After checking out, we drove the short distance to El Yunque National Rainforest.

I had printed a map before leaving home outlining all the stops along the road and trails and observation towers. We stopped at the information desk anyway since they offered a map for a few dollars. Turns out mine was more detailed than theirs. We had a few older folks with us and knew some of the hikes were not going to be possible but we did a couple short walks. The screnery was sensational and the waterfalls were breathtaking.

The kids loved climbing on the rocks as did DH

It was a bit crowded for being early in the day but not unreasonable. We got to see enough to see all we wanted to and enjoyed out time there. It was definitely worth the time. I probably will go back some day and spend more time hiking there.

From there we drove back through San Juan to Old San Juan to visit El Morro.

We found the underground parking garage at the Parque de Quinto Centenario. It was very convenient. It was a bit past lunchtime so we opted to get hot dogs and polish sausages from a street vendor located right at the corner of the park overlooking El Morro. The dogs were loaded with chili, cheese and even shoestring potatos. They were delicious.

From there we headed up the hill past all the kite flyers. It was a beautiful day. The history of the fort was so interesting and the views of all the “Garitas” were great.

A couple of us got a later start there so while they looked around more, we headed down to the Old City Gate along the Paseo de la Princesa. What a gorgeous city to visit.

I loved the architecture and the colors of the buildings.

The blue brick streets that were originally the ballasts of ships was fascinating.

The day had been full and we figured it was time to say goodbye to El Morro and Old San Juan and start our cruise and head to the port.

We had rented two mini vans so 10 of us were dropped off at the port with all our gear and two drove back to the airport to return the vans and cab it back to the port.

Much more economical for two in a taxi with no luggage. It worked out great and was very easy for them to get there and back. The check it process went very smoothly. It was a little before 5 pm so most of the crowd was already on board apparently. While most of our group got on board, I headed to the duty free shop and got a little stocked up for the week ahead. Had no problem at all with the help of the people there. I planned on buying drinks on board of course but had to try to bring my own on board too. We had five rooms all together so we all got our luggage dropped off quickly as we were on Deck 1, Riviera and our luggage was already there waiting for us after leaving it with the porters and checking in. We had three rooms with two people in each and then two rooms with three people in each. The two person rooms had taken advantage of an upsell offer of $70 per room for an oceanview. Very very worth it for sure. We have only cruised twice before and both had been inside cabins. We figured it would be wonderful to wake up to a view every morning, What a treat.

By this time, the final two were just getting checked in so we headed back off the ship and went to CVS to buy some soda for ourselves and the kids. That was a bit of a madhouse but nice to have just a couple sodas for if we wanted them to mix drinks with or straight. The open dining on the first night worked out great as we al could change and get cleaned up at our own pace.

I normally do pics of each meal everyday but this cruise I figured I probably wouldn’t. With so many people ordering different things, I didn’t want to have to try to rememeber what I had each meal. The food was really good I thought and the WCMC didn’t disappoint either. After dinner we looked around the ship a bit and got ready for sailaway.

DD, 2 nieces and I went to the secret deck on Deck 9. We had great views of El Morro lit up at night as we sailed by. It was so beautiful.

The muster drill was lng and hot but a necessary evil I suppose. Finally finished with that and went on to enjoy to the night before bed. My friend surprised me with a Bon Voyage gift in my cabin. I was so surprised to get a duffel bag, cap and T-shirt. It will come in handy I’m sure.

Enjoying your review so far,I sailed this ship in 2010 and 2011 and I loved it.

Enjoying your review so far. We are sailing the same ports but on Valor in March of 2013.

Enjoying your review so far. We are sailing the same ports but on Valor in March of 2013.

I am sure you will love it. Such great ports!!!!!

PAST CRUISES:

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean

Loving the review and the pics are great. Thanks for posting!

Great review so far! Can't wait for more. Thanks for taking the time.

, keep it coming. I will be on the Victory in August did you say the first night dinner was open seating? What does that mean please?

, keep it coming. I will be on the Victory in August did you say the first night dinner was open seating? What does that mean please?

Enjoy every minute!!

Basically, you dont sit at the table that you will be assigned to for the remainder of the cruise. It's restaurant style the first night where you go to the dining room and tell them how many in your party and they seat you at an available table. You won't have your regular waiter that first night.

Connie

PAST CRUISES:

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean

St Thomas

Even though the night before ended pretty late, I was up early and found my sister and we head up to the Lido deck for a walk. We started walking around the deck but quickly headed up to the track as the guys were putting out the deck chairs and we didn’t want to bother them. It was a beautiful morning.

After our walk, we had a full breakfast at the buffet and were ready to start the first day. We booked a kayak/snorkel/hike trip with Virgin Island EcoTours.

We walked thru the shopping craft area at Havensight and took the city bus around just past Red Hook to their location. The bus was $2 per person each way and took just over 30 minutes or so. Lots better than the $9 cab fare we were told it would cost. Out of our group of 12, 11 of us did this trip. Mom took a Carnival excursion over to St. John and loved it. Well worth the money she said since she was going alone. Our tour guide was Eli and Chuck came along to be the paparazzi.

The morning was warm so we kayaked over to another area of Cas Cay. We kayaked about 40 minutes. the water was very smooth and so clear, even kayaking along we could see down into the water and see fish.

We beached our kayaks and got on our snorkeling gear which they provided. They also provided bottled water to take with us. We snorkeled around the lagoon for about 20 minutes or so and saw some very interesting fish.

It was so neat to see so much. We saw a large puffer fish and pretty big barracuda. Neither bothered us though.

Connie

PAST CRUISES:

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean

We stowed our gear back in our kayaks and hiked a very interesting nature trail to the end where there were red rock cliffs and a blow hole. Such beautiful views from our hike.

After we hiked back, we our choice of lemonade or water and some chocolate candy to remove the salt water taste and give us a bit of energy. Then we each picked up a hermit crab from the area and had a race. Mine, who I named Spotty won the race. It was pretty fun.

Before heading back we took a great group shot. Loved spending time with all the family.

We kayaked back to the starting point. My family and I bought a CD of about 200 pictures for $40 figuring we’d share it. The guides told us and showed us a lot about the natural aspect of everything we saw. It was a great tour.

We took the city bus back to the port area and walked back to the ship. Some of us went back on board and some did a bit of shopping. I got some samples of flavored Cruzan Rum. Pretty tasty. I stopped by Diamond’s Int’l to get my free charm for my bracelet. It’s cheapy but I like getting them where they offer them. Bought a few souvenirs and headed back on board. We had planned on using some OBC to buy tickets for the skyride but didn’t pay attention to the Shore Excursion desk’s hours so they weren’t open. We didn’t feel like spending “real” money on the skyride up so we didn’t do it. Loved the views of the port in St Thomas.

Back on board I participated in the Amazing Race game. It was fun, but I didn’t win. Still fun to run around and figure out the clues and answer the questions. We had the early dining time and were in the Atlantic Upper Dining room. Being a group of 12, I had linked our booking numbers together in the hopes of being able to sit together. We had tables 300 and 302. WAY in the back corner of the room. Our watiers were Abner and Edward. Abner was fun and attentive and joked around but Edward was very slow. He hit someone at the next table in the back of the head with a tray and spilled water for tea on one of my nieces. The food was yummy so that was important. After dinner we checked out the comedy show. We ended up seeing the same guy twice. I had the delicious Bitter and Blanc for dessert tonight for the first time.

Loved it , but it wont replace WCMC in my book. Once for the family show and again for the adult show. He was okay but nothing spectacular. We hung out with my Sister and Bro in law in the Piano Bar with Rob. He was pretty decent. Handed out Pez if you made the shot throwing a dollar into his basketball hoop. All in all it was a great first port day.

The Yunque Mar Beach Resort included breakfast. We had a few things to choose from. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, egg sandwich, pancakes. Juice and coffee were also offered. We had a nice breakfast after my sister and I took a long walk on the beach just after sunrise.

 

 

After breakfast, DH and I headed to Walgreens to get some snacks to take with us on the ship for port days. After checking out, we drove the short distance to El Yunque National Rainforest.

 

 

I had printed a map before leaving home outlining all the stops along the road and trails and observation towers. We stopped at the information desk anyway since they offered a map for a few dollars. Turns out mine was more detailed than theirs. We had a few older folks with us and knew some of the hikes were not going to be possible but we did a couple short walks. The screnery was sensational and the waterfalls were breathtaking.

 

 

The kids loved climbing on the rocks as did DH

 

 

It was a bit crowded for being early in the day but not unreasonable. We got to see enough to see all we wanted to and enjoyed out time there. It was definitely worth the time. I probably will go back some day and spend more time hiking there.

 

Hi Cojuqui,

is there anyway you can let me know of the website where you printed out the map with the trails and details of el yunque? we are visiting in august and are also doing pre cruise renting a car and im having such a hard time even finding the exact addresses. This map would be of great help once we are inside atleast. Thanks! and im loving your review i Cant wait to read more:)