Victory 8/23 Sailing

[dznymom]

We are back from a wonderful cruise on the Victory. I was going to do a review, but I just have too much going on to do it justice. We had a great time in the ports, enjoyed the dining room, listened to some good music, saw a couple of comedians and spent a ton of time relaxing on our corner aft balcony.

 

A couple of quick notes - the alcohol situation worked just like previous posters said it would. We picked up a couple of things, put them in our carry on and had no issues. My mom purchased cigarettes so she had a bag from the store, and was asked if she had liquor in it. I got the impression they would have confiscated if she did.

 

Weather was perfect and we even had a few rainbows in port. All in all we had a fabulous time and I am considering doing the same cruise next year. This itinerary is simply amazing, although you need some stamina to keep up the pace all week!

 

I'd be happy to answer questions and I will try to post some pictures later.

[HarperSays]

What did you do in St. Thomas? What time did you board, and did you get back off the ship to walk around OSJ or stay on board and explore the ship?

[dznymom]

What did you do in St. Thomas? What time did you board, and did you get back off the ship to walk around OSJ or stay on board and explore the ship?

 

We checked out of the Sheraton at noon and walked the few minutes to the ship. We were on board around 12:45 and that includes a few minutes in the liquor store. We had planned to leave the ship and visit OSJ but once we saw our balcony, we mixed a welcome aboard drink and didn't move until dinner!

 

In St Thomas we were bums because we have been there several times and we knew we had to pace ourselves for the week. We picked up some soda and mixers and I bought a new snorkel mask. Then we stopped at Mojo's for beers. Love the Blackbeard's Ale :p

[HarperSays]

Sounds fabulous! We will be on this cruise next month, and this is only our 2nd cruise, so all the ports will be new to us. Do you mind me asking where you bought your snorkel mask? Are there several stores where you can purchase snorkel equipment in St. Thomas? Do you recommend a particular beach there? And one more thing, does the ship keep ship time, or change with the islands? Thanks for all the great info!

[dznymom]

 

Sheraton OSJ perfect location

 

 

First glimpse of the ship from our Sheraton balcony

[dznymom]

 

Stateroom 8433 has a unique layout which we really liked

 

 

 

The corner of the greatest balcony ever

 

 

The side of the balcony

[dznymom]

Sounds fabulous! We will be on this cruise next month, and this is only our 2nd cruise, so all the ports will be new to us. Do you mind me asking where you bought your snorkel mask? Are there several stores where you can purchase snorkel equipment in St. Thomas? Do you recommend a particular beach there? And one more thing, does the ship keep ship time, or change with the islands? Thanks for all the great info!

 

I bought my mask at Water World Outfitters and the staff there was really helpful. It's in Building 7, I think. That's the only store I saw at Havensight with snorkel stuff other than gift shops with crummy looking sets.

 

St Thomas has great beaches. Magan's Bay is one of the nicest. We love the snorkeling at Coki Beach but the beach itself isn't a favorite. We enjoy Sapphire Beach. You also have the option of going to St John's for amazing snorkeling and beach time.

 

I don't think we changed the time at all on this trip. You are going to have an amazing cruise!

[HarperSays]

Thanks so much! We can't wait! LOVE your balcony, btw, thanks for the pictures!

[Lynn & Michael]

Did you have to use a Credit Card for the safe?

[preciouspup]

The aft corners are fabulous for this cruise. We had 8428 and were always on the balcony if we were in our cabin.

 

The aft is great fun for watching everyone return to ship on most of ports (especially St. Kitts).

[erin1998]

Glad to hear that you had a great time! We are sailing on the Victory in November, and we can't wait!!! :D What did you do in the other islands? We are still deciding on what to do in a few places, and love hearing what others did!

Erin

(Oh, and I love your balcony! I just might have to look into one of those for our next one! ;))

[dznymom]

Did you have to use a Credit Card for the safe?

 

We used our AAA card. I think any card with the magnetic strip will work.

[dznymom]

Dominica is breathtakingly beautiful and very different from any island we have been to. We took the Roseau Valley Wet Tour with Bumpiing. I read almost unanimously positive reviews before booking it, but this was our most disappointing day. Originally our guide tried to put 15 passengers in the van which meant everyone was jammed in like sardines, but because my husband is 6'3 and the jump seat simply wouldn't fold down in front of his legs, a family of 3 was moved to another vehicle. We were still crowded and I found it very uncomfortable. The terrain was also rougher than I had been led to believe, and my 77 yo mother chose to sit out some of the treks. A few of us went on to Champagne Reef, and our guide simply pointed us down a walkway to the beach and told us to return in an hour. That was actually the highpoint of the day for me, but I don't think we found the best area for the snorkeling. The roads were terrifying, but one bright spot was that the guide was a very good driver! However, I will choose a different operator when I return to Dominica.

 

 

Mom waiting with the locals

 

My view for much of the day

the Kubuli was yummy and got me through!

Champagne Reef

[dznymom]

Barbados - My favorite day by far! We had decided to book the Shasa Catamaran for a 5 hour excursion including lunch. We chose Shasa because of her small size and because the reviews described exactly what we were looking for, including the fact that Jason sails her instead of motoring as some of the others did. There were 7 of us onboard plus Jason and we were very comfortable. Jason is a terrific sailor and a fine human being. We felt at home in no time, and eveything about the day was perfect. First we stopped to snorkel at the shipwreck, and Jason worked with our 2 novice snorkelers. (He is a very, very patient man!) The water was so clear and a color I have never seen before, and there were tons of fish there. Then we moved on to the area with turtles, and because there was turtle tagging going on we only had one turtle hanging out with us, but he was awesome! From there part of the group left as they had booked for 3 hours, so we moved on to a beautiful cove for lunch and a relaxing swim. I only wish I had thought to take a picture of the lunch because it was excellent. Chicken, flying fish, salad, pasta, bread, (and I know I am forgetting something) all served with a delicious sauvignon blanc from Chile. This was one of those days that we will remember forever. I highly recommend Shasa and I look forward to visiting Barbados again soon!

 

Captain Jason

Spectacular snorkeling

Our friendly turtle

Mom like she owns the boat!

My view while lying on the trampoline - I wish you could hear the sound

Even the beer is better in Barbados!!

[sailorwife]

Thanks for the pictures of Cabin 8433, I have that one Feb/21/2010,I can hardly wait to see that balcony

sailorwife

[dznymom]

Thanks for the pictures of Cabin 8433, I have that one Feb/21/2010,I can hardly wait to see that balcony

sailorwife

 

You will love it! It's so long that I had to go looking for DH when he dozed off in the shade around the corner :) Only problem is that my future cruises need upgrading now!

[dznymom]

Saint Lucia day turned out to be very fun. After our disappointing day in Dominica I was worried that this would be a repeat, but I was very pleased when we met Spencer Ambrose, a warm & friendly man, and our pals for the day, George & Marjorie who were staying on the island. So, we had a lovely clean comfortable van for the 4 of us. Spencer took us all around the island treating us to so many local delights I can't even remember everything. Beverages including Piton beer were flowing freely. He explained the banana crop and picked us fresh bananas which were so sweet and good. We stopped for the obligatory boa constrictor photos. The volcano was fun to see, although it was ugly, dry & stinky! The waterfall was lovely (and an easy walk) and we had the opportunity to frolic there if we chose to. We drove through fishing villages and beautiful countryside. Spencer was a great driver and kept us entertained with stories of the local culture. For lunch he took us to a very local restaurant in Soufriere where we had plates loaded with chicken, tuna, salads, plantains and more. We had coconut cupcakes and yummy coconut candy for dessert at some point. Then we took a very pleasant water taxi ride to Jalousie Beach between the Pitons. The scenery was spectacular. On the ride back to the ship he stopped for warm creole bread slathered with peanut butter, and then he brought out his personal rum punch. Well, we had been on good behavior all day as Spencer is a very religious man, but when he stepped out of the van after presenting us with our rum punch, at the exact same moment George sputtered "Bloody Hell" while I squealed "Holy S**t." That punch had a kick beyond anything I have ever had before! We loved our day with Spencer!

 

Spencer showing us bananas

Volcano

Roadside shop in Anse La Raye

Pitons

Lunch in Soufriere

Victory

[winewanderer]

Barbados - My favorite day by far! We had decided to book the Shasa Catamaran for a 5 hour excursion including lunch. We chose Shasa because of her small size and because the reviews described exactly what we were looking for, including the fact that Jason sails her instead of motoring as some of the others did. There were 7 of us onboard plus Jason and we were very comfortable. Jason is a terrific sailor and a fine human being. We felt at home in no time, and eveything about the day was perfect. First we stopped to snorkel at the shipwreck, and Jason worked with our 2 novice snorkelers. (He is a very, very patient man!) The water was so clear and a color I have never seen before, and there were tons of fish there. Then we moved on to the area with turtles, and because there was turtle tagging going on we only had one turtle hanging out with us, but he was awesome! From there part of the group left as they had booked for 3 hours, so we moved on to a beautiful cove for lunch and a relaxing swim. I only wish I had thought to take a picture of the lunch because it was excellent. Chicken, flying fish, salad, pasta, bread, (and I know I am forgetting something) all served with a delicious sauvignon blanc from Chile. This was one of those days that we will remember forever. I highly recommend Shasa and I look forward to visiting Barbados again soon!

 

Captain Jason

Spectacular snorkeling

Our friendly turtle

Mom like she owns the boat!

My view while lying on the trampoline - I wish you could hear the sound

Even the beer is better in Barbados!!

 

We're on the Victory next April and are booked with Sasha Catamaran for the 5 hour tour. Can't wait.

[erin1998]

Hi dznymom, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed both Shasa Catamaran and Spencer's Tour. I have booked both of those for my upcoming Victory cruise!....loved your pictures!

Thanks for sharing :)

Erin

[JennyP9]

Can't wait to hear more... I leave for this cruise in 6 days! :D Been counting down for over a year, can't believe it is finally time.

 

I'm looking forward to reading what you did in Antigua and St Kitts too. We're looking at beach days then, so I'll be interested to see what you did and see some pics. And we are doing the Bumpiing Tours too-- my hubby is 6'6", so that could be interesting squeezing him in!

 

Thanks for the review!

 

Jenny

[Wants to be rich]

[/url]

Even the beer is better in Barbados!!

 

Isn't that the truth! Love that Banks Beer!

 

I'm loving this review. Thanks for the pictures. Now I know who to look for on the Destiny!

 

Linda

[dznymom]

Can't wait to hear more... I leave for this cruise in 6 days! :D Been counting down for over a year, can't believe it is finally time.

 

I'm looking forward to reading what you did in Antigua and St Kitts too. We're looking at beach days then, so I'll be interested to see what you did and see some pics. And we are doing the Bumpiing Tours too-- my hubby is 6'6", so that could be interesting squeezing him in!

 

Thanks for the review!

 

Jenny

 

Jenny, you are going to have a wonderful time! Be sure to squawk if you and your husband aren't comfortable when they load you for your Bumpiing tour and be sure not to be the last ones to pick your seat! They did have at least one spare driver available, but it was clear they were hoping the 15 of us wouldn't complain.

 

I haven't abandoned this thread but I have been busily planning my next cruise. I should have my Antigua & St Kitts pictures up tomorrow.

[dznymom]

Antigua Day was to be a very special day. We originally planned to rent a car, but in the end we decided to work out a taxi tour. We almost got burned when we made the mistake of stopping at the taxi stand and the woman tried to group us with other people with different plans....You know that feeling you get when things seem to be spinning out of your control? Well, we made a break for it (listening to her sputter at us), and wandered through the mass of taxi drivers until we got to a quiet spot where we approached a driver. We told him exactly what we wanted to do, and he gave us a price which we agreed to. He led us to a nice clean comfortable van :)

 

My husband sailed to Antigua from Cape Cod when we were first dating and he was really looking forward to going back and showing me his old haunts. We first visited Shirley Heights & Nelson's Dockyard, where DH had planned lunch for the Admiral's Inn. But we were there earlier than expected, and it wasn't open yet. So I talked Destin, our awesome driver, into taking us somewhere local for lunch. I guess this was out of the ordinary, because he seemed stumped, and then the first place he tried (up on a hill with a gorgeous view and an outside grill) was closed. So he took us to a little place that just looked like a storefront, but was a cute little restaurant. To stay in the spirit of things I ordered one of specialties which was Goat Water. My husband is a chicken and ordered chicken, and Mom ordered turkey. Destin had curried conch, another local specialty. The goat water was a very rich and flavorful goat stew and it was spicy and delicious! Everything was really good, including their ginger beer and my fesh lemonade. It was obvious we had sort of upset the balance of things in this little restaurant. We truly enjoyed it, and I hope they didn't mind the intrusion too much!

 

From there we went to Hawksbill (DH had more than a few cocktails there in the 70's!), which is now one of the All-Inclusive clubs where you can get a day pass. It was late afternoon, so we just checked in at the front desk and asked if we could look around and have a drink. Again, this was apparently out of the ordinary, but we were accommodated courteously. There are 3 or beaches (I believe one clothing optional which is out of sight from the main areas) and lunch was being served in an open air restaurant. It was very quiet there and it looked like a nice place to while away a few hours. But we had gone over our agreed upon time with Destin, so it was time to head back after a short respite.

 

Destin was a pleasure to spend the day with, and treated us to lots of stories about the island. SInce we had exceeded our expected time, we added a generous amount onto the original figure. Destin never asked for this, and seemed pleased with what we gave him, I was very, very happy with Destin & our day, and after reading of recent events I am even more pleased that everything went so well. I have his card, but he has no email address on it. I highly recommend him, and if anyone is seriously interested in his services, I would give you his phone number. We really enjoyed our day in Antigua with Destin!

 

View from Shirley Heights

 

Destin & DH sharing a laugh

 

Destin & my Mom having lunch

Goat Water

 

Beach at Hawksbill

[dznymom]

By the time we got to St. Kitts, we had been away from home for over 2 weeks and we were definitely getting worn out. So my Mom decided to stay right at the port, and DH & I wandered around the town. We had considered going to Cockleshell Beach, but we were both sunburned (wouldn't you think at our age we would know better?) so that didn't seem to be the best idea. We found a cute restaurant/bar called Ballahoo where I approved the local beers, of course, and had a snack. Then we strolled through a couple of parks and visited a beautiful church. We stopped for a little while in the casino right at the dock (which was much nicer than it looked from the outside) and then visited a couple of the vendors and listened to some music. I picked up a few pieces of pottery made by a local artisan and I really love it. Then we boarded the ship and grabbed the laptop and brought it out to the Welcome Center for some free internet. It was a really laid back day, but we liked St. Kitts which is a relatively unspoiled island, and we would happily return there.

 

 

 

 

[dznymom]

I thought I said I wasn't writing a review :p We had a wonderful time, and we are looking at dates to book a repeat performance. The Victory is still my favorite Carnival ship, and I absolutely adored my Aft Wrap balcony. I will close with a few random pictures, but thanks for coming along on my rambling review.

 

So many rainbows!

Even the shadows were delightful....

Leaving St. Kitts we were already looking back on an amazing experience..