Victory Ports of Call [Caribbean itinerary]: Which would YOU skip?

[purrlinda]

Even though I said I would "skip" St. Martin and/or St. Thomas, there are many short (2-3 hour) excursions you can do, and still have ship time to yourself. We have done the Golden Eagle cat in St. Thomas, also St. Marten. Also, we did the America's Cup Regatta in St. Marten - very exciting. I would not skip Dominica, if you have never been. We did river tubing there, and had a blast. We liked St. Kitts - did the Fan-Ta-Sea Catamarran there, and it was an excursion we said we would do again. Each port/island has it's own distinct flavor. It is a very tiring itinerary - many people say they need a vacation from their vacation after doing it. We have learned to "run" in the a.m., and go back to the ship to relax before most others have returned.

 

How did you like the Golden Eagle in St. Maarten? I'm on this excursion and am so far really looking forward to it.

[danacline]

It's interesting to see all the different responses here. I'll throw in my two cents worth...

 

St. Martin - take a taxi to the bar at the end of the airport runway. Then wait for the daily 747 to fly just inches over your head as it comes in. Visit youtube for videos of this - search for st. martin airplane.

 

St. Lucia - easily the most beautiful island in the Southern Caribbean. We took the land/sea tour and had a great time with awesome views.

 

Dominica - this is the island I would move to if I had to move to the Caribbean.

 

Barbados - boring (the drive-thru cave was closed) but Mt. Gay is the oldest rum distillery in the world and you can get a bottle of the 12-yr old that has won international awards for only $19 in the port shopping area.

 

St. Kitts - we took the train ride. It was fun, informative. Next time I hope to either tour Brimstone Fort or climb to the volcano crater (can't get either thru the ship, so ask in the port forums here for tour guides).

 

Pix and more info on these ports are on my web site...

[MargaritaPlease]

We're doing this next winter. I'll dive in Dominca. We'll skip St. Thomas - not much there for us.

[pe4all]

How did you like the Golden Eagle in St. Maarten? I'm on this excursion and am so far really looking forward to it.

We liked it to much, we have done it 2x. It takes around 20-30 minutes to get to the private island (forgot the name of it) on the cat. They anchor off-shore. There is some great snorkeling there- tons of fish. Just watch out - there are sea urchins in the shallow water by the rocks (to the left of where they usually anchor and if you walk, shuffle your feet, or you may get an unpleasant surprise. (no problems for anyone on our excursion either time) You swim up to the beach, (not too far) and the crew serves drinks there. (beer, rum punch, soda) We had a wonderful time - the crew was fantastic.

[Tenga1899]

We're doing this next winter. I'll dive in Dominca. We'll skip St. Thomas - not much there for us.

 

I dive up north with Cabrits Dive Center, nice PADI 5 star center. They don't get much cruise ship business, deal more with the yachting crowd. However, I don't know who you'll hook up with, if its the ship excursion or a local business, but if you have the option to dive the reef wall at Scott's Head, that would be a primo dive to arrange. I have had to pass up on it several times due to schedule conflicts but I hear some amazing stories from there. Just my 2 cents :D

[eladkroy]

We just got off Victory, same iterinary. I highly recommend zip-lining in St Lucia (we had a blast...Carnival excursion), the beach at Cockleshell Bay in St Kitts (good food, lovely drive) and Emerald Falls in Dominica. We walked to town in Barbados and were very disappointed....not quaint at all (frame of reference, we wanted it to be like San Miguel, Cozumel). Old San Juan is wonderful. Walk along the southern wall to the fort and then back into town.

[purrlinda]

We liked it to much, we have done it 2x. It takes around 20-30 minutes to get to the private island (forgot the name of it) on the cat. They anchor off-shore. There is some great snorkeling there- tons of fish. Just watch out - there are sea urchins in the shallow water by the rocks (to the left of where they usually anchor and if you walk, shuffle your feet, or you may get an unpleasant surprise. (no problems for anyone on our excursion either time) You swim up to the beach, (not too far) and the crew serves drinks there. (beer, rum punch, soda) We had a wonderful time - the crew was fantastic.

 

Is it Tintamarre island? That's what I thought it was but just want to be sure. I think I'll wear some shoes when getting off to get on the beach to protect my feet. Thanks very much for that advice!

[Ginnyfyr]

We're doing this itinerary in October. The only islands we haven't visited on this route are St. Kitts and St. Marten, so we'll definitely get off for those ones. This will be our third visit to St. Thomas so we may skip it, or just get off to do a little shopping right at the pier (and we have to take the sky tram up the mountain to have a Bushwacker with our group), but otherwise I'd be happy to stay onboard that day. It's also our first day on the ship after a long day of travel to get to San Juan, so it will probably be the day that we're feeling most in need of some chill out time. We may also skip St. Lucia if we want another "day off"; we didn't love it the last time we were there, but time will tell!

[kirchubel]

So many great ideas! I like the idea of getting off the boat early and back on early so we can relax before everyone returns. We love boating and would love to do something like that - but with our kids coming with us it gets pricey to pay for four people for the tours. I would love to do the zip lining too - last year in Cozumel we did parasailing for the first time and just loved it. It was amazing.

 

This internationally famous rum sounds fabulous! Can't wait to find that! Also, has anyone gone to the Carib settlement? We enjoy cultural stuff so if that's worth the time we might consider it. I did read on one board that the guides are not really that knowledgeable so that would be frustrating to me!

 

We paid off the cruise today so I really feel like we are going. Air fare? Check! Hotel in San Juan? Check! funship pass? Check! yippee!!!!

[Tenga1899]

This internationally famous rum sounds fabulous! Can't wait to find that! Also, has anyone gone to the Carib settlement? We enjoy cultural stuff so if that's worth the time we might consider it. I did read on one board that the guides are not really that knowledgeable so that would be frustrating to me!

 

I am actually one of the current directors of the Salybia Mission Project, which is a student organization that provides a critical first-line health care service to the Kalinago people of the Carib Territory. I have visited the area many times as both a tourist and as a volunteer. Not sure what the cruise ship would offer you more than a tour through the area which is VERY beautiful, but be sure to try the Cassava bread no matter what. They have road side stands for trinkets and such, and a cultural center you may go to. They are a very proud people that can trace their lineages back to the very first indigenous peoples of the Caribbean.

[pe4all]

Is it Tintamarre island? That's what I thought it was but just want to be sure. my feet. quote]

 

Yes - that's it! There were some nature trails there also. We just hung on the beach after we finished snorkeling. No drinks till you finished snorkeling (good safety rule) There were some snacks on the way back (chips, packaged cookies/crackers) provided by the crew. Drinks on the way back, also. It was a nice excursion -we took the early one - again, to enjoy the emptiness of the ship when we returned.

[h_blond2]

I wouldn't skip any! I couldn't imagine spending the day on the ship when the beach is calling my name! :)

[Scarlett824]

I did this cruise in July. :cool: I wouldn't skip any! In fact, I looked forward to getting off the ship.

 

But if I had to? I would probably pick St. Thomas since I've been there a handful of times.

[kirchubel]

In 2007 I decided not to get doing anything in Dominica. I ended up getting off and just walking around the pier and picking up a few souvenirs. I realize now what a huge mistake that was. Like another poster said, it's a rare jewel. It's not a beach-y destination, (though I am going to the black sand beach, Mero Beach, because I am in love with black sand), but there are freshwater rivers and lots of rain forest. I can't wait to go there on my cruise in May.

 

I like to rest on vacation, and with such a port intensive cruise, I wondered how I would manage. I've decided to plan my time out so that I have a happy balance of activity as well as rest and relaxation. I've been able to do this without really giving up any port of call.

 

For St. Thomas, I'll wake up around 9 and take a taxi up to Magen's Bay for my beach day. I will laze, float, snooze, and enjoy the beauty and sun. I'll do a bit of shopping before getting back on the ship.

 

In Dominica, I booked the Emerald Pool and Beach Pleasures trip. It's from 10:30 - 3:30. Not too long, and i can get a late start out of bed and still have an hour or two to mosey around and do some shopping near the pier.

 

I have been to St. Lucia before - and it was my favorite and the most beautiful place I've ever been. The Land and Sea Combo to Soufriere was amazing. Because I've done this, I'm going to stay a bit closer to the ship and go to a beach resort for the day.

 

 

In St. Maarten I will do the Golden Eagle Catamaran. This is also an afternoon trip.

 

 

 

You sound like you really have a great time planned. What is the Land & Sea Combo - is that a Carnival offering? Any ideas on inexpensive fun tours? We have two of our sons coming with us and they are 17 and 20 - not babies, but probably interested in more adventurous stuff. I was trying to find a place where we could parasail on a beach that didn't cost us an arm and a leg. Ideas?