AryMay's January Photo Review of the Victory

[AryMay]

Joyce took us to Orient Beach, but since Lowell wanted to snorkel we decided we wouldn’t swim there…we would wait and find a beach better suited for snorkeling later. However…since we were there, we just had to make a brief stop at the nude beach…just to say we had been there.

 

We walked down the beach a short way…the water was beautiful. Some people were flying colorful kites and Kim took a picture…only to be reprimanded…”NO cameras allowed!”

 

 

Visiting the beach was an interesting experience…but not one I would probably repeat. I can say that there were going to be some people that left that day with a sunburn in places that had never seen the sun before…

 

It was getting late and we all still had things that we wanted to see and do and it was becoming obvious that there was no way we were going to get to everything. Besides snorkeling, Lowell asked if we could find a place for lunch that served authentic Caribbean food. Joyce suggested that she call ahead and have our orders ready so it wouldn’t take so long. She made some suggestions…including goat…and got our orders written down. But…when she tried to call her cell phone didn’t work. She actually had a second phone and it didn’t work either.

 

We got to the restaurant and I saw that they were barbequing meat out by the street so I suggested we go with that thinking that it would be quicker and we would still have time to shop at the outdoor market nearby. Traffic was horrendous so Joyce dropped us off and told us where to meet her after we were done eating and shopping.

 

 

After ordering the BBQ, we waited…and waited…and then waited some more.

 

 

A band was playing right next to where we were sitting and it was so LOUD that we couldn’t even hold a conversation.

 

 

By the time the food was finally served it was around 2:00…the time we should have been meeting Joyce. So…no time for shopping.

[FL Naturelover]

Sunday, January 22 – CRUISE DAY!

 

You know how during the week you can hardly wait for the weekend so you can sleep late…and then on Saturday morning you wake up at 5:30 am because your biological clock said it was time to get up?? That was what I was expecting…but the room was dark…and the bed was so comfortable…I slept till after 8:00. And…I finally woke Bob at 9:30 by pulling back the drapes and opening the balcony door to let the warm air and sunshine come into the room.

 

After a little coffee in the room, we spent the morning taking some photos around the hotel…

 

 

 

 

 

…and then taking a walk along the beach before heading to the port around noon.

 

 

Forgive me if this photo is of you or someone you know…I couldn’t help myself. I guess it is a good thing that she feels so comfortable with her body?

 

 

 

This hotel is gorgeous. Well worth the money you paid. Who cares if the room is small, you're not in it that long.

[Mrs.C05]

Wow, you got a lot for your money with Royston!!! Good job!

[AryMay]

This hotel is gorgeous. Well worth the money you paid. Who cares if the room is small, you're not in it that long.

 

I agree the hotel was nice...not so sure I would call it "gorgeous". I was just disappointed because I know others have paid far less than what we did. I also feel the "resort fee" should have been quoted as part of the original price...not added on at check in with no explanation...on top of the other taxes.

 

Also it wasn't just the size of the room that I felt was not worth the cost...the room itself was in need of some repairs. For example, the area around the sink had a big crack and the TV didn't work. We were already in bed by the time we discovered the TV issue so we didn't bother calling about it.

 

I guess it is just a matter of opinion on whether the room was worth the $200 we paid.

[AryMay]

Kim and I had watched some of the YouTube videos from Maho Beach and decided that we really wanted to experience seeing the planes come in for a landing firsthand. Not knowing our way around the island, we had no idea of distances or travel time, but the afternoon was slipping by us and the chances of us visiting Maho Beach, going to a different beach for snorkeling AND making it back to the jewelry store to pick up the ring didn’t seem possible. I wish Joyce would have just said, “there is no way you can do all of that”…but rather she made it seem like she wanted to try. With only a little over an hour left we decided to skip the snorkeling (we didn’t want to get back to the ship at the last minute.)

 

On the way to Maho Beach we got to see a little more of the island…and some pretty fancy yachts.

 

 

The traffic around Maho Beach was pretty congested, so Joyce dropped us off while she went to find a place to park. We agreed to meet back up within 20 minutes. The beach was fairly crowded, but most people were doing what we were there for…watching the airplanes. Those that were actually swimming and enjoying the beach were in the minority.

 

 

A very narrow road is all that separates the beach from the end of the runway and planes were landing every few minutes.

 

 

We watched several land…some small planes…some larger ones. It was pretty cool to see them go overhead at such a low altitude.

 

 

After seeing several planes land, we watched as an American Airlines jet taxied to get ready for take off. We had seen the YouTube videos of people getting blasted, and the warning signs were clear...

 

 

 

…but yet for some reason we thought it would be fun to stand behind the jet when it took off. It was one of those things that falls under the category “what in the world were we thinking?”!!!

 

Oh my goodness…as soon as the jet engines revved up we were hit with gale force winds and then we were sand blasted. We joked later that we got a free micro-derm abrasion treatment…but at the time it was unbearable. We started running away…towards the water. The beach actually has a fairly steep slope leading down in the water and Nancy fell…or dropped…to the ground…I’m not sure which!

 

 

The word was that a big Air France jet was scheduled to land at 3:00, but we knew we had to get going to have time to pick up the ring…so we missed it.

 

Our goal was to be back at the port around 3:30 or so and we made it. The official time to be back onboard was 4:30 but we knew that we had to be packed up and ready to put our luggage out. We wanted to get it done before dinner so we could still enjoy the evening activities.

 

I think there were several factors that made our day in St. Martin less than perfect. For one…it was the last day of the cruise and after having such wonderful experiences at the other ports it was hard to compete. Also the day was too short…both because Joyce was late and because we should have made arrangements to get started earlier. Lastly…we had too many things we wanted to get done. It would have been better if Joyce would have given us some direction in planning the day rather than just telling us we could do whatever we wanted.

[AryMay]

I forgot to mention that we did make a stop back at the jewelry store and Nancy's ring was ready and waiting for her! Now all three of us gals had some new bling!

 

Earlier that morning I had noticed that in addition to all of the yachts anchored in the harbor, a HUGE yacht was docked next to the Victory. I took a few photos…I had never seen a yacht with a helicopter before! The cruise ship between the Victory and the yacht was also pretty cool…I would have loved to see it with the sails unfurled!

 

 

 

 

As we were returning to the ship, Bob overheard someone say that the yacht was the biggest in the world. I took note of the name…The Eclipse…and googled it when I got home. Sure enough it is the largest…and most expensive yacht…557 feet long and a price tag of $1.2 BILLION…and is owned by Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich.

 

Here is what I found online:

 

The 557-foot Eclipse reportedly comes with features including two helipads, a submarine, multiple hot tubs, a pool and a missile-detection system. Another story has Eclipse with "two swimming pools -- the larger of which converts into a dance floor when drained -- bullet-proof glass, 6ft home cinema screens in every guest cabin and a master cabin where the roof opens to allow Abramovich and his girlfriend Daria Zhukova to sleep under the stars. An anti-paparazzi electronic "shield" will take care of their privacy while on board."

 

It sounds as if most of this is speculation, but regardless…it was IMPRESSIVE!

[AryMay]

Leaving St. Martin…

 

 

 

 

The sun was setting as we headed to dinner.

 

 

 

 

[AryMay]

Showing off our new rings!

 

 

Bob decided that the last night was a good time to break out his “trick tie”!

 

 

And…it was time to to say our good-byes to Sam and Remesto. We gave each of them extra tips (in addition to the auto tips) and they seemed so, so appreciative. They came around the table and gave us all hugs before we left.

 

 

 

The night was finished off with the Legends show. A couple of the performers were very good…most were just mediocre.

 

[sandys57]

I enjoyed your review. Your pictures are gorgeous. What kind of camera do you have? If you mentioned this in one of your posts, somehow I missed it. Thanks for the indepth review. Sandy

[BenjiRodney]

What a small world, we had the same waiter in November, he was wonderful, always brought me too much to eat.

 

[AryMay]

What a small world, we had the same waiter in November, he was wonderful, always brought me too much to eat.

 

 

I was so glad we had such a great wait staff. Our friends are new to cruising and I was hoping that they would have a positive experience...and they did. Dinner was so fun with Sam and Remesto!

[AryMay]

Sunday, January 29 – San Juan back to Minneapolis

 

Time to finish up this report…it has taken me way too long and for that I apologize. I have been sorting through hundreds of photos from several different cameras and it turned out to be a much bigger job than what I anticipated! Thanks to all of you who have been following the posts…and thanks also to those of you who took time to comment. Knowing people were reading made it much easier to continue!

 

When I was booking flights for this cruise I had two goals…find the best price…and find direct flights. Cheap fares proved to be nonexistent…we paid far more for our air than we did the cruise. But…by booking two different airlines…Delta going down and Suncountry coming home…I was able to get direct flights.

 

Our flight home on Sunday was scheduled to leave San Juan at 4:00 pm. I considered trying to find some sort of tour in San Juan for the morning after we debarked but wasn’t thrilled with the two choices offered by Carnival…1)City tour & Bacardi Distillery; and 2) City tour. There was also a Rainforest Drive that might have been interesting but it was only recommended for those whose flights were after 4:30 pm.

 

We…and our friends…were assigned to zone 31 for debarkation so I knew we could hang around the ship for awhile in the morning before heading to the airport. Little did I know just how long this would end up being…

 

On our last cruise we learned that having breakfast in the main dining room on the last day was so much nicer than fighting the crowds at the buffet…so that is what we did. We timed it so we got to the dining room around 8:15, shortly before it closed.

 

Self-assist debarkation started pretty early and then slowly they started announcing the zones…one at a time. We finished our breakfast and headed up to wait by the aft pool. It was a beautiful day and we were trying to soak up as much sun as possible before we headed back to the frozen north.

 

Nancy had brought a dice game that was fun, but didn’t take much brains or concentration and we sat around a table playing to pass the time.

 

 

Bob even gave Jim a juggling lesson using the dice!

 

 

 

There were very long gaps between numbers being called and we waited…and waited…and waited. Finally it was getting close to noon when zone 31 was announced.

 

Getting off the ship was not too painful and we found our luggage waiting for us. There was a line to get through customs that took some time…and I was starting to appreciate the fact that our flight was late in the afternoon. Jim & Kim and Lowell & Nancy, however, had a 1:30 flight.

 

They had booked Carnival transfers so once outside they got on a large bus headed to the airport. When we talked the next day Kim said they almost missed their flight because they had to wait for the bus to fill up before leaving for the airport.

 

It was a little confusing as we came out of the terminal and when a guy asked where we were going I just assumed he was in charge of coordinating the taxis. Instead he directed us towards a shuttle. I asked the price and was told $10 per person. Knowing that a cab would be about the same price we just got on. There seemed to be a little competition for passengers between the various means of transportation and it took about 15 minutes before the guy had the shuttle full and was on the way to the airport. One family was going to a hotel so we made a stop to let them off before heading on our way.

 

As we walked into the airport, I knew to look for the agriculture check point. It was right by the door, but I imagine that others walk right by not realizing what it is. They sent our bags through the scanner and then put stickers on the luggage showing that it had been checked. They don’t do a good job of putting the stickers on however and had I not “fixed them” they probably would have fallen off.

 

We were looking around trying to find where we should check in for our Suncountry flight and saw a line with at least 100 people in it! The line snaked around a corner and we finally found the end and joined the others. No one was working at the counter and the people said they had already been there for an hour waiting.

 

Since the scale was not being used, Bob grabbed my suitcase and weighed it…53 pounds. We shuffled a few things around between our luggage and got it down under the 50 pound limit. No one was for sure about the reason for the delay so we just stood there.

 

I called my son back home and told him to see if he could call or go online to find out what was going on…and then figured I might as well just call Suncountry myself. (At this point I was really glad that Sprint does not charge roaming fees in Puerto Rico!) The recording said that the flight was going to be delayed until 7 p.m. Ughhh.

 

As word spread through the line about the delay, some people left. I heard them making plans to get a taxi and go out to dinner and come back later. We waited for over an hour and finally the check in started. It turns out that the plane we were to get on was still in Minneapolis and had been hit by a de-icing truck. The damaged wing had to be repaired before it could fly down to San Juan.

 

Suncountry was giving out $15 food vouchers for McDonalds which was located right around the corner. We weren’t hungry…yet…but once we went through security we couldn’t get back to McDonald’s to use the vouchers.

 

Instead we found a quiet courtyard and spent an hour or so waiting outside. I was tired and wanted to get home…but yet how could we complain when we were sitting under a palm tree in January!!

 

 

Sorry this has gotten so long…

 

Anyway we eventually did get some dinner and then went to the gate to wait. I had downloaded a movie on my iPad which helped, but the time still seemed to just creep by. It was close to 8:00 before we took off for Minneapolis. We gained two hours with the time change which put us in Minneapolis about 11:30 pm. Our son (bless his heart) was there waiting and drove us back to his house to get our car.

 

We pulled into our driveway at 3:30 am after a 3 ½ hour drive from Minneapolis…and being awake for 23 hours straight! I crawled into bed at 4:00 am and the alarm went off at 5:30 am for me to get ready for school. I can honestly say I have never been so tired in my life!!

[AryMay]

I did save all of the Fun Times and could look up information if anyone has questions. (I didn't save the tear-off portion however that lists the dining times and activity times.)

 

Each cruise we have taken has been a "favorite" for various reasons. This time it was the beautiful islands, experiencing warm weather in January...and especially being with our good friends that made this cruise special.

 

I'm not sure where our next trip will take us...we are discussing the possibility of a cruise to Alaska...or maybe a trip to our beloved Akumal, Mexico...who knows. Hopefully we can make up our minds soon...I "need" a trip to plan!! ;)

[FL Naturelover]

Best review I've read. Love the pictures with it.

[Mrs.C05]

This has been a wonderful review to read!!! You did a magnificant job!! So sorry to hear you had a delay in your flight, but you made it home safe and sound! Now it's time to catch up on your sleep before planning another cruise.;)

[nycfa]

Thank you so much for the great review!! I loved all the pictures! We are going in August and I can't wait!! :) DH & I have cruised before but it's the first one for the kids and our first one in 10 years. Very excited.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to write this. :)

[ed_k_tx]

Thank You for this great review. The timing was perfect as we will be leaving next week for our 3/18 cruise. I really enjoyed reading and looking at the beautiful pictures.

[ibcnusoon]

Thanks so much, wonderful review!!

[cojuqui]

Wonderful review. Very in depth and detailed, loved all the pictures. We fly out to PR three months from today and spend a couple days there and then head out on Victory on June 10th. Cant wait.

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

[cynt]

Thanks for posting your review. I just spent my morning reading your review instead of the 100 resumes on my desk. But at least now I'm in a better mood. LOL!! :D

[AryMay]

I enjoyed your review. Your pictures are gorgeous. What kind of camera do you have? If you mentioned this in one of your posts, somehow I missed it. Thanks for the indepth review. Sandy

 

Out of the six of us in our group, we had 5 digital cameras and 2 disposable underwater cameras...the photos in this review are from ALL of the cameras!!

 

The majority of the photos are mine, however, and were taken with my Canon D10 camera. The camera always takes good pictures and can also be used underwater to a depth of 33 feet. I probably should have gotten some underwater pics in St. Thomas and also when we snorkeled with the turtles in Barbados...but I didn't. I have a lot of underwater photos from previous trips and this time I just wanted to enjoy myself and not worry about a camera. Even though it has never given me any problems (knock on wood) I still feel uneasy putting the thing in the ocean!!

 

I do use Picasa to edit my photos, but I don't do anything too fancy.

 

Here are some photos that were also taken with the camera so you can see how versatile it is...

 

From our trip to Panama on the Freedom

 

 

Snorkeling in Akumal, Mexico

 

 

A flower in Cozumel...

 

 

My criteria for buying this camera was to get one that takes good photos but yet is durable and can go underwater. The camera is a bit bulky compared to other point & shoot digitals, but otherwise I have no complaints. I also take a smaller Canon SD200 that I've had for a long time. It fits in my pocket so I use it around the ship.

 

Thanks for reading the review!! :)

[JLTx2]

Out of the six of us in our group, we had 5 digital cameras and 2 disposable underwater cameras...the photos in this review are from ALL of the cameras!!

 

The majority of the photos are mine, however, and were taken with my Canon D10 camera. The camera always takes good pictures and can also be used underwater to a depth of 33 feet. I probably should have gotten some underwater pics in St. Thomas and also when we snorkeled with the turtles in Barbados...but I didn't. I have a lot of underwater photos from previous trips and this time I just wanted to enjoy myself and not worry about a camera. Even though it has never given me any problems (knock on wood) I still feel uneasy putting the thing in the ocean!!

 

I do use Picasa to edit my photos, but I don't do anything too fancy.

 

Here are some photos that were also taken with the camera so you can see how versatile it is...

 

From our trip to Panama on the Freedom

 

 

Snorkeling in Akumal, Mexico

 

 

A flower in Cozumel...

 

 

My criteria for buying this camera was to get one that takes good photos but yet is durable and can go underwater. The camera is a bit bulky compared to other point & shoot digitals, but otherwise I have no complaints. I also take a smaller Canon SD200 that I've had for a long time. It fits in my pocket so I use it around the ship.

 

Thanks for reading the review!! :)

 

Akumal...... This place is our all time favorite getaway!!! Years ago, it was our secret getaway! But still our favorite over all the Caribbean.

[AryMay]

Akumal...... This place is our all time favorite getaway!!! Years ago, it was our secret getaway! But still our favorite over all the Caribbean.

 

Shhhhhh....it is our favorite too...let's try to keep it a secret, OK? ;)

[regalboater]

This was once again a great review. I read your review of the Legend before our cruise - it was so helpful. We are booked on the first sailing of the Valor out of San Juan and we are very excited about hitting some new places. Although we live in FL and Jet Blue has a non stop flight once a day, it is still over $200pp. Not a huge deal but we have always driven to the port. I am having difficulty swallowing the cost of a room. My daughter that is also going works for a hotel chain, and hoping she can find us all a couple of employee rates. Anyway, thank you so much for your review, suggestions, and gorgeous pictures.

[JLTx2]

Shhhhhh....it is our favorite too...let's try to keep it a secret, OK? ;)

 

Are you a loco gringo dot com person? Hmmmm I wonder if their forums are on this tapatalk thing I just I just loaded on my iPhone & pad?