My Carnival Victory review 4/1-4/8/2012 (Long with lots of pix!)

[ibcnusoon]

 

As we headed down the walkway to the port area, we passed by two smaller, but rather impressive sailing ships already in port. I know I wrote down their names so I wouldn’t forget them, but in the shuffle after getting home and unpacking, I lost that slip of paper. I had wanted to find out more about them on the internet, since they seemed to be the passenger variety. I got the feeling, though, that they would have been out of our price range at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are probably Windstar cruises ?: http://www.windstarcruises.com/

 

Windstar has cruises to/from St. Maarten and the Caribbean.

[ibcnusoon]

We are planning on going to Marigot in the morning for some shopping, sounds like it's a dud. :( From there, we want to taxi over to Maho. Maybe we'll just leave the ship leisurely, skip Marigot, and just head straight to Maho. My husband and kids want to watch the planes land.

[scraphappylady]

They are probably Windstar cruises ?: http://www.windstarcruises.com/

 

Windstar has cruises to/from St. Maarten and the Caribbean.

 

I think you're right. DH and I saw the Wind Surf a few years ago when we were in Dominica and it looked very similar. I don't think either one of these was that ship, but that's why I wrote the names down in the first place. It's hard to be getting older and forgetful! :o

[scraphappylady]

We are planning on going to Marigot in the morning for some shopping, sounds like it's a dud. :( From there, we want to taxi over to Maho. Maybe we'll just leave the ship leisurely, skip Marigot, and just head straight to Maho. My husband and kids want to watch the planes land.

 

I know there are supposed to be some good pastry shops in Marigot and it was fun for my kids to use euros, but overall I didn't get that warm, fuzzy feeling from going there. Maybe, like I said, we weren't in the right area - if others have a different opinion, please chime in!! And I think Maho is one of the few beaches the buses actually go to.

 

We thought about Maho, and it would have been a thrill for DS to see the incoming planes - for the first one or two times, that is - but from the pictures I saw on line ahead of time, it looked like it could get crowded easily, and apparently the beach there drops off quite a bit toward the waves. Just not what we were looking for.

 

Apparently, seeing the planes landing is quite a show though, so if that would excite your kids, I think Maho would be good for you. Keep reading - later this afternoon I'm going to try and post the rest of St Martin and you can get a look at the beach we went to - Little Divi Bay Beach. Maybe that would help you decide. :)

[ibcnusoon]

I know there are supposed to be some good pastry shops in Marigot and it was fun for my kids to use euros, but overall I didn't get that warm, fuzzy feeling from going there. Maybe, like I said, we weren't in the right area - if others have a different opinion, please chime in!! And I think Maho is one of the few beaches the buses actually go to.

 

We thought about Maho, and it would have been a thrill for DS to see the incoming planes - for the first one or two times, that is - but from the pictures I saw on line ahead of time, it looked like it could get crowded easily, and apparently the beach there drops off quite a bit toward the waves. Just not what we were looking for.

 

Apparently, seeing the planes landing is quite a show though, so if that would excite your kids, I think Maho would be good for you. Keep reading - later this afternoon I'm going to try and post the rest of St Martin and you can get a look at the beach we went to - Little Divi Bay Beach. Maybe that would help you decide. :)

 

 

Both my girls and my husband want to go to Maho. I think it might be the bus marked "MULLET" for Mullet Bay. Since I'll have my elderly parents with me, and trying to please everyone, we willt ake a taxi to Maho instead of finding that MULLET bus (and walking to Maho). By taking a taxi, I can have my parents dropped off at the casino royale casino next to Maho while we hang out watching the planes on the beach.

[hockeyluver]

darn just got started reading and its time to go to work :p I will be back....

[scraphappylady]

Both my girls and my husband want to go to Maho. I think it might be the bus marked "MULLET" for Mullet Bay. Since I'll have my elderly parents with me, and trying to please everyone, we willt ake a taxi to Maho instead of finding that MULLET bus (and walking to Maho). By taking a taxi, I can have my parents dropped off at the casino royale casino next to Maho while we hang out watching the planes on the beach.

 

Gotcha! Majority rules and also parents do deserve a little more pampering. :) And you're right - I've actually heard that area called both. Not sure the distinction, but all the bus drivers seem to know and the taxi driver surely will be able to help you with exactly what you want to do.

[scraphappylady]

darn just got started reading and its time to go to work :p I will be back....

 

No worries! I'll still be here later!! Typing like crazy in Word, finishing uploading the rest of the over 1000 pix (those are the sorted ones), and trying to get the rest of this hashed out! :p

[cruisinsly]

Great review. Thanks for sharing. Love the pictures.

[karen&roy]

Thanks so much for your wonderful review. I feel like I was there. I am sitting in work on my last day here in Milwaukee Wisconsin, (going to another job), and used the majority of the time reading your review. Brightened my day! Im sure the company didnt mind paying me for that..LOL :D

[ShellDil]

Thanks for the great review! I just started looking at this cruise for November with our two kids who will be 13 and 11 and your review is wonderful! Your kids looked like they had a blast. And I love that the cruise starts in San Juan! You've given me a lot of great ideas!

[Loving My Life]

Loved this review! I just booked this cruise for January. I have no idea how I'll make it 7 more months!!

[scraphappylady]

Great review. Thanks for sharing. Love the pictures.

 

Thanks! My aunt, DD and I had so much fun taking all those pictures!

 

Thanks so much for your wonderful review. I feel like I was there. I am sitting in work on my last day here in Milwaukee Wisconsin, (going to another job), and used the majority of the time reading your review. Brightened my day! Im sure the company didnt mind paying me for that..LOL :D

 

What else is work for? :p Glad you enjoy the review - all this feedback really keeps me going!

[scraphappylady]

Thanks for the great review! I just started looking at this cruise for November with our two kids who will be 13 and 11 and your review is wonderful! Your kids looked like they had a blast. And I love that the cruise starts in San Juan! You've given me a lot of great ideas!

 

Oh, you should definitely take this one! Of course, I AM biased! ;)

 

The kids did have a hard time picking a favorite thing. My DS just said he "loved it all." How's that for a recommendation?

 

And San Juan can't be beat! Good luck with your decision!

 

 

Loved this review! I just booked this cruise for January. I have no idea how I'll make it 7 more months!!

 

Okay, take a deep breath, position your fingers over the computer keyboard, then read everything and anything you can on this particular cruise. Also, search the internet relentlessly for every tidbit you can on all the ports you'll be visiting. And daydream . . . a lot! The time will pass quicker than you can imagine!! :)

[ShellDil]

I see you live in Pottstown! That's not too far from me. I a bit south of Kennett Square. Small world!

[gizzie]

Thanks for the wonderful review, can't wait to read the rest and thank you for the ideas. Can't wait til Septmber :)

[ibcnusoon]

I see you live in Pottstown! That's not too far from me. I a bit south of Kennett Square. Small world!

 

You should look into fares from PHL via US Airways. We booked with them too, great schedule with non-stop flights and the prices were economical.

[scraphappylady]

I see you live in Pottstown! That's not too far from me. I a bit south of Kennett Square. Small world!

 

Isn't it? I go right by the high school in Kennett Square on my way to visit my friend over the border in Delaware!

 

 

Thanks for the wonderful review, can't wait to read the rest and thank you for the ideas. Can't wait til Septmber :)

 

Thanks! Hang in there!

 

 

You should look into fares from PHL via US Airways. We booked with them too, great schedule with non-stop flights and the prices were economical.

 

Yeah, not my favorite airline, but I agree. The times and non-stop can't be beat at that price.

[scraphappylady]

On to the beach in St. Martin . . . can't you just smell the sunscreen? :) Lots of writing for awhile, but the pictures will come. I promise!!

 

While DH and I had been to Orient Beach before, and it’s a very pretty beach, I didn’t think it would suit our family this time. Not that our kids are prudes or would have been too embarrassed by nudity, but it was more on the crowded side and would cost more in terms of taxis to get to and from.

 

In researching beaches, though, I came across positive reviews of the Little Divi Bay Resort and the beach there. I knew that all the beaches in Dutch St. Martin are public and it was right around the corner from the port so to speak, so we could stay there longer before we had to head back to the ship, To access this particular one would simply be a matter of finding out how to get onto it once we got there. Plus, it didn’t seem so well known that it would be crowded.

 

And it couldn’t have been simpler.

 

Because we had to take a taxi this time, our trip to the resort ended up costing us $40, plus tip. Quite a bit more than a bus, but fairly standard for the number of people we had. And ironically, nearly identical to the “bus” we took to get to Marigot in the first place, except maybe a little newer. We ended up taking a very circuitous route around the island to get back, because of major traffic the driver said, but it gave the kids a chance to see more of the French side. They were excited to spot the sign that welcomed us back over to the Dutch side.

 

The taxi driver knew exactly where to go, but I had to be clear about it in the beginning. At first he thought we said Great Bay, which is the water you see from the ship and from the water taxi. From postings on the internet, though, I read that the water there is not the cleanest, primarily from all the ships that are coming in. However, there is a piece of land that juts out and separates Great Bay from Little Bay, and that apparently makes a world of difference.

 

When we got to the resort, the taxi pulled up into the circular driveway. We paid our driver, then took a moment to consider what we wanted to do. We could see that the beach was easily accessible between the buildings, but since we were planning on staying awhile, we definitely wanted to rent a few chairs and umbrellas. We inquired at the open-air information desk near the resort entrance and they directed us to a stand renting beach gear. Each chair and umbrella was $5, so we rented three chairs and two umbrellas for all of us. I knew DH, DS and I would be in the water most of the time anyway, so this worked out well. And just like that we were on the beach.

[scraphappylady]

The stand attendant led us a fair distance down the beach, to an area the hotel designates for the public, but it was by no means any less than what the hotel patrons got.

 

 

 

 

 

It was just a little further away from the hotel rooms. I guess the hotel likes it’s guests to be able to simply roll out of bed and onto the beach. We actually ended up being closer to the open-air bar and the restrooms, which we were allowed to use and which were very clean. (We had just eaten, so we never got anything at the bar.) The sand was very hot underfoot, but we were under shade or in the water for most of the time, so it wasn’t bad.

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

For the next several hours, we simply gave in to the enjoyment of being on a gorgeous beach on a tropical island. The temperature was probably in the mid 80’s, but there was a nice constant breeze coming off the ocean, so we didn’t feel the heat at all.

 

 

 

 

 

Mandy did a little wading in the water, but the sunburn on her back was troubling her, so for the most part she was quite satisfied to sit under the shade and write out postcards to friends back home.

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

The rest of us alternated between water and shade, except for DS who spent a lot of time building things in the sand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

By around 3 pm, we decided to pack it in, but not because we were getting bored with the beach. If it were up to the kids, we would still be there right now. But this was my second favorite port to shop in, and I was determined to stimulate this island’s economy as well. I also wasn’t quite sure how long it would take to get a taxi back over to town, and we needed to board the ship by 4:30 pm.

 

After taking a few minutes to use the faucets the resort offered to wash the sand off our feet, we had no trouble getting a cab once more at the resort entrance.

 

From this side of the resort, we could actually see our ship across Great Bay.

The entire trip took about 15 minutes, due to some fairly heavy traffic and the cost was $20, plus tip.

 

As we headed back to port, enjoying the view of the water on the way, the driver told me an interesting fact I hadn’t heard before. He said the reason the water is such a pretty blue in the Caribbean is because the sun is reflecting off very white sand underneath. That’s why our lakes don’t have those wonderful lighter shades of teal and blue –the sun is reflecting off darker dirt, not white sand.

[scraphappylady]

Once back in Philipsburg, I directed the driver toward the area we wanted to shop in, and DS and DH headed back onboard (by now a familiar refrain!), while DD, my aunt and I meandered for awhile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But soon we were heading back on the water taxi. We didn’t want to take too long, because this was the night of the Fun Appreciation Party, and we all wanted to shower before we went.

 

 

 

 

 

Why does it seem so much longer in the afternoon than it was in the morning?

 

[scraphappylady]

The Appreciation Party is a little known, little advertised chance for passengers to socialize one more time while getting their fill of free alcoholic drinks. It’s barely advertised in the FunTimes – usually you see a notice in very small print on the first night of the cruise, as a little “Looking Ahead” blurb. It was again mentioned in the FunTimes for St. Maarten - one line - with the time and location (5 pm, Adriatic Lounge). I had heard about this party when I first started reading the CC boards before my first cruise, but had never gone. We had the time now, though, and thought it was worth missing sailaway for. (Sailaway was set for 5 pm, the same time the party started.)

 

Most of the drinks offered were similar to what was provided for the Past Guest party, such as whiskey sours, apple martinis and screwdrivers, with plain punch for the kids. The ship also provided a band and a singer, but they were on the loud side, which made it hard to hold a conversation at times.

 

There were very few people attending, which meant we got quite a lot of attention from the waiters. I had heard of people tipping extra and asking for a drink the waiters weren’t offering, but we liked everything they had and were content. We also met up with some of our roll call friends and spent some time socializing and taking pictures.

 

Some of our roll call friends!