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

[scraphappylady]

Thank you for all the info and pictures. We are booked on this cruise in December, and can't wait. Did anyone wander over to the airport on St. Maarten?

 

You're very welcome!

 

I know we had people on our roll call mentioning they might go to Maho - if that's what you mean. Beerman, anyone? able to respond?

 

We thought about it, but in the end a quieter beach won out.

[klhage89]

We are doing this same cruise shortly. Your pictures and info are wonderful. Thanks for the input.

[scraphappylady]

We are doing this same cruise shortly. Your pictures and info are wonderful. Thanks for the input.

 

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it! Stay tuned for more....:p

[scraphappylady]

Friday, April 6 – St. Kitts, Thenford Grey Tours

 

 

By now, it was becoming habit for me to wake up in enough time to see our island for the day coming slowly into view. I guess it’s still the excitement of a different country that wakes me up so early, no matter that I’ve been there before. (That, and the wonderful views of the sun rising over the water. Out in the PA countryside, we just don’t get those views!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something about the bridge - I just love taking pix of it!

 

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since our tour with Thenford Grey Tours was set to begin at 9 am, we opted to visit the Lido for breakfast today. Oh, darn – I had to eat another one of those wonderful made-to-order omelets! It was hard to leave that behind after the cruise ended! If only I could have taken one of those guys home to make omelets for me every morning! (And a room steward or two would have been nice as well!)

 

 

[scraphappylady]

We had a few spare minutes after breakfast, so after we gathered our gear for the day, we wandered around the inside and outside of the ship, taking yet more photos. Hey, it was a new day with new photo ops! Never can have too many!

 

 

 

 

Holding up the life boats - my heroes!

See the drink card on the counter behind him . . . ?

 

It proved to be very interesting a few seconds later! I told him there are easier ways to read it!

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

We got off the ship shortly before 9 am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and took the requisite tourist shot

 

 

 

then met up with Mr. Grey right inside the port area.

 

[scraphappylady]

I spotted him right away, remembering him from the last time I took his tour, and he remembered me as well. I introduced him to the rest of the family, and we took a seat out of the way to wait for the rest of our group.

 

Even though ours was the only boat in port again this day, our tour group was much bigger than it had been when I took it last. It certainly seems to be increasing in popularity. I believe there were more than 30 people, requiring more than one tour van this time. Although I had hoped to tour with Thenford himself, we were put into a group with his brother, Sackville.

 

The van headed off, threading its way through the city, on our way toward the western side of the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our ship across the water

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

Cemetery we passed on the way

 

One of the roundabouts in St. Kitts - definitely the European influence there!

 

 

Cattle egret roosting in nearby trees

 

How'd you like to go to college here? One of two in this area

Today was Good Friday, and many of the islanders were enjoying a day off work and school. I had heard that many of the Caribbean islands celebrated more on Good Friday, than on Easter day itself, and I was worried that the places we wanted to tour would be closed. No worries there – the economy of St. Kitts is largely based on tourism, and all the tourist attractions we stopped at were definitely open.

 

[scraphappylady]

One of our first major stops was Romney Manor and Caribelle Batik.

This old plantation estate was once the home of Samuel Jefferson II, the three-times great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson. It was a sugar cane plantation at one time and now consists of ruins, which are being excavated and somewhat restored

 

 

and a batik works, where you can see these colorful fabrics being made, as well as extensive gardens.

 

 

As we approached the site, we briefly wound our way through part of a tropical rain forest, before emerging into the parking lot. As we made our way through the grounds, over to the batik building, Sackville would point out many of the specimens growing in the gardens. Along the way, we saw bougainvillea, lipstick palm, saga palm, hibiscus, and four-foot high poinsettia plants, among others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

The crowning centerpiece of the gardens is a 350-year-old saman tree that is 24 feet in diameter and covers half an acre.

 

 

 

 

 

Also located on the grounds is an old bell tower. In plantation days, we learned, bells were used to regulate life on the plantations. The bell would be rung for meal times, for the start and end to the day, and could even be used to signal danger.

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

Next up was the batik factory. The artisans use a method of using wax to resist the dyes. They will coat one section with wax, dye the fabric, melt off the wax and use more wax to protect other areas of the fabric, then dye it again. The more a piece of material is dyed – the more elaborate the pattern – the more costly the piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had about half an hour after our garden tour, to use the restrooms, take pictures of the grounds, and purchase batik souvenirs. Then it was back on the van, with the next stop the Brimstone Fortress Hill National Park.

[ibcnusoon]

We are doing the St. Kitts tour with Rosevelt Taylor and also going to the batik factory. Can't wait to buy something!!!

[scraphappylady]

We are doing the St. Kitts tour with Rosevelt Taylor and also going to the batik factory. Can't wait to buy something!!!

 

Let us know after your cruise how that tour was! I haven't heard of him before. There was a ton to buy at the batik factory. Prices were a little on the high side, but I ended up with a wrap, a couple of pillow covers and another piece of fabric I'm going to use as a scarf. DD bought a small purse and a couple of batiked spreading fans. Very cool!

[scraphappylady]

As soon as we got near the fort, we could see it up on the hill towering over the surrounding countryside. Getting up to the fort area itself means lots of switchback roads and several narrow entrances.

 

 

It was a tight fit for our van!

 

 

As I had mentioned in one of my other Victory reviews, the fort has been designated a Unesco World Heritage site and towers 800 feet over the surrounding countryside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rksmom]

Ya know, I bet she'd be flattered you said so. She tries to work out every day and does karate on the side!! No nursing home for her!! :p

 

I was thinking the same think. Quite envious here!!:o

[scraphappylady]

We had about an hour and a half to tour the site, and that also included a ten-minute introductory video, which I had seen before. So while the rest of my group went inside the nearby building to view it, I was very content to take pictures of the nearby ruins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

I believe this is a water cistern.

 

 

Not all of the fort remains in one piece.

 

Countryside "behind" the fort.

The stairs looked deceptively easy to climb.

 

Trying an "artsy" angle here.

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

 

 

Finally, the rest of my group made it back outside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View looking out over the "front" of the fort.

[scraphappylady]

While we didn't have as much time as I would have liked, to explore the fort itself, we made the most of the time we did have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

 

 

 

 

We could also use part our time here to buy lunch at the little stand located near the main entrance, but a word of warning! Make sure you leave plenty of time, since it takes forever to get your food. We left lunch until the last minutes before we left the site, and the van was loaded and not so patiently waiting for us when we finally had our food in hand. (Apologies to everyone we kept waiting and who might be reading this now!)

 

Next, we headed back toward the port area, and on to the other side of the island.

 

By the time we got home, I was ready to start driving on the left hand side of the road!

 

[scraphappylady]

 

 

 

This other side of the island is the area that I consider to be more of the “millionaire’s section.” This is the part that includes many of the major hotels, the grand million-dollar homes, and the sections that are increasingly becoming more and more built up. A whole new condo development had sprung up in the year since I had been there last, and a few celebrities, including Paul Newman, even had homes on the island.

 

As we topped the hill, called Timothy’s Hill (DS loved that!) past this more developed area, we could see the land dividing two bodies of water. On the left was the Atlantic and on the right was the Caribbean Ocean.

 

Mandy and Tim on Timothy's Hill

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

Once again, at many of the places we stopped, there were roadside sellers lined up to try and sell you trinkets or get you to pose for pictures. My aunt took advantage of the opportunity to hold one of the little monkeys nearby while DD snapped pictures, and was then badgered for a donation afterwards. Be warned – these photo ops are not free!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once back in the van, we headed over to Cockleshell Beach, about 15 minutes away, passing salt flats and an area of future housing development.

 

Salt flats

 

 

[ibcnusoon]

Can you view the fort on St. Kitts from just outside the vehicle in the parking area? My dad walks with a cane, I already know he won't be able to climb the steps up to the fort but was hoping there is something at the vehicle level he can tour or see.