My first Review - Victory Cruise - July 15-22, 2012

[ronandannette]

 

Despite what I read here and what my PVP said...the beds were put together to form one bed, and there was room for a pop up bed for DS. Funny thing was by DH was a little disappointed the beds were together cause he thought we would have had more room the other way..and since DS was staying with us..it wouldnt really matter! LOL:eek:

 

 

Hi Vicki,

 

Thanks for your progress so far, especially this intriguing bit of information!! We're looking at this same cabin right now and I've actually just contacted our PVP about what you've written about the beds. He refuses to confirm that they can be put together as it is not part of the official description for that cabin. How did you make this arrangement? Did you ask the steward after you boarded or was it already done? Is the 3rd bed a roll away or part of what would be the couch? Very interested in your first-hand knowledge...

[cruisinwithdad]

Hi Vicki,

 

Thanks for your progress so far, especially this intriguing bit of information!! We're looking at this same cabin right now and I've actually just contacted our PVP about what you've written about the beds. He refuses to confirm that they can be put together as it is not part of the official description for that cabin. How did you make this arrangement? Did you ask the steward after you boarded or was it already done? Is the 3rd bed a roll away or part of what would be the couch? Very interested in your first-hand knowledge...

 

LOL, my PVP and I had the same conversation! I had seen pics of this cabin on the Triumph and could not believe that the beds could not be put together on the Victory also. I mentioned it to him, but I don't know that he put any notes down...I will ask him. The beds were simply put that way when we arrived. I do know that my PVP had to put on the booking that none of us were hanicapped..and again, I was ok with that and he reiterated the fact that we could get bumped and I was certainly ok with that.

[cruisinwithdad]

LOL, my PVP and I had the same conversation! I had seen pics of this cabin on the Triumph and could not believe that the beds could not be put together on the Victory also. I mentioned it to him, but I don't know that he put any notes down...I will ask him. The beds were simply put that way when we arrived. I do know that my PVP had to put on the booking that none of us were hanicapped..and again, I was ok with that and he reiterated the fact that we could get bumped and I was certainly ok with that.

 

Oh, and I forgot...the third bed was a roll away, not a converted couch. DS said it was plenty comfortable. Its location was kinda a weird and I guess we could have moved it but I wasn't sure where we would put it. I put all the bathroom necessities in the closet closest to the bathroom and the formal clothes and extra bags in the others.

 

It is a handicap bathroom...no step up into the shower, and there is a pull down seat that remained up for us.

 

We only had "window peepers" once and that was our last day on the ship...it was funny cause we caught them and I think they were surprised!! A couple of little boys with their family...I stuck my head out the door when they came back in and scared them!:eek: Their mom and dad and I thought it was quite funny!!:p

[cruisinwithdad]

Hi Vicki,

 

Thanks for your progress so far, especially this intriguing bit of information!! We're looking at this same cabin right now and I've actually just contacted our PVP about what you've written about the beds. He refuses to confirm that they can be put together as it is not part of the official description for that cabin. How did you make this arrangement? Did you ask the steward after you boarded or was it already done? Is the 3rd bed a roll away or part of what would be the couch? Very interested in your first-hand knowledge...

 

 

WOW I have a great PVP! Just sent him a quick note to say what a great cruise we had and that the beds were together and was wondering if he had made a note on our booking requesting it...and he said YES he did put that note on there.

[cruisinwithdad]

After 2 days in San Juan site seeing, St. Thomas, a sea day and an all day adventure in Barbados... I was fearful that I was going to run out of gas before the island I was looking most forward to...St. Lucia!

 

As I mentioned earlier, the forecast I saw before we left said it would be a clear day...but we woke up to rain. I had hoped that it would clear off like the clouds had done the previous two days...but it was pretty dark and dreary outside! That's ok...I've prepped for tihs...its just water!!! :confused:

 

It just so happens that St. Lucia was one of the ports that I had pre-booked an excursion. After much research about Cosol and Ambrose... I actually booked with Son of Man tours. This was my choice because they offered a trip to Soufriere by boat and the return was by boat. Although I was pretty sure DH would rather do the land (he loves getting really close to the locals etc)...I wanted to maximize my time there and not be in a van in the heat going around a bunch of curvy roads with a bunch of people....well.....

 

We got of the ship, I had my "it's not sunny but I'm still happy to be in St. Lucia face on"....and we looked for Elvis. We found a very happy gentleman with a sign that said "Son of Man Tours" whose name was Gabby. Gabby informed us that their boat broke down the day before and the other was in dry dock because it was off season, but he would be happy to take us by vehicle..."is that ok?"...my response was NO. The reason this was not ok is that their price was almost $30 a person more to go by boat both ways...so he got Elvis on the phone and we re-negotiated a price that brought us to Soufriere by land and he would find us a ride back by sea.

 

Apparently because of the rain...everyone else had cancelled on them...so it was just me, dh, ds and Gabby. We had our our personal tour in a fairly nice little truck. Gabby did everything he could to try and make it up to us...reminding me often that it is their "personal" touches that make them different from their compeititors. LOL ... Overall this turned out to be a really nice fun day and we think St. Lucia is beautiful even in the rain...which it rained off and on ALL day!

 

I had to remind Gabby to stop for pics along the way...he took us to a bannana plantation...then we stopped in Soufriere to order our lunch for later, pick up drinks, and double check our boat ride.

 

Next it was on to the mud baths and the volcano. I really enjoyed the mud baths!!! The water is so warm and it felt great...even dh liked it. We heard one of the other tour guides telling people to leave their mud masks on their face and clean it off at the waterfalls for better result so we did the same. On the way out I noticed that we didn't walk up the hill to see the volcano hole...I had seen quite a few pics on CC and didn't think it looked like much so I didn't worry about it too much since DH did not mention anything...it wasn't until lunch that Dh discovered we never did that...again...I think Gabby may have been in a bit of a hurry or perhaps he didn't buy the extra ticket???

 

When we reached the waterfall (which was not as grand as the one in El Yungue)...it was pouring rain so we waited a bit before getting out. Then onward we went to wash off the mud. The water that collects to form pool at the bottom of the waterfall had been let out earlier in the day because they were afraid it would flood according to Gabby. The area there with the flowers was quite pretty but really not much to see there.

 

After the waterfall we went back into the town of Soufriere to eat lunch. We had fish, plantains, rice, mac 'n cheese and a salad. It was very good. Then we took the boat over to Jalousie and swimming between the Pitons. It sprinkled on us a bit and was overcast so hard to see...it is now that I really wanted to the sun to come out...but I still saw the most beautiful turquoise fish...i wondered how magnificant it would have looked with the sun shining through the water?

 

We boarded the boat and it was off to see the bat cave and take a little tour around the island and back to the ship. It rained on us off and on during the ride and the rain drops felt like little pellets hitting us in the face!! It really hurt yet we couldn't help but laugh at ourselves!!

 

They dropped us off right at the port next to the ship and it wasn't until now that I realize we didn't do any shopping in Soufriere. It was time to say goodbye to Gabby. He was a great host. He had a lot of energy and spirit even though I don't think he was at the top of his game compared to some of the reviews I have read about him... He truly did help turn our day around. Oh and I did I mention that he did manage to keep us all from being killed as a van was passing and on the wrong side of the road headed right for us while we were driving on the mountain!!! :eek::eek::eek: Poor DS was sitting in the front, I don't know if he ever took his eyes off the road. We gave Gabby a little extra tip cause he really did make the whole day a good experience considering the circumstances.

 

Thanks Gabby!

[cruisinwithdad]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My DS was so tired from the last couple of days that he poured his cereal into his coffee this morning!!! LOL :rolleyes:... maybe today will be a good day afterall.

 

[CarolRoy]

OH, here is a pic of El Tigre's catamaran:

 

Is this the catamaran you went on? How many people would it hold? I think El Tigre may have a larger one that you book directly with them and not ship sponsered excursion?

 

2012- Carnival Victory – Oct. – S. Caribbean

2012 – Carnival Miracle – April – E. Caribbean

2012 – Carnival Conquest – Feb. – W. Caribbean

2011 – Westerdam HAL – Dec. – E. Caribbean

2011 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL – Oct. – Mediterranean

2011- Carnival Miracle – May – E. Caribbean

2010 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL - Dec.- W. Caribbean

2010 – Celebrity Summit – Sept. - Bermuda

2010 – Serenade of the Seas - March - S. Caribbean

2009 – Crown Princess – W. Caribbean

2009 – Golden Princess - Alaska - Inside Passage

2009 – Coral Princess - Panama Canal Transit

2008 – Caribbean Princess - New Eng. & Canada

2008 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2007 – Explorer of the Seas - W. Caribbean

2006 – Golden Princess - S. Caribbean

2004 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2002 – Star Princess - Mexican Riviera

2002 – Dawn Princess - S. Caribbean

2000 – Carnival Inspiration - S. Caribbean

1999 – Carnival Paradise - W. Caribbean

1996 – Majesty (private) - Key West

1989 – Sovereign of the Seas - E. Caribbean

[cruisinwithdad]

OH, here is a pic of El Tigre's catamaran:

 

Is this the catamaran you went on? How many people would it hold? I think El Tigre may have a larger one that you book directly with them and not ship sponsered excursion?

 

2012- Carnival Victory – Oct. – S. Caribbean

2012 – Carnival Miracle – April – E. Caribbean

2012 – Carnival Conquest – Feb. – W. Caribbean

2011 – Westerdam HAL – Dec. – E. Caribbean

2011 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL – Oct. – Mediterranean

2011- Carnival Miracle – May – E. Caribbean

2010 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL - Dec.- W. Caribbean

2010 – Celebrity Summit – Sept. - Bermuda

2010 – Serenade of the Seas - March - S. Caribbean

2009 – Crown Princess – W. Caribbean

2009 – Golden Princess - Alaska - Inside Passage

2009 – Coral Princess - Panama Canal Transit

2008 – Caribbean Princess - New Eng. & Canada

2008 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2007 – Explorer of the Seas - W. Caribbean

2006 – Golden Princess - S. Caribbean

2004 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2002 – Star Princess - Mexican Riviera

2002 – Dawn Princess - S. Caribbean

2000 – Carnival Inspiration - S. Caribbean

1999 – Carnival Paradise - W. Caribbean

1996 – Majesty (private) - Key West

1989 – Sovereign of the Seas - E. Caribbean

 

 

We booked El Tigre directly through the information desk at the Port of Barbados not through the ship. So they may have a larger catamaran that they take out, but since July is off season and no other ships are in port they were not very busy.

[Herfnerd]

Really enjoying your reviews and pix - getting us excited for our Victory cruise in about a month!

[cruisinwithdad]

Our first glimpse of Sourfrier:

 

 

Our first glimpse of the Pitons.

 

 

We drove through several villages on our way to Soufrière and saw some nestled in the beautiful foilage.

 

 

 

 

Coke = Happiness

 

 

 

 

 

Here is an example of the curvy roads:

[cruisinwithdad]

The people in the town of Sourfrier really left an impression on me and I distinctly remember their faces although all we did was drive through, stop to eat at a oceanside restaurant and board the boat to Jalousie.

 

The building with the red roof is where we ordered our lunch and would later come back to eat. There was an open area underneath the flat roof that looks like it has blue tarps on it.

 

 

In the little bitty town I am from we would call this the peanut gallery!

 

 

Farmer's market? - Many people selling fruit on the sidewalks.

[cruisinwithdad]

Behind us is the volcano that we never walked up to look at up close!:rolleyes:

 

 

Just looking at it the mudbath really did not look too appealing.

 

But once we got in......Fun in the mud!!!

 

 

 

Then it was time to hose off at the waterfall:

[cruisinwithdad]

Man, I wish that sun would come out!!

 

 

 

This is where we snorkled. The sun peeked its head out for just a bit while we were here.

 

 

Boat ride back...

 

We were hiding from the rain...it hurt!!!

 

 

 

[cruisinwithdad]

The next day we were in St. Kitts - ZIPlining :D We booked this excursion through Carnival before we left Texas. I really wanted to go ziplining! Not sure why, it was just on my bucket list. Had considered ziplining in St. Lucia, but after reading some reviews about the Zipline in St.Kitts, I figured it was the one for me. (Most of the reviews were written by people my age!!). Deciding on what time to go was probably something I over thought... We could go on the first one at 8:30 - it would probably be cooler...and there would be less people...and then we would have the rest of the day. BUT what if we were exhausted from the many previous days and adventures and wanted to sleep in???:confused: We opted for the early bird special! We are early risers anyway and besides we can sleep at home!

 

This was a lot of fun. I always felt safe. DH was hilarious! He would be so busy trying to video that they would be screaming at him at the end of the line to prepare to stop! He was also disappointed to find out that he couldn't just stop whenever he wanted and just hang there and look around..LOL.

 

The bus driver gave us a nice little bit of information on the ride to the plantation where the zipline was located. This is quite a pretty place. As a matter of fact...after we returned to the port there were several people waving laminated pieces of paper around and wanting to take you on tours. We walked over to one of the many bbq pits that had been set up, found the cleanest one, bought some chicken for lunch and ate it on some benches at the port. Then we signed up for a $10pp tour. I wasn't so sure about it, but DH thought it would be good. he really wanted to go to the fort. We had been here about 22 years ago on our honeymoon and visited the fort...so beautiful!!!.

 

Again, I was not so sure about the tour we just booked, but a young man DH had met on the ship was going with his family and some friends they had made. This group was from Puerto Rico. There was also a young lady and gentleman who worked on the ship going. So the crowd sounded fun...and they did not disappoint. Come to find out the "see the fort"...was just a stop on the side of the road where you had a good spot to "see the fort"..LOL. The path we were on was EXACTLY the route we had taken to go ziplining. And the name of the plantation sounded very familar. Well it was the exact same spot...if you just drive around the corner from the zipline area there is an incredible garden area there. It was totally worth the drive back to the plantation to see. We had lots of fun trying to communicate with our new friends. My DH and DS had snagged a couple of seats up by the driver and somehow I was seated in the middle of everyone else...but that was ok cause we had a blast!

 

After the plantation we went to Frigate Beach. When he said we were going there, I cringed a bit as I recall reading on this board that that was not such a great beach. We all got out of the van and set a time with the driver for him to come back...everyone except the folks who worked on the ship. Later DH told me that they said there were way better beaches and had got on the bus...uh....why didn't we all follow them? Oh well, we were still in the midst of good company.

 

When the driver returned he stopped at a high point on the island where we could see both the Carribean Ocean on one side and the Atlantic on the other. We took some pictures. There was a young man with a donkey there who would let you take pictures for tips. Of course we talked DS into doing this and others followed!! Hope that donkey didn't step backwards!!! Oh, and we saw our friends with the two little girls there too!~ Of course we saw them every where since Barbados and they began to feel like family.

 

Next a litle shopping and back on the ship for sushi, comedy and a little gambling.

 

DS coming in on the zipline. This zipline has a large spring at the end, you lean back and lift you knees up...oh and don't stick out your tongue!:p

 

[cruisinwithdad]

Zipline was easy. Once you clear the platform, you can go handsfree until you get ready to stop.

 

 

 

The gardens at Romney Manor are just beautiful.

 

 

 

Lunch

 

Our Friends on the bus.

 

 

 

Oh, did I forget to mention there is always a monkey!

[cruisinwithdad]

Here is a pic of the beach we stopped at in St. Kitts on our little tour. It had some of the famous blacksand.

 

 

[cruisinwithdad]

Ok, St. Maarten last port day :(. No excursion planned for this day. Again, this is an island that Dh and I had visited on our honeymoon several years ago. We decided to just catch a cab to the different areas we wanted to go to Maho Beach, Marigot, and Orient Beach.

 

As usual, we were up and out early. There was hardly anything going on at the port when we got off the ship. We caught a cab to Maho beach to watch the planes come in and leave. We were there a bit early as the first landing was not for another 30 minutes (apparently we were in a hurry??). They have the flight schedules written on chalboard attached to a surfboard. The beach itself is quite beautiful. Nice little swimming area but with some big waves. The bar there looked very nice also. I could probably spend the day there. We did get to see a 737 come in and one take off. We were waiting to catch a cab over to Marigot and this plane was getting ready to leave. DS didn't realize what the attraction for the take off was...I clued him in and he decided to go stand with everyone else...but was about 5 seconds too late. It wa really funny to watch people chasing their hats etc.

 

Marigot was fun. We shopped and ate there. Then it was on to Orient Beach. This certainly wasn't what we remembered from 22 years ago. It was so built up. And to be honest, I didn't remember the beach being so beautiful. DS and I had fun playing in the waves while DH visited in the shade at the bar. There are a lot of water activites to do at this beach. They are a bit pricey but plentiful.

 

This was a nice last port. We really enjoyed our time together exploring this island.

 

Maho Beach

 

Here comes a plane.

 

 

Be careful!

 

 

Surfboard with flight schedule:

 

 

 

Lunch in Marigot.

[CarolRoy]

Enjoying your pictures. We will be doing the Victory in October. Have been to these ports many times. We still love this itinerary.

 

In St. Martin, how much was the cab for what you did? We are planning on doing Maho for the planes. Have been to Orient Beach and totally agree with you that it has gotten too, too crowded. Can't hardly find a place to put your beach towels.

 

Still looking for a beach in St. Martin. Did not care for Dawn Beach. Any suggestions?

2012- Carnival Victory – Oct. – S. Caribbean

2012 – Carnival Miracle – April – E. Caribbean

2012 – Carnival Conquest – Feb. – W. Caribbean

2011 – Westerdam HAL – Dec. – E. Caribbean

2011 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL – Oct. – Mediterranean

2011- Carnival Miracle – May – E. Caribbean

2010 – Nieuw Amsterdam HAL - Dec.- W. Caribbean

2010 – Celebrity Summit – Sept. - Bermuda

2010 – Serenade of the Seas - March - S. Caribbean

2009 – Crown Princess – W. Caribbean

2009 – Golden Princess - Alaska - Inside Passage

2009 – Coral Princess - Panama Canal Transit

2008 – Caribbean Princess - New Eng. & Canada

2008 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2007 – Explorer of the Seas - W. Caribbean

2006 – Golden Princess - S. Caribbean

2004 – Serenade of the Seas - S. Caribbean

2002 – Star Princess - Mexican Riviera

2002 – Dawn Princess - S. Caribbean

2000 – Carnival Inspiration - S. Caribbean

1999 – Carnival Paradise - W. Caribbean

1996 – Majesty (private) - Key West

1989 – Sovereign of the Seas - E. Caribbean

[cruisinwithdad]

CarolRoy, There were three of us and it averaged about $24/pp to each of our locations. I believe it may have only been about $20 back to the pier from Orient Beach. There is a sign posted at the pier that gives you all the taxi prices and it was never difficult to catch a taxi.

 

I am not sure about any other beaches there. I also read soemthing about Dawn beach. I think it may the one closest to the port?? Hope you have a great time on your cruise. It has been so much fun writing this and recalling all the fun we had together exploring these islands.

[cruisinwithdad]

Crum...I just wrote up everyting about dembarkation...and somehow deleted it again. User error again...or perhaps the system was just trying to tell me not to be so long winded.

 

I wouldn't say that this was a smooth process. However, much of it was just little errors...many on our part...and our choices.

 

Although we could have been off very early becuase we chose to take our own luggage, we didn't. We chose to sleep in, have breakfast, finish packing that morning. We were staying in San Juan one more night and were not in a hurry.

 

But then, we were not sure if we should just leave when we wanted...or wait for our zone. And we forgot what zone...and we didn't put the ties with our zone numbers on our bags...etc, etc.

 

The guys would have stayed in the room until they kicked us off, however, I wanted to be respectful of our wonderful room stewards and free the room so they could do their jobs.

 

They also delayed calling zones due to rain.

 

Then there were the customs folks...LOL ...The customs people were ok, but the little girl running the two lines didn't have a clue. She had one line going to one custom person and the other line going to 3 customs people. This must have happened after we got in line. The two were moving well and evenly then all of a sudden it looked like someont had put extra gas in the line to our right cause those pepole were speeding through. We were not in a hurry...but I did say something to her for the sake of those behind us once we were at the front and I saw what was happening.

 

We parked our bags at the Old San Juan Sheraton. Although we were staying at the Sheraton Convention Center, I agreed to tip their porters and they said we could leave our bags while we did some shopping and had lunch.

 

Lunch was at Senor Frogs. We walked past them on the day we left and there was a crowd in there having a great time. Not today. I liked what I had but DH didn't really so we will probably not go back. Now to our hotel and some much needed rest before the trip home.

 

Thanks San Juan, Thanks Carribean,Thanks Carnival...we had a good time.

[scraphappylady]

Not to interrupt this wonderful thread, but

 

CAROLROY - if you are looking for a beach for St Martin, try Little Divi Bay resort. Open to the public, not real crowded and very close to the port. I would highly recommend it!!

 

OP - thanks so much for this review; I know how much work goes into these things! And even though it might not have made for a perfect day, I loved your fog-shrouded Piton pictures! So many times all you see are the sunny shots. Yours added such interest! And lastly, congrats to your son on Eagle scout! Quite an accomplishment!! My just-turned-13-year-old is only on Star, so he knows how far he has to go yet and how much he still has to do. He was so caught up in the badges for awhile there.:o

[cruisinwithdad]

Not to interrupt this wonderful thread, but

 

CAROLROY - if you are looking for a beach for St Martin, try Little Divi Bay resort. Open to the public, not real crowded and very close to the port. I would highly recommend it!!

 

OP - thanks so much for this review; I know how much work goes into these things! And even though it might not have made for a perfect day, I loved your fog-shrouded Piton pictures! So many times all you see are the sunny shots. Yours added such interest! And lastly, congrats to your son on Eagle scout! Quite an accomplishment!! My just-turned-13-year-old is only on Star, so he knows how far he has to go yet and how much he still has to do. He was so caught up in the badges for awhile there.:o

 

 

I am so glad you had a beach to recommend. Thanks for taking the time to read my rather lengthy review and your kind comments about the pictures. As someone who used to think it wasn't a vacation unless the sun was out.. I was glad to see both sides sun/rain of the islands. Best of luck to your "Star". He will be have his Life and Eagle before you know it. It is certainly worth the time and effort to achieve this rank. I believe this helped my son on his college applications and some of the organizations he has been able to join as a freshman in college.

[LibratPDX]

Awesome review and great photos! Love the pics of the turtles, but my fave is the one with you framed in a school of fish - genius shot!!

 

I am in the same cabin on my upcoming cruise 9/30. The official room description is "twin beds that do not convert into a king" which is technically true, but a queen bed works just fine! Lots of people get hung up on that one and keep saying that the beds can't be put together :p

[cruisinwithdad]

CarolRoy, There were three of us and it averaged about $24/pp to each of our locations. I believe it may have only been about $20 back to the pier from Orient Beach. There is a sign posted at the pier that gives you all the taxi prices and it was never difficult to catch a taxi.

 

I am not sure about any other beaches there. I also read soemthing about Dawn beach. I think it may the one closest to the port?? Hope you have a great time on your cruise. It has been so much fun writing this and recalling all the fun we had together exploring these islands.

 

 

LOL...just re-reading this and see I put $24/pp...WRONG..about $24 avg PER TRIP for all three of us. oops.

[GoingAway9]

Thanks for the great review!! We're taking this cruise on 9/30 for our honeymoon and your review has gotten me even more excited!!