7 day cruise leaving from San Juan

[YaWk3Y_BoMb3r]

We haven't booked yet, but likely will soon after some more research. We are looking at a 7 day cruise leaving from San Juan leaving on a Sunday (5/26/13), and returning on Sunday.

 

Sunday- leaves San Juan at 10:00pm

Monday- St. Thomas

Tuesday- Out at Sea

Wednesday- Barbados

Thursday- St Lucia

Friday- St Kitts

Saturday- St. Maarten

Sunday- Arrive back to San Juan at 7:00am

 

We definitely want some beach days, but also want to explore some of the islands, shop, sight see, etc.

 

My questions are these:

-Out of those locations, which is the best locations to stay by the beach? -Which island would be better for sightseeing?

-Is there something on an island that I absolutely must do?

-Are the beaches near the ports?

 

One thing that is interesting to me that I think I would certainly want to see/video is the landing of planes on St Martin (I think?)

 

I basically knowing nothing about any of these places so any and all information would be awesome! Thanks in advance.

[ScottsSweetie]

There are several recent reviews of the Victory here - you can do a search for them. Also, I would suggest visiting the ports of call board and reading what others have done. Having only been to St. Thomas & St. Maarten I am not qualified to answer your question, but I am looking to book this cruise next fall myself! :)

[deladane]

I am in the middle of a review for this itinerary from my cruise on the Victory a few weeks ago. The beach with the planes is called Maho Beach and it is in St. Maarten... I went there and will talk about it in my review when I get up to that port day. In terms of beaches, I think the two best beaches we saw on that itinerary were Sapphire beach in St. Thomas (prettiest beach I have seen in my entire life!!!) and Carlisle Bay in Barbados (we spent the day at the Boatyard, and it was a beautiful beach even despite the on and off rain showers). Check out my review for tons of photos and details on what we did at each port :)

[shortstuf1255]

Hi I took this cruise in Sept of 11. It was the best cruise I have taken!! I meet some great people from cruise critic and went on tours with them. I booked all of our tours thru private guides and all of the tours had beach time. Plus we saw most of the bests sights of each island. If you want more info just let me know.

 

Karen

[welldone60]

If you can swing it, go a few days early or stay a few days after in Old San Juan. We spent 3 days pre cruise and loved it.

All the islands have some great beaches and all have some great island tours. Hard to tell you what to do. Do as much research as you can. This was our favorite cruise so far and we do plan to do it again.

[jelomu]

I've only ever flown into Florida, and I was going to choose the Miami or Ft. Lauderdale Ports.

The San Juan cruises look even better, but with the extra cost for the flight, not sure if we can swing it. The prices I'm getting 6-7 months away would be $350. one way. Cheaper to use Florida ports. Is there a better time frame to book flights and what is the average you usually pay?

 

What is the airport like, is it laid out easily or will we be walking in circles...we aren't fluent in Spanish..

 

I am so tempted with this itinerary, it's the port that scares me!!:rolleyes:

[jlk806]

Im doing this itinerary in June on the Valor. We have done extensive research, gotten tips from those who have cruised this itinerary and plan to visit beaches in St Thomas (Sapphire), Barbados (Carlisle), & St Maarten (Orient). In St Lucia we are doing a whale/dolphin watch tour, and a snorkeling tour in St Kitts. Should be an awesome time!

[NS-Cruiser]

I've only ever flown into Florida, and I was going to choose the Miami or Ft. Lauderdale Ports.

The San Juan cruises look even better, but with the extra cost for the flight, not sure if we can swing it. The prices I'm getting 6-7 months away would be $350. one way. Cheaper to use Florida ports. Is there a better time frame to book flights and what is the average you usually pay?

 

What is the airport like, is it laid out easily or will we be walking in circles...we aren't fluent in Spanish..

 

I am so tempted with this itinerary, it's the port that scares me!!:rolleyes:

 

 

Hello from another Canuck (we are from NS)...

 

We did this itinerary on the Victory in April 2012...

 

We flew from Halifax through Philly, to San Juan the same day as the cruise sailed.... we arrived in San Juan at 2:00 PM, and got a cab for about $20.00 right to the ship.

 

We were told that the airport would be a zoo with several other ships disembarking on the same day, and all of those other passengers trying to fly home the same day, therefore we decided to stay over an extra night after the cruise.

 

We stayed at the Sheridan Old San Juan (right across the street from Pier 4 where Carnival docks). The Airfare on Monday was cheaper than the Sunday rates, and for the two of us flying home from San Juan to Halifax, we saved enough on the airfare to pay for the hotel, and meals with extra left over.

 

Plus when we went to the airport on Monday, the trip through the agriculture check, the airline check in, and then airport security was easy as pie.... you must do the Ag check point first, then the airline check in, and finally the security checkpoint all in the proper order... so long as your taxi driver drops you at the proper departure gate, the three will be all together and it will run easy for you too. Almost everyone in San Jaun speaks english as well as Spannish.... it is a very tourist centrered economy, so they need to be able to talk to their clientell (you)...

 

With regards to the Ports.... we did a little walk about in St Thomas, and got some souviners at the shopping area by the port.

 

In Barbados we went to the Agape Chocolate Factory (google it), and then took a cab to the Boatyard.... lots of fun there... (Try the flying fish sandwich).

 

In St Lucia we took the Catamarin tour to the Pitons, and snorkled a bit,

 

In St Kitts we did the land and Rail sight seeing tour, and we are glad we did... it was a wet rainy day, so we were glad to be inside the train during the downpours.

 

In St Maarten we went on the Golden Eagle Catamarin sail and snorkel tour. they took us past Maho Beach, and the airport, and we set anchor in Mullet Bay (the next beach north) and swam there.

 

When we got back to San Juan we got off the boat as soon as possible, and walked across the road to the Sheridan, and checked our bags with the concierge, and headed out exploring the city, and its forts. Use the Trolley in Old San Juan, is FREE and takes you almost anywhere you would want to go.

 

Feel free to ask any more questions, and I will try to answer them. This was by far the best itinerary we have been on (so far)... looking forward to this April when we go on the Freedom to the exotic southern itinerary...

[bruisin4cruisin]

We did this cruise in November and we had a great time. We flew in on Friday and flew back home on the Monday after we returned.

In St. Maarten, we went to Maho Beach and it was a blast! I can not say enough about the color of the water. Of course, it was more like a wave pool than a normal beach, but honestly....you are there for the planes.

We snorkeled the Pitons in St. Lucia and at first, I was skeptical. OMG! The amount of fish I saw was more than any other snorkeling area I have been to.

Barbados we did the snorkel with the turtles, it was fun, but the boat trip was better than the snorkeling. The crew was amazingly fun.

St. Kitts we went to Shipwreck beach. It was okay, that was our "do what we want" day, nothing planned, just hung out and snorkeled and ate.

St. Thomas was where my honeymoon was, so after 1 week of being there, there wasn't anything new for us to see. We were with my step-brother and my SIL, so we did a taxi tour of the island where we went to Mountain Top, Blackbeard's castle, Drakes Seat and then she dropped us off downtown so we could do some shopping. St. Thomas has some amazing beaches, I do not know of a bad one on that island.

 

Here is my review, pictures and all. I hope you have a great time. It is a little busy, but a good way to see a lot of places.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1739366

[YaWk3Y_BoMb3r]

If you can swing it, go a few days early or stay a few days after in Old San Juan. We spent 3 days pre cruise and loved it.

All the islands have some great beaches and all have some great island tours. Hard to tell you what to do. Do as much research as you can. This was our favorite cruise so far and we do plan to do it again.

 

We definitely plan on staying in OSJ at least one night after the cruise. Staying after the cruise appears to lower our flight prices, that's why we're looking to stay after instead of before.

 

I would like to maybe one day explore OSJ and the forts, etc. Another day take a tour of some sort into the rainforest.

[kingoftheicedragons]

Almost any of those islands will be great for beaches.

 

Barbados--we took a private company to Crane Beach, which has pink sand, has been listed by Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous as a top beach, and has been used in some movies. Barbados is also a good tour island.

 

St. Lucia--Probably the best tour island of the itinerary--it's very beautiful (also very mountainous with narrow, curvy mountainpass-style roads). This is where the Pitons are.

 

St. Kitts--Great for touring and beaches. Chances are you'll see green vervet monkeys near the beaches here. Maybe some mongoose as well.

 

St. Maarten/St. Martin--A number of good beaches here, Maho and Orient are the two that stand out, but there are others.

 

St. Thomas--a couple of good beach options.

[chosbor2]

We are doing this same cruise in October, and it is the one I am most excited about. I have already done a lot of research and here is what we are planning on doing.

 

St Thomas - Magens Bay (one of the top ten beaches in the world) and Paradise Point

Barbados - Snorkel with the Sea Turtles

St Lucia - Land and Sea Tour (historical sites, banana plantation, pitons, toraille waterfall, drive in volcano, Jalousie Beach, Bat Cave, and Natural Bridge)

St Kitts - Rainforest Adventure and Shipwreak Beach

St. Martin - Maho Beach to watch the planes

 

We are planning to arrive at least a day early to explore San Juan. Just be flexible with your arrival and departure dates in order to get the best airfare prices. Also, even though it is cheaper to get to FL, to do the same itinerary from there would be a higher cruise fare, so in the long run it all evens out. Thats the way I look at it.

[Capette]

Like another poster stated please try to either go early or stay late. San Juan was gorgeous!!!! We are going to go back to San Juan so we can spend an entire week there. Saphire beach was nice. Barbados's we did a Catamaran and swim with turtles. That was the highlight of the trip. St. Maarten we didn't want to spend a fortune in taxi's so we stayed right on the beach at the Port and it was a fantastic beach/day.

 

Definitely go.

[welldone60]

A little tip when arriving in the San Juan airport. When you pick up your bags at the baggage claim, let one of the porters take your bags. He will take you right to a taxi, bypassing the line at the taxi stand. Tip him a few bucks and you will be on your way in no time. You will need to have your baggage claim tags when using a porter to leave the building, so keep them with you when you board.

[markntara]

St. Thomas - Gotta go high! Take a open air taxi to Mountain Top. Have a Banana Daiquiri, and enjoy the views.

 

 

 

Barbados - Take a tour. We went with Ted's. One of the most scenic places I've ever been. The "other side" of the island is awesome!

 

 

 

 

[markntara]

St. Lucia - This may sound like a broken record =>TOUR! You gotta see the Pitons, plus it doesn't hurt that you get stop at a view overlooking Marigot Bay, and enjoy a beverage.

American novelist James Michener described Marigot Bay as "The most beautiful bay in the Caribbean."

 

 

 

 

St Kitts OK - BEACH DAY! Ship Wreck Beach Bar. Don't feed the Monkeys!

 

 

 

[markntara]

St. Martin - Beach Day! Why not? After all, Sunset Bar & Grill is Travel Channels #3 Sexiest Beach bar in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

Hope my experience is helpful => Enjoy your cruise!

[DJ56]

If you have a chance to go on this cruise....DEFINATELY DO IT!! I went with my daughter this past May and we had an absolutely fantastic time. We flew in early and arrived Fri early afternoon. Plus then had all day Sat. to finish exploring Old San Juan. We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan for 2 nights. Got a very good price through hotwire if I remember correctly. We had an amazing room with a VERY LONG balcony (next door to the Presidential Suite!) where we were able to watch the ship come into port early Sunday a.m. with coffee in hand!! I wrote a review with pix when we got home. We were on the ship May 27-June 3rd, 2012. Try to find it and read what all we did. I plan to cruise this itinerary again in the future...hopefully more sooner than later!! If you go, you will LOVE IT!!

[DJ56]

I found my review it is titled: Carnival Victory Review May 27-June 3, 2012. If you are interested...

[IMSAILING]

We can not wait !!!! Love seeing what everyone else did in each port

We are flying in the day before and staying for two days after

VERY EXCITED !!!

[KatPem]

In St Thomas, I highly recommend taking the ferry to St Johns and checking out Trunk Bay or Cinnamon Bay. We love to hike and had the taxi drop us off at a trailhead and we hiked (downhill) down to the beach at Cinnamon Bay. There were some ruins along the way and it was a beautiful hike (about a mile where we went) and then we had time at the beach which is one of the most gorgeous I have ever seen. We grabbed a taxi back to the ferry and got back on the boat.

 

In Barbados, we took a catamaran snorkeling trip on the Silver Moon. It is a small catamaran that only takes about 12 people. We got to swim with the turtles, have lunch and drinks and snorkel another spot. It rained a lot of the day but we had the best time anyway!