Carnival Victory Review with lots of Photo's--July 5-12, 2009

[dz63]

I am looking for booking Gordon's tour for my October cruise. I just have couple of questions... How long did you spend at the Devil's Gate stop? Were you impressed with it (for me it a "must see" in Antigua)? What do you think of Long Bay beach? Was it crowded? Amenities? Scenery?

 

Thanks again for taking time to write this review! In the past couple of days I run home after work excited to read about your next stop (you got me addicted to your review as if it was a TV show :)). And your pictures are just fabulous! Thank you for this lovely comment, I'm flattered ;)!

 

We spent between 15-20 minutes at Devil's Bridge and were very impressed with it. The landscaping with large rocks, pounding surf and cliffs is so different from the calm ocean that you see at the beaches. For us "Devil's Bridge" was something we really wanted to see in Antigua. That's one of the reasons we choose Gordan's Best of Paradise Island Tour because it included the stop here.

 

Long Bay Beach was nice--but nothing in comparison to the lush, greenery of Jalouise Beach! Being we were the only cruise ship in port, the beach was not too crowded at all. There was lots of space and lots of lounge chairs available to rent, but we didn't use them. We just plopped our towels on the beach along with many other Carnival Victory cruisers.

 

There is a bar and grill at Long Bay Beach as well as rest room facilities. I'm going by my memory here, but I am pretty sure Gordan said the rest rooms are only available for those that purchase something from the bar. There are also some vendors that have their souvenir huts set up along the far left hand side of the beach.

[Janchris]

 

 

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Great review and love all the pictures. I will be in St. Thomas in a week or so and also taking a tour with a Guide that we used 2 years ago. I am glad to see that there is a great place to go and enjoy those yummy Banana Daiquir's. The nature trail looks like fun. From our last tour of the Island I remember the trees and fruits that you were talking about. Brings back such wonderful memories of St. Thomas.:)

[dallas52]

very nice review, loved the pics. will be looking into some of the tours you took, always try to book mine also, cost too much with the ships. thanks again, we are a party of 9 leaving on Feb. 28.

[dz63]

We left the ship at 9:00 am. Today we were going to be brave, adventurous and daring, and do something none of us have ever done before—go ziplining!

 

We booked our Zipline Safari through St. Kitts Tour Store. I had emailed St. Kitts Tour Store as well as Sky Safaris directly for information and rates. Both offered the same rates (and even reduced family rates), however the Tour Store could guarantee spaces with an advanced booking whereas Sky Safari said they could only book spaces one week prior.

 

We were picked up from the St. Kitts Tour Store by a driver directly from Sky Safaris. The Zipline is located at the Wingfield Estate near Old Road Village. Along the way, the driver gave us a brief tour of sites we passed and explained the history of Old Road.

 

 

When we arrived at Sky Safaris we had to fill out some paper work and were weighed. We were shocked to discover that we had all. . .somehow. . .magically gained 10 pounds!! Was it from eating too much on the cruise ship or are their scales out of wack? No, I think there scales are definitely out of wack!

 

We had two guides for just our family of 5—Crystal, a fellow Canadian and the manager of Sky Safari, and Conner. Both offered excellent and professional service.

 

After a brief orientation and a practice run on the Monkey Trainer, we were transferred by jeep further up the bumpy hillside to get to the other lines.

 

 

The next line was the longest and highest run—“The Boss” and it was my personal favorite. My 10 year old wanted to go first and just before he disappeared around the treetops, he turned back with the largest smile on his face and waved.

 

I thought that flying 250 ft above the rainforest at speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph) would be scary—but actually it wasn’t. I thought the zipline was pretty “cool” and a lot of fun; however DH and my three sons thought it would be more thrilling if the zipline could reach faster speeds!

 

Getting ready to “fly”

 

The view from up here was just awesome!

 

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[dz63]

The third line was the Mango Tango supposedly named because of the Mango tree at the top of the run. We were even offered a mango if we wanted one to eat.

 

 

 

 

 

The fourth run was Brimstone Blast. This is the run where they cut out the top of a tree so zipliners could fly through it. It was supposed to give you the sensation that you were going to hit the tree—but I didn’t even notice that. You could also get a view of Brimstone Hill from here.

 

 

Short walk to the 5th line

 

 

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[dz63]

The final run was the River Rocker. Two ziplines, side by side, offering its riders the chance to race each other to the end.

 

 

 

 

Our Zipline Safari began at 10:00 am and we completed all five lines by 11:30 pm. After the Zipline, Crystal gave each of us a complimentary bottle of water and we were then given a short tour of the sugar estate ruins.

 

 

There was someone from Ski Safaris taking pictures at the last line, but after waiting around for 15 minutes, the pictures were still not processed, so we decided to head back to the ship for lunch.

 

The Zipline Safari is very safe and even though DH and sons thought it wasn’t fast or scary enough, it still was a great experience and a lot of fun.

 

We arrived back at Fort Zante to be entertained by energetic dancers in bright, colorful costumes. It amazes me how they have the stamina to dance so vigorously like that--especially in this heat!

 

St. Kitts Dancers

 

Heading back to the ship

 

Carnival Victory in St. Kitts

 

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[dz63]

By 12:30 pm we were back on board the Carnival Victory. This was the earliest we’ve been back from an excursion all week!

We went up to the Lido Deck and enjoyed lunch—early for once!

 

 

After the ziplining, we could have gone to Frigate Bay, the closest beach to Port Zante, but we decided to relax and enjoy the afternoon on the ship.

 

With no sea days and a 4:00 pm departure time today, we wanted to make the best of our last day on the Carnival Victory!

 

 

 

Of course, I couldn’t let a whole week go by, without sliding down the waterslide. For some reason I feel dizzy after coming off that thing.

I guess it’s called the “Twister Waterslide” for a reason!

 

 

Looking out to St. Kitts from the ship

 

 

 

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[dz63]

By staying on board we were able to view an Ice Carving Demonstration at 2:00 pm.

It was amazing to see this professional ice carver (from the Philippines), turn a block of ice into a masterpiece in 20 minutes!

 

 

At 4:00 we attended the Galley Tour.

The tour began in the Atlantic Dining Room.

 

The Atlantic Dining Room

 

It was interesting to see what happens “behind the scenes”.

 

 

 

We met the fruit carver. We learned that it takes 3-4 minutes for him to carve a design in a melon and 10 minutes to carve the intricate, delicate floral designs into a watermelon—truly amazing!

 

 

The tour ended outside the Pacific Dining room

 

Looking down into the Pacific Dining room from Deck 5

 

 

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[dz63]

From the Galley Tour, we went straight to our Cruise Critic Bon Voyage Meet and Greet from 4:30-5:30 pm in the Irish Sea Piano Bar. Even Lenny Halliday, the cruise director was there! Our group hired a piano player so we could enjoy music while we mingled and talked. It was great to meet up with CC members and hear all about their adventures over the week.

 

 

Of course, no cruise would be complete without those last minute purchases from the Victory Gift Shop.

 

Outside the Victory Gift Shop, Promenade Deck

 

 

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[dz63]

Before supper, my youngest son wanted to go for one last swim. We went up to the pool decks around 7:00 pm, and were surprised to find that all the pools were closed already! However, the hot tubs were still opened, so he settled for that. While relaxing in the hot tub, my son was entertained by the movie “Hancock” playing on the Seaside Theatre—what luxury!

 

 

Tonight was our last dinner in the Pacific Dining Room. When it was time for the waiters and waitresses to sing their Farewell Song, Lincoln invited my 10 year old to join him in the grand finale. Lincoln was definitely a very special and awesome waiter!

 

 

Here we are with our waiters Devlin and Lincoln. . .can you tell which one is Lincoln?

 

After saying goodbye to our waiters, we went to the Caribbean Lounge to watch our last show--the Carnival Legends Show.

 

The Sony and Cher act was humorous. . .,

 

 

. . our cruise director acting as Dolly Parton was hilarious. . .

 

 

. . .and a fellow guest performing as Frank Sinatra was phenomenal!

 

 

After the show, we reluctantly went back to our cabin to pack our bags.

Our room steward left numbered tags in our stateroom, which were to be attached to our large luggage. We were assigned number 28.

 

Sadly, reality hits. The end of our Southern Caribbean cruise is quickly approaching, and our large luggage must be out in the hall by midnight.

 

 

 

Coming up Next. . .Our Last Morning on the Carnival Victory and Debarkation

[Buffettfan 225]

Take advantage of cruisin with family we did it since son 10 and now 18, I think "we lost him" for at least a while.

Loving your photos.

If you can recall, can you remember what sid eof ship faced toward dock (gangway side)

looks like St.Thomas is Starboard

Barbados-port side

anyone?

[dz63]

Take advantage of cruisin with family we did it since son 10 and now 18, I think "we lost him" for at least a while.

Loving your photos.

If you can recall, can you remember what sid eof ship faced toward dock (gangway side)

looks like St.Thomas is Starboard

Barbados-port side

anyone?

 

San Juan--port side

St. Thomas--port side

Dominica--port side

Barbados--port side

St. Lucia--starboard side

Antigua--port side

St. Kitts--port side

[DOTTE]

Take advantage of cruisin with family we did it since son 10 and now 18, I think "we lost him" for at least a while.

Loving your photos.

If you can recall, can you remember what sid eof ship faced toward dock (gangway side)

looks like St.Thomas is Starboard

Barbados-port side

anyone?

 

 

San Juan ~ portside

St Thomas ~ starboard

Dominica ~ portside

Barbados ~ starboard

St Lucia ~ starboard

Antigua ~ portside

St Kitts ~ portside

 

Ours was a little different than dz63

[dz63]

San Juan ~ portside

St Thomas ~ starboard

Dominica ~ portside

Barbados ~ starboard

St Lucia ~ starboard

Antigua ~ portside

St Kitts ~ portside

 

Ours was a little different than dz63

 

. . .that's interesting. . .it looks like the ship doesn't always dock the same way.

[dz63]

Finally our Capers are posted and ready for your perusal.

 

http://s591.photobucket.com/albums/ss355/cz63/Carnival%20Victory%20Capers/

cz

[dz63]

Well, it is official. Our Southern Caribbean cruise, which we had looked forward too and anticipated with so much excitement. . .is over.

This time when we leave the ship in San Juan, there is no coming back.

 

After our last leisurely breakfast on the Lido Deck, we went up to the Panorama Deck to have one last look around.

 

 

The Caribbean Princess cruise ship was pulling into port. We watched the ship come in and were amazed by the size of that ship. It was massive!

 

 

Although it would be nice to linger longer here on the ship, we cannot continue to avoid the inevitable. We know we have to get back to our cabin and gather our things. Our turn to debark is quickly approaching.

 

We went back to our cabin to gather our carry-on’s. (I personally made sure I knew exactly where the cameras were this time!) By 10:00 am, we were out of our cabin and waiting on the Promenade Deck by Neptune’s Way. . .waiting patiently. . . until our number is called.

 

Neptune’s Way, Promenade Deck 5

 

The assigned tags ranged from numbers 1-32 and since we had number 28, we knew we would be one of the last ones called off the ship. That was fine with us. We planned on staying on in San Juan for four more days and were in no hurry to debark. At 10:15 our number was called. That was our cue to say goodbye to the Carnival Victory and leave this splendid and majestic ship.

 

By 10:30 the last numbers were called. Every guest (even those that got on in Barbados) had to exit the ship. There was a couple from our roll call, staying on for another week. They could leave their luggage on board, but they also had to leave the ship.

 

Since we are from Canada, we exited the ship from deck 3 and had to go through customs. U.S. citizens exited the ship from deck 0, which took them right down to the luggage area. After we cleared customs, we went down to deck 0. We looked for the blue sign with the 28 on it and found our luggage very easily. Then we followed the crowds of people out of the terminal, stuffed our luggage into a taxi and were off.

 

As we left the terminal and watched the Carnival Victory disappear from our view, our memories (and photo’s too) of the splendor of this ship, the delicious and abundant supply of food, great staff, new friends and busy itinerary (which took us to some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean), will always be remembered.

 

 

 

. . .But it isn’t over yet! We still have four more days of fun, relaxation and even thrills, awaiting us in hot, sunny, Puerto Rico!

 

 

 

Coming up Next. . .our post-cruise destination

[shelling4life]

:) Thankyou for the Capers...how cool...do you think they follow it pretty closely from cruise date to date? You sailed in July and we are in Nov...hope its close...Thankyou so much!!! Love your review and pics...makes us feel like part of the family. Great Job.

[dz63]

After departing from the cruise ship terminal, we were on our way to the Embassy Suites, our post-cruise destination in Isla Verda.

 

We arrived there around 11:00 am.

 

 

The disadvantage of arriving so early, was that our room was not ready and we were told, would not be ready until 3:30 pm. In the meantime, we were given a pool access card and were able to store our luggage in the secured confines of the Conference Room. It was amazing to see this room filled with so many bags—and they all had Carnival Victory tags on them too!

 

After dropping off our luggage, we changed into our swim suits and hung out with other Carnival Victory cruisers by the enormous tropical landscaped pool complete with waterfalls!

 

 

 

 

At 3:30, DH went back to the front desk to check if our room was ready—it wasn’t. We were told it would be another ½ hour.

We checked again at 4:30 and finally we’re given the key to our room.

 

We had a spacious suite on the 7th floor, (complete with mini-fridge and microwave), overlooking the gorgeous pool.

 

The boys were immediately drawn to the large 37” flat-screen TV!

 

 

 

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[dz63]

The lobby Atrium is very nicely landscaped with tropical plants, ponds and waterfalls.

 

 

There are four glass elevators, allowing its passengers to peer down into the tropical beauty of the Atrium.

 

Going up. . .

 

. . .and looking down

 

In the morning we enjoyed the hot buffet breakfast, served until 9:30 am in the tropical Atrium. The breakfast buffet included bacon, sausages, cereal, muffins, bagels, toast, fresh fruit, juices, coffee, tea and even soda! The Embassy Suites also offered “made-to-order” breakfast which included omelets, eggs and pancakes. The breakfast was plentiful and delicious! After being spoiled with all the good food on the Carnival Victory, the breakfast provided at the Embassy Suites was the next best thing to being back on the Lido Deck!

 

Eating Area in the Atrium

 

Another nice perk offered by the Embassy Suites was the Managers Reception Party, held every evening from 5:30-7:30 pm, in the tropical Atrium. During the Managers Reception, guests are offered free alcoholic drinks and soft drinks. Free snacks including popcorn, peanuts, party mix or chips with salsa were also offered. The Manager’s Reception party was a big hit with the boys. No matter where we were in Puerto Rico, or what excursion we were doing, we always had to get back to the resort in time for the Managers Reception. They did not want to miss out on any of the free refreshments!

 

 

The Embassy Suites is close to the airport and although you do hear some air plane noise down at the pool, it is still a great place to stay.

It is about a 5-minute walk to the beach and is close to lots of shops and restaurants. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

 

 

cz

 

 

Coming up next. . .our Bio Bay Adventure!

[hutat]

We leave in February on this cruise. Our first. We're taking our 10 and 11 year olds. We'll all be following your trip report. Great pics.

Finally I found someone who's going on this cruise the same time as me. I can't wait, just my wife and me for a week of relaxation.:D

[barbevrn]

The lobby Atrium is very nicely landscaped with tropical plants, ponds and waterfalls.

 

 

There are four glass elevators, allowing its passengers to peer down into the tropical beauty of the Atrium.

 

Going up. . .

 

. . .and looking down

 

In the morning we enjoyed the hot buffet breakfast, served until 9:30 am in the tropical Atrium. The breakfast buffet included bacon, sausages, cereal, muffins, bagels, toast, fresh fruit, juices, coffee, tea and even soda! The Embassy Suites also offered “made-to-order” breakfast which included omelets, eggs and pancakes. The breakfast was plentiful and delicious! After being spoiled with all the good food on the Carnival Victory, the breakfast provided at the Embassy Suites was the next best thing to being back on the Lido Deck!

 

Eating Area in the Atrium

 

Another nice perk offered by the Embassy Suites was the Managers Reception Party, held every evening from 5:30-7:30 pm, in the tropical Atrium. During the Managers Reception, guests are offered free alcoholic drinks and soft drinks. Free snacks including popcorn, peanuts, party mix or chips with salsa were also offered. The Manager’s Reception party was a big hit with the boys. No matter where we were in Puerto Rico, or what excursion we were doing, we always had to get back to the resort in time for the Managers Reception. They did not want to miss out on any of the free refreshments!

 

 

The Embassy Suites is close to the airport and although you do hear some air plane noise down at the pool, it is still a great place to stay.

It is about a 5-minute walk to the beach and is close to lots of shops and restaurants. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

 

 

cz

 

 

Coming up next. . .our Bio Bay Adventure!

 

 

The hotel looks perfect for your boys. How close is it to the port?

[fpslim]

Love the pics & review!! Thanks!!

They bring back many fond memories of both the Victory as well

as Dominica. I did the Middleham Falls hike there; breathtaking!!

[dz63]

The hotel looks perfect for your boys. How close is it to the port?

 

The Embassy Suites is approximately 12km (7.5 miles) from the cruise ship pier. The taxi ride took about 15 minutes. The taxi fare was $22 + $1 for each piece of luggage.

[dz63]

DH will now take over and share our adventures in Puerto Rico.

 

 

 

July 13

 

Today we are all looking forward to the Bioluminescent Bay Excursion in Viegues. But first, we need to pick up our rental car.

 

In the afternoon, I walked down to Charlie’s to pick up our rental car for the next three days – a “mid-size” Nissan Versa. By 4pm, we are ready for our Bio Bay adventure to begin. We all jump into the car and drive to the Puerto Del Rey Marina in Fajardo, an easy 1 1/2 hour drive from San Juan. We booked with East Island Excursions, the only tour company offering the Vieques Bioluminescent Bay excursion from the main island of Puerto Rico.

 

Note that we had checked the “moon-phase” calendar prior to leaving Canada and were happy to discover that there would be “good” conditions, during our post-cruise stay in Puerto Rico. If the moonlight is too bright, East Island Excursions will not run the tour because you cannot see the glowing dinoflagellates when you swim in the water.

 

When we arrive at the marina, we find the Island Flyer Catamaran; pay for our excursion, and then select our dinner from a menu.

The menu choices are called ahead, so dinner is ready for us when we arrive in Vieques.

 

Island Flyer Powered Catamaran

 

We board the catamaran and are immediately served unlimited rum punch, pina colada’s and soft drinks during the 45 minute trip over to the island of Vieques. The catamaran really clips along. Since we are travelling against the current, we got a pretty wavy and bumpy ride!

 

The trip to Vieques

 

Welcome to Vieques

 

After a short shuttle ride, we are seated in an outdoor restaurant where we have dinner.

 

Dinner is served outside at the “Island Adventures” restaurant.

 

DW and I ordered the grilled chicken breast with rice and beans.

Our younger two sons ordered the grilled chicken breast with fries and our oldest son ordered a cheeseburger with fries.

The food was very good.

 

Grilled Chicken Breast with Rice and Beans

 

The sun sets as we eat our dinner.

 

After dinner, our guide, Martin, gives us a short talk about Mosquito Bay – the water that we are about to swim in. The water is only 12 feet deep and the conditions are just right to have one of the largest concentrations of dinoflagellates in the world – up to 720,000 per gallon of water. This makes Mosquito Bay one of the best Bio Bays in the world.

 

The real fun begins after we board an old rickety school bus. There is a hole in the front windshield where one of the drivers hit a tree branch while navigating the bumpy, narrow road down to Mosquito Bay. Martin warns us that if you sit in the back of the bus, you will get a real bumpy ride – our boys immediately head to the back of the bus!

 

Boarding the bus – notice the hole in the windshield!

 

Branches scrape the sides of the bus as we drive down a narrow winding, pitch black, rutted road to Mosquito Bay. Martin floors the gas pedal and the bus engine roars into action – catapulting us into the air! We never knew a school bus could go so fast! The crowd in the bus howls in delight as Martin laughs: “you haven’t seen anything yet!” Then the road gets really bad. This time he floors it and shuts off the headlights for about 5 seconds. It is so dark that you can’t see a thing. Screams erupt all over the bus mixed with squeals of delight! The bus ride down to the Bay turns out to be a big part of the adventure!

 

After about 15 minutes of this, we safely arrive at the Bay – with smiles on everyone’s face. We board the electric pontoon boat, and slowly make our way out to the middle of the Bay. As we move along, we observe what appears to be lights under the pontoons – but in reality, it just dinoflagellates glowing as they are disturbed by the boat. Occasionally, we see a fish veer off, leaving a glowing path in its wake.

 

We put on flotation belts (our 10 year old must wear a lifejacket) and climb down the ladder at the back of the pontoon boat to swim in the water. It is a really neat phenomenon. As you move your hands back and forth, the water gives off a slight glow. What is even neater, is watching what happens when you raise your hand in the air. As the water runs down your arm – it looks like little green neon-colored pixie dust is trickling down.

 

It is too dark to catch, on even the best camera, the glow from these dinoflagellates. The photos that you see on the internet are definitely “photo shopped”.

 

We float/swim in the water for about 30 minutes before climbing up the ladder onto the pontoon boat to head back for another exciting and thrilling ride with Martin on that old rickety school bus. The shuttle vans take us back to the pier… watch out for the wild horses walking on the roads at night! We board the catamaran and in no time, we are zipping back to Puerto Del Rey. The ride back somehow seems smoother, maybe because we have all just survived the crazy bus ride with Martin. That evening, we get back to the hotel around 12:30pm.

 

Overall, it was a unique, once in a lifetime, fun experience for the whole family. I would highly recommend this excursion.

 

 

 

Coming up next. . . Our El Yunque Rainforest and Luquillo Beach Adventures

[1stcruiser1]

Thank you SOOOOO much for this review and pictures! Someday I would love to do this cruise. I would love all the different ports that it stops at.