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

[cruisingcouple2008]

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

 

 

my DH and I are Feb 7th which one are you folks

[shelling4life]

What a fun and fascinating experience. Do you happen to have the website info....we are staying in Puerto Rico also for awhile. Would love to know the name of the outfit that arranged this for you....Oh thankyou, what a fun story...:D:p:D

[shelling4life]

Did you find it was hard to drive, or read road signs? How are the drivers in that country? And, would you suggest learning some spanish before arriving...or is english used often?

[vlwalker]

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

What a beautiful review, I loved all of your pictures. San Juan will our next cruise in a couple of years I guess. I'm looking forward to reading about your post-cruise activities.

[dz63]

What a fun and fascinating experience. Do you happen to have the website info....we are staying in Puerto Rico also for awhile. Would love to know the name of the outfit that arranged this for you....Oh thankyou, what a fun story...:D:p:D

 

We booked the Bio Bay excursion in Vieques with East Island Excursions.

 

 

This is their website:

 

www.eastwindcats.com (home page)

 

This second link will take you right to the Power Catamaran excursions.

Scroll 1/2 down the page to get to the Bioluminescent Bay Excursion.

 

http://www.eastwindcats.com/pages/powercat_excursion1.html

 

 

cz

[dz63]

Did you find it was hard to drive, or read road signs? How are the drivers in that country? And, would you suggest learning some spanish before arriving...or is english used often?

 

The road signs were in Spanish, and the traffic was pretty heavy, but we didn't find it difficult to navigate around the island. Oeste = West, Este = East, Norte = North, Sud = South. We did not know any Spanish and found our way around pretty well.

 

This website was extremely helpful to plan our Puerto Rican excursions.

 

www.puertoricodaytrips.com

 

It has a description, hours of operation, cost and directions listed for all of the major sights. I printed these off ahead of time and referred to them while on the island. We also had a map of the island from Charlie's car rental that was pretty easy to follow.

 

The roads were well marked, the drivers courteous, and we found that most of the locals we encountered spoke English. A air conditioned rental car is a must, and also a very economical way to see the sights on the island.

[dz63]

July 14

 

This morning, we get up early (8:00 am), grab another delicious hot breakfast at the buffet and then pile into the Nissan Versa for a trip to El Yunque. You really need a rental car to see the sights in Puerto Rico. The roads are well marked and we found the island easy to navigate.

 

We are on the road by 9:30 am and traffic is light. By 10:30 am we arrive at the El Yunque national forest on PR 191.

 

The entrance to El Yunque National Forest

 

The park is open from 7:30 am – 6:00 pm daily. There is no entrance fee. We have read that if you want to climb to the peak, you need to get there by noon—otherwise clouds will roll in and block the panoramic view.

 

Glimpses of sunshine break through the tree shaded, narrow, winding road. Up, up, up we go. The scenery is spectacular. It is like driving in the jungle, except the road is smooth and paved. We head straight to the top and park on side road 930, near km 13.

 

Driving up Route 191

 

We park the car at the base of the Mount Britton trail, stuff some water bottles into our knapsack and begin the steep climb.

There are only a handful of cars parked here.

 

The boys can’t resist walking across the fallen trees that cross the parking area.

 

 

The trail is cement with embedded stones. It is a fairly easy trail and not too difficult for us to climb. The lush soil is home to a diverse variety of plants.

Ferns abound everywhere. Fortunately, the sun is shining and the weather is perfect for our climb.

 

I race up the trail with the boys, eager to get to the peak. . .

 

 

. . .while DW takes the time to absorb the sights and tranquility of the beautiful rain forest.

 

 

 

Continues…

[dz63]

After a 20 minute hike, we reach the service road and continue up to the Mount Britton Observation Tower.

 

Mount Britton Observation Tower

 

There is a nice breeze at the top of the tower. It is a welcome respite from the drenching humidity on the trail.

 

Views from the Mount Britton Tower

 

 

 

We meet some people walking down from El Yunque Peak and ask them how long it took them to get to the peak. They said they had been walking for 1 ½ hours and still never made it to the peak! The clouds are already starting to roll in, and we really wanted to have time to see some of the falls in El Yunque, so we decide to forgo the peak and head back down.

 

Heading back down

 

A pool in the forest

 

 

Continues

[dz63]

Back where we started.

 

We drive down PR 191 and park at Km 10.2, at the head of the Big Tree Trail. After a 20 minute hike up and down the Big Tree Trail, we arrive at La Mina Falls. The water is cool and very refreshing-- a nice break from the heat and humidity of the rainforest. There are a lot of people here!

 

La Mina Falls

 

 

The Bridge where Big Tree Trail and La Mina Trail meet

 

Exploring the other side

 

After a short swim in the refreshingly cool water, we hiked back through the Big Tree trail to the car.

 

 

Continues

[dz63]

Our next stop was Juan Diego Falls – El Yunque’s best kept secret! Juan Diego Falls is a little off the beaten path. To get to it, we follow the path to the right of the Juan Diego Creek for about 1/8 of a mile, and voila, you come to the first waterfalls.

 

Juan Diego – first waterfall

 

We look way up and notice a second, much larger waterfall. To get to this one, we climb up and follow the foot cut outs in the incredibly steep and muddy path on the left hand side of the falls. This second waterfall is about the same height as La Mina Falls, but the volume of water seems to be much less. The pool at the bottom is only knee deep, and it is very rocky. We find it hard to walk on in our bare feet.

 

Juan Diego – second waterfall

 

It looked like rain, so DW and my 17 and 10-year old son decided to climb back down the steep muddy path.

 

Beautiful tropical foliage everywhere!

 

But my 14 year old and I wanted to climb up to a third waterfall. It is more like an 80 foot waterslide than a waterfall.

There is a nice, deep pool of water at the bottom of this falls.

 

Juan Diego – third waterfall

 

And if you climb a little bit more…

You get a neat view of the stream at the top of the third Juan Diego Waterfall!

 

 

 

 

 

Continues

[dz63]

Our next stop was at km 8.8, the Yokahu Observation Tower.

 

Yokahu Tower

 

At an elevation of 1575 feet, the Yokahu Tower offers a panoramic vista of the El Yunque rainforest.

 

We climb the circular staircase to the top. The views are incredible!

 

 

The sky is turning grey and it looks like we might get rain.

 

 

At km 8.1, we stop to snap a few quick photos of La Coca Falls. The water cascades down a sheer 85 foot rock face.

These falls are the tallest ones in the park and they can be seen right from the road.

 

La Coca Falls

 

 

Continues

[dz63]

After all of this hiking, the boys are getting tired, hungry and a bit irritable. So, we head down the mountain, and drive into Luquillo to have a late lunch. After recharging our batteries at McDonalds, we jump back in the car, eager to hit the beach.

 

For the rest of the afternoon we relax at Luquillo Beach. Parking was $4.00 and there is a charge for use of the bathrooms/changerooms ($1.00/adult; .50 cents/child).

 

 

The water is warm and calm and there are plenty of mature palm trees lining the beach, so it is easy to find shade.

 

 

Dark foreboding clouds cover El Yunque peak in the distance, but at the beach, the sun is shining and it is very, very hot.

 

Beautiful Luquillo Beach

 

After soaking up the sun and relaxing at the beach for the afternoon, we leave around 6pm to drive back to our hotel in San Juan.

Luquillo beach is a perfect way to spend the afternoon after an active morning of hiking in the El Yunque rainforest.

 

 

 

Coming up next. . . Rio Camuy Cave Park, Aricebo

[lilytuck]

DW and I did this cruise in May, and also booked a tour with Gordon. He had enough people book that week that he hired a friend, Valinteno, to drive an extra bus. We would take a tour with Gordon again in a heart beat. Anyone who hasn't deceide what to do in Antigua, take this tour. It is better than anything you'll book on the ship.

[dz63]

July 15

 

Today, we get up early and hit the road by 9:00 am. We travel west on Route 22 toward Aricebo. Our destination is the “Parque de las Cavernas del Rio Camuy”. The Camuy Caves has the third largest underground river in the world and is home to a species of blind fish.

 

The caves are only open Wednesday through Sunday from 8:30 am until about 5:00 pm, or until they reach park capacity. We read that the park only allows a certain number of visitors per day, so it is best to get there before 10:30 am. We arrive around 10:15 am.

 

When we arrive, we pay $3 to park the car, and are given a numbered ticket. These numbers work on a first-come, first-serve basis. We then had to purchase our actual tickets from the visitor center. The tickets cost $12 for adults and $7 for children (ages 2-12). Shortly after we arrive, a long line develops at the ticket window. We are glad we got here early. Even so, we still had to wait 40 minutes before our numbers were called and our tour to begin.

 

The movie system was broken, so we skip over that part. We are given hard hats and board the tram.

 

 

We are now ready for our tour to begin. The tram drives down through a 200 foot sinkhole, now overgrown with lush, tropical vegetation, and takes us to the Clara Cave entrance.

 

The cave is essentially a large cavern with a roof that collapsed.

 

 

We follow our guide into the Clara Cave. We walk into a large and high cave area, and can see an opening on each end. One area of this chamber is approx. 200 feet high! Our guide explains the formations as we walk through the cave on a concrete path. There are large stalagmites and stalactites, but I didn’t think they were nearly as impressive as the amazing formations that we saw at Harrison’s Cave in Barbados.

 

Following the guide into the Clara Cave

 

Looking up at a hole in the cave ceiling

 

As we continue through the caves, we see Mirror Lake.

 

 

Continues

[dz63]

We pass through a huge overhang. . . that took us out into the sunshine of another sinkhole.

 

 

There is a river flowing down below. Our guide told us that the river can rise right up to that cave opening.

 

 

 

We see the “fountain of youth”—fresh, clean spring water trickling down the side of the cave. We can drink this water.

 

 

Vegetation in this sinkhole

 

Looking back towards the cave

 

 

Continues

[dz63]

On the way back, we follow the concrete path along the other side of the cave. We pass a section in the cave—known as the Bat Cave. We can hear a river 100 feet below. Not only can we see hundreds of bats flying around, but unfortunately we can also smell them.

 

The Bat Cave

 

After a 45-minute tour of the cave, we exit and wait for the tram to arrive.

 

Here comes the tram!

 

We ride the tram back up through the lush vegetation to get back to the ticketing area.

 

 

We ate our lunch at the on-site grill. Although the food was reasonably priced, it was nothing spectacular.

 

The Camuy Caves was an interesting experience. To see lush vegetation growing on the bottom of a sinkhole was fascinating. However, to me (DH) the Camuy Caves was more like a huge cavern with openings on each end. Caves that are dark and cold with tunnels to explore—that’s what I would call exciting!

 

 

Coming up Next. . .Old San Juan

[sailorwife]

if you could answer this for me,

what time did they have fire drill as well as dining the first night do they open the dining room to eat at anythime or do you go at the time you booked,

Thanks

sailorwife

[sailorwife]

if you could answer this for me,

what time did they have fire drill as well as dining the first night do they open the dining room to eat at anythime or do you go at the time you booked,

Thanks

sailorwife

I went back and did the entire thread, what a wonderful review and pictures, we will be sailing The Victory on Feb/21/2010, there is a bunch of us that sailed together before and some new ones so we are deciding on shirts and meet7greet times etc,

Thank You again for a wonderful review of you and your Families cruise,

sailorwife

[dz63]

if you could answer this for me,

what time did they have fire drill as well as dining the first night do they open the dining room to eat at anythime or do you go at the time you booked,

Thanks

sailorwife

 

The Muster Drill began at 9:15 pm.

Dining the first night was open seating. It is offered in both dining rooms from 5:30 until 8:30 pm.

[cruiseawaits]

One more dining question, (forgive me if you have already covered it in a previous post), but what nights are designated formal/elegant nights. Thanks

[dz63]

One more dining question, (forgive me if you have already covered it in a previous post), but what nights are designated formal/elegant nights. Thanks

 

Cruise Elegant Nights were:

 

Tuesday--Dominica

Thursday--St. Lucia

[dz63]

July 15

 

 

After our tour at the Camuy Caves Park, our next stop was a visit to Old San Juan.

I (DW) did not want to leave San Juan without experiencing some of the history and charm that Old San Juan has to offer.

 

We arrived around 3:00 pm. My DH found free parking on Constitution Avenue across from the Carnegie Library.

We parked the car and made our way into Old San Juan. There are lots of interesting sights to see in Old San Juan.

 

Plaza de Colon and a statue of Christopher Columbus

 

In Old San Juan you will see narrow, cobblestone streets. The cobblestones are a blue color and were originally ballast from Spanish ships.

 

 

We continued our way towards San Juan Bay, where the Carnival cruise ship pier is located.

 

Pier 4: So this is what the terminal looks like if you missed your ship!

 

Just west of the pier is Plaza del la Darsena, where La Casita is located. La Casita dates back to 1937 and is now a Tourist Information Center.

 

 

Near Plaza del la Darsena is Plaza de Hostos

 

 

 

continues

[dz63]

From Plaza de Hostos we walked towards La Princesa Promenade . . .

 

 

. . .and walked down the brick boardwalk, beautifully lined with trees, tropical vegetation and graced with elegant street lamps.

 

La Princesa Promenade is very picturesque, quaint and beautiful!

 

At the end of the Promenade, near the waters edge is the Racies or Roots Fountain.

 

The Racies Fountain honors Puerto Rico’s mixed African, Spanish and Taino heritage

 

Even though it is late in the afternoon, it is still extremely hot. . .but the Racies Fountain offers us a great way to cool off!

 

 

continues

[dz63]

We continued our walk, by following the Paseo del Morro—a path along the old city wall.

 

 

Old San Juan is enclosed by thick, high walls. The city wall is a massive 42 feet high and 20 feet thick!

 

The city wall along the Paseo del Morro

 

This is part of La Muralla de la Cuidad—a 3-mile long fortification built to protect the city from enemy attacks.

 

If you keep following this path, you will arrive at El Morro

 

We pass through the San Juan Gate (La Puerta De San Juan), constructed in 1520 and enter into the Old City.

This is the only entry door still remaining.

 

We can really see the thickness of the wall by passing through this gate

 

The other side of the entry door

 

 

 

continues

[dz63]

We climb the stairs to get to the top of the wall and get this view of the massive, fortified city wall and entry door.

 

 

We also get a view of San Juan Bay.

 

 

Nearby is the Plazuela de la Rogativa--a 12 foot high bronze statue.

 

The story behind the Plazuela de la Rogativa:

During a British attack in 1797, a group of women led by a Bishop successfully

scared off their enemies by carrying torches and making noises.

The British fled believing that reinforcements had arrived.

 

 

 

continues