azurewater

Good Afternoon,

Sailing on Princess for the first time. We have a late seating in the MDR. Are capri pants for women ok? Or would pants/ dress be more appropriate?

The web site says "smart casual". That description leaves a lot to interpretation depending on the part of the country you live in.

Thank you.

Thank you all for your insight and thoughts. I am so excited about trying a new cruise line. I have been stalking some reviews and photos and it looks soooo beautiful.

Thanks!

Joy

Thanks for the replies regarding bikes. I appreciate it.

aw

I have looked at this cruise for a leas two years. Finally, someone has written a fantastic review.

Would you be able to tell me if they had bikes on the ship? A friend of mine did a different Viking river cruise and the ship she was on had bikes for loan at different ports?

Thank you!

aw

I know that passports are a heated topic on here, but I take mine with me. I usually ask around the dock area and have had about 95% success in getting it stamped. Sometimes the office is too far and due to tours etc, we can't make it there.

I started doing this when one of my kid's teachers would bring items from her trips (which were often) and she always showed them the passport stamp.

Grrreat thread and photos. Thanks!

We will be on the Spirit soon and will have our first aft balcony. Sorry to say not a wrap, but someday, eh?

We are on deck seven...cannot wait. Any photos post them, please.

I LOVE THE IDEA OF WINE BOTTLE STOPPERS! Thanks.

I collect sand and shells (I take ziplock bags and sharpee and note date, beach and location.

Also, try to get at least one small piece of art or jewelry on each vacation, not from each port.....unfortunately.

I try to get at least one photograph from each vacation that is "frame worthy".

This would be by either a local photographer or if I get lucky one that I have taken.

Last but not least...passport stamps.

On the Triumph, I found a $2 bill near the basketball court. No coin. It was encased in the metal with a plastic cover. It read Triumph 1999.

I found the Triumph's on our December 16th cruise. It is on the deck that has the basketball court. Basketball court was on the side of the ship and the dollar was towards the front. Maybe on radar tower or mast....cannot remember. They had tons of lounge chairs stacked in front of it. There was no coin that I could see. If I can figure out how to post a photo, I will!

Anyone know where the Spirit has hers hidden? I will be there in 22 days!

We are about three months out from our cruise and these photos help pass the time away.

Love them....some are so funny I almost choked on my lunch (guy laying on back be a ....fountain!). Some are so beautiful (all the sunsets)

Keep it going! I know there are more out there.

Royaltmom- that was a GREAT towel animal! Too funny....I love things like that. People with a sense of humor and creativity.

nana & poppa - we always tip more than the automated tips, but yes he got an extra big one. He really was an integral part of our memories of that trip. My photos scroll on my PC at work as a screen saver and whenever that one pops up and someone is in my office, I have to explain it and everyone always gets a chuckle.

So, let's see more!! We need photos!

welldone- My towel animal sent me straight to the wine bottle! I have had the hanging monkey thingy...it could be kind of creepy, but I think the woman you referenced doesn't like to have fun and certainly no sense of humor.

cuizer....So, that was why my husband was pantless that evening. Being blonde, I never put it all together! silly duck....husband leaves clothes laying all over the place. I feel I have to pick up before the steward can even come into the cabin!

This was fun. When I finally made it back to the dining room (after visit with neighbors and a glass of wine to settle nerves), I told husband and tablemates about it and showed the photograph. They all wanted to see it.

So, we finished up and headed down to our room. That started an evening we would not forget and establishing some great friendships. We had so much fun that night because of our steward "thinking out of the box".

: )

I love this thread. Let's keep it alive.

December 2009, we were doing the southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan. Loved, loved our room steward. He was so much fun.

As we were leaving for dinner and evening festivities one evening, my husband told him to come up with a "unique" "out of the box" towel animal.

After dinner, I ran back to the cabin to use the restroom and grab my camera. I zipped into the bathroom not paying attention to much. I came out and caught sight of our towel animal:

not all that unique. I then turned around to grab my camera and let out a blood-curdling scream. This is what I saw:

I thought for sure someone was under my bed. After the initial shock, I started laughing so hard. I went out onto the balcony still laughing and the neighbors leaned over to make sure I was okay. So, naturally, I invited everyone in to see MY towel animal. Our steward had used a pair of husbands pants, shoes, and lots of towels. what fun! First time I had this kind of towel animal.

Well, that is my unique photo.

jpd

Same thing happened to us on the December 13th boarding. At that time they were using white stickers with "CCL" on them. A few people had removed the stickers and told my husband to remove his sticker. I had not heard the converstiaon and sure enough, I was stopped and rum was confiscated. Oh well....at least we had a few bottles that got on.

Joy

Hey, CarnivalGirl3!

DH and I will be on Victory Dec.13th-Dec.20th. Glad to hear someone else is going to be there. : ) We will have to meet up for a drink and you can hide in our cabin if you need to escape the in-laws.

Read all these posts...from what I read there is plenty of snorkeling to be done. I could snorkel everyday. We just got back from Mexico and had amazing snorkeling adventures.

Chat with you soon. Only 111 more days! whoo whoo.

Joy

After reading this thread and other Victory threads, I have been looking at booking some private tours on the various islands.

For those of you that have booked private tours...a few questions:

-Do you pay ahead of time over the internet or just make a reservation and pay when you arrive?

-If for some reason the port was cancelled, is there a problem with getting a refund?

Thanks! Loved the Old San Juan pics, Rob. Do you like your underwater camera? Some of your pics were awesome.

Joy

Oh Rob!

Love your photos....keep them coming! What is the canopy-like thing jutting out in the water....where is it? Reading these boards, sure does make the days go by faster. We go on December 13th! 165 days...and counting.

Anticipation and planning is part of the fun of any trip!

Joy

Loved the new photos you put up. Beaches look heavenly. Only 167 days to go!

We love to snorkel, too. Do you take your own equipment or rent? I usually take at least mask and snorkel. I was thinking about leaving fins and vest at home and trying to rent some. Do you know if there are any problems renting a vest or fins? Thanks.

Joy

Your notes are great. Pretty much lines up with my notes from what I read here and on trip advisor (not to mention several travel books on the southern carribean). I was so engrossed in reading travel book that I completely missed my train stop the other day....oops!

This is the first time that I am booking tours other than Carnival. Who knew?? I didn't until I stumbled onto these boards. What a wealth of information.

We do not go until December 13th, but looking at Rob's and aplmac's photos makes the wait seem better.

Thanks to all for writing in and sharing their photos and thoughts.

Joy <<<<< 171 days to go!

Judy!

I love your signature! I was driving home one day and had Jimmy Buffet playing. The song came on just about the time I was thinking about our trip. thought that was a good omen. I have been humming that song for days now...driving all crazy!

I make the ringtones myself. Upload the song to a "make your own ringtone" site. I use makeownringtone.com or myxer.com On the makeown site, you upload a song, set the markers where you want your ring tone. Mess around with filters, follow instructions and bingo bango bongo....ringtone. It is easy. I have never had a virus or problems with phone. I use it all the time....daughter's ringtone is a St. Louis Cardinal baseball song, brother's is St. Louis Blues Hockey song...etc

Any open cabins in April?? Maybe I can convince husband to go again in April! : )

Joy

Thanks to everyone for their posts and the PHOTOGRAPHS! I spend my lunch reading these boards (this thread in particular). Our cruise is not until December 13th, over a 170 days to go, but this thread helps me daydream and plan a great vacation.

All your input, especially about tours, is appreciated. The cruises we have been on, we usually booked through the ship or just wandered around by ourselves. I have copious notes on the different islands.

Thank you to all!!

Joy

"got out of town on a boat to the southern islands....." my ringtone

(Southern Cross)

All these photos are wonderful and it keeps me day-dreaming about our cruise on the VICTORY on December 13th. Keep them coming!!

This is probably a foolish question for you veteran cruisers, but do you have your passports stamped? On the cruise we did to Mexico, we never had our passports stamped. Then someone told us that had theirs stamped in every port.

Does anyone do this? How do you find out where to go to get passport stamped? I think this would be fun to do. I have a friend who goes to Europe about once a month (FOR FUN!) and his passport books are great to look at and compare the stamps.

Just curioius....hope you don't think this is stupid.

Joy

I have been on several cruises, but only recently found these boards. I have noticed that many on this thread and others talk about specific tour, tour guides, companies. They will usually reference that they learned about these on CC.

We have either booked through the ship or walked around on our own at various ports. If there is a better way, I would love to learn about it. I have several travel books, but none really mention specific tour companies.

Is there a specific spot on cruisecritic.com to look or is it just a matter of reading and reading?

Thanks for any help. I have until December 13th to get it all together. The pics posted and conversation on this thread is fun and makes it all real.

Have a great one!

Joy

My husband just booked this cruise for 12/13/2009. It will be hectic to be gone the week before Christmas, but after seeing and reading about this cruise....who cares! I can get most everything that needs to be done before we leave and whatever is left.....oh well. Plus weather in the Midwest is usually getting darn cold by then...not to mention freezing rain, ice storms, and snow.

I cannot wait. We plan on arriving in San Juan day before. Any thoughts on a good hotel near the port? We usually explore on our own, but was wondering if anyone has ever did the pre-cruise shore excursions offered through Carnival?

Cannot wait for some of you to post after you cruise. It is going to be fun reading this thread.

Joy