FINALLY! My really long Victory review 1/17-1/24/10 with MEGA pix!!

[pknapper]

I love reviews like this and can only hope I can do something like this after we cruise. Can't wait for more.

[scraphappylady]

In addition, we were lucky to have worn sturdy shoes – there was a lot of steep terrain to go up and down on, and flipflops would not have done the job.

 

 

 

 

Once again, though, the scenery and plant life were absolutely gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

More beautiful scenery

 

 

 

 

 

[scraphappylady]

For me, the highlight of the Indian site was the opportunity to talk to some of the native women there who were weaving baskets. They take great pride in their work, and make and sell these as a way to help support their families.

 

 

The baskets themselves were very beautiful, in quite an array of colors, yet completely natural – the women said they used no dyes, only the colors of the grasses as they were in nature. They made everything from huge over-the-shoulder baskets good for beach towels, to very small little trinket holders with lids. Most were $25 or less, and we ended up getting a few as gifts for those back home.

 

We stopped for lunch at an eco-tourism site, near to where people were river tubing. Our meal was all vegetarian, but delicious. We started with pumpkin soup, that included coconut milk as an ingredient. Wish I could have gotten that recipe! The rest of the meal included rice, red and pink beans, banana salad (which was good – tasted more like our version of potato salad back home), a dish made with sweet potatoes and plantains, and regular side salad, albeit with much more cabbage in it then we were used to.

 

We ate under an open-air pavilion, and as we ate, we were entertained by some of the native people doing tribe dances, but the stage was too far away to get any good pictures. We did have some little critters keeping us company, though, chiefly a few tiny lizards and lots of hummingbirds.

 

On the way back to the ship, we stopped for about 20 minutes to see a waterfall. Again, the trail/steps were rather steep and very narrow, but it was well worth the effort. Very few people were there as we arrived, and since only four or five of us actually went down to see the waterfall, it was very quiet and peaceful.

 

 

 

As we came back up, another tour group was coming down, so we visited the site at just the right time.

 

Again, we got back to the dock area with hardly any time left before we had to get back on the ship. We took a picture as we headed back to our floating hotel,

 

 

as well as one of a five-masted cruise ship, called “Wind Song,” that was sharing port with us.

 

[scraphappylady]

We were on the Victory two years ago and Loved the intense week of a port a day...We are getting ready to book the Victory Again for October...I have to say it is my favorite itinerary!

 

I have to admit, DH and I are very much port people (we sail to see new ports), but before we left we were really nervous that it might be TOO much for us. Turned out to be NOT SO!!

 

To wake up to an entirely new port each day (well, for DH anyway - I had been to St. Thomas and Martin before) was awesome and cannot compare!

You are lucky to be going back - we're seriously considering doing this itinerary again and taking the kids . . . and I hope it's sooner rather than later! :)

[LRGidget]

We opted for a shorter trip to see the Falls because our son and his wife haven't seen them and hope we didn't make a mistake. I hate those long sit stop back in and sit some more tours :o

[jjal]

I have to admit, DH and I are very

You are lucky to be going back - we're seriously considering doing this itinerary again and taking the kids . . . and I hope it's sooner rather than later! :)

 

We just did this cruise in September 2009, and are going back 3/21/10. Guess what- taking the kids! I hope they will love their first cruise and all these islands!

[HAULNTA]

MORE PLEASE:o

[SoonerOne]

Excellent Review and Amazing Pictures!

We were on the Victory two years ago and Loved the intense week of a port a day...it's great to see your pictures and say...'I remember that' or to see a picture of something we missed...

We are getting ready to book the Victory Again for October...I have to say it is my favorite itinerary!

Looking forward to the rest of your review AND pictures:)

 

We are booked on the Victory~~~Halloween night, come on along!

These Victory reviews are fabulous, hard to keep up with both of them!:p

[Hooking4]

geat review , love the pics . thanks !

[kat228]

I'm coming along for the ride! Absolutely love your pictures!

[framerman]

great review....thanks...keep it up!

[ChampionCruiser]

as well as one of a five-masted cruise ship, called “Wind Song,” that was sharing port with us.

 

 

I'm LOVING your review!!!!!! It's definitely getting me excited for my cruise (less than four months away!!!!!!!!)

 

Oh, but I don't think that that is the Wind Song, since that ship caught fire and was sunk in 2003:eek:

 

It looks like the Wind Surf:) (Sorry for being a cruise ship nerd)

[scraphappylady]

I'm LOVING your review!!!!!! It's definitely getting me excited for my cruise (less than four months away!!!!!!!!)

 

Oh, but I don't think that that is the Wind Song, since that ship caught fire and was sunk in 2003:eek:

 

It looks like the Wind Surf:) (Sorry for being a cruise ship nerd)

 

Wow! :eek: You're pretty good! I actually went back and looked at some of the other pix I took of it later, zooming in really close and you were right! It was the Wind Surf. I guess my mind just filled in the blanks after seeing the "s" in the last word.

 

So the other one sank, huh? Well, thanks for correcting me - I would have hated to still be calling it the Wind Song if that ship wasn't even around anymore!:p Is that actually what they call it - a schooner cruise ship? I just kinda picked that term because that's what it looked like to me!

[scraphappylady]

Now that I know it was the Wind Surf :D . . . . we saw that same five-masted ship later during sailaway, as it sailed out just ahead of us.

 

(this was the one I zoomed in really closely on)

 

 

 

Another gorgeous sunset

 

After sailaway, we headed back to our cabin. This was the first of our cruise elegant nights, and while we wanted to leave time to shower and get ready, we also were very tired, so we opted to take a quick nap. Unfortunately, we neglected to set our travel alarm . . . and woke up right around . . . 8 pm, 15 minutes before dinner was to start.

 

At this point, we knew there was no sense in rushing and ending up being truly late for the meal, so we said the heck with it and went up on the Lido to see what we could find. While there were no lobster tails (something we didn’t miss so much, being from this part of the country where they are plentiful and relatively inexpensive), we were pleasantly surprised to find that much of the rest of the dining room menu was there. Jon went for the prime rib, while I was very happy with the duck and risotto.

 

The show this night was called “Livin’ in America,” and featured the ship’s dancers performing routines to the song of the same name by Neil Diamond, plus songs from other areas of the U.S. Since many of the songs were familiar to us, we enjoyed it very much. On our return to the room, we were greeted by a cute towel elephant.

 

 

Then, around midnight as we stood out on our deck, we noticed what I jokingly called a "ghost ship" paralleling our path, off the port side. (cue spooky music here) I'm sure it was one of the other ships we had been in port with earlier, but it was kinda eerie, especially with the half moon slowly sinking into the clouds off in the distance.

 

I would have expected such a ship to be well lit up, but it was very dark, with hardly any lights. Maybe it was just further away than we thought.

 

Overall, in thinking about our visit to Dominica later on, I was glad we had the chance to see some of the interior of Dominica, and not just a brief tourist stop somewhere, but this island turned out to be my least favorite of all that we visited.

 

Next up: Barbados and swimming with the turtles!

 

 

While I'm thinking of it here, I thought I'd just jot down a few more miscellaneous notes about the ship, etc.

-while we rarely saw our cabin stewardess, Rommy from Costa Rica, she kept us well taken care of. We met her the second day out, when I asked for another pillow. And after the first day, she kept our cooler well stocked with ice, at least two to three times a day.

-Our shower took quite a bit to warm up in the mornings, sometimes as long as two or three minutes of running the water full blast, before it was hot enough. However, by later on in the day, it would come out hot almost immediately. Never sure why this was.

-I put up three of the four 3M hooks we brought with us, and that really helped when we needed to hang stuff to dry, or ran out of hangers in the closet. The two closets had enough room, but not really enough hangers for all our clothes, but we were too lazy to ask for anymore. We just hung the dressier clothes up and folded the rest in the drawers or on the shelves.

-for some reason, the air conditioning throughout the ship seemed to be set at a colder temperature than I have experienced before, and I rarely say that. Usually, I end up being too warm and need to set the air down lower. In looking back, I probably should have brought a nice sweater, especially for when we would watch the shows in the Caribbean Lounge. Instead, I had to make do with the fleece that I wore down to San Juan. Didn't go too well with formal nights, but kept me warm at least!

[CruiseLover824]

You took some awesome pics in Dominica!! I am not-so-patiently waiting for my Victory cruise!!!

[sheri18]

really nice pics....

[scraphappylady]

Thanks, guys, but believe me, on Dominica all I had to do was aim the camera and shoot. The scenery was really that gorgeous!! One of the best things about the island, in my opinion.

[Mypapaya]

I love your review so far! And thanks for commenting on the air conditioning. I often have a problem with air conditioning freezing up a room and I was going to ask a question about it on the cruise boards; but now you've answered it. Definitely bring a sweater!:D I hate being cold, much more than being warm.:(

[Jeans*Fanatic]

Hi, I have to say your pictures are just extraordinarly beautiful!!!! I have a question.... How was weather this time of year there? I am heading out on the Victory May 30, 2010 and was wondering how hot the weather will be.... I hope not too hot! I am trying to figure out what to pack...

 

Also, what nights are the formal nights? Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for taking us along on your trip through you photos!

[Crusin Karen]

I LOVE cruise reviews and esp. with pictures. With all the cruises we have been on, it's true (from the lst page of your review) that the minute you see that ship sitting there waiting for you is just awesome and such an OHHHH :D:eek: moment! We have been to SJ 4x and even stayed there one night post cruise a few years ago and I have NEVER seen the area (not my choice/decision and very long stories :() and wonder if you saw the old cemetary at the fort. I researched this extensively before our last stop there, but again, never got around to going. We went to Domineca only once, and tho I am a "beach cruiser" this island astounded me....the sheer naked beauty of it. So really enjoyed seeing your pictures. Victory is such a GORGEOUS ship. Can't wait to read more and hope you get a chance to cruise again with your kids. We are in NE NJ (about 15 mins. from George Washington Br into Manhattan) so getting the snow too :mad: now and it's nice to read about Caribbean islands. If you opt to cruise with your kids,try the Miracle from Manhattan. It's a short car ride for you, sailing out of NY is so awesome and spirit class ships are the GREATEST! :D Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to post this!

[milokitty]

While I'm thinking of it here, I thought I'd just jot down a few more miscellaneous notes about the ship, etc.

-for some reason, the air conditioning throughout the ship seemed to be set at a colder temperature than I have experienced before, and I rarely say that. Usually, I end up being too warm and need to set the air down lower. In looking back, I probably should have brought a nice sweater, especially for when we would watch the shows in the Caribbean Lounge. Instead, I had to make do with the fleece that I wore down to San Juan. Didn't go too well with formal nights, but kept me warm at least!

 

We also found the ship to be cold, especially in our room. Our tablemates also commented on this. I left a note for our cabin steward to make the room warmer (since we couldn't find any way to adjust it) and he did. BUT, as we were laying in bed one night, and looking at the AC vent in the ceiling, we found out how to adjust the temp!! There is a lever on the vent that slides to let more or less AC in. After that I gave up my all out quest to find an alternative to the fleece jacket I was wearing all the time (but I did find a cute sweatshirt in St Kitts!).

[jrmende63]

I'm really enjoying your review. We were on the Victory in 2007...I loved that ship. I would love to do this intenerary at some point in time. Beautiful Pictures!

[scraphappylady]

I love your review so far! And thanks for commenting on the air conditioning. I often have a problem with air conditioning freezing up a room and I was going to ask a question about it on the cruise boards; but now you've answered it. Definitely bring a sweater!:D I hate being cold, much more than being warm.:(

 

Really surprised me, let me tell you! Being one who loves to set the air at 69 degrees in the summer, I usually never get cold. Go figure!

 

We also found the ship to be cold, especially in our room. Our tablemates also commented on this. I left a note for our cabin steward to make the room warmer (since we couldn't find any way to adjust it) and he did. BUT, as we were laying in bed one night, and looking at the AC vent in the ceiling, we found out how to adjust the temp!! There is a lever on the vent that slides to let more or less AC in. After that I gave up my all out quest to find an alternative to the fleece jacket I was wearing all the time (but I did find a cute sweatshirt in St Kitts!).

 

Thank goodness it wasn't all in my head! We searched and found the controls right away, after I got such a chill that first night out on the deck. Made my DH turn it way down each night, since I was also chilly when we were sleeping! Didn't find my souvenir sweatshirt until St. Kitts either. But a sweater is now on the top of my packing list!

 

I have a question.... How was weather this time of year there? I am heading out on the Victory May 30, 2010 and was wondering how hot the weather will be....Also, what nights are the formal nights?

Aside from that first drizzly day in San juan, we had gorgeous weather for the whole trip. Not sure what you might find in May . . . anyone have an answer? For us, the formal nights were Tuesday (Dominica) and Thursday (St. Lucia)

[scraphappylady]

Again, thanks for all the wonderful comments everyone!! I'm having a blast writing this!

 

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to take a little break here. We just got socked with about 7-8 more inches of that wonderful:rolleyes:, powdery white stuff last night, so now that it's fiiiinnnnnallllly stopped, I'm off to shovel, etc.

 

Plus, the kids were off school yesterday; are still here today and driving me crazy (they just won't shut up:p); the DH may or may not make it back "across the pond" from the UK today, and will certainly miss all this fun snow exercise:rolleyes:; and the dog has to go to the bathroom. Sigh. Guess I better shovel an area for him, too, or he won't be happy.

 

And I can't forget to clear a path to the grill. We are die-hard grillers . . . winter never stops us!

 

Hoping to be back on-line by later on this afternoon or tonight. Thanks for your patience and stay tuned . . . Barbados was one of our best islands!:D