Victory Review 2/21....w/PICS

[Brangwen]

As amazing as the pictures are, even they don't do justice to these ports of call. You guys are going to have a blast next month. Just wish we could have joined you.

 

We're going to miss you guys :(

 

Great review, makes me want to go pack :D:D

[Buffettfan 225]

so that's it for the sj pics. actually there's one more. remember the story of my wife losing her camera in a cab? well we're headed back to get a cab to go to our room, and i'm looking at the drivers that are waiting for pax, and i'm like, "i think that's our driver from last night". but i'm not that sure, so we are on the other side of the street trying to get a closer look. then the kid jumps from the wall and starts booking it as fast as he can away from us. well not really. actually he jumps off the wall and starts walking towards us waving us down.

 

he comes jogging across the street and says " hey i have your camera". my wife broke into tears. she was so happy to get her camera back. i gave the guy $40, and he gave us a ride back to the hilton. he also gave us his phone number in case we needed another ride. we did end up using him the next morning to get to the ship, and of course he got a generous tip at the ship, and also when he took us back to the hotel.

 

this is lenin, i have his number if anybody wants to use a good kid to taxi them around when they are down there.

Would you please email phone number, we can use him multiple times, I'll pass on about his honesty and referral.

buffettfan225-cruise@yahoo dot com Thanks Suzy

[newt98]

double

[newt98]

DAY 5, ST. LUCIA

 

 

i think st. lucia ended up being my favorite stop. i think it was bevause of the snorkeling there. now i only got to snorkel at one place for about forty minutes, but the water was just so clear, and it was such a great spot for being so crowded that i just know there is great snorkeling to be done around the rest of the island.

 

we had a tour with cosol tours set up for the day, along with about 20 other people from the roll call. this would be the best tour of the trip for me. the tour would include stops at banana plantations, numerous lookout points with markets, food, drinks, a water taxi ride the jalouise bech, and a waterfall, and it was a great trip.

 

so we headed off the ship after breakfast to meet with our group. we were able to walk right off with no lines again. as we walked outside we could see our group gathering nera a guy with a sign for cosol. once we all got there, cosol saw how many we had in the group and called for a bigger bus that could fit everyone. the original plan was that we would have to be in two separate buses. so we waited for the bus in the shopping area for a few minutes. then it showed up and we were ready to go, it was a fairly nice bus with plenty of seating, and me and the dw got a seat near the front like we usually do. sylvia was our guide for the day, there is also a driver.

 

we headed off through town and started through the countryside as sylvia taught us all about som eof the history of the island. one of our first stops was the banan plantation. it was actually kind of cool. the banana trees are actually plants, so thrie trunks are actually soft to the touch, like a plant, kinda weird. there are some young guys there with local fruits that you can try, but it might cost you a couple bucks depending on how much you try. i think i gave them around four bucks, i tried alot.

 

then we pass through a fishing town and make a stop up on the hillside as we're leaving town, this is when the drinks come out. apparently there are two cars in front of us as well as a couple more cosol buses. and everybody stops together. well in the trunk of the cars there are coolers full of beer, soad, water, and rum punch. and every time we stop, you are welcome to anything that you like. i think that's why i liked this tour so much. the drivers don't drink, so don't worry about that.

 

we continue on making more stops and end up at the top of the mountain lookout where it is time to eat. when you walk down to the gathering point, cosols wife is there a few of her friends/ workers, and they have put out all this food that they have cooked and prepared. there's a ton of food there, and cosol wants all of it eaten. there are local fruits, sweets, bread, and some spicy chicken dish. there was something there for everyone, you will not go hungry.

 

after we had our fill, we headed down the back side of the island to the sulphur springs. i could care less for the sulphur springs, if i had my choice we would have skipped that and gone straight to jalouise beach, but it's not my choice, so that's fine.

 

bananas in a bag to help them grow faster

 

the banana plantation

 

if you push your finger into the stalk, water comes out, kinda weird.

 

one of the lookout points

 

another lookout point

[newt98]

everybody getting liquor from the hatchback

 

one of the stops, you can see "hayziedaze" from the "sexist" posts there in the middle of the pic

 

these tiny kids were so cute in their little uniforms

 

a fishing village

 

just about every time you see kids, they're in their uniform

[newt98]

the dw with her rum punch

 

this is overlooking that fishing village we just came through

 

he takes request, but if you request "no woman, no cry", that is the only line he knows, lol.

 

fishing village in st. lucia

 

same fishing village

[newt98]

another fishing village

 

this was as they were filling the tables with food

 

the pitons in the distance

 

driving through one of the towns

 

the sulphur springs

[newt98]

after the springs we headed down the backside of st. lucia towards a fishing village where we would get in the wate rtaxi and head to jalouise. i have been on water taxis before, and this wasnt exactly what we were expecting. they were just fishing boats that said water taxi, kinda funny. so you jump in the boat and take off across the water to jalouise beach. it takes about ten minutes to get there, and the people in back get more wet than the people in the front.

 

it was a beautiful ride across the water to the beach. when you get there, there are some chairs available, but not alot, and it is very hot, look for a place to put your chair in the shade. the chairs cost like $5. they also rent snorkel gear if you didnt bring any. i btought my mask and snorkel this trip, like i always do, but i have been renting my fins. didnt feel like packing fins around.

 

there is a snorkeling area there, and it is a great little spot. but i only had about 40 minutes in the water, so i was a bit disappointed, but it was still great. the worse thing was, i had cleaned my underwater camera case the night before, and apparently there was still moisture in it, because as soon as i went underwater, the lens kept fogging up, i would take it out and dry it, but it kept doing it, bummer. i started heading back towards land because i knew i only had about five minutes left, and they had started loading the boat up, and it appeared they were just waiting for me. but when we got ready to leave, we realized there was still one couple not on the boat. we weren't sure if they got on the first boat or not. after about ten minutes of debating whether or not they were on the other one, they finally showed up, and had to sit in the back, lol. but we were glad to see emily and raymond make it on the boat.

 

this was our tour bus with cosol

 

here are the water taxis to jalouise beach

 

sitting in the water taxi looking at one of the pitons

 

people getting in the water taxi

 

another water taxi in st lucia

[newt98]

water taxi with the piton in the background

 

snorkeling area at jalouise

 

dw sitting in the water taxi

 

perverted little lizard in the bathroom

 

emily and raymond barely making it back to the boat, they got a rousing applause, lol.

[newt98]

this is at jalousie beach

 

the swimming area at jalouise beach

 

snorkeling area at jalouise

 

this is steve "hayziedaze" "sexist" son at jalouise beach reading his book, he always had that book close by. (sexist was the heading of his review for those that don't know)

 

fishing village on st lucia

[newt98]

dude's chillaxin'

 

not a bad gig, driving the boat around the island

 

taxi ride over

[newt98]

after the beach, we headed to a waterfall, which i didnt really care for that much, we have waterfalls all over the great northwest, but it's part of the trip. but when we got there, it was actually really nice to get in it and rinse all the saltwater off. one bit of advice, the water falling, hits your head very hard! alot of use got in there, the water was pretty refreshing. and i had to pee anyways, just kidding. :o

 

mark getting hit in the head

 

that's the waterfall

[Margarita Mom]

We're going to miss you guys :(

 

Great review, makes me want to go pack :D:D

 

Since we were so upset we couldn't make the Crossers cruise we thought we'd treat ourselves to an Eastern Cruise on the Dream in May.

[newt98]

so after the waterfall we headed back to the ship, it's probably an hours drive back. and there is one problem with free beer, the more you drink, the more you do have to relieve yourself, well i had fine up to this point, but as we were leaving the waterfall i was thinking that i might want to find a bathroom first. but i didnt have $1 on me, so i figured i would just wait until the next stop. well the next stop did not come for quite awhile. and when we did stop, it was at a little fishing village, with no obvious bathrooms. we stopped because this is where sylvia would go out and get some fresh baked bread rolls and cheese, which was very, very good. but as i'm sitting there with my bladder about to burst, i ask the driver to point out a bathroom. well he looks around and points me ine the direction of these three teenage local boys and tell them i need a restroom.

 

so i get out of the bus and these kids are like "come over here". so i follow them to a house and they tell th elady i need a bathroom, and she looks at me and is like "broken". ugh! but the kid asks me if i had to pee, and i told him i did. he reponds with "F*** IT! just go in the bushes like we do! i'm like, just show me where man, i'm not above that. so him and his posse lead me to the bush across the street behind the trees so my fellow pax can't see me. after what seemed like two hours i was finally off and running. i gave them a few bucks and we high fived and shared a moment of bonding, lol. then i got back on the bus and left my possed behind, and they waved as i left my new found friends in st. lucia. but of course everbody on the bus had known what was going down while i was out searching the land for a place to leave my mark. they said it looked like i had my own mafia. back on the bus now, and give me another beer.

 

every time they opened a beer here, they didnt use a bottle opener, they used the other bottle as the pry to get the top off, so i had sylvia show me how to do it, and after a couple attempts, voila, got it!

 

me trying it

 

traveling through a fishing village

 

more of those tiny kids in their unis

 

back at the port shopping area

[newt98]

well we got back to the boat with plenty of time to spare, so we did a bit of shopping. i ended up finding some banana rum cream, so i was very excited about that. i put it in my back pack and walked onto the ship with it. i did notice other people being stopped though, so i don't know why we got through with ours. also, they are selling the piton beer there at the shopping center, so i got a couple more of those, i was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol throughout the day. early afternoon was beer, then a couple cokes, then back to beer, and it would only get owrse as tonight was the past guest party, with free drinks.

 

but we got to our room, and waited to watch the late runners, and of course there were some. then the last group to get to the ship just come strolling down the pier with beer in their hand, without a worry in the world. the last gangplank i sbeing held for them, theirs a office outside urging them to pick it up, but they could care less.

 

that gets me to a point about what i have read on here about the "locals" from san juan being on the cruise and either being drunk and obnoxious, or cutting in line at the buffet, you know, all the crap that people write about. and i can tell you this. the obnoxious drunk people were of caucasian decent. the rude and or loud people, were of the same race as previously mentioned. and as i wtore in the beginning of this story, the thief was of caucasion decent, while the upstanding young man was a local to puerto rico. and it almost goes without saying that possibly the sweetest couple we met from the roll call were locals from san juan. so perception becomes reality only when you allow it. ok, off of soapbox, it's can't hold my weight.

 

oh wait, i'll get back on it for a sec. back on board for sailaway, no port side bar open, have to go to the smoking side of the ship and wait in line to get a beer. and they actually had a band at sailaway this time, and i have the picture to prove it.

 

this is the only pic i have of the victory in port

 

sitting in port at st lucia

 

the port shopping area

 

the banana rum i bought in st lucia

[newt98]

run, run away!

 

these guys actually were running also

 

this is the last group, didnt have a care in the world

[newt98]

leaving st lucia, aida still in port

 

aida in port, along with a princess ship

 

pirates of the caribbean

[newt98]

i know i should stop bitching, but i just don't get how they could keep this bar closed the whole trip, it historically is where i like to get my drinks. (cost cutting)

 

the one man band (cost cutting)

 

leaving st lucia

 

deck of the victory

 

surprise!

[sailorwife]

hey Mike isn't this where you wanted someone to come out and play?????

Joan:D

[newt98]

then after we got back on the ship we opened our banana rum cream, and had the bottle about finished by the time we headed to the past guest party for free drinks. this would be the first time we went to one of those, and i guess it was kind of fun. the drinks were ok, i think i had like 4 or 5, they are in small glasses. so after this i was getting kind of hammered for the first time on the trip. we had been drinking free beer all day, had the rum cream, then the free drinks, then got a beer after the past guest party.

 

we then heade back to our room, but i was pretty hammered at this point and started trying to hang out with our friends from past cruises, sue answered the door in her towel and said inder could not come out to play yet, and joan and ken were showering, i don't know how you fit two people in one of those showers though. anyways, inder called me down about five minutes later and said he has a drink waiting for, like i needed one.

 

so we went down to sue and inders room and hung out there for awhile. and of course i was a chatty cathy after all the liquor i had been drinking throughout the day. si i filled in sue, inder, and their friends with my life story, because i could tell they all wanted to hear it, lol. (sorry bout that) we then all headed to dinner, this would be the second formal night. dinner went well, and afterwards we pretty much headed back to the cabin to get some rest.

 

 

aida in port at st lucia

 

sue and rhonda before dinner

 

i guess this is me, i don't know what i'm laughing about

 

my wife told me this is my surprised look.

 

hey, i look sober in that one

[newt98]

so we had a great day in st lucia. i have to thank joan (sailorwife) for sttine up this excursion we did with cosol. unfortunately she fell ill that morning and she was not able to do the tour, after doing all the legwork for the twenty of us. she did a great job all around in getting things together for everybody on the roll call, and for her friends.

 

last pic, towel animal, i guess it's a good way to close the post.

[sailorwife]

Thanks Mike , I relived the whole cruise again except I went on the St Lucia tour, and more than likely I would of come out and played after all those drinks, two people in the shower, hey we have been married for almost 43 years "we will have to have a talk";)

Mike & DW are two wonderful people,:)

Love You Both

Joan:D

[Falls Cruiser]

BOO HOO!!!! I'm so sad it's over!! That was a fantastic review. Wish we could have been on that cruise. It sounded like so much fun. Loved all the pics!

[newt98]

BOO HOO!!!! I'm so sad it's over!! That was a fantastic review. Wish we could have been on that cruise. It sounded like so much fun. Loved all the pics!

 

 

that was just the end of that day, we still have st kitts left, st maarten, then post cruise at san juan for one night. :)

[J&DrCruisin]

Wonderful review. Thanks bunches. We will be going to St.Thomas in December and loved the looks of the beach there. Do they rent snorkeling equipment there or any water toys?? Also, what about lunch?? Is there a place thats close by and what are the prices like? Any places that are AI?

Thanks in advance :D