Victory Review~~4/4/10

[CruiseLover824]

How does it work when you check in at the terminal, and then leave in San Juan? Do you have to wait in line again, or can you just walk back on? Thanks

 

We checked in around 11 and grabbed lunch once they allowed us to board the ship. They let you get off right on deck 3--at the same place you board the ship. It was actually a little confusing because there were tons of people boarding, and there were only a few getting back off.

 

I suppose if you didn't want to eat lunch on the ship, you could check in at the terminal, get your sail and sign cards, then head back out without ever going on the ship.....just take the escalator back downstairs. The only problem with this would be if you had a bunch of carry-on luggage!

 

There was quite a line to get back through security when we re-boarded after walking around San Juan---although it moved pretty fast. The security line is the same for those just checking in and those who have already been on-board.

 

You have to be back on the ship around 8 or 8:30 because they did the musterdrill at 9:30pm.

[Joanns6569]

When we arrived in St. Lucia, the weather was not cooperating at all. Apparently there had been NO rain on the island for about the last 5 months---until the day we arrived! But we didn't let that spoil our visit.

 

After much surfing on Cruise Critic, we decided to book and island tour with Cosol. The tour was recommended by many, many fellow posters. It was easy to book---you just contact Cosol through email and tell him how many people you have in your group. There is no deposit required beforehand. He was super easy to find in the terminal! Since we had a group of 10, we got to ride in our own van which was nice. We left the pier at about 9:15. There were a lot of people on the tour. I think he said he had 14 vans at our pier and another 6 at the Princess pier. The vans did not all travel together however.

 

The tour started by driving us through the countryside of St. Lucia. It was fairly flat and the roads were not too bad. We stopped at a road-side stand at a banana plantation and our driver purchased freshly picked bananas and then explained the banana growing process. The bananas were very good. They were probably the sweetest ones I have ever eaten. Then the fun began.

 

Let's just say that the roads in St. Lucia are not for the faint of heart. I think we saw about 100 signs that said "hairpin bend". And they weren't kidding. The roads became very narrow and twisty. Our driver, Charlie, was excellent though, and handled them with skill. I personally was glad I was not the one driving! The driver stopped at several key lookout points along the way to allow us to take some beautiful pictures. Our first main stop, however, was for breakfast. The rain was holding off at this point, so they were able to spread the food tables out in the driveway of the house we stopped at. There was a most excellent selection of treats. I particularly enjoyed the chicken and sauce they had as well as the coconut cake. Other food included was: fish, coconut sticks, johnny cakes, fresh mango, fudge, coconut candy, sugar cane sticks, fried plantains, banana fritters, and more. This was also the first stop we saw the beverage bus. The beverages included a very spiced rum punch, diet cokes, waters, cokes, and Piton beer. One word of caution---if you have to use the restroom here, it will cost you $1. They were attended by a very nice man and were quite clean. One note: The driveway down to the food was EXTREMELY steep. If you have mobility issues, this would be difficult to handle.

 

Once we finished up breakfast, we headed over to the drive-in volcano. The roads were quite an adventure once again. On the way there we drove through a small fishing village and saw a really cool tradition. It was a fish seller who stops at house and blows a conch shell to tell the owner he is there to sell his fish. The drive in volcano was okay--but it was pouring when we got there, so we didn't walk around much. They gave the history of the volcano which was interesting. It also smelled horrible because of the sulfur!! But it was cool.

 

We loaded back up in the van and headed over to the Toraille Waterfall. Along the way our driver stopped and bought us some freshly made, warm cocount cookies that were like a crunchy biscotti. They were very good. The waterfall itself was very crowded as many other tours were stopping there. It was beautiful though and worth taking a look.

 

After the waterfall, we headed over to the water taxis to go to Jalousie beach. They have to take water taxis because whichever hotel chain recently purchased the property at the beach, will no longer let Cosol drop his people off there. The water taxi was quick and was a very refreshing boat ride. Again, if you have mobility issues, getting in the water taxi might pose a problem since you have to get into the water to get on the boat. Jalousie beach is situated between the Pitons and was very nice. One note though--it was kind of rocky along the water. I belive that most of the beaches are this way because of the volcano. We spent about an hour or so there which was fine on this day because of the rain.

 

When we got back to Charlie's van, we again were greeted by the beverage bus and had more drinks. We started to make the trip back to the ship, but along the way, we stopped in a little village area where Charlie stopped to get us our hot bread and cheese. The bread was fantastic. We all said it looked like a giant turkey leg---it was bread with a handle! It was slice along one edge so you could put your cheese inside of it. It was yummy. While we were waiting for Charlie to get the bread purchased, some local kids came up and pressed their faces up agaist the van windows. I opened the window and spoke to a boy named Imani. He seemed to be facinated with us. I think he may have been hoping for a few bucks, but all he got was some converstion. He was very sweet.

 

All in all, I would definitely recommend taking Cosol's tour. For the $65 price, you certainly get your money's worth. I truly think we saw almost every inch of the island of St. Lucia. If you are at all prone to motion-sickness, be sure to take some dramamine or ginger pills before you go!! The roads were quite an adventure to say the least!! :eek:

 

A fishing village from above

 

Breakfast!

 

The volcano

 

Flowers at the waterfall

 

The waterfall

 

Thank you for the information and review with Cosol, we have a group of 12 that will be doing this same excurstion in June, reconfirms the choice and can't wait to leave.

[CruiseLover824]

Thank you for the information and review with Cosol, we have a group of 12 that will be doing this same excurstion in June, reconfirms the choice and can't wait to leave.

 

I don't think you will be disappointed. We really did see a lot of the island. Everyone in my group felt it was worth the money and enjoyed the day. I especially enjoyed trying some of the local food!! I don't think you could get a better excursion through the ship for the price.

 

Cosol was well organized, and you can tell he takes pride in his business. He was at every stop we made and made sure to speak to as many people as possible.

[chachi]

We checked in around 11 and grabbed lunch once they allowed us to board the ship. They let you get off right on deck 3--at the same place you board the ship. It was actually a little confusing because there were tons of people boarding, and there were only a few getting back off.

 

I suppose if you didn't want to eat lunch on the ship, you could check in at the terminal, get your sail and sign cards, then head back out without ever going on the ship.....just take the escalator back downstairs. The only problem with this would be if you had a bunch of carry-on luggage!

 

There was quite a line to get back through security when we re-boarded after walking around San Juan---although it moved pretty fast. The security line is the same for those just checking in and those who have already been on-board.

 

You have to be back on the ship around 8 or 8:30 because they did the musterdrill at 9:30pm.

 

Thank you!

How long did it take you to do the free trolly and look around?

 

I am really enjoying your review. I am getting very excited for my cruise! I think I may go to the Boatyard now, it sounds great!

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Great review! We'll be on the Victory in 80 days!! I'm still SO confused about the excursions...so much to do...

[CruiseLover824]

Thank you!

How long did it take you to do the free trolly and look around?

 

I am really enjoying your review. I am getting very excited for my cruise! I think I may go to the Boatyard now, it sounds great!

 

Well, the free trolley never came on the Sunday that we got on the ship! The traffic was soooooo congested that it was running behind at least 1 hour. The day we got back, we did get on the trolley at 9am. There are several different lines. One just goes around the interior of OSJ, another goes around to the forts. The ride through the interior took only about 10 minutes with no traffic. The outer loop--the forts took a little longer. They all stop at stops #1 and #14 which were the 2 stops we used. They are both near the pier.

[jks336]

the coscol tours sounds great! was that 65 per person? sounds like it.. and when you did your stops for breakfast, cookies , bread was that included in your price or did you pay extra? i do assume that the drink van was extra. Enjoying your review, this is one cruise i want to take, hoping my next one :)

[Tiffany1203]

Great review!

[CruiseLover824]

the coscol tours sounds great! was that 65 per person? sounds like it.. and when you did your stops for breakfast, cookies , bread was that included in your price or did you pay extra? i do assume that the drink van was extra. Enjoying your review, this is one cruise i want to take, hoping my next one :)

 

The price was $65 a person. That INCLUDES all of the food and drinks--alcohol too!! It really is a good bargain! The only additional charge on his tour was for the restrooms in a few of the places. There were 2 restrooms that we stopped at that each cost $1.00 to use!

 

If you google Cosol Tours, you should find his website very easily.

[Buffettfan 225]

The clerk told us it was to encourage people to attend church on Sundays. It appeared that you could still buy single serving bottles, but I am not sure if you could even do that. They actually had all the grocery aisles roped off and the coolers tied shut. There is a CVS right down the street from the pier, so you could wait and get stuff there. It was a 2 minute walk from the pier.

 

 

Stay tuned.....more to come tomorrow!

We've always treked into OSJ to the Walgreens, can you tell me if you come out of ship and go across street with back facing ship/water do you turn right or left?

 

Also-dooes anyone know if they sell soda at duty free store inside terminal?

[CruiseLover824]

We've always treked into OSJ to the Walgreens, can you tell me if you come out of ship and go across street with back facing ship/water do you turn right or left?

 

Also-dooes anyone know if they sell soda at duty free store inside terminal?

 

The new CVS is to the left if you are standing on the street with your back to the ship/water. It is directly on the main street. They have also moved Senor Frogs to the main street since the last time I was in OSJ. It is just about next door to the CVS---this should help you get your bearings since you can see the big green frog on the top of the building very easliy!!! :D

 

I did not see soda at the duty free shops. That doesn't mean it wasn't there, I just didn't look for it that hard.

[Buffettfan 225]

Great review! We'll be on the Victory in 80 days!! I'm still SO confused about the excursions...so much to do...

I keep seeing your posts-we are on same sailing as you. So confused too! My DH asked me a bout the fort etc and I couldn't tell him which port of call! So glad you chose Maho -your kids will love it.

Suzy - see you on our roll call

[Buffettfan 225]

Well, the free trolley never came on the Sunday that we got on the ship! The traffic was soooooo congested that it was running behind at least 1 hour. The day we got back, we did get on the trolley at 9am. There are several different lines. One just goes around the interior of OSJ, another goes around to the forts. The ride through the interior took only about 10 minutes with no traffic. The outer loop--the forts took a little longer. They all stop at stops #1 and #14 which were the 2 stops we used. They are both near the pier.

You mentioned in earlier post about steepness of hill to fort. Does trolley go to top area or still a steep climb up?

[CruiseLover824]

You mentioned in earlier post about steepness of hill to fort. Does trolley go to top area or still a steep climb up?

 

The first stop near Fort San Cristobal is stop # 18....if you get off here, it is a VERY steep climb to the entrance. However, if you stay on the trolley, it will stop again towards the top at a second entrance. It wasn't steep there at all.

 

If you want to go to el Morro, the trolley stops a fair distance away from the entrance, but it was a flat walk from the trolley to the entrance.

[CruiseLover824]

For our day in St. Kitts, we stuck with a Carnival shore excursion. I had thought about going to the St. Kitts Tour store, but in the end, we just booked online with Carnival. The St. Kitts Tour Store would have been super easy to locate----it was right at the end of the pier. They offered what seemed to be a pretty decent selection of trips.

 

The excursion we decided on was the St. Kitts Highlights and Brimstone Hill Fortress. As is typical with Carnival excursions, they herded us all together at the end of the pier---luckily we were under a roof so we stayed cool while waiting for all of the other people on the excursion. It didn't take too long before we were loaded into the local taxis--we had 6 people, so they stuck 4 others with us to make a group of 10. The first part of the tour was informational......we learned some of the history of the island and saw some key places that were located in the main city area. I enjoy learning a little about each place that I travel, so this was interesting to me. The 'downtown' part of St. Kitts was small, but nice. There were not a lot of shops though. The shops were mainly at the pier. There was a small Caribelle Batik shop in the town center and that was about all we noticed.

 

We then headed up to the botanical gardens and batik factory. I wouldn't call it much of a factory though. There was a very short--2 min--description of how the batik is made. We didn't actually see anything being made however. You can then shop for the batik items. The shop was small, but it had some cool pieces. The grounds of Romney Manor were full of really cool flowers and trees. We only stayed here for about a total of 30mins. It was okay...but not overly exciting.

 

After touring the botanical gardens and batik area, we headed up to the fortress. The drive was very scenic, as it took us along the coast. The roads to the fortress were much less scary than our ride in St. Lucia the day before! That is until we got to the actual fortress property!! The road to the top of the fortress was SUPER narrow and had a bunch of sharp turns. Our driver, Cappy, was very careful and took the turns very slowly and had his "listening ear" listening for horn honks. It seems that everyone in the islands honk around the corners to alert oncoming traffic that they are approaching.

 

Once we got to the top of the hill, the fortress was quite impressive. Most of the fortress is up another level from the parking area. The steps to get to the top were a bit tricky. It also didn't help that the wind was blowing really bad that day. If you were too skinny, you might have been blown off the top of the fort!! It was REALLY strong! The views from the top were absoutely gorgeous. It was worth the walk up the stairs. The fortress was not handicapped accessible other than the parking lot area. You could still get some good views from that level, but the main part of the historical fort was up above. We stayed at the top for about an hour, and then drove back to the ship.

 

We had planned on going to Cockelshell Beach to see Wilbur the pig, but we instead decided just to shop at the pier for some souvenirs. They have some nice stores at the pier at St. Kitts. Mainly there were souvenir type stores, but they had some really nice t-shirts--I ended up buying 2!!

 

Something that we found interesting was that apparently St. Kitts is filled with too many little green monkeys. Our guide told us that there were 60,000 of them on the island, while there are only 40, 000 people!! The monkeys outnubmer the residents. He said they are quite a nuisance. The locals will catch the monkeys and they offer to let you get your picture taken with them. It is actually kinda sad to see them leashed and diapered.

 

St. Kitts Pier

 

Batik building

 

Inside the batik building

 

Church that had hurricane damage

 

Part of the Brimstone Hill Fortress

 

A beautiful view from the fortress

[CruiseLover824]

The countryside

 

Dancers in the shopping area of the pier

 

Another picture of the fortress

 

Part of an old sugar cane plantation

 

Another beautiful view

[CruiseLover824]

My friends and I had been to St. Martin before. The first time we did a Carnival excusion--this time we opted to take a private tour with Bernard. This turned out to be a great decision!!

 

Bernard offers both group and private tours. We chose a private tour so that it was just us in the van. The price was affordable since we had 10 people. We had to meet Bernard at 9am at the information desk on the pier. He was super easy to find and they were ready for us right away. Since it was a private tour, we could have done anything at all. We chose to pretty much follow Bernard's group tour itinerary. It turned out to be perfect! Bernard was actually our tour guide! He also brought his son along for the day.

 

We started by stopping at a souvenir shop called RIMA. I think that they supply most of the islands with their souvenirs---they had a ton of stuff with a lot of different island names on the various things. The prices were cheap. They had wraps, hats, shoes, knick-knacks, etc...the one thing they didn't have many of were t-shirts.

 

After the souvenir stop, we continued our island tour as Bernard drove and told us the history of St. Martin. After we crossed into the French side of the island, we stopped at a lookout point. I believe it was were the Caribbean and Atlantic meet. There was a man there who was picking sea urchins and other creatures out of the water for us to see/hold. It was pretty cool. The man was working for tips---I happened to notice that Bernard put some money in the can for us. Holding the creatures was a very unique experience.

 

We then headed towards Orient Bay. This is a very nice beach area. Unfortunately, it rained for 1/2 the time we were there. There were plenty of locals trying to sell you things as you came onto the beach. They were selling everything: beach chairs, jewelry, towels, wraps, and hairbraiding. They were a little pushy, but that is how they make their living so I didn't let it bother me. In fact, I ended up with my second ankle bracelet of the week here. Orient Beach offers a ton of stuff to do...you can rent jetskis, parasail, and I think I saw paddleboats down the way a bit. You can also go to the clothing optional side of the beach if that interests you. :rolleyes: Pedros restuarant is right where Bernard drops you off, so if you want some food, it is available. Be aware that the prices are all listed in Euros on the French side of the island.

 

After Orient Beach, we headed over to Marigot. There are a ton of stores there and an open market filled with local vendors. The vendors are mainly selling the same stuff we saw at RIMA. Bernard recommended a tasty pastry shop called Seraphine's. It was a short walk down the way from the taxi area. The pastries were delicious.

 

We loaded back into the van and headed to Maho beach. This was really, really cool. This is where the planes land right over your head! It is amazing watching them come in to land. We also watched a couple of fools who stood in the jet blast of a plane that was taking off---one got buried in the sand, and the other guy got blown into the water. The one who was blown into the water literally rolled down the beach until he was submerged in the water. It was quite funny to watch....but also very dangerous! There is a bar/grill right there too called Sunset Bar. My friends ate there and said it was tasty.

 

After watching the planes for about an hour, we climbed back into the van and headed back to the pier. Bernard would have dropped us off in Phillipsburg to shop, but we were all tired after our long day. He dropped us off near the ship.

 

I would totally recommend taking Bernard's tour!!! He did require a deposit for our private tour of $50. He collected the rest of the cash after we got back. I really enjoyed meeting Bernard. In fact, he gave each of the women in our group a nice big hug as we left. Great tour, great guy.

 

 

 

Bernard & Barb with the urchins

 

Orient Beach

 

Marigot

 

Maho Beach

 

A shipwreck leftover from a hurricane

[CruiseLover824]

A sea star....

 

The meeting of the Caribbean and Atlantic

 

A picture from a photo lookout area on the way back to ship

 

Pedro's at Orient

 

The dock/pier at St. Martin

[ladyj3641]

I was planning on just touring on our own in St Martin, but after reading this I think we should do a tour! How much was the group rate?

[CruiseLover824]

I was planning on just touring on our own in St Martin, but after reading this I think we should do a tour! How much was the group rate?

 

Bernard charged $450 for our private tour for 10...so it worked out to $45 per person. The regular group rate was $35 a person. He has a website that has most of the info listed. If you google Bernard's Tours on St. Martin, it should be the first listing.

 

Bernard is really quick in emailing back so if you have more questions you can email him directly!---I think I sent him 7 or 8 emails with all my questions. I always had an answer the same day! I actually spoke to him on the phone twice as well. I would highly recommend booking with him!!

[somewhere in the sun]

what time were you able to disembark? how did you get to the airport and approximately how long did it take? we're thinking about doing it in august and trying to plan return flights. thanks!

[CruiseLover824]

what time were you able to disembark? how did you get to the airport and approximately how long did it take? we're thinking about doing it in august and trying to plan return flights. thanks!

 

I may have already answered this for you on another post...but just in case:

 

The first group of people were called off of the ship at 8am. I know this included Luggage Express group AAAA and Zones 1 & 2. We were in the 3rd luggage express group, CCCC, and we were completely off the ship and through customs by 8:45am.

[CruiseLover824]

I just realized my post isn't here about debarkation....so here it is:

 

DEBARKATION

 

Although none of wanted to leave, they did make us get off of the ship on Sunday morning:(

 

We chose to do the Luggage Express(LEX) program this time since we had a later flight. It cost each person $20, plus whatever bag fees the airline charges. It all goes on your S&S card which was nice. This program really was great for us. First of all, they print your boarding passes out for your flight. Then you are placed in a lettered zone instead of a numbered zone. Group AAAA met at 8am, Group BBBB met at 8:15am, and our group CCCC, met at 8:30. We all met in the Caribbean Lounge. It wasn't crowded at all. When they call your group, you go down to the luggage room--they don't have the carousels like in Miami---it's all just sitting in a big room. The LEX bags were the first ones by the door. We grabbed our bags, and a porter was right there to get them. He walked us up to the customs agent. And wow, the guy took our forms, looked at each passport, and we were done. Much quicker than my previous experiences in Miami. The porter took our bags to the appropriate truck, and off we went to explore OSJ a bit more. We didn't see our checked bags again until we got back to Detroit!

 

 

We had heard that La Bombonera was a really good spot to eat. We had heard correctly. It is located on Calle San Francisco, near trolley stop 7. It was affordable and tasty. I didn't know this, but it was actually featured on Rachael Ray's $40 a Day show once.

 

 

We also rode the free trolley around for a while. It actually was running on time early in the morning, unlike the week before when it was running an hour or more behind. There are a few different routes that will take you either on an interior route, or more of an exterior route. We did both, since many of the shops were not open early in the morning.

 

 

Around noon, we decided to head to the airport since we had heard about how crazy it can be on a Sunday afternoon. We easily found a taxi near the pier. The fare was a set rate $19 from that zone to the airport. They also charge $1 for each wheeled bag. We were glad we went when we did. The rumors about the airport being a bit crazy were true.

 

 

Upon arrival, they did direct us to the USDA scanners. We had backpacks, totes, and one wheeled bag. This line was super short and only took a minute or two. I was glad we already had our boarding passes, and didn't have to mess with checking our luggage. The lines for that were CRAZY!!!! We were able to by-pass the mess.

 

 

One thing that we didn't enjoy was trying to locate our gate. Many of the departure screens were out of order. The ones that were working didn't have our flight listed. So, we really didn't know where the heck to go. We asked where the Delta gates were, and we were told in terminal B. It turned out to be correct--the Delta gates were the very last ones there. There was only one restroom down that way, and it was a ways back from the gates. There were HUGE lines for the women's restroom the entire time we were there.

 

 

One of our roll call member's waited about an hour to purchase food from the only food vendor down that wing. We did discover that there was a TON of food in the other terminal--it was also a pretty good distance away too. There were also a lot of people waiting in line there too, but not nearly as bad as in our part of the airport. Don't expect to get a seat while waiting for your flight---there were people sitting and sleeping all over the place. It did start to clear out a little, but not too much, after 2pm. It was hard to hear the Delta announcements, however the US Airways announcement came through loud and clear. We just watched the time, and moved up towards the gate as our flight neared. The flight left late because it was oversold, and they were looking for people to bump off for $600 and a hotel room. We waited until 7 people got off and their seats were filled with new passengers.

 

 

Overall, this Victory cruise was fabulous! I would do this itinerary again in a second! I loved that we had a new port every morning, although it was also kind of tiring too. I thought the Victory was an extremely clean ship, and its layout was pretty much identical to the layouts on the Valor and Freedom---except that the Valor and Freedom both have 2 lido buffets, the fish and chips, and the mongolian grills--and Victory did not.

[Buffettfan 225]

I just realized my post isn't here about debarkation....so here it is:

 

DEBARKATION

 

Although none of wanted to leave, they did make us get off of the ship on Sunday morning:(

 

We chose to do the Luggage Express(LEX) program this time since we had a later flight. It cost each person $20, plus whatever bag fees the airline charges. It all goes on your S&S card which was nice. This program really was great for us. First of all, they print your boarding passes out for your flight. Then you are placed in a lettered zone instead of a numbered zone. Group AAAA met at 8am, Group BBBB met at 8:15am, and our group CCCC, met at 8:30. We all met in the Caribbean Lounge. It wasn't crowded at all. When they call your group, you go down to the luggage room--they don't have the carousels like in Miami---it's all just sitting in a big room. The LEX bags were the first ones by the door. We grabbed our bags, and a porter was right there to get them. He walked us up to the customs agent. And wow, the guy took our forms, looked at each passport, and we were done. Much quicker than my previous experiences in Miami. The porter took our bags to the appropriate truck, and off we went to explore OSJ a bit more. We didn't see our checked bags again until we got back to Detroit!

 

1.)Thanks for info on debarkation. Do you have info on flight times they offer for SJU luggage express? our flight is 12:08pm

2.)Also security- someone said if one security area is busy to go thru another wing? -do they meet in middle?

3.)USDA--carry ons need to be screened too?

[CruiseLover824]

1.)Thanks for info on debarkation. Do you have info on flight times they offer for SJU luggage express? our flight is 12:08pm

2.)Also security- someone said if one security area is busy to go thru another wing? -do they meet in middle?

3.)USDA--carry ons need to be screened too?

 

 

1. I can tell you that others in our group did the LEX program and had a 1pm flight. When we filled out the paperwork, they told us that some get approved, and some don't and they never know why it happens the way it does.

 

2. You have a choice to go left or right towards the security checkpoints. There were just 2 that I saw. One you are inside, there is a hallway which connects the 2 terminals...it is also the hallway where you go to the baggage claim. There seemed to be more vendors/restaurants/stores in the terminal to the LEFT. Our terminal had only one food vendor, a liquor store, and a Hudson News store, and maybe a few other small vendors.

 

3. I am not 100% sure that we had to get the carry-ons screened, but we did as the airport lady directed us over there. There were others who were also getting carryon luggage stickered/checked as well. I can say I don't think they ever looked at the sticker on the bags. Mine fell off before we got to the gate! It was a cheap little sticker!