Carnival Victory July 10-17th. Amazing vacation for family of 5

[trvlqueen]

Great start to your review! I board Victory on 9/4, so I'm really excited to see your review ...

 

We'll miss Karl - he's on vacation while we're on board, but have sailed with him twice and adore him - he's so high energy and very personable. I always say a cruise director can't ruin your cruise, but they can sure make it more memorable and he seems to have figured out how to do that.

 

Great photos of the fort and caves. We're spending a couple days in San Juan before we cruise - and are really thinking the Segway tour is the thing to do the day we board - we want one day at the resort/beach and have a snorkelling excursion planned with another member of our roll call - can't wait!

 

Help me pass the time - keep the review coming!

[kclvt]

Great review so far. Can't wait to read the rest and see you pictures.....

[Prairie_Gal]

I'm enjoying your review, and I'm looking forward to the rest.

[DJ56]

Beautiful photos!! Patiently waiting for more. Will be on the Victory May of 2012 and getting excited!! Thanks for posting the photos plus a great review of your cruise. Keep it coming....;)

[raylene5]

Hey fellow Phoenician! Loving the review :) I really wanted to do the Victory cruise with my sister this coming fall but it didn't work out with her schedule so I'm doing a solo Mexican Riviera instead. The Victory cruise sounded so perfect to me though. I love the idea of beginning and ending in San Juan and adding days to explore that area too.

 

I hate the heat so much here in Phoenix though...I can't imagine vacationing in the Caribbean in the summer. We just got back from SoCal where it was in the 70s...sooo nice! I'm glad you didn't find the heat too bad though and it looks like you all had a great time :)

[SweetpeaOne]

Really nice review and pictures. Looking forward to more.

[RJHNorthyorks]

Behind the Scenes Tour - My son and I did this on July 12th. Cost $55 each , only available sea days and limited to 16 people.. I can't remember the guides name but she is HR on the ship and very informative. Tour lasts about 3 hours and ends after about 20 mins on the bridge with Captain. Also included visits to kitchens,( sample food) laundry, food storeage, engine operation room, staff dining room, leisure areas, behind the scenes at the theatre. We had time with dance captain, head chef, shows manager and a senior engineer.

At the end had group photo with Captain and received hat and wristband, When we returned to our cabin a plate of cakes, chocolate dipped strawberries and biscuits had been delivered.

We had a really good time and found it very interesting.

[abseas]

We did this same ship last year and will be sailing again in March. We also do tyhe CVS thing--would like to save some steps with water.

1.)Where were they selling the water? Upstairs or down? Also was their soda-Coke their too? Otherwise we will take our rolling backpack and go get some at CVS as usual. A hint-we dashed back into VIP lounge after going to CVS and they walked us right thru to secuirty scanners since we also had a suite! Love that lounge service at that pier-so helpful.

2.)Can you also answer when they offered the Behind The Scenes Tour?-day,time & price. Last cruise we had no at sea days and it was on St.Kitts port day. It was listed in shore excursion booklet.

3.)Did they do safety drill on embarkation day or St.Thomas?

Thanks. I haven't read full review yet, so hope I didn't ask anything you covered!

 

They were selling water and Coke products upstairs close to where we got on the gangway, so definitely a shorter distance to carry everything. I think that it was basically Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite. I don't remember seeing any other sodas but we're Coke fans so we weren't really looking for much else. It's right in the area where they're selling wine and liquor too. The prices seem to be very similar to CVS so it's definitely worth buying it there.

 

We had our safety drill at about 9:00-9:30pm. It was pretty quick and relatively painless, although I guess it's tough for families with young kids who are already sleeping. We didn't need our life jackets or anything. We basically lined up in our assigned area and listened to the announcement, which was in Spanish and English, and then we were dismissed. Soon after, we were sailing away.

[Buffettfan 225]

Behind the Scenes Tour - My son and I did this on July 12th. Cost $55 each , only available sea days and limited to 16 people.. I can't remember the guides name but she is HR on the ship and very informative. Tour lasts about 3 hours and ends after about 20 mins on the bridge with Captain. Also included visits to kitchens,( sample food) laundry, food storeage, engine operation room, staff dining room, leisure areas, behind the scenes at the theatre. We had time with dance captain, head chef, shows manager and a senior engineer.

At the end had group photo with Captain and received hat and wristband, When we returned to our cabin a plate of cakes, chocolate dipped strawberries and biscuits had been delivered.

We had a really good time and found it very interesting.

Thanks for info. It is the first to confirm that it was on the day at sea-last cruise we had no sea days and it was during St.Kitts. Do you recall what time tour meeting time was? Thanks. We have done galley tour before and ages ago a bridge tour-but to me seeing the laundry,theater would be very interesting. Did you get to see the recycling-trash seperating area? Saw that on tv and it was very interesting.

[lgerrish]

Can't wait to read more and more and more! Great review so far - we're sailing on the Victory in April.

[RJHNorthyorks]

Hi

Behind scenes tour met at 8.45 and set off abvout 9. We had to go through a security check and security accompanied us to the engine control room and the bridge.

We did hear a bit about recycling, water etc but not a lot. Spent some time in the area where all goods are brought on and off the ship.You are free to ask questions - in fact encouraged to.

Ros

[shortstuf1255]

Enjoying your review!!!! We sail on Sept 25 so looking for all kinds of info. Nice to know that we don't have to carry water from the CVS if some is near the gangway.

[Funerin]

Great review! Keep the picture size I love the big pictures! Going on this cruise October 16. You have beautiful children, we are leaving ours home. Hope I can't enjoy myself without them.

[abseas]

I am going to try to sneak in the next review while at work so I won't be able to add pictures until I get home. We were very excited to arrive at our 1st port. We booked ahead of time with Air Force One Tours, Package#1 Island tour and beach trip with Papa Bear. The tour didn't start until 9:30am so I was able to get up early and enjoy my room service breakfast in peace and quiet. After I enjoyed the balcony and view, I rounded up the troops, gathered some gear and headed off the ship at around 9:25 (we always seem to barely make it on time no matter how early we start). Getting off the ship was a breeze and Papa Bear was waiting at the gate just as he promised.

 

I just want to say that my family loved Papa Bear. What a genuinely nice man! He was so pleasant and so proud of his island. He is so knowledgable and has so many tidbits of information that he makes it interesting even to the harschest of critics i.e. teenagers who usually aren't even awake yet. We got lucky and we were the only ones on his tour that day. I thought the open air truck would be hot but it was very comfortable and easy to get pictures along the way. The tour took us around the island while Papa Bear educated us on St. Thomas itself, along with information about the other islands surrounding St. Thomas. He explained everything along the way. We travelled up Crown Mountain, Skyline Drive and Overlook, Lindbergh Bay Beach to see the plentiful iguanas and stopped at his friend's farmhouse, Pablo, for some fresh juice and fruit. After that, we headed to the famous Mountain Top for souvenirs and to take in the beautiful view (tempted to try the famous banana daiquiri but it was just too early for me). At this point, Papa Bear lets you pick a beach to hit for the next few hours. We chose Magen's Bay Beach. Papa Bear dropped us off and promised to return promptly in 2 hours, which he did. We were able to store valuables in a locked area of the truck so we were able to limit what we dragged out to the beach. The beach was beautiful with plenty of shaded areas, picnic tables, sunny areas, bathroom with showers and a food shack. Food was slightly pricey, as expected, but good. We ate and then hung out in the water and enjoyed a few cold beers. Once it was time to meet Papa Bear, we showered off and got back into the truck for our ride back. Papa Bear was nice enough to stop by a Kmart for my DH to pick up a pair of cheap dress shoes since he mentioned that he had forgotten his and wasn't sure what he was going to do the the formal dinners. While my DH ran into Kmart, the kids and I sat in the truck while Papa Bear played a CD of his brother's music, which was fantastic. We're still hoping to get a copy of the CD from Papa Bear. After Kmart, it was back to the ship in plenty of time. All in all, it was a great day with a good mixture of sightseeing and beach time. Kudos to Papa Bear!

[luv cruising 007]

awesome start to your review! Thanx for working so hard on the details & pics! I have done the Victory cruise as well! Your bringing back great memories of my cruise as well! & again thanx for the great start & cant wait for more!:D

[abseas]

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Carnival Victory and RCCL Serenade

 

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[abseas]

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View while leaving port

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Magen's Bay Beach

[abseas]

These are out of order but I loved taking pictures in Old San Juan.

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[abseas]

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[smurfm69]

We did the same tour in St. Thomas and really enjoyed it. Papa Bear is such a great tour guide and made the excursion more fun. As for Meagan's Bay Beach, pictures just don't do it justice.

[abseas]

Tuesday was the only sea day. Our kids were happy because they wanted time to hang with other kids and enjoy the kid's clubs. Our boys ended up feeling like the teen club didn't have enough going on during the day but our daughter enjoyed her age club. I actually got up early and jogged/walked the track on the upper deck. It really is beautiful out on the ocean early in the morning. I was surprised that there was more people out there than I thought there would be. Afterwards, I enjoyed a relaxing massage that I had scheduled before we left. I never treat myself to massages at home when I really need them, but I enjoy a little extra pampering while on vacation. After my massage, I arrived back to the cabin in time to enjoy my room service breakfast before anyone else woke up.

 

I'm having trouble even remembering what we did for the rest of the day. I know my DH and I "donated" some money to the casino but had fun playing 3 card poker for quite some time. There was a lot of different activities on board. We didn't venture out by the pools much that day. The pools did seem pretty crowded, as expected, and the buffet lines were pretty crazy for the most part. Overall, there was plenty to do but, before we knew it, it was time to get ready for our 1st formal dinner. This was the 1st night that we switched to "Anytime" dining so that we could eat with our new friends from roll call. Dinner was a blast. Service was wonderful and the prime rib and lobster was very tasty. Overall, a successful sea day. We were looking forward to the next day...snorkeling with the sea turtles and our 20th anniversary. We ended our night with the comedy club which was a total riot!

[Buffettfan 225]

Sorry to post a photo from our cruise but you seem to like taking the same photos I do and I am enjoying them all very much. I even bought a 3-d little 5x7" plaque art scene of Old San Juan with the buildings and their balconies from a little souvenier drugstore type shop. They are so easy to photograph being quanit,bright and different than US.

On our Segway the guide pointed out

La Casa Estrecha (The Narrow House; Old San Juan, Puerto Rico) smallest "house" in Old San Juan I think 5ft wide, two stories and 36feet deep.It is on the main road by the waterfront as you walk left and around curve toward front and past a building with these interesting cat chairs. Can't imagine getting any furniture in their and all the stairs. It is light yellow.

[abseas]

Sorry to post a photo from our cruise but you seem to like taking the same photos I do and I am enjoying them all very much. I even bought a 3-d little 5x7" plaque art scene of Old San Juan with the buildings and their balconies from a little souvenier drugstore type shop. They are so easy to photograph being quanit,bright and different than US.

 

Very cool picture. I'm glad to hear that someone else was excited to take pictures of buildings...My family thought I was a little crazy. What size are the pictures you posted? I'm still a little slow with the whole posting picture stuff.

Thanks for the pictures!

[Buffettfan 225]

I am using the 425 size. I use the free "webshots" photo hosting site, I joined photobucket, but haven't mastered it (but haven't tried either!)

A CC member sent me instructions-if I find it, I will post.

[BenjiRodney]

I am using the 425 size. I use the free "webshots" photo hosting site, I joined photobucket, but haven't mastered it (but haven't tried either!)

A CC member sent me instructions-if I find it, I will post.

 

I have booked a tour #6 with Air Force 1. Glad to hear that you liked them. Last year we walked from the ship to downtown and then did the tram up to Paradise Point.

 

Loving the review so far, can't wait to read the rest.