Victory Review Dec 11-18, 2011 - long

[Sunseeker11]

excalwop - yes those were the drier moments! It was spitting (we were fortunate). By the time we finished La Mina Falls it was pouring! Our cameras were not waterproof - that will be my next investment. I would love to go back again on a drier day.

[Sunseeker11]

St. Maarten

 

This was the only port that we didn't have a tour booked. I had read in the forums about renting an ATV. I wasn't able to get a hold of the Taiwanese man so we figured we would figure it out when we got there. As we exited a man asked if he could help us, we told him we were looking for Mr. A Te, he then asked someone else who then called him. We were told to walk out to he main road and a van would pick us up. We were a bit skeptical but jumped into the van with no windows and one seat anyway.. We were dropped off at a warehouse and I still wasn't sure this was the right place, I was glad that I had my paperwork and was relieved that the phone number on the sign matched! We were given a fairly new ATV, 360 km on it. Mr. A. Te then gave us a map with and some pointers (areas to avoid) and off we went. It was weird driving with traffic. It could go 80mph on the open stretches. Not sure what the speed limit was but didn't see any police. We stopped at a beach near Maho, it would have been a perfect place to spend some time, it was empty. I was given a lovely Snoopy helmet that was way to big!

 

 

We then went to Maho Beach early just to check it out, within 10 minutes of arriving, huge crowds arrived so we took off. I wanted to see the planes land but there was exploring to do!

 

 

We stopped in Marigot and walked around a market. I saw a crepe place as we were leaving, if it had been easier to find parking I would have stopped for sure! I wish I had taken more pictures but the camera was in my knapsack and it rained off and on so I didn't want it getting wet.

 

We then went to Orient Beach. It was packed on the clothing side so we opted to sit on the nude side, it was quiet and we got 2 chairs, 2 drinks and a bathroom pass for $10. The waves were big and the water was murky, we snorkeled a bit but there wasn't much to see and the swimming was difficult. We sat on our loungers and had a conversation with a big nude man who kept walking in front of us. It was interesting.

 

Orient Beach

 

 

On our way back we turned into Philipsburg, that was a mistake, the traffic was at a stand still and when we did end up heading in the right direction, the road was closed and we ended up back on the one way street we had started on, wasted more than an hour driving nowhere. Made it back with time to spare but almost out of gas. Mr. A. Te gave us the choice of beverages, my DH had beer and I had green tea. He then had someone drive us back to the port entrance.

 

We found a crepe place at the port, the man was really slow though, by the time we got our crepes we had to rush to eat them in order to get back on the ship. Mine was good but my DH didn't get what he ordered.

 

If you are interested in renting an ATV or scooter, I highly recommend Solid ATV. I have to thank another poster for the recommendation with great details and photos.

 

http://www.solidatvscooterrental.com/atvr.html

 

It was sad getting back on the ship because we knew it would be our last night.

[Sunseeker11]

Last Day

 

We were sad to see our cruise over so quick. We got up before 7 and headed to the buffet for breakfast. We were in zone 18 leaving us plenty of time. After breakfast we hung around on the deck enjoying the sunshine. We were off around 9am and it went pretty smoothly.

 

We dropped our luggage off across from the pier and paid $3 a bag. Barrachina's is a bit of a walk. Our flight wasn't until 5:30 so we had the day to explore. We jumped on the trolleys and rode around and eventually got off at El Morro. We had been there the Sunday before and decided to walk along the wall and enjoy the views. We then meandered through the city and eventually ended up at Barrachina's for a quick lunch and Pina Colada. I am glad everyone on CC talks about how great Barrachina's is, otherwise I am sure we never would have gone there. I didn't take any pictures but the setting is very peaceful, would never know you are in the city. The waiters were amazing and so was the food.

 

We decided to head to the airport early in anticipation of the line ups. We arrived at 2:30 and were surprised that the airport was empty. The ag screening and American Airlines didn't have anyone in line. since we had a ton of time to kill and were able to find a courtyard with benches to enjoy our last bit of warmth before heading back to the snow. We headed to security at 4:30 and were chosen for a full body scan and pat down, that was our longest wait of the day, probably 15 minutes. It wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. We had nothing to hide. Our flight home was uneventful and we were in bed by 3am and up early to go to work!

[boaterette]

Sorry to see your cruise come to an end. I have enjoyed reading your review.

[DetroitCruiser313]

Thanks loved the pics!! Taking this cruise in OCT!! Cant Wait!!