Victory itinerary sailing from San Juan - Where to splurge, Where to save?

[emmtee]

I'll be taking the Southern Caribbean cruise on the Victory in November with my mother and 3 siblings, so a group of 5 in all. We're all able-bodied, but not athletes. We'd like to arrange tours with private companies for a couple of ports and just wing-it on the others. Where should we splurge and where can we save?

 

Itinerary:

Sun: San Juan, PR

Mon: St. Thomas

Tue: Sea Day

Wed: Barbados

Thu: St. Kitts

Fri: St. Lucia

Sat: St. Maartin

 

We're particularly interested in visiting Timothy Hill in St. Kitts because Timothy is a family name. Is there a sign somewhere that we can use to pose for a picture?

 

I'm fine with an organized tour, but my brother prefers to be more spontaneous. If he sees something interesting, he'd like to be able to stop and explore. I prefer to be guided by someone who can tell me what I"m seeing. Is there a happy medium in there somewhere for not too much $$?

[pcvtmom]

You may want to check out the Ports of Call boards for each of your destinations. We had this Victory itinerary last summer. It's a great one...but not relaxing!! You will be able to read about various options for each island. For instance, we love snorkeling with sea turtles or just hanging out at the Boatyard in Barbados. You can pick the kinds of activities that would most suit your family. Enjoy your cruise!

[emmtee]

Thanks! I'll definitely be checking the Ports of Call boards, and I would have asked this question there, but Ports of Call is organized by the separate ports, and the info I'm looking for applies more to the itinerary as a whole. I've been reading lots of Victory reviews. So many people have taken this cruise and really seem to love it.

 

Did you snorkel with the sea turtles in Barbados? I've never snorkeled before, but would love to try it on this cruise. Do you have to do this as part of an organized tour, or can you take a taxi and then hire a boat? Since my cruise isn't until November, I plan on stocking up on supplies (swimsuit, sunscreen, snorkel, etc.) when they go on sale at the end of the summer and then I'll be all set. :)

[Retired Sparky]

do the silver moon for turtels, ATV in Sy. Kitts Well worth the $ link is my video

[tnsail]

We did the Southern route a couple of years ago when the Destiny was running it... IF you would like my two cents I think what you need to look for are islands that have things to do around the port areas and then the islands that don't have so much to do... As my memory serves me St Lucia doesn't have much to do around the port area and there aren't that many beaches that you can visit... This would be an island that you will really need to do a tour... St Martin, St Thomas, ST Kitts, Barbados, are places that you can often arrange things at the ports if you wish to be spontanous...

 

You will find that this is a cruise that will take it out of you if you think that you have to do and see everything.... We needed a vacation from the vacation.... :eek: Might want to consider having a kick back island day too...

 

You'll have a great time I'm sure....

 

Joey & Pat

[gone_cruisin]

Itinerary:

 

Sun: San Juan, PR

 

Mon: St. Thomas - splurge - find a tour to St. John/Trunk Bay

 

Tue: Sea Day

 

Wed: Barbados - save your money

 

Thu: St. Kitts - semi-splurge - Brimstone fortress (you can hire a cab for this one)

 

Fri: St. Lucia - splurge - find a tour to the Pitons and the drive up volcano in Soufriere.

 

Sat: St. Maartin - I love this place and can do it without booking any tours. But I would count on at least hiring a taxi to show you around.

[RuthlessBoss]

Yes, tour St. Lucia, it's gorgeous.;)

[spunkyhungry]

St. Lucia - splurge - Take a tour of the rain forest. I did this, and it was really fun.

 

St. Thomas - save - If you're interested in going to a beach, you can save money by taking a taxi instead of the ship's excursion. The taxis are right by the pier, and they are open air taxis. The ride itself was part of the fun.

 

St. Maarten - save - Again, if you like beaches, there's a big beach right near the pier. You can take a water taxi to get to it.

[michellejed]

San Juan...easy to do on own and just walk around the old city and the forts

 

St Thomas...If you have never been before, take a tour, cheap and stops at all the right places.

 

Barbados....Take a public bus to the beach and swim out with the turtles, might want to bring a blow up float, easier to take pics with. Rent a chair and umbrella.

 

St Kit... do a tour, plenty to see including a fort

 

St Lucia...again an island you should take a tour on, plenty when you get off the ship

 

St Martyn.. we always rent a car for the day, easy to navigate and stop when you want.

[pcvtmom]

Thanks! I'll definitely be checking the Ports of Call boards, and I would have asked this question there, but Ports of Call is organized by the separate ports, and the info I'm looking for applies more to the itinerary as a whole. I've been reading lots of Victory reviews. So many people have taken this cruise and really seem to love it.

 

Did you snorkel with the sea turtles in Barbados? I've never snorkeled before, but would love to try it on this cruise. Do you have to do this as part of an organized tour, or can you take a taxi and then hire a boat? Since my cruise isn't until November, I plan on stocking up on supplies (swimsuit, sunscreen, snorkel, etc.) when they go on sale at the end of the summer and then I'll be all set. :)

 

We rarely book the cruise line excursions, but in Barbados, we did. We snorkeled with the sea turtles from a catamaran...and it was amazing! I'm sure you could find an independent company for a cheaper price, but we were "rookies" when we did this, so we booked through Carnival. Since then, we've been to Barbados two more times and have taken a taxi to the Boatyard (google it, if interested in a nice cheap beach day!!).

 

In St. Kitts, last summer, we just took a cab to Cockleshell Beach and had a relaxing day. (Beach massage with Clarissa...aloe...very nice!) In St. Lucia, we did the Spencer Ambrose tour. The Pitons are worth seeing, but we will try another company if we return. Spencer was not very organized, and ended up charging us extra to get us to the ship on time. Long story...and not the best experience there.

 

We love the southern Caribbean...and have cruised there 3 times (Destiny x2 and Victory once). The Victory is a wonderful ship! Enjoy your cruise.

[monza]

emmtee,

 

join us on the roll call for this cruise, for ideas for ports,

 

see you on the roll call

monza

[grangergirl]

What was the problem with Spencer Ambrose tour? When did you go with him? We are scheduled to go at the end of this month when we take the Victory to the Southern Caribbean and don't want any unexpected problems!!

[libtrek]

Have toured with him and had no problems. Enjoyed the day. Last year we toured with James Tours. We did have 6 and were able to arrange a private tour. It was great. James, we did not do a water taxi (one of our group has mobility issues). We had a roadside lunch that was pretty good. Spenser, we had lunch on his mom's porch. Silver Moon is wonderful in Barbados and a small group. Ship's tours tend to be very crowded IMHO. Did Leeward Islands catamaran in St. Kitts last year. A bit pricey but the best day ever.

Libtrek

[bellaboom]

We did this cruise back to back in April this year. Loved it!

St Thomas week 1 - took a cab to the market and went (walked) to Majic Ice. The cab was $4 p/p there, the market was free and Majic Ice was $20p/p (incl one shot from the bar). Took the local bus back, $1 or $2 (can't remember) p/p.

St. Thomas week 2 - took a cab to Coral World - had to pre book this one online as it sells out. Did the Sea Trek - expensive but one of the highlights of the trip. I think it was $78 p/p - in my mind - I'll never do it again and so it was worth ever penny!

Barbados - week 1 - took the local bus (blue bus not yellow) $1 to Carlisle Bay. Took a bit longer to get there this way but really got a good eye opener of the local colour. Spent the day on the beach and @ 1pm 'Big Daddy Glass bottom boat" charged $10 for a tour out to the turtles and ship wreck (normally $20 in the morning). Headed back to the ship the same way we got there - no problem!

Week 2 - Barbados - Walked to 'The Boat Yard" - About a 15 minute beautiful, senic, safe walk thru town - just ask the locals where to go. They charged $12 p/p to get in but that incl. one free drink each, your lounge chair and umbrella. The beach is amazingly beautiful and there is a big peir there with rope for the kids to jump off and lots of water toys like trampoline and rock climbing (in the water). The entry price also incl. cab ride back to the ship! Cabs leaving every 20 minutes.

St Kitts - week 1 - Walked to Palm Court Gardens took about 10 minutes - google it - it's beautiful - if you want to relax, this is the place! Stayed there the whole day. Took amazing pics. Have a lovely lunch there.

St Kitts week 2 - Hired Thenford Grey for a tour - HIGHLY reccomend this one! This man is amazing, again, google it - everything he promises on his sight he does and then some! We paid $45 p/p because there was 20 of us. Money well spent!

St Lucia - week 1 - we went to the local market - it's right there at the port. Just walk out down the street and you walk right into it. It was an experiece itself just seeing all the local vendors selling their 'stuff'. Veggies and spices and flea market stuff, I didn't buy anything but I enjoyed seeing it.

St Lucia - week 2 - Hired Cosol Tour for the day - tons of FUN! $65. p/p incl lunch and all drinks, water, pop, beer, rum punch - endless. Google this one too - the pitons were really something to see! Lunch was delicious - all diiferent local dishes.

St Marten - week 1 - Just walk along the road toward the town, takes about 15 minutes. We took the local bus to Marigot Bay. Took about a half hour to get there and there was an outdoor market there. The shops there are a little pricey but the scenery was beautiful and it was a good experience. Stayed there a couple hours and took the local bus ($2) back.

St Marten - week 2 - Took a cab to MAHO beach - you have to do this! It was incredible! Cab was $6 p/p each way (you have to negotiate and don't back down). It was about a 40 minute drive there. Got there @ 10:30. Got a table at the Sunset Bar and Grill, stayed till 2:00. The larger planes come in the afternoon - worth the wait. Got back with plenty of time for shopping because the ship stays till 6 pm that day.

ENJOY - WE SURE DID!!!

[sugaangel601]

Im doing this itinerary on the Valor next year, so Im glad to see this thread.

 

We did the Southern route a couple of years ago when the Destiny was running it... IF you would like my two cents I think what you need to look for are islands that have things to do around the port areas and then the islands that don't have so much to do... As my memory serves me St Lucia doesn't have much to do around the port area and there aren't that many beaches that you can visit... This would be an island that you will really need to do a tour... St Martin, St Thomas, ST Kitts, Barbados, are places that you can often arrange things at the ports if you wish to be spontanous...

 

You will find that this is a cruise that will take it out of you if you think that you have to do and see everything.... We needed a vacation from the vacation.... :eek: Might want to consider having a kick back island day too...

 

You'll have a great time I'm sure....

 

Joey & Pat

This is good to know. I had heard that Barbados is a great DIY island, but hadnt heard that there isnt much around the port in St Lucia.

 

We did this cruise back to back in April this year. Loved it!

St Thomas week 1 - took a cab to the market and went (walked) to Majic Ice. The cab was $4 p/p there, the market was free and Majic Ice was $20p/p (incl one shot from the bar). Took the local bus back, $1 or $2 (can't remember) p/p.

St. Thomas week 2 - took a cab to Coral World - had to pre book this one online as it sells out. Did the Sea Trek - expensive but one of the highlights of the trip. I think it was $78 p/p - in my mind - I'll never do it again and so it was worth ever penny!

Barbados - week 1 - took the local bus (blue bus not yellow) $1 to Carlisle Bay. Took a bit longer to get there this way but really got a good eye opener of the local colour. Spent the day on the beach and @ 1pm 'Big Daddy Glass bottom boat" charged $10 for a tour out to the turtles and ship wreck (normally $20 in the morning). Headed back to the ship the same way we got there - no problem!

Week 2 - Barbados - Walked to 'The Boat Yard" - About a 15 minute beautiful, senic, safe walk thru town - just ask the locals where to go. They charged $12 p/p to get in but that incl. one free drink each, your lounge chair and umbrella. The beach is amazingly beautiful and there is a big peir there with rope for the kids to jump off and lots of water toys like trampoline and rock climbing (in the water). The entry price also incl. cab ride back to the ship! Cabs leaving every 20 minutes.

St Kitts - week 1 - Walked to Palm Court Gardens took about 10 minutes - google it - it's beautiful - if you want to relax, this is the place! Stayed there the whole day. Took amazing pics. Have a lovely lunch there.

St Kitts week 2 - Hired Thenford Grey for a tour - HIGHLY reccomend this one! This man is amazing, again, google it - everything he promises on his sight he does and then some! We paid $45 p/p because there was 20 of us. Money well spent!

St Lucia - week 1 - we went to the local market - it's right there at the port. Just walk out down the street and you walk right into it. It was an experiece itself just seeing all the local vendors selling their 'stuff'. Veggies and spices and flea market stuff, I didn't buy anything but I enjoyed seeing it.

St Lucia - week 2 - Hired Cosol Tour for the day - tons of FUN! $65. p/p incl lunch and all drinks, water, pop, beer, rum punch - endless. Google this one too - the pitons were really something to see! Lunch was delicious - all diiferent local dishes.

St Marten - week 1 - Just walk along the road toward the town, takes about 15 minutes. We took the local bus to Marigot Bay. Took about a half hour to get there and there was an outdoor market there. The shops there are a little pricey but the scenery was beautiful and it was a good experience. Stayed there a couple hours and took the local bus ($2) back.

St Marten - week 2 - Took a cab to MAHO beach - you have to do this! It was incredible! Cab was $6 p/p each way (you have to negotiate and don't back down). It was about a 40 minute drive there. Got there @ 10:30. Got a table at the Sunset Bar and Grill, stayed till 2:00. The larger planes come in the afternoon - worth the wait. Got back with plenty of time for shopping because the ship stays till 6 pm that day.

ENJOY - WE SURE DID!!!

Bellaboom, You have some great ideas IMHO!

[katavenger]

We were on the Victory in May with a group of seven. We tried to do a mix of beach/relax and adventure/siteseeing. Several of us began researching about 6 months out from our cruise, then we all got together about 3 months out and decided what we wanted to do so that we could make arrangements for tours, etc before we left.

St. Thomas: Walked to the tram to go to Paradise Point ($20pp) and stayed for about 2 hours. (It began to rain, so we waited it out there...also tried their famous Bushwackers.) We then caught a taxi to take us to Coki beach for the remainder of the day...the most beautiful beach I've ever seen!

Barbados: Had a previously arranged 3 hour catamaran tour with Shasa Tours to snorkel with the turtles and a shipwreck ($60pp). Shasa's was excellent! Highly recommend. The driver from Shasa that was supposed to take us back to the ship took us to the Boatyard instead at our request. The Boatyard was loads of fun as well. ($12pp - includes 1 drink, chair, and ride back to the ship.)

St. Lucia: Had a previously arranged tour with Treetop Tours...jeep safari to the rainforest to zipline...then more jeep safari to a waterfall. ($89pp) (Other tours with different prices are available with Treetop.) We had a blast...a great adventure!

St. Kitts: Cab to Cockelshell beach. Watch out for guys with monkeys!

St. Martin: Had a previously arranged tour with Benard's Tours. It's usually $40pp, but since there were 7 of us, we paid the extra $10pp for the $350 private tour. We had a blast...our driver Dave was great and fun. Would definitely do Benard's again. My husband and I had been to St. Martin on a previous cruise. That time, we rented a car and drive ourselves around for the day. While that was fun and adventurous, I would recommend having a tour guide to give you insight to everything you're seeing.

While beach days sound "inexpensive," keep in mind that the food can be pricey. Drinks can be $6-8 each, and food can be $10-20 pp for lunch, depending on what you order.

Also, since there will be 5 in your group, negotiate with the taxi drivers. Once you get a price, walk to another driver and ask his price. We did this at every port, and saved lots of $$!

Have fun!!!

[emmtee]

Thanks for all the feedback. I should have mentioned that we did a RC cruise 3 years ago that included San Juan and St. Thomas. The time in San Juan was very late in the day, so we found a private tour that stopped at San Cristobal and then took us on a general tour of the city. This time, we're staying an extra day and renting a car to visit El Yunque. Last time in St. Thomas, we took a "best of" type ship's tour that included Magen's Bay, various scenic overlooks, Blackbeard's Castle, and a walk down the 99 steps to shopping. We were docked at Havensight, so I had the taxi driver drop me off at Paradise Point and I spent my last hour enjoying the view. All of that was wonderful, but I'd like to check out a different beach this time. Coki sounds fun.

 

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that St. Lucia is a place where it's worth it to take a good tour. I've read cruise reviews that had good things to say about Cosol's tours and Spencer Ambrose, but maybe I'll avoid Spencer Ambrose now. Monza mentioned on our roll call that he booked with James Touring. How do you think James compares with Cosol's?

 

I also read a review that had wonderful things to say about Thenford Grey in St. Kitts. It looks like Bellaboom had a great experience with him as well.

 

Thanks again for all the input. I'm taking notes and probably won't book anything until the end of the week, I'm still open to suggestions. :)

[ibcnusoon]

We are doing this itinerary in November. We are a party of 6, aged 15-81 so we are spread wide apart in age and interest, but we tried to find something on each island that EVERYONE is interested in together.

 

San Juan - free trolly tour if Old San Juan on our own

 

St. Thomas - Carnival has 2 excursions to St. John. One is to snorkel on Trunk Bay, the other is to do an open air safari tour of the island. The youngings are snorking, the elders are taking the island tour. We can all travel together on these 2 tours, then split up in St. John, only to meet again in Cruz Bay.

 

Barbados: Swim with the turtles and shipwreck snorkel with Calabaza catamaran tour. Only 12 people limit, all you can eat food and drink. Even though my parents won't be snorkeling, they'll still enjoy the trip.

 

St. Lucia: We did not want to do an all day land/sea tour, we were mainly interested in seeing the Pitons up close. We figured we didn't want to run ourselves ragged on this cruise, so we all signed up for Carnival's snorkel tour to the Pitons. It leaves at 12:30pm, which gives everyone a chance to maybe sleep in by this point of the trip. Even though my parent won't be snorkeling on this trip, they will enjoy a nice walk on the famous Jalouisse Beach.

 

St. Kitts: We are taking a morning island tour to Brimstone Fort and Romney Manor's Caribelle Batik with a stop on Timothy Hill through Rosevelt Taylor. Afterwards, some will be dropped off at the beach, the others will return to the port for shopping and relaxing back on the ship.

 

St. Martin: We were going to do the "famous" Bernards Tour of the island but we weren't interested in being left for a while on Orient Beach. Everyone wants to go see the planes land on Maho Beach so we will take a taxi over in the morning and spend the day here relaxing, watching the planes. My parents will plan to walk next door to the Casino Royale for a few hours before heading to Phillipsburg for shopping. We were going to go to Marigot in the morning for some french pastries and market shopping, then head over to Maho afterwards.

[mermaidofmanhattan]

Hi OP,

 

My family had a wonderful day with Mr. Thenford Grey. He met us at the port with a very comfortable van and took us on a marvelous tour--he's a pleasant and articulate gentleman that is extremely knowledgable about St. Kitts and I'm sure would be interested in your interest in Timothy Hill.

 

I don't recall the cost, but I do recall that it was reasonable and that it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable days of our deep southern caribbean cruise.

 

Just google Thenford Grey St. Kitts--you'll find him!

[mermaidofmanhattan]

Hi OP,

 

My family had a wonderful day with Mr. Thenford Grey. He met us at the port with a very comfortable van and took us on a marvelous tour--he's a pleasant and articulate gentleman that is extremely knowledgable about St. Kitts and I'm sure would be interested in your interest in Timothy Hill.

 

I don't recall the cost, but I do recall that it was reasonable and that it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable days of our deep southern caribbean cruise.

 

Just google Thenford Grey St. Kitts--you'll find him!

 

I forgot to mention--it was just the four of us, and very reasonable. No group of twenty!

[LittleMiss]

I'll be taking the Southern Caribbean cruise on the Victory in November with my mother and 3 siblings, so a group of 5 in all. We're all able-bodied, but not athletes. We'd like to arrange tours with private companies for a couple of ports and just wing-it on the others. Where should we splurge and where can we save?

 

Itinerary:

Sun: San Juan, PR

Mon: St. Thomas

Tue: Sea Day

Wed: Barbados

Thu: St. Kitts

Fri: St. Lucia

Sat: St. Maartin

 

We're particularly interested in visiting Timothy Hill in St. Kitts because Timothy is a family name. Is there a sign somewhere that we can use to pose for a picture?

 

I'm fine with an organized tour, but my brother prefers to be more spontaneous. If he sees something interesting, he'd like to be able to stop and explore. I prefer to be guided by someone who can tell me what I"m seeing. Is there a happy medium in there somewhere for not too much $$?

 

Now the real deal!

 

Splurge in SanJuan! Shop all the shops on Fortaleza they are outlets and priced well below Market. Also if you are going in a day early, check out the Bacardi Tour, it's free and they give you free alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and teach you the history of Bacardi and rides you through the plant and walks you through the museum. Very educational.

 

St Thomas: shop till you drop. Lots of perfume and designer stuff significantly reduced!

[elaineb]

These would be my suggestions:

 

Sun: San Juan, PR - Take a trolley up to El Morro and then walk leisurely down & into shops

Mon: St. Thomas - you can get to St. John on your own; get off the ship early and take a taxi to Red Hook & a ferry from there to St. John. When you get to St. John, please note the times of the return trips. Get a taxi driver to brinkg you to Trunk Bay and arrange for him to pick you up at the appropriat time. Here is the ferry schedule:

http://www.**********/general_usvi/interisland_ferry/

 

Wed: Barbados - We did a tour to see the East Coast - beautiful! But you can also just walk over to http://www.theboatyard.com/ and enjoy a nice beach day!

 

Thu: St. Kitts - Never been

 

Fri: St. Lucia - I agree with the above posters "splurge - find a tour to the Pitons and the drive up volcano in Soufriere."

 

Sat: St. Maartin - I would just take a taxi to Orient Beach - ask to be dropped near the Bikini Beach Bar. There are jet ski & banana boat rentals as well as a pyramid to swim to out in the water. Again, make sure you arrange with the taxi driver to bring you back at the appropriate time!

 

Enjoy your trip!!!!

[elaineb]

For some reason the ferry schedule website won't populat. Just do a search for it and it will come up. It is a page on www.**********

[pcvtmom]

What was the problem with Spencer Ambrose tour? When did you go with him? We are scheduled to go at the end of this month when we take the Victory to the Southern Caribbean and don't want any unexpected problems!!

 

Another family in our van elected to go back to port early, because one of their children felt sick. Spencer was on his cell phone 75% of the time, trying to arrange pick up for them, and lost track of time. When he finally got everything straightened out, and we were at the Pitons, my husband approached him about getting back to the ship on time...and he realized he had screwed up. So he calls a friend to bring their boat to speed us back, and charges us extra. He messed up...we did not book the boat part back. But, in losing track of time, he put us in danger of missing the ship if we waited for his van to get us back. We were unhappy about paying the extra, when he admitted it was his fault. But, he had us "over a barrel", since we couldn't take the chance of not getting back in time. I thought he was a nice guy, but was extremely disorganized. It was a stressful ending to our excursion with him.

[dznymom]

I did this cruise a couple of years ago, although the itinerary was slightly different but I will give you my thoughts. I loved the cruise, but being so port intensive it was a bit tiring, so you are wise to pace yourself in terms of activity & money!

 

Personally, I would splurge on Barbados day. The highlight of our trip was snorkeling with the sea turtles in Barbados, We used Shasa Catamaran for a full day excursion and loved everything about our day to the point that I did the same excursion the next time we got to Barbados, and I would do it again and again. There are several other companies there that also get great reviews. If you like beer, Banks is one of my favorites and Jason stocks plenty on the Shasa!

 

For my 2 visits to St Kitts it was the last stop on our itinerary, and I was too overloaded from the previous days to do much so just stayed in town & although I had fun I really feel I missed out on a beautful place. Our friends negotiated for a cab (waited until we got past the first push of cabbies) and had a really nice driver that showed them historical sights and beautiful scenic vistas. They really enjoyed it (I want to say they paid around $25-30 for 3 hours or so). Since you are a party of 5, I would think you could easily hire a driver and tell them you want to go to Timothy Hill and then work out where else appeals to you. The island is gorgeous!

 

St Lucia was also gorgeous, and we had a wonderful day with Spencer Ambrose. My elderly Mom was on the cruise with us, and wasn't feeling up to the tour and Spencer didn't charge us for her. I thought that was very generous of him (especially since there was only one other couple that day) but we insisted on paying him half of her fare. We had a memorable day in St Lucia filled with spectacular scenery, beach time, good food & great stories not to mention kick ass rum punch.

 

In St Maarten a visit to Maho Beach at the airport is amazing if you time it for when the big ones are coming in. We took a taxi tour last time we were there, and she gave us 45 minutes there at peak time & it was crazy fun. The drivers seem to know the flight schedule.

 

Not sure if any of this helps, but it was fun for me remembering what a great cruise that was! Enjoy the Victory :)