Here comes my Victory review!

[ratherBcruizin']

Of all places, I got to watch the Bengals whoop on NY in Puerto Rico on Fox. I can't get a Cincy game in Dallas unless it is primetime, but go out of country....lol.

 

That's funny and it was a good game to get to see! Sounds like us. We get to see very few games since we live in Colts Country. When we were at Disney last month they played Miami and it was on local tv. We conveniently planned nap time around the game...;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love this shot!

[treasure4two]

Sunday morning, we woke up and ate breakfast. We took our time getting to the pier, and got there about 11:15. There was maybe 30 people in front of us and we were allowed to head to check in at 11:30. After getting our S&S cards, we left the pier and picked up some odds and ends in Old San Juan.

About 2:30 or so we headed onto the ship and got a sandwich. We then went back to the pier to pick up some water and wine. The water was expensive in the duty free shop, but not as bad as the Diet Coke my step-brother picked up for their Bon Voyage Jim Beam! I think I paid $5.95 for the 12 pack of water and I believe it was $8.95 for the 12 pack of Diet Coke.

Got some stuff settled in in the cabin and waited for dinner.

****

Can you tell me if their are two piers where cruise ships dock and do you have to ask the taxi to take you one particular one or do they know where the Splendor is? Thank you.

[bruisin4cruisin]

There were 2 piers in Puerto Rico. They are in close proximity to one another and the taxis line up in between. When we were hanging out on my step-brothers balcony on Sunday, we saw another ship pulling in at the other pier. I am sorry, I do not remember what ship it was.

[SMSACE6]

Loving your review! and these are some excellent photos! Thanks for sharing. Im looking forward to hearing about Maho beach. I want to go there on my cruise next year!:)

[treasure4two]

There were 2 piers in Puerto Rico. They are in close proximity to one another and the taxis line up in between. When we were hanging out on my step-brothers balcony on Sunday, we saw another ship pulling in at the other pier. I am sorry, I do not remember what ship it was.

That answers my question-thank you!

[bruisin4cruisin]

Loving your review! and these are some excellent photos! Thanks for sharing. Im looking forward to hearing about Maho beach. I want to go there on my cruise next year!:)

 

To me, if I was going to St. Maarten/St. Martin, I was going to Maho. I wish we could have spent more time there, but we were bumming around town a little and took our time getting off the ship.

[bruisin4cruisin]

Our last port was St. Maarten/St. Martin. I had been looking forward to Maho Beach for years, always seen the crazy pictures of the planes landing. Well, I was more impressed with the water than the planes! The water was a color I have never seen, and I have seen a lot of water in my day.

We took our time getting off the ship since Maho and That Yoda Guy were the only plans we had for that port. After some more watch shopping...no, he did not buy one...we did a little shopping for the neighbors and the kids. We went to find That Yoda Guy, it is a little tricky if you are not paying attention. He is located on Front St and I was looking at the wrong side of the street, so I walked past it. I said "He should be right up here"....my SIL replied, "You mean right here?". I was almost 2 stores in front of her, completely ashamed. I was not lost, just not where I was supposed to be.

Here is what the sign in front of it looks like.

 

Now, do you see why it is easy to pass up? Just blends in with all the other signs, in my opinion. He should use big lettering or something.

[bruisin4cruisin]

Here are a few pictures I took inside.

 

 

 

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

We talked to Nick Maley for a while and he really enjoys his work and spreading the word to the younger crowd about ambition and pursuing what makes you happy. It was nice to talk to him and hear some stories about the movies he has worked on and his opinion of the sequels....go there and ask him yourself, I won't use his words, they are better from the horses mouth. lol

We were off to Maho beach! We took a bus, after finding out where to find one, of course. $2 pp for the trip to Maho, beats the $8 pp the taxi drivers wanted. It took longer for the bus than it did for the cab ride back, so it was worth paying more for the return trip.

[bruisin4cruisin]

Gratuitous plane landing photos. :)

 

 

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

Here is a photo to show you that amazing water color. When we pulled up, I was speechless.

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

Here is what it is like to be underneath the plane as it comes in. Like I said, I wish we could have spent more time there, because we did not get many big planes coming and going. Here is the best video I got of a large airplane.

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

We were there just before 1 and left at about 2:30. The food was good, I had the burger and fries. My DW ordered some fries to snack on, my step-brother and SIL ordered the mahi sandwich with fries and they enjoyed it.

 

Here is the board listing the arrival times of the aircraft for that day.

 

 

 

Here is where you can wash off your feet or take a quick rinse. The sand/coral was amazingly sticky. After washing off, drying with a towel and getting in a hot tub, we were laughing at how much was left on our bodies a few hours later.

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

Now, I doubt either of these people are CC members, so I will go ahead and tell you what was going thru my mind when I saw this couple. "Either that man came from Europe or he forgot his bathing suit at home and borrowed his wife's".

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

After heading back to the ship and cleaning up, we got dressed for our last dinner in the MDR and the last 2 comedy shows of our cruise.

We decided, since we were going to be in San Juan for another 2 days, we would do self debark and pack our stuff up in the morning. This gave us the time to get our casino accounts in order, play a few last games and get some midnight pizza, the first time that whole week.

The next morning, we woke up, threw our stuff into the bags and told our steward we were going to the MDR for breakfast and we would let him know when we were finished in our cabin. He was fine with that and we got back about 9 a.m. and grabbed our stuff to wait on the Lido. We wanted to get a little more sun, but about 30 minutes and we were getting sweaty. I think the sun was stronger that day than any other day we were there.

About 11 or so, we headed down. We waited for them to say that all were called before heading down. We went thru customs without a problem, 2 lines and they barely paid attention to anyone. Keep the line moving is what I felt their priorities were. Now, I understand after we leave the pier, we still have to leave the island and will be screened a few more times, and I think they checked the locals better than they checked the folks from everywhere else.

After my wife and SIL did a little more shopping at the pier, we boarded the taxi and headed to the hotel. After a few hours of lounging at the hotel, we headed to Prime Time and caught a few football games. We picked up a pizza from Mike's and went back to the hotel.

[kclvt]

Enjoyed your review. We are doing this itinerary in March but on the Valor!

[bruisin4cruisin]

We were at the airport early the next day since we had to be out of the hotel at 11. The ticket counter did not open until 1, so we got our Agriculture screening stickers on our bags and waited at the food court. I am glad my wife retains what she reads in CC, otherwise I would have forgotten about the stickers. While in the food court, my DW and cruising partners go themselves a little snack. I chose not to, since I wanted to eat a full meal for my lunch/dinner behind the security area....not smart.

After getting past security, it was a little after 1 and we had 3 hours to wait for the plane. We met some folks at the terminal that were on our cruise and we compared notes of what they did and what we did. Since there was a 20-25 year difference in age, we did more active stuff, they did more scenic stuff.

 

With 45 minutes to go before boarding would start, we headed to the restaurant in the terminal. My SIL ordered a burger, my DW and step-brother ordered the Philly cheese steak and I asked for the chicken panini. After 30 minutes, the food came out...well, most of it. The waiter decided to tell me at that point, that there was a problem with the chicken and I could not have my sandwich. I am not in the service business anymore, but I often knew the food situation earlier than the point of when food was put on the table. I was grateful when the waiter explained I would not be charged for the food I ordered...*insert censored words here* Yeah, I was not happy. I left the restaurant because I could not wait another 30 minutes for food to possibly come out. My step-brother and wife offered me their french fries, but to be honest, the fries sucked before I was in a bad mood.

 

Next stop, Ft. Lauderdale. They have food, right? Yup! Nathans was my choice, there was not much of a choice in that terminal, so I got the 5 piece chicken strips and chili cheese fries. Now, considering I had eaten a small bag of trail mix and 2 small Slim Jim's, I was starving. 9 hours, post-cruise, without food might as well be 3 days. I was going with what sounded good, not what would be best if you were sitting near strangers in an enclosed space for the next 4 hours. The chili cheese fries sure did taste good! Now, since we had a 2 hour layover, I had time to walk the terminal and find hiding spaces to "vent". Once we got on the plane, though...different story. I was lucky, though. I was able to hold back the pressure until I sneezed. Even then, though, I did not evacuate all that was being held back, and I am sure my neighbors appreciated that. We hit DFW and I found the largest space I could find that was evacuated.

 

My dad met us at the baggage claim and we got home to a very happy dog at about 11:15.

[bruisin4cruisin]

Here are some photos for those that like flowers. I never took advantage of this feature on my camera before this cruise, so I tested it several times to see how it works. I think it helps bring out some colors....you be the judge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

And some more.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bruisin4cruisin]

Ok, I am done. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate. I have a BUNCH of photos, these are just a good sampling of what happened on the cruise.

 

Like I said before I left, I am not a food porn collector, so I will talk about food, but I refuse to take pictures of food I am about to eat or have eaten.

 

I hope you all enjoyed my trip, I know I am leaving stuff out, so I will add anything I think of.

[SexyK]

Good review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. That last post had me cracking up n venting at the same time.:D

[kclvt]

Quick question - I haven't seen much about this lately - were they still offering the drink package on this itinerary?

[bruisin4cruisin]

Yes, they did have it on the Victory. We did not get it since we were off the ship so much it would mean very late nights and I am more of an early riser. I think our S&S was about $80 or so in drinks. We had the 2 bottles of Sangria for the DW and she only drank 1. I think that package is better suited to alcoholics and folks with more than 1 sea day...lol.

[kclvt]

I think that package is better suited to alcoholics and folks with more than 1 sea day...lol.

Or people that stay up at night or have some wines with dinner! Drinks at the shows.......... It will pay off for our 10 people and we are not alcoholics!!! Just saying!

[bruisin4cruisin]

Absolutely, if you are getting your 6-8 drinks in, you will cover the cost. I am a slow drinker and do not drink much at all. My DW likes her drinks, but she would still not get her moneys worth on the port intensive cruises.