Triumph 4/7/07

[LDR]

My family of 4, myself, husband, daughter of 15 and son of 13, just returned

from the 4/7/07 sailing of Triumph out of Miami.

 

Pre-Cruise: We stayed at the Holiday Inn right across from Bayside Marketplace. This was an excellent choice. We arrived around 10pm

and went to our room expecting to see your standard 2 double beds.

We got a suite on the second floor. Lots of room to spread out the

luggage! We went over to Bayside to get a snack for the kids and

adult beverages for us. After about 45 minutes of wandering we went

back to the HI and went to bed.

 

Emabarkation: DH and I headed over to Bayside and enjoyed breakfast

at Mambos, al fresco. Took the kids' breakfast back to them, finished

packing up and grabbed a cab over to the port around 10:15am. It

took about 7 minutes and cost us under $10 with tip. Checking in

took maybe 5 minutes, then we went through security.(did not see

anything being taken from bags, but others who went through later

did see someone's alcohol being removed from their carryon) We were

directed to the VIP checkin line, only one family ahead of us. After

about 15 minutes a Carnival rep escorted us up to the chair waiting

area. (There was an area of chairs for general boarding too, which started

to fill up quickly.) After sitting here for another 15 minutes or so, a rep

came over and escorted a small wedding party on, then a group of

new Carnival employees that were just joining the ship. They then

returned for us and we went up the escalator to board. This was

a bit of a walk, so be prepared. After the photo we walked on deck,

put our cards in the machine, and we were on board Triumph! Not

a bad embarking at all.

 

Cabin: Cabins weren't ready until 1:30pm, so we went to the Lido, got

some chairs for our carryons, bought the kids soda cards, and took

turns walking around the Lido/South Beach area. Around noon lunch

was served at the Lido Buffet, in South Beach, and from the Burger

and Pizza Places. DH and I also enjoyed a bucket of beer while

waiting, 4 beers for $20 and change, which includes the 15% they

automatically add on to any beverage service. We had a Cat. 11,

#7266. Excellent location by the elevator, midship. Plenty of room for the 4 of us. 2 closets, a dressing area which was awesome for myself and DD to get ready, whirlpool bathtub(no shower curtain-a door) and a balcony with 2 chairs and a table. Our steward did a great job all week for us. He was

in twice a day and left some really cute towel animals.

 

Cruise Critic Gathering: We had a great thread going for this cruise, so

we set up a gathering on the Lido by the bar at 2:30pm About half the people on the thread came to the gathering. A lot of us had children around the same age, so this was great for them as well. We saw each other

frequently throughout the week and spent time together in various locations.

These wonderful new friends really added to the enjoyment of our week.

 

Muster: We did this at 3:40pm. Quick and painless. We barely had time

to get the life-vests back to the cabin, because we were off!

[LDR]

Dining Room: We had the 6:15pm seating in the London Dining Room, Table

#131 for just the 4 of us, which was okay, we talked nightly with the other

tables around us anyway. Our waiter was Bawa, and he was excellent. He

always greeted us by name and was very patient with my picky-eater son.

His assistant(I can't remember how to spell his name) was also excellent.

He had cokes ready for the kids when they sat down and my double espresso

was always hot and brought promptly. Being a serious foodie, I totally

enjoyed the experience of presentation as well as the eating! Some standouts

include the Tiger Shrimp Cocktail, Roasted Pumpkin Soup, Wonton Soup, Caesar Salad, Chateaubriand, Beef Wellington, Lobster, Tiramisu, Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, Cheesecake with Strawberries, Cappacuino Pie. The South Beach Buffet was always good for lunch, the pizza and burgers/fries were as excellent as I remember, and the deli and Chinese Place were terrific!

Breakfast was the same everyday. You could get an omlette made fresh.

We ate in the dining room one morning, and it was very good. Try the

Eggs Benedict if you want a different egg dish.

 

Ports: We got into San Juan early. There were 2 RCI ships there and a

smaller one from one of the upscale lines. We did our own walking tour

of Old San Juan. Wear comfortable shoes! The fort was closed, but we

saw a lot of interesting things, mostly the inside of every purse shop:)

DD finally found one she liked at Guess. We went down to check out

Senor Frogs and it was packed. Got a yard glass with our cover of $5 pp.

DH took DS back to the ship after a few minutes and I stayed with DD, she

found some friends to dance with, so we let her have about an hour to

enjoy the place with us chaperoning carefully. We took her back to the

ship and then hit the casino in the Wyndam, didn't win, so we went

back to Frog's for another 1/2 hour or so. There was a deck party

with a Mexican Buffet during sailaway. I was really tired so I gave

up around 12:30. The rest of the family stayed up and danced for

awhile. It looked fun on the video!

St. Thomas was gorgeous. I sat on the balcony and watched us sail in

to the Havensight area. We booked Jolly Mon, a sailing and snorkeling

charter that only takes 6 people. Best of all, they picked us up right

next to the Triumph. Awesome snorkeling at Buck Island and a great

day for a sail. The owners, Gayle and Gary, were wonderful, and gave

us a great 3 1/2 hour excursion. They do have a website. After returning

to the ship for lunch, we showered and walked into Charlotte Amalie.

We browsed around for an hour then started walking back. DH decided

we should get a taxi, so we did. Got up the the Vendor's area and

waited a few minutes until the driver had a full taxi. Not too long, but

with the traffic we hit, around 3:30pm, we should have walked. Went

back to the cabin. DD and DH napped, I sat on the balcony with my

book and a cocktail and totally relaxed for about an hour. Got ready

for dinner and took some great sailaway shots.

St. Maarten was a new island for us. I booked Joyce Prince way back in

the fall. She was totally amazing and gave us a wonderul tour of the

island. I recommend her highly if you want to get away from the

crowds and do your own thing. We went up for a great photo op on a mountain near the docks, then went down to the Front Street area for shopping. Afterwards we went driving over to the French side and spent time shopping in Marigot. Lastly, we went to Maho Beach to the Sunset Bar and Grill. We intended to go back to Orient to spend a few hours, but some CC friends were here with kids and everyone decided to stay put. Gorgeous beach. It was fun to watch the planes come in. I had the best hamburger of my life, I think. Traffic was heavy back to the ship, but Joyce told us to leave by 2:30-3pm to beat the worst of it, which we did. More great sailaway

photos here.

[LDR]

Sea Days: Lots of relaxing in a deck chair for us. There were lots of chair

hogs about, but we saw no fighting or removing of items. The ship was

full, but everyone got a seat and acted civilized. The usual poolside activities, Seavivor, Hairy Chest(hilarious), aqua aerobics, the waterslide, etc. Drink service was very good, they were always there when we needed one.

I had a great Spa Day, Lime & Ginger exfoliation, hot stone back massage, and scalp massage for $89 (Monday special) Rebecca did a great job, not too heavy on the pushing of products. The gym got crowded early, but it was better in the early afternoon. I used the jogging track nearly every morning, and again, earlier is better. Did the slot tournament one day, but didn't get into the finals. We did Name that Tune Trivia with Mark one day, which was fun. There was plenty to do for everyone it seemed.

 

Evening Activities: We arent' big show people, so we didn't go to any. But

we did hear they were good. We attended both the Captain's Party and the

Past Guest Party prior to formal dinners, Sunday and Thurday evenings.

We spent a lot of time in the Venezia Bar listening to karaoke, and one

evening we met fellow CC'ers in the Big Easy Piano Bar to listen to Mark,

who was very entertaining. The only thing I wish Carnival would do

differently was have more dancing for adults earlier in the evening. They

start late, and I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to staying up late.

The casino was good to us this trip. After a slow start, we came out

with $700, earned on slots and craps. We don't play Bingo, so I can't

report on that.

 

Camp Carnival: Our son was in the 12-14 group and had fun with the

activities he did. He found a group of friends to have fun with all week.

We saw them get reprimanded for running down World's Way one evening,

but other than that, we didn't see any other bad behavior from this age

group.( other than being loud in the hallway going back to their cabins

at bedtime) Our daughter didn't go to O2, she preferred hanging out

with her new buds. The younger Camp Carnival participants seemed

to have a ball. We would see them in their groups doing parades with

their hats and paper pirate swords.

 

Disembarking: Self Assist was supposed to start at 7:30am, but it did

not. There must of been a problem clearing the ship. We left our cabin

around 8:45am and waited up on the Lido Deck with our CC friends. It

was really hard to hear and understand the announcements because

of some kind of work going on outside the Lido area. Guess we should

have waited on World's Way. Our color was called after 10am and we

went down to Deck Three and waited in a big group for about 15 minutes,

then slowly made our way off the ship. Remember that long walk down

the terminal? Did it again, very slow go. Customs lines moved pretty

quickly, then we couldn't find our bags. They have signs with the deck

names printed on them, and there were none by Empress! DH found

them across the room a few mintues later, thankfully. We went outside

and grabbed a cab. This process seemed very disorganized to me and

was really the only complaint I had for the entire cruise. When we drove

by the RCI ships, there was no one waiting at all or any congestion.

 

Post Cruise: Stayed at the Hyatt Downtown on 2nd. Got a nice room

on Hotwire for about $119. The room wasn't ready, and the place was

crowded with lots of others going on a cruise or just getting off one, like

us. We were ready to hit South Beach, so we left our bags with the concierge and cabbed over to Ocean Drive. Lunch at the Clevelander,

some beach time and shopping. The Hyatt called around 1:45pm and

told us the room was ready, so we went back and napped. Walked

over to Bayside for dinner and bit more shopping. DH and I went back

to SoBe for a couple of hours alone then went back to the hotel.

We regretfully flew out at noon. Just missed getting caught by

the bad weather system.

 

Sorry this was so long, but once you get going, you know how it is. Hope

you enjoyed reading. Please let me know if you have any questions!

 

Lela

[CynLovesCrusing]

all that re-caping makes me wanna go back, NOW.

 

Yeah, what she said.....LOL. And more. It really was a fabulous trip.

[smrn]

Any part of your cruise that you would not do again? We are thinking of taking the Triump in Sept.

[MamaParrotHead]

Our only other cruise (Valor) we had to wait in line, standing. No one was allowed in the area with chairs upstairs. How does that work, as far as actually getting on the ship, since there isn't a real "line"? Everyone just stampedes and heads for the door? :)

 

We're planning on doing self-debarkation (crossing our fingers on THAT one), but when you say the "long walk down the terminal", you mean that large walkway leading to the escalators/elevators? ICK, we did that on the Valor, where it was like 20 people across and you couldn't even SEE the beginning of the line? That STUNK. :rolleyes: Last time debarkation was SUCH a nightmare, it LITERALLY took us 3 hours to get from the bank of elevators near the Purser's Desk to the Customs area in the terminal.

 

Thanks for taking the time to review. I'm DYING...almost in single digits now!

[CynLovesCrusing]

The only thing I wouldn't do again was the Biobay Kayak Tour. Not that it wasn't pretty-- it was, but I just didn't realize that kayaking is as hard as it is. We didn't have time to do anything else, no shopping, no pictures. Nothing else. I'm glad I did it b/c if I hadn't I would always wonder, but I would not do it again.

 

That's the only thing.

[RubberCityRebel]

There was another thread posted by people on the same voyage complaining

about a sewage smell throughout the ship.

 

I was wondering if you noticed such a smell?

 

Planning on sailing the Triumph in October myself....

[LDR]

The only thing I might have done differently is activities in San Juan, but other

than that it was great. Wish I could have stayed awake longer at night too:)

 

When we went in the terminal there was a small counter area where we got our S & S cards, then you went through security and went to the roped off areas. That's where we saw the VIP sign, and there were counters. It was confusing at first because I thought we had already checked in and had to do some other

boarding thing, but we didn't do anything else. We were escorted up the escalator to the chairs. When it was time to go on, we went up another escalator and down the long terminal, then down an escalator to deck 3 of the ship.

[CynLovesCrusing]

I posted a not especially nice reply on that 'other thread'. Looks like they were complaining about all kinds of things.

 

I didn't notice any foul smells. Wen (fellow traveler) said she did kind of smell something the one night she used deck 2 as a pass thru deck but I'm not sure about that. It could have just been someones BO, lol.

 

We had the non-VIP check in and WOW what a walk. Both embarkation and debarkation were very long walks in my opinion...however, as I have said many times on many threads. There is always something that one can complain about, I just chose to overlook such things. As LDR said, we had a fabulous time & would have stayed longer had they not kicked us off the boat.

[MamaParrotHead]

Well, I'd make that long walk, happily...barefoot over hot coals, if necessary, to get me on "MY" ship. LOL :D I just wondered if there was somewhere "strategic" to sit in order to not be stuck at the end of a long line when the ship starts to board. ;)

[PattiPB]

Thanks for the awesome report and comments!

 

We have 7 cabins on the Empress deck in August, and would appreciate more info about elevator availability, how is this location for Lido deck, dining, etc. My parents are extremely healthy 77 yos, but I like to be prepared, KWIM?

 

My parents have a Cat 11---what were the sleeping arrangements for four people? Where was your lifeboat station? Any photos you could share?

 

Aren't you glad you asked if we had questions? :rolleyes: TIA!

[Lowie]

thanks for the great review, i'm so much more excited now for our cruise!

[Luanne]

Hi,

Thanks for giving us all kinds of good information. I looked up the Jolly Mon website and saw some pictures. There were pictures of dolphins. Were there dolphins where you snorkled? That would be awesome! We get to St. Thomas at 8am. What time do the Jolly Mon tours go? It didn't say on the website.

 

The last time we were in St. Thomas, we went to St. John and snorkeled at Trunk Bay. We really liked it there, but maybe we might try something else.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Luanne

[LDR]

Now that the kids are at school I can get back on the computer!

 

Luanne-Our Jolly Mon tour was from 9am to 12:30. They do go out in the

afternoon, but I don't know what time. If you send an email Gayle will

respond right away. Tell her Lela from Ohio says hi. No dolphins in site,

but we saw 2 turtles and a stingray.

 

PattiPB-We were right by the elevators in the Capitol area. Awesome location. Took no time to get up to the Lido, we went out the doors right under the water slide and the hot tubs were right in front of us. We usually took the stairs, but when we did take an elevator it didn't take too long to arrive. Lifeboat station was on Deck 3, literally right under our cabin area. Sleeping arrangements: The two twin beds pushed together for me and DH; the sofa bed is a single bed, and they brought in a rollaway and placed it next to the sofa bed. When the room was made up in the morning the rollaway was folded up and moved to the side.

[LDR]

1. The doors where we came out onto the Lido.

2. Jolly Mon seen from our balcony as we docked.

3. The location where Gary picked us up for our sail.

4. Another cabin shot. I'm standing in front of the dressing area.

[CynLovesCrusing]

Aren't you just the most informative woman! Haha. How do you remember all those details? Looks like you didn't drink enough! hee hee hee

[queeni]

Thanks LDR,

We are just north of you in Portage county. You picked a great time to cruise as our spring is like winter!

We have a spring 08 cruise booked on the Triumph. Did you notice if the pools and hot tubs were open most of the time? I had read some comments that they were closed often and am hoping this was a one time thing.

[LDR]

Queeni-You are not far away at all! We left from Cleveland and we had to

do the whole de-icing thing. My flowers started to come out and now they

just look sickly:( There was only one morning that I saw a pool

closed because it looked like they were doing some repair work. They finished

and had it filled up by 11 or so.

 

Cyn-You didn't see me at the sailaway after Senor Frogs:) I dozed off in

my deck chair. Adam happened to come along and roust me out thank

goodness!(Rob had deserted me to look for a Corona) 2 yards of margarita was all it took-must be getting old.

[wndylmb]

with Lela and Cyn...great boat, great trip, new friends!

Also, I can vouch that Lela is definately a sleepy head (hehe) and Cyn is the bingo expert. That's all I've got for now.

[2young2care]

Lela ~ did you go to Lake and graduate in '82? I did. ~ Cheryl

[LDR]

Cheryl-I actually graduated from South Laurel High School in London, KY, in

1983. When I graduated college and got married we moved to Cleveland,

then to the North Canton area in 1996.

Do you mean the Lake High School Blue Streaks?:) They kicked Hoover's

butt this year in football. My daughter was there-she's a freshman at

Hoover.

[2young2care]

Cheryl-I actually graduated from South Laurel High School in London, KY, in

1983. When I graduated college and got married we moved to Cleveland,

then to the North Canton area in 1996.

Do you mean the Lake High School Blue Streaks?:) They kicked Hoover's

butt this year in football. My daughter was there-she's a freshman at

Hoover.

 

Yep. The Blue Streaks! It's a small enough world and your picture didn't quite look like the Lela I graduated with, but it was close enough that I HAD to ask! I'm in Canal Fulton now. Sorry to hijack the thread. ;)

[PattiPB]

LOVED the pictures---keep them coming!!!

 

Would you mind sharing your price for the Jolly Mon excursion? My family of 5 will be on our own for an excursion that day, and it sounds great!

[LDR]

PattiB-It was $75 per person. They don't do Credit Cards, so I sent them

a $150 check to hold our spot. Gayle emailed when she received it, and

then we just paid the rest in cash when we saw them.

I keep looking back at our pictures and all of my family agrees, it was the

best snorkeling we've done. Gayle went out with us and pretty much gave

us a guided snorkel tour for around a hour. It was such a beautiful day

and the sail was so relaxing. Make sure you try their rum punch on

the way back-Yum!