Victory review - Jan.3 - amazing cruise :)

[sunseeker09]

Wow awesome! Yes it is a beautiful island! That sounds like a dream week to me. It is on my list for a long land vacation...... we found the locals to be so friendly, laid back and trusting.

Glad you had a great week there! Thanks!

BTW sorry to hijack your cruise review.......can't wait to hear the rest of that too!

 

It was a great week on VG. You should do it. Doesn't seem to be a lot of resorts though? Many people heading to the BVI charter sailboats, and I can see why. It's paradise for boating. :)

[sunseeker09]

Day 3 - Dominica

I'll sitting here thinking about the cruise as I downloaded a few photos to our share site, so may as well begin to review the Dominica day...

Nearing Dominica

 

 

We didn't get into port until 10:00 so we made sure we'd had breakfast before then to be ready to get off asap. We quickly met up with Gary, our guide for the day from Bumpiing tours. He was waiting for others so we had a few minutes to check out a nearby market. Then the others arrived, an extended family from NY. We all boarded the bus. They were a fun, lively group and w knew right away that it would be a good day. In fact, they started in on the Kubuli's right away, so we had to try it too.

[sunseeker09]

Yes, the roads are bad, but what a bueastiful, lush, green island

 

First we went to Titou Gorge. It's not so impressive at the entrance. You really have to swim it to get the full benefit. The water was chilly but not that bad once you're used to it. Refreshing.

Looking up the gorge

 

There was another group there so we kinda hung back a bit until they made their way back. Now we had the falls pool to ourselves.

 

 

 

Gary underwater

 

Some of the guys climbed up the rock by the waterfall and jumped off.

[t_nix]

Love the pics and the story of your trip! Thank you for sharing!

[dallas52]

very nice, will have to check back later for more. thanks we havent decided what we are doing yet.

[cantwait06]

thanks for your review, I'm loving it!

[sunseeker09]

You are all so welcome. I enjoyed reading reviews, and even more so seeing the pictures before we went on our cruise, so now it's my turn to post :)

[sunseeker09]

After Titou Gorge we all piled back into the van and carried on to Trafalgar falls. Yes, you do have to pay to use the washrooms here, but they were spotlessly clean with freash flowers on the counter even. Gary gave us all our passes (included in tour) and we headed down the short trail to the platform viewing area. From here you have a very good view of both of the spectacular falls.

 

We carried on down the trail to the hot pools. We got into the first pool a few at a time and sat for a bit before heading through the rocks into another pool. It seemed like a tight squeeze, but it was easy. There I go...

 

This is inside the "cave"...

 

Gary took our picture under the water flowing from the pool above

 

We carried on to yet another pool just big enough for the group to sit in and relax for awhile.

[sunseeker09]

There is also a small market at the falls if you are interested in a little shopping.

We then carried on to Wotten Waven Sulphur Springs. They were a bit stinky, but we didn't stay long. Just enough to check it out and snap a few pictures.

After that we made our way through the Botanical gardens and up the hill to the Morne Bruce lookup for a stunning view of the town and the Victory.

 

Again there were a few market stalls, so lots of opportunities for quick shopping, since this is an all day tour with not much time when you return.

We had really wanted to go to Champagne reef to snorkel, but we knew as the day went on that we were taking too much time everywhere and that just wasn't going to happen. It was a bit of a disappointment as we had requested it, but the rest of the group wasn't interested so it wasn't a priority. Oh well. We had a very enjoyable day in Dominica so we'll just have to do Champagne reef next time we make it to the island. We hear it's also very nice for diving.

 

So we're getting back on the ship and there are these ladies, 3 generations from early 20's girls, Mom and Grandma. Well, they'd been into the rum punch and Grandma in particular was loaded and they were so entertaining. We chatted with them up the elevator and had a good laugh. I mention it because we bumped into them much later and Grandma was still going! Never underestimate those seniors. hehe.

[sunseeker09]

Back onboard we were starving and decided to get some pizza and lemonade.. for the boys

 

So we relaxed for awhile before heading down to the lobby to meet our friend for a drink and go for dinner. It was elegant night so we dressed up just a little in a black dress for me and dress pants, shirt and tie for him. Tons of people were getting photos taken and the place was a zoo. The whole photo thing was not our thing and we didn't bother with any, but obviously this is a huge highlight for a lot of people. many where a little more casual without ties, but no one seemed out of place to me. I was worried after some of the discussions here, but honestly everyone just seemed happy and having a good time. We had lobster for dinner and it was delicious.

If I remember correctly we did do a wander around the ship. We still had not discovered half of it and we were on day 3! it is a bit of a confusing ship since you can't walk an entire deck. The Pacific dining room was actually a bit tricky to find. There are maps by the elevators but I had wished I had printed the deck plans and taken them along to view ahead of time. lol. After a brief drink in the piano bar we left our friend as he headed to the casino and us back to our cabin for our balcony drink before bed.

Barbados and 8:00 would come early. Actually, we pulled open our curtains every night before bed so we could wake to the sunrise, which we always found to be an amazing part of our day.

Sadly, our towel critter of the day was an elephant who tried to trample Quatchi and Mukmuk...

[PorgynBess]

Hahaha, the last picture was too funny! :) Great review and nice photos! Thanks.

[ladyj3641]

Thanks for the review...we sail June 27!!! I loved that last picture!

[sunseeker09]

Day 4 - Barbados

I had done a lot of research on Barbados and their was much we wanted to see and do, but we decided not to pre-book any type of tour, but rather try to find a taxi to give us the tour we wanted.

We were having breakfast in the Pacific Dining room as the ship was docking. Being at the stern this sure caused a lot of glasses to rattle. We had a good, big breakfast again to last us the day. We went back to the cabin to collect our stuff, which we'd left mostly ready on the bed, but we'd forgotten to put out the Snoozin' card, so our steward was already in the room and had moved our things to make the bed. So we decided to go for a wander to the bow of the ship where we'd started to exlpore some of those "hidden" decks the night before. They are a little tricky to find and seems that not many people are aware of them, as few if any people were ever out there when we went. After killing a bit of time we went back to our cabin. It was done and our stuff all back where we left it. We decided after that to put out the snoozin' card when we went for breaky so our steward need not have to move everything.

So we only got off the ship around 10:00ish. We made our way through the terminal and past a huge line-up of people waiting for cabs. We'd been advised here on CC to go through the gates, so we did. Right through the gates we were mobbed by taxi drivers. it was a bit daunting as they tried to take us to Boatyard or Accra. I said we already had an idea what we wanted to do. So one driver pulled us aside and asked us what. I told him and we started to walk as we discussed it. By the time we got too his cab we'd agreed upon a tour based not on time, but on destinations. We'd go to Crane and Bottom Bay for short check it out/photo stops, then back to Rockley/Accra. As we chatted we were clicking with him and as he realized it was our first time on the island he said he'd give us more of a tour on the way. Sounded great to us. So off we went. His cab was a car, so we opened the windows so I could take pictures. The day was gorgeous and sunny with a nice trade wind blowing. Perfect.

[sunseeker09]

As we went, Wayne, our driver, pointed out everything and gave us tidbits of facts and history.

We went by the Boatyard beach.

 

We passed a beach with lots of trees. He told us the name but I can't recall. The locals go here on weekends and the beach is packed with families having picnics. Right now, being Wed. it was deserted.

 

Wayne was telling us about the new boardwalk and asked if we wanted to stop for a look. Yes. Great. I love to be able to see lots and take photos.

[sunseeker09]

We carried out through quaint little streets as he pointed out resorts and restaurants and such (ideas for a land based return). He had to stop for gas, which gave us a chance to get some water. We went on to Crane. At the gate Wayne told the man that we just wanted to have a look at the resort. He let us through and we parked and got out. We walked all around the beuatiful grounds with Wayne's narrative. He used to work there at one time, so he knew it well. I took a ton of photos of the resort as well as the view and beach. Here's just a few...

One of several pools

 

The amazing rugged coastline

 

The beautiful beach down below.

 

There was even an elevator down to the beach! Wayne asked us if we wanted to go down there. He wasn't rushing us whatsoever, but since we weren't here to lay on the beach or swim, this tour of the resort was great for us. We headed back to the car.

[sunseeker09]

We then made our way past rolling fields of sugar cane and colourfully painted Caribbean homes to Bottom Bay. It would have been a bit tricky to find on our own. We parked and enjoyed the view from above.

 

We went down the trail to the beach. There were a few people on the beach but it was quiet except for the surf pounding in. As expected, it's not the best beach for swimming, and without the facilities (like washrooms) we had decided not to stay here. Too bad though, as it was so breath taking. I just loved the tall, spindly palm tress blowing in that warm breeze.

 

After puchasing a necklace from the lone beach vendor we made our way back up top and walked along the ridge. Behind us was a grassy field with a cow or two grazing. So wonderfully undeveloped.

 

 

Following it along we looked down upon another bay. Harrismith (so Aplmac told me. thank you) Another lovely peaceful cove.

 

 

After enjoying a relatively short but sweet time there we headed back to the car.

[sunseeker09]

Leaving Bottom Bay we headed the more direct route to Accra/Rockley, where Wayne dropped us off at bar Kan'ei. The tour took only just over 2 hours but we felt we saw and learned so much. We paid $80 for our private, custom tour, which we felt was a very good deal. However, still lots to see. We absolutely wanted to go back to Barbados for a land vacation and do more exploring and beach time, so we got all of Wayne's info.

We had told our friend that we hoped to eventually make our way to Accra/rockly and to the end by the bar, in case he decided to go there. Sure enough, there he was. We brought beach mats and towels so didn't bother with chairs. We did buy a few pitchers of beer though.

 

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon there relaxing in the sun and swimming. It was divine.

 

I hated that we had to leave and go back to the ship. Barbados turned out to be our favourite island and one we absolutely must return to. Besides it's beauty it just had this good karma feel and friendly people. Loved it so much.

[sunseeker09]

By the time we returned to the ship we were hungry, as we realized we hadn't eaten. So we got some pizza and lemonaid and relaxed on the balcony for awhile to enjoy sailaway. So once again we had a late dinner. We were given pagers again, but we went for a drink and it went off. I had the salmon, and he had the jerk pork. Another all around great day.

 

[sunseeker09]

Oh... here's a picture of my husband with Wayne. In case you are looking for the best taxi driver, maybe you can spot him. ;) If you want his contact info. let me know.

[mississauga]

Great review and pics! Looking forward to the rest of it.

 

We wandered through Old SJ. Hubby had been before but not me. So we walked to El Morro. It was so hot! By the time we got there we needed to drink a ton of water. We went all around the fort to check it out. It was even more impressive than I thought. I will resize and download some photos tomorrow to post. Old SJ is really something too.

 

Did you know there were free trolleys that went to El Morro? Maybe you knew but just wanted the walk. I only mentioned it because you said it was so hot and I know it's a long walk.

 

For those who don't know about the free trolleys, there are 3 - one to El Morro, another to El Morro and shopping area and a 3rd, just to the shopping area. The stop is very close to pier 4 where most of the Carnival ships dock.

[cantwait06]

Wow, you did exactly what I want to do on our day in Barbados. Because of Alpmac's (and now your) beautiful pictures, it is the day I am most looking forward to for our trip. Bottom Bay is my absolute have to do item for the trip! Thank you for sharing your beautiful day:)

[Relayer]

It'a been almost a year since our Victory cruise in the Southern Caribbean.

Your photos are awesome and bring back tons of memories of what was the best cruise we have taken. We both feel that the islands on this itinerary are what the real Caribbean is all about.

 

I can see that you may have read a few of APLMAC's posts. For more than six months prior to our cruise we took in as many of his wonderul comments and photos as possible. Our only regret was that we did not make it to The Crane while in Barbados. As warned we ran into a few major issues at the terminal with taxi drivers and such. Just did not have the time.

[ktm62]

GREAT REVIEW AND PICS!!! thanks for posting:) 3 weeks to go:D

[sunseeker09]

Day 5 - St. Lucia

Being on the starboard side, we hoped we might catch a glimpse of the Pitons as we rounded the south end of the island early in the morning. We did.

 

As we got closer to the island and Castries we had another lovely sunrise.

 

We had our bag for the day packed before breakfast in the dining room. Today we had our only Carnival excursion planned; a catamaran cruise to the Pitons. I'd looked into several other (private) options but spending a lot of time on a bus on winding roads wasn't what we wanted, so we opted to see the island from the water.

 

Our group gathered and we were lead to where we boarded the cat. There were 42 of us, so it was spacious enough. The cat itself was a bit plain and simple with hard plastic seats along the outside edges and that's about it. Many sat up on the netting, but we'd brought the SLR and didn't want to get wet. We headed out with the motor going, which was a bit loud. The island was pretty. We passed some nicer cats and boats.

 

Unfortunately the weather clouded over. We also were cruising quite a distance from shore, so it was hard to get a close up look. Who knows what we were passing, as the crew said nothing. They were busy chating to each other or on their cell phones. The mood was subdued and quiet. People looked bored. Making the best of everything, I just tried to take in the island and lots of photos. At one point they cut the engines. It went quiet. I mean quiet. No one was talking. The sails were slack and we drifted along for a bit in an awkward silence. I really did want to laugh. it was a bit absurd. They started the engine again and we carried on. Sure would've been nice to know what we were passing.

 

We pulled into Anse Cochon for our swim.

 

We had brought our snorkel gear. They had some onboard you could rent. It was not included. The crew told us we had 30 minutes here. No one was moving too fast. They hadn't directed anyone where to get in the water, or more importantly, back onto the boat. "You have 29 minutes now, better start moving" one of the crew barked. Yikes. We got in and swam over to the left side by the rocks to snorkel. The water was clear but there wasn't much life. it was ok. Nothing spectacular. Unfortunately our new Olympus tough camera suddenly gave us an error message. So we swam back to the boat wondering if it had flooded. Leaving it back on the boat we went back in for a swim and up onto the beach. The beach here was ok, but kinda hard packed and brown. Sorry, just not impressive. Vendors in canoes milled about trying to push their wares. One even tried to sell my hubby drugs while he was swimming ??? Seriously dude???

[sunseeker09]

We carried on towards the Pitons. Unfortunately the weather made for less than spectacular photos of them. It would be a nice location for photos on a sunny day though.

 

We made our way back. At least now we were closer to shore. There was free water and pop, or rum punch to buy, but no one seemed interested. When I asked for a water the lady just shoved it at me. Wow. This whole crew was so miserable and seemed like they hated being there. Some people were sleeping. To top it off, it rained a bit off and on. Not the crew's fault of course, but it certainly didn't help.

 

Anyway, we watched the island go by and we passed some small fishing villages.

 

We pulled into Marigot Bay and circled around. Very pretty bay with lots and lots of boats everywhere.

 

Soon we could see the Victory. The weather had improved a little too.