Carnival Victory 4/25/2010 Review

[Benilana]

Now for the FOOD:

So after unpacking, we headed down to the Atlantic Dining Room for dinner. The first night while still in port is open seating which means the staff find room for you at a table rather than you wandering in and grabbing your own table somewhere. I had the vegetarian choice which was a medley of Indian foods. It was very tasty and my favorite meal of the trip.

I should mention that although DH is a meat lover, I'm a vegetarian (yes that means no fish or chicken). I usually eat vegan (no dairy/cheese/eggs), although when dining out I'm not as particular about food that may be cooked with a little butter or about pasta that might contain eggs. I am fully aware that cruise ships are not conducive to such diets so I had no false hopes. I was more excited about trying the local fare on the different islands each day.

I had done some internet research and heard that anyone with special diet needs can speak with the ship's dietician at the beginning of the cruise. I also heard that some Carnival ships do offer special dinner menus (including vegan choices) if you ask. I decided to just take my chances with the vegetarian options instead, knowing that I could always get steamed veggies, salads and various starches if I didn't want the entree.

I figured with so many other eateries on this ship, there would always be other choices instead of the dining room. However, I was disappointed to learn that the ship's other dining options were open limited hours and often only while we were in port. In particular, I was looking forward to ordering stir fried veggies at the Yangtse Wok but they were only open from noon-3pm each day. I managed to make it there twice before they closed but the dishes they offered were already prepared, not something you could ask them to custom make for you (as far as I could tell). Alas, they didn't have anything I liked. The grill for burgers and hot dogs was open from noon-6pm (I think) and I had a veggie burger there once. There was another grill at the very aft of Lido deck which I think was open different hours including for late night snacks.

On a more positive note, DH absolutely LOVED the sandwiches (esp. the Reuben) at the East River Deli, which seemed to almost always be opened. The guy working there was always happy to add extras to DH's sandwiches (and DH did slip him a tip later in the cruise).

We ended up eating in the dining room every night, had a few late lunches on board along with a few late night snacks at the grill or deli, and had breakfast on the Lido deck or brought the food down to our room each morning. We only had the buffet once for a late night snack and DH liked the turkey & gravy. Mostly the lines at the buffet were long when we looked (breakfast and late night), so we'd just grab something from one of the two stations right outside the buffet. DH had omelets a couple of mornings which he enjoyed. We never ate breakfast in the dining room.

 

Next, on to the ports!

[kenrod]

Benilana

I am really enjoying your review. Thanks for sharing, and looking forward to more!

[Benilana]

We left San Juan around 10pm, watching the sail-away from our balcony then joining the party up on Lido Deck. Back in our cabin, we fell blissfully asleep to the sounds of the ocean. On the advice of CC members, we had brought a bungee cord to hold open our cabin door but found that the door actually stayed open on its own. We ended up sleeping with the door open every night and this was one of my favorite parts of the cruise experience: there is just something magical about the sound of the ship cruising through the water, lulling you to sleep each night.

Please note that our friends' standard cabin balcony door did not stay open and would have needed a bungee.

 

As would become the theme for the week, DH and I awoke to find the ship already docked in port. Day One was Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and we docked Starboard side.

 

DH and I did not have any pre-booked excursions on this island or any of the others. We had researched many ideas from CC and elsewhere but became a bit overwhelmed at the options. We ultimately decided to wing it and go with how we were feeling each day.

 

I must admit that upon waking in St. Thomas, I was feeling the effects of the previous night's festivities :o I'll be the first to say that I love beer, but I'd fallen prey to the constant barrage of staff pushing the ship's specialty sailaway drinks. Guess my liver was a bit unprepared for the rum to come! :p

 

Debating over things to do in St. Thomas, we ultimately decided to give St. John's a try based on all the previous recommendations. We found a cab in port who drove us and another couple to the ferry terminal in Red Hook. About 10 minutes into the 45 minute trip, I realized that driving winding roads in the Caribbean humidity is not the best way to deal with a night of overindulgence. At the ferry terminal, we learned that the seas were rather rough this day and that the beach we had thought of exploring (Trunk Bay) was closed due to the water conditions. We took this all as a sign and decided to forgo the trip to St. John and wandered over to the Fish Tail restaurant next to the ferry terminal instead. Here, the owner Rick (very cool guy) suggested we check out a nearby beach so after a snack & drink, we caught a cab to Secret Harbor, about 5 minutes away.

[Buffettfan 225]

thanks for starting another review for us all---just like being virtually there. Also loved your photos you posted link to.

[Benilana]

Secret Harbor, St. Thomas

This beach was part of the Secret Harbor resort and while open to the public, you had to be a resort guest to use the beach chairs. We didn't ask about renting chairs as we were happy to just lie on our towels in the sand under a tree. There was a cute looking bar/grill on the beach although we didn't venture inside. I snorkeled a bit while DH relaxed on the floating platform. Our favorite part of the day was when we were lying on our beach towels under a tree and an iguana wandered right by our heads.

After posing for some pics, s/he wandered off to entertain other beach goers - or look for treats. There were signs posted on the beach saying Do Not Feed the Iguanas. A nearby employee mentioned that if you try to touch one, it will likely whip you with its tail in defense.

After enjoying the beach, we went into the resort's lobby and asked if they'd call us a cab. It took about 15 minutes or so for our cab to arrive. Meanwhile, we caught sight of a much smaller but still beautiful lizard.

I particularly liked its tail.