Our Victory Vacation 1/9/10 - 1/16/10: It rocked! (Literally and figuratively)

[ricew001]

Our Victory Vacation: It rocked! (Literally and figuratively)

We returned home to North Carolina last night (1/16/10) from out Southern Caribbean cruise and I can sum up our cruise on the Victory in two words: ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!

I am going to review the entire trip as I kept detailed notes in order to share with everyone here on cruise critic. I received so much helpful information from this site that I would like to hopefully provide some helpful information in return.

I must say we had an absolute perfect experience, which after reading some reviews, I was not expecting! We stepped on that ship with big smiles on our faces and our Southern nature in tow and had nothing but a wonderful time.

I chose the title of “It Rocked!” because it fits perfect. Yes there was much movement (rocking) on the ship but with my patch in place, I am beyond happy to report I had absolutely no problems. This from a girl with serious motion sickness issues! My husband is a musician so you will see references to “rock” in the music sense.

So I am composing this review in segments. This is my introduction and the rest will follow. But to get you ready, here is a photo of the Carnival Victory in port at sunny San Juan, PR on Sunday, January 9!

[Kitt Lady]

:D I'm excited to hear your review....we will be on it this sunday !!! :p

[ricew001]

Kitt, you will have the time of your life! I am trying to include the helpful hints we received. DH and I are still in a state of euphoria! ;-)

[absolutsixthree]

I am looking forward to your review as well ... i'm looking into this cruise for August.

[Kitt Lady]

Kitt, you will have the time of your life! I am trying to include the helpful hints we received. DH and I are still in a state of euphoria! ;-)

 

I would LOVE and hints you could share !! I am so excited. This is going to be the longest week ever.

[ricew001]

On Sunday, January 9, 2010, I woke up before the alarm went off at 2:30 a.m. We told our 3 cats goodbye and my DH in his best chauvinistic voice left our only male cat in charge of the house, which is hysterical given Buster is a 22-lb orange tabby who is scared of his own shadow, he even hid from family members checking on him while we were gone!

 

We left home at 4 a.m. in 16 degree weather. I had checked prices for extended parking and found my best deal with FastPark and Relax (which has locations at several airports.) At 5 a.m. we had helpful attendants and I rode in the back seat of the shuttle bus with no motion sickness problems whatsoever. I put the patch on 48 hours before our sailing time and could tell it was working.

 

We had no problems checking our bags or getting through security. We proceeded to gate 22 at RDU (Raleigh Durham International) for our 7:15 a.m. flight to Charlotte, NC, where we would connect for our direct flight to San Juan. We had our last yummy southern biscuits at Popeye’s at RDU. In Charlotte, we met several people who would be on the cruise ship with us. Even a couple of ladies who were kind enough to exchange seats so DH and I could sit together for the 3 and a half hour flight.

 

We landed in San Juan at 2:20 pm as scheduled and was surprised at how hot and humid it was - basically every day of our cruise was 90 degrees and humid. We quickly began taking off layers and I put on my flip flops! Oh yeah! I am on vacation now! I texted my sister to let her know we had arrived. I had called Verizon before I left to verify what my charges would be in each port for texts and calls. I had also alerted my banks/credit cards of my schedule. This is a good plan ahead tip you’ll want to do too.

 

We had a very easy transfer to the ship. I did the majority of planning for this trip, but my DH wanted us to do the transfer through Carnival. We had a nice clean bus and it was loaded with people just as excited as us! We got off the bus and had a short line to get into the ship. We boarded the ship at 4:30 pm. First they took our picture. DH put on his sunglasses so I did too. We were surprised to see the photo came out so well! LOL! From there we began the sampling process. I didn’t know what I had was the famous Carnival Kiss on the Lips sample! It was another point where we said, oh yeah vacation has begun. At the counter we were given our Sail and Sign cards very easily. As we walked on the ship there were some young guys walking with us who were saying WOO HOO!! They were clearly in vacation mode and it was contagious!

 

We boarded the Carnival Victory and checked out our spacious Oceanview room 2-339 – no luggage yet. My first cruise was an interior cabin, my second was a balcony. We turned out to be very happy with the Oceanview. We had natural light, could watch the ocean at night and woke up every morning to look out at the island. It also gave us a view of the “working” part of the ship – like the disembarking, the porting, and the maintenance such as washing windows and painting. Prior to sailing I received an upgrade fairy call for $1000 for a penthouse and $300 for a balcony. We turned those down jokingly saying we’d just use that money for drinks. In the end, that was no laughing matter as we spent much money on drinks!

 

As everyone advised, we left the ship and went to CVS right across the street and bought Pepsi (DH’s addiction), bottled water, and a 2-liter orange drink for me (I don’t drink colas). This was a very wise move.

 

We took some pictures of the very interesting boat right near the Victory.

[a3593]

Did this last April--brings back memories!! :D

[ricew001]

We came back to the ship and dined with a very nice couple from Minnesota (Mike and Joanne). On the first night, it’s open seating from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm. For dinner I had fruit, tilapia, and the exquisite warm melting cake. Dinner was good – not magnificent as I had hoped, but good. DH was completely satisfied with all the food; I can’t say anything was “bad” but most of the meals were just not as good as I had hoped. Some things were really good and I’ll mention them as I go. In fairness I have to say I am a very picky eater.

 

We went back to our room and our luggage was there, so we changed clothes. We then toured the ship. When we got to the casino (we never played anything in the casino the whole trip) we ordered our first drinks which we took pictures of! I had the tiramisu martini and it was out of this world spectacular!

 

The “safety briefing” was at 9:30 pm. Neither one of us liked that portion. We lined along the deck – but not in an open area - and it was hot and yucky. Didn’t feel it was too informative.

 

At 10 pm we set sail. We decided to watch that on the lower deck where the lifeboats are – no one else was there and it was very romantic and private. DH took the majority of pictures and I’ll post one of San Juan all lit up.

[ricew001]

Sunday 1/9/10 entertainment

We went to “Superstar Live with the Showband” – karaoke - in the Adriatic lounge on the first night. This would be a lounge we would frequent. I found it to be very warm in that lounge, while ironically the Caribbean lounge was FREEZING!!! Ladies, take a black cardigan and a shawl or something like the sheer black scarf I had with me. I needed them most nights for the lounge and a few other areas of the ship that were cold.

 

Anyhow, DH sang “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett. We are Buffett fans and DH is a musician. I was delighted to hear Boat Drinks and a Pirate Looks at 40 and other tunes either in the hallways of the ship or in the port shops – even the steel drum versions were beautiful.

 

The live karaoke we thought “rocked” because it was with a live band. The song choice was limited, but I felt it was a wide selection of music types. I will post some pix of DH singing. After he sang, we were recognized everywhere and he received so many compliments. I thought this was a really good way for Carnival to give guests a chance to participate.

 

From there, we went to the Sing Along Party with Wally B in the Irish Seas lounge – a/k/a the Piano Bar. We were hooked and went every single night. Wally is very talented and could play any song that was tossed out. We got some video I hope to get loaded. There were many regulars there and even on the trip home we saw some of the regulars and we had fun reminiscing about the nights with Wally. I didn’t realize that on the day the ship goes to Barbados, people flying from the UK can board. So while our experience was Sun – Sun, theirs was Wed to Wed. So they had been there a few nights with Wally. They had interesting lyrics for Kenny Rogers’ song “You picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Lucille” and a little ditty called Alice. For the rest of the week Wally would play those samples and everyone joined in with the “unique” versions of these songs and would shout them to each other at the ship, on the islands and in the airports.

 

From there we left and went for a snack in the Mediterranean where they have 10:30 pm – 1:00 am snacks. We had cheeseburgers and fries and they were okay. We watched the BIG SCREEN TV on the lido deck where they were showing “How to Train Your Dragon”.

 

We made it back to the room at and slept from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Another piece of advice – sleep before your cruise!! You will have way too much to do to sleep on this cruise. The 2-7 am slot was what we slept most nights!

[dolfndreams]

Great start, enjoying your report. I'm on the ship in 12 days, looking forward to your reports on the islands.

 

It really is already 90 degrees, guess I can stop worrying about cool weather:D

[pcvtmom]

I'm excited to read your review! We sail on the Victory in June. (We are ALSO huge Parrotheads...) Keep the great descriptions going!

[agc291]

We are on this cruise at the end of March...VERY EXCITED:)

[ricew001]

I am looking forward to your review as well ... i'm looking into this cruise for August.

 

Just book that cruise! It truly was a magnificent experience and I hope everyone else who does this cruise as a great time like we did!

[ricew001]

Great start, enjoying your report. I'm on the ship in 12 days, looking forward to your reports on the islands.

 

It really is already 90 degrees, guess I can stop worrying about cool weather:D

 

And was HOT and sunny every day. Pack just a few clothes and make sure they are for hot weather - but include a jacket/sweater for the cold rooms on the ship.

 

I can't stress enough that I agree with what everyone said - take half the clothes and twice the money. We actually did laundry one day and I wish I had taken half the clothes and just did laundry one time to re-use. We were just a few rooms down from the laundry room so it was easy.

 

We got quarters from the desk - $3 to wash, $3 to dry and $1 for detergent.

 

I also took someone's advice and took $1 bills for tips - yet I ran out by Thursday. But while I had the cash it was nice to tip the room service people, tour guides, and others as necessary. One of the room service ladies said "You are too kind" when I tipped her. probably a standard line but it was very sweet!

[ricew001]

I'm excited to read your review! We sail on the Victory in June. (We are ALSO huge Parrotheads...) Keep the great descriptions going!

 

Wally B in the lounge played "Why Don't We Get Drunk" and of course that is the perfect sing along song!!

[nytonowhere]

It will be my second time sailing the Victory in March i cannot wait to go back to all those islands! You're review is great! I need more ideas and reviews on what to do at night, me and my boyfriend we're always so tired after our long day we always passed out almost after dinner, but this time we have another couple going with us so i have a feeling we will get a second wind at night, keep including your reviews on nightlife activities.

Another question did you bring any alcohol on? Last time we did this cruise we basically took a full stocked bar on, in our carry-ons with no questions asked..and we werent the only ones. There is some loophole with the Port Authority of PR as this is the only port you are allowed to do this.We are looking to do this again of course just wondering if you did, or did you see people buying at the store upstairs and carrying it on?

Also i have seen that they added a Serenity deck, did you guys hang out there at all or take any good pics i am SO curious as that was my favorite place to hang on the Dream.

[ricew001]

It will be my second time sailing the Victory in March i cannot wait to go back to all those islands! You're review is great! I need more ideas and reviews on what to do at night, me and my boyfriend we're always so tired after our long day we always passed out almost after dinner, but this time we have another couple going with us so i have a feeling we will get a second wind at night, keep including your reviews on nightlife activities.

Another question did you bring any alcohol on? Last time we did this cruise we basically took a full stocked bar on, in our carry-ons with no questions asked..and we werent the only ones. There is some loophole with the Port Authority of PR as this is the only port you are allowed to do this.We are looking to do this again of course just wondering if you did, or did you see people buying at the store upstairs and carrying it on?

Also i have seen that they added a Serenity deck, did you guys hang out there at all or take any good pics i am SO curious as that was my favorite place to hang on the Dream.

 

Thank you! I am on my second day in my review. I am writing the reviews in Word and then posting them here so I can save and edit easier. As I am writing, my DH is posting the pix to Facebook where I can grab them. So beginning with Monday I am covering the nigh time in detail. We are very much night owls/music lovers so I will have plenty of descriptions for you.

 

The serenity deck was awesome. I went up for an hour almost every day. The colors are relaxing and I liked the adults only atmosphere. there are hammocks, chairs, and giant beds plus two hot tubs. The view is incredible because it's so high up. One day I moved because someone was smoking a cigar. And one day I saw a man being not really nice to his wife but when he left she came over and talked to me and she was really nice.

 

We are not heavy drinkers but were able to buy the airplane bottles in every port and I put them in my make up bag in my back pack and had no problem. The day we bought rum I walked up to declare it, but DH and I both thought we could have proceeded on to the ship with the rum and with no problem.

[ricew001]

Day 2 – St Thomas (Daytime)

We arrived at 7 a.m. in St. Thomas. We didn’t plan anything for this port, which was a good thing given we had been up for 24 hours the day before. We ate breakfast in the buffet area and left the ship and were amazed at how hot it was! We shopped a bit and then went over to Shipwreck Tavern, where I had Pirate’s Poison at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning. I thought that was really something. Little did I know that by Friday, we’d be drinking rum punch at 9 a.m.!!! We took some pictures with the giant shark there.

 

We decided we needed to see Megan’s beach so we caught a cab for $8 one way and $4 entry fee into Megan’s beach. The ride there was in a van and the ride back was in one of the open “safari” rides. That was probably our first experience riding on the “wrong” side of the road and with the twists and turns and all the cars on the road, it was rather exciting. I’m sure DH’s arms had bruises from me squeezing it so much!! On the way back we were in the back seat of the safari holding on for dear life! But we got some wonderful photos! And again thanks to the patch I had absolutely no problems on that crazy ride back to the port!

 

The water was beautiful and the beach was really crowded. Most people were just soaking sun and drinking. I watched a bird dive into the water several times for a fish. There was a bar there and a little gift shop. Maybe because it was our first day and we weren’t adventurous we didn’t see much more. If I had it to do over again, I definitely would have put on my bathing suit as I’m sure I looked ridiculous out there in the water with my pants rolled up!

 

DH’s drink of choice is Crown Royal so we picked up an airplane bottle of it and that worked great. He was able to fix his own drinks and we had no problems.

 

We went back to the ship and had lunch – at the buffet – and it was okay. We went to the top deck and laid in some chairs and had a wonderful relaxing nap in the sun. I ordered the frozen Kiss on the Lips and it was so delicious. We stayed for the sail away party which was cool. I watched a plane land on the water and take off. A few people asked me to take their pictures and I happily obliged and then had them take pix of Mike and me. It was breath taking scenery there. Mike walked around and took some pictures. I stood there absorbing the sun and the beauty of the island and even offering a silent prayer of thanksgiving as it truly was an awesome scene and I felt fortunate to have the opportunity to see it.

[Halftocruz]

Now I'm a little nervous for the rocking of the ship. I don't ever get sea sick or motion sick but should I be prepared anyway? We leave in 18 days and we are solo excited!!!!!

 

I can't wait for the rest of your review!!! I am going to definitely go up to the serenity deck. I'm so excited!!!

 

Kellie

[ricew001]

Kellie, I would rather be safe than sorry. I talked to a few people who said the motion bothered them. In addition to the patch I put on 48 hours ahead of time, I bought the sea bands, the gum, and the ginger pills - which gave me horrible heartburn. I decided just to stick with my patch and it worked wonders. Several people on this board recommended Bonine - which I also bought. We had dinner with a young couple one night and the wife was struggling. I brought her back to my cabin and gave her the ginger pills, gum and Bonine and she said it helped. The important thing is PREVENTION. Don't wait until you are sick. My DH felt the movement too but had no sickness. My previous cruises I had been sick on so I think I enjoyed this one more because I had no problems - and we rode everything over the last few days!

 

So I would say the two best choices are Bonine - which you could take and then quit taking if you think you're fine but remember to start it before you sail - or the Patch. But that is a prescription. So people have reported bad side effects. I had dry mouth and huge pupils - but it was well worth it! Good luck~!

[nytonowhere]

The serenity deck was awesome

 

 

Great! i am so excited about that, ill spend hours up there! please post any pics you have of it! :)

[Mrs.C05]

Can't wait to continue reading your review! Brings back great memories of when we did ours 2 years ago!! From what I can remember when we flew in to SJU, most people were buying their liquor right there and stuffing it in their carry-on's to take with them on the ship. We didn't think anything of it, so we didn't buy any but we probably should have.

[sallyb]

WooHoo! We leave on Saturday for San Juan. Going in a day early. Thanks for the review!!

[pokergirl34]

We were just on this itinerary in December. Loved, loved, loved it. Every time I read a Victory review, it brings back such wonderful memories....

 

I have to comment about the rocking ship...we had an aft cabin and definitely felt rocking. I don't get seasick so I wasn't sick; it was really more annoying than anything. If you get seasick, take precautions. JMO.

[KMYork]

Love your review! Thanks for Sharing!