C. Victory Sept. 16 '12 Review with pics

[Crusin Karen]

We leave in November and I'm so excited to see the rest of your review. We will have our 2 boys with us ages 10 and 8 and I hope they will have fun since there probably won't be too many kids on the trip.

 

Not sure what we will do for food when on the Islands. We are also scheduled with Herod and I'm a little nervous because my one son has food allergies to all nuts and coconut. I'm not thinking eating will be too easy for him. I'm going to have to pack a lot of his "snacks".

I always take boxes of cereal off the ship for a quick snack. :cool:

[darcien007]

I agree with you about Jalousie Beach - didn't need water shoes at all!

 

And oh - keep forgetting to post about the other movies being shown in the rooms (not at the Seaside Theater). Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Hugo, The Iron Lady and We Bought a Zoo - they showed that last movie on the Elation this past May so I was able to recite the lines on the Victory, lol!!

 

I was glad I had my water shoes : ) So Hernferd did you spend all your time in the room? ; )

[Karpkg]

How did you manage to get into and out of the boat at Jalouise beach??

 

We docked at the end of this pier. I'm facing it, the public beach is on my right and the resort side to my left.

 

[Karpkg]

We said bye to Herod and away we go. The boat is fast and skipping along the waves. Cue Miami Vice opening music, or Hawaii Five-O, whichever suits your mood.

 

 

I'm sitting in the middle of the boat so side shots are fine but as we approach landmarks I don't have a great approaching view. Shots as we are leaving are better.

 

The "bat cave". Fruit bats congregate during the day in this sliver of the wall and come out at night. This shot is one of five attempts during the boats movement up and down as well as rotating around to get a pic of the bats. Camera could not focus. Oh well.

 

 

Shot of the sliver in the cliff as we are leaving. If you couldn't see them, you could definitely hear them. High pitch squeaking, whistling chattering sound.

 

 

 

It's hard to hear the guide over the roar of the motor. But this is another high priced luxury couple thousand dollars night.

 

 

The surrounding landscape is just as gorgeous.

Shot of the Pitons from the sea. Beautiful.

 

 

 

[Karpkg]

Before we know it we reach an area I was anticipating, the location shot of Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't remember which version of the movie this is from. I couldn't believe it when we starting going through this rock formation before the guide started talking about this, probably because the motor was off and we drifted through this thing. So, my shots are again from behind.

 

 

 

We end up docking right next to the Victory.

 

 

We head to our room and look out our balcony. Love these shots.

 

 

 

Bye St. Lucia!

 

[Karpkg]

Thoughts:

 

St. Lucia is a beautiful picturesque mountainous island. Did it top my past excursions? No. I enjoyed the tour and was impressed at how many different things we were able to see. Sulphur Springs, the Pitons, a banana field, movie locations, amazing food...the tour was good. But by now my group knows what they like, and it's snorkeling and the beaches. They were getting antsy during the land part of the tour. I'm really glad I went with a sea based for the last leg of the journey. They also wanted the Jalousie beach part to be longer. We were there probably 1 1/2 hrs.

 

We rented snorkeling gear. $10 for mask and fins, an additional $5 for the snorkeling vest for DS. DD didn't snorkel, and I used my sis.

 

As I continue to get to know the personalities of each island, I'm also realizing that the more self-sustaining the island is, the less aggressive the vendors are. St. Lucia is highly dependent on tourism. The locals were forward in trying to sell you their wares but no way was I ever afraid of them. Now, I was intimidated in the open market of St. Thomas, and in St. Maarten I got jipped, but that'll be another story when I get to it.

 

Food porn:

 

I have pics of this night but they're blurred and without the menu I can't tell you at this point what we're eating. It is the 2nd formal night but we're dressed nicely, not as formal as before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jmecme]

We leave tomorrow for San Juan and cruise on Sunday! Your review has been great and I hope I can return the favor to an upcoming cruiser! :D

[Karpkg]

We leave tomorrow for San Juan and cruise on Sunday! Your review has been great and I hope I can return the favor to an upcoming cruiser! :D

 

Yes, please pass the favor along! :cool:

[Karpkg]

Last dessert and last pic of St. Lucia day.

 

Baked Alaskan pie.

 

 

 

[Karpkg]

I wake up too early this morning. It's nearly 5:00 AM. I get restless so I get up, grab my camera and leave the cabin.

 

Shots of the ship. I took a ton but without flash. Again there'll be some blurring.

 

Leaving my cabin, looking forward.

 

 

Tip: I brought a packet of water balloons with me. I'd blow up a balloon and attached it with tape to the light box next to our cabin door. The kids loved being able to run down the long hallway and know exactly where we are. Now, almost every other day it was stolen, so I'd blow up another and stick it again to the door. The last time I did this I stuck it above the door on the door frame and no one touched it since then. I did this for my first cruise and it worked for us. I'm all for decorating a door but I'd hate to have it trashed or stolen. This way I didn't care if I lost a balloon because I had more.

 

Tip: I always got turned around and started toward the odd cabins instead of the even side. So I memorized the art work. As soon as I saw this I knew what deck I was on and I would "head to the rocks", or the even side.

 

 

Leaving the Mediterranean Restaurant, heading toward the pool.

 

 

Pool, aft.

 

 

Ice cream, opposite side of the bar.

 

 

[Karpkg]

Main pool, grand central seating.

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning!

 

[Karpkg]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I head back inside.

 

Show respect to these creatures. Give them wide berth. Get too close, they'll kick you. Hard.

 

 

Did I forget to mention how much I love color?

 

Guarding the casinos.

 

 

Tip: For free formal night pictures, use these as the background.

 

 

[Karpkg]

 

Entrance to the kids domain, the video arcde room.

 

 

Punchline Comedy room.

 

 

Smoking bar/band playing/piano room. AKA the red room.

 

 

Outside the dining room.

 

 

I believe it's the Pacific Room? My mind is fading fast...

 

[Karpkg]

 

The Library.

 

 

I love looking at this atrium.

 

 

 

It's getting daylight, time to wake everyone up.

 

[Karpkg]

I head back to to other side of the ship. Last pics are of the Atlantic Dining Room.

 

 

 

 

I'm heading off to bed. "Nite!

[Crusin Karen]

Nice pictures! I always loved the colors in the Victory atrium. Must have been neat to walk around while the ship was so quiet! :)Those seahorses: I had my fair share of bites! :mad::mad:

[ibcnusoon]

We decided to do just the sea portion of the trip to the Pitons on St. Lucia.

 

Last year we took an excursion to the ruins in Belize, a 2 hour each way bus ride back and forth. I enjoyed the excursion, love mixing history with a beach the next day but my girls were SOOO over it! They slept there and back but this time when I was planning excursions on the Victory, they said anything BUT long bus rides!! I knew a land portion of St. Lucia was out so I just ended up booking the snorkel trip by boat to the Pitons through the ship's excursion. There needs to be more vendors in St. Lucia that have boats, there are no 1/2 day tours just to the Pitons and back outside of booking with Carnival.

[Karpkg]

We decided to do just the sea portion of the trip to the Pitons on St. Lucia.

 

Last year we took an excursion to the ruins in Belize, a 2 hour each way bus ride back and forth. I enjoyed the excursion, love mixing history with a beach the next day but my girls were SOOO over it! They slept there and back but this time when I was planning excursions on the Victory, they said anything BUT long bus rides!! I knew a land portion of St. Lucia was out so I just ended up booking the snorkel trip by boat to the Pitons through the ship's excursion. There needs to be more vendors in St. Lucia that have boats, there are no 1/2 day tours just to the Pitons and back outside of booking with Carnival.

 

I agree.

 

I have also seen a fantastic video by helicopter of the Pitons on one of the travel websites. Hawaii has a lot of such helicopter tours and St. Lucia would benefit from those as well.

 

 

[Karpkg]

During the cruise my internal clock's been switched. I work nights and I usually hate getting up in the mornings on my nights off. But this itinerary you tend to fall into bed exhausted and then get up early in the morning to get the crew going and on time for these excursions. We've been sleeping with the curtains open and letting the sunrise be our wakeup call. This time I just...woke up wide awake. So, voila! Pics of the ship with little to no people in them.

 

Good morning! (I have more pictures of sunrises than sunsets)

 

 

 

I don't know if it's a factor of being the only ship during this low season but it seems we're always heading into port headfirst. So, views from our cabin have been fantastic.

 

 

 

Ahh, talk about the port opening its arms to us!

 

 

 

[Karpkg]

Now, this was a port we had nothing scheduled. The group wanted a beach to snorkel, I wanted to know more about the island. We compromised and like in St. Thomas, looked for a driver that would give us a mini tour then bring us to a beach.

 

Free Wifi- hard to come by. There was a spot next to the information desk inside the yellow welcome building that we found by our phones scanning the area but poor reception.

St. Kitts is known as the monkey island. The guides like to point out that there are more monkeys than people living here. So, you'll find many vendors in the terminal areas with their monkeys wanting money for pictures.

 

Tip: If you can wait till outside the terminal and elsewhere, monkey pictures are a lot cheaper and more negotiable. This is the buyers beware area.

 

See the monkey vendor left side of pic)

 

 

Past the courtyard, heading toward the taxi area.

 

[Karpkg]

We weren't lucky in getting a driver to just have us. We end up with Robert who proceeds to load up his van with 8 other people. I ended up sitting in the back with lousy view of everything, and I'm the only one with the camera out ready to take shots of it all. :mad:

 

Yes, this was a cheaper excursion. DH negotiated $20 for the adults and the kids free. But, you also get what you pay for which is a taxi driver with some knowledge but not out of your way helpfulness and definitely compromises with other people in the van.

 

Inside a typical taxi van. At least it was air conditioned. Somewhat, with the amount of people in it.

 

 

I can't even get a clear back window view of anything! Following info is what I vaguely remember but with the internet this fleshes out everything.

 

So, we are in the city and capital- Basseterre. The island itself was originally named St. Christophe. The town has two Centres. This is one of them, called the Circus. The roundabout contains the Berkeley Memorial, which is the drinking fountain and the green clock. Shops surround this area and tourists from the nearby port shop here. It was built in honor of Thomas B.H. Berkeley, a former president of the General Legislative Council in the 1880s.

 

 

The second Centre is the Independence Square. From Wikipedia,"Independence Square was named on the occasion of St. Kitts and Nevis achieving political independence on September 19, 1983. Originally called Pall Mall Square, The Government first acquired it in 1750 and it rapidly became the administrative, commercial and social centre of Basseterre. The Square was the site of the slave market. Slaves arriving from Africa were temporarily quartered in the basement of a building on the south side of the Square."

 

 

Next to the Square is the Co-Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It was built in 1927, replacing an earlier church built in 1856.

 

 

Nearby is the St. George’s Anglican Church, which was first, Notre Dame, a Catholic church built by the Jesuits in 1670. Burnt to the ground by the English in 1706, it was rebuilt, renamed and rededicated to the Anglican Faith in 1710.

 

 

[dz63]

Thank you for taking the time to post your cruise vacation with us. I know how time consuming this is, as I have posted pictorial reviews of our cruises as well! Anyway, your pictorial review is AWESOME! We sailed on the Victory a few years ago and your review is bringing back many wonderful memories. I would say the Victory's southern itinerary was my favorite! Those southern Caribbean islands are truly beautiful.

 

I found your port stop in St. Lucia particularly interesting. We looked into booking a tour with Herod, then ended up booking with someone else because we read reviews where he has the tendency to leave late as he waits for people--sounds like this part has not changed! Even so, it looks like you were still able to see everything. Are you aware of any part of the tour being cut out or cut short because of your late departure time?

 

Your kayaking adventure through the Bioluminscence Bay also looked like a lot of fun. We did the Bioluminscence Bay in Vieques and that was an amazing experience. If we ever get the chance to pass through Puerto Rico again, kayaking would be a neat experience to try!

 

Thanks again for sharing your adventures with us! Looking forward to the rest of your review!

[Karpkg]

Thank you for taking the time to post your cruise vacation with us. I know how time consuming this is, as I have posted pictorial reviews of our cruises as well! Anyway, your pictorial review is AWESOME! We sailed on the Victory a few years ago and your review is bringing back many wonderful memories. I would say the Victory's southern itinerary was my favorite! Those southern Caribbean islands are truly beautiful.

 

I found your port stop in St. Lucia particularly interesting. We looked into booking a tour with Herod, then ended up booking with someone else because we read reviews where he has the tendency to leave late as he waits for people--sounds like this part has not changed! Even so, it looks like you were still able to see everything. Are you aware of any part of the tour being cut out or cut short because of your late departure time?

 

Your kayaking adventure through the Bioluminscence Bay also looked like a lot of fun. We did the Bioluminscence Bay in Vieques and that was an amazing experience. If we ever get the chance to pass through Puerto Rico again, kayaking would be a neat experience to try!

 

Thanks again for sharing your adventures with us! Looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Probably the Jalousie beach time was what was cut short. As it was, we left the beach late but made up time in the powerboat return to the ship. Maybe we hurried a little bit at the bat cave look see and the Pirate of the Caribbean location area.

 

Yes, it's a lengthy review. :p

[Karpkg]

We head out of town and enjoy the scenery. Brightly colored low income houses with the ocean as their back yard. In Los Angeles where I used to live that would be a million plus dollar view.

 

 

We stop, get out of the van for a stretch and a better look.

 

The sister island Nevis in the distance.

 

 

Zooming in.

 

 

The mountains behind me.

 

 

Vendors also at this view site.

 

 

We get back into the van and drive on.

 

Rum bottles hung on a mango tree. Tradition of drunken men from the adjoining bar hanging their empty bottles and locals dubbing it the Rum Tree. Again, taken through the window of the moving van so not great shot.

 

 

[Karpkg]

There are places along the way that's being narrated but I'm unable to get shots. But I see this and I know now where we're headed.

 

 

I like taking pictures of this, a man and his monkey.

 

 

The Wingfield Estate is just before the Romney Manor.

 

The Wingfield Estate, held by Samuel Jefferson- great, great, great grandfather(several guides were arguing on how many greats were in there) of Thomas Jefferson, our American Founding Father, and 3rd President. Author of the Declaration of Independence. Can you imagine if you knew your descendant was going to hold all those titles?

 

So, this estate was a rum/tobacco/indigo working estate with power provided by water wheel and steam engine.

 

 

 

We continue on and enter the Caribelle Batik and the Botanical Gardens of the Romney Manor.