Victory x 2....a b2b review! (with an obscene number of pictures...just sayin')

[summercruisin']

The boys on elegant night...

 

 

And the ladies...

 

 

And some towel animals...

 

 

We got our Platinum gifts - the tumblers - with our dinosaur (hey! Is Carnival trying to say something here?? LOL!)

 

I don't think I remembered to mention that DH and I got our plate of sweets for having platinum status this afternoon...

 

 

And the kids got another surprise from Chef Vivek! How awesome is that??? I love the special touches that Carnival employees provide!

 

[summercruisin']

The next morning would bring our stop in Grand Turk. I have never been to Grand Turk before, and my sister and her hubby went there for their honeymoon, so we were all excited to visit. I had looked at the reviews and other information about the stop, but it was one of those that I had a hard time envisioning what to expect. I did know, from others' pictures, that the ship was really close to the shore while in port.

 

 

 

But, before even getting off the ship, we were excited to find we had docked next to the HMS Lancaster! Now, to understand why this matters, you have to know that my 12 year old DS, the one with autism, has an obsession with military ships and planes. When he was younger, he spent hours and hours studying military ship and plane information. Instead of watching Spongebob, DS watched military documentaries. He is a walking encyclopedia of military vehicle information. So, waking up to this "parked" right beside us was a treat!

 

 

There was even a helicopter on the back and a gym (under the tent) where several of the men were working out.....not that I was watching cute English boys lifting weights or anything :rolleyes: ;)

 

 

[summercruisin']

One of the first things I noticed (to entertain me while getting a lecture on the size of the guns on the ship....oh and the tube-thingies that could shoot like some kind of missile thingy....whatever!) was that the water was so clear, I could see the propeller of the military ship from our room high up...

 

 

 

When you get off the ship in Grand Turk, you walk down the pier

 

 

and then, to the right (near the "Grand Turk" sign),

 

 

there is a small but shady beach (behind the sign). You have to go through the shops and back to the right to get to that beach. On the left, there is a much larger beach with lots and lots of rows of beach chairs. There is less shade on this side, although there is a row of shady trees along the back of the chairs, and when you sit on this side, you are looking directly at the ship.

 

We found chairs on this more crowded and less shaded beach. Here we decided to go swimming and snorkeling (not much to see) just a bit.

 

Edited January 11, 2014 by summercruisin'

[jlindemer]

I know right where Poinciana is! :D We looked there as well when searching for a house. I really enjoy the area! I'm missing Florida right now' date=' thanks to the cold NC weather, but we are heading down there for a long weekend soon![/quote']

 

It was in the thirties during this Polar Vortex the nation had. We did not see any snow flakes or I would be moving to Key West right now!

 

It is back in the eighties. :-)

[cruiseclues]

This was a very nice review...thank you so very much for sharing.

[summercruisin']

If you swim/snorkel in Grand Turk off the beach by the ship, you are sure to see a lot of seaweed!

 

After snorkeling and swimming a little while, we decided to head over to the pool at Margaritaville. The very BIG pool! :D This area was awesome for our little ones.

 

 

We enjoyed watching people try the wave rider thingy, and the music at Margaritaville was fun as well. Some of the pool games were a little risqué (IMO) for little ones to watch. However, they are easily distracted by the pool.

 

 

 

[summercruisin']

There are lots of fun things to do at this Margaritavville...a little relaxing...

 

 

a little dancing (raise that roof!)

 

 

a little weather-predicting (LOL)

 

 

After a while, DS and I decided to walk down the beach a bit.

[summercruisin']

This was a very nice review...thank you so very much for sharing.

 

Thank you! I still have lots to say! I can't wait to tell about Half Moon Cay, especially....and how we divided to conquer Nassau! :D I didn't hear about the travel advisory regarding Nassau until well after our return, so we had no idea that we should be extra cautious. :eek: Oh well! :o

[summercruisin']

It was in the thirties during this Polar Vortex the nation had. We did not see any snow flakes or I would be moving to Key West right now!

 

It is back in the eighties. :-)

 

I knew it got really cold down there when I saw the people renting our house had set the thermostat on 73 :eek: I guess they wanted to be warm in Florida, no matter what! Glad to hear it's warming back up, because we are heading there for a long weekend next week. Keep those 80s around for me, okay? ;)

[BillyBoy013]

Thanks so much for your great review and pic's. We are getting ready for our 1/20 Victory cruise and can't wait!!! Question about the ship - do you know if there is a self laundry? We tend to pack heavy and would love to be able to wash some clothes during our cruise. Thanks. And many condolences for your losses, I know what it's like to lose your parents, sad, sad.

[summercruisin']

Thanks so much for your great review and pic's. We are getting ready for our 1/20 Victory cruise and can't wait!!! Question about the ship - do you know if there is a self laundry? We tend to pack heavy and would love to be able to wash some clothes during our cruise. Thanks. And many condolences for your losses, I know what it's like to lose your parents, sad, sad.

 

Thank you. You will have a great time on the Victory! There is a laundry. The one on our deck was right across the hall (convenient!). You should pack your own detergent and such. HTH!

[BillyBoy013]

Thank you! I'm sure you mentioned this in prior post and I overlooked it, which deck were you on?

[summercruisin']

Thank you! I'm sure you mentioned this in prior post and I overlooked it, which deck were you on?

 

We were on the Verandah deck (cabin 8353). The laundry was almost directly in front of our door. Very convenient :D

[summercruisin']

We walked down and passed Jack's Shack. We didn't have time to hang out there this trip, so OF COURSE I had to book another cruise that stops in Grand Turk! So, I'll be popping in Jack's Shack in August :D

 

The water is much "cleaner" when you walk just a little bit down the beach (closer to Jack's). No seaweed down there. So, I'm guessing the seaweed gets all chopped up and then kind of "stuck" in the little cove that the ship, the pier, and the beach create.

 

Along the way, we passed the Crew Bar...

 

and a few other sights

 

 

 

We saw the somewhat famous digging dog, Topher. I forgot to get a picture, but I did get him on video. We didn't get to hang out on the beach much longer, as it was nearly time to go. If you do this itinerary, the Grand Turk day is really short (I think we had to go back onboard around 1).

 

If you are beach and nap people like we are, it's tolerable. Several hours on the beach followed by a shower and a nap, rocked to sleep on a ship...now THAT'S vacation! :)

[sgfun]

Thank you so much for taking the time to come back again and again. Thank you also for sharing your personal insights as you go. We leave in a few weeks for what was your second leg. We we have a teenager that faces some of the same challenges and strengths as your son, this will the the kids 4th cruise and have always found that each of our kids has found something that works for them.

[crazychuckie]

Huh oh, I think we lost her again.

[MoreMouse]

Huh oh, I think we lost her again.

 

No!!! I was so enjoying the pics. :eek:

[2 cruzen]

Thanks to our good timing in making contact with my sister' date=' the kids and I were able to be in place to welcome the rest of the family on board, which was a great experience!

 

Here's sister and my nephew (and my brother to the side)

 

I'll give you a proper introduction for them all soon.

 

I forgot to mention that early that morning (before heading down to guest services for the walk off/walk on), I went to find the room steward that would be "serving" my Dad's GF. I wanted to put a few pictures of my dad in her room for her to find upon her arrival. The GF's room was ready (and still open), and the steward, an incredibly kind woman named Ines, was easy to find. She seemed a little skeptical at first (understandably), but she agreed after asking were we sure we had the right room. We left a handful of pictures on the mirror in the room. Someone here on CC gave me the idea, and it worked beautifully. We had also ordered some chocolate covered strawberries for her. They were delivered later in the evening.

 

After welcoming my family on board, we stopped by guest services to pick up my new card (no problems) and then I walked the family to my room to drop off their carry-ons (they are not platinum so they were told their rooms were not ready yet).

 

Your brother looks a lot your dad. Your DD is quite the ham...love the picture of her toothless friend.