We took the February 8 cruise that left San Juan. We arrived at the airport at 1:00pm and by 1:30 we were on the ship. The taxi ride cost $19 and took us right to the ship. It saved us buying the Carnival transfer, and was well organized. We didn't have to negotiate. Just follow the signs to taxi's and people will help you. We got right on the ship. No long lines, everything went smooth. We took our carry-on right to our room, left it, then went exploring old San Juan for 4 hours. We got right back on the ship, with no lines, and ate dinner. It was great. On Monday, we were in St. Thomas, and had prearranged a Sunny Liston tour (www.sunnyliston.com) for $25. It was great. They met us right outside where the ship docked. On Tuesday we were in Dominica and found friends that suggested we do a Beno tour (www.benonaturetours.com). I think this was $20 each, and was a great tour. I worried a little about not booking tours through the ship, but these guys are very sensitive to getting you back to the ship on time. The kid that escorted our tour (Dr. Phil) was very informative and did a great job. Easy to recommend this tour. On Wednesday we were in Barbados, and we didn't book a tour in advance. Rather, we went shopping, and then walked to a beach. We took the free shuttle bus from the ship to the port shopping area, and then made the 10 - 15 minute walk downtown. From there we walked 5 - 10 minutes to the beach and swam. We walked back to the ship. It was a great day. On Thursday, we were in St. Lucia, and had prearranged a Cosol tour (www.cosol-tours.com) that came highly recommended from Cruise Critic, and it didn't disappoint. It was great. The snorkeling on the tour in St. Lucia was the best we did or even heard about in the Caribbean. It was fantastic. Nothing bad to say about this tour either. It was a little expensive ($65) but included lots of food, drinks, a water expedition, a fantastic beach and snorkeling area, and was worth it. Still much cheaper than a similar ship arranged tour. On Friday we were in Antiqua. Again, we just walked downtown and did some shopping, and then try to walk to Miller's Point (Beach), but half-way along, a nice man picked us up and took us there. We took a taxi back for $10. It was also a very nice beach and wasn't crowded at all. On Saturday, we were in St. Kitts. My daughter goes to BYU-Idaho and a friend of her's had visited our home. This friend's dad is a taxi driver on St. Kitts, and my daughter said to look him up. We asked for Mr. Barry, at the ship debarkation/country welcoming spot, they found him for us (people were very nice and helpful), we found another couple to go with us, and the 4 of us took a full island tour with him for $20 each, plus $8 to see some major fortress (national park) along the way. This was a bargain, I got to visit with a man who's son had been at our home, and the island is beautiful. Nothing bad to say and this place either. On Sunday, we got off the ship quickly, took another taxi to the airport, but rented a car from National for $26/day, and drove to the rain forest on Puerto Rico. After spending 3 hours there, we drove to Faraja for a pre-arranged Bio-illuminescent tour with akuadventure tours (http://travelandsports.com/akuadv738.htm) At first this was a little frustrating, but in the end it was very worth it. We were told were to meet, and we thought there would be little traffic at the peninsula beach on a Sunday, and that there would be a tour company with a permanent residence there. We were wrong on both accounts. We arrived early to make sure we found the place, but no one was there from the bio-bay tour company, the area was packed, no parking,the food was expensive, and I was frustrated. I had a phone number, but my cell phone was dead. People tried to help us, but surprisingly, hardly anyone spoke english. We finally found someone that called the company, they said they show up with kayaks pulled behind a van around 5:30 pm. They did, we met, and all was well. But, it was a little frustrating up to this point.

In the end, this was a fantastic vacation. I have nothing bad to say about it. The Carnival Victory ship and cruise was great. Everything was better than I would have expected. This was our first cruise, and if we did another one and it was this good, I'd be surprised. We got off the ship everyday, the ship didn't seem crowded, the food was great. I can easily recommend this cruise ship and cruise.