TRAVEL

A Voyage of discovery or a cultural disaster?

We were in the sunny Caribbean Sea, the temperature was in the eighties, it was noon, and there was a feeding frenzy! No - not the sharks this time, but our fellow passengers onboard the Carnival Victory, which some 200 or so British cruisers had been unfortunate enough to join in Barbados. I say unfortunate, because seven days onboard this "fun ship" was to prove to be a culture shock for those who had responded to dozens of adverts placed in national newspapers back home by Virgin Holiday Cruises. To be fair, Mr Branson's holiday wing didn't tell any lies about what was on offer, but just omitted to point out the downfalls of joining a cruise which started and ended in Puerto Rico, and which involved hours of form filling, red tape, transfers and meetings with immigration officials. In fact, we reckoned out of a promised 11 day holiday, we lost around three days due to sheer incompetence on the part of the organisers. Our adventure began in the UK by forking out £4,000 to Virgin - demanded up front - and then spending hours on its premium telephone line trying to find out what had happened to our tickets. No confirmation of our booking, no details of the hotel, ship or shore excursions - just a couple of sheets of paper with our e-flight tickets when they eventually turned up. Checking in with Virgin Atlantic in Gatwick was smooth and delightful, as was the eight hour flight to Barbados, with a cheerful crew and surprisingly good food. We paid to upgrade to Premium Economy, which is well worth the money, and the hotel - Almond Casuarina - which we allocated for a three night, pre-cruise stay in Barbados, was excellent and very enjoyable. My wife Sue and I were not prepared for what was to follow though! Having filled out the American Visa Waiver online before we left, and received confirmation that all was well to enter the USA, we set off to join Carnival Victory in the Port of Barbados. An hour after waiting in the hot sun a coach finally arrived to take us to the ship. We were dumped on the quay with no promised Virgin rep in sight to tell us what to do, so we followed the crowd and eventually arrived at the gangplank. A queue had formed to fill in embarkation forms which most of us had already been told to fill in online before we left England. Cabins were not to be occupied for a further three hours, so, by the time our luggage arrived, some six hours later, almost a complete day was forfeited. The balcony cabin was small but very clean, but we were to find out later that the walls were paper thin, and we would share in the conversations and partying of our neighbours. We were awakened three consecutive days by shouting and whistling in the early hours of the morning, until security finally arrived to settle things down. The Puerto Rican cruisers, we discovered, were on a much reduced "bargain price" cruise, and were out to make the most of it. British cruisers watched in amazement as men, women and children charged at the sagging food counters and piled up to four plates each with food - sometimes eating a meal in the queue while they waited for the next section to clear. It was a feeding frenzy. As the ship plied its way through the Caribbean, calling at St Lucia, Antigua and St Kitts, we enjoyed our days ashore, but avoiding the overpriced excursions being offered by the Carnival. We took the opportunity to buy our drinks from the local bars because the prices onboard were, quite frankly, a rip off! The company added 15 per cent gratuity onto every one, which brought a small bottle of beer to £5 and a gin and tonic over £6. This was in addition to the £100 per couple tips which were taken before you even sailed. The cheapest wine at dinner was almost £5 per glass, and even water came in at £3 a litre. For Sue and I, the crowded public areas in the evenings were a turn-off, and after dinner in the main restaurant we retired to our cabin to enjoy the evening at sea. After viewing the entertainment on offer we decided to avoid the theatre! Day five of the cruise saw us arrive in Puerto Rico where it was all change for the locals - the majority of passengers left, and another lot joined. EVERYONE was forced off the ship to pass through American Immigration after filling in yet more forms - including another Visa Waiver, and more precious time was lost. We had also not been told that our particular cruise would take place during three bank holidays, when shops and banks were closed. Day six was spent in the beautiful island of St Thomas, and the final port of call was Dominica where we took a taxi to the rain forest and volcano for the modest sum of £20 for both, compared to £60 for the similar trip offered by onboard shore excursions. Day seven was the end of the cruise, more form filling, and for some, a three hour wait to meet the Barbados Immigration team. Yes, during this holiday we had to enter and leave Barbados twice, with all the relevant form filling and queuing. Cabins had to be vacated by 9-30am, and the British contingent than waited three hours for a coach to take them to the airport for a further four hour wait for the plane home. Tempers were frayed, and most people felt they had been cheated. For my part, I did enjoy the holiday - but no thanks to Virgin! My advice to would be cruisers is to avoid any holidays which start, finish in or include Puerto Rico, and check the onboard prices on the American operated ships, or you just might meet the real Pirates of the Caribbean.