Carnival Victory Review

3.5 / 5.0
0 reviews

All that I hoped for and more

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Victory
User Avatar
noseadays
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2010

This was the 6th cruise for my husband and me. We have done 3 Royal Caribbean, 2 Carnival and 1 Princess. I choose a cruise by the itinerary since I am most interested in the ports and in spending as much time as possible off the ship. This cruise offered a wonderful itinerary with no sea days which is a definite plus for me. My husband and I are 60 and 59 respectively and quite active. In the past I have often been disappointed by the ship excursions. For the first time I decided to explore the option of booking our own excursions. I am a nature lover and our major interests tend to be hiking, snorkeling and enjoying beautiful scenery. I used cruise critic, trip advisor, travel guides and island tourist web sites to determine what to do on each island with the exception of Barbados which I will explain later. After a full day at port we arrived back on the ship with enough time to change and head to our early dinner. We are not night people. So after the entertainment for the evening we headed to bed to prepare for the next day's activities. We enjoyed the entertainment but did find the magician has the exact act as the one on another Carnival ship last year. Puerto Rico This was our third trip to the Island and I was looking for some new experiences. We did the Bio Bay Tour with www.kayakingpuertorico.com. We loved the bioluminescence experience and yes it is like pixie dust. Since there was a half moon, we were covered with a tarp to eliminate light when we reached the center of the lagoon. The experience was even more dramatic then. My husband and I had never kayaked before (but we had canoed) and we had little trouble mastering the art despite the darkness. The guides were wonderful, patient and very professional. They directed or helped anyone who was in need. If you can schedule when there is no moon the experience would be even better. Although we tend to prefer outdoor activities to museums we were very surprised by what we found at the Museum of the Americas which is diagonal to the entrance to El Morro. The exhibits on the Indians, colonization, slavery, arts and crafts, Amazon, etc. were fascinating.

St. Thomas This was our third trip to the island. We had previously taken tours here and on St. Johns, done Ocean Park, visited Blackbeard's Castle, etc. We got off the ship as soon as we could, walked to the port gate and asked a taxi driver to take us to Sapphire Beach. The driver was very professional. The island has set taxi rates. There were some very pretty views along the way and the driver was informative. He was willing to return whenever we wanted but also assured us that there would be taxis waiting when we were ready to return. Since we were so early we had this beautiful beach to ourselves for most of the morning. We snorkeled around the reef to the right and also walked to the point on the right for some beautiful views of other islands. There were bathrooms and other facilities at this beach. After lunch we found a taxi waiting and returned to Charlotte Amalie. My husband and I have mastered the art of travelling light and I do not particularly like to shop. However, I have made it a custom to buy a different silver stone pendant on each of our vacations to bring back the beautiful memories of our trips. With some bargaining I always manage to find something beautiful for a very reasonable price. After doing so we headed back to the boat a little early. We enjoyed the hot tubs and acted liked kids on the water slide.

Dominica We booked the Roseau Valley Best Hike with Levi of www.bumpiingtours.com. He offers many tours and we wanted something that would be a bit of a challenge and a variety of experiences. Levi is very personable, professional and informative. I had read that the roads on the island were quite scary. With Levi at the wheel we were never uncomfortable. Local beers, soft-drinks and bottled water were included however it was obvious that Levi would not be drinking anything alcoholic. He recommends that you wear a good pair of waterproof strapped sandals such as Keens. We had lots of hiking experience but only in sneakers or hiking boots. We were so happy we took his advice although it was must not easy finding hiking sandals in January in Pennsylvania. My husband found a pair made by Columbia and I bought a pair made by Teva. Both pair served us well on this hike and on other excursions during the cruise. They were also excellent for the short showers that are common in the islands. We have no intentions of ever taking sneakers to the islands in the future. It takes too long for them to dry when wet. Also by having waterproof sandals you eliminate the need for changing into water shoes. From the time the 10 of us got into Levi's comfortable van it rained. When we arrived at the trailhead the rain was very heavy. We waited a few minutes and when it appeared obvious that it was not going to stop, Levi suggested we start our hike to one of the tallest waterfalls on the island, Middleham Falls. I knew we were with the right people when no one objected and we went charging into the rainforest.( On a previous ship excursion hike in the rainforest on another island 75% of the people including the guide wanted to return to the bus when it started to rain in the rainforest!!) I agree with Levi that you must be in good shape to do this hike. I would not recommend it to someone with knee, hip or back problems. We saw waterfalls along the way and Middleham was spectacular. Our experience with waterfalls in Hawaii, Canadian Rockies and across the US could not compare with sight of this waterfall surrounded by thick vegetation. Levi was very attentive to the needs of his hikers and found hiking sticks for those of us who wanted them and always seemed to be ready to offer a sturdy arm when it might be needed. We did not go to Titou Gorge because the water was flowing too heavy from all the rain. We headed to Trafalgar Falls which were also spectacular but not nearly as high and dramatic as Middleham. Since we could not enter the hot springs where planned because of the swollen water conditions Levi took us to a different place where we relaxed in the hot mineral springs. When we got to Champagne Reef the waves were crashing on the beach. Levi swam out to find that the bubbles were not visible because of the very rough conditions. Although he had flotation devices for everyone, all of us chose not to go in. Because of the rain all day we did not do exactly all that was planned. However I doubt that anyone was disappointed. The rain made for spectacular waterfalls that were many, many times normal flow. We loved this island.

Cabin Review

previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.