Day 1 – Heading to the ship (Miami)Miami Terminal
The Carnival Victory leaves from terminal 9.Basically, when you enter the port area, you go through a toll booth type security station and continue down the road until you reach the entrance to the terminals (8 & 9).
Parking
After dropping off my luggage in front of the ship, I had to go back out onto the main strip and swing back around into the terminal area to reach the parking lot(s). It cost approx. $60.00 to park and they accept both cash and major credit cards.
I booked a 1A cabin Guarantee so i had to get my cabin info at the terminal. The bag handlers had a list of all the passengers and i was glad when they found my name on the list. I got my tags (and room number) at that point. Your bags are placed outside your cabin and most arrive a few hours after check-in.
Victory Terminal
At the Port of Miami, you walk into the terminal and continue down the hallway and through the metal detectors. Next, you get in one-of-three lines. When you reach the counters, they check your id and passport (or birth certificate), and check your boarding info. After being checked-in, you go up some stairs onto the second floor. There are tables (counters) were you get your Sail & Sign card. Then you head into the hallway that leads to the ship. In the hallway, you pause to have a ‘welcome aboard’ picture taken. After heading back down some stairs, you get in line to have your picture taken for the S&S card. Then it’s on to the ship. The lines move quickly and the people were friendly.Sail & Sign card
You use your S&S card to purchase items (including drinks) while on the ship. Occasionally, you also use your card to purchase drinks during some of the excursions. When you leave the ship, you run your card through a machine that records the fact that you have left the ship. When you re-board the ship, your also must run your card through the machine. This not only logs you back into the ship but also displays your photo so the crew can verify that it is indeed you, and not someone else, who is boarding the ship.
Lifeboat DrillThe lifeboat drill (muster drill) took place just as the ship was about to leave the port. We started the drill between 4:00 and 4:15. The emergency signal on the Victory consists of 7 short blasts followed by 1 long blast of the ship’s horn (and over the PA). This was after they told you several times that the drill was about to take place. 15 min before, then 10 min, then 5 min. A lot of people had already gone to their cabins and got their life jackets before the drill began. This was a very simple and quick drill. There was an announcement signaling the end of the drill.
On the Victory, the Muster stations are on deck 3 just under the lifeboats. There is a map on the back of the door to your cabin that shows you which way to go to get to the station. The station letter (A, B, C, D, E or F) is also printed on the life jackets in your cabin. Also, there are green signs showing four people (one in each corner) with arrows pointing toward the middle. These are the muster signs and direct you to the muster stations. Along with the signs, there are people wearing bright green (florescent green) hats during the drill or any emergency. If you were to get lost or separated from your family, you just have to ask a person with a green hat and they will help you find your family.
Day 2 – Fun day at seaDays at Sea
See day 7.
Day 3 – San Juan, Puerto RicoThe ship docks in San Juan. As the ship entered the channel, we past by an airport that is located near the entrance to the channel. The planes pass very close over-head on their approach to the airport. Next we pass by Fort El Morro. The fort is located on the left side of the entrance to the harbor. The ship offers a shore tour to this fort and even though it looks like a very large and interesting fort, I decided not to take it. After docking at the ship terminal, I departed the ship with 4 other guys from our group and we headed off to check-out the city. At the beginning of the entrance to the terminal, there was a guy standing there handing out discount coupons to some place called Laser. We didn’t know what we were going to do but I decided to take a few of the coupons just in case. I am glad I did because we ended up going to Laser and had a good time.
Hard Rock Cafe
After about 15 minutes of walking we arrived at the Hard Rock Café. If I recall correctly, the Hard Rock Café is located on Calle Fortaleza. As with any Hard Rock Café, the place was filled with memorabilia. We decided to go upstairs were it was quieter and sit at the bar. After waiting for a bit, the bartender showed-up and the partying began. All I had was 1 shot of Tequilas and 2 beers. The shot was actually a double and the beer glasses very large. I was able to keep the shot glass and the beer glass to take home as a souvenir. One of our crew (Tim) had a few too many shot as was feeling quite good.
Laser Disco
After about an hour at the Hard Rock Cafe we headed up the street a few blocks to Laser Disco. You head up to street (hill) until you get to the McDonalds and turn left toward the water. Looking at the map, I believe the street is called Calle San Jos. Laser's is on the left a few buildings down from the corner. After entering the building and going up the stairs, we paid the man at the door to get in. The normal cover charge is $10 but with our coupons we only paid $5 to get in. The inside of the building look like it could be real nice if they put a bit of effort (and money) into it. The bathroom, which were down stairs were not too clean and could use all of help. The disco area itself was not bad and there were plenty of people there having a good time. The place was divided into two areas, a bar area and a dance area. I spent most of my time in the bar area. They have $2 lite beers and $4 coronas. The disco area had loud music, a dance floor (laser lights and all), and even a dance cage (right Tim !!!). It is a pretty popular spot with both guests and crew. After leaving Laser, we stop at a small coffee shop and bought some pastries. I am glad some on the group spoke Spanish because they people in the shop didn’t and I had no idea what they were saying. Finally, after walking around for a bit, we headed back to the ship. On important note: when you walk around San Juan, the streets close to the water are well lit and safe to walk. As you move farther away from the water, the street become darker and are not as safe as I would have liked (even for 5 guys walking as a group). Don’t stray too far from the water.
Deck Party
Later that night (back on the ship) was the deck party. The deck party began at 11:30pm and lasted for about an hour an a half. There were line dances and a long conga line that worked it way completely around the center pool area on the Lido deck. This is where the Fun House crew put on there version of the Village People. One of the crew brought hats representing each one of the Village People and 5 of our group volunteered to wear the hats. They put on a wonderful show for the rest of the guest on the cruise. The showing was so much fun, even the video crew from Carnival starting filming the performance and it made it onto one of their videos. After the deck party, I spent some time at the bar, talking to friends and winding down in preparation of the next day’s arrival at St. Thomas.
Day 4 – St. Thomas / St. John, U.S.V.I
The Port of St. ThomasThe port of St. Thomas is very pretty. The island rises to almost 1000 feet out of the sea. Green hills dotted with houses and a beautiful blue harbor filled with colorful boats. The southern end is where the ship docks and there are several smaller islands that jet out of the water around the entrance to the port. The pier is large enough for 2 cruise ships to dock at one time. There is alot to see and do not far from the pier. There is alot of traffic near the waters edge and driving on your on can get a bit nerve-racking. Remember also, even though it is a US territory, they drive on the left side of the road. This is something you should keep in mind, not only when driving, but when crossing the street as well.
Buck Island Snorkel
After arriving in St. Thomas, we left the ship and boarded a catamaran sailboat. The boat was fairly large. We traveled by engines at first until we cleared the harbor and turned of the engines and set sail. We sailed out across the ocean water for 45 minutes until we reached Buck Island which is half way between St. Thomas and St. Croix. I was windy that day and the wave were crashing over the front of the boat. Many people were soaked by the time we got to the island. Even though the water was rough we eventually arrived at the place to go snorkeling. While on the Victory, we were given life vests to where while snorkeling, these were bulky and didn’t make sense to use while snorkeling. Luckily, the snorkel people had the proper vests and handed them out before we entered the water. There really wasn’t as much under the water to see as I would have expected. Due to the wind and the rough seas, the water was murky and full of silt. I did take several pictures but the silt blocked a lot of the sunlight and the pictures did not come out very good. After about an hour or so in the water, we returned to ship boat and headed back to St. Thomas and the ship. On the way back we were offered free rum punch. First you went and got a plastic cup full of rum punch, then, as you would drink some of it, a person would go around with a bottle of rum (and spices) and top of your drink. Eventually, all you were drinking was pure rum with no punch. When I got back to the ship, I took a shower and decided to head out on my own to see some of St. Thomas.
Paradise Point and the GreenhouseFrom the ship you can see the tram heading up to Paradise Point so that is where I decided to go. It is easy to find since it can be seen from just about anywhere. It costs $15 per person to ride the tram to the top of the hill. You could walk it but I would not recommend it since it is 1000 feet straight up. At the top of the hill, the view of the harbor is wonderful. Don’t forget your camera since the view from this hill has to be one of the most photographed on St. Thomas. There are shops at the top where you can buy things or just browse. A sign at the bar on the top of the hill said; “Home of the Bushwacker” so of course, I had to try one. The drink was very good. It is a frozen drink with about 6 different kinds of liquor in it and had a mocha flavor to it. After taking several pictures, I headed back on the tram and down to sea level.
It was getting close to 4pm and our group had decided to meet at the Greenhouse bar at that time so I flagged down a taxi and headed to the Greenhouse. I was told by everyone that the taxi fair was $3 into the town. I had planned on giving the guy $4. $3 for the fair and a dollar tip (just to be nice). When we got to the Greenhouse the taxi driver told me it would be $4 for the ride. I was not in the mood to argue and since I was going to give him 4 dollars anyway, I gave him the money and told him I was not happy with the price and would not ride in his taxi again. Happy hour began at the Greenhouse at 4:30pm (a 2 for 1 drink special). Unfortunately, after a few drinks it was time to head back to the ship.Pajama Party
The Pajama Party happened on Wednesday. It started in the Piano Bar but, due to the limited seating, moved into the Adriatic Lounge. This was one of the main highlights of the cruise. Many people outside of our group showed up and joined in on the fun. Many of our group wore great outfits for the party. There were several people just in their bathing suits and the Carnival robes you have in your cabins. However, many more wore their pajamas and funny slippers. We had Furbies, Tas', Puppy dogs, and bunny slippers. We stayed in the lounge until around 1am, which is when the band stopped playing. We then parade'd up to the lido deck for some late-night pizza.
Day 5 – St. Maarten
The Port??? Rest Coming Soon ???
We arrived in port around 7:00am. The ship was cleared through customs by 8:30.
Debarkation was smooth however, my tag color was not called until 11:00.
