Description: After watching one of my favourite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean for the umpteenth time, I decided that I wanted to sail the Caribbean Sea like the unscrupulous Jack Sparrow. I reviewed many cruise lines and their ships, before finally deciding to book a 7 day sailing on the Carnival Victory. The cost of the cruise was $729 plus tax, which wasn't too bad, considering that we were sailing in July (the middle of the high season). In addition to the cost of the cruise, we were also expected to pay a gratuity of $10 per day, per person whereby the total amount sky rocketed to just under $900 each.
The Carnival Victory was a wonderful ship, despite being in service since August 2000. She was well maintained and had a certain charm which made her passengers feel right at home. The cruise ship departed from the San Juan harbour on a sunny Sunday afternoon, with over 3000 passengers that day. I remember the captain saying that we were sailing at full capacity. The ship was scheduled to dock at 6 ports within the week: St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Maarten.
Upon my arrival onboard, My boyfriend and I went to the Lido Deck to find something to eat. There was a large buffet available with many different food options. We had a burger and fries along with some pastries, and washed them down with glasses of orange juice. The meal was ok for the most part, but the pastries were very nice. I especially enjoyed the square of chocolate cake with the strawberry icing.
Following lunch, we were informed that our room was now ready, so we trudged down the hall with our carry-ons, looking for our cabin. Upon checking in, our large suitcases were tagged and taken from us, to be loaded onto the ship afterwards. After a few minutes, we located our cabin door and using the keycard which we were issued, unlocked the door. Our room was quite spacious and modern with a heart shaped towel placed on the bed as a greeting. I felt that this was quite a nice touch, and we definitely felt welcomed. There was a mini bar on the dresser and an ice bucket, but I knew before hand that those weren't for free, but for a fee instead. While we were inspecting the room, there was a knock on the door. Our room steward introduced himself and wished us a pleasant vacation, in addition to bringing the rest of our luggage. After expressing our gratitude, he departed and we set about the task of unpacking our clothing and other personal items. Needless to say, it took a while.
At this point, our cruise director, Karl with a K, announced over the ship's speaker system that we were to be sailing shortly, and as a result, all passengers should report to their muster station for the safety drill. We removed our life vests from their location above the closet, and slowly followed the crowds going down the stairs. The safety drill was carried out similar to that of an airline safety presentation. Various crew members demonstrated how to use our life vests in the unlikely event of an emergency.
Following the drill, we returned to the Lido Deck to watch the ship leaving the harbour. There was a sailaway party going on, and what a party it was. Drinks were being served left, right and center and the caribbean tunes were being blasted from the speakers. We had a few drinks observed the scene. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner. The dress code that night was casual attire, so I wore a simple black dress, while my boyfriend wore dark jeans and a black shirt.
We had a late seating arrangement for the cruise, which meant that we needed to be seated by 8:15pm. Dinner that night was pleasant, and the food was plentiful. The Pacific dining room was very glamorous with its pink, brown and blue colour scheme. The service was impeccable and we had a very dedicated head waiter from Poland. After the main course, the waiters treated us to a special song in which the staff did a very good job. We opted to have ice cream for dessert, before going in search of that night's entertainment.
The show that night in the Caribbean Lounge was called "Welcome Onboard" and featured some very talented dancers and interesting costumes. We then paid a visit to the casino, but we weren't particularly lucky. At this point, we went back to our room and got ready for bed, anxious to wake up the next morning in a new country.
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