After 22 trips to St. Martin and many trips to other Caribbean islands and Mexico, we were convinced by family and friends that we simply must take a cruise. We had been putting this off, as my husband felt he would feel too confined on board a ship. Nevertheless, with St. Martin losing favour these days, we decided to take a cruise to check out cruising generally and to see if we could find another island that we like.
Getting there:
I guess we have been spoiled by the nifty package tours that operate out of Toronto, requiring only a phone call to the travel agent to set up and one, non-stop flight to our destination. Cruising, we found, was a bit different. We spent many hours online, setting up our Sign and Sail account, printing Fun Passes and boarding passes and baggage tags and what all, all with direction from friends who had never mentioned that extra work before. We also agonized over flights that required a change of planes in what seemed like too short a time for comfort.
We were to leave Toronto at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, January 31, so we arrived at the airport, as instructed by the travel agent, at 5:00 a.m. We checked in with Continental and paid $70.00 to check 3 bags, something we have never had to do before. From there we went through U.S. Immigration and Security. We had been led to believe we would stand in line for hours but it only took an hour and a half. Not too bad, I guess.
We flew Continental Connection, on a Dash 8, to Newark. Continental Connection boards passengers in what looks like the airport parking lot. No boarding sleeve for these tough folks, at temperatures of 23 degrees below, and no fancy extras, either. Too, the flight attendant came on board looking like she just got out of bed, hair pulled back into an elastic band, wearing an old raincoat that she kept on throughout the entire flight. Whatever happened to the grooming requirements for flight crews? Sorry, I digress (and will, again, I’m sure).
The flight to Newark was supposed to be about two hours but actually took just over one hour, so we had lots of time to catch our connecting flight to San Juan. At this point, I was starting to relax just a bit.
The flight to San Juan, on Continental, was on time all around and we landed about 4:30 in the afternoon. After finding our bags, we went in search of the Carnival folks who were to transfer us and our luggage to the ship. A bit of a zoo, this, with a herd of people desperately trying to fasten their home-printed luggage tags with the stapler they were supposed to have brought with them in their carry-on bags. Finally, the herd was herded outside to wait for buses while our bags were tossed into the back of a truck, with the promise that they would be delivered to our cabin on board. But not all at the same time, we were told. Not to worry if it takes several hours for all to arrive.
Once we arrived at the cruise ship terminal, check-in was quite easy, as everything had been done previously online, so I guess that all of that was worthwhile. Stepping aboard, we were immediately lost and had to ask two different staffers for help in locating our cabin.
Our Cabin:
We had been advised to get an ocean view cabin, which we did. Good advice, that. We had a great view and, from what I saw of the interior cabins, waaay less claustrophobic.
There was enough room for the two of us, with a king size bed, a couch, chair and small table, along with desk space, another chair and quite a bit of cupboard and storage space. A few more hangers would have been nice. Usually I carry extra hangers but did not this time. The bathroom was small and the shower was teeny. However everything was clean and “ship shape”. It all stayed clean and tidy, too, as folks came around twice a day, to tidy up, change towels, clean the bathroom, fix the bed, etc. We met our steward, James, the first night and saw him every day thereafter. (We were told that staff on the ship work every day for the duration of their 6 to 9 month contract.)
Oh, yes, and our bags did arrive, though not all at once.
Food:
Our travel agent had signed us up for 6:00 p.m. dining but by the time we got on board, it was too late for the formal dining room. Instead, we went up to the Lido Deck and grabbed a bite to eat from the buffet in the Mediterranean restaurant.
We never did eat in the formal dining room. We are not big foodies, although I got the distinct impression that cruises are very much the thing for foodies. We were content to use the buffet on the top deck for our breakfast and a late lunch every day. There was enough variety for us on the buffet and the three or four specialty stations in the same area. Salads, pasta, fish, usually some sort of critter on the carving station, soup and a ton of dessert, including a 24-four hour ice cream station. Pizza was also available 24-hours a day. Breakfast was a variety of eggs, omelettes to order, fruit, cereal, toast, pastries, pancakes or French toast - the usual buffet fare. Every day, one of the stations offered ‘International’ fare: Mexican, Chinese, Caribbean, American, etc. Plenty of choice and good enough for us. The only experience I had with the formal dining room was listening to other people complain about how long the meals took in there and how they often received something other than what they ordered. Nevertheless, people lined up for two sittings every night so there must have been something good going on in there.
There was also a sushi buffet every evening around 5:00 p.m. and a spot that, for a small extra charge, served ice cream and sherbet along with cakes, fancy desserts. Not big on the desserts, I did like the sherbet and tried it a couple of times. Nice!
One sad note – or maybe two: First is the amount of food that goes to waste. Every meal at the buffet resulted in plates and plates of uneaten food going into the garbage. At breakfast, we would see folks fill a large plate with every type of pastry available, then nibble at a couple of them and leave the rest behind. People filled trays with way more food than they could eat, day after day.
Second thing was the amount of food that goes to “waist’. A cruise ship, if this one is any example, offers overwhelming proof of the growing epidemic of obesity. The majority of passengers were over-weight, people of all ages from kids through to seniors. I would suggest that cruising, with its 24-hour a day access to food, is not going to be much help in the current battle of the bulge.
And under the “Things you see” category: On the last morning, at breakfast, we watched two ladies, who had finished breakfast, go back to the buffet and fill plates with toast, ham, cheese and bacon. They made a stack of sandwiches, presumably to get them through the day’s journey. They then proceeded to pack the sandwiches into the little paper sacks that the ship provides for the disposal of sanitary napkins. Oh, how appetising when they hand them out to family later in the day!
The Ship:
We sailed on the Carnival Victory. I can’t compare her to any other ships, other than the “Immigrant Boat” that brought me to Canada many, many years ago. However, I found it to be well-appointed and in good condition – no chipped paint or scuffed walls and the public areas, bars, etc. were very attractive. One bar was decorated with beautiful pieces of coral, while a library had Greek pottery and dishes on display. There was a nightclub, with entertainment twice a night, several bars, a karaoke lounge, a sports bar (smoking permitted in there) a pub, a Latin Dance hall, and a Casino. There is a Camp Carnival for kids, which appeared to keep all the little ones busy. There was plenty for adults to do, such as Bingo, cards, scavenger hunts, scrapbooking and even a Walk for the Cure to raise money for breast cancer research - we walked a mile around the top deck. I also learned how to fold towels into the shape of animals.
Warning: There are glass elevators running from the top deck to the Lobby Deck and they descend into the Seven Seas Bar in the lobby. Ladies wearing very short skirts and minimal, or no, undergarments, should not lean against the glass walls as the elevators descend. Enough said!
For a quiet drink, there were several bars, with and without entertainment (see above) and the drinks, at regular bar prices and sometimes more, were fine. I always order a Southern Comfort Manhattan, wherever I go, and I have a running contest to see who/where in the world makes the best. Carnival comes in third, after the Westin Hotel in Aruba and the Delta Chelsea in Toronto.
Note: You cannot take your own alcohol on board, other than the first night, and your bags are scanned as you come back on board each day. Liquor is taken from you and given back the night before you disembark.
The staff in all areas were helpful and friendly. They come from 26 countries and their name tags indicate which country they are from, a nice touch. Our steward, James, was very nice, knew everyone’s name by the first morning.
One thing we didn’t care for was the overload of announcements over the PA system from the entertainment director who was shilling for everything that could possibly be sold on board: get your pictures, buy your shore excursions before they sell out (As if!) buy gold by the inch, silver by the yard, and spa treatments, none-stop. A bit annoying after a while. Plus, we had been told to ignore the ship’s shore excursions and find something at the dock each morning for about half the cost or less. This turned out to be correct.
Ports of Call:
Ours was a 7 day cruise out of San Juan, visiting St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and (surprise!) St. Martin.
For some reason, I had the impression that, at every port of call, passengers wake at the crack of dawn, hurry through breakfast and dash of the boat in search of tours, beaches and shopping bargains, returning sunburned and exhausted just before the ship departs from port. Not so, I now know. Nobody hurries, few people get up really early and whatever people go ashore for, they come back to the ship in time to get lunch, because it’s …um…paid for! Just about the only thing I saw folks buying n the way of refreshments off-ship were the cheap beers that were sold dockside in many ports.
Monday morning found us in St. Thomas. Stepping of the ship, after the obligatory photo-op on the gangway, there was complementary shuttle service to the taxi-tour depot. We signed up for a 3 hour ride around the island in an open-backed truck kind of thingy. St. Thomas was very “American” – lots of KFC and Burger King – and with good roads. We took a fairly general tour that included Magen’s Bay. Now that’s a beach!
Next day we were in Dominica, not one of the prettier islands but interesting for its rainforests and waterfalls and the sulphur springs.
Wednesday we were in Barbados, where our first impression of Bajans was not a good one. We found a taxi driver who offered a three hour tour for a reasonable price. He took us to his van, where two couples and a little girl were already waiting. Then he went away and came back with two other passengers. Now he had 9 people for the tour but that was not enough. He kept looking for 4 more people, who would have to sit in the pull-down seats and/or the front seat. People refused and walked away. After a while, the father of the little girl said they had been waiting half an hour already for the tour to start and if the driver did not get going soon, he and his family would leave. We all agreed and told the driver this. He simply slammed the van door on us and walked away, still searching for passengers. When he came back, we all got out and left. He was quite rude and totally unapologetic. We found another driver who took us all and left right away. At the first stop, we met up again with the first driver. His final passenger number: 3. There’s a moral here somewhere.
Thursday found us in St. Lucia, the island that we both agreed had the most character and the nicest people. We toured a reserve called Lushan Life, which shows how the original native people lived on the island. We also got in some shopping and a trip to Rodney Beach. Best day so far.
Friday we were in St. Kitts but did not intend to tour. My husband was heading to St. Martin to attend a get-together with a group of friends that night. After advising the cruise ship folks that he was getting off the boat in St. Kitts and re-joining in St. Martin, he went through immigration procedures to get off the ship and then we went to the airport. When he left by plane, I went back to the ship, did some shopping near the terminal and then spent the afternoon on board, taking in some sun on the aft deck. At night, I went to the towel-folding classes!
The next morning, we met up again on shore, did some shopping but did not tour St. Martin. We decided that our previous trips there didn’t leave much new to see.
Disembarkation Process:
Carnival, we were told, has set the standard for getting folks off the ship efficiently. That may be the case, but it requires some odd manoeuvring on the part of passengers.
For Sunday morning disembarkation, your bags have to be packed and set outside your cabin by 11:00 p.m. on Saturday night. So any clothes you need for a gala last night on board plus your pyjamas, if you wear them, and any toiletries you might need to get ready on Sunday morning, have to be carried of the ship 'cuz your luggage has already gone by that time and you have to sit around on the ship waiting for your disembarkation time to be called. I did carry some items off but threw away a whole bunch of stuff. Once we got to the airport, we had to open our bags and pack the leftover stuff inside.
We found that this cruise very much caters to USA residents. For $20.00 extra, U.S. residents can check their bags on board all the way to a final destination in the USA. They can also disembark earlier that just about everyone else. Of course, this does not work for/apply to folks heading home to Canada or elsewhere. Added to our inability to use this convenient service, our disembarkation time was one of the last to be called.
Getting Home:
Once off the ship, we found our bags in a pile in the terminal. We dragged them through US Immigration and Customs and, while looking for Carnival transfers to the airport, I lost my bearings and let go of one of the suitcases. We didn’t realize it until we were almost at the transfer bus stop. My husband went back into the terminal, where they gave him a hard time about re-entry. Finally he got some help from Carnival and found the bag. Lucky it had not been taken away and blown up by Homeland Security.
On to the airport check in but first we have to have our bags, but not carry-ons, scanned for bugs and such. We then got the bags back. Question: What if I was carrying bugs in my carry-on? Could I not then transfer them to my scanned bags? I wouldn’t but I’m missing something in the logic of this process.
Finally through check-in and security, we arrive at the departure gate to find that the flight is oversold. Continental is looking for four passengers to give up their seats for an ever-increasing sum of money. At about $450.00 plus hotel and food vouchers and the vague promise of First Class on their next flight, they found four volunteers. Not us, however!
On to Newark and ever closer to home. Gate 101 says our 8:30 flight to Toronto is delayed to 10:15, then 10:30, then maybe 11:00. They don’t have a plane. Then the gate closes down. Next thing we hear, from a helpful fellow passenger who has just checked the departures board, our flight is now leaving from Gate 109 in 10 minutes!!! No PA announcement, no one at the gate to tell us to move along. We went along to Gate 109. Sure enough, our flight is now posted and getting ready to board. Only after my husband suggested to the lady at the gate that she might want to make a general announcement, did any PA message go out, sending all the rest of the folks from Gate 101 scurrying down the hall.
Finally we board and take off, arriving home only about 30 minutes later than planned.
Final observations: The cruise was great and so was the ship and the ports of call. The travelling to get there and back was not so nice and we aren’t likely to do it again. I know I am not alone in saying that I will avoid travel through the U.S. unless absolutely necessary. But, on the brighter side, we may have found ourselves another island to call our vacation spot for a while. I’ll be checking the travel section for St. Lucia trips from now on.
