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My Vacation Review {very long}
I?m going to rate from 1 [bad] to 10 [amazingly perfect]
To start off we used SkyPark ? an airport parking service. They were $30/50 cheaper than ParknFly and had shuttles ready for pick up and drop off at any hour. For the week we were gone we paid $68.00 We left YYZ and had a stop over in Philadelphia (very nice airport and from what we could see the city was nice too) we then caught the connecting flight 1 hr later to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
San Juan, PR ? we didn?t see much as we went from the airport straight to the port. Along to drive it did look very ?grungy?, not a place I?d visit for the heck of it. Rate: 6
The process to board the ship was very quick and hassle free! They were very nice and accommodating to the fact that I couldn?t pass through the x-ray scanner.
I can?t believe how big it is! It is amazing. Our room was very nice, I expected it to be smaller but we had plenty of room & a little couch area. The only downside is that we had two port-holes rather than an actual window but we didn?t spend much time in there anyways!
St. Thomas ? What a beautiful island! It was very nice and it?s true about the shopping?I couldn?t help myself J everyone there is very polite too. Rate: 8
Dominica ? it?s a nice island but very small, nothing much to do there. We didn?t stay long on it? Rate: 4
Barbados ? The beach is amazing but I have to admit?I don?t know what all the ?hoopla? is about with it. It wasn?t THAT nice, as a matter of fact it reminded me of parts in Cuba. Very run down and dirty. I didn?t see any resorts and I?m sure they?re stunning but the actual island its self from what I saw wasn?t worth a re-visit. Rate: 5
St. Lucia ? I have a soft spot for St. Lucia, our honeymoon!! But it is a beautiful place all around! The shops, the beaches, the city! As we were leaving the port DH and I spotted our HM resort. [sigh] I joked that it?s almost our 1 year and so far ?each year? we?ve been to St. Lucia ? I think we should go there every year and continue a tradition! Lol Rate: 8.5
Antigua ? Is my new favorite spot! We?ve decided that the next ?big? trip we do we?re going there! It?s stunning?the whitest sand, good food and nice shops too! We beached near a new Sandals resort and DH and I snuck in?[they didn?t have bracelets or tags..nothing so no one could tell that we didn?t belong! It?s so so so so pretty! I want to stay there. The people from the island were very sweet.
They kept offering DH and me jet ski packages or horseback riding and it was killing me! I totally wanted to do those things but alas I can?t. When I told them that ?I?m PG, sorry I can?t go? they ran off and got me a beach chair and umbrella to ?chill? under. I [big puffy heart] them. Rate: 9
St. Kitts ? Also another beautiful island. You can tell that it was more ?welthy? or newer, the buildings and houses were all in good condition to the naked eye. As we entered the locals were very pushy. We were bombarded with Taxi drivers and trip planners and hair braiders. We said no thank you about 100 times! The beach here is also very very nice. It?s another place where I?d visit again for sure. Rate: 8.5
Funny story happened here. My mom and I were walking down the street with all the tourist shops and this old lady sitting on a chair in the corner called out to me. I ignored her thinking like all the others around she wanted us to enter her shop. She then yells out ?I know you?re pregnant? I stopped and looked at her WTF? I?m not showing, yes I have a little bump (thanks to never exercising LOL). My mom and I walked up to her and she gave me a ring for free! It was small so it fit on my pinky finger. As we were walking away she tells me ?Oh BTW you?re going to have a girl, that ring is for her?.
It was so funny!!! I later was telling DH the story when another local stopped me and asked it if was the same woman, I said yes, they then tell me that she?s a ?Witch DR.? and she?s always right. We?ll just have to wait and see LOL
The Ship ? Carnival Victory
Food - Rate: 8
Service - Rate: 9
Cleanliness - Rate: 9.5
Entertainment - Rate: 6.5
On Board Activities - Rate: 6
Shops - Rate: 5
Feeling the ?water? ? It was really bad 1 day only. The rest was manageable to a normal person. I on the other hand felt everything but what do you expect?it?s a boat! I took the Dicletin once a night, thank GOD!
Overall - Rate: 8.5
Now I?m at work, finished catching up with everything! I was afraid it would be a mess on my return but nope! Enjoying a cheesecake-brownie with tea. MMMmmmmmmmmmm
Any Questions? LOL
Re: My Vacation Review {very long}
Lisa, Glad you had a good time!
DH and I did st.t, domin., barbados, st.lucia, antigua, and day at sea on our honeymoon...
We didnt take locals/ recommendation of which beach to go to and found out own by walking into town and around... I loved barbados... beautiful beaches and water, we did spot a resort of two, Was in love love with st. t! Shoppers paradise!
In domin. we went rain forest canapy excursion and loved it, we were met at that island with hair braiders and taxi men... in st. lucia we didnt venture far from port so we found it boring!
But glad you had a GREAT and exciting time!
sounds like a wonderful vacation.
Welcome home!
It's too bad you didn't get to see any of San Juan. Old San Juan is just lovely and so is the El Yunque rain forest.
One of my favourite Caribbean islands is Dominica. It is actually rather large but just not over populated/crowded. We did a tour into the rainforest when we were there and also to some plantations. It was really beautiful once you got away from the typical port area.
Question - when you say x-ray scanner do you mean the metal detectors like they have in the airport? I have never seen anything other than the metal detectors like in the airport for humans to go through when getting onto a ship. Wondering if it is something new that Carnival is doing but really I don't see why they would be doing an x-ray of humans. Did you try to smuggle booze up your butt?
You always crack me up! I guess we missed out on a nice island afterall, that sucks. Next time
X-ray: I don't know why either but it was in fact a x-ray scanner that we would have to walk through. I confirmed it twice. They patted me down instead.
I was thinking in case of weapons up the butt! LOL but the booze one sounds more like it! hahaha