First time cruiser. Leaving san juan 3/14/10

Hello. I am hoping that some of you more experianced cruisers can give me some help.

I am going on a cruise in march the 14th to be exact. I am a bit of a planner, and like to have everything pretty much planned to the last detail,

Can I find some help out there on what to do, what to wear. dress codes. things to see and do on the islands. how much money should I take to spend on the islands. Is a dollar here a dollar there. I know I am asking a bunch of crazy things that I should know but help PLEASE. I have my room already a balcony, It is going to be our 15th Anv. And the other couple who is going with us it is her 40th so it is kind of a special trip. We are just wanting to have the week wonderful. Also what do should I expect when I get to the port? If I get there early can I get on the boat? If I get on the boat can I get off to check the local stuff out?  Thanks for helping I know I am a lot of questions please feel free to give me any advice to help me in this wonderful time and I hope that someone will see the date and let me know who is crusin with me

Hello:  We are looking to book that cruise the end of March,2011. So i can not tell you much about this one. But we are booked for Splender,Aug. 22, 2010. This will be our 5th. cruise.

 To find info. about your ship go to www.beyondship.com and click on Victory. There is a lot of info and photos there. Most all places will take USD $$$$$ Our cruise in Aug. will be our 10th. Wed. Anv. Just email me if i can help with anything,

Glenn in Las Vegas

glenn@wildfun.com

Glen your awsome.. I will think of a million  things that I just need reasuring with, and I will tell you now THANK YOU.. HAPPY CRUISIN

Hi! My Husband and I will be there too, and it is our 14th anniversary on the 16th, so it sounds like we'll all be doing lots of celebrating on our cruise!  I too am a planner (sometimes I think about this kind of stuff too much!!) and I am enjoying this board, as well as cruise critic.  I have pretty much narrowed down how we'll spend our days using their site.  There are a lot of great ship reviews by members, as well as port reviews, and first time cruise tips.  There's a roll call there too.  There is also a thread called "all things victory" that has helped me a bunch!!  It has lots of great pictures too! Check out cruisediva as well, she has a lot of great tips. 

So as far as dress, it sounds like everyone for the most part gets nicely dressed for the 2 elegant nights (which I think are Tuesday-Dominica & Thursday-St Lucia) and everything else goes for the rest of the time.  I think the main dining room does have a bit of a dress code (no bathing suits, tank tops, etc) for dinner.

We have a balcony too, but it is starboard side (uneven numbered cabin) and from what I've read I might have preferred the port side, but didn't realize how that mattered when I booked.  There's still time to change I guess! 

From everything I have read, after 11 or so, you should be able to go to the ship.  We can't get in our rooms until after 1:00 or so, but once you are on, you can get back off & tour San Juan since we don't leave until 10pm.  However, I also learned that dinner is only served between 6-8 that evening, so if you want dinner on the ship, be back by 7:30 to be safe!

As far as the money, our dollar seems to widely be accepted from what I've read, but the change is often given in local currency, so there is a strong suggestion that we should carry small bills too.

I've done a few 3 day cruises out of long beach with my co-workers, but my husband has never cruised, so I am SUPER excited to go with him! Feel free to contact me, and I can share the things I've spent days (literally) reading!  The holidays will help our wait go fast!! Looking forward to it!  I hope I've helped!

If there's one little thing I would strongly advise it would be to have a group of small bills ready and separated for you each day. 

It made my life so much easier to have.. ($100 for each day)

2 - $20

2 - $10

6 - $5

10 - $1

It made purchases, bus fares, cab fares, etc... so much easier.  Some days you'll use half, some days you'll use more.  Unless you plan to do some serious spending on each island, I don't see spending all of that for cab fares, bus fares, umbrellas on the beach, drinks, etc...

Its all about what you plan to do off the boat.

Welcome abord. We only have 15 days left.. YEAh I am wondering if any one has picked shore excoursions? what do we do with out stuff we have with us for the day while we are at the beach playing ect

Our family of four is looking for others to join us on an excursion in St. Martin.

It is at Loterie Farm.

www.loteriefarm.net

We would be driven to the top of Pic du Paradis the highest point on the island, and then have a guided hike to the restaurant and ziplining area.

Contact me if interested.

ddahl44@everestkc.net