replied on
Sat Nov 14, 2009 at 12:08 AM
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!
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