Aviendah

DO NOT let them put the 13 of you at one table for 12-- its too tight.

We have 3 in our group below the age of 9. Would this advice still apply? Thank you!

You can as long as you have their booking numbers. I'd also make them aware that you were doing it and that you don't have access to their financial information (credit cards aren't held in the system for excursions). I was able to do this with all of the cabins for my wedding cruise--just added them the way I added mine. I was able to book excursions for everyone, make steakhouse reservations, and spa appointments. I was able to also do this with my Thanksgiving booking for my family.

This is perfect! I was dreading getting everything organized for the steakhouse reservations and excursions. I'm the techie of the group and it's so much faster for me just to get it done. Thank you!

This is not specific to the steakhouse but Moscato D'Asti...YUM! :D

Are you already booked? If not I would try for earlier times if you can't fly the day before. I have read horrendous "January Stories" here on Cruise Critic. We are driving from Cincinnati to Miami for a Jan 25 cruise. We have lots of freedom to leave earlier than scheduled if there is bad weather. But I would never give myself such a short window. There will be many her that will tell you you'll be fine. But there will be just as many that will tell you to not risk it. There are so many variables that could backfire. Although I always have insurance I certainly don't want to use it.

I can't agree more with this statement. I fly for work and I can't tell you how many times I've seen distressed cruise vacationers in tears because they missed a flight or were delayed by the airline for some reason. Just recently cruise travelers were delayed because they had to change a flat tire on the plane and they were going to miss their connecting flight.

We always fly to the port city a day early just for peace of mind. Oh, and I'm a glass-half-full kind of gal too. :rolleyes:

I had trouble this week trying to use my username but when I used my registered email address and password it worked fine. Also be sure to clear out your history/cache as sometimes that can cause issues.

We have 13 in our group as well and our PVP said they may have to put us at two tables close to each other. I've not cruised with a group this large before so I'm not sure if they will put us at one table or two.

It's under the Guest Notes subheader in confirmation emails. For us it says: 1) Your booking has been linked with the following reservations for dining (booking number here).

OP this was a great question. I just found my linked friends this way as well.

I have another question for this thread if you don't mind. I am the vacation coordinator for our group, my own official title :D, and I would like to be able to help manage the other bookings online with my own. Can I link their profiles to mine by adding their booking numbers? I have all of their birth dates etc. but I haven't tried adding their bookings yet. I already broke the online system once by holding one of their rooms and then cancelling the hold. I would like to manage our excursions and also watch for FttF availability. Would this be possible?

Hmm...they got cabin 1415 which looks to be a "6N" and I am having trouble finding the square footage. Seems to be smaller but does have the extra washroom.

Update **

Category 6N - Deluxe Ocean View Stateroom

Decks: Deck 1

Occupancy: Sleeps 5 guests

Description: Deluxe Ocean View staterooms are ideal for families. Rooms in this category feature a separate washroom - in addition to the full bathroom - and while stateroom configurations vary, certain Deluxe Ocean View rooms sleep up to five. Staterooms feature two twin beds that convert to a king-sized bed, 3 closets, and a full bathroom with shower. A privacy curtain separates the room, which also includes two upper Pullman style bunk beds, a sofa bed, and separate washroom with sink and junior tub. A picture window lends itself to spectacular views. There is also a seating area with sofa, coffee table, and desk. All staterooms are equipped with television, telephone, hairdryer, bathrobes, 24-hour room service, mini bar, individual climate control and personal safe.

Twin beds do not convert to a king bed when both uppers are in use.

Square Footage: 230 sq ft

I was able to choose a room using Chrome. You might try clearing all of your history/cache also.

We love the spa balcony for the fantastic view and just booked another one today on the Breeze. I find it hard to choose a lower deck after the higher deck experience. It's also very quiet if you enjoy your peace. I was thinking the cove balconies tend to get salty and they can be closed in rough weather. I haven't booked one for those reasons though I'm not an expert. Good luck!

Thank you everyone for your comments. My friends booked the deluxe ocean view for 5 and seem content with their decision. Managing 2 rooms with younger children would have been difficult.

Loved the Valor. I have a lot of ship pics in my review if you're curious (signature).

So we just went through our options and it looks like a regular balcony room (not spa) booked with an inside room will be $1150 more than just booking the ocean view room. They are debating if it's worth the price increase to have a balcony.

Since we are bringing our families with us, we will have 4 in each of the other rooms so keeping one of the kids with us won't work. We will be booking 3 rooms for 4, 4 and 5 with children.

We talked about booking an interior room across from a balcony but that raises the rate by about almost 2K!

We are going to book our Breeze cruise today. I just talked to the PVP about our friends booking a Spa Balcony room on the the S Deck beside us and he said that they couldn't. They have to book a deluxe ocean view room that holds 5 people due to the number life jackets which would be on the lower decks.

Now I certainly understand safety, but this is the first cruise for my friend and I really wanted her to have the balcony experience. Their youngest is 5 and can easily sleep with his brother in a twin bed or with the parents.

Is there no way they can have a spa balcony room? The kids are 5, 6 and 8. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

This might be too late but I just saw your post. Here is a link to the review of the same itinerary!

Valor Photo Review ~ January 1-8 ~ Western: Westin, Chankanaab, Bannister, Maya Key

Bump for friends :)

I bought the Sigma prior to my Med cruise, it was excellent to use. I had a hard time when I wanted to switch lenses. I carry a PacSafe CamSage. It carries the body and 2 lenses. I also stash a small Point and Shoot in there, passport, debit cards, lip gloss. All fit perfectly.

I've been debating which PacSafe bag to get! Thank you very much for this post and describing the contents. We are going to St. Lucia in March and my camera will be a little more exposed there. The PacSafe bags are highly recommended it seems.

I'm glad these photos have proven useful! The Valor is awesome; we can't wait to take another cruise with her.

Aveindah- thanks for all the great photos.. we are going to Bannister Island and Maya Key on our upcoming cruise in April, and I really enjoyed getting such a great look at both. I will be taking my kids (ages 4 and 6)... any insight on those locations for the younger crowd?

For Bannister, they will love playing in the water and running around. Just make sure they have fin socks or water shoes. The fin socks worked great for us. There are shells and they are sharp! We just wanted to play it safe in Belize with our children and that's why we chose Bannister. It's not a hopping den of activity but it has some pretty scenery and it's peaceful and safe. This was our only beach option and we took it!

Maya Key is fantastic! The kids can play in the sandy beach and look for fish in the clear water. You will love the sound of the parrots in the background. Think jungle meets beach! There are animals for them to see and a long pier for them to run around on. They also have a pool but I think you'll miss out on a lot if you don't spend some time on the beach. Lunch was really good and my boys even liked the sea bass which I wasn't sure if they would. You can watch them feed the nurse sharks, sting ray and sea lions. My boys felt like this was a special place because there were very few people in the water and they had the run of the beach. They loved it! :)

Is the snorkeling any good on Bannister Island?

Not in the swimming area it isn't. You will find a few starfish, a few fish and lots of grass. I didn't take the snorkel excursion however so I can't speak to that.

I haven't posted the Fun Times because it looks like John Heald keeps these updated on his blog. http://johnhealdsblog.com/funtimes/

Thank you for pointing out our non-compliance with the rules. If you must know, there was a crew member who noticed I was taking pictures and he invited us in to take pictures of the Serenity area. I took a photo opportunity when other passengers wouldn't mind; as you can see. I certainly wouldn't impose my children on other passengers in the Serenity area; had they been there. I actually told the boys not to enter and the crew member invited them to walk in and take a look around.

These are beautiful pictures. What kind of camera did you use? Where did you purchase it? We are going on the Valor on 18 February. How do you compare it to

other ships you have been on? We've been on the Miracle in 2009 and Dream in 2010. How was food and service? Hope you post more pictures.

• Nikon D40 (got the super wide lens instead of upgrading the camera body)
  
• SB 400 Flash with diffuser
  
• Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD LD
  
• Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
  
• Canon PowerShot SD980IS with Canon underwater housing
  
• Sony HD Handycam
  

Most of the photos I've posted were taken with the Sigma ultra wide lens. We loved the Valor; everything about it was enjoyable. Food and service met or exceeded our expectations. I would definitely recommend the Valor!

First, thanks for all the pictures! It is awesome to see this many pictures of the ship because it really helps you get a feel for the ship. Second, I hope you can answer this question (or anyone else who was recently on Valor): I didn't see any pictures, but does Valor have the Serenity Deck? On CruiseCritic.com, the version of the deck plans they have say that there is a Serenity Deck. On Carnival.com, the deck plans do NOT show Serenity, so I'm confused =(

Yes there is a Serenity Deck on Deck 12!