VALOR 5/22-5/29/05 review

VALOR REVIEW 5/22/05-5/29/05, from the view of a 31 year old, married mother of 2 (who were at home).

We flew in Saturday afternoon prior to departure. We flew Delta (great deal on airfare, great service, they didn't lose our luggage, we'd fly them again in a heartbeat). We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard downtown (we scored it on Priceline for $60). The hotel was nice, staff were friendly and helpful. The neighborhood wasn't the GREATEST, but it was close to Bayside Marketplace and we had a good time. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (had the veggie pesto pasta with shrimp, it was awesome, and discovered my new favorite drink, the "Lifesaver"). They had a live band playing in the Marketplace, so after dinner we just hung out down there, sipping pina coladas and Coronas and people watching to our hearts' content.

Embarkation: arrived at the port around 10:00, there was no line to check in, although there was all ready a line to go through security. After security we just stood in these long lines that wound through the little retractable barricades. I didn’t mind the waiting so much, but when we were finally allowed to move towards boarding the ship itself, upstairs was a huge room with chairs, resembling an airport terminal, completely empty. And by this point, we’d been standing in the same spot for about an hour and a half.:confused: Not cool. We were onboard by 11:30.

Stopped in the lobby, at the American Bar, for a much-needed refreshment after standing in that long line.:D Then headed to our rooms, which were ready. Took come pictures, dropped our bags and headed up on deck. Took more pictures of the ship, headed up to Rosie’s for a bite to eat, then outside on deck to have a few drinks.

Headed back to the rooms just prior to muster drill. Did the drill, which took all of 15 minutes and I don’t know why people make such a stink about having to go to it. Headed back up on deck for sail-away.

Room: we had room 2412, which was “under the galley” and made up quite nervous prior to the trip. It was an AWESOME location (main deck, aft, port side) both for accessing the elevators (which were always available, no matter which deck you were on) and proximity to both Rosie’s and the Promethius Pool. And we didn’t hear a THING, not one peep, and slept like logs. If we ever sail on her again, we will be booking this room again.

Ship: the ship was really pretty, although the back-lit faces in the Glory Atrium all over the place were kind of creepy. And the dining rooms were every bit as Pepto-Bismol pink as they appeared in the photos, ick. I also found the ship really easy to navigate, as long as you keep in mind decks 5 and 9 are the only ones that go all the way through from forward to aft.

The bars were all just OK, except the Bronx Bar. We LOVED our bartender, Angela, from Romania. We spent most of our “bar time” parked in there, visiting with her and enjoying the drinks she made us. The “Lindy Hop” Piano Bar was pretty lame, and small, in my opinion. And I can’t quite figure out why the call the “Pairs Hot” club a “jazz club” because I think the only thing going on in there all week was karaoke. The “One Small Step” dance club looked cool, but the music was pretty sucky, in my opinion. Most of the time, at night, we hung at the Bronx Bar for a while, went up on deck with some drinks, hit the ice cream machine and headed back to relax for a little bit before bed.

I did enjoy the sushi from “Togo Shushi”.

The shops onboard were both nice, and none of us could get over how reasonable everything in there was. My advice would be, if you find something you like onboard, don’t waste your time trying to find it in port…everything, including the liquor, was within LITERALLY a dollar or two on the prices.

The Spa was nice…near the end of the trip, my friend and I decided to ditch the DH’s on the basketball court and hit the spa. We made an appointment Thursday night for Friday afternoon with no problem. We opted to go for the “Traveller’s Tension” package, but the masseuses got the wrong message and gave us a couple’s full body massage, and didn’t realize their mistake until they went to ring us up and saw what it was that our appointments were for. So, we paid $69 instead of the $125 for their mistake. WORKED FOR US! Although the girls from the spa were out in force on the last 2 sea days…recruiting clients and Saturday they had a “2 for 1” deal in the spa, too.

We had the late seating in the Washington Dining Room…Jagdish (India) and Jose (Honduras) were our wait staff, and Maija (Croatia) was our bar waitress. Jagdish was a good waiter, in that he served everything quickly and while it was hot, and got everyone’s orders correct, but not overly talkative. He smiled a lot, but didn’t seem to have a whole lot to say. Jose, on the other hand, was a charming guy with a nice word for everyone and visited with us a lot. Our bar waitress we had issues with (she wouldn’t come by until halfway through the meal to even ask if we needed anything, and then it wouldn’t show up until after dessert), but we spoke with our maitre’d and he took care of it right way and the service improved greatly. The food was attractively prepared and always hot. We sampled here and there and had a few outstanding dishes (the jerk pork loin, chateaubriand, escargot, crab cakes, prawns, chicken quesadillas, tiramisu, chestnut cream pastry, sundried tomato bread, ceasar salad). I didn’t care for the flourless chocolate cake everyone’s been raving about….it tasted like warm brownie batter to me. And the lobster was excellent…huge and not rubbery at ALL. I was amazed at the speed of the service, though didn’t feel rushed. The dining room entertainment was a bit cheesy, but fun all the same.

Rosie’s was also good…and spotless, as was the rest of the entire ship. I know I’d read people complaining about dirty dishes and trays laying around, which just was not the case. I’d also read someone complaining that Rosie’s had the same thing, and ham constantly at the carving station. Again, not true. I didn’t see ham once. The breakfast buffet was pretty standard, but hot and good. The danish was amazing. The coffee was tasty but strong. The juices were good, except the apple (it was kind of concentrated for my liking). The calamari/zucchini/onion fries were great, as reported. The ice cream was as tasty as previously reported, and the chili dogs from the grille were to DIE for. The pizza was OK, but Ceasar Salad was a scrumptious as previously reported as well.

The drinks of the day didn’t impress me. The only drink I enjoyed was the “Funship” and the “Kiss on the Lips”, which was fine, as it saved me $ and gave me more $ to shop with, LOL.

Room service was usually prompt: the shrimp salad sandwich is good, though order 2, they’re tiny. And the chocolate chip cookies were EXCELLENT. I also enjoyed the veggie sticks and blue cheese as an afternoon snack a few times.

The pop card also worked out well for me, I definitely got my money’s worth.

PORTS:

In Nassau we opted for the Yellowbird excursion. It was nice, the beach they took us to (Blackbeard’s Cay) was beautiful, though we were only there for an hour and a half. The rum punch on board was nasty and I did my best to tune out the “entertainment” on board, LOL, but it was a nice day. The town itself of Nassau was kind dingy and dirty to me. The straw market was just OK…it was literally over 100 degrees in there (we saw the temp on one of the fridge magents that were being hawked) and some woman was on a bullhorn, preaching about Jesus at the top of her lungs and shouting gospel tunes. It got old REAL quick. Next time, if I were even to go to Nassau again, I’d do Atlantis (not necessarily get a room there, as you wouldn’t believe how short of a time you’re actually in Nassau).

St. Thomas was beautiful. And going through customs wasn’t a huge deal. We got in line about 8:30 and were through about 9:15. It goes real quick once they open the area where you’re checked (the Eagle’s Lounge), then they have this path laid out where you wind through the Caboose to receive your sticker (to get off the boat) and down to the gangway. We had booked Godfrey’s tour, and he was there all ready, but we opted to walk down to the bathrooms and the long-distance call center ($0.20 a minute…a $1.40 call home) at the end of the pier before hopping in with him for a ride to town. Got downtown Charlotte Amalie…wandered through the open market, stopped in a few stores (found a few loose stones for a mother’s ring I’d been wanting) and met up with Godfrey for our tour. He was EXCELLENT. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the island, stopped at some great places for photo ops. Mountain Top was beautiful. We ended up going to Sapphire Beach. It was gorgeous. We dropped a couple off that were with us that wanted to go to Coki Beach, and I’m glad we didn’t go there. It was a grungy area…lots of trash, shanties, even a cemetery near by. Sapphire is actually a resort, the beach was clean, there were clean changing facilities, freshwater showers, bar and food available (though prices are steep, $8 for a cheeseburger and a bag of chips and it was “the only game in town“). We rented a little float/raft for $5 and just paddled through the water. Then Godfrey picked us up, we were dropped at the Havensight Mall on his way back to the ship. The shops there were just OK. There was a little bar we hung out at for an hour or so, then headed back to the ship. Got cleaned up, ready for dinner. Went up on deck for some pictures of St. Thomas at night, as we were pulling out of port. It’s really a “must see” and made for some gorgeous pictures.

St. Maarten was my favorite stop along the way. Unfortunately, we took the “See and Sea” tour through Carnival, and well, it kind of stunk as far as tours go. We were on big charter buses…though the AC was nice, we couldn’t really take decent pictures out of the tinted windows very well as we sped through the countryside. And he only stopped once for photo ops. There was construction on the ONE road that lead from Phillipsburg to Marigot, and though the logic escapes me, instead of doing one section at a time, they have the road torn up for MILES, so that time was shaved off our “shopping time” in Marigot which ended up being less than an hour. Marigot was nice, we poked through the open market, I got myself a pair of garnet earrings for a reasonable price. Had one of the big coconuts that they hack open with a machete and just give you a straw…it was $5, it was gross, but it made a fun picture, LOL. Then from Marigot we headed to Grand Case, which was a cute, sleepy little seaside village. Boarded the Seaworld Explorer/semi-submursible vessel. This was the best part of the tour. I’d advise anyone looking for something to do to take a cab up to Grand Case and take it privately. The boat ride out was amazing, then one of the crew guys pulled on a scuba suit and went overboard to feed the fish, as we all headed downstairs into the glass-bottomed portion of the boat. It was air-conditioned, for those who may be curious. And a really neat experience. After we got off the boat, we rode back to Phillipsburg and got off the bus. Then we wandered around downtown Phillipsburg. There were lots of shops to explore…and we ate lunch at what is now my most favorite restaurant of all time, “The Green House”. it’s right on the water downtown. The food was excellent, as were the Bloody Mary’s, and the service is great. We had the conch fritters, calamari, grouper sandwich and crab cakes. ALL were excellent. And the waiter, Raymond, sent us to the shop next door and the shop keeper gave us a DEAL on some cigars, souvenirs, cartons of cigarettes. We also hit the guavaberry emporium (beware of the straight stuff, but the coladas are tasty) and got a nice hand-painted bottle, personalized free, as a gift. The ONLY rain we had all week was as we were leaving Phillipsburg to head back to the boat via water taxi. I think it rained for maybe 20 minutes.

IF I WERE TO GO BACK to any of these ports, since I now have seen “the tour”, I’d probably just hire a taxi and do the shop/soak in the local color and hit the beach thing.

THE SHOWS & ACTIVITIES: both “Vegas Style” shows were great, I found neither of them in poor taste and can think of only 2 scenes in both shows that may have even been questionable, and even then it wasn’t offensive and not in poor taste. We did see one of the “late night/R-rated” shows by Jim Brick. He was OK, but in all honesty I was so tired that night I was fighting to stay awake through his show. Frankly, I was hard pressed to find 1 or 2 activities all week that I would have even considered going to, though I chose to lay out on deck in the sun with most of my free time.

DEBARKATION: simply put, was a TOTAL NIGHTMARE. We had a 1:15 flight, and at the “Debarkation Talk”, the CD told us that we didn’t need to do self-assist debarkation unless we had a flight before noon AND they had “everyone off the ship by 10:20 last week“. So, in order to be courteous to those who DID have early flights, we decided to wait. We got in line around 10:00, on the ship (near the elevators by the purser’s deak). The line wound around the corner, through the Glory Atrium/American Bar and out the doors on deck 3. They were only letting so many people through at a time. Fine. We stand and wait. We finally make it through the ship doors, into the terminal. And wait some more. In the terminal, with glass windows like a green house, and NO AIR CONDITIONING. We’re talking a LONG line…about 15 people wide and we couldn’t see the end of the line. It wound through the terminal, and down the escalators. But again, they’d hold people up every so often. By the time we hit the escalators, it’s 12:15. And we see now that we have to go down the escalators, wind around about 3 different rooms to even be in LINE to get to the Customs Agents. At this point, I ask a few Carnival employees about the possibility of letting those with earlier flights into a separate line, to which they essentially said, “tough, you could have gotten off earlier”. So I get on the phone to Delta, and change our flight to 2:55, still being able to make our connections. Sometime around 12:15, we’re told that there apparently were only 3-4 Customs Agents to handle ALL of us, and that an “illegal” had been discovered and had to be dealt with. Anyway, we made it to the luggage claim area and outside, into a cab (SCARY, crazy driver, by the way) and to the airport by 12:45. So, in a nutshell, almost 3 hours in line to debark. With no AC. And even better, those “select few” (in their own minds, anyway) who apparently don’t believe in standing in line and will just blatantly cut through the line because they’re “obviously” too good to do so? Anyway, I plan on writing a letter to Carnival, both praising the things I’ve mentioned here, but also wondering why it was they went from calling people by deck to the crazed “free for all” that was what I witnessed during debarkation.

IN A NUTSHELL:

All in all, it was a wonderful ship and the vacation was everything I expected, and MORE. Beautiful, beyond excellent service, clean, tasty food, great weather. Carnival was just “our speed”, with many nice people and facilities and activities that catered to our way of life. I don’t know that I’d even want to try another line.

Our CD was Bret Mitchell...who I had read some didn't care for. He was friendly and nice, I didn't mind him at all, though I really wasn't around him that much.

My advice to others would be to pack atleast 2-3 swimsuits, half of the “bumming around during the day clothes” you think you need, but don’t skim on the evening attire..I enjoyed having a few “alternate” dinner outfits to choose from. The insulated cups worked GREAT for keeping drinks cool while sunbathing, lanyards were a great idea, as were the Ziplocs for packing and the extension cord. I do wish I’d have brought clothespins for drying damp suits and clothing, but nothing seemed to get dry in the bathroom so it ended up on the window sill. (which is nice for sitting in and taking in the scenery as well).

Had absolutely NO problem finding deck chairs…we hung out mostly on deck 10 aft…right above the Promethius pool. Plenty of chairs, good location to sunbathe, and about 50 yards (down the steps) to the pool, close to a bar, the Grille/pizza and Rosie‘s. There were also VERY few kids onboard...I think I saw maybe 2 dozen TOTAL.

My one HUGE complaint is about a specific family who thought it was appropriate to leave their child, a little girl probably not even 2, strapped into her stroller in front of the smokey bar and casino, with the live music blaring, past midnight, as she’s crying, holding her ears and being ignored as she’s apparently being forced to try to sleep. And her maybe 5 year old brother sleeping on the couch outside the casino. I was so stressed out and pissed off by having to watch that poor baby cry, with her hands over her ears, and being completely ignored, that we had to move before I said something. I mean, COME ON, either tear yourself away from the booze and the slot machines to put your children to bed, don’t bring them, or spring for the $6/hour babysitting. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Any questions? I’d be glad to answer.

GREAT REVIEW! Thanks for posting it. Do you think you will be uploading pictures? Also, did you notice people with gold and platinum sail&sign cards?

It was the perfect amount of details without going way overboard. Something else I'd like to compliment you on was the objectivity and perspective. Like any cruise or vacation not every aspect of every minute was perfect. You gave an honest evaluation of the trip, warts and all. Obviously you aren't the sort who allows a few bumps in the road to ruin your vacation.

BTW, I'm with you 100% about the parents leaving children outside a bar/casino. That is inexcusable.

Thanks for a great review. :)

Very nice report - thanks for taking the time to post it! You had a wonderful time and I'll bet you look forward to your next cruise.

St. Martin is a very special place to us, and we enjoy our land vacations there. We talk to a lot of cruisers while there, and most really enjoy it. There is a lot to see and do and it's a very unique experience. Glad you enjoyed it, even with the traffic problems.

Debarkation last month on the Conquest was the worse part of our cruise experience. Next time we will either get off just as soon as possible - or more likely, stay until they throw us off. I'd rather stick to the old way of debarking by deck (luggage tag color).

Great review!!! You actually sailed on my 1st wedding anniversary oh how I wish I were with you. We leave in Nov and the months seem longer and longer. I was just informed that my brother plans on cruising with us. He normally sailes the Princess line so I worried about what he will think.:eek: I sailed the Victory almost two years ago and I was pleased with Carnival. It was everything I hoped it would be. Some snags along the way but for the most part o.k. I guess it must have been o.k. since I plan on going again. My DH would like me to ask you did the have any midnight buffets?(He almost went to every one last time) Any nightime deck parties? Victory had one and I was so mad I missed it. I'm hoping Valor has one that I can join in on. I was also wondering are there any Carlos n Charlies on these islands? We spent so much money on excursions last time that this time we hope to find some cheaper tours. I think in Nassau I just want to see Atlantis. The time is so short I don't think there will be much time to do other things. Still undecided about the other two. Also with the limited time at the islands do you think you had too much time on the boat? Last but not least I guess u didn't try the fish n chips huh?

Thanks for the review. I will be sailing on the Valor once again on 6/12. I sailed on her for the 2 day pre-inaugural cruise to the Bahamas.

Great review!!! You actually sailed on my 1st wedding anniversary oh how I wish I were with you. We leave in Nov and the months seem longer and longer. I was just informed that my brother plans on cruising with us. He normally sailes the Princess line so I worried about what he will think.:eek: I sailed the Victory almost two years ago and I was pleased with Carnival. It was everything I hoped it would be. Some snags along the way but for the most part o.k. I guess it must have been o.k. since I plan on going again. My DH would like me to ask you did the have any midnight buffets?(He almost went to every one last time) Any nightime deck parties? Victory had one and I was so mad I missed it. I'm hoping Valor has one that I can join in on. I was also wondering are there any Carlos n Charlies on these islands? We spent so much money on excursions last time that this time we hope to find some cheaper tours. I think in Nassau I just want to see Atlantis. The time is so short I don't think there will be much time to do other things. Still undecided about the other two. Also with the limited time at the islands do you think you had too much time on the boat? Last but not least I guess u didn't try the fish n chips huh?

"midnight buffets" were on a much smaller scale than I'd imagined. some cakes and desserts, a few (what I would call) "strange" dishes (lots of flavored cous cous, seafood ceviche salad, and some strange salad that I tried that had magos and avocados with a citrus dressing. If we were hungry later at night, we'd eat from the grill or pizzaria and sample the fare from the buffet. oh, and the 24 hour ice cream (YUM).

I think they had one deck party in the evenings, I believe it was Thursday night or Friday night. I didn't go, because the band SUCKED (I forgot to put that in my review). It was like loud elevator music.

There is no Carlos & Charlie's, but there is a Senor Frog's in Nassau, right by the pier.

I was also curious as to how I'd feel about having 3 full days at sea, but in all honesty it was perfect. We were so worn out from hustling on the islands, that the chance to just totally VEG and relax was a welcome change of pace. I scouted out the fish & chips, but opted for the calamari/zucchini/onion fries from there instead.

Hey Mama,

Thanks for the review!!:) We leave in one month so I'm printing out your review, especially where to eat and shop. Did you use a debit card or regular cc to secure your S&S card? How big was the hold? Did people dress up and attend the 2nd formal night or was it "lesser" than the 1st?

Glad you had fun! I can't wait!:D I want pics!;)

GREAT REVIEW!!!

We will be sailing on the Valor on June 19th. Can't wait. We did the Triumph last year and loved it. I don't expect there to be much difference in the two ships. However, I do perfer San Juan over the Bahamas, but what the heck, We'll have fun wherever we go!!!!

Hey Mama,

 

Thanks for the review!!:) We leave in one month so I'm printing out your review, especially where to eat and shop. Did you use a debit card or regular cc to secure your S&S card? How big was the hold? Did people dress up and attend the 2nd formal night or was it "lesser" than the 1st?

Glad you had fun! I can't wait!:D I want pics!;)

We actually put money ahead of time on our S&S CC ahead of time ($600) and they DID still ask for a CC upon check in (which had been a matter of debate here on the board prior to our leaving). We used a debit card, the hold was $500 for 2 of us. Another thing I want to share is that when you're going over your S&S account in your room, on the TV, you really just need to check THE PERSON WHO SIGNED FOR THE CC upon check in. otherwise it's confusing, because if you check the other/subsequent person's account, their charges are STILL on the signer's account and it appears that you're being overcharged. This is not the case. The signer is responsbile for the charges for all people on the account, therefore everyone's charges show up on theirs. Does that make any sense?

Second formal night was just as nice as the first. We didn't even go to the Captain's Reception, too long of a line for a few free cocktails. The thing that did shock me was the number of people attending dinner in the dining room on the last night in denim and/or shorts and tshirts. I understand that everyone has to pack up their "nicer" clothing, but the suitcases don't have to be in the hallways until midnight...enough time to have everything else packed and pop down to the room and throw in the dinner attire afterwards.

working on downloading pics as we speak. :)

Doesn't sound like trying to get the early flight before 12:00 is worth the hassle.

Glad to hear you had a great cruise.Now if only that one family had put thier children to sleep..or at the very least moved them out of the casino.:( :)

I was on the same cruise so here is my review...

Our flight to Miami was at 5am and we got to the embarkation line early (about 10) but we had to wait in line for them to get the ship ready for us to board until 11:30.

I agree with Mama, the ship was really pretty and everything looked clean and new. It took me all week to figure out the layout though, but I have no sense of direction so that was just me.

In the Bahamas we went to Atlantis and just walked the grounds and checked out the aqaurium. Unless you're really into fish, you can get the general idea of the aquarium from the free parts instead of doing the Dig tour. Then we shopped a little and went to Senor Frogs which was a fun time. :)

In St. Thomas we actually went to Coki Beach. I thought it was beautiful. Not crowded and very clean. You can't tell what it is like from the place the taxis drop you off. Once you get behind the jet-ski rentals and beach grills there was a big difference. We had "bomb" drinks filled with a ton of different fruits and 3 rums. yum! theres a special way to drink them and the waitress really got into it and had fun with us. The guy working in the beach grill was a character too. It was really easy to get a tax to and from the beach (7 a piece each way) and the beach chair/umbrella rentals were also inexpensive.

St. Maarteen was my favorite port as well. There we went to the little Divi beach resort. Carnival offers an excursion there but we just did it on our own. We noticed the excursion left after only an hour or so, so if you're looking for a long beach day I'd reccomend going on your own. Again, very beautiful bech, uncrowded and easy to get to and from. I was a little bummed that the pool was only for guest use, but the ocean worked out just fine. I had my hair braided there and my friend had a lot of fun with the jet skis. At the end of the day we went to the stores right at the port. For those of you who have been here before, I guess its only a couple of years old and everything on it looks new and in good shape. On the same day, We had friends that did the pirate boat excursion and they said it was terrible. Like mama said, it only rained for a bit, right as we were leaving but it was super hot and we were in our bathing suits anyway so we had fun in it.

I spent the sea days laying out on the deck and going to the frozen yogurt machine 3 million times a day :) There were a lot of activities going on, but I stayed on an upper deck where I could get a breeze instead of in the middle of the action. One day I treated myself to the spa and really enjoyed that as well.

We met a lot of really cool people, some of them from our roll call board which was great! The common consensus of literally everyone we met was that Valor's staff is not the best. My friend's parents had actually cruised the week before on the Triumph and had a completely different experience as far as service was concerned. This was my first cruise so i don't have anything to compare it to, but the service we had was less than ideal all week. We skipped the dinner in the dining room twice because our waiter was a disaster. Everyone at our table got their food courses served at different times, and we would literally end up still sitting there while they started to clean. Dinner took up the whole night for us basically and we had to hustle to make it to the 10:30 shows. Overall, the ONLY staff members that were friendly all week were our room steward and one of the professional photographers. Everyone else was extremely rude or could care less. I had an incident at the pursers desk with a travelers check that was entirely uncalled for. I realize that the crew was new and they're still working out the kinks in the new ship, but I was less than impressed from the service standpoint.

Nightlife: The shows were great! I'm 25, so I especially liked the 80's show. We missed the comedy shows, but the hypnotist was also really amusing. As far as the nightlife, eh, again I wasn't impressed. The dance club played the same 5 songs over and over. I enjoyed the Karaoke bar though. For the most part, I would just wander from once place to the next each night. I actually liked the deck party even though it was kind of cheesy.

Food: I am a pretty picky eater and I don't like fancy stuff so the dining room food wasn't that special. The best thing I had was the filet. I did enjoy the food on the Lido deck though. The deli sandwiches were good and I allowed myself to have a piece of pizza which was VERY good. Oh, did I mention the ice cream machine? ;-) On the last sea day they had a chocolate buffet which was also great. a million different kinds of cakes, a foundue fountain, etc. I was really excited about the fruity tropical drinks and they were REALLY good too...but after a few days I couldnt handle all the sugary sweetness anymore. One night they did a martini bar which was really cool too.

I thought the formal nights were fun. Everyone went nuts with the formal pictures those nights too.

I went to the disembarkation talk, but it wasn't too helpful. I was VERY glad we took the self assist route. We had a 1pm flight and as soon as I saw everyone lined up waiting to track down their luggage to get off I knew we made the right choice. Brent said "last week we had everyone off by 10" but thats misleading because once you're off you have to stand in the god-awful customs line. Anyway, we got a taxi easily and made it to the airport by 10:30 so we had some time to relax before our flight.

All in all, I had a great time and I would definitely cruise again. Hi Bev and the gang if you read this!!

I have pictures and i'll try to figure out how to post. im sure im forgetting something so if anyone has questions, just ask! :D

Mamaparrot-Thanks for taking the time for writing your review - I really appreciate. We are looking into the Valor for Dec 2006 and it is sounding better and better. Glad to hear you enjoyed the sushi bar..I too enjoyed ours on the Conquest.

I will be staying in Nassau in February for a week and plan NOW to go to Senor Frogs at the pier and talk to some cruisers..one day while we are there (I think Feb 18)? there will be 8 ships docked....I figure a good chance to take pics and hang out at the pier.mmm I mean the bar!!! LOL Glad to hear Senor Frogs is there..again, thanks for another new tidbit!!;)

Thank you also Sunchaser for your review...:) thanks for taking the time

My husband and I were also on this cruise. I agree with most of what Mama said. The night life did not seem as good as the Carnival Pride last year and the club just had bad music. We did like the lindy hop piano bar but it was only fun if you could get on of the 15 or so seat right around Ed, the piano player. He was great. The band on the pool deck was also pretty bad. However, both main shows were great. We had good service thoughout the week. Our waiter and assistant waiter were great and the food always came at the right time. During one dinner we were at the table by ourselves and they served our courses faster then their other tables, which was nice and extra work for them. The ship does not feel too big even though there are so many people on board. If you are interested, the art auctions were good and there were a lot of opportunities to pick up good priced pieces.

Ports

Bahamas- we went to blue lagoon and it was wonderful. There was a boat trip to the island and then we had about three or so hours before we went back to the ship. There was a bar and about a hundred hamocks strung between the palm trees. SInce this was the first full day on board we were exhasted and this was just what we needed. We found a hamock and lazed the morning away

St. Thomas-We did the Buck Island sail and snorkel. The catamaran picked us up near the ship and there was about an hour trip to buck island. Once there the guides let two different groups around the area looking at interesting fish and a ship wreck. After about an hour of snorkling we made the trip back to the ship with free rum punch. You could not go to shore on this trip and the snorkling was all done in deep water. This was a fun trip but be ready to snorkel for an hour. We also did the skyride which was beautiful.

St. Martin-This was my favorite port. We did the Rhino rider trip which was a blast. This is basically a little speed boat that holds two people. They picked us up at the port and there was a bus ride to where the boats were. After getting everyone set up with the boats we followed the guide on a half hour trip to an empty beach on the french side of the island. We had about an hour at the beach and then headed back. This was a great excursion.

As Mamaparrothead said disembarkation was awful. This was our fourth cruise and we have never had to deal with lines that bad. There was no airconditioning in the long hallway where we had to wait and there had to be over a thousand people in the area. We watched a lot of people miss their flights and we made it to the fort lauderdale airport at 1pm.

Overall it was a great cruise but not our absolute favorite. We had good service the whole time but only our dining room team really seemed outstanding. The ship was very nice and I really liked the decor of rosies. The ports were great if you chose good excursions.

Wow a Senor Frogs huh??? I love Senor Frogs too bad the ship is not there a little later where we could really get our drink on. The island I know what I'm doing id Nassau. I think we'll visit Atlantis since I'll have my two younger children. I think they will get a kick out of seeing the fish. I wonder if they will be able to see the pools and water slides. I know we can't get on them but I wonder if they will be able to see them? I hope boarding and departing get a little better. Can you imagine me standing in those long lines with two kids.:eek: Geesh!

Mrsdeedee, you won't be able to see the pools, but you can see the lagoons/waterfalls. they actually have officers at every turn asking for your room key. but they do allow you do go out on some decks and get a really good view of the grounds. You can get some good pictures from there.

VALOR REVIEW 5/22/05-5/29/05,

My one HUGE complaint is about a specific family who thought it was appropriate to leave their child, a little girl probably not even 2, strapped into her stroller in front of the smokey bar and casino, with the live music blaring, past midnight, as she’s crying, holding her ears and being ignored as she’s apparently being forced to try to sleep. And her maybe 5 year old brother sleeping on the couch outside the casino. I was so stressed out and pissed off by having to watch that poor baby cry, with her hands over her ears, and being completely ignored, that we had to move before I said something. I mean, COME ON, either tear yourself away from the booze and the slot machines to put your children to bed, don’t bring them, or spring for the $6/hour babysitting. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Any questions? I’d be glad to answer.

 

Your good.. I would have totally told those people off. Thats soo wrong..

Great review.

After your comment about the flourless choc. cake and that you didnt like it because it tasted like warm brownie batter, LOL....... I am actually longing to taste it even more now, because our whole family loves brownie battter, we always fight over who gets to lick the bowl when we make brownies....

Oh o.k. I get the picture. With me bringing little ones I'm thinking that might be the best thing to do. LOL the cake tasting like brownie batter does sound good. I'm trying to think if I tasted it last time or not.

took 4 days to download my pictures from my camera to my computer, then upload to the net. anyway, here are most of them! once again, if I can be of any assistance to anyone, let me know!

http://community.webshots.com/album/357920249TwGrKS

Thanks for the great pics Mama! The first one, of the funnel between the building is really cool. You must wake up the day of the cruise, see it, and think "Oh Boy! Oh Boy!"

If you and your friend ever scan the formal night pics, I'd love to see them!:D

Question....You mentioned earlier that you think women should pack at least two swimsuits. Do you think someone can get away with one??

Wow, what great pictures you took, you guys are really good at picking the perfect "kodak" moments!! I love the ones of you on the beach with the Valor in the background and the Grand Case beach ones are so picturesque...

Thanks for sharing.........

Thanks for the great pics Mama! The first one, of the funnel between the building is really cool. You must wake up the day of the cruise, see it, and think "Oh Boy! Oh Boy!"

 

If you and your friend ever scan the formal night pics, I'd love to see them!:D

 

Question....You mentioned earlier that you think women should pack at least two swimsuits. Do you think someone can get away with one??

I wouldn't, personally. I know I spent about 80% of my waking hours all week in a swimsuit. and even rinsing it out at night, it's still pretty damp the next day. for the extra $30-$40, it's worth it to me not to have to wriggle into a cold, damp suit. :eek: LOL and when you do lay a suit out to dry, I don't know if I mentioned this or not, lay it flat on your window sill versus hanging it on the line in the bathroom. there's next to ZERO air flow in there.

Wow I love your pics!!! I talked my brother into going and and I wonder if I can send him your link to acess the pictures. I really needed that boost to get geared for what I'm in store for. With all the unpleasant reviews about the Valor that have been surfacing I have kind of second guessed myself but after looking at these I'm ready to go. I'm so glad you shared them. tTe boat looks nice form what I can tell. I'm a little thrown off with the green chairs and tables that I think were located in Rosie's but I guess I will deal with it like everyone else.

My husband was worried about the midnight buffets but I told him he'll get over it. See we were spoiled on Victory because there was one like every night. I'm so excited Nov come on..