Valor Review w/Pics 9/06-9/13 LOOONG!

[cruisingbajan]

I took that shot from atop the largest temple, the one we were allowed to climb. I believe it's 'The Temple of the Sun God'. Our guide said that plaza and surrounding area was home to 10,000 people at the height of the Mayan civilization. Wow.

 

Hat, sunscreen, good shoes, water bottle, and BUG SPRAY are the most essential things. We also had bandanas we used for mopping our faces. Did I mention it was REALLY HOT? (Why I wanted to go to the Caribbean in the SUMMER, I don't know. :p)

 

It was amazing to me. We love ruins though. We live in Utah and have been to Mesa Verde and other Anasazi/Ancient Puebloan ruins (including ones only visited by 4X4) so maybe we're freaks. :D

 

Robin

 

I got you with the sunscreen, bug spray and all the other necessities. You are not freaks by any strech....I am a bit of a history buff myself so the ruins are a must see for me. I however have opted for a beach day in Cozumel...the wife will not enjoy the ruins and the walking as much as me.:p

 

Keep the review coming...between you and Lorena I'm in heaven. Its not often that you get two ladies pleasing you at the same time.:D;)

[Halftocruz]

Thank you for your repsonse to my questions regarding the beach near Tulum. You all are right, we will find a beach in Cozumel since it is such a far drive.

 

Great Review and thanks for all the pictures.

 

Kellie :)

[BaseballMomof4]

I put on sunscreen on first (the continuos spray kind) then after a minute I put on the bugspray (also the continuous spray). I used the OFF "Smooth & Dry" and it was awesome... not sticky and easy to apply. I personally think it'd be quicker than using the towelettes.

 

Avon has an all in one sunscreen/insect repellant that works well and doesn't smell bad!!

[Robin7]

{Note: In spite of using my 40D and bumping up the ISO, these photos are still blurry. It was not possible to use a tripod because the vibration from the engines transfers to the camera. These are the best I have hand-held.}

 

Cozumel night after the early show, we returned to our stateroom. I wanted to go out and see the moon and remarked to my husband, “We must not have to make time to Miami because we are barely moving.” We were STOPPED.

 

Stepping out onto the balcony, we looked toward the bow and could see a small boat. A rope was being lowered to them. There were three fishermen (or maybe divers) aboard.

 

We could hear an announcement being made but couldn’t hear what was actually being said. Soon other passengers beside and below us came out on their balconies and told us the captain had responded to a distress signal from this boat, and the Valor was waiting for Mexican authorities to come and get them.

 

The whole thing took quite a while, and the Captain kept having to employ the thrusters to keep the small boat sheltered from the swell the Valor was producing.

 

It was fascinating! Eventually the authorities arrived in a boat that looked like a leftover from WWII, complete with weapons. We watched while the fishermen made their way aboard, and then the Valor was off. I was surprised at how fast that enormous ship could pick up speed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Robin7]

In eleven cruises, this was easily the WORST disembarkation ever! We vacated our room and went to the dining room for breakfast. They called our number/letter just as we were finishing. (Very nice timing!) Then we headed out.

 

We got to the terminal and went to the carousel they said our luggage would be on. It was not moving. We found one of our suitcases. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. It finally began moving and another of our cases appeared--35 minutes later. After we realized it had been around a couple of times and our last case had not appeared, my husband went off to look at the other carousels. There it was on #1 when our number/letter was assigned #3. Sheesh. 45 minutes since we disembarked.

 

Now for the customs line. VERY, VERY long! Wait and wait and wait. By the time we got into a taxi, it was an hour and ten minutes since we stepped back on land, my suitcase was broken, and I had a very bad taste in my mouth for Carnival’s dockside procedure. Getting off is bad enough. Having to wait and wait like that just adds insult to injury. (And has never happened to us before, and I hope will never happen again.)

 

Overall:

 

We enjoyed this cruise a lot. A balcony is unbelievably nice! The itinerary was one of our favorites ever. While not crazy about the décor, it was not as bad as we’d expected. We did not find the ship overrun with wild, cavorting children nor drunken adults. The entertainment was a cut above what we’ve seen on other cruiselines. The food was just okay, but since we don’t go on cruises (anymore) to eat, we were fine. We would cruise Carnival again if the itinerary is not offered by our favorite line or if the price is a much better deal. Carnival delivered.

I have a bunch of randomness I will start posting tonight. :D

[boaterette]

Thank you for the review.

[ptcandy]

Hi Robin

Loved the review. Hope to cruise with you and Jeff soon.

 

Love

Peter

[chloes_mom]

Did you do the self-debarkation? Just curiouse, as we have never done that before? Thanks!

 

Renee

[pokergirl34]

Great review! I am sailing on the Valor in less than 2 wks. I skipped over the Altun Ha section since I want to experience that for myself, but I do have a question for you. Did you have time after the ruins/river to shop for a bit in Belize? Sorry if you already mentioned this or not! I just don't want anything spoiled so skipped that part of your review.

 

Thanks!

[Robin7]

Thanks, Peter! We've got to get on the same cruising schedule one of these years!

 

Did you do the self-debarkation? Just curiouse, as we have never done that before? Thanks!

 

No, we hate hauling our stuff, so we just did regular disembarkation. Although, in retrospect, WE wouldn't have broken my suitcase. :rolleyes:

 

Robin

[Robin7]

Great review! I am sailing on the Valor in less than 2 wks. I skipped over the Altun Ha section since I want to experience that for myself, but I do have a question for you. Did you have time after the ruins/river to shop for a bit in Belize? Sorry if you already mentioned this or not! I just don't want anything spoiled so skipped that part of your review.

 

Thanks!

 

We did have time to shop, but I was so wrung out by the heat that we just hightailed it back to the ship. We would have had about 90 minutes to shop, if we'd been so inclined. Have fun! We loved this itinerary.

 

Robin

[Oompaland]

Quick camera question - did you use the Canon D10 for all photos? Did you only use in the water? We heard that the quality isn't the greatest when not used in the water. All your pics are beautiful!

[Robin7]

Quick camera question - did you use the Canon D10 for all photos? Did you only use in the water? We heard that the quality isn't the greatest when not used in the water. All your pics are beautiful!

 

Thank you!

 

We also had our DSLR along, a Canon 40D. I'm picky so that's my go-to camera. All the Grand Cayman pics and the Roatan pics are with the D10. I didn't want to risk my 'big' camera at the beach for both safety and sand/water hazards. The Belize and Cozumel pics were with the 40D.

 

For a small camera, we're pretty happy with the quality of the D10. We've taken it to Disneyland twice and surfing. Besides its 'waterproofness' and 'dropability', it's got some nice features my other 'little' camera doesn't have (like blink detection!). But I'm a camera snob so I'd never use it as my main camera. When I want great photos, I have to take along my 40D and all of its lenses and stuff. (We're going to Disney again this week, and I'll be hauling the big one along this time for the Halloween decorations.) Your mileage may vary.

 

Robin