25th Anniversary Edition - Valor Review

[Sevencruiser]

Had a long time with no days off, but I've still got more.

 

Thanks for the well wishes on our anniversary.

 

Edy did not do magic except with his service. I think his real name was Edyn if I remember correctly.

 

I do not regret having the aft wrap, it was a fantastic room. I think I was just trying to say I had some expectations that were not met because we did not have a lot of people sailing with us like originally planned.

I

[Sevencruiser]

I found a picture of Edy.

 

 

 

 

[Sevencruiser]

When we got back to our cabin, our Past Guest Party invitations were waiting on the bed for us.

Chefs Table…I never thought I would PAY for a meal on a ship when there is so much good food to choose from already included. However, there have been so many people say good things about it, we decided to try it. We were not disappointed at all. We met Chef Matthew Gregory in the American Lobby at 6 pm and were escorted to the galley through the Lincoln Dining room. There was a large stainless steel prep table that was prepared for us to taste appetizers and have champagne. Each one was as good as the next. Then we toured the galley in action and finally exited again through Lincoln Dining Room and then into the Betsy Ross Room. I wish I had taken pictures of the food, but I didn’t get my camera out until it was all over. My favorite dish was the Rock Shrimp & Apple Beignets, although it really is hard to say one dish was better than another. The plates were served in unison so we all had food in front of us at the same time. That was special. The wine never stopped. They served Folinari Pinot Grigio until the Filet was served, and then served Black Opal Shiraz. We typically drink better wine than this, so if I had to change one thing that would be it. There was also a fantastic magician, Sukesh, who did some amazing magic at our table between courses. He did some tricks that were just unexplainable. When it was all over, I layed on the ground and someone rolled me back to my cabin. But seriously, it was a fantastic experience, and I would do it again. It was around 10pm when we left there so we did nothing else that evening.

[Sevencruiser]

Chef Matthew and his team

 

 

 

Sukesh

 

 

[Sevencruiser]

We were in San Juan at 7am and wanted to get an early start, and I’m glad we did, since a rain storm came in that afternoon. We did not plan any tours here. I have an iPhone and we were able to get ATT service here, so I had a map to help us get around, although, you could get around Old San Juan easily without a map. Most streets are on a grid. We headed out with a plan to walk up to El Morro first to get the longest distance over first. So we did just that, criss crossing our way across the city before all but a handful of ship passengers were even off the ship. It was nice to see it that way, as the city was just waking up, the locals were out cleaning off the sidewalks, and getting ready to open for business. I took a lot of pictures during this walk, because the streets were not full of tourists yet and everything was more picturesque.

[Sevencruiser]

The streets of Old San Juan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[calibird]

Loving your review!

 

I sailed on the Valor the week before you....I agree about the entertainment staff, they were wonderful!

 

I see you went up to Serenity Deck! This was my favorite place to spend time! Was "D" your waiter up there?? I thought he was GREAT!! One of the best bar servers I have ever encountered!

We were on the May 22 sailing also. What a great time we had!! Rained on us in St. Thomas in the a.m. also. We did the champagne/catamaran excursion and it was wonderful. I would do the entire itineray again.

[New2Cruising24]

Thanks and you're welcome jjwelsh. I know what you mean about the reviews passing time. We were booked on the Valor for 11 months and I think I watched Cruise Critic almost every day for a new review.

 

Great review, thanks for taking the time! I'm doing the same thing you did...checking almost daily for a new Valor review!! :D Can't wait to be on board!

[tammi0916]

We were on the May 22 sailing also. What a great time we had!! Rained on us in St. Thomas in the a.m. also. We did the champagne/catamaran excursion and it was wonderful. I would do the entire itineray again.

 

 

Hi Calibird! We sail on her the 17th of July and I just booked the champagne catamaran we had booked The Baths but Carnival cancelled that excursion due to complaints about the vendor. How was the catamara trip - we will be with our 12 year old daughter; it sounds like it would be a good time?!? We love to snorkel and like the idea of having the beach if my daughter gets tired. Would love to hear about our trip.

 

thanks,

Tam

[boaterette]

Nice reivew. Kudos to you for the roses for your wife.

[Sevencruiser]

Great review, thanks for taking the time! I'm doing the same thing you did...checking almost daily for a new Valor review!! :D Can't wait to be on board!

Thank you, I hope you have a great cruise, and that it will be here before you know it.

[Sevencruiser]

Nice reivew. Kudos to you for the roses for your wife.

Thank you, yes she was really surprised, and the yellow rose is her favorite. On our 20th annv. cruise I sent her a corsage to our dinner table the day of our anniversary, but that didn't last. So it was nice to have these in our room all week.

[Sevencruiser]

We made it to El Morro after dodging all the pressure washers. Apparently President Obama was coming to town, and they were working hard to spruce up the city for him. I think that walk took us about an hour, and some of the streets are on fairly steep hills, so I can understand that some would want to catch a cab, or the free trolley to do this. We paid the $5 for entry into both El Morro and Castillo de San Cristobal. The fort was very interesting. We took time to walk around and read the informational signs, but did not go with any kind of guide.

[Sevencruiser]

The pressure washers at work.

 

 

El Morro

 

 

 

[Sevencruiser]

More El Morro. I took a lot of pictures in San Juan, so I'll share some.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sevencruiser]

Iguanas attacking the fort:eek:

 

 

You could rent (or bring) kites to fly out on the lawn in front of the fort. This looked like a good break for little kids that may get bored or tired of sightseeing.

 

[Sevencruiser]

After that long walk we were glad to find out there was a free trolley that connected El Morro and Cristobal, so we took the trolley to Cristobal and again spent time exploring the old fort. We did some shopping on the way back down through the city to the ship. There were lots of outdoor vendors in some of the squares selling local art, jewelry, cigars, clothing etc. and also the typical cruise destination shops (Diamonds Intl. etc.) and local shops and brand name stores.

[Sevencruiser]

From the trolley on the way to Cristobal

 

 

 

 

Cristobal

 

 

 

 

 

Looking back at El Morro

 

 

View of the pier from Cristobal

 

[Sevencruiser]

As I said, a storm was coming in as we headed back to the ship for lunch, so I was glad we started early and got back before it started raining. I sat out on the balcony and watched the storm cross the bay.

The pier in Old San Juan.

[Sevencruiser]

This port is one of the best for sail away, in my opinion, because of the views on the way out.

[rhondab0511]

Very nice pictures! I'm sailing on the Western Itnerary, so I won't be able to see this port.:( All the more reason to book another cruise!!!!:D

[swimmom32]

Very nice pictures! I'm sailing on the Western Itnerary, so I won't be able to see this port.:( All the more reason to book another cruise!!!!:D

 

I agree with you, we too are doing the Western, but we are definitely going to do the Eastern on our Next one Next year..:)

[Sevencruiser]

This was our first Eastern Itinerary. I love Cozumel, and will go back again;)but this was a great itinerary.

[Sevencruiser]

The Past Guest Party was held in the Ivanhoe Theatre this afternoon from 4:15-5pm. The showband was playing, and waiters were walking around with trays of free drinks and appetizers. I did notice that the drinks were not as plentiful as the Farewell Party which I’ll talk about later. My opinion is that the aft Lounge makes a better venue for this type of party than the Main Lounge. But this place was packed, so I guess that’s why they hold it there.

[Sevencruiser]

Tonight an entertainer joined us from the Carnival Magic. He was “The King of Motown Marcus Anthony”. I enjoyed this show the best out of all the shows of the week. Marcus is an incredible vocalist, and belted out one Motown hit after another. I would love to see him again. We almost didn’t go to see him, because we were tired out from walking all day. If you get the chance to see him don’t miss Marcus Anthony,