cherbear4000 Posted November 7, 2011 #1 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I'm in the early planning stages of my family's yearly cruise for July 2012. I found an itinerary I really like. It is an 8 day Southern Caribbean to Grand Turk, La Romana in the Dominica Republic, Aruba, and Curacao. It is offered out of Miami on the Valor, or out of Fort. Lauderdale on the Freedom. We have previously sailed on the Freedom and enjoyed it. Any advice on which ship or embarkation port is better or any thoughts in the ports of call? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted November 7, 2011 #2 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are about 30 minutes from each other. You can fly into either airport for either cruise. I prefer Ft. Lauderdale, hotels are cheaper and lots that have free airport and cruise shuttles for very cheap. two sister ships. Id personally pick the one with currently the better price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohbear Posted November 7, 2011 #3 Share Posted November 7, 2011 We are doing this trip on the Valor in July, were going to do the Freedom since we have sailed on Valor before, but dates didn't line up for us! Now we loved the Valor a few years ago, so I am happy because these are all ports we have not been to before! Been looking at airfare from our area, and it is cheaper to fly into Miami right now, which is surprising! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMSACE6 Posted November 7, 2011 #4 Share Posted November 7, 2011 I have been on both the Valor ( 2007 ) out of Miami and the Freedom (2010) out of Ft Lauderdale. The ships are identical in layout. They are different in decor of course. I liked both ships, and Im not affected by decor, but I found both of them fine that way. Not sure if Valor has Serenity deck yet or not, or if you are interested in it. But bottom line, both ships were great, and that itinerary sounds wonderful! I personally prefer sailing out of Ft Lauderdale, and Ft Lauderdale in general, compared to Miami, but if you want a change of scene, go for the Valor, it is a fine ship, and Miami is ok for a day or so. JMHO. whichever you choose, enjoy your cruise.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nathand95 Posted November 7, 2011 #5 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Personally, I would go with Valor out of Miami. I love that ship! Also, I love the Miami area,especially Coconut Grove. Hotels are more expensive in Miami, but we just prefer the area much more. Either way you can't go wrong. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oompaland Posted November 7, 2011 #6 Share Posted November 7, 2011 Sailed both ships and loved them both. I would go for the less expensive trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
traci2cruz Posted December 30, 2011 #7 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I'm in the same predicament! We were on the Freedom last summer and enjoyed it! I'd like to try a different ship though, but the Serenity area is a deal breaker for me! If the Valor doesn't have it yet, I will stick with the Freedom! Anyone know for sure??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinbanddirectors Posted December 30, 2011 #8 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I read on here this morning that the Valor does now have a Serenity area, but I can't vouch for that personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mondello Posted December 30, 2011 #9 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Personally, I would go with Valor out of Miami. I love that ship! Also, I love the Miami area,especially Coconut Grove. Hotels are more expensive in Miami, but we just prefer the area much more. Either way you can't go wrong. Good luck! We vacationed in Coconut Grove a couple years ago, really liked CG. Thought the price and location was great for us and we explored all over in our rental car. We're booked on Valor next year but, I've no idea how far CG is from POM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaKaye79 Posted December 30, 2011 #10 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I dont know which dates you are looking at, but we compared july 7 valor to july 14th freedom, same ports you listed. For balcony 2 adults, freedom was 400 more. We booked valor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krehberg Posted December 30, 2011 #11 Share Posted December 30, 2011 As some have said, first I'd factor in price. If that is equal, then there would have to be a pretty convincing argument to ever sail from the POM over Port Everglades. PE is just easy to get to, better layout, and less of a hassle than the POM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LamenLaur Posted December 30, 2011 #12 Share Posted December 30, 2011 We just cruised on the Valor for the first time at the beginning of the month and had a fantastic time!! The Serenity Area was really nice to have as well! Have a great trip!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forever cruise Posted December 30, 2011 #13 Share Posted December 30, 2011 We've been on both ships, Freedom once and Valor twice. Freedom was awesome and the Valor was awesome the first time we went. However, we went on the Valor last year and the service was slow in the dining room and the food wasn't as fabulous as it usually is. However, it was the first trip out of drydock so that may have negatively affected our experience. We're booked for the Freedom this February. I do like departing out of Miami better, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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