Carnival Valor 6 Day Review FTTF w/ pic's 11-4-12

[erby2283]

I booked this cruise almost a year ago for my BF and I. This is the first 6-day cruise I had booked, and first time sailing fewer than 7 days. The cruise departed from Miami on November 4, 2012 and included stops at Key West, Grand Cayman and Montego Bay.

 

Sat November 3

We woke up early for the 2.5 hour drive to Raleigh, NC for our flight to Fort Lauderdale. I scour prices and watch them like a hawk (both cruise and airline) and it was way cheaper to drive to Raleigh than to fly directly from Charlotte. Our roundtrip tickets were just under $150 each on Southwest (which includes no baggage fees for the first two checked bags). I also paid the extra $10 pp each way for the early bird check in so we could ensure a seat towards the front of the plane. The flight itself was uneventful and we landed almost half an hour early. I had made reservations with SAS to shuttle us to the Intercontinental in Miami. While I was still on the plane, I received a call from one of the SAS drivers' who asked if I was ready to be picked up. We waited about 25 minutes for our luggage and SAS was waiting for us outside with a van already almost full. In fact, our driver was getting an earful from a police woman who was clearly not happy with him. I assumed it was b/c he was sitting at the curb waiting for us which they’re not allowed to do; they’re only allowed to quickly pick people up, not park there.

 

The drive to Miami took about 30 minutes. We dropped the others off at a hotel and then proceeded to the Intercontinental. I noticed that traffic seemed to be really bad for a Sat afternoon. Turns out Red Bull had an event going on at Bayfront Park which is right next to the hotel. The event was called Red Bull Flugtag and the description from the webpage describes the event as the following: Red Bull Flugtag challenges teams of everyday people to build homemade, human-powered flying machines and pilot them off a 30-foot high deck in hopes of achieving flight! Judged not only on their flight's distance their creativity and showmanship will also count.

 

Once we got to the hotel, we couldn’t check in b/c they didn’t have any rooms ready (it was 3 PM by this time). Not only were all the Red Bull people staying at the hotel, but the Make a Wish Foundation was having some type of charity event at the Intercontinental that night. We were starving and decided to make our way to Bayside Marketplace to grab a bite to eat in the food court. At 4 o’clock, we went back and were able to check in. They did not have any bayside rooms available to upgrade and they gave us room 1512 which faced a condominimum highrise. The room was nice and I purchased it using Last Minute Travel for $159 with taxes and fees.

 

 

 

 

Around 6 pm we decided to head out for dinner. I had researched some places and started walking towards "The Filling Station." As we got closer, a Columbia Restaurant called El Cartel caught our eye and we decided to eat there instead. We grabbed a table on the street and our waitress was really good and the food was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. The hotel was all lit up for the Make a Wish Foundation Charity event. As we walked into the lobby, I passed by Wayne Newton on the stairs and said hello. I tried to convince my boyfriend to change into our formal night clothes and head back down into the lobby to see who else we might run into but he didn't want to. So we decided to turn in early and call it a night. The next day, we checked out the photos in the lobby and saw pictures of Kim Kardashian and Sammy Sosa among others.

 

[Pauser]

Can't wait to read more.... Thanks for taking the time to write this and post photos!:)

[erby2283]

Day 1 – Embarkation

 

On my roll call, everyone seemed to have received the email about arriving later at the pier to check-in. I purchased the FTTF program and was anxious to discover what it had to offer since I had read both positive and negative things on CC. I had not received the email about arriving later and wondered if it was b/c I had purchased the FTTF.

 

Knowing I had purchased FTTF, I was more relaxed while heading to the pier instead of worrying about the crowds and lines. We headed over around 11 am. Our taxi driver dropped us off by a porter who immediately recognized the FTTF imprinted on my boarding pass and advised us that our luggage would by-pass everyone else’s and be delivered immediately to our stateroom. They put a special sticker on each piece of luggage to ensure this happens.

 

We headed into the terminal and proceeded to the initial check in and x-ray machines and proceeded upstairs to where they process everyone and hand out your sail and sign cards. There was already a pretty decent amount of people waiting in lines when we arrived. I was surprised when I saw they had a separate line for FTTF! And, there was NO ONE in the line! I walked right up and there must have been someone new working b/c he seemed a little unsure of what to do and called someone over. I had overheard them say that only “I” was FTTF (which I knew was wrong b/c only one person in the cabin needs to purchase it), but they must have realized their error b/c they never mentioned it. They confirmed that both sail and sign cards were to be linked to the same credit card and then instead of handing us a “Zone” boarding number, we received one that said, “priority boarding”. They also have FTTF on the back of your sail and sign card.

 

 

They had actually just started to board and by the time we walked over to the line to board, they were just then calling the FTTF people so the people previously boarding must have been the platinum members, etc. There was a little bit of gridlock getting your pictures taken before boarding but by noon, we were at the buffet enjoying our lunch after dropping off our soda and carry-on luggage in our room.

 

After lunch, we went back to our room and sure enough, all of our luggage had been delivered. We decided to put our clothes away then so we could enjoy the rest of the day. We set sail a little late and we enjoyed the sail away from the “secret” deck 10. There were about 20 other people there but not too busy.

 

 

 

We watched the sun set from our balcony, room 1057. LOVED the location of our room and would book it again in a heartbeat!

 

 

We headed down for dinner around 6:15 and were seated with a waiter named Winston, from St. Vincent. We sat in his section each night. I can’t remember exactly what I had for dinner the first night but it was some kind of beef with mashed potatoes and vegetables….and of course, the chocolate melting cake for dessert!

 

[Eimmat]

Enjoying the review. Waiting for more! Sailing the Valor next October.

[erby2283]

Day 2 – Key West

 

I had previously been to Key West many years ago and to be honest, it wasn’t one of my favorites. But this time, I had purchased tickets from City View Trolley and made better plans in hopes of seeing more of the city.

 

We waited for the trolley to fill and then headed out. My BF had never been to Key West so we stayed on the trolley until stop 4, which was the southernmost tip and got our obligatory photo. We debated on checking out the butterfly museum but figured we work circle around again and go back if we had time. We walked back to trolley stop 4 to be picked up and got off at the next stop to take a tour of the Hemingway House. We decided to stay for the private tour instead of just checking out the grounds on our own.

 

Attached are a few pictures from the tour. Admission was $13 per person.

 

 

 

 

 

[erby2283]

We hopped back on the trolley and completed the circle back to the starting point and began to walk down Duval street for a bite to eat and some shopping. We ended up eating at a place called “Half Shell Raw Bar” which is off Margaret Street. Service was fast and the food was pretty good and it was nice to sit and relax by the water.

 

 

We walked back down Duval street and picked up some souvenirs and headed back to the ship. We had to be onboard by 2:30. We had some “runners” and it was funny watching them run towards the gangway with people from the ship cheering and clapping for them.

 

 

One of my father’s favorite movies is “Operation Petticoat.” Our trolley guide told us that parts of the movie were filmed here (where the Coast Guard ship is in the back):

 

[erby2283]

Day 2 – Sea Day

 

We always get up early on sea days so we can snag a good spot in the sanctuary area. By 8:30 we had ate breakfast and were in our chairs. By 9:30, the sanctuary was already packed. Now, I always seem to get sick when I vacation so for two weeks prior to this cruise, I drank airborne and emergen-c to boost my immune system. Around 10:30 this couple sits down next to me and the girl starts coughing non-stop. Not only does she sound like she’s coughing up a lung, she’s not even attempting to cover her mouth while she’s coughing. I immediately told my bf to grab his stuff and we headed down to the “secret” deck 10. Low and behold, we were the only ones there (for the moment).

 

 

I stayed on deck 10 until about 1 pm. Too much sun gives me a headache and I didn’t want to feel like crap later on. When we left, there were only 4 other people who had made their way to deck 10 to enjoy the peacefulness away from the crowds. I highly recommend laying out there on sea days as long as you don’t mind being away from your servers and the pools/hot tubs. I found it so relaxing to be up there feeling the cool breeze with a good book in my hand!

 

We ended up taking a nap that afternoon and then got ready for formal night. I did notice several people in the dining room that were not dressed formally. Surprisingly though, it was the women who were dressed down, not the men. I don’t eat seafood at all so I can’t tell you if the lobster tails were good…but I don’t think there is such a bad thing if that’s what you like :)

 

I’m not sure if it was Monday or Tuesday night, but we did see the magician in the Ivanhoe Theatre. We really enjoyed his show and he was extremely funny and entertaining. That was the only show we went to the entire week. It was enjoyable to watch him interact with people from the audience.

[erby2283]

Day 3 – Grand Cayman

 

FTTF gives you priority tendering. I went down to inquire about receiving an early tender number and saw the long line. Then, I remembered that FTTF also allows you to wait in the Platinum line. They even added FTTF to the sign above specifying that you can go to that line. I was advised that since I did not have an early tour that I would not require early tendering and that I should not have an issue with encountering lines while waiting to tender. But IF there was an issue, to come back to the desk and they would personally escort us on to a tender boat.

 

I had booked the Island and Sting Ray tour with Nativeway. We got to the mainland around 8:45 and Elden, one of the tour operators, greeted us and told us to meet back at 9:30 to begin the tour. I headed over the Hard Rock to pick up some pins for a friend who collects them and took some pictures.

 

 

 

We met back at 9:30 and there was only one other couple who joined us for the tour. I LOVE having small tours. We hopped in a bus and Elden drove us to a Marina where our tour boat operators would take us to sting ray city. There was another couple there waiting so that made 6 of us in all. I snapped these picture from the boat leaving the cove on the way to sting ray city. All these houses are at least one million dollars!

 

 

 

 

[erby2283]

Day 3 – Grand Cayman - continued

 

I was VERY nervous about swimming with the sting rays. I have a phobia about touching fish…and them touching me. Slimy creatures :) First of all, the water once you reach Sting Ray City is absolutely beautiful! One of our guides scared me half to death jumping in b/c he saw his favorite sting ray “Lucy” swim by and he wanted to grab her to use for our pictures. Once I got over the initial fear of these sting rays swimming so close to you, I relaxed and had a wonderful time!

 

 

 

 

Even though we only had 6 on our tour, at Sting Ray City, there were many other boats with cruise ship passengers. I am sure they paid more than we did and had to endure many more people than we did! I would def book privately again!

 

[erby2283]

Day 3 – Grand Cayman - continued

 

Once the sting ray portion was over, we continued on to the island tour part. Elden picked us up and we headed down to the turtle farm where admission was included in our tour. I never knew I would enjoy turtles so much!

 

 

 

We stopped in the gift shop on the way out and I purchased some souvenirs.

 

Our next stop was “Hell” where I snapped some pictures and mailed a postcard to my Dad.

 

 

We then had to wait while Elden and his wife who run Nativeway shuffled back and forth between driving us and taking care of other tours. It was a little frustrating but I understand that it’s a business. We waited at the beach for Elden’s wife to take us back to the city.

 

 

 

When we got back to the city, it was time to catch the tender back to the ship. I tried to tip Saundra $15 and she said it was too much and only took $10. We had already tipped the boat tour operators $20. It was just refreshing to have someone turn down a tip for once!

 

Tendering back was a little hectic. We had to wait quite a while for the boats ahead of us to unload. I enjoyed Grand Cayman very much!

I will post more tomorrow. Gonna take a break for the rest of the night.

[Vettebuf]

Thanks so much for taking the time to post your pictures and comments. Please keep it up. I'm enjoying it so much, especially your beautiful pictures of GC.

 

We'll be on the Valor in April but we'll cruse out of San Juan this time.

[Yankeegirl]

Thank you for the info about Nativeway!!! We are going to Grand Cayman next October and we were wanting to do both Stingray City and the Turtle Farm. Loving your review, thanks so much for taking the time to post it!!!:)

 

[pcrum]

We have done this same itinerary on the Freedom and did just what you did...the Hemingway house in Key West and a tour with Nativeway in GC. We did Reef, Rays and Rumpointe with Nativeway and loved them. We've used them twice and had great experiences both times. Sounds like you had a great cruise!

[erby2283]

Day 4 – Jamaica

 

After reading so many negative things about how pushy the people are in Jamaica are, I was hesitant to try and “wing it” at this island. I decided horseback riding would be fun. I wanted to make sure I picked a reputable company who took care of their horses and the company that kept coming up was “Chukka.” Chukka, however, has a contract directly with Carnival so I had to book the excursion directly through Carnival.

 

Carnival offered 3 different tour times. I choose the earliest one (7:30) so that we could have the remainder of the day to explore. We met downstairs in the warehouse and were then taken to a bus that was heading to Chukka. On the bus were people who were on other Chukka tours like ATV, etc. but they all start from the same place so we were all on the same bus. It’s about a 30 minute bus ride to Chukka’s location.

 

When we got to Chukka, Merline welcomed us with open arms and gave us the run down on things. We all had to sign waivers and then we could purchase lockers to store our stuff. I happened to be suffering from a migraine that day and my meds had not kicked in. I was hoping some food would help but since it was so early, they only had snacks available. I took a grape soda a bag of cheetos…..mmmmm cheetos!

 

After leaving our stuff in the lockers we were fitted for our helmets and then taken over to be matched to our horse. I was given a beautiful little horse name Chonchaboy. My horse was then led to a paddock area while the others in my group were given their horses. The good thing about being on such an early tour is that we only had 6 people on our horseback riding excursion. After everyone was given basic instructions, which we didn’t really need b/c these horses are so well trained, we were off. We headed towards the stables where Chukka has 140 horses. We headed uphill and downhill and along the way, one of our guides would bring us some leaves from the trees – I believe one was mint and one was allspice but I can’t remember. I wanted to save them but they lost their scent rather quickly. Every once in a while a horse would stop and want to graze and our tour guide, Ricardo, would crack me up by telling horse it was not “buffet time.”

 

After the land part of the riding was complete, we were able to change into our bathing suits for the ocean swim part. They make you wear a little life preserver and then they take the horses around in a group in the shallow area of Chukka’s beach. When we entered the water Ricardo made a joke that we were going to swim to Cuba. The horses would make a really loud snorting noise and Ricardo said it was b/c they exert more energy when they swim. The ocean part only lasts about 5minutes but how many people can say they have ridden a horse in the Caribbean Sea?

 

After we finished riding, it was time to chow down on some Jerk Chicken and check out the pictures that Chukka had taken of our excursion. We ended up buy 16 pictures (which they put on a disc) for $45. Yes, it’s pricey but it’s the experience of a lifetime. The jerk chicken was $9 and came with a drink and two cornbread-like biscuits. It was REALLY good.

 

After we ate, it was time to head back to the ship. We got back around noon and I wanted to head into town to do some shopping. Someone at the port asked us if we wanted to head into town and pointed us to a bus. It was heading into downtown Montego Bay. $5 per person each way. They tried to talk people into taking tours or dropping them off at a beach but we all wanted to be back by 3 and didn’t have a lot of time for sight-seeing. The place they took us to shop is comprised of just one shopping center with only a couple good stores to shop at. When you shop, you don’t barter with them on pricing, what you do is this: everything is marked a certain price. Then, someone who works there marks the prices down and you give them a “tip” in exchange. For example: Blue Mountain Jamaica coffee was labeled at $28 – she marked it down to $17. Rum Cakes were labeled as $9, she marked them down to $5. So I purchased about $55 (after markdown) worth of stuff and gave her $15 cash.

 

On the way back, we stopped at the hip strip. If I had known the lack of shopping I was going to be taken to, I would have asked to have been dropped off at the hip strip for some shopping and local cuisine. My boyfriend really wanted some authentic ox tail or curry but we didn’t have any time to go find any. We got back to the ship and there were a ton of people waiting to board at the same time. Lines seemed to move fairly quickly though and we were on board by 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[erby2283]

Day 5 – Sea Day

I wanted to sleep in today and enjoy our last day basking in the sun since it was our last day but I should have taken the hint. Almost the minute we left Jamaica, it got extremely windy. You could hear the waves crashing into the boat but surprisingly, it wasn't too rocky. We got up and realized there was no way we could lay out, it was just too overcast and windy. So we walked around, took some pictures of the ship, and spent a lazy day, mostly in our cabin. It was too windy to even enjoy reading on our balcony.

 

Day 6 – Disembarkation

With the FTTF, we didn’t even have to ask for Zone 1 tags. They were delivered to our stateroom by someone other than our steward. Our steward later delivered Zone 23 tags. We had a 12:15 flight out of FLL but I still wanted to be off the ship as early as possible. Along with the Zone 1 tags, we were advised to meet in the Ivanhoe Theatre on Deck 3 at 7:30 a.m. At 7:25, they gave the green light for any who was self-assist disembarking. And then, the waiting game began. At 8:30, they gathered everyone in the theatre who was on a Carnival Miami Excursion and let them disembark. Then more waiting. At 9:15, Zone 1 was finally called. We walked off the ship and upon entering the terminal, they were advising people to walk to the left and right. Here is where my only complaint arises. We were advised to proceed to the left and got about 5 feet before we came to a halt because of the line. When the next zone was called, they were sent to right, and immediately were out of sight b/c there was no line. I asked one of the Carnival reps and she said that we were on the better end b/c this was the end that customs was on. That would have been well and good except that ALL the luggage for zone 1 was on the conveyor belt on the opposite side to which we were shuttled (meaning the right of the terminal where they sent all of zone 2). So once we walked down the escalator, we then had to backtrack to the end of the terminal where they should have advised us to go in the first place. I know they split people up to avoid gridlock but it got very frustrating when waiting in line for customs and you saw luggage tags with people from zones 4 and 5 who had their bags quicker than you.

 

I had made a reservation with SAS to pick us up. I called upon exiting customs and had to wait about 15 minutes for them to get us (they were also picking up passengers from the NCL Epic and Carnival Liberty that were also in port). So once they picked us up, were on our way. We dropped off about 8 people from the shuttle at a hotel near FLL airport and then we were dropped off outside Southwest’s terminal. Let me tell you….the airport was CRAZY! It was about 10:30 AM and it was packed. The line to go through security was long and seemed to randomly stop for no reason – even the x-ray tech’s would just stop. We were not through security until 11:15 AM. So, to those reading this who have an early flight, you better be prepared to self-disembark b/c with all the other ships in port, you are really taking a chance making a flight before noon!

[erby2283]

Misc. thoughts

I thought that FTTF program was well worth the $50!

Food was okay – I don’t eat any seafood and am a meat and potatoes kind of girl so I can’t really comment too much on the food b/c I didn’t try that many things.

The Mongolian Wok is really good; even thought there is usually a really long line for it.

I managed to make it the whole week without buying a soda card. My bf and I each carried on a 12 pack and we had some left over! This is big coming from a HUGE soda drinker. I did have a ton of lemonade!

I didn’t find the cruise to feel crowded…except in the buffet at times. You did see some who would cut in front of you b/c they were “with” the crowd in front of you….of course I never hold my tongue and told them what I thought of that.

I would def recommend spending your sea days on the secret decks if you don’t mind being away from the servers and the pools/hot tubs. So much more relaxing!

That is all….please proceed with your daily routine!

[4hunters]

Day 4 – Jamaica

 

After reading so many negative things about how pushy the people are in Jamaica are, I was hesitant to try and “wing it” at this island. I decided horseback riding would be fun. I wanted to make sure I picked a reputable company who took care of their horses and the company that kept coming up was “Chukka.” Chukka, however, has a contract directly with Carnival so I had to book the excursion directly through Carnival.

 

Carnival offered 3 different tour times. I choose the earliest one (7:30) so that we could have the remainder of the day to explore. We met downstairs in the warehouse and were then taken to a bus that was heading to Chukka. On the bus were people who were on other Chukka tours like ATV, etc. but they all start from the same place so we were all on the same bus. It’s about a 30 minute bus ride to Chukka’s location.

 

When we got to Chukka, Merline welcomed us with open arms and gave us the run down on things. We all had to sign waivers and then we could purchase lockers to store our stuff. I happened to be suffering from a migraine that day and my meds had not kicked in. I was hoping some food would help but since it was so early, they only had snacks available. I took a grape soda a bag of cheetos…..mmmmm cheetos!

 

After leaving our stuff in the lockers we were fitted for our helmets and then taken over to be matched to our horse. I was given a beautiful little horse name Chonchaboy. My horse was then led to a paddock area while the others in my group were given their horses. The good thing about being on such an early tour is that we only had 6 people on our horseback riding excursion. After everyone was given basic instructions, which we didn’t really need b/c these horses are so well trained, we were off. We headed towards the stables where Chukka has 140 horses. We headed uphill and downhill and along the way, one of our guides would bring us some leaves from the trees – I believe one was mint and one was allspice but I can’t remember. I wanted to save them but they lost their scent rather quickly. Every once in a while a horse would stop and want to graze and our tour guide, Ricardo, would crack me up by telling horse it was not “buffet time.”

 

After the land part of the riding was complete, we were able to change into our bathing suits for the ocean swim part. They make you wear a little life preserver and then they take the horses around in a group in the shallow area of Chukka’s beach. When we entered the water Ricardo made a joke that we were going to swim to Cuba. The horses would make a really loud snorting noise and Ricardo said it was b/c they exert more energy when they swim. The ocean part only lasts about 5minutes but how many people can say they have ridden a horse in the Caribbean Sea?

 

After we finished riding, it was time to chow down on some Jerk Chicken and check out the pictures that Chukka had taken of our excursion. We ended up buy 16 pictures (which they put on a disc) for $45. Yes, it’s pricey but it’s the experience of a lifetime. The jerk chicken was $9 and came with a drink and two cornbread-like biscuits. It was REALLY good.

 

After we ate, it was time to head back to the ship. We got back around noon and I wanted to head into town to do some shopping. Someone at the port asked us if we wanted to head into town and pointed us to a bus. It was heading into downtown Montego Bay. $5 per person each way. They tried to talk people into taking tours or dropping them off at a beach but we all wanted to be back by 3 and didn’t have a lot of time for sight-seeing. The place they took us to shop is comprised of just one shopping center with only a couple good stores to shop at. When you shop, you don’t barter with them on pricing, what you do is this: everything is marked a certain price. Then, someone who works there marks the prices down and you give them a “tip” in exchange. For example: Blue Mountain Jamaica coffee was labeled at $28 – she marked it down to $17. Rum Cakes were labeled as $9, she marked them down to $5. So I purchased about $55 (after markdown) worth of stuff and gave her $15 cash.

 

On the way back, we stopped at the hip strip. If I had known the lack of shopping I was going to be taken to, I would have asked to have been dropped off at the hip strip for some shopping and local cuisine. My boyfriend really wanted some authentic ox tail or curry but we didn’t have any time to go find any. We got back to the ship and there were a ton of people waiting to board at the same time. Lines seemed to move fairly quickly though and we were on board by 3.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to laugh at this pic because it looks like your horse is wearing dentures. LOL

[erby2283]

I had to laugh at this pic because it looks like your horse is wearing dentures. LOL

 

He was smiling for the camera!

[4hunters]

He was smiling for the camera!

 

Yep, he is very photogenic. Thanks for the review!

[bruisin4cruisin]

I am glad you had a good time. When we were with Nativeway, we had Moses as our captain and he was great! If anyone is looking at booking with them, see if he is still there and request him, you will not be disappointed.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[fergusonvt]

Thanks for the review and pics.

[erby2283]

You're welcome - and thanks to everyone who read it and has commented. You never realize how much work it takes to write a review until you've done one a few times. Anyone who takes the time to write to one should me commended.... I love reading reviews and looking at pictures :)

[sjcruiser]

Thanks for the review and photos!!!

[mj]

Thanks for the review.