GAPearl's Second Valor Review- Solo Southern Caribbean Cruise! (2/24/13)

[gapearl]

DH and I enjoyed reading your review. Thanks for sharing and taking the time to post. I love your sense of humor and adventure. It is great to see a woman empower herself and live life to the fullest. All the Best!

 

Thank you so much for reading and for the nice words! :)

 

Fabulous review¡ you are just crazy lol. Kim and kanye..really?? Hahaha!

Im glad you enjoyed your carnival cruise . I especially enjoyed the fact that you didnt mentioned not one "cutback".lol

 

You will be on the breeze while I'll be on the breakaway...we must compare notes!:)

 

Thank you for taking the time to do this review.

 

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

 

Thanks Tiffy! I really didn't have anything bad to say about this cruise. Despite everyone else talking about cut backs, I found this one to be a notch better than my first Valor cruise. But then again I'm not someone that goes looking for something wrong or to complain about, like a lot of people do. :rolleyes: I hope you bring back a Breakaway review. I would love to book one of the Bermuda sailings if the price of the studio cabins eventually come down. Thanks for hanging out here the last couple of weeks!

 

Well, Miss GA Pearl, you've done it again ! You have captivated and fascinated the CC World once again. Loved the review, loved the photos, loved the comments especially that last blurb about Carnival. It is the Fun Ship for all ages.

 

Can't wait for you to hit the Breeze so you can do it once more.

 

We'll miss you the next six months but we'll be counting down until your next review. Thanks, again.

 

Thanks Jane! I'm so glad you enjoyed! One of these days if we end up on a ship together, you will have to stay up late just one night and come join me in the disco for just one song! ;) I'm really looking forward to the Breeze!

 

Really learned a lot from this review.

 

You're welcome! Thanks for reading once again. :)

[gapearl]

Thank you for sharing your adventure.. You have given me hours of entertainment, and increased my excitement for my upcoming trip on Valor in Oct. Maybe we'll run in to each other someday on the high seas. Again, thank you for sharing.

 

Your synopsis of the entire trip is most helpful an says it all in a nutshell. I don' t know what to say about your pictures! They speak for themselves! I cast my vote for you writing a column or something, you are fantastic.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read! I'm glad you enjoyed all the pictures. Have a fantastic time in October! :D

 

Im doing this itinerary on April 7th, and now I'm even more eager to be there! Thanks for all the information and tips, especially the Maho beach one!

 

Only a few weeks to go! Have fun! Maybe one day soon you'll see me roaming Ponce! :)

 

GA Pearl - what a wonderful and refreshing review. I am still laughing over your comments, but all in all it's a wonderful review. Sorry for crashing in, but after reading your review I'm hooked. Keep 'em coming, looks like you had a wonderful time.:D

 

Thanks for reading! If you think I'm funny online, you should hear me in person. I've been told I have a true southern accent, about as country as well water. :D Come back in 6 months for the next story!

[gapearl]

Great review!!!

 

Thanks for reading! Since we won't be on the Breeze together any more, maybe we'll sail together one day! :)

 

Thank you for asking the question regarding "subscribe". I have no clue either and saw others mentioning it. GApearls reviews are awesome. I've laughed so much that I've almost gotten myself in trouble reading them at the job.

 

:D:D:D

 

GAPearl,

 

THANK you so much for your thorough review of the Carnival Valor.

I really appreciate all the time it took to get this done, your pictures and your personal take on everything :)

 

Thanks,

Susan

 

Thanks for reading Susan! I appreciate you reading and leaving all the nice feedback!

 

Thank you. I have seen Bernard's Tours mentioned quite often. Good to know.

 

gapearl, I really, really, really enjoyed your review, just as I've enjoyed reading your past reviews. Our cruise is less than 50 days away now and I'm really looking forward to it AND getting into some warmer weather. It's technically spring, but has not gotten out of the 40's and they're still calling for snow flurries. I have to admit, reading your review and seeing your pictures of sunny beaches helped. :) And I couldn't agree more with your final comments about Carnival and how some compare it to "Wal-Mart", "Motel 6", & etc. We have been on three Carnival cruises and our Valor cruise on 5/5 will be our 4th. We have never experienced the fallen down/drunken "party ship" crowds and we've always had a great time and we prefer to stick to Carnival when we do get an opportunity to cruise, which isn't very often. My biggest issue with Carnival is that they make you get off the ship at the end of the cruise. LOL!!!

 

It's almost April, meaning Atlanta should be at least 80 degrees by now. It's still cold here too! They were even predicting a wintery mix this morning. I enjoyed Royal Caribbean last year, and would love to sail them again as well as try NCL, but I really do enjoy Carnival. I know I'm going to have a good time on a Carnival cruise. I missed the comedy shows on the Navigator last year. I LOVE those. Have a GREAT time on your cruise in May. Hopefully this helped with your planning a little.

[gapearl]

I loved your review. It was very informative and so entertaining I actually had my husband reading and loving your review.Typically my husband leaves the vacation planning to me and will wait until we're on the plane to see what I've arranged but this time he wanted to be involved. This has been a great way to spend my time before our actually cruise. I can't wait until my leave on the Valor on May 5th. Thanks again.

 

You're welcome! I hope you and your husband have fun planning over the next month and have a great cruise! :D

 

You are a great read, Thank you for the review. We are on this in 2 weeks, If my body could take it i would got for the peak. Great effort and experance for you. Bill:)

 

Thanks a lot Bill! Have a great time in 2 weeks!

 

Excellent review as usual. It's always a lot of fun going along with you on your adventures. :D

 

Thanks so much! I've enjoyed reading your reviews as well. I wanna be you when I grow up and book a B2B2B2B!!!!! :D

 

Join our roll call! We have lots of fun things planned!!

 

I wanna go too! :o

[gapearl]

GAPearl, that review was awesome! We are going on that cruise in July. Your review was so helpful and it has gotten me so excited for our trip. Do you have a blog? ... if not, you should. You are a great writer and your pictures are teriffic.

 

Thanks Kimba! I did have a travel blog on a site for brief time, but I took it down. It was going to be too much to maintain then and didn't get many hits. I would love to do another one in the future though. Have fun on your trip in July! Glad you're excited! :D

 

GAPearl,

 

Great review! I really enjoy the 2 weeks of wonderful reading. Are you sure, you didn't miss anything else? Just kidding. Thank you very much!

 

Thanks for keeping up all this time! Funny thing is, as long as my reviews are, I always end up remember something later I left out! LOL

 

HA! We werer just with Tex on the Miracle and he still uses the same line :D

 

Wee Jimmy said the same thing on the Freedom back in 2009.

 

Don't mind me, just thought I'd stop by and say hi. Since I finished writing my review thought I'd get back to my usual stalker tendencies, lol!! ;)

 

Great review as usual. You had me at "hello", lol.

 

I need to go finish reading your now. I subscribed to like 10 reviews when I started writing this one. I have lots of reading to catch up on!

[cuted126]

Hey lady!! Great review,take me with you on your next cruise :)

[cuted126]

Last day of the cruise! Back to Puerto Rico!

 

That dreadful day I was scared would come sooner or later was here. It was time to go. :( Since I was spending an extra day in San Juan to avoid the airport ridiculousness on cruise day, I was in no hurry to get off the ship. I got up, showered, made one last sweep of the room to make sure I wasn't leaving anything, and headed up to the lido.

 

You know you ate too much on the cruise when.....

 

 

I was doing squats to get my jeans on and yep, the zipper broke. I don't why I didn't just wear a maxi dress. Like Sweet Brown said, AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!

 

Goodbye to my new friends.

 

 

I don’t remember what time disembarkation started, but it was a long, long, really long slow process. Part of the reason it took so long is because there were so many Canadian citizens onboard and they had to be cleared first. I hung out on the lido deck with a few of my friends from dinner. We ate and just sat back and chilled, enjoying our last few precious moments on the ship. It was also during this time I went to get the pictures of the other two cabins you saw earlier in the review. I had zone 24 luggage tags, and it was well after 10 am when they called my zone. There were long gaps between when they called for each zone, much longer than I've ever seen on any other cruise. My friends and I finally headed down when they gave the last call, you ain’t gotta go home but you gotta get the heck outta here announcement. A porter helped me with my bags. I stood in line for about 10 minutes to go through customs, and that was it. I was off the ship around 11 am. Taxis were everywhere and I snagged one to take me to the Caribe Hilton. No, I didn’t get that good looking driver Juan again that I had on day 1. I had his number, but still a bummer.

 

Remember me from 10 days ago when I was headed to San Juan?

 

 

Well this is what I looked like now! Too much sun maybe? :eek:

 

 

My skin started to even out after a couple of days, and I was left with a pretty nice glow.

 

I always take a pair of elastic waist pants or a dress for our debarkation day so that I don't have to face the weight gain lol

[MegnJoe]

Here's a quick recap of the past week.

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

Restaurants:

 

• Genesis Restaurant- good, cheap food, family owned restaurant
  
• Caficultura- great place for coffee and breakfast
  
• Barrachina- traditional Puerto Rican cuisine, home of the pina colada, free flamenco show Friday and Saturday nights with reservation :)
  
• Fattie’s- Jamaican food, little hole in the wall, cheap lunch specials, really good
  
• Blessed Café- Caribbean food, rum punch menu, prices not listed on the menu so make sure you ask how much before you order
  

Things to do:

 

• Museo de Felisa Rincon de Gautier- free
  
• San Juan Gate- free
  
• San Juan Cathedral- free
  
• Casa Blanca- free
  
• Don Q Museum- free
  
• El Escambron Beach- free
  
• Museum of the Americas- $3
  
• don't forget your gasolinas- $2 around town, and you can get a box of 5 from duty free at the airport for $7.50 :D
  

Nightlife:

 

• Nuyorican Café- salsa dancing with the locals and a live band
  
• Colmado Bar Moreno- dancing to the hottest reggaeton music with the youngins :p
  

Hotels:

 

• Da House- boutique hotel in the middle of Old San Juan, walking distance to everything
  
• Caribe Hilton- nice resort on beach, food is pricey
  

St. Thomas:

 

• $8 taxi each way to/from Magen’s Bay
  
• $4 admission to Magen’s Bay
  
• $7 for beach chair plus $5 refundable deposit
  

Barbados

 

• $5 taxi to The Boatyard
  
• $12 admission, includes chair, umbrella, drink, taxi back, and free wifi
  
• $20 Snorkel Wid Neville trip
  

St. Lucia

 

• Spencer Ambrose Gros Piton climb- $125 :eek:
  

St. Kitts

 

• Welcome Tours With Beulah- $30 :)
  
• Beach massage- $1 a minute
  
• $3 for chairs at Shipwreck Beach
  
• $50 if you want to buy a monkey, LOL :o
  

St. Maarten

 

• $8 taxi ride each way to/from Maho Beach
  
• $10 for beach chair
  

 

About a month ago my husband and I had finally decided everything we wanted to do on this cruise. It is funny reading your review that we have a lot of the same plans.

St. Thomas- Magen's Bay (and some other things as well)

Barbados- Boatyard- sea turtles

St. Lucia- Spencer Ambrose Tour (Land and Sea)

St. Maarten- Maho Beach

 

Our plans differ for St Kitts though, we're going to Reggae Beach Bar.

[LPCruiser98]

Thank you so much for your very fun and informative review. My husband and I will be on this cruise in November for our 15th wedding anniversary, and you've given us lots of fun things to do and see! Thanks so much. This will be my 17th Carnival cruise, so odds are we've either already met or I will meet you on a cruise in the future! Cheers!

[jeawl]

Thanks Kim for a fantastic review! I enjoyed every moment reading and looking at all the beautiful pictures. You are a great lady!:) Looking forward to your review on the Breeze, take care!

[MzOhioLady]

Well Kim, I commented about half way through your review and now that you are finished, I must say GIRL YOU ROCK!! Your review was so good that I thought I was right there with you the entire time. I love your sense of humor and your pictures are awesome. I can't wait to read your Breeze Cruise Review. You really do a good job at writing reviews.

[iluvthe-c]

Ummm I was on this exact same cruise, visited many of the same beaches, and I still learned a lot of stuff from your review! Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

[gapearl]

Hey lady!! Great review,take me with you on your next cruise :)

 

I always take a pair of elastic waist pants or a dress for our debarkation day so that I don't have to face the weight gain lol

 

Yes!!! One day we must cruise together!!! I see you have your anniversary cruise booked for the Liberty. That's gonna be awesome! I don't know why I decided to wear jeans. I knew better. :rolleyes:

 

About a month ago my husband and I had finally decided everything we wanted to do on this cruise. It is funny reading your review that we have a lot of the same plans.

St. Thomas- Magen's Bay (and some other things as well)

Barbados- Boatyard- sea turtles

St. Lucia- Spencer Ambrose Tour (Land and Sea)

St. Maarten- Maho Beach

 

Our plans differ for St Kitts though, we're going to Reggae Beach Bar.

 

Well now you kind of know what you're getting yourself into! You guys have fun! :D

 

Thank you so much for your very fun and informative review. My husband and I will be on this cruise in November for our 15th wedding anniversary, and you've given us lots of fun things to do and see! Thanks so much. This will be my 17th Carnival cruise, so odds are we've either already met or I will meet you on a cruise in the future! Cheers!

 

Awesome! Start planning now because time sneaks up on you. 17 cruises is awesome. I'll get there one day. Congrats on your 15th anniversary! :)

[gapearl]

Thanks Kim for a fantastic review! I enjoyed every moment reading and looking at all the beautiful pictures. You are a great lady!:) Looking forward to your review on the Breeze, take care!

 

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed all 6,938 pictures. :)

 

Well Kim, I commented about half way through your review and now that you are finished, I must say GIRL YOU ROCK!! Your review was so good that I thought I was right there with you the entire time. I love your sense of humor and your pictures are awesome. I can't wait to read your Breeze Cruise Review. You really do a good job at writing reviews.

 

Thank you! I appreciate you coming along for the ride! :)

 

Ummm I was on this exact same cruise, visited many of the same beaches, and I still learned a lot of stuff from your review! Thanks for the walk down memory lane.

 

Yes, I remember you! We met on the promenade by one of the photo stations, I think the second formal night. Somehow you recognized me. ;)

[lovecruzing]

I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed your review. I did this itinerary in 2005 (except St. Kitts) and your review brought back lots of memory. We too had done the same beach in Barbados along with the submarine. We had found out back then that if you were from the Caribbean which we are, a lot of the excursion on the island were 1/2 price so we took advantage of that and booked it. Got it for $45 as opposed to $90. Again, this was back in 2005.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to do this review as I know how time consuming it can be and for taking me along on the ride. You will enjoy the Breeze. I was planning on doing a breeze review after doing b2b on her in December but was wayyyyy too lazy to do it.

[gapearl]

I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed your review. I did this itinerary in 2005 (except St. Kitts) and your review brought back lots of memory. We too had done the same beach in Barbados along with the submarine. We had found out back then that if you were from the Caribbean which we are, a lot of the excursion on the island were 1/2 price so we took advantage of that and booked it. Got it for $45 as opposed to $90. Again, this was back in 2005.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to do this review as I know how time consuming it can be and for taking me along on the ride. You will enjoy the Breeze. I was planning on doing a breeze review after doing b2b on her in December but was wayyyyy too lazy to do it.

 

Thanks for stopping by to read! That's a pretty good discount. I could never get away with saying I'm from the Caribbean. No one would believe that with my heavy southern drawl. :p I enjoyed your Liberty review and would love to have seen you do a Breeze review. Maybe you will bring one back next time. ;)

[takevtr1]

you are a SAINT.

Thank you for sharing your adventure.

We sail on the Valor on 8/4.

 

Thanks again St. Kim.

[INCHARGE]

Hi Kim....if you are still up, can I ask you a quick question? Do you remember if there was a thermostat in the cabins for heat? I am thinking that 9201 might get a little chilly at night, with all those windows in the front. Hey, I will just have to ask for more blankets at night if no heat. Do you remember if it was hot in that cabin when you took the pictures for me? Agian, thank you so much.

[Barlee126]

Great review! Very informative and enjoyable.:)

[Overwhelming]

Is there a way to read this from beginning to end with only GA Pearl's review ? I would like to do that and then go back and read comments, but I'm new and did not know if that is possible. Thank you all.

[camgsf]

As much fun as I had writing this, I'm glad I'm finally done! I can finally have my life back to get some things done around the house and get back to the gym to work on my abs for the next cruise. Thanks to everyone for reading, for the comments, positive feedback, nice words, etc. I hope those of you sailing soon will post a review so I can live vicariously through you as you have lived through me the last two weeks. More review coming from GAPearl in 6 months when I sail on the Breeze!

 

Good night y'all! :D:D:D:D:D:p

I am going to miss looking for your review, it was the first thing I did for the last week.

[queentashyra]

hello great review doing this in august.

did you attend? if so what day was it and how was it?

[gapearl]

you are a SAINT.

Thank you for sharing your adventure.

We sail on the Valor on 8/4.

 

Thanks again St. Kim.

 

Oh WOW, I've never been called a saint before! :D You're so welcome! Have fun on your cruise in August!

 

Hi Kim....if you are still up, can I ask you a quick question? Do you remember if there was a thermostat in the cabins for heat? I am thinking that 9201 might get a little chilly at night, with all those windows in the front. Hey, I will just have to ask for more blankets at night if no heat. Do you remember if it was hot in that cabin when you took the pictures for me? Agian, thank you so much.

 

Hi INCHARGE! Yes, I do remember having a thermostat. It wasn't one with the numbers, but one where you adjust from blue for cold to red for hot. The temperature would adjust fairly quickly when changed. No issues there. Sorry, but I don't remember how hot your room was. I'd imagine it could get pretty warm during the day though.

 

Great review! Very informative and enjoyable.:)

 

Thanks for reading! Glad you enjoyed. :)

 

Is there a way to read this from beginning to end with only GA Pearl's review ? I would like to do that and then go back and read comments, but I'm new and did not know if that is possible. Thank you all.

 

Hi Overwhelming, welcome to Cruise Critic! Your best bet is to just scroll past all the comments. I don't believe there is a way to hide them. If CC does have that feature, I'm not aware of it. Thanks for reading! Are you taking this cruise soon?

[gapearl]

I am going to miss looking for your review, it was the first thing I did for the last week.

 

Awwww, thanks! I'm missing writing it and reliving my vacation. This was the most fun I've had writing a review.

 

hello great review doing this in august.

did you attend? if so what day was it and how was it?

 

Yes, I did attend. It was held on St. Kitts day. Your signature only shows one past cruise. If that's all you have, unfortunately you will not be able to attend. You used to be able to attend with just one cruise sailed. Now, you have to be at least a gold VIFP member. I think that's at least 25 days sailed. It was a much smaller crowd than from other past guest parties. The drink servers didn't come out with as many drink selections as they did in the past, mostly just two different kinds of rum punches. If you wanted a glass of wine or something else, they will get it for you though. The appetizers were really good. The band played and there was a little audience participation on stage for a couple of songs. They showed the video with all the Carnival ships and you cheer when you see a ship you've sailed. Overall, it was very enjoyable! :)

[lady_mac]

Thank you so much for doing this review. I had a great time reading, and

 

the photos are gorgeous.

 

As a fellow solo traveler, I cheered when I read your comments. I can't

 

tell you how many times I heard "Are you alone? Why?"

 

Now my response is "Yes! Why not?"

 

I'm glad you had a blast, I enjoyed every moment. Your writing style and

 

pics made me want more.

 

Gotta go now, I have to read another of your reviews. Thanks again for all

 

your hard work.

 

p.s...Solo cruising rocks.