Somewhat late Carnival Valor April 7-14 review - it was awesome!

[hmg1215]

This was our second Carnival cruise and overall fifth. First time just two of us: DH and myself. We chose this cruse for the itinerary; San Juan and five islands, best bang for your bucks!

We decided to fly out to San Juan the day before. Jet Blue flies directly from Boston, so no changing planes. We both mastered the art of packing for a week in our carry ons, so no additional baggage (even if Jet Blue does not charge for a first bag, we just don't like to drag around suitcases).

The flight was uneventful. We booked Casablanca hotel right in Old San Juan on Fortalezza street. We stayed there previously so we got 10% discount. The hotel is cute and has a great location. Price is not bad either. BUT.. there is no elevator and we had a room on fifth floor (5A). If you stay there on weekend, avoid that room at all cost. The room is facing the street and there is a party going all night! Yelling, cars honking, motorcycles driving by. If you don't have earplugs, you will not be able to get a wink of sleep. The room is comfy though and the beds in this hotel are really comfortable.

Anyway, before we tried to go to sleep we went out to explore the city a bit. We love strolling through Old San Juan. it is a very beautiful place. We wanted something to eat, and just stopped at the restaurant two doors down from Casablanka (turn right). We started reading a menu posted on the blackboard and conversed with the waiter standing by. He recommended few dishes and we decided to try it. The place is called 'The Puertorican Kitchen'. Beer $2, dishes between $12-15 I think. DH had glazed chicken with rice and beans and I had guava BBQ pork ribs with mashed yucca. Very, very good. We both were pretty happy with meal and we are very discerning eaters.

We strolled around OSJ for couple of hours, then decided to go back to hotel and get some sleep. Well... that did not work out so great. I think I finally fell asleep around 4 AM after reading for few hours. Since we were on vacations, I did not care that much. Next time I will make sure the room we have is not facing the street.

I am going to try to post some pictures, if I figure out how.

[hmg1215]

OK, upload of pictures fails. First 'security token' error, then just 'failed' message. Oh well, I may try again.

On Sunday, the day of disembarkation, we left hotel right around 11. It is about 10 minutes walk to the pier, so we took a leisurely stroll. We stopped at Starbucks for a cup of java and wait out the rain (about 5 minutes). We were at the pier at 11:30. People were still disembarking but we were able to check in fairly quickly. We sat at the waiting area (a bit small, so they run out of chairs pretty quickly) right beside duty free shop. Since I got my 'supplies' in OSJ supermarket I was just exploring out of curiosity.

Boarding started at 12:30 and in about 15 minutes we were in! We stopped at our cabin, but it was not ready yet. We asked if we can store our luggage in the closet and the very nice steward said OK.

We decided to try Fish and Chips for lunch. I tried fried fish and it was just OK. I liked conch/shripmp/zuccini fritters more. Fried oysters were pretty awful and I could not stomach more than one. But bouillabaisse and ceviche were delicious. We had some salads selections to cut the grease down.

After lunch we went to our cabin, which was ready and took naps.

Since we were leaving around 10 PM, we decided to go back to the city. We took cuple of trolleys around, walked around El Morro, tried delicious freshly squeezed orange juice, couple of local beers (just me, DH does not drink alcohol) and generally enjoyed ourselves very much.

Returned for dinner. We met some nice couple from Atlanta and had fabulous time together (we always share table since we like meeting new people).

I had a starter size pasta with Italian sausage, which was very good. DH had barley soup for starter, did not say anything about it. At least he did not complain, so it was probably good. I had as a main course Indian meal from everyday menu. Half of it was very good, but raita was served warm, yuck! Raita is a mix of yoghurt with some garlic and shredded cucumber. It is served cool to cleanse your palate between dishes. Some of pickled veggies were very salty, but the rest was great and plenty to satisfy my appetite. DH had brisket, which he said was excellent. We both had melting chocolate cake, which I consider one of the best deserts ever!

Safety drill at 9:30. Some people strolling in around 9:45. C'mon... I want this to be over already! They would not even begin before everyone showed up. Needless to say, it was looooong.

We were beat, so after watching sail away from upper deck we decided to return to cabin for the night.

Our cabin was on deck 8. Interior, nice and quiet. Comfy bed, which is pretty important :)

[CRU1Z1N]

Thanks for the review! Can't wait to hear more! Ten loooomg weeks and it will be our turn.

[hmg1215]

We were already docked when we went for breakfast around 9 AM. It was pretty crowded at breakfast area. We decided to take a nap after breakfast and then venture out. We left boat around 11:30. Since we were already couple of times at Saint Thomas and took previously tour around the island, we decided to explore ourselves. We were able to figure out local Safari Bus system, a ride for a buck! You ride with locals and it is great! We stopped at the market and explored there for a bit. Got some trinkets, tried local ginger beer, took some pictures and decided to head to a beach. We took another Safari bus to Brewers Bay. You take a bus from across the market and go to the very lat stop by the USVI University. From that stop is about 5 minutes walk to the beach. Brewers Bay is fabulous!! There were maybe 6 people on the entire beach, all locals. There are some grape trees that provide some shade. There is a life guard as well. Clean restrooms right in the small building in front of the beach. There are also vendors parked on the street where you can buy some snack and drinks. We chatted to some locals, enjoyed the beautiful white sand and warm water. We could see some fish in the water nibbling on our toes. Water was beautiful. There is airport right beside beach and you can watch planes landing. It is not noisy and planes do not fly over your head like on Maho beach, but it is still entertaining. We loved, loved that beach and we will return there some day!

We took another safari bus to the town (about 30 min drive from the beach to the ship) and we had enough time to send some postcards out.

Since it was not far to the dinner time, we decided to skip more food and just wait for dinner. We had 'anytime dining' and we like to eat early. By 6 PM we were hungry. But at this early time we were able to score table by the window, which made our meal so much more pleasant.

This time couple beside us did not say a word except 'hi' and did not really respond to our attempts at conversation. That's OK, DH and myself are pretty happy in each other company.

For starters we had smoked duck salad (fair) wilted spinach and portabella salad (excellent), Golden Yukon potato soup (delicious) and Thom Yum soup (very good). For main course we had Vegetarian Enchilada (DH loved it) and Beef Stroganoff (I loved it!). We both had Bitter and Blanc bread pudding, which was great. I could not finish mine, I was so stuffed.

We strolled around upper deck, I had a drink under the stars, and we caught some basketball championship game on the big screen. After few minutes of that I decided to go back to cabin and watch Voice. I was out after 10 PM, I did not even hear DH coming back to cabin.

[chosbor2]

Yeah! Another valor review! We are going in October and I am so excited for this one!

[divinmule]

enjoyin ur review. Thanks for posting.

[hmg1215]

I took the opportunity to explore the ship a bit. I tried some drinks, stay a bit in the sun, then moved to shade with my trusty iPad and e-books. I love to read laying down on the lounge with a nice drink within a reach!

We also took this opportunity to see some entertainers. The best one was definitely the guitar player, Pytaro. He was just fantastic! We followed him around every chance we had. My husband is a musician and he struck a conversation with Pytaro. He plays from memory, just learned to play by listening to music. I don't think he reads music, but we did not ask. It is amazing what he accomplished without formal training. One day a drummer from the show band, Francisco, joined him with his bongos. It was a fabulous concert!

Another entertainer we both remember vividly was Zsolt from Hungary. He performed magic trick at our dinner table, and after the first evening we searched him out every evening! He was funny and very, very good magician. Some of the trick he did were just amazing.

Tuesday dinner: pumpkin soup (yummy!!), Caesar Salad (always good), beet carpaccio (I like beets, and it was great), stuffed jalapeno relenos and iron steak. Jalapeno was a vegetarian dish and was tasty, iron steak was a bit too rare for my liking. I ate half of it anyway :D

We went to the show, I believe it was called 'Nightclub', not sure. Pretty good. After that another stroll under the stars. Hubby went to casino, I am not a gambler at all, so I watched something on a big screen I believe. Bed by 11 PM. I value my sleep and like lazy vacations!

[hmg1215]

I like to watch the ship dock, if I have chance. I watched docking in Barbados. It was quite a maneuver, the ship had to fit into a tight spot between a freighter that was being unloaded and the pier. It was pretty cool to watch.

The terminal is not very impressive. Outside we were accosted by taxi drivers offering ride to town. Some passengers opted to walk. I am not sure how far it is since we went in other direction. We just walked out toward Pelican Village but most of the shops were closed. The walk seems to be quite nice, along the seawall under some shade trees.

We wanted to go to Weirs Beach, and took a cab for $5 pp. The beach is very nice, but there is no shade, so renting umbrella is a must. Also the entry to water is very rocky, so water shoes is another necessity. There are couple of places that you can walk into the water without hurting your feet. You can recognize those places because everyone congregates there. But the beach is beautiful and at some point I took a stroll along it.

We settled near the Weirs Bar, rented umbrella and couple of chairs from them for $15. A beer and a cup of pineapple juice was $5. They also serve food. For example, Mahi Mahi sandwich for around $30 Barbados (not sure what is the exchange). You can also use their restroom.

I think there are some insects on the beach because I had some bites on my lower legs, although I did not notice anything. The beach was not crowded at all. The water was beautiful, the sand was clean and the beer was cold. What else do you need?

We decided to walk back to the cruise terminal, since it looked like it was very close (we had a beautiful view of our ships). It look us about 35 minutes, but the walk is through some industrial area so there is not much interesting stuff to see. It is doable, but not much fun.

Dinner: onion soup as a starter. It is really a big portion but it is tasty! We both had starter size pasta with seafood which was great. I had also short ribs, but could not finish them. It was just too much food. I did not even have place for melting chocolate cake! But DH squeezed one in :D

Show: Dana Tyson, juggler and comedian. Very good and funny.

[hmg1215]

We ordered breakfast in the cabin, because we had to meet our guide early. Bonus; you can get smoked salmon for breakfast when you order in the cabin. I did not see it at the buffet.

Since Saint Lucia is a new island for us we decided to take a tour. We elected Cosol Tours, and let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing!

We met them at 8:20 and were out at 8:30. There was 11 of us in very nice air conditioned van. Our driver was Yellow Bird. Great guy, very nice, chatty and informative. Obviously loves his island. We stopped at banana plantation where YB explained live cycle of bananas, from flower to fruit. I never seen banana flower before. Pretty impressive. We had opportunity to try some bananas as well. They are exported to UK only. Yellow Bird pointed a lot of plants and fruits to us; mangoes, cashews, breadfruit, sugar apple that does not look like apple at all. He even stopped the car near some ditch to show us mimosa-like plant that shrinks when touched. We stopped many times to take photos. The first time you get a glimpse of twin Pitons is amazing. We were supposed to go to the beach near Pitons, but Matt Damon bought out the entire resort for the renewal of his marriage vows. We ended at another beach with the view of Pitons, black volcanic sand and few palms providing skimpy shade. The beach was smallish and crowded, but again the water was amazing. Cosol Tours provide all beer and drinks you need, so there was plenty to cool yourself down. They also had rum punch, but I stick to beer. DH had water and soda.

Also, part of the tour is a lunch of local specialties. All served appetizer style but it was plenty and great tasting! I had for the very first time real passion fruit and it was just amazing. There were savory appetizers, sweets and fruit. Really wonderful.Toward the end of the tour, we stopped at local bakery where YB got some warm bread witch cheese for a snack.

The tour lasted about 6 hours and cost $65 pp. It is worth every penny! We were back at ships with plenty of time to spare. Since local operators depend on tourism they will not do anything to jeopardize their business. So they are always aware when you should be back. We usually take local tours and never run late.

We were pretty tired and did not want to dress up for dinner. I believe that was second formal night. We opted for buffet instead. I always find something tasty there.

The show was 'Far from over', songs fro 80s. Since I liked most of the tunes, I had a great time. Break dancers were amazing, they really roused the audience.

[ktinnc]

Really enjoying your review! We are on the same cruise in Sept...cant wait!!:)

 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

[hmg1215]

This was a new island for us as well, so we decided to take local tour. We booked Royston Tours. I had to email them twice and wait for response, but I do not regret waiting! We were traveling with Ashton, Royston's first cousin. Wonderful person, very warm, outgoing and knowledgeable. He shared many facts from very interesting and bloody history of the island. He stopped many times to point out interesting plants, fruits and sights. We stopped near the tree which was nesting place for white egrets. What a sight! I wish I was able to upload photos but I get error every time.

St. Lucia is just beautiful. We visited Jefferson old sugar plantation (forefather of President Jefferson) and after that we went to nearby Romney manor (yes, Mitt Romney ancestors). The place is beautiful. There is a batik factory in the manor and you can watch actual process. There are some beautiful dresses, shirts, scarfs, bags, pillowcases etc all batik. Beautiful! The gardens are fantastic! There is this tree in front, I think live oak, just awe inspiring.

After that we went to Brimstone Fortress. Quite a place with fabulous views. We also saw black stones, which was a lava flowing to the ocean and 'freezing' into fantastic shapes. Beautiful place.

The beach break was South Friar Beach. We rented an umbrella again for about $10, I think. Ashton provided lunch; we had a choice of wrap with chicken, beef, seafood and conch. DH and myself selected conch, the rest of the tour selected chicken (chicken!). Conch was delicious and very tender. Chunks of it with potatoes in curry sauce. Yummy. We also had beer, water, soda and punch provided by Ashton.

The tour again lasted about 6 hours and was $45pp. It was amazing and we enjoyed every minute of it. Ashton was so gracious. I really recommend both Royston in St Kitts and Cosols in St Lucia.

We were back about an hour before sailing. Plenty of time to shower, grab a drink and watch sail away. St Kitts is very, very beautiful.

I did not take notes about dinner that day, sorry. But I can tell you that dinners were usually good. We can always find something that is tasty.

Wen we got peckish late evenings we went to pizza place, somewhere near aft, can't remember which deck. They made fresh pizza, which was thin crust (which I prefer) and very tasty.

[hmg1215]

Chosbor2, divinmule, ktinnc- thank you for reading. I am sure you will enjoy Valor. It is fantastic itinerary, the ship is great and I enjoyed every minute of this trip.

I wish I had another lined up, but I am not sure when we will take next trip. We will have to play by ear. But we definitely will take one next year!

Enjoy your cruise!

[Atlgator]

Yeah! Another valor review! We are going in October and I am so excited for this one!

 

 

We are taking the Valor out of SJU in Oct also. Our cruise leaves 10/13/13. Glad to hear that the duty free shop is after security at the terminal. :D

[hmg1215]

We visited St Martin in the past and took twice tour with Bernard's tours. It was great, but this time we decided to do our own stuff.

We took a local $2 bus to Marigot. We asked locals where we can catch it and they were very helpful. The ride to Marigot is about 30 minutes leisurely ride in the van. The van door was opened all the time, I rolled back the window and was able to enjoy the views. People get on, get off, and all are very helpful if asked for directions. The driver told us where to get off, where to go and where to pick up the return bus.

We spent about 90 minutes in Marigot exploring local market (got some awesome spices), taking pictures and of course obligatory visit in Serafina, the french bakery serving fabulous coffee and pastries to die for!

Another 30 minutes ride back to Phillipsburg taking in sights and people. We walked to Front Street, right near water taxi pier. We rented umbrella and 2 chairs for $10 and spent next 2 hours mostly in the water. Later we walked through town exploring shops. I picked up couple of gemstone and pearls necklaces and DH bought a table runner in linen store. We could take a taxi back to the ship for $6, but decided to get some exercise. It was about a mile walk, no big deal. Sidewalk all the way.

Another sail away, another drink and dinner. I had sweet potato soup and southern fried chicken for dinner. It was absolutely fabulous, but then I am big fan of fried chicken. DH had navy bean soup, greens salad and eggplant lasagna. He liked it all. And of course you cannot leave without melting chocolate cake (DH) and Grand Marnie souffle.

After all those fabulous meals, deserts, drinks and snacks I did not gain any weight, which I consider a huge success. But we skipped most lunches and walked a lot. I am sure that helped a bit.

[Atlgator]

Thank you for such a detailed review. We cancelled a Med. cruise on the "new" Sunshine because of all of the problems that they are having onboard still. This is after Carnival cancelled our first sailing set for the end of April. So just a mess all together. We are looking forward to this cruise. We have been to San Juan, St. Thomas, & St. Maarten, but have not been to the other 3 islands. As for the Valor itself, how would you rank it vs. other Carnival ships as far as wear and tear and upkeep?

 

Thanks again,

Dan

[hmg1215]

We had early breakfast around 7:30, cleared the cabin at 8:30. Since we had only carry on luggage, we could disembark anytime after zone 1 was called. We elected to stick around the ship. We got onto promenade deck 5, find some comfy chairs and settled down to read and relax. We left the ship around 11 am. Walked back to Casablanca (we decided to stay another day in OSJ, since early flight Monday 5 AM was one third of the price, so it was enough to save money on flight and cover another hotel night). We were able to leave our luggage there until check in time.

We spent time exploring San Juan for few hours. After we checked in, and got the 'Gandhi' room, 4H, not facing the street, quiet and comfortable, we took showers, naps and again went to explore San Juan and get some dinner.

We dined at El Jibarito on (I believe) Sol Street. DH had port tamale with rice and beans and some salad. I had 'Navidad special', which was a sampler plate; the same pork tamale, plus oven roasted pork pieces, yellow rice, sweet plantains and salad. It was enough to share roasted pork and plantains with DH. All washed down with home made sangria. It was all delicious and not very expensive. Highly recommended!

We had early night, since we had to leave hotel about 3 am.

It was fabulous vacation! We enjoyed every single minute of it. I firmly believe that vacation is as good as you want it to be. We don't sweat the small stuff and find pleasure in almost everything. Islands are so beautiful and I am happy that I had opportunity to see them.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I will try to answer as best as I can.

Happy cruising!!!

[hmg1215]

We are taking the Valor out of SJU in Oct also. Our cruise leaves 10/13/13. Glad to hear that the duty free shop is after security at the terminal. :D

 

They have pretty good selection of wine and other alcohol. Prices are not bad. I got some wine at local market, so I was not interested in buying more, but I did notice a nice selections there. You can also get water there to take to cabin. We got water. I am not sure about soda, since we very rarely drink soda. I bought a bottle of Sprite in local store. I mix it with Riesling or other white wine and it makes excellent, refreshing drink!

[hmg1215]

Thank you for such a detailed review. We cancelled a Med. cruise on the "new" Sunshine because of all of the problems that they are having onboard still. This is after Carnival cancelled our first sailing set for the end of April. So just a mess all together. We are looking forward to this cruise. We have been to San Juan, St. Thomas, & St. Maarten, but have not been to the other 3 islands. As for the Valor itself, how would you rank it vs. other Carnival ships as far as wear and tear and upkeep?

 

Thanks again,

Dan

Sorry about your Med cruise. I hope you will love this one.

The only other Carnival ship I've been on was Dream. I liked Valor a lot. It was clean, well kept and I did not notice any wear. Every morning the crew cleans furiously (I woke up couple of times really early and took a stroll outside). The decor is funky; some samurai armor in casino, quite unexpected but interesting. I took some pictures. I noticed some artwork with knights and soldiers in it. And the theater has big statues of knights all around walls. Gold eagles everywhere. I guess it is all about valor, right?

I think my favorite island was St Kitts. But it was probably because of the great tour we took. I loved St, Lucia- those Pitons are sight to behold. We took a tour of Barbados a while ago and it is a beautiful island. Really, they are all beautiful.

Enjoy your cruise!

[Atlgator]

They have pretty good selection of wine and other alcohol. Prices are not bad. I got some wine at local market, so I was not interested in buying more, but I did notice a nice selections there. You can also get water there to take to cabin. We got water. I am not sure about soda, since we very rarely drink soda. I bought a bottle of Sprite in local store. I mix it with Riesling or other white wine and it makes excellent, refreshing drink!

 

 

Thanks. I was not interested in wine or soda. Just interested in water and rum. :D

[Chitownlou]

We visited St Martin in the past and took twice tour with Bernard's tours. It was great, but this time we decided to do our own stuff.

We took a local $2 bus to Marigot. We asked locals where we can catch it and they were very helpful. The ride to Marigot is about 30 minutes leisurely ride in the van. The van door was opened all the time, I rolled back the window and was able to enjoy the views. People get on, get off, and all are very helpful if asked for directions. The driver told us where to get off, where to go and where to pick up the return bus.

We spent about 90 minutes in Marigot exploring local market (got some awesome spices), taking pictures and of course obligatory visit in Serafina, the french bakery serving fabulous coffee and pastries to die for!

Another 30 minutes ride back to Phillipsburg taking in sights and people. We walked to Front Street, right near water taxi pier. We rented umbrella and 2 chairs for $10 and spent next 2 hours mostly in the water. Later we walked through town exploring shops. I picked up couple of gemstone and pearls necklaces and DH bought a table runner in linen store. We could take a taxi back to the ship for $6, but decided to get some exercise. It was about a mile walk, no big deal. Sidewalk all the way.

Another sail away, another drink and dinner. I had sweet potato soup and southern fried chicken for dinner. It was absolutely fabulous, but then I am big fan of fried chicken. DH had navy bean soup, greens salad and eggplant lasagna. He liked it all. And of course you cannot leave without melting chocolate cake (DH) and Grand Marnie souffle.

After all those fabulous meals, deserts, drinks and snacks I did not gain any weight, which I consider a huge success. But we skipped most lunches and walked a lot. I am sure that helped a bit.

 

Awesome review... we will be on the Valor in a little over 3 weeks... we are going to use Bernards Tours... is it worth it?

[LOVECRUISING100%]

This was our second Carnival cruise and overall fifth. First time just two of us: DH and myself. We chose this cruse for the itinerary; San Juan and five islands, best bang for your bucks!

We decided to fly out to San Juan the day before. Jet Blue flies directly from Boston, so no changing planes. We both mastered the art of packing for a week in our carry ons, so no additional baggage (even if Jet Blue does not charge for a first bag, we just don't like to drag around suitcases).

The flight was uneventful. We booked Casablanca hotel right in Old San Juan on Fortalezza street. We stayed there previously so we got 10% discount. The hotel is cute and has a great location. Price is not bad either. BUT.. there is no elevator and we had a room on fifth floor (5A). If you stay there on weekend, avoid that room at all cost. The room is facing the street and there is a party going all night! Yelling, cars honking, motorcycles driving by. If you don't have earplugs, you will not be able to get a wink of sleep. The room is comfy though and the beds in this hotel are really comfortable.

Anyway, before we tried to go to sleep we went out to explore the city a bit. We love strolling through Old San Juan. it is a very beautiful place. We wanted something to eat, and just stopped at the restaurant two doors down from Casablanka (turn right). We started reading a menu posted on the blackboard and conversed with the waiter standing by. He recommended few dishes and we decided to try it. The place is called 'The Puertorican Kitchen'. Beer $2, dishes between $12-15 I think. DH had glazed chicken with rice and beans and I had guava BBQ pork ribs with mashed yucca. Very, very good. We both were pretty happy with meal and we are very discerning eaters.

We strolled around OSJ for couple of hours, then decided to go back to hotel and get some sleep. Well... that did not work out so great. I think I finally fell asleep around 4 AM after reading for few hours. Since we were on vacations, I did not care that much. Next time I will make sure the room we have is not facing the street.

I am going to try to post some pictures, if I figure out how.

Thanks for posting !! I'm so impressed with being able to pack a whole week of clothes on your carry on.. I need to master that .. : )

[hmg1215]

Awesome review... we will be on the Valor in a little over 3 weeks... we are going to use Bernards Tours... is it worth it?

 

I think it was worth it. The very first time we went to iguana farm, Maho beach to watch planes go over our heads, Marigot to visit Serafina pastry shop and local market and for couple of hours to Orient beach. Year after that it was a repeat of the same tour but we decided to stay longer at the beach and forget iguanas. Bernard provides drinks (beer,soda,water and rum punch). It is the best way to pack few things. Maho beach should be visited at least once! I've never seen anything like that. Not only planes are worth watching but people getting their thrills from being blasted by jet stream are a sight to see!

I think we paid about $45 pp. Definitely not a bad price for that trip.

 

 

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[hmg1215]

Thanks for posting !! I'm so impressed with being able to pack a whole week of clothes on your carry on.. I need to master that .. : )

 

Oh, I got it down to art form. Since Caribbean is always warm I wear one hoodie, pair of long slacks and sneakers to travel. One pair of long black slacks paired with few dressy tank tops for formal nights. Or one long black thin dress with couple of colorful pashminas to dress it up. I use those pashminas with other outfits too. Couple of capris, flip flops and black scrappy sandals to go with my dinner outfits. Dressy flip flops may double as another pair to go with a dress. I take couple of casual sun dresses, hat I can roll up, maybe a t-shirt or two. Everything goes together, so I can mix and match. Sometimes I don't even use it all.

Everything is washable in a sink and dries quickly. I take items I can line dry without need for ironing.

There is a lot to be said for traveling light. The drawback is that you really cannot buy a lot of things to bring home. And all has to be below 3 oz. No bringing rum home :( or even hot sauce.

 

 

 

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[abisha]

Sorry about your Med cruise. I hope you will love this one.

The only other Carnival ship I've been on was Dream. I liked Valor a lot. It was clean, well kept and I did not notice any wear. Every morning the crew cleans furiously (I woke up couple of times really early and took a stroll outside). The decor is funky; some samurai armor in casino, quite unexpected but interesting. I took some pictures. I noticed some artwork with knights and soldiers in it. And the theater has big statues of knights all around walls. Gold eagles everywhere. I guess it is all about valor, right?

I think my favorite island was St Kitts. But it was probably because of the great tour we took. I loved St, Lucia- those Pitons are sight to behold. We took a tour of Barbados a while ago and it is a beautiful island. Really, they are all beautiful.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

I just got off the Valor a few weeks ago. We loved it! The theme of the ship is Heroes/Heroines and Legends. I actually enjoyed the motif everywhere around the ship.

 

I found the ship to be very well maintained and clean. We had a great steward who took great care of us as well as the MDR waiters.

 

I did tour of the ship which was really nice too.

 

Great review...we loved St. Lucia and St. Kitts too. We swam with the sea turtles in Barbados.

 

This is a great itinerary and I'd love to do it again.

 

Glad you had a great time.

[Atlgator]

Awesome review... we will be on the Valor in a little over 3 weeks... we are going to use Bernards Tours... is it worth it?

 

We had a large group use Bernard's Tours this past Dec. and we had a blast. The drivers and guides were very informative and alot of fun! I only wish that we had more time at Orient Beach. At the end of the day when traffic backed up going back to the port from Mayo Beach, the driver took a short cut on the back side of the island and got us back long before those that were sitting in traffic. I would definitely recommend this tour.