Just off Valor July 14-21 sailing

[Karysa]

Sitting at the airport awaiting our flight and I thought that I would pass on some observations and tips to upcoming Valor passengers.

 

The itinerary is really great and we had fantastic days in each of these wonderful ports. If interested I can pass on tour guide info for Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts as they were all great and our totally do it yourself days in St. Thomas/ St. John's and St. Maarten were super and a little different as well and if interested I can share that information as well.

 

The weather cooperated and for the most part we were blessed with much more sunshine than rain showers.

 

If you like live music by the pool during the day and live music for dancing in the evenings then the Valor disappoints in this area. If trivia is your thing then you will be in heaven as there is lots of this scheduled.

 

The live video screen with noise is not our thing so we used our balcony more than normal and we were happy that we upgraded to a balcony about 6 weeks prior to sailing.

 

The food in the MDR and room service was very good for the most part and Scarlet's steakhouse was fantastic and worth every penny for the food and atmosphere.

 

The service onboard was very good to excellent and we had nothing but positive experiences with the crew. Dario and others from guest services were fantastic and got us off the ship at 7 even though non- US residents were not allowed to leave the ship prior to 8. The service and treatment that we received last evening and this morning was first rate all the way.

 

There are a couple of things that Carnival could do better IMO regarding the MDR. When porting at 7:00 I think that the MDR should open for breakfast at 6:30 or even 7 but 7:30 is too late. I would have had roomservice those mornings if boiled eggs were on the roomservice menu but only continental style breakfast is served by roomservice.

 

If you have any questions I will try and answer them.:)

[mykidsrock76]

We just booked this trip for September 22nd. Can you please PM me your tour guide information?

[dianel720]

Sitting at the airport awaiting our flight and I thought that I would pass on some observations and tips to upcoming Valor passengers.

 

The itinerary is really great and we had fantastic days in each of these wonderful ports. If interested I can pass on tour guide info for Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts as they were all great and our totally do it yourself days in St. Thomas/ St. John's and St. Maarten were super and a little different as well and if interested I can share that information as well.

 

The weather cooperated and for the most part we were blessed with much more sunshine than rain showers.

 

If you like live music by the pool during the day and live music for dancing in the evenings then the Valor disappoints in this area. If trivia is your thing then you will be in heaven as there is lots of this scheduled.

 

The live video screen with noise is not our thing so we used our balcony more than normal and we were happy that we upgraded to a balcony about 6 weeks prior to sailing.

 

The food in the MDR and room service was very good for the most part and Scarlet's steakhouse was fantastic and worth every penny for the food and atmosphere.

 

The service onboard was very good to excellent and we had nothing but positive experiences with the crew. Dario and others from guest services were fantastic and got us off the ship at 7 even though non- US residents were not allowed to leave the ship prior to 8. The service and treatment that we received last evening and this morning was first rate all the way.

 

There are a couple of things that Carnival could do better IMO regarding the MDR. When porting at 7:00 I think that the MDR should open for breakfast at 6:30 or even 7 but 7:30 is too late. I would have had roomservice those mornings if boiled eggs were on the roomservice menu but only continental style breakfast is served by roomservice.

 

If you have any questions I will try and answer them.:)

 

Sounds great Karysa. We are booked for March 2014. Can you please share your do it yourself itinerary for ST Thomas and ST Martin? I'm really trying to figure out what to do in St. Martin and how much time I'll have to do it! Thanks!

[KPfromCT]

Welcome Back!!!!

By any chance, did you do Maho Beach?

I am so dying to go there and be that close to the jet planes landing and taking off:D:D:D

[minnz21]

Which tour guide did you use in St. Lucia?

[Karysa]

We just booked this trip for September 22nd. Can you please PM me your tour guide information?

 

I will give you their names now and you can get reviews from the port of call boards. That's where I got the info and all of these companies came through for us and gave us what we were expecting and more.

 

In Barbados we went on a tour with Tyrone Griffin and had one other couple with us. For $25 we went on a tour of the island from 9:10 -2:10 and were dropped at Carlisle beach and picked up just before 4 and driven to our ship. Drinks such as water, beer and rum punch were included on the tour and Tyrone is a very pleasant and sincere guy. He made sure that everyone was ok with the length of the tour and since the other couples only request was to get back to the ship before 4:30 it was easy.

 

In St. Lucia we wanted to relax as this stop was in between two tour days for us and we had a stop and tour on St Lucia in march. We took Spencer Ambrose's tour to Jalouise Beach by speedboat and it included a bit of sightseeing and a great lunch and drinks and beach chairs. The snorkeling from the beach was great and many tours stopped here for an hour or so. The resort had free wifi at the outdoor restaurant/bar and DH bought an $8 coffee and used the free wifi. Lol. This was the resort that Matt Damon recently rented out for his vow renewal. The beach was pebbly but the location is incredible as it's at the base of the smaller of the 2 pitons. The boat was fast and the staff were fun and relaxed. It was a great beach day.

 

In St. Kitts we used Island Paradise Tours and the owner Roosevelt Taylor was our guide. There were about 18 of us and this tour was very informative and we covered a lot of history. Roosevelt used his army training to keep the tour on time and we had am hour and a half to enjoy lunch on our own and a swim at South Friars beach. The fort was included in the price and that along with Romney Manor and Timothy Hill for a view of the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other were the highlights to us. Roosevelt was friendly and professional and he tried to make sure that all his patrons were happy.

 

To DH and myself the ports were the highlights of this cruise and a far more important factor on our enjoyment of the cruise compared to any other caribbean cruise that we have been on.

[rick&james]

glad you had a great trip we leave in 4 weeks I am really excited to see the Pitons in St Lucia...

[mykidsrock76]

I will give you their names now and you can get reviews from the port of call boards. That's where I got the info and all of these companies came through for us and gave us what we were expecting and more.

 

In Barbados we went on a tour with Tyrone Griffin and had one other couple with us. For $25 we went on a tour of the island from 9:10 -2:10 and were dropped at Carlisle beach and picked up just before 4 and driven to our ship. Drinks such as water, beer and rum punch were included on the tour and Tyrone is a very pleasant and sincere guy. He made sure that everyone was ok with the length of the tour and since the other couples only request was to get back to the ship before 4:30 it was easy.

 

In St. Lucia we wanted to relax as this stop was in between two tour days for us and we had a stop and tour on St Lucia in march. We took Spencer Ambrose's tour to Jalouise Beach by speedboat and it included a bit of sightseeing and a great lunch and drinks and beach chairs. The snorkeling from the beach was great and many tours stopped here for an hour or so. The resort had free wifi at the outdoor restaurant/bar and DH bought an $8 coffee and used the free wifi. Lol. This was the resort that Matt Damon recently rented out for his vow renewal. The beach was pebbly but the location is incredible as it's at the base of the smaller of the 2 pitons. The boat was fast and the staff were fun and relaxed. It was a great beach day.

 

In St. Kitts we used Island Paradise Tours and the owner Roosevelt Taylor was our guide. There were about 18 of us and this tour was very informative and we covered a lot of history. Roosevelt used his army training to keep the tour on time and we had am hour and a half to enjoy lunch on our own and a swim at South Friars beach. The fort was included in the price and that along with Romney Manor and Timothy Hill for a view of the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other were the highlights to us. Roosevelt was friendly and professional and he tried to make sure that all his patrons were happy.

 

To DH and myself the ports were the highlights of this cruise and a far more important factor on our enjoyment of the cruise compared to any other caribbean cruise that we have been on.

 

Thanks so much! Time to start planning!

[Karysa]

Sounds great Karysa. We are booked for March 2014. Can you please share your do it yourself itinerary for ST Thomas and ST Martin? I'm really trying to figure out what to do in St. Martin and how much time I'll have to do it! Thanks!

 

We have been to St. Maarten many times on vacation and I am actually sending this from one of my favorite lunch spots on the island right now. :)

 

My DS and BIL are here as well for vacation so we met them yesterday and rented a putt putt boat and toured the lagoon and saw sly stallones and Oprahs villas and tied up in Marigot and bought iced coffee and pastries at Serafinas bakery and went to the market and bought art from a lady that paints on coconut fiber. After nearly 3 hours on the boat we returned it to the rental office at the back of the Boathouse restaurant. For $100 and $15 for gas it's a really great idea for a couple of couples who want to do something different. After that we had a wonderful lunch at Kararkter on the beach at Simpson Bay and then went shopping in Phillipsburg.

 

In St Thomas we took a taxi to redhook and took the 8 am ferry over to Cruz Bay in St. John and then took the easy 25 minute shady trail that led us to the gorgeous and secluded Soloman beach. This beach is paradise.

 

After 1 hour we went back to Cruz Bay and shopped at Mongoose Junction for 15 minutes and took the ferry to downtown Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. The ferry was very fast for a ferry boat and the 45 minute trip was actually a fun boat ride. We had lunch at the delicious and famous Gladys's cafe and the curry chicken rotis were amazing. We bought some more art work and taxied back to the ship. Oh and by the way DH said the snorkeling at soloman beach was really great.

[Karysa]

Welcome Back!!!!

By any chance, did you do Maho Beach?

I am so dying to go there and be that close to the jet planes landing and taking off:D:D:D

 

No I did not do Maho on this trip. The St. Maarten board has lots of info on tours, taxi and bus trips to see the planes though. Plan a stop around noon and make sure that you leave yourself plenty of time to get back to the port. It's a fun place to stop for an hour or 2 but I would not spend the day there myself. Mullet beach is an easy ten minute walk and is beautiful and makes for a great combo with Maho.

[takevtr1]

excellent review and information.

We sail on the Valor on 8/4 (2 weeks away baby).

We are also using Tyrone in Barbados, but will have his partner Paul, since his van is bigger and we have a group of 10.

Mitch........

[ameveritt]

Sitting at the airport awaiting our flight and I thought that I would pass on some observations and tips to upcoming Valor passengers.

 

The itinerary is really great and we had fantastic days in each of these wonderful ports. If interested I can pass on tour guide info for Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts as they were all great and our totally do it yourself days in St. Thomas/ St. John's and St. Maarten were super and a little different as well and if interested I can share that information as well.

 

The weather cooperated and for the most part we were blessed with much more sunshine than rain showers.

 

If you like live music by the pool during the day and live music for dancing in the evenings then the Valor disappoints in this area. If trivia is your thing then you will be in heaven as there is lots of this scheduled.

 

The live video screen with noise is not our thing so we used our balcony more than normal and we were happy that we upgraded to a balcony about 6 weeks prior to sailing.

 

The food in the MDR and room service was very good for the most part and Scarlet's steakhouse was fantastic and worth every penny for the food and atmosphere.

 

The service onboard was very good to excellent and we had nothing but positive experiences with the crew. Dario and others from guest services were fantastic and got us off the ship at 7 even though non- US residents were not allowed to leave the ship prior to 8. The service and treatment that we received last evening and this morning was first rate all the way.

 

There are a couple of things that Carnival could do better IMO regarding the MDR. When porting at 7:00 I think that the MDR should open for breakfast at 6:30 or even 7 but 7:30 is too late. I would have had roomservice those mornings if boiled eggs were on the roomservice menu but only continental style breakfast is served by roomservice.

 

If you have any questions I will try and answer them.:)

Thanks for your review of the Valor. We sail on her August 4th. I am very interested in your do it yourself St. Thomas/St. Johns and St. Maarten info. Tour info for the other 3 would be appreciated as well. Thanks!

[dianel720]

We have been to St. Maarten many times on vacation and I am actually sending this from one of my favorite lunch spots on the island right now. :)

 

My DS and BIL are here as well for vacation so we met them yesterday and rented a putt putt boat and toured the lagoon and saw sly stallones and Oprahs villas and tied up in Marigot and bought iced coffee and pastries at Serafinas bakery and went to the market and bought art from a lady that paints on coconut fiber. After nearly 3 hours on the boat we returned it to the rental office at the back of the Boathouse restaurant. For $100 and $15 for gas it's a really great idea for a couple of couples who want to do something different. After that we had a wonderful lunch at Kararkter on the beach at Simpson Bay and then went shopping in Phillipsburg.

 

In St Thomas we took a taxi to redhook and took the 8 am ferry over to Cruz Bay in St. John and then took the easy 25 minute shady trail that led us to the gorgeous and secluded Soloman beach. This beach is paradise.

 

After 1 hour we went back to Cruz Bay and shopped at Mongoose Junction for 15 minutes and took the ferry to downtown Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. The ferry was very fast for a ferry boat and the 45 minute trip was actually a fun boat ride. We had lunch at the delicious and famous Gladys's cafe and the curry chicken rotis were amazing. We bought some more art work and taxied back to the ship. Oh and by the way DH said the snorkeling at soloman beach was really great.

 

 

Thank you! Going to Cruz Bay also in St Thomas. Trying to figure out St Martin.....seems like Mullet Bay and Maho Beach! Have fun!

[hockeyluver]

even though non- US residents were not allowed to leave the ship prior to 8.

 

 

thank you for your review and your port experiences.

 

Why were the non U.S. residents allowed to disembark prior to 8? I have never experienced this, we have always left at the same time and went into a different line to pass through customs.

[ShanteS]

Sitting at the airport awaiting our flight and I thought that I would pass on some observations and tips to upcoming Valor passengers.

 

The itinerary is really great and we had fantastic days in each of these wonderful ports. If interested I can pass on tour guide info for Barbados, St Lucia and St Kitts as they were all great and our totally do it yourself days in St. Thomas/ St. John's and St. Maarten were super and a little different as well and if interested I can share that information as well.

 

The weather cooperated and for the most part we were blessed with much more sunshine than rain showers.

 

If you like live music by the pool during the day and live music for dancing in the evenings then the Valor disappoints in this area. If trivia is your thing then you will be in heaven as there is lots of this scheduled.

 

The live video screen with noise is not our thing so we used our balcony more than normal and we were happy that we upgraded to a balcony about 6 weeks prior to sailing.

 

The food in the MDR and room service was very good for the most part and Scarlet's steakhouse was fantastic and worth every penny for the food and atmosphere.

 

The service onboard was very good to excellent and we had nothing but positive experiences with the crew. Dario and others from guest services were fantastic and got us off the ship at 7 even though non- US residents were not allowed to leave the ship prior to 8. The service and treatment that we received last evening and this morning was first rate all the way.

 

There are a couple of things that Carnival could do better IMO regarding the MDR. When porting at 7:00 I think that the MDR should open for breakfast at 6:30 or even 7 but 7:30 is too late. I would have had roomservice those mornings if boiled eggs were on the roomservice menu but only continental style breakfast is served by roomservice.

 

If you have any questions I will try and answer them.:)

 

Thanks for the review and I'm glad you had a great time. My question is about the lido deck. There were no bands playing at all? Was it just the dj blasting loud music? My grandparents usually grab a table and relax on lido but I doubt they'd do that if the music is blasting.

[takevtr1]

Thanks for the review and I'm glad you had a great time. My question is about the lido deck. There were no bands playing at all? Was it just the dj blasting loud music? My grandparents usually grab a table and relax on lido but I doubt they'd do that if the music is blasting.

Hi ShanteS,

I am having the same issue. I know my in-laws will not want loud music blasting the whole time.

This issue has been brought up to John Heald on his blog.

I say bring back the Caribbean music. I can hear rock or rap at home.

Mitch.......

[Karysa]

thank you for your review and your port experiences.

 

Why were the non U.S. residents allowed to disembark prior to 8? I have never experienced this, we have always left at the same time and went into a different line to pass through customs.

 

Hi, sorry for the delay but I have been out enjoying St. Maarten. The only explanation that I got is that every port handles things differently.

[Karysa]

Thanks for the review and I'm glad you had a great time. My question is about the lido deck. There were no bands playing at all? Was it just the dj blasting loud music? My grandparents usually grab a table and relax on lido but I doubt they'd do that if the music is blasting.

 

There is a giant screen. I heard music and saw tv shows and videos and some of the silliness that was going on around the lido deck such as hairy chest contest and the like when I walked past. I did not see a live Caribbean band at all. We love NCL because of the live entertainment and this was the biggest disappointment that we had with Carnival. Like I mentioned before, the food and service was very good as was the cost and the ports were fantastic and the weather was very good as well so all in all it was a nice cruise.

[Karysa]

Thank you! Going to Cruz Bay also in St Thomas. Trying to figure out St Martin.....seems like Mullet Bay and Maho Beach! Have fun!

 

We just did this two days ago but by car. Mullet is in great shape and the new thatch umbrellas look great.

[Chitownlou]

Welcome Back!!!!

By any chance, did you do Maho Beach?

I am so dying to go there and be that close to the jet planes landing and taking off:D:D:D

 

I was on the Valor July 7-14 and Maho Beach was definitely one of the highlights on our cruise.

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Forums mobile app

[etwright]

Thanks for the review. We are on the August 11th cruise. :)

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[DSXM]

I was on the Valor July 7-14 and had tons of fun at a trivia and other games with Kevin.

 

Lindy Hop Piano Bar with Justin (he just left today, they'll have someone new on this cruise) was great in the evenings.

 

There was traditional and live karaoke. Live karaoke was awesome!

 

There was a Latin band and Latin dancing in Winston's before and after dinner. There were live bands/singers/guitar players at the casino stage and the lobby bar.

 

There were mutiple comedy shows (though I didn't care for them) and production shows. The 80s show and the Legends Show featuring guests and staff were fun.

 

I was pretty entertained on the Valor!

[takevtr1]

I was on the Valor July 7-14 and had tons of fun at a trivia and other games with Kevin.

 

Lindy Hop Piano Bar with Justin (he just left today, they'll have someone new on this cruise) was great in the evenings.

 

There was traditional and live karaoke. Live karaoke was awesome!

 

There was a Latin band and Latin dancing in Winston's before and after dinner. There were live bands/singers/guitar players at the casino stage and the lobby bar.

 

There were mutiple comedy shows (though I didn't care for them) and production shows. The 80s show and the Legends Show featuring guests and staff were fun.

 

I was pretty entertained on the Valor!

Do you have any tips or tricks to share.

I am sailing her this Sunday, 8/4

[DaisyGirl55]

Thanks for posting your review. Concise and to the point!

 

We cruised on the Valor in October out of Miami, and now we are cruising the Valor again in September our of San Juan! I have wanted to do this itinerary for a while, but had to wait until the cruise rate and airfare both were in line with each other.

 

Maho Beach rocks, doesn't it?

 

 

Almost to the 30 day mark!

[takevtr1]

Thanks for posting your review. Concise and to the point!

 

We cruised on the Valor in October out of Miami, and now we are cruising the Valor again in September our of San Juan! I have wanted to do this itinerary for a while, but had to wait until the cruise rate and airfare both were in line with each other.

 

Maho Beach rocks, doesn't it?

 

 

Almost to the 30 day mark!

LOVE Maho Beach, but for the planes and not the beach itself......