The Palm Trees are Really Cool: A Pictorial Review of the Valor's Southern Route

[Shih-tzu]

Love reading this (and adore looking at the photos)...I have this ship/cruise itinerary booked for Feb 2016 and am learning lots of tips...

[labyorkiefan]

Great review. Looking forward to reading more. We are doing this cruise the end of November and are also staying at the Condado Plaza Hilton the night before the cruise.

[ch27088]

SJU isn’t a large airport. It’s not small, either. But it’s not as big as Chicago or Miami. That was the first thing I noticed. The second is that there were Gasolina ads everywhere.

 

 

What is Gasolina, you might ask? I was reading a Valor review and the reviewer mentioned that she stopped at a CVS to get some Gasolina before her cruise. Gasolina? Like the Daddy Yankee song? Gasolina are these Capri Sun-like juice pouches that are spiked with a lot of booze. Vodka and rum, mostly. They come in a bunch of different flavors and when I read about them, I was determined to buy some and bring it on the cruise with me. SJU was a step ahead of me. I didn’t want to carry another bag on top of my luggage and carry ons, so I decided I’d find it on the island and we headed down to baggage claim.

 

 

Loving the review (and following). Quick question, where did you find that wonderful maxi dress. I love maxi dresses for vacations. They travel well and are actually very cool to wear in hot weather.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

Subscribing! I will be going on my first cruise in September and I have found this site to be incredibly helpful! I love reading all of the reviews, especially those with lots of pictures! Just about all of my friends/family (and even people on here) tell me that I will love cruising and be hooked. In fact, I've already started looking at where I want to go next (in case I book my next cruise while onboard my first one). I'm pretty sure next year's cruise will be on the Valor out of San Juan (assuming I like cruising). So I'm really loving your review and am looking forward to the rest of it!

[freddymale]

great review again, I love reading them..you always make me feel like I am right there with you.

[KateLovesCruising]

I toooootally agree about how the "sales" are not actually sales!! I thought I was the only one who wasnt falling for it!

[trapezelover]

Loving this review!!!

[Lgarth]

This review and pictures are totally awesome !! Keep up the good work....So looking forward to more !! Thank you so much :):D

[babsee101]

Subscribing. Thanks for the great review! Looking forward to each installment!

[buddylover]

Nicole, just loving your review and looking forward to MORE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nicole721]

Thanks for the report! That's a lot of pictures.

 

2200 over the course of the trip, I think!

 

Enjoyed your narrative and photos.

 

Keith

 

Thanks, Keith!

[Nicole721]

Love reading this (and adore looking at the photos)...I have this ship/cruise itinerary booked for Feb 2016 and am learning lots of tips...

 

I'm glad you find this helpful! :)

 

Great review. Looking forward to reading more. We are doing this cruise the end of November and are also staying at the Condado Plaza Hilton the night before the cruise.

 

Should have more up in the next couple of days! :)

[Nicole721]

Loving the review (and following). Quick question, where did you find that wonderful maxi dress. I love maxi dresses for vacations. They travel well and are actually very cool to wear in hot weather.

 

Haha I got it at Ross for, like, $12!

 

Subscribing! I will be going on my first cruise in September and I have found this site to be incredibly helpful! I love reading all of the reviews, especially those with lots of pictures! Just about all of my friends/family (and even people on here) tell me that I will love cruising and be hooked. In fact, I've already started looking at where I want to go next (in case I book my next cruise while onboard my first one). I'm pretty sure next year's cruise will be on the Valor out of San Juan (assuming I like cruising). So I'm really loving your review and am looking forward to the rest of it!

 

Awww thanks! :)

[Nicole721]

great review again, I love reading them..you always make me feel like I am right there with you.

 

Then I'm doing it right! :D

 

I toooootally agree about how the "sales" are not actually sales!! I thought I was the only one who wasnt falling for it!

 

Right there with ya! TBH I think they prey on people who are a little more loose with their wallets because they're on vacation. Better deals are out there if you look for 'em.

[Nicole721]

Loving this review!!!

 

Thanks!! :D

 

This review and pictures are totally awesome !! Keep up the good work....So looking forward to more !! Thank you so much :):D

 

Thanks so much! Should have more up within the next day or two!

[Nicole721]

Subscribing. Thanks for the great review! Looking forward to each installment!

 

Thank you!! :)

 

Nicole, just loving your review and looking forward to MORE!!!!!!!!!!!

 

:D :D :D

[Star24K]

Your review is providing answers to my questions already. Thanks

[NYGirl1002]

Hi Nicole! I'm one of your avid readers of your blog. I get very excited when I see a new chapter posted.

 

I really feel like I know you guys!

 

I just wanted to say hi! Keep going on cruises and keep writing about them.

[Shimmy86]

Thank you so much for this review! I'm thinking about taking this cruise next year so this really helps

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Nicole721]

Your review is providing answers to my questions already. Thanks

 

Glad to hear it! :)

 

Hi Nicole! I'm one of your avid readers of your blog. I get very excited when I see a new chapter posted.

 

I really feel like I know you guys!

 

I just wanted to say hi! Keep going on cruises and keep writing about them.

 

Thanks for sticking with me! And hi hi hi! :)

[Nicole721]

Thank you so much for this review! I'm thinking about taking this cruise next year so this really helps

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

So glad to hear it!

[Nicole721]

Apologies for the short hiatus! I've had, like, no energy lately and all my free time was devoted to apartment hunting (just signed a new lease yesterday! I move a few days after I get home from California at the end of the month -- OY!). Anyways...onto St. Thomas!

 

Being in St. Thomas is like slipping on an old sweater. There’s a comfort in the familiarity of it – the look and the feel and the smell. But what that sweater brings in nostalgia and comfort, it lacks in that excitement of being new.

 

We were already docked in St. Thomas when I woke up, and the plan for St. Thomas was to have no plans. That’s not entirely true – I planned on spending some quality time at Havensight and doing some shopping. Nothing too heavy – as much time as I spent contemplating hitting the Louis Vuitton at Yacht Haven Grande, I couldn’t justify buying two bags in a year – but I wanted to hit some of my standards to do some stocking up.

 

 

We’ve been to St. Thomas so many times in the past ten years. We’ve been to the top of Paradise Point, to Drake’s Seat, to Magen’s Bay (which National Geographic says is one of the top ten beaches in the world, but I didn’t care too much for), but after all of that…St. Thomas has become our obligatory rest stop. We’ll do our shopping, but after we’ve slept in and taken our time getting off the ship. We needed a rest stop for this trip – we had one sea day and no late arrivals on our seven night cruise. Seven nights, six ports (if you count San Juan) in total, two of which were brand new to us. It’s a lot to do and see in a week. So we used our St. Thomas day to gear up and get our rest in.

[Nicole721]

We headed up to the Lido deck for a late breakfast thinking most people would have gotten off the ship by then, but the Lido deck was a hot mess. It was ridiculously crowded (and we’ve sailed on much bigger ships with far larger pax counts) and the lines moved very slowly (more on that a few posts down the line). And the food was only so-so. You’re always taking a gamble when you grab eggs benedict off a buffet line, so I don’t know why it surprised me that the egg was more hard boiled than over easy.

 

 

[Nicole721]

We debarked right after breakfast and headed straight into Havensight. Most cruise ships that dock in Charlotte Amalie dock at Havensight, which is the main shopping area. Anything you’d want to find duty free, you’ll find at Havensight.

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

Here’s a small tip: there’s an information hut towards the entrance. At that hut, they have vouchers for free margs at Senor Frogs. Cheers.

 

 

No time for Senor Frogs for me – I promised Stephanie I’d have my shopping done in an hour or less. First stop was Dynasty Dazzlers, where I always buy my duty free liquor. The prices are generally amongst the lowest, they will deliver your booze to the ship so you don’t have to carry it around and the selection is fantastic. I stocked up with a bottle of Bombay Sapphire, a bottle of Disaronno, a bottle of Patron, a bottle of Jim Beam, a bottle of Velvet Cinn (which is apparently like Rumchata but better? Or so they told me. I didn’t ask much. It was cheap and I like Rumchata) and (not pictured) a small bottle of Crown Royal (the rest of the bottles were a liter or larger). Total cost? Around $100. Maybe $110 but no higher than that.

 

 

I promise I’m not a lush. You just won’t find prices like these in the US and beyond that, you won’t find these prices in the other ports. You can generally find some good deals in St. Maarten, too, but the prices generally won’t be lower than they are in St. Thomas unless you catch a special somewhere. And your liquor allowance is higher since it’s a US territory. Viva St. Thomas.