My AMAZING Birthday Cruise on The Valor June 8-15

[teetee6263]

[quote name='Kao2293']Love your review! Can't wait for more![/QUOTE]

Thanks for reading :)

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[Cruise Envy]

Happy Belated Birthday! Thanks for sharing -- I am taking a 50th birthday cruise this year. Where did you get your tiara? I'm thinking I need one of those!

[teetee6263]

[quote name='CMM']enjoying your review. About the boatyard snorkeling. What did they charge and did you have to dive down underwater or were you able to just float on the surface face down with your life vest on?
I liked the photo of the Boatyard sign. So they pay for your taxi back? but it is the same driver?

Thanks for all the info![/QUOTE]

The snorkeling was $20. I floated on the surface with a vest on, don't know if you dive under but I know I wasn't. You dont take a taxi back, they have their own shuttle that runs every 15 minutes & they make announcements when its departing.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[y7anks3]

Thanks look forward in reviewing the funtimes if u are able to post them... thanks in advance and great review so far

[KFinTx]

I agree with the other poster. It sounds like the taxis were getting a cut based on how many they bring to the "free" beach, along with a guaranteed fare for the return trip.

[teetee6263]

I can’t even start this without saying wow, this day was AMAZING!!! I did lots of research on this port & it came down to a land & sea tour with Spencer Ambrose or Cosol tours. While I usually don’t take reviews to heart, Ambrose had OK reviews & Cosol’s were all great on here, Trip Advisor & FB, so I chose Cosol. This tour was booked a couple of months prior for the whole group & at the last minute they opted out, but there was no way I wasn‘t going. I really wanted to get up early & watch us sail in, but I just couldn’t get myself going. I missed the Pitons, but did get to see an airplane take off. Once again I had breakfast on Lido & coffee from the coffee shop, needed some real coffee to get me going. Just as its time to make my way to the gangway I notice my card is missing…Damn its 8:10 & were supposed to meet at 8:20, so now I have to detour to Guest Services & luckily they had it. She must have been waiting for me, because before I could even finish my story she asked my name & handed it to me. I high tail it down to 0 thinking I’m gonna be late, but the ship hadn’t been cleared yet. About 8:30, we get the all clear & I’m on my way. I’m pretty sure we had to go through shops to get outside, but I was focused on getting to the meeting spot. Although it seemed like a ton of vendors were out there, you’d have to be blind & deaf not to find them. To be honest Cosol Tours was the first & only sign I saw. While waiting I was talking with a couple that I had walked with from the ship, this was their 2nd time doing the tour; they told me I was gonna love it & that my friends didn’t know what they were missing out on. I was hoping to stay with them, but then I was pulled out from that group since I was alone. My guide for the day was Bumpy & according to him he was given that name because of how he walks, not his driving. Let me just say Bumpy was great, I was his co pilot for the day & sat up front with him. He was very friendly & I never felt like I was alone, he even took most of the pictures of me for the day. He’s very informative & passionate about his home. I’m guessing I was put with him because he only need to fill one more seat & I’m glad I was. I mean I’m sure all the drivers are great in their own way, but I really enjoyed my time with Bumpy.

 

Pulling into St Lucia

[teetee6263]

Our day started out with a drive through Castries, where bumpy told us a little history about the town. We then made our way up to a scenic overlook of the Castries Harbor & a view of the ship. Of course there were vendors out, but I was really not in the mood to even listen to them. I guess they see a black woman with locs & think I’m suppose to be all nice & friendly…sorry!!! Then we went to a banana plantation, where I learned a few things about bananas. Like, a single tree can produce up to 200 bananas in its lifetime. It takes 6 months for the tree to grow full size & 9 months to produce the bananas, then is chopped down for the next on to grow. A little up the rode Bumpy stopped to get us some bananas to try & then I also learned that our bananas SUCK!!! These are the best & sweetest bananas I have ever tasted, don’t know where our bananas come from but it sure as hell aint St Lucia. We then stooped at an other overlook that had a few vendors & a bathroom that cost $1.

 

Next we stopped for breakfast which was samples of local dishes. All the vans come together for breakfast, so I was happy to see the couple from this morning…not that my van mates weren’t friendly. Now I’m a very plain jane picky eater, so I really wasn’t expecting to eat anything but boy oh boy was I wrong. There must’ve been something in the Caribbean air because I tried things that I would have never even thought about. I wasn’t crazy about the breadfruit balls & tamarind balls; loved the banana frittas; was surprised I liked the guava cheese & the passionfruit was really good…the only other time I had passionfruit or guava it was juice & mixed with alcohol; the wax apples were delicious, I had a couple; one of the other passengers told me to try the sugarcane, said it was very sweet & since I love very sweet I went for it. Well here I am trying my hardest to bite down on the damn thing, they was like NO don’t eat it, just chew on it & then spit it out. Guess you really do learn something new everyday, lol. I did also eat other things that I was familiar with, but these are just the new things I tried. Oh and banana ketchup….my first instinct was ill even though I love bananas, but banana ketchup really? OMG freaking delicious, 4 weeks later & I’m still kicking myself for not buying any.

 

So before we left for our next stop I stocked up on a few Piton Beers & water, because Bumpy said we wouldn’t see the blue van until after the beach. Oh wait..I forgot to tell you about the blue van, it stopped where we stopped & was full of all you can drink water, beer, rum punch & I think soda. I’m not positive about the soda because my drink of choice was the rum punch, it got to the point that he didn’t even ask me what I wanted, just gave me a cup. Damn where was I, just thinking about the blue van made me lose focus (wish I had a “blue van” in everyday life)… Ok, leaving breakfast. On our way to Soufriere we pass by the rainforest & Bumpy stopped for us to take a quick photo, he also stopped at lemon tree that he seems very excited about…didn’t pull off until I saw the one yellow lemon. We also stopped at an overlook with a beautiful view of the Piton Mountains. Once again there were vendors, but I was rescued by Baptiste one of the other drivers who asked Bumpy if he could kidnap me but he said no. I was funny though, as he was walking me back to Bumpy’s van all his passengers started to follow & one even went to get in, I guess he said you are not leaving me behind.

 

Overlooking the harbor & Valor

 

Bumpy teaching us about bananas

 

$1 to use the bathroom & I heard they didnt have running water

 

View from the overlook

[teetee6263]

Breakfast...

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was so much more to choose from.

[teetee6263]

Rainforest down below

 

Had to zoom in to find the yellow lemon

 

Great view if the Pitons, Drive in Volcano & Village

 

Bapstite

[teetee6263]

So now were in Soufriere & waiting for the water taxi, when this small little boat shows up. Soooo not what I was expecting!!! We had to climb down to get in which wasn’t as bad as I thought & then we were off. Thank goodness it was a very short ride, because all I kept thinking was please don’t let us tip over. We arrived at Jalousie Beach & while its not your pristine white sand beach, it still has its own natural beauty. The area was very small & they had very few loungers available. There was already people there so they took all the good ones, pretty sure it was a van from Cosol & I know the Spencer Ambrose people were there too. I shared a broken lounger with one of the couples from my van, we really just parked our bags there. The beach is very & I mean very rocky, but the water is so clear. I had my snorkel & mask with me & being that I’m a non swimming wanna-be snorkeler, I planned to just stick my head in the water. I was only in about waist deep & being only 5’2” that isn’t very deep, so there was nothing to really see. I see a family a little further out who’s sharing a mask & only sticking their heads in the water I figured they were in the same boat as me, but to be on the safe side I called out & asked if they were standing or floating. Thankfully they were standing, so I joined them & got to see some fish. The real snorklers said they saw a lot of pretty fish, but I was happy with what I saw. We were only there about 40 minutes & that was more than enough time for me, I snorkeled a bit & drank a Piton beer between the Pitons…what could be better!!

 

Getting back into the water taxi was a little trickier, because now I’m standing in rocky water & have to step up into the boat. I lost my balance a little bit, but one of the guys was there to help. Now back at Soufriere I thought I was gonna have to stay in the boat because now we had to climb up onto the dock, but it was easier than it looked. What’s that I see as were going back to our van….yep, its the “blue van” But before we even get to the blue van Bumpy is standing there holding a jug of something. He wouldn’t tell us what was in it, just that it was like V****a for the men (you know the little blue pill) & gave the women BIG BOOBS. He said don’t smell it or sip it, just drink it. Well where I come from that’s called a shot & if you haven’t guessed I do enjoy shots. No one wants to try it & I’m thinking “oh boy guess I’m the lush of the group, cause all day while everyone was getting soda or water I was getting rum punch & now I’m gonna be the only one to try it” Soon as I said I’d try it one of the men in the group did too, so I didn’t feel too bad…not that it would’ve stopped me. Wow that was good, so good I had 2 more. Bumpy then told us it was a homemade liquor, kinda like our moonshine. Really wish I would have bought a bottle, but wasn’t sure if I’d problems bringing back an unlabeled bottle. And then of course before we get in the van to leave the blue van driver hands me a rum punch. Wow its only about 12:45 pm & I can’t even count the amount of drinks I had.

 

Water Taxi

 

Rocky, but pretty

 

Getting ready to look for some fish

 

Found some!!!

 

The good life!!

Edited July 10, 2014 by teetee6263

[teetee6263]

So next we go to the Sulpher Springs for the mud bath. As soon as we got out the van, one of the teenage girls complained about the smell, her father told her to stop exaggerating & I commented it wasn’t that bad…well a couple of feet more & it hit me!!! She was not exaggerating, her sense of smell was just stronger than ours, because it was bad. At this point I had to defend her & agree, dad was still trying to say it want bad but you could see it in his face. Bumpy told us the hot springs were extremely hot today, so just put a foot in to test it. OK he wasn’t lying, it was HOT but felt good. So you start off by soaking in the hot springs; which looks like dirty water, then you cover yourself in mud, then stand in the sun for about 10 minutes to let the mud dry & then back into the hot springs to rinse the mud off. Guess that’s why it looks like dirty water, because it is. After all of that, there are showers where you can wash off the remaining mud. They say it does wonders for your skin & it did feel smooth, but unfortunately you STINK... yep smell like rotten eggs!!! Leaving the mud bath we stopped at the volcano, but no one really felt like getting out, & since it was on Bumpys side of the road he snapped a picture for me from the window. On the way out Bumpy stopped to feed some goats our banana peels from this morning.

 

Nudity...really??

 

Bathing in hot dirty water

 

I'm such a dirty girl ;)...lol!!!

 

Worlds only Drive in Volcano

 

Bumpy feeding goats

[teetee6263]

Next was the waterfall. We weren’t here long, maybe 15-20 minutes, but closer to 15. The waterfall is beautiful & COLD. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to get in, but then thought how often do I get to stand under a waterfall. Wow, the water so cold... completely opposite from the springs. I was in & out, in a matter of minutes; got my picture & was happy. I really don’t recall if there were any vendors there, but there was someone making & selling the best jerk chicken I ever smelled. If I had my money with me I would’ve ordered some, but I wasn't about to walk to the van & back. Besides when I exited the park Baptiste was there & he stopped me to wish me a happy birthday. And in true TeeTee form, I failed to say thank you, but instead “how the hell did you know I was celebrating my birthday” (Now I know this might seem rude & I usually don’t intend it to be, but I’m just learning to use the filter on my mouth & sometimes still say the first thing that comes to mind) I did eventually thank him. Anyway he said he did some investigating on me & I was looking for any familiar face that could’ve told him but didn’t see any.

 

While making our way back to Castries Bumpy stopped along the road to pick cinnamon leaves off a tree for us to smell. At the time I was wowed because I didn’t know cinnamon grew on trees. But now thinking back he got those leaves to help cover the egg smell, just imagine its like he had a dozen rotten eggs in his van…eew!! The ride back was pretty long & quiet, think everyone was just tired by then. We made one more stop, where Bumpy got out & brought us all the yummiest warm locally baked bread & cheese shaped like a drumstick. I’m not a big cheese fan, but it just melted in the bread & was so delicious. The blue van was also there so I got me 2 last rum punches…. don’t know what the seats looked like in the back, but I had cup holders in the front that came in handy. One last stop which was only feet away was to view Lady's Slipper Rock that was in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

Well its 3:45pm, we’re back at the port & our day has come to an end. I take one last picture, but this time with Bumpy. I see Baptiste while he was ending his tour & now I know how he knew I was celebrating my birthday, one of the couples was our tablemates on day 1. We talked for a bit & ended up going to the bar in the terminal for a Reserve & Coke.

 

Waterfall

 

Yeah it was COLD

 

Bumpy picking cinnamon leaves :rolleyes: aka Air Freshener

 

Delicious Yummy Local Bread

 

As seen in The Pirates of the Caribbean

[teetee6263]

Sadly my amazing day with Cosol Tours has come to an end :(

 

The end of a great tour with a great driver...Bumpy!!!

 

One more with Baptiste

[teetee6263]

On board time was 4:30 & once again I broke my own ½ hr early rule & didn’t get back on until about 4:15:eek:. Thankfully the girls weren’t in the room, so I was able to shower & try to wash the smell out of my bathing suit right away, notice I said TRY. Tonight was the 2nd elegant night & I really didn’t feel like getting dressed up, also Thor was playing on the big screen at 6 & I really wanted to see it... so I decided to skip the MDR & watch the movie, the rest of the gang joined me. Well to date I still haven’t seen Thor…the only thing I saw the opening & closing credits, yep I slept like a baby through the whole movie thanks to all that damn rum punch. After eating at the buffet, the Heat game was coming on so I decided to stay out on Lido & to watch it. I only stayed for about an hour because I wanted to see the B Boys Break Dance show, OK but saw better on the Glory. Tonight was Electric White Night in the club, but I had an amazing but long day & called it a night before Midnight.

 

Enjoyed my Piton Beer while waiting for the movie to start

 

Thats the last thing I saw before nap time

 

Break Dancing B-Boys

[CMM]

You are doing a great job with this review and it is like you are reading my mind with what I want to hear about.

 

Thank you for answering my previous questions. You have done so much of what I was thinking about doing on my upcoming cruise so your comments are most helpful.

I can't wait to hear your review of Saint Kitts as I don't have ideas for that stop yet.

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

I am really enjoying your review.

[Alikan]

one of the other passengers told me to try the sugarcane, said it was very sweet & since I love very sweet I went for it. Well here I am trying my hardest to bite down on the damn thing, they was like NO don’t eat it, just chew on it & then spit it out. Guess you really do learn something new everyday, lol.

 

Lol. I'm from Barbados and grew up with sugarcane growing literally in my back yard so reading that you were trying to eat it made me lol. Glad you liked it.

[blueat40]

A girlfriend and I are going on this cruise in Sept. We are both 1st time cruisers and so we don't know what to expect. Your review is helping to settle some of my questions/concerns about the cruise (especially snorkeling!) and I'm really enjoying it. Can't wait to read more!

[Mrsfabo]

It's amazing how before vacation we all be like I'm going to this party staying up so late and fall asleep before midnight that's why I love cruising!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Mrsfabo]

A girlfriend and I are going on this cruise in Sept. We are both 1st time cruisers and so we don't know what to expect. Your review is helping to settle some of my questions/concerns about the cruise (especially snorkeling!) and I'm really enjoying it. Can't wait to read more!

 

 

Your first is something you will never forget it like something you have never experienced. Carnival is definitely the party boat but oh so much more I love cruising all from my first cruise! My husband and I were in amazement first because we were in the middle of the ocean dancing then being able to visit different ports you will definitely enjoy it!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[teetee6263]

I am really enjoying your review.

 

 

Thank you for reading. :)

 

 

 

 

Lol. I'm from Barbados and grew up with sugarcane growing literally in my back yard so reading that you were trying to eat it made me lol. Glad you liked it.

 

Lol...it was kinda funny, I couldn't understand why it was so damn hard :D

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[teetee6263]

A girlfriend and I are going on this cruise in Sept. We are both 1st time cruisers and so we don't know what to expect. Your review is helping to settle some of my questions/concerns about the cruise (especially snorkeling!) and I'm really enjoying it. Can't wait to read more!

 

Thanks for reading, glad you're enjoying it. I am sure you will have a wonderful time, you picked a great itinerary for your first of many cruises :D

 

 

 

 

It's amazing how before vacation we all be like I'm going to this party staying up so late and fall asleep before midnight that's why I love cruising!

 

Lol, yes it is.:) Some cruises I'm up all night & others I can barely keep my eyes open. This one was so port intensive with early mornings, I was exhausted by midnight.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[teetee6263]

I don’t know why but I was the least excited about this port & just wanted to go to the beach. I had pre arranged a 10am beach transfer with Beulah from Welcome Tours, with a photo op stop at Timothy Hill. After breakfast I was off the ship around 9:40 & surprisingly the rest showed up by 10. Finding Beulah was easy, she was right in front of the Smoke Shop just as her instructions said & actually as we were walking up she called out to me by name. She led us to our driver Lenis & we were on our way to Reggae Beach Bar. The ride to the beach was about a ½ hour & Lenis’ driving was like an amusement park ride, but the scenery was beautiful. We flew by what I thought to be Timothy Hill & when I asked, he said Beulah didn’t tell him we wanted to stop, but we would do it on the way back. Come on really, that should be a given!!! So yes I was a little annoyed by that. At some point Lenis asked what time we wanted to be picked up & this is where confusion came in. I said 2, because I wanted to get back in enough time to shop & be back onboard for the Past Guest Party. The girls said 3, because they left the beach too early yesterday & wasn’t ready to leave. We discussed it back & forth and agreed on 3pm, but the last thing that was said was we would get back around 3:30. We arrived at the beach, Lenis said he’d picked us up where he left us & to have a good day.

 

So we find our spots for the day, me a lounge chair near the water & they sat by the bar for WiFi. I spent most of my day in the water, sunbathed & then spent the longest hour ever by the bar with the rest of the gang, it was 2 & I was ready to go. I know I ordered a drink, but don’t remember what is was other than weak. OK so now comes the fun part… it’s a little past 2 & everyone is ready to go. Should've listened to me, IJS. By 2:45 we go to the pickup spot anticipating Lenis being early & nope not there. Its 3:05 & they are furious because he’s late, now don’t get me wrong I was getting annoyed too, but just thought it was funny how when they had to wait on someone it was a problem. So now its 3:15 & I’m more than annoyed, I'm pissed & the beach is starting to empty out. I made the biggest mistake by leaving Beulah’s contact info on the ship, but the other drivers said they were trying to reach her for us. Now I’m really getting pissed, first you didn’t stop to Timothy hill like I requested & now I have to pay for a new ride back, because I’m sure as hell not gonna miss the boat because I paid for a roundtrip ride. Just as we were about to get in the other cab Lenis pulled up with Beulah in the van & I thought good 2 for 1..I can curse them out at the same time. Before I could even open my mouth, she asked if we were waiting long & said Lenis told her we had a 3:30 pickup. Ok big miss understanding & yes I’m still annoyed (takes me a minute to calm down), but in his defense he did arrive at 3:20 to pick us up at 3:30. Beulah said she thought that was a weird time, but he assured her that’s what we said. I guess when you start hearing times thrown out the last thing you hear sticks with you, even though we were talking amongst ourselves & not him.

 

 

 

 

 

[JennN]

I always freak out about that (not making the ship)! Again, big ups to you for continuing to go outside your comfort zone! So looking forward to the rest!

[teetee6263]

And just as promised we stopped at Timothy Hill, I have to say I’m glad we did it on the way back because we were the only ones there. The view is absolutely breathtaking. There was a couple of vendors up there & a guy with his donkey & monkeys.

As we approached the port area we passed a cart on the street selling the best smelling Jerk, Beulah heard us talk about it & offered to take us back but we were just ready to go. We get back a little after 4 & I still had to do my souvenir shopping. There was a bar where everyone was cheering, (watching soccer) & I noticed a sign that says try our “Infamous” drunken monkey…OK, if you insist!! Sooo Freaking Good, I had wished we got there sooner so I could’ve had another one. Wow not only was it good, but it snuck up on you…now I’m kinda glad I only had the one.

 

Timothy Hill...Atlantic Ocean on the left & Caribbean Sea on the right

 

Had to hold that damn monkey's hand, he kept trying to put it down my dress

 

Another view from on top of the hill

 

With Beulah & Lenis

 

"Infamous" Drunken Monkey