My AMAZING Birthday Cruise on The Valor June 8-15

[teetee6263]

What a fun review. You're a hoot and very entertaining. I'll be on this cruise in November and you've almost inspired me to go out of my comfort zone. Almost:)

 

Thanks for reading. I'm sure you'll have an equally amazing cruise. Just do it, leave that comfort zone & enjoy...its a great :D

[teetee6263]

Great review and pics, It brought memories of my Valor cruise I did last Oct. I did the same tours you did. I had planned to write a review, but never got around to writing it.

 

By the way you look familiar to me, and I live by JFK. lol!!

 

Thanks for reading. I completly understand about not getting around to doing a review. It can be time consuming, but doing it does bring back all the memories.:)

 

Really, its quite possible our paths have crossed along the way. Are you in the 40+ club?

[teetee6263]

Well, this is the moment I’ve been dreading all week. Our flight wasn’t until 9pm so I was in no rush to get off the ship, however everyone else was. So the day starts with my last Lido breakfast, they always have the best hash browns on the last day. We had zone 15 luggage tags, but actually disembarked much earlier. It seemed to take much longer going through customs than any other port, the line was sooo long & it was sooo hot. Once through customs we sat outside on a bench in the heat, where they complained it was too hot…OK, we could’ve still been inside with AC!!! Anyway we finally get a taxi & go to Barrachina’s, they have free bag storage & just request a tip. We then got as far as around the corner, where we sat on yet another bench. I don’t know about you but I’m seeing a pattern here. After getting tired of sitting around, I was off to see some of the sights I missed a week ago & surprisingly they followed. I really wanted to see the San Juan Cathedral, so that was our first stop…well actually only stop. The church is simply beautiful, there was what looked to be a Christening going on. Of course the gang took this time to sit once again, they were tired from walking so we headed back to Barrachina’s. Once there we ordered lunch, I wasn’t very hungry so I thought I’d order something light; a chicken wrap & sweet potato fries….there was nothing light about it, but it was very good. I wanted to order one of their delicious Pina Coladas, but the waiter recommended a Frozen Mojito & although I didn’t enjoy my mojito at the Sheraton last week, I enjoyed this one very much. After lunch, you guessed it they wanted to sit & relax…I’m starting think I should cut & paste the word “sit”…lol. Anyway I wasn’t about to sit on a bench for hours, so yep…. I left them. During my walk along the San Juan wall, I noticed some kids looking down into the water & I just had to see what they were looking at. Starfish…I finally saw my first starfish!!! I also spotted a bride & groom taking wedding photos at the San Juan Gate, so naturally I snuck in a picture. Being that is was Fathers Day, the manager at Barrachina’s told us we should leave for the airport early because traffic will be heavy. So at around 6:00 I made my way back to the restaurant. It’s really simply to catch a cab from there, you literally walk a few feet to the end of the block & turn left. If your lucky there will be some sitting there waiting, but being a holiday we had a little wait. After a short cab right we were arrived at the airport to play the waiting game & at this point I was ready to go home. My flight safely landed at 1:25 am & my AMAZING BIRTHDAY CRUISE was officially over. :(

 

My last cruise meal

 

The face you make when you've been evicted out of your cabin

 

My yummy chicken wrap

 

Frozen Mojito

[teetee6263]

San Juan Catherdal...

 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by teetee6263

[teetee6263]

Random pics from the day...

 

Yes, thats a orange man pretending to be a statue...looks more like the Doodlebops to me.

 

I just love this ally way

 

The starfish were down there

 

My 1st starfish

 

A bar that looked more a jail cell

 

The Happy Couple...Congrats!!

[teetee6263]

The Valor

Loved the ship & crew, everyone was super helpful & friendly. After sailing on the Glory with the 2.0 upgrades just 6 months prior I thought would miss them… especially Guys Burgers & The Blue Iguana Bar, but nope not at all. I was very pleased with the majority of my meals, especially after experiencing The American Table on the Glory. I was very shocked at how relaxed the photographers were, they weren’t pushy like all the other ships I’ve sailed & never came to our table during dinner.

 

The Itinerary

Tiring, but great!!! The best so I’ve done so far & I really think its gonna be hard to top.

 

San Juan

OSJ is was beautiful city, with so many sights to see & delicious places to eat. You need at least 2 days to experience all. The Flamenco show at Barrachina’s, The Bacardi Factory & The Forts are a must see.

 

St Thomas

With so many beautiful beaches, its hard to decide which one. So far I’ve done Megan’s Bay & Coki, both are gorgeous but if you’re looking to snorkel I say Coki.

 

Barbados

If you’re looking for a great relaxing day at the beach, try The Boatyard. Snorkeling with the sea turtles is a must.

 

St Lucia

OMG!!! Two words….Cosol Tours!!!

 

St Kitts

Beautiful countryside & black sand beaches. Beware of the monkeys, their everywhere & the view from Timothy Hill is a must.

 

St Maarten

Loved seeing both the French & Dutch sides of the island. While on the French side, be warned…those nude at Orient Beach really shouldn’t be.:eek:

Sarafina’s is a must. On the Dutch side, I must confess I really don’t get all the hoopla over Maho, but hey you should experience it at least once.

 

This was truly an amazing trip & even though after every cruise I say “this was my best cruise” this time I really mean it. I let go of my fears & did so many things that I would have never done. Although I still don’t think I’m ready for a solo cruise, I think I’m almost there. I really enjoyed doing what I wanted & when, but it was also nice knowing the others we around. I also realized (upon writing this review) that rum is not all that bad. If you recall I started pre cruise day saying I’m not much of a rum drinker, however the majority of my drinks on the islands was Rum Punch…go figure.;)

 

And last but not least…

If you are thinking about taking this cruise, but not sure….Stop Thinking & Book It, you wont be sorry!!!

 

Thank you for allowing me to re-live My Amazing Birthday Cruise with you. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did living it :D!!!

[teetee6263]

Random thought....

 

For someone who doesn't really drink rum, I sure did brought a lot home :D

 

 

[Kao2293]

Great review!! So glad you had a great time on your Birthday Cruise!! Thanks for sharing and will be looking for your review of the Sunshine!

[MzOhioLady]

Thanks for posting your Review! The pictures you took were great! Happy Belated Birthday.

[JAGR]

Excellent review! Thanks! We are booked for March 1, but it's nice to read your review and start to look and plan ahead.

 

One thing I was curious about: Your last picture shows some of the local beers along with your duty free purchases. I know the liquor gets pulled at security and is given back to you on the last night, but how did the handle the beer? I notice you had a Piton in your hands back on the boat in St. Lucia. Did they let your bring it on board?

[teetee6263]

Day 1 San Juan...

 

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Day 2 St Thomas...

 

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Day 3 Sea Day...

 

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Day 4 Barbados...

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Day 5 St Lucia :D...

 

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Day 6 St Kitts...

 

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Day 7 St Maarten...

 

 

 

 

[teetee6263]

Great review!! So glad you had a great time on your Birthday Cruise!! Thanks for sharing and will be looking for your review of the Sunshine!

 

Thanks for sticking with me to the end. My kids will be with me on the Sunshine cruise, so that means it will be a real adventure...take a look at my Destiny review.

 

Thanks for posting your Review! The pictures you took were great! Happy Belated Birthday.

 

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it :D

[teetee6263]

Excellent review! Thanks! We are booked for March 1, but it's nice to read your review and start to look and plan ahead.

 

One thing I was curious about: Your last picture shows some of the local beers along with your duty free purchases. I know the liquor gets pulled at security and is given back to you on the last night, but how did the handle the beer? I notice you had a Piton in your hands back on the boat in St. Lucia. Did they let your bring it on board?

 

Well...techinally you are supposed to take your bottles to the security table which is past the elevators, however I'm not going out of my way to give it to them. So I just keep walking.

[LVDFW]

I love the Valor reviews. Took her for my honeymoon last July. We had a different CD though. One funny highlight was on the last night during dinner we must have passed a US Virgin Island because you heard about 300 cell phones chime they had a text message or email. Everyone briefly had service.

[diver00001]

Great review!!!!

We are about to book this cruise and have been planning for years.I have a question for you....We were thinking about a balcony ...Do you think its worth the extra? I mean your ony at sea one day! do you think its worth a extra $1000.00?

or do you just use your cabin to sleep in...Thanks for some advice.....Butch

[LVDFW]

When I was on it, I had a balcony. Really only spent 10 minutes a day on there. We were only on the docking side once, so only had one chance to heckle pier runners. If I could do it again I would book an interior. However I would pick deck 7. You have rooms above and below you.

[teetee6263]

I've never stayed in a balcony. I try to cruise a couple of times a year & cant justify spending much on a room that I'm hardly ever in. Even with 3 sea days I spend my time out on Lido in the middle of the action.

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[teetee6263]

I love the Valor reviews. Took her for my honeymoon last July. We had a different CD though. One funny highlight was on the last night during dinner we must have passed a US Virgin Island because you heard about 300 cell phones chime they had a text message or email. Everyone briefly had service.

 

Thanks!! Our CD was covering for the regular CD, think he was getting off when we did. LOL, that must've been a sight to see. I was up past midnight, checked to see if I had service & was pleasantly suprised.

[rzyjzq]

Loved your review!! Thanks for taking the time to do it. Happy cruising!!

Susan