(FINALLY) Yet another Valor Southern Caribbean review Sept. 14-21, 2014 with pics

[tuxedocat2]

Great review! Glad you enjoyed your first cruise. What beach was pictured in St Maarten? It looked beautiful. We love St Kitts. We have taken an island tour and gone to Cockleshell Beach and Frigate Bay. Will be there in December.

[Stinger-pr]

When we finally woke up, we were making our way into San Juan bay and I scrambled for my cameras only to spend about 5 minutes fighting fogging in the lenses due to the change from room temp to outside temp so here's a quick tip: If you plan to document your arrival into OSJ, take your camera or phone or whatever you'll be taking pictures with outside for a few minutes prior to trying to get your shots. I almost missed capturing a perspective of El Morro and OSJ I rarely get to see due to this.

 

 

 

 

Since our car was waiting for us in OSJ we decided for the self assist option. Now, I don't know about the rest of you guy's experience but this was the worst decision of the whole cruise. We left the room about 7-ish and headed out to breakfast, basically leaving everything ready to grab and go when we returned. They said over the speakers that debarking would be delayed about an hour for some reason but that they would start with self assist and keep to the accustomed order. Kids, this is why you never pick your flights back home leaving a too small window of time between the ship and the airport. About 8:30am they said they would be starting the debarkation process, starting with self assist passengers. By this time we had gone back to the room and left our cabin for the last time with sad-puppy faces. We headed all the way to the front elevators only to find that for some reason, when you pressed the deck 0 button, nothing happened. So we went down to deck 1 to use the stairs. When the doors opened we ran into pandemonium!!! There was a HUGE crowd by the stairs and nobody was moving forward. The stairs were jammed and there was a crew member doing traffic control at the stair entrance. We stood almost in place for almost 20 minutes, watching some of the elevators stop at deck 1 full and continue to deck 0...what the heck??? We decided to get on one of those, going up first, then down to deck 0 where we ran into the rest of the traffic jam. But we made the right choice since soon after we got there they restrained all elevators from reaching deck 0 and shut down the stairs until the deck cleared. Those in the stairs must've been there quite a while because we still needed about 10-15 minutes to reach the gangway and we weren't even the last ones in line. The hold up could've been influenced vy the huge difference in height from the ship to the dock making the gangway angle very steep and that because of this, the crew was letting one person at a time down the gangway. The next one didn't set foot on it until the previous passenger was clear at the bottom. From there we breezed through customs. I found their lack of concern for the contents of your suitcases a bit odd but that's is a topic I'm not getting into here at all. I will not give any smuggling tips at all. We exited the terminal and said goodbye to the Valor and the best vacation of our lives!!!

 

All in all it was money very well spent. I regularly check prices for weekend getaways to most of theses islands and for a 3 day, 2 nights stay with airfare from Puerto Rico, it will run you about 3/4 of the cost of the cruise. And this is staying on low to medium budget places. Pick a renowned hotel chain and prices soar! Also, we were darned lucky with the weather and se conditions because with the exception of some showers in some islands, we had gorgeous weather and great sea conditions. Yes the boat rocks and yaws but while it is noticeable, it's not to the point of making you sick. And I should know. I suffer from mild BPPV (vertigo) and did not need my meds all but one day and it still weren't bad conditions. Another lesson learned: buy ALL your sundries and supplies in PR. Suntan/block lotions and things like moisturizing creams, aloe gels (great for sunburn relief) are VERY expensive on the island (except Pueblo and Kmart in St. Thomas). Bring some Post-its if you don't want to wait for your steward to show up during the day to communicate with him. This was a tip I picked up from another review and worked great for us. When we needed something not only would the get it done but he would write back on the note "done", "enjoy" or (in the case of the busted fridge) "reported to Eng. will replace in the morng". There were some thing that for budget reasons had to be left out of this trip but next time we'll cover the rest of the bases. Right, honey??

 

Thanks for sticking around for this "took long enough" review. Hopefully it won't be the last and hopefully the next one takes me way less time to make. Stay tuned for Pictures for some extras from the forts and from El Yunque rain forest.

[Stinger-pr]

Some of this pictures were taken sometime during the past few years so if you see somethings that don't make sense let me know and I'll clear it up. But basically, everything is the same way you see here. Enjoy!!

 

Old San Juan City Gate at Paseo de la Princesa

Taken from the path that leads you from the gate to the sea facing side of El Morro around its base. No, there is no access to El Morro from this path. You need to go through the City Gate then follow the sidewalk left to el Morro.

 

This street leads from the City Gate up to the San Juan Cathedral:

 

Capilla del Cristo: Located at the end of Cristo street. If you have small kids, there's a a gate through the fence you see off to the right that leads you to Parque de las Palomas (Pigeon Park). Here, for a US$1 you can buy a bag of corn or peas to feed the pigeons. They flock like mad most of the day even eating from your hands (take some wipes with you). They are harmless and way fun for the kids if they are not afraid of them.

 

To give you some perspective of how far it is from the pier to Castillo San Cristobal, this picture was taken from the fort. You can see the pier from this angle and the Valor (and soon the Liberty) docks just to the left of the white building you see behind the copper domed one (The Old San Juan Casino, used in the movie Assassins by Stallone and Banderas where it posed for the bank where Stallone's character is at near the climax of the movie).

[Dirkgun]

Those are some great shots. Thanks again for the great perspective on this review. Please post more photos.... I love Puerto Rico.

[Stinger-pr]

Here are some pictures from in and around El Morro:

 

 

If you look closely You will see San Cristobal fort in the distance (center and just left, the brown structure):

 

 

 

 

On the San Juan thread in the Ports of Call area they asked where in the SJ area to watch the sunsets. These are from El Morro grounds. I hope this helps them a bit:

 

 

[Stinger-pr]

One last sunset shot from El Morro:

 

San Cristobal shots:

Edited October 9, 2014 by Stinger-pr

[Stinger-pr]

Finally here are some shots from el Yunque Rain Forrest. If you're staying for at least a day pre- or post-cruise, make a trip to El Yunque. Walk around and enjoy.

 

This should be your first stop at the falls. This the La Coca falls. Not really a place to feel the water but makes a great photo op. As you can see it's right besides the road. There's some parking spaces before and after the falls, in case you drive yourself there.

 

This is part of the Big Tree trail that leads to La Mina Falls.

 

La Mina Falls:

 

Some other streams around the area:

 

Well that's finally it for me and this review. Hope you guys liked it and if you have any questions about the ship or Puerto Rico, let me know. I'll do my best to answer them as accurately as possible. God Bless!

[falkcor]

One last sunset shot from El Morro:

 

great review, pics and everything else! This shot in particular is great. Looking forward to the next one. Right, honey? Lol

[cntryman77]

Stinger,

 

We're looking at flying out on the Tuesday after our cruise instead of Sunday because it's so much cheaper. I'm thinking just rent a car from Charlie Car since we can rent right by the cruise port & drop off at the airport. We're still not sure on a hotel yet either. We'd like to see old San Juan, the rainforest & maybe the Bacardi distillery. Any thoughts/recommendations on this? Is renting the car a good way to go for 2.5 days vs taxis? Wish I could just bring my Camaro with me. LOL

[pghsteelerfan]

I just LOVE your San Juan pictures and especially enjoyed seeing your pictures of Fort El Morro as you were sailing back in. On our cruise we got in earlier than I expected and just missed when we passed the fort. We got up at 5:30 and were already approaching the pier. I thought we'd be in a little later and was planning to go up to Deck 10 to get pictures of the fort as we arrived. I'll definitely know to get up earlier next time.

[Stinger-pr]

Stinger,

 

We're looking at flying out on the Tuesday after our cruise instead of Sunday because it's so much cheaper. I'm thinking just rent a car from Charlie Car since we can rent right by the cruise port & drop off at the airport. We're still not sure on a hotel yet either. We'd like to see old San Juan, the rainforest & maybe the Bacardi distillery. Any thoughts/recommendations on this? Is renting the car a good way to go for 2.5 days vs taxis? Wish I could just bring my Camaro with me. LOL

 

If you stay near Old San Juan I would do the forts and Bacardi tour in one day and just rent a car for the trip to the rainforest the next. Once in OSJ you can catch the ferry to cross the bay into Cataño ($0.50 each way) and grab a taxi to the distillery (I think it's $3 per person one way). But if you're staying in the Isla Verde area renting a car would be a much better alternative. Parking is at a premium in OSJ and your best bet would be one of he two multilevel lots near the pier and you would end up taking the trolley or walking anyway. Hope this helps.

[Stinger-pr]

Great review! Glad you enjoyed your first cruise. What beach was pictured in St Maarten? It looked beautiful. We love St Kitts. We have taken an island tour and gone to Cockleshell Beach and Frigate Bay. Will be there in December.

The beach pictured is Carlisle Bay beach and was taken from the deck of Lobster Alive.

[Stinger-pr]

I am sad your cruise is nearing an end , thus report near end. I have found review delight of honesty and comments ( hints) that are very original & helpful- like the cell service last night. :rolleyes:

We have enjoyed your island of PR five times visiting, and a really remote chance our son ( in early twenties) would get a transfer there for work for the big W discount store as he works shipping logistics and speaks fluent spanish.

Does one get " island crazy" after a while, or safety issues?

Some day hope to visit Vieques.

 

Hi, it's great that you enjoy the Island so much. I would say that your son will be ok. There's always a party going on somewhere but as long as he uses common sense when scoping out the hangout places it should be no problem. Personal safety issues are about the same as any big metro area in the US, I would say. Keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings.

[Buffettfan 225]

[quote=Stinger-pr;44366119

 

let me know. I'll do my best to answer them as accurately as possible. God Bless!

how did you get such good lighting for photos in el yunque?

Did you have an external flash attached? My photos often came out so dark with my Nikon dslr.

Also shots of fort from ship - what size lens did you use?

[cntryman77]

If you stay near Old San Juan I would do the forts and Bacardi tour in one day and just rent a car for the trip to the rainforest the next. Once in OSJ you can catch the ferry to cross the bay into Cataño ($0.50 each way) and grab a taxi to the distillery (I think it's $3 per person one way). But if you're staying in the Isla Verde area renting a car would be a much better alternative. Parking is at a premium in OSJ and your best bet would be one of he two multilevel lots near the pier and you would end up taking the trolley or walking anyway. Hope this helps.

 

That does, Thanks! I think we are going to be staying in the Isla Verde area, so I'll probably get the car for both days. Maybe we'll drive to the Bacardi tour to park & take a taxi/ferry to the forts so we don't have to worry about parking in OSJ.

[Stinger-pr]

how did you get such good lighting for photos in el yunque?

Did you have an external flash attached? My photos often came out so dark with my Nikon dslr.

Also shots of fort from ship - what size lens did you use?

 

Part of the trick I use for good pictures in low light places is to NOT use flash unless it's to fill in some lighting. I have better results with larger apertures and slower shutter speeds in places like El Yunque where there's natural light but some of it is lost in the shades. You need to dial in so as to not need a tripod in order to get your shots. I have trouble with my hands shaking but I play with the settings enough to get decent (at least for me) shots.

 

You also need patience!! I sometimes snap anywhere between 3-10 shots if I really, REALLY want a frame-worthy shot until I get it to my liking. Learn to use you cameras histogram to see if how to tweak your setting for more or less aperture/shutter speed. I also touch them up in Photoshop but only to adjust the colors, contrast, etc. I'm nowhere near being average in my skills so I work on them as little as possible as to not ruin what I wanted to capture in the first place.

 

Oh and my cameras are not even DRLS. All pictures from the review were taken with a Canon S2iS (yeah...old), A Canon ELPH110 HS and a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone. And believe it or not, the only filter I used in any of those shots (sunsets at El Morro) were my polarized sunglasses placed in front of the lens.:cool::D

[Buffettfan 225]

Part of the trick I use for good pictures in low light places is to NOT use flash unless it's to fill in some lighting. I have better results with larger apertures and slower shutter speeds in places like El Yunque where there's natural light but some of it is lost in the shades. You need to dial in so as to not need a tripod in order to get your shots. I have trouble with my hands shaking but I play with the settings enough to get decent (at least for me) shots.

 

You also need patience!! I sometimes snap anywhere between 3-10 shots if I really, REALLY want a frame-worthy shot until I get it to my liking. Learn to use you cameras histogram to see if how to tweak your setting for more or less aperture/shutter speed. I also touch them up in Photoshop but only to adjust the colors, contrast, etc. I'm nowhere near being average in my skills so I work on them as little as possible as to not ruin what I wanted to capture in the first place.

 

Oh and my cameras are not even DRLS. All pictures from the review were taken with a Canon S2iS (yeah...old), A Canon ELPH110 HS and a Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone. And believe it or not, the only filter I used in any of those shots (sunsets at El Morro) were my polarized sunglasses placed in front of the lens.:cool::D

Your advice is appreciated. I have a one year old DSLR that gets more use at home capturing kitty photos than most cruises. I too found my a Canon (might be same as yours) to be the best. I like point n'shoot but must have a viewfinder. Those screen only ones drive me nuts. I am guilty of not learning my cameras functions yet - I learned on old manual film one so lots to comprehend. I too hate idea of tripod leaving on a trip, and LOVE sunglasses filter :D

P.s. I have photos my son took of original Bacardi tour when tour took inside the factory. Even at age ten back then he took photos from his hip :eek: a true generation of ease using electronics. I may add a few flashback photos to my next cruise review when we sail Liberty in June from San Juan.

 

Are there any water areas near Caribe Hilton or in Old San Juan that may have Sea Glass? (Also safe enough to go, as I know some shoreline is easily out of view)