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Shannon & Dave's Excellent Valor Adventure --> Nov. 8th - Nov. 17th (Family Edition)

ShannLC16

By ShannLC16,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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ShannLC16

ShannLC16

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Unfortunately, a 3-year old doesn't appreciate a surprise vacation.

 

I'm enjoying reading this.

 

Yeah, it went right over his head. Fortunately for us, he did get his donut and was quite happy after that. ;) Glad you are enjoying the review!

 

I was on this cruise also! Can't wait to read your review. Lots of fun.

 

Yay! Did you have a great time?

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ShannLC16

ShannLC16

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Great review! I'm glad to know I'm not the only mom with a cruise binder complete with colored tabs for each port! Lol! I don't leave home without it! Hope your kiddos enjoyed the cruise I'm sure they are hooked now! Mine are always asking when the next cruise is!

 

I also luckily have kids with a great school that doesn't bat an eye at taking them out for family vacation. We just get any work for the week to do on the way there!

 

Not sure what the awful parent comment above mine is about? We sound pretty much alike and I'm an awesome parent so I'm sure you are too! I would ignore it! :)

 

Yeah, not sure what that comment was about - but now it is gone. Weird. I am an awesome parent too! Haha. You must be an awesome parent if you have a travel binder! I also had colored tabs for each port - it makes me happy to have everything so organized. Glad to hear your children go to a school that appreciates the experiences travel can bring. Lexi's teacher apparently had her explain some of what she did today, and as I mentioned before, she brought different kinds of currency in for kids to see. I think she will recover from missing a few days of school. :D

 

Awesome review so far! Can't wait for pics.

 

We are thinking about staying at the Sheraton also.

 

Keep it coming :)

 

Thanks! I thought the Sheraton was a great choice. After our trip, the port luggage guys (forget what they are called) actually rolled our luggage all the way back to the Sheraton. It was awesome. He was tipped handsomely!

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ShannLC16

ShannLC16

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San Juan Day #2 and Cruise!

I woke up early, while the rest of the family was still sleeping and ran up to the rooftop area – the Valor was there! It was cruise day!!! Yay!! One of the reasons we loved this itinerary was because you don’t have to be on board until 9pm, so we knew we had all day to explore San Juan. I went back to our room and woke everyone up. Time for breakfast and exploring! We checked in with our friends and agreed to meet in the lobby and head to breakfast.

 

I had previously eaten at La Bombonera, and loved it, but it has been closed for repairs for a long time now. As that wasn’t an option, I found Cafeteria Mallorca through Yelp and it didn’t disappoint. As it was Sunday morning, I assumed the place would be packed and we would have a long wait, but we were sitting at our table within 2 minutes of walking in. Perfect!

 

The first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be a lot of locals eating there (good sign) and all seemed to be eating the name sake “mallorca” sandwich (another tip – eat what the locals are eating!). We got our menus, and the waiter (wearing a black and white suite, complete with bowtie) came and took our order. Our friends, against my advice (based on my RESEARCH, haha), ordered eggs with sausage. My husband ordered a mallorca with bacon and cheese, and I ordered mine with ham and cheese. Our kids wanted pancakes and couldn’t be convinced otherwise. Our food arrived quickly, and I was in foodie heaven.

 

If you haven’t had a mallorca roll, let me tell you – you are missing out. It’s like a buttery sweet roll/bread type thing dusted with powdered sugar. Sounds a bit weird to eat that with ham (or bacon) and cheese, but it is OH. SO. GOOD. My husband and I began polishing ours off, and Lexi and Dexter immediately saw that they had chosen poorly. They quickly abandoned their pancakes and “helped” us eat ours. So, of course, Dave and I had to order one more, to split. I did taste the kids’ breakfasts – the pancakes were good, but the sausages were almost like hot-dogs in taste. Not what I would want in a breakfast food. Our friends were disappointed in their eggs and sausage dishes – they should have had a mallorca…haha.

 

After breakfast, we had decided to walk up to Castillo de San Cristobal. On our previous trip, Dave and I had explored El Morro (the other old fort in Old San Juan), and so we wanted to see San Cristobal. On our walk up, we walked by the neighborhood known as La Perla. I had read that this section of OSJ was pretty dangerous and it was recommended that tourists avoid it. According to Wikipedia, the drug trade in La Perla is estimated to be a $20 million dollar enterprise. As we were walking, I was explaining all this to Michelle, when she started laughing. As I was telling her how dangerous this neighborhood is, she pointed down to my husband and son who had entered La Perla and were playing on the basketball court. Oops – maybe I should have told my husband! All was well, though, and we continued on to San Cristobal.

 

It cost $5 for adults and children 15 and under are free. With your admission ticket, you also get admission to El Morro for free, as long as you visit within 7 days of your San Cristobal visit. The fort was much bigger than I had thought it would be, and we had a blast exploring and running all over the grounds. There was a lot of green space to run, which was perfect for Dexter. At 3, he was a little too young to take in the other parts of the fort, but he was happy to just be able to move. The older kids really liked all the nooks and crannies, and loved seeing the barracks. If you spend any time in San Juan, I’d recommend a visit to either San Cristobal or El Morro – or both!

 

Sidenote: Dexter is still in the potty training process and showed signs of having to “go” while at the fort. My husband took him into the bathroom, where he protested going by screaming loudly, “I don’t want to POOOOOOP.” The acoustics of the place allowed that scream to carry all over, and I heard two women talking about “that poor boy whose father was forcing him to poop.” This cracked us all up. Dexter’s bathroom habits quickly became a conversation point as he was so against going – we ended up calling it Poopwatch 2014 as the kid would just NOT go.

 

After the fort visit, we were hot and hungry, so we decided to go check in on the Valor, get our stuff on board, and grab lunch. The check-in process was quick, and we really started to see the excitement take hold of Lexi and Dexter. Our boarding picture was taken (wait until you see this one – it’s just perfect) and then we waited in the security line for a while, and then finally, FINALLY we were walking up the hall to the ship! I love that feeling of stepping on to the ship for the first time – it’s just awesome. Then we rounded the corner, inserted our sign & sail cards and heard THE DING.

 

One of the signs of Poopwatch 2014 - Dexter would remove himself from the group and go sit somewhere, by himself.

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Cafe Mallorca ry%3D480

 

Cobblestone streets of OSJ (seriously, Dave must have taken 30 pictures that look just like this).

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La Perla BB Court

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Lexi

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View of El Morro (and La Perla) from San Cristobal

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ShannLC16

ShannLC16

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Valor Day #1

Once we boarded (around 2pm), we were able to go straight to our room – thank goodness. We had too many carry-on items and needed to drop them. I had originally booked an ocean view room, but thanks to many price drops and the 12 hour sale that took place in October, we were able to upgrade to a balcony for $12 – TOTAL, and keep our $280 in onboard credit. I was so excited to show the kids the balcony, and that surprise did not disappoint. The kids loved the balcony! As we were setting the rules for the balcony (no kids out there without an adult, no leaning over the edge), it started pouring – but only for a few minutes, and then the sun came back out, complete with rainbow.

 

We headed up to the Lido Deck to grab some food. I stood in line for Mongolian Wok, which was soooo good, but the line took such a long time as food is cooked to order. Lexi was amazed at the food choices – I think she sampled every dessert possible, but we had to watch Dexter pretty closely with his peanut allergy. He was safe with ice cream, and he was more than happy to eat the soft serve ice cream any time we got snacky type foods on the Lido Deck.

 

After lunch, the kids wanted to go swimming. Dave took Dexter back to the room (yup, to poop FINALLY:rolleyes:) and Lexi and I jumped in the pool with our friends and their kids. Dave and Dexter joined us after a bit and we all enjoyed swimming and sunning. A waiter walked by with several Drink of the Days available, and we all wanted one, so he set his tray down to take our cards. As we were purchasing our drinks, sneaky little Dexter went up to his tray and sucked down several sips of a drink – oops! It was the drink that comes in the funnel cup, which I am sure looked like a kid’s cup to him. So my 3 year old son had his first sip of alcohol, wonderful. He made a face and said, “That drink is not good for my tongue!!!” The poor waiter was so upset and kept apologizing – but we assured him it wasn’t his fault. He came back a few minutes later with some water and a piece of chocolate cake with peanuts on it for Dex – and we had to quickly remove that from his hands before he could take a bite. Again, the poor waiter! He must have apologized like 20 times, but we were all laughing so hard at that point. Dexter was living on the edge! Alcohol and a close call with a peanut. We saw the waiter several more times on the trip and each time he would give Dexter a high five and ask him if he was staying out of trouble.

 

After the pool, we took the kids up to Camp Carnival to make sure everything was all set with registration. I had pre-registered the kids online before we left, but when we arrived, we were told their computers were down and they were unable to print off anyone’s preregistration forms, so we had to fill them all out again. After 9 cruises, I had still never set foot in the Camp Carnival rooms, so this part of the cruise experience was all new to me. The rooms for the 2-5 year olds seemed pretty fun, and the 6-8s were combined with the 9-11s on this trip. All the kids seemed excited to participate in Camp Carnival, and we also planned to use the Night Owl babysitting service (more on that later).

 

We had chosen the early seating for dinner, but the first meal is open seating, so we decided to go closer to 8pm as we had wanted to get off the ship to get water at CVS. Michelle and I, along with our daughters, decided to get off the ship and let the men deal with the boys. I think Dave took Dex on a tour of the ship while we got the water. After our quick trip to CVS, we re-boarded the Valor, and got ready for dinner.

 

At dinner, I had the cream of tomato soup AND the chicken tenders for my appetizer, and the Indian Vegetarian offering for dinner. My kids ordered pizza, and I have no idea what Dave had – something with meat, I am sure!

After Dex ate, he fell asleep at the table, so Dave decided to take him back to the room and asked me to bring him the vanilla crème brulee for dessert. I had the crème brulee as well, and it was yummy. In the middle of dessert, the muster drill was announced, but the waiters told us we didn’t have to go as we were finishing our meal. That didn’t sound right to me, because it is the flipping safety drill! But it didn’t matter anyways, because as we were debating whether or not we had to go, a safety officer came through the dining room and YELLED at us to get to our muster stations. I gave my friends an “I told you so” look, grabbed my husband’s dessert which the waiter had served on a covered dish, and we booked it up to our muster station.

 

We were LAAAAATE and got dirty looks from some of the other passengers. I am sure it didn’t help that I was carrying a vanilla crème brulee!

The safety officer at my station came and over and took the dessert from me, saying it was “against safety protocol” and that “in the event of an actual emergency” I wouldn’t be allowed to take a dessert with me. Ugh – I was totally embarrassed. :o My husband, who was a few rows over with Dexter was laughing at me – ha, joke was on him as it was HIS dessert! Dexter was crying from being woken up, and so the safety officer told me husband that we could take him back to his room. So you can’t miss muster drill, unless you happen to have a crying child. Then it is acceptable to leave. I am not sure how this happened, but about 30 minutes after returning to the room, a brand-new crème brulee was delivered to our room. Talk about amazing customer service!!!

 

Dave was happy to eat his dessert and stay in the room with Dex, so I took Lexi and met our friends on the Lido Deck for the Sail Away party. Lexi was happy to join in on all the cheesy dances (The Wobble, Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Dance) and they pulled her on to the stage. She loved every minute of it. After another ice cream (hey, it’s vacation), I pulled Lexi from the dance floor to head to bed as we wanted the kids to get a good night’s sleep before St. Thomas.

 

Tomorrow: St. Thomas and (hopefully) Day at Sea

 

Rainbow after the rain shower

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Cruisertommyboy

Cruisertommyboy

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I really enjoy reading your review. I am very similar since I have my binder up and running for next Aug. My DW is very similar to your husband in that all she wants to know is when to pack.

Since I am on the same itinerary next Aug on the Liberty I am waiting anxiously on your take on the islands that you stopped at

 

Tom

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JulieMcCoy

JulieMcCoy

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Loving your review...I'm on the Valor in February. We once surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World. The youngest two didn't figure out where they were until we got to our hotel...and then were surprised to see Grandma and Grandpa already there!

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christyran1228

christyran1228

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I live by my travel binder. I totally own my dorkiness though! If you start a travel binder, be prepared to be teased while on vacation. But then there is that glorious moment, when someone has a question, and you use the binder to help - worth it! :D

 

 

 

I texted my husband several times with countdown messages and he wasn't as enthusiastic as I was (is it too much to ask for a response of, "YES! 138 days - it's coming soooo fast, and I love you, and can't wait for our trip?" ;) ). I solved this problem by texting my friend, Michelle instead. She got it. :D

I would text Chris screenshots of my little count down on my phone ... he got very proficient at rolling his eyes at me.

 

So that's when I found all of y'all on FB ... Y'all got it. Lol

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CruiserNic

CruiserNic

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San Juan:

We landed in San Juan around 1:30 (15 minutes early) and grabbed our luggage. We were staying at the Sheraton in Old San Juan – right across from the pier – so we jumped in a taxi and headed straight for the hotel. Total cost for the taxi was $35 for all eight of us. The driver said it was $28 for the ride and $7 ($1 per piece of luggage) for luggage he handled.

 

First, I am loving your review! We are doing this itinerary in Feb.

 

I have a question about the taxi at the airport. Did all eight of you ride in the same taxi? Are there taxis that big waiting at the airport? I ask because we are also a party of eight. I have a private shuttle booked for $80 which isn't too bad because I didn't think we would all be able to ride together, but if we can all fit in a taxi together, I'd rather save that money.

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Dirkgun

Dirkgun

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First, I am loving your review! We are doing this itinerary in Feb.

 

I have a question about the taxi at the airport. Did all eight of you ride in the same taxi? Are there taxis that big waiting at the airport? I ask because we are also a party of eight. I have a private shuttle booked for $80 which isn't too bad because I didn't think we would all be able to ride together, but if we can all fit in a taxi together, I'd rather save that money.

 

 

Sorry .... not trying to hijack. There are definitely Taxis that are full size Vans that can fit 8. The normal price from the airport to San Juan area is $19 (that is for up to 5 people) then a $2 fuel charge, and $1 per bag they carry (not carry on/ bags that you keep on your lap) and then an extra person charge of $2 per person (so your group would add $6). They do say a 7 person max but I know I have seen 8 in a van before.

 

As to the OP again doing a great job with the review. Glad you are ignoring the idiot with the nasty comment. Sounds like you are awesome parents.

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CruiserNic

CruiserNic

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Sorry .... not trying to hijack. There are definitely Taxis that are full size Vans that can fit 8. The normal price from the airport to San Juan area is $19 (that is for up to 5 people) then a $2 fuel charge, and $1 per bag they carry (not carry on/ bags that you keep on your lap) and then an extra person charge of $2 per person (so your group would add $6). They do say a 7 person max but I know I have seen 8 in a van before.

 

As to the OP again doing a great job with the review. Glad you are ignoring the idiot with the nasty comment. Sounds like you are awesome parents.

 

Thanks so much!! I have seen the 7 person max, that is why I booked the private. I would much rather save that money if we can ride together in a taxi. Thanks again!

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Dirkgun

Dirkgun

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Thanks so much!! I have seen the 7 person max, that is why I booked the private. I would much rather save that money if we can ride together in a taxi. Thanks again!

 

 

You are welcome. They do have their rules but a lot of times they can be just suggestions....lol. Usually they are very happy to help if they can. The way I see it... even if you split up and do 2 taxis... assuming you had 8 pieces of luggage. $21 x 2 (taxis)= 42 + 8 (luggage) = $50 plus tip. Still cheaper than the $80 private shuttle. Sorry I went and looked at my reviews from the Victory (2010 and 2012) when it was doing this itinerary and I did not save the taxi drivers cards. If you get one to take you all get his card and call him for other rides if you need.

Edited by Dirkgun
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