June '16 Valor - 8 day Southern Caribbean Review - with pictures

[missync]

If they were right outside the Casino, then YES, I did hear the Boardwalk Band. I thought they were great also. I liked that I could hear live music while in the casino too. Didn't love the smoke but oh well.

[missync]

misync,

We leave on the Valor in about 55 days and I have 2 questions.....

1) where did you get the discount parking coupon?

2) what were the Dive In movies?

Thanks in advance for any answers that you can prvide.

 

We got the parking coupon directly from the hotel. I think that's the only way to get it...from hotels. There are a bunch of hotels in the area that participate in the discount program. I found a thread on one of these message boards (search port canaveral parking) and it sent me to a website that listed all of the hotels.

 

I'm assuming you are asking specific movies. They played 2 everynight and a 3rd midnight movie one night. I am definitely missing some and they could be different when you get on board but here you go:

The Intern

Deadpool (midnight movie)

Ant Man

Avengers 2

Kung Foo Panda 3

Zootopia

Hunger Games Mockingjay part 2

Star Wars: Episode 7 The Force Awakens

Pitch Perfect 2

Creed

The Martian

 

Sorry I can't remember the rest but if I think of them, I'll post it

[missync]

Day 2 Continued:

 

After dinner I went to the Dive In Movie: Pitch Perfect 2.

 

 

 

And then we went to the show...can't remember the title but the music and dancing was very good albeit a bit loud. We had a couple really drunk guys behind us that were talking and singing during the whole show which didn't really help much. But I enjoyed the show either way. Casino was packed so I listened to some music and then went to bed. Another sea day tomorrow!

[missync]

Day 3 Sea Day:

 

Got up this morning and went to the buffet for breakfast. They had the usual stuff and I got pretty much the same thing as every day: fruit, bagel with cream cheese, bacon, danish, and potatoes. Then I headed to the pool for some sun.

 

After what seemed like hours of searching, I found a chair and sat down. I really liked DJ Flo-rin by the pool. He played a great mix of music. Mostly newer Top 40 type of stuff but he mixed it up with some country and some classics. Late afternoon an duet would come out and perform more Caribbean style music (think Bob Marley). I thought they were pretty good. I liked the change of pace and the island feel to it.

 

There were always games or competitions on the Lido deck. I'm not a huge fan of them personally because a lot of them are just people being silly but they can be amusing and break up the day some.

 

After sitting by the pool for awhile, I went down to shower and rest before dinner.

[missync]

Day 3 Sea Day continued:

 

Dinner time!!!

 

 

prosciutto ruffles: ok. It wasn't my favorite but I didn't hate it. it was kind of plain actually but I guess if you love proscuitto, you'd probably love it

 

french onion soup: not mine so I only tried a bite but very tasty however it was just typical french onion soup. good but no better than i've gotten other places. also the bread was very soggy which I hate

 

smoked chicked quesadilla: not mine. Apparently this was a favorite among my family. they all really enjoyed it and a few of them said they wished they could have it as an entree.

 

fresh fruit - amazing every day! It's nothing special but it's really good fresh fruit.

[Clarea]

Enjoying the review.:)

[missync]

 

meatloaf - it was ok. not traditional meatloaf in any sense of the word. tasted ok but it was slightly mushy. wouldn't order again.

 

jerked pork loin- VERY GOOD! this was one of my favorites. it IS spicy though so heads up. I thought it was very well cooked and had a great flavor.

 

penne mariscos - not mine. i'm told it was delicious though. she said that it had a great flavor and wasn't too fishy.

 

braised short ribs - not mine. Apparently this was another family favorite. they said they were cooked very well and extremely tasty. only downside...tiny portion lol

 

chicken sicilian - not mine. very good but nothing too exciting. said it was just chicken but they really enjoyed it.

[missync]

 

strawberry cheesecake: not mine but I tasted it and it was very good. simply cheesecake with a very small bit of strawberry but it was good. nothing too exciting though

 

fig, date, and cinnamon cake: AMAZING!! WAAAAY better than I was expecting. One of my favorites. It tasted kind of like a cinnamon coffee cake but had a crunchiness too it that I really enjoyed.

 

lemon cake: very good! light and moist with a good lemon flavor that wasn't overpowering.

[missync]

After dinner I went to the movie. Tonight was Hunger Games Mockingjay part 2. Personally I think they should have played 1 & 2 back to back because I heard several people confused as to what was going on BUT that's life.

 

There was a second movie that I can't remember and didn't take a picture of but I'm pretty sure I watched that one too because I did just about every night lol

 

I went and listened to some live music and then went to bed. We are going to be in Aruba tomorrow!

[ridgerunner51]

Loving this review! We will board Valor on July 24th.

[miataman19]

Sailing today on Valor. Can't wait to dig in to some of those entrees.:D ridgerunner51, we'll try and get her back in one piece for you...lol

Edited July 16, 2016 by miataman19

[kbklcamp]

Hi Missync, hope you'll post more. Anxious to see and hear more about this trip and ship

 

 

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[missync]

Day 4 - ARUBA!

 

I forgot to mention yesterday that we had an emergency medical situation on the ship (no idea what happened) and they needed to evacuate a passenger so we made a quick pit stop in El Salvador (at least that's what it sounded like he said) then continued on to Aruba.

In doing so we arrived a little late but not too bad. We were supposed to dock at 1pm and it was closer to 2pm.

 

I highly suggest watching the ship dock. It is a GORGEOUS view!

 

 

 

You can see the white sand beaches and it's just beautiful. The pictures don't really do it justice.

 

We went up to the buffet for lunch and to watch the ship dock. We went out to deck 10 (upstairs in buffet there is a fish and chips place - pretty good) and then you can go outside to the deck to watch.

 

After that we went back to the room (we were on deck 2) to get our stuff and wait for them to allow us to depart. We ended up sitting in the room for awhile because it took longer than expected but they eventually allowed people off and we wandered down to deck 0 to leave. The port isn't anything to write home about. Simple port not much shopping immediate off the ship but if you go to the end of the block there is everything! An open air market right across the street and shops all the way down on both sides.

[missync]

ARUBA continued...

 

As always there are vendors there for tours and whatnot trying to sell stuff. We were planning on taking the bus ($2.50-3) to Eagle Beach but a guy named Carl who runs a tour company offered us a ride to the beach for $5/person each way. It was about a 10 minute drive. He had a nice little van/bus with AC so off we went. He took us to a private all inclusive resort. We obviously didn't get to take full advantage of all THAT but they had a private beach, pool, bar & restaurant (we had to pay), gift shop, and nice clean bathrooms. They also had wifi but you had to sit in the lobby.

Most of my family sat in nice chairs (not loungers - they were $8/each) with a small table under a shaded awning and had a nice breeze. The rest of us sat in the sun and went in the water. The white sand is AMAZING! It's so fine and soft. The problem is that it was kind of windy so the sand got everywhere but it was just gorgeous.

 

Carl came to get us at our assigned time and was a little early so we didn't have to sit around waiting or worrying if he was going to come back and drove us back to the port. We got back on board for dinner. I know a lot of people didn't but I spent a lot of money for that dinner so I wanted to eat it. Plus, in case you couldn't tell...I LOVE food!:D

[Sailingsoonunderthemoon1]

This is fabulous. I look forward to reading your posts.

[AdoptAtty]

Thanks so much for all the information!

[SummerXU]

Can't wait for more! I'll be on Valor soon (but not soon enough!) and this is a great way to pass the time!

 

 

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[bailey57]

"As always there are vendors there for tours and whatnot trying to sell stuff. We were planning on taking the bus ($2.50-3) to Eagle Beach but a guy named Carl who runs a tour company offered us a ride to the beach for $5/person each way. It was about a 10 minute drive. He had a nice little van/bus with AC so off we went. He took us to a private all inclusive resort."

 

 

Hi - Enjoying your review - taking this same cruise in two weeks. :) Do you know the name of the resort? And are there any pics of the 'free' chairs you mention? Thanks!

[1025cruise]

I was on the same cruise. I did not appear to me that we were late arriving in Aruba. I did notice we did go a bit faster the second sea day. I was on one of the first tours off of the ship, no delay in getting off or meeting from the time my tickets stated.

[missync]

I was on the same cruise. I did not appear to me that we were late arriving in Aruba. I did notice we did go a bit faster the second sea day. I was on one of the first tours off of the ship, no delay in getting off or meeting from the time my tickets stated.

 

I agree we were going faster that second day. but you might have been allowed off earlier because you had a tour. They didn't let the rest of us off until close to 2pm. No idea exactly what time but I know it was later than we were expecting. It wasn't a big issue for me, just figured it was worth mentioning! Hope you had as much fun as we did!

[missync]

"As always there are vendors there for tours and whatnot trying to sell stuff. We were planning on taking the bus ($2.50-3) to Eagle Beach but a guy named Carl who runs a tour company offered us a ride to the beach for $5/person each way. It was about a 10 minute drive. He had a nice little van/bus with AC so off we went. He took us to a private all inclusive resort."

 

 

Hi - Enjoying your review - taking this same cruise in two weeks. :) Do you know the name of the resort? And are there any pics of the 'free' chairs you mention? Thanks!

 

We went to Divi Aruba All Inclusive Resort. I didn't take any pictures of the chairs but there are some GREAT pictures on tripadvisor. Especially the traveler photos.

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g147248-d150688-Reviews-Divi_Aruba_All_Inclusive-Oranjestad_Aruba.html

[missync]

Day 4 - Aruba

 

Dinner time!!

 

 

mixed garden and field greens salad - it was ok. decent little salad. dressing was very oily and didn't have a lot of flavor but it was ok

 

fire roasted chicken - not mine - I'm told it was AMAZING! but too small. my nephew really liked it but wished he could have had several more

 

fruit - amazing as always!

[missync]

menu

 

cornish game hen - not mine - my uncle really enjoyed it. said it had a great flavor but wasn't "typical" barbeque. he really liked it though

 

new york strip steak - very good! - i like mine well done and they cooked it nicely. great flavor and not too much fat (which I hate). my dad got steak pretty much every night and also enjoyed this one.

 

lamb chop - not mine - said it was very good. not the best either has ever had (brother and uncle) but both enjoyed it. said they might order again but it would depend on what else was on the menu

[missync]

chicken pot pie - not mine - apparently DELICIOUS! my mom loved it. My aunt also really enjoyed it. said the crust was nice and flaky and the filling was just amazing. one of my mom's favorites

 

tilapia - really good! I thought it was cooked well and had a little spice but not too much for anyone who doesn't like it. the rice was delicious as well. very very good!

 

vegetarian lasagna - not mine - said it was really good. not as good as the regular lasagna (coming later lol) but very flavorful and delicious

 

 

apparently between the 8 of us we tried basically all of the entrees tonight! i didn't realize that until just now lol

[missync]

I might have these screwed up. I know these are what we ate this day but I can't remember which is which and the descriptions aren't helping so apologies if I totally confuse everyone...

 

 

White Chocolate bread pudding?? maybe?? not mine - i'm told it was very light and fluffy and had a good taste. the chocolate ball with it was sort of mushy but tasted ok

 

almond date cake - AMAZING! I really enjoyed this one. very tasty. didn't love the weird little thing on top (next to the strawberry). it was just weird tasting and kind of chewy. but the rest was delish!

 

chocolate cake - very good! light and creamy with a good chocolate flavor that wasn't over powering. nice texture.