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

[TJ92813]

Enjoying your review. Now I'm hungry! Haha

[cruisingbajan]

Enjoying your review and photos.

 

Valor has been our favourite Carnival cruise to date and may probably remain so for a long time:D

[easyboy]

I love the escargot too, when served really hot!

Enjoying your review.

[noelbows]

This is awesome. I'm going on the Valor in 2 1/2 weeks. Hoping you get to post more. I'm interested in your pics of Grand Turk and of course the rest of the food! I hope it hasn't changed too much with the new American Table. Did you ever do brunch in the MDR?

[Greek cruiser]

Enjoying your review and photos.

 

Valor has been our favourite Carnival cruise to date and may probably remain so for a long time:D

 

Say that again! lol! Hi Keith! ;)

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[DebbieMo]

Enjoying your review! I'm planning this same itinerary just in different order for our next cruise. Couple of questions..did you have to pay to use the beach in Aruba? How long was sea trek dive and how much to rent car in curaçao? Could you have taken a taxi instead?

 

 

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[missync]

Enjoying your review! I'm planning this same itinerary just in different order for our next cruise. Couple of questions..did you have to pay to use the beach in Aruba? How long was sea trek dive and how much to rent car in curaçao? Could you have taken a taxi instead?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

We took a "tour" to the aruba beach. He was a random tour guide we found just outside the pier. He had a nice little bus and charged $7 a person. He also came back at the time we requested. Really good guy and was very convenient. Definitely haggle a bit but they won't change a whole lot.

Sea Trek Dive was about 45 minutes in the water plus a safety briefing and such before. Total it took about 2 hours or so. It was AMAZING! I'd love to do it again. Car rental was cheap. $27/day from Avis. Look around a little because the Mega Pier rates may not be as cheap as the Howard Johnson rates and the HJ is only about a 10 minute walk away. We were able to return the cars to the pier even! They only have manual (stick shift) vehicles there though so be prepared...

Taxi to the Sea Trek would have been easier but probably a lot more expensive. It was a good 10 miles or more though it took us MUCH longer because the maps sucked lol

depending on how many people you have, car would probably be cheaper but get a good map or have GPS

[missync]

dinner menu

 

Grilled Tiger Shrimp - VERY GOOD - not mine but she LOVED IT! said mustard potatoes weren't very mustardy

 

spanakopita - AMAZING!!! I really really enjoyed this one. The spanakopita was flaky and delicious and the stuffed pepper was amazing. Could have added more feta but otherwise one of my favorites!

 

Chateaubriand - not mine - Very good! My brother really enjoyed it. Said it wasn't a filling portion but he thought it was excellent

[DebbieMo]

We took a "tour" to the aruba beach. He was a random tour guide we found just outside the pier. He had a nice little bus and charged $7 a person. He also came back at the time we requested. Really good guy and was very convenient. Definitely haggle a bit but they won't change a whole lot.

 

Sea Trek Dive was about 45 minutes in the water plus a safety briefing and such before. Total it took about 2 hours or so. It was AMAZING! I'd love to do it again. Car rental was cheap. $27/day from Avis. Look around a little because the Mega Pier rates may not be as cheap as the Howard Johnson rates and the HJ is only about a 10 minute walk away. We were able to return the cars to the pier even! They only have manual (stick shift) vehicles there though so be prepared...

 

Taxi to the Sea Trek would have been easier but probably a lot more expensive. It was a good 10 miles or more though it took us MUCH longer because the maps sucked lol

 

depending on how many people you have, car would probably be cheaper but get a good map or have GPS

 

 

Thank you for the helpful info. Getting lost is half the fun [emoji6]. The Sea Trek Dive does look super fun and we seriously considering it.

 

 

Carnival Glory - Western Caribbean June 2016

[missync]

dessert menu

 

amaretto cake - Very good! light and moist. good flavor and not too sweet

 

cheesecake - not mine - said it was good but nothing to write home about. typical cheesecake

 

baked alaska - good. it was not as good as others i've had but I enjoyed it. sweet but not too sweet. meringue could have been better.

 

[missync]

GRAND TURK!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[missync]

more Grand Turk

 

 

 

 

[missync]

app menu

 

tomatoes - not mine - i'm told it was very good but tomatoes weren't as ripe as she would have liked

 

no idea what this is. Maybe the spring mix salad?? just figured i'd share the picture anyways lol

[missync]

dinner menu

 

 

filet mignon - Very good! cooked well and nicely prepared. my dad, who ordered steak just about every night, LOVED it as well.

 

cinnamon pumpkin, squash, yam, and cheddar pie - interesting. not as much flavor as i was hoping for. crust was amazing but the rest of the dish just didn't have a lot of flavor

 

 

lasagna - not mine but i tasted it. it was good but could have used more meat. honestly probably like Olive Garden's better but it had a good flavor.

 

turkey - I'm told it was good. The stuffing was not my mom's favorite but she enjoyed the rest. I tasted it...NOT as good as she makes

 

shrimp - good but not filling. nothing out of the ordinary but my nephew liked it (he has fancy tastes but wanted something he "knew")

[missync]

 

chocolate cake - very good. very sweet but tasty. definitely would order again

 

apple pie - had been told it wasn't great but was happily surprised! very much enjoyed it. tasted homemade. crust could use some work as it wasn't flaky like I like but the filling was good and it was very tasty.

 

[missync]

Thank you for the helpful info. Getting lost is half the fun [emoji6]. The Sea Trek Dive does look super fun and we seriously considering it.

 

 

Carnival Glory - Western Caribbean June 2016

 

talk to the guys there. they responded very quickly to email and were very helpful. it made for an interesting trip but the roads aren't marked well (or at all) and the maps we got were practically worthless. we had fun though!!

can't wait to hear how it went!

[shallow1]

Loving your review and the food "porn" pics are fabulous!!! We are looking forward to sailing the Valor in June!!!

[easyboy]

Love your nice photos!

[missync]

app menu

 

frog legs - not mine - actually my 17 year old nephew ate these. He really liked them. said they tasted like chicken lol. Decent flavor but just very little meat.

 

mango cream soup - this is how it starts and the next picture is the finished product

 

mango cream soup - very good!! I really liked this one. nice and creamy with a good flavor. not a filling appetizer but nice and light.

 

crab cake - very good. had a really nice taste to it. nothing special about it but it was a very good crab cake

 

grilled mushroom - not mine - I'm told it was delicious. said the flavor was excellent but could have used a little more "something"...she didn't know what that something was though lol

[missync]

dinner menu

 

mac and cheese - very good! nice and creamy and the bacon just adds something. it comes with chicken but I had them leave that off so I can't tell you how that was. I really liked this meal though!

 

mahi mahi - excellent. very light and flaky but not too fishy. well prepared. definitely one of my favorites.

 

prime rib - not mine - my uncle really enjoyed it. said it was cooked the way he liked it (you can ask for however you want it) and that it had a great flavor

[missync]

menu

 

apple pie - very good. similar to the previous apple pie but still very tasty.

 

grand marnier souffle - AMAZING!! This is always a favorite of mine. Nice and light but such a great flavor that isn't too sweet.

 

My brother and his wife were celebrating their 20th anniversary on the cruise and the staff brought them this to celebrate. The staff all crowded around to watch them take a bite. It was really cute. The "cake", if you can call it that, was VERRRRRY sweet. It was more of a thick mousse or fudge inside but it was good. just so sweet. It was the thought that counts and my brother and sister in law were surprised and happy.

[missync]

kung fu panda 3 by the pool

 

 

[easyboy]

My brother and his wife were celebrating their 20th anniversary on the cruise and the staff brought them this to celebrate. The staff all crowded around to watch them take a bite. It was really cute. The "cake", if you can call it that, was VERRRRRY sweet. It was more of a thick mousse or fudge inside but it was good. just so sweet. It was the thought that counts and my brother and sister in law were surprised and happy.

We always look forward to this kind of attention when celebrating special occasions onboard. The "symbolic' cake becomes priceless.