Come Join The Valor Voyagers 6/12/05 Western Caribbean

[Snowball]

It is never too early book your excursions - you can do it whenever you want. If you are booking them through the cruiseline, you just need to go to their website [url="http://www.carnival.com"]www.carnival.com[/url] and register on their site. Then click on My Profile at the upper right hand corner of the screen, then click to add your booking # to the website. Your booking number should be on the invoice from your travel agent (6 digits - number and letter combination). After you add your booking to the site, then you can book your excursions, but it will require that you pay for the excursions now.

Another option is to search around and book tours with an independent tour operator for each island. You should check out the ports of call boards here on cruise critic - there is a ton of great information on there about the different tours you can take at each port, and has information on independent tour operators that you can book those tours with.

Happy hunting!!!

[lhall85917]

Hi parisolivia - welcome! You're husband sounds like mine and many of the others on here! They don't understand why we are obsessing over excursions, arrival/departure times, and all of the rest. :rolleyes:

What they don't understand is we are the reason why their trip goes so smoothly. I know my husband would hate it if we arrived at a port and looked at each other and didn't know what to do. We did that in Nassau many years ago, got off the ship, didn't like it, got right back on the ship. I know now that there is much more than what is right at the dock and thats what these boards are so wonderful for!

Several of us have planned to go on the cave tubing - that seems to be the one thing that most of us want to do. We were considering the zip line in Roatan, but I think it might be more than we want to spend for 5 of us. We are now checking into costs of cabs/minibuses and just traveling over to the west end and hitting a beach and some shopping. In Cayman, several are going to do the stingray excursion. Carlos and Charlie's seems to be popular for Cozumel. In case, you decide to do this - make sure you let me know, I'm the designated person to get everyone back to the ship on time - LOL :D

Let us know what you decide to do for excursions, it may just give us some more ideas!
Sharon

[Marcys]

Hi parisolivia! Welcome! What are your names? I think this is perfect timing for choosing excursions! If we had delayed last year, we never could have gotten the kids into the dolphin swim in Cozumel. Besides, half the fun is planning! It heightens the anticipation and makes the vacation months long!

Hope you guys all had a fun 3-day weekend. I had to work yesterday, but I can't complain since I had about 5 weeks off at Christmas. Sunday Dave and I went into Cleveland, had dinner out, and then saw Billy Joel's show Moving Out. It was really good, but then again, we are life long Billy Joel fans. I think it was our first time out without kids in...well...forever!! And they're 13 and 16, so it's not like we need sitters or anything!

Sharon, just to let you know, you can book the canopy tour only through TropicalRez for $50 or 55, without the beach.

[Snowball]

Marcy - Sounds like you and Dave had a great weekend. I am a huge Billy Joel fan and I saw Movin' Out in New York a few months after it opened and agree that it is a great show. It is coming here to Philly next month and I may take my daughter to go see it.

[Corl4]

Good morning everyone!

Well, I'm home from school again still fighting the flu. Called the doc and he basically said just stay home and let it run it's course! Hopefully I'll get back tomorrow but I'm really wiped out!

Welcome parisolivia! We're from PA too...Lancaster County! We occasionally get up to Penn State for a football game! We have a great group here...glad you are joining us!

Marcy - Sounds like a great weekend! I love Billy Joel...saw him in concert many years ago! We go to NYC a lot but haven't seen Movin' Out yet. DH and I had plans for the weekend too but the flu kept me home!

Debbie - We have tickets for the Temple - St. Joes basketball game tonight...hope I'm feeling better so I can go. Otherwise DH and DS will be on their own!

Have a good day all...and stay healthy!!

Beth

[parisolivia]

Hi everyone, my name is Connie and my husbands name is Ron. I think we might be a little older than most of you, but we still enjoy having fun, alot. We deffinately want to go to Carlos and Charlies, would really love the cave tubing. I read somehwhere do not use your credit card at Carlos and Charlies because the bartenders steal your number. I live in Mifflin Co. and love to shop in Lancaster, you have excellent stores. Oh by the way, we are both in our early to mid fifties, I hope that does not matter, we are deffinately not stuffy. I am so excited about this cruise, but my husband says why do you want to talk about everthing now. I booked our other cruise without telling him and he was really mad. When we got on the cruise he loved it and now wants to go again. We have done the stingray tour, its wonderful, the hell tour, and the party boat. Well enough about us, how about you girls.:o

[Marcys]

Connie, that's why these boards are so great! They give us a place to chat about the cruise when our spouses don't want to hear anymore about it!!:D

One thing I've found on a cruise is that age doesn't matter much...it's how much you want to have fun! We are not so very far off from your age. When we sail, my DH will be 49 and I'll be 47! We just had kids late!

Connie, if you feel comfortable doing so, post a bio and picture of you and your DH on our website. I know Debbie gave you the link but I'll post it again here.
[url="http://home.cinci.rr.com/valorvoyagers/"]http://home.cinci.rr.com/valorvoyagers/[/url]

[lhall85917]

Connie, too bad but a lot of us aren't young anymore! Lance is 50 and I'll have just turned 46 when we cruise. I'm sure its all a matter of how you act than how old you are! :D I may get labeled the old fuddy duddy of the bunch by the time we get there - its already been established we don't drink much, i get up way too early in the morning and I worry way too much (but I'm not alone in that one!). Our kids are 22 and 19, so we're just starting to have empty nest - the youngest went away to college this year, so instead of enjoying being alone, what do we do? We bring them all with us on the cruise along with the daughter's boyfriend!!

[parisolivia]

Hi its me again, everytime I read something on this site I run out and tell my husband, and I get so excited over this cruise it is what keeps me going right now. My grandmother of 97 passed away last week and it was tough. My mother has alziemers, not sure how to spell it, and my 18 month old grandaughter was just diagnosed with a mild to moderate autism. So when I go to sleep at night I dream of this cruise. I have 4 little grandaughters that keep me young. Their names are Olivia 5, Paris, 2, Leanna, 18 mos. and Cypress 1. They are what keep me smiling. My husband and I both work full time. I am not very good at this computer stuff and do not have a digital camera, but I wish I did. I do not even know what a tender is. I need alot of help, don,t I. :confused:

[lhall85917]

Again, the wonders of this board - you know you can usually find an answer! I'll take the easy one - a tender is when the ship can't dock at the port so they have smaller boats take you from the ship to the dock. This happens for different reasons, the port isn't deep enough, there are too many ships there already, etc.
None of us know each other yet, but we have had the opportunity already to share several tough moments. I think you'll find some wonderful people on this cruise. I teach 2nd grade and have an autistic student. He is extremely bright and articulate and one of the favorite students I've ever had. His autism shows up through his handwriting, gross motor skills and some of his mannerisms. He is well liked by the other students and excluded in anyway. Hopefully, Leanna will adjust easily too.
Feel free to ask any and all questions, if we don't know the answer, I bet we want to know too!

[parisolivia]

What about the excursions you guys are taking? Did you pay for them already? Thanks for pep talk for Leanna, it helps. I have a daughter Amy and a son Lee. My husband and I have been married 29 years. You girls sound great and it sounds like everyone is just waiting for the ship to come in, me too.

[parisolivia]

Well I am going to take a quick bubble bath and will be right back, is that over sharing? Ha Ha. What decks are all you people on? What time will most of you be having diner? Be right back:)

[Marcys]

Connie, we have first seating which is a bit of a rush on port days, but teens want to eat and run to join the evening activities. Plus, this gives us a chance to enjoy food again at midnight!!:D We are on deck 6, an inside with a balcony across the hall. The balcony is for us!! The inside for the kids!

We are probably doing the canopy tour (zipline) in Roatan. Just need to decide which one, and with a beach tour or not. Belize is cave tubing with the gang. (Already did swimming with the sharks and rays). Caymans will be a beach day with parasailing and waverunners. Maybe a nice restaurant for lunch. (Already did sting rays and Atlantis sub). Cozumel still undecided. (The kids swam with the dolphins at Chankanaab, and we've been to Paradise Beach). We're thinking of a dune buggy tour, but we may dock too late for that. Maybe back to Paradise Beach, maybe snuba at Chankanaab (great snorkeling there). Definately Carlos N Charlies with the gang and Sharon as our designated "get us to the ship on time" (sang to the tune of get me to the church on time!). I think I'm the designated worrier!

[Snowball]

Trust me, you definitely are not the only one that is dreaming about this cruise! :D My cabin is on deck 6, and we have requested the 6:15 dinner time.

I have not paid for any of my excursions yet, but do have two of them booked already through independent tour operators (will pay when we get to the port).

This is what I have planned for each port:

[b]Belize[/b] - cave tubing with Wet N' Wild (we have a lot of people here going on this excursion). Here is a link to Wet N' Wild's website [url="http://www.ecotoursbelize.com/index.html"]http://www.ecotoursbelize.com/index.html[/url]

[b]Roatan[/b] - going to book the Tabyana Beach excursion through the cruise ship - cost is $33 per person.

[b]Grand Cayman[/b] - Swim with the stingrays and snorkeling with Soto's (again there are a few people from here going on the same excursion).

[b]Cozumel[/b] - taking a cab to Paradise Beach, then partying at Carlos N' Charlies at night. (Depending on Sharon to get us back to the ship on time :eek: ).

This is my first time cruising to these islands, and I can't wait to see each and every one of them. In my experience, most cruise itineraries have one not-so-good island, but I don't think that is true with this itinerary because I've heard so many great things about all of the islands we are visiting.

[Marcys]

Debbie, we might do Tabyana Beach, too, since my e-mail from them says that if we book the tour through the ship we shoulg be able to pay for the canopy tour once we get to the beach. I'm holding off making a decision until I have to. I hear Tabyana has great snorkeling!

[ChadGates]

[b]Debbie, You are definitely going to have a GREAT time on this cruise!!
You have it covered from can to can't!;)

Paradise Beach is great in Coz and Tabyana Beach Resort is the happening place on Roatan!!

I've never done the cave tubing and the beach resort we used last time in GC was blown away by the hurricanes about 6 months ago!:eek: [/b]

[parisolivia]

I have no idea what I am doing. Do you guys have a certain person that is in charge of these excursions. We have never done anything but the ship excursions, and do not know how to get around. How long did it take you guys to wait to get onboard the ship before it leaves Miami?:eek: :confused:

[VOLEYMOM]

Hi Connie, welcome to the boards. You will have no trouble having all your questions answered. Just ask and someone always knows the answer. By the way my name is Rebecca, husband Brian, and we are in the same age bracket as you!! Both 51 to be exact!! We are traveling with our daughter and her boyfriend. You sound like you could really use a cruise. I know how hard it is to have someone with alzheimers. My mother-in-law who just turned 90 has dementia. Luckily she is not getting worse but her recent memories are no more. We just recently had to place her in a home. She lived next door to us for about 30 years. It was a very hard decision but she is getting excellent care. I do know how it is a strain on everyone.
No for the good news, our cruise. I have been to all these ports and they are great!! Not sure what I am doing at all the ports but having fun deciding. I usually book all my excursions on our own. I do know in Grand Cayman we are going to do these small boats called aquaboats with snorkeling.I don't know my room as I booked a guarantee. We have late dining though. Like getting back to the ship and unwinding before dinner. I like it too because lots of time you get time to yourself up on deck while everyone else is getting ready for dinner.
Welcome once again and just ask away!
Rebecca

[VOLEYMOM]

Marcy who did you contact for the other zipline tour? After reading the review it sounds like a lot of fun. The beach there sounds nice and maybe not quite so crowded as the one through Carnival. Would like to book her tour.
Sound like you had a fun weekend. Love Billy Joel also. On our last cruise they had a Elton John impersonater. He was excellent. Had the crazy glasses and costumes. Very fun!
Thanks,
Rebecca

[emarismom]

Good morning all!!!


I hope everyone is doing well today!!
Parisolivia glad you could join us!! This board has been great source of information, as well as a source of comfort during those "trying" times in life. This is a great place to visit to just forget everything else and focus only on positive things:) Believe me when I say, I know how difficult it is to deal with a tough diagnosis. My six year old had "brain" surgery in Nov. When we came home from the hospital, I booked this cruise to lift my spirits. Thankfully, she is doing well and now the whole family has something to look forward to come June!!

I also am a special education teacher. Be very grateful that your granddaughter has been diagnosed early, as she will now be able to get a variety of types of early intervention that will be very beneficial to her!!

Has anyone been able to actuallly print the capers from our website? I can't figure out how to reduce them to a printable format. I'm not the most computer literate.

Have a great day!!
Michelle

[Marcys]

Rebecca,

Here's the contact info for the "new" zipline. I haven't booked yet, still not sure if I'm doing this one or Tabyana. Make sure you tell her that you are in "Marcy's group" since she promised to honor $85 for the zipline, beach, lunch, guide versus the new price of $120. Remember, she's the tour broker who does bookings for lots of companies, she's not part of the zipline company.

[font=Arial][size=2]Sandra Sampayo[/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2]Reservations Director[/size][/font]
[font=Arial][size=2]TropicalREZ[/size][/font]
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[parisolivia]

:) You know, sometimes you feel like you are all alone when you have problems, but you are not. I am so glad I found this site and it really does let me know there are kind hearted people out there. When I go to sleep at night I usually have trouble falling asleep, but this cruise and my grandaughters always make me smile. thank you so very much for replying and will talk later with you girls.:o

[Snowball]

Connie - you are so sweet! :) I firmly believe that having something positive to look forward to helps us get through the difficult times when you happen to hit a speed bump along the road of life. I know that whenever I am dealing with a stressful situation or are just having a bad day, thinking about this upcoming cruise always makes me feel a little bit better. And as soon as I get back from one cruise, I always feel the need to book the next one right away that way instead of being sad that the last one is over I am already looking forward to the next one.

[Marcys]

Connie, last summer we went on a cruise just about 2 months after my husband finished chemotherapy. It gave us something to look forward to through the 6 months of treatments. Now he's in remission and we'll be celebrating his 1 year anniversary and our 25th wedding anniversary on the cruise. :)

I know that our Cruise Critic group has many things that we are all celebrating...so we should choose one time to all get together to celebrate. I personally will be celebrating for all 7 days!!:D

[ChadGates]

Good Morning to All The Ladies of Valor Voyagers!!!

I hope you all have a great day and remember we are one day closer to our cruise!! YEE HAW!! er, I mean WOO HOO!;) :D

I'm off to play golf this morning. Try to hold it down to a dull roar please!:p