Valor Review - 1/2/05

Here is the good and the bad, strictly FROM MY POINT OF VIEW. :)

First, we had a great time! There were nine of us. My SO and I had an inside cabin on the Lido deck. I loved being on the Lido deck - so close to everything. I was very impressed with the cabin. It was so light and well lit. We asked our steward to move the two double beds together which he did immediately. The beds were awesome! Down comfortors with duvet covers and the mattress was so comfy! Ladies, here is a word of warning. There are NO outlets in the bathroom! (Well, there is one but it is a weird one that won't accept normal plugs.) Bring a power strip for the only outlet at the desk. The hair dryer was in the drawer of the desk and could not be removed from the drawer. I'm glad I brought my own hair dryer along. Also, the bathroom had a somewhat unpleasant odor. I don't know why since is it a new ship. But, I had brought along air freshener which took care of it just fine. The shower is great - very roomy. And the lip of the shower is built up so we never had spill over into the bathroom when showering. Also, the shower head is removeable to a hand held which I think would be handy if you have small children who have never showered or don't like the shower.

I thought the food was very good. Interesting presentations at dinner and the desserts were always a hit. The only thing disappointing was the Gala Buffet. Not very Gala. IMO not worth staying up for if you normally go to bed early. Everyone in our group agreed. There was a Chocolate buffet on the last day at sea. That was a big hit and had long lines. We ate in the Lincoln dining room and it was beautiful. Yes, the lighting has a pinkish hue, but ladies, we all know that pink lighting is very flattering! :) Our waiter was very good. She told me that she is on the team of waiters that opens each new ship. She was on the Glory, Miracle and now the Valor. I asked her if she would be on the Liberty and she said she didn't know yet as she wanted to go home to Croatia for a while.

The Ivanhoe Theatre is very nice and the stage curtain is beautiful. The two big shows on formal nights are not to be missed. They were wonderful and everyone was talking about them days later.

The decor of the ship might be considered a little over the top but I really liked it. I expect when I get on a ship to see lots of color and interesting decor. I had heard comments that the color scheme of Rosie's was a little wild, but I really didn't think this was the case. Even though the colors are lime green, yellow and blue, they were muted and well done. There are some cool mosaics on the walls also. And Rosie's also had a lot of brushed and shiny aluminum on the ceiling which I liked. It seemed to be a reminder of the war time and the value of that sort of metal. The food in Rosie's was typical buffet, but the burgers from the grill were very, very good and of course, the ice cream with addictive.

We ate as Scarlett's one evening and I can't say enough about that! It was absolutely AWESOME! I highly recommend it to everyone. The food was fabulous, the staff was impeccable and it was a great experience! Definitely more than worth the $25 per person.

And just a word about deck chair saving. I was up early one morning to watch the sunrise and people were out saving rows of deck chairs at 6:30 a.m.! I'm talking 8-10 at a time. That just doesn't seem right but there doesn't seem like much can be done about it. Here is a tip for you sun bathers. The back deck of Lido - the Prometheus - is great for lounging and not as many people go there at first. It is in the back of the ship and has a pool, two hot tubs, a burger grill, restrooms and an ice cream machine all within the area. We laid by the pool there rather than the main area on Lido and really enjoyed it.

Some in our group were interested in the topless deck and we had a hard time finding it. The only access is through the basketball/volleyball cage (enclosed by a net.) and it isn't marked. Definitely out of the way.

Most in our group like to dance and except for the disco which is the young crowd, there wasn't much opportunity. There is a great group in the Eagles lounge but they quit playing fairly early in the evening. Cool Runnings, on the Lido deck is also great and was perfect music for Lido Deck fun.

Several in our group had a problem with incabin water being charged to their S & S account when they hadn't used it. I talked to our steward 4 times about mine and he was getting as frustrated as I was. I called the purser's desk 3 times and instead of it getting removed, another one was billed! It still had not been removed by debarkation time and I finally gave up. The last time I called the Purser's desk they said it had been removed and would print me a new statement but when I stopped by to pick it up on the way off the ship they didn't know anything about it. I was in the debarkation line by that time so I just said forget it. I'll see when the charge comes on my credit card whether it was removed. It was only $11 but it was the principle of it that bugged me.

The ship is easy to get around on and within a few days we all felt comfortable finding our way.

Despite the little glitches I mentioned, it was a fabulous cruise and we are all ready to go again. It was sad leaving her to the next group but I'm sure they are having a wonderful time as I type this.

P.S. VALORBRIDE, this is for you. I know you were concerned about having a wedding on the Valor. I wouldn't use the library as it is small. However, there is an out of the way room called the Capital Room I believe, that would be beautiful for a wedding. It was set up for a wedding I think when we were there with chairs on both sides and an aisle down the middle. There were flowers at the front on stands and two huge beautiful crystal chandeliers overhead. It wasn't a huge room so it would be very intimate, elegant and personal. I would definitely recommend it.

If anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to answer them! :)

Thanks for the great review! We leave this coming Sunday and can't wait to experience the Valor ourselves.

Thanks for the review :)

Thanks for the great review!!! Do you remember your waitresses name? On the Miracle we had Mirella (sp?), who was also from Croatia and said she was going to be on the Valor next. Just wondering if we had the same waitress.

This is awful but I don't remember her name! I know it begain with an "M" so it may be the same. She was blonde, usually wore her hair pulled back and was about 5'6". She was obviously in charge and very experienced and appeared to be training the assistant waiter (his name was Darko, funny that I remember his name :D ) As I said she was very good, but she wasn't really a "schmoozer" like some are.

Forchunut, I was on the cruise with you. Sorry we did not get a chance to meet. I was in the Welcome Aboard show, so you might have seen me, since it was on television all week.

I agree with your review. We had a great time, and the ship is beautiful.

Bruce

Nope - not the same waitress - mine was a brunette.

Did either of you that sailed the Valor last week have any kids in the 12-14 range with you? I am trying to find out if the younger teens are included in the teen club's nightly teen dances???

What excursions did you do? Any advice?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=116193

My son was 14. They had dances in the Caboose. This age was not allowed in the Adult disco. My son was frustrated when he could not join the older High Schoolers.. for their dances..(also in the Caboose..)

I was with my 18 year old daughter and her friend, so they did not (could not) go to the teen program. From the capers, it appears that the teen dances are 15-17 years old. From what I have seen those ages are strictly enforced.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=116193

 

My son was 14. They had dances in the Caboose. This age was not allowed in the Adult disco. My son was frustrated when he could not join the older High Schoolers.. for their dances..(also in the Caboose..)

Does that mean that the 12-14 year olds couldn't participate in any of the dances? :( If that's the case my daughter is going to be extremely disappointed, because the teen dances were by far the highlight of our Miracle cruise for her. Were the younger teens not allowed in the arcade during the times when the Caboose was restricted to 15-17 year olds? Do you have a copy of the capers for the 12-14 year olds?

Great review. less than 7 weeks!

It appears they were strict about who got in.. They had a LIST.. There was dancing for the 14year olds..I will get more info when my son comes home. He will sort it out for me..LOL....

I never saw him till 1am or so.. I know the Video games were still available.. I have the bill to prove it! I gave my son a $20 limit per day.. and he was very good at not going over.. This was plenty..

I gave my son a $20 limit per day.. and he was very good at not going over.. This was plenty..

The machines set a $20 limit a day for minors and $50 a day for adults unless you go to the casino and have it changed

There was dancing for the 14year olds..I will get more info when my son comes home. He will sort it out for me..LOL....

Thank you so much!! I'll check back to see what your son says about how it works.

Forchunut1, so far no one has commented on the shops on board. While I don't cruise for the onboard shops, I do enjoy browsing and my daughter always likes shopping for trinkets, jewelry between $5 to $20.

I know you have a teen son (I'm waiting for your son's answer to Snowball's questions since I'm on the same cruise as her with a 13 year old son), but do you remember anything about the mother-daughter spa treatments?? I thought I heard that these were available.

Thanks!

Sorry I can't help you with the spa treatments as I didn't do that. But, they did have various specials in the spa during the cruise. I remember one day the special was choosing a certain number of treatments for a set price. We didn't have any kids with us on the cruise (this cruise was a getaway for a group of singles) so I can't say much about the kids' activities.

As to the shops, I did enjoy shopping on board. I picked up a black beaded evening bag for $10. They had the costume rings 2/$40 which I have seen before. Several of the ladies in our group got those.

They had a great deal on Absolut vodka if anyone likes that. They were also pushing Sheridan's which is imported from Ireland (not available in the U.S.) and has a divided bottle with dark coffee flavored liquer on one side and a white cream liquer on the other side. When it is poured it mixes together. They tell you they may run out before the cruise is over and people were really buying it, but we found it for significantly less in St. Thomas.

For excursions, in Nassau we went on our own to the Straw Market which is walking distance from the ship. They we found a taxi to take us to Paradise Island to the public beach next to the Atlantis resort. Taxis are lined up along the street and you just tell them where you want to go. You can use the Atlantis restroom at the beach as a changing facility if you need to. We just laid out on the beach and enjoyed some of the rum drinks vendors would walk around and make out of fresh coconuts. Very yummy. When it was time to leave, there was a line of taxis waiting, so you don't need to have arrangements made ahead of time to take you back to the ship.

In St. Thomas we did the Carnival excursion of snorkeling to Buck Island via a catamaran. It was a lot of fun. If you do this tell the crew that the Castaways say hi. :) They served unlimited rum punch on the way back which was fun. The crew is great and very accomodating.

In St. Maarten I booked an excursion for us on the internet which combined a tour of the island, shopping, lunch, and several hours at Orient Beach with lounge chairs and umbrellas included. I would certainly recommend this tour to anyone who is interested. It was arranged through Port Promotions.

Hope that helps!

I Think We Are Going To Get Married In The Capital Room Since We Have 50 Guests. Thank You For Putting My Fears To Rest About The Decor. Chandeliers-wow!

Btyko, sorry our paths didn't cross on the Valor. Or maybe they did and we just didn't know it. You didn't happen to see a group with blinking ice cubes at dinner, did you? If so, that was us!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Valor as much as we did!

Btyko, sorry our paths didn't cross on the Valor. Or maybe they did and we just didn't know it. You didn't happen to see a group with blinking ice cubes at dinner, did you? If so, that was us!

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Valor as much as we did!

No, I saw blinking jewelry, and blinking belly button rings, but not blinking ice cubes.

Did they have a band by the pool, during sea days? I sure hate hearing about the chair hoggers! I usually get out there around 9:00am...Did you find most chairs gone by that time also?

Also, any good entertainment for kids in the evening? On our past cruises, they always seemed to have at least one show that kids would enjoy.. Thanks for the great review! We will be on the Valor Easter week.

Yes they had the Reggae band by the pool on sea days.. and I brought ear plugs to the pool...

I prayed for breaks.. it was just way too much musicand way too loud. You couldn't chat with anyone when they were playing... I liked the quieter piped in music.. Hard to doze and read a book when the band is blaring..

Great review. Thanks for all of the info.

Cruisin Dave

I will get more info when my son comes home. He will sort it out for me..

Sorry to bug you,:o but were you able to find out from your son how the whole teen club and teen dances worked for the 12-14 age group? I have a number of people that are interested in finding out. Thanks.

Forchunut, I was on the cruise with you. Sorry we did not get a chance to meet. I was in the Welcome Aboard show, so you might have seen me, since it was on television all week.

 

I agree with your review. We had a great time, and the ship is beautiful.

 

Bruce

hey i saw you on tv doing that show on the first day! you were awesome. i also met your daughter and wife in the steam room one day. very nice people.