Newbie Picture Review of VALOR 2/1/15

Hi everyone!

I had so much fun reading these forums before going on our first cruise ever that I'd like to return the favor by letting you experience it all through the eyes of this crazy Dutch expat.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to cross post between my blog and here so I will direct you there, but please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments.

In a nutshell:

- Two ladies nervous about going on their first cruise

- A few days exploring Puerto Rico before and after

- All sorts of whacky animal encounters

- A full day's of activities planned at every port

Here's a little preview of some of my favorite things

The amazing Valor of course!

Monkeys!

Rincon, Puerto Rico ... lots of surfing pictures too!

Old San Juan: we walked and walked and walked and ...

Playa Crashboat, Puerto Rico

Brimstone Hill on St Kitts

And of course, the link to my blog: http://cat-caribbean.blogspot.com/2015/01/day-1-late-arrival-in-san-juan.html

I talk. A LOT. You have been warned! Hope you'll enjoy the pictures.

Great start, and great pics !

Bring it on !

Holy cow, I just spent my lunch hour reading your 2013 Hawaii blog you posted on TA. You really get around! Both blogs are stunning!

This is a fantastic blog. Thanks for sharing.

OMG I just spent the last 2 hrs reading you Valor trip blog. Very nice. You are very adventurous. I'm scared to drive when I go on vacations. Really enjoyed your review.

I just started reading your blog and I'm looking forward to finishing when I have more time. This is really good and your pictures are spectacular!!! We were on Valor in May 2013 on the same itinerary and it is our favorite. I'm also looking forward to your Hawaii blog that another poster just mentioned. Have never been but would love to get to Hawaii one of these days. Thank you for sharing.

Thanks soooo much for sharing your blog!

I was supposed to be on this cruise also but my husband has put me on house arrest until we get a new roof on the house so I had to cancel. :p:rolleyes:;)

This would have been my first solo cruise and bday cruise ( st thomas day) so I was really looking forward to it. Maybe in 2016???

I was really hoping someone would write a review so I could cruise via your vacation! :D Trust me, my soul was with this cruise that week...

Looking forward to finish reading it tonight.

Thanks! Going on Valor in 50 days and haven't seen any great photos yet - so you made my day!

Your pictures are gorgeous!!

Thanks everyone! I blog mostly for my own enjoyment (nothing beats looking at old vacation pics when you're having a rough day) and to share with my family back home, but I also love sharing them with just about anyone who's willing :D

Beachiekeen, what are the odds?! Glad you enjoyed both of them.

Pghsteelerfan, your name sounded REALLY familiar so I went back and sure enough you wrote one of my favorite Valor reports!! You can find the Hawaii blog through this one if you click on the About Me section in the right hand column. (Hawaii 2012 and 2013 are complete, 2014 so far only has 3 days out 20 ... I'm about 5 blogs behind at this point haha :o)

Thanks everyone! I blog mostly for my own enjoyment (nothing beats looking at old vacation pics when you're having a rough day) and to share with my family back home, but I also love sharing them with just about anyone who's willing :D

 

Beachiekeen, what are the odds?! Glad you enjoyed both of them.

 

Pghsteelerfan, your name sounded REALLY familiar so I went back and sure enough you wrote one of my favorite Valor reports!! You can find the Hawaii blog through this one if you click on the About Me section in the right hand column. (Hawaii 2012 and 2013 are complete, 2014 so far only has 3 days out 20 ... I'm about 5 blogs behind at this point haha :o)

Ok well not to sound stalkerish or anything but I plan to read them all! Your blogs are fabulous!

Do you have any more cruises planned?

Your Valor blog was great, I'll be on her January 2016:)

Thanks! Does the Valor follow the same itinerary next year?

We don't have any cruises planned at this time, but I'm sure we will again at some point. I'm not one of the people who loves cruising above everything else, but we had a great time and I don't think there's a better way to see the Caribbean or to get a sense of a place without committing to a 1-2 week long trip.

The problem is that I have a long, looong list of places I want to visit and only so much time off and money. :p

Can you give camera stats? Brand, and settings. Great vivid pictures.

The ones I posted here were taken with my Canon T2i and Tamron 18-270 and Tokina 11-16 lenses, but I always edit my pictures with FastStone before putting them online. ;) Anyway:

Valor - 1/160 F6.3 ISO100

Monkey - 1/1600 F6.3 ISO3200 -- I had put it on action (automatic)

Rincon - 1/125 F7.1 ISO100

San Juan - 1/100 F5 ISO100

Playa - 1/100 F5 ISO100

Brimstone Hill - 1/200 F7.1 ISO100

On the blog there are also pictures from my underwater camera Fuji Finepix XP70 and my Samsung Galaxy S5.

Great pictures have more to do with the person taking the picture than the equipment used. Just like a great meal is made by a good chef not a certain model stove. Very nice pictures and review. Thank you for sharing.