Just off Valor Southern Carribean

Any questions? I have a lot to catch up on at work so may do a short review. All in all we had a great time. Ship was in great shape, the ports were all beautiful. The only complaint we had was the food. I think they are shortchanging the passengers there. Other than that, fire away!

Any questions? I have a lot to catch up on at work so may do a short review. All in all we had a great time. Ship was in great shape, the ports were all beautiful. The only complaint we had was the food. I think they are shortchanging the passengers there. Other than that, fire away!

Glad you had a great time! We board her May 18th, Can't wait! Couple quick questions if you don't mind.

1. Anything specific about the food that you feel that way?

2. What time where your rooms ready on embarkation day?

3. Was there a long line the day you got on the ship? Or is it pretty spread out because of the long boarding times as the ship doesn't leave till late?

4. Anything you did or saw during your trip that you would recommend somebody else? On ship or in the ports.

Thanks in advance!

Why did VALOR

depart Bridgetown Barbados 1.5 hrs. late

on Wednesday 9th. April ??

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See below

Glad you had a great time! We board her May 18th, Can't wait! Couple quick questions if you don't mind.

 

1. Anything specific about the food that you feel that way?

 

The dinner selections they had were not that great to us. They repeated the buffet twice. 2 italian nights which wasnt really italian cuisine and 2 american nights and 2 carribean nights. We went to Scarletts and the food was good but to wait almost 2 hours for a steak was ridiculous. The burrito bar was strange- they dont toast or grill the tortilla. They just put in what you want and fold it up and hand it to you. The lines for the Wok were always so long we never tried it.

 

2. What time where your rooms ready on embarkation day? We got on board at 12 and our rooms were ready. No FTTF or anything. Our luggage came around 5-6.

 

3. Was there a long line the day you got on the ship? Or is it pretty spread out because of the long boarding times as the ship doesn't leave till late?

 

We waited about a half hour-11:30-12. We ate lunch and got off the ship to go into OSJ about 3pm and there were no lines.

 

4. Anything you did or saw during your trip that you would recommend somebody else? On ship or in the ports.

 

We really enjoyed the comedy club. Get there early. Felipe was the CD and was good but this was his last week. We really enjoyed our tours with Cosol on St Lucia and with Bernards on St Martin. We went to the Palm Court Gardens on St Kitts and it was great for a relaxing pool day. Hope this helps!

 

Thanks in advance!

Why did VALOR

depart Bridgetown Barbados 1.5 hrs. late

on Wednesday 9th. April ??

 

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No idea. we were on the port side and they had the gangways out for a long time and then they brought them in and we got on our way. They switched out comedians on Wed so maybe one of them was late. I never saw anybody get on late though.

Do they have plenty of evening entertainment?

See below

Thank you! Definitely helps! We already booked a tour with cosol at St Lucia, looking forward to that one. And I hear you about the food, but in the grand scheme of things I'm just happy I'm not cooking it or doing the dishes lol. Again, thanks for the tips!

The dinner selections they had were not that great to us. They repeated the buffet twice. 2 italian nights which wasnt really italian cuisine and 2 american nights and 2 carribean nights. We went to Scarletts and the food was good but to wait almost 2 hours for a steak was ridiculous. The burrito bar was strange- they dont toast or grill the tortilla. They just put in what you want and fold it up and hand it to you. The lines for the Wok were always so long we never tried it.

When you reference Italian, American and Carribean, are you talking about MDR or the buffet?

When you reference Italian, American and Carribean, are you talking about MDR or the buffet?

Buffet

There was plenty of evening entertainment. We loved the comedy club. We also enjoyed the karaoke. We are usually big fans of the piano bar but we weren't thrilled with the performer (Wally B) so we only went the first night. There is plenty to do and see!

Thank you! Definitely helps! We already booked a tour with cosol at St Lucia, looking forward to that one. And I hear you about the food, but in the grand scheme of things I'm just happy I'm not cooking it or doing the dishes lol. Again, thanks for the tips!

You will love the tour with Cosol. We thought that was the best excursion we have ever done. And I agree about not having to cook or do dishes!

If you dont have anything booked for St Maarteen we went with Bernards tour and it was great also. Probably our favorite island.

Buffet

So did you dine in the MDR for dinner? If so, what are your thoughts?

So did you dine in the MDR for dinner? If so, what are your thoughts?

No we never did and maybe we should have. BUT we have been on 3 Carnival cruises and have never dined in the MDR, just the Steakhouse and the buffet or specialty places (fish and chips, etc) and never had food this bad and limited selections. Most nights we would fix a salad, get some fruit and cheese, take it to the room and get room service which was OK.

Welcome back! Although I'll bet you'd rather be back on the Valor right now. I did a google search on the Palm Court Gardens on St Kitts. That looks very relaxing. How much does a day pass cost for this place? And how do you contact them? Is there anything else to do there other than hang around the pool? Thanks.

Welcome back! Although I'll bet you'd rather be back on the Valor right now. I did a google search on the Palm Court Gardens on St Kitts. That looks very relaxing. How much does a day pass cost for this place? And how do you contact them? Is there anything else to do there other than hang around the pool? Thanks.

Thank you and you are right about being back on the Valor!

PCG has a website and I emailed them directly. It was $10 per person and you just pay them when you get there. They tell you its a 12-15 min walk but its not thru the best part of town. Get a cab and it was $8 one way. It was a very relaxing day until a few folks showed up with kids and this is not a place for kids. We left shortly after they showed up. They have very lovely gardens and a beautiful pool. The food is pricey for what you get so we didnt eat there. Drinks are reasonable. There is really not much to do but lie by the pool and relax and enjoy the peace and the beautiful views. Dont take this the wrong way if you are reading this but please do not bring your kids here. If you are looking for a pool day for your kids stay on the ship. (and yes we have kids!).

I see you went to Scarlett's Steakhouse and said the wait was 2 hours for a steak. My tip.. Go on embarkation night. We did that twice on the Valor B2B last month and never had a wait. The place was dead each time. It was nice!! Well worth it!

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Thank you! Definitely helps! We already booked a tour with cosol at St Lucia, looking forward to that one. And I hear you about the food, but in the grand scheme of things I'm just happy I'm not cooking it or doing the dishes lol. Again, thanks for the tips!

We sailed on this cruise the first week of March. Were loved the Cosol Tour, but I have read some guides are better than others. Our guide was Jean Paul and he did not share much about the island. He only answered questions that were asked. We loved seeing the sights and snorkeling between the Pitons Wes neat. In St. Martin, we went on Bernard's tour and tht was great, too. Our guide, nicknamed The Mailman (because he delivers) was awesome. Also on the Cosol tour our guide had no microphone so sit near the front. On Bernard's the guide had a microphone so everyone could hear what he was saying. Sky Safari zip line in St. Kitts was awesome.

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No we never did and maybe we should have.

BUT we have been on 3 Carnival cruises and have never dined in the MDR,

just the Steakhouse and the buffet or specialty places (fish and chips, etc) and never had food this bad and limited selections.

Most nights we would fix a salad, get some fruit and cheese, take it to the room

and get room service which was OK.

Ooooooo-K. :cool:

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We went to Palm Court Gardens in September and loved the place. I would agree it is not a place for children. Just not the right vibe, but we loved the peaceful atmosphere and lovely surroundings. We took a cab there and walked back. Didn't find it bad at all.

We were on the Valor the week before the OP but echo some of their thoughts.

We too, boarded around 12:00. Not sure why anyone would get FTTF for this ship/itin as all the rooms were ready by the time we got on the ship.

We loved everything about the cruise except for the food. I'm not picky and I didn't think it was bad, but just very average. The fish (I'm a big fish guy) was just not that great, and most of the dishes seemed lukewarm in the MDR. Never did the steak house. I actually liked the lunch buffet better. I enjoyed the fish and chips and burrito/sandwich bars for lunch, but they obviously closed early. Seemed to have some waits for the your time dining, in fact on formal night, we gave up on the 30 minute wait and went to the buffet.

Cosol tours was great, but our favorite was Carambola beach club in St Kitts. Great, laid back beach day and loved the scenery. Magens Bay in St Thomas was our least favorite as it was too crowded.

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That's what you do with your cruise?

 

Ooooooo-K. :cool:

 

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Thats what we did this time on the Valor b/c the food selection was poor in our opinion. We dont cruise for the food or the MDR experience. But thanks for your comment. :rolleyes:

Tahnks for doing this review! We have 4 cabins booked on this ship for April of next year, so I am stalking the boards to learn what I can. LOL.

Did you arrive in San Juan early? If so where did you stay?

We are thinking about flying in at least one day early so we can see a little of San Juan and since we will have at least 9 people we are looking for affordable places to stay.

Thats what we did this time on the Valor b/c the food selection was poor in our opinion. We dont cruise for the food or the MDR experience. But thanks for your comment. :rolleyes:

You were much nicer than I would have been! ;)

Thanks for your insight, we are going next March and I'm looking for all of the help I can find!

None of the ports are tendered, are they? I have gotten FTTF both times I have sailed, it was worth it the first time and a waste of money the second (no tender ports...). I can wait for my luggage at embarkation and I can take my time getting off the ship at the end of the cruise, but not waiting for an hour for a tender is worth it to me.

Tahnks for doing this review! We have 4 cabins booked on this ship for April of next year, so I am stalking the boards to learn what I can. LOL.

Did you arrive in San Juan early? If so where did you stay?

 

We are thinking about flying in at least one day early so we can see a little of San Juan and since we will have at least 9 people we are looking for affordable places to stay.

You're welcome. You will have a blast. this by far is the best itenerary we have done.

We came in on Saturday and stayed at the Marriott Stellaris Resort and Casino. It was pricey but we used points and that was the deal maker. Right on the beach and we had a corner room overlooking the beach. I dont think for nine people this is the most economical place to stay unless you find a really good deal. it was in a great location with alot of other hotels around. If you stay in the area you have to go to Tijuanas. GREAT food and drinks.

You were much nicer than I would have been! ;)

 

Thanks for your insight, we are going next March and I'm looking for all of the help I can find!

 

None of the ports are tendered, are they? I have gotten FTTF both times I have sailed, it was worth it the first time and a waste of money the second (no tender ports...). I can wait for my luggage at embarkation and I can take my time getting off the ship at the end of the cruise, but not waiting for an hour for a tender is worth it to me.

Thanks! No none of the ports were tendered. FTTF would be a waste for this cruise IMHO. We waited maybe 30 minutes to get on board. Getting off the ship was different. It took us about an hour after we got our luggage to make it through customs and we were worried we might miss our flight. I brought this up to one of the attendants and they didnt seem to care. If you want to guarantee getting off early do self assist.