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GAPearl's Second Valor Review- Solo Southern Caribbean Cruise! (2/24/13)


gapearl
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A preview of what's to come:

 

Salsa dancing in Puerto Rico.....

 

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Taking some awesome pictures in St. Thomas.....

 

(I love this setting on my camera so there will be many pictures like this.)

 

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Rum punch (and lots of it!) in Barbados.....

 

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Sailing by The Pitons in St. Lucia.....

 

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Black sand beaches in St. Kitts.....

 

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Lots of airplanes in St. Maarten.....

 

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Go make some popcorn and grab something to drink. It's gonna be another good one!

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A preview of what's to come:

 

 

 

Taking some awesome pictures in St. Thomas.....

 

(I love this setting on my camera so there will be many pictures like this.)

 

b20f693c-db4c-47e3-b774-a90a608a26bf_zps2a1f9324.jpg

 

 

Just curious, what type or brand of camera and what is the setting called?

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Can't wait to read this. I always enjoy your reports! :D

 

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy!

 

Love your reviews! Can't wait to hear this one as we're going in October. Did you happen to notice if they took Steakhouse reservations the first night?

 

Thanks a lot! The Fun Times has Scarlett's Steakhouse as being open from 5:30-9:30 pm, so it looks like yes, they do.

 

subscribed

 

Awesome. :D

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YAY cant wait!!! :D

 

Don't go anywhere. ;)

 

Just curious, what type or brand of camera and what is the setting called?

 

Anxiously awaiting your report and I am curious about the camera and setting you used as well.

 

I have a Canon G12. The setting is called color accent. You can select a color and isolate only it, and everything else turns to black and white. It's really cool and you can be so creative with it. Stay tuned. :)

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Love your reviews! Can't wait to hear this one as we're going in October. Did you happen to notice if they took Steakhouse reservations the first night?

 

We are doing this sailing in May and have reservations at the steakhouse for the first night

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To those of you that have read my reviews before, welcome back!

 

If it’s your first time reading a Georgia Pearl review, you’re in for a treat. If you’re looking for a good crew, good ship quickie review, this ain’t it. If you’re looking for a fun, yet informative read, full of pictures as well as a healthy dosage of my humor and even more of my sarcasm, then keep reading.

 

Quick intro- I’m Kim, 32 years old (knocking on 33 :rolleyes:), live right outside of Atlanta, single (:rolleyes: again), and work in the travel industry as the girl greeting you at 5 am wearing full makeup and 4” heels as you board your flight heading to your cruise. This was my 8th cruise, 7th cruise on Carnival, 4th cruise solo.

 

My last cruise on Carnival was a year and a half ago, also on the Valor but to the Eastern Caribbean from Miami. Read all about it here.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=30813274

 

I didn’t take many ship pictures this time, so you’ll want to check it out if you’re looking for some.

 

My last cruise was on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas through the Mediterranean last fall. If you never venture to the RC boards, here you go.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1734004

 

It was nice to try something different, but I was ready to come home to Carnival.

 

I enjoy cruising and traveling solo. You do what you want, when you want. I’m a very social person and have no problem meeting new people, so I’m never really by myself all the time. I would have no problem finding a friend to tag along if I wanted one. Actually a few friends usually try to invite themselves when I tell them of my plans. “Want some company?” NO. “Can I go too?” NO. I know the concept of solo travel is foreign to many. I often get the “Oh my God you’re here by YOURSELF??!!! You’re CRAZY!!!!!” If you happen to meet a solo cruiser, please don’t say something like this. Many solo cruisers will tell you it’s our favorite way to travel. On the flip side, some solo cruisers might be by themselves because maybe a spouse just died, and that reaction will only make them feel bad. A better response would be “You’re here by yourself? That’s AWESOME!”

 

I spent 3 days prior to the cruise in San Juan. Originally, I wanted to rent a car and drive to other parts of the island such as Ponce and Aguadilla, but that had to get cut from my budget. Instead, I stayed in the heart of Old San Juan and spent those days visiting museums and learning more about Puerto Rico’s history and culture.

 

I channeled my inner ItalianFemmy (best photographer on Cruise Critic) every day and wound up with 2,500 pictures by the time I got home. My primary camera is the Canon G12, with a few taken from my iPhone, and the underwater pictures came from my Sony Cybershot. These reviews take an incredibly long time to put together, so please be patient over the next week or two as I work making it a good one for you. I do have the Fun Times for all 7 days of the cruise and will be posting them as I get to each port day.

 

Ok. Moving right along.

 

My morning started dark and early on Thursday, February 21. A grande strawberries and cream frappuccino and toasted croissant from the airport Starbucks got me going.

 

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Me at 6:05 am. Pearls on and everything. ;)

 

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Edited by gapearl
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My flight landed around 11 am.

 

Through tons of research and planning, I decided that the perfect place for me to stay would be Da House in Old San Juan. The taxi rates in San Juan are fixed, and my ride was $19 plus $1 per bag. It took about 15 minutes to get there.

 

Da House is a charming boutique hotel right in the middle of OSJ. Stay here, and you're within walking distance of everything. There's a salsa club right next door, and music goes on into the wee hours of the night. If you're a light sleeper or an early bird, this might not be the place for you. Da House's website will tell you how much noise you can expect to have in each room. I booked #309, Dennis Mario, "right above the party," for $80 a night. The rooms closest to the club are the cheapest.

 

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Not much a view from the window.

 

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There are no elevators. Be prepared to get your exercise.

 

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There are lots of sitting areas on the 2nd floor. All of the art in the rooms and in the public areas are from local artists and most are for sale.

 

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Reception area on the 2nd floor.

 

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The main reception and check in area is on the 1st floor. There's a little crafts and gift store there too.

 

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One of the Spanish apps I have on my phone sends me a word of the day. I found it really funny that today, it sent me la naranja, the word for orange everywhere in the world except Puerto Rico. In PR, oranges are chinas (chee-nas). Orange juice isn't jugo de naranja, but jugo de china. Really ironic I got this word that would do me no good. LOL

 

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After getting settled in my room, I headed out into Old San Juan to grab some lunch. Man, it was hot out there. Really hot. I mean it was an I'm glad I know Jesus cause I can't go to hell if it feels like Puerto Rico kind of hot.

 

I really wanted to eat at Fattie's, a small restaurant that has great reviews. It's a little hole in the wall and was already crowded with nowhere to sit by the time I got there, so I left and said I'd come back again before the cruise. I went in search of Punto De Vista, one of San Juan's top restaurants on Trip Advisor, but couldn't find it and no one could point me in the right direction. I stumbled upon a little place called Genesis Restaurant and had lunch out on the patio there. The prices on the lunch menu were too good to pass by.

 

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I had the pollo de horno with salad, rice, plaintains and a pina colada for $12. The chicken didn't stand a chance. It was soooooooo good.

 

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My waiter sat and chatted with me for a bit. When I took off my sunglasses, he said I should keep them off. I asked why, and he said "because you have pretty eyes". I didn't know whether to :rolleyes: or :o. He invited me back later for a drink when he got off.

 

Now that I have a full belly, it's time to set out exploring. I used the gps on my iPhone to get around. Really good idea if you have one.

 

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Me with the Something of the Seas in the background.

 

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Pigeons everywhere! I had a flashback of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. :eek:

 

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A little art gallery.

 

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I really liked this one. I'm a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil, and that's what it reminded me of.

 

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