Just off Valor with 6yr old and 10yr old kids, will try to answer questions....

It was our first cruise, we went to Nassau (didn't care for it and don't need to go back) and St Thomas (liked a lot) and St Maarten (loved, loved loved).

I'll try to answer any questions if anyone has any---kids loved Camp Carnival too.

I don't have any specific questions, but would love to read a review of your trip on Valor!!

You were just what I was looking for!!! Although DH and I are experienced cruisers, this will be our first time taking our DDs (5 and 7) with us. (We leave on the Valor March 12 on the same itinerary as yours). We probably won't get off in Nassau (we are not big fans of the Bahamas), but we were wondering about St Thomas and St Maarten. We usually go to Meghan's Bay and shop in St Thomas, but have not a clue on what to do otherwise.....any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!!!!!:D

Tamela

34 days left to Valor

Hi I just got back from that same trip. We have two dd (11 & 13). We did some shopping in St.Thomas I would pass next time. I do my shopping in St. Maartin. Their are a ton of stores there. Plus a beach right by the pier. I like St. Maartin the best out of those Islands. We did Divi beach there too. It was ok.

I agree with SnowyOwl (were you on flights 185 and 186 too?). Nassau I would skip. St Thomas we took a sightseeing tour with Godfrey $25 each, and that felt worthwhile to see the island including mountaintop and several of the beaches. We spent a few hours after the tour and shopping at Sapphire Beach, and enjoyed it (bring snacks as a hamburger on the beach is $12). My husband and 10yr old snorkeled there---said he saw more fish than Hanama Bay in Hawaii, and almost stepped on a 2 1/2' stingray. According to Godfrey, Coki Beach has the best snorkeling, but he recommended Sapphire to us because of the kids (very shallow for quite aways out). Megan's Bay looked nice, I think there is a $3 per person charge to get in there.

St Maartin we loved---shopping is cute, quaint, and somehow not as pushy as st Thomas. If you like Coladas, stop by the Guavaberry store and try theirs----I bet you end up buying a bottle of Guavaberry liquor there!

We enjoyed Divi Beach...nice, shallow, clear water and a cheaper lunch (hot dogs were $4 and are huge, hamburgers around $8). We were braided on Divi Beach---takes forever, and make sure the kids are in the shade.

Camp Carnival was awesome for the kids---they loved it! One of the first nights by 10yr old was with just 3 other 10yr old boys (and counselor)when I checked in, and I asked if she wanted to stay, then said I would pick her up at 9. She said "Mooooooom, it goes until 10!!!!---that was my sign that she loved it. Lots of 6 year old girls and boys!

Good luck!

We were on the Valor in December on the Eastern itinerary.

Daughter and I grabbed a taxi over to Paradise Island and spent some time walking around the Atlantis resort complex. There are many public areas, all beautifully designed and decorated. They have huge Chihuly glass pieces all over the place! Some parts of the "Dig" aquarium can be seen from the public areas and there are a number of restaurants---all open to non-guests I believe. Lot of shops (high end....fun to look though!).

One thing we discovered about the taxis in Nassau....if you walk out to the street once you get out of the Festival Marketplace (the port entry building).....past the gaggles of drivers with cars and vans......you will find a line of limos. They will take you at the same rate as the vans.....about $4 per person over to Atlantis (the rates are all posted on a board in the Festival building).

The main problem with the stop in Nassau is that it is a short day (7AM to 2PM). Some things are not open when you arrive....and most of the neat restaurants in the city don't open until afternoon. When you have to be back at the ship by 1:30, that doesn't leave much time for exploring. If all you do is see the immediate downtown area, that IS rather disappointing.

"Scout" aka Carol

Dayton , OH

just got back from the valor on sunday. Cannot help you with the bahamas as we missed it because of a bad storm so we were diverted to san juan. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME. As far as st. thomas beautiful Magans bay was unreal. the beach is fantastic (best ive been to) no sporting activities in the water for kids but a beautiful beach. Save your shopping for St. Maarten. this island is unbeleavable. I have now been to every island down there and this is by far my fav..... Maha beach was fun for the kids. they liked seeing the planes fly literelly right over your head. Did not go to french side as we were travelling with younger children so i figured best not to put them on a beach with a binch of nudists haha. The beach right by the peir is great and is right by downtown as well. just get the water taxi all day pass for $5 children under 12 free and lasts all day. It takes you right to the beach. Beer $3 on beach food fairly expensive but the chicken is really good. Lots of activites for the kids (trampolines with slides jet skis etc) Absolutely best day of cruise by far. Hope you all enjoy

Are the hairdryers in the room any good or should I bring my own? Thanks.

So glad that you enjoyed your cruise. Our family will be celebrating my parent's 50th Anniversary on Valor in May. We are also going to the Eastern Caribbean. I have a few questions for you....

Which nights were formal nights?

What night was the past cruisers party?

Who is the cruise director and will they still be there in May (21st)?

Did you eat at Scarletts?

Were there 2 nights of big Broadway type shows and what were they like?

Thanks so much for answering as many of these questions as you can. What did you shop for in St. Maarten?

Susan

As far as Scarletts goes we ate their on the last night of the cruise. It was the highlight of our cruise as far as food goes. We both agreed that it was the best overall meal we have ever had right from the atmosphere down to all the courses.WELL worth the $30 bucks each + gratuities of course haha. Their were 2 broadway shows, as far as how good they were its a matter of opinion. My wife loved them wheras i thought the dancers were fantastic i thought the male singer was horrible. but overall well worth going to.The past guest party was on thursday night. Get there early if you are going as they just cram you in the room and alot of people were standing. (anything for free booze) haha. Our cruise director was Steve Cassel. It was his last cruise so you will have a new cruise director for your trip. The formal nights were Monday and Friday. Just a pointer if you want to go to scarletts book it as soon as you get on the ship as it tends to fill up real quick. and you sure dont want to miss it. As far as shopping goes we bought jewelery in ST. Maarten @ diamonds International. We are from Canada and I investigated alot before going. I saved about 20% on my purchases even after exchange.

Hope this helps ENJOY your cruise...... it is a beautiful ship

Bill

Bill, Thank you SO much for the info. I just don't see that much on here from Valor passengers. Your info helped me a bunch. We have previously cruised twice on Conquest, so are familiar with the supper club concept and think it is fantastic. We want to book the big anniversary dinner at Scarletts and will plan to do that the moment that we board.

Thanks for the info on shopping too. We have found fantastic bargains in Cozumel on diamonds. I got a bracelet a few years ago that appraised for 4 times what I paid for it. I had heard that St. Maarten was even better than Cozumel for jewelry. Did you shop in St. Thomas? Our 21 and 23 y/o daughters will be with us so shopping is very high on the list. Any other info would be very helpful.

We'll make sure that we get to the past cruisers party early. This is our 6th Carnival cruise and want to make sure we get the one freebie that they offer! Haha.

no we did not shop in St. Thomas. Not that the deals arent any good but because we were just there 2 years ago and shopped till we dropped, so we wanted to see the rest of St. Thomas this time. As far as cozumel goes, ya the deals are good but St. Maarten is way superior. I found it to even be less expensive than St. thomas. So if i can make a suggestion i would window shop in St. Thomas and then make purchases in St. Maarten as many of the stores are the same on both islands but you can negotiate a little better in st maarten. I paid $150 less for the same braclet in St. Maarten that we saw in St. Thomas. We only looked in a couple of stores in St. thomas as we spent most of the day at the beach with the kids but from what i saw St. Maarten was better. Hope this helps

Bill:)

Do they allow 11 year olds in the teen center?

Do they have a mini golf course on valor? My cruise coordinator said yes, but I do not see it.