Feeling Single, Seeing Double - Yet another Review of the 7/9 Valor W. Carib. (LONG)

It's been busy since I returned and got back to work, but I've finally got this written. I'll post in parts because it is very long:

A little background: I’m 37 and female this was my second cruise. I took my 13 year old nephew. When each of the nieces or nephews turns 13, I take them on a trip. (Yes, I’m trying to buy their love. I have no children of my own so someone is going to have to take care of me when I get old!) Each trip is a chance for me to get to know them a little better, spend some quality time with them and give them and myself a chance to do something that we normally wouldn’t get to do. A cruise is kind of perfect because it gives us lots of activities that we can do together. But if they want to hang out with others their age at the teen club or the arcade, they can do that too. And pretty much on both cruises, the kid ditched me in the evening to hang out in the teen club or arcade, which kind of leaves me at loose ends and experiencing the cruise as sort of a solo traveler. This gives me different perspective, especially on a July cruise when there are tons of families and groups on board. You could feel kind of on the outside, if you let yourself, but with a little effort and friendly crew and fellow passengers, you can find your comfortable place. For me, it’s the piano bar. The relaxed intimacy of the atmosphere makes those sitting around you more amenable to chatting, the entertainment is great and helps you get involved. (Okay, maybe a little too involved after a few too many gin and tonics, but more on that later).

On to the cruise…

Andrew (the nephew) and I flew in a day earlier to FLL. We rented a car and drove to the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Miami. Part of the appeal of the hotel was that they had an Enterprise Rent-A-Car right on the premise, where I handed in the keys on Sunday morning and their shuttle took us over to the port for free. I was able to have a car all day Saturday to do whatever we wanted for about what it would have cost us to take a taxi from FLL to downtown Miami. The Hyatt is nice, nothing special. We had a balcony room facing the bay. We could just glimpse the Triumph docked on Saturday. After we dropped our luggage at the hotel, we drove out to the Everglades Safari Park to do an airboat tour. We had a great time, saw a few alligators. As we drove back to the hotel through Little Havana we stopped for dinner at Versailles. It was Andrew’s first experience with Cuban food and he loved it!

Embarkation:

Embarkation the next day went very quickly. The shuttle dropped us off, we handed our suitcases to the porter with a nice tip and got on the line. It went really fast. We got to the port around 11:30 and we were on the ship by 12:30.

Here’s the funny part. My nephew got his Sail & Sign card, I made him put it right into his lanyard and cautioned him several times not to lose it. We went off and explored the ship and within an hour, I had lost mine. He took great pleasure in that. So I went to the purser’s desk sheepishly and they gave me a new one.

We went to our cabin just after 1:30 and I had just finished unpacking my carry-on when our suitcases showed up. Yay!

Next up Dining and Entertainment...

I'll be happy to answer any questions too! An informed cruiser is a happy cruiser!

Dining:

We had the 6:15 seating in the Lincoln Dining room. We were on the upper level at an 8 top. We were there by ourselves for the first 45 minutes or so. Our tablemates showed up at 7. They had wanted the late seating, and were told that they could show anytime up to 7pm and still be served. They were 3 couples around my age and they were very nice and talkative and we enjoyed their company. Fortunately for them, the second night they were able to shift to the late seating and my nephew and I were moved to another 8 top with a family with 3 kids, a better I fit I think. The food was really good, it always kind of surprises me that they cook that well for so many. I liked our waiter and assistant waiter, although I never got their names, since we weren’t at the table the first night and they never stood still long enough to read their name tags.

If you are on the upper level against the far wall you pretty much miss out on the floor show. Not a great loss for us, but it drives me crazy trying to read the dessert menu while they are flipping the lights on and off.

We generally ate our breakfast and lunch at Rosie’s. Okay, I have to say this: the pastrami on rye at the deli was really pretty good. I’m a Katz’s snob. I generally don’t eat pastrami unless get it at Katz’s in NYC, because pastrami anywhere else is generally disappointing. But the stuff at the deli surprised me it was moist and flavorful and all in all a tasty treat. We also tried the fish and chips place. The ahi tuna was tasty, but minimal, more like a bite. Andrew loved the fish and chips. The food on the buffet was much better than I recalled it being on the Inspiration. We enjoyed all our meals on the buffet. Just hint, there are three buffet lines, some days they have all the same stuff, but on the taste of nations day, they each have something different.

Entertainment:

After dinner, Andrew and I would go to the show. I have to second the opinion about the female singer. She was having serious pitch problems. More so during the 80’s show. But I will give her the benefit of the doubt and figure she was having an off week. I know there was a cold traveling around among the crew, so perhaps she wasn’t feeling well, or was too congested to really hear herself. The comedians were generally pretty funny. I wonder if Mike and Jim know that a good portion of both their routines during the family show were very similar touching on the differences in how it was when they grew up and kids today. My nephew thought all three were hysterical. The hypnotist was amusing, but I’m always a little suspect of hypnotism shows because participants can easily fake it. And the sword swallower was pretty impressive. The 80’s show was fun for the ride down memory lane, it was often kind of silly. I said this someplace else but it bears repeating: Puffy pirate shirts only work with the jheri curl and pencil thin mustache, or if you are actually Prince. Otherwise it’s just so Seinfeld. ("But I don't WANT to be a pirate!)

After the show, Andrew would ditch me and head off to the teen club and arcade, so I would wander off by myself. I watched the karaoke a bit in the Eagles Lounge and that was usually fun (CCer Starz723 performed “My Heart Will Go On” that first night and she was terrific), but sometimes a 3-minute pop song can seem endless… I also caught some of the group in the Paris Hot Lounge, they were really good. But my true home for the week was the Lindy Hop Piano Bar. I love piano bars in general and I had read great reviews of Ron Pass on this site during my research leading up to the cruise, so I had high hopes when I hopped on a stool around the piano. I was not disappointed. Ron is terrific, every thing you hope for in a piano bar entertainer. He’s very talented, has a great voice and a great energy and he works hard to get the audience involved. He’s very friendly and makes everyone feel welcome. It was a little subdued in there towards the beginning of the week, but by the end it was more rowdy. He definitely appreciates and wants the audience participation. I got to take a couple of spins on the top of the piano and had a blast singing along. (Ask him to hit the low notes, the vibrations are wonderful, especially for a lonely girl :P) Just remember that rides on the piano are free, but rides on the organ will cost you! And if you’re there after 1 am ask for the “Kitty Kat Song,” it’s adorable, but not for the easily offended.

My one gripe with Carnival is that they don't really promote the talented acts that they have in the lounges. They get a line in the Capers, but never a mentions in the announcements. They need more promotion for these talented acts.

Coming next: Lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer...

Sea Days:

I never had a problem finding a chair, as long as I wasn’t looking to be right by the pool. Of course it’s also easier to find one than several together. But I did abandon the main decks for the infamous F-deck. It was much quieter up there and there were a plethora of chairs and very few people.

Andrew and I went to “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” on the first sea day. I was one of the last 4 standing but I’m ashamed to admit I got beat by a 12 year old kid on a piece of Presidential trivia. I was even the Phone-a-friend lifeline and gave them all the correct answer. I ran into fellow CCers Spartanbear and Piggs and their family in there. They were really easy to spot, the large, rowdy, super-competitive group.

Grand Cayman:

We had an early private excursion (8:45 meeting time) I wasn’t sure what to expect with the tender situation, so we went to the upper level of the Ivanhoe Theater just after 7. The woman said they weren’t giving out tickets yet, so we could just head down to deck 0 and get on a tender.

We used Captain Bryan’s for the Sting Ray City with one additional snorkel stop. I’d done it before, but it was a new experience for my nephew. He loved it. And I have to say it was much nicer riding out there on a catamaran rather than one of the big cattle boats. I’ll definitely book with Captain Bryan or another private company if I go back. Afterwards, I asked the driver to drop us off at the Island Glass Blowing Studio, I had seen as we head out on the excursion that morning. I love glass, I collect blown glass pieces and they had some nice stuff in there. I had read something about the place in a review here on Cruise Critic, so it was definitely on the to-do list. They were really nice and happy when I mentioned that I learned about them on this website. I have their website written down somewhere I’ll post it later if anyone wants it.

Roatan Island:

This was my favorite stop. We hooked up with CCer Mics Pics and we booked with Victor Bodden and got Ali as our driver. He was great, very knowledgeable and very nice. He took us directly to one of the zip lines, I’m not sure which one it was, and I think we were the first ones there. Wow. What a cool experience. It was a little daunting taking that first step of the platform, but after the first one I was letting go and by the last one I was flipping upside down. Andrew got a good laugh though when he got to watch his Aunt Laura get smacked in the face by a bunch of leaves. This tour had 13 zip lines, 6 bridges and a rock wall. It was pretty physical, but totally worth it. We all had a great time. Afterwards we went to the Iguana farm. That was kind of neat, there were hundreds of them everywhere. They also have so parrots and a couple of monkeys as well. We asked Ali to take us someplace to get something to eat and he brought us to a nice restaurant right on the bay in French Harbor. The food was really good and we relaxed for a while. Then we did some shopping and headed back to the ship.

Belize:

Again, we had an early private excursion. Again, I headed to the upper level of the Ivanhoe Theater, but this time we were given tickets with the letter A on them. I think we were off on the second tender, although since a lot of the excursions were cancelled, that probably helped.

I booked with Extreme Cave Tubing, but like everyone else, our cave tubing adventure got cancelled. So we took an alternate tour to the ruins at Altun Ha. Our guide was great. The ride was a bit bumpy since all the rain has torn up the roads. We decided that the ride out to the ruins must be the “extreme” portion of this excursion. All the fields we passed where flooded. The ruins were cool. I’d been before but Andrew enjoyed climbing to the top of one of the pyramids. It was a nice day. We shopped a little as we headed back to the tender.

Costa Maya:

We decided to take it easy here. I was disappointed to find that the big pool right at the dock was closed for repairs, but we had decided to go into Majahual already, so it was no big deal. We got on line to get in a van to the village. It was very pretty, but pretty much a big strip mall with pushy vendors. We shopped a little (I got a really pretty opal bracelet), got something to eat and drink at one of the beachside bars, then decided we had had enough sun and sand and headed back to the ship.

Next: Comforts, conveniences and inconveniences...

Great review so far - looking forward to the rest of it. We were on Valor two weeks before you and the lead female singer must have had a cold then too...haha

Most days we got back early enough that I could take a nap. I was having trouble sleeping at night. The beds were very comfortable but I have a hard time sleeping without my honey! Plus Andrew woke me up very early one morning while having a laughing fit in his sleep.

We had an inside room on the Verandah deck all the way forward, right behind the bridge. It was comfortable. I didn't feel a lot of motion. The funny part was the one place where I really felt the motion of the ship was in the bathroom. My nephew thought I was weird, but I asked other people and sure enough they felt the motion of the ship more in the bathroom than anywhere else. Weird huh?

Our room steward, Suphol, was very nice and efficient. And thank goodness for him. When formal night rolled around Andrew couldn't tie his tie and I had no idea how to do it so Suphol tied it for him.

Oh! I just realized I forgot to give a shout out to the waitresses in the Lindy Hop. Elena, Sviatlana and Novita. They were great. The all knew my name, my drink and my folio number by heart after the first night in the bar. Loved them.

Let's see what else... I never won at Bingo, (but then I never do). The slots were really, really tight. And apparently Canadians drank more than any other group on the ship.

Brett Alans, the CD, didn't really bother me. Pretty much your normal CD with your normal CD patter, jokes he's probably told a thousand times or more.

Disembarkation:

This was kind of a pain. In the debarkation talk, they really pushed the self assist. We ended up doing the self assist, but mostly because we didn't want rush to have our bags packed and outside the door by midnight. And we each had a carry-on size roller bag and a backpack. Nothing we couldn't handle. We waited until they called for the last of the self assist to allow others who had flights to make to get out first.

But it took forever. Lines are part of life and I'm resigned to that. It didn't ruin anything for me. But it just seemed to move so slowly. Nothing like embarkation. When we finally did get through all the lines, we hopped the Dollar Rent-a-car shuttle (with fellow CCer DonnyF) to pick up our second rental car.

We spent the afternoon in the Fort Lauderdale area. We went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". It was a fun movie. I liked the first one better. And then we went to Dave & Busters for dinner. We flew out of FLL Monday morning.

I seem to have caught the cold that was going around among the crew, it kicked in as we were getting off the ship. So I've been sitting at my desk miserable with this cold and a severe bout of PCD. But I still smile remembering all the great moments of my cruise.

Thanks Carnival! The staff was all friendly, helpful and gracious.

And thanks Cruise Critic! All the research and advice I picked up on here really made for a great vacation.

Anyone with any questions, ask 'em here or email me: divetrash@hotmail.com

Laura

Andrew is one lucky kid. It sounds like you made this a wonderful trip for him. He'd better take really good care of you when you're old!!

Yo, Laura! And greetings to all!

FYI, Carnival has approved my request to extend my stay on the Valor until December 10th. Hope to see some of you!

Ron

I want an Aunt Laura!!! Enjoyable review. Thanks for sharing!

Hey, wasn't that you on the "F" deck? Oooops, wrong ship. ;)

great review!

Great Review!! Thanks so much for all the details!! My family/friends are all going on the Valor November 26th and we can't wait---30 of us so far are booked!

Ron---watch out for Holly and her crew on the November 26th sailing--I am sure we will be in the piano bar A LOT! :D

Holly

I'm glad y'all have enjoyed the review. And thanks Ron for posting on the thread and bumping it up! You are SO my favorite piano bar entertainer...

A word of warning about the F deck... There are parts of my anatomy that have never seen the sun before, make sure you are liberal with the sunscreen!

I want an Aunt Laura!!! Enjoyable review. Thanks for sharing!

Hey, I want an "Aunt Laura" too! but perhaps that's why I'm the Aunt Laura that I am.

I also wanted to say that I know that I've been really lucky on both my July cruises that everything came off so well without a hitch, no weather issues, no ship issues (although I did book this cruise originally because it went to Cozumel instead of Costa Maya, but Hurricane Wilma changed that plan, oh well). I hope that it's the result of careful research and planning that I've been able to do with the help of everyone here on Cruise Critic. But I'd like to think that the right attitude helps as well. I'm not a Pollyana who thinks that Carnival can do no wrong, but I'm not out to nitpick every little issue. Rule number two of travelling with Aunt Laura is "S**t happens. No Whining." And it applies to me as well as whomever I am travelling with.

Laura

WHOA!!! I didn't know the infamous Ron Pass posted on this board!! I have heard great things about you, Ron! DH and I will be on the Valor Oct 22 !!! CAN'T WAIT!!

Yo, Laura! And greetings to all!

 

FYI, Carnival has approved my request to extend my stay on the Valor until December 10th. Hope to see some of you!

 

Ron

OH, and Great review, Aunt Laura!!!!!