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

[ravyn97]

Loving your review. The Pitons were the hightlight for me last year on the Victory, can wait to see them again on the Valor in November. Thanks for sharing with all of us.

 

Curious what tour of the Pitons did you take?

Spencer Ambrose has gotten the most talk & good ratings that I've seen. First time there, so I def look forward to it!! GAPearl has some beautiful pictures.

 

Susan

[kansascruiser1]

Curious what tour of the Pitons did you take?

Spencer Ambrose has gotten the most talk & good ratings that I've seen. First time there, so I def look forward to it!! GAPearl has some beautiful pictures.

 

Susan

 

We went on spencer's tour last summer, we took his speed boat over to Piton's. Don't sit in the back of the boat, you will get totally soaked. Bad thing about it is, he has a tour guide with him that tries to tell the history of the island, you can't hear him speak, too loud on the boat. They need a speaker system.

 

This year (June 30th Valor) we are going on mysticmantours.com with Wendell, on a 52 ft. catamaran. Will be a smoother ride, we have 20 people going on it so far. We also get lunch, see the same sights etc.

 

I've also went with Cosol land tour before, it's a great excursion, I can't handle the windy roads. I wouldn't suggest if one get's car sick.

Debbie

[vetteracer55]

:( I Missed Not Having A Review To Read Last Night

[gapearl]

Absolutely LOVE your reviews!! We're flying to Puerto Rico tomorrow and will be on this cruise March 17, sooo excited :D We've booked the land and sea excursion with Spencer Ambrose..... I was too chicken to book the hike of the Pitons, although the views look amazing :p

 

Have fun on your cruise Sunday! Enjoy laying out on the beach looking at the Pitons, something I didn't get to do! LOL

 

gapearl, have you done the El Yunque rainforest hike? The LONG one? Last time I did a few years ago it took me some 4 hours at a rather medium pace, but it was awesome!!!

 

I did the short hike to the waterfall a few years ago but not the long one. As much as I come to PR I need to add that to my list this year. Was that 4 hours each way or round trip?

 

Damn... I was running out of breath just looking at the pics... you're brave... if I asked my wife to be to do this she would disown me lol

 

LOL thanks!

 

lol. for some people that kind of "work" is fun and relaxing. for me... eh, not so much :D something underwater or beach related is a bit more my idea of how i want to spend my vacation

 

It was fun, but not too relaxing! :D I betcha I worked off all 4 warm chocolate melting cakes I'd had to that point. That alone made the hike worth it. ;)

[gapearl]

BCCruzer: We will be with you on Spencer's tour next week!

 

Sera and Ian and kids

 

You guys have fun!

 

Great that you tried that hike! Looks super challenging.

 

It was a good old fashioned butt lift! :D

 

What an amazing review! Love your sense of humor and all the pictures. Reading this has got me really excited about taking this cruise! I have to say, girl you are a rock star for making that hike! It looks brutal! Can't wait to see the rest :D

 

Thanks for all the comments! Have fun on your cruise, and go book the hike! hahaha :p

 

Loving your review. The Pitons were the hightlight for me last year on the Victory, can wait to see them again on the Valor in November. Thanks for sharing with all of us.

 

You're welcome! Have fun on your cruise!

[gapearl]

TRUE.... I'm going to relax and have fun... some say Work Hard.. Play Harder... I say Work Hard... then chill!!!

 

Love that! :D

 

I got so excited when I saw this!!!!

 

Welcome back! I remember you! :)

 

Beautiful pictures!! Fan of express?!

 

Thanks, and yes I LOVE Express!!!!! All of my dinner dresses except 2 (Barbados and St. Kitts nights) came from Express. They keep sending me coupons and I keep going back, spending all my money! :eek:

 

Curious what tour of the Pitons did you take?

Spencer Ambrose has gotten the most talk & good ratings that I've seen. First time there, so I def look forward to it!! GAPearl has some beautiful pictures.

 

Susan

 

I would definitely use Spencer again. All of the good reviews are what led me to him. He's one of the top ranked tours on trip advisor. Glad you enjoyed the pictures! :)

[teetee6263]

YAYYY!!!! Your back, so tired of all the doom & gloom post.

[gapearl]

We went on spencer's tour last summer, we took his speed boat over to Piton's. Don't sit in the back of the boat, you will get totally soaked. Bad thing about it is, he has a tour guide with him that tries to tell the history of the island, you can't hear him speak, too loud on the boat. They need a speaker system.

 

This year (June 30th Valor) we are going on mysticmantours.com with Wendell, on a 52 ft. catamaran. Will be a smoother ride, we have 20 people going on it so far. We also get lunch, see the same sights etc.

 

I've also went with Cosol land tour before, it's a great excursion, I can't handle the windy roads. I wouldn't suggest if one get's car sick.

Debbie

 

That's some great information, thanks for sharing. I'll have to look into those myself since I want to plan a land trip to St. Lucia soon. You're not kidding about those speedboats. The ride is like :eek::eek::eek:!

 

:( I Missed Not Having A Review To Read Last Night

 

I'm sorry, I haven't been feeling well the last couple of days. St. Kitts is coming up shortly! :)

 

YAYYY!!!! Your back, so tired of all the doom & gloom post.

 

IKR! You know how much fun I'd be having if I was "stuck" in St. Maarten right now? :D

[pbmsmile]

Just wondered how much the taxi was from the airport to Da House? I think there might have been something about it but I can not find it if you mentioned it :rolleyes: We are staying at Da House for two days prior to our New Years cruise..your review has me sooooo excited!! :D

[gapearl]

Just wondered how much the taxi was from the airport to Da House? I think there might have been something about it but I can not find it if you mentioned it :rolleyes: We are staying at Da House for two days prior to our New Years cruise..your review has me sooooo excited!! :D

 

It was $19 plus $1 per bag. You're going to love Da House! :)

[gapearl]

Cruise- Day 6! St. Kitts!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

Enough of all the I hate Carnival, blah blah blah talk. How about some pictures with me and some monkeys? :D

 

 

My friends on Facebook joked the monkeys are staring at my girls. LOL

 

 

 

Besides walking around Old San Juan and that dreadful Pitons hike, I'd had nothing but beach days. Nothing wrong with those, but I decided St. Kitts would be the perfect place to take a little island tour before getting in more beach time. Again, I'm a big planner and researcher and review reader, and after doing all of that I decided to go with Welcome Tours St. Kitts. The highlights of St. Kitts tour was 2 hours plus as much beach time as you want for $30. The owner's name is Beulah and I met her in the port shopping area at 9:30 am. We emailed each other a few times prior to my tour. She was wanting to take a solo cruise herself and asked me for advice! I read so many reviews about how funny and animated she is and was looking forward to having her as my guide, but I suppose she was leading a different tour so I didn't get to spend the day with her. My tour had about 6 other people and our driver/tour guide's name was James.

Edited March 15, 2013 by gapearl

[deedle7544]

yea! More review!!!! Love the monkeys.

[gapearl]

James started our tour by giving us some basic information about St. Kitts. The island is small- 6-8 square miles, and has only 40,000 people. Her sister island, Nevis, has 10,000 people. James drove us through the small but busy downtown area.

 

This is Little Ben, St. Kitts' version of Big Ben.

 

 

We passed the Pelican Mall. It's the biggest one on the island, but James said it would be small to us. He said we could walk through the whole place in 2-3 minutes. That alone told me I would never survive living here. We drove down Fort Street, where it will take you 30 minutes to make it one block on a Friday afternoon. This is where everyone comes to kick off their weekend and people just hang out with a beer.

 

This is Independence Square, where on Monday morning, you go to see the judge if you misbehaved too much Friday night on Fort Street and got thrown in jail because you drank too much. James emphasized you do NOT want to go before the magistrate here!

 

 

We passed through the farmer's market.

 

 

 

Local buses are these vans.

 

 

James pointed out to us in the distance the ferry that takes you to Nevis for $20 each way. Next we passed the St. Kitts War Memorial , which is a tribute to fallen soldiers from WWI and WWII.

[gapearl]

Our first stop was a place called Palm Gardens. It's $10 to get in, but we only had to pay $1 since we were on the ship and weren't staying. All the money they collect here goes to support the island's homeless children. If you want a beautiful, quiet place to enjoy your day in St. Kitts, this is it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 15, 2013 by gapearl

[Fisherlady48]

I am enjoying your review. I like what you did in St. Kitts, I too travel solo and the 2 hour tour plus beach is exactly what I want to do on my cruise. Thanks for your humour. Its appreciated.

 

K

[gapearl]

Awesome infinity pool.

 

 

 

 

This would be a great place for a small wedding.

 

 

 

 

There's a small boutique here with items for sale, mostly jewelry, that's made onsite. You can even go to the back to see where they make the jewelry and also where they make wooden picture frames. Again, it's just $10 get in and spend the day here. I think I even spotted a few of staff hanging out here by the pool.

[gapearl]

Back out and about we go.

 

Some school girls getting a morning snack.

 

 

Holy cow, the gas prices here! That's about $7 US. That $3.54 gas at Shell station up the street doesn't seem so bad now.

 

 

James gave us the history about Port Zante (where the ships dock). Don't ask me to repeat any of it because I honestly don't remember, but it was interesting. We passed the Coke and Carib beer distribution plants, which provide a lot of jobs on the island. There are fruit trees everywhere, including mango, breadfruit, and soursop. James said if you go hungry, you're just lazy. LOL You can take as much fruit as you want from any tree.

 

1,200 students from all over come to school here.

 

 

2,500 students come here from all 50 states, Europe, and other islands.

 

 

Always be grateful for what you have. So many others have much less.

 

 

This is the famous rum tree. After a long day at work, you go buy a bottle of rum, pour a little at the base, drink the bottle, and hang it on the tree.

 

Edited March 15, 2013 by gapearl

[Vettebuf]

Loving your review and pictures. I have subscribed!!! :D

My group and I sail in August, 2nd time on the Valor and 3rd time out of San Juan! Puerto Rico, hoooo!!!

 

I see a CVS has been added close to the pier which is convenient. I'm sailing with a group, I plan to share this information with them. Two questions, can you share the cost of a case of water, a case of soda and a bottle of wine (looking for Moscato)? Thanks much!

 

Hawaii697,

 

I have a question for you. You mentioned that you like the end cabins on Lido. I just bumped up to 9258 on Lido and, if there is a door to the outside down by the cabins that you book, I'd like to change. Can you let me know?

 

Sorry to post on this thread. I did it because you mentioned that you subscribed to it and I figured you'd see my question here. Thanks, in advance :)

[gapearl]

Our next visit was to the Romney Manor.

 

 

Locals dressed as Carnival dancers for tips. Lawd, they've even got the baby out there with them! Speaking of the St. Kitts Carnival, it's held in December.

 

 

This huge tree is over 300 years old.

 

 

 

A little bit of the rain forest.

 

 

[gapearl]

We had 30 minutes to spend at Romney Manor and the Batik Factory.

 

 

A lady working on a batik print. Google this process. I can't begin to try and explain it. It's a lengthy process that involves sketching, painting, hot wax, etc.

 

 

 

They hang the finished prints out here to dry.

 

 

The fabric pieces are a bit expensive, but lots of people were making purchases.

 

 

That's me with our guide, James. He wanted to be my boyfriend. haha

 

[gapearl]

As we drove towards Timothy Hill, we passed the airport and the prison. The airport is building a new terminal for those with private jets. The prison was enclosed with a really small fence with no barb wire that would make escaping really easy. James said it doesn't happen often, though. The island is so small the escapee would be found in a couple of days. Inside the fenced in area is a garden the prisoners tend to.

 

We made it to Timothy Hill and stopped for about 20 minutes to get some pictures, souvenirs, and a few rum punches. Yes, I said a FEW rum punches in 20 minutes. :D A guy here tried to sell me a monkey for $50. I wish I could have but I'd have a hard time smuggling it back to Atlanta.

 

The St. Kitts Marriott Resort is on the left. It's the biggest hotel on the island.

 

 

 

 

The Atlantic Ocean is on the left, and the Caribbean Sea is on the right. What a spectacular view!

 

 

If you have a donkey, please don't torture him like this. He really does look like an a** (get it? haha), especially with a sleeping diapered monkey on his back. LOL

 

[Leo's Rule]

As we drove towards Timothy Hill, we passed the airport and the prison. The airport is building a new terminal for those with private jets. The prison was enclosed with a really small fence with no barb wire that would make escaping really easy. James said it doesn't happen often, though. The island is so small the escapee would be found in a couple of days. Inside the fenced in area is a garden the prisoners tend to.

 

We made it to Timothy Hill and stopped for about 20 minutes to get some pictures, souvenirs, and a few rum punches. Yes, I said a FEW rum punches in 20 minutes. :D A guy here tried to sell me a monkey for $50. I wish I could have but I'd have a hard time smuggling it back to Atlanta.

 

The St. Kitts Marriott Resort is on the left. It's the biggest hotel on the island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Atlantic Ocean is on the left, and the Caribbean Sea is on the right. What a spectacular view!

 

 

If you have a donkey, please don't torture him like this. He really does look like an a** (get it? haha), especially with a sleeping diapered monkey on his back. LOL

 

 

 

Timothy Hill looks awesome! Ok...I nearly choked on your comment about the donkey looking like an azz and I didn't realize that was a sleeping diapered donkey on his back!!! :eek: It looks like a dead monkey...or some weird growth! See, I wasn't getting off the ship this go round in St. Kitts, but your pictures are amazing. Though I've visited Romney Manor and Bastik, and the Rum Tree. We had some other stops with Royston, but Timothy is one we didn't do. (I know...I've already stated that). I hope you guys visited the Fort. Driving up to it was scary!

 

And you think you're slick; I'm still waiting to hear what your response was to the comedian. :p

[gapearl]

We finally made it to Frigate Bay Beach around 11:30 am. James said he would come pick us up at whatever time we wanted. Some folks said 1 pm, and the rest of us said 2 pm. We were dropped off at some resort where I took a left and walked 5 minutes down to Shipwreck Beach.

 

The monkeys don't pose too long for pictures!

 

 

I stopped here for a much desired beach massage, as I was still sore from yesterday's hike. A full body massage, what I really wanted, was going to cost $60. Yes, that's cheaper than the ship's prices, but more than what I wanted to spend, especially after she first quoted me $1 a minute and I was going to do 30 minutes. I ended up getting 20 minutes back and shoulders for $20.

 

 

 

Black sand beaches as a result of the island's active volcano.

 

 

 

[gapearl]