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

[gapearl]

Wow to be so close to it. Well it is what it is. I am 5 cruises from it and I am only going on 2 this year. I notice you were planning or thinking about going on the Miracle for the Alaskan cruise. I'm going next August.

 

Yeah it's ok though. I'm probably going to slow down on taking cruises anyways and start taking more land trips. I take a vacation every February and I'm thinking about going some place a little more exotic next year- Rio, Cartagena, Auckland, Cape Town, I don't know. It's time to see more of the world than besides the Caribbean. I do want to book the Miracle to Alaska, but I don't know what weeks I'll have for vacation next year, so I'm holding off. Princess had some really good last minute deals this year on Alaska cruises ($199 pp inside, 7 day), so I thought about taking my chances and looking for one of those next year. I don't know what I'm going to do! :confused:

[kgriff]

Thanks for reading. I hope you get to book this soon. The Valor having the upgrades would have been awesome.

 

Remember, Carnival just changed the loyalty program a year ago. My first few cruises were shorter ones, and I believe gold status is 25 days (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). I had 31 days at the start of this cruise. If they didn't change the program, I would have been 2 cruises away from platinum after this one.

 

Ah! Didn't realize. We just went on our first ever cruise last summer. (Now we are hooked!) So I had no idea that this is a new Carnival loyalty program. So did they have a loyalty program before? And if so, what happened to everyone's status when they switched programs? I would hate to work our way up their current program only to find that they change it all on us in the future. Unless of course they wanted to change it to our benefit.

[kgriff]

BTW, I plan on making a quick and easy doc from your review for ease of reference for our upcoming and future cruises. You've given us all some great information. Thanks again for all you efforts!

[gapearl]

Ah! Didn't realize. We just went on our first ever cruise last summer. (Now we are hooked!) So I had no idea that this is a new Carnival loyalty program. So did they have a loyalty program before? And if so, what happened to everyone's status when they switched programs? I would hate to work our way up their current program only to find that they change it all on us in the future. Unless of course they wanted to change it to our benefit.

 

Before, you became platinum after ten cruises of any length. It didn't matter if it was ten 2 day cruises to nowhere or ten 12 day Mediterranean cruises, all cruises counted equally. Now the loyalty program counts how many days you have cruised and it will take a LOT longer to reach platinum status for most folks. Carnival did give cruisers until December of this year, about a year and a half since announcing the new loyalty program, to take an extra cruise or two (or however many more you need) to get to platinum and be grandfathered in, if you want. Lots of people were very unhappy about the new program. I would love to have made it to platinum likely next year, but it's not that big of a deal to me.

 

BTW, I plan on making a quick and easy doc from your review for ease of reference for our upcoming and future cruises. You've given us all some great information. Thanks again for all you efforts!

 

Awesome! I'm glad you were able to get some good info. Have fun on your upcoming cruise! :D

[MsMot]

I'm doing the 8 day southern itinerary- Grand Turk, La Romana, Aruba, and Curacao. No worries, I'll definitely have plenty of ship pictures. ;)

 

 

 

Thanks for reading. I hope you get to book this soon. The Valor having the upgrades would have been awesome.

 

Remember, Carnival just changed the loyalty program a year ago. My first few cruises were shorter ones, and I believe gold status is 25 days (someone correct me if I'm wrong here). I had 31 days at the start of this cruise. If they didn't change the program, I would have been 2 cruises away from platinum after this one.

 

We did that itinerary last year and loved Grand Turk and Aruba, but especially loved Curacao. If you want an exciting tour of the island combined with some beach time, I highly recommend Irie tour's East Side Tour. It was lively and fun and only cost $20, which included beer, sodas, water and the beach entrance fee. I think our bus was called the Loko Bus;)

[gapearl]

We did that itinerary last year and loved Grand Turk and Aruba, but especially loved Curacao. If you want an exciting tour of the island combined with some beach time, I highly recommend Irie tour's East Side Tour. It was lively and fun and only cost $20, which included beer, sodas, water and the beach entrance fee. I think our bus was called the Loko Bus;)

 

My roll call is close to filling up 2 of Irie's buses! We've got about 50 people so far and still 2 1/2 months until sailing, so we might get more. I'm really looking forward to it!

 

 

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[MsMot]

My roll call is close to filling up 2 of Irie's buses! We've got about 50 people so far and still 2 1/2 months until sailing, so we might get more. I'm really looking forward to it!

 

 

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Awesome! You will have a ball. We had an entire bus, but it was just the family. Our driver was Dennis, who is also the owner. I am so jealous, we have 432 days before we sail the Breeze:mad:

[KITKAT0229]

Thanks for the great review!

 

You're making me want to cruise solo. I always toy with the idea. It seems like DH can never get away from work. I've been teasing him with staying home with DS while I go on a cruise by myself. A whole week of doing only what I want to do - sounds like a real vacation to me.

[marshalltp]

Don't go anywhere. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

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. :)

 

Note that the Nikon D5100 has a similar feature......no post layer seperation to deal with

[marshalltp]

Hi. It is a 6K. There are 2 on the Lido desk. There are about 4-5 in between these that are 6J. Many times these 6ks do not show up on the website. I called and got mine, because it wasn't even showing as being available. They are called Scenic Ocean View cabins.

 

I so appreciate gapearl taking time out of her fun to do this for me.

INCHARGE.....I notice a railing outside of the 6K.....is that a public walkway, 'secret' deck, or just a crew access gangway

[gapearl]

Awesome! You will have a ball. We had an entire bus, but it was just the family. Our driver was Dennis, who is also the owner. I am so jealous, we have 432 days before we sail the Breeze:mad:

 

I can't wait! We're down to 74 days but it still feels like an eternity. Be on the lookout for another review when I return. :)

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

You're making me want to cruise solo. I always toy with the idea. It seems like DH can never get away from work. I've been teasing him with staying home with DS while I go on a cruise by myself. A whole week of doing only what I want to do - sounds like a real vacation to me.

 

If your hubby will agree to it, I say do it! Mama needs a break! LOL I think you'd be surprised at how many married parents take solo vacations. Thanks for reading and good luck with that! ;)

 

Note that the Nikon D5100 has a similar feature......no post layer seperation to deal with

 

My camera has so many features I don't even know how to use them all. Someone showed me the color accent on a cruise last year that also had my camera. I need to find an instruction book or something before my next trip so I might be able to do a little more.

 

INCHARGE.....I notice a railing outside of the 6K.....is that a public walkway, 'secret' deck, or just a crew access gangway

 

Her room is an ocean view, just with floor to ceiling windows. I see the railing too, but I'm going to guess it's only accessible to crew to wash the windows. It's on deck 9, which is the lido deck, and there's no secret deck on 9.

[Jenny in TX]

Loving your review!

[gapearl]

Loving your review!

 

Thanks Jenny! :D

[irie0518]

We leave a week Friday for San Juan!! I read your review awhile back and loved it. We got some great ideas for excursions so thanks for all the valuable information you provided in your review. I want to try the Gasolinas in San Juan and if I like them I wouldn't mind bringing a few on board with me. The packaging kind of looked metallic in the pictures. Was just wondering if they would make it through in the check luggage or will Carnival see them and confiscate them?

 

Can't wait to finally get on board!!

 

Thanks again for the great reviews.

[patriots00celtics]

Great Reviews!!!!! I'm 26 and am going to be cruising solo April 14, 2014 on Victory, out of Miami...... Your reviews are very helpful.....

[gapearl]

We leave a week Friday for San Juan!! I read your review awhile back and loved it. We got some great ideas for excursions so thanks for all the valuable information you provided in your review. I want to try the Gasolinas in San Juan and if I like them I wouldn't mind bringing a few on board with me. The packaging kind of looked metallic in the pictures. Was just wondering if they would make it through in the check luggage or will Carnival see them and confiscate them?

 

Can't wait to finally get on board!!

 

Thanks again for the great reviews.

 

I think you should be ok as long as they're in your carry on, not your checked luggage. They don't look too closely at what you're bringing. If they do tag your bag at the first checkpoint, simply don't stop at the second one to turn it in. Someone posted in another review she found them at the CVS across the street and got a box for $5. I never saw them there, but you should look for them. Thanks for reading and have a blast on your cruise next week! :D

 

Great Reviews!!!!! I'm 26 and am going to be cruising solo April 14, 2014 on Victory, out of Miami...... Your reviews are very helpful.....

 

Thank you so much! You're going to have a GREAT time! :D

[Cricket63]

Loved your review, thank you for sharing! Looking forward to your Breeze review! Have a great cruise!

[gapearl]

Loved your review, thank you for sharing! Looking forward to your Breeze review! Have a great cruise!

 

Thanks a lot! Thanks for reading! :)

[Barbarossa]

Reception area on the 2nd floor.

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

Thanks for posting. Can't wait until April 6th, 2014.

[gapearl]

Thanks for posting. Can't wait until April 6th, 2014.

 

You're welcome! I'm assuming you're staying at Da House? You'll enjoy your stay there, right in the middle of everything. Make sure you enjoy at least 1 night at The Nuyorican Cafe. :D Have fun!

[Chitownlou]

Yeah it's ok though. I'm probably going to slow down on taking cruises anyways and start taking more land trips. I take a vacation every February and I'm thinking about going some place a little more exotic next year- Rio, Cartagena, Auckland, Cape Town, I don't know. It's time to see more of the world than besides the Caribbean. I do want to book the Miracle to Alaska, but I don't know what weeks I'll have for vacation next year, so I'm holding off. Princess had some really good last minute deals this year on Alaska cruises ($199 pp inside, 7 day), so I thought about taking my chances and looking for one of those next year. I don't know what I'm going to do! :confused:

 

GAPEARL.... just wanted to thank you for all your help... everything was PERFECT! We had so much fun on the Valor..

[Dirkgun]

GaPearl, what a great review. We have done this Itinerary 2 times before on the Victory and thoroughly loved it. I still want to do it again on the Valor. I absolutely love Puerto Rico as well as the Southern Caribbean, and your entire review really made me relive our trips from there. Thanks for all the work that went in to your reviews I tried to do them for our trips..... but don't quite have the panache that you do. Great job.

[gapearl]

GAPEARL.... just wanted to thank you for all your help... everything was PERFECT! We had so much fun on the Valor..

 

Hey newlywed! :D How was the wedding? How are you enjoying married life so far? You guys crossed my mind earlier this month. Glad to hear you enjoyed your first cruise! What did you do at the ports? What did you think about the ship, food, and activities on board? Did you watch any of the shows or comedians?

 

GaPearl, what a great review. We have done this Itinerary 2 times before on the Victory and thoroughly loved it. I still want to do it again on the Valor. I absolutely love Puerto Rico as well as the Southern Caribbean, and your entire review really made me relive our trips from there. Thanks for all the work that went in to your reviews I tried to do them for our trips..... but don't quite have the panache that you do. Great job.

 

Thanks Dirkgun! I've read your reviews and enjoyed them all. This is such a great itinerary. I've considered booking it again for next year, but fighting the urge so I can take a land trip somewhere instead. I would love to do this itinerary again. Thanks for reading! :)

[Chitownlou]

Hey newlywed! :D How was the wedding? How are you enjoying married life so far? You guys crossed my mind earlier this month. Glad to hear you enjoyed your first cruise! What did you do at the ports? What did you think about the ship, food, and activities on board? Did you watch any of the shows or comedians?

 

The wedding was perfect.... rain held up til we were at the reception... We booked Island/Beach Tours on every island. St. Thomas I met up with my best friend and his family who were on the Carnival Splendor, toured the island and ended the day at Magens Bay. Barbados was nice also... we had a private tour (just the wife and I)... we got to see Rihana's house lol... St. Lucia.. we did go to the Sulfer Spring (mud bath)... cool but didn't smell too good... least favorite of the beaches... St. Kitts was our favorite. .. beautiful island and beach... and in St. Marteen we did go to Orient Beach (nudes all over) and also Maho Beach... that was awesome... having the planes fly over us.... on the cruise... we went one night to the comedy show... the club was kinda weak... we did go to the shows in the Ivanhoe... those were cool... The little british guy kept referring to us as the "Puerto Ricans from Chicago" during the game show. Food was good... that chocolate cake tho... lol.. I think I had it 4 nights... we had an awesome time... already looking forward to the next one...

 

 

 

Thanks Dirkgun! I've read your reviews and enjoyed them all. This is such a great itinerary. I've considered booking it again for next year, but fighting the urge so I can take a land trip somewhere instead. I would love to do this itinerary again. Thanks for reading! :)

 

 

 

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[gapearl]

The wedding was perfect.... rain held up til we were at the reception... We booked Island/Beach Tours on every island. St. Thomas I met up with my best friend and his family who were on the Carnival Splendor, toured the island and ended the day at Magens Bay. Barbados was nice also... we had a private tour (just the wife and I)... we got to see Rihana's house lol... St. Lucia.. we did go to the Sulfer Spring (mud bath)... cool but didn't smell too good... least favorite of the beaches... St. Kitts was our favorite. .. beautiful island and beach... and in St. Marteen we did go to Orient Beach (nudes all over) and also Maho Beach... that was awesome... having the planes fly over us.... on the cruise... we went one night to the comedy show... the club was kinda weak... we did go to the shows in the Ivanhoe... those were cool... The little british guy kept referring to us as the "Puerto Ricans from Chicago" during the game show. Food was good... that chocolate cake tho... lol.. I think I had it 4 nights... we had an awesome time... already looking forward to the next one...

 

 

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Sounds like you guys had a great time! No it's not too early to start planning your 1 year anniversary cruise. ;) I told you about the melting cake! LOL Well welcome back and welcome to your new addiction. Keep reading these boards. It's the only thing to help you make it til your next cruise. Wishing you and your new wife a lifetime of happiness! :)