Valor July 14-21 plus Vieques; Port and photo intensive review

[Atlgator]

Thank you for all of the great pictures and comments about your trip. We are on the Valor 10/13/13. A good friend who works frequently in San Juan also recommended the Hilton Caibe and that is where we have our reservations for the night before the cruise. We are departing the Sunday afternoon on return back to SJU. Here are the excursions I have planned:

St. Thomas: Magen's Bay

Barbados: Calabazza

St. Lucia: Cosol Tours

St. Kitts: Royston Tours

St. Maarten: Capt. Bob with Souliga Destinations

We have been to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, & San Juan before but have never been to the other 3 islands.

So 2 quick questions (for now, will probably have more later), did you ever go to the sports bar on ths ship, and if so how was it? Also, do you know of any good sports bars in San Juan around the hotel? Travelling in Oct. is right in the middle of college football season, and down South, that is like a religion to us. :D But we will be in San Juan one Sat. and at sea heading in on the 2nd Sat. Just currious.

Again, thanks for your pics and review and I continue to watch for more.

[LOVECRUISING100%]

I'm usually not a morning person at all, but was up before the sun. Beautiful sail into St Thomas.

 

 

View from our side of ship above, other side below.

 

 

Plans for the day...snorkel at Trunk Bay on St John!

 

Here was the plan:

Taxi to Red Hook $10/pp

Ferry to St John (Leave on the hour) $6/pp

Taxi to Trunk $7/pp

Taxi to Ferry $7/pp

Ferry from St John $6/pp

Taxi from Red Hook $10/pp

Entrance to Beach $4/pp

 

Total

$50/pp $100 for 2

 

We were off the ship early, the plan was to catch the 9:00 ferry in Red Hook.

We walked through the shopping area to the taxi area and grabbed a cab with 4 others.

Once in Red Hook, we bought tickets for both ways at the terminal. On the ferry and on our way.

 

Thanks for the great information & review..we'll be on the same cruise in 25 days!!!

[skiracer0112]

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Wow I never saw a line anywhere near that big for the Fish n' Chips. On my cruise in November I never saw more than two people in line. That stand and the burrito bar are definitely two of the best parts of the buffet that it seems a lot of people don't know about.

[Aplmac]

Wow I never saw a line anywhere near that big for the Fish n' Chips.

On my cruise in November I never saw more than two people in line.

It was a morning at sea...it was the Glory cruise to New England/Canada..

we weren't due in to Boston before around 1:30 p.m.

so folks were filling the time, I guess.

 

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[Hawaii697]

Someone mentioned on our roll call that there is a black light party on Thursday night. Can someone verify?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Hey CRU1Z1N, check out this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1768848&page=34

[cra-z-2cruise]

Thank you for all of the great pictures and comments about your trip. We are on the Valor 10/13/13. A good friend who works frequently in San Juan also recommended the Hilton Caibe and that is where we have our reservations for the night before the cruise. We are departing the Sunday afternoon on return back to SJU. Here are the excursions I have planned:

 

St. Thomas: Magen's Bay

Barbados: Calabazza

St. Lucia: Cosol Tours

St. Kitts: Royston Tours

St. Maarten: Capt. Bob with Souliga Destinations

 

We have been to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, & San Juan before but have never been to the other 3 islands.

 

So 2 quick questions (for now, will probably have more later), did you ever go to the sports bar on ths ship, and if so how was it? Also, do you know of any good sports bars in San Juan around the hotel? Travelling in Oct. is right in the middle of college football season, and down South, that is like a religion to us. :D But we will be in San Juan one Sat. and at sea heading in on the 2nd Sat. Just currious.

 

Again, thanks for your pics and review and I continue to watch for more.

 

Sorry, Atlgator, I really only walked through the sports bar a once while taking pics. It seemed like a nice space, but it was during the day and no one was in there and it was really quiet.

 

I really think you will enjoy the Caribe Hilton, it is very nice. So nice it may be able to distract your attention and ease the pain of not being able to see the games. ;)

 

If not, I'm sure they will be able to point you in the direction of a suitable sports bar! :)

 

Enjoy your trip! :)

[oncruisecontrol]

Great review. Beautiful pictures. Now, I want to go to Trunk Bay, Vieques, and Culebra. Your review has sparked off a conversation about these places that has inspired me.

[Cricket63]

Thank you for posting a review and pictures... they came out beautiful!!

[Isasprings]

Thank you for a nice review

At what time you can board the ship?

 

This is my first cruise out of south Florida I just going to book today

for Sept 8 or 15 because I want to see new ports and I like the price:)

also the plane ticket is very cheap jetblue out of south florida is $138 pp

the only problem is that leaves very early we will be in San Juan at

9:30 A.M how far is the airport to the pier?

[cra-z-2cruise]

Thank you for a nice review

At what time you can board the ship?

 

This is my first cruise out of south Florida I just going to book today

for Sept 8 or 15 because I want to see new ports and I like the price:)

also the plane ticket is very cheap jetblue out of south florida is $138 pp

the only problem is that leaves very early we will be in San Juan at

9:30 A.M how far is the airport to the pier?

 

That timing should work out nicely for you! :)

 

By the time you collect your luggage and get a taxi to OSJ you should be able to drop your luggage, except for carry on, with the porters at the end of the pier. You could either go ahead and check in, or walk down the street to CVS for any items you might need to pick up. I believe it was somewhere between 12:00- 12:30 that we actually were allowed to board the ship.

 

Depending upon traffic, I would guess it may take 20-30 min from airport to Carnival pier.

 

Have a great trip! :)

 

 

[Isasprings]

That timing should work out nicely for you! :)

 

By the time you collect your luggage and get a taxi to OSJ you should be able to drop your luggage, except for carry on, with the porters at the end of the pier. You could either go ahead and check in, or walk down the street to CVS for any items you might need to pick up. I believe it was somewhere between 12:00- 12:30 that we actually were allowed to board the ship.

 

Depending upon traffic, I would guess it may take 20-30 min from airport to Carnival pier.

 

Have a great trip! :)

 

 

A CVS close to the pier that is great! we can get our WINE:) thank you

We are looking forward to this cruise.

[shelkate1]

We will be on the Valor in about 7 weeks and can not wait! Thanks for the awesome review so far!

 

I have a question about Calabaza since we will be sailing with them on the trip!!!

First, we have one member of our group that isn't a swimmer. They are concerned about it being worth the money for someone who doesn't swim. Keeping in mind he isn't afraid of the water, just must have a flotation device. What do you think?

 

Also, getting on and off the boat? Is there a ladder or is it steps off the back of the catamaran?

 

Keep the review coming :) And thanks in advance for the answers.

[cra-z-2cruise]

 

I have a question about Calabaza since we will be sailing with them on the trip!!!

First, we have one member of our group that isn't a swimmer. They are concerned about it being worth the money for someone who doesn't swim. Keeping in mind he isn't afraid of the water, just must have a flotation device. What do you think?

 

Also, getting on and off the boat? Is there a ladder or is it steps off the back of the catamaran?

 

As you probably could tell from my review, I really LOVED this excursion! :D

 

Not only was the experience of snorkeling with the turtles, the fish, and the bonus stingray awesome, the entire experiences was just fabulous.

The crew is so friendly and outgoing, the sailing was great, the water and scenery were fantastic!

 

Then there was the food!

 

This is not the best photo and doesn't include all the food, but you can get an idea...

 

They start off with appetizers in the morning, my favorite were the Bajan fish cakes!

 

Lunch included a variety of different types of salads, sides, couscous, flying fish, chicken, and a beef dish DH just loved. My favorite lunch dish was breadfruit! :D

 

Then, just when you think there couldn't be more, they bring everyone a dessert "plate" which, among other things, includes a fresh cookie, cheesecake, and a brownie!

 

 

 

They do offer swim noodles as a floatation aid. The water was pretty calm, so a good beginner snorkel opportunity.

 

Two platforms are located at the back of the boat and have ladders attached to get out of the water. A crew member is always close by to lend a hand if needed.

 

For those who had too much sun in St Thomas, or who just prefer the shade, there are plenty of shady spots too.

 

 

 

 

I forgot to mention this in my original review, but they take photos throughout the day and Gina posts them online for viewing or downloading.

As an added bonus, she also sends everyone a copy of all the recipes!

 

So, that was a very long answer to the question, but yes, I do think it is worth the cost, even if you don't get in the water! :)

 

 

[doxie2cruise]

I too will state that yes it is worth the money and time for the non swimmer. I am a non swimmer (I almost drown when I was 4 Years old). DH and myself sailed with Gina and crew in 2010 I had a wonderful time. The crew offered to help me and stay with me if I would go into the water. They never forced just offered to help me. I found a nice shady spot to sit on the boat. It was a great time. I enjoyed watching others and enjoyed myself.

[Aplmac]

If you go to the Ports-of-Call boards for BARBADOS at -

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=124

 

You'll see that Calabaza gets rave reviews, time after time!

 

(Geez I probably know those folks, seeing as we all live on the same island..)

 

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[Aplmac]

..that gets rave reviews...

 

 

Silver Moon.

 

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[marciac333]

Thank you for the awesome review! :). We will be going in December And cannot wait!

Edited August 8, 2013 by marciac333

[minnz21]

Thank you for all of the great pictures and comments about your trip. We are on the Valor 10/13/13. A good friend who works frequently in San Juan also recommended the Hilton Caibe and that is where we have our reservations for the night before the cruise. We are departing the Sunday afternoon on return back to SJU. Here are the excursions I have planned:

St. Thomas: Magen's Bay

Barbados: Calabazza

St. Lucia: Cosol Tours

St. Kitts: Royston Tours

St. Maarten: Capt. Bob with Souliga Destinations

We have been to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, & San Juan before but have never been to the other 3 islands.

So 2 quick questions (for now, will probably have more later), did you ever go to the sports bar on ths ship, and if so how was it? Also, do you know of any good sports bars in San Juan around the hotel? Travelling in Oct. is right in the middle of college football season, and down South, that is like a religion to us. :D But we will be in San Juan one Sat. and at sea heading in on the 2nd Sat. Just currious.

Again, thanks for your pics and review and I continue to watch for more.

 

I just got off the Valor last week. Sports Bar was usually quiet. Daily at 5:30 the Sports Trivia was fun. Samantha is who led it ans she is a cutie from New York and has a great sense of humor. IT was neat by the end since the same folks showed up and we had friendly competition for the Ship on a Stick!

 

The bartender did say football season you see the sports bar far busier.

[cra-z-2cruise]

Opps! Forgot to add to add that after Barbados sail away, we made our first visit to the Serenity area.

 

Grabbed an empty hammock and enjoyed the beautiful sky until dark...

 

 

 

 

[RhondaC]

Is there a bar inside the Serenity area?

[cra-z-2cruise]

So far, the weather had been beautiful. I just knew our luck would run out sooner or later.

 

When I woke up and looked outside Thursday morning, I figured this would be the day.

 

As we pulled into port, it actually rained a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since we were going to spend five days post cruise at the beach, I decided St Lucia would be a non-water day.

 

On a previous visit, we had done the Tree Top Adventure zip lines and challenge course in the rainforest. It was beautiful and a lot of fun.

 

This time we decided on the segway tour and booked with LucianStyle Segway. The ship offered a tour that included a safari/beach portion, but I emailed them and asked about just the segway portion.

They were very fast to respond to my request and answered all my questions.

We were offered several time options. The cost was $85 for a two hour segway tour vs $99 for the ship's four hour segway/safari/beach tour.

 

I knew we would be tired by this point in the trip, so opted for the 11:00 tour.

 

We enjoyed a nice breakfast, seated by the windows in the Washington dining room, gathered our stuff and headed off the ship by 9:00.

[cra-z-2cruise]

Is there a bar inside the Serenity area?

 

Yes, there is a bar inside the Serenity area. It is so peaceful there and the big round loungers and the hammocks are so comfortable. :cool:

[cra-z-2cruise]

We were instructed to meet the Segway representative at the tourist information desk at 10:30.

 

That meant we had plenty of time to find where we were supposed to meet, look through some shops, and use some free wifi. :cool:

Actually, it was a good thing I brought my phone with me...

We verified the correct meeting spot with a port employee and headed off to look around.

 

 

 

At 10:15 we headed back to the tourist information desk to meet the driver. We waited, and waited, and...

 

The place was packed with people, so we verified with another representative that we were in the correct spot.

At 10:25 we really began to get anxious.

10:35, still no driver!:eek:

Then I remembered I had all my booking information on my phone on the Trip It app! Called them and Michael came and picked us up himself. (They use a third party driver).

 

At the office we met our guide, Sammy, and the only other two participants. They were on the training track getting instructions. We have ridden before, so didn't need much time to get comfortable on the segway. :D

 

First stop, Sammy stops to tell us about the local plants and trees.

 

"Are those Mangos?"

"Yes, would you like one?"

"Yes, please!"

 

I could tell this was going to be another good day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cra-z-2cruise]

Sammy led the way up a hill, stopping with information along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cra-z-2cruise]

After everyone was comfortable with their machine, Sammy switched us from turtle to rabbit mode!

Further up a graveled path we go.

 

When we arrived at the top, we were welcomed by a beautiful view!

 

 

 

 

 

At the top, we crossed paths with the ship's tour. I think there were approximately 15 people on the tour.

I was really glad we had a small group, and Sammy, to ourselves.

 

We then hiked up a short distance to feed some fish in a pond.

 

 

Sammy led us to an old bunker, where he pulled out a machete and started cutting up fresh fruit for us. We had pineapple, oranges, mango. He also hacked the top off a coconut and we enjoyed coconut water.

 

While Sammy cleaned up, we were allowed to ride around on the segways.

Then Sammy took some pics for us.