Valor Southern Caribbean review with pictures and Fun Times - better late than never

[pghsteelerfan]

The cruise was fantastic! We've booked it again for March 2016... so far away... but we have a Western on Carnival Dream coming up in September. Then, a Eastern on Carnival Dream in January 2015. I kind of wish both those cruises were on the Valor! :p

 

You're going again?!?! Oh, I'd love to!!! :) We were just on Carnival Liberty on a Western Caribbean in April and I'm so glad we'd been on a Western before so we knew what the islands looked like (flat) and what to expect, although we missed Grand Cayman due to weather conditions. If we hadn't been to the Western before, I think we'd have been a little let down after doing the Southern out of San Juan on Valor because it IS so scenic. I tried to talk DH into going on Valor again this time, but the airfare was more expensive and he didn't want to do the same itinerary again. There's still so much to do on a Western & Eastern (have done Western twice now, Eastern once) but nothing compares to the scenery of the Southern. I hope you have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruises. :)

[shawne71]

You're going again?!?! Oh, I'd love to!!! :) We were just on Carnival Liberty on a Western Caribbean in April and I'm so glad we'd been on a Western before so we knew what the islands looked like (flat) and what to expect, although we missed Grand Cayman due to weather conditions. If we hadn't been to the Western before, I think we'd have been a little let down after doing the Southern out of San Juan on Valor because it IS so scenic. I tried to talk DH into going on Valor again this time, but the airfare was more expensive and he didn't want to do the same itinerary again. There's still so much to do on a Western & Eastern (have done Western twice now, Eastern once) but nothing compares to the scenery of the Southern. I hope you have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruises. :)

 

Thank you! :)

[4x4TX]

Enjoyed the review, booked on this one in August!

[pghsteelerfan]

Enjoyed the review, booked on this one in August!

 

Thank you for reading. I hope you have as an enjoyable time on Valor and the Southern itinerary as we did. I would love to do this one again.

[pghsteelerfan]

I was hoping to get this done last weekend, but as they say, life gets in the way. When I did my last review, I did a summary with my thoughts at the BEGINNING of the review, which I was planning to do with this one...but I just plain forgot. Here it is now. :)

 

Final thoughts and ratings (A - F):

Booking: We booked through Carnival’s website and it was very easy and we had no issues. I have my VIPF set up and before our cruise, I logged in to the “Manage My Cruise” section. That was where I was able to book our excursion for our day in Belize, the Altun Ha Mayan Ruins and River Wallace tour. I paid, using a credit card, through Carnival’s site. The tickets were delivered to our cabin before the day of our excursion. We were also in a cabin that could be set up with two single beds or a king sized bed, so I was able to select the option DH and I wanted, the king sized bed. It was set up when we arrived. That is also were we were able to pull up and print the downloads that we would be needing: our boarding pass, insurance & transfer to and from the ship to the airport (which we purchased), and the Carnival luggage tags, which will need to be attached before handing luggage off to the porters once you arrive at the ship. I think the booking process was very easy. My rating: “A”

Checking in: Since our Liberty cruise left out of Miami, FL, we flew into Miami International Airport. Carnival has a check-in desk set up right in the airport, near baggage claim: One is located at Concourse D (across from baggage claim 26) and the other is Concourse H (after baggage claim 6) and are open from 8:00AM – 2:00PM. This information was on our Carnival Liberty boarding pass under the Check-in Instructions. Check-in was very easy. We had to have our Carnival Liberty boarding pass and the photo ID. We used our passports for that and had our driver’s licenses in case we needed those also. We didn’t. ***If you are new to cruising, make sure you have the proper documentation. All passengers 16 years and older will need government issued photo identification and ALL guests must have proof of citizenship (passport, birth certificate with the raised seal) and necessary visas. For specifics, it’s on Carnival’s website and look up acceptable travel documentation*** Once showing our boarding pass and passports, we had our pictures taken there, the ones that are tied in with your Sail & Sign card, not the ones available for purchase. When we were through checking in, we were given our Sail & Sign cards and a map of Carnival Liberty. The lady who checked us in also gave us instructions to keep our Sail & Sign cards, passports, and boarding passes handy, we’d be needing them once again when we arrived at the Port of Miami cruise terminal (all we had to do there was show them since we were already checked-in), then go through security then right onto the ship, after getting our photos taken. The lady also let us know that lunch would be available on the Lido Deck 9. Passengers for both Carnival cruise ships in Port of Miami and Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) are able to check-in here. Very easy and not very long of a wait. Love the fact that Carnival has a check-in desk at the airport. My rating: “A”

Transfer from the airport to Carnival Liberty then from Liberty to the airport once our cruise was over: It cost a total of $64.00 ($16.00 per person, each way). We feel it was worth it but a taxi might be quicker. We don’t know what the price for a taxi would be each way. Once we checked-in at Carnival’s check-in counter at the airport, there is a waiting area with seats available where we could wait. We had about a half out wait for our transfer. Transfers are available for both passengers of Carnival cruise ships in both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. If you don’t purchase transfer service through Carnival ahead of time, you can still do so at the Carnival check-in desk at the airport. The only downside with the transfer is the wait until they get a full busload of passengers. My rating: “B”

Port of Miami & boarding: Once we arrived at the Port of Miami, we dropped our luggage off with the porters and tipped them. There are two main lines for passengers to enter, one for those who still needed to check-in and the other for those who checked-in at the airport. We went through the one for those who checked-in at the airport. There is a counter with several staff members working. We got in the line for that counter where we showed our Boarding Pass, Passport and Sail & Sign card. The gal there instructed us to go through security then once through, to enter the main terminal and go up the escalators to the right to get right on the ship. Those who did not do the airport check-in got in the line in the main terminal for check-in. We went through security, which moved quickly. We just put our carry-on luggage through the X-Ray machine/conveyor belt and that was it. From there we went into the main area of the terminal where they have the long counter set up for the lines of passengers who still needed to check-in and followed the instructions to go up the escalators to the right. In the area at the top of the escalators is where our first Carnival photos are taken, the ones later available for purchase. After that we continued through until we got on Carnival Liberty. We felt the actual boarding process ran very smoothly. My rating: “A”

Carnival Liberty (her appearance, layout and décor): This is the third Conquest Class ship we’ve been on but the décor on Carnival Liberty is my favorite. Very nicely done. We had no problem with the layout since we were already familiar from our previous cruises on Carnival Glory and Carnival Valor. The biggest complaint I’ve seen about the layout of the Conquest Class ships is that on Decks 3 and 4, you can’t walk the whole length of the ship, due to the mid-ship dining room. On Carnival Liberty, that would be the Golden Olympian Dining Room, which is located mid-ship. If you’re trying to walk from one end of the ship to the other, you’ll need to take the stairs up to Promenade Deck 5, continue in the direction you’re headed, then go back down if you’re trying to get to an area beyond The Golden Olympian Dining room. You are able to walk the whole length of the ship on any of the other decks. We finally figured it out on our last cruise the easiest way from our cabin on Upper Deck 6 to the Silver Olympian Dining room, which is located at the back (or aft) of the ship, was to stay on our floor (Deck 6) and walk to the back and use the last sets of stairs/elevators. My rating: “A”

Our cabin: We had a balcony cabin (Cabin Category 8B) and really liked it. It’s the same type of cabin that we had on our previous three Carnival Cruises. There is plenty of room, and plenty of closet and drawer space to accommodate the two of us. We had the king sized bed and there is also another seat and table next to the bed. The bathroom is also exactly the same as on our previous four cruises and we’ve never had any problems with them. The only thing about our room this time that was different was that it was an adjoining room, with another door. We had no problem with that since we kept it locked. The only issue I had with that is that I am sensitive to many fragrances and someone in the room next door used very heavy perfume, so the scent from that was able to make it through the frame of that door, even though it appeared to be sealed well. For anyone reading this and being afraid of being in a room next to smokers, ALL cabins are non-smoking so that shouldn’t be an issue. My rating: “A”

Our Cabin Steward: We really liked him and he was a very friendly and nice guy and he did keep the cabin clean for us, but there were a few things that we thought would be automatic when servicing cabins that were forgotten and we had to ask for:

· Wash cloths: When servicing the cabin one of the days, he remembered to replace the bath and hand towels, but not the wash cloths.

· Liquid shower gel (soap): We had to ask for a dispenser refill of the liquid body wash soap that Carnival provides. We noticed there wasn’t much left when we got on Liberty, but thought it was an oversight and that he’d refill it later. That didn’t happen, we used it till it was empty (two days later) and asked if he could refill it. He forgot the first time and we reminded him again the next day, this time it was refilled. We ended up using the small bars of soap (two provided) until we got the refill. I may just bring a bar of soap from home the next time, just in case. On the past cruises we’ve been on where they have the soap and shampoo dispensers in the shower, they have always been filled when we first got on the ship and refilled daily after that.

· Toilet paper: We actually had to ask for this. Again, on all past cruises there has always been a roll on the holder and at least one extra roll in the little shelf under the sink and there was this time as well. This time once we had the spare roll on the holder, it was never replaced. By day four, that one spare running pretty low but there were no extra rolls left in our cabin, so we had to ask.

Now in his defense, he always looked very rushed. We could see that and although we did talk to him, we made sure we kept it brief because we didn’t want to get him behind schedule. I don’t know if he has an assistant working with him or not, but we never saw anyone else. On all of our past cruises, there has been at least one assistant who we saw. My rating: “B” (had he not been so nice and had we not seen how rushed he was, it would have been a “C”).

Food:

· Breakfast: We ate at the buffet every morning and it was decent. The eggs weren’t as bad as I was picturing but they’re also not the best eggs I’ve had either. They have two types of potatoes: little round hash browns and roasted potatoes. They also have cereal, yogurt, fruit, bacon, sausage, toast (wheat & regular), pancakes, French toast, and the pastries. I’m probably missing something. We never made it to the omelet station or Blue Iguana Cantina for breakfast this time. A few times I just had the cereal and one of the cinnamon pastries (love those) either because I wasn’t quite hungry yet or I was saving room for something else later. Next time I’m on a ship with the 2.0 upgrades, I WILL be trying the Blue Iguana Cantina for their breakfast and I’m kicking myself for not doing so on this cruise. My rating: “C”

· Lunch: With Liberty having the 2.0 upgrades and the addition of Guy’s Burgers, that’s where we ate every day except once. That once we were just too full from what we had to eat during the day. The Guy Burgers are the best! I am kicking myself now for not trying Blue Iguana because I’ve been reading other reviews and the descriptions and pictures of the tacos always make me hungry. Since lunch was at Guy’s Burger Joint every day that we had lunch, I can only rate that. My rating: “A+”

· Dinner: On all but two nights, we ate in the Silver Olympian Dining room and Liberty has the new “American Menu”. In the review I gave an in depth description of all that we had and really liked most of it. We weren’t crazy about the new “American Menu” since some of our favorites are not included. I was really bummed that Spaghetti Carbonara was no longer on the menu. I think that is my favorite, hands down, and was really looking forward to it. We did not eat in the dining room on the two formal nights, so I don’t have any feedback on the “American Feast” menu but do know that Lobster and Prime rib are offered on that. I’m not a big dessert eater so I really can’t comment on those, although I will say that anyone else like me can still order sorbet, even though it’s not listed on the menu. We did not try Harry’s Steakhouse but we talked to a few who did and they highly recommended it and said the food was good and worth the extra cost. On the two formal nights, we ate in Emile’s Lido Buffet. They seemed to mainly have the same things offered in the dining rooms but not all, just select items, and served buffet style. There will be no lobster in the buffet, so if you want that, go to the dining room on formal nights. The regular buffet line also has a large bowl of lettuce for salads and in the center area is a whole section with toppings and dressings to build your salad. On one of the nights, they also had a bowl of the already made Caesar salad. Although we weren’t fans of the new “American Menu”, I will admit that the things we did have were good. We’re just really missing some of the favorites from the past. My rating: “B”

Wait staff in the main dining room (Silver Olympian for us): The service wasn’t as fast or as good as we’ve had on past cruises but our wait staff were all were very nice. They were all really appeared to be “rushed” and we didn’t see anyone standing around twiddling their thumbs at any time. We all got the impression that they had too many tables to cover. The orders were always correct but everyone at our table that had something to drink with dinner, other than water, had to ask every night even if they had the same thing to drink. On past cruises those drinks were automatically brought out. My rating: “C”

***I’m listing all of the restaurants or other places to eat and their locations for anyone who may be interested:

Ø Silver Olympian Dining room: one of the two main dining rooms; located on Lobby Deck 3 and Atlantic Deck 4, very back (aft) of Liberty.

Ø Golden Olympian Dining room: the other main dining room and most of it is “Your time dining”; located on Lobby Deck 3 and Atlantic Deck 4, midship.

Ø Emile’s Bistro: Located on Lido Deck 9 and includes the buffet, deli, Mongolian Wok and Pizza Bar (Pizza Bar is located by the Versailles Pool, which is the adult only pool at the back of the ship).

Ø Guy’s Burger Joint: Located on Lido Deck 9 right by the main pool area, midship and on the right (starboard) side of Liberty.

Ø Blue Iguana Cantina: Located on Lido Deck 9 right by the main pool area, midship, and on the left (port) side of Liberty.

Ø Fish & Chips: Located on Panorama Deck 10, above Emile’s Bistro (toward the back) of Liberty.

Ø Harry’s Steakhouse: Located on Panorama Deck 10, midship, and above Emile’s Bistro. There is a charge to eat here.

Ø Jardin Café: located on Promenade Deck 5, just outside the casino area. Service specialty coffee drinks, pastries, and desserts. You’ll have to pay extra $$$ here as well.

Ø Sushi Bar: I’m sure there is one, and probably on Promenade Deck 5, but we never saw it or bothered to look for it.

Drinks & Bar Service: There are many bars on Carnival Liberty and you can get almost anything to drink. The bars we went to regularly were Red Frog Rum Bar (Lido Deck 9, main pool area midship, right side); Blue Iguana Tequila Bar (Lido Deck9, main pool area midship, left side); Versailles Aft Pool Bar (Lido Deck 9, back of ship); and the Promenade Bar (or Casino Bar) located on Promenade Deck 5 by the casino. The drinks were all very good, and we tried several, but the only gripe we have with the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, the Red Frog Rum Bar, and the Versailles Aft Pool Bar were that there never seemed to be enough bartenders, so the waits were usually longer than we’ve experienced on past cruises. The Blue Iguana Tequila Bar isn’t always open, causing some overcrowding at times at the Red Frog Rum Bar. We went to the Versailles Aft Pool bar a few times because the lines were too long at the others. There was only one bartender working that bar each time we were there. Twice we had service right away and once it took quite a while to get our order taken and drinks, but we understood because it was kind of busy and there was only the one bartender. This was when Liberty was at sea, it wasn’t what I’d consider crowded but there were several people at the bar, like there usually is when the ship is at sea, so there should have been at least two bartenders. The Promenade Bar always seemed to have enough bartenders working and they were great. We also didn’t notice as many bar tenders walking around on Lido Deck 9 or Panorama Deck 10 as we have on past cruises. I’ll base my ratings on drinks and service.

Ø My rating for the Red Frog Rum Bar: “B”

Ø My rating for the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar: “C”

Ø My rating for the Versailles Aft Pool Bar: “B”

Ø My rating for the Promenade (casino) Bar: “A”

Ship staff: The staff seemed to be very rushed on this cruise but they were still very friendly and always greeted us with a smile and spoke, whether it was “good morning”, “good afternoon”, “good evening” or “hello”. I also noticed they were constantly keeping up with the cleaning. Even though service was slower in the dining rooms and the bars, the staff were very friendly and always smiled but we could tell that they were rushed. They really do work too hard and adding a few more to cut back on their workload would probably be a good thing. My rating: “A”

Pools/hot tubs: There were two pools on Carnival Liberty, the main pool that is located mid-ship (the Tivoli Pool) and the adult only pool, the Versailles Pool, which is located at the back of the ship. We did not go into the Tivoli Pool since it seemed to be the hangout for the kids and it was always full, when open. We didn’t go down the waterslide this time, but it’s the same as Valor’s and we went on it last year and really liked it. There is a smaller pool right by the waterslide that we didn’t go in. There are also hot tubs by the Tivoli Pool, which we did not try. On the first Sea Day, we were in and out of the adult only pool, the Versailles Pool, and also went into one of the hot tubs there. The areas always seemed to be kept clean and there was always music and plenty of activities going on. The only problem is that there never seems to be enough loungers on Sea Days, but that’s typical. My rating: “A”

Activities: There are always plenty of activities going on, even during the day on port days. There is always some kind of trivia going on somewhere on the ship. We don’t participate in too many activities but did try the Classic Rock Trivia that was held on one of the nights. It was during late seating dinner time, but was a formal night where we didn’t eat in the main dining room. It seems that there is something for everyone and there also seemed to be some type of activity going on during the day and evening. My rating: “A”

Entertainment:

· Shows in the Venetian Palace: We never went to any of the shows that were held in the Venetian Palace but there seemed to be something in there every night. We have yet to go to the Legend’s show and were considering it this time, but it was at 10:15PM on the last night of the cruise so we didn’t go since we wanted to be up at 4:30AM since we did the “Self Assist” debark. I can’t rate the shows because we did not attend any.

· Seaside Theater: Carnival also has the Seaside Theater where they’ll have movies under the stars on most nights. Our cruise happened to be during the NCAA basketball semifinals and finals, so they showed the games at the Seaside Theater those nights. We never did watch any of the movies, but they seem to be recent, popular movies. I did list what movies were playing and on which nights in the review. I can’t rate the Seaside Theater because we didn’t spend time there to watch a movie or any of the NCAA games.

· Punchliner Comedy Club: We only saw one comedian this time, Jason Blanchard. Out of all of the comedians we’ve seen on cruises, I personally think he is the best. The Punchliner Comedy Club is in the Victoria Aft Lounge, which is at the very back of Carnival Liberty on Promenade Deck 5. They don’t have the Punchliner comedy shows every night, but on nights they have it, there is a “Family Friendly” show with both comedians that starts at 7:45PM and three “Adult Only” shows at 10:00PM, 11:00PM, and 11:45PM, alternating between two comedians. Check the “Fun Times” for actual days and times, because they could be different. We saw the 10:00PM show with Jason Blanchard and were planning on sticking around for the 11:00PM show with Happy Cole. In the past, we’ve just stayed where we were sitting when one comedian was done and were able to wait until the next comedian came on. Carnival handles that a little different now, and it’s probably only fair. After a comedian is finished and the lights are turned back up, everyone has to leave the comedy club then get back in line for the next one. If you’re a Platinum VIFP member, you will not have to leave. We were going to get back in line to see the second show the night we went, but the line was too long and it appeared that by the time we got back into the comedy club (Victoria Lounge), it would be standing room only or filled to capacity. Carnival switches comedians during the week, so there are usually a total of four comedians on a 7 day sailing. The first two will get off the ship at a port and two more will be getting back on. Sometimes it will be the same port for drop off and pick up, but that’s not always the case. Well, wouldn’t you know it, the two comedians we were going to have for the second half of the cruise were to board Carnival Liberty in Grand Cayman…but we missed going to Grand Cayman due to weather conditions, so there was no comedy the last few days. We are very happy with the Punchliner Comedy that Carnival offers now. My rating: “A”

· Music on board: There was a variety of music whether it was a DJ, the singer/guitar player; bands (usually on Promenade Deck 5 right by the Promenade ‘casino’ bar). They DJ was very good at getting the crowd going and played the popular line dances (Cupid Shuffle/Wobble and others I can’t name). There are complaints that the music was loud, and it can get loud, but we were into it even though we don’t participating in the line dances. They also played a lot of popular music that everyone seemed to enjoy. The singer/guitar player usually entertained at the Red Frog Rum Bar in the late afternoons. He was a younger guy, probably in his 20’s and was good but not great. He really seemed to have an attitude (almost an arrogance about him). We noticed and a few others were commenting on the fact that even though the “Red Frog Rum Bar” was packed and passengers had longer waits to get their drink orders taken then their drinks, the entertainer would walk up behind the bar and get the bartenders to wait on him first. A few times when the bartenders were really busy, he went behind the bar himself and poured his own drink. I’m fine with going behind the bar and pouring his own drink…he is and employee…but don’t demand to be waited on immediately when there are a lot of passengers still waiting to place their drink order. The bands that play along the Promenade Deck 5 at night were pretty good from what I was able to hear. We didn’t spend a lot of time there just to listening though.

· Mardi Gras Party: This is a lot of fun. It starts in the atrium area of Lobby Deck 3 with the pre-party, then the dancing and beads (beads are tossed to the partygoers) then wraps up with the “Promenade Parade”, where everyone forms a line and heads to the Promenade Deck. My Rating: “A”

· Deck Parties: There was a “Sail away” deck party when leaving Miami the first day and they also had a “Red Frog’s Caribbean Beach Party” on one of the nights in which they have prizes and giveaways. We always love the “sail away” party and couldn’t think of starting a cruise any other way. At the “Red Frog’s Caribbean Beach Party”, we missed the prizes and giveaways since that was done before we got up there after our late seating dinner. No biggie though since we really don’t need more stuff. The parties are a lot of fun and there’s a lot of dancing for anyone who loves to dance. We don’t dance but we do enjoy the deck parties. My rating: “A”

Itinerary: The itinerary on the Western Caribbean sailings isn’t as scenic as those of the Southern and Eastern Caribbean sailings since most of the islands are flat, with the exception of Isla Roatan, Honduras, and there isn’t much to see when arriving/leaving port. However there is so much to see and do in each port and they are all beautiful and different.

· Miami, FL: We love sailing out of Miami and think it’s one of the prettiest places to sail from and like me, if you’re up early, sailing back in is just as beautiful.

· Cozumel, Mexico: There is so much to see and do in Cozumel and we chose to spend our day at a local, private beach club called Nachi Cocum. We were there on one of the few days where the water was rougher than normal, so the beach and water weren’t as pretty as they normally are. It’s an all-inclusive, so the food and unlimited drinks are included in the cost ($55.00 per person). The food and drinks are VERY good (A+). Nachi Cocum also allows only 100 guests per day, so it’s not crowded. They have a nice pool, hot tubs and swim-up bar that we didn’t use, but they looked great. We prefer spending our time at the beach. There are loungers under palapas which are located on the beach under the palm trees, so there is plenty of shade if needed. Loungers can be moved into the sun as well. They offer many activities, but there is an extra charge for those. We booked directly through Nachi Cocum’s website a month in advance because they do fill up early. We also spent some time shopping in Cozumel and also at Fat Tuesday’s, which I thought was a lot of fun. Our only complaint about Cozumel was that some of the vendors were extremely pushy and just plain annoying.

· Belize City, Belize: On our last Western Caribbean cruise, we did a “Beach Break” excursion that we booked through Carnival. That was on an island off the coast of Belize, which we really enjoyed, but we never got into Belize on that trip since we took a water taxi from the ship to the island and back. This time we wanted to do something different and see more of Belize. We booked the “Altun Ha Mayan Site and River Wallace” tour directly through Carnival’s website a month before the cruise and it was very easy to do. For this, we needed to take a 20 minute tender ride from the ship into Belize City. I thought the tender process was very well organized. For passengers who booked tours through Carnival, the meeting spot was in the Venetian Palace (Lobby Deck 3, front of ship) and we were given a colored sticker with a number according to the excursion signed up for. All others were directed to the Victorian Lounge (Promenade Deck 5, back of ship) to get their tender number. Once in Belize, we met for our excursion. We really enjoyed our excursion and our day in Belize.

· Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan, Honduras: This was a new island for us and was the most scenic of the islands to sail into and out of because it is mountainous. There is so much to see and do in Roatan and we ended up booking the “Best of Roatan private tour” through Victor Bodden, a local tour group. The reason we did this was because it was a shorter port day since we were only there till 3:00PM and having to be back onboard by 2:30PM. We’ve been on other tours in the past where beach time or shopping time was cut short because part of the tour ran late, sometimes due to the excursion itself or waiting on other passengers. We really wanted time for a little shopping for small things, to see more of the island than just the cruise center, and also beach time and thought by doing a the private tour would allow us to take advantage of the short day. Because of the short day and the time it takes to get from place to place, we still felt very rushed and we wished that we could have stayed there till at least 5:00PM. The beach we went to was West Bay beach and it’s very pretty. The water was very rough the day we were there, so we didn’t get in. It was still very pretty though and is also popular for snorkeling, which we didn’t get to do because of the water conditions.

· Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands: This is also a tender port and we unfortunately missed going to Grand Cayman due to high swells and strong winds which would have made tendering too dangerous, so local authorities closed the port of Georgetown. Sometimes ships can tender from another spot in Grand Cayman called “Spott’s Bay” and Liberty was going to head there, but the conditions at Spott’s Bay were no better so our day in Grand Cayman was cancelled. However, we were there on our previous Western Caribbean cruise in March 2006 and really enjoyed our day there. We booked the “Stingray City” tour through Carnival that time and really loved it. If we’d have been able to make it to Grand Cayman this time, our plan was a beach day at Seven Mile Beach since we didn’t get to the beach the last time we were in Grand Cayman. We’ve heard so many nice things about Seven Mile Beach and how pretty it is, but I guess we’ll have to wait until next time until we can go there ourselves.

***I can’t really rate the itinerary because there are so many things to see and do on each of the islands and they all have their own beauty and a lot also depends on what you do while there as well. We also happened to be there a week when the weather wasn’t the most cooperative but since we’ve been to most of the islands on our Carnival Miracle cruise in March 2006, with the exception of Roatan, we saw these ports at their very best because we had great weather that whole cruise.***

Carnival Excursions: The only excursion we booked through Carnival this time was the “Altun Ha Mayan Ruin Site and River Wallace” tour. I highly recommend this. The whole tour was very informative. We thought the scenery while doing the River Wallace part of the tour, which is by boat, was very pretty and we really enjoyed it. This was our first time to see Mayan Ruins and there is a difference when you see them in person compared to pictures. We also loved our tour guides, Merlene & Therese, they were both very informative and had a great sense of humor and they were a big part of making it a fun and memorable day for us. My rating: “A+”

Fellow passengers: I have no complaints, whatsoever, about our fellow passengers on this cruise. There was a wide range in ages, from small kids to seniors. Because we went in April, there were a lot more kids on this sailing but they all seemed very well behaved and we didn’t witness any of them running wild, blocking stairwells, using outside voices while inside, crying, whining, or throwing tantrums. There was one time that all of the elevator buttons were pressed, but it didn’t inconvenience us and it was no big deal. It was when we got on an elevator after our late seating dinner and it was crowed but not packed like sardines crowded, with a mix of adults and kids. We had doors held open for us, twice, by teenage boys. One of those times was in port but the boy was a fellow passenger. We didn’t witness any adults that had gotten fall-down/obnoxiously drunk or out of control. The only line cutting we witnessed was for the tender from Belize back to the ship and it was a group of four adults who appeared to be in their 60’s. We didn’t have anyone cut in front of us at the buffet line at breakfast and we didn’t see anyone cutting in front of others. As far as what others wore in the dining room, I don’t pay attention and it’s really none of my business and how people dress really doesn’t bother me, as long as they have clothes on. Most people were dressed in what is considered “cruise casual”. Most of the people we had a chance to talk to were very nice and we enjoyed their company. It seemed to be a pretty laid back, fun loving crowd and that is one of the things we really like about Carnival and our fellow passengers. Fellow passengers, like the weather, can vary from cruise to cruise and we really had a great group of fellow passengers, well…except for the group of line cutters in Belize and those who hogged all those chairs on that last Sea Day but I’m sure that’s a given on every cruise.

Debarkation: We did the “Self Assist” debarkation, meaning we kept our luggage with us and had to carry it off ourselves. It was DH’s decision to do this and it was for the convenience of having the main suitcase with us. We both had items that we needed that night/next morning that are restricted by the airlines in the carry-on luggage and to avoid the hassle of having to get them out of the carry-on and put in the main suitcase before arriving at the airport. On the last day of our cruise we received our “Debarkation Information” sheet that has the detailed debarkation instructions in addition to the times passengers are called to debark. We also received the blue debarkation luggage tags that have a “zone number” on them in case we ended up doing “Relaxed” debarkation. We didn’t need them since we were doing “Self Assist”. On the “Debarkation Information” sheet, the debarkation times were listed, with “Self Assist” being one of the first groups off the ship and that is done by deck number. Since we were Upper Deck 6, our scheduled debarkation time was 7:05AM. The “Relaxed” debarkation groups are called by “zone number”, the number on the debarkation luggage tags. Our only issues with the debarkation process were that they were not making any announcements that morning. The time of 7:05AM (our listed debarkation time) came and went and we were basically clueless. Did they call us and for some reason we did not hear or maybe the announcement couldn’t be heard in our cabin? We had no idea and started to wonder if we should just go down or wait and decided to wait. About an hour later is when we got our first announcements, and shortly after the actual debarkation started. It would have been nice for a “heads up” announcement, even if it was just to let us know that the ship was getting clearance by U.S. local authorities and to listen for further announcements for debarkation. Once we were called, things ran pretty smoothly from there. There was a line to get off of Carnival Liberty, but it wasn’t too long and the line moved. Everything seemed to be pretty organized once off Liberty and where we went through customs. We were able to see the luggage of those who did “Relaxed” debarkation and it was marked by zone numbers so it could be easily found. My rating: “B” (would’ve been an “A” if we’d have gotten some kind of announcement to prevent that confusion).

Next up: Since I know that I’m not the only one who likes collecting Carnival’s fun souvenir cups, the next (and last) part will be when and where those cups are served and I’ll include pictures.

[Boss302LS]

This is a great review. I've stayed at the same hotel in Isla Verde and I love that place. I'd usually walk to a local restaurant though for local cuisine. I'd also take advantage of the public bus and get dropped off in the Condado area. There are some nice places to fine there as well. Heading out on this cruise July 13. Can't wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

[pghsteelerfan]

Please disregard my last post, it's not supposed to be here. :eek: That is actually the summary of our recent cruise on Carnival Liberty. The Valor review is done and has been done for a while. I had this review of Valor open to use as a guide for the summary I was doing for Liberty and it accidentally got posted here. I tried deleting it but was unable to. Oops!!! :D

[pghsteelerfan]

This is a great review. I've stayed at the same hotel in Isla Verde and I love that place. I'd usually walk to a local restaurant though for local cuisine. I'd also take advantage of the public bus and get dropped off in the Condado area. There are some nice places to fine there as well. Heading out on this cruise July 13. Can't wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

 

 

Thank you for reading and glad you enjoyed it. We loved the Courtyard in Isla Verde too and would not hesitate to stay there again. Which local restaurant did you walk to? We were considering looking for something else on our own but it was starting to get dark and we didn't know how the area around the hotel was and decided not to venture out. We didn't know about the bus last time but consider me informed now, I'd love to see the Condado area. Thank you for mentioning it. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and beautiful weather during your cruise.

[Arizonagirl14]

We are booked on this cruise in December 2014; thank you for your indepth review and pictures. After reading your entries, I called and changed the location of my room from the port side. I love to take pictures from my balcony when coming into the ports, so that information was so important. Thanks again.

[pghsteelerfan]

We are booked on this cruise in December 2014; thank you for your indepth review and pictures. After reading your entries, I called and changed the location of my room from the port side. I love to take pictures from my balcony when coming into the ports, so that information was so important. Thanks again.

 

I definitely think you will love this cruise and I know I've said it before, but I think this is the best itinerary for the scenery. So glad you were able to make the switch to starboard side. We cruised in May, so the humidity was up and it was more hazy. I've seen other reviews from cruises from November - February where the air is much clearer and crisper, so you may even have better views coming up to St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Martin. When arriving in St. Thomas, Valor will head straight in but you'll still get some great views.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the review and so happy to hear it was helpful in planning your cruise. Thank you for reading. I hope you have a wonderful time on Valor. It was one of our favorite cruises.

[Boss302LS]

Thank you for reading and glad you enjoyed it. We loved the Courtyard in Isla Verde too and would not hesitate to stay there again. Which local restaurant did you walk to? We were considering looking for something else on our own but it was starting to get dark and we didn't know how the area around the hotel was and decided not to venture out. We didn't know about the bus last time but consider me informed now, I'd love to see the Condado area. Thank you for mentioning it. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and beautiful weather during your cruise.

 

My mother was born and raised on the island.. I don't speak spanish much but I did spend many summers there as a child. The public beach at Isla Verde is where we would go as it was the closest to my grandparents house. The Courtyard, I think, is still the last hotel before the public beach. Because I crave the local food when I'm there we usually make the hike from the hotel to the public beach for some of the food sold on the beach in the kiosks. For dinner you need to walk down towards the el San Juan hotel. Around that area were a few restaurants, can't remember the name. But for some fun, go into the lobby of El San Juan, its beautiful.. At night they sometimes have a local band so you can grab a drink in the lobby bar and then enjoy the music. Be careful though, I think there is a dress code there. Now if you have access to a car then you MUST go to piñones. Its a small town a few miles down the road from the hotel.. when you leave the parking lot make a left, drive past the public beach and follow for a few miles. You can't miss it. Its know for its local food. Nothing is expensive and you basically buy from Kiosks. Google it for more info. Its right on the beach. I go there every trip. I grab some good local food, get a beer and sit on the wall overlooking the beach. You can't swim there, too rocky and rough. There is a boardwalk you can walk on but Ive never did that. There are bars there too.

[pghsteelerfan]

My mother was born and raised on the island.. I don't speak spanish much but I did spend many summers there as a child. The public beach at Isla Verde is where we would go as it was the closest to my grandparents house. The Courtyard, I think, is still the last hotel before the public beach. Because I crave the local food when I'm there we usually make the hike from the hotel to the public beach for some of the food sold on the beach in the kiosks. For dinner you need to walk down towards the el San Juan hotel. Around that area were a few restaurants, can't remember the name. But for some fun, go into the lobby of El San Juan, its beautiful.. At night they sometimes have a local band so you can grab a drink in the lobby bar and then enjoy the music. Be careful though, I think there is a dress code there. Now if you have access to a car then you MUST go to piñones. Its a small town a few miles down the road from the hotel.. when you leave the parking lot make a left, drive past the public beach and follow for a few miles. You can't miss it. Its know for its local food. Nothing is expensive and you basically buy from Kiosks. Google it for more info. Its right on the beach. I go there every trip. I grab some good local food, get a beer and sit on the wall overlooking the beach. You can't swim there, too rocky and rough. There is a boardwalk you can walk on but Ive never did that. There are bars there too.

 

Thank you so much for the information. I've told DH that I would really love to go and spend a week in Puerto Rico, making San Juan our "home base" and renting a car for a week. I've seen complaints here on CC where some don't like having San Juan as a port of call, but we LOVE it. There is so much to do and never enough time when visiting on a cruise. I'd love to see El Yunque, the bio-bay and spend a day on the eastern side of PR and also maybe a day (or two) in Vieques. I'd also love to spend more time at El Morro and San Cristobal and would also love to try some of the local food. Since you've spent time there, what local foods to you recommend the most? I just looked up Pinones on Google Maps and that's very close. There are pictures posted and the beaches there look beautiful, like you'd see in a post card. So glad you posted that here so I can refer to it next time we get to San Juan. Hopefully on Valor again or for a week.

[snootz]

Just got back on Fri from the same trip :( we got in sat morning, went to luquillo beach (beautiful!) Then the cruise. Then we stayed in Humacao for a week! Absolutely love Puerto Rico! We did the bio bay, a drive through the forest, Candondo, and another day in old san juan at the forts. My favorite though was catching the ferry to Culebra! I had done my research on vieques but ended up at Culebra playa flamenco! All day too get there and back but well worth the soft white sand and crystal clear water!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forums mobile app

[pghsteelerfan]

Just got back on Fri from the same trip :( we got in sat morning, went to luquillo beach (beautiful!) Then the cruise. Then we stayed in Humacao for a week! Absolutely love Puerto Rico! We did the bio bay, a drive through the forest, Candondo, and another day in old san juan at the forts. My favorite though was catching the ferry to Culebra! I had done my research on vieques but ended up at Culebra playa flamenco! All day too get there and back but well worth the soft white sand and crystal clear water!

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forums mobile app

 

I almost forgot about Culebra!!! Thank you for the reminder. The first time I ever heard of Culebra was from our Carnival Glory (Eastern Caribbean) cruise in May 2010. We were about 2 hours late going into St. Thomas due to a medevac two nights prior. We were sitting on our balcony and were passing Puerto Rico, about 2 hours before our arrival in St. Thomas. We noticed another island after passing Puerto Rico and were curious as to what island it was. I looked at Google Maps when we got back and discovered it was Culebra and that Culebra was actually part of Puerto Rico. I saw pictures that others posted on Google Maps and fell in love with the scenery. We might need more than a week in Puerto Rico some year. :) I certainly wouldn't mind taking a whole day, it would be worth it.

[snootz]

Oh absolutely worth it! The first ferry leaves at 9am it's $2.25 pp/each way. It gets packed though so plan on getting there early. The trip itself is like 45 mins. Then a cab for $3 pp to the beach about 10 mins. All day there with food and drinks available or bring your ice chest. Then a 1pm, 5pm, or 8pm ferry back. Be warned though that they run on "island time" our ferry was due to leave at 5 and we didn't leave until 6:07 and we almost missed the bio bay.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forums mobile app

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoyed your review.

[pghsteelerfan]

Oh absolutely worth it! The first ferry leaves at 9am it's $2.25 pp/each way. It gets packed though so plan on getting there early. The trip itself is like 45 mins. Then a cab for $3 pp to the beach about 10 mins. All day there with food and drinks available or bring your ice chest. Then a 1pm, 5pm, or 8pm ferry back. Be warned though that they run on "island time" our ferry was due to leave at 5 and we didn't leave until 6:07 and we almost missed the bio bay.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Forums mobile app

 

That's all??? Definitely worth it. The travel part sounds pretty similar going to St. John from St. Thomas. We did that once on a Carnival excursion and took the 45 minute ferry from the cruise ship. There is a shorter ferry on the other side of St. Thomas to St. John. Thank you so much for passing this information along.

[pghsteelerfan]

Enjoyed your review.

 

Thank you again! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one too. :)

[Bases5]

This is a great review

Thanks for taking the time

[pghsteelerfan]

This is a great review

Thanks for taking the time

 

Thank you! I hope you have as great a time on Valor as we did. I would not hesitate to do this same cruise again. The scenery is spectacular and we loved Valor.

[CleveCruiser]

Loved your review and the detail in your photos!

 

Thank you for posting!

 

Loved your shots of El Morro, it is amazing that so many people get so many unique pictures there; there are so may angles to find in the fort.

 

Who was the cruise director? There were so very MANY things to do (as seen in your fun times). Our list of things to do were mainly revenue sources for carnival (probably 45%). It seemed like 80% of your activities were fun things to do or watch or participate in!

 

Thanks again for posting.! :)

[pghsteelerfan]

Loved your review and the detail in your photos!

 

Thank you for posting!

 

Loved your shots of El Morro, it is amazing that so many people get so many unique pictures there; there are so may angles to find in the fort.

 

Who was the cruise director? There were so very MANY things to do (as seen in your fun times). Our list of things to do were mainly revenue sources for carnival (probably 45%). It seemed like 80% of your activities were fun things to do or watch or participate in!

 

Thanks again for posting.! :)

 

Thank you for reading and so happy you enjoyed it and the pictures. As you can see, I love taking pictures but am not a professional, it's just a hobby.

 

We LOVED El Morro and we only saw a fraction of it. We went over to Castillo de San Cristobal to get pictures of Valor in port, but didn't go in since more rain was coming and DH wanted to get back on the ship. Next time I'd love to do that. I read a lot of reviews and have also seen and admired the pictures that others have posted, really beautiful. I could spend a week in San Juan.

 

Our cruise director on Valor when we were on her last year was Jacques De Lange and he we liked him. Since the itinerary was so port heavy (no complaining from me since I LOVE port heavy itineraries) we booked all of our excursions on our own or just "winged it" (St. Thomas, Barbados, & St. Kitts) and it was the first time we've done that. By doing that, we really saved some $$$ but did spend our usual amount on the ship as well, especially the DOD's in the fun souvenir cups. :D Winging it and booking private tours is where Cruise Critic really helped out. I read so many good reviews of the southern itinerary out of San Juan (Victory and Valor after the two ships traded home ports) and from them we got great ideas on what to do and how to go about booking.

 

There was always something to see and do around the ship and they always have something going on, even when the ship is in port. We usually choose the late seating in the dining room so we don't have to rush to get ready for dinner after a port day. We really enjoy going up to the Lido & Panorama Deck as we sailed from the islands. Since we skipped the two formal nights, we were able to participate/watch some activities that we normally wouldn't have been able to.

 

DH and I were talking about our "next cruise", not even in the planning stages yet, but we think we'll be doing the same one you just did on Freedom (GT, DR, Aruba and Curacao). We've been to Grand Turk but all the others would be new ports for us.

 

Thank you again for reading! :)

[Biffer1997]

thanks for the wonderful review! booked Valor for April 2015 and loving your review and pics for ideas!!!

[pghsteelerfan]

thanks for the wonderful review! booked Valor for April 2015 and loving your review and pics for ideas!!!

 

Thank you and I'm glad you are enjoying it and getting some ideas. This is definitely my favorite Caribbean itinerary and would love to do this same cruise again. I hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.

[taxcruisermom]

I have read your review twice in anticipation of our 13th cruise on Carnival but first for the Southern route. We sailed the Valor on it's Eastern route in 2008 when our daughter graduated from high school. We have been cruising since first married and will now be celebrating our 30th Anniversary on the Valor in October. We have been to St Thomas and St Martin, but that's all, so the other Islands will be new to us. I loved all your pictures and details. We are booking most of our tours in advance on our own thanks to CC. It is a wonderful cruise tool and I am thankful to you and others for all the advice over the years.

Hope you get to cruise again soon. I look forward to reading any reviews you put out there.

Thanks Again for all the time and effort you put into this review.

From Tina in Virginia:p