REVIEW: Carnival Valor to Southern Caribbean Oct 6-13, 2013 OUR FIRST CRUISE!

[jeanneful]

LOVED your review!! You will always have fond memories of your first cruise. We will be cruising on the Sunshine Dec. 1 , its a B2B. Can't wait, you have me so excited about my cruise. But now I am already dreading that last day!! Thanks again for the great review!

Edited October 28, 2013 by jeanneful

[fkfad]

Thanks for this AWESOME review! We are sailing on the Valor in January and can't wait!!! Did you use the self-serve laundry facilities on the ship? We will be staying in San Juan for several days before and after the cruise, and I am not going to pack all of those clothes, rather, do some laundry while we are on the ship....

[Fairway Cruiser]

Great Review! We are on this cruise in May. One question: is the program available for you to pay an extra fee to check your luggage from the ship all the way to your final airport destination? I forgot the name of the program, but it is offered out of Port Canaveral, and other ports. They also print out your boarding passes for you, as a part of this service.

I think the fee is $25 per person. Thanks again for a great review!:cool:

[Yankees2012]

Loved, loved, loved your review!!!! Both of you looked so happy and that you enjoyed every moment of the trip! I looked forward to reading the new update everyday :) Enjoy your new bag and wallet!!

[jenischmeni]

BTW...I live in the Indianapolis area. If you ever make it this way, I'll gladly take you down to the Edinburgh Outlet Mall (only about 40 minutes from the Indy area) where there is a wonderful Coach Outlet store.

[TrqoisWtrs]

Great review! And you guys are too cute. :)

 

We're headed off to San Juan next Friday to start our trip - sailing on the 10th! :D

[Ron_L]

Thanks for the great review! I was glad to see the section that covered El Yunque and your trip with BioIsland! My wife and I are going to be in San Juan for a couple of days before a cruise on Celebrity and we are planning on renting a car one day and driving to El Yunque and seeing the bio bay with BioIsland.

 

How much time did you spend at El Yunque and at the beach?

 

Also, what time was your tour with Bioisland?

 

Finally, what time did you get back to your hotel?

 

Thanks!

[Dirkgun]

I just love your review!! Like another poster, I don't get to be on the Valor until Nov. 30 of '14, but I'm very, very lucky that I get to cruise in December of this year too. The Valor trip is a surprise for my husband- he doesn't know yet! ;) I booked it about 4 months ago and am using all my coupons, coffee change, etc., savings to pay it down by the final payment date (Sept. of next year) without him finding out. I have no clue how or when I should surprise him! :p I know he'll love it, but he's not so fond of actual "surprise" moments. Reading your review and seeing your amazing pictures has me so excited! I've only ever done Carnival-run excursions, and I think I want to try booking my own for most of this itinerary, so I can't wait to read all about how and with whom you booked. YEA!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for writing this!

 

May I ask, do you have an underwater housing for your camera, or are you using a disposable? It's been a long time since I used a disposable but I remember my pictures didn't come out well at all, and yours are so crisp and lovely. :) Thank you!

 

That is awesome that you are surprising him with this cruise.... you will both love it. We have done it twice (on the Victory before the Valor took her place last Feb) You will need to keep us up to date on how and when you let him know. Then of course do a review also.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though we have until 10/12/14 to sail on Valor, I have already booked independent excursions for 2 ports: in St. Lucia I booked the Land and Sea tour with Spencer Ambrose; in St. Kitts, I booked an island tour with Thenford Grey, Grey's Island Excursions. Info on both operators came from CCers. Neither operator thought it was weird to book so far in advance! Still investigating options in Barbados.

 

 

You will love both of those tours and those operators. We did those exact tours last Dec when we were on the Victory and loved every minute of it.

 

 

OP thank you for this review I am enjoying it. Especially your description of the Bio-Bay. We also did this trip except we did the Kayaks and while they were fun and you really got up close with the experience they were harder than a boat to ride in...I especially had issues (that is another story you can read in my review) Glad you survived your tooth issues they can be painful. Thanks again for taking the time to write such a great detailed review. :D

[Yellow Lab's Rule]

Thanks for the review. Can you post a pic of your coach? We are going in December. I would like to have an idea of the size you got for that price.

[valentinebaby1]

Loved loved loved your review!!! Thank you!!! It was like reliving my July cruise!!

 

I was hoping you would post a pic of your new purse :)

 

You're welcome, thank you for reading it!

And here's the new purse!

 

I'm so glad you finally got a wonderful vacation with your husband. You seem like such a nice lady.

 

This review was so enjoyable.

 

Aw, thank you so much <3

[valentinebaby1]

We (mom, dad, at-that-time 17 YO DD, 15 YO DS) cruised on the Valor 7 years ago and loved it. (Different itinerary then.) At that time, I figured it would be our only cruise ever and we made the most out of it. (Just like you did!)

 

Here we are 7 years later, the kids are now grown (25 YO DD, 22 YO DS) and we're back to looking for a cruise for the us, the kids, and their spouse/mate. So, see? You may get back on that ship sometime in the future!

 

We hadn't really decided which ship/itinerary to take but I was leaning towards the Valor's current itinerary. After spending much of Sunday reading this post, I think my mind is made up and the Valor won.

 

Thanks for such a sweet review with great pictures. After reading your posts, I'm ready to pack my bags right now. (We'll be going in June.) I loved your sweet spirit and kind nature. Your posts were a delight to read and were the kind of things that I'd want to know. Especially helpful were your posts about San Juan. DH was a little reluctant to leave out of San Juan but after seeing your photos, I think you won his heart over.

 

I've already emailed a link to this thread to the kids so they can read your review too. (And probably get as excited as me!)

 

I was super reluctant to leave out of San Juan on our own, initially we kept looking at excursions that would pick us up in San Juan for the Bio Bay, but after I broke down the estimated cost for taxis, and the extra cost for the pick up in San Juan for the Bio Bay, compared to the cost for the car rental and gas, it was much cheaper to rent a car. We were so hesitant to rent a car that was one of the last things we booked and didn't book that until just a few weeks before we left. I'm so glad we did! Hubby wasn't hesitant at all about the idea, it was just me. If you have any questions about anything let us know!

 

Hubby and I have been talking about another trip, possibly another cruise. The problem is after starting out with such a fabulous trip and itinerary, all of the other itineraries we look at don't seem so exciting! This is such a great one. I'd really love to do one of the 2 repo cruises in April from NO to Orlando or Orlando to NO...a couple ships are trading places and the cruises are 9 and 11 days I think. But April is just way too soon to make that happen. But we've decided to just start putting our change and any extra money we have into our box again and work on saving for the next trip, whereever and whenever that might be!

 

Loved your review!!!! Thanks for taking the time and doing this. You seem like a really fun couple and would love to know when you're going to take your next cruise and join you guys!!

 

Aw, that's so sweet! I can only keep my fingers crossed at this point and hope it's soon!

[valentinebaby1]

LOVED your review!! You will always have fond memories of your first cruise. We will be cruising on the Sunshine Dec. 1 , its a B2B. Can't wait, you have me so excited about my cruise. But now I am already dreading that last day!! Thanks again for the great review!

 

The last day, and the first week home are awful! It actually took me a couple days to get my land legs back too. I didn't have any sea sickness on the ship at all, but I could feel rocking for about a week after I got home. Not enough to make me sick, but just enough to make me really sad!

 

Thanks for this AWESOME review! We are sailing on the Valor in January and can't wait!!! Did you use the self-serve laundry facilities on the ship? We will be staying in San Juan for several days before and after the cruise, and I am not going to pack all of those clothes, rather, do some laundry while we are on the ship....

 

Hubby used the self serve laundry, he had no issues with it. We didn't bring any laundry soap, you might pack some Tide Pods or something and save a few bucks though. I can't remember exactly what it cost for a load, but a couple bucks to wash and a couple bucks for the soap. I don't think he dried the load, since it was basically just his swim suit which he brought back to the room to dry.

[valentinebaby1]

Great Review! We are on this cruise in May. One question: is the program available for you to pay an extra fee to check your luggage from the ship all the way to your final airport destination? I forgot the name of the program, but it is offered out of Port Canaveral, and other ports. They also print out your boarding passes for you, as a part of this service.

I think the fee is $25 per person. Thanks again for a great review!:cool:

 

Thank you! I'm not sure about this, we didn't even look into it since we didn't fly in or fly out the day of the cruise. I know there were excursions you could take on the day out that included airport transfer, and they would store luggage in the van for the day, but I'm not sure about any other service. Sorry! But thank you for reading!

 

Loved, loved, loved your review!!!! Both of you looked so happy and that you enjoyed every moment of the trip! I looked forward to reading the new update everyday :) Enjoy your new bag and wallet!!

 

Aw, thanks! And if you didn't see it, scroll up and see the photo I just posted of my purse and wallet!

[valentinebaby1]

BTW...I live in the Indianapolis area. If you ever make it this way, I'll gladly take you down to the Edinburgh Outlet Mall (only about 40 minutes from the Indy area) where there is a wonderful Coach Outlet store.

 

I was so excited about going to Coach, and not even a week after we came back, I read an article about an outlet mall that is supposed to be opening here, about 20 minutes from my home, and Coach is one of the stores! But my new purse will always be special, and I probably wouldn't ever spend that kind of money on a purse under normal circumstances. I only own my new Coach purse and wallet, and one other Coach purse that I got for a ridiculous price on ebay a few months ago ($30!) I'm not sure what my obsession is with Coach though lately...I think because I'm "fluffy" and can't wear fancy designer stuff, and I have very wide feet so I can't wear fancy shoes either...purses are all I have! lol

 

Great review! And you guys are too cute. :)

 

We're headed off to San Juan next Friday to start our trip - sailing on the 10th! :D

 

Aw, I'm so jealous! I wish I was going with you, but you'll have an amazing time!

[valentinebaby1]

Thanks for the great review! I was glad to see the section that covered El Yunque and your trip with BioIsland! My wife and I are going to be in San Juan for a couple of days before a cruise on Celebrity and we are planning on renting a car one day and driving to El Yunque and seeing the bio bay with BioIsland.

 

How much time did you spend at El Yunque and at the beach?

 

Also, what time was your tour with Bioisland?

 

Finally, what time did you get back to your hotel?

 

Thanks!

 

We left the hotel late morning (10 or 11, not sure exactly). We spent a few hours at El Yunque, and then a few hours at the beach. Our tour with Bioisland was at 6:00 so we planned on being there at 5:30 just in case we had any trouble finding it. We got there at 5:30 and had time to wander around and see the booths set up with food and crafts before we left. After the Bio tour, we wandered around a little bit more, had another Pina Colada, and finally got back to the hotel sometime around 9:30pm.

 

That is awesome that you are surprising him with this cruise.... you will both love it. We have done it twice (on the Victory before the Valor took her place last Feb) You will need to keep us up to date on how and when you let him know. Then of course do a review also.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though we have until 10/12/14 to sail on Valor, I have already booked independent excursions for 2 ports: in St. Lucia I booked the Land and Sea tour with Spencer Ambrose; in St. Kitts, I booked an island tour with Thenford Grey, Grey's Island Excursions. Info on both operators came from CCers. Neither operator thought it was weird to book so far in advance! Still investigating options in Barbados.

 

 

You will love both of those tours and those operators. We did those exact tours last Dec when we were on the Victory and loved every minute of it.

 

 

OP thank you for this review I am enjoying it. Especially your description of the Bio-Bay. We also did this trip except we did the Kayaks and while they were fun and you really got up close with the experience they were harder than a boat to ride in...I especially had issues (that is another story you can read in my review) Glad you survived your tooth issues they can be painful. Thanks again for taking the time to write such a great detailed review. :D

 

I felt as though we were just as close with our experience, since we were able to touch the water any time and play with it. The Kayaks looked like to much work for this fluffy lady! But regardless of how you see the Bio Bay, it's so worth seeing!!

 

The tooth is feeling fine, its the darn antibiotic that's driving me crazy! It leaves me with a horrible taste in my mouth all the time. I'll be so glad when this is all over, but that's still 2 weeks away!

 

Thanks for reading!

[valentinebaby1]

Thanks for the review. Can you post a pic of your coach? We are going in December. I would like to have an idea of the size you got for that price.

 

 

I posted it a few replies back, but here's the purse again just in case you didn't see it. I'm still at the "admiring it from afar" stage, and haven't used it yet, but I'll get there soon. It's a pretty good size purse, and I was so happy because I always have a BIG purse! The wallet shown is a full size checkbook wallet if that gives you an idea of the size. This one was basically the cheapest option, and the wallet alone was another $50 ($118 price tag). But there were a few other options at the time that were in the $115-130 range for the purse alone.

Edited October 28, 2013 by valentinebaby1

[Ron_L]

We left the hotel late morning (10 or 11, not sure exactly). We spent a few hours at El Yunque, and then a few hours at the beach. Our tour with Bioisland was at 6:00 so we planned on being there at 5:30 just in case we had any trouble finding it. We got there at 5:30 and had time to wander around and see the booths set up with food and crafts before we left. After the Bio tour, we wandered around a little bit more, had another Pina Colada, and finally got back to the hotel sometime around 9:30pm.

 

Thanks! That helps me with the rental car timing!

[Yellow Lab's Rule]

That's a great size purse for $80. The outlet in PR has the best prices. Way cheaper then the ones in the states. I got one two years ago when we were there for $35. It was white leather about half the size of yours. I'm hoping to score another cheap one in December. Thank for the pic.

[sjn911]

If you can, make sure to come to Puerto Rico at least 2 or 3 days (more if you can!) before your cruise and rent a car! The best food is when you are driving up to the rain forest and there are locals selling food from little tents or from the back of their trucks on the side of the road...it's AMAZING! We had the most amazing tacos and codfish fritters (bacalaitos)!!!

 

-Jim (DH)

Thanks DH..Jim...I really see that, getting to rainforest is important..it is really amazing..thanks soo much...fory your sharing...i am serious..we all need to always look at things with very special new eyes..and remember to appreciate...you guys have fun and appreciate written all over you!!! helps me to remember..many thanks Nebraska Jim (DH)..From Montana Sarah...

[valentinebaby1]

Thanks! That helps me with the rental car timing!

 

No problem :)

 

That's a great size purse for $80. The outlet in PR has the best prices. Way cheaper then the ones in the states. I got one two years ago when we were there for $35. It was white leather about half the size of yours. I'm hoping to score another cheap one in December. Thank for the pic.

 

I'm glad to hear this, as we almost didn't stop there, and then to find out the week we got home that a Coach outlet is coming to my town in a few weeks...I'm glad I got a good deal :) I really do love my purse! Good luck in December!

[Yankees2012]

Thank you! I'm not sure about this, we didn't even look into it since we didn't fly in or fly out the day of the cruise. I know there were excursions you could take on the day out that included airport transfer, and they would store luggage in the van for the day, but I'm not sure about any other service. Sorry! But thank you for reading!

 

 

 

Aw, thanks! And if you didn't see it, scroll up and see the photo I just posted of my purse and wallet!

 

Love it!! You will get so much use out of it too :)

[rjrice1]

/First let me say "what a beautiful couple" you both are... very happy and cute too.

We are doing the Valor in 19 more Sundays... just seems closer that way. Your review is one of the best ever.. will have to ask you a list of questions later if you don't mind..

Cathy

[OttawaCountess]

We sail jan 19, so thank you for a wonderful review & great pictures.

Questions: I have read there is a duty free shop at the pier after security and you can buy bottles to bring on. Did you see this?

You said you bought about 10 bottles of booze from different places. Did you bring them back on board or did carnival take them & deliver them on your last day?

[ibcnusoon]

Great review, thanks for sharing!! LOVED this itinerary, we did it last year on the Victory. Would love to do it again and visit St. Kitts, my favorite island!

[JKirkN]

We sail jan 19, so thank you for a wonderful review & great pictures.

Questions: I have read there is a duty free shop at the pier after security and you can buy bottles to bring on. Did you see this?

You said you bought about 10 bottles of booze from different places. Did you bring them back on board or did carnival take them & deliver them on your last day?

 

OK...here goes... There IS a duty free shop but it's BEFORE the security point...so unless you can sneak them in, they will have to get stored. What they do is put a colored zip tie on your bag and that tells the security on the ship to pull you aside to remove the liquor...if you were enterprising and snipped the tag off, you could probably get through. I know a number of people that did.

 

The booze we bought on the trip was pretty easy to sneak on. We'd go through the scanner with them in a backpack...since it was busy, the security usually just told us to take it to the liquor check in... of course, we just put the backpack back on and walked right on past the liquor table and took it to our room... no one even really noticed. (Just make sure you go in with a big crowd and not by yourselves!)

 

When we first boarded in PR, I had some rum runners (all plastic) that I put some alcohol in and put them in mine and my wife's pants.... Got through fine with them...but one started leaking...got red all over my shorts and shirt (it came out) but no one noticed or mentioned it... :) The funny thing is, a bunch of people said they just walked right on with theirs in a bag or back pack...again...just remove that tag and you're good to go probably. Of course your mileage may vary....don't blame me if you get caught! ;)

 

btw, I REALLY recommend the Cruzan sample pack in St. Thomas! Buy 2 if you can! It's an eight pack of different flavored rums for $12.99. I wish I had bought 2! It has a couple spiced/aged rums (yuck) and then banana, coconut, mango, vanilla, raspberry, and pineapple. We bought a couple 8 packs of coke at the CVS in Old San Juan and it was GREAT mixing a couple flavors and the coke! We just put them in some large glasses we brought with us and walked around on deck with them.

 

-Jim