Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 #1 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Our family of 4 enjoyed our New Year's Western Caribbean cruise on the Valor immensely. Though the weather was cooler and the winds gusty, this cruise was everything we imagined it would be. Our 12 year old twin boys snorkeled in the Caribbean for the first time; a thrilling adventure. We needed a relaxing vacation so we spent our 4 port days at the beach. I will make a few brief comments and let the photos tell the rest of the story. The twins ate more ice cream in one week then they had all year. Room service is wonderful on the balcony. They have PB&J! The steakhouse was fantastic. I'm glad we brought a highlighter for the Fun Times. We had several 30 minute waits for Anytime Dining. I believe the holiday impacted our wait times. We would still book Anytime Dining again for the convenience. Our Belkin surge protector was very necessary for charging electronics. I'm happy I brought my DSLR and wide angle lens. Roatan and Maya Key were our favorite port. The hot chocolate machine was wonderful. We had a balcony cabin; number 1112. Ironic that we were on the New Year's cruise for 2011/2012! The food was really good. I'm not sure where all the complaints are coming from. We truly enjoyed our dining experiences. The Valor staff are very friendly and seem to really enjoy their jobs. Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown Miami ~ Brickell The Oceanaire Restaurant ~ Within walking distance; bring your checkbook Port of Miami Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #2 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Deck entrance to Spa Deck 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinedan Posted January 15, 2012 #3 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Nice pictures! I will be on Valor 1-29-12!! Can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Spa Deck 11 Balcony Cabin 1112 ~ We loved this cabin. DH suffers from motion sickness but with Bonine nightly and gusty winds, he never got sick. We will choose this deck again. Balcony ~ We enjoyed that our balcony was open even though people on Deck 12 could look down on us. If you didn't want to be seen, you just didn't sit up against the guard rail. We didn't have any issues with this balcony and we loved the openness. Bon Voyage T-shirts ~ Cookies arrived later in the afternoon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #5 Share Posted January 15, 2012 (edited) Shower ~ Shampoo and shower gel on the wall Closets ~ 2 closets with hangers and 1 closet with shelves and a full length mirror Safe ~ My Kindle is in the red case Edited January 15, 2012 by Aviendah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #6 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Promenade Deck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #7 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Atrium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yankeegirl Posted January 15, 2012 #8 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Loving your review...your pictures are amazing!!!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacarolinagirl Posted January 15, 2012 #9 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Loving your review. Beautiful pictures. Thanks for posting. We'll be stepping on the Valor in May. Can't wait! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #10 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Gift Shop Photo Gallery Guest Services Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadawg66 Posted January 15, 2012 #11 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Great pictures! Going on the Valor next Christmas! 12/23/12:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moanumcara Posted January 15, 2012 #12 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Your pictures are extraordinary! I LOVED your photo review! Hubby and I are cruising on the Valor following a run on the Destiny next week. So excited! I hope you make money on your photo skills in real life...you're great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #13 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Thank you for the kind comments about these photos! I'm really a newbie with my DSLR. For this cruise I purchased a super wide angle lens and I was amazed at how much I could get into the picture. I didn't realize how many photos I would post on this review and I have many, many more. I also have the Fun Times and other papers I'll post as well. When we booked the Valor I searched this forum for days looking for detailed photos so I hope my efforts will prove useful for someone else. Thank you for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viellemouk Posted January 15, 2012 #14 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Great pictures! I was on the same cruise. I wasn't ready to leave on Sunday. (That was a week ago!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #15 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Ivanhoe Theater Lincoln Dining Room ~ Anytime Dining Circle C Club ~ 12-14 year olds Soda Card sign up ~ Bottomless Bubbles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeolasingh Posted January 15, 2012 #16 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Great pictures! I loved the Valor so much I cruised her twice in less than a year.. Can't wait for the rest of your review!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #17 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Pizza before Sail Away Luggage is delivered ~ 1112 Sail Away ~ Balcony view Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tbuzzard Posted January 15, 2012 #18 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Your photos are outstanding. Thank you for sharing them with us. We are sailing the Valor on March 3rd to southern carib. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #19 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Bunk Bed ~ 1112 Lido Deck ~ Our first night Door at the end of the hall leads to deck door Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubMunkeyBles Posted January 15, 2012 #20 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Looks great! Can't wait to see more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #21 Share Posted January 15, 2012 January 2nd ~ Sea Day Sunrise ~ Do not miss these gorgeous views! Sunrise and sunset remain some of our greatest memories of this cruise. Benefits of the balcony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #22 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Spotts Bay ~ Due to high winds we had to dock at Spotts Bay. We were thankful we didn't miss this port! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #23 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmom Posted January 15, 2012 #24 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Love the photos! What lens did you use? I am a photographer and have been going back and forth about bringing my 5D MKII...I don't want to break it or tote it around, and all my lenses (besides the kit) are for portraits. I am torn. I have a crappy P&S I could use instead or when we are near sand. Decisions decisions.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aviendah Posted January 15, 2012 Author #25 Share Posted January 15, 2012 The Westin Casuarina Resort ~ 7 Mile Beach Our intentions were to spend some time on the beach and then snorkel at Eden Rock. Due to the strong surf we opted to stay on the beach at the Westin. While they do offer a day pass with a room rental we took our chances and just showed up. The beach wasn't busy due to the high winds so we hid our Carnival towels and adopted some empty chairs that had resort towels sitting on them. We were offered drinks by the wait staff but we turned them down letting them know we were drinking water for the day. It was a beautiful location and not overwhelmed with crowds. I did note that when they farmed us off at the port onto the buses they were taking us all to Sea Grape without really asking where we wanted to go. I talked the bus driver into dropping us off at the Westin to the surprise of the rest of the passengers. If you get on a bus, make sure you know where you are headed! There were so many cruise ship passengers that it was somewhat chaos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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