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

[Leo's Rule]

We're going on this same itinerary in July. Can't wait to hear more especially of the ports. We're just now trying to decide what to do in each port. You are so entertaining with your review. I'm on the edge of my seat awaiting more!

 

When in July? I'll be on July 28!!!!!! Singing, "Go shorty, it's your birthday. We gone party cause it's your birthday."

[BoardwalkBabe]

I'm lovin' this review and looking forward to reading more. :)

[gapearl]

Yummy!!

 

Yes, they were! I'll be looking for them next time I'm in PR!

 

This is the friends trip...LOL. The solo will be later in November. You have given me alot to research for this trip. I have to hit the Imagination before she heads to the West Coast next year

 

I didn't know the Imagination is heading west! Is the Inspiration staying too? This is a trip that definitely involved A LOT of research. I was on trip advisor, yelp, and the ports of call board here for a couple months getting this trip planned. It was worth all the planning because this was the best trip ever. :D

 

Hey gapearl! Been to San Juan quite a few times and yes, El Hamburguer is great! Every time my wife and I go, we get her dad to take us there..yeah i know it's just a hamburger and fries place..but wow..they are awesome! You definitely need to check it out next time you visit!

 

I'll take your word on it. I haven't eaten beef since 1993. I'd need a lot of pepto if I did eat there! :eek:

 

subscribed!! Can't wait til September!!

 

Thanks for subscribing! Have an awesome cruise!

[gapearl]

Loving your review with all the pictures, doing the same cruise in Aug for my birthday:D Keep up the excellent work

 

That's going to be an awesome birthday trip! You're going to have a blast!

 

I have often wondered the same thing about the stingy broccoli portions! ;) Most of the time my DH or kids gives me theirs!

 

I actually love broccoli! Can't get enough of it!

 

I can't wait!!!:D

 

Stay tuned! :p

 

I am having so much fun reading about your adventures.

 

Thanks so much! I'm having as much fun writing as you are reading!

[titlediva]

Looks like you had a great cruise so far! Those pics you had of 7451...I'm in that cabin in June, and that doesn't look like what I'm supposed to have....aft extended. You sure that was 7451?? Looking forward to more of your review! Great job!!

[gapearl]

Great review so far. Love your outfits! It's all about the cute clothes on vacation, isn't it lol!

 

Indeed! I don't go out much or get dressed up too often when I'm home, so I always go all out on vacation. :)

 

i am all new to this cruising and cruise critic website. we are going on our 2nd cruise first with carnival in sept out of puerto rico on the carnival valor to st thomas,barbados,st lucia,st kitts and st marteen. someone on our roll call told me to subscribe to this board but im not exactly sure how to do that or what im doing. i dont even know how to get to the review!!! help! lol

 

Looks like you're doing good so far! You're actually reading the review right now. ;) Stay here on the Carnival board to get information on Carnival in general. Any time you see a thread with Valor in the title, check it out. It might be useful to you. Head to the ports of call boards to research different things to do when your ship docks in the islands. Welcome to Cruise Critic! Hopefully you will have a great first Carnival cruise. :)

 

Having fun! I feel like I'm right there with ya!! :D

 

Thanks for coming along for the ride! :D

[gapearl]

Great review so far! I'm loving all the pics. Loved the pic of you with the band. The guy on the very right looked sooo tired, lol. There's a restaurant down in Old Town I wanted to ask you about. Can't remember the name. I'll have to go look and come back.:cool:

 

Thanks for reading! Did you ever find the name of the restaurant?

 

I'm also sailing on the valor in October, so far this is an awesome review thanks!

 

Thanks for reading! Have an awesome cruise! :)

 

These look good!!!

 

 

Bahahaha!!!! I love your humor! And Oscar is a hottie!

 

In case you can't tell, I love me some Daddy Yankee. :D He has a song called Gasolina. I doubt it's about these drinks though, but still..... LOL

 

Yes, Oscar is a hottie, and yes, I'm a comedian. :D

 

Can't wait for more of your review! Subscribed!!!!

 

So much more to come, you have no idea! :p

[gapearl]

LOL. I told you it would put hair on your chest! I wasn't ready. I still have my unopened bottle of the Cockspur Rum Punch. Sometimes I'm a social butterfly and other times I'm so shy' date=' but I didn't spend good $$$ to be shy...I'm going to be footloose and fancy free! :D[/quote']

 

The rum punch was gone by the end of the cruise, but I still have a bottle of the rum. It's 40% alcohol by volume!

 

Girl' date=' you're stupid...in a good way...but you do have a point[/color'].

 

Hahahahahaha sometimes. :p

 

Why does it look like he's pointing the middle finger? LOL:eek::p:D

 

Now that you mention it' date=' it does! I didn't even notice.

 

Yeah, some people were gung ho for it and others not so much. They want to be independent, but then they'd lose the money the US is sending to them and would be worse off than they already are.

 

A lot of people I've talked to that are against it are afraid that if they become a state, they'll lose their culture.

 

Girl' date=' you're a mess. I would have been unclassy. LOL. But after seeing a post on FB about Capri Sun, I probably would have done the same thing...if I were brave enough to try it. That drink sounds good though![/quote']

 

Don't be fooled- it's potent!

[gapearl]

I absolutely LOVE your reviews....MORE MORE MORE! (please):D

 

Coming soon!

 

I love your reviews! I'm on pins & needles ........

 

Thank you! Keep reading! :)

 

Gapearl thanks for the review I just finished reading your last Valor review so I'm excited to read this one as well. I'm so glad you posted from Blessed Cafe. When I was on the Carnival Freedom for my wedding cruise we spent the night prior to our wedding in San Juan. My DH, girlfriends and sorors spent quite a bit of time in Blessed Cafe but I never knew the name of the place, although I have hilarious pictures of us taking group shots there lol. Looking forward to the rest of the review!

Also Heather this is the review....she spent a few days before the cruise in San Juan so she's reviewing that first.

 

Blessed Cafe will sometimes have a live band or DJ on the weekends. I hate they didn't have either when I was there. Lots of potential for lots of fun in there. :D You and I have actually communicated before on FB. You were on the Breeze roll call with me for a while.

 

Hey i'll be on this cruise 3/31/13 can't wait after reading your review.

 

Have a great time! It'll be here before you know it. :)

[Leo's Rule]

Dang...I was all ready for the next installment, but you're answering us right now. Ok.

 

And when I mentioned Capri Sun...it wasn't because I thought the Gasolina would compare to a Capri Sun....it was because someone posted a picture of mold in a Capri Sun pouch. :eek:

 

Anyhow, waiting on the next episode of your vacation!!!! :p

[vetteracer55]

Subscribed

[gapearl]

I was thinking the same thing!!:eek:

 

LOL

 

Gapearl, where did you find the gasolina? I want to try it with my mom!

 

I got it at the beach bar at El Escambron Beach, and another time at the little restaurant that turned into a club. There's a small liquor store about a 3 minute walk to the right of the ship that had them for $2.50. They seem to be very popular. I bet if you just ask around, you'll find them. ;)

 

 

Hey GAPearl its so nice "sailing with you" virtually again. I'm going on my 15 night cruise in one month from New Orleans to Rome(:.

 

Thanks for the detailed report. :D

 

Thanks for reliving my vacation with me! Enjoy that cruise! Is that on the Navigator? Hopefully you'll have a few days in both New Orleans and Rome, two really fun cities!

 

Great review and pictures Pearl! Solo cruises are the best! Thanks for taking us along on your trip with us.

 

Thanks Mr. Fun! I subscribed to your most recent review. I need to get around to reading it one of these days! :)

[gapearl]

We are going on this cruise in a couple of weeks so I have been searching for a review on the Valor for this itinerary. I can't believe my luck... I finally found a review and how lucky I am that it is from you. I loved your last review. You are a delight! I can't wait to hear about cornbread part 2! Thank you for posting :D

 

Awwww, thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying! Have a fantastic cruise! Cornbread part 2 coming tomorrow. :D

 

I'm waiting.....hahaha!

 

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

 

Yes, I've been anxiously waiting.

 

A good storyteller always keeps them wanting more. ;)

[titlediva]

Subscribed!! :D

[gapearl]

wowwwwwwwwwww

 

I pretty much said the same thing when I went in there.

 

Kim....I can't thank you enough for getting the pictures of 9201. I am looking forward to this cabin.

 

I am sitting here anxiously waiting for more of your review. You always have so much fun.

 

You're welcome! You are going to LOVE that room! I'll have you to thank if and when I book one of these! :)

 

Just curious, how were you able to get pictures of the other two cabins that you were not staying in? Love the review so far!

 

I got those pictures on debarkation day. I was one of the last zones off the ship. The cabin stewards were cleaning and had the doors to the rooms open. I told them I just wanted to get a few pictures and they said ok.

 

I had all of those the first night as well. Oh how I wish I were back there!

 

That gazpacho was sooooooooooo good!!!!!!

[gapearl]

Damn...and it's over already! :( Oh well' date=' I'll check during my lunch break tomorrow...or should I say later on today...I didn't realize it was darn near 3 am and my alarm clock goes off at 5:30! :eek::eek::eek:[/quote']

 

It's easy to lose sleep reading reviews. I know I've lost a lot of sleep reading some!

 

The middle one is my favorite!!!!!!!!

 

Edit: The last picture seems muted and doesn't reflect the beauty of the water. The first one is pretty' date=' but whatever setting you used on the 2nd picture just made it pop![/quote']

 

I think the middle one is my favorite too. :)

 

You had a sailaway photo that was lovely. And I love your shirt!

 

Thanks! That shirt rocks. :D

[gapearl]

Loving this review and have subscribed. I'm doing this sailing in September with PrettyHazardous and several others. Thank you so much for posting the menus. :)

 

I bet you all have an awesome roll call going! That's going to be a fun cruise! I'll be posting menus every night.

 

Woooowwww!!!! What category is this?!?!?!

 

I think I read somewhere it's a 6K? I know it's called scenic ocean view. They were a well kept secret.....until now. :D

 

I thought these were walrus'? Although it does look like a vaj-jay!

 

It's a seal, and yes it does look like, um, that. LOL

 

Haha! Thank you! I can't wait. We were in PR in May and all I can say is AMEN sista!! What were we thinking?? I thought I was going to have a heat stroke. The a/c on our tour bus wasnt working. It was miserable. But it is such a pretty place can't wait to do more sight seeing when we get off the big boat! Loving review!

 

Thanks for continuing along! Next time I might invest in one of those little $5 mini fans you can stick in your pursse.

[momatibm]

They are not limited to SJ, however saying that, you can get the same pouches on shore - ie at Publix for ex. Not necessarily for 2 bucks, but they are in the grocery stores.

[gapearl]

Thank you so much for your review. This is wonderful. And towel va-jay-jay, OMG- too funny. Can't wait for more!

 

Thanks for reading! :D

 

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

 

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

 

You're so welcome. I just went and priced this cruise in that cabin for next year as a solo traveler once again. It was a $500 price difference from my 1A porthole to this one. That's a lot of money, but would definitely be worth the splurge.

 

Love that cabin! Is this cabin available on other ships or is it just the Valor?

 

I would think they're on Valor's sister ships as well- Freedom, Liberty, etc.

 

I love reading your reviews. You are so funny. Question: Were you at the nightclub real late? Where do you think everyone was, in bed already? I am a night owl, so I will be looking for the late night fun.

 

Yeah, I shut the place down most nights. :p It was only that slow the first night, most likely because lots of people might have flown in the same day. It was much better the rest of the cruise, and a total BLAST when members from the staff and some of the entertainers came in. Too. Much. Fun. :D

[gapearl]

great job

 

Thank you!

 

Loved reading your first Valor review now I am enjoying this one. My husband and I are thinking of booking the Valor.

I do have a quick question. I love your maxi dresses. May I ask where did you purchase them??

Once again, thank you so much for your wonderful reviews!:)

 

Definitely take hubby on this cruise! Honestly, I find my maxi dresses by patiently digging through the racks at places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Ross. They usually average only about $9-12. Cute AND cheap! I think I got a few from Charming Charlies. Those were more in the $30-40 range, but still a good buy. Thanks for reading! :)

 

(Fists on the table)--WE WANT MORE!!! WE WANT MORE!!! I could read your reviews all day long! AWSOME! We are going on the Valor in Jan. with out adult children and their wives--should be FUN! I can't wait to read more--keep it coming!

 

I'm going to try for two full installments tomorrow, so be on the lookout!

 

Me too, they are so cute!

 

Thanks!

[Kak86]

GA Pearl,

 

Thank you for the awesome review... Flying to PR for this cruise 3 weeks from tomorrow, not that I'm counting the days or anything!:D

[gapearl]

We're going on this same itinerary in July. Can't wait to hear more especially of the ports. We're just now trying to decide what to do in each port. You are so entertaining with your review. I'm on the edge of my seat awaiting more!

 

Thanks for tagging along! You'll definitely get some good ideas. ;)

 

Subscribing! I am enjoying this review. This cruise is on my bucket list.

 

Thanks for subscribing! I hope you get to cross this off your bucket list one day. :)

 

Ugghhh...Its like the best book ever, that you cant put down!

 

Im reading this to my daughter like a bedtime story! But shes not close to sleeping, shes now too excited for the cruise! 73 more days, but feels like Im already on the ship reading your review and looking at all the great pictures!

 

Thanks again for doing all of this. Youre the BEST!

 

73 days....so close but not close enough! Ugh, I know that feeling! Time to start swimsuit shopping before all the cute ones are gone! LOL Glad you're enjoying! :D

 

When in July? I'll be on July 28!!!!!! Singing' date=' "Go shorty, it's your birthday. We gone party cause it's your birthday."[/quote']

 

I need to be on a cruise with y'all! :D

[gapearl]

I'm lovin' this review and looking forward to reading more. :)

 

Thanks Boardwalk babe!

 

Looks like you had a great cruise so far! Those pics you had of 7451...I'm in that cabin in June, and that doesn't look like what I'm supposed to have....aft extended. You sure that was 7451?? Looking forward to more of your review! Great job!!

 

I thought it was 7451. Hope I didn't go to the wrong room. :o Whatever room that is, someone's going to enjoy it! :D Thanks for reading!

[camgsf]

titlediva

 

I am in that room the end of the month and I was thinking the same thing. I will be happy if that is my room. If is different I will post some new pictures for you.

[kansascruiser1]

What does subscribed mean? I see people posting this? Let me know what and how you are subscribing to, how to do it? I've really enjoyed reading Gapearl's reviews, looking at her pictures etc. We are going to be on the Valor June 30th, this will be our third cruise with this itinerary. First time on carnival valor, 2 previous cruises were on the Victory. You tell the best story, post the neatest pictures. You truly have a gift for this, maybe you should be a travel writer? We are staying at the Marriott Stellaris on Condado beach. We are arriving on Thursday so we can spend a couple days in San Juan before the cruise. I've taken notes from your review, can't wait to try some of these restaurants/bars/gasolina etc! haha You sure know how to have a good time! Your thorough reviews and posts must take you forever. I have no idea how to post a picture on here. I'm lucky to hit the reply buttons! Keep it up, most enjoyable.