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

[gapearl]

Ms. Pearl... I know you are probably tired of answering all these questions... but I have one... I have the Late Dining... and I'm starting to think I might need to change it.... I wouldn't want to be late to like any comedy shows or late night entertainment... Since I am doing excursions on all the ports... should I leave it or change it to 6PM or anytime?

 

No problem sending questions. :)

 

I think you should stick with late dining. It's all I have ever done and I love it. Because you have excursions planned, you won't feel rushed to get back on the ship and get dressed for dinner. If you don't eat in port, get something small from the lido buffet or room service to hold you over. You'll be able to watch sail away from each port, take a shower, maybe get a quick nap (you'll be tired from those excursions, trust me), and have a pre-dinner drink. You won't miss any of the late night entertainment. I was still able to see 2 of the 3 adult comedy shows every night. I would leave dinner and head straight to the promenade to see what was happening. If you plan on seeing any of the production shows, they have a showtime of around 7 pm for people with late dining. Because late dining isn't as popular as early or anytime, you won't feel rushed and you'll have a bit of extra attention from your servers. I'll never not do late dining. Hope this helps!

[Chitownlou]

No problem sending questions. :)

 

I think you should stick with late dining. It's all I have ever done and I love it. Because you have excursions planned, you won't feel rushed to get back on the ship and get dressed for dinner. If you don't eat in port, get something small from the lido buffet or room service to hold you over. You'll be able to watch sail away from each port, take a shower, maybe get a quick nap (you'll be tired from those excursions, trust me), and have a pre-dinner drink. You won't miss any of the late night entertainment. I was still able to see 2 of the 3 adult comedy shows every night. I would leave dinner and head straight to the promenade to see what was happening. If you plan on seeing any of the production shows, they have a showtime of around 7 pm for people with late dining. Because late dining isn't as popular as early or anytime, you won't feel rushed and you'll have a bit of extra attention from your servers. I'll never not do late dining. Hope this helps!

 

Sounds good and makes alot of sense.

[stevegotl]

let me throw my 2cts in...

 

I have always had late dining until this cruise. On past cruises, we were constantly missing some shows. This cruise we opted for the early dining and it worked out perfectly. We did all our excursions in the morning and had the whole afternoon to explore the islands or get back to the ship a little early. It was much more relaxed doing it this way and we saw all the shows we wanted to. Most of the ship departure times are around 5pm and you had to be on board by 4:30.... that gave us plenty of time to get ready head to dinner by 6:00 and then enjoy the evening shows afterwards....

 

Just saying... :)

 

We had an awesome time and really enjoyed this itinerary.

 

Sounds good and makes alot of sense.

 

No problem sending questions. :)

 

I think you should stick with late dining. It's all I have ever done and I love it. Because you have excursions planned, you won't feel rushed to get back on the ship and get dressed for dinner. If you don't eat in port, get something small from the lido buffet or room service to hold you over. You'll be able to watch sail away from each port, take a shower, maybe get a quick nap (you'll be tired from those excursions, trust me), and have a pre-dinner drink. You won't miss any of the late night entertainment. I was still able to see 2 of the 3 adult comedy shows every night. I would leave dinner and head straight to the promenade to see what was happening. If you plan on seeing any of the production shows, they have a showtime of around 7 pm for people with late dining. Because late dining isn't as popular as early or anytime, you won't feel rushed and you'll have a bit of extra attention from your servers. I'll never not do late dining. Hope this helps!

[gapearl]

let me throw my 2cts in...

 

I have always had late dining until this cruise. On past cruises, we were constantly missing some shows. This cruise we opted for the early dining and it worked out perfectly. We did all our excursions in the morning and had the whole afternoon to explore the islands or get back to the ship a little early. It was much more relaxed doing it this way and we saw all the shows we wanted to. Most of the ship departure times are around 5pm and you had to be on board by 4:30.... that gave us plenty of time to get ready head to dinner by 6:00 and then enjoy the evening shows afterwards....

 

Just saying... :)

 

We had an awesome time and really enjoyed this itinerary.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Early dining would NEVER work for me though. Once back onboard from port, I like a little time in the sauna, a shower, a nap, and then getting dressed for dinner. You saw how dolled up I get for dinner every night. All of the above takes a heck of a lot longer than an hour and a half. :o:eek: LOL I haven't been to any of the production shows in a while. I would like to catch one or two on the Breeze, and since they show them twice for both dinner seatings, I'll have to plan my night around whatever time they perform for late diners. Also I think late dining is good if you plan on being a true night owl like myself. If you want to see a show, hit the casino, and head to bed around 11 pm, then early would work. But since I'm dancing and hanging out in the disco until at least 3 am, late is better. If I ate at 6, I'd probably have to interrupt my dancing to run to the lido for a snack! :D The good thing is that we all have the flexibility of trying what does and does not work for us.

 

Sounds good and makes alot of sense.

 

Well now you opinions on both early dining and late dining. If you do decide to switch to early and realize after one or two nights you feel too rushed, you shouldn't have a problem switching to late with the maitre'd. There always seem to be many open tables at late dining. You can't go wrong either way. :)

[Chitownlou]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Early dining would NEVER work for me though. Once back onboard from port, I like a little time in the sauna, a shower, a nap, and then getting dressed for dinner. You saw how dolled up I get for dinner every night. All of the above takes a heck of a lot longer than an hour and a half. :o:eek: LOL I haven't been to any of the production shows in a while. I would like to catch one or two on the Breeze, and since they show them twice for both dinner seatings, I'll have to plan my night around whatever time they perform for late diners. Also I think late dining is good if you plan on being a true night owl like myself. If you want to see a show, hit the casino, and head to bed around 11 pm, then early would work. But since I'm dancing and hanging out in the disco until at least 3 am, late is better. If I ate at 6, I'd probably have to interrupt my dancing to run to the lido for a snack! :D The good thing is that we all have the flexibility of trying what does and does not work for us.

 

 

 

Well now you opinions on both early dining and late dining. If you do decide to switch to early and realize after one or two nights you feel too rushed, you shouldn't have a problem switching to late with the maitre'd. There always seem to be many open tables at late dining. You can't go wrong either way. :)

 

 

 

Aye Aye Aye... I think I might just stick to the late dining... Gotta take "the diva" wife into consideration... lol... I guess if we want to catch a show... we could always hit the buffet.... What shows do they have anyway?

Edited April 5, 2013 by Chitownlou

[Aelsantokie]

Thanks so much for your review. I enjoy end reading it and lived vicariously through you!

[gapearl]

Aye Aye Aye... I think I might just stick to the late dining... Gotta take "the diva" wife into consideration... lol... I guess if we want to catch a show... we could always hit the buffet.... What shows do they have anyway?

 

Diva wife.....yeah stick with late dining. LOL The comedy shows are at 10 pm, 11 pm, and midnight, so you won't miss those even with late dining. You can still catch the shows and eat in the mdr. They will perform maybe at 7 pm for late diners, and again at say 9 for early diners. You'll be fine.

 

Thanks so much for your review. I enjoy end reading it and lived vicariously through you!

 

Thanks for reading another one! :)

[dshefter]

Great review. We sail on the Valor in January. Can't wait.

[alreadypacked]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simply breathtaking!! But oh h*ll no!! First of all, I'd never make it to the top. And, your guide did this in flip flops!

 

Loving the review GA Pearl!! Can't wait for your next one!

[gapearl]

Great review. We sail on the Valor in January. Can't wait.

 

Thanks a lot! Have a great time on your cruise!

 

Simply breathtaking!! But oh h*ll no!! First of all, I'd never make it to the top. And, your guide did this in flip flops!

 

Loving the review GA Pearl!! Can't wait for your next one!

 

I couldn't believe he was going to climb in flip flops either! :eek: No way could I do that! Out of all the guides we passed along the way, not a single one was sweating, tired, or breathing hard like the rest of us were. You wanna get in shape? Move to St. Lucia and start giving these tours.

 

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next one! :)

[DISNEY1975]

My flight from SJU to BOS just got changed. We now have a stop in GA. I immediately thought of you!:)

[gapearl]

My flight from SJU to BOS just got changed. We now have a stop in GA. I immediately thought of you!:)

 

:):):)

 

Enjoy your hour or 2 in my city!

[poptart]

I'm late to the party, but I got to read your review in one setting :D. Love your style and your zest for life.

 

Awesome pictures and fantastic writing.

 

We're practically neighbors, I only live 90 miles north of you. Still in GA but near Chattanooga.

[pghsteelerfan]

We've got 25 days till our cruise and can't wait. Starting to get some plans made but I did have one more question (I think). I had seen a while back with the Carnival Victory southern Caribbean cruises and popped up again, just today on our roll call board. Something about Yellow Fever? A while back, I remembered it was any cruise going to Barbados that people would need some kind of proof of vaccination. I remembered seeing on the other threads that you would need it only if you were in a country where Yellow Fever was present, but the USA wasn't. We haven't received anything but I guess someone who will be on our cruise has. Do you receive that and if so, what do you need? I sure as heck hope we don't need a yellow fever vaccine...

[gapearl]

I'm late to the party, but I got to read your review in one setting :D. Love your style and your zest for life.

 

Awesome pictures and fantastic writing.

 

We're practically neighbors, I only live 90 miles north of you. Still in GA but near Chattanooga.

 

Better late than never, Poptart! :D

 

Thanks for reading and for the nice words! And I waving to you up in north Georgia!

 

We've got 25 days till our cruise and can't wait. Starting to get some plans made but I did have one more question (I think). I had seen a while back with the Carnival Victory southern Caribbean cruises and popped up again, just today on our roll call board. Something about Yellow Fever? A while back, I remembered it was any cruise going to Barbados that people would need some kind of proof of vaccination. I remembered seeing on the other threads that you would need it only if you were in a country where Yellow Fever was present, but the USA wasn't. We haven't received anything but I guess someone who will be on our cruise has. Do you receive that and if so, what do you need? I sure as heck hope we don't need a yellow fever vaccine...

 

I never heard anything about a yellow fever vaccination until I saw a thread here too a few weeks back. But no, you don't need proof of vaccination. Nope, nope, nope. :)

 

Good luck trying to survive the next 3 weeks. I know you've got to be so excited but the days are dragging by so slowly! I hope you will post a review when you get back.

[pghsteelerfan]

Better late than never, Poptart! :D

 

Thanks for reading and for the nice words! And I waving to you up in north Georgia!

 

 

 

I never heard anything about a yellow fever vaccination until I saw a thread here too a few weeks back. But no, you don't need proof of vaccination. Nope, nope, nope. :)

 

Good luck trying to survive the next 3 weeks. I know you've got to be so excited but the days are dragging by so slowly! I hope you will post a review when you get back.

 

Thank you. Some on our roll call have received the email and the email from Carnival about it are very vague. One even notified Carnival and the response was still kind of vague. So far, none of us have been in the countries where the vaccine is required to get into Barbados (mainly South America & Africa). In short, the response from Carnival was that you'll need the paper work proof that either: a) you have not been to an affected country, which we are assuming passports will be enough proof or b) certificate of vaccine. If you don't have the paperwork, it was mentioned that they will not allow you to board the ship and you will not be reimbursed - it's up to all passengers to have the appropriate paperwork. I've never even been to any of the affected areas, so I'm hoping that our passports will be proof enough. :)

 

The next three weeks will be busy. I still have all summer clothes packed away and winter out. It has been in the upper 40's during the day/below freezing at night but the weather finally broke this weekend. It's now in the 80's (maybe 90 tomorrow) and 50's at night. Regardless cruise or no cruise planned, I need to make the swap.

 

Thank you again for your help to me in planning our cruise and again for your review. Your name has been mentioned and your review referred to on our roll call. :)

[gapearl]

Thank you. Some on our roll call have received the email and the email from Carnival about it are very vague. One even notified Carnival and the response was still kind of vague. So far, none of us have been in the countries where the vaccine is required to get into Barbados (mainly South America & Africa). In short, the response from Carnival was that you'll need the paper work proof that either: a) you have not been to an affected country, which we are assuming passports will be enough proof or b) certificate of vaccine. If you don't have the paperwork, it was mentioned that they will not allow you to board the ship and you will not be reimbursed - it's up to all passengers to have the appropriate paperwork. I've never even been to any of the affected areas, so I'm hoping that our passports will be proof enough. :)

 

The next three weeks will be busy. I still have all summer clothes packed away and winter out. It has been in the upper 40's during the day/below freezing at night but the weather finally broke this weekend. It's now in the 80's (maybe 90 tomorrow) and 50's at night. Regardless cruise or no cruise planned, I need to make the swap.

 

Thank you again for your help to me in planning our cruise and again for your review. Your name has been mentioned and your review referred to on our roll call. :)

 

Here's a thread that popped up earlier about the vaccination.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1824559

 

I never received an email with anything like that. Are the people that received the email from Canada? That might have something to do with it.

 

Up until a week ago, I was still wearing my jacket in Atlanta. April in Atlanta should be 80 degrees, not 40! Sounds like you will indeed be busy the next few weeks. That's so cool that people have been posting this on their roll calls. I feel so popular. :D

[SwellBee]

We are not cruising this itinerary until Dec 29, 2013...but I am still getting excited by your review! We are in one of the L-shaped cabins with the double balcony. I booked cheap and have still gotten several pricedrops....I hope it continues to go down! :p Thanks for taking all the time to write this awesome review. Did I see somewhere that you worked for Delta? I have a VOUCHER scenerio ( I have several bc of voluntery bumps) I would like to run buy you if you do. Maybe you could get me an insider answer. ;)

 

 

I'm not cruising this itinerary until February 2, 2014 and I'm excited reading this review! Great writing, I'm going to have to start saving for a solo cruise!

[gapearl]

I'm not cruising this itinerary until February 2, 2014 and I'm excited reading this review! Great writing, I'm going to have to start saving for a solo cruise!

 

Thanks for stopping by to read! You'll have a great time next year. Hopefully one day you'll get to experience a solo cruise as well. I would love to have done that Egyptian Nile River cruise in your signature!

[michiganredrose]

Thank you for this review! It was fabulous and I sent the link to the other family we are going with so they could obsess as much as I do. We are planning for late Feb so we have a long time to go.

 

Are any of these ports tender ports?

 

Thanks,

Rose

[pghsteelerfan]

Here's a thread that popped up earlier about the vaccination.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1824559

 

I never received an email with anything like that. Are the people that received the email from Canada? That might have something to do with it.

 

Up until a week ago, I was still wearing my jacket in Atlanta. April in Atlanta should be 80 degrees, not 40! Sounds like you will indeed be busy the next few weeks. That's so cool that people have been posting this on their roll calls. I feel so popular. :D

 

You are quite popular & your reviews are loved. The details you give and the way you write make it sound so much fun. When reading, I can actually visualize being there myself. I've read other reviews of yours, but I really got into this one because we're doing the same. I have gone back and reread some too just for ideas. I'm toying with the idea of doing a review but I know it takes a lot of time so well see.

 

The person on our roll call who received that email is from the USA. Just to be sure, we checked with the lady who we book cruises from (not Carnival) last night about the yellow fever emails and she responded right away letting us know that these emails have been going on sporadically for a year (she never received one from Carnival to send to us) and people in the US aren't supposed to receive these emails but from time to time they go out to people who don't need it. She has contacted Carnival and Carnival tells them to ignore them unless the traveler has been to an affected area in South America or Africa. She's never heard of Carnival checking flight itineraries but recommended that we also have our eTicket itinerary when boarding, just in case, to show that we flew from the US. So I believe we are good to go.

[gapearl]

Thank you for this review! It was fabulous and I sent the link to the other family we are going with so they could obsess as much as I do. We are planning for late Feb so we have a long time to go.

 

Are any of these ports tender ports?

 

Thanks,

Rose

 

Hi Rose! None of these ports are tender ports. I love cruising in February. Not many kids and a nice break from the cold weather. Good luck with your planning. I hope my review helped you a little bit! :)

 

You are quite popular & your reviews are loved. The details you give and the way you write make it sound so much fun. When reading, I can actually visualize being there myself. I've read other reviews of yours, but I really got into this one because we're doing the same. I have gone back and reread some too just for ideas. I'm toying with the idea of doing a review but I know it takes a lot of time so well see.

 

The person on our roll call who received that email is from the USA. Just to be sure, we checked with the lady who we book cruises from (not Carnival) last night about the yellow fever emails and she responded right away letting us know that these emails have been going on sporadically for a year (she never received one from Carnival to send to us) and people in the US aren't supposed to receive these emails but from time to time they go out to people who don't need it. She has contacted Carnival and Carnival tells them to ignore them unless the traveler has been to an affected area in South America or Africa. She's never heard of Carnival checking flight itineraries but recommended that we also have our eTicket itinerary when boarding, just in case, to show that we flew from the US. So I believe we are good to go.

 

Writing a review takes sooooooo much time. But the final product is awesome and worth the time you put into it. Plus it's a lot of fun to relive your vacation all over again when you're back to reality. I'm glad you figured everything out about that email. No need to worry about the vaccine, so now you can focus on having an awesome cruise! :D

[michiganredrose]

Thank you so much! Your review helped a ton! I am definitely going to follow your footsteps at a couple of the ports and definitely not going on that intense, awesome hike. I thought I was going to die hiking Diamondhead in Honolulu, I don't need to get any higher up than that!

[gapearl]

Thank you so much! Your review helped a ton! I am definitely going to follow your footsteps at a couple of the ports and definitely not going on that intense, awesome hike. I thought I was going to die hiking Diamondhead in Honolulu, I don't need to get any higher up than that!

 

I hiked Diamond Head 3 years ago. That was nothing compared to the Pitons! Have a great time on your cruise! :D

[teetee6263]

Just wanted to let you know my DD13 loves all of your reviews. Shes only been on 1 cruise but of course shes hooked & ever since I told her we're booked for the Pride this Sept shes been on CC more than me :eek: Well at her bday party this past weekend she posed like your signature photo (instead of the poutty (sp) lips (thank goodness) & said thats her new pose, like Kim...well I said who the hell is Kim, she looked at me like I was crazy & said Gapearl from CC!!!

 

Think I have created a monster & you have a fan:D

 

TeeTee