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

[pghsteelerfan]

Pictures I got of Sapphire Beach while in the water

 

 

 

I took a walk down the beach because I heard there were iguanas there. The only time I’ve seen iguanas was on a cruise in Mexico where they were being used by locals as “photo prop” for a fee. I didn’t see any along my walk and was going back to the lounger when another lady told me she had a “great photo opportunity” for me since she saw I had a camera. The lady was laughing and pointed out this iguana that was parked on some gal’s beach towel. When I got there, the iguana had moved from the beach towel but I was still able to get pictures.

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2013 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

I didn't get the camera in his face, I just used the zoom

 

After getting pictures of the iguana, I went back to the lounger to drop off my camera and went back into the water for a while. We spent the rest of our time either in our loungers or in the water. At one point while on our loungers, Mr. Iguana decided to pay us a visit and we got more pictures of him. There were also a couple of ducks that made their rounds visiting people (mooching for food) on the beach. There were signs notifying us not to feed the iguanas but there was no mention to not feed the ducks. We didn’t bring any food along with us and didn’t get anything to eat while we were at the beach, so we didn’t have anything for them. We ended up talking to a few others who were also on the Valor cruise who said they also really liked Sapphire Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He finally figured out we had nothing for him, so he made his way down to the people in the loungers over at the next tree

 

 

 

Here come the ducks

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

It was raining in St. John

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2013 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

 

 

After we had been there a couple of hours, we noticed these large, dark clouds right over St. John and we could tell that it was raining. We were very happy that we decided to stay on St. Thomas instead of going over to St. John.

 

There are decent restroom facilities at Sapphire beach and they were kept clean the day we were there. We didn’t know what to expect because we’ve seen mixed reviews on that. There was some sand on the floor, but it’s the beach and they do their best to keep them swept up. There is also a beach bar where you could get food and drinks in addition to the hut where you can rent the loungers, snorkel gear and floats. Again, we only rented loungers, so I don’t know the prices of or what all is offered in the way of food. We also noticed bar service along the beach where one of the bartenders would walk around taking orders, but we brought water with us, so I don’t know what they charged for drinks.

 

 

 

Looks like the rain is on the way

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

 

 

I enjoyed watching these three birds

 

 

 

By 1:00PM, it had gotten cloudy at Sapphire beach and looked like it was going to rain. We had already planned to leave at 1:00PM and get a taxi and see if we could get to Paradise Point and if not, back to the ship or Havensight Mall. Once we gathered all of our stuff we went back to the area where we were dropped off and there were several taxis waiting. These were all regular vehicles and not the open air busses. We got a taxi right away and we asked if we could get to Paradise Point. Our driver told us that the Skyride was out of service due to road widening, which we already knew, and that Paradise Point itself was under new ownership, closed and undergoing major renovations because the previous owner let it get pretty run down. We told him that we would just go back to the ship. I wish I had gotten his name because we really enjoyed him and he was fun to talk to. He was listening to Elton John, so DH told him he recognized the music and he told us he loved Elton John and also mentioned that he really liked classic rock, so we ended up talking about the different classic rock groups/bands we liked. The ride back was only about 20 minutes, but we left Sapphire Beach before the traffic got bad. There was a small back up coming down the hill near Havensight Mall, but our driver said that was due to the road construction ahead. Our driver let us off and we paid him and gave him a tip. Again, this is where I’m drawing blanks because I can’t remember how much it cost, either way. I’m thinking it was maybe about $10.00 per person, but I forget. Since we were right in front of Havensight Mall with about three hours before we’d have to be back on board, we ended up browsing several of the shops. I found ornaments and picked one up for my friend and one for us and looked for a nice t-shirt but I never found one that I really liked. DH found a combo t-shirt/baseball hat for $15.00 that he got. We were done with shopping and getting hungry and thirsty so we went to get in line to get back on Valor. The line was long, but thankfully not too long because it started pouring down rain and we got drenched. At least it was a warm rain. When we were on the elevator going back up to our floor we ended up talking to another couple who said they were at Magen’s Bay and said it rained most of the time they were there. They asked where we were and if it rained and we told them we were at Sapphire Beach and we had no rain while we were there, but told them we could tell it rained most of the day on St. John. We picked the right beach that day.

 

Carnival Valor from Havensight Mall

[pghsteelerfan]

Havensight Mall area

 

 

Just before the downpour started

 

 

We went to our cabin, dropped off our stuff and went to the Lido Deck grill for lunch. They have burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken strips, coleslaw, potato salad, nacho type chips, salsa, melted cheese sauce and a few other things I can’t think of off hand. We thought it was pretty good and we’ve always loved their burgers. Once we got our lunch we had no problem finding a table. Shortly after getting a table, one of the servers came around with a tray of the drink specials they had that day, Blue Margaritas…in the coconut monkeys…so I got one with lunch. After we finished lunch we went and sat at the Argonaut Pool Bar since it was still raining pretty hard and visited with another couple for a while and enjoyed talking to them. When I finished the first Blue Margarita in the coconut monkey, I got another and we continued to sit and visit with others at the bar. When it was getting to be sail away time, I got one more Blue Margarita in my third coconut monkey (it’s my thing, to get three each time because we use them at home), to take up to Panorama Deck 10 as we sailed out of St. Thomas. Just FYI, these didn’t seem to be very strong at all (more mix than tequila), but were still very good. By that time the heavy rain had stopped, but it was still sprinkling a little. We ended up talking to another family as we sailed out of St. Thomas and I also got a few pictures as we sailed away. We spent about a half our up there visiting with them and then we all went back to our cabins to get ready for dinner.

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

The hard rain stopped just before Valor left St. Thomas

 

Same view from this morning, but a lot different

 

Pier where Valor just left from (and Senor Frogs)

 

 

 

The plane! The plane! I guess we're leaving "Fantasy Island"

 

Valor's "Whale Tail" funnel on the wet deck

Edited September 22, 2013 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

We spent about a half hour on our balcony before taking turns to get ready for dinner and got some pictures, but not much of a sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

Our three coconut monkeys

 

On our way to dinner Camelo, our Cabin Steward, was just getting ready to take care of our cabin

[pghsteelerfan]

This was the first night we’d be at our assigned table in the dining room for dinner. We were in the Washington Lower Restaurant, table #361. Washington Lower is on Deck 3 and Washington upper is on Deck 4. Our table mates were another couple who were probably close to our age whose company we really enjoyed. We ended up talking about what we did while in St. Thomas that day and our plans for the other islands. Our wait staff consisted of our head waiter, Jorge, and two assistants. I forget the names of the others, but we loved all three. Jorge had the best sense of humor and kept us entertained but he and his assistants were both so genuinely nice. We could tell they were busy, but they still made the time for everyone they were waiting on. DH and I really liked them all a lot. Dinner did take long, but because of our table mates and our wait staff, we enjoyed that time and were in no hurry anyway. Right after dinner and before desert, they came around with the cordial shots, this one being in the green shot glass, which I got. I don’t know what tonight’s liquor was but it was pink and tasted ok, but I got it for the glass, not the liquor.

 

Dinner ended at around 10:00PM and we went back at our cabin, taking the stairs to exercise off dinner, and found our towel animal, an elephant, “Fun Times”, and chocolates that Camelo, our room steward, had left for us. Tonight’s animal was an elephant. After went to the Carnival Fun Shops on Panorama Deck 5 so I could get my Valor ship model, a Valor ornament and a Valor lanyard for my Sail & Sign card. I got a lanyard for my Sail & Sign card on our cruise three years ago and found it to be very convenient but forgot to pack it to use this time. We went up to our cabin to drop my purchases off then went to the Argonaut Pool bar for a Captain Morgan and coke to take back down to drink on our balcony as a “night cap” before going to bed.

 

 

 

Our towel animal, an elephant, and the Fun Times and chocolates from Camelo were waiting for us

 

 

 

 

 

Cruise Day 3 - Sea Day, and loads of pictures of Valor (interior and exterior) coming up next.

 

 

To be continued...

[brownie661]

WoW these are such amazing pictures, what type of camera did use?

[titanic27]

Thank you for the review and pics really really looking foward to our date with the Valor.

We also are staying at the Isla Verde Mariott, is there a place near by we can buy wine?

[BarJen]

appreciating the review, it's helping me get my cruise fix until our cruise arrives!

 

Barry

[rjrice1]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to do an amazing review... the best ever (guess I can forgive the fact you're a Steeler's fan..lol--Pat's fan)

We only have 24 more Sundays till we board.. :D

Cathy

[pghsteelerfan]

WoW these are such amazing pictures, what type of camera did use?

 

Thank you. The beauty of all these islands was amazing and I took a TON of pictures (close to 2000). LOL!!!

 

I actually used three different cameras. The one for most of my pictures is the Kodak Easyshare Z612. It's an older point and shoot, but I love it. It's only a 6 megapixel, but I got it in 2007 and am happy with the pictures I get on it. When not in use, I kept it in a zip-lock freezer bag (1 gallon size) to keep sand from getting into it.

 

The second is my DSLR, the one I still need to get used to because I'm not always happy with the quality of the pictures. That's not the camera, it's me. It's a Canon Rebel T1I that I got a few years ago. I did get some good pictures with it this time, thankful to a very helpful tip from my brother. I only took this one to Sapphire Beach and the beach in Barbados but also kept it in a 1 gallon zip lock freezer bag when not using it.

 

The third is the underwater camera I used for my snorkeling pictures. That is the Canon D20 and I've been very happy with it.

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you for the review and pics really really looking foward to our date with the Valor.

We also are staying at the Isla Verde Mariott, is there a place near by we can buy wine?

 

Thank you. :) This cruise was one of our best.

 

I don't know of any place to get wine there, but maybe one of the hotel employes knows of a place. When at the hotel, we never left the grounds. There are Duty Free shops that sell alcohol right where Valor is docked. I don't know if they'd have wine but I would think there would be. Maybe someone else reading this can give you a definite answer.

[pghsteelerfan]

appreciating the review, it's helping me get my cruise fix until our cruise arrives!

 

Barry

 

Thank you! You don't have much longer, just a couple of weeks. I hope you have just as much fun on Valor as we did. :)

[pghsteelerfan]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to do an amazing review... the best ever (guess I can forgive the fact you're a Steeler's fan..lol--Pat's fan)

We only have 24 more Sundays till we board.. :D

Cathy

 

LOL!!! Hey, we have to stay true to our teams, right? :) We live in Virginia now (Washington Redskin territory) but are originally from the Pittsburgh area. DH actually has Tom Brady as one of his quarterbacks in his fantasy football league, so we're always rooting for him to get as many touchdowns as he can.

 

Thank you for your kind words about the review. It took me a while to finally decided to take the time and do it. We never would have known about Sapphire Beach or some of the other places we were at if it wasn't for other reviews I've read here on CC with pictures. DH calls them "spoilers" but I enjoy them.

 

24 Sundays seems like a long time to wait but a cruise on Valor for this itinerary is definitely worth the wait. I hope you have a wonderful cruise and great weather.

[silvercrikhix]

I am totally enjoying your photo heavy review! You have some great shots!

Excited for more!

Do you know the name of the red roofed buildings in your Sapphire Beach photos in post #98?

Looks like a great spot for a land vacation :)

 

Watching the Vikes/Browns game. Been interesting. Currently, 27-24 Vikes. 9 minutes left. Go Vikings!!!!!

Edited September 22, 2013 by silvercrikhix

[pghsteelerfan]

I am totally enjoying your photo heavy review! You have some great shots!

Excited for more!

Do you know the name of the red roofed buildings in your Sapphire Beach photos in post #98?

Looks like a great spot for a land vacation :)

 

Watching the Vikes/Browns game. Been interesting. Currently, 27-24 Vikes. 9 minutes left. Go Vikings!!!!!

 

Thank you! I'm not positive on the name of that resort, but I just looked up on an internet search and they could be part of the Sapphire Beach Condo Resort & Marina by Antilles Resorts. The pictures I was able to find from that resort have buildings with red roofs and it appears to be the same area. Sapphire Beach isn't a large beach, but it appeared there were three resorts there, but that appeared to be the only one that had buildings with red roofs. The other resort we could see was set back off the beach around what appeared to be a man made lake.

 

DH is also watching football and has the "Red Zone" channel on at the moment. I hope the Vikings win since Cleveland is in the same division as the Steelers and the Steelers need all the help the can get this year. It's not looking promising. LOL!!!

Edited September 22, 2013 by pghsteelerfan

[2 Dinks]

This is an awesome review! We did this same itinerary last year on the Victory and had so much fun... We met some great friends ( thru CC) and many of us are meeting up again this December on the Valor. Our first Carnival cruise was on the Valor (western Caribbean) and we loved the ship....thanks for taking the time to do this ... And for the amazing pictures... Looking forward to more!

[pghsteelerfan]

Day 3 - Tuesday, May 7, 2013 – Fun Day at Sea

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

This is an awesome review! We did this same itinerary last year on the Victory and had so much fun... We met some great friends ( thru CC) and many of us are meeting up again this December on the Valor. Our first Carnival cruise was on the Valor (western Caribbean) and we loved the ship....thanks for taking the time to do this ... And for the amazing pictures... Looking forward to more!

 

Thank you! This is an itinerary we've wanted to do for several years now and really thought we'd be on Victory but it ended up being Valor. We both LOVED Valor. Valor was actually in Miami with us when on our Glory cruise (Eastern Caribbean) in May 2010 and Valor was doing the Western Caribbean. Same layout as Glory, just different decor, so it was easy to find our way around. How did you like Victory? We've never been on her. I just loved this itinerary and would not hesitate to do it again. I'd love to sail in December sometime to see the all of the Christmas decorations. It won't be long for you now. :)

[pghsteelerfan]

Today was a Sea Day, or as Carnival calls it, a “Fun Day at Sea”. We decided to sleep in a little while, went to the buffet for breakfast. After that we went to our cabin and got ready to spend some time lying out on the outer decks and grabbed our towels, my beach bag for additional sunscreen if needed, Sail & Sign cards and cameras. We knew it would be pointless to try to find loungers on Lido Deck 9 around the pool, so we went straight up to Panorama Deck 10, just above the Argonaut Pool and found several empty loungers right near the stairs where we could see all the action going on down at the pool.

 

 

 

Shortly after we got settled into our loungers, the bartenders were making their rounds taking drink orders and today they had the Blowfish cups. Those are new since our last cruise but I’d seen pictures of them here on CC and that was one of the ones I really wanted, so I ordered one. The drink that came in it was the Coral Crush, which was VERY good and if any one had the recipe for that drink, I’d love to have it. It tasted like a rum punch type drink but also had some kind of coconut cream or Pina Colada mix in it. This was not the Drink of the Day. There was a DOD, which was the Pomegranate Lemonade. The DOD’s are now served in the regular bar glasses and not the plastic hurricane glasses. The DOD is only served in the plastic hurricane glasses on the very first day with the Funship Special.

 

 

 

Our loungers were right next to the railing and we had great ocean views:

 

 

We stayed out on the deck for a while and it got hot. I looked over and saw that waterslide…I’d always wanted to go on the waterslide while on a cruise but never had. On our Carnival Miracle cruise in 2006 I thought the waterslide was mainly for the little kids, so I didn’t go down it. On our previous cruise on Carnival Glory, I saw a lot of adults going down it but never made the time to do it. I decided right then that I was going to do it, so I told DH where I was going and he stayed with our stuff. I went and got in line and it turned out that I was the only “big kid” in line. Some little girl, about six or seven, looked at me like I was off my rocker, but it didn’t matter, I wanted to try it and I really enjoyed it. When I was done DH said he wanted to do it, so he did and I stayed with the stuff. He also enjoyed it, but that was the only time we did it this cruise since we’d be busy in ports the rest of the cruise.