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K&B's Excellent Adventure to the S Caribbean on the Valor (Sept 19-30) *pic heavy*

ktinnc

By ktinnc,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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pghsteelerfan

pghsteelerfan

Posted
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Katie, I love the pictures you got of Fort El Morro! I loved it there and we also wish we had more time to spend there, but it was HOT even though it was mostly cloudy. I think you got to some areas that we missed and there is one picture that I got of one of the fort's "garitas" or sentry boxes, that's very similar to one of yours. I am really looking forward to the rest. :)

 

Holly

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chill6x6

chill6x6

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Hey Everyone - just wanted to pop in and say I haven't forgotten ya or my review....as expected...work is CRAZY right now. Just as soon as I can I'll get the next chunk of the story up :)

 

GOOD! Looking forward to the rest of your review! But I know how it is...reviews are a lot more trouble than folks think!

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rob6465

rob6465

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Part 3/Saturday, Sept 21, 2013

4:30am – “Ugh….it’s dark out…I don’t wanna get up…4:30am? Again? Isn’t this vacation? lol” My hubby is one lucky man to have such an awesome wife who booked him on a half day fishing excursion on the very first day! He loves to (freshwater) fish..he hates the beach…so I figured since I was taking him to beaches every day for the next week I should put him in a good mood by taking him fishing first! Both of us got up, got showered and doused ourselves in sunscreen (even though it was still dark!) and we headed downstairs to meet Captain Paco! Brian was soooo excited!





5:00am – Walked outside of our hotel and as planned Captain Paco was just arriving to pick us up. He owns/operates “Peacock Bass and Tarpon Tours,” and I found him months earlier via a google search but then found he had great reviews on TA. The streets in Old San Juan are so narrow (especially where our hotel was) that he had to park a few blocks up the hill because he had his truck and was towing the boat. So at 5am I was already huffin and puffin as we hoofed it up the big hill while I was still half asleep (and it was already hot..lol). Oh thank goodness…there is the truck! And it has awesome AC..woo hoo! It didn’t take long and we felt very comfortable with him and were laughing/joking. He told us that the lake we were going to was about a 45 minute drive and that we would stop for a bite to eat on the way.

 

Paco took us to a hole in the wall/local restaurant where he ordered (and paid for) us. I found it funny that all around the place there was a single shelf that had different items you might need… i.e. motor oil, toilet paper, dish soap, etc. Kinda random gas stationy stuff yet in a restaurant/bakery.



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He asked if we liked eggs and bacon – we both said yes…we had no idea what he was ordering because everyone spoke Spanish. We were pleasantly surprised at the yummy plates we got. Eggs, bacon and cheese all scrambled together and a few pieces of this really thick/fat buttered toast – it was so delicious and a nice hearty meal for our morning on the boat. Paco assumed we both drank coffee (we don’t) and ordered us both coffees w/our food. Again – I didn’t hear him ordering and it was in Spanish anyways or I would’ve stopped him. Once I found out we were able to switch mine to a diet coke but Brian decided to just have the coffee. Come to find out – he really likes Puerto Rican coffee! He said it tastes a lot different than coffee at home. Funny thing – he ended up drinking coffee all week on the ship too (who is this guy? hah)



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After breakfast the sun had started coming up and we headed to the lake. It was pretty close by to where we ate. We stopped at this little playground/park area on the water. It was nothing like I expected (not that I really knew what to expect). It was really wet/muddy (from rain the previous few days) and there were stray (but fed) dogs running around. They were really cute/sweet and Brian made friends with them quickly.



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I was born in puerto rico and last time i was there was 1998 before i got married. Been wanting to take a cruise that stop there but haven't yet. Was thinking of cruising from florida and stopping there because from houston to PR, kinda expensive. Maybe next year. Heard puerto rico have many stray dogs and me being a dog owner..i would hate to see that.

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JohnTRN

JohnTRN

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We were there for their signature item….the mallorcas! They are delicious buttery rolls that are generously dusted with powdered sugar …they can be enjoyed plain or with ham and cheese (a favorite combination). I had to try the fav combo – ham/cheese while Brian got bacon and cheese. Both were delicious! Brian enjoyed a coffee with his & I stuck with water. We paid about $16 total. Yum! I want another one right now!!!

 

Are the Mallorcas more of a breakfast item? They look sinfully good!

 

John

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bmcole760

bmcole760

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Aww thank you! I'm glad someone is reading it :) Can you believe I've lived in NC almost 14 years and I've never been to the outer banks?! In March we'll be going up there for a weekend because of a regional competition my son will be in - I have a feeling once I get a peek I'll have to figure out a time to go back for a vaca :)

 

 

Me and my husband are both born and raised and still living in Wilmington, NC and neither of us have EVER been close to the Outer Banks lol so don't feel bad!!!

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JohnTRN

JohnTRN

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Thanks John! I'm reading yours now too!!

 

Waiting for your next installment Katie. C'mon, what are you doing?! :p

 

Just added some more to mine. Been working on it all day at work. Quiet day here!

 

Cheers!

 

John

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deladane Great Review Rare

deladane

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Great review! I did the same itinerary on the Victory in December, so it's always fun to relive my cruise through other peoples reviews ;) Can't wait to see what you did at each of the ports!!

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oneboysmom

oneboysmom

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Absolutely loving your review so far! This is for sure on my bucket list of cruises to do!! Your pictures are wonderful as well, especially the sunrise pics while fishing, breathtaking! Looking forward to reading the rest of your review!

By the way, I absolutely love NC. Been to the coast and through the mountains. Driving the BlueRidge Parkway last Fall was so beautiful. We went at a perfect time! The fall before I went to my first ever State fair in Raleigh. Wow, it was pretty huge!!

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Powriv

Powriv

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Really enjoying your review.

 

This Southern Caribbean is one of the routes I am thinking about for next year

 

Did you find with the cruise being so port heavy you were tired at the end of the week?

 

Would you recommend San Juan in September? or was it too hot?

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