Valor Southern Review

[MVoelker]

We just returned from a week on the Valor April 27-May 4. This was my sixth Carnival cruise and eighth total. It was a sister's cruise and we range in ages 52-64. We all love swimming and enjoy the beach and pools.

 

We arrived in San Juan at 2:00 pm and headed to the ship with Carnival transportation. This all went very smooth. We had FTTF and walked right up and checked in and we were on the boat in less than 15-20 minutes. We choose aft starboard inside cabins. I have had various rooms and enjoyed this location. We were just steps from the back adult only pool and all the food on the lido deck.

 

Our first port was St. Thomas. I have been there three times but it was a first for my sisters. We grabbed a cab and headed to Magens Bay. We were there early and had our pick of beach locations. We decided to grab a picnic table and put our towels in the sand. The water was wonderful and we spent most of our day in the water. They have beach chairs, rafts, food and drinks available. The restrooms and showers are clean. It was an easy quick ride back to the dock to shop and walk to the ship.

 

Second port was Barbados. We had a day pass with Resort For a Day and grabbed a cab to the Hilton. It was breathtaking! For $60 we enjoyed the infinity pool and the ocean and it also included a meal and drink ticket. The food was plentiful and yummy. The grounds are stunning with cannons and lovely flowers. We had the pool all to ourselves most the day.

 

Third stop was St. Lucia. We did the Carnival excursion to Pigeon Island. There was nothing about this place that I liked. I tried to send a review to Carnival and they refused to print it. I can answer questions if anyone is interested.

 

Fourth stop we went to St. Kitts. It was a beautiful and interesting place. We got another cab and he was very informative about the island and we went to the Marriott. The day pass was $35. This was an amazing location on the beach. We had use of the pools, the cabana's on the beach. They had a wonderful beach side restaurant and prices were reasonable and food and drink were plentiful.

 

The final stop was St. Maarten. Again I had traveled here three times so we went through Resort For A Day and for the price of $179 for four people we had a hotel room next to the pool and restaurant. We had use of the pools, beach and beach chairs and a $20 credit for food or drinks. This was a lovely location. They have a security guard who watches over the beach steps and the area to make sure you are a guest. The hot tub could probably hold 20 people. The only thing is there are MANY iguanas on the premises. I enjoyed seeing them but I had one sister who was a little freaked out by so many.

 

The Valor is a gorgeous ship. The layout was very simple to find our way around. Since we had rooms in the aft of the ship and we were adults without children we spent a good deal of time, when on board, at the back pool. Our dining room was on deck 3 aft so that also made it simple. We enjoyed the comedy shows and only attended two shows in the showroom. They did offer nightly movies or live concerts outside on the big screen and we went out to catch them a few times. They even served popcorn!

 

The food was good but I was surprised that I enjoyed the buffet, burrito bar, and the deli sometimes more than the dining room. Our Head Waiter Winnie was kind but her team was very slow and just plain boring. I reported one of her servers because one night he brought dessert and sat it in front of me. I told him that we did not order what he had brought to us. He proceeded to argue with me and it took a moment for him to remove the items. Someone else brought our correct order and he never did apologize. Winnie said he had previously been reported to the Maitre D.

[gracie65]

Thanks for the review!!

I had looked at Pigeon Island at first then kept seeing mixed reviews.

What resort where you at in St. Martin?

[MVoelker]

The Westin on Dawn Beach. It was a wonderful setting! Plenty of pool space and lots of beach chairs.

[092306]

We love the Valor, its one of our favorites. Would love to do this itinerary. Thanks for the review and glad you had a good cruise!

 

 

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[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[msmccorm]

Thanks for sharing the tip about "Resort for a Day." I keep reading about people getting day passes to all these great resorts, but I wasn't sure how they arranged this, what a great idea. This is exactly what I had in mind when we go.

[Bases5]

Thanks for the review

 

We have been to St Thomas many time's but never gone to Megans Bay

 

Did you happen to see the price for chairs and umbrella's at Megan Bay?

Did you eat there and how were the prices?

Did the beach ever get crowded?

About how long of a trip is it from the dock to the bay?

[pkkghfn]

Thanks for the review. We will be on The Valor on June 1st... can't wait! My son's are big Tex-Mex fans and are looking forward to the Burrito Bar. I'm a big fish n chips guy and I hear that's also available. Did you get to try them?

 

Thanks

[Awoelk]

I am struggling with whether or not to go to pigeon island... Many if the recent reviews have been negative, but earlier ones were very positive....

 

 

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[gracie65]

I am struggling with whether or not to go to pigeon island... Many if the recent reviews have been negative, but earlier ones were very positive....

 

 

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I know I agree I had looked at that as well. Ended up booking the All Inclusive at Rendezvous. Then we had two more couples to book the cruise so they are at capacity for how many daypasses they give out. We don't mind ordering by the drink so long as it's not overly expensive but it doesn't sound like there is much in the way of food and drink right on the beach.

[Anyislandwilldo]

We are going on the Valor next Feb. Loving all the reviews I can find. Thank you for sharing yours!