Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Valor Review - June 1st- 8th

lostdart1

By lostdart1,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

 Share

Recommended Posts

lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
Posted

First, yes this review is two and a half month after my cruise. But I always told myself I was going to do one if only because I had enjoyed reading other reviews before my first cruise and had learned a bunch in reading other reviews.

 

This was to be my first Carnival cruise. In the recent past I have done two other cruises each spaced about five years apart. In 2003 I did the Pacific Princess and in 2009 on the Adventure of the Seas. The other cruises were also out of San Juan.

 

In January of this year my sister was visiting and said that since this year was her 60th birthday she wanted to do something special so she was taking all of us on a cruise. All of us included her, one of my two nephews 27, my 85 year old father myself and my daughter 15. As it turned out the week my sister picked for the cruise was not good for my daughter since it was here final week of school and she had finals.

 

My father and I actually live in St Thomas about 10 minutes from the cruise ship dock. We have lived here for 40 years. At first we had looked into just getting on the ship in St Thomas which would have been easier for my elderly dad but because of the whole closed loop thing there would have been a $300 charge per person to do so. The heck with that. We can get a cheap flight on JetBlue to San Juan..

 

____________________________________________

 

So here begins my review. THERE WILL BE NO PICTURES. Y'all know from other reviews what the ship looks like and the Welcome to________ signs look like in each port......and you don't want to see pictures of me or even my half eaten food.

 

This review will be more about the ship then the ports. While my father is fairly mobile it was just best most of the time to just stay on the boat. Having lived in the Caribbean for 40 years I have been to all these places to many time to count. For me I was looking forward to having the boat in port and 70% of the passengers off the boat at least for a few hours.

 

The Valor sails from San Juan on Sundays and doesn't sail until 10PM. The flight from St Thomas is only 23 minutes in actual flight time. I saw no reason why my father and I would not fly into San Juan the morning of the cruise. While my father is fairly mobile. He walks slowly with a cane, I decided to rent a wheelchair for him for the cruise before we left St Thomas. My father and his pride was not keen about the wheelchair but I explained..."Dad, there is gonna be a lot of walking through the airport and getting on the ship, and it is a huge ship. You may not need it but if you do and we don't have it we will be stuck 'cause they have none on the ship"...........besides my dad walks a little slow.

 

We landed in San Juan about 9:30 and by the time I got my Dad off the plane, a stop at the restroom and to the baggage claim it was close to 10AM. Before we got in a taxi, I had to shuffle around some of the luggage because I had brought a liquor box from St Thomas in which was a bottle of Cruzan Gold rum for my father and sister which went into one checked bag and a bottle of Hendicks Gin for me which went into another checked back. Then box also contained two bottles of wine which ended up in my carryon bag.

 

There was a line of taxis waiting and a dispatcher who asked where we were going and gave us a receipt which showed us how much we were to pay. It was $26 which included baggage. I think they didn't charge for all the bags (plus the wheelchair). Twenty minutes later at 10:40AM we arrived at the Old San Juan pier. I paid the driver $32 for the ride. At this point there are still many folks still getting off the boat and very few heading in. A porter quickly took our bags. (we only had three light checkin bags) and led us to the bag drop off point. I tipped him $8 and he showed us where the elevator was located. (Remember I am pushing my father in the wheelchair.) Once upstairs we were led to the fast checkin line, although there were only a handful of folks in the regular line and within 7 minutes we were all checked in. It was now basically 11AM. My father and I sat in the waiting area where the duty free shops are for almost an hour, by this time there was no available chairs to sit, when they called the first group to board. It was just about noon. We had been given a ticket that said we were group #5.

 

About 10 minutes after they started boarding I said to my father, .."you know what, lets go" I picked up the carryons and pushed my father to the line where people were actually boarding right before the x-ray and the Carnival employee seeing the wheelchair waved us right through. We were on the ship by 12:15. " No pictures, thank you"

 

First thing I did was stop at the guest services to get our cards hole punched, since I brought two lanyards with me. I also set up the chef's table for myself and my nephew who is an aspiring chef. I knew he would appreciate it. This would be the first time I have spent any time with him since he graduated culinary school and since I am a bit of a foodie we now had something in common to chat about during the cruise. I also had another issue to enquire about......but more on that later.

 

My father and I were hungry at this point and we headed to the lido deck for lunch. I had prepped my dad on the various food choices and we decided to start at the fish and chips station. I would find out one great thing about the Carnival staff very quickly. When it comes to either elderly or handicapped passengers the staff goes out of their way to make sure every need is met. The fish and chip station is the back of the buffet up stairs. I had brought my father to a table at the back of the buffet and then went upstairs to order some fish and chips. Within a minute or two of seating my father a hostess had approached him and started chatting him up. Did he need help with getting good? Something to drink? etc. During most of the cruise my father did not use the wheelchair. He could go into the buffet and someone was always there to grab a tray, go through the buffet line with him, get him his food and beverage and get him seated. Most of the times it was young ladies........and let me tell you my dad likes to chat with the ladies. So he was happy.

 

After eating lunch, I pushed my father around for a bit of a tour of the ship. I had spent a lot of time studying the deck plans and in spite of never being on the ship before knew where everything was. About 3Pm we headed to the room . My sister had booked two OV rooms on deck 2. My father's and I were in a handicap room which gave up a large bathroom which was nice. Two of the three checkin bags were there when we got to the room. The third with the Hendricks gin was AWOL. It eventually would show up with the dreaded "letter". NO GIN FOR ME!.........or so they thought :) ........ My sister and nephew you were flying in from Albany, New York. Their plane landed around 2:30 and while my dad and I were unpacking, (actually I was unpacking and my dad was sipping on his first in the cabin rum and coke) my sister and nephew arrived.

 

We would have early seating in the dining but the first night was open seating. We went to what would be our dining room, were seated and the first thing I noticed and perhaps my only complaint about anything in the dining room was how close together the tables were. You had to practically walk sidesways to get though some areas. Mind you it wasn't the end of the world. Having studied the menus for months before the cruise I knew what I was ordering long before I sat down. The first night's menu is not the best entre wise. I ordered the everyday southern fried chicken. It was fine, nothing special. The Caesar salad was as good as I heard and I would order it at least twice more during the cruise. Also had the smoked salmon app, (OK) and the crème brulee (fabulous).

 

After dinner we wandered around for a bit. The muster drill took place at 9:30. My sister and father sat inside while my nephew and I waited in the dreaded lines by lifeboats. After a bit of a wait, I came to the conclusion that some folks were missing and some stragglers were showing up. We still waited and then(and I had to laugh) this gentleman came walking up in slippers and his bathroom, obviously just woken up and not too happy. The muster announcements were then made in two languages and we were dismissed.

 

We then escorted my dad back to the room cause he was tired and the three of us went up to the lido for sail away. Leaving San Juan harbor is a beautiful sight and should not be missed . The fort is lit up nicely, but once you get through the mouth of the harbor there isn't much to see. Lots of music and dancing up by the pool during sailaway. With probably 20-30% of the passengers from Puerto Rico there was always lots of latin tunes available around the ship during the cruise.........and the Puerto Ricans love to dance............and their children are polite and well behaved.

 

Made it back to the room before midnight and was sound asleep within 5 minutes.

 

END of Day 1 Tomorrow St Thomas......I know the island well.....;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Day Two - St Thomas

 

I am an early riser and live on no more then 6 hours sleep a night. I was out of the cabin just about every morning by no later them 5:30AM. I know sounds crazy doesn't it? I found on my other cruises that my favorite time on the ship was up on deck as the sun rises. There is usually few people on deck when I first go up, but they slowly show up. Watching the ship come into ports can be breathtaking. Of course this morning we were headed into St Thomas. I got to see my home from a different perspective. Charlotte Amalie harbor will always be a beautiful spot.

 

I actually did get off the ship briefly...... to get my father his morning paper.

 

The four of us had breakfast in the dining room. It would be the only morning we would eat in the dining room. The food was good and service was fast but it just seemed too formal for the morning meal. Eggs benny were good!!

 

My sister and nephew got off the boat and WALKED up to Paradise Point. I give them credit as they did make it all the way up. it is a tough walk!! At 1PM after my daughter finished her morning exams, she and her mother picked up my sister and nephew and spent some time together. I had called my daughter's mother earlier(we are not married or live together) and told her to fill up two 20 ounce water bottles with Hendricks gin and give to my nephew to smuggle back on board in his cargo short pockets. It worked like a charm.

I'm sorry folks, but the watered down drinks at the bars on the ship just don't cut it. If you want a martini on the rocks on the ship it is 1 and 1/2 ounces and two sips it is gone.....So instead I had my martinis or two in my cabin everyday and I was a happy camper for the rest of the cruise.

 

During the day I took my dad up to the lido pool. Even got him in the pool and whirlpools... a little trouble as he has some issues with steps. It was a nice relaxing day.

 

We met our waitstaff at our first night at early seating dining. We had a lousy table location where we couldn't see the "dancing waiters" but the location made sense for my father: easy access in and out and close to the bathroom.

 

I must say all of us were always happy with the food in the dining room. The service on a whole was good. Sometimes I felt like we were rushed, but admittedly it is mostly that my father eats VERY SLOOOOWWW Everynite the lights would go up to hint that it was time to go........but not a big deal.

 

We would go to see the Welcome Show in the theatre. We enjoyed the shows we saw......and I think we saw most of them during the week. They were not spectacular but pleasant enough...... I think there was a late comedy show that my sister and nephew say but my father and I didn't make it.

 

I think I was in bed by 11:30.

 

 

End of Day II Tomorrow - SEA DAY

Edited by lostdart1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Tuesday - SEA DAY

 

If you do this cruise you know that there is only one sea day and this was it. I had some definite plans for the day and none of which involved hanging out at the pool. Starting this morning I got in the habit of walking the track every morning.....and later on in the week even jogging a mile or so. I am not an exercise person needless to say instead needing to lose 40 pounds or so. So this was very odd. I did make a point during the cruise except when I was with my father of using the stairs even if it meant going up 10 floors. I actually lost weight on the cruise.....and I certainly did not cheat myself food or beverage wise during the cruise.

 

I did notice in walking by the Lido pool area at 8:30 ish, no chair hogs!!! NOT ONE. Our family did have one duty to perform this morning and we were to meet by guest services at 9AM. My mother had died in May. (please no condolences as my mother had spent her life making everyone around her miserable; my parents had divorced almost 30 years ago) We had arranged to scatter her ashes this morning. We were met by three officers whom escorted us to the back of the ship on deck 1 into a crew only section. We took our time and did what we had to do. I hope my mother is a lot happier now. She did always love the ocean and the warm weather.

 

For the uninitiated, we didn't have to arrange this ash dispersal before boarding the ship, but you have to know that you need proper documents for the cruise ship. (death certificate and document from the crematorium). I believe my sister had to inform the airline though and the ashes had to be in a box or bag and not a urn or metal container.

 

______________________________

 

My plans for the day were to play in the Texas Hold-em tournament which started at 11AM. Thankfully there was just enough entrees to run the tournament. This meant that the first and second place finishers would qualify for the Carnival end of the year grand tournament on the Dream in October. First place winner also would get $600 in cash. There was a $150 entrée fee.

 

Well, I got some good cards and after about an hour and a half there was two of us left. My final opponent was on the opposite side of the table. We both had about the same amount of chips. I looked at him and said "You want to just split the first prize? Surprisingly, he said YES!. So we each got $300 and we each got an entrée in the grand finals $175,000 Carnival Texas Hold-em tourney in October on the Dream out of New Orleans, if we choose to attend. As it turns out these Entrees are transferable once. and sellable. I have found them on sale on ebay and here on cruise critic. I still have mine.......I am looking at it sitting here on my desk.

 

So at this point I was still in the casino and they were starting the slot tournament. For $25 you can try your luck to qualify for the finals which were to take place in a few hours. You can attempt to qualify all you want...I think it was another $15 to try a second or third time. My qualifier put me in 3rd place for the time being. The guy running the event said to come back by 3:15 to see who made the finals. I had lunch at this point up at the Lido. I went to the delly and ordered a rueban sandwich which was sadly weak. But what I learned was when you order a sandwich tell him you want a fat one and they will load it up for you. .........when I arrived back at the slot tourney I found I had JUST qualified for the finals. All nine finalist were given a tshirt whioch we were instructed to put on for good luck. I wrapped mine around my head............and I proceeded to win the tournament!! $500 cash and I qualified for the year end $100,000 Carnival Slot tournament on the Breeze out of Miami in November. I have since sold that entrée at the roll call thread for that cruise for $100.

 

Sea day night is formal night in the dining room. It is also lobster night. We would order 6 dinners between the four of us including 2 lobster dinners for the middle of the table. Three of us had prime rib and my nephew had the ribs. GOOD STUFF!!

I think this was the night I ordered the warm chocolate melting cake. I am not a big chocolate eater but I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I can see why it is so popular....although two bites was all I needed as it is so rich.'

 

I will have to check my fun times to remember what we did after dinner........

 

 

 

....but this will be all for tonight......more tomorrow......:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

By the way while I was doing the casino events, my sister, father and nephew did the cooking demonstration and then two of them sans my father did the wine pairing. Go hungry as both of these events involved food.

 

 

 

Wednesday - Barbados

 

Once again I was up on deck early and watched us slowly sail into Barbados. From a distance Barbados is shaped like a woman's breast, although it is a 40 years old woman lying on her back. The port area is rather industrial.

 

My sister and nephew had booked an excursion, I believe, through Carnival to the cave. It wasn't the trolley ride tour of the cave but rather the get down and get dirty tour of the cave where you walk, crawl and swim through the cave. At the end of the tour they got hosed down. Apparently they loved it.

 

I did go off the ship for about an hour and a half. By this point I felt comfortable leaving my father by himself. He knew how to get from the cabin to the elevators and up to the lido deck, where there was always someone to take care of him. With him the most important thing was knowing where the bathroom was and always having one nearby. There was one incident where he went to use the bathroom and it was closed for maintenance. He wasn't able to find the next one on time...........It wasn't a pretty picture. :eek:

 

So I had gotten off the boat in search for a flying fish sandwich. I had done my research before the cruise and then on the cruise. The Valor takes in passengers in Barbados and I ran into a couple from Barbados on the ship who told me where to find my flying fish. I walked through the dock area and then into downtown Bridgetown. It wasn't the prettiest walk, albeit on the water. I got my fix and headed back to the ship, reached the dock shopping area and ran into my sister and nephew who were finished with their tour.

 

Back on board I went up to the casino area and did on of the trivia events. I did trivia a number of times during the cruise. I must say they were always fun.

 

 

That evening was the chef's table. My nephew and I showed up in the lobby lounge at the appointed time. There were twelve of us doing the event. First the champagne was served and then the Head Chef showed up to take us for the tour of the kitchen. It was very interesting going through the kitchen. I must say it was huge, pristine AND very busy. We stopped at a few places along the way; one area where there was 40 gallons pots of various stocks being made. Another spot we were shown how to make the warm chocolate melting cake and if it wasn't done just right how it would come out to much like a cake or too much like pudding. We also made another stop where we were given three appetizers before we headed to a small private dining room where we were served the rest of the meal. Wine flowed freely here and I must admit I was overserved. It was the only time during the cruise that I had too much.

 

My overall impression of the chef's table: I was glad to have done it but would never do it again. The service was impeccable, the food LOOKED great, but only a few of the various courses actually had a "Wow factor". For instance, the Wagyu short rib was basically just a fatty piece of meat. The head chef who did all the talking was an Indian gentleman and he had a thick Indian accent. I had trouble understanding everything he said......and he was a bit of a blowhard. He would explain how in preparing each dish "HE had done this and He had done that......when it was obvious that he did nothing to prepare our meal and that the chef's table is the same on each ship with little exception. This wasn't his creation........

 

It was an expensive evening ($190 after I tipped).....and not worth the price in my books....

 

After the chef's table we found my sister and father.........but I had had enough and found myself heading to the cabin where I was asleep before 11PM.

 

 

Next: Thursday St Lucia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Thursday - St Lucia

 

If you are only going get up early one morning on this cruise this is the day. (but don't do it with the hangover I had :p) The sail into St Lucia is gorgeous. First you pass the Pitons off the starboard side, but you got to be up early to see the Pitons. They disappear as you approach Castries harbor. The Castries harbor is tiny......catch the airport off the port side just before you dock.

 

My sister and nephew had booked the zip line in St Lucia. It is either the best or close to the best zipline in the eastern Caribbean. I had read and suggested that my sister book it online and directly through the zip line company. They certainly saved money in this instant and they did it early enough in the morning that getting back to the ship on time was not an issue. I highly recommend this excursion.

 

My father and I did get off the boat for awhile and walk around the dock shopping area for awhile.......actually I walked and he got pushed. ;) As I said before most of the time on the ship we didn't use the wheelchair....but this was one of those cases especially since our cabins were in the absolut back of the ship and to get off the boat one must go all the way forward.

 

 

Another great meal in the MDR, including yummy escargot and chateaubriand. Another show in the Ivanhoe theatre which included some breakdancers. There are people that still do this? :p

Ah yes, and tonight was blackjack tournament. The preliminaries started at 8pm and went till 11PM with the final at 11:15. I showed up at 10:30 did me prelim and was in the second qualifying position. When the prelim were over I had qualified third. BOOYA!!

 

The finals began and I got a quick blackjack and then later a second blackjack and only lost two hand in the first six. The final hand came and I had the most chips......there were only two on the table who could beat me. (unless someone made the pair bet) I got to watch everyone but one bet before me. The two who could beat me did not make good bets and all I had to do was bet $100 and the worst I could do would be to tie for the lead..........and that is what happened. Two of us were tied and there was to be a three hand playoff. I looked at my competitor and asked...."do you want to just split it? He jumped all over it....."YES". ......We each got $250 plus an entry into the $100,000 Carnival Blackjack tournament on the Breeze out of Miami in November.

 

I still have the entry certificate in front of me here on my desk. I am trying to sell it as I cannot attend the cruise. I did think about it though...:)

 

I should note here that I spent a little time in the casino besides the tournaments. I put money in the twenty five cent slots and video poker. These machines were tight.....and I mean tight!!! I spent an hour one evening at the craps table pulled out a hundred from my pocket and was able to break even.....and I lost $50 at the roulette wheel. Yes, I know , not the best odds but I look to do it ONCE on the rare occasions I am in a casino. All told not including my tourney events I lost $150 in the casino. My tourney total = $200 entry fees and $1050 in winnings. At one point I put down $400 cash towards my charges at guest services.

 

About midnightish my sister, nephew and I had pizza. There was a bit of a line but it moved fast and the pizza was very, very good. It was actually after midnight when I returned to the cabin........

Edited by lostdart1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Interested in what was ordered that you thought had no wow factor and if you could do a redo what would order? Stacy

 

This was the chef's table dinner. There is a set menu; there is no ordering. The 13 courses just keep coming.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Looking forward to reading more about your trip, since I'm doing this cruise in February! Since I'm not an early riser on vacation, I'm wondering - can you also see the Pitons when the ship sails away in the afternoon/evening?

 

Not so good since when you leave St Lucia you sail away from the Pitons......

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Friday - St Kitts

 

Sailing into St Kitts you get the volcanic mound of Nevis off to starboard. St Kitts is also a volcanic mound but there is this one peninsula that just out probably a lava flow from a million years ago. Most of what you do in St Kitts is on that peninsula.....beaches etc.

 

So I had never been to St Kitts before and it was decided before hand that the four of us would get off the boat together. We decided to do a beach trip instead of the train trip. Cockleshell beach was our destination. We got off the boat and headed to the taxi stand where we were put into a taxi with other who also were going to Cockleshell. The ride out was pleasant and the driver "Easy Boy Ken" was pleasant. He gave us a narrative about his island. We passed an over look point where taxi were stopped and Ken volunteered that on the way back to the ship he would stop and let us take pictures. As we neared our destination Ken explained that we needed to decide on a time for him to pick us up and that it would be $13 roundtrip per person and that we had to pay him upon arrival at Cockleshell. He explained that there was just too many times when folks were not there when he returned and this was the reason for prepayment. I made the mistake of opening my big mouth that I had read (in these forums no less) about the fine taxi drivers in St Kitts.

 

We got to the beach. I and my father were the first out of the taxi cause we and my fathers wheel chair were blocking the exit. I reached in my pocket and pulled out $52 cash and explained to ken that I was paying for these four people and pointed them out. He seemed to have trouble with the math. he got his money and I went about dealing with my father. Cocckelshell beach is a somewhat long beach and about every hundred yards there was a shack set up beach chairs in front. Our shack we were dropped of at was probably the most rudimentary shack on the beach but the woman who "owned" it was so very nice and made sure my dad was comfortable the entire time there. We rented two chairs for the four of us at $5 each with umbrella. The price was right and we didn't need more then two chairs anyway. Someone was always in the water. There was food and beverages for sale if needed. My sister though had brought (yes I know you are not supposed to take food off the boat; but this is the way my sister rolls) sandwiches from the cruise ship deli and some cookies from the buffet. Always carry zip lock bags in your luggage for just such needs. :)

 

After getting my father settled in a lounge chair, Ken approached me and asked ..."How many people were in the taxi? I think someone didn't pay me!! .."I told him that I didn't notice how many people were in the taxi. He stormed away. This was not my problem. This is what he does for a living. It is possiible that there was one lady there that in hindsight was acting a little strange and may have wandered off with paying him.

 

Cockleshell beach is just OK beach but nothing special, the sand is dirty, a combination of sand and dirt......certainly not like a St John VI beach. The best part was the view of Nevis.

 

Later in the day I went to pay for our two chairs. The "owner" said she was only going to charge for one. She was so nice I gave her $20. We had also bought a few beers from her earlier that we paid with cash.

 

Ken did show up at the appointed hour but his demeanor had changed. He didn't acknowledge anyone or help get us in his cab. We took off in silence and as we approached the overview area he drove right past it. A young lady in the back chimed in and said you promised us you would stop here. " No I am not stopping here".....I am not turning around....we are not stopping....you didn't pay for no tour" We will pay you extra to stop at the overview so we can take a few pictures. " No I ain't going back.

 

I was livid, I went off on him without being loud or nasty. He said he would give us each back money when we got to the dock. He did give a dollar or two to some of the other riders but not to me. He made sure and stayed away from me. I was intent on filing a complaint with the taxi dispatcher but when I went to the taxi area it was late and there was no longer any taxis or dispatcher there. I got over it soon enough once back on the ship.

 

After another good dinner in the MDR we saw two comedians in the Comedy Club. One was good and the other was fair. Once again in bed by midnight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Saturday - St Maartan - Last day

 

Another perfect day weather wise. I don't remember that it rained once on the entire trip during the day. It did rain at night as the track was wet a few mornings. I have been to St Maartan many, many times. I wasn';t going ashore today.

 

My sister and nephew booked a last minute trip to the butterfly farm. My father was happy at the aft pool and I spent my morning up at the serenity deck. I WAS THE ONLY ONE THERE for hours!! I went from a hammock to a clamshell to the hot tub. I had my tunes going on my ishuffle and I drafted off from the world. As far as I was concerned there was no one else on the ship. ;)

 

I went down to lido buffet for lunch. Today was the chocolate buffet. I am not a chocolate eater but this buffet would be heaven for you chocoholics. It is a shame they have it on a port day cause many miss it. During my many lunches at the lido buffet I made sure and tried all the different venues in that area. I tried the Mongolian Wok twice; on the port days there wasn't much of a line early; It was OK but ultimately I wasn't very impressed. I did the mild sauce one day and the medium sauce on the second go through. One day it was clams and mussels. I enjoyed that better then the calamari I had the second try. I wish they had fried rice here instead of or in addition to one of the noodles.

 

I didn't go back to the fish and chips after the first day but I should have done so. I enjoyed the fish and the ship had great French fries both here and at the burger grill. The burgers at the grill were passable as were the dogs. I didn't do the burrito bar. The desserts at the buffet were hit and miss; most looked better then they actually tasted. There was always a hot item at the buffet that was good each day (veal parm stick out as does the day they had all the fixins for thanksgiving dinner) and many days they had some great salads. (a jicama and carrot salad one day!!)

 

Later in the afternoon I did back to back to back trivia and even won my only ship on a stick. WooHoo!!

 

Final night in the MDR was fine, although I think this was the night of oyster Rockefeller. I ordered three orders for myself. They looked great! I quickly wolfed down two of the oysters but noticed the lack of actual oyster flavor or texture. With my fork I pulled apart some of the remaining "oysters" on my plate. Certainly there was the spinach and the cheese topping but when I checked underneath the oyster was lacking. One had a piece of oyster the size of a green pea, another the size of a dime. I joked with the waiter. " What did you do with my oysters?" he brought me another order which was much of the same.

 

Dessert that night included Grand marnier soufflé. This was one of my favorites along with the crème brulee the first night......but my favorite dessert during the week was the bitter & blanc.

 

After dinner we saw one more comedy show and then went to the Carnival Legends show. This is the show where passengers are recruited to sing. Well this was the worse show of the week. Only one singer could almost carry a tune and it just kept getting worse. Folks were running out of this show.

 

I had done most of the packing for my dad and myself before dinner....but had not put the bags out yet. They were supposed to be outside your door by midnight. We got back to the cabin a little after midnight and all the luggage in the hallway. I did put the luggage outside the room about 12:15 and I noticed about 15 minutes later they had been taken. My sister and nephew decided to carry their out themselves.

 

 

____________________________________________

 

My next and last installation will be later with debarkation and my final thoughts.........

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted

SAN JUAN - DEBARCATION - END OF CRUISE

 

I woke up my usual very early and was up on deck to watch the ship enter San Juan harbor and then dock around 7AM.

 

At 7:30 I went down to the room of shame to pick up my confiscated bottle of Hendricks Gin. It is a high end gin ($33 in St Thomas), so I wasn't going to leave it there. I was the first in the room of shame. They had two tables set up; one with booze and one with electrics (irons mostly) I would guess there was 50 bottles of booze and about the same amount of irons.

 

The four of us would go up to the Lido and have a leisurely breakfast and then go back to the room. We hung out in the room past the appointed hour until the our room steward hinted that he wanted us gone. We went up to the lobby and waited until called to leave. We were one of the last to be called. With my dad in a wheelchair we were able to breeze through customs in a special line which was a good thing because my sister, nephew, and now my father just made it to their flight to Albany. Once you get past 10AM on Sunday the San Juan airport becomes very crowded. Remember you have to pass your luggage through the agricultural station before checking in with your airlines............then check in.........then go through security.......

 

I had a 3:30 commuter flight back to St Thomas, so I had plenty of time and wait at the airport. While waiting for my flight I pulled out a pastrami and swiss sandwich made on the Valor the night before........yup, I took food off the boat again........... :eek:

 

 

_________________________________________

 

 

There will be one more post for facts and figures and to give a final grade on my cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks for the review

About what time did they start calling people to get off the ship.

you might of said but what nights were formal nights.

 

Be honest I do not remember what time they started letting folks off the boat.

 

Tues night (sea day) and Thurs night (St Lucia) were formal nights. Both nights lots of folks waiting in line for pictures..........

Link to comment
Share on other sites
lostdart1

lostdart1

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Thanks again

If you were to eat at the steak house What night did you think the menu was the least appealing?

 

Without a doubt, the first night menu had the least interesting main coarses...........plus you will get a free bottle of wine in the steakhouse on the first night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com June 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...