Shannon & Dave's Excellent Valor Adventure --> Nov. 8th - Nov. 17th (Family Edition)

[ShannLC16]

A little bit about me – my name is Shannon (34) and I am cruise addict (“Hi Shannon”). This cruise was my 10th cruise, 9th with Carnival. Traveling along with me were my husband, Dave (38) and our two children, Lexi (8) and Dexter (3). We are from New Hampshire. I am a stay-at-home mom and my husband is…well, I can’t quite describe what he does, but when I asked him to explain what he did in ways that you all would understand, he said, “Just tell them I’m in direct sales for cloud-based business systems.” Yawn – but, hey, his job keeps us going and allows us to CRUISE. :p We booked the cruise with our neighbors – Michelle & Dan, and their two children, Tori (10) and Jackson (7).

 

Pre-pre-cruise:

Let me take you back to a chilly day in March. We had invited our neighbors over for dinner and drinks – and drinks…and drinks. As the kids were playing upstairs, Michelle and I, in our tipsy state, began discussing how cold it was and how we wanted to vacation somewhere warm. Michelle stated that she was trying to get her husband on board (get it?!) with taking a cruise, and I mentioned that I loved cruising and that they should definitely do it. Then I said, “And we should go with you!!” Michelle, taking my drunken declaration as fact, said, “Pull up the site – let’s book one.” Her husband, Dan, was laughing as he didn’t believe we would really book a cruise. I called in to the kitchen, where my husband was making Doritos with melted, shredded cheese (try it, you’ll love it, thank me later), and said, “Hey babe, can I book a cruise?” He called back, “Sure if you buy me an Xbox One.”

 

One quick detour to the Best Buy website and an Xbox One later, Michelle and I booked the Carnival Valor, leaving on November 9th for seven days. :D Our husbands really didn’t believe we had actually booked the cruise until we showed them the “We Can’t Wait to Welcome You Aboard” email. Michelle’s husband was shocked for a few days, but mine was happily distracted with his new game console!

 

Moral of the story: Don’t drink and book – actually, no…do it! You get to have a fun night and you end up with a cruise! ;)

 

Pre-cruise planning:

Dave and I had actually done this itinerary back in March 2010 on the Carnival Victory (except no more Dominica now :( ), but we had never traveled with our kids, so we felt like this was going to be a whole new cruising experience.

 

I am an extreme planner. No, seriously, like obsessive. I had a travel binder, broken into pre-cruise info, cruise info, and then sections for each port. I made a travel journal for my daughter, complete with questions on each port and answers printed out in my travel binder. I had a plan for cash, broken down to day-by-day and then went to the bank and withdrew the total needed in specific increments of $100s, $20s, $10s, $5s, and $1s. Who wants to cruise with me in the future? Anyone? Bueller? I think I scared Michelle with all my planning and questions that I had for her. I’d show up with my research and she’d just laugh at me. At one point, I texted her that I had all my “going out tops” ready, except it autocorrected “tops” to “tips” to read “going out tips” and she didn’t bat an eye. She just said, “I am sure you will show me your research.” :rolleyes:

 

Luckily, Dave is the complete opposite of a planner, and he doesn’t mind that I take over the entire process. Around 5 days pre-cruise he actually asked me what islands we were stopping at. I was dumbfounded. But, we work well together as I plan and he follows my plan!

[ShannLC16]

Keeping the kids in mind:

So neither our kids, nor Michelle & Dan’s kids knew about the trip (more about that later), but we, even in our drunken state while booking, were able to remember that our kids’ school had Nov. 11th off for Veteran’s Day and a Teacher Workshop Day on the 10th, meaning the actual days absent would total 4 (three on the cruise and one during our return trip home). We knew we’d fly to San Juan the day before the cruise left as I don’t like flying the day of the cruise, so we would start our vacation on Nov. 8th, which just so happened to be my daughter’s 8th birthday. My husband sets his own schedule (for the most part) and as I don’t work outside of the home, we were able to plan around the easiest schedule for the kids – apart from a school vacation week, which I really didn’t want to do.

 

My daughter is in 2nd grade, and we told her teacher during our Parent/Teacher Conference (“Yeah, yeah, glad she’s doing well…WE ARE GOING ON A CRUISE!”). Ok, that’s not quite how the conversation went, but pretty close. Lexi’s teacher is pretty awesome, and stated that this is a great opportunity to expose Lexi to different cultures, countries, and ways of living. Teacher was on board, notes were handed in to school explaining absence, and we were ready to go!

 

The Surprise:

When we booked the trip, we decided we wouldn’t tell the kids until it was much closer to the actual date of departure. Neither Dave nor I, or our neighbors, wanted to hear our children asking “Are we leaving yet?” for 8 months. Then it almost became like a challenge – do you think we can make it until 2 weeks before we leave? Do you think we can make it until a few days before? Finally, we decided we would surprise the kids the day we left. I’ve seen others do that, and I thought it would be such an awesome surprise and memorable moment for the kids.

 

Our plan was to tell Dexter and Lexi their dad was going on a business trip (which he does about once a month, so it wouldn’t be that out of the ordinary). The rest actually felt into place quite easily, as the day we left for San Juan was November 8th – my daughter’s 8th birthday. She was upset her dad was leaving on her birthday, so she asked if we could drive her dad to the airport to have breakfast with him, so that he could spend some time with her on her birthday. Yup – no problem, sweetie! I explained that her dad had to be on an early flight, so we would have to leave super early to take him to the airport. As she’s only 8, she didn’t read too much into the multiple suitcases sitting in our bedroom for the entire week before the trip. Anything she saw (sunblock, etc.) was just passed off for stuff my husband needed for his work trip. Ahh, the simplicity of a child’s mind! ;)

 

Our very good friend, Carol, had agreed to house and dog-sit for his while we were gone, and also offered to drive us all to the airport (explained to Lexi that Carol would come with us for birthday celebrations after her dad’s flight took off – again, she didn’t question it).

 

So on the night of the 7th, we put the kids to bed, loaded the car with all the suitcases, and went to bed (after responsibly staying up too late watching some dumb movie). The alarm went off at 3 am (ugh), and Dave and I got up and got ourselves ready. We woke the kids up, and Carol arrived to take us to the airport. On the way to the airport, Lexi started crying as she said she was going to miss her dad so much. It was at this point that I began to feel slightly bad about our plan. Torture our kids to make the surprise that much bigger!! So mean. :eek: We pulled up to the the curb at the airport and got out of the car. Then...

 

Coming up tomorrow: The Reveal, The Flight, and San Juan

[HawksFan74]

Great start! Can't wait to read more...

[TennesseeTater]

Great start. Looking forward to the rest.

[pmms052999]

My friend and I are the exact same way! It seems every time we get together that we're trying to plan a vacation!

 

My husband is the same as yours....he asks the week prior what ship we're on, what ports we're going to, excursions we're doing, etc.... How can someone live like that??? I need planning, research, reviews!

[Momma1980]

Subscribing! I can't wait to read and see more. Your energy and enthusiasm are leaping off the page!

I am a planner myself and love surprises. Looking forward to hearing about how you pulled it off.

Thanks for doing this review:)

[conshycruiser]

Woo hoo can't wait to read this!!! I like the idea of a travel binder - starting one now for my Dec 28 Valor trip!

[GaMtnMom]

We are booked on this cruise in April - but now on the Liberty - can't wait for the rest of the story!!

 

I too am a planner and my husband will occasionally ask a question but I research ports and plan activities and read reviews for months! I think I drive him nuts with all the stuff I do. I will randomly send him a text that says "138 days (or whatever the number is) till we cruise" and he just shakes his head.

 

Loving your writing style and I'm sure I will enjoy your review.

[rferr]

Great you kids school is so understanding. Our daughter's school they would count those an unexcused absences and fail you. I wish they were a bit more flexible like yours.

[ShannLC16]

My friend and I are the exact same way! It seems every time we get together that we're trying to plan a vacation!

 

My husband is the same as yours....he asks the week prior what ship we're on, what ports we're going to, excursions we're doing, etc.... How can someone live like that??? I need planning, research, reviews!

 

I just don't get it! My husband has no interest in the planning portion, which sometimes drives me nuts, but most of the time works because I have a feeling if he did try to plan with me, I'd be annoyed that I didn't have total control. ;)

 

Subscribing! I can't wait to read and see more. Your energy and enthusiasm are leaping off the page!

I am a planner myself and love surprises. Looking forward to hearing about how you pulled it off.

Thanks for doing this review:)

 

Thanks! Reading reviews helps me in the planning process, and I get all kinds of tips from other cruisers - so I hope that I can pass that along and entertain people in the process!

[ShannLC16]

Woo hoo can't wait to read this!!! I like the idea of a travel binder - starting one now for my Dec 28 Valor trip!

 

I live by my travel binder. I totally own my dorkiness though! If you start a travel binder, be prepared to be teased while on vacation. But then there is that glorious moment, when someone has a question, and you use the binder to help - worth it! :D

 

We are booked on this cruise in April - but now on the Liberty - can't wait for the rest of the story!!

 

I too am a planner and my husband will occasionally ask a question but I research ports and plan activities and read reviews for months! I think I drive him nuts with all the stuff I do. I will randomly send him a text that says "138 days (or whatever the number is) till we cruise" and he just shakes his head.

 

Loving your writing style and I'm sure I will enjoy your review.

 

I texted my husband several times with countdown messages and he wasn't as enthusiastic as I was (is it too much to ask for a response of, "YES! 138 days - it's coming soooo fast, and I love you, and can't wait for our trip?" ;) ). I solved this problem by texting my friend, Michelle instead. She got it. :D

[ShannLC16]

Great you kids school is so understanding. Our daughter's school they would count those an unexcused absences and fail you. I wish they were a bit more flexible like yours.

 

I was surprised that her school was so understanding. We did create a travel journal and had Lexi read up on each island the night before. She filled out sheets with questions like, "What is the population? What is the capital city?" Simple questions - but she learned things! We also collected money from each island that had it's own currency, as she thought it would be fun to show her class.

[pmms052999]

I've read on here about a lot of people who have trouble with their children's schools/teachers. My kids are in 9th and 4th grade and to date, I haven't had any problems (we just took a cruise a few weeks ago). I usually email the teachers and front office a week ahead of time letting them know.

[ShannLC16]

The Reveal:

We told the kids that instead of Daddy leaving for a work trip, we were going to be going on a trip together! And the kids…were confused. Lexi was upset, thinking that her dad was going to get in trouble for skipping a work trip and Dexter was mad that we weren’t going to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast to get his chocolate glazed donut. So the video we filmed didn’t exactly show the reaction we were hoping for.

 

We said goodbye to Carol, who had to leave, and we explained to the kids, again, that we were going on a trip as a family, there was no work trip, and we were leaving right then. At that point, excitement seemed to set in. Good thing too, as our friends has arrived and surprises #2 and #3 were revealed – we were going with friends AND it was a cruise! All kids were jumping up and down (even though I am pretty sure that Dexter still had no idea what any of it meant). We entered the airport, checked our luggage, and waited to board.

 

The Flight:

Now normally I wouldn’t write about the flight itself, but we had an interesting situation arise that became a running joke for the rest of the trip. As I mentioned, we flew Southwest as the flights are pretty affordable, we are part of the rewards program, and luggage flies free. My husband’s flight was free (thanks to the points we had earned) and the rest of our tickets totaled approximately $1200, so $400 each for roundtrip NH to San Juan, PR – not too bad.

 

Anyways, when we were getting ready to board the flight, my husband asked the Southwest agent about flying with a child with a peanut allergy. From his reaction, you would have thought my husband told the agent he was bringing a bomb onto the plane. He said, “You haven’t told anyone about this yet?! You didn’t book your ticket as a child with peanut allergy?! We have no prior knowledge of this?!?!” First of all, I didn’t realize you could book a ticket and note a peanut allergy, but I also didn’t know we had to give them prior notice of an allergy. My son does have a peanut allergy, that if eaten, causes an anaphylactic reaction – but I assumed that if peanuts were handed out, we would just not give him any (obviously). He does not have an issue with peanuts or PB being eaten around him.

 

Nonetheless, once we sounded the alarm, there was no going back. The Southwest agent said that we would need to board first and then give a special boarding pass to one of the flight attendants. We boarded first, which I’ll admit was pretty awesome, and handed our pass to the attendant. Once the plane was entirely boarded, the flight attendant got on the speaker and asked, “Where is Dexter Farr? Dexter Farr, could you please stand up?” So we stood up, and the flight attendant said, “Ok thanks. Dexter has a peanut allergy and therefore, no peanuts will be served on this flight. Also, please refrain from eating anything with peanuts or peanut butter as this could cause a severe reaction.” Ummm…thanks? I went with the moment and did a beauty pageant wave and said, “Thank you, thank you everyone,” which made everyone laugh at least, but I thought the announcement was way over the top.

 

The rest of the flight went without incident, and we pretty much slept because it was so early. The next leg of the flight was from Baltimore to San Juan, and we once again got to board first. And another announcement was made, though they did not call my son out by name this time. I was starting to dig the priority boarding, as with Southwest, you board based on the order in which you checked in. Boarding first meant our family had zero chance of being separated because we had pick of the seats, but I felt guilty (just a little – but I got over it!). :p

 

San Juan:

We landed in San Juan around 1:30 (15 minutes early) and grabbed our luggage. We were staying at the Sheraton in Old San Juan – right across from the pier – so we jumped in a taxi and headed straight for the hotel. Total cost for the taxi was $35 for all eight of us. The driver said it was $28 for the ride and $7 ($1 per piece of luggage) for luggage he handled.

 

I should note, the last time we stayed in PR before a cruise, we ended up staying in the hospital. No joke.:eek: My friend that booked the hotel said she got a great deal on a room and when we arrived, we found out that the hotel was attached to the hospital and it was where family members of patients having cardiac surgery would stay. If rooms were open, they would then book to anyone else. So, yup, I stayed in the hospital and heard codes being called all night. Anything would have been an upgrade, but the Sheraton OSJ was really nice. We paid $250 for one room with 2 double beds on a Saturday night.

 

When we entered the lobby, it was mass chaos. People checking out of the hotel for a cruise leaving that day (Royal Caribbean, I think?) and people checking in, many of whom were going on the Valor the following day. There was luggage everywhere and a long line at the desk. No worries – we were in San Juan, the weather was beautiful, and our vacation had just started! My friend and I waited in line while the husbands played in the lobby with the kids. We were all able to check into our rooms early and got into our rooms around 2:30. The room was just what we expected – nice, comfortable, and a good size four 2 adults and 2 kids. Bonus? Seeing the cruise ships right across the street – even if our Valor wasn’t there yet!

 

We literally tossed the luggage into the room and met up with our friends to get something to eat. We ended up heading across the street to a place called Tijuana’s. It was just ehhh. Overpriced and bland – not our favorite place for the week. However, we did get some drinks and I think the total for my husband and I (and the kids) was $100 including tip. Pretty expensive for a lunch! I wouldn’t eat there again.

 

After lunch (which was close to 3pm at that point), the kids were begging to swim at the hotel pool, so we all changed and went up to the rooftop pool. It was a little small, but perfect for letting the kids have fun and get some energy out. Now, we had reservations at Barrachina’s for 6pm, but decided to cancel as 1). we weren’t really thinking we’d be hungry at 6 after our late lunch 2). the kids really didn’t want to leave the pool, and 3). we had originally booked the reservations for 8pm to see the flamenco show, but those were cancelled by the restaurant due to a private party booking the entire show, and so we didn’t feel particularly bound to the plans. We did call to cancel, and the hostess was understanding and thanked me for calling to cancel. I’d love to get there another time to see the show and have their “world famous” pina colada.

 

After swimming, we all went back to our rooms to change and head to CVS to pick up some essentials for the trip. The CVS is right down the street and perfect for anything that may have been forgotten at home (in our case – allergy meds, headphones, hair detangler, and…chocolate :D). All 8 of us then strolled around a bit and decided we were hungry for some dinner. I was outvoted, and we ended up at Senor Frogs at 8pm. Not really where I wanted to be with kids, but there were plenty of families there and our server actually made the dinner pretty special for Lexi’s birthday dinner. We all ended up with balloon hats – and our daughter loved it. Our kids all ended up on the dance floor and had a blast, while the grown-ups had some drinks. Then the bill came. $120, including tip, for my family. Ugh - $220 total for food on our first day was more than expected, but at least the kids had a good time and my daughter had a great birthday. We finished up dinner at close to 10, and our son was literally falling asleep on the way out, so we went back to the hotel and crashed.

 

I should note - there aren't a lot of pictures from this day, as we weren't in the "picture frame of mind" yet. We gave our underwater camera to our daughter and she had it for the day - hence the selfies of her and her friend, Tori.

 

Up next: San Juan Day #2 and Boarding the Valor!

Edited November 19, 2014 by ShannLC16

[Perfect Stranger]

The Reveal:

We told the kids that instead of Daddy leaving for a work trip, we were going to be going on a trip together! And the kids…were confused. Lexi was upset, thinking that her dad was going to get in trouble for skipping a work trip and Dexter was mad that we weren’t going to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast to get his chocolate glazed donut. So the video we filmed didn’t exactly show the reaction we were hoping for.

 

 

Unfortunately, a 3-year old doesn't appreciate a surprise vacation.

 

I'm enjoying reading this.

[rferr]

I was surprised that her school was so understanding. We did create a travel journal and had Lexi read up on each island the night before. She filled out sheets with questions like, "What is the population? What is the capital city?" Simple questions - but she learned things! We also collected money from each island that had it's own currency, as she thought it would be fun to show her class.

 

Thats great!

[ShannLC16]

Ugh, pictures aren't working. I will fix that.

 

Also wanted to add that Michelle and I had been part of a roll call (on another website, that shall not be named...:D) and we did attend a meet & greet after the kids went to bed. We were exhausted, so we only stayed for a little bit, but it was nice to put faces to names and be around people who were just as excited as we were!

 

It was also this time that Lame Pick-Up Line #1 was used. I was getting a drink at the bar, when I was approached by a (clearly drunk) British navy guy. He said hello and asked what I was doing at the bar. I mentioned the vacation with my HUSBAND and KIDS, to which he replied, "Well I'LL be your kid." Uhhh, what? I didn't even know that meant - would you like me to assign you chores? Give you a time-out? Pick out your clothes for the next day? Wash your underwear? Nothing about that line was good. Not that it would have worked anyway, obviously, but still - I'll be your kid? Try harder. Be less lame - and creepy.

[Tennessee Rose]

I was on this cruise also! Can't wait to read your review. Lots of fun.

[latitude918]

Great story. My wife-to-be and I are the opposite of you and your husband. I'm the planner and she isn't. She loves having me plan vacations because she can just sit back and not worry about all the details.

[Dirkgun]

Great start. Thanks for taking the time to write a review, they are a lot of fun. This is the best cruise in the fleet IMHO We have done this itinerary 2 times already on the Victory (in 2010 and 2012) and are doing it again in Jan 2015. Love the story with surprising your kids that is fun. I am glad you have a school that will be understanding that they can still learn things even when not in school. Travel and other cultures are a very good way to expand kids horizons. Subscribing so I don't miss anything. Thanks again for writing the review and definitely keep it coming.

[latitude918]

Ugh, pictures aren't working. I will fix that.

 

Also wanted to add that Michelle and I had been part of a roll call (on another website, that shall not be named...:D) and we did attend a meet & greet after the kids went to bed. We were exhausted, so we only stayed for a little bit, but it was nice to put faces to names and be around people who were just as excited as we were!

 

It was also this time that Lame Pick-Up Line #1 was used. I was getting a drink at the bar, when I was approached by a (clearly drunk) British navy guy. He said hello and asked what I was doing at the bar. I mentioned the vacation with my HUSBAND and KIDS, to which he replied, "Well I'LL be your kid." Uhhh, what? I didn't even know that meant - would you like me to assign you chores? Give you a time-out? Pick out your clothes for the next day? Wash your underwear? Nothing about that line was good. Not that it would have worked anyway, obviously, but still - I'll be your kid? Try harder. Be less lame - and creepy.

 

Another website? I didn't know there was another website with a roll call (seriously)

[LREcruise02]

Great review! I'm glad to know I'm not the only mom with a cruise binder complete with colored tabs for each port! Lol! I don't leave home without it! Hope your kiddos enjoyed the cruise I'm sure they are hooked now! Mine are always asking when the next cruise is!

 

I also luckily have kids with a great school that doesn't bat an eye at taking them out for family vacation. We just get any work for the week to do on the way there!

 

Not sure what the awful parent comment above mine is about? We sound pretty much alike and I'm an awesome parent so I'm sure you are too! I would ignore it! :)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[familyfuncruise]

Awesome review so far! Can't wait for pics.

 

We are thinking about staying at the Sheraton also.

 

Keep it coming :)

[ShannLC16]

Tijuana's sign and selfies courtesy of Lexi:

 

 

 

 

[ShannLC16]

Great story. My wife-to-be and I are the opposite of you and your husband. I'm the planner and she isn't. She loves having me plan vacations because she can just sit back and not worry about all the details.

 

Isn't the planning the best?:D

 

Great start. Thanks for taking the time to write a review, they are a lot of fun. This is the best cruise in the fleet IMHO We have done this itinerary 2 times already on the Victory (in 2010 and 2012) and are doing it again in Jan 2015. Love the story with surprising your kids that is fun. I am glad you have a school that will be understanding that they can still learn things even when not in school. Travel and other cultures are a very good way to expand kids horizons. Subscribing so I don't miss anything. Thanks again for writing the review and definitely keep it coming.

 

This was my second time doing this itinerary, but first time with kids, so it felt like a whole new experience! I agree about travel and culture being great learning experiences for kids. However, my daughter was all excited to go in to school today and tell her friends about the 24 hour ice cream. Not the islands, or people she met, but the ice cream. Doh! :p