June '16 Valor - 8 day Southern Caribbean Review - with pictures

[missync]

June 2016 - 8 day Carnival Valor Cruise from Port Canaveral with stops in Aruba, Curacao, and Grand Turk

 

A few things before I start:

1) 8 people on this cruise : 4 adults in 60-70s, 2 adults in 40s, 17 year old, and me...30's

2) 1st 8 day cruise but have taken many before with Princess (1-7 day), RC (2 -5 day), & Carnival (2-7 day)

3) LOVE food so there will be lots of pictures of that

4) didn't take a lot of pictures on the ship because all reviews have that or you can go to carnival's website for that

 

This will have to be done in parts because I'm "at work". Hope you enjoy!!

 

TRAVEL TO FLORIDA

 

We are all from North Carolina so most of the group drove down to the Orlando area. 2 vehicles and a trailer for luggage...believe me it was necessary. the SUV wasn't going to fit 6 adult's luggage lol

I was coming from a conference so I flew and met them down there.

We stayed in a hotel the night before the cruise because it's a 10 hour drive and there are a lot of options for that. Look around because many hotels offer cruise and park options or even discounts if you park at the port. We stayed in the Comfort Inn and Suites in Cocoa Beach, FL. I would HIGHLY recommend this place. The hotel itself was decent...pretty normal for a Comfort Inn but the price was good ($120 for a "suite" which had 2 queens and a pull out couch) plus we got a parking voucher for 40% off at the port. The hotel itself had free breakfast (pretty standard stuff but was good and had hot food like eggs and sausage) but also had a nice pool, BBQ areas, shuffle board, and was a couple blocks from the beach. The room wasn't huge but for one night, we shoved 6 people in there and saved a lot of money.

Transportation from the airport to that hotel...NIGHTMARE! I flew in the evening and my flight was delayed a little so I missed a lot of the shuttles. If I had realized how much the cab fare would be, I would have rented a car and just drove myself because it would have been cheaper but I stupidly chose to look online for sample cab fares and was seriously misled. It said $50-70 for a taxi from the airport and it was actually $150. yes...you read that right...$150 :mad: I chose the cab because I didn't want to deal with the car but that's not a mistake I would make again.

The hotel has a shuttle service (for a cost) but they fought me on it because of the reservation type (expedia vs going through them) and the room rate. So basically they wouldn't let me use the shuttle. I probably should have fought them more but I didn't...

 

More to come:

[littlekid58]

Subscribing:)

[CraftyJGinSC]

ooh, I'm excited for your review!! Don't let "work" get in the way!

We leave on Saturday on the same itinerary :D

[Colbycat]

Following.

[missync]

Day 1 Embarkation:

 

We decided to leave and get to the port early (around 10:30am). It was a 10 minute drive to the port from our hotel and we went to the drop off area. We were DEFINITELY not the first people there and the crew wasn't ready. That's not their fault because we were super early but I'm just letting everyone know.

We unloaded and most of the family waited while we parked. My uncle had to park in the regular lot but because we had the trailer, we couldn't fit in the parking garage and so after driving in a big circle (it's not well marked), we finally asked a guard and were escorted to a small lot right next to drop off. It was actually way closer and more convenient than the garage :D The lot supervisor met us and showed us where to park and then took us to pay. We knew that we would have to pay extra because we had an extra large vehicle but with that 40% coupon it was $86...for the entire 8 days...for an SUV and a trailer :eek:

 

So we made our way to the check in. Up the escalator and through security. It was very full but the line moved pretty quickly. I can only imagine how crazy it gets when it's "busy".

I have a video of the security area but can't seem to figure out how to post that so if anyone knows how, let me know. moving on...

 

We had to wait a bit for check it. There are 2 sides but both move about the same pace. It takes awhile but that's to be expected. We were then ushered into a waiting area until our number was called. That's the first time I've ever done that. The other times you just waited in another line until it was your turn. It was a nice change to sit instead of stand in a mass and wait. We only waited about 10 minutes until group 11 was called and we were on our way. We stopped for the customary picture...have never actually purchased one but figured what the heck. Then wandered through the bridge until we got on board. We, like everyone, immediately went up to deck 9 and the buffet. After searching for a large table we started getting food. I promise you will see TONS of pictures of the food but I don't usually take pictures of the buffet food. I'm not sure why actually...maybe next time. Lunch was decent. Not great, not terrible. This was the first cruise that I didn't purchase the pop package (unlimited soda for you southerners) so I drank the lemonade instead. It was delicious. Very sweet and a little tart but it tasted good. There weren't as many machines open later at night as I would have liked but if you wanted it, it was there...you just had to walk a bit for it. also would have been nice it there had been lemonade machines somewhere other than deck 9 BUT I understand and that wasn't really that big of a problem.

After eating, we wandered around the ship for a bit. They are all set up pretty similarly so that makes it easier if you've been on one before. We eventually found lounge chairs in the shade on the deck to watch sail away.

All of this was done by 1:30pm...we don't leave until 4pm. I saw people drunk on board before 1.

[missync]

I was having problems with the pictures so I posted that last bit before I lost it. I hope these show up the way I want them to.

[missync]

I'm having some photo struggles so bear with me :cool:

 

DAY 1 Continued:

 

There were 2 other ships in port at the same time as us so we ended up having to wait for a bit to leave so the 4pm departure was actually more like 5-5:30pm. Also we didn't get our luggage before dinner so we had to just go in what we were wearing. We chose the early dinner time. I think it works the best for shows and whatnot but I know some people disagree because it can cut into port or pool time.

 

Dinner:

 

 

[missync]

 

those last 3 were the every day menu items. The rest will be each day's specific items.

 

Day 1:

 

Didja got cut off of the menu picture - Cured Salmon and Candied Tomato

Wasn't my favorite but it tasted ok. My SIL really enjoyed it and actually finished mine (she ordered seafood at every meal lol)

 

Beef and Barley Soup: very good! nice flavor and wasn't too filling. Didn't have a ton of meat in it but I didn't find that to be an issue.

[missync]

 

Beef Brisket - excellent. very flavorful and cooked well. I really enjoyed the vegetables that were in the gravy as well. Wasn't traditional "brisket" like you'd get at a BBQ joint here in NC but I liked it nonetheless

 

Linguini - one of my favorites! The sausage was very tasty and the noodles were al dente. Sauce was good as well.

[missync]

 

hot chocolate! pretty much everyone at my table had a cup every night with dessert. it is EXCELLENT! If you like hot cocoa, get some! I think it's made with steamed milk or maybe it's just because I'm on a cruise but it's waaaaay better than I make at home

 

Creme Brulee - I didn't order this but most everyone at my table did and really enjoyed it. In fact, everyone wished they had had it a second night on the cruise (they didn't). Said it was very creamy and sweet.

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake - delicious! It's been rated one of the best desserts on any cruise line. I have had it before and enjoyed it then as well. VERY chocolately. The only complaint I have is that it was more melty than cakey...if that makes sense. I wished it had had a little bit more cake texture but it was still amazing. hint for everyone...order 2 ice creams with it ;)

 

Black Forest Gateau - Loved it! Not too sweet but very light and fluffy. The cream was delicious as well. didn't have a lot of cherry (which I liked) but if you prefer a lot of cherry you may not enjoy it as much as I did

[pyroguy]

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake - delicious! It's been rated one of the best desserts on any cruise line. I have had it before and enjoyed it then as well. VERY chocolately. The only complaint I have is that it was more melty than cakey...if that makes sense. I wished it had had a little bit more cake texture but it was still amazing. hint for everyone...order 2 ice creams with it ;)

 

Thanks for the review and pictures!

 

We've been on the Chef's Table a few times and have been told that they always make WCMC 3 ways, Well Done, Medium and Rare (so mostly cake, balanced and mostly melted). You can ask for it that way.

 

I've also had some servers look at me weird when I ask for it that way the first time, but by the 2nd or 3rd day our server always says "Mr Bloom, WCMC, medium rare, 2 ice-creams?" ;)

[Mary49]

I hope you got to see Music Boardwalk Band. They are great.

[DashOhQ]

Do you have any pictures for the Serenity Deck.....more so the hot tub area? I can't seem to find any updated ones since the drydock.

Thank you

[wendynat]

Thank you so much for menu pics!! Looking forward to the rest of your review :)

[DavyJoneses]

OK, I am now officially hungry!:D

[missync]

I didn't get any pictures of the serenity deck...Sorry! and I don't know if I saw that band or not. I listened to a few but don't remember the names.

 

I also realized I forgot one of the desserts from last night.

 

Orange cake - i didn't try it but heard it was amazing. very light and had a nice flavor but wasn't overwhelming. my aunt said it was one of her favorites

[missync]

Day 1 continued:

 

So after dinner we went to the Ivanhoe theatre for trivia. I loved the Knight (my last name) and castle theme (see previous pictures).

They had a Invisible Actor trivia which was scenes from famous movies with the outline of the actor or actress but their face and stuff was removed so it was only their clothing. my team came in second :( After that was music trivia where you had to finish the lyric. extra points for knowing the song name and artist name. it was a lot harder than I expected because the host just read the lyrics and you had to try to figure out the tune. we did pretty well on that one but blanked on a few pretty easy ones. it was a good time though. my family LOVES trivia lol

After that I went to the Dive In Theatre to watch the movie. They typically play 2 a night. Tonight was The Intern (Anne Hathaway and Robert DeNiro) and the second one I can't remember right now. Sorry :)

 

Then it was off to bed. Sea day tomorrow!

[missync]

Day 2: Sea Day

 

I woke up with a horrible migraine today. I get a lot of headaches but full on migraines are rare. Thankfully it didn't last too long so I just stayed in the room and eventually went up to the buffet for breakfast but then went back down to the room. Breakfast was pretty much the same thing every day with a few minor differences. There's a create your own omelette station but I'm not a huge egg person so I never tried it.

I got a bagel with cream cheese (wish the bagels were more toasted) some potatoes, fruit, bacon (DELICIOUS), and a danish. They had an orange, guava, something or other juice every morning that was pretty good. very sweet but I liked it.

 

Finally around 1:30pm I was feeling better and wandered up to the pool area. It was packed...like always. I have complained before and will complain again about the chair hogs. It's pretty ridiculous how bad it is. I like to lay out and then dip in the pool to cool off and then lay out some more. Lots of people don't spend any time in their chairs but claim them for the whole day. I don't know how they would police it exactly but it's very frustrating for people who actually want to use them. I noticed MANY people that sat in the pool or at the bar the ENTIRE day and never once actually sat in their chair but yet I had to search everyone for one seat.

anyhoo...I got some sun. it was HOT! but there was a nice breeze. If you've never been on a cruise before...USE SUNBLOCK AT ALL TIMES!!! I made that mistake my very first cruise and will never make that mistake again.

Various members of my family played the different trivia during the day. My nephew played volleyball and basketball up on the deck. There was live music and, of course, the casino. Some of my family complained a little that there wasn't enough to do if you didn't want to sit by the pool or gamble. Previous cruises there have been suduko tournaments and little shows and stuff but this one didn't have any of that.

 

Eventually it was time to get ready for dinner...my favorite part!

[missync]

 

[missync]

 

alligator fritters: VERY good! a little spicy but not too much so. They were much larger than expected (golf ballish sized) but really good.

 

strawberry soup: AMAZING! one of my favorites! It's kind of like a melted strawberry milkshake but just has a good flavor

 

mushrooms: I didn't try this one but I'm told they were good. Nice and flavorful and cooked well

[missync]

 

lobster tail: good. I'm not a huge Lobster person but I thought it was good. My SIL is a seafood fanatic and really liked it. she said the shrimp were her favorite.

 

chili relleno: EXCELLENT!! very cheesy but it was spicy! if you don't like spicy...don't get this lol. I LOVE mexican food so I was very happy

[missync]

 

cherries jubilee: it was ok. It tasted fine but it really was just cherries on ice cream. I'm not complaining but it wasn't anything to write home about.

 

banana gateau: DELISH! I really enjoyed this one. It was so light and fluffy and the banana flavor wasn't overpowering. in fact, it probably could have used more.

 

apples and puff pastry: it was good but the caramel sauce has a weird flavor and is WAAAAAAY too sweet. I wish I had either used just a dab of it or dipped. The rest of the dessert was great though. very little actual apples in it but tasted good. pastry was nice and flaky

 

[rexy69]

I just got off the Valor last Friday and LOVED it! It's fun to read your posts and see your photos, as it's all very familiar. We absolutely LOVED watching the Boardwalk Band. They were a 4-piece band of men that played every night just outside of the Casino. They were FANTASTIC! We just did the 5-day Bahamas cruise and loved every minute. Can't wait to hear more....

[45014]

misync,

We leave on the Valor in about 55 days and I have 2 questions.....

1) where did you get the discount parking coupon?

2) what were the Dive In movies?

Thanks in advance for any answers that you can prvide.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.