Valiant Lady / Live / Feb 3 - 10 2024

[scubagal44]

Oh, also, turns out that I didn't forget my toothbrush after all. It was exactly where it should be. We did, however, stop by CVS anyway to get a few other things and some bubbles to take on the ship. 

[JandPB]

We’re on in 3 weeks. Here for all of your observations and fun!

[MeganGC1983]

22 minutes ago, JandPB said:

We’re on in 3 weeks. Here for all of your observations and fun!

Yeah you are!! ⚓️🏝️✈️

[scubagal44]

10 hours ago, JandPB said:

We’re on in 3 weeks. Here for all of your observations and fun!

 

Exciting, thanks for joining! Feel free to chime in anytime!

[scubagal44]

Good morning, CC! Got a full night of sleep last night (over 9 hours for me) and I feel like a million bucks this morning. Heading out in few for the Flavors of San Juan food tour. 

 

Food tours are my absolute favorite way to explore a new city, so I'm very excited for this!

[Sherry84]

Good morning! Can't wait to see your pics and observations. Enjoy!

[#55worktoplay]

Looking forward to following along. Thanks!

[Funsince1983]

24 minutes ago, scubagal44 said:

Good morning, CC! Got a full night of sleep last night (over 9 hours for me) and I feel like a million bucks this morning. Heading out in few for the Flavors of San Juan food tour. 

 

Food tours are my absolute favorite way to explore a new city, so I'm very excited for this!

We did this tour! Way back in like, 2011 😂 but it was great. 

[scubagal44]

We're waiting for people who don't know how to show up on time. 

[scubagal44]

Everyone finally showed up and we've commenced! Get in my belly!

[sid_9169]

14 hours ago, scubagal44 said:

We had a fabulous evening at Antiguo 26, tried all the drinks off of the first page of the menu plus a couple off-menu drinks. All were great, and the food was equally delicious. Highly recommend if you're in San Juan and looking for tasty drinks and a great atmosphere. Our mixologist was part artist and part scientist. 

I wish I would've gotten to try some of the food there, but the kitchen didn't open until I had to start making my way back towards the ship. I would definitely like to return here sometime...

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Looking forward to this!  😃

 

We are trying out VV Scarlet Lady later this month on a quick 4 nighter.  Have been loyal to royal for a long time & looking forward to a new experience.  

 

Cheers 🍻 

[scubagal44]

Ok, I was too busy stuffing my face earlier to post updates, but I've got a bit of time right now! 

 

This morning before we left, hubby got a text from a friend who is from San Juan originally saying that we needed to hit up Chocobar Cortés for brunch while we're here. 

 

Funny enough, that way our first stop on the food tour! It's a place that has chocolate as an element for every dish, and has a long history dating back to the late 1920s.  They even have the original chocolate presses up on the wall!  Here we sampled their divine hot chocolate and Mallorca breakfast sandwich. 

[scubagal44]

From there, we wandered over to a park where we cooled off with passion fruit popsicles from Señor Paletas and enjoyed the view. The popsicle was crisp and refreshing, not overly sweet, and the perfect accompaniment to the views. Along the street is this cute skinny yellow building, that apparently used to be an alley that was filled in to create this super narrow apartment. 

[Sherry84]

11 minutes ago, scubagal44 said:

Ok, I was too busy stuffing my face earlier to post updates, but I've got a bit of time right now! 

 

This morning before we left, hubby got a text from a friend who is from San Juan originally saying that we needed to hit up Chocobar Cortés for brunch while we're here. 

 

Funny enough, that way our first stop on the food tour! It's a place that has chocolate as an element for every dish, and has a long history dating back to the late 1920s.  They even have the original chocolate presses up on the wall!  Here we sampled their divine hot chocolate and Mallorca breakfast sandwich. 

That sandwich looks divine!

[scubagal44]

Next up, Café el Punto! It's like a combination restaurant + art gallery, and I found an epic mask that I think @sid_9169 would like. Here we had alcapurrias, or plantain fritters filled with amazingly seasoned beef. I could have eaten a dozen of these. Also at this stop, ceviche. I'm not usually a fan of ceviche because I tend not to enjoy fish (shellfish yes, fish fish no),  but I'm the type who will try everything even if I've historically not liked it. Tastes change, preparations are different, and I'm just not a "ew that's gross" type of person when it comes to food. All that to say, this ceviche was DELICIOUS. It was grouper and was perfectly tender and flavorful. I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed it. 

[scubagal44]

The stop for our main course was Casa Luna where we enjoyed piña coladas, and chicken in criolla sauce with mofongo. We got to mash up our own mofongo and add it to our plate, which was a fun and interactive element. Everything complemented each other really well, and the criolla sauce was so incredibly flavorful. If we had time, I think we'd definitely plan to come back here for a meal. 

[scubagal44]

Our final stop was Tapea for cheese and guava flan. It was rich and delicious, and reminded me of cheesecake. The perfect sweet ending.

 

I would highly recommend this tour if you have time, the guide was great and super knowledgeable and aside from the outstanding food, we learned a lot about San Juan and Puerto Rico in just a few short hours. Time and money very well spent. 

[scubagal44]

The walking in between food stops was great as well, Old San Juan is so picturesque and quaint. I took a bazillion photos, here are just a few. 

[scubagal44]

After the tour ended we just did more wandering, and of course found a bunch of kitties to ooh and ahh over. 😆

 

Ended up at Scryer for drinks, which is right next door to last night's drink spot and was recommended by the bartender there as a not-to-miss bar. They make their own rum and had the same vibe as Antiguo 26, and now we're trying to figure out how to squeeze in another visit there. I had the La Colada, hubby had the Fight Club. Both were mind-blowingly delicious. 

 

Now we're caught up. Quick shower, change, then back out for drinks and dinner!

[scubagal44]

Forgot the Scryer menu. 

[SteelCityCruiser10]

Looks like you are enjoying San Juan!  We just returned from San Juan last weekend off of RC Jewel of the Seas.  We stayed in Condado and enjoyed that area.  VV embarkation is at the old san juan pier correct?

[scubagal44]

3 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

I wish I would've gotten to try some of the food there, but the kitchen didn't open until I had to start making my way back towards the ship. I would definitely like to return here sometime...

 

Yeah, the kitchen didn't open until about 6:15. It was worth the wait! You'll have to come back and hopefully stay longer. 

[scubagal44]

1 hour ago, Sherry84 said:

That sandwich looks divine!

 

It was so good! Again, could have eaten a dozen of those, too. 😆

[scubagal44]

4 minutes ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Looks like you are enjoying San Juan!  We just returned from San Juan last weekend off of RC Jewel of the Seas.  We stayed in Condado and enjoyed that area.  VV embarkation is at the old san juan pier correct?

 

Yes, it's at Pier 4! Basically right across the street from our hotel (Sheraton) so that'll be super convenient tomorrow.