Live From Valiant Lady 2/10-2/17

[Steelers0854]

It’s a warm welcome to POINTE-À-PITRE, Guadalupe with some passing showers this morning. 
 

 

[Steelers0854]

Premium WiFi check in. Still going strong!

 

 

[Sherry84]

2 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

It’s a warm welcome to POINTE-À-PITRE, Guadalupe with some passing showers this morning. 
 

 

Beautiful! 

[Sherry84]

27 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

Premium WiFi check in. Still going strong!

 

 

Nice, ours has be spotty so far today 😔

[Steelers0854]

Day 3 Pointe-a-Pitre

 

We started off the day with a workout. DW did a cycling class which she said was a great workout. FYI they do have cycling shoes if you would like to use them. I just did a cardio workout on the track and did my best not to blow away.

 

Afterwards we headed to the thermal spa. It was busy but we still had no issues finding chairs and doing any of the rooms we wanted to. After some rejuvenating we got ready and lounged around before lunch at the wake.

 

 

Lunch today was solid. DW was having Deja vu as she inadvertently ordered the exact same thing she had for dinner the night before. The “egg in a hole” was the crispy polenta from last night and we both ended up getting the filet. We actually thought the filet was better for lunch then dinner. The beets that came with it were great. I also got the fennel salad which was ok but forgettable, the shrimp was amazing, that cocktail sauce, holy smokes was it good and spicy. Next time I’m getting 2 of those.

 

 

 

 

 

DW skipped dessert as it was what she had last night. I did get the crepe cake which was low key the best thing I’ve had onboard. It was amazing!

 

 

After lunch we headed off the ship. This port, much like the last is one you should do an excursion on. There isn’t much in the port area but we did find a really cool spice market. After that we headed back to the ship. It was also intermittently raining, sometimes light, sometimes pretty heavy.

 

 

 

 

We acquired some beverages and were headed to trivia.

 

Here is the planner for today.

 

 

Day 3.pdf

Edited February 12 by Steelers0854

[Sherry84]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

Day 3 Pointe-a-Pitre

 

We started off the day with a workout. DW did a cycling class which she said was a great workout. FYI they do have cycling shoes if you would like to use them. I just did a cardio workout on the track and did my best not to blow away.

 

Afterwards we headed to the thermal spa. It was busy but we still had no issues finding chairs and doing any of the rooms we wanted to. After some rejuvenating we got ready and lounged around before lunch at the wake.

 

 

Lunch today was solid. DW was having Deja vu as she inadvertently ordered the exact same thing she had for dinner the night before. The “egg in a hole” was the crispy polenta from last night and we both ended up getting the filet. We actually thought the filet was better for lunch then dinner. The beets that came with it were great. I also got the fennel salad which was ok but forgettable, the shrimp was amazing, that cocktail sauce, holy smokes was it good and spicy. Next time I’m getting 2 of those.

 

 

 

 

 

DW skipped dessert as it was what she had last night. I did get the crepe cake which was low key the best thing I’ve had onboard. It was amazing!

 

 

After lunch we headed off the ship. This port, much like the last is one you should do an excursion on. There isn’t much in the port area but we did find a really cool spice market. After that we headed back to the ship. It was also intermittently raining, sometimes light, sometimes pretty heavy.

 

 

 

 

We acquired some beverages and were headed to trivia.

 

Here is the planner for today.

 

 

Day 3.pdf 3.16 MB · 3 downloads

Dang it, I missed the crepe cake again, I was too full 😔 Hope you enjoyed! 

[Steelers0854]

Unfortunately we got news that the water is going to be rough tonight so the moved the Dual Reality show to Thursday. So it’s going to be Around the World tonight.

 

We lounged around and read the rest of the afternoon. We ended up having way more Sailor loot than we expected so DW going to get a mani-pedi later in the week and I got a shave. My shave was great, at 75 minutes to was like a facial, shave and massage all in one with a whiskey kicker at the end. Well worth it. Also loved the no sales pitch as is typical on other cruise lines at the end of a spa type service.

 

Dinner tonight was at extra virgin.

 

 

I got the meatballs and fried artichoke. Both were excellent. The meatballs were tender and that sauce was lights out. The artichoke was perfectly cooked and the solo was equally as good. DW skipped the first course and dug into the charcuterie board (ours came separate due to her allergies). The board was also excellent.

 

 

 

 

Special shout out to the bread service. Mainly the balsamic vinegar. I’m not kidding when I tell you it’s the best stuff I’ve ever had. DW and her GF bread and me and my focaccia were mopping this stuff up. I could have just drank it. So good!

 

 

For the entree DW got GF pasta and marinara sauce that she said was good. Unfortunately the bolognese already has cheese in it so it was a no-go. I got a small portion of the gnocchi. It was excellent but a little over cooked, I like my gnocchi to have a little bite to it, this was pretty mushy but the flavor was outstanding.

 

 

 

For the entree DW got the eggplant parm and I got the special the osso bucco. DW got the bait and switch. As you see below this really shouldn’t be called eggplant parm as it really doesn’t resemble it at all. She said it wasn’t very good and wouldn’t get it again. In hindsight she would have gotten the steak. My osso bucco was outstanding. Fall off the bone tender and full of flavor. The risotto was perfectly cooked. I wish they had this all the time.

 

 

 

We were too full for dessert. So we headed right out to our show around the world.

 

 

It also took me til today to realize the galley menu doesn’t change each day lol.

 

Also, it appears the coffee shop on 7 may have cold brew, the one on 15 doesn’t for sure. I’ll confirm tomorrow for my fellow cold brew fans.

 

[the_fh_mets]

15 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

DW got the bait and switch. As you see below this really shouldn’t be called eggplant parm as it really doesn’t resemble it at all.

Out of curiosity, Is the "Eggplant Parm" a secret menu item available upon request or is it an accommodation for allergies? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think I've seen it on a menu nor do I recall anyone else mentioning it. Also thinking about potential accomodations for my own special dietary needs. 

[Steelers0854]

11 minutes ago, the_fh_mets said:

Out of curiosity, Is the "Eggplant Parm" a secret menu item available upon request or is it an accommodation for allergies? Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't think I've seen it on a menu nor do I recall anyone else mentioning it. Also thinking about potential accomodations for my own special dietary needs. 

Just noticed there seems to be some slight differences between the online menu and the actual menu in the restaurant. I’ll start taking actual photos of the menu. No this was the Vegan, GF option listed on the menu. So DW didn’t need to make any modifications. 
 

good catch, I just assumed they were the same!

[Steelers0854]

It is a warm day here in Barbados. 
 

[Steelers0854]

Day 4 Barbados

 

We started off the day with an early breakfast reservation at Razzle Dazzle.

 

 

DW got the watermelon and sesame cream, bacon, and the razzle dazzle breakfast minus the egg. She said the watermelon dish was like a deconstructed açaí bowl and was good. She loved the granola. I’ll get to the bacon in a moment, that needs its own section. The razzle dazzle breakfast was good as well. The sausage was ok but better with some Chalula. She loved the potatoes. She also got the banana muffin and as along as you like banana you would never know it’s GF vegan.

 

 

 

 

I got the buckwheat waffles, 3 scrambled eggs apple cuffin, and bacon. The waffles were excellent. Crispy and fluffy in the middle. These were a hit. The eggs were cooked well, mostly, and the pastry was lights out good.

 

 

 

 

And now the bacon.  This is the best bacon I’ve had in a very long time. Perfectly cooked, candied and spicy. It hits all the notes. I would come back and get 4 orders of this bacon alone. Yea it’s that good.

 

After breakfast it was time for a workout. After we burned off exactly 1 bite of bacon we headed to the thermal spa. There many ah e been a dozen people here this morning but it was again easy to do anything you wanted and no issues getting a seat. After a bit here we got ready for the day.

 

Barbados is another port you need to do something in. Your dropped off in a shipping yard and there isn’t much in the immediate area. We have been here a number of times already so it was another chill day for us.

 

Before we knew it it was lunch time. DW grabbed ramen. She can do the miso ramen with glass noodles and she said it was good. The Thai curry they cut with real mil which is disappointing as it’s usually just coconut milk, but this is likely a cost savings decision. To supplement the ramen with additional protein she just got a couple of scoops of the al pastor pork from the taco place.

 

 

 

I grabbed the 2 special salads for today and they were solid. I have to admit the burger special today almost got me that turkey burger looked delicious. Then I headed to the sun club cafe. I got the salmon poke bowl, the bbq beef Bao, the carrot dip and the popcorn. The carrot dip is a hard pass, giving baby good vibes it was the worst thing I’ve had on board. In the opposite end of the spectrum was that delicious Bao bun. Pillowy soft and delicious was a home run. The poke bowl was ok, TBH I’d rather grab the sushi from the bento place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch we relaxed and read and enjoyed the stuff breeze to cut the heat out on deck.

 

[Steelers0854]

 

There was a steeldrum band right on the dock as we were relaxing outside.

 

 

DW had her mani-pedi this afternoon. She showed up and they told her she didn’t have a reservation but she showed them her app. After some back and forth they finally took her. She said it wasn’t worth it and wasn’t as good as those on land. The chairs aren’t near as comfortable and they just generally didn’t give a great treatment.

 

I was relaxing with a cup of tea and had a great view getting ready for dinner tonight at Gunbae.

 

 

We knew this was going to be the most challenging for DW so she prepared with a snack before hand and we had the galley afterwards. We heard this was going to be a longer experience but it was close to 2 hours in total.

 

This is an odd experience and I’m not sure that it’s designed for smaller parties. Basically everything is meant to be shared. As you’ll see below the small plates are not small, they are still sizable. A party of 2 is sat with 2 other parties of 2. What this leads to is them actually brining out way more food than is needed I think because they assume couples not traveling together won’t want to share. Also they do this drinking game with each table. Now this sounds fun but ultimately what happens is every table rides it at different times. It’s soooo loud it basically makes it impossible to hear your server or other table mates. I’m sure someone loves it but I think it completely detracts from the experience and becomes very annoying.

 

 

The seaweed salad falls flat and lacks flavor, the ones in the bento boxes in the galley are much better. The seafood pancake was really good but huge!  The seafood corn dog was not good, bland and forgettable. The fried chicken was excellent. The bibimbop was disappointing. The rice was hard and with the exception of the egg it was dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like most Korean bbq places you cook the meal at the table. But they don’t trust you to cook it yourself so they cook it. What resulted was over cooked octopus, squid and bacon. The shrimp were good. The Kalbi beef ribs were amazing. I got the kimchi fried rice and that was just ok.  The sauces were also uninspired. They gave you soy sauce and sesame oil, totally boring. The third sauce was actually good. It got old after a while. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DW was only able to get the bibimbop without the egg and the japche which she said was delicious. She didn’t want the vegan GF main entree as it didn’t sound great and they said they couldnt do any of the meats GF. No problem we knew this coming in. She did get the matcha ice cream and little tray of sides to include a coconut caramel which she said was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

This was the first meal I was truly disappointed in and the only place this far that I wouldnt go back to.

 

After dinner we went to the galley. They had a great beef carving station setup but it was gone when we finished dinner. We asked and were told they ran out and were cooking more but couldn’t be told when it would be ready. This seems like a miss and was disappointing. Poor planning on their part. So DW grabbed a burger patty.

 

We headed towards the Rocks to enjoy Dustin Monk and the Hussle, a great music ensemble.

 

Also here is the planner from today.

 

Day 4.pdf

 

Random thoughts:

 

-The galley mainly has the exact same menu each day. With the exception of the daily special at the burger bar and salad bar. This is a double edged sword. There isn’t a lot of variety but you also don’t feel pressured into getting everything knowing that it will be there tomorrow. But then if you only like a handful of things your stuck with those everyday.

 

-It may just be this ship or this trip but while there is a lot of crew around things tend to not get addressed right away. You will often encounter piles of dishes, cups etc.

[CineGraphic]

57 minutes ago, Steelers0854 said:

This is an odd experience and I’m not sure that it’s designed for smaller parties.

 

We've spent 31 days on board in total last year, and Gunbae is the only place we haven't patronized, only because we live in a suburb of Atlanta that has hundreds of Korean restaurants, cafes and bakeries.

[scubagal44]

Haha yep, count me as another who has never gone to Gunbae on any of my sailings. I have no desire to change that, either. 

[cruzfmtexas]

Thanks for the review and info.  I will be following for the remaining days.  We're doing the same cruise in March for our first time on Virgin.  Great info, thanks 🙂  .  

[WanderingBrit]

4 hours ago, scubagal44 said:

Haha yep, count me as another who has never gone to Gunbae on any of my sailings. I have no desire to change that, either. 

And another here. Nothing about it appeals to us.

[Steelers0854]

Everyone: why do you cruise so much?

 

Me:

 

 

welcome to st Lucia. 

[CineGraphic]

3 hours ago, Steelers0854 said:

Everyone: why do you cruise so much?

 

 

When I was working backstage security, people used to ask me how I could put in an 18-21 hour day for a concert, and I'd say, "When I'm in the middle of the Caribbean, soaking up the fresh air and sunshine, and enjoying 3 meals a day with my wife aboard a beautiful ship, it's worth it".

[aqlollipop]

Gunbae is not my favorite meal on the ship, but they do have my favorite drink on the ship, the K-pop Disco Water! 

[Sherry84]

Agree about Gumbae, we had a reservation for tomorrow night, but I’m not feeling it so we cancelled. I think the 2 times we’ve been are enough. 

[Steelers0854]

Day 5 St Lucia

 

 

Wash. Rise and repeat.

 

Continuing the cruise theme today was another relaxing day. We have been here several times before and Virgin gets the short end of the stick in terms of berths here. The P&O ship in port with us got the nice berth with walkable shops. We got the shipping containers. Lol.

 

We got up, worked out and headed to brunch at the Wake. DW got the steak and eggs minus the eggs and I got the poached shrimp and the steak and eggs. The steak portions are SMALL. you don’t even get 4 ounces. When you get the 2 eggs it’s not as big a deal, but DWs plate looked a little sad. We both agreed that coming for lunch (between 12-1) is the pro move and getting the filet.

 

No photos today as we were headed right from here to the pool and thermal spa, so phone stayed behind. It was nice outside was a calm breeze keeping things cool. We were also the only ones in the thermal spa so it was wonderful. Before we knew it it was lunch time. Nothing earth shattering today. DW grabbed ramen again and grabbed some additional veggies from the salad bar to beef it up. I got a pastrami sandwich and a hamburger patty. Solid but nothing to write home about.  Here is the burger special for today. 
 

 

My hot take is the galley is great for about 3 days and then it becomes a boring burden. They really need more rotations. The desserts are the exact same every day, no reason they can’t change these. And with only 2 stations offering a daily special it’s disappointing.

 

After lunch we got ready for the day. We lounged around the outside decks and read. We had Duel Reality tonight at 5. Then the It’s a Ship Show at 8:30.

 

Duel Reality was fun. It’s a good show and the performers are really talented. I would recommend seeing it if you have the time.

 

 

We had heard the good at the show tonight is very small. And despite DW letting them know in advance of her allergies we hedged our bets and grabbed a bite to eat. DW grabbed a burger and I got the special tonight, sweet and sour chicken and fried rice.

 

 

 

Here is the planner for today.

Day 5.pdf

[Steelers0854]

The ship show doors opened at 8:30, it’s not what time the show started. People started lining up around 8:15 or so. This was a really fun variety show with some incredibly talented acts. The food was good, not great. It was smaller portions, but still a good amount. It’s a fixed menu except the entree, you choose between fish or chicken. DW asked for chicken and I got the fish. The fish was overcooked but good with the sauce that came with it. DW said hers was ok, they made modifications throughout for her and she she the best course was the second one with a salad instead of the cheese course. The dessert was the coconut panna cotta  from the other night which she was pleased with. I would highly recommend this show!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the show we headed to the pool deck. We got there about 10:20 and got a great spot but it definitely started to quickly fill up, especially on the actual pool deck. What a fun party!  While we weren’t in the thick of it we had a blast!

 

 

[Steelers0854]

it’s a beautiful day in St John’s. 
 

 

Have a feeling my beautiful view from my balcony won’t last long. Single file line please…….

 

[Steelers0854]

here is todays planner. 

Day 6.pdf

[Steelers0854]

Day 6 St John’s

 

Got up and DW did a cycling class. I hit the gym. The cycling classes are awesome. They have cycling shoes if you want to use them and their bikes track metrics like cadence and resistance and show on a screen at the front of the class in a leaderboard style.  It’s powered by Technogym if you’re interested.  Other cruise lines will charge $30 for a class like this. Absolutely love all the fitness stuff that’s included.

 

After the workout we got ready and headed to Razzle Dazzle for brunch. DW got avocado toast and potatoes and we loaded up on that delicious bacon. She also got the blueberry cheesecake which she very good but the chocolate tamale from pink agave is still the best.

 

 

 

I just noshed on bacon as I wanted to try and eat something in port. DW is always hesitant to do so and she doesn’t mind relaxing while I eat and vice vers when she eats on board.

 

its a VERY busy day in port with 4 ships in. 
 

 

I did some quick googling and found a place close to the port with good trip advisor reviews called Hemingways. A little pricey but it was convenient and the food looked good.  It’s located on the second floor and is open air. It doesn’t have a great view but the cool breeze was nice and it’s a beautiful place inside.

 

I was thinking about getting the lobster but she said the “price starts at $55 USD and up depending on the size”. She didn’t say how big that would be and I was concerned I would end up with a $200 one pound lobster. After I ordered I heard another person ask about the lobster and a different server said a large half lobster would be $60, so I think my choice was ok. So I went with the lobster sandwich instead. I figure I can accomplish my lobster goal and control my cost. I thought about getting the conch fritters as well but figured I’d give myself the option to get something else later on from another place if it looked good.

 

 

Be sure you’re on island time here, plus it’s a small place with a small kitchen. It wasn’t super busy when we got here, after we ordered everyone got hungry and showed up and it was packed. It took about 40 minutes which seemed inline with everyone else around us.

 

 

The sandwich was good, had a good amount of lobster and the bread was fresh, a ciabatta roll. The Cajun fries had a good kick to them. Not the best I’ve ever had but overall I don’t feel ripped off and it’s nice to support a local business.