Valor Review, Spring Break with PICS

[kevnick0814]

Mike,

As many have said, GREAT PIX & GREAT REVIEW!!

My wife is convinced you & I would have a pisser if we were on the same boat!! :)

Stumbled on the thread as we have not cruised in a few years. Stayed landlocked!

That changes March 2010.

We are looking at the 3/14/10, 7 day trips & the Valor is one of them.

This thread has answered so many questions, with a ton of laughs included.

Thanks for all your tips!

Kevin

[xxshelliebelliexx]

So we got up on sunday, the morning of our cruise, around 7:00. we left our hotel in FLL about 9:30. by the time we stopped for gas and food, and then found the rental dropoff at the miami airport, which was a pain in the rear, it was around 10:30 or so. we then got onto the shuttle and headed for the port. i think we got to the port just after 11:00. we walked right through security with no waiting, and no line.

 

once you get through security, you get in lines depending on which floor you are on. so while we're in line, i start thinking about what i read here on the boards about a VIP express pass that is attached to the underside of some of the seats. so i look over towards the seat, and i can see a big sticker kind of hanging on the underside of a seat. so i talk my kid into running over there and grabbing it. and it was a vip express pass, so we would be one of the first on the ship, cool.

 

so we are sitting in line and around 11:30 they start checking people in. our line had one person doing the check-ins, while other lines had three people doing check-ins.so ours was moving pretty slowly, and when they announced to look under your seat, we were still getting our S&S card. it looks like there about four or five of these cards our there. but we just had to wait until we got our S&s cards, then we proceeded to go to the ship.

 

this time we actually stopped for the cheesy photo, and we bought it! this was the first pic we ever bought on carnival, but it was a good picture of the family, so we got suckered in to their little scheme.

 

we then proceeded to the ship where there was a line on deck three waiting to get in. we didnt have to wait long though, and before we knew it, we had made it on the ship. the kids were just amazed at what the inside of a cruise ship looks like, with the lights, the high atrium, and all the decorations.

 

so we headed up to lido so i could get my reuben. the line was short, and by 12:40 i was eating my first reuben on the ship, and very happy.

 

ok, i think i'm getting carried away with too many details. so i'll just put up some more pics.

 

here we are waiting on deck 3 to swipe our cards and get our pic taken.

 

.

 

so i didnt understand when you said "when they announced to look under your seat".... why would they ask you to look under your seat? was this after your son picked up the VIP express pass? please clear it up for me thanks!

[newt98]

so i didnt understand when you said "when they announced to look under your seat".... why would they ask you to look under your seat? was this after your son picked up the VIP express pass? please clear it up for me thanks!

 

 

i saw the vip pass as we were standing in line, so i had him go and grab it while we were in line, but we were still in line when they announced to look under your seat and get in line for boarding.

[xxshelliebelliexx]

oh ok thanks for clearing it up. i really enjoyed reading your review. hoping to convince my parents to take us on a spring break cruise also. Thanks.

[red23ld]

Loved it!!! Great Review!! Going on the Valor in Feb. and this was perfect to start off my pre cruise fun:o Have told my friends who will be cruising with us to read your review hopefully they will take my advice, I know they will be happy if they do:) Thanks again.

[rollmeaway27]

Thanks for the great review and pics.

Can't wait for January 24

[OrdieJ]

Newt98, excellant review and pictures. Are you guys planning your next cruise already. My g/f and I were planning our next cruise a few weeks after we got back from our first, and our next one is this weekend!

[Mrs. Chernabog]

bump

[newt98]

Newt98, excellant review and pictures. Are you guys planning your next cruise already. My g/f and I were planning our next cruise a few weeks after we got back from our first, and our next one is this weekend!

 

we already had our next one planned.:)

[CarribbeanTina271]

Mike, I enjoyed ready your review.. going on the same cruise in 5 days!! I also enjoy going with my children but really really enjoy going on the cruises without!! Only have to worry about ME!! ;) LOL

The pics were awesome! Thanks for taking the time!

[newt98]

thanks tina, i hope you are enjoying your cruise.

[going2cruz]

Great pics....thanks for sharing!!!

[newt98]

Great pics....thanks for sharing!!!

 

 

thanks vince, enjoy your cruise.

[RN1986]

Just made my final payment on the Valor for New Years this year!! Travelling with a 20 year old son, 17 and 13 year old daughters. Hope we have as much fun as you guys did. Still trying to understand how you managed the VIP check in? Did you just say you were a employee of a car company?? Has this worked for you in the past? Any way to cut corners is good!!!

[newt98]

Just made my final payment on the Valor for New Years this year!! Travelling with a 20 year old son, 17 and 13 year old daughters. Hope we have as much fun as you guys did. Still trying to understand how you managed the VIP check in? Did you just say you were a employee of a car company?? Has this worked for you in the past? Any way to cut corners is good!!!

 

velcroed to the bottom of some of the seats in the check in area, there are vip passes. if you get there early enough, you can see them just kind of stuck up there. they will announce to look under your seat for a vip pass, but if you find one sonner, just take it like we did.

[cbressler76]

Thank you so much for your review!! I thought 2 more months was close, now it seems sooooo far away.... My husband and my boys (almost 4 and 7) will be coming with me.... We live in South Florida, so we are always in the water..... we will be doing more land type stuff.... We will be sailing Feb. 7th.... I remember reading that you liked to go in Feb., what is better about Feb? I will be sending my boys to the kids activities a lot, do you know if they watch them well or not? I'm a paranoid mother. They are really well behaved kids, but if there are a lot of misbehaved kids.....my youngest will join in! lol

 

This is what we are planning on doing -

 

...ATLANTIS SUBMARINE...

...Pirates, Birds, & Monkeys of the Caribbean...

...ALTUN HA MAYAN SITE & RIVER WALLACE....

....MAYAN RUINS OF TULUM (ULTRAMAR)....

 

The first two are what my kids will enjoy and the last two is what my husband will enjoy.

 

 

I haven't been on a cruise in 15 years....(My mother is a cruise fanatic).....I took the boys on a day cruise to the bahama's....they had a great time!! My last "real" cruise was my graduation present....I can drink now....so this should be fun.... ;)

 

I wanted to do the tubing.....but my 4 year old wouldn't be able to do it, he would fall right through the tube...

 

Do you know what the temp is like around there in Feb? We live in South Florida and get cold easily.....although, when we visited Yosemite when it was snowing, it wasn't that bad at all! ....but I'm wondering if I should bother with swim suits.

[lisajm]

Mike,

What a great review! I seem to be following you shipwise. We did the Triumph 2/09 and will be on the Valor 1/31/10. You have a beautiful family. Your wife has inspired me to edo about a million crunches prior to my cruse!

[newt98]

Mike,

What a great review! I seem to be following you shipwise. We did the Triumph 2/09 and will be on the Valor 1/31/10. You have a beautiful family. Your wife has inspired me to edo about a million crunches prior to my cruse!

 

 

lol. thanks, we are on the victory in february, so watch for my review, then book.;)

[newt98]

Thank you so much for your review!! I thought 2 more months was close, now it seems sooooo far away.... My husband and my boys (almost 4 and 7) will be coming with me.... We live in South Florida, so we are always in the water..... we will be doing more land type stuff.... We will be sailing Feb. 7th.... I remember reading that you liked to go in Feb., what is better about Feb? I will be sending my boys to the kids activities a lot, do you know if they watch them well or not? I'm a paranoid mother. They are really well behaved kids, but if there are a lot of misbehaved kids.....my youngest will join in! lol

 

This is what we are planning on doing -

 

...ATLANTIS SUBMARINE...

...Pirates, Birds, & Monkeys of the Caribbean...

...ALTUN HA MAYAN SITE & RIVER WALLACE....

....MAYAN RUINS OF TULUM (ULTRAMAR)....

 

The first two are what my kids will enjoy and the last two is what my husband will enjoy.

 

 

I haven't been on a cruise in 15 years....(My mother is a cruise fanatic).....I took the boys on a day cruise to the bahama's....they had a great time!! My last "real" cruise was my graduation present....I can drink now....so this should be fun.... ;)

 

I wanted to do the tubing.....but my 4 year old wouldn't be able to do it, he would fall right through the tube...

 

Do you know what the temp is like around there in Feb? We live in South Florida and get cold easily.....although, when we visited Yosemite when it was snowing, it wasn't that bad at all! ....but I'm wondering if I should bother with swim suits.

 

 

i like february for a couple different reasons. for starters, february is very cold up here. also, like to go at valentines day because there have been less kids. and we have always had great weather in february. it has never been below 80 when we've gone in february. and when you come from about 15 degrees, 80 is pretty nice. i'm originally from sarasota, so i could actually stand it to be a few degrees more, but 80-85 seems pretty nice in the caribbean.

and i have not had ant kids in the kids programs, but from what i have read, i don't think you will have any problems. have fun!:D

[newt98]

oh ok thanks for clearing it up. i really enjoyed reading your review. hoping to convince my parents to take us on a spring break cruise also. Thanks.

 

 

any luck trying to convince them?

[Nunu]

newt we've booked the valor for august.

[BJHOOSER]

Hi, just wanted to tell you that the tenders were able to take my scooter on with out any problems even if it did rain the first five days of the cruise. The Carnival Valor Sept 20th.

I know you said i wouldn't have a problem but thought you might like to know you were correct. No problems and very nice guys helping me.

[DarthGrady]

you mean this guy, he wore this exact same outfit for seven days, he wore this in port, in line for tenders, in buffett lines, everywhere. my nickname for him was rocky horror, because he looked like rocky from the rocky horror movie, but all grown up.

 

R O F L M A O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

 

Sorry, I know this was like twelve pages ago, but as a RHPS fan, this was priceless.

 

"He carries the Charles Atlas Seal of Approval!"

[Mrs.C05]

The Speedo man reminds me of the Hulk for some reason! And from the sounds of it, he seems to have thought of himself as The Hunk instead. HAHA!

 

Mike, this is such a great review with gorgeous pictures (both family and ports)!!!!! I love the candid photos, where they aren't posing. Makes it so surreal! And it looks like your daughters get along great with the stepmom, which is wonderful!!!

 

Glad to see you had a great trip!

I can't wait for mine in February!

[newt98]

newt we've booked the valor for august.

 

 

Great!