June 23 Valor to Eastern Caribbean Part Two

The Ports
Full Review

ST THOMAS, Wednesday June 26:We were scheduled for our first port of call from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. It was a beautiful sunshine filled day with an occasional lone cloud blowing by with temperatures to be in the mid 80's. No worries. There are quite a few shops around the cruise pier and the always popular Senor Frogs at the end of the pier. The Carnival Liberty would join us an hour later and Carnival had the only two ships in harbor this day.

I had booked a shopping, sightseeing amd beach excursion with Sunny Liston Tours for approximately $20 less per person than was offered through the excursion desk and we had more time for the excursion. You must be warned about Sunny Liston Tours. If you are somewhat introverted and do not like to sing along and have fun then this is not the tour for you. All the other tours knew when our group was coming down the road. There were plenty of sing alongs with popular party songs lead by Sunny with lots of hooting and cheering which caused many of the stoic participants in other tours to look at the loud, fun group approaching.

We were picked up promptly at 9:00 am as scheduled by Sunny himself, a popular gentleman who seemed to know most everyone around the pier. We were taken the couple miles into downtown and shown the pickup location for the tour continuation at noon time. There were plenty of shops to browse and they all appeared to have special 'deals' for the Carnival passengers. There are quite a few small alleys the run between the two main streets and there are some hidden shops and bars along the way. The time for shopping was just enough and right on time we found Sunny waiting for our group at the designated spot.

We left the downtown area and began the tour of the island with stops at a lookout point above the harbor, Drakes seat and Montain Top all which provided beatiful views of the sea and neighboring islands. Sunny also provided brief histories at each stop about the islands and the pirates back in the day. From the Mountain Top location we had a great view of Megan's Bay. Beautiful.

Next we were on to Coki Beach for two hours. As expected with two large ships in harbor the beach was pretty crowded and you could see many Carnival towels spread around. My son and I brought his snorkel and mask and my googles and we spent most of the two hours off the beach admiring scores of brilliant color fish. There wasn't any coral to be seen but then we were only about 20 feet deep. Toward the left as you look out toward the water is where we found all the fish. There was too much swim activity around mid beach. The water was swimming pool clear and warm. Great day at the beach, thank you Sunny Liston.

The liberty sailed just a couple minutes before we did and it was a very pretty sail away with a light breeze. Once out of the breakwater the Liberty turned northwest while we headed south.

Check out the St Thomas day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

ANTIGUA, Wednesday June 27:The Valor was the only ship in port on this hot and muggy day(mid 80's with 80% humidity). The plan for Antigua was to walk the town shopping. There is an area immeidately outside the gates of the cruise pier that is well maintained, clean and populated by varous jewelry, souvenir and cigar shops as well as an open air bar/snack bar.

After you leave this two block area and enter the public streets thigs change a bit. Off to the right is a swap meet like covered area where many local vendors are crammed together. There were plenty of souvenirs such as t-shirts, womens beach wraps, sea shells, magnets etc. They were not very receptive to price negotiations for their objects except for a small handful. The vendors were quite aggressive trying to gain the attention of their visitors, so much so that two women got into a heated argument about who's customers we were. I thought they were close to striking each other before others separated them.

Exiting the swap meet area we enter the heart of the city where we criss crossed a couple blocks each direction. The infratructure of the city is not in the best of shape and you need to really watch your step to avoid broken curb or drainage grates or missing slats of wood over the sewer run offs. It is a reasonably compact area an easy to navigate from that standpoint but we really found nothing that got our interest along our shopping trek so we found a shop with some shaded seats that sold beers 2 for $5 so we sat for a while to cool off and to watch the locals for a while. I tried a local Anriguan lager which tasted very similar to a Heineken but without the slight skunky after taste. Not too bad and it was ice cold. The second round er tried Carib lager which was similar to Corona.

After cooling off we started to head back to the cruise pier politely passing a few panhandlers (just like back in a US city) and dodging the swap meet vendors. Other than the aggressive vendors in the swap meet area, we found the locals to be very friendly and we felt safe walking around the town but it was our least favorite of the ports I guess mostly because it felt dirty in many ways with the broken sidewalks, open drains etc. If we were to visit again I would look into an excursion which would pick us up at the cruise pier and take us by boat to a beach or snorkel activity.

Check out the Antigua day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Tortola, Thursday June 28:This was my favorite of the four ports that we visited and we were again the only ship in port, another mid 80 degree day. The city is clean and the locals very friendly. We had been to Tortola before so this time we were just going to do the city for shopping and some bar hopping. Interesting though something I found out about the level with which the Carnival Corp controls some of these places. The line offers a Dolphin swim adventure through the excursion desk for $170 per person. The same tour can be had directly from the vendor for $95 per adult and $85 per child under 10 UNLESS YOU ARE A CRUISE PASSENGER with Carnival, Princess and HAL etc. When the website asked which ship you were arriving on I clicked the button and got the message than they were unable to take the reservation for me, that I had to book through the cruise line. I called and spoke to Manuel for the Dolphin adventure vendor ahd he confirmed that they have a contract with Carnvial AND that the cruise line has a representative who come to the site to book any cruise line passengers who walk up. Can you say GREED, COLLUSION. I can't entirely blame Carnival because the dolphin adventure vendor is the only one providing that tour so they did not have to enter into an agreement with Carnival but chose to do so for their benefit. I guess Micky has to gouge extra money wherever he can to pay for the salaries of the players for his Miami Heat. Sure I could have claimed to be a guest at a local hotel and arrive by taxi, leaving anything Carnival (beach towels) behind but the fact the tour vendor plays along with Carnival to that extent turned me off. I am now more determined to never book an excursion through the cruise line.

Before I digressed we were going for a shopping trek in Tortola. It is maybe a mile walk (max) to get from the pier to the edge of town and along the way they do set up a vendor area along the way just outside the secured pieer area. These vendors were very laid back and gladly answered any questions but did not solicit or pitch their ware in any way. It was an easy walk around town, the motorist were all friendly and yielded to the pedestrians at crossings and those on foot mostly said hello. We must have visited every jewelry store and T-shirt store in town and found some good deals but were hot and thirsty so we found a bar just outside the secured cruise pier area that also had beer at 2 for $5. I was disappointed that they did not have a beer that I had not tried before so I settled for a couple Coronas. Once cooled down adequately we made our way back to the ship.

Check out the Tortola day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Nassau, Saturday June 30:The Valor arrived in Nassau slightly before noon and the Fascination and the Imagination were already in port. The Monarch of the Seas joined us about 30 minutes later. With four ships in port we had long ago decided to avoid the excursion scene and were content with window shopping along the town streets and checking out the Straw Market. The streets were clean, the locals very friendly and the vendors in the Straw Market were not aggressive in the least. It was a very nice day for a stroll and we got lucky that there was a brief shower that cooled things off for a while and it did nto get too humid after the clouds cleared again.

After four hours of shopping we headed back to the ship for some lemonade and a calzone. The Fascination was scheduled to sail at 6:00pm and the Valor at 7:00pm. It was interesting watching the pier runners for the Fascination, most appeared to be coming from Senor Frogs based on their balloon animal hats and their staggered walk. The captain held the ship for 15 minutes to get the last three women back on board, balloon hats and all. The Valor sailed right on time with no evidence of pier runners. Most likely one of the differences between a three day party cruise and an 8-day family cruise.

Check out the Nassau day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

June 23 Valor to Eastern Caribbean Part One

Valor Eastern Caribbean from Miami June 23 through July1 2012, Ports of call: St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortolla and Nassau.

Full Review

PRECRUISE:
Although the cruise departed on June 23 we arrived in Florida a week early to enjoy some down time in the Orlando area. We are not big Disney fans and have done the theme park extravaganza before but instead enjoyed a lot of time around the resort pool and lazy river. Seaworld had a two for one offer that gave two day admissions for one day price AND with my Southwest Airline Rapid Reward card received another 20% off the price. If you are a roller coaster fan, they have one called the Manta which is the best that I have experienced. You are basically suspended face down on the ride and are whisked through corkscrews and loops for a couple minutes. A good case of jelly legs once you put your feet back onto the ground.

After the fun week in Orlando we drove down to Miami on Friday afternoon and stayed at the Doubletree Biscayne Bay. We were given a beautiful mini-suite with a balcony which overlooked the bay and had a good view of the cruise terminal. The Doubletree occupies a few floots of an older, residential highrise. It is clean and comfortable and I found the hotel staff to be very friendly. The only downside to the Doubletree is that the walls are thin and light sleepers could be frustrated by the noise. Also, bayside rooms are above a bar which plays music well into the early morning. Still a good night sleep.

SAIL AWAY DAY, Sunday June 23:
I woke early and watched the Valor Come into the cruise terminal under a threatening sky and nearly an hour later the Liberty also came into port; a double feature. The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain and about ninety minutes after the Valor tied up, the sky opened up with a downpour which lasted at least 30 minutes. Who cares, right? After all a rainy day on a cruise is better than a beautiful day at work.

The rain had stopped and we grabbed a cab from the hotel about 10:20 and were at the cruise pier in 10 minutes for an $11 fare. We left the bags with the porter and went to check in. There were no lines and we walked right up to the counter, got our sign & sail cards and were directed up to the waiting area. The room slowly began to fill but at 11:00 they boarded a couple wedding parties and then at 11:15 the staff began boarding guests in the waiting area. We boarded on deck three into the American Lobby. Beautifully decorated earth tones with rustic red white and blue tiles clustered flag-like in the flooring, an inviting lobby bar and comfortable cushioned chairs. Great first impression.

By 11:40 we were checking out the lunch offerings of the Lido buffet. We settled for the Burrito Bar, a location my son would visit every day of the cruise for a couple beef burritos. Pretty good burritos, made to order that went very well with an ice cold beer. After lunch is when I like to find a good perch and watch the parade of arrivals on the pier. There now is a constant flow of traffic dropping off passengers below and the checkin line snakes out to the street briefly at times. I don't know how but I missed the cabin ready announcement but still went to the cabin shortly after 2:00 and everything was ready.

The muster drill was completed more quickly than I remember my other recent cruises which was a good thing. It gets rather hot and stuffy with five or six rows of people stacked together on a muggy day. Released from the drill off we go to the Panorama deck to get a good rail side location for sail away. It isn't long before the horn blows and the long shoremen begin releasing the lines and the sun begins to peek through the clouds once in a while. As we slowly begin to cruise past the Liberty the bridge crews blow the horns to each other. First the Valor and then the Liberty would answer for a couple rounds. Cool start as it was clear to see that both ship's decks were full of fun people ready to get away. The Liberty followed us out the channel about five minutes behind us. There was no calypso music but there was plenty of reggae music played as we sailed out to sea. It was a very nice sail away and finally, after months of anticipation, the cruise vacation had begun

After freshening up at the cabin, a mid-category aft balcony on deck 7, Empress deck, we went to dinner at the Your Time Dining on deck 3 of the Lincoln Dining Room. There was already a line to check in but we were still seated in less than 10 minutes. The Lincoln decor has a lot of pink tones to it but with very warm inviting feel to it and the chairs were very comfortable. Maybe it was the first night or that the wait team trio were just getting to know each other but dinner this night took a bit longer than it should. The team was very nice but their timing between courses and each other was off leading to a rather slow pace of the meal. My son had been asking me to try Salmon for dinner so my order tonight was the Atlantic Salmon off the every night menu so we would not be wasteful if my son did not like the dish. The Salmon was a hit so we shared his steak and my salmon. I must say that the salmon was cooked perfectly and the portion was just right as it left a little room for desert.

When we finished our 2 1/2 hour long dinner, we took another walk around the ship to get more familiar with it. We ended up at the mid ship pool/seaside theater on the Lido deck and settled for a while aas the kids got a second desert, the soft-serve ice cream. We sailed I think a day before tropical storm Debby blew through Florida and the winds at sea this night were very strong. An interesting event occurred that I never heard what had happened, maybe the strong cross winds or maybe a brief glitch in the stabilizers? For a couple minutes the ship listed a couple degrees toward port, so much of a list that the water from the pool began to run out of the pool across the deck. It was interesting to watch guests scatter as I just lifted my feet. It was an interesting thing to observe but I did not ever find out what caused the list. Either way, it was only a couple minutes and nothing close to that happened again.

Check out the Sail Away Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

SEA DAYS, Sunday June 24, Monday June 25 and Friday June 29:The sea days were perfect opportunities to sleep late (for me, 7:00 AM) and lazily stroll up to Lido for breakfast. I never go farther than the made to order omelette station at the grill poolside. At the omelette station is also a variety of breakfast items such as a potato dish, oatmeal and grits, either hot cakes or waffles or french toast, bacon and sausage as well as an assortment of danishes. Plenty to fill the tanks for the day.

The cruise staff put on a number of trivia contests, an extra bingo session and activities around the pool for those who wished to participate. The band played over the mid ship pool in the noon to 3:00 pm timeframe and the pool area was very busy. I did not observe any issues with chogs (chair hogs) and had no problem finding a table and chair somewhere around the pool. The waterslide was open until 6:00 pm and the kids, and a number of grown ups, all seemed to enjoy it with no too large of a line. The two bars in this pool area were pumping out the drinks. I was going to try and count for a few minutes how many drinks were sent out from the bar nearest me but quickly lost count with all the distracting activities on deck. I love people watching and get easily distracted by the humanity show.

Check out the Sea Day 1 Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Check out the Sea Day 2 Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Check out the Sea Day 2 Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

PreCruise for June 23 Carnival Valor Sailing

The time is almost here for the next cruise. Once onboard we will try to post daily updates regarding the cruise. Enjoy. June 23 Valor Cruise.

USA Today Travel Cruise Review Site

USA Today Cruise Review Site posts professional reviews of the cruise industry, most recently of the Seabourn Sojourn. These are well written pieces and worth the read but a part of me wonders, do professional reviewers/critics really get the same level of service as the casual cruiser?

It makes business sense that if a cruise line knew that a professional critic with a large publication were to be traveling on one of their ships, they would take extra efforts to ensure a very good cruise experience. Why not, it is free publicity. Nonetheless, it is good to see what the professional thinks and balance that with reviews from other regular cruiser's experiences.

Environmental Awards for Princess

The ports of San Francisco, California and Victoria, BC, Canada have presented environmental awards to Princess Cruises for the 2011 cruise season.

In San Francisco, Princess was recognized for their waste water management, recycling and disposal programs and their reduced emissions while in port. At the San Francisco cruise port, ships can " plug in" and not need their generators to provide power.

In Victoria BC, Princess was honored for their emissions reduction efforts consuming low sulfur diesel fuels. More details about these presentations can be found at cruiseradio.net.