Thread: Valor Review - 3/16 to 3/23

My husband and I decided to book the Valor for our honeymoon, and we just returned from Miami yesterday (3/24/08). It was a nice experience, but I would not say that it was that wonderful.

We left on 3/16 and the boarding process was pretty quick. We arrived around 12:30, went through the checkpoint, and were given a "ZONE NUMBER" card, which is the same boarding process of an airline. Rooms are not ready until 1:30, but once you're in you can go to the Lido deck for lunch at Rosie's. We only had burges and fries, but there was enough and varied food to satisfy every appetite.

When we had the drill, at the same time as departure from Miami, I felt some sort of "Panic attack" as we were standing there on rows of 3's. I guess that the heat, the humidity, and a moving ship, along with extremely RUDE passengers who kept laughing and talking while they were telling us how to evacuate in an emergency, made me dizzy and exhausted.

Bags arrive at your cabin door, and they do tell you in writing that you should expect them as late as 8PM. I think it might be difficult to complaint for a missing bag once you're no longer in port, but they probably know how to handle that. On the second or third night they send a copy of missing items to each cabin, in the event that you have an extra bag, or pink stroller in your room and don't know what to do with it.

To be honest, I read so many reviews about the "patriotic" or "heroic" decoration, that I wasn't that impressed. I trully think they should've stuck to something simpler, as the abstract motives and infinite stories behind every room were quite confusing. The Washington dining room has pink walls, golden tones, and pink lights. I love pink, but not in a dining room. You'll probably watch the story behind the ship's decor, as it plays every night in one of the ship's TV channels. There are some tricky ways to get from one point of the ship to another, but by the second or third night you'll get a hang of it.

You'll have NBC, CBS, ABC and Headline News in your room, and if you live in Colorado, you'll be in heaven, as the signal comes from Denver. If you miss a talk or a tour information talk from the cruise director, it'll play the next day in one of the TV channels. They also offer a DVD from the tours and things that happened during your week. If you see cameramen around, they're filiming everything, and you'll see it the next day on TV. The DVD is $26.95.

One very important thing: the ship is on GMT time zone. You need to stay on ship's time! We saw a couple of people (crew included) running to the ship at the last minute.

Many people complained about the slowness of the internet service, and how a package saves money, but then you spend it all waiting for pages to upload. We were on vacation, and therefore internet use was strictly forbidden. It is possible to survive for a week without it! My hubbie is a Network Admin, and if he could do it, anyone can! If you have teens addicted to the net, you can have them deactivate that feature in their sail and sign card.

Our ports of call were: Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan (Honduras), Belize, and Cozumel. Tip: pack the night before and make sure you bring a towel with you. The blue ones are to be used outside of the ship. We forgot and ended up with several "souvenir" towels from the islands.

To me the best was Isla Roatan, simply because it is an island still virgin and unknown to many. The beach was crystal clear, and the water was warm. Food is good and fish is fresh. They produce local beer; it's cheap and tastes good. We took a CORAL CAY kayak "adventure" tour from the ship, and it was nice. The only problem is that they did not explain how to kayak, and some tourist went over to the coral reef, their kayak capsized, destroying some of the coral, and they returned, smiling, as if nothing had happened. Since the "kayak guide" wasn't much help, we decided to return the kayaks, and walk to the beach, which is part of their park. Four of us drank and ate for less than $70, including tip. You can buy lots of souvenirs, art and handmade mahigany scultured boxes, in US dollars, and "on sale" for all of us "amigos"! There are some shops in the pier (still under construction) that take credit cards. Make sure you take enough cash with you. For us, between $60-80 dollars were fine per island. We were not looking to buy anything big though.

Grand Cayman is pretty; not as pretty as I thought. Due to weather, all stingray and water excursions were cancelled that day, and they waited until we were tendered to the island to tell us. We wake up earlier han others for the tours, and would've appreciated the extra hour or two of sleep. Since our money would be refunded, we decided to take a $15 tour of the island, from the Tourism Association. There are people selling them around the Plaza accross from the pier. They have I.D's and are uniformed. We felt pretty safe with them, and the minivan had A/C if I'm not mistaken. We drove around town, went to Hell and back (you'll know what I'm talking about), visited the rum cake factory (they have free samples!), and the Turtle farm ($10 per person). It was well worth our $15!

Belize is a very poor island. After the last storm, it was severly damaged and has not been able to bounce back. To make matters worse, it was pouring that day! We were tendered again to the pier, and they should've definitely cancelled all excursions. We booked a "Canoe, Wine Tasting and City Tour" through the ship, and again, were very disappointed. Because of weather, and the awfull state of the island, it was a sad drive to where the canoes were. Then the bus, that was very comfortable and had A/C, dropped us at a place that I could only describe as an abandoned area in the middle of a jungle. We tried to get in the canoe, they explained how to do it and gave us life jackets, but as we were walking to the area, we saw a condom on the floor. I decided to go back to the bus and stay dry and alive. Little by little, about half of the group returned to the bus, and the guides did not understand why we didn't want to canoe in the rain. Then the bus left and took us to "Gran's Farm", not before stopping in the middle of the road to buy a soda and a "torta" and I guess ask for directions. When we got there, we waited for the others in canoes, and they arrived shivering, soaking wet, and most of them, unhappy. The wine is definitely not wine. Tasted like cashew vinegar. They did have good beer for purchase. Cold and tasty!

Finally Cozumel... WOW!!! It is beautiful. Bring a hat, a towel, drinking water, and lots of sunscreen! We booked the "Mayan Ruins of Tulum" tour, and it was perfect. The water in Cozumel is clear and blue like a pool. It was sunny and warm. From the group, the say that the area were the ships docked, are obviously the "tourist traps". where everything is double the price. For example, they were trying to sell a bottle of tequila for $35, which you can buy at your local supermarket for $39. The ruins are beautiful, the tour "Leirys" was very helpful and explained about the history of the Mayan civilization in an interesting way. They make a first stop at a Mayan gift shop, for us to use the "clean and free" restrooms there. They are clean indeed, in comparison with the ones in the ruins. One of the best places to eat in Tulum, is Senor Frosty's. Excellent tacos, super fast service, and cold Margaritas. The tour guide might show you a silver and gold cartouche with your initials or name in Mayan, which is made while you take the tour. It is beautiful and costs between $49-78 depending on the amount of letters and material you choose. They take credit cards, and all is done in pesos.
If you find something you must buy on the ship, wait. If it's jewelry, it usually is on sale during the last 3-4 days. They are big on Tanzanite, Amber, watches and diamonds. There is a certificate for a free "diamond charm" bracelet that you get from the tour talks and redeem at the port shops Diamonds International. There are three or four in every port. At some point, they just hand those certificates on board. I got mine in Belize, and it looks like a free bracelet. It is gold plated, and you're supposed to get a charm from each port. I don't know if you have to buy the ther charms, but if you get a certificate from each port, then you'll collect them all for free. Like other members have reviewed, anything they sell, you can find in a store, except for things with their logo on them. There is a sale the last day (Saturday) and they bring in things that I never saw during the week. They have nice t-shirts with the embroidered logo for $5, shorts, caps, towels for $5 (not the thick blue ones, but white ones with the image of the ship). The blue ones you get from either your steward by placing an order, or from the Formalities shop. Each costs $22. Their perfume selection is not very big, and you can get your favorite scent from the airport, for 3-5 dollars less than the ship. We discovered that yesterday, at the Miami airport.

I shall continue...

I don't have an opinion on food. It is good food. If you have a sensitive diet or stomach, you'll notice the first day. Buy some Pepto before boarding and you'll be fine. There is no lactose free milk or any special food, unless you requested it when reservations were made. We ate at the Fish and Chips the last day. It is so darn difficult to find! It is good, fried food. The Maitre'D (Hassan) was as rude as it can be. We were a group, together from the day reservations were made, and were spreaded apart. When we called to inquire about seating together, as we'd requested, he basically told us that we were all apart because "Americans and Internationals would never be seated together". How about that for patriotism? By the way, he expects a tip from you the last night, because he is not accounted for in the prepaid gratuities. You might not even meet him during the week, but you'll definitely see him shine that last night!

We had the 8PM seating, and it was very good. At the same time you're quite tired after such a long day, and your body might want to dance or sing, but the rocking of the seas will put you to sleep in no time. We did not see any of the shows, and were late for the Captain's cocktail on the first formal night. Apparently We'd just missed him when we got there. There are no constant reminders of the activities on board. The director talks in the morning, and maybe in the afternoon, and clocks are so difficult to find, that you loose track of time, and of the games or presentations one might want to watch. There is a clock on every deck by the stairs, and one on the lido deck. You will have plenty of chances for pictures throghout the week. And apparently formal is not that formal, as teens (and adults) wore jeans and shirts and were allowed in the dining room. Men do not have to wear suits or tuxes anymore. A nice shirt (long-sleeved preferably) and tie or no tie is fine. Ladies, a cocktail dress is more than nice.

The Spa is very nice. The first day they give you $20 off a treatment if you book that day, even if it's for a different day. Port days prices are lower. The teeh whitening goes down to $139 from $199, and the Ionthermie (loose up to 8 inches**) goes from $159 to $99. Any treatment or service you get will be followed by a marketing promo, where you might be tempted to buy everything they offer. Beware. The employees work on commission too.

Finally, I have all the Capers papers and prices with me, so if you have a question, please let me know.

One more thing... the couple's massage is very expensive on this ship! $272!

Thank you for the comprehensive review!

Are you going to cruise again? I take it that this was your first cruise?

We have been to Tulum and enjoyed the tour. I guess they all stop at the "clean & free" restrooms on the way out!

Thank you for taking the time to write your report. I enjoyed reading it very much.

Your review was kinda disheartening for me as we are thinking of going on that ship in December. I have read a few other reviews and were all very favourable, one even put alot of pics on of their cruise, it looked truly beautiful.

Originally Posted by AngieF

Your review was kinda disheartening for me as we are thinking of going on that ship in December. I have read a few other reviews and were all very favourable, one even put alot of pics on of their cruise, it looked truly beautiful.

Don't be disheartened, Angie! This cruise was almost a year ago and I think more recent reviews would give you an idea of what's happening now.

Every cruise is different because of the makeup of the passengers as well as how the crew functions as a team. You will get some bad apples along the way....not very often, though.

If the majority of the reviews you have read are positive, I would take that as a very good sign.