Carnival Valor Mar. 6th

[lostboy]

Anyone else booked? <shiver> Can't wait...

Thinking of booking local dive shops on Roatan (Subway) & Coz (Living Underwater or Liquid Blue), probably to charter a boat given the late times into port. Belize is a tender port, so the ship dive is probably the best option. GC is open for discussion

Jerry

 

[Natasha]

I'm jealous. Have fun. I agree with all your ideas.

If you dive Cayman look up www.neptunesdivers.com

 

[lostboy]

Thanks, we are so looking forward to it. We had tons of fun on our last trips. Those were all NCL, and this is our first Carnival; it is especially exciting as the Valor is almost brand new...

Thanks for the link, I will look them up...

Jerry

I'm jealous. Have fun. I agree with all your ideas.

If you dive Cayman look up www.neptunesdivers.com

 

[pammyk]

We're also going on the Carnival Valor May 1 to 8. Can't wait! I've also heard that diving with the ship in Belize is the best idea...the dive sites are quite far out. The ship is charging about $150 a person for that excursion...whew!!!!! I checked out one of the dive ops there and they charge about the same price. I've heard that Anthony Key Resort in Roatan is great...that might be the dive op that the ship is using...not sure about that though. I've heard that Off the Wall Divers in Grand Cayman and Neptune Divers also are very good to use. In Cozumel I've heard that Dive with Martin and Papa Hogs are good dive ops as well as Aldora Divers, Sand Dollar Watersports, Scuba with Alison and Eagle Ray Divers. Have fun, safe diving and let me know if you hear of anything else. Also...after your trip let us all know how it went...thanks!

Pam :dazzler1:

 

[dreamtime]

I can suggest one place in Cozumel that actually cares about the customers. It is called Roberta´s Scuba Shack. The problem I find in Cozumel is that there are so many divers and so many shops that most of the places don´t care about the customers anymore. Ask around at a few shops this question: Why should I dive with you? The answers you get might amaze you. ¨Cause were here¨ ¨Why not?¨ I myself want a bit more than that when there are too many divers and shops on this island. If you go to Scuba Shack on the main road very close to the cruise ship pier, you will be more than pleased. Enjoy!!

Pam :dazzler1:[/QUOTE]

 

[DEEPLOU]

We're also going on the Carnival Valor May 1 to 8. Can't wait! I've also heard that diving with the ship in Belize is the best idea...the dive sites are quite far out. The ship is charging about $150 a person for that excursion...whew!!!!! I checked out one of the dive ops there and they charge about the same price. I've heard that Anthony Key Resort in Roatan is great...that might be the dive op that the ship is using...not sure about that though. I've heard that Off the Wall Divers in Grand Cayman and Neptune Divers also are very good to use. In Cozumel I've heard that Dive with Martin and Papa Hogs are good dive ops as well as Aldora Divers, Sand Dollar Watersports, Scuba with Alison and Eagle Ray Divers. Have fun, safe diving and let me know if you hear of anything else. Also...after your trip let us all know how it went...thanks!

Pam :dazzler1:

You can check out the excursions on the Carnival web site. If you have your booking number, you can access the exact amount they are charging for the various trips.

 

[mcm007]

Bon Voyage

Ive been on a few New Carnival ships.. They just keep getting bigger !
PLease let us know how the Valor was.. I'll be in Belize in March, on the NEKTON !!

enjoy


mac

 

[lostboy]

Thanks, we are really looking forward to it. Have signed up with LiquidBlue in Coz, Subway in Roatan, and Neptune in GC. Strangely enough, we probably won't dive in Belize <how strange it is to say that :11: > Carnival is charging $165 pp, there, BTW. Carnival prices for excursions seem higher than NCLs last year, but I am not positive.

BTW, has anyone visited the turtle farm in Grand Cayman?

First pics that I have seen from other Valor cruisers shows a huge ship; should be fun. WIll post a quick review when done...

jwh

 

[DEEPLOU]

Thanks, we are really looking forward to it. Have signed up with LiquidBlue in Coz, Subway in Roatan, and Neptune in GC. Strangely enough, we probably won't dive in Belize <how strange it is to say that :11: > Carnival is charging $165 pp, there, BTW. Carnival prices for excursions seem higher than NCLs last year, but I am not positive.

BTW, has anyone visited the turtle farm in Grand Cayman?

First pics that I have seen from other Valor cruisers shows a huge ship; should be fun. WIll post a quick review when done...

jwh

So far havn't found anyone who's doing my week (Feb 20-27).
But, I chickened out and (pre)booked through the ship. Yeh, they seem high, but ....
Also for Cozumel, they list a Cenote trip. Again expensive, but that also involves ferry to the main land as well.

BTW: have done this itinery twice before and both times ship anchored out, way out in Belize (over a 30 min tender ride each way) and the dive boat came right up to the side of the ship. As I remember, the ride out to the dive sites was over an hour at high speed. I realized the wooshing sound I was hearing wasn't the wind or the water, it was the gas flowing (rushing) through the engines!

 

[lostboy]

Don't lose hope, DeepLou. Have you posted over at CruiseCritic.com? More of the non-diving cruisers hang out there, including spouses of divers. I haven't connected with any divers from the Mar. 6th, but have located a couple of families with similar aged kids.

The ship excursions aren't bad, just a tad bit more expensive and usually w/o little extras that some shops offer. For example, with Subway in Roatan, they have a AL100 tank that I will use & are willing to take us out on three dives (1 tank each) on two areas of our choice (one is very shallow), and LiquidBlue has some larger steel tanks (as opposed to the std steel they use,) and we negotiated our dive sites (very nice people, there...) At the end of the day, we may be diving the same sites as the boat sponsored trips and if something goes wrong, they will wait for you...

The Cenote trip can be a kick. I did one last year from Cancun. Drove down to PDC in a open top jeep, swam the cenote, then had lunch at a cool beach resort that was something out of the movies. The swim is fairly short (30-45 min.), but with nifty fish, and crystal clear water. Pretty neat.

Yeah, Belize is a pain to do anything not sponsored by the boat. Belize City is my least favorite port of the four, but having to tender in just added to the frustration. Being picked up at the ship has the added advantage of being dropped off there, saving the long tender ride in/out (unless, of course, y'all are planning on shopping there <grimace>.) I have talked my family into splitting up in Belize. Half of us are headed inland to do the tube/cave excursion, and half are heading out to the stingray/shark snorkling trip. It is a shame to miss the diving in Belize, but that will just have to wait.

Cayman is the great unknown. I have never been there, and am looking forward to the dives. BTW, in Cozumel, try to find the ice cream guy at the central square. He sells coconut ice cream out of a little cart that is delicious. I am looking forward to Coz, if, for no other reason, we don't sail until 11, so we can hang out down there, catch dinner and watch the locals Tres cool...

Let us know how the trip goes, though, and bring back lotsa pics...

Jerry