We were also on this cruise and would like to add a few comments.
The ship: Since the Valor is practically brand new, the accommodations were terrific. We had a window stateroom on deck 2 that was very spacious and comfortable. The room staff was very attentive and always kept our ice bucket filled and supplied us with clean towels and linens. The entire crew was very cheerful and friendly. However, none of them could tell time,
(see Pam’s post). The ship is quite large and some of the areas such as the Lido deck and Rosie’s restaurant can get pretty crowded. Unfortunately I found the best spot on the last day, deck 4 under the lifeboats, shade, padded loungers, and an unobstructed view of the sea. Food was fabulous in Washington’s restaurant and at Scarlett’s.
The diving: We booked our own diving except for Belize which is a tender port. The ship excursion is with Hugh Parkley and was worth the extra cost. They picked us up in 2 large boats and divided us into groups of about 12. After a quick stop at their shop to pick up rentals, we did 2 dives at Turneffe atoll. The boat provided us with soda, water and fruit and returned us to the ship around 2PM.
Roatan: We dove with Subway Watersports, whose owner Patrick picked us up at the ship and drove us to their marina at the Brick Bay resort. I had no issues with the marina, but the resort appeared to be a fixer-upper. I’m not even sure if they were open for guests. Their boat was a 6 pack and we had 3 DMs, a couple snorkeling, and us. We asked about Mary’s Place and on the way out, they noticed there was another dive boat on the site, so they took us to an alternate site. These sites are near Coco View resort and their boats are all over the place. One of the DM’s gave us some sea lice repellant since he was exposed on this site the previous day, which we were thankful for. Upon entry we were immediately surrounded by fish, including a large grouper, and realized our DM Mark was feeding them. After the dive, we shot back to the marina for our surface interval. It was windy and the ocean was a bit rough, so the snorkelers, who had a rough time of it, bagged the second trip, but received no refund. Not very kind, I thought. We did Mary’s Place on the second dive and got to experience Roatan’s signature dive site, lots of fish, a huge lobster, and of course, the walls. The only negative we experienced was our DM Mark had a habit of removing his mask and do-rag and adjusting it during the dive. He once did this after we exited one of the crevices at MP at 80’, and I blew thru about 300lbs while he played with his equipment. While we didn’t have the awful experience Lostboy had (see attached thread), the staff looked inexperienced. Clearly, something has changed since all the glowing reports of last year. BTW I don’t understand Lostboy’s comment that they wouldn’t take them to MP because it’s too far? Their marina is a 5 minute ride to the site.
Grand Cayman: We did 2 shore dives on Turtle Reef at Dive Tech’s shop on the north coast. Only downside was getting there. GC is another tender port so we were dumped off in the midst of all the cruisers going to 7 mile beach. I wanted a cab but couldn’t get one since they were all being booked by the operators. The taxi dispatcher told us to walk 2 blocks and take the bus! So, I lug our 50 lb dive bag with all our gear to the bus stop. After we located the dive shop, things got a lot better. This is one of the easiest shore divers you’ll ever do, rinse tank, shade, shower all behind the shop. A very friendly Aussie gave us tanks, weights, site briefing, and checked our valuables behind the counter. Down a ladder and we dove some bommies on a mini-wall. Great dives, we saw a school (~16) of huge tarpon, a barracuda, an octopus out for a noon stroll, and, of course, a turtle (it’s his reef, you know). After we showered and dried off, it was into a cab, thank God, for the ride back. Overall a good experience, and makes us want to go back and stay at their resort on Cobalt Coast.
Cozumel: Here we hooked up with Pam and her guys for a 2 tanker with Alison. Once again, only problem was getting there. This time I lug the equipment about a ¼ mile thru a mall and duty free shops on the pier before you find the exit. After the shortest $6 cab ride ever, we meet Alison and boat captain Carlos at the marina. We do 2 great dives on Santa Rosa wall and Pasa del Cedral, rays, morays (1 huge green one swam right passed us), lobster, nurse shark, angels, the whole Coz aquarium, and of course, a turtle at the end. Thanks Alison!
Overall: This trip will improve with age, once the pain of lugging bags around goes away, but all the exercise probably kept me from gaining too much weight on the ship! However, I think I’ll stick to liveaboards and resorts for my future dive adventures.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=82451&page=1&pp=10
