NCL loyalist contemplating Carnival

TravelDiva88 · #1 December 2nd, 2012, 12:29 PM

Hubby and I are looking at booking an anniversary cruise next September. As NCL doesn't have any Caribbean itineraries in September, and due to hurricane season, we've been eyeing the Valor out of San Juan over Labor day.

I would love some advice as to what to expect. From what I've read, the Valor is one of the older ships- but is there still plenty to do? Adults only pool/hot tub area? What is the entertainment on the ship like?

I do plan on reading the reviews, but in my experience, people tend to write reviews when they're disappointed, so I figured I'd go to where the cheerleaders hang out- as the "regulars" on the boards tend to have positive but realistic views on the fleet!

elgato2 · #2 December 2nd, 2012, 01:48 PM

We were on the Valor several years ago and had a wonderful time..but since it's been several years I won't comment on it specificly.
CCL is IMHO the best value for your $$. As you can tell by my signature We have cruised NCL and frankly found more similarities than differences.
Some of the decor on CCL ships, esp in that class is pretty over the top but I don't cruise for decor so...no worries.
We like the layout of CCL staterooms the best..seems to be plenty of storage and 'elbow room'..some of the older NCL ships seemed small to me.
We've had outstanding meals on CCL and some very average..but found our last NCL cruise to be the same.
We love having 24hr pizza and soft -serve ice cream on CCL..nothing like a midnight ice cream cone!
The entertainment on our last NCL cruise was outstanding...we find CCL's mediocre and sometimes skip the shows altogether...
Hope this helps..and will bump it up so others can give you more specific input...
Have a great cruise!

Pauser · #3 December 2nd, 2012, 02:27 PM

We, too, have sailed both lines and like them both. They are really very similar. We are cruising on the Valor in January, so I can't comment specifically on that since I haven't been on it yet!

I think the staterooms on Carnival are a little bigger, which we appreciate. There is no 24-hour restaurant on Carnival like the Blue Lagoon, although you can get pizza, ice cream & room service. Still - not the same. We also like the variety of dining available on NCL. We don't mind paying the additional fees to eat at different venues each night. As far as food in the main dining room, I would say Carnival has a slight edge. I also agree that NCL's entertainment is better. Most Carnival ships have an adults-only area called the Serenity area.

I think if you go with an open mind you'll like it. Hope this helps.

CapeCodCruiser · #4 December 2nd, 2012, 04:07 PM

We were on the Valor over Halloween - here is my mini review:

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapeCodCruiser

We were on the Valor last week. I have to say the folks from our roll call made it the BEST ever!

I was pleasantly surprised about several things:

We had dinner in the steakhouse the first night - excellent! The food & service were exceptional - I had the ribeye - OMG - so good! DH had the surf & turf - he loved it!

We did the Chef's table - HIGHLY recommend it! What an evening & it is an evening - almost 3 hours long - the food & the service were impeccable. The Chef - Clytus was personable, friendly and genuine.

MDR - We had dinner in the MDR the other 6 nights - YTD. Most everything was very good with a few exceptions of items that I did not care for which lacked a bit in the flavor dept. Our waiter - we requested the same one every night - Jaya - was so much fun! We dined in groups of 4 to 10 depending on the night and really did not have to wait except one night - we only waited because we wanted "our" waiter Jaya. The food was served hot & cold as appropriate and we were never rushed nor did we we wait between courses. We only ate breakfast 1 time in the MDR - I had the eggs benedict - very good & once again served hot.

Lido Buffets & other venues - No super long lines - I ate almost everyday at the Mongolian Grill - YUM - the longest line I ever encountered there was about 7 people. DH had the Fish & Chips one day - he liked. The burgers were good - the hot dogs yummy and the deli was great. Not a huge fan of the burrito bar - no green chile to smother them! The pizza was OK - I've had better, I've had worse.

Breakfast was always at the omelet station - prepared by my favorite Mongolian Grill cook Desidario - with a quick trip through the buffet - all the bacon you want!

Along with the 2 bottles we carried on I purchased the premium 5 bottle wine package - great deal and a decent selection. We also had a bottle of gin & a bottle of vodka from BV. The martini tasting at the wine bar was a great deal and it could be shared - the chipotle martini was off the hook! We managed to visit almost every one of the 28 or so bars on the ship! (It was my 50th birthday!)

Our M&G was spectacular - 50 people for a two hour party with open bar - we actually were served about 20 minutes over. We were supplied with Champagne & Ships on a Stick to use as door prizes for various things.

Lido pool - as always TOO LOUD for me and the club music there was stupid - really prefer the live island music. Mostly stayed away from there and spent time at the aft pool & serenity area.

We only attended one show and I have to say the quality of the talent is really lacking. The dancers were pretty bad - low energy, out of step and they almost dropped a girl on one lift. We caught the comedy show one night - less than stellar - a few laughs.

Our bed was in need of a new bed! Rock hard with well worn troughs in the center of each half. Our steward was great - keeping things iced as needed and he took very good care of the cabin.

The Halloween party was a blast.

Our group was very active in the various activities - especially trivia! Collectively we won - well I lost count at 10 or so - Solid Gold Plastic Ships on a Stick! One of our Roll Call won the mixologist as well!

Hopefully I cover most everything but feel free to ask questions.

dmart82 · #5 December 2nd, 2012, 06:42 PM

We have cruised NCL before and enjoyed our cruise, BUT the cabins are so much BIGGER on Carnival. There are so many more activies for the adults as well as my teenage boys. On a 7 day cruise Carnival has 4 comedians instead on NCL's 1. Carnival has more pools and an adult only section with its own pool and hot tubs. (NO KIDS ALLOWED: very nice). Show are bigger and better. I would still cruise NCL but if I have a choice Carnival is my choice and the best part the price always seems to be better.