CarnivalCruiseLover

You will love the Valor. She is one of my favorite ships! That was the ship I had my first balcony on!

I'm jealous! You only have to wait 32 days for your cruise...I have 93 :p.

 

I hope that you have a fantastic time! Great ship and awesome itinerary.

 

Gina

Well I am a little late to comment on your Legend review, but I just found it. I LOVED IT!!! I am going on the Legend on September 9, 2012, just a few short weeks away, and your review makes me even more excited!!!!

We had a reservation with Vitalino Reyes (just do a web search and you will find his website). I was sad for him that our ship didn't port because that was a huge loss of money for his business that day :(.

 

Gina

I am so excited about our upcoming Legend cruise on September 9th. Reading your review makes me even more anxious to board the ship!

Yay! A Legend review! 40 more days until we get to sail her! =D

We are going on Sept 9th as well on The Legend. Can't wait!

I haven't seen any new posts/videos from Gatorclaw lately.

His video reviews are the best!

Thank you CarnivalCruiseLover. You asked if I did this for Valor as well this month, I'm confused as to what you meant?

Sorry, I thought I put Pride not Valor review.

Mike,

I have read this entire post, and I must say of all the reviews, posts, etc I have read on Cruise Critic over the years, yours by far is the best!

How lucky you and your family are to be able to do 4 cruises back to back! I am jealous....

Beautiful family, great review, amazing pictures.. Did you do this for the Valor as well this month?

Loved Loved Loved your review! Your writing skills are great!

We leave in September on the Valor, and I am so stoked about it. We normally do 2 cruises a year, and last year we got in 3, but this year just one. I am doing other non cruise traveling, and it just didn't leave enough time to do two this year.

Your pictures and documentation of how you cruise remind me of when I cruise. I smoke, so I am monitoring the smoking areas. We make cocktails in the room, etc etc. It just seems that when reading your review, it reminded me of my own way of cruising!

Cheers, and hope to see you two on a future cruise sometime!

I LOVE your review and how you are doing it with your pics. Great pics, great writing.

I leave on the Valor in September, and after reading your review, and looking at your pics, I am now even more excited about my upcoming cruise!

You are a great reviewer!

I wasn't meaning that the cruise I was on in February, since it was smoke free, was slow all the time. I was basing my decision on what the employee's were telling me that have been on the ship for 6 to 9 months. Along with employees that worked on it when it was a smoke free ship.

I agree that smoking stinks, and it is a nasty habit, but also I feel that it is a legal activity, and should be allowed on cruise ships if closely monitored.

I agree with the no smoking in the dinining areas, and other "family" type area of the ships, but a casino.. come on, people are in there downing booze that kills more people every year that smoking and second hand smoke does. Not to mention all of the overweight people stuffing their faces at the buffets? Is that healthy? I don't think so.

Well I was just on the Paradise, like I said in my post, 5 weeks ago, and the casnio was dead. Like it or not, people smoke. If you want to live in a bubble without cigarette smoke, then stay home. I am not a smoker, but I don't whine about smoke eiter. I move away from it if it bothers me. I don't expect everyone in the world to conform to my likes/dislikes.

As far as Carnival goes, they tried the non smoking ship, and it failed.. terribly. No other ship on any line has done it, and with how this wound up, I doubt the do. Like I said, I was just on the paradise, and I can tell you, the casino, at any time of the day or night, was only about 10% full.. if that. The ship was sold out, but they weren't gambling.

I sailed the Paradise back in early February, and the casino was smoke free... and it was dead. Nobody bothered to gamble. Very few people were at the slot machines, not to mention the bickering with the guests and staff members with the guests learned it went smoke free. It was a nightmare. I spoke with 3 bartenders that said they are trying it, but don't expect it to last long, because the cruises that had went out with no smoking in the casino were lacking in gamblers wanting to play without smoking, not to mention the lack of drink orders purchased in the casino.

I also spoke with a lady that worked on the Paradise when it was smoke free, and she told me that the cruise never went out 100 % full, and most often was under 50% during the smoke free sailings. It was a financial decision by Carnival because it is common knowledge that smokers drink more, and gamble more. It's all about money. Not to mention that alot of Europeans, who can smoke freely take alot of cruises.