Carnival Valor (2/5) - 5 Day Cruise Review/Trip Report

Carnival Valor, leaving from Galveston, TX

5 days (Cozumel, Progreso)

Cabin: 6452 (Aft Wrap)

This isn’t going to be a play by play, merely a review of our latest cruise, aboard the Carnival Valor on February 5, 2018. I’m going to break this down into sections, so if you’re looking at an opinion of one area; you can skip straight to that point. I didn’t spend a lot of time behind a camera or on my phone, so please don’t ask for pictures of the cabins, food, funtimes and menus. There are a ton of pictures out there, unfortunately I didn’t take the time to organize all of that. I’d be happy to try and answer any questions, that aren’t included in this review.

About Me/My Group: I’m in my early 30’s, my partner is in the same age range and my family that was traveling with us were from their mid 20’s to late 50’s. This was my 6th cruise; all but one has been with Carnival. There were a group of us (10), though we rarely did any activities all together.

Pre-cruise stay/parking: 10/10 - We had stayed the night before at the Holiday Inn on the Beach in Galveston, which offers free parking and a free shuttle (roundtrip) to all of its guests. Fun fact, you don’t have to book a particular rate to get this service, just let them know as soon as you check in that you’d like to reserve a spot on the shuttles and you’ll need to park there for the duration of your trip. The rooms were very clean and the restaurant downstairs had a great breakfast. If you are looking for an affordable, clean and friendly place to stay the night before/after your cruise, I highly recommend this hotel.

Embarkation/Debarkation: 10/10 - We purchased Faster to the Fun for the entire group and it was well worth the extra money. We had a mixture of passports, birth certificates for our identification and cash accounts and gift cards for a couple of the Sail and Sign accounts; so ultimately, I expected there to be some delay. To my surprise, the new system where you get your sail and sign card in the mailbox of your cabin really sped up the process. We were at the terminal at around 10:45 and were in our cabins by 11:30. This was the best embarkation experience I’ve ever had, not that any of them have been terrible. Debarkation was no different, it was well organized and quick.

Cabin/Ship Condition: 6/10 – We stayed in Cabin 6452, with my brother and his wife in the cabin next to us 6450. Both of our parents were on the opposite side in cabins 6473 and 6481. I’m going to focus on our cabin, which was an aft-wrap on the port side. Since this was my 5th Carnival cruise, I knew to expect dated interior so I’m not really concerned with that. On our last cruise, aboard the Carnival Liberty we stayed in one of the L-shaped balconies on the starboard side (6481 I believe). Having stayed in an aft cabin on deck 6 and on the same class ship, I honestly thought I’d knew what to expect. This cabin was very loud. Not by the sound of the ocean or by the machinery of the vessel, but by karaoke, comedians and various other events being held in the Eagles Lounge downstairs. I spent more time in the cabin on this cruise (especially since we upgraded to the wrap balcony) and I was not prepared for the level of noise I’d hear from the deck below. There were points, that I could hear the lyrics of songs being sang. But to be honest, it didn’t ruin the cabin experience and died down by the time that I went to bed most nights. My biggest beef with this cabin (and for the others that I saw) was the utter disrepair and neglect it’s receiving. There were many carpet stains, wall stains, broken fixtures, etc in each of the cabins that my family stayed in. The balcony was HUGE and honestly excessive, while I enjoyed having the space to myself, I probably will not book another aft-wrap, as I felt it was too much space for just my partner and I. The disrepair and neglect extended out onto the balcony where there was lots of rust, dirty windows and cigarette butts (they likely were thrown from the decks above). I’ve read speculation that there’s been a decrease in crew, I don’t know if this is true, but if so, I could see this being the reason for much of my dissatisfaction with this cruising experience.

Crew: 4/10 – I honestly am having a hard time writing this section and contemplated even writing this review because I don’t want to come across as a complainer. However, I think it’s important to call out my experiences and set realistic expectations for upcoming cruisers that are sailing with fond memories of previous Carnival cruises. I am a very friendly person, I’m outgoing and like to make conversation with the crew members, even if it’s a smile and a “Good Morning”. My partner, while less conversational is also very polite and always asks with “please” and “thank you” in his requests. The morale for the majority of the crew, seemed exhausted and un-welcoming compared to previous experiences. There were a few exceptional stand-outs, primarily the bartenders in the Red Frog Pub, the cooks/servers at the Blue Iguana Cantina and one bartender at the aft pool bar. In making conversation with a couple of the bartenders, they exclaimed that the previous cruise which was partially chartered by a “Super Bowl Party” group; was incredibly difficult and was part of the reason for the morale of the staff. One bartender said this cruise was looked as a break for them and a moment to relax. I can see this being the case and sadly we may have just gotten the short end of the stick. Bar servers in the theatre, casino and on the open decks were incredibly sparse, compared to what I’ve experienced in the past. Our cabin steward was adequate, though he rarely provided ice when we had asked and seemed to just give us new towels and make our bed. He may have vacuumed the cabin once during our stay, but even used and empty glasses needed to be placed outside the cabin in order to be removed.

Entertainment: 5/10 – This area is a mixed bag of good and bad. The live musicians were generally really good and it’s nice to see Carnival spend money on getting quality musicians to play throughout the ship. However, there was very little variety to the type of music being played. There were three main music groups/acts that played on the ship and two were strictly county and one was a mix of country and old rock. I understand the ship leaves from Texas and probably caters to the majority of people in that area, but I’d have liked to see a little more variety thrown in or maybe just some more versatile performers. The live music is where the 5 points comes in, so even without the variety… I feel they did a really good job. The Playlist Productions were overall just not good. There’s a very limited storyline, music that’s just poorly edited together and mix bag of talent that’s on stage. Some of the performers were exceptional, some were not worthy of karaoke. I’ve seen some really impressive productions from Carnival before, my favorite being a show featuring magic, music and dancing on the Carnival Magic… so I know it’s possible and there are probably some really great shows out there, just not on this ship. Outside of that, there were the comedians, piano bar, etc which were all passable and really none of that stood out.

Casino: 4/10 – I feel like this could be persuaded pretty easily, had I won tons of money. So I’ll leave my wins/losses out of the assessment. The casino was of course incredibly smoky and found that people smoked wherever they wanted, whether it was a smoking table/machine or not. The dealers weren’t incredibly friendly and bar staff was ridiculously difficult to find. There was one point, where I had sat playing a slot machine for nearly an hour and a half, actively waiting on someone to pass by and I could not find someone to take a drink order, this theme carried throughout the ship though and I come to expect it by the second or third day.

Spa: 7/10 – My experience in the spa centers only around my full body massage that I scheduled on the last sea day. I’ve never been to the spa on any cruise ship and also never had a professional massage in my life. I was incredibly sore after our snorkeling trip in Cozumel, so I decided to use the $50 off spa services gift card that I received for it being my birthday. I mentioned when booking, that I’d like to have a back and shoulder massage. I also mentioned that I was a little apprehensive and had never had a massage before. They sold me on booking a hot stone/aromatherapy full body massage, so that’s what I expected. I got a full body massage (which was wonderful) but there were never any hot stones or aromatherapy products used. I paid something like $130 for everything and the masseuse tried to sell me on some products afterwards, which I’m sure is customary. Not having any experience in this area, I didn’t know what to expect, nor did I feel comfortable enough asking why there were no hot stones or aromatherapy included. I just thanked the masseuse and left.

Food: 8/10 – We knew what to expect, but had some really awesome new experiences along the way. The dining room was more of the same, no exciting call outs here. I was a little disappointed having heard that baked Alaska had returned, but it wasn’t on the menu any of the nights. We only ended up eating in the dining room 2 of the 5 nights of the cruise. The BBQ where the fish and chips used to be is incredible. I absolutely loved the pulled pork and they had a collection of Guys BBQ sauces to choose from, I highly recommend grabbing lunch up there on one day. The new Seafood Shack was also really really good, we had a lobster roll and a platter of steamed shrimp. I was a bit disappointed that they had run out of crab legs and Maine lobster by the 4th day when we decided to try it. Also, many of their dishes do NOT come with a side, if you chose to add French fries to the shrimp it would have cost an extra $5, which I felt was a bit ridiculous. I tried a couple of items from the new room service menu. One day I had lunch on my balcony, I ordered a Reuben, salad and fries which were all really tasty. One night, I ordered the chicken strips and they were very tough and not all that great. I see no change in the speed of service, there’s still plenty of waste along the halls and Carnival received a few more dollars from me.

Ports of Call/Excursions: 7/10 – In Cozumel we went once again to Nachi Cocom Beach Club, which honestly wasn’t the experience we’d come to expect there. As we experienced on the ship, the service wasn’t all that great. Now this could be attributed by one single server that was assigned to us, but nonetheless it was a poor execution on their part. The beach was wonderful and we paid extra to go on a glass bottom boat/snorkeling trip. This was the highlight of my entire vacation experience. The guide was so patient with the group (there were 6 of us I believe) and took us to two different spots along the Palancar Reef; where we saw spotted rays, barracuda, spiny lobster, nurf sharks and an abundance of different fish. The coral wasn’t as vibrant as I’d expected, but the entire trip was well worth the added cost and one of the top experiences I’ve had in my life. In Progreso, we booked the VIP Chichen Itza and Cenote excursion through Carnival. Overall it was a nice experience and our guide was fantastic. Be prepared, it’s about a 2 hour drive from the pier to Chichen Itza. We were crammed into a 15 passenger shuttle bus, which looked quite new; however, it was incredibly hot and crammed in a very tiny space for nearly 4 hours of our trip. I can’t imagine taking this trip aboard those busses when it’s 90-100 degrees outside; yuck!

Overall: 6/10 – I try to be a positive person, that finds enjoyment in anything that I do. I also, tried by best throughout my trip to not compare it too much on past experiences. With that being said, it was a very mediocre experience. This was not an overly relaxing trip, where I felt pampered by the staff. I didn’t feel like I was aboard a floating resort and instead felt like I was aboard a floating Holiday Inn. Actually, the Holiday Inn we stayed at prior to our cruise was cleaner and in better condition than the Carnival Valor. For the money that was spent, I could have easily booked on another cruise line and honestly, that’s the plan for our next cruise. With how things have changed, I think it’s best to look elsewhere at this point. I’ve cruised on Norwegian once, so we may give them another try or RCCL; I’m open for suggestions. Please free to comment with any suggestions or questions you may have, that I haven’t covered in this review.

Happy Sailing!

Ugh. I'm sorry. Was it mostly the condition of the ship that put you off? How was the dining? Service? Did you catch any shows? I have my first carnival cruise in 16 days on an older vessel, have only sailed the larger shiny new ships on NCL and have Harmony of the Seas end of March. A bit worried myself but it fit the bill for dates and I'm exited about the ports. Will certainly make the most of it!!

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I appreciate your review. It's always disappointing when something doesn't quite live up to our memories of previous experiences, or to our expectations.

Since the sale of alcohol is a major revenue stream for Carnival, the number of reviews that mention scarce waiters is surprising.

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts and happy sailing.

Ugh. I'm sorry. Was it mostly the condition of the ship that put you off? How was the dining? Service? Did you catch any shows? I have my first carnival cruise in 16 days on an older vessel, have only sailed the larger shiny new ships on NCL and have Harmony of the Seas end of March. A bit worried myself but it fit the bill for dates and I'm exited about the ports. Will certainly make the most of it!!

 

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I really hope my experience is an outlier and not the new norm. Carnival has a large fleet and experiences definitely vary ship to ship and even between sailings. To sum up my review, the three things that were most disappointing were the condition and cleanliness of the ship, the main production shows (ie. Playlist Productions) and the level of service and availability of crew members. I did see 2 of the 3 main production shows, this is one of my favorite things to do on a cruise in the evenings. Both of the shows I watched were below theme park quality. Again though, I've seen some fantastic shows on Carnival; but nowhere near the quality of the main stage shows I experienced on NCL.

Thanks for the review.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Very straight forward gives me an idea what to expect for my sailing next month on the Valor. It will be my first time with Carnival hoping for the best!

Thanks for your review. It seems very fair and truthful. Sorry you experienced some of the down sides of cruising an older ship and shorter cruise. We just cruised valor in October and again in November and while it wasn’t my favorite cruise, it was a nice short getaway and filled in the gaps of my 7 day cruises. If given a choice, I would only cruise 7 days or longer but sometimes timing and money does not allow.

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I was on Valor on Jan 8 2018 sailing. My experience was not the same as yours. The staff was very friendly and accommodating in all parts of the ship. I did not notice a lack of bar staff on the ship, granted I did not spend as much time in the casino. I thought the ship was in great condition. This was my 6th cruise on Carnival. I did notice some wear and tear in our Stateroom. We will be back on Valor in June.

I had to roll back up to the beginning of the review to see which ship it was about. We sailed on the Valor last April and will be sailing on it again next month. We thoroughly enjoyed the ship. Frankie was one of the BEST Cruise Director we've ever had. I'm sad that he's leaving the Valor about 2 weeks before our cruise. In the past year, I've had several friends and family that have also sailed on the Valor and had a great time. Seems rather strange that NONE of them reported any of these problems. I will say that my very first Carnival cruise on the Elation was nearly my LAST Carnival cruise. Although we loved our Cruise Director George, we experienced many of the issues the OP listed. Our cabin stewards never removed dirty dishes or food trays. Our hallways were littered with dirty dishes that sat for very long times. I watched numerous guests trip on the loose treads on the staircase in the main theater. We also watched two employees having a very loud argument near the main pool about who's turn it was to sit at the top of the slide to monitor guests. At least a half dozen benches in the Lido dining room were held together with duct tape, or had yellow safety tap wrapped around it so that nobody would sit there. The bed pillows were awful as well. Happily, that was the ONLY Carnival cruise that I experienced so many problems with.

I had to roll back up to the beginning of the review to see which ship it was about. We sailed on the Valor last April and will be sailing on it again next month. We thoroughly enjoyed the ship. Frankie was one of the BEST Cruise Director we've ever had. I'm sad that he's leaving the Valor about 2 weeks before our cruise. In the past year, I've had several friends and family that have also sailed on the Valor and had a great time. Seems rather strange that NONE of them reported any of these problems. I will say that my very first Carnival cruise on the Elation was nearly my LAST Carnival cruise. Although we loved our Cruise Director George, we experienced many of the issues the OP listed. Our cabin stewards never removed dirty dishes or food trays. Our hallways were littered with dirty dishes that sat for very long times. I watched numerous guests trip on the loose treads on the staircase in the main theater. We also watched two employees having a very loud argument near the main pool about who's turn it was to sit at the top of the slide to monitor guests. At least a half dozen benches in the Lido dining room were held together with duct tape, or had yellow safety tap wrapped around it so that nobody would sit there. The bed pillows were awful as well. Happily, that was the ONLY Carnival cruise that I experienced so many problems with.

I agree, Frankie is a great cruise director! We're sailed with him last year on the Liberty and again on this cruise. There was a noticeable difference in his demeanor on this voyage and like some of the other crew we experienced, I just assumed he was exhausted. He his coming up on the end of his contract, so it's definitely understandable if that's the case.

Most of the common areas seemed in decent shape and my comments about the disrepair stems mostly from the cabins we were in, it wasn't just one cabin either. As for cleanliness, nothing felt exceptionally clean. There were many times that I would wash my hands multiple times within the same hour because I touched another surface that was "sticky".

I didn't include it in my review, but I had thought of another example where the staff seemed indifferent to the guests around them. When we walked across the gangway to board the ship for the first time, not a single crew member said hello, without me smiling and saying so first. It was just odd and sort of unwelcoming. I know it's a very small detail, but a lot of that added up to what I explained.

I most likely won't swear off Carnival altogether, I think this just has given me an extra push to try some other cruise lines out. I truly hope you have an amazing cruise next month!

Terrific review/report.

Keith

I sailed on Valor in 2013, my only carnival experience. Sailing again in May cuz my travel companion lives in Texas and it is convenient. Maybe I will just go with low expectations. But it also sounds like opinions vary from sailing to sailing.

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We were on the same cruise, and pardon my correction, but there was BAKED ALASKA on the last night in the MDR. It wasn't on the Hub app. It was just on the menu when we got there. Sorry you missed it.

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We were on the same cruise, and pardon my correction, but there was BAKED ALASKA on the last night in the MDR. It wasn't on the Hub app. It was just on the menu when we got there. Sorry you missed it.

 

 

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Thanks for the note, I indeed was going off the menus on the Carnival Hub app, this is partially how we decided what to do for dinner.

Thanks for the note, I indeed was going off the menus on the Carnival Hub app, this is partially how we decided what to do for dinner.

I completely understand. When they handed me the dessert menu that night, I was shocked.

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We were on a family cruise on the Valor in November and our experience was just the opposite from yours. Our room steward was fantastc, he brought us an ice chest and kept it full. Also they opened all three balconys for us. We were in the MDR every night and loved it. We were fed and gone in about 1 1/2 hours and there were 10 of us. We were served drinks by the staff poolside. Our room showed a little wear but was clean. So sorry you experience was not as good as ours.

My wife and I just got back from a 5 day cruise on the Valor. My experience was the opposite (My overall score would be a 9/10) but since this was my first cruise I was overwhelmed with the experience. WE had a cabin with balcony in midship (8355). My only negative would be the Main Dining Hall food on elegant night. Tasted like fast food. The two excursion we booked were 10/10 (Passion Island at Cozumel, and Land Rover tour and Maya ruins at Progreso)

Thank your for sharing your experience in your review. Like a few others noted, we have been on the Valor and had a different experience but do recognize that not every cruise is the same and things that are important to one person may not be that important to someone else. That said, we all can learn from each other's experiences and hopefully help others get the most out of their cruise experience!

Thanks for the honest review. I can agree with just about everything you have said in my last few cruises. We've sailed Carnival for years and the service has gone down each time. They have cut staff so much that you can see how overworked they are and it shows. We've continued to sail carnival because of the casino deals I get and we are so close to Galveston but I feel as if Carnival Corp is going down hill fast. Frankly, I'm getting to where I don't feel 100% safe for my daughter on the ship to even sign herself out of camp carnival by herself.

I did a review of our NYE on Valor. Had an aft wrap, but did not hear anything from the 5th floor . I never thought that I would say this but the balcony was great, but too much room for two.....but the cabin is bigger! Would have enjoyed it more if friends or family were aboard.

Going on the NCL Escape next, surely the balcony will feel small! After that, first cove balcony on Magic, then done with cruises for a while, and time to switch up vacation types for a while.

When we have three cruises in 12 months, I have little to complain about. That was an abnormal :cool:

The two excursion we booked were 10/10 (Passion Island at Cozumel, and Land Rover tour and Maya ruins at Progreso)

Hi! I am trying to decide between two excursions in Progreso. Can you tell me a little more about your Land Rover excursion? What was the Hacienda like? Were there Land Rovers for each party? ( my husband will not be a happy backseat driver. lol!) What kind of lunch is served?

Thank you!