Carnival Valor

[jenny368]

Just a tip. We were on the Valor 12/19. If you tip the pool attendant $5 he will go upstairs and get 2 or 3 chairs for you and put them wherever you want them. We did this twice when we had trouble finding chairs.

[roscoesdream]

I think the pool chair problem is a result of the ship's floor plan. On this type of ship there is not enough deck space for the amount of people on the ship. The Spirit class ships do not seem to have this problem, as we could always find a good location either in the sun or in the shade. There are less people on the Spirit class AND more deck space. My advice to anyone who thinks laying in the sun by the pool is important to them go on a spirit class ship. Ps I do very much like the carnival cruises!

[brr97]

Folks - been on many Carnival ships - looking forward to this newest monster. Last was the Legend and am told this is MUCH larger. Over the many posts, looks like it should be fun - if we get chairs early.

Does anyone know if it is gay friendly as my wife and I are bring a gay couple along that want to be comfortable. We all opted to "upgrade" and did Cat 12's - so that should be a real treat.

 

Thanks!

[dromMOM]

Folks - been on many Carnival ships - looking forward to this newest monster. Last was the Legend and am told this is MUCH larger. Over the many posts, looks like it should be fun - if we get chairs early.

Does anyone know if it is gay friendly as my wife and I are bring a gay couple along that want to be comfortable. We all opted to "upgrade" and did Cat 12's - so that should be a real treat.

 

Thanks!

I recommend that you email Ron Pass who is in the Piano Bar on the Valor.. He can give you the inside scoop on whether your friends would be comfortable on the valor.

 

www.ronpass.com

[edelfive]

I've been on 2 Carnival cruises. First time without the kids (Fantasty 3 day April 1994) and 2 years ago with my family and another family (Imagination 5 day June 2003). My boys had such a great time that we booked again on Carnival in May 2004. My husabnd wanted to go to Mexico so I picked the Valor not knowing it was a brand new job for springbreak 2005. I agree that there are many things (like no chairs on days at sea) that are negative but I believe you make the best of every cruise since there is so much to do. We leave in a little over 2 months and my entire family is excited. I've been checking out different discussions boards for pics and discussions about Valor. Seems that it is a lovely ship and will be the biggest one we will be on having moved up each time we've cruised.

 

Thanks to everyone for their comments!

 

Pam

 

Coming Soon Valor April 3, 2005

Imagination June 2003

Fantasty April 1994

[mariefisher]

We just returned from the Valor yesterday and we had a wonderful time. We went with people from 17 to 76 and I would pick this ship again in a minute. I don't think you can find a better time on any other cruise ship. The food was great and the ship had something for everyone. We have been on 3 other cruise lines but this one was the most fun. If it was just my husband and I maybe we would do something else but I can't imagine any other ship that could have satisfied such a mix of ages and everyone said it was the best. I can see why they call it the fun ship it really was.

[Juliah67]

Just listened to Ron Pass on his website. I want to go just to hear HIM! Ah, what a voice :) Love, Juliah

[vonmeir]

Good-

fun, relaxed atmosphere

Food was good in the dining room

Mongolian barbeque was great

Excursions and tendering went well

Relatively entertaining deck games played on the Lido deck

Our Cabin steward was very pleasant and efficient

The Pub crawl was a really fun event

The piano bar entertainer was fun (Ron Pass)

 

Bad -

Room stifling hot- at times we had to open hall door and balcony door to create a cooling breeze

 

Washington dining room also very hot-we were seated under a low overhang, and the A/C did not get to us. (BTW...I am not an A/C diva! it was uncomfortably warm in most places on board) Our waiter was disgruntled by the new management on the new ship.

 

There was a serious lack of servers on deck and in the theater. Servers were really only available the first and last days on the deck. Also, curiously, there were NO garbage cans on deck. Only recycling cans....what's up with that?

 

Lunch and Breakfast lines were VERY long.

 

The public walkways were WAY too small and getting from our room to the dining room was next to impossible at times. The walkways were crowded and obstructed by furniture, support pillars, people, display easels, sidewalk sale tables...etc...---you name it and you had to navigate around it. Complicating the navigation problem were the poorly designed overhead signs that were sometimes impossible to read (overhead signs were written in dots of light that continuously change color, like a light bright box) Staff was scarce and could not adequately give directions. Walking around interior space of the ship was annoying from ~5:00 till 8:00 pm.

 

Even in very calm seas, the boat rocked and swayed incessantly. I expected a smoother ride from a newly designed ship.

 

Overall I think I would consider taking another Carnival cruise, but I would have lower expectations. This was only my second cruise, (first time I went on Celebrity) but I do travel extensively, so I am not an inexperienced vacationer. Carnival has it's place as a vacation choice, I would have liked to see them pay more attention paid to guest conveniences and comfort. THEY ABSOLUTELY need more staff.

[Piano Man Ron]

Hi all,

 

Brr97, your gay friends will be fine on the Valor, although, like on most Carnival ships, they will not find a lot of gay folks. Their comfort level depends on their likes and dislikes... some gay folks have a need to be constantly surrounded by gay culture... others are fine anywhere they go. But the crew and staff are very gay-friendly, as we're from all over the world and accostomed to living, working, and sailing with all kinds of people from all walks of life. Not to mention, there are gay crew and staff on board as well (of course!). Carnival does a great job in making everyone feel welcome.

 

About the piano bar "take-overs" --- That's a tough one for us piano bar entertainers, too. We have to strike a balance between accommodating the over-bearing drunkards to keep the peace, and keeping the music and pace moving and the energy high. The energy, atmosphere, and pace of the piano bar can change from cruise to cruise, depending on the demographics of the guests on board and the chemistry of the people in the bar. Some weeks are more work than others. :-)

 

As for show tunes, I love 'em. I used to play a lot of show tunes and standards in piano bars in Washington, DC and New York. But after working for the company for over 2 years, I learned that a repitoir of show tunes just doesn't work well for me on Carnival ships. Every once in a great while, though, I'll let one slip into the play list for the evening... There are a lot of closeted show tune fans out there! ;-)

 

About the ship rocking: The fact that the ship is new has no bearing on that. It's all about weather conditions. It's winter in the Caribbean, so a rocky ship is not uncommon.

 

Have fun. I'm leaving the Valor for vacation on March 6, so, unfortunately, I will not meet some of you!

 

Ron

Piano Bar Entertainer

[celticd1]

Thanks to mariefisher and vonmeir for the recent mini-reviews! We sail in less than 2 weeks and can't wait! I like to hear everyones opinion.

 

Ron...Thank you for responding to the concerns addressed by some past Valor cruisers. I think it's great that you not only read this board (and others I'm sure), but that you answer posts and questions. Not to mention the awesome pics! I am really looking forward to meeting you and spending time in the Lindy Hop! The folks from our Roll Call thread are planning 2 meeting times for the piano bar, be on the lookout for a bunch of crazies with hawaiian leis! If the only songs being requested are Jimmy Buffet that will also be a give away!

 

See you then!

[Marcys]

Piano Man Ron...We have a Cruise Critic Group cruise that will be on Valor June 12. We've heard a lot about you? Will you be onboard then?

 

Thanks!

[vonmeir]

I think I successfully attached a picture of Ron from the 1/9 Valor cruise.

[brr97]

Thanks for the info Ron - too bad you'll be leaving the week we all come aboard for the week. Sailing March 6 - 13.

 

This will be our 4th Carnival -

Imagination

Fascination

Legend

--Valor '05.

 

All have good and bad points - but hey - you can pick apart anything if you go looking. The point is to have a great time and relax/recharge/enjoy. Carnival has always done that well - Lines - eh - so you eat a bit later - it is not like you have to get back to a meeting? I'm stuck in the hustle bustle stress buster life all day - on vacation I pick up the attitude of "No Worries"

 

Again - looking forward to the new ship and checking out the suite. FYI - our friends are comfortable all the time - some people can just be a bit unaccepting - which is insane in this time.

 

If anyone is on the March 6 Cruise - see ya then!

 

-I'll be watching for more feedback on the Ship.

 

-BRR

[CruisingCat]

Hi all. I was on the 12/26/04 New Years sailing of the Valor. Beautiful ship. Like some say Carnival is Carnival, but we had no problems other than waiting for buses after we got back to Miami. We also had the Washington dining room, but we had (at first) an area where the AC was so high it was like a freezer. We moved and I wore a sweater! Didn't do the deck thing because of weather (it rained, but what do you expect in the rainy season?). And I am glad he is posting on here and watching this thread because Ron is the most AWESOME piano guy, henceforth refered to by me as The Piano God. I got his last CD and listen to it when I wish I still had the piano bar close. He has a phenomenal voice. He plays the more current stuff, with a nice mix of some old favorites. It was the highlight of my trip. I spent most of my time in there as he was very fun and highly entertaining...SOCIAL!!!!! Heheh...I miss the nightly singing. The disco, for those of you who partake, was a frigid icebox. Take a sweater. Maybe the single people will have better luck than I (and my fellow singles on the New Years cruise). There wasn't even a singles party until the second night. No one showed as it wasn't listed in the capers. The 3rd night out they had another attempt they called the "Mature Singles Party" which attracted the older crowd. As it was New Years, there were more families and couples than anything. I was 32 at the time and met about 4 singles in my age range. This was my 13th N.Y.'s cruise and over the past 5 or so years, I've noticed the move toward the families and couples. Hey, I still had fun, thanks to The Piano God and the Lindy Hop!!!

 

I am off to go listen to my piano music!

 

Heather

[kodiac]

Perhaps some of the Carnival people on here certainly would not be comfortable on a Princess or Celebrity cruise.

 

I would hope the keyword is SOME here. The only thing I would guess is that you are in your 40's or 50's, am I correct?

 

We love to sail on all cruise lines, Carnival in particular. Our first Princess cruise was a few months ago and we would go back to Princess for sure. The only MAJOR differences I have seen is:

 

Fresh Water / Adult Pools

Older / Laid Back crowd

More complaining about service / food than Carnival

 

Other than the above major differences, the food, entertainment and entire cruise was comparable. We cruise on Carnival more than others due to the younger crowd. When we feel the urge to have a more laid back cruise we chose RCI or Princess.

[Piano Man Ron]

Oh my.... the one time I wear a boa in the bar, the picture gets posted on the internet. LOL. Cheers to Elton John!

 

-Ron

[Marcys]

I thought you looked great, Ron.

 

We have a large Cruise Critic group cruise sailing on Valor June 12. Will you be onboard then? I hope so! With your boa and glasses!!

[Piano Man Ron]

I do not have my next ship assignment yet. I should have it within a few weeks or so.

 

Ron

[Marcys]

Ron, please post when you know and let us know where you'll be!:D

[mcgovernsandra]

Ron I have read so many good things about you, and was disappointed to learn that you will not be performing the week we are on the Valor (March 6). Who will be taking your place?

[CrazyMums]

We'll be on the Valor in 24 days (Feb. 20) and can't wait. The piano bar will be a definite stop. Better watch out Ron - my Mom has been playing piano for years and may want to join you (LOL). She's 80 this year but quite a character and very young at heart!

 

Thanks for the reviews - they all help to get prepared. We're not pool and sun people (living in Florida, we have enough of it) so the deck chairs would never be an issue for us. This will be our 8th cruise and we always have a good time - even the year the Destiny broke down and we "floated" for days - never did make it to a port on that cruise - but we had a fantastic time. Like many have said, it's what you make of it and it is a time for relaxation and no stress.

 

Quick question about the Piano Bar - is it designated smoking or non-smoking? I am the smoker, my Mom is not - so either way we'd be there. Just would help me to know ahead of time if I can smoke so I can avoid some last minute stress.

[Piano Man Ron]

Hi everyone

 

The piano bar IS smoking. I don't know who will be replacing me... We typically are not informed of this info.

 

Cheers,

 

Ron

[Longtime Cruiser]

Hey Guys

 

I just re read all the comments. I think there are many cruise lines because different strokes for different folks.

 

We have not been on Carnival for years, thought a new ship might be fun. the experiences we had we felt were kind of typical of Carnival. Yet I see many people had a blast.

 

Although we have taken over 50 cruiese and perhaps 8 times on Carnival over the years, and it will be a long time before we cruise Carnival again. The only ship we had problems with deck chairs was on the Princess Grand, she is too big with too little deck space. Otherwise, in all our cruises we never encounted this problem. We were on MSC-Lricia twice last year, RCCL and Princess all in 2004. Never encounted any of the Carnival dislikes we had. MSC was not geared to Americans, but never a complaint.

 

I tried to give an honest evaluation of Carnival and let people know what to expect. Because its a new ship does not mean its not Carnival. They have a great market and just as Princess is not for everyone neither is Carnival.

 

Opened to any questions.

[kfgarrow]

Longtime Cruiser-

I appreciated your honesty, even though it is not what people always want to hear. I know I am more of a Carnival fan than you are, because, up until this last cruise, it has been my line of choice.

 

However, a mediocre cruise is just that--a mediocre cruise. It's not about attitude or being a negative person (I'm not) or "making the best of it". It's about honestly evaluating how you want to spend your hard earned travel dollar and finding the best fit for your expectations, knowing that no cruise is perfect.

 

I had a better time on the Pride and the Mariner because of the service, the CD and the layout of those particular ships. I know that many people love the Valor and I say "God Bless 'Em". I will choose to spend my cruise dollar on a cruise line and ship that better matches our expectations next time.

[summer1819]

I am booking the valor in April..why such bad reviews?? Now im worried!! What was so bad about the ship?