Valor Review: 12/29/13-1/5/14

[rs12065]

Just returned from the southern Caribbean itinerary on the Carnival Valor out of San Juan. This review is more about the ship than the ports.

 

Let me preface this review with the statement that we had a wonderful cruise in spite of the the fact that we were on the Valor.

We were two families celebrating several retirements with grown children ranging in age from 28 to 34 plus one 2 1/2 year old. We chose this itinerary for two reason; 5 of the people are teachers and this was the one week they could all get away, and the cost was doable since the parents (those of us retiring) were footing the bill for the cruise and I know Social Security wasn't chipping in on this.

 

Embarkation was a breeze and we were on the ship by 11:30 and were able to get into our cabins by 12:30.... Cabin 8304...be forewarned. This cabin is on the port side and the smell of cigarette smoke was inescapable on the balcony both while the ship was at sea and in port. It was at that point that we began to see some issues. First, our beds were set up as 2 singles not as a king as requested on our preferences when booking. No big deal, a quick call to housekeeping should take care of that. Wrong. The phone was answered by our cabin steward who argued with me that the took it upon himself two set up the beds as singles because "the two names in the cabin were different (my wife uses a hyphenated last name, I use my surname). He had no right to make that decision himself. Oh, well, he would rectify that immediately. Of course it took two more calls and the problem was resolved shortly after dinner, many hours later. If this was the only problem I could deal with it.

 

One may ask why I had to call the housekeeping number to rectify the situation. Why didn't I just stop the steward in the hallway or ask him when he introduced himself. Well, the steward never introduced himself and in fact I only saw him twice all week. In addition, he did not replace drinking glasses or pool towels on one occasion. Again, had to call to get new pool towels. We used a roll of toilet paper and a box of tissues. I purposely left a new roll of paper and a newly opened box of tissues on the bathroom counter to see if the steward would put the toilet paper on the roll and the tissues into the tissue holder. Nope, had to do it myself.

 

The safe in the room is one of the older types which require a swipe of a credit card or some similar card with a magnetic stripe. If one only has credit cards this means that you must always carry your card with you because you can't lock it in the safe. Hopefully this will be rectified when the ship is upgraded.

 

The ship looks worn, with many seat cushions ripped or threadbare. It is an annoyingly difficult ship to navigate. Both port and starboard side cabin areas have the same color carpeting and it is easy to turn the wrong way when exiting elevators. In addition, going from bow to stern on decks 3 and 4 is impossible without having to go up or down a deck as the dining rooms block complete passageway.

 

As for the food, it was disappointing. This was our second cruise on a Carnival ship (we usually cruise on Princess or Royal Caribbean) and the quality of the food was decidedly less than on our previous Carnival cruise. Beef dishes were tasteless and food was either over or undercooked and often not hot. Waiter service was uneven at best.

The breakfast buffet was awful...inedible scrambled "eggs" and over cooked, dried out what I think was supposed to be Eggs Benedict". Nothing, repeat, nothing was hot.

We usually eat breakfast at 8:00-8:20, and frequently one side of the buffet was closed at that hour, leaving long lines at the rest of the buffet area and the omelet station. (I know that someone will respond to this by saying that should be expected in a venue trying to serve 3,000 or so passengers, but this was the worst of any cruise I have ever taken)

 

Pool area had some good and some terrible points. Chair hogging was at a minimum, the least amount I have ever witnessed. The biggest issue was the damn Jumbotron. I just read a thread about this issue and I agree with the majority of the posters on that thread.

I am 65 and attended Woodstock and many, many rock concerts and listen to what my wife claims is an ungodly volume on my car radio as I blast classic rock (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, etc), but that damn Jumbotron made conversations on the pool deck area impossible. Plus, in the morning we were forced to listen to the most annoying CD ever, Felipe, do his early morning show as well as the port shopping show at a volume that could be heard almost anywhere on an outside deck area. There was no escaping it, even in the so-called Serenity area. If I wanted to hear the port shopping show I would have attended it or watched it on the circa 1980s style TV in the cabins

 

As many posters have said in the past, a cruise is mainly what you make of it, and we had a blast. Wonderful bonding time for two families, an experience for one who was a first time cruiser, great ports and beaches, and New Years' eve with loved ones. I wouldn't trade this cruise experience for anything. I just wanted to let others know our thoughts and opinions of the ship and how Carnival chooses to do things on this particular ship. Not being petty, just honest observations and hopefully helpful to others who might choose this ship.

 

We would consider sailing Carnival again with the right itinerary and cost. But unless the Valor is completely overhauled it will not be on that ship.

[pkkghfn]

We're thinking about sailing on the Valor in June.

 

Makes me think about reconsidering.

 

Aren't there other places to eat like the burrito bar, fish n chip place...

 

We've cruised twice on Disney, 3 times on RCI and were actually looking for a new experience on Carnival - particularly on the Valor out of SJuan.

 

Please somebody tell me something else good about this ship!

 

Thanks

[chesapeake2atlantic]

Hmmm. We sailed Valor in October and were delighted from start to finish--and we are rather picky. Sorry about your bad experience, but you are the exception, rather than the rule.

[pghsteelerfan]

We're thinking about sailing on the Valor in June.

 

Makes me think about reconsidering.

 

Aren't there other places to eat like the burrito bar, fish n chip place...

 

We've cruised twice on Disney, 3 times on RCI and were actually looking for a new experience on Carnival - particularly on the Valor out of SJuan.

 

Please somebody tell me something else good about this ship!

 

Thanks

 

Yes, I can tell you something good about Valor. We were on Valor in May 2013, also out of San Juan on the Southern Caribbean itinerary, and this was one of the best cruises we've ever been on and we've been on four Carnival cruises and one cruise on RCI. I did a review of our Valor cruise a few months after our cruise which you can see through my signature, and I included a lot of pictures of Valor (interior and exterior). I don't want to hijack this thread, but if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. I would love to do this same cruise again and on Valor.

Edited January 12, 2014 by pghsteelerfan

[pkkghfn]

"...The ship looks worn, with many seat cushions ripped or threadbare....

 

As for the food, it was disappointing...

 

The breakfast buffet was awful... Nothing, repeat, nothing was hot...

 

We would consider sailing Carnival again with the right itinerary and cost. But unless the Valor is completely overhauled it will not be on that ship.

 

 

These are a couple of items I'd like to get further feedback on:

 

1. The food on Valor - If anyone could please expound on the different food options available. For example, I've heard you can get eggs made to order somewhere on the ship. And what about the burrito/tex mex or the fish 'n chips place - how good are they?

 

2. I've seen pics of The Valor that looked like the ship is in pretty good shape. Last year we were on RCI's Allure and the year before on Freedom - both pretty well-kept ships but even on the Allure we saw some minor wear & tear. I guess I can't get a feel for the OP's description of the degree of wear & tear.

 

3. How well maintained are the cabins? The few pics I've seen also look pretty good.

 

4. Finally, I've heard that hand sanitizer is not emphasized. Is this true?

 

 

Thanks

[cocacola86]

I don't think you should reconsider just cause of what one person says, you have to make up your own mind. We're going on the Valor and what people write, doesn't discourage us in the least.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[jku2]

These are a couple of items I'd like to get further feedback on:

 

1. The food on Valor - If anyone could please expound on the different food options available. For example, I've heard you can get eggs made to order somewhere on the ship. And what about the burrito/tex mex or the fish 'n chips place - how good are they?

 

2. I've seen pics of The Valor that looked like the ship is in pretty good shape. Last year we were on RCI's Allure and the year before on Freedom - both pretty well-kept ships but even on the Allure we saw some minor wear & tear. I guess I can't get a feel for the OP's description of the degree of wear & tear.

 

3. How well maintained are the cabins? The few pics I've seen also look pretty good.

 

4. Finally, I've heard that hand sanitizer is not emphasized. Is this true?

 

 

Thanks

 

You can have omelets made to order.

 

There is hand sanitizer available at all dining room entrances. It is in the restrooms.

I was happy we weren't chased down like children by washy washy people

[pkkghfn]

I don't think you should reconsider just cause of what one person says, you have to make up your own mind. We're going on the Valor and what people write, doesn't discourage us in the least.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

 

Agreed, and we won't.

 

I'll continue to read reviews and talk to people. In fact, I just finished an absolutely 'delicious' review by a lady named GAPearl who sailed the Valor last March. Lots of nice pics of the ship and looks like she had a GREAT time.

 

Thanks.

[NW Native1]

We're thinking about sailing on the Valor in June.

 

Makes me think about reconsidering.

 

Aren't there other places to eat like the burrito bar, fish n chip place...

 

We've cruised twice on Disney, 3 times on RCI and were actually looking for a new experience on Carnival - particularly on the Valor out of SJuan.

 

Please somebody tell me something else good about this ship!

 

Thanks

 

I sailed solo on the Valor out of San Juan last September and had a great time.

 

There is a burrito bar and a fish and chips venue. Breakfast is hit and miss on the food being hot. But I am mainly a toast and fruit (and lots of coffee) type of breakfast person.

 

Also I had absolutely no issues with my room steward. I met him on the first day and asked for the ice bucket to filled each night - it was done without fail each night. The room was also kept very clean.

 

I would definitely recommend the Valor out of San Juan.

[rs12065]

Hmmm. We sailed Valor in October and were delighted from start to finish--and we are rather picky. Sorry about your bad experience, but you are the exception, rather than the rule.

 

Telling someone that they "are the exception, rather than the rule" is like someone stating "I am being completely objective" about something. Unless facts are given everything is subjective, and likewise stating" that someones opinion is the exception is just not based on fact either.

 

I have given my "opinion" of the Valor and I am glad others have had a different, more pleasant experience. I also hope anyone else choosing the Valor has a wonderful experience.

 

However, contrary to what another poster has stated, many of the hand sanitizing stations were not operating properly, and someone stating that they had no problem with their cabin steward smacks of doubting our experience. There are scores of cabin stewards on each ship. We just happened to get an awful one. Luck of the draw.

 

I had stated that we had a wonderful cruise. However, there appears to be a cadre of fellow cruisers who feel that since they did not experience or notice any drawbacks to the ship that anyone stating such is "the exception".

[pkkghfn]

Telling someone that they "are the exception, rather than the rule" is like someone stating "I am being completely objective" about something. Unless facts are given everything is subjective, and likewise stating" that someones opinion is the exception is just not based on fact either.

 

I have given my "opinion" of the Valor and I am glad others have had a different, more pleasant experience. I also hope anyone else choosing the Valor has a wonderful experience.

 

However, contrary to what another poster has stated, many of the hand sanitizing stations were not operating properly, and someone stating that they had no problem with their cabin steward smacks of doubting our experience. There are scores of cabin stewards on each ship. We just happened to get an awful one. Luck of the draw.

 

I had stated that we had a wonderful cruise. However, there appears to be a cadre of fellow cruisers who feel that since they did not experience or notice any drawbacks to the ship that anyone stating such is "the exception".

 

 

Definitely not trying to 'stir the pot' here between those who did/didn't have a good experience. Just trying to get info.

 

I do realize people can have good/bad 'experiences' while 'experiencing' the 'same experience' (was that too many 'experiences' in one sentence).

 

We've been or RCI's Oasis, Freedom (our favorite so far) & Allure the last 3 years and although things were not perfect on any of them (a cold egg, a long line, a crowded pool area, a crew member who didn't speak, a stain on the carpet, a table not immediately bussed, a piece of meat that was tough or flavorless here & there) WE HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVES all 3 times!

 

I will say that the more I look into The Valor, the more I like it. I have a son who will be going to West Point a few days after our scheduled cruise time and we want his experience to be different and fun for all our party, but especially him. He wants to minor in Spanish so I think spending time before/after the cruise in SJuan will be great as well.

 

Even w/o all the 2.0 upgrades (somehow, Valor seems to have some of them already - Comedy Club, Serenity...), there seems to be enough variety of things to do.

 

We're also looking forward to visiting some new ports - we've only been to St Thomas & St Maarten on Valor's itinerary.

 

Can anyone comment about the Shows (my mom loves the main stage shows), Casino (how big, tight/loose slots, overall atmosphere), The Steakhouse (funny, I've heard everything from okay to the best at sea!) or anything else you care to share.

 

Thanks again!

[halos]

As many posters have said in the past, a cruise is mainly what you make of it, and we had a blast. .

 

I understand. Having had a good time on all my CCL cruises....it's the fact that I actually HAD to look over things that began to be the problem.

[asumatty]

I have given my "opinion" of the Valor and I am glad others have had a different, more pleasant experience. I also hope anyone else choosing the Valor has a wonderful experience.

 

Having also recently (August 2013) cruised on the Valor, I too had a wonderful time and would consider this an excellent itinerary and trip. The OP simply gave their opinion on their "view" of the experience. Their negative experiences clearly did not disrupt their "fun" level. We, too, has negative experiences while on board. For instance we had a Lido Interior room and the AC was functioning marginally at best. 76 degrees was their acceptable temperature. After having two maintenance visits and one "warm" night of sleep, we got a fan from our steward and helped the situation. Did it take away from sipping a cold drink on the beach at Magens Bay? NO WAY....but I venture to guess that if we dream of having a "Perfect" vacation we are not accepting reality.

 

Thanks to the OP for their views and opinions, that is the reason we all come to sites like these. In spite of some similar issues we experienced, i still would highly recommend this ship/itinerary to anyone.

[chesapeake2atlantic]

Telling someone that they "are the exception, rather than the rule" is like someone stating "I am being completely objective" about something. Unless facts are given everything is subjective, and likewise stating" that someones opinion is the exception is just not based on fact either.

 

I do not doubt you had a bad experience and I'm sorry to hear it. It happens, and not to a few people, yet bad experiences are not the norm for Carnival or any cruise line. That much is objectively true.

 

Also true is this: (a) Carnival hosts hundreds of thousands of passengers every single year, (b) a certain small percentage of passengers on any cruise line will have a bad experience, and © given the massive size of Carnival passengers in the aggregate, the total number of people who had bad experiences is large. If one makes inferences from these large numbers of statistical outliers (e.g., people with bad experiences), one might conclude that Carnival is a bad cruise line, when that is not objectively true--based on customer satisfaction surveys and repeat business. Outliers tend to be vocal and for very understandable reasons, but most Carnival customers do not have a terrible time, not even close.

 

I hope your next cruise is exceptionally fun.

Edited January 13, 2014 by chesapeake2atlantic

[gracie65]

We have decided to go on The Valor again after having what I think was a off week with the dining room in 2008. We ended up eating in the Steakhouse 3 times (we are also addicted to the Lobster Bisque)LOL. I think this will be my 15th Carnival cruise and in all those we had great food in the MDR except on this sailing and on The Fascination last year. Unfortunately, there are going to be times when there are off weeks. We still had a great time and are looking forward to giving her another try!!

[bolk]

We have also been on the Valor and loved it, food is good not great, but compared to the overcrowed Dream, it was wonderful,

[Carolin]

Sorry you had issues on your cruise. Since this particular cruise is so port intensive, you probably did not have much opportunity to have breakfast in the main dining room. I eat there whenever I get the opportunity. :)

 

The Jumbotron has always been a turn off for me. I head to other parts of the ship to avoid it when I can.

 

Agree with you on getting around on this class of ships. its a pain. I've learned a few tricks over the years to make it easier.

[rs12065]

I do not doubt you had a bad experience and I'm sorry to hear it. It happens, and not to a few people, yet bad experiences are not the norm for Carnival or any cruise line. That much is objectively true.

 

Also true is this: (a) Carnival hosts hundreds of thousands of passengers every single year, (b) a certain small percentage of passengers on any cruise line will have a bad experience, and © given the massive size of Carnival passengers in the aggregate, the total number of people who had bad experiences is large. If one makes inferences from these large numbers of statistical outliers (e.g., people with bad experiences), one might conclude that Carnival is a bad cruise line, when that is not objectively true--based on customer satisfaction surveys and repeat business. Outliers tend to be vocal and for very understandable reasons, but most Carnival customers do not have a terrible time, not even close.

 

I hope your next cruise is exceptionally fun.

 

Not only did I not say that I had a bad experience, I actually said that we had a blast. I was just giving our opinion of the the ship itself. Why do people actually not fully read and comprehend a post before replying? It was a fantastic experience but a less than desirable ship which did not impact the cruise one bit.

[ScottsSweetie]

DH and I sailed on the Valor in December. Here are a few thoughts:

 

* Had no issues with our steward. Met him on the first day; rarely saw him afterwards. Kept our ice bucket and our personal cooler filled.

 

*Ran across one hand sanitizer that was empty - I notified someone.

 

*Went into one public restroom that was absolutely TRASHED. Again, I notified someone. (Would love to know how many times people run across something, but just run here to complain instead of notifying someone who can rectify the situation.)

 

*I am not a fan of the jumbotron during the daytime, but would probably enjoy watching a movie under the stars (we did not do so on our trip).

 

*I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of chair hogging.

 

*Also noticed that often, one side of the buffet would be closed down, forcing the line on the other side to be very long.

 

*You can have eggs cooked any way at the omelet station if you don't want to eat the eggs at the buffet (also can order egg whites).

 

I am always amazed by people who, in their reviews, write how difficult the ship is to navigate because the dining rooms and galleys are in the way. :confused: Isn't it this way on every single ship on every single line?? This just doesn't make sense to me. My personal fix to that is that I always travel across the ship on Promenade - it goes the length of the ship and there are always things to see/hear/do (good people watching spot!).

 

DH and I decided that this cruise probably rates in our top 3 or so - based on a combination of ports / ship. We loved that we could find a lounger whenever we wanted; loved the sports bar / Thirsty Frog on draft; had great tablemates / wait staff / room steward; and just had no major complaints to speak of. Would definitely do this cruise again!

[rs12065]

Never had an issue with the dining rooms obstructing passage on any ship other than the Glory and the Valor. So, no, this isn't the way it is with any RCCL, Princess or Celebrity ships we have been on. The main dining rooms either were aft or had hallways around them.

 

Also, with the buffet partially closed the only open omelet stations had long lines

 

I am glad other posters had satisfactory service with their stewards. On this cruise we did not

[chesapeake2atlantic]

Not only did I not say that I had a bad experience, I actually said that we had a blast. I was just giving our opinion of the the ship itself. Why do people actually not fully read and comprehend a post before replying? It was a fantastic experience but a less than desirable ship which did not impact the cruise one bit.

 

Yes, I read your entire comment. While you did say you had "a wonderful cruise" and "a blast," your OP is filled with one complaint after another, which to me suggested, in toto, a less-than-wonderful experience. Frankly, I'm glad you had a wonderful time, but here is a summary of your grievances:

 

• the smell of cigarette smoke was inescapable
  
• our beds were not a king as requested
  
• our cabin steward argued with me
  
• it took two more calls ... the problem was resolved many hours later.
  
• the steward never introduced himself and in fact I only saw him twice all week.
  
• he did not replace drinking glasses or pool towels on one occasion. Again, had to call to get new pool towels.
  
• I purposely left a new roll of paper and a newly opened box of tissues on the bathroom counter to see if the steward would put the toilet paper on the roll and the tissues into the tissue holder. Nope, had to do it myself.
  
• The safe in the room is one of the older types which require a swipe of a credit card or some similar card with a magnetic stripe.
  
• The ship looks worn, with many seat cushions ripped or threadbare.
  
• It is an annoyingly difficult ship to navigate.
  
• As for the food, it was disappointing. Beef dishes were tasteless and food was either over or undercooked and often not hot.
  
• Waiter service was uneven at best.
  
• The breakfast was awful...inedible scrambled "eggs" and over cooked
  
• Nothing, repeat, nothing was hot.
  
• long lines at the rest of the buffet area and the omelet station.
  
• (this was the worst of any cruise I have ever taken)
  
• Pool area had some good and some terrible points.
  
• The biggest issue was the damn Jumbotron.
  
• that damn Jumbotron made conversations on the pool deck area impossible.
  
• in the morning were forced to listen to the most annoying CD ever
  
• There was no escaping it, even in the so-called Serenity area.
  
• the circa 1980s style TV in the cabins
  

Again, I am delighted you had such a splendid cruise, and I am sorry your experience on Valor was less than ideal. I hope your next cruise is amazing.

Edited January 14, 2014 by chesapeake2atlantic

[buttrfly78]

Just got off Valor Sunday and there was hand sanitizer everywhere but mostly just up against the wall. Different from what I am accustom to with Royal Carribean where at the dining rooms they have sanitizer front and center with someone there to "remind" those that pass it up. As a food microbiologist, I appreciate the practice Royal has in place. On carnival I rarely, if ever, saw anyone use the sanitizer. Because of this, I made a point to avoid the buffet most days. I mostly ordered room service and occasionally ate at the deli or burrito bar. I understand that we are exposed to billions of germs every day and we cannot live in a bubble, but I like to minimize the risk of food borne illnesses as much as possible when traveling. I can't (and do not want to) imagine what it would be like to be sick with Noro or a bacterial infection on a cruise ship.

 

All that said, I LOVED this cruise!

[pkkghfn]

Hand sanitizer is not the cure-all but it sure helps. Kinda wished they emphasized it a little more like on Royal where they verbally remind you and on Disney where they will actually squirt it in your hand (or at least they used to). Oh well, enough said about that.

 

So, what did you like about the Valor? We have really zeroed in on this ship as our likely next cruise. As one RCI cruiser to another, I'm interested in the different venues on the ship, the food, and what Carnival is famous for, the FUN!

 

Glad you had a good time!

Edited January 15, 2014 by pkkghfn
added hand sanitizer stuff

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

On our DCL in April, they had the sanitary patrol out, even at the private island buffet, with a container of hand wipies and tagged you before you get there (same for MdR). One CM I spoke to said she sometimes insists on a rewipe, particularly with some of the youngsters...

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Forums mobile app

Edited January 15, 2014 by TwinPrincessMermaids

[Aplmac]

Not only did I not say that I had a bad experience, I actually said that we had a blast.

I was just giving our opinion of the the ship itself. ===> Ship Inspection time!

 

It was a fantastic experience but a less than desirable ship which did not impact the cruise one bit.

So you had a blast and it was a fantastic experience

but still you had to pick pick at every little imperfection -in this imperfect world we live in. :D

 

You are so funny!

 

_____________________________________

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Be warned. Carnival Valor is imperfect and you should be cruising on far loftier cruiselines.

 

Crystal, Silversea and Regency Seven Seas await your custom.

The prices are much the same, you'll see.

Book now. Operators are standing by.

Have your credit card ready! :D

.