Carnival Valor vs Celebrity Summit Apr 2015

[wendymac]

Hi Fellow cruisers - I have only been on Carnival ships have never tried any other ones yet - next spring we are looking (all in our 50's) to take a Southern cruise out of San Juan and I was wondering what the difference is between the Valor and the Summit and if the price difference is worth it, although with the sales and perks Celebrity is offering it really closes the gap price wise - I have posted this on the Celebrity board as well to get opinions on these two ships. Thank you in advance for your help.:)

[Dirkgun]

We have sailed on Celebrity out of San Juan twice, also have sailed on the Carnival Victory (the ship that traded places with the Valor in mar 2013). I can offer the following opinions.... We enjoyed the Celebrity experience, but it was a little different than Carnival. The MDR is definitely a little more fancy on Celebrity (food is about the same). On formal nights there will be a lot more tuxes and gowns, they have a more strict dress code. However out of San Juan even Celebrity is more relaxed than they are normally. The ships clientele will be more international (European) and older than on Carnival.... so as 50 somethings you will feel like the younger side of the passengers :cool:. We traveled with our kids on our 2nd cruise out of San Juan (Galaxy in 2009) they were 18 and 15 at the time) they enjoyed the experience. I think either way you are fine. I personally like the Valors itinerary in fact we are doing this same itinerary again in Jan 2015. We also love San Juan and Puerto Rico so we spend extra time there. If you are interested in the itinerary you can glance at my reviews in my signature. I think both lines are great and do things in their niche great. We really like the more relaxed atmosphere of Carnival but would not hesitate to do Celebrity again. Whichever you decide.. Have a great cruise :D

Edited July 29, 2014 by Dirkgun

[wendymac]

Thank you so much I will check out your reviews! Cheers :) and enjoy your January cruise

[jenng1976]

Hi Fellow cruisers - I have only been on Carnival ships have never tried any other ones yet - next spring we are looking (all in our 50's) to take a Southern cruise out of San Juan and I was wondering what the difference is between the Valor and the Summit and if the price difference is worth it, although with the sales and perks Celebrity is offering it really closes the gap price wise - I have posted this on the Celebrity board as well to get opinions on these two ships. Thank you in advance for your help.:)

 

Is Celebrity offering the 1-2-3 Go for this sailing, where you could have the free drinks package? If you drink that would definitely influence my decision - be sure to factor it into the costs between the ships.

 

Personally, though I've never sailed on Celebrity, it's definitely a line I want to try! We are doing the Valor in Sept, but at that time of year it's the only option.

[MzOhioLady]

I have sailed on the Carnival Valor twice, once doing an Eastern Caribbean Cruise and one once doing a Western Caribbean Cruise. I have 9 cruises total with Carnival and one sailing on Celebrity Cruise Line on the Century. I have sailed out of San Juan 3 times total (Carnival 2 times and Princess Cruise Line once), all doing the Southern Caribbean. Here's some differences I noticed between the Carnival and Celebrity. Carnival is the funships and there's plenty to do to keep you occupied and having a good time. On Celebrity I was kinda bored once late dinner was over, mainly because there were limited things to do after 9 or 10 o'clock. However, on Celebrity the service is Top Notch, hands down. The average age of passengers on Celebrity was probably 57 and over (I went on Celebrity at the age of 39). The buffet on both lines are pretty much the same. The MDR on Celebrity is more upscale and yes, as someone else said, the people dress more in fine/elegant clothing and the men do wear their tuxedos. Also on Celebrity, while the few people I met were friendly, they weren't overly eager to mix and mingle with others. They sort of stuck to who they sailed with, which was a switch from the Carnival Passengers who I always strick up a conversation with total strangers and we have drinks together or are on an excursion and we chat-it-up while having a good time.

 

I don't think you'll go wrong going on either cruise line as they both were fun times just as on any of the cruise lines I've traveled with. It depends on if the things I've mentioned and how important or not to your liking.

Edited July 29, 2014 by MzOhioLady

[hirent]

The Valor was scheduled for the Funship 2.0 upgrade in 2014 but apparently they pulled it. I am seeing bookings now open till 2016. Don't know when they will have the new upgrades.

If you have already been on the Valor before, try something new.

 

Also, the Valor is docked in Old San Juan, very convenient all around (if it matters to you).

Edited July 29, 2014 by hirent

[stacyrn07]

We are scheduled to sail on the Valor in January. We sailed on the Summit last March. Although I can't compare (yet) I can tell you what I thought about the Summit. Celebrity was good overall, we got the 1-2-3 promotion and got the drink package, therefore we didn't spend anything really on board except gratuities. The ship is docked across from OSJ, so if you are staying there you would have to take a taxi around to the other side. It is a pretty quick ride. Same place where the RCCL ships dock, closer to the Sheraton with the casino/conference center. The ship was just OK, nothing impressive. Mostly middle aged group, we were definitely the youngest on the ship (30 y/o). The food was very good, never disappointed. The cruise is very port intensive so we really didn't spend a ton of time on the ship. Rooms were fine.

 

If you are a drinker it's definitely a good deal with the 1-2-3 package. In comparison, our Celebrity trip was 845pp for oceanview, CCL was 500pp for inside.

 

Happy cruising!