Review: Carinval Valor 10/30/05

[KShea]

Let me start by saying I had a great time. The weather was not that great but we didn’t let that stop us,

This was my first cruise with Carnival having cruised three times previously with Royal Caribbean.

 

Pre stay:

We stayed Saturday a day early in Miami at the Downtown Court Yard by Marriott. We used price line and paid around $60. The hotel was clean and close to the Port Miami.

 

Embarkation:

Got to the Port around 10:15 and were on the ship in around an hour. They had this desk right as soon as you came inside the terminal and they took our information and gave us our sign and sail cards. Very smooth….we went upstairs and waited for about 30 minutes standing near the reception desks. We were then brought further upstairs and sat down. Women explained that they were going to let us go on board shortly if we “promised” not to go to our staterooms yet as they would not be ready. 20-25 minutes later we were on our way up to the ship. We were photographed for your sign and sail cards waited 5 minutes and we were on board.

 

Cabin:

Our cabin was an outside CAT 6A on the Riviera Deck. This is the lowest passenger deck, deck one. Room # 1397. The room was a nice size and was designed very well. Plenty of room to store all of your belongings. The bathroom was also larger than I have seen.

Our room was right across from a pantry and was noisy at times. They were washing dishes and getting ice from that location.

I would also say that there was a lot of vibration in that room, to be honest though it didn’t bother us at all. But it was noticeable.

 

Dinning:

I thought the food was ok, it was presented well, but there wasn’t a big selection, and what was served was average in my opinion. I am not a picky eater by any means.

The deserts I thought were awful; I was not the only one who felt that way.

The wait staff, Felix and Narvin were fantastic. Couldn’t have asked for anyone better.

Rosie’s, the buffet was decorated in a 50’s style diner. I personally didn’t like the decor but it didn’t really matter all that much. The food there seemed typical of a buffet. Plenty of food and served hot.

They had a nice Fish and Chips area that was excellent as well as Oriental Cuisine. The deli was also a nice touch.

The hamburgers by the pool came in really handy. They were excellent along with all the fixens.

The pizza was ok; more like frozen but it didn’t stop me from having some almost every night...

We ate breakfast most days at the Washington dinning room. Every morning it seemed the wait staff just did not want to be there. It was to the point where sometimes it felt uncomfortable asking for anything. Wasn’t happy with the food either. The one day we ate at the buffet the food was fine though.

 

Entertainment:

 

I liked the entertainment; I thought the comedians were good as well as the hypnotist.

I did not see the 80’s revival but my wife said it was good.

 

The Ship:

 

The ship was spotless. I wasn’t thrilled with the décor of the ship but it didn’t bother me one way or the other. I thought the flow of the ship was not good. Seemed difficult to get from one area to the next. I guess I just think the Lincoln dinning room was in a bad spot. Had to go around it many times.

The elevators were great, never really seemed to be a wait.

 

The pool areas were ok. The aft pool had a removable roof which came in handy with the weather we had. The band, when they played were very good…but mentioned their cd for purchase after every song...lol.

 

Ports:

 

Grand Cayman – been there before, just got off went swimming and had a few beers….pain in the a** tendering as always.

 

Roatan Island – the weather was pretty bad but decided to get off any way. We found this shack/bar not far from the pier. We had a ton of beers and a little lunch. The weather got a little better and some fun with some of the locals. Fed a few stray dogs and bought an awful cigar...lol.

 

Belize – Man, did I feel like we got ripped off here. We weren’t going to get off the ship and at the last minute booked the trip to the “private Island”. It was $42 each. Wow…we took the SS Minnow (I actually enjoyed the ride) to the island, which by the way was very beautiful. The water was great…but that is where it ends…lol. We got there ALL of the chairs were already taken as well as most of the mats. You can’t leave for 4 hours. You had to pay for the food there as well…I had some dry chicken with beans and salad.

This was totally our fault, we didn’t check into it before we booked it. We should have known better.

 

Costa Maya – Weather wasn’t that great for this port. We got off late and didn’t book anything. My wife did some shopping and my sister and I had a few drinks. I can’t really say anything good or bad hear because we really didn’t go anywhere plus it was raining most of the time.

 

Disembarkation – Beautiful….that sums it up. We elected to take off our own luggage because we had an 11:02am flight out of Ft. Lauderdale. We were off the ship in less than 10 minutes. Had our limo waiting and made our flight in plenty of time.

 

Overall – We had a really good time. When I booked this I really didn’t care too much about the itinerary except for Cozumel. I would have liked to just stay on the ship and relax….we’ll….unfortunately the poor folks of Cozumel were struck by that hurricane. I didn’t prepare for the ports like I should have. I’m sure I would have a better time if I did.

I liked Royal Caribbean much better. Not that anything was bad here….it just seemed to me that RC was one step up on everything. Just about everyone we traveled with felt the same way. This was only my forth cruise and my first on Carnival so my experience is limited. One thing I have learned from these boards is take a sample of all reviews I read an not just one. I see that many people that have tried both Royal Caribbean and Carnival like Carnival much better. It all comes down to personal preference.

[BrendaB1]

I was on the same cruise and totally agree about the weather but we had a blast anyway.

 

I loved the ship. Still my favorite class of ships & in my opinion, very easy to get around. We had cabin #8348, three doors down from elevator. 1 floor below the pool on the Lido deck, 3 floors down to get to casino & clubs, and right at the entrance of our dining room. Must say, my best cabin location ever.

 

Our wait team was excellent as well. Gabrielle & Val were awesome & made dinner a fun experience every night. I agree about the food. Some things were better than others but not as good as it has been on previous cruises.

 

We stayed at Hyatt, also from Priceline & paid $55 for a very nice hotel. Bayside was within walking distance. No Metromover since we arrived right after the hurricane and city was still under curfew & some parts still without electricty.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. Best I have ever had. I also did self assist & was off the ship at 7:45. I highly recommend it if you can manage all your luggage alone.

 

I really missed Cozumel. Cruise somehow didn't feel complete without visiting my favorite port. First time to Roatan for me. Very poor country but we did find a beautiful, unspoiled beach called Fantasy Island.

 

I wouldn't hestitate to jump back on Valor and do it all over again but with better weather. :D

[KShea]

One other thing I forgot to mention...the price was also fantastic. This was the first time we were able to cruise "off" season and we only paid around $600pp including port charges and taxes for a CAT 6a outside....