New to Carnival - general and Valor specific questions

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Hi Carnival board!

I've been reading reviews and using the search feature and have had a lot of my questions answered.

 

I've only done a handful of cruises (DCL, Princess, NCL).  We have had to cancel three cruises in the last year as we had always booked way in advance for great deals, but then had things come up.  This time we've booked just six months out.

 

While I have done two Princess cruises, the kids and DH have only been on NCL and DCL.  We get that Valor has a little less to do (one slide, no ropes course, etc.), and I think we all have a good attitude about what the ship DOES offer.

 

Questions:

I heard in one vlog that neither the Lincoln or Washington dining room is open for lunch; is this true on embarkation day?  If so, are the only options for lunch quick service/counter?

 

If you don't have FTTF, when can you expect your stateroom to be available?

 

If I book an excursion through Carnival (usually do own excursions, but for distance reasons think we will do CCL for one day) do you usually have to meet up in a dining area, or theater, etc, before disembarking?  Might we be told just to meet on the pier?  We are on deck two and I'm wondering if we'd have to go up to be herded down.  Is it random?

 

We have set dining.  I am assuming (oops) that we will have the same table and servers each night?  [We prefer this.]

 

We plan to purchase Bubbles package (soda and juice).  Does that come with a tumbler?  If we have tumblers, will they use them at the bars?

 

I know I had other questions, but I suddenly can not remember them. 

 

TIA for your help!

 

 

 

[bakersdozen12]

Welcome to Carnival!

 

Correct, the MDR (main dining room) is not open for lunch on embarkation day. You can view the available food locations for your particular ship on Carnival’s website. Find your ship under Explore, and then you will see an option to view the food venues. 

 

Rooms are ready at 1:30. 

 

Where yiu meet for a Carnival excursion varies. We’ve met in the main theater, in the MDR, and on the dock. They will state where to meet on the tickets that will be left in your cabin prior to the excursion. 

 

Correct. With the set dining times you have the same table and servers every night. 

 

Not sure about Bubbles. I think at one point it came with something, but honestly, we’ve only purchased it once for my husband, and he didn’t get anything. 

 

 

[mexicobob]

We usually do private excursions but the Carnival ones we have taken were all excellent.  We met off the ship on all of them.

[Lottacruises]

They sell tumblers but will fill yours if you bring one. Are you going on Valor from Galveston? If so cozumel you can do on your own, progresso too. 

[Vacationdreamer<><]

12 minutes ago, Lottacruises said:

They sell tumblers but will fill yours if you bring one. Are you going on Valor from Galveston? If so cozumel you can do on your own, progresso too. 

 

Oh good!  We have tumblers from other trips.  This is helpful. 

 

 

It will be out of NOLA, but yes - same ports.  Thank you. 

 

I hesitate to go to Passion Island without a cruise sponsored excursion bc of the distance from port. In the past I’ve done Playa Mia and Nachi Cocum, but didn’t care for either. 

 

I’ve heard some say the “north coast” has softer sand so I’m willing to try it... 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Vacationdreamer<><

[slverstone]

2 hours ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

 

Oh good!  We have tumblers from other trips.  This is helpful. 

 

 

It will be out of NOLA, but yes - same ports.  Thank you. 

 

I hesitate to go to Passion Island without a cruise sponsored excursion bc of the distance from port. In the past I’ve done Playa Mia and Nachi Cocum, but didn’t care for either. 

 

I’ve heard some say the “north coast” has softer sand so I’m willing to try it... 🤷🏻‍♀️

 

 

I did passion island the last time we went to Cozumel and plan on doing it again this October. Totally worth it and we booked it they CCL 

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Both early dining and late dining are available for this cruise.  Can anyone advise if one is better than the other for managing to fit in evenings shows?

[Lottacruises]

Earlier is better for me. There are some trivia parties that happen right after the first show that you would miss with late dining. 

 

 

[Cruiseman38]

We always choose early dining.  Gives you the whole evening then to see shows or do whatever you want.

[Amyracecar]

For lunch on embarkation day, I think Valor is one of the ships that has a BBQ station on the floor above the buffet (go to the buffet and up the stairs in the middle). If history continues to repeat itself, new cruisers don't find this place for a while into the cruise, so it tends to be a bit quieter to have lunch there earlier in the week, and in particular at embarkation.  

[evandbob]

I've done late dining 7 times on the Valor, no problems with getting to any show after dinner.   

 

For lunch on embarkation, there is just the buffet and the bbq on the deck above the buffet rear section.  I think all your other questions have been answered.

 

If you want to avoid crowds on the 5th Ave promenade during photo sessions, you can use the 4th deck walk through and by pass the congestion.  To get to the casino or the theater, enter Winston's bar outside the MDR, take the right hallway down to the 2nd staircase, go up 1 flight and you are at the casino elevators and bars.  Just do the reverse if you want to go to the comedy club or piano bar from the ship's forward sections.

Edited February 13, 2019 by evandbob

[Vacationdreamer<><]

1 minute ago, Amyracecar said:

For lunch on embarkation day, I think Valor is one of the ships that has a BBQ station on the floor above the buffet (go to the buffet and up the stairs in the middle). If history continues to repeat itself, new cruisers don't find this place for a while into the cruise, so it tends to be a bit quieter to have lunch there earlier in the week, and in particular at embarkation.  

 

Awesome!  Thank you!!

[Vacationdreamer<><]

7 minutes ago, evandbob said:

I've done late dining 7 times on the Valor, no problems with getting to any show after dinner.   

 

For lunch on embarkation, there is just the buffet and the bbq on the deck above the buffet rear section.  I think all your other questions have been answered.

 

If you want to avoid crowds on the 5th Ave promenade during photo sessions, you can use the 4th deck walk through and by pass the congestion.  To get to the casino or the theater, enter Winston's bar, take the right hallway down to the 2nd staircase, go up 1 flight and you are at the casino elevators and bars.  Just do the reverse if you want to go to the comedy club or piano bar from the ship's forward sections.

 

Lots of good info. Thank you. 

Are you a frequent Valor cruiser?

Edited February 13, 2019 by Vacationdreamer<><

[Lottacruises]

5 hours ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

 

Lots of good info. Thank you. 

Are you a frequent Valor cruiser?

 

 

 I am, I have been on it close to 20 times. 

 

[Lottacruises]

6 hours ago, evandbob said:

I've done late dining 7 times on the Valor, no problems with getting to any show after dinner.   

 

For lunch on embarkation, there is just the buffet and the bbq on the deck above the buffet rear section.  I think all your other questions have been answered.

 

If you want to avoid crowds on the 5th Ave promenade during photo sessions, you can use the 4th deck walk through and by pass the congestion.  To get to the casino or the theater, enter Winston's bar outside the MDR, take the right hallway down to the 2nd staircase, go up 1 flight and you are at the casino elevators and bars.  Just do the reverse if you want to go to the comedy club or piano bar from the ship's forward sections.

 

The shows in the Ivanhoe theatre you can see with either late or early dining, true. The trivia party though after the first show of America rocks and after studio VIP are epic. If you have late dinner you will miss those. 

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by Lottacruises

[Lottacruises]

Guys burgers, blue iguana, pizza pirate, the deli, the Lido buffet, and the bbq place are all the free lunch options that will be available when you go onboard.

 

[Aplmac]

On 2/13/2019 at 8:14 AM, Lottacruises said:

Earlier is better for me.

There are some trivia parties that happen right after the first show

that you would miss with late dining.

.

Yes, that's right! And we've had some fun with them.

Usually held on the small bandstand right outside the Casino on Deck 5.

 

If it's a music-based quiz show, that Felipe Couto mad-child from Brasil

can be a lot of fun!   Carnival Valor trip.

 

 

 

 

 

[Aplmac]

You need more music-quiz fun after the early show??

 

 

[Aplmac]

On 2/13/2019 at 9:04 AM, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

Are you a frequent Valor cruiser?

.

Back when VALOR was assigned to the Southern Caribbean route

us cruisers who live on the island and can board at Barbados

took much advantage of this facility, and I've been on her three times.

We found it to be a friendly noticeably-happy ship where personnel all got along well.

Lovely ship!

.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

24 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

.

Back when VALOR was assigned to the Southern Caribbean route

us cruisers who live on the island and can board at Barbados

took much advantage of this facility, and I've been on her three times.

We found it to be a friendly noticeably-happy ship where personnel all got along well.

Lovely ship!

.

 

Wow - what a cool characteristic to be known by.  Happy personnel getting along sounds delightful. 

 

Im even more excited. 

 

Thank you also for the videos and photos.  It look like such a unique ship with such an uncommon theme. 

[Vacationdreamer<><]

Bumping my own thread for  few more questions... I hope this works out well!

 

We are just 31 days from Embarkation in NOLA. 

 

1.)  Can anyone give me some ideas of what is served in the Seafood Shack and what prices might be like?  My DDs 15 and 13 are huge seafood fans and I'd like to let them get lunch there a few times.

 

2.)  We definitely want to do Green Eggs and Ham breakfast.  Should we book that as soon as we board?  Later that evening?  Do we have to go to guest services to do this?  (I've seen guest services get log-jammed on Princess at embarkation.)

 

3.)  Any ideas on the costs of specialty coffees?  I can not find any reference to a specialty coffee card on the site.

 

4.)  Do you need to book seats for shows ahead of time?  How early do we need to queue for shows?  If we have early dinner is the later show less "family friendly"?

 

5.)  Do we need to specifically ask our steward for daily clean up?  We have four people in each of two adjoining rooms; we are very good at picking up after ourselves, but I think we will need toiletry exchanges, etc.

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

 

I'm getting excited.  It's just a little five nighter, but it was all the time we could squeeze in for a family vacation this summer (these older teens are SO busy!!).

 

THANK YOU

[trvlgirlmq]

19 hours ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

Bumping my own thread for  few more questions... I hope this works out well!

 

We are just 31 days from Embarkation in NOLA. 

 

1.)  Can anyone give me some ideas of what is served in the Seafood Shack and what prices might be like?  My DDs 15 and 13 are huge seafood fans and I'd like to let them get lunch there a few times.

• New England Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl $4.
• Lobster Roll $12.
• Lobster BLT $12.
• Crab Cake Sliders $8.
• Fish and Chips $6.
• Fried Seafood Platter (fish, shrimp, clams, calamari, and fries) $10.

Quote

 

2.)  We definitely want to do Green Eggs and Ham breakfast.  Should we book that as soon as we board?  Later that evening?  Do we have to go to guest services to do this?  (I've seen guest services get log-jammed on Princess at embarkation.)

 

3.)  Any ideas on the costs of specialty coffees?  I can not find any reference to a specialty coffee card on the site.

 

I believe they were in the $3-5 range.

Quote

 

4.)  Do you need to book seats for shows ahead of time?  How early do we need to queue for shows?  If we have early dinner is the later show less "family friendly"?

You do not need to book ahead, in fact you can't!  The show is the same production as early.

Quote

 

5.)  Do we need to specifically ask our steward for daily clean up?  We have four people in each of two adjoining rooms; we are very good at picking up after ourselves, but I think we will need toiletry exchanges, etc.

the steward will ask if you want morning or evening service.  You can specify one or as for both.

 

If you have never done an excursions in Progreso I can recommend either Uxmal or Dzibilchaltun with cenote swim..

Edited July 18, 2019 by trvlgirlmq

[Vacationdreamer<><]

@trvlgirlmq

 

Thank you. This is very helpful.  

[Organized Chaos]

19 hours ago, Vacationdreamer<>< said:

Bumping my own thread for  few more questions... I hope this works out well!

 

We are just 31 days from Embarkation in NOLA. 

 

1.)  Can anyone give me some ideas of what is served in the Seafood Shack and what prices might be like?  My DDs 15 and 13 are huge seafood fans and I'd like to let them get lunch there a few times.

 

4.)  Do you need to book seats for shows ahead of time?  How early do we need to queue for shows?  If we have early dinner is the later show less "family friendly"?

 

5.)  Do we need to specifically ask our steward for daily clean up?  We have four people in each of two adjoining rooms; we are very good at picking up after ourselves, but I think we will need toiletry exchanges, etc.

 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

 

I'm getting excited.  It's just a little five nighter, but it was all the time we could squeeze in for a family vacation this summer (these older teens are SO busy!!).

 

THANK YOU

 

1) Here's a link to the Seafood Shack menu. Prices range from $5 (for things like crab & shrimp) to $12 (lobster): https://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/explore/dining/menus/seafood-shack-menu.pdf

 

4) For shows like Playlist Production (music) and comedy shows, you don't book seats, it's a first come, first serve type seating. The Valor, which is a Conquest class ship, still has the bigger main theater, as opposed to the smaller ones on the Vista class ships. This helps when it comes to getting a good seat. It all depends on the popularity of the show. For these bigger theaters, you can often show up 15 minutes early and get a seat without a problem, but it might take a little trial & error to see how many people are lining up. If you wanted to arrive a half hour early, then you definitely shouldn't have a problem.

 

The Playlist Production shows are all family friendly, both the early and late shows. The comedy shows will have both PG (family friendly) and R (18+) shows and will be clearly marked in your Fun Times. Both are great, the comedy shows are almost always popular with passengers.

 

5) When you meet your steward on the first day, he'll ask you if you want day or evening service. He might even give you a little card to mark asking what you want. Be aware that you can still ask for BOTH. Technically, they're supposed to let passengers know that twice a day service is still an option, but many of them try to be sneaky and get passengers to pick only one because they're very busy. If you want twice a day, just let them know. It is definitely still an option, so don't feel bad asking for it. If you pick twice/day, the evening service will be turn-down and some freshening up of the cabin.

 

We've been on the Conquest and Glory, which are both Conquest class ships just like Valor. We really like those ships. We have one booked next March on the Horizon, but we're considering a shorter 5-day on Valor this winter. We've never left out of New Orleans and think it would be really fun cruising down the Mississippi for a while. We don't live too far from the Mississippi (farther north) and all we get to see around here are barges and smaller boats. We'd get a kick out of being on a cruise ship on the river.

Edited July 18, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[Organized Chaos]

These will be the Playlist Production shows on Valor:

 

America Rocks:

Get ready to rock with this explosive song and dance spectacle featuring hits from folks like Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Aerosmith, The J. Geils Band, The Cars, Pat Benatar and even Blondie. A live six-piece rock band amplifies the show.

 

Country Road:

Follow "The Ramsey Boys" as they head out on a country concert tour singing contemporary hits from artists that include Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Patsy Cline, Florida Georgia Line and others.

 

Studio VIP:

A musical tribute to the era of Studio 54 and Soul Train, this music-and-dance extravaganza showcases the glittery '70s with hits from KC and the Sunshine Band, Donna Summer, Barry White, Parliament and more. In a fun twist, a few lucky audience members are selected to join the singers and dancers on the big stage.