bgmtrans Posted September 7, 2006 #1 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I am in dire need of some good advice from my fellow CC members.. I have a big decision to make in a big hurry. We had a cruise originally booked on Carnival Valor for this past April.We had to change the date to December .For reasons that are too lengthy to go into in detail ,except to say that our TA made a very big mistake ,we lost our deposit for the first cruise.We contacted Research at Carnival immediately and were advised to write a letter and explain our situation.We did we were denied any compensation. We followed this up for months and months. we were getting nowhere fast and finally decided to book an alternate cruise with RCI - who is our favorite line anyway but had thought we might give Carnival a try this time we went through alot of trouble and many questions on the board *thank you Bonnie Voyager* and finally ended up with our drem cabin corner aft balcony 7688. So we were happy now. I was getting ready to cancel our Valor cruise and decided to call research one last time to make sure there was no further update .This time I am put through to the supervisor . The supervisor at Carnival re evaluates our case and decides to honor our request of a full credit of our deposit to be applied to our DEC cruise.This is four days before our final payment is due. Now we have to decide ..Navigator or Valor? It will in the end cost us $1175 more to go on the Navigator... I am torn here .My kids are really looking forward to the Navigator -great ship , great activities and the great cabins(my oldest daughter has her own cabin)...but on the other hand Carnival has been nice enough to offer us a full credit of our lost money , even though it did take 6 months to get it. Plus Valor goes to places we have never been before.. Any advice will be greatly appreciated..especially from anyone who has been on both Is the Navigator really worth $1175 more than the Valor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimplyAddicted Posted September 7, 2006 #2 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Personally, I would take the credit for the Carnival December cruise. You can always book one for the RCI ship at another time. That way, you don't lose any $ and it gives you another excuse to go on a cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingator2 Posted September 7, 2006 #3 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Sounds like you answered your own question. Saving money and going to places that you have not been. It really comes down to what is important to you. For me I would take the Navigator as I love this ship plus IMHO the Conquest class is one of the worst designed ships sailing today and the Valor is part of this class. To me my vacation time is important to me and I want to enjoy it so I go with what will make me happy more than looking at price. Have a great cruise whichever ship you pick.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lknight27 Posted September 7, 2006 #4 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Personally, I would take the credit for the Carnival December cruise. You can always book one for the RCI ship at another time. That way, you don't lose any $ and it gives you another excuse to go on a cruise! Yep, I totally agree . . . I would take the carnival cruise and put the extra money as a deposit on a Navigator cruise for next year, preferably during an inexpensive week. That way you can do both cruises, and therefore if your experience on Valor is not up to par, you always have the cruise on NOS to look forward too! :) Plus being that you are going to ports you haven't been to before, if the ship is not to your liking, you can spend most of your time off it and at the Ports, but I am sure you'll have a nice time either way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted September 7, 2006 #5 Share Posted September 7, 2006 I guess it depends on what value you place on that money! I think it's alot of $$ to lose! You were prepared to sail Valor--now you can, and that money won't be wasted. Navigator isn't going anywhere--you can always sail her next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaK Posted September 7, 2006 #6 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Sounds like you answered your own question. Saving money and going to places that you have not been. It really comes down to what is important to you. For me I would take the Navigator as I love this ship plus IMHO the Conquest class is one of the worst designed ships sailing today and the Valor is part of this class. To me my vacation time is important to me and I want to enjoy it so I go with what will make me happy more than looking at price. Have a great cruise whichever ship you pick.:) I totally agree. Personally, I wouldn't sail on Carnival again if it were free. The service is atrocious, the layouts of the ships are very awkward, and the space to passenger ratio is too low (so the ship seems much more crowded) while the crew to passenger ratio is too high to provide individualized attention. Sometimes you get what you pay for, and Navigator is worth every penny more. There is simply no comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue L Posted September 7, 2006 #7 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Actually the Valor was a wonderful ship with a great crew and DEFINITELY the best of our Carnival cruises. The food was great and the ports were great. Save the money and it will pay for most if not all your excursions. I will say that I have never been on the Navigator so I can't compare.You wanted to experience another line...so go for it!!! Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbie0253 Posted September 7, 2006 #8 Share Posted September 7, 2006 If it were me..... I would do the Navigator and then see if they can apply your Carnival deposit to a Carnival cruise for a later date. :confused: I did the Inspiration in 2000 and wasn't impressed with Carnival. I would be trying to do a short cruise on Carnival so I wouldn't lose that money if possible. The Voyager Class ships are just amazing for someone who likes to be very active. We never sit still and these ships have so much to do you may need a vacation from vacation :) Whatever you decide I am sure your cruise will be great and you will be ready to book another one soon :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WrenchHeadCruiser Posted September 7, 2006 #9 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Having not sailed on the Navigator I can't comment on it, but I have sailed on the Valor twice and had a wonderful time on both cruises. A cruise is a product and a cruise line is a brand and like any other product or brand you will get people that love it, hate it or don't care either way. I for one will sail on any cruise line and I have never had a BAD cruise. Have things gone wrong? Of course (on all cruise lines I have sailed). Did I let them ruin my vacation? Never! The Valor can be hard to get around on the first day, but by day two you should know how to get around without it being awkward. I would recommend sailing on the Valor in Dec. and pushing the Navigator back to next year. This way you lose NO money, and you get TWO cruises. Good Luck and Happy Cruising Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisePRN Posted September 7, 2006 #10 Share Posted September 7, 2006 Is the Navigator really worth $1175 more than the Valor? I wouldn't consider sailing with carnival for a second time. I find RCL to be far superior and wouldn't go Carnival if I won a free cruise for her. So yes, it's worth $1175 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDiegoHeather Posted September 7, 2006 #11 Share Posted September 7, 2006 A couple of things: If you have a corner aft balcony, that could be worth the money right there. My husband and I had a corner aft on Celebrity Summit (Family Value cabin 8181) and we had to book it 1 1/2 years out on a Southern Caribbean itinerary and pay twice what a normal balcony cabin cost to get it. It was worth it but I wouldn't do it again - too expensive. You fought for months to get the refund - take it. It is money in hand. I went on Triumph in 1999 (same class and approximate age at the time) and had a great time. You can always book Navigator later (but may not be able to get the same cabin - I am not sure of yor situtation). If it were a Fantasy class I would say run fast. You can also explain to the carnival rep that finally helped you your situation and see if they will extend your refund for a future cruise. Heather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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