Sailingsoonunderthemoon1

Excuse my ignorance. What does VOOM allow you to do?

Amazing review. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

Not sure which kind I have. It was from a travel agent when I booked my trip.

I pre-paid gratuities, purchased the beverage package, and was thinking of purchasing the discounted photo package. If I pre-pay all these expenses will I get any unused OBC back on my credit card at the end of the cruise? I have read things about going to the casino to withdraw the money and it sounded complicated.

i remember when booking my cruise selecting a table for four. Now I would like to change this to a larger table but can't find this option under "My Cruises". Is it possible to make this change before I board?

The way I read FNDR is that it starts at $15 per person, so the charge could be greater depending on which restaurant you are assigned (since it is 50% off the normal price). Can anyone confirm?

How much was the trike ride?

In St. Martin we did a tour with Bernard's Tours. Very enjoyable and I recommend it highly. We did the version without the beach break and found we had a little too much time in town. Maho beach was great. In St. Kitts we toured with Grey Excursions. Doing structured tours two days in a row was too much for me so I didn't enjoy it as thoroughly. In San Juan we just walked up to the fort and enjoyed strolling the streets on the way back to the boat. Grand Turk was a beach day - just walked off the ship and enjoyed.

Just returned yesterday from an 8 day cruise on the Valor. Am sharing my thoughts regarding our journey to help others who may be planning their trips.

We arrived at the pier about 1:45pm. There was zero wait at security or to get checked-in before entering the ship. Utilized the 40% off pier parking coupon received by staying at one of the associated hotels.

Our cabin was an extended aft room on the Verandah deck (8450). This was one of the two “special” cabins that have an extra wide balcony next to the Aft wraps on deck 8. While nice, the additional room wasn’t necessary though it did have two chaise lounges instead of just one on the regular aft-extended balconies. The ship was very rocky the first few nights. I’m not sure if this was the aft location, being on a higher deck than we normally travel, or just the weather pattern. Drawers in the cabin were actually opening and closing one of the evenings as the ship rocked back and forth. It was great having an empty fridge upon arrival to fill with the water bottles we’d ordered and the sodas we brought. We brought a battery operated fan but didn’t need it as the cabin was cool enough for sleeping. Neighbors on both sides of our balcony smoked continuously. At sail-away I noticed looking over the back of the ship that we may have been the only cabin without cigarettes in our hands. The “no smoking” rule on the balcony did not seem to apply to the aft-cabin clientele.

Your-time-dining was a new experience for us. It was nice having the option to eat at whatever time we wished, though the reality was that we found ourselves going every night at 5:45pm. At that time there wasn’t much of a wait (just the time it took to get people seated at tables). If we dined after 6:30, there was a wait of approximately 45 minutes to an hour. They do give you pagers so you can enjoy a drink at the bar while you wait.

Dining room service and food was different from what we’ve experienced on previous voyages. The servers were doing their best and were friendly and accommodating keeping us stocked with bread and water. They made an effort to use and remember our names. Food course delivery was incredibly slow. One evening we sat over an hour before our appetizers arrived. It was the norm to wait over 30 minutes to just place an order. The wait staff was very busy – it just didn’t seem to operate with the efficiency we’ve seen on previous cruises. Food itself was very different too. Food has always been a highlight of the cruise experience for me. I don’t expect five star dining, but expect Applebee’s/Olive Garden quality food. Looking back on 8 days of meals, I can’t think of a particular dish I’d recommend to others or wish to order again. The quality of the meat was poor, some of the dishes were tasteless, and by the end of the week we were joking that visiting our local Denny’s would be a nice change of pace. Fish selections seemed to be of better quality. Vegetable spring rolls as an appetizer were good. This was the first time I didn’t finish meals and left not completely satisfied. Wine bottles were priced $24 - $44 with a Barefoot Cabernet costing $25 in the dining room. It did surprise me that I was expected to pour my own wine rather than have the wait staff fill my glass. When I ordered lobster (for the additional $20 charge) it was delivered in the tail with no preparation rather than cut so I could easily remove it to eat. Dress on the ship was definitely casual. Shorts were then norm for gentleman in the dining room.

Overall buffets were lackluster. On sea days, there was no line for breakfast omelets if you arrived before 8am. Guys Burgers became the go-to lunch spot. Blue Iguana was good for both breakfast and lunch. Cleanliness at the buffet was questionable, though not by fault of Carnival. Twice I followed someone in the buffet line who dropped the serving utensil on the floor and put it back into the serving dish for someone else to use. A lady reached into the French toast to pick out her piece, moving several aside with her fingers. At the dessert station people routinely stuck their hands in the bowl of cookies to help themselves rather than using the tongs provided. The seating area in Rosie’s cafeteria area was always crowded. Heading upstairs to the 10th level by the fish & chips area was a nice respite.

Cabin service was twice per day and we were not asked to select a morning or evening option. The cabin steward did a good job remembering names and greeting us pleasantly in the hallway.

Room service had good free and pay options. PB&J, Grilled Cheese, Reuben’s, chocolate chip cookies/milk, and cheesecake were favorites on the free menu. Sweet potato fries ($2) were delicious and served in a basket big enough to share. We tipped the person who delivered the food $3 each time.

Daytime entertainment was primarily trivia and bingo. Evening entertainment was comedy shows (which were excellent), Carnival Legends, an Illusionist, a Juggler, and two song/dance shows. In-room entertainment was ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, TNT, TBS, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, and a daily kid movie and adult option (Taken 2, Crazy, Stupid Love, etc.)

There was nothing wrong with this cruise but there was nothing that stands out as being good or great. I did not enjoy this cruise as much as our previous Carnival cruises. I’ve always felt Carnival had a well-priced product that allowed me to cruise more frequently and have recommended this line to others. This time I felt disappointed and was left feeling that spending a little more money would have provided a better cruising experience.

This is fabulous. I look forward to reading your posts.

Does anyone know if cabin 8450 has any overhang from the Lido deck? Am booked in cabin 8450 and am hoping for a little shade sometime during the day.