Mrkmbb

Here is the ice cream dispenser pic: https://cdn.cruisecritic.com/aW1hZ2VzL3VzZXItaW1hZ2VzLzViM2ZhZTMzNjhjY2U5MjcxNTAxMDkuanBn/eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTg4fQ/carnival-valor-carnival-115776.jpg

It was around midnight when we saw this and there were no crew around so no, I didn't report it. It remained that way for the duration of our cruise. That being said, we ate some of the ice cream anyway, so I guess I can't complain too much!

yes, I have pictures of the moldy ice cream but I'm not quick enough to figure out how to post them.

trolls. gotta love 'em!

Wow - how did you manage to get all those pictures without people in them? Everywhere we went on embarkation day was packed! Very nice.

I also have head/neck issues that make it important to have a pillow I can mush around for support. The pillows on Valor were ok -- not great, but I wasn't uncomfortable.

Trip Report

Mexico Cruise – 2018

Carnival Valor

I cruised from June 30-July 5, 2018 with a party of 12 people aged 10-80. Let me start by saying that my expectations for this cruise were low, and it turned out to be better than I thought it would be. If this is the cruise you can afford and it is convenient for you, by all means don’thesitate to go. We had a large group, and everyone had a pretty good time. NowI will pick apart a few things in hopes that Carnival takes some of thefeedback to heart. I hope what follows doesn’t seem too negative ordiscouraging, but here goes.

EMBARKATION was fairly smooth. I did not realize that the porters take your luggage at the curb, then they check it inside. I turned away the first couple of helpful gentlemen because I thought we could take it inside ourselves. I was confused about luggage allotment. Carnival states in several places that you are allowed ONE suitcase per person plus a carry on. I confirmed this in two separate phone calls before the cruise. When we got there, people had many more bags than thatand were not questioned or stopped at all. So I guess it’s true – their rules are just suggestions.

We arrived at the cruise terminal in Galveston a few minutes early, so they put us in the “early/late” line. From there until boarding the ship took about 15 minutes. The terminal is very sterile and warehouse-like, although staff were fairly friendly and helpful for the most part. Other cruises I’ve been on have had a party going on inside for those waiting to board with drinks, music, etc. This was not like that at all, but I guess that’s ok. There was a VERY angry guest who was shouting and throwing a fit over how many sodas he could bring on. The crew was very patient with him. Once on board, we were immediately in a crowd of people in the main lobby. There were no crew welcoming guests or directing traffic, so we just followed people onto elevators, most of which were reserved for the crew to use for luggage. Getting to our room took another 20 minutes or so.

OUR BALCONY CABIN(7347) was great - spacious with more storage than we needed. The bed was very comfortable and the fridge worked well if we kept the cabinet door propped open. We saw our steward only once – the first night. He kept things clean, but did not replace glasses that we took out of the room or give us the little pen/notepad that others had -small details. The only things that could have used a better cleaning were door frames and the inside of drawers which had a lot of dust and hair in them from previous guests. The hair dryer is fixed inside a drawer, andwhile not very strong it was fine for my hair. Toiletries provided include barsoap, body wash and shampoo (no conditioner or lotion). The water is HOT!!! We had trouble showering without getting scalded, which was really kind of dangerous as it would suddenly get even hotter while you were in there.

THE SHIP was fairly clean and well maintained, but it was really terrible to get around. There is a portion of deck 3 which you can’t go through, so you have to goup/down/around, then often the other rooms that you might walk through on neighboring decks were closed for one reason or another. We spent a ton of wasted time trying to get from one place to another, which was especially infuriating as I have a walking disability. Also, I was surprised that there is no observation lounge where one might relax and enjoy the view. While there are windows allalong the ship, most of the seating is arranged facing inward, so you forgot you were even on a boat. The public bathrooms are difficult to find and designed in a maddening way to create bottlenecks. I wonder if the designers of this ship have ever actually gone on a cruise. I would probably not cruise on the Valor again because of the dysfunctional design and layout.

The pools and hot tubs were tiny, crowded and…murky. We did not go near them. The Serenity deck was pleasant. The most comfortable lounge chairs were up there!

FOOD in the main dining room was pretty good, but nothing special. Our servers were very helpful, but clearly needed more support. They were frantically busy, and thenhad to stop in the middle of everything and dance which you could tell just made the situation worse. We felt bad for them, and tried to express our gratitude. I unfortunately need gluten free food, and while there were options available, everyone I spoke to had a different idea of what I could safely eat. One daythe creamed spinach was GF, and the next day I was told it wasn’t. I wish theywould create a list which they could have given me to explain what I could eatin the MDR and in the buffet and other restaurants, but there seemed to be no such coordinated effort (as there is on some other ships).

Scarlett’s Steakhouse was exceptional – food and service were amazing, and they gave us three bottles of complimentary wine! The Burger Joint was very popular and the food was good. Again, I had mixed messages regarding gluten. The buffet seemed average. The ice cream stations were nice in theory, however the dispensers were filthy. I have a pic of a moldy, disgusting dispenser that we were hesitant to use.

We were all very surprised that there was almost no food available after 9:00 pm – only pizza and moldy ice cream. We pre-ordered some bottled water which was a smart choice. We did not get any drink packages, and between my husband and I having wine with dinner and an occasional cocktail, we spent about $100 for the week. We did carry on some wine and sodas to have in our cabin.

My husband says the breakfast burritos are the best optionfor the morning, and don’t miss the mac and cheese in the MDR!!

ENTERTAINMENT was…ok. The fun crew didn’t seem to be having much fun, and we only went to the stage show on the first night because it was so painful to sit through. The piano player in the Lindy Hop bar was very talented, but seemed pretty fed up with his job. He was wearing shorts and a t-shirt with a ball cap on, andclearly was out of patience with his drunk patrons. Sorry entertainers – I know you’re trying, and this is not an easy gig.

The casino was super smoky (as usual), and there was a lack of blackjack tables that were not “fun blackjack” which we weren’t interested in. Video Poker machines seemed to be very “tight” and did not pay out much of anything. I did like the fact that you could charge to your account directly from the machine. P.S. – when we got money at the tables, there was a 3% fee added, but this did not seem to be thecase at a machine.

EXCURSIONS were booked through independent operators. This is a bit risky, and we did have a medical evacuation which changed our cruise route, but it all worked out. In Progresso we used Lawson’s tours and saw ruins, swam in a cenote, and ate at alocal family’s house. That meal was delicious, but it was cooked in a shack inher back yard. In retrospect, it was probably a bit dangerous, but no one got sick and we loved the experience.

In Cozumel, we went to Nachi Cocom beach club and it was wonderful. They limit the number of customers, so we practically had the placeto ourselves. They provided a full meal, which was pretty good, and there were unlimited drinks all day. The drinks were pretty weak, but that was probably agood thing. The beach was clean, and the water wonderful. I took a nice nap in ahammock, and never wanted to leave.

DEBARKATION was smooth. We had to be out of the room at 8:30 and hung out on the Lido deck until our group was called to leave at 10:00. Once in the terminal, we retrieved our luggage and one of the porters shepherded us through customs and we were out the door in short order.

IN SUMMARY – it was a pleasant enough cruise, although the party vibe on this trip is not exactly what I like anymore. I am in my mid-50s, and while I like a good wet-shirt contest as much as the next person, I guess my party animal days are past so I would opt for a more relaxing, elegant atmosphere.

I also was on this cruise and have submitted a review which I'll post separately. I read those same comments about the condition of the Valor, and for the most part did not find them accurate. It's not the most luxurious ship I've been on, but I did not see any areas of rust of shabbiness (except the ice cream dispenser!).

Just got back from Nachi Cocum and it was great. Limited amount of people, decent food, beautiful beach, hammocks. The drinks are kind of weak, but that's probably a good thing!

FYI - just got home. People took all sizes, shapes and amounts of luggage and no one questioned them. (we were sailing out of Galveston on the Valor). Also, I did not understand previously that the porters take your bags at the curb, then THEY take them inside.

Thanks for the advice, all. I guess you were right - Carnival's rules are just suggestions.

Hurray! Thanks, all.

I understand the Valor has stocked mini-bar units. If we ask our steward, will they remove the contents so we can keep our own beverages in there?

thanks!

I read this title quickly and read it as "Would I fit through the scanner?" :o That would have been a new question for sure.

Well now I'm curious about that!;p;p

Thanks, everybody. I agree that they probably allow more than is formally stated on the website. I'm going to try to get it all into two or three 14x24 suitcases, then carry on a duffel of sodas and wine. No one but me cares what I'm wearing anyway!

I thought the one carry-on-sized bag (checked) requirement seemed odd, but I just called Carnival and they said that's all you're allowed. We'll be re-wearing our dinner clothes, I guess.

I see that we only allowed one checked and one carry-on, each of which can be no larger than 16x24. That seems small for a 5-day cruise, especially if you bring any formal wear (we won't, but if we did our shoes would take up a whole bag).

Am I understanding the luggage rules correctly? Just one small suitcase per person? (plus carry-on which will have sodas, etc)

Can anyone comment on what toiletries are provided on the Valor, and whether or not they are reasonably decent? I imagine they give you soap and shampoo...

is there conditioner?

Lotion?

Hair dryer?

Also - I know we can bring on a 12-pack of sodas. Does the carton have to be sealed, or can we mix and match cans then tape it up?

Just trying to minimize what I haul with me.

Thanks!

How's the tap water onboard the Valor? Do we really need to buy bottled water, or can we get one bottle and refill it from the faucets?

Thanks!

Just an FYI - naming specific TA's is not allowed. But.......we also booked with the warehouse TA that has $1.50 hot dog combos and received a bottle of sparkling wine in our room as well. It was our 5th anniversary cruise but I don't think we notified them of it. It was left in the room unopened as we don't particularly care for it, not that it wasn't appreciated.

Sorry, I didn't know about that rule. Is there a way to change the post and remove it? I looked and couldn't see any "edit" button...

What is the "post-modern jukebox" ??? Are there now different piano bar performers in the "Billboard on Board" area and this new venue ??? Any photos of that area?

The woman who was playing in the piano bar had been there a while, but I think the guy is new. Sorry...I didn't get many photos in many of the ship's public spaces. I feel like I saw some on HAL's site, though.

The "Post-modern jukebox" is a show where they have a small band with three singers who sing modern songs in different styles. For instance, Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" sung like the Andrews' Sisters might have sung it...stuff like that. They perform it in a corner of the Ocean Bar, so it's not really a performance venue. That night the BB King's area was not being used, so I don't get why they didn't have it in there...

This is kind of long...peruse at your leisure. I "bolded" specific topics, so if you don't want to read the whole thing but are looking for something specific you might be able to just scan it and find what you're looking for.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Eurodam Cruise to Alaska – September 2-9, 2017

This was my first Alaska cruise and my first on Holland America. It was a fabulous week, and I would recommend it to anyone. Any criticisms listed below are nit-picking – nothing major, but I’ll mention our thoughts about how some things could be improved (in my opinion, anyway).

Embarkation -- couldn’t have gone any faster unless we RAN. Very organized and smooth. Our room (5065) was ready at 11:30, and from cab to cabin was about 20 minutes. There was a complimentary bottle of champagne from Costco who we booked through! I think they did this because we were celebrating our 25th anniversary.

The cabin was great – lots of storage, outlets, and room to walk around. The balcony was perfect, the bed comfortable (pillows need replacing, though). My one suggestion is to put a clock in the cabin! You can get the time by turning on the TV, but that doesn’t work if your partner is still sleeping. Since cell phones don’t work at sea, my usual “clock” was useless. I was worried about being on the deck right above the lifeboats, but it was fine. They are certainly RIGHT THERE below you, but you’re usually looking out at the sea, not down. We liked being on deck 5 because there was no pool or nightclub above or below us, and it provided easy access to the bow for Glacier Bay day. We were mid-ship, and felt it was the perfect spot. We did have one bit of excitement when we got locked out on our balcony! Fortunately, our neighbors were out and called rescue for us. The staff came immediately and fixed the broken door latch.

We explored the ship which is small as cruise ships go, which was perfect – I have a slight walking disability and could make it from bow to stern without too much trouble. One of the first things we came across was the Lido buffet. Now, I’m not a huge fan of buffets and this one was exactly what I expected – hectic, crowded, but the food was pretty good. Except the iced tea – yuck. Our favorite was actually the small pre-made salads in the “market” area – those were all delicious.

Next we came across the Spa and were offered a tour. I definitely wanted a day pass to the spa, but after this “tour”, stayed as far away as possible. The whole thing was an attempt to sell us ridiculously expensive treatments and products. We were repeatedly told that if we didn’t book a $249 pass for the week, we wouldn’t be allowed in as they ONLY allow 40 couples access for the week. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I did not appreciate the hard sell.

One of our favorite places to hang out was the Crow’s Nest. We loved the daily Trivia contest, made new friends and saw lots of whales surrounding the ship. There are plenty of nice places around the ship to sit and relax, read, stare out the windows, etc.

FOOD! The best we had was in the main dining room, and our server Augustino was wonderful. I have to eat gluten-free which is a nuisance for everyone. I had a lot of trouble with servers at the Lido and other venues, but Augstino knew what I needed and took good care of me (he also made me an origami crane one night, so I have a little crush on him). The GF buns at the “Dive-In” burger bar were great, but I never got to try the pizza. Breakfast service in the MDR was spotty…one server said there was nothing I could eat but eggs, but another brought me English muffins, pancakes and waffles!! One morning it took us 40 minutes to get our food, and beverage refills were hard to come by. In general, the servers were very friendly and helpful, but it would be good if they all got the same training re dietary restrictions. Actually, it would have been smarter to have a reserved table/server for every meal but we didn’t want to be tied down to that. P.S…why don’t they give you spoons on that ship?? You always have to ask for a spoon.

We went to all the specialty restaurants, and would probably not spend the money to do it again. Pinnacle was wonderful but really no better than what we had in the MDR, Tamarind was pretty good, and Canaletto was….very, very average – comparable to Dennys at home. Get the signature salmon and other fish dishes in the MDR!

Drinks – we did not purchase a drink package. We brought aboard one bottle of wine each, and four bottles of soda. We bought wine with dinner and white Russians in the casino at night. Also an occasional beer or soda. In total we spent around $150 on drinks, and the packages would have been around $800! I do wish there were “free” drink stations around the ship, not just in the chaotic Lido buffet area.

In-room dining – we got breakfast three times and it was always great.

Entertainment: All great, although we thought the comedian was offensive and his material dated and not funny. The magician was great, as were all the mainstage performers. The piano bar performers were very entertaining and talented, as were those in the “post-modern jukebox”. Re the latter…why don’t they do that in the BB King room? There was no room in the area to sit or stand, so we were forced to just orbit through and listen from the hallway around the corner. The BEST was the BB King Blues band – really incredible!! We were also brought to tears (good ones) by the Lincoln Center musicians rendition of Stairway to Heaven, and they happened to play several of my favorite classical and modern songs.

We were looking forward to the kitchen tour and waited in line for an hour. However, the “tour” was just a rapid jog through the kitchen with absolutely no information or explanation of anything. A big disappointment.

America’s Test Kitchen – love it. Their recipes and presentations are always fabulous. I've been a test baker for them and never had a bad experience with any of their recipes.

Augustino invited us to attend the crew show which was fun. Mostly we wanted to support him and the other crew who put on this late-night performance of song and dance from their native country.

Casino – I wish there’d been more Blackjack tables. I also wish I’d won more often. Sigh…

Shore Excursions: We booked through Costco. In Juneau we went rafting on Mendenhall lake and the river. It was rainy and cloudy, but we loved it. The rapids are mild and short-lived, so don’t be scared!

Sitka – we had a very nice guide, but the tour was just a drive around town. I wasn’t feeling great and barely remember anything notable except for the Fortress of the Bear which was kind of depressing. Sorry, Sitka.

Ketchikan – I wish we’d had more time here! We did the Totem Bight tour, which was great. Would have liked to do some shopping, but there was no time. Four people did not make it back to the ship – I hope they were okay. Maybe they just loved Ketchikan so much they live there now.

Glacier Bay - The absolute, life-changing highlight of the trip! We had a bright, sunny day and everywhere we looked was something amazing. The best views were from our balcony, but it was fun to be on the lido deck or the bow to share the experience with everyone else. We were lucky to see the Johns Hopkins Glacier in addition to the usual ones, and the whole day was just incredible. We took over 400 pictures on that day alone.

Victoria – we stayed on board as we have been to Victoria before and wanted a quiet evening and dinner at Pinnacle.

Wildlife – We saw whales every day as well as porpoises. Bears on the beach on day one! Eagles, otters, seals…all the cool animals you hope to see.

I’ve cruised on Princess and Carnival, and HAL is definitely a more “mature” crowd in general. Lots of walkers and wheelchairs in the aisles, but we met so many interesting people. Also, once you’re in your 50s, it’s nice to feel like the youngsters on the ship! (There were plenty of younger people and a few kids, too).

So, that’s it. I have 839 pictures, so let me know if there’s something you want to see!

I"m also just off the Eurodam and the best viewing of glaciers was from our balcony on the starboard side, mid-ship (5065). However it was great fun to be on the Lido deck or the bow - a very festive atmosphere of all of us sharing an incredible experience. The crew brought around blankets and cups of pea soup. We were fortunate to have bright, sunny weather.

We ate at all restaurants, and really thought the food in the MDR was the best we had. Canaletto was very...average. It reminded us of our local Dennys. Pinnacle was awesome and Tamarind was good, but nothing special. If I were doing it over, I wouldn't bother paying for the "specialty" restaurants.

I asked this same question recently and felt like it started a class war. ;)

We just got off the Eurodam and on Gala nights saw one man in a tux, most in slacks and dress shirts, maybe with a tie. We also saw some in jeans and t-shirts. Women were mostly in cocktail dresses. We ate in the Tamarind one night, and the MDR on the other.

Honestly, if I were packing again I would take one nice dress and wear it both nights. No one notices what you're wearing except you and whoever you may be traveling with.

Well, I love the lively discussion my question inspired. I personally love dressing up, however I have a disability that makes it impossible for me to wear anything but clunky, ugly shoes - Birkenstocks and tennis shoes or similar. So my dilemma is always what shoes can I stand to walk in, and that's the only thing that keeps me from taking a whole extra suitcase of sparkly, fancy clothes.

It sounds like if I can get around in my one pair of slightly dressier practical shoes, I'll be fine and my hubby can wear slacks and a dress shirt and tie. But if we decide to go all out and bring our gold lame and crown jewels, that will be fun too.

Hmmm...don't see any link or attachment here. I am interested in knowing the cost of a day-pass to the spa, though. The HAL site lists prices for individual treatments, but I might like to just get access to the pools, saunas, etc, without a treatment.

We have booked an excursion in Juneau for a Mendenhall Glacier Float Trip". Has anyone done that excursion recently? I'm just slightly nervous about what to expect...

How rough is the water? Are we likely to go in? (I assume not)

How wet will we get? Trying to figure out clothes...

I'm sure this will be fun, I'm just one of those people who wants to know what I'm getting into.

;p