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Quick review of my birthday cruise. Carnival Valor 10/2-10/6/2017


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We are frequent cruisers, we try to cruise twice a year and have done so the last two years. I booked a birthday cruise for myself right after we got back from our family cruise this summer. This year, I have 3 cruises on the books, we planned a short thanksgiving day cruise on the spur of the moment. If I could get my husband to agree, I would cruise again for Christmas.

 

This cruise did allow us to make platinum so there is a good reason to cruise again this year.

 

I will post reviews by day, and will try to post two days at once so I can finish before I cruise again.

 

My husband and I sailed on the carnival valor the week of October 2-6, 2017. This was my first time on the valor.

 

My birthday was October 2 which was that Monday. We had 1130 am checkin. We left home about 9am, got to the parking lot - ez cruise at 1020, I prescheduled parking, on the way to Galveston and saved 10.00 using a coupon code from my email. The shuttle picked us right up as soon as we parked and dropped us off at the terminal. We dropped our luggage at the porter and were directed into the terminal. They just glanced at our boarding passes. Once we got inside it was a really fast moving line to check our passports against the boarding cards and off we went to security and the scanners. Once past the scanners, we went to check our wine and sodas and then were given boarding group 8 and told to go wait. We waited a good 10 minutes and were called to go forward. The man checked my husbands passport against the scanner and then waved me forward with him. We were then on the ship. No more lines for sail and sign cards. They told us to go upstairs for lunch unless you were plat, diamond or FTTF, if either of those, you could go to your room. We were hungry and ready to eat. We went to guys burgers and found a seat in the inside area to enjoy lunch. We were sitting down eating at 1130am, fastest check in ever.

 

We sat and talked and people watched until 2pm then went to check on our room. We had cabin 2475, which was an aft facing ocean view . This cabin had no couch, it was only for 2 people, which was fine for us. My husband said it seemed small but it was good enough. We had the same storage as before the only thing missing was the couch. What is new for us is that the sail and sign cards were at the room, in the mailbox. They had our names on the envelope and the envelope was sealed, just like the ones you get from the bank with your PIN number, you have to tear off the sides to get into the envelope. There was a note that said if this is tampered with, please report to guest services.

 

The room was good for views of the wake as we are sailing. The only part that might concern someone is the fact that there is major rumbling and vibration as the ship is starting up and leaving port or coming into port. It is so loud and strong that you might thing something is happening to the cabin so it might scare you. We had a cabin close to this last cruise (carnival freedom, 2450 in June 2017) , so we knew what it was.

 

We got settled in, unpacked our bags, which arrived about 2pm and relaxed until the muster drill. This was a relaxing cruise, we didn't intend on doing much aside from relaxing and enjoying each other's company and moving around when and as we felt like.

 

Muster began about 330 and it was quick and then done. We went back to the room and relaxed again until it was almost dinner. We asked for and received any time dining for the first time so we got ready about 545 to go to dinner. We downloaded the hub app and this time, could see the menus on the app too, along with the other perks. We also got the value internet package so we could keep in touch with home. Our room steward introduced himself and I just ask that he keep ice in the cooler for our wine and sodas. We ordered water from the fun shops and brought two bottles of wine. We also brought about 12 sodas for the week. He asked if we wanted morning or eve service and after much debate, we settled on morning. He said he would be there between 8am and 1pm and did all week. We kept the sign on the door if we were sleeping in but he mostly cleaned the room while we were out for breakfast.

 

We walked around the ship to see where everything was located, it had rained since we took off so we walked around outside and went right back in. Our dining room was the Lincoln dining but the Washington dining room was directly above our cabin. We had brunch in the Washington dining room. The ship was smaller than what we were used to but it was easy to navigate. Pizza was an elevator ride directly up but even if you wanted to go to the other end of the ship, it was an easy, quick walk.

 

 

Once we got to the dining room , we went to the desk, asked for a table for two and were immediately seated. There were several tables for two all in a row and it was close but still not so close that you couldn't feel like you were eating alone. We enjoyed the dining room, made small talk with our neighbors for a little bit but then went back to our private conversations. Dinner was great as usual , we weren't super hungry so we just got grilled chicken and grilled pork chop and whatever sides came with it. We drank a lot of water and the waiters made sure our water pitcher was full.

 

We didn't find a good wait staff until the second night, and we stayed with them the rest of the week. Coming from late dining every cruise, with a designated crew each time, it was a change for us and we got used to it and actually enjoyed any time dining better than set late dining.

 

Once we finished dinner, it was still early so we walked around and ended up in the red frog pub to watch football. There was a band playing and they were really good. We had a few drinks, listened to the band and watched the game. Around 11pm, we left and went to the room, excited about the next day. The room was very comfortable, I packed a fan because of my personal summers, so I was glad to have the noise and the comfort of the cool breeze. The waves were very large that night and we slept very well between the crashing and the vibration. Next up, sea day. I love sea days !

 

 

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Day two.

Day 2

Day 2 of my birthday cruise on the carnival valor, October 3, 2017 . My husband and I slept in a little this day after a restful night. I got up and went to the track. I try to get to the track each day and absolutely love walking outside while at sea. It is a real treat to exercise once we are in port too , just a change of scenery.

Once I finished on the track I went back to the cabin to get my husband for brunch. Ever since we discovered brunch in the dining room, we never miss.

 

Before brunch we went to the atrium to the first responders reception. We signed the poster and talked a little bit. My husband is a first responder and after hurricane Harvey,it was good to get away from some of the after effects of the storm. The program was very short so off we went to brunch. This brunch is so much better for us than breakfast on the lido deck. We really enjoy the grilled pork chop, fresh fruit plate, omelettes, grits and Mac n cheese. Sometimes we eat the French toast or pancakes and the hash browns are really good too. After brunch, we went to deck 3 to relax and watch the ocean, a favorite activity of ours. I had plans to attend the cooking demonstration and didn't want to be late. I left to head to the steakhouse at 1130 and glad I did. The cooking demonstration was full about 1145 and started right at noon. The demo started out with an introduction of the head chef and about 6 other chefs that work with him. There was a lady announcing the activities as they were happening. The chef prepared mushroom soup, bacon and blue cheese salad , chicken breast with potatoes and Mac and cheese, for dessert, they made a mousse of tiramisu also. As they prepared each item, there were samples passed out and when I tell you the food was delicious. I hate the fact that I had just finished breakfast. The samples could have been a whole meal for someone who had not eaten. We got all of the recipes except the Mac n cheese, which makes me sad because the Mac and cheese was divine. I left the demo very satisfied . We then went back to the cabin and read, watched tv and relaxed to enjoy the day.

Since we had any time dining, we were able to have more control over the activities we participated in. We really like going to the dining room and go most nights so we usually choose dining over any shows. Before we went, I was able to go to the gym/spa and shower and sit in the steam room. I absolutely love getting dressed in the spacious showers and bathroom in the gym as opposed to the cabin so I mostly do this each evening. It was elegant night but we didn't dress up like we normally do, I just wore a cocktail dress and my husband wore a suit. Since we were on a five day cruise no lobster tails. We still saw the menu and found what we would enjoy. We asked for a table for two and got a great table right in front of the window. We were in Kadek's section ( Kadek, Mohamed,Wanwipa and Monika was the bar waiter and he and team took great care of us the rest of the cruise. That night, we had scallops, shrimp and potatoes (huge shrimp), my husband had roasted duck, grilled sea bass and for dessert, he had melting chocolate cake and I had the fruit plate (every night). For appetizer, my husband got the shrimp cocktail. The dinner got rave reviews each night, everything was fresh and we usually got a variety of things to eat. If there is ever a night that we can't find something, we will order a flat iron steak and grilled pork chop. Also the grilled chicken breast is good on the dinner menu too. We took a few pictures on the promenade deck and went to the casino until it was time for the comedy show. We made sure we were early to the late comedy show as there is usually a line to get in. We got there in time to get good seats. We ordered drinks and settled in. We will usually go back to the cabin and change clothes /shoes from dinner and get a glass of wine then go enjoy the rest of our activities. The comedy show was ok, we actually sat through two different comedians. We left the show around midnight and went back to the cabin. The ship was very rocky as we were near land, so we got settled in the room and watched tv and slept.

 

 

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Day 3 Cozumel

We arrived in Cozumel and it was bright and sunny. I went upstairs to the track and was able to get in a good workout. As I finished my workout I saw the carnival victory off in the distance. I stayed and watched the ship come into port. Watching this and the pilot boat was so cool. Once it was done I went back down and got changed and my husband and I came back up to eat. Since we slept in a little we hung out until right at noon when the lunch lines opened. We have been to Cozumel many times so we were not in a rush to get off the ship. For lunch, I had tacos from blue iguana (pork and fish tacos) and they had the best salsa bar. My husband had jerk chicken from the lido buffet. They had a full Jamaican spread, plantains, jerk chicken, pepper pot, etc . My husband said the chicken was very good and fresh. We went to the room to grab our bags and got off the ship. Soon as we got off, it started to rain, but we are used to this so we went to a couple of stores to look around and it stopped. We stayed off the ship a couple of hours, bought a few things then went back. We got back and the room steward delivered my drink coupon for being gold and my bottle of water, but didn't bring one for my husband and he should get one too. I asked him about it a couple of times but let it go, we have always cruised together so he is the same level as me but for some reason, they didn't have his gifts listed. One of the band members talked to us on my birthday while on her break. She sent us a tray of strawberries and champagne to our room which was a super nice gesture. We went to dinner and asked for our same wait staff and got a table for two. We had another nice meal, I had the meatballs and they were very good. We left dinner and went to the love and marriage show. The show was so fun and crazy and we really enjoyed it. After the show we went to the deck party which was moved to the nightclub due to the weather. It was extremely choppy again that evening. It was very noticeable and they had the barf bags out in the elevator lobby for those that needed it. I have never been queasy on a cruise but got a little queasy this time. We had a good time in the nightclub but there was really no deck party. The cd and crew came in but they were gone shortly after getting there. We stayed anyway. After we left there we went to look at the pictures we took. We ended up getting one photo, a canvas, a 5x7 and another carnival frame with picture of the ship and a free luggage tag with shutterfly. It was a total of 66 which is what we normally spend on pictures alone. I have one of the tags from shutterfly and really like it so I will get another.

 

Day 4 progreso

We got to progreso and had another sunny day. We didn't have anything planned so we got up and went to breakfast. We ate at the lido deck, omelettes, bacon, sausage and fruit. It was a really good breakfast. We got off the ship to walk around for about an hour and came back. We stayed in the room most of the day because it started to rain. It rained most of the evening and was still very choppy out. We planned to not go to the dining room as we usually do at least one night of the cruise. We ate on the lido deck, they had the same menu that was being served in the mdr so we were happy. After dinner, we went back to the red frog pub to watch more football, and listen to the band. It was really low key night because the ship was so rocky. We had some samples from the taste bar , the short rib croquettes and pumpkin soup were being served. My husband also got the chocolate cake from the coffee shop and he really enjoyed it.

 

Day 5 final sea day

I dread this day each cruise, actually dread the day we leave even worse. I try to cram every ounce of ship life into the day and want to relax and enjoy the ship too. We got up and went to brunch like usual on sea days. We spent time in the casino, went back to the room to pack and then headed out to enjoy our last dinner in the dining room. We weren't really hungry because we had our final guys burger of the cruise about 5pm. I also had pizza one last time. The pizza was really good late at night and so convenient to get to since it is just a straight shot from our room. Our wait staff was so good, they made sure we had the drinks we wanted,we watched the farewell show and song that we love so much. Took pictures with the team and left. We always tip extra to the dining room so we handed out those envelopes. My waiter convinced me to get something, the flatbread. It was delicious and so filling but I am glad I got it. I had a fresh fruit plate and ordered my free drink from the port of call menu since it had to be used the last night after 5pm. We went back to the room to sit our luggage out and walked around, went to the casino and watched a few of the bands. We also had to pick up our canvas from the photo area.

 

On Saturday we got up and had to go pick up our liquor purchase and waited on the 4th floor for our number to be called. Debarkation was painful, so many people and extremely long lines in the terminal. We made it to the shuttle bus and had to wait another 30 mins or so outside as the shuttles were full. Finally we made it to the car and on the road about 1130.

 

Overall this was a very good cruise. I have never had a bad cruise, as I love being on vacation, and traveling with my family. The food was excellent on this cruise and I don't understand when people complain. There are so many choices and if my husband , who is very picky, says he does not understand when people can't find something they like, that says a lot. We had to go back to work on Monday so we needed to get home and get our routines back together. We both still felt the rocking and swaying for a couple of days after arriving home. Although I wanted to book my next cruise while I still had the discount, I haven't booked yet, we are planning on doing the vista in 2018 and probably the breeze for our summer cruise. We have done the breeze before but want to do it once more before it moves from Galveston. If you have any questions or want to see any photos let me know.

 

 

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Thanks, not enough current reviews on this ship. :)

 

Since it has been a while since we have been on Carnival, are only some of the ships ones with no option of 2x day room service?

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

I thought the same thing and since it is in my home port of Galveston, i needed to cruise her. I have another booked in November. As for twice a day room service, the last several cruises I have been on I have been presented with the option of once or twice a day cleaning. The first time I was offered I went with twice a day because I was used to that. Once I realized how much more they have to work, I would pick once a day. If we really needed it twice a day I would not have a problem asking, but once a day is sufficient for us. We do use the room a lot as we like to relax there and read or watch tv so it is easier for us to have them clean once and we just pick up behind ourselves the rest of the time til the next day when they come again. I was a little spoiled to come back twice a day to a fresh room but it's not really necessary.

 

 

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Also sorry to mention,I have been on the freedom, breeze, triumph and valor in the last few years and that room cleaning question comes up on all of them from the room steward when he introduces himself. I am happy as long as they replace the towels when needed and keep my ice chest full. One night I had to call to get my ice chest replenished and another room steward answered the phone, came and got my cooler, and filled it for me. Guess my room steward was on break or off duty. He was really nice too .

 

 

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We enjoy the Seaday Brunch too. Have you had the Steak and Eggs at brunch? The steak is a tender and flavorful filet and better than the Flat Iron available at dinner. I do order the Flat Iron but I think the filet is the better of the two.

 

Thanks for your review and your photos will be fun to see.

 

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We enjoy the Seaday Brunch too. Have you had the Steak and Eggs at brunch? The steak is a tender and flavorful filet and better than the Flat Iron available at dinner. I do order the Flat Iron but I think the filet is the better of the two.

 

Thanks for your review and your photos will be fun to see.

 

50883febd0e85441ef53cc46ec8993b2--steak-and-eggs-carnival-cruise-lines.jpg50883febd0e85441ef53cc46ec8993b2--steak-and-eggs-carnival-cruise-lines.jpg

 

 

Yes, the steak is a small piece of heaven! It is nice and light for brunch. I hardly ever eat any "breakfast " food at brunch, except the omelette. I love the pork chop, the Mac and cheese, the Caesar salad, etc. my husband has the flat iron regularly at dinner but I don't think he has eaten the steak and eggs at brunch, he will usually eat the pancakes and of course the pork chop and an omelette, fully loaded. I love their hash browns too.

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
Also sorry to mention,I have been on the freedom, breeze, triumph and valor in the last few years and that room cleaning question comes up on all of them from the room steward when he introduces himself. I am happy as long as they replace the towels when needed and keep my ice chest full. One night I had to call to get my ice chest replenished and another room steward answered the phone, came and got my cooler, and filled it for me. Guess my room steward was on break or off duty. He was really nice too .

 

 

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my mistake i am on the fascination not freedom and can not figure out how to delete the post

Edited by johnmc1234
my mistake i am on the fascination not freedom and can not figure out how to delete the post
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Thanks for posting. We are taking the 5 day M-S the week after Thanksgiving. First time on Carnival. We usually sail RC. Looking forward to it. I like the sea day brunch option. Or I assume I will.

 

 

 

I really enjoyed the 5 day on the valor. We cruise on thanksgiving day again, the 4 day cruise. Yes please go to the sea day brunch, you won't be disappointed if you don't like it, you can always go to the luff breakfast if it's still early enough. On the 5 day cruise, you will have 2 sea day brunch days.

 

 

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We will be on the Valor on a 4 day over Thanksgiving. Really looking forward to since our kids and grandkids will be with us fir our 50th wedding anniversary. Thank you for the review.

 

 

 

Congratulations to you. We are leaving too on Thursday for the 4 day valor and so excited. I love cruising and having time off work even though I really enjoy my work. We have the steakhouse booked for thanksgiving night. We were able to use price protection and got a nice onboard credit to use.

 

 

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