Carnival Valor - Early Saver and Quiet room

[wendygrace]

Hi. Newbie here. Been searching but having some trouble understanding some things.

 

I am trying to figure things out but we're new to vacationing in general and cruising is, well, overwhelming.

 

We are hoping to book on the Carnival Valor for Nov of 2011 and we're looking at doing Early Saver. we want an ocean view but we'd also like a quiet room. Is that possible with the Ocean View or should we bump up? Is the Riviera deck noisy? How about the other two decks? We will be traveling with our special needs son who likes his quiet at night. Can someone point a newbie in the right direction? Any other tips you might have? I know about trying to get "midship" and sandwiching between two floors with rooms however I can't seem to find that with the Ocean Views. Am I missing something?

 

TIA

 

Disregard early saver comments. i answered my one question in regards to this.

[k2excursion]

Hi. Newbie here. Been searching but having some trouble understanding some things.

 

I am trying to figure things out but we're new to vacationing in general and cruising is, well, overwhelming.

 

We are hoping to book on the Carnival Valor for Nov of 2011 and we're looking at doing Early Saver. we want an ocean view but we'd also like a quiet room. Is that possible with the Ocean View or should we bump up? Is the Riviera deck noisy? How about the other two decks? We will be traveling with our special needs son who likes his quiet at night. Can someone point a newbie in the right direction? Any other tips you might have? I know about trying to get "midship" and sandwiching between two floors with rooms however I can't seem to find that with the Ocean Views. Am I missing something?

 

TIA

 

Disregard early saver comments. i answered my one question in regards to this.

 

You're not missing anything. On the Valor, there are no oceanview rooms sandwiched between two floors with rooms. Only decks 1 & 2 have standard oceanview rooms. Decks 6-8 are all balconies on the outside. We had an inside room on deck 7, and it was very quiet at night. Main deck might have some noise coming down from Deck 3: during the day if you're below the dining rooms, and just about any time if you're below the theater/backstage. Riviera should be quiet, unless you have loud neighbors. Decks 6 & 7 have rooms in the front with windows with obstructed views. They are classified as 4Js, but I don't know if you can put 3 people in any of these rooms. If you can, Deck 7 would be better than 6. If you do go with an inside room, I highly recommend Deck 7, midship. Whatever you decide, try to get a room furthest away from the sets of elevators. That will keep you from hearing the bell dinging while you sleep.

[gecko2gecko]

My DH and I just got off the Valor. We had a balcony room, but it was the quietest we've ever been in. We were on deck 11 by the Spa in room 1106. It's in a part of the hallway that there's no reason for people to be in unless their room is there because there's nothing else on the other end.

 

I know I didn't really answer your question but I'd put money on the rooms where we were being some of the quietest onboard.

[wendygrace]

Thanks for the help guys. I'd love a balcony but ds is pretty precocious and although I doubt he'd jump off a balcony, I'd have trouble sleeping at night knowing he could get out there. Which is why we're sticking with a oceanview. Glad I'm not missing anything there. Sounds like midship Riviera away from the elevators may be our best bet. Thanks.

 

One more question. On the deck plans, some of the rooms don't have any symbols on them to tell you what kind of beds there are. Does anyone know what that is? There will be four of us but the two kids will be 7 and 9.

 

Thanks again

[firefly333]

You're not missing anything. On the Valor, there are no oceanview rooms sandwiched between two floors with rooms. Only decks 1 & 2 have standard oceanview rooms. Decks 6-8 are all balconies on the outside. We had an inside room on deck 7, and it was very quiet at night. Main deck might have some noise coming down from Deck 3: during the day if you're below the dining rooms, and just about any time if you're below the theater/backstage. Riviera should be quiet, unless you have loud neighbors. Decks 6 & 7 have rooms in the front with windows with obstructed views. They are classified as 4Js, but I don't know if you can put 3 people in any of these rooms. If you can, Deck 7 would be better than 6. If you do go with an inside room, I highly recommend Deck 7, midship. Whatever you decide, try to get a room furthest away from the sets of elevators. That will keep you from hearing the bell dinging while you sleep.

 

Actually they are mostly both quiet decks. Riviera is between two decks, as the crew deck is below it.

[gecko2gecko]

Thanks for the help guys. I'd love a balcony but ds is pretty precocious and although I doubt he'd jump off a balcony, I'd have trouble sleeping at night knowing he could get out there. Which is why we're sticking with a oceanview. Glad I'm not missing anything there. Sounds like midship Riviera away from the elevators may be our best bet. Thanks.

 

One more question. On the deck plans, some of the rooms don't have any symbols on them to tell you what kind of beds there are. Does anyone know what that is? There will be four of us but the two kids will be 7 and 9.

 

Thanks again

 

FWIW, the doors have child safety locks behind the curtain. I know what you mean though. When I was younger, I loved to sit in the recessed area of the window and look out, your kids probably will too.

[wendygrace]

Thanks again. Good to know that the crew decks are below the Riviera deck.

 

Its also nice to know the windows are recessed. Is this for all of the oceanview rooms?

 

Didn't Cruisecritic used to have a room review search thing? Or am I imagining it? I thought we used to be able to plug in a room number and get people's reviews of that room.

[apdchief]

We just got off the valor and we had a balcony room on the 7th floor 7362. Very quiet. We had our DD who is 4 1/2 and we just locked the balcony door which is near the top of the door. The balcony railing is about 4 feet high and has glass below it, pretty safe. I would still consider a balcony it was wonderful spending time out there.

[k2excursion]

One more question. On the deck plans, some of the rooms don't have any symbols on them to tell you what kind of beds there are. Does anyone know what that is? There will be four of us but the two kids will be 7 and 9.

 

Thanks again

 

If there are no symbols, that means that there are just the 2 twin beds (that can be pushed together). So, you can't book more than 2 into those rooms. So if you have 4 in one cabin, you'll be needing a room with either the square or the 2 dots.

[wendygrace]

If there are no symbols, that means that there are just the 2 twin beds (that can be pushed together). So, you can't book more than 2 into those rooms. So if you have 4 in one cabin, you'll be needing a room with either the square or the 2 dots.

 

Thanks so much!

 

You guys have been a great help. I never realized planning a vacation could make you feel so infantile. haha. Having fun though.

 

If you have any advice to give, feel free. I'm open. :)

[k2excursion]

It can feel overwhelming at times, but it's well worth it in the end. Prepare to get addicted to cruising. There is tons of information on the boards here. I've learned alot. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have.

 

A few little things that many newbies don't realize until they're on the ship: there's only one outlet in the staterooms, so bring an extension cord with multiple plug-ins. Bring an alarm clock; you can't rely on the cell phones at sea. A plug-in, digital clock will somehow fall behind by several minutes a day, so keep adjusting it. Soda is expensive on the ship, but you can carry your own on board, as long as it's not an excessive amount.

[wendygrace]

Thanks again for the advice.

 

What do you use the alarm clock for? My son is up at the crack of dawn (regardless of what time zone we're at, he's got a natural body clock that's amazing). Does the tv not have a time on it? I can totally see needing a clock if there's not time anywhere in the room.

 

And you can bring your own pop? And water right? We don't drink much pop. My husband drinks maybe a can a day. But we drink tons of water. It's our drink of choice. How much can we bring and how do you carry it on board?

 

You have been a huge help. I need a "Carnival Cruising for Dummies" book. haha

[mm24fan]

Depending on the age of your son this may not work in your situation, but it may be helpful to pack several sets of earplugs just in case there are noisy people/things nearby.

[SkyMaster]

I think you'll find deck 1 (Riviera) deck, mid ship ocean view to be VERY quiet. Look at the symbols on these rooms, and as noted above, find one with two uppers, and mid ship, and ocean view,,,,and you've got a WINNER! Valor is a GREAT ship. Have no fears!

 

"SKY"

[wendygrace]

We travel with headphones regularly so we're all set there. Thanks for the thought though!

 

Sky, I haven't been able to find one with two uppers. Do they exist on the Riviera deck?

 

Oh, and which side of the boat should be book on? Does it matter? I have no idea which side is which, btw.

 

You guys have been so helpful. Thanks for helping out a newbie.

 

Oh, I've been reading the Unofficial Guide to Cruising. Is there any other books you might recommend?

 

thanks

[k2excursion]

What do you use the alarm clock for? My son is up at the crack of dawn (regardless of what time zone we're at, he's got a natural body clock that's amazing). Does the tv not have a time on it? I can totally see needing a clock if there's not time anywhere in the room.

 

And you can bring your own pop? And water right? We don't drink much pop. My husband drinks maybe a can a day. But we drink tons of water. It's our drink of choice. How much can we bring and how do you carry it on board?

 

I don't wake up so easily, so I need an alarm clock. Plus, if I don't see the glowing time when I'm like 1/4 awake in the middle of the night, my body forces me to get up to make sure I haven't overslept. You will want to carry a watch with you as you're roaming the ship, and most definitely when you're off the ship in port.

 

I've seen people carrying a case of water on with them, not even packed. I think it's like 24 of the 16-oz. bottles, or something like that. Don't check that, carry it on. You could also place loose bottles in you're checked suitcases/bags. The ship does have clean water to drink. You will want to carry your own water with you off the ship when in port.

 

The Valor does not have the 2 uppers on oceanview rooms; those are just on inside rooms. What you'll want to look for on oceanviews is the square. That means that there are 2 twin beds that can be pushed together, a convertible sofa bed, and one upper. I don't know either which side is called what. But when you're looking at the deck plans, it's usually the left side that's right along-side the port. I'm not sure which side would be better for views while in Miami though. I can't remember.

[wendygrace]

Thanks again for the info. I think I'm getting a hang on how to search on these forums. Can be tricky with all the sub-forums on here.

[FreezingInMichigan]

We were on the Valor in an inside - Main Deck (2). We loved it. Very quiet except for a single night of a father yelling at his overly tired son a few doors down. We were booked closer to the front (bow) of the ship. Hurrican Ida gave us a run for our money the final two days and we seemed to have the least number of green sailors. We used our cell phones for alarms on the mornings we needed to get up. Pre-trip I thought no problem... I'm a light sleeper... no alarm needed. Then I experienced being gently rocked to sleep on a cruise ship. Slept like the dead... lol

[niclan6]

Just go off the Valor on Sunday. We had 2 oceanview rooms 2251 & 2255 on main deck. These rooms were towards the front of the ship and were under the theatre (not directly though). We thought they were very quiet - other than noisy neighbours coming home one night after partying (spring breakers). The kids loved sitting in the recessed window ledge and looking out at the sights. The ledge also served as a display place for our nightly towel animal collection.

[wendygrace]

Thanks. That makes me feel better. I can't wait!