Carnival Glory or Valor vs Dream

[LisaBi]

Hi all. I am not new to cruising, but all my prior cruises have been on Disney. My son is 20 and will be leaving for the Air Force in late January. He wants to take a cruise as a final hurrah before he leaves. He was under 18 on all our previous cruises, and loved the Stack on Disney for teens. I'm concerned that on any ship, the 18 to 21 set may not have a lot to do.

 

Our requirements are a stop in Belize and sailing the first half of January, 2011. I have found 4 sailings that work : Carnival Glory, Valor, or Dream, or NCL Spirit.

 

I think the biggest deciding factor will be which one a 20 year old young man will enjoy the most. I can be happy as long as I have a bed and a deck chair, so I don't care too much. He tends to go for the casual dining -pizza, burgers, etc. so the on-deck dining is more important than dining rooms. Which ship has the most activities for those that are too old for the kids clubs and too young for most adult activities?

 

Which would you do?

 

Thanks!

[poptart]

I would think the Dream because it has the water slides. I've read they are a lot of fun.

 

I'm way past 20......hope this helps, since no one else has answered yet.

 

I've been on the Glory...doing the Dream in October.

[TEXAZJEWL]

I agree, I'd think the Dream. They do have the waterslides, but also the comedy club. In fact, I think the Glory & Valor both have the Punchliner comedy club, too now.... so any of those ships would be great. I've been on the Valor and loved it. Doing the Dream in October.

 

I'd think whichever you decide would be a good fit for a 20 yr old!

[KCMarie]

All three of the Carnival ships you mention have the waterslides.

All three also have the steakhouse if you would like to have a memorable special dinner with your son before he goes off to the Air Force. (The steakhouses are an extra charge, $30 pp inc tip. It's more of a dining experience than just a meal, I've heard to allow 2 - 2 1/2 hours for the meal and that they are on par with Ruth Chris, Morton's etc). I am really looking forward to it on our Oct. sailing on the Valor)

 

Not sure if you know this, but the carnival ships also have the 24 hour pizza places, you son would probably like that! Mine did, loved going up at 2am getting a fresh hot pizza.

 

I would suggest any of the three Carnival ships, sorry...never been on NCL so I can't make a recommendation there.

 

A special welcome to the Carnival Cruise Critic forums! I live in the KC Metro area, see you are from Kansas. Welcome!

[98Charlie]

We've been on the Valor and NCL Spirit and love both ships. I wouldn't hesitate to go on either again (actually we're on the Spirit next January for the 4th time).

 

Some thoughts:

• Valor has the water slide. Spirit no.
  
• NCL has deck BBQ's for sailaway weather permitting. Both have deck parties in the evening.
  
• I believe the itineraries are the same except for Valor going to Grand Cayman - Spirit to Costa Maya. There are activites in all ports but going with Valor would be 4 different countries - Spirit 3.
  
• Spirit was designed for the Asian market originally. They still have the Asian influence in decor. Valor is fun/glitzy. Nothing wrong with either one.
  
• Valor leaves from Miami (Fun!) Spirit from New Orleans (Funner!:p IMHO) If you are going to have a day before or after this can make a difference.
  
• Carnival - 24/7 pizza on deck. We always stop for a slice before bed.:rolleyes:
  
• Lastly Freestyle Dining (NCL) vs. Traditional (Carnival). Your son likes the buffets and deck dining. With Spirit you would have the option of going to a dining room as a family at the time you would like as opposed to having to be there at a set time. We like both options and both cruise lines.

 

IMHO you can't make a bad choice between these two. Prioritize the comparisons and see which one comes out on top!

 

And, please thank your son for his choice to serve our country.

 

Charlie

[MamaParrotHead]

Dug the Glory and the Valor, I'm not too excited to try the Dream. The complaints on the layout have me wondering whether or not I'd be frustrated with poor traffic flow and the resulting hoardes of people. Plus the difference in price between Dream and Conquest class doesn't justify it to me.

 

All three ships have nightlife opportunities, but how lively they are depends almost solely on the other passengers onboard at the time.

 

Personally, I think NCL is an older and more family oriented crowd. Not what I'd suggest for young 20-somethings.

 

Good luck deciding!

[98Charlie]

Personally, I think NCL is an older and more family oriented crowd. Not what I'd suggest for young 20-somethings.

A lot depends on the time of sailing. We've done a dozen plus NCL's in the past 7 years and are heading out on our 8th Carnival in November.

 

We generally sail in the off periods and see fewer families (including the post-teens) on either cruise line.

 

Since they need to sail early January a cruise on either line should have similar demographics, IMHO. If they can sail before college breaks are over they will have a better chance of finding more passengers in their son's age range.

 

Charlie

[CorvetteLady]

I have not been on the Valor but have sailed the others. I would not recommend the NCL Spirit, smaller ship with not much happening at night. I don't remember them having the 24 hour pizza that you can get on Carnival. They don't have the soft serve ice cream machines either. They did have hand dipped but there was always a line and it was not 24 hours.

 

If he likes water slides than go on the Dream. I think the Dream would have more things for a 20 year old to do. They have also been talking about adding things for 19-20 yr olds, don't know if they've done that yet. I think Carnival is more fun than NCL no matter how old your are.

[kenspidey]

The Dream is a great ship and the water slides are the largest in the cruise business. He will love them. I have been on both the Dream and the Valor. The Dream also has the Serenity area for adults that you will love.

[outdoorlady79]

• Lastly Freestyle Dining (NCL) vs. Traditional (Carnival). Your son likes the buffets and deck dining. With Spirit you would have the option of going to a dining room as a family at the time you would like as opposed to having to be there at a set time. We like both options and both cruise lines.
  

 

The Dream has the freestyle dining option as well and I thought that it was added to the Glory when it was dry docked. Haven't searched enough to verify but I did find this on the cruisedeckplans.com fact sheet for the Glory:

 

Renovations Completed During Drydock 2/14/10

 

 

• Carnival’s Seaside Theater – addition of an outdoor poolside LED screen on Lido Deck midship.
  
• Addition of Serenity “Adults-Only”
  
• Circle "C" Lounge – addition of a lounge for teens (12-14) on Atlantic Deck 4 forward.
  
• 18 Family staterooms on Spa Deck converted to Balcony staterooms
  
• The forward dining room will be reconfigured to allow for "Your Time Dining".
  
• Addition of the Mongolian Wok on the Lido
  
• Flat-screen TV’s installed in all staterooms and suites.
  
• WiFi internet access now available bow to stern