Valor Review for week of March 6th, 2011

[Lakesilly605er]

We went on the Carnival Valor for the week of March 6th, 2011. Here is our review. I am definitely not much of a writer but I did enjoy reading the reviews of others before going on our trip and thought I would return the favor.

We flew SunCountry out of Minneapolis to Miami the day before our trip on the Valor. We stayed at the Hyatt Summerfield Suites which we got for 80 bucks on Hotwire. After arriving in Miami, Hyatt picked us up at the airport within a few minutes after calling them (free shuttle) We had a 2 room suite which had a fully stocked kitchen. It was a very nice place. After settling in, we walked a block to a large supermarket and bought groceries that would tide us over for the afternoon and evening. Part of the reason for staying here was that we could make dinner here and save some money but in hindsight we could have just as well walked to the Burger King and probably have been money ahead. We hung out around the pool, had a few beers and relaxed after having to get up at 4 AM for our flight.

Sunday morning we had the front desk call us a cab which took us to the POM. We arrived around 10:30 and after checking in and waiting approximately 45 minutes, we were on the ship. When they checked our carry-ons they pulled me aside to go through my bag. I had the pop and wine in my bag which we had bought the previous day. I told them I had 2 six packs minus 2 cans we had already drank and 2 bottles of wine. The guy checked the pop bottles real closely, shaking it slightly and checking to see if it had been opened our not. I told him we had ordered our liquor through the Bon Voyage department. (The guy next to me had his Crown Royal taken away.) He said have a nice trip and let us go on our way.

After getting the obligatory picture taken we were on the ship. We went up and had a bite to eat and hung out near the pool until 1:30 at which time we went down and dropped off our carry-ons. The rest of the day we soaked up the sun and did a bit of exploring around the ship.

Our first night, we went casual to dinner as just about everyone else did too. We had a table for the 3 of us. We had indicated seating at a large table but were ok with seating for just us 3. Our waiters, Suparta and Neuman did a great job all week.

Our first sea day brought out the chair hogs in full force. You would have had to be up by 7:30 AM to get a place near the pool. (We were not) After some searching, we found a spot on the upper deck where we could look out over the ocean and soak up some sun.

After dinner each night we went to a show or two . We enjoyed going to the comedians and be sure and not miss the big shows put on by the carnival dancers. A bit vegas-like and cheesy, but still very much entertaining. We also joined in with a number of contests throughout the week and actually won a couple 24 carat gold plastic ships on a stick as well as a participation medal.

Our Grand Cayman stop we had booked Stingray Sailing and we were very happy with it. This was our first time swimming with the stingrays. It freaks you out the first time the rays come swimming up to you but you get over it fairly quickly. They are very tame. It was great to see our small group of about 20 with 3 crew members on our catamaran versus the packed boats of 75+ people on older looking boats. I highly recommend Stingray Sailing. They will also drop you off at the beach after the tour is over if you would like to do that. A few people did that in our group. We went to Margaritaville instead. In my opinion, Margaritaville is quite a ripoff. The wife and I had 2 beers each and split a plate of nachos, my son had 2 glasses of soda and a cheeseburger. The tab came to 65 dollars. I said to my wife, “we are on vacation, don’t sweat it” but I doubt you will not find us spending money at Margaritaville like that ever again. We like Jimmy Buffett and his music, go to his concerts, and have been to a few different Margaritavilles but this was the first time we ever ate at one, I think it will also be the last time.

For our Roatan stop we had booked Victor Bodden’s Zip and Dip tour. You have to walk a fair distance through the Carnival owned shops and tours to get to the non-Carnival tours. We met up with our tour and were assigned a driver (Robbie) that would take care of us for the entire day. We got into a very nice, clean, new van and he drove us to the zipline. During the 20 minute drive to the zipline, he talked about the island and answered our questions. He was very knowledgable and enjoyable to talk to. After arriving at Victor Boddens we were outfitted into our harnesses and assigned 2 guides to take our small group of 6 through the ziplines. Just like the stingrays, the first time you step off the platform we were all a bit uneasy but soon we were jumping off the platforms and enjoying the ride. One has to have some level of physical fitness, but not much. The guides are there to help you and will even go with you if you are apprehensive about going as I saw them do with some other people. After the zipline, there are people who will take you around to see a few monkeys, parrots, etc that are caged on the property. From there our driver took us to the beach. It takes a good 45 minutes to get back to the ship from the beach as there is a fair amount of traffic. Again our driver talked about the island showing us schools, where he lived, etc. It was a very enjoyable time and would highly recommend this tour. We booked through Victor’s website. There are bigger, more extreme ziplines, but we were very happy with this one and am not sure I would be comfortable going on the bigger, faster, higher ones. Also the customer service was excellent and we felt very safe and were never worried about making it back to the ship on time.

Our day on Belize we tendered in and walked around the shops but did not do any shore excursions. We bought a few souvenirs, had a Belikan beer and went back to the ship.

Our day on Cozumel we got off the ship and walked around the area of shops. We have been to Cozumel a number of times and we chose not to do any shore excursions here either. We went back to the ship after a couple of hours and enjoyed the 83 degree weather out near the pool while our friends back home were enduring a blizzard. We picked a good week to be gone.

Our last sea day brought cooler temperatures. The wife vowed to get up early so we could get chairs near the pool. She was up to the pool deck by 7:30.AM She dug out a book and proceeded to shiver for the next hour or so. She finally said screw this and we spent the day doing other activities as the temperature never got over 73 degrees. Still warm by back home standards, but when combined with the sea breeze, does not make for a very comfortable day laying around the pool.

Final thoughts: the layout of the ship has been talked about in other reviews and I would agree that it can be frustrating at times figuring out how to get to certain places.

The pool deck has somewhat limited seating in relation to how many people are on the ship and you need to get there early to get premium seating near the pool.

For a company such as Carnival and their millions of dollars, the prizes they give out are awfully chinzy.

We stayed on deck 7 in an inside room and were never bothered with noise. The room was small for 3 bigger people but we knew that going in and do not spend much time in our room and would rather save the money we would spend on a balcony room on other things. (to each their own) On our trip, we discovered a security guard stationed outside a room further down the hall for the last couple of days. Apparently there was a couple who got into quite an argument and they were subsequently confined to their room for the remainder of the cruise. The poor security guard had to sit by their door for two whole days.

The food was good and we enjoyed trying things we would not normally eat.

It was nice to have a couple bottles of booze waiting for us in our room as we could make a cocktail or two before and after dinner. I know this saved us some money and the convenience of it without the worrying of getting caught smuggling was worth it to us. Even with the bottles paid for in advance, our sail and sign account was pushing a grand by the end of the trip due to picture purchases, tips, some casino and arcade purchases, and Carnival shop expenditures.

There were a few spring breakers on our trip, but I never experienced any obnoxious behavior and the only thing separating them from the rest of the cruisers was that they were much better looking in bathing suits.

Finally – would we go on this cruise again? Yes and no. If I had to do it again I would most certainly do it again BUT our next cruise will most likely be chosen for the itinerary as we would like to see and experience ports of call we have not been to before. All-in-all, a very good trip that went by way too fast. As I write this, we are in a winter storm warning, schools in the area are closed due to the weather, and I am thankful for the memories of a fun trip to warmer climates and I hope that summer is not too far off.

[Shelleywood]

Great review! Nice of you to cover your shore excursion experiences and who you booked through. It's nice to have some options in different ports rather than booking through the ship. Sounds like you and your family had a great time! Thanks again for the review!

[tasmith09]

Great review!

You said you got a 2 br suite at Hyatt for $80?!

Can you explain what criteria you used in Hotwire to find that??

Also, how much was the cab from the hotel to the port?

[Lakesilly605er]

I went to bidding fun dot com. They have a section for Miami. i have used it several times. It has always been accurate for me. With tip, it was about 30 buck. The hotel will also provide you with transportation but the cab ride was a few dollars cheaper and since the hotel is close to the airport, it didn't take much more than a couple of minutes to get a cab once you called for one.