Valor -Some Thoughts / Review of March 25 sailing

[Universe93B]

Hey guys, just a quick review of a 6 day cruise on the Valor starting on March 25! It was a great vacation and had a lot of time to have fun and relax! Have taken 3 RCI cruises, 1 Princess, and haven't been on Carnival since I was a kid, so don't really remember too much from it (Carnival Ecstasy right when it came out in 1991).

 

-stayed at the Hampton Inn Brickell in Miami the night prior. it's brand new, but nothing but spring breakers making tons of noise the entire night, yelling up and down the hallways -didn't get much sleep from it, but i was excited about the cruise the next morning. as a side note, the cruise was not heavy with spring breakers as this was the last week of march. none of that loud, drunk and yelling crowd. the passengers were very well balanced. they have a shuttle going to the port if you want it, $8

 

 

Boarding and Check in

-very quick and easy, we got there at 10.45am

-as usual with all ports, the annoying porters making a big scene and asking everybody for tips

-got zone 3, boarded the ship before 11.30

-they didn't check anybody's carry-on for liquids, and they didn't shake any of the water bottles, or look at the juices to see if they were opened

-all 3 rum runners made it through, no problem

 

The Ship

-Valor built in late 2004, in great condition, very clean, numerous people cleaning the ship all the time, and a lot of repair work at the ports (fixing tiles, etc)

 

Bars/drinks

-lots of good bars around, favorites were atrium bar and bronx bar

-had fun watching the UK -Baylor game at the bronx bar with all the Kentucky fans, ppl had already drank a lot by then and it was good and loud!

-didn't get to try out martini tasting, was too busy with other stuff

-service at the bars was very good, favorite was the serenity bar

 

Food

-had no problem getting a table for 2 at late dining

-these tables for 2 are by themselves, so that was good, unlike the princess ships where they are right next to one another and everybody can hear your convo

-usually went to the dining room for breakfast, always asked for table for 2 and had no problem. in fact, everybody was only asking table sizes for their family

-food was good for breakfast and dinner, maybe slightly lower in quality for some dishes compared to RCI

-lunch was usually at ports or other things, like buffet, the grill, deli

-the deli was good, and so was the grill

-mongolian grill was great! the lines were long, but you can find off-times for it

-room service was quick and great service

 

Shows

-i thought all of them were good, favorite one being the 80's one

-cruise director was Goose, and he was funny, except by the middle of the cruise, his phrase of "You're still on vacation, Who's on vacation??!" got old! haha

 

Gym

-gym was kind of small, and usually busy at arond 10am

-okay facilities, but they kept everything clean

-the gym personal trainers had these free seminars for weight loss, detoxing your body and etc, and it was nothing but a marketing tool, to sell you more expensive pills and stuff. it was almost ridiculous, and the things they were saying was false science. i felt bad for people who believed this junk.

 

Serenity area

-great area to relax, read your books, nook, kindle, ipad, etc, that's for sure

-very good bar, with nice bartenders, 2 hot tubs

-BUT, the amount and behavior of chair hoggers ruins this area. we were able to find a seat on sea day (that's easy) and on the last sea day, but got there at 8.30am. by 8.30, almost every seat was taken, but with nobody sitting in them. on top of that, single chair hoggers were saving entire groups of chairs in different areas, and the staff not doing anything about it.

***you can consider the serenity area almost useless b/c of these chair hoggers

 

Key West

-did the Pub Crawl, and had a great time! you get a free drink at each bar, and they were pretty strong. can get beer too if you want. sometimes, you can just pay a $1 to get a refill. most people were done by the 5th bar! you get a t-shirt with the tour also. tour guides were funny

 

Grand Cayman

-signed up for Carnival's parasailing but it was cancelled due to some weather stuff, so just walked around the port and surrounding area. nice place, very expensive! got back on the ship and found seats near the serenity area to relax

 

Ocho Rios

-very annoying port b/c of the people bothering you to get a taxi or tour, almost to the point of feeling scared/mocked/ridiculed

-we didn't get an excursion here b/c didn't want to do Dunn's falls, and all of them offered, wanted to enjoy the ship here also

-it isn't really a port at all, walk off the pier and you are on a street. walk the street a 1/4 mile maybe to get to the stores. during the street, you get bothered like no other!

-went back to the port, and found a nice bar/restaurant area with seating close the water. drank several $2 Red Stripes there!

 

Back to Miami

-flight wasn't until 4pm, so took the Everglades tour.

-really enjoyed the tour. we met at the theater at 8am, then went outside and met at the bus. drove 30 min to the park, air boat ride was around 45 min, and saw several alligators. then an alligator show and free time to walk around.

-got back to the airport by 12.30pm

 

Other

-what is with the door slamming? have never heard that much until this ship. all you hear every 5 min, a door slam in the hallway or balcony, and it shakes the entire room. of course, Carnival having regular doors for the balcony instead of sliding doors makes it worse.

-had calm seas for most of the night, except for the trip from Grand Cayman to Jamaica, with very high winds in the middle of the night, making whistling sounds by the door

-not that many self-service kiosks, but worked well, can also exchange larger dollar bills for smaller ones

-One Small Step, the Valor's nightclub, was pretty good most nights, they were strict about checking picture IDs as it got later into the night

-have already taken a behind the scenes tour on princess, so didn't take one this time, but heard it was good as usual!

-some very good activities listed in the Fun Times, couldn't get to all of them though!

 

Great vacation, and wish it could have been longer! At least the cruise ended on a Saturday, and I got today to relax before going to work again!

 

[cawagner]

Great review :D can't wait til June! Have any pic to share?

[travelchic3]

Thanks for the great review, we will be on that ship 3 weeks from today!

[Jdfireman]

good review glad you had fun and gave Carnival a look

[Sanlin]

What kind of shampoo and conditioners were in the bathrooms? First time on Carnival.

[jrmende63]

What kind of shampoo and conditioners were in the bathrooms? First time on Carnival.

There is not any conditioner in the state rooms ( unless you are booked in a Spa one) The shampoo reminds me of the old Breck shampoo. I really don't like it. I take my own little bottles and also take my own bottle of liquid soap ( fragranced soap) I think the one in the shower stinks!

[jrmende63]

Thanks for the review! We can't wait to get on the Valor! Fish n Chips and budlight...YUMMY!

[JokerABC]

sounds great! I'm glad they put a lot of effort into keeping the ships in great shape. They get a lot of wear and tear!

[IGottaP]

im on her is 30ish days i can wait ... sigh i sooo need a vacation....

[SouthernEMT]

Thanks for the review I'm sailing on her May 6th!

 

 

Crystal

[mllrtym]

Thanks for the review. We are sailing on the Valor in 6 days! Been on many Carnival cruises before, first time on Valor.

[adriennerm]

Thanks for posting your review. I will be sailing the Valor in 2 months :D

 

In Ocho Rios did you notice if Margaritaville was close by? We are also not interested in Dunn Falls but wanted a place to sit and chill for a while.

[Universe93B]

Thanks for posting your review. I will be sailing the Valor in 2 months :D

 

In Ocho Rios did you notice if Margaritaville was close by? We are also not interested in Dunn Falls but wanted a place to sit and chill for a while.

 

 

Yup, it's close by and you can walk to it. Be prepared to fend off many people trying to sell you taxis and tours. Just b/c you said "no" to one person doesn't mean the next 10 won't ask you. Check the maps before you get off to know exactly where to walk to get there.

 

Also the bar to the right as soon as you exit the port gates.