Carnival valor questions

[Cruisegirl6]

 

Hello, we have to cancel our RC Oasis of the Seas and we going to book up the Valor but its been a very long time since I been on an older ship and one that does not have the upgrades either.

Can you please let us know the pros and cons of the Valor...we are fine without the upgrades, would of liked the punch liner comedy but its ok...

 

Does anybody have the 8 day southern caribbean menu's, this ship leaves from Pt. Canaveral 8 nights to Aruba, Curacao and Turks.

 

Do they have a band playing music on this ship at night?

 

How is the buffet lunch, would appreciate your recommendations, opinions and advice.

 

Do you recommend this ship or not? Thank you.

[cruizinisthebest]

When are you looking to book? The Valor and Liberty will soon swap places thereby having a ship with the 2.0 upgrades on the Southern route out of San Juan.

[rmh661983]

The Valor hasn't started that itinerary yet and the ship that is doing it at the moment has the 2.0 upgrades. I would wait until after the end of March when they switched ports and see if anyone has that info for you. I am patiently waiting for info on the 7 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary myself.

[peteukmcr]

 

Hello, we have to cancel our RC Oasis of the Seas and we going to book up the Valor but its been a very long time since I been on an older ship and one that does not have the upgrades either.

Can you please let us know the pros and cons of the Valor...we are fine without the upgrades, would of liked the punch liner comedy but its ok...

 

Does anybody have the 8 day southern caribbean menu's, this ship leaves from Pt. Canaveral 8 nights to Aruba, Curacao and Turks.

 

Do they have a band playing music on this ship at night?

 

How is the buffet lunch, would appreciate your recommendations, opinions and advice.

 

Do you recommend this ship or not? Thank you.

Are you changing your Oasis May 9th shown in your signature to the May 8th Valor sailing from Port Canaveral? If so, I'd be very interested in the feedback too as we're on that Southern Caribbean sailing and it's our first time on Carnival having sailed exclusively with RCI for over 10 years.

[Cruisegirl6]

Yes we have to change from our Oasis May 9th to the Carnival Valor on May 8th. We booked a family trip to Aruba for July and that trip is costing a lot of money, for two people it will cost over 6k total, so we figured instead of flying to FLL and spending a night in a hotel we could go on the Valor for cheaper and not have those added expenses as we are only two hour drive time to Pt. Canaveral.

 

We just got back from a trip up north and on the plane returning people were coughing in back of us and my father in law and myself are now on day 9 sick with a cold virus, and another reason why HE wanted to cancel (it was his idea) he was afraid with the flu being an epidemic and getting sick from the plane he rather avoid the flying.

 

I have been on 53 cruise and the 53 cruise was this past May on the Allur of the Seas THE BEST SHIP I EVER TAKEN IN MY LIFE, so good we booked the Oasis up right after it. The food is so much better in quality/selection/variety especially in the buffets and service is always excellent overall on RC. We never have a bad Carnival cruise but there is no decent food in the buffet or very little as they cater to the fast food type foods on Carnival..and the service is always a hit and miss and horrible for drink service in the MDR at dinner. BUT we always have a wonderful cruise anyways. My daughter and her bf are coming along again on this cruise with us and she is like me tired of the eastern and western sailing, in fact just yesterday she told me it probably be her last cruise for awhile...now she is going to ports she hasn't been to (Curacao, Aruba and Grand Turk) and also has an extra day on the ship and less costly and she is happy now.

Edited January 6, 2015 by lyndamr

[firespud]

8 of us are booked on the Valor on April 17th. We have done 2 other cruises on the Valor and have been very pleased with the ship. While it does not have the 2.0 upgrades, it does have the comedy club. We cruise more for the ports than for the ship. We have sailed two times on one of Carnival's oldest, smallest ships (Holiday) and we sailed last year on the Dream. So far, our favorite class ship has been the Conquest class (Valor, Freedom, Glory). We are looking forward to going to 3 ports that we have never been to.

[ILCruzr]

Ill be on the Valor in 12 days! Cant wait :)

[Cruisegirl6]

You both making me feel better, wonder what others are thinking?

 

Does the Valor have punch liners comedy breakfast?

[jayscore]

8 of us are booked on the Valor on April 17th. We have done 2 other cruises on the Valor and have been very pleased with the ship. While it does not have the 2.0 upgrades, it does have the comedy club. We cruise more for the ports than for the ship. We have sailed two times on one of Carnival's oldest, smallest ships (Holiday) and we sailed last year on the Dream. So far, our favorite class ship has been the Conquest class (Valor, Freedom, Glory). We are looking forward to going to 3 ports that we have never been to.

 

Stop on by and say HI on our roll call!;)

[christyran1228]

We were on the Valor in November ... yes, it has Punchliners. That was one of DH & I's favorite things to do on board. :)

Edited January 7, 2015 by christyran1228

[Cruisegirl6]

Wonderful we loved it on the Dream.

[Arizonagirl14]

We just returned on the Valor this past Sunday on the San Juan /southern Caribbean tour. We absolutely loved this ship. Excellent, excellent customer service; great food even at Rosie's Buffett. ( one day they had a wonder roast leg of lamb at the carvers station).

 

The ip entertainment was great. The show and with Dave was awesome. All the musicians were fantastic and Eliana can sing!m. We listened to them every chance we could.

 

We did the Chefs table and it was fantastic. Chef Santosh and staff were excellent.

 

We both agreed we would do this itinerary again and we would definitely sail on the Valor again.

 

We tried Fish and chips, the grill, mother MDR, the steakhouse, and the wok. Although the wok was not my favorite, most people seemed to like it.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

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[peteukmcr]

We just returned on the Valor this past Sunday on the San Juan /southern Caribbean tour. We absolutely loved this ship. Excellent, excellent customer service; great food even at Rosie's Buffett. ( one day they had a wonder roast leg of lamb at the carvers station).

 

The ip entertainment was great. The show and with Dave was awesome. All the musicians were fantastic and Eliana can sing!m. We listened to them every chance we could.

 

We did the Chefs table and it was fantastic. Chef Santosh and staff were excellent.

 

We both agreed we would do this itinerary again and we would definitely sail on the Valor again.

 

We tried Fish and chips, the grill, mother MDR, the steakhouse, and the wok. Although the wok was not my favorite, most people seemed to like it.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for your update, much appreciated. What's the Chefs table and how much extra is it and how do you make reservations for this (I assume it's extra like on RCI)? Edited January 7, 2015 by peteukmcr

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you. Was there a meat carving daily at the buffet for lunch, and did they have any hot meat entree's other than the burgers, fries, hot dogs, etc.?

 

What is there to eat besides pizza past 11pm, and do they have gluten free pizza?

Were you happy with the live band they had on the ship?

[Arizonagirl14]

The Chefs table is a special meal for 12 or so people with the head chef. It is $75 per person. It is 8 courses and wine pairings. It was a wonderful experience. Highly recommend it. You can email the steakhouse for the valor and request reservations.

 

 

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[Arizonagirl14]

I believe they had some carving everyday along with hot entrees. I only ate the lido lunch 2 or 3 times as we were in port other days. Each day at Rosie's (lido dining) had a theme... American, Italian etc) . I did have Virginia ham one day at the carving station.

 

I believe there is gluten free pizza. I never ate the pizza, but my husband said it was good.

 

I never ate anything past dinner.. Sorry. There was a Mexican buffet late one night but could not tell you which evening, maybe Wednesday or Thursday .

 

Also room service is available 24 hours... Salad, sandwiches etc. not the MDR dining room menu, though. We ordered a mid afternoon lunch after returning from port. I had a tasty BLT and my husband had a grilled cheese, which he liked as well. Room service is free.. Just tip you delivery person.

 

We did the continental breakfast several times, as we are not big breakfast eaters and were usually heading off ship fairly early.

 

We did the seaday breakfast and it was good. The wait was not too bad for this meal.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

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[Arizonagirl14]

You will not go hungry on the ship, as with most cruises. We thought the quality was good in all venues we tried. They also have a burrito area, pizza, grill, wok, buffet, and fish and chips, and MDR. We did anytime dining which we had never tried before. It was fine as we found a waitstaff the very first night we liked.

 

 

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[Cruisegirl6]

Unfortunately Chefs Table not for me because I must be gluten and dairy free for health purposes ugh lol

 

The reason why I focus a lot on the food is because of my dietary restrictions...so I count on meat carving or meat entrees, veggies, salads (although carnivals salad bar has been lacking the past few years) and rice and potato dishes. I don't expect desserts but it would be nice.

 

I will be having early dining and we do stay up 2-3am, so I know somewhere I be hungry in that time after dinner, I won't sit waiting in my cabin for room service so hoping there are other things to eat besides pizza.

[AmberTeka]

We have sailed over a hundred days on Carnival. We took the Carnival Liberty 8 day cruise to Aruba, etc. last June. The Valor is a sister ship, with the same layout. We had a great time. We are booked on Princess in March, and if My daughter and SIL were not coming with us, I would book the Aruba, Bonaire Cruise. Bonaire is my favorite port in the world.

 

The Food. Carnival has the same menus on their ships. The Buffet has a very good salad bar, with chopped fruit, which I love, the buffet line is themed each day, they do have a ham or roast beef being carved at lunch or at dinner. There is a Burrito bar on most, An Oriental station (Mongolian Wok), An Indian station ( Tandoor Grill) and Lunches are themed as Italian, American ( and the fried chicken that day is very good. And I was born in Alabama). MDR Food.................good. I have been on all of the cruise lines and Carnival is my third pick for food. HAL is number one. Princess is number two and Carnival is number three.

I particularly like their Sweet and Sour Shrimp, all of their appetizers and such.....I think you will be pleased with the food unless you are one of the few people who cruise who are happy with nothing. You don't sound like that

BEST MEALS on the Ship..........Steak House on Carnival is the best at sea. Totally. It is $35pp and worth every cent. Pizza on Carnival is very good. I like the pool burgers and hotdogs. The fish and chips above the Buffet...........very tasty. Ice Cream is always available. Desserts................always good.

Breakfast at the buffet is good. My picky husband, who disliked most of what he had on Celebrity............has TWO breakfasts on the ship. He goes up early for cereal. then goes with me to the MDR for a seated breakfast. He is thin and usually watches his diet, but on Carnival, in the morning, he indulges. At dinner, he gets the fish choice and always enjoys it.

LUNCH in the MDR on Carnival.........Wonderful desserts. Great food.

 

Trust me............The food on Carnival is not going to be an issue.........pending the off chance that you get a slow wait staff and cold food or something like that, which can be changed. In the morning...eat one of the little cinnamon rounds they put on the pastry lines. they are addictive.

Hope this helps.

[lunagirl]

My husband and I have cruise twice on the Valor and enjoyed it both times.

 

We almost always eat in the Main Dining Room, but I believe there is typically a carving station at the Lido buffet at night.

 

There is also the Steakhouse Restaurant for $35 per person. If you book it for the first night, you get a free bottle of wine.

 

The pizza place is the only 24 hour restaurant option, but Room Service is free and available 24 hours a day. I also got salads from the pizza place several times.

 

Punchliners is on the Valor, but we did not have breakfast comedy that I remember on either of the cruises. The comedy club was one of our favorite evening activities.

 

The ship also has a serenity area that is adults only that is a nice, upgraded area.

 

Although it is an older ship, it seems to be maintained well. Enjoy your cruise!

[Cruisegirl6]

I am very glad to hear she is maintained well that was my first main concern as her last dry dock was in 2011 and she was suppose to go again for dry dock in 2014 but for some reason it never happened.

 

I loved the Steakhouse on the Dream we dined there every evening it was perfect and always something different to order, but my daughter and her boyfriend going on this trip so they are on a budget, won't be going every evening maybe three times. This is the reason why I am trying to get hold of the 8 day menu's so we can choose which menu we dislike most and go to the steakhouse then.

 

Besides room service and pizza, is there anything else to eat past 11pm? Salad anything?

 

I never bought snacks with me on a cruise has anybody done this?

[thunderfrompa]

We just returned on the Valor this past Sunday on the San Juan /southern Caribbean tour. We absolutely loved this ship. Excellent, excellent customer service; great food even at Rosie's Buffett. ( one day they had a wonder roast leg of lamb at the carvers station).

 

The ip entertainment was great. The show and with Dave was awesome. All the musicians were fantastic and Eliana can sing!m. We listened to them every chance we could.

 

We did the Chefs table and it was fantastic. Chef Santosh and staff were excellent.

 

We both agreed we would do this itinerary again and we would definitely sail on the Valor again.

 

We tried Fish and chips, the grill, mother MDR, the steakhouse, and the wok. Although the wok was not my favorite, most people seemed to like it.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

 

 

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When was chef table available can you book before ? What nights are the formal nts and last how about the past cruisers cocktail party time and day ? Ty as this will be a big help with our schedule

Edited January 9, 2015 by thunderfrompa

[dapaddo]

I am very glad to hear she is maintained well that was my first main concern as her last dry dock was in 2011 and she was suppose to go again for dry dock in 2014 but for some reason it never happened.

 

I loved the Steakhouse on the Dream we dined there every evening it was perfect and always something different to order, but my daughter and her boyfriend going on this trip so they are on a budget, won't be going every evening maybe three times. This is the reason why I am trying to get hold of the 8 day menu's so we can choose which menu we dislike most and go to the steakhouse then.

 

Besides room service and pizza, is there anything else to eat past 11pm? Salad anything?

 

I never bought snacks with me on a cruise has anybody done this?

 

We are on this ship with you. I haven't been on this one before but I do know that all of the ship have salads at the pizza place. See you on board.

[Cruisegirl6]

See you on board!!

[Arizonagirl14]

You can contact the steakhouse for the Chefs table beforehand. Our Chef's table was on Tuesday evening. (There was a 2nd one on Thursday night on our cruise.)

 

That would have been the first formal night, but ours was moved to Wednesday, New Years Eve. The 2nd formal night was on Thursday.

 

You will receive a letter the first night telling you when the Chef's table is scheduled.

 

I did not attend the past guest reception, as this was our 2nd Carnival cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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