Is valor worth it even without 2.0 features?

[Cruisingcanadian29]

Hey everyone, we are looking at doing the cruise on the value in October. We have only been on the liberty and my hubby loved the 2.0 features. What did everyone d think of the valor? Will he miss those features?

Thank you in advance

[Cruisegirl6]

The Valor is one of two Carnival ships that I haven't been on yet, I am booked on her for May. If the 2.0 upgrades were important I would not go on this ship but obviously do we need two more bars, you can get any drink at any of the existing bars....do you need the Guys Burgers, greasy fattening artery clogging burger? If you say yes, how many burgers do you think your going to eat, is it worth it, to me certainly not. The Valor has the "punch liners" breakfast on sea days, this is very enjoyable.

She currently has the Burrito bar, Mongolian Wok and Fish and Chips.

 

I couldn't care less for those features and certainly don't miss them, in fact, they take up outdoor deck space too!

[Tutontow]

The Valor is one of two Carnival ships that I haven't been on yet, I am booked on her for May. If the 2.0 upgrades were important I would not go on this ship but obviously do we need two more bars, you can get any drink at any of the existing bars....do you need the Guys Burgers, greasy fattening artery clogging burger? If you say yes, how many burgers do you think your going to eat, is it worth it, to me certainly not. The Valor has the "punch liners" breakfast on sea days, this is very enjoyable.

She currently has the Burrito bar, Mongolian Wok and Fish and Chips.

 

I couldn't care less for those features and certainly don't miss them, in fact, they take up outdoor deck space too!

 

Ditto

[SMSACE6]

If Guy's burgers, blue iguana cantina, alchemy bar, red frog bar, and a few more that I have forgotten, make a cruise for you, then Valor will disappoint.

 

I have only been one 2.0 cruise, my most recent cruise on Freedom, last November, and it was an excellent cruise, as well as I did twice try a guy's burger and enjoyed them, however.......;

 

All my previous non 2.0 cruises were equally enjoyable (food and amenity wise), and I personally was and still am happy enough with a standard burger from the grill on non 2.0 ships.

 

Bars are bars...the 2.0 ones were ok, but I only drank the regular drinks that I drink at other bars on board, so nothing special there for me.

 

Whether a ship has 2.0 additions will not affect my future cruise choice on Carnival. I am more interested in price and itinerary, and would consider either a 2.0 ship or a non 2.0 ship. This just my opinion, and there are many many more of those:)

 

But a burger would never influence me in my choice of ship. I did like the Valor back in 2007 though. Hope you find a cruise that suits you both.:)

Edited March 22, 2015 by SMSACE6

[Jimmy Geegitz]

I personally will NOT book a ship without the 2.0 updates. We loved the poolside bars and the Blue Iguana Cantina and guys burgers. Also big sports fans and the EA Sportsbar is 10x nicer.

[SittingPretty]

Ultimately, you know the answer to that question. I enjoy the 2.0, but it isn't a make or break thing for me. I was on the Valor March 1st and had a great time. We chose the ship due to the itinerary. It was so port heavy I spent most of my evenings just chilling out. It's a vacation, don't sweat the small stuff and enjoy yourself. :)

[firespud]

We'll be on the Valor in April for the 3rd time. Never been on a ship with the 2.0 upgrades so I can't comment on that. We were on the Valor in 2011 and 2012 and found the ship to be in great shape. We sail for the ports, not necessarily for the ship, but if we were not happy with the ship we would not choose it.

[t1adams]

We sailed on the Valor two years ago out of OSJ. Loved it. We sailed the Glory last spring break and loved the 2.0 upgrades but HATED what they did to our traditional menu!! That American table thing was nasty. Taking away the table cloths really gave it a Golden Coral touch [emoji6]. Just nasty. Guys was good but I'd trade anything to get my traditional menu and classy tablecloths back. valor still has these classy touches. Like another poster said, artery clogging burgers only appease for so long.

 

And mostly, like another poster said, we mostly sail for the destinations...not the ship. As long as it's large enough for an 8 nighter, I'm good. [emoji6]

Edited March 22, 2015 by t1adams

[MCFTJCH2V]

Hey everyone, we are looking at doing the cruise on the value in October. We have only been on the liberty and my hubby loved the 2.0 features. What did everyone d think of the valor? Will he miss those features?

Thank you in advance

 

2.0 is disguised downgrades and branding. Don't let it interfer with your cruise selections.

[Cruisingcanadian29]

Thank you to everyone who answered with polite and thoughtful responses. I was more just asking as an opinion of what people thought. I did enjoy the pool side bars of the blue iguana and red frog as well as the punchline by George Lopez and superstar karaoke.

[Cruisingcanadian29]

We did the splendor las year and we were not sure if it's bc it wasn't 2.0 or the dated and dusfunctional organization that we did not like. That's the only REASON, I was asking nothing to do with Guys burgers.

[mikel24m]

We did the splendor las year and we were not sure if it's bc it wasn't 2.0 or the dated and dusfunctional organization that we did not like. That's the only REASON, I was asking nothing to do with Guys burgers.

 

We are cruising on the Splendor next Sunday and to be honest I like that it doesn't have the 2.0 upgrades yet although we love the upgrades too.

 

We have been on the Valor 3 or 4 times and its not my favorite ship even though we love the Conquest class ships usually something didn't go well for us sometimes it was Carnivals fault and sometimes not, If we could get a Lido balcony for a good price or more important to us a itinerary that appeals to us we would cruise on her again and I think you will be fine :)

[mac4cruise]

I will let you know after next week we are going on the Valor Mar 27.

We booked the Liberty but Carnival changed ships on us last summer. We been on the Glory after Carnival did the 2.0 upgrades, and we like the upgrades so we will have to wait and see.

[Cruisingcanadian29]

Ok cool thank you, enjoy your trip!

[Bases5]

We just sailed on the Valor

Things we liked better than 2.0

The burger, dogs, chicken and fry's were available till midnight as a late night snack. Outside by the pizza aft pool area. Guys closes early

Valor has serenity deck.

Valor has punchliner comedy club.

Valor still has full productions shows with live band.

Valor still has 5-6 piece band playing by the casino bar.

Valor has the Mongolian wok.

We like the 2.0 but not that much.

just my 2 cents

[JMHAM1]

What is the waterslide and outdoor entertainment for the kids situation on Valor? Is it still just the big green slide?

 

We are looking at Valor for Fall break because it is a longer cruise for not much more than the 5 day ones on other ships.

 

Trying to decide!!

[Bases5]

What is the waterslide and outdoor entertainment for the kids situation on Valor? Is it still just the big green slide?

 

We are looking at Valor for Fall break because it is a longer cruise for not much more than the 5 day ones on other ships.

 

Trying to decide!!

 

Yes just the 1 big slide in the middle pool. back pool area still has the moving roof so no water park on top.

[sjn911]

Following somewhat in the conversation....I think the American Table is changing to be more what is considered better options mixing the old and new food wise.....from reading only I feel better about it now.

 

And I think they are re-thinking the tablecloth issue...anyone know full schedule of change and which ships are keeping tablecloths...??

 

I do agree that tablecloths on a ship in both the dining room and steakhouse to me make better sense both personally for the ambiance and keeping the drinks standing and sharing the space with others....cleaner and nicer all the way around.

Edited March 22, 2015 by sjn911

[Cruise life]

What is the waterslide and outdoor entertainment for the kids situation on Valor? Is it still just the big green slide?

 

We are looking at Valor for Fall break because it is a longer cruise for not much more than the 5 day ones on other ships.

 

Trying to decide!!

 

 

We'll be going in April with 9yr old boys who will no doubt be in the sport area and also on the slide in good weather. We also use the arcade with them in the evenings. To be honest, our boys prefer the sport area to the slide/s after they have gone down the slide/s once or twice. The basketball court and putting greens are extremely popular. The water splash bucket is fun on ships with enhanced Waterworks but, again, after getting drenched once they want to be in the pool or playing sports. I can let you know how it goes in a couple weeks. Is there anything specific you are interested in besides the slide? I read on a recent CC review that a family's child loved the slide even more than camp, and that they couldn't get their child out of camp! Valor also has Dr. Seuss activities.

[Cruise life]

Hey everyone, we are looking at doing the cruise on the value in October. We have only been on the liberty and my hubby loved the 2.0 features. What did everyone d think of the valor? Will he miss those features?

Thank you in advance

 

 

Our upcoming cruise is not port-intensive, only 3 stops on an 8 day, so we will have lots of time to explore the ship. We were worried about the 2.0 upgrades not being added as of now, but we are happy they have a burrito bar and a grill (that stays open late!). Also, the only negative I have read recently is that due to the impending dry dock, it MAY appear that the ship is beginning to be allowed to slip into greater disrepair in certain areas. Other reports deny this. ITA with the poster that said to enjoy your vacation. Don't be too critical of the lack of anything, but rather focus on all you have (tablecloths!). I do understand your inquiry; we had the same discussion.

[Aviendah]

We just got off the Breeze traveling with 7 kids/teens. Regarding the slides, they went down them a couple times on the 8 day trip and then they didn't go back. It's Spring break and the lines were long and the pools were full until evening. The 2.0 features are nice but they don't make or break our trip.

 

I enjoyed the Breeze but I would book Valor again in a heartbeat. The pizza was so much better on the Valor!! :)

[JAGR]

We sailed on Valor March 1 out of OSJ. Previous two cruises on 2.0's (Liberty and Glory). You really don't lose a lot. You still have two bars beside the central Lido pool (they just don't have names), there is still a burger and hot dog grill (less greasy than Guy's). Jeanne's Wine Bar makes almost all the specialty martinis. We enjoyed it as much, or more than the 2.0's.

 

If you are a non-smoker, you may not like it as much. Out of OSJ, they allowed smoking on the Lido deck by the bar and seating on the starboard side, in addition to smoking areas on deck 10 and three on starboard.

 

We thought the food overall was better (maybe more spice for the number of Puerto Ricans that sailed on her out of San Juan). Staff are excellent, friendly, and keep the ship immaculate!

[SeaGoingDAD]

Hey everyone, we are looking at doing the cruise on the value in October. We have only been on the liberty and my hubby loved the 2.0 features. What did everyone d think of the valor? Will he miss those features?

Thank you in advance

 

Not sure how putting a brand name before a bar, a burger, a comedy club or a game show would make 2.0 anything more than a gimmick.

 

You will still find all these things on board without Carnival collecting money for the advertising of such, and not reaping the benefit of a reduced fare.

[JawjaFatBoy]

We are booked on the Valor in September. Our last cruise was a 7 day aboard the Liberty and while we did enjoy the 2.0 upgrades, the only one we will really miss is Guy's. We hit it several times and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Blue Iguana was good, but not great; we only ate there once. My wife's comment was "All of those salsas and NO CHIPS???" Our favorite lunch besides Guy's was the Mongolian Wok. Now I would be REALLY disappointed if the Valor didn't have it! Neither of us are sports fans so didn't even go into the EA Sports bar. I did check out the Red Frog and enjoyed it, but not enough to cancel a cruise over. The shows were not as good to us as the shows on non 2.0 cruises and neither was the music.

 

As others have said, we really cruise for the ports. We also try to hit a different ship each time. But the presence or absence of the 2.0 uprgrades are not deal breakers for us.

[sxyshell]

We sailed on Valor March 1 out of OSJ. Previous two cruises on 2.0's (Liberty and Glory). You really don't lose a lot. You still have two bars beside the central Lido pool (they just don't have names), there is still a burger and hot dog grill (less greasy than Guy's). Jeanne's Wine Bar makes almost all the specialty martinis. We enjoyed it as much, or more than the 2.0's.

 

If you are a non-smoker, you may not like it as much. Out of OSJ, they allowed smoking on the Lido deck by the bar and seating on the starboard side, in addition to smoking areas on deck 10 and three on starboard.

 

We thought the food overall was better (maybe more spice for the number of Puerto Ricans that sailed on her out of San Juan). Staff are excellent, friendly, and keep the ship immaculate!

 

JAGR,

We love the Alchemy and are afraid we will miss that when we cruise on the Valor next month. But you said that Jeanne's Wine Bar does a lot of the specialty martinis? If they do I'm sure we'll enjoy that bar as well!

Did you happen to spend much time in the casino? Was wondering how the casino was?

Thanks!

Michelle