Princess lady does Carnival Valor

[Ethel5]

The following is my take on a recent 8 night cruise on the Valor. YMMV.

 

My DD, SIL and their 2 kids, 12 & 9 were my traveling companions. I had a solo room. Embarkation was easy. They are Platinum and I am a lowly gold. I was finished before them! We found our own cabins. The inside I had was roomy enough for one person and the steward was prompt to introduce himself. While the towel animals are cute, I'd rather have the pillow chocolates and an ice bucket filled twice a day. I was told that if I wanted ice, I had to ask for it. No biggie.

 

There were 1200 kids on board under 18. 1175 of them were well behaved. The few troublesome ones liked to play elevator races, shut the elevator doors as you approached to get on. They had no idea of waiting for people to exit before pushing their way on. They also didn't understand the concept of waiting in line for their turn and would just go to the front of the line. Running down the companionways and yelling to each other at midnight was a favorite pastime. Slamming cabin doors was required. OK, if you don't want many kids, stay away from Easter week. BUT, in deference to the 1175 well behaved kids, I thank their parents.

 

Food is subjective and honestly, I have to say that Princess food is better. I ordered meatloaf one night and my fork literally bounced off it. I had to use a knife to cut it-honest! Another night the strip steak was so bland it tasted like soggy cardboard and it was gray-no color to it at all. Service was rushed. As soon as one course was done a new plate was served. I was served my salad and others were served the entree. The timing was way off. This was traditional dining and we were always finished in 45 minutes including dessert from the time we ordered. On the first night, the charger had a black, sticky, quarter sized smudge on it. I requested a new one. The server proceeded to rub the spot with his thumb and then tried to give it back to me. Not happening. The much touted Fish & Chips were horrible-swimming in grease to the point where the red paper they are served in was sticking to the fish. There were other instances of dried egg stuck on forks, dried catchup stuck in the little serving containers etc.

 

I did enjoy the movies on the big screen. There were plenty of activities during the day. The casino was very smoky with non-gamblers sitting in little groups smoking away and blowing smoke all over the place. There were a total of 5 no smoking slot machines and people were still trying to smoke at them and being rude about it. Carnival didn't even try to have a nonsmoking night or two.

 

Overall, I did enjoy the cruise and didn't let the little things bother me. I will sail Carnival again if the price is right and the itinerary is where I want to go.

[BigB0882]

The fact that your steward said you had to ask for ice is a sign of a lazy steward. Our steward during the same week on the Dream was amazing. I asked for ice the first time I met him and from that point on our ice bucket was NEVER empty. We even went the first 3 days or so not using any ice and he still kept filling it up, even though he could have noticed we weren't using the ice and just waited for us to ask. Great steward!

[ready2cruzagain]

OP was wondering how you would fair on Carnival. Carnival definitely has wayyyyyyyyyyyyy more children than Princess. Even though we usually sail during a time when school is in session there have been as many as 800 children during one of our cruises in the dead of winter. Home schooling was the explanation for that, at least from the parents I talked to.

 

The food IMHO is definitely better on Princess.

 

I would have told the steward that I wanted ice in the bucket twice a day....no need to have to remind him. Evidently not one of the better ones.

 

I am curious what you thought about the entertainment. We left Carnival due to the downgrade in entertainment. I love the entertainment on Princess.

[amyh13]

We were on the valor the same week. Our ice bucket and a personal cooler was filled twice a day without asking. My husband and I loved fish n chips but you are right, food is subjective.

[Cgsanders]

we were on the same cruise. I have a 6 year old who was one of the well behaved ones (Thanks for noticing LOL).

 

As far as the cabin steward. We had Nolieto (pronounced Noel). He was wonderful and kept our rooms clean and ice buckets filled.

 

we had early dining and had Caesar and his team every night. Truly the best Head waiter that we have ever had on our cruises (we have only been on 4). He was such a great guy. During morning coffee on the Lido he would be up there (he worked 5pm until 7am daily was his schedule). he would always make time to come chat with myself and the other 2 guys that were with us up there for coffee.

 

Could the Valor be improved, sure. but the staff that assisted us were fantastic!

[okgirl]

The fact that your steward said you had to ask for ice is a sign of a lazy steward. Our steward during the same week on the Dream was amazing. I asked for ice the first time I met him and from that point on our ice bucket was NEVER empty. We even went the first 3 days or so not using any ice and he still kept filling it up, even though he could have noticed we weren't using the ice and just waited for us to ask. Great steward!

 

Carnival has stopped automatically filling the ice bucket, but will gladly do so if requested. It was explained to the OP that if she wanted ice she needed to request it, just like you did.

[stoneharborlady]

Donna, I have only done three cruises, all on Princess, but have been looking for a summer cruise that Princess will not provide next year. Love the Princess dining rooms, but the only pictures I have seen of the Carnival dining rooms look very cafeteria like. Are they all very informal, or do some compare to Princess? Also, the cabins look very much less attractive. Is this correct, or are the newer ships better looking? Thank you.

Edited April 17, 2015 by stoneharborlady

[Linerguy]

Love the Princess dining rooms, but the only pictures I have seen of the Carnival dining rooms look very cafeteria like.

 

The dining rooms on the Fantasy class ships have low ceilings and are only one story. The dining rooms on the rest of the fleet are very grand and open. Check out pics of the BREEZE – their two main dining rooms are stunning and, IMO, some of the best-looking public rooms at sea.

[stoneharborlady]

The dining rooms on the Fantasy class ships have low ceilings and are only one story. The dining rooms on the rest of the fleet are very grand and open. Check out pics of the BREEZE – their two main dining rooms are stunning and, IMO, some of the best-looking public rooms at sea.

 

Thank you, I have looked it up, and they are lovely. The pictures that I originally saw must have been the buffet.

[Ethel5]

............ Love the Princess dining rooms, but the only pictures I have seen of the Carnival dining rooms look very cafeteria like. Are they all very informal, or do some compare to Princess? Also, the cabins look very much less attractive. Is this correct, or are the newer ships better looking? Thank you.

 

I haven't been on the newer Carnival ships, but the color schemes on the 4 Carnival cruises I have been on have been garish and very dark! Our cabin was a salmon color. The elevator areas are cave like and dark. The dining room we had was a two story affair and was light and airy. They allow shorts in the dining room for all three meals. I do not like the idea of the servers providing a loud, napkin waving "show" at the end of the evening meal every night. Maybe this is why our service was so rushed. It was like eating at Chuckee Cheese. The Lido deck buffet was a cafeteria style area with separate areas for deli and Mexican food. I try to avoid buffets when I can.