Valor 4 day review.

[texhockey]

Just returned from a quick 4 day cruise on the Valor out of Galveston and thought I would share my thoughts and experiences.

 

We had a total group of 10 people. The majority were from my medical support group.  Also had one of my former co-workers and a friend and his girlfriend join us.  It was my first cruise without my wife and family so it was a new experience.  

 

A quick breakdown on my cruise experience.

 

1.  Added FTTF at the last minute because I had a doctor's appointment the day we got back and didn't want to take any chances.  After this trip I will definitely add it to my next Carnival cruise.  The quick embarkation and debarkation is so nice especially since my strokes and being able to not stand in the line as long is worth it to me.  And I had to make a couple of trip to guest services and having the small line was awesome.

 

2.  It was my second time with the new embarkation process at Galveston and it was even better than last time.  Carnival is really doing things right with this as we were on the boat within 45 minutes from the time we parked and were shuttled over from Lighthouse parking.  Of course it helps to show up a little later and being able to walk right on the ship makes a difference.  I will definitely not be showing up before 11:30 again.

 

3.  The staff was wonderful. I asked our steward for robes and ice the first day and he made sure I had ice every morning. Everyone had a smile and was always being friendly.  We had early dining and how wait team did not fail to impress again.  Kept our glasses filled and we never had a long wait for anything.

 

4.  The playlist team was impressive.  I had low expectations from our previous 2 cruises but this team was on a different level. The two shows I went to were better than anything I had seen in a while.

 

5.  The comedians did not disappoint.  We went to most shows and always had great seats for our group. The guy the first night was decent but the second guy was the one we enjoyed.  He liked to improv and riff on the crowd so all 3 shows were different.  We didn't see any PG shows so I don't know how they were.

 

6.  The performer in the piano bar was very good and the violin players were enjoyable.  They had a female duet team were impressive and I enjoyed the band they had who also participated in in one of the playlist shows.  Overall the entertainment options were solid.  After the 7 day trip we had in February which disappointed it was a nice change.

 

There were a couple of negatives on the trip also.

 

1.  For whatever reason they could not cook a proper steak.  It tasted fine but they never would cook it right.  I like mine medium rare.  I would have to order rare and it might be medium rare but most of the time it was medium.  My friends experienced the same thing.  The steaks were consistently overcooked.

 

2.  No ships on a stick for trivia.  It is a small thing but I do collect them and was disappointed and I didn't play much trivia this time.  It was nice they offered more trivia than my last cruise though and they seemed to have a good variety.

 

3.  No beer pong and only 1 cornhole event.  Once again a small thing but my buddy and I look forward to playing each cruise and after getting beat my future son-in-law last cruise we felt we had something to prove.

 

4.  And my most petty complaint. The dart board in the Redfrog Pub didn't work.  We always bring some cheap darts with us to play and enjoy the game but the dart board didn't work right.  It wouldn't register throws and was it was more hassle to play than we wanted on vacation.

 

As you can see the wonderful things far outweighed the small complaints we had.  The cruise was a wonderful vacation and we are going to try and turn this into an annual event for our small support group.  Carnival once again reminded me why I keep coming back as they exceeded my expectations from the moment we arrived.  My next cruise will be Royal Caribbean this fall.  I'm looking forward to the experience but will be back on Carnival in next December.  

 

I do have the Fun Times if anyone would like them let me know and I will post them.

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments.

Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

[euphscott]

We too were on this cruise.  For a 4 day cruise I expected so little (I am always 7 or more) but was really impressed.  The ship is in decent shape and the staff did not at all seem like second string, prepping for the prime time. 

 

The only steak I had was in the steakhouse and oh my goodness that new menu is fantastic - and the steak there was phenomenal.  Glad you had a nice time - I will certainly thumbs up your comedy observations - anyone onboard that missed the one show in particular that Sebastian just never got to his set list missed out.  I have not laughed so hard in my life.  

 

Good times - back to reality!

[camijo]

I'm doing this 4 day in April.  I did the 5 day over Halloween, had a lot of fun.  I too, like getting FTTF, the debarkation/embarkation process is wonderful. I can't wait even though it's a 4 day.

 

Thanks for the review!

[Texasl8dy]

We were on the Valor last month and they didn't have ships on a stick then either.  A real disappointment for sure.

 

.

[ranger dave]

So no ship on stick.  What do they give if you win in some of the games?

[camijo]

They had ships on a stick in October.  I hosted a slot pull and I asked the casino host for a prize pack and lo and behold, she gave me 3 prize packs for the top 3 pullers.  And the first prize included a ship on a stick.  If they don't have them in April, my husband will be disappointed, he loves collecting them. 

[CC Rider 69]

1 hour ago, ranger dave said:

So no ship on stick.  What do they give if you win in some of the games?

They were giving the "Funnel of Fun" (their new medallion) in lieu of the SOS last month on the Freedom. EDIT: they did pass out some SOS, but the FOF is slowly taking the SOS's place.

[JaniceB]

Thanks for the review.

 

[bpermann]

I would like to see the funtimes from the 4 day cruise. We have never done a 4 day so will be interesting.

 

Thanks,

[tlauro]

Yes, please share the Fun Times copies you have.  We have a 4 day booked in May

[Rudyard]

I was on Valor last month and they were giving Ships on a Stick for trivia. I went to trivia maybe half a dozen times and they gave one away every time.