Mississippi River to Mexico on the Carnival Valor - MistyRo76's Review of the 10/22/22 Sailing

[MistyRo76]

After enjoying the Sailaway Celebration for a bit, we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. I was able to catch some beautiful sunset shots around the ship and from our balcony. It was stunning this night!

 

Mark had been able to speak with the Maitre ‘D earlier and arranged for nine of us in our group to all be seated together. Our two friends from Arizona had elected to do Anytime Dining to give them more flexibility to see shows when they wanted. The rest of us were seated at a table for 10 in the Washington Dining Room – Upper Level.

 

Before dinner, our group met at the Alchemy Bar. I loved the location of our cabin as we were just two decks up from the Promenade Deck and the stairs led us right to where Alchemy was. One more deck down and we were able to enter the Washington Dining room on the level our table was located. And then just two decks up and we were at the Lido restaurant. It was very convenient for us! I had my first Tiramisu Martini of the cruise, my pre-dinner favorite! The only thing I don’t like about martinis is the glass they come in as it is very difficult to walk around without it sloshing over the rim! Later in the week, we ordered martinis at the casino bar and the bartender asked us if we wanted them in the regular martini glasses or preferred them in “walkaround” glasses? Uh, hello!! This was a game changer! I’m not sure why I never thought to ask for my martini in a different glass for walking around, but now I did just about every time I ordered one! LOL But this first night, I carefully carried my martini to dinner!

 

Sunset Views

 

Stopped by Alchemy for a pre-dinner drink! 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2022 by MistyRo76

[pirate4me2]

Off to a great start! I love sailing from NOLA, it is so much fun to visit the city and to sail down the Mississippi! And going around Halloween and getting to see the decorations is great....we have done that and it's so cool to see! 

[MistyRo76]

Now, I have to say that I was very hit or miss about taking pictures of my food or snapping screenshots of the daily menus! I had the best of intentions in that regard going into this cruise, but in the moment, I just didn’t think about it each night. But tonight I managed to get pics. My choices this evening were the Quesadilla and Calamari appetizers, Roasted Tomato Soup and Caesar Salad and the Sweet & Soup Shrimp Entrée. Everything was delicious! Overall, I tend to lean toward the appetizers, in fact, some nights I can make my whole meal from just the app menu! Our servers were Welly and Ryan and they were amazing!

 

Now I want to comment on something dinner related that has never happened to me in 19 total cruises with Carnival. After the second night of our cruise, we ended up asking to be moved to another table. Not at all because of our waitstaff, who as I mentioned already, were fabulous! But it was because of the table next to us. Seated next to us was a large group of younger girls and two younger guys. Their behavior at dinner was nothing short of appalling. I am all for having a great time especially on vacation, but my great time should never infringe on someone else’s ability to have a great time! This group was over the top! Just the first night alone, I witnessed one girl completely lift her top up and expose her breasts to the rest of her table – and ours - and a different girl giving another one a lap dance. The language was loud and vulgar. And they completely were disrespectful of anyone and everyone around them. The waitstaff was consumed with them and it made our service much slower – especially when several in their group came to dinner over 45 minutes late the second evening. Toward the end of dinner the first evening, Jody went down to speak with the Maître ‘D about the possibility of us moving tables. She made sure he knew that it was nothing our waitstaff had done! Jody told the rest of us that we could move if desired, but we decided to give it one more night hoping that maybe the group had just overdone it on Fun Ship Specials with it being the first day of the cruise! We even ran into the group later at Alchemy and when I mentioned that we were seated next to them at dinner, one of the girls quickly looked embarrassed and apologized. That gave me hope that perhaps it was an anomaly, but it wasn’t. Unfortunately, night two was just more of the same so we did ask to be moved. We told our waitstaff that we were moving and that it was nothing they had done and several of us gave them extra tip money for the two nights of great service they gave us! The last three nights of dinner were at a table on the lower level of the Washington Dining Room. Our new waitstaff was also great – our head waiter was Rodrun, but called himself Road Runner and each night he entertained us with a cool magic trick or made us a fun creature using the table napkins. We very much enjoyed him, and our new dining location was much more peaceful and resulted in quicker dinners!

 

 

 

Quesadilla w/ Pico and Sour Cream

 

Calamari

 

Roasted Tomato Soup

 

Caesar Salad

 

Sweet & Soup Shrimp w/ Fried Rice

Edited November 9, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

4 minutes ago, pirate4me2 said:

Off to a great start! I love sailing from NOLA, it is so much fun to visit the city and to sail down the Mississippi! And going around Halloween and getting to see the decorations is great....we have done that and it's so cool to see! 

Yes...it was amazing! I would like to do it another time of year as it got dark so early that we didn't get to see a lot of our journey down the River. But NOLA certainly goes all out for Halloween so that was cool to see! Want to get back and try more food and see other parts of the city like the Garden and Warehouse districts and do some tours. 

[THL1313]

2 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

After enjoying the Sailaway Celebration for a bit, we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. I was able to catch some beautiful sunset shots around the ship and from our balcony. It was stunning this night!

 

Mark had been able to speak with the Maitre ‘D earlier and arranged for nine of us in our group to all be seated together. Our two friends from Arizona had elected to do Anytime Dining to give them more flexibility to see shows when they wanted. The rest of us were seated at a table for 10 in the Washington Dining Room – Upper Level.

 

Before dinner, our group met at the Alchemy Bar. I loved the location of our cabin as we were just two decks up from the Promenade Deck and the stairs led us right to where Alchemy was. One more deck down and we were able to enter the Washington Dining room on the level our table was located. And then just two decks up and we were at the Lido restaurant. It was very convenient for us! I had my first Tiramisu Martini of the cruise, my pre-dinner favorite! The only thing I don’t like about martinis is the glass they come in as it is very difficult to walk around without it sloshing over the rim! Later in the week, we ordered martinis at the casino bar and the bartender asked us if we wanted them in the regular martini glasses or preferred them in “walkaround” glasses? Uh, hello!! This was a game changer! I’m not sure why I never thought to ask for my martini in a different glass for walking around, but now I did just about every time I ordered one! LOL But this first night, I carefully carried my martini to dinner!

 

Sunset Views

 

Stopped by Alchemy for a pre-dinner drink! 

 

 

Beautiful pics of sunset!  i love Tiramisu martinis too.  I have come to ask for them on the rocks, so it comes in a rocks glass with some ice to keep cold. 

[peteandpris]

Great review thank you.

 

[MistyRo76]

2 hours ago, THL1313 said:

Beautiful pics of sunset!  i love Tiramisu martinis too.  I have come to ask for them on the rocks, so it comes in a rocks glass with some ice to keep cold. 

That's another good idea! Although, they are so good, they usually go down pretty quickly! 😁

[MistyRo76]

1 hour ago, peteandpris said:

Great review thank you.

 

Thanks for reading along! 

[MistyRo76]

After dinner the first evening, we spent some time exploring the ship. We ended up in the piano bar for a bit where Martin was playing. I enjoy the piano bar, but I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. So that was the only time we spent in there this cruise. We headed back to Alchemy and while we were there that night’s comedian, Joel Lindley, came by and chatted with us and convinced us to come to his show (which we were probably going to go to anyway LOL). So we headed to the Eagles Lounge (Deck 5, Aft) and got seats for the show. One of the waitresses suggested a drink called the Whimsy Scarlett which I had never had before. It was really good! But like quite a few of Carnival’s drinks, is only available in certain bars/lounges. Joel Lindley’s show was just average for me. He started off pretty strong, but then he seemed to rely mostly on jokes about cultural stereotypes for the rest of the show. Never did get a good belly laugh from him, so I’m giving his show a 5/10!

 

After the show, we strolled around a bit and I eventually ended up in the casino. I’m not a huge gambler - $5-6 tables are pretty much my max! And I never gamble at home even though there are 3-4 casinos within 30 minutes of where I live. I don’t enjoy slot machines, as I really like the social aspect of table games. It’s great if you have a fun dealer and a good group of players. I also set a mental limit of what I’m willing to lose for the whole vacation. So, if I blow it all on night one, I’m done!

 

This night, I started out playing at a Texas Hold ‘Em table where I quickly lost $100. So, I switched over to blackjack where I started out playing with another $200. I love playing blackjack while on a cruise! Usually, my sis and I play together, but she wasn’t feeling it this night, so, I was on my own. I ended up closing down the casino (2AM) and I had quickly made back the $100 I lost at Texas Hold ‘Em and ended the night up about $70 total. Not a bad night one outcome. The casino manager, Jonathan, was a total sweetheart! Once they shut down the casino, I headed back to my cabin and went to sleep! It was a long, but great, first day at sea!

 

Martin at the Piano Bar

 

Whimsy Scarlett

 

First night's towel animal - I think it may have been on Jody's bed first and gotten a bit messed up when she moved it over to mine when she went to bed! LOL

Edited November 9, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

October 23, 2022 – FUN Day & Sea and Formal Night

 

Jody woke up before 8AM and headed up to the Lido deck to get something to eat and grab some deck chairs. I laid in bed a bit longer but couldn’t fall back to sleep. So eventually I got up and headed up to Lido as well. I found my sister and Mark walking on the track and did a couple laps with them catching up on the previous night’s activities. They were planning to go to Sea Day Brunch, so I told them to send me a message when they were ready to go. I found Jody up on Lido and we sat and enjoyed the nice morning for a while.

 

As I mentioned before, Jody and I had $300 total OBC to split for us rebooking after our COVID cancelled cruise. I used part of mine to buy the Premium Wi-Fi package to so I could stay in contact with my husband and daughter at home. And both of us had decided to use some of the OBC to get our hair styled in the salon for formal night. This was something that I had never done, or even thought to do before! So, it sounded like a fun little splurge! When we booked our appointments online before the cruise, the only times available were 4:45 for me and 3:45 for Jody. That was a little earlier than we wanted as we had the late dinner seating. We decided to walk up to the Spa to inquire about any other times we might be able to get our hair done. They easily were able to move us both to 5:30PM. It seemed like their schedules were wide open, so I’m not sure why there weren’t more options available on on-line. The cost of my Up-Do was $79 since I have long hair and Jody’s was around $50 for a wash, dry and style.

 

After our visit to the salon, I headed to the Washington Dining room to meet the rest of our group for Sea Day Brunch. Jody had eaten on Lido and headed back to our chairs to relax. We were seated within a few minutes of requesting our table. I ordered a mimosa to start my day (BTW – I wish I could start every day at home with a mimosa!). For my brunch, I had the flaming tomato soup, sunny side up eggs and a side of bacon. Service was fairly quick though accuracy in the mornings seemed to be an issue – maybe it was having different servers each day?? I know there was a big collective cheer from many when Carnival brought back the flaming tomato soup and I can see why! It was delicious! It had a nice little bite to it and great flavor! I always ask for my bacon on the limp side, but it always seemed to come out crispy.

 

After a nice brunch, I headed back up to Lido to enjoy some sun and cocktails. It really was a perfect sea day! It never felt too hot, the breeze on Lido was perfect (though Serenity seemed to be a lot windier!) and the crowds were manageable. My one (very minor) complaint was the volume of the steel drum music. It was so loud that it was hard to have a conversation over it. We loved the essence of the music but taking it down a notch or two would have been just right!

 

One thing to mention - the Serenity Bar is a hidden gem for your poolside beverages! They have several kinds of Sangria, "Skinny" cocktails, Wines, specialty Martinis and more. Everything I had there was tasty! And the drinks aren't as heavy on your tummy as some of the other drinks you can find on Lido! I made the walk up there several times this day to grab a beverage! 

 

At this time, some in our group headed to the Red Frog Pub to watch their Bengals take on the Falcons and a few of us settled in for 80’s Music Trivia on the Lido Deck. This was a lot of fun! Everyone was really getting into the fun songs and singing along! We got 19 out of 20 right – we just couldn’t think of the name of the male singer of Time of Life (theme from Dirty Dancing). After trivia, they brought out the big block of ice for the ice sculpting demo. As always, this drew a crowd who were eagerly waiting to see what that block would transform into.

 

After the deck fun, we headed inside the Lido Marketplace to grab some sushi from the Sushi Bar which was located on the side of the Marketplace. There was not a line to place our orders. We were given buzzers to let us know when our sushi was ready. We found Mark and his friend Jeff at a booth and joined them. Jeff was waiting for his sushi as well. While we were waiting, I decided to check out the buffet options as I didn’t think the roll would quite fill me up. I made a small salad and picked up a couple other items that looked interesting including some kind of Brazilian stew. After about 10 minutes our buzzers went off to let us know our sushi was ready. The sushi was just ok – it was a little mushy for my liking. I feel like the best sushi I’ve had onboard was when there was an actual Bonsai Sushi restaurant. After lunch, we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the sun on Lido.

 

Early morning on Lido

 

Flaming Tomato Soup

 

Morning Mimosa

 

Beautiful Sea Day

 

Cruise Director Louis hosting the 80's Music Trivia. This may have been the first time we saw him on the ship! 

 

Cheers! 

 

Love watching the Ship's wake! 

Edited November 9, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Around 4:30, Jody and I headed back to the cabin to shower before our hair appointments. At 5:15, we walked down to Deck 5 and swung by the casino bar to grab a couple martinis to enjoy while we were pampered. When we were checking in for our appointments, Jody inquired if they offered make-up services specifically putting on lashes. They said if we had our own lash strips, they could put them on for us. I had purchased some lashes for the very first time to use on this cruise and was dreading trying to put them on myself. So the spa staff told me to run and grab them and they would put them on for me! BONUS! So I made the trek from Deck 11 Forward to our cabin at the very Aft of Deck 7, grabbed the lashes and hustled back to the spa! Within minutes, we were both lead into the salon to start our services. I showed Antoinette, from Jamaica, a picture I had saved on my phone, and she quickly got to work! She did an amazing job! I loved how it turned out and it was so nice to not have to fix my hair myself – cause I have A LOT of it! My hair appointment was slated for 70 minutes, but probably only took 30 and another 5-10 minutes to put on my lashes. She charged me $25 for the lash application and it was well worth it as it would have probably taken me 30 minutes to apply them myself.

 

One quick note here, while we were at the salon, our Cruise Director, Louis announced that we were going to be making an unscheduled stop during that night at Cozumel to medically evacuate a passenger and then we would continue to our port call the following day at Costa Maya. There was no anticipated delay to our arrival at Costa Maya. We could tell that the ship was going noticeably faster than it had been to accommodate this unscheduled stop. I had heard that the passenger had fallen in the shower and hit her head. Her daughter commented on our other group page that her mom had been flown back to New Orleans for surgery due to a brain bleed and she was expected to recover after having to stay a week or more in the hospital. So grateful that the Captain was able to take quick action to get this woman the care she needed and that she is going to be ok!

 

After our hair appointments, we headed back to the cabin to finish getting ready and then met our group up at Alchemy for pre-dinner drinks. We were going to take some formal night portrait photos, but the lines were long, so we decided to wait until after dinner. For dinner this evening, I had the Blackened Pork Tart, Fried Oysters, Cream of Mushroom Soup and Spaghetti Carbonara. Following dinner, we took some portraits and just killed some time on Promenade deck until the 70’s & 80’s Party started in the nightclub. The music was pretty decent, and we got to do some dancing! We stayed in there until they switched over to “Nightclub Hits” at which point everyone promptly left the dance floor! More blackjack followed until I headed back to the cabin around 2AM again. We had a late port call the following day, so no need to be up early!

 

The "Secret" is that you take that coaster to the Fun Shops and you get a free little souvenir necklace (nothing fancy!) and they try to get you to stay and shop with some special discounts. We got our necklaces and had to leave for our salon appointments. 

 

Patch in the Atrium

 

Me & Jody Formal Night

 

The back of my up-do. I thought she did an amazing job! 

 

Fun and shots in the nightclub on 70's and 80's night! 

Edited November 9, 2022 by MistyRo76

[Jamman54]

Really enjoying your review! Thanks for taking us on the Valor. Meet you at the Blackjack table! 

[MistyRo76]

4 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Really enjoying your review! Thanks for taking us on the Valor. Meet you at the Blackjack table! 

Thanks for joining along! Would be great to play a few hands with you in the casino someday! 

[allinwonderland]

Another devotee of the Whimsy Scarlett! I don't know what makes it so good but it's soooooooooooo good; if I could get it everywhere, I would be in heaven. Oh well, like I need another excuse to go to the comedy club, haha!

[MistyRo76]

12 hours ago, allinwonderland said:

Another devotee of the Whimsy Scarlett! I don't know what makes it so good but it's soooooooooooo good; if I could get it everywhere, I would be in heaven. Oh well, like I need another excuse to go to the comedy club, haha!

I had never had that one before and it was very tasty! Wish we could get it at other bars, we just weren't in the Eagle's Lounge very often! 

[MistyRo76]

October 24, 2022 – Costa Maya

 

Again, we were up by around 8AM. I just can’t seem to sleep in on this cruise, but not for a lack of trying! Guess it’s just my internal alarm telling me it’s time to go! We enjoyed breakfast from the Lido buffet this morning. It was standard buffet fare – scrambled eggs and other breakfast fixings (but NO bacon today ☹). I did try the salmon benedict which was just ok. We were scheduled to get into Costa Maya around noon, so we had all morning to just enjoy the ship. We spent most of the morning up on Serenity sitting on the couches under the deck above. It kept us out of the wind and it was just steps from the bar.

 

As we were sitting there enjoying the morning, I looked forward and noticed some dark skies up ahead. You could tell it was raining and we felt just a few sprinkles. But before long, I could tell the ship was turning and our Captain expertly navigated around that little cell and before long it was clear, blue skies ahead! We were able to take advantage of Priority Debarkation for our port call in Costa Maya. So a little before 1:00, they made the call for us to head off the ship.

 

Three in our group were taking a Carnival excursion to the ruins, Mark and Jeff were going to just hang out at the port area and the rest of us had booked an all-inclusive day at Jamie’s at Blue Reef. When we were deciding what we wanted to do at Costa Maya, I knew I wanted to return to the Mahahual area. It had been over 10 years since I’d been to Costa Maya, but I remember loving Mahahual. It was so peaceful; everything was very reasonably priced and the beach and water were amazing! I knew I wanted something all-inclusive as opposed to pay as you go. In my research of beach clubs at Mahahual, I quickly narrowed our options down to Maya Chan and Jamie’s at Blue Reef. Both places had great reviews here on Cruise Critic and on Trip Advisor. Maya Chan was closing for several months to do some renovations and was scheduled to open about two weeks before our cruise. Ultimately, that pushed us to choose Jamie’s as I didn’t want to risk Maya Chan having delays and being closed when we were supposed to be there and then having to scramble to find something else. So, Jamie’s it was!

 

As I mentioned, it had been quite a while since I’ve been to Costa Maya. Since my last visit, Costa Maya had experienced a devastating hurricane and had to rebuild from it. The port area was all new to me! Let me just say, that port area is A LOT! It was a good 10-15 minute walk through all the shops to get to the taxi stand. We kept having to ask where the taxi stand was to make sure we were still going the right way because it just twists and turns throughout the area. I’m sure if you could walk a straight line from the ship to the taxi stand, it would probably be a 2 minute walk! But finally, we made it!

 

Stormy skies ahead! 

 

We're starting to go around it! 

 

Ahh...that's better! 🙂

 

View back at the Valor as we were walking down the pier. 

 

Looking toward land from the pier. 

 

Below are a few shots I got as we were walking through the port area and shops to get to the taxi pick-up location. 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Taxis to Mahahual were $4 per person and we were able to get a van to accommodate all six of us. We paid $5 per person to include the tip! It was only about a 5-7 minute taxi ride to the Mahahual area and before we knew it, we were being dropped off right behind Jamie’s.
 

Jamie’s is a small hotel and beach club. There is a bar area located back away from the beach a bit – just across a small dirt path from the beach. In the bar area, there are a couple tables and some fun swings at the bar. The cost for our day at Jamie’s was $52 per person and it included all beverages and all-you-could-eat food. I made the reservation by emailing Jamie directly and paying a $12.50 per person deposit for four members of our group. The other two girls booked separately but let Jamie know that they were with us so we could all be seated together.

 

When we arrived, we checked-in inside the bar area and were quickly led to our chairs by our server, Digby! Jamie’s only allows around 35 guests per day, but honestly, I would be surprised if there were more than 15-20 there when we were there. We were guaranteed to each have a reserved lounge chair in the shade just steps from the water. We quickly settled in and went about ordering our first beverages and perusing the food menu. I asked Digby for her recommendation on a beverage. She recommended one that included a rosemary syrup made from scratch at home by the bartender – it was divine! So fresh and light! I also went ahead and ordered some Ceviche and Nachos to start. It was a beautiful day in Costa Maya. The weather was perfect, the water calm and Digby kept the drinks flowing. I had read wonderful things about the service you get at Jamie’s and Digby certainly did not disappoint. The food was also a high point as well. The ceviche was among the freshest and most flavorful I’ve ever tasted. Digby said the chef fishes right in the waters off Costa Maya for catch to use in the ceviche. The nachos were also good though I should have remembered to order with no or light beans as refried beans are not my favorite, and these were loaded with them. That’s just a me thing though!  Later I order the shrimp tempura taco which was also very tasty! Drink wise I had a couple margaritas and a very yummy Hibiscus Flower Daiquiri, which was also made with one of the bartender’s homemade syrups. The afternoon was spent lounging in our chairs, enjoying our drinks, eating the great food and cooling off in the water. Later in the afternoon, Jody and I decided to walk the five flights of stairs up to the rooftop of the hotel to check out the views. Up here is a rooftop pool – which no one was using. And the views were spectacular. It was definitely worth the walk up.

 

My one and only gripe about our time at Jamie’s was the nearly constant soliciting by people trying to sell you things. I am assuming these are independent vendors and not anything that can be controlled by Jamie’s. They were not at all aggressive, but it just seemed that for the first hour or two we were there, we were having to say “No, thank you” to someone about every five minutes. There were even small children coming through trying to sell things – like flowers made of palm leaves. It seemed to settle down as the afternoon wore on thankfully!

 

I am going to spread the pictures of our day at Jamie's across a few posts as there are quite a few of them! 

 

 

Exterior of Jamie's Blue Reef

 

Inside bar and seating area. 

 

View looking left coming out of Jamie's - Mahahual area. 

 

Ocean views from Jamie's 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Jamie's at Blue Reed continued:

 

Getting settled into our lounge chairs under the palapas. 

 

Obligatory pic looking out over my feet into the blue waters. 

 

The water was gorgeous, and the beach was fairly free of sea grass (this can be a BIG issue here during certain parts of the year).

 

No - we didn't plan to coordinate our bathing suits. It was purely a coincidence! 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Jamie's at Blue Reef Continued:

 

View of the Valor from Jamie's

 

Looking to the Right

 

And to the left!

 

The Gypsea

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Jamie's at Blue Reef Continued:

 

Rooftop Pool at Jamie's

 

View from the rooftop to the Right

 

And to the left....with the Valor in the distance. 

 

There she is! 

 

We've been spotted! 

 

Another view of the Valor. 

 

Rooftop Selfie! 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Jamie at Blue Reef's Continued: 

 

Ceviche and my first beverage (not sure what it is called - was made with homemade Rosemary Syrup). 

 

Shrimp Tempura Taco

 

Hibiscus Flower Daquiri 

 

Our group with our amazing server, Digby! 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

Jamie's at Blue Reef Continued:

 

Being silly on the bar swings before we headed back to the ship! 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

We enjoyed our day at Jamie’s until around 5:30 when we settled our tab, generously tipped Digby, and hopped in a cab back to the port to make the winding walk back to the ship. I did stop at a shop and pick up a stuffed animal for the kiddo and took some pictures of the ship as the sun was starting to set. Now, we usually try to take the stairs while on the ship as much as possible. Those extra steps make me feel better about all the eating and drinking I do onboard! But going from deck zero up to deck seven is a haul! So, we got off at deck five and then walked aft, stopping at the casino bar for a martini and then walked the last two flights up to seven once we got to the furthest aft stairwell. That little break in the middle sure helps – or maybe it was the martini!

 

Once back to our cabin, we set about getting showed and cleaned up for that night’s dinner. It would be our first dinner at our new table and with our new waitstaff. As per usual, we met our group at Alchemy for a pre-dinner drink and then headed to dinner. My dinner fare that night was the Fried Mozzarella, Heart of Iceberg Lettuce, Linguini w/ Italian Sausage (appetizer portion) and Grilled Beef Tenderloin. I also tried the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake.

 

After dinner we decided to check out the other comedian onboard – Lowell Sanders. I assumed that his show was in the Eagles Lounge and headed there. When I arrived and found it was empty, I checked the Hub App to see that he was in the Ivanhoe Theater all the way forward! So, I reversed course and headed that way. That's what I get for assuming! We got seats on the upper level and settled in for the show. He was much better than the previous comic – I would give him a solid 8/10. It might have been a higher score, but suddenly the late nights and early mornings started to catch up to me and sitting down at the show made me very sleepy! After the show, we headed down the Promenade. I was surprised at how many people were dressed up that night for Halloween as the ship’s Halloween party wasn’t until the following evening. We snapped a photo with members of the Addams Family (great costumes!) and I believe I played a bit in the casino. But with the sleepiness setting in earlier, I called it a night and headed to bed!

 

I took a whole bunch of pictures as I walked back down the pier toward the ship. The sun was starting to set and it was beautiful! 

 

No line to get back on board! 

 

Beef Tenderloin

 

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

 

No clue how he got that all to balance like that! 

 

He was trying to give me a hand! 🙂

 

I forgot to post night 2's towel animal, so here he is! 

 

And night 3's towel animal, too! 

 

Video of our waiters table trick. 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[MistyRo76]

October 26, 2022 – Cozumel, Mexico and Halloween onboard

 

We were up bright and early the next day as we were scheduled to be in Cozumel at 8AM. We had booked another all-inclusive beach day at Nachi Cocom but we weren’t in a huge hurry to get off the ship. I have been to Cozumel probably a dozen times and in the past we would usually go to Playa Mia. It tended to be a very hopping scene which was great in my 20’s and early 30’s. I’ve also done Paradise Beach and Mr. Sanchos in the past. But this time around, we were looking for something a little more on the chill side. Nachi restricts their capacity to around 130 guests for the day and they do not cater to families with children. You won’t find any waterslides or water inflatables at Nachi! Eight in our group booked the day at Nachi. I booked right on their website and paid a $12 deposit. The total cost for the day was $59 which included all beverages and a four-course lunch.

 

Once we were up, we headed to Lido to grab a quick breakfast from the buffet – thankfully today they had bacon, though I almost missed it! This morning was also the Invasion of Towel Animals out on deck! They were everywhere. It’s always cool to see this and the kids onboard LOVED it! There was a large alligator, two towel people laying on loungers, two swans kissing and floating in the pool, a doghouse full of pups and many others. I even joined a few of them at Red Frog for a Mimosa!

 

View from our balcony as we arrived Cozumel. 

 

The Lido Deck has been invaded! 

 

Just having a morning mimosa with my friends! 

 

The Carnival Paradise was docked with us today. I sailed on her for my last cruise prior to this one going to Cuba! 

 

There's our Valor! 

Edited November 10, 2022 by MistyRo76

[Dippy Dawg]

Really enjoying your review!!!  My Valor COVID rescheduled cruise is in May and we cant wait!!!!!