Valor Dining....??

[YoungCruiser0308]

Cruising the Valor in March and have a questions about dining.

I plan on having the late seating.

Which dining room did you prefer(lincoln/washington)?

Why?

What is your best dining room cruise tip?

Thanks again CC members!

Kris

[nybumpkin]

We were in the Lincoln (midships) dining room in February. While I never visited the Washington dining room, we were in the aft dining room on our Liberty and Conquest cruises. I find there's less motion in the midships dining room; however, the aft dining room has windows on three sides. (Of course, we've never been assigned a table near a window on any of our cruises.:() If you're concerned about a difference in food, there's no difference - the two dining rooms share the main galley.

 

My best dining room tip: The West Indian Pumpkin Soup is fantastic - my all-time favorite Carnival soup. Second tip (although not related directly to the main dining rooms): go to Scarlett's one night for dinner. I've always enjoyed my dining room experience with Carnival, but the supper club is more than worth the $30 extra.

 

Hope this helps!

[kebhouse]

We were in the aft dining room (Washington) and I heard that it had the nicer views. However, we had late seating and it was always dark when we were there so that didn't matter. I guess in the summer months it might make a difference (our cruise was in march).

[Chigirlcruzin]

I was in the Lincoln both times on the Valor, late seating. They close the curtains, so the view was meaningless. The decor is almost identical - the only difference is the Washington has plaques of Washington on the wall; the Lincoln has plaques of Lincoln. Food is the same in each. I wouldn't worry about which DR you get - the experience will be almost identical.

[Maxax]

We're on the Valor in 3 weeks...and I think we're in the Lincoln. Having been on 2 other Carnival Sister ships...and having dined in both...aft and central...my personal opinion is...I think the central dining room looks nicer...they have a really elegant feel to them...but I like the aft dining room better...its just bigger and a little more open to me, IMHO! Regardless...either one works just fine for me!

[angelsx4]

I don't think there's much difference in the dining rooms. They look the same, but the Washington is in the back, so having a view(if you're lucky enough in there) is an awesome experience. The chairs are slightly different, but same place settings. Lincoln is a little narrower and mid-ship, Washington is wider and at the back. Because the Lincoln and the galley are in the middle of the ship, you have to go up or down to get to the Washington(we were on 9 so we walked through the buffet to the farthest elevator near the Promethius pool to get there. Our wait staff was exceptional. As far as dining tip, if you don't like your table mates, don't wait to ask for a new assignment. The ship is big enough that hopefully you won't run into your old tablemates. I thought the food was really good, better than I expected!

[heebeewee011268]

We ate in both dining rooms, and there are pros and cons to both of them. The Lincoln has smaller tables, which means you have a better chance of being by yourself (I prefer this, but if you are very social this could be a bad thing...) The Lincoln also had a very private feel to it. However, it is very inconvenient to get to, and I got lost a few times :o . The Washington had a brighter feel to me, and you have a great view. But, you are more likely to be paired with another group to eat.

 

As for a tip, I would highly recommend trying the first "fruit soup" that you see on your cruise (there's strawberry, cherry, I think raspberry, and I believe one more.) I was a bit nervous about it, but I discovered that I love it, and every night after I looked forward to another type of fruit soup. It reminds me of melted ice cream (but in a good way!)

[iwannacruznow]

My dining tip is if your having a hard time deciding what to have, order 2 entrees.

[Maxima81]

My dining tip is if your having a hard time deciding what to have, order 2 entrees.

 

If you'd like to have your multiple appetizers / entrees brought out all at once, make sure you say so. (I do this so our table can share and try different appetizers) Otherwise, the server will only bring one item at a time - meaning if you ordered multiple appetizers, you might end up holding everyone up from their entrees as they watch you finish your appetizers.

 

For a free drink other than water, you can ask for iced tea or lemonade - or an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea / half lemonade). Makes a great balance because the iced tea is unsweetened, and the lemonade is too strong for some.