We (8 friends) were on the 8/27 Eastern Caribbean sailing of the Carnival Valor. Overall, it was a fantastic trip and, if I had to pick a vacation for this year all over again, I wouldn't change my mind. I would highly recommend both the itinerary and the ship to anyone looking for a fun Caribbean cruise.

Pre-cruise: We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites by the airport. It was clean and nice definitely a fair price. Their airport shuttle and complimentary breakfast is convenient. We rented a car from Hertz and took their shuttle from the downtown drop-off to the port very convenient. My husband and I did the 8:30 am dolphin swim at the Miami Seaquarium on Sunday morning, which was fantastic. I just cannot recommend this enough!

Embarkation: Not a huge deal. It was hot while we were outside for the first 15 minutes. The lines were long and it took us almost an hour and a half (we got in line a bit after 1 pm). The lifeboat drill was a tiny bit miserable, but it was fairly short. No biggie. Read more