Carnival Valor Review
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This was my third cruise and my wife's fifth. All our cruises have been on Carnival with our latest cruise last year on the Valor also. We had several friends who were first time cruisers with us for this cruise. We all drove to Miami and several of us stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in Doral near the airport. It was a very good hotel and close to where we parked (CBM Parking). I would recommend this parking to anyone driving to Miami. They provide shuttle service to and from the port and the cost is half the price.
We arrived at the ship around 11:00AM and met up with others in the party around 12:30PM on the Lido deck. The embarkation process was smooth and quick. We had some early problems with our dinner reservations but they were quickly rectified and we (9 in the party) had the same table for dinner. We went to our rooms around 2:00PM. Everyone loved their rooms. This trip, we decided to go with a balcony. My wife thinks we should always go with a balcony in the future. I liked it and would agree, the balcony is the way to go if you can afford the additional cost. The balcony room has more space than the interior rooms. We spent most of our time on the Lido deck with our smoker friends. When we got to our room, there was no soap in the bathroom. I had to hunt down the cabin steward and ask for it. The bed just wasn't as good as last time. It sank in the middle and needed to be replaced.
Our first day at sea was overcast, so we just explored the ship. Monday night was our first formal night and also the meet the captain party. We arrived a little late for the party and was escorted to the piano bar. We never did meet the captain. Some in the party were a little disappointed. I wasn't, we still got the free drinks. Our first port was Grand Cayman. I had reserved a van with Budget so we could go to Rum Point. That was a waste of our time. It took me over an hour to get the van and the drive to Rum Point was another 45 minutes. The beach was great, but the prices for food and drinks were outlandish. I would not recommend this to anyone on a one day visit. Next time, we'll go to Seven Mile Beach only because we have done the Sting Ray City before. That would be the excursion I would recommend in Grand Cayman.