Our previous seven cruises have been on another line, and I guess we've been spoiled. The cabin service was excellent, the Dinner Service was good, but obviously short staffed, the Customer service at the front desk was terribly understaffed(long lines for everything). All this is understandable when viewed as economic issue. We asked staff, and were told that staff to customer ratios continue to widen. When we began cruising the ration was nearly 1:1. The Valor had a ratio of 1:4. Something has to give in a situation like this. Add to this the fact that ship capacities have increase dramatically and it's no wonder that service has declined. Also, prices have been reduced to meet the model of filling each ship. This has changed the character of the typical cruiser quite substantially. Our worst experience was disembarking at the end of the cruise. It was undoubtedly the worst orchestrated exit we've experienced from any venue.

I understand that all cruise lines are under economic pressure. It's simply that some deal with it better than others. There will not be another Carnival cruise in our future.