My wife and I cruised the Carnival Valor from 2 - 9 December. We are 37 and 32 and this was our first cruise. We have previously stayed at all-inclusive resorts and wanted to try a cruise. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and Carnival more than met or exceeded our expectations.

Pre Cruise: We flew from St Louis to Miami the day before and stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel near the port. This hotel is first-rate and is conveniently located near the Bayside Marketplace and the port. There were plenty of shops within walking distance and a Walgreens is just a few block away and is a good place to get some inexpensive water and soda. We spent some time at the Bayside Market Place and took a Thriller (high speed) boat ride which was well worth the $27 a person.

Embarkation: We arrived at the Port around 11:30 got processed in right away. Everything was very well organized and it took very little time to get on the ship. We were very impressed on how quick the lines moved and the friendliness of the employees. We entered the ship at the lobby level and were handed little maps of the ship. We also had the opportunity to meet with the Maitre' D to see about changing tables. It turns out we got the dining time we wanted and a nice table for eight in the middle of the Lincoln Dining Room. Read more