We just got home from our Western Caribbean cruise on Carnival Valor, and it was great! Traveling were my husband and myself (mid-30's) and our two kids (ages 8 & 10). It was my 6th cruise, my husband's 4th cruise, and the kids' first cruise. I apologize in advance for the length of this review, but I just didn't want to leave out any important details!

Embarkation: We drove up to Miami from Key West on Sunday morning and arrived at the Port of Miami around 10:30 AM. Checking in was quick and painless. We were given a numbered boarding pass (#4) and were able to board the ship around 11:30. We headed up to Rosie's, where there was a nice buffet laid out. After lunch, we checked on our room and dropped off our luggage. Then we took the kids around to explore the ship. They were amazed at the size of it, but they soon knew their way around better than my husband and I did! We had early seating in the Washington dining room, so we got cleaned up and headed down to dinner. After dinner was the Camp Carnival informational meeting, followed by a kid's meet & greet in the One Small Step disco. We had a great time dancing, playing games, and meeting other families. Since we had been up before 6AM, we turned in after the party.

First Day At Sea: We spent our first day at sea mainly at the pool and water slide. Early morning rain showers discouraged chair hogs, and we were able to get chairs close enough to see the kids while they were swimming and sliding. We ate a light lunch at Rosie's, then headed back to the room in the afternoon to rest up a bit. This was the first formal night, so we got dressed up and had some formal photos taken before dinner. After dinner, we went to the show, which was a great musical revue that all of us loved! Unlike previous cruises, where my husband and I were in the clubs and casino till the wee hours, we found ourselves turning in right after the show. I think I was as exhausted as the kids were! Read more