We just returned from a week on the Carnival Valor and the service was phenomenal, especially our cabin steward Rodney, he was fantastic! we loved all the activities on deck, from the Hairiest chest contest to the line dancing and deck party. Also we loved the comedians and the broadway type shows. There are 2-3 comedians every night and the early shows are pg but the later ones are pretty crude.
The only issue we had was trying to get a cup of coffee every morning, most of the coffee machines were empty or had a line-up. Also the air conditioning was cranked inside the ship
The excursions we booked through the ship were the sail and snorkel in st Thomas. It was good but short, only about half an hour actually snorkelling. Also we booked a city tour of Puerto plata and it was good! we saw a rum factory that was interesting.