We have just returned from our 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on the CCL Valor, and what a great cruise it was! This was our fourth cruise, all on Carnival, but our first time on the Valor. What a great ship! We had an extended balcony (8G) aft cabin (#7442) and while it was a little smaller than the extended cabin we had on the Legend in 2008, it wound up becoming our favorite. This was also the second time we've sailed with our good friends P & M.

We all stayed at the Embassy Suites close to the airport the night before sailing - we find it makes embarkation day much easier when you're already in town, had a good night's sleep and can sleep in a bit and have breakfast before leaving for the port. We both had the Embassy Suite's Cruise Package, which included transportation from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the Port of Miami, plus a free drinks cocktail party and a hot buffet breakfast.

Embarkation was a bit of a mixed bag, but all in all easy and smooth. We arrived at the Port at 11:00am, got our bags taken care of immediately and went inside the Carnival building. We were assigned to a group and given a numbered card so we'd know when to board. Since we already had our documents signed and ready, the actual check in process took five minutes, tops. Then we sat around with everyone else and waited.... And waited.... And waited some more. There was some sort of trivia contest, with the winners getting to board first, but the sound system was so bad it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher! BUT... by 12:30pm we were on board, enjoying the first of our many Fun Ship Specials and eating on the Lido Deck at Rosie's. Read more