My husband and I spent a week on the Carnival Valor in early Nov. followed by two weeks on the Caribbean Princess. I'll review both. This was our first cruise in probably 12 years and this time without kids. I must say, we had a very positive experience on the Valor and especially so compared to the Princess cruises. On the Valor, we choose an Ocean View cabin and were placed on the bottom deck, Riviera toward the stern. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of room you have in the cabin, the quality of the furnishings and the bedding was SO comfortable (pillows, sheets and comforter), I wished I could have brought them home. We received mini samples of toothpaste and a shaver; I didn't like the shampoo/conditioner provided. It was in a dispenser and not the best quality. Our room steward, Marson, was just a gem. He made a point of knowing our names by the second day and was very helpful in giving us directions and helpful hints. In fact, most of the crew were helpful, smiling, recognized you after a few days, were genuinely nice people. Comfy bathrobes were in your room for your use - and we used them at the pool and hot tub. They were particularly useful because we had days of rainy weather and thus kept you warm. The ship towels provided were of very good quality and solid blue; I didn't like the fact that if you lost one, you'd be charged $20 or so. Altho a large ship (3100 passengers), we never got the feeling that it was that huge. Now we are atypical passengers, ie., we skipped most of the usual cruise happenings, like art shows, jewelry shopping, never had a photo taken, only attended the dining room once, went to bits and pieces of the shows, were late risers so at Belize, didn't get a tender until after noon, etc. But it was rare to be in a crowd and in fact, numerous times we were walking decks and would only see a handful of people. Food - we thought the buffets were great. I just can't complain. Always a good assortment of delicious dishes, soups, salads and desserts. It was served cafeteria style with you grabbing utensils, napkin, a tray and getting your own beverage (as opposed to Princess where waiters are supposed to provide all that for you once you sit down or have the table prepared before you sit down but RARELY did). And if you didn't like the buffet, there was always pizza, a deli or the fish bar you could go to. Or the dining room. Our experience in the dining room was good, but once was enough. We had a seating time and conversation with this set of people was great for one night, but I think would have worn thin after another. The food was high quality, however, my biggest complaint is that the portions were WAY too big. I eat about 3-4 ounces of meat and my veal parmigiana must have come in at 10-12 ounces. Delicious, but I hated wasting so much and overate. Oh and yes, the chocolate pudding cake was to die for. You get that in the buffet too. I must add that the pizza bar is open 24 hrs and has several varieties and was really tasty(as opposed to Princess pizza - like eating cardboard.) We aren't normally pizza eaters, but because it was so good, we stopped for a piece fairly often. The gym was well equipped; and yes, you had to wind your way through the spa area, but no big deal. They also had a steam and sauna room. We had a fun time at the parties held mid-ship. The staff knew how to excite the crowd and do fun things. We also enjoyed the music mid-ship in the evening; danced the night away. The disco DJ was okay, tended to play one kind of party music (rap) and bar service was slow (even tho when we were in there, there were more staff than guests - I mean, how long does it take to get a beer?). There was a cigar bar where few people smoked but the place reeked of cigars due to a low ceiling and limited ventilation. Too bad, because they had a great set of musicians in there and dance floor. We suffered thru one night of great dancing, but paid the price with a headache the next day due to the cigar smoke. And, what makes a good cruise even better is a good crowd. I must say that Americans know how to party and be friendly. We met some great people, and that makes you cruise experience all the better.

The most obnoxious thing about the cruise was the cruise director Big Tex's announcements. They came way too often for our liking and it just got annoying how he's say things like "This is a text message from your cruise director reminding you of ....." and then always sign off with a "See y'all later Bub-bye now". Once you meet him, he's a good guy, but the announcements are just far too many.