We were first time cruisers who selected this cruise for our kid's (16, 13, 9 and 7) Spring Break. We had a great time on this cruise and being prepared for dire events based on all the cruise reviews read over the past months, we were more than pleasantly suprised by how terrific this trip was. Great ship, great weather, and fun excursions. Thank you Carnival and the Valor.

Embarkation We were dropped off at the terminal by shuttle where we were promptly met by the friendly baggage handlers. We then proceeded through embarkation with equally friendly Carnival staff and were on the boat in less than 45 minutes door to boat. From the entrance at deck 3 we headed up to deck 9 (Lido) for a buffet lunch to wait for our rooms to become available (1:30PM).

Room and Room Steward We had two rooms - a balcony room and a quad interior room on deck 6 mid-ship. We thought the balcony room to be HUGE with ample closet and drawer space and a nice sized bathroom with plenty of places ascending the mirror to store various toiletries. The quad room seemed smaller with the pullmans dropping from the ceilings but it was fine and comfortable for the kids. Loved the balcony (worth the $$) and the beds were nice and firm. We met Jerry the room steward within a few hours of embarkation and saw him at least a few times each day of the cruise. He never addressed us by name but he was always friendly and timely/helpful when we needed something. A note of caution about the location of this cabin. We were mid-ship just above the casino bar area where the band sets up each night and plays until 1AM. On some nights and into the morning it sounded like the band was playing in our room. Note to self - book future rooms more thoughtfully and not over the band! Read more