Let me start by saying that I am shocked at the amount of money students have to waste on liquor! My husband and 11 year old son asked me what I wanted for my 40th birthday and I chose a cruise. We are scuba divers and this was one of the only cruise lines that had 4 stops to places we wanted to dive. Most of the ships have 1-3 ports and more days at sea. The reviews on the Valor were good, the price was right so we went!

We left Miami on a Sunday with no problems boarding and getting checked in. The staff were friendly at times (you can tell the ones who make money in tips as they were always ready to serve) and did their best to keep everyone happy. We headed to deck 5 for lunch and were pleased with the selection at the buffet. After exploring the ship and finding our way around, we headed to the camp carnival orientation. To quote my son "this is awesome mom". Once he checked in, he didn't want to leave, even at the ports. The staff were great and certainly kept the kids busy with various activities. They even offered babysitting services until 3am for a small charge.

The highlight of the cruise is always the sit down dinner at 6pm each night. We were seated in the Washington room and had the most amazing waiter named Wika. I wanted to take him home!! We were seated with another couple who had a son the same age as ours and they became fast friends. To my surprise, the waiters (we had 2) remembered our names, drink preference and dessert preference. We didn't even have to ask for things.....they just appeared. Read more