Carnival Valor Review
Carnival Valor--Not the Worst, But Definitely Not the Best
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I used to be a fan of Carnival Cruises, but I'm not anymore. And, no, I wasn't a passenger on the ill-fated Carnival Triumph. In fact, I was so much of a fan of Carnival (based on past cruises) that I agreed when my husband went ahead and booked our vacation on the Carnival Valor IN SPITE OF the troubles that their ships seemed to be having lately. I wanted desperately to give them the benefit of the doubt.
But now, I cannot recommend a Carnival Cruise to anyone. Unless Carnival clears up the problems aboard, I wouldn't want to be responsible for causing the ruin of another person's vacation.
Troubles usually come in threes, but Carnival Cruises seems to have at least FOUR major problems. I hope that someone at the corporate level at Carnival is listening. Unless these problems are corrected, the Carnival "Fun Ships†will be reduced to remaining at the "Buffet†level of cruise vacations. The four big problems are Crowd Control, Kids, Cuisine and Maintenance.
Cabin Review
Our Cabin was great, except for the maintenance issues. Stains on the carpet in some areas, sun-bleached in others. Sun-bleached draperies. Broken makeup mirror in the bathroom. Cracked lampshades on the lamps at the bedside tables; one lamp even has chewing gum stuck to it. The Cabin Steward was great, though and he tried to correct as many problems as possible under the circumstances. Room service staff was also wonderful, prompt and efficient. The cabin balcony was very nice and afforded very good privacy and the cabin was very quiet and restful at night.