We recently went on the Valor to the eastern caribbean. My husband has been on 9 cruises- this one was my second. Since I am a novice, I kept on asking him questions about the quality of this cruise compared to the others he had been on. Speaking for the both of us, I will let you know the pros and cons of this cruise from our perspective!
PROS: -the staterooms were larger than average. Traveling with an infant, we found that there was plenty of space for all three of us to fit comfortably. There was ample storage space, and the bathrooms were pleasantly large as well. We were greeted with sample size toiletries, which was a nice touch. The cabin door was a bit on the narrow side, so we had to keep our stroller outside the door. -there is plenty to do! since its such a large ship, there is always something going on-seemingly every hour of the day. -the staff were courteous- especially the stateroom stewards! -Plenty of food options to choose from -Plenty of picture opportunities -Value! One of the best values for the price.
CONS: -first and foremost, I was surprised at how easily I got seasick-my husband as well. In the many cruises he's been on, he'd never gotten sick. For such a large ship, I wouldn't expect it to rock so much. The weather outside was lovely, the seas weren't too rough. But the ship swaying was awful enough to make not just us-but others-completely woozy. -the layout of the ship is semi-confusing. To get from one end to the other is difficult on some of the levels. You'll be walking straight-and then you'll hit stairs, the lincoln dining room, or the smoke filled cigar bar- with either no way to get around, or having to walk up one flight, cross, then down another. I guess this wouldn't be too much of a problem for most, but since we were traveling with a stroller, it made it a bit of a hassle. -the food was mediocre. i avoided rosies restaurant as much as possible because i found the food to be blah, and often luke warm at best. most of the same items are served in the washington dining room, hotter and fresher. that's where we went to get a semi-decent meal. -From what we observed, the children's programs were good. But, if you are traveling with a baby like we did, there isn't a heck of a lot of options for them. Firstly, they are ONLY allowed in Camp Carnival on sea days- only for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. Since the ship is so big, and there usually is a TON of people on board, there really isn't a spot for them to be. We found ourselves in the room more often than we'd like. And since there are only 2 and a half days on land, we found ourselves at a loss with a baby on this ship. -Group babysitting. Nice idea, except there is a HUGE wall of television screens playing some movie, and the overhead speakers blasting. It's only offered from 10pm-3am, and I assuming that alot of children are asleep or going to sleep by then. We brought our (sleeping) baby in at 11:30 so we could see the midnight comedian, and by the time we went to pick him up, he was awake, along with the 8 or so other children. Not what I envisioned for my 7 month old. -The itinerary was meager. One half day, two full days on land. 3 days at sea. I guess if you like being on the ship more than you like visiting places, shopping, or being on the beach, then its alright. But I really would have liked to either stay longer than the half day, or have 1 more day to enjoy the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean.