We recently sailed on the Carnival Valor and were pleasantly surprised. Party of 6 (49,47,45,45,14,8). Our friends have sailed 2x (NCL, RCCL) but, we are avid cruisers. We've sailed approximately 11x - Celebrity, NCL, RCCL, Carnival, Princess, HAL.
Embarkation - smooth as can be. We boarded the ship nice and early and found it to be spotless. We headed up to the Lido deck for lunch and purchased beverage cards at that time. Very organized.
Ship - The ship was decorated nicely and not at all over the top as with some. The "hero" theme was a nice switch. The atrium was decorated beautifully and had many shops. We did, however, find it difficult to get around on the ship. Certain decks did not allow walk thrus from one end to the other. Took quite a while to find our way around with ease.