Carnival Valor Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We chose this cruise because of the ports it was stopping in. Aruba, Curaçao and Grand Turk.
The ship was older and I really wish I would have paid attention to that. I believe the ship makes the cruise. The water park was just one slide. The pools were small and crowded but they are on all cruises. During the day we lie ion the Lido and listen to the music. The music was too loud. I'm a rock guy and loud music is no big deal but it was so loud that it distorted the sound. Also, with the same DJ and band during the day, the same songs were played every day for 7 days.
The dining was a mess. We chose the my time dining and that was a mistake. We had a group of 7 people. The staff would tell us it was 20-30 minutes to be seated but actually it was an hour to an hour and a half. We didn't mind the wait but would have appreciated knowing it was an hour and not being told 30 minutes. Also, they were apprehensive to seat us as an odd numbered group for some reason. Most of the dining staff were really good. One Headwaiter, Martin, had difficulty getting drink orders correct and meals to the correct people. He was very friendly though.
Cabin Review
Balcony
The cabin was nice and clean. The cabin steward, Wayan was wonderful and attentive. That is where it all stopped. Our cabin was directly below the buffet and the cleaning crew dragged, dropped and slammed tables, chairs, and dishwater ALL NIGHT LONG!!! Add that one of the doors for the cabin stewards to store their items was right outside of our room and slammed shut each time, It was impossible to sleep. There was no care at all to even attempt being quiet. This was not relaxing at all and ended up making my wife and I cranky at each other due to the lack of sleep. We were able to fall asleep around 4:00am every morning when the crews stopped. The problem was that our excursions were at 8:15. I generally sleep very well on the ships but this was asinine. Failure on all levels.
Port Reviews
Port Canaveral (Orlando)
We stayed at the Radisson Resort at the Port and the hotel is generally ok. The pool is nice and the restaurant is ok. We did have two issues with our room. One, there were blood stains on the sheets which was disgusting and two, the power went out in the bathroom area. Both issues were taken care of and we were comped our meals and drink from the night before. Other than that, I would stay again as it is a 2 minute ride to the ship from there.
Aruba
Aruba was nice but the least favorite of our stops. We did some shopping but felt so pressured by the shop keepers to buy once we showed any interest in an item. I found myself not really looking at much to avoid the hassle.
Grand Turk
We loved this port because everything is within walking distance of the ship. The shopping was wonderful, the beach was a lot of fun with many activities available and the Margaritaville restaurant is there. We really enjoyed this port.