Just returned from 4 night cruise to Cozumel on the Valor from New Orleans. This was my 4th Carnival cruise. The 1st 3 were wonderful but I was very disappointed with this one. I’m a 45y/o woman traveling with 3 teenagers celebrating their high school graduation.
My biggest complaint was the lack of air conditioning in our cabin. We were on the 8th deck with a balcony. We noticed the heat as soon as we entered the room but thought once the ship got sailing the A/C would be stronger. It never was. I wasn’t able to reach guest services by phone (never answered) so housekeeping sent maintenance guys by 4-5 times. Each time they would remove the vent cover, read the temperature, stare at it a minute, replace the cover, and leave. The temp was 78-82 degrees. We had a set of bunk beds but nobody could sleep on the top bunk because it was so hot. They finally brought us a fan, which helped, but it occupied the ONE and ONLY electrical outlet in our cabin and the moment we unplugged it the room was unbearable. Imagine 3 teenagers with no way to charge their phones or operate curling irons/ hair dryers.
Next was the overwhelming crowd on this boat. I know it was peak vacation season so I anticipated a crowd. However, the lines for everything were extremely long. I waited no less than 30 minutes at every buffet. The first day at sea seemed the busiest on the ship so I didn’t get lunch because I wasn’t willing to wait. Tried to order room service but could only reach them late in the evenings. I bought the cheers package for myself and the bubbles package for the teenagers. The only way for them to get soda was to wait at the bar. Between the 3 of them they had only 9-10 sodas the entire cruise. That was a waste of $29/ a person. I spent the majority of my days waiting in line at the bar. Met many nice people.