BookDragon

Carnival Valor, 5 day, July 23-28, 2018

I surprised my husband with this cruise for his 50th birthday in December. I used a travel agent that came recommended by a friend who is an avid cruiser. The travel agent was wonderful! We got the military special of low deposit and $50 OBC. The wait was fun because of the anticipation and planning (clothing choices, ship/port activities, drink bucket list, etc.). The research I engaged in on various sites including CC was invaluable. I felt very prepared and most of our experiences exceeded our expectations. This will be a short review...my hats are off to all of those who have written detailed, photo filled reviews that I have enjoyed reading! I tried jotting my thoughts down during the cruise but I was waaay too busy and/or just too tired.

PreStay: Based on the advice of my fabulous travel agent we drove down a day early to Houston. We live 3 hours from Galveston but didn’t want to take any chances driving over the morning of. We stopped at Houston’s Galleria, walked around for a bit, and had lunch at Maggiano’s. The one highlight from this day was that I visited the store called, Pressed, which is owned by Rasheeda on RHOA, and her mom was sitting on the couch chit chatting with someone! We’ve watched the show for years and I wasn’t expecting to actually see someone from the show! I just smiled at her as she looked up at me, and we continued on our way. I’m not one to interrupt folks for autographs or anything...It was just cool seeing her. We left the Galleria and checked into our hotel, Comfort Suites in Pearland. The hotel is located about 30 minutes from the port of Galveston and is CHEAP compared to staying in Galveston where you would easily pay 2-3xs more a night. The room was clean and breakfast was hot and the typical Comfort Suites breakfast.

Parking: We parked for free at the Port of Galveston. Husband is a disabled vet. Must be driving the car with the DV plates and have your military ID.

Embarkation: I’m a bit of a fashionista, and would have had a cow if my luggage was lost or delayed. So we carried all of our luggage on. I had my 21” carryon luggage, 25” luggage and a cute backpack. Husband had a rolling duffle, military issued deployment backpack and a regular black backpack. We brought on 2 bottles of wine and diet dr. peppers & diet gingerales. We were asked multiple times if we would rather check our luggage in. I just said no thank you to each person that asked. We had no trouble carrying our luggage on...it was a piece of cake! Once on board & luggage was place in stateroom, we walked 6 miles because my husband had to see everything!!! And we only took the stairs!!!

Stateroom: We had a port side balcony, room 8292. It was bigger than I thought it would be. And my dad purchased a birthday package from the Fun Shops, so it was decorated, and my husband was given a 9” vanilla cake, carnival towel and picture frame! I ordered a highball glass set, and two bags of choc. chip cookies. A big thank you to our travel agent who gave us chocolate covered strawberries!!! Unfortunately we had a note saying the glass set I ordere was out of stock, so we received cruise cash instead. But the cookies were AWESOME and tasted great! The cake was okay, it was a little dry but husband had a few pieces so it was definitely edible. Our steward came by and introduced himself and had a notepad which he handed to me to select AM, PM or BOTH for servicing the room. I chose BOTH, which he seemed fine with, and he did a fabulous job the entire week! So much so that I did what I typically would not do: gave him an additional tip before we left even though we already prepaid the tips. But he was that awesome and he deserved it, so shout out to Ricardo! Btw, I had read that others feel the bathrooms are small, especially the showers. My husband and I thought they were bigger than the bathroom/shower we had while living in England so it’s all in perspective and it was just fine for us! Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the stateroom door is magnetic. I created a custom porthole with our names and covered the back in cheap magnets from Walmart and it stayed up the entire cruise!

Food: We ate in the steakhouse the first night and enjoyed the free bottle of wine. We chose the chardonnay and it tasted just fine. I ordered the snails, which have waay more flavor if you pop the snail and the little garlic bread bowl all at once in your mouth. The snail seperately had very little flavor. Husband ordered the Cowboy ribeye and I ordered the lobster. I gave him a lobster tail and he gave me some steak. Both tasted great and the steak was very tender! I was happy to see that the Valor still had the old menu because we were able to get the humongous cheesecake and the interesting chocolate sampler. The cheesecake had great flavor just wish it was served cold rather than at room temp. The chocolate sampler was delicious! Regarding the rest of the meals, we typically ate in the MDR for all of our meals except a couple of times and I enjoyed the Indian food, which I ordered 3 times! I especially liked the Masala Dosa and was happy that the menu actually said “Masala Dosa” instead of breakfast crepe. My favorite appetizer was the Ox Tongue. We did try Guys burgers once and the burger was pretty good and the fries were flavorful. I also tried the taco bowl from Blue Iguana for lunch and the arepas for breakfast. Both were tasty. We walked through the buffet a few times but nothing caught our eye except the Chocolate Extravaganza. I am a dessert person so I had fun trying everything. 25% of the desserts were good, the other 75 % were one bite & done. I dragged my husband to the Seuss breakfast as I am a librarian and was totally excited. It was decorated so cute! I loved it!

Drinks: We are light drinkers so knew in advance that Cheers wasn’t for us. It was a good thing because we spent only $100 combined on alcoholic drinks & 1 chai tea. We enjoyed 1/2 a bottle of wine from the wine we carried on, after each dinner. My favorite drink was the Miami Vice. My least favorite was the lemon drop martini I got from the red frog pub. The bartender did not know how to make it so I sent it back and a different bartender made it again..and it was better but still not quite right. I should have ordered it from Alchemy bar instead. We drank alot of flavored water. We would bring our Yetis to every meal and fill up with the ice water and I brought our favorite powdered drink packages. We would also drink a few of the diet sodas we brought on but we did end up taking the majority of them back home with us.

MDR Dress Code: I am pleased to say that 99% of folks were dressed appropriately! I did see a staff member walk up to a family wearing gym/jean shorts that were in line for elegant night. The staff member politely told them that they would need to change. The family looked embarrassed and walked away. But other than that, it was evident that people wanting to eat in the MDR wore appropriate clothes...Everyone looked so lovely!

Entertainment: We enjoyed the adult comedy show! The host and the announcer make multiple announcements that the show will have profanity and is not for everyone. I appreciated the warnings and I did not see any kids present. My husband laughed until he was crying! We also saw the magic show which I thought was pretty cool. We saw half of America Rocks and the performers were very talented. We left early because we wanted to sit on our balcony and enjoy our last night. We also enjoyed the movies in the lido: Black Panther, Jumanji, Tomb Raider! We had seen them all already, including Black Panther 4xs, but something about watching them while hearing the waves is just relaxing!

Veterans’ Meet & Greet/Tribute/Veterans’ Tea: My husband (retired Air Force) and I absolutely loved attending these three events. The meet and greet was in the atrium and Carnival setup tea/coffee and cookies/brownies, thanked all the veterans and their families, then encouraged us to mingle. We met some wonderful people and heard imteresting stories and experiences. The tribute took place in the ivanhoe theater and was also done very well by Carnival. They played each branches song and the veterans stood up and were applauded. They passed a mic and spoke a few words regarding their service then took a group picture. Lastly we went to the Veterans table tea which was outstanding! So many treats to try. I brought my own tea because I’m particular about tea and did not want to pay for the upscale tea they offer. My husband had the free tea which is plain lipton and/or green tea. If you have the opportunity to attend, please do. It is so wonderful that Carnival does so much to recognize Veterans and their families! These events were definitely highlights of our trip!

Cozumel: We went to Mr. Sanchos in Cozumel and we prereserved the Romance Package. It includes a cabana with a mattress and gauzy curtains, a private table, a 30 minute couples massage, a rose, and all you can drink & eat. The food & drinks were great. Just be careful if you order the whole fried fish. There are small bones! We definitely got our moneys worth and felt like gluttons with how much we drank & ate! My favorite drink was the Mr. Sancho which is a tamarindo margarita with chile around the rim! We also snorkeled (pay a deposit which is returned when gear is returned). Husband went nuts on the jet skis!

Progresso: I had read that many prefer to stay on the ship in Progresso. But I really wanted to see historical/interesting, less touristy Mexico. So after a bunch of research, reserved a tour with Sergio’s tour. This is a 5-in-1 tour. First we went to the Cenotes (large natural lakes in the middle of the forest) and we swam in the refreshing water with lots of locals! Next we went to the Mayan temples and climbed/walked around. This is when my umbrella came in handy! It was so hot out there! Next we went to the salt flats and stood in the salt flat on top of all the salt. We each received a large bag of pink salt to take home! Next we saw the flamingos. Lastly we went to the all inclusive Technohotel for a few hours! Lots of food (chips/salsa/quesadillas/fruit/tacos. And lots of drinks and shots of tequila. Husband got another massage. I hung out in the pool and got a henna tattoo. It was a fabulous day!!!

Final thoughts: Getting a balcony was definitely worth it to us. We spent 1-2 hours on the balcony every day. It was fun seeing the port runners and cheering them on! The one negative was that the first night a woman was smoking a joint then passed it to a man the next balcony over. The smell was terrible! I called guest services who, I kid you not, sent security to our room within 5 minutes! They went out on our balcony, smelled what I smelled and said they would take care of it. Needless to say, we did not experience any more smoking problems on the balcony!

Surprisingly, there were no chair hogs! We exercised pretty early, and did not see any towels out on chairs. Then we would shower, head out to breakfast and still no chair hogs. After breakfast we would lay out in the pods in the Serenity area and still no chair hogs! It was fabulous!!!

Your Time Dining: We never had to wait for any of our meals, not even on elegant night! And we were seated next to a window with a lovely view at each meal! I would definitely do YTD again!

FTTF: My husband turned to me and said thank you for buying FTTF! Totally worth it. We got on the ship and there was practically no one on it. Our room was ready and we were able to drop off our stuff immediately. We had to speak with guest services a couple of times, and there was no line for those with priority. And getting off the ship was a relaxing non stressful quick event. We were in our car by 8:30!

Cruise Cash/Casino: Thank you to Firemanbobswife and OrganizedChaos for being so positive/helpful but for also explaining about purchasing discounted gcs/cruise cash then cashing the remainder out in the casino! We didn’t spend a whole lot so we went into the casino and got cash for all that was remaining on our sign & sail account!!!

Everyone was so nice!!! We met some really cool people and enjoyed talking with them! I didn’t see anyone being rude to the staff or overly drunk. I saw others helping others. It was just a great first cruise and I honestly wouldn’t change a thing! My husband is already looking into another one for the entire family!

~BookDragon

I'll tell you what, I started out on the old Carnival FunVille forums in 2015, about a year & a half before our first cruise. After being in there for a while, I literally began to question our decision to try a cruise. I thought, if people on board a cruise ship are anything like many of the people in that forum, we made a huge mistake. And it wasn't unique to that forum, either, because as we all know, CC has its fair share of bad attitudes and rudeness. Thankfully, when we finally went on that cruise, the people in person were different from the forum. I suspect it has a lot to do with internet courage. They don't dare behave that way face to face in the real world. That and their numbers are few enough that, even if they did act that way in public, they probably get drown out by the good folks.

Ugh. You verbalized how I am currently feeling about our cruise and this board. There has been so much contention, that it does make me wonder if those on my cruise are going to: not follow dress code, smoke on balcony, remove tips, chair hog, just be rude, etc. Thank you for reminding me that this board is not a prediction of what we will experience on our cruise! I may take a step back from reading CC until after my cruise in a few weeks.

For me, it's not about being scared or fear of the unknown, as FBW suggests, it's just who I am. I'm private, so I don't put myself out there a whole lot. Much of my uneasiness around strangers as an adult comes from being a very shy kid. I can socialize just fine if the situation presents itself, but I don't really go looking for it. I've had a close group of core friends all of my life (some come, some go) so branching out hasn't really been my style. But once I become comfortable, I'll let my guard down a bit.

 

On our recent cruise, my wife and I were seated in the MDR and an older (than us) couple was seated next to us a little while later. We started with the usual hello's and pleasantries and carried on a conversation throughout our meals. It was their first cruise and they admitted that they weren't having a very good time. After we told them about some of the activities and things we had done so far, the guy said if they got out and did more things, maybe they'd start having a better time. So I don't think they were taking enough advantage of all the ship had to offer. We had gone to our first karaoke the night before and had a great time, so we told them about that and suggested they check it out. That night while we were sitting at karaoke, we noticed them come in and invited them to join us in our booth. I think they enjoyed it, or at least I hope they had a good time. I had a few beers in me, so I tend to drop my social guard more when I do. ;p I saw them again one morning at the Lido buffet and chatted a minute. And we passed by their table in the MDR one other night as we were leaving and talked for a while, but we didn't think to get their contact info because it's not something we normally do. I wish we would have, at least for the remainder of the cruise, because I was genuinely interested to know if they made the best of it.

I think it easier to come out of our shell if the exchange is organic and allowed to grow naturally. I don’t like the feeling of forceness or the pressure to “make friends”. Between my husband and I, I am by far the more outgoing, especially after a few drinks. My husband is definitely an introvert and it would take alot more encouragement to attend a M&M. He is really just happy with it being the two of us.

I'll say it again, CC needs private messaging because I think it'd be good to help people connect. Especially for people like me who don't like putting it out there for big groups to see.

I completely agree with you! I would much rather pm than publicly blast questions, concerns or conversations, I’d rather discuss in private with a select few. I may have to look into that tapatalk firemanbobswife mentioned.

After I made the reservations online, the steakhouse manager emailed me and here is the P.S. part of his email:

“P.S. We are having a promotion in the Steakhouse on Embarkation and the first Cruise Elegant nights of the cruise! Guests booking a reservation on either night will receive a complimentary bottle of house wine or 50% off any bottle from our wine list!”

Oh no!!! Those nude wedges violate Carnival’s suggested shoes!!! I guess you will leave them home now.”

 

• Comfortable shoes, sneakers, sandals and flip-flops. We suggest rubber-soled, low heeled or flat shoes for extra traction. Select shore excursions may require closed-toe shoes. The use of any footwear with wheels is prohibited on board our ships.
  

Seriously? Just because we disagree, doesn’t mean you have to stoop to being ridiculous and petty. Just agree to disagree. BTW: my wedges are low as I’m already close to 6’ tall...SMH

What’s wrong with meeting people from on here? If you don’t like them, don’t interact after the first time. I have made lots of great friends through CC and FB. I can honestly say that my life has improved greatly due to both. I can’t imagine being that scared as to not participate for fear of the unknown.

 

You don’t have to deal with the weirdos. Chances are they won’t even show up to the meeting anyway. A lot of them are keyboard warriors and wouldn’t have the huevos to act towards me in person they way they have on here. I haven’t been on any cruises with the handful that like to constantly attack or argue with. Some of whom I’m still waiting for apologies from when they got super mean and nasty at me in regards to a certain subject that I was right on all along. And if I did happen to be on the same cruise as them I would have no problem battling out our differences in person if it came down to it. I’m the same feisty, straight up type of girl in person and on here. What you see is what you get. I refuse to let a few “what if’s” from keeping me from making new friends.

 

There have been a few not so nice people a couple cruises back on our FB page, but after they got booted out no one in our group ever heard from or saw them on the ship. Just start a cruising page like me. I keep my cruising stuff separate because I don’t need family or friends all up in my cruising biz. They already think I go too much lol!

:) Too Funny!!! You make some good points as usual Firemanbobswife! I’ll think about it. Just don’t want any negative vibes interfering with me or my husband’s vacay!

I’m African American and will only use SPF 70 or above in the Caribbean. The combo of bright sun and clear water is like holding a mirror to your face in the sun. I learned the hard way in Cozumel decades ago :(

Stronger sunscreen and aloe gel next time and you’ll be good! And FYI... there’s a tv channel to pinpoint your location on the map. It’s cool to see.

DITTO, but not just in the Caribbean, basically anytime I’m outside. I’m African American and burn very easily. I even had a horrible experience with sun poisoning where my eyes swelled shut! So I only use sport, water resistant SPF 70 on my body and SPF 100 on my face. I also carry an umbrella! Better safe than sorry!

Sooo not comfortable with this either through CC or FB. I’ve seen some nice posts from nice people but I’ve seen mean/crazy posts from mean/crazy people. While I may like to meet a few of the nice ones, the mean/crazies ruin that idea. I am active on my FB pg because I only have real life friends on there that I have known for 30+ years and a couple of coworkers that I’ve known for 10+ years, and unless you are a friend of a friend, my page is inaccessible.

We are going to get the free wine and if it is less than desireable, we will mix it with fruit/fruit juices and make sangria in our room...Win win!

No naan :(. It does come with a papadam.

The Tandoor (lunch, select ships) has an excellent pineapple chutney. I use it as an ice cream topping.

It did not come with Naan bread- that was the only thing missing. The tandoor had naan bread and a lot of sauces and chutneys; I don't know if they have mango specifically but they had a good selection, probably 6-7.

 

The tandoor food changed each day and I think the Indian food in the MDR changes every night as well (both nights I got it, it was different).

Thanks SadieN & ProudPatriot07 for the info! The Valor does not have The Tandoor so I may just bring my own prepackaged Naan and the mango chutney. I like to snack so no biggie to bring it.

Here are some examples of dresses I'd wear to formal night:

 

 

Nice taste Fyree! I’m a dress girl also and much prefer dresses to anything else...so will wear anything from a cocktail dress to a maxi dress to a summer dress for everything. I’m not really a shoes or jewelry person but have a pair of nude wedges and a few sandals that go with everything. Husband will wear dress shorts & polos or hawaiian shirts, but will wear slacks and a dress shirt for elegant night. Following Carnival’s dress code is easy because it is so basic & alot like going to church or work.

The Indian food in the MDR is amazing- I get it at least once per cruise, but often find myself wishing I got it more often. I got off a cruise today, and I had the vegetarian Indian dish twice. I do eat seafood, but no other types of meat, so I never requested i the night before or anything- I was fine with it being vegetarian.

 

I didn't see anyone else in the MDR ordering it, but both nights when it came out, people at my table said they'd wished they'd gotten it to try.

Just curious...did the Indian dish come with Naan bread? If it does, I may have to bring mango chutney! Seriously, I’m crazy about Indian food!

Considering many of the cooks are Indian there’s a good chance of them getting it right!

 

Book a ship that has the Tandoor, it’s open every day for lunch.

To late, we’re on the Valor and unfortunately there is no Tandoor. But I’ll keep it in mind for next time!

Once again why does it bother you so much? Why are you so invested in other people’s chosen attire? Wear what makes you happy and leave other to do the same within the bounds of health and safety. Live and let live.

Elegant night is 1-2 nights out of an entire cruise. The dress code is very basic. Why does it bother you so much that some cruisers like it? Carnival still has a dress code, even though according to your assumption, “the majority don’t care.” Making your argument moot. Take your own advice and “Live and let live.”

They have clearly set the precedent that they aren’t going to strictly enforce the dress code. They haven’t for quite some time. The ship has sailed and they aren’t likely to reverse course.

This is in your experience. But others have posted their own experiences seeing the dress code enforced. This would not be an issue if Carnival management was consistent across the fleet.

Like I said in a different thread, the best soulution in my eyes would be to simply make elegant night optional and hold dinner for those who wish to participate in one of the dining rooms or one of the floors in a dining room. The majority of their customers simply don’t care about it. We are too busy having fun and enjoying our vacation to care about what someone wears to dinner.

But doesn’t Carnival already do this? Elegant night (1-2 nights of an avg cruise) is hosted in the MDR and it is optional. Those who don’t want to participate have other options. Also, again, you are assuming when you state, “The majority of their customers simply don’t care about it.” Unless you have polled every Carnival customer, you simply cannot say this because you don’t actually know. Not everyone feels like you do, which explains all the inconsistencies and the number of board threads on dress codes.

In comes one of the aforementioned wardrobe police. The point is if you want a more upscale and formal experience there are ships geared specifically for that. It’s well established that Carnival isn’t strict about the dress code and they are clearly trending in the direction of more casual. If that bothers you, which it obviously does, then sail on a more formal line.

Why would I need to sail a more formal line when Carnival already has a dress code and provides other eating options for those who would rather not be bothered? I just don’t see the problem. It’s a win win for everyone.

This is, after all, a budget line geared toward the lowest income group of cruise customers. Those that want a more formal experience have many other options just in the Carnival Corp family alone.

What does income have to do with following a bare bones basic dress code?

Port day breakfast usually opens around 6:30-7am. No reason to be late to port.

On the Inspiration it was very good, just a bit different than our local vegetarian Indian place.

 

****

At dinner—If you’re a meat eater you can order a Non-vegetarian Indian meal the night before. One night we had fish. Very good.

That’s great! Thank you for letting me know the time. Yes, I had already heard about the Indian meal at dinner and planned on ordering it. Indian is my favorite food but not my husband’s which makes eating it on land a challenge. If it is as good as my friends say, I will most likely eat Indian every time we eat dinner in the MDR!

Regarding cake...Probably your best option is to call Carnival’s Fun Shop (1-800-522-7648) to learn when is the latest you can order. You are also able to order the cake & decorations through Cherry On Top once you get on board and they will ask when you would like it delivered.

Sure it does. They asked for tips because either the OP did not tip or did not tip well enough to the dinning staffs liking.

Does the dining staff know who has prepaid tips?

Just because you prepaid doesn't mean you weren't one of the hundreds that pull their tips once on board after blowing their budget at the casino or on drinks.

It is unfair and unprofessional for the waitstaff to assume that those of us who prepaid will just pull our tips. What’s the point of prepaying tips if treated in this manner?

Once we have established a good repour with our waitstaff on or about evening 3-4 I thank them for their great service and let them know I always fill out the survey after each cruise.

 

On the last evening I ask them to write down their first and last names so I can be sure to spell them correctly on the survey.

 

This way they know I will be filling it out and we avoid any discussion about it. Seems to work very well for me!!

What a great idea! Thank you for posting!

That dish is not served at the Seaday Brunch but rather on the new port day menu served only in the MDR. Early reviews are good and we're looking forward to trying the new port day menu in February.

Thanks for clearing that up! We will have to get off a little later because I am not missing it!

I am a steak eater. Thanks for the tip!

My husband and I have heard good things about the steak & eggs dish, and the omelettes. I also plan on ordering the Masala Dosa (Carnival describes as a breakfast crepe). I absolutely love Masala Dosa in Indian restaurants and have heard that Carnival does Indian food well!

I am saying if they were good and took care of us I would have tipped them right after and often so there would be no need to beg, just awesome service

Sorry, but your words don’t make sense in this paricular discussion. Maybe a general discussion on the benefits of over tipping but this discussion has nothing to do with that.

Most people on here are very cheap. That’s why I tip big and often.

I don’t understand, Are you saying you are ok with the waitstaff begging for more tips? Why did I or anyone else prepay tips if it isn’t enough?