Cruising with Carnival for the first time: What should I expect?

[RaceAddict]

Hi all,

 

My wife and I just booked an 8-day cruise on the Valor in October for our 5th anniversary. She cruised once with Carnival quite a few years ago, and I haven't sailed with them yet, so I'm wondering what we should expect... (and don't say "fun"). :p

 

Any "must not miss" features on the Valor? Any recommended dishes?

 

I read there's an adults only area on-board, so since my son won't be with us, this area is where we will be. Am I right in guessing it fills up fast and early though?

 

What else can the experienced Carnival cruisers here tell us?

 

Cheers!

[mousey]

Okay, I know you said not to say it but I can't resist, you can expect to have FUN!;)

 

I haven't been on the Valor but I've been on several other Carnival ships and I've enjoyed every single one. There are always pros and cons when cruising and it just depends on the type of person you are how you deal with them. Chair hogs don't obther me because I don't want to sit by the ship's pool where the bigger crowds are (been there, done that). I've rarely encountered any rude staff members and all of our stewards and waiters have been extremely nice. Yes, service can sometimes be slow in the MDR but we're not there to rush through our meals and enjoy spending time talking to the people at our table. We're very flexible so we always have fun and don't let the little stuff bother us.

 

There are lots of things to do on the ships just keep looking through the Fun Times and there's bound to be something you might be interested in. Or just laying on the deck with a good book is your thing.

 

I love cruising and I hope you have an awesome time on the Valor and report back about what your personal experience was like.:D

[Tapi]

It will NOT be like Holland America, Princess, or MSC!

 

• You need to go with realistic expectations. While you can expect to have FUN (:p), it's a more budget minded experience.
  
• The ships are not as beautifully decorated (they tend to be more colorful and loud).
  
• Many will say that the food on Carnival is great, but it will pale in comparison to chef inspired menus found on more upscale cruise lines. The best place for an upscale meal on the Valor will be at their $35pp reservations only Steakhouse.
  
• Entertainment revolves around many activities throughout the day that are packed with fun, but they are not the "brain stimulating" type of activities (no port lectures here. Think of Hairy Chest Contests, Bartending competitions, Newlywed Games, etc).
  
• Cabins tend to be of generous proportions, specially when comparing the lower categories. Carnival has spacious insides and oceanviews. However, if you're sailing on a suite, Carnival will lag severely behind. Suites have NO perks (except for priority embarkation) and are nothing more than a larger room with a walk in closet.
  

 

Carnival IS a great option to explore the Caribbean on a budget, and you WILL get your money's worth. As I said at the beginning, go with realistic expectations and you will thoroughly enjoy it!

[LBumb]

a little more party atmosphere

[Delta Dear]

Expect to have a great time on a great ship. If you put Valor reviews in the search, you will find LOTS of reviews.

 

I have a review in my signature that will show you some pictures and some thoughts about our trip.

 

If you read mine and see a comment from GA Pearl be sure to click on her review. Try to find her review, it was one of the best Valor reviews I read before our trip.

 

Have a wonderful time. Let us know about your trip when you get back.

[mizLORInj]

that class of ship has a very nice waterslide.

mini-martinis every evening starting at 5

Enjoy!

[RaceAddict]

Whoa... threads move fast in this forum. Three days later I had to browse all the way through to page 12 to find this. :eek:

 

Expect to have a great time on a great ship. If you put Valor reviews in the search, you will find LOTS of reviews.

 

I have a review in my signature that will show you some pictures and some thoughts about our trip.

 

If you read mine and see a comment from GA Pearl be sure to click on her review. Try to find her review, it was one of the best Valor reviews I read before our trip.

 

Have a wonderful time. Let us know about your trip when you get back.

 

Thanks for the info Delta Dear. I'm going to read through your review (+ pics, excellent!) on my breaks today, and I'll be sure to check for GA Pearl's as well. I had read through some of the "published" reviews here at CC.com but they were all either too clinical and brochure-like, or were unhappy people venting. The day to day "journals" like yours give me a better idea of what a ship is all about.

 

Cheers. :)

[Delta Dear]

Race Addict, hope you will enjoy the review. Continue to read the thread past the end of the review because there are a few more tidbits as people asked questions.Feel free to ask questions as well. GA Pearl's review will give you lots of info that will be have things that you will be interested in because she is closer to your ages. Her's is also filled with photos and I think Capdann has a Valor review as well that is filled with photos. Of course, there are others but those come to mind as I type.

I see you are from Montreal. We love your city. When we lived in the Albany, NY area, we would hop on the Northway and even just go for the day. Of course, week-ends were even better.

Funny story. When we first moved to Schenectady, we had not much money, nothing to do, but we decided to drive to Montreal. We had a wonderful time; when the $15.00 that we had ran out, we headed back. Needless to say, this was MANY years ago; way back in 1969. LOL when gas, according to Google, was $0.35 a gallon. YIKES ! We even had enough for a delicious smoked meat sandwich in downtown Montreal ! YUM, gotta go back some day. So many fond memories.

[Harris Jeffer]

you will find a nice cabin, lots of chairhogs, a very loud pool area,and poor food choices. And lots of drinkers!:eek: But don't let that stop you from having a nice time:rolleyes:

[LHP]

Hi all,

 

My wife and I just booked an 8-day cruise on the Valor in October for our 5th anniversary. She cruised once with Carnival quite a few years ago, and I haven't sailed with them yet, so I'm wondering what we should expect... (and don't say "fun"). :p

 

Any "must not miss" features on the Valor? Any recommended dishes?

 

I read there's an adults only area on-board, so since my son won't be with us, this area is where we will be. Am I right in guessing it fills up fast and early though?

 

What else can the experienced Carnival cruisers here tell us?

 

Cheers!

 

Because of the date you are sailing and the length of the cruise, you can probably expect an older crowd....not as many kids or college students.

 

The Serenity Deck will be forward (top) and I would expect it to be quite busy (depending on the weather)....but we have always been able to find a spot on sea days.

 

Main Dining Room....the food will be good as will be the service but clearly not 5 star....so set your expectations to the "reasonable" slot on that meter.

 

The cabins will be comfortable. Make sure your cabin is not above any noisy venues like the back lounge (karaoke) or the casino...unless you are night owls.

 

You are allowed to carry on bottled water, soda and one bottle of wine or champagne per adult over the age of 21. Note you must carry it on, not put it in your checked luggage.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time!!

[RaceAddict]

I see you are from Montreal. We love your city. When we lived in the Albany, NY area, we would hop on the Northway and even just go for the day. Of course, week-ends were even better.

 

Funny story. When we first moved to Schenectady, we had not much money, nothing to do, but we decided to drive to Montreal. We had a wonderful time; when the $15.00 that we had ran out, we headed back. Needless to say, this was MANY years ago; way back in 1969. LOL when gas, according to Google, was $0.35 a gallon. YIKES ! We even had enough for a delicious smoked meat sandwich in downtown Montreal ! YUM, gotta go back some day. So many fond memories.

 

Yeah, we're lucky here.... Dunn's and Schwartz's in the same city. Better smoked meat you'll never find. :cool: I don't get downtown very often, unfortunately. :rolleyes: City centres are a little too congested for my liking.

[RaceAddict]

Because of the date you are sailing and the length of the cruise, you can probably expect an older crowd....not as many kids or college students.

 

Hoo. And indeed, ray.

 

The Serenity Deck will be forward (top) and I would expect it to be quite busy (depending on the weather)....but we have always been able to find a spot on sea days.

 

Very much looking forward to this.

 

The cabins will be comfortable. Make sure your cabin is not above any noisy venues like the back lounge (karaoke) or the casino...unless you are night owls.

 

Hmm... we're on Deck 6, so everything under us is potentially noisy.

 

You are allowed to carry on bottled water, soda and one bottle of wine or champagne per adult over the age of 21. Note you must carry it on, not put it in your checked luggage.

 

VERY good to know. We usually have a bottle or two of wine checked, and I pack a case of rootbeer as well (since it's hard to find on cruises usually) so we'll have to remember to keep it all in the carry-on. Thanks!

[K.T.B.]

Some are telling you to keep your expectations low, don't. Your experiences are not like others' experiences. The best way to view the cruise is to see it as a giant floating hotel. Every hotel has its star rating. From the reviews I've read about the Valor, it would probably rate out to be a 4 star hotel.

 

As for the food, again everyone has a different opinion of it. Some say it's crap, some say it's great, some say it's everywhere in between. I say you can find something on board that you will absolutely love. Personally, I don't go on a cruise to eat haute cuisine, but I do expect it to be above average. Again from what I've seen in recent reviews of their ships fleetwide, the food is generally above average.

 

There is a lot to do while on board during the sea days. And, yes, there are a lot of announcements made throughout the day. I tend to block them out, so they never bother me. But you'll be able to find something to do quite easily.

 

Overall, every has a different cruise experience. Most of all, just relax and enjoy. You may have rude people to deal with, or people who feel they're "owed something", or just plain thoughtlessness, but that could happen on ANY vacation. :) Just remember, the worst day on vacation is almost always better than the best day at work.