Review of Valor 5/29/2005

[vacationaddict]

Review of the Carnival Valor May 29, 2005

Ports of Call: Beize, Hondorus, Grand Cayman and Cozumel

 

First let me start off by saying this is not my first cruise I have been on. I have previous cruised: Royal Carribean, QE2, Carnival, and the NCL cruise lines.

 

Let’s start at the beginning:

 

Embarkation: We arrived at the Miami pier at approximately 1:30pm. There were already long lines. We lined up in a warehouse and waited for about 1:30 hours before we got on the ship. There is no air conditioning so if you are traveling with seniors or children it can become very uncomfortable very quickly. We had filled out our paperwork online before arriving and had our Fun pass completed. The cruise line told me that there would be a special line to get it if the pass was completed. There is no such line. After waiting in line for 1 ½ hours were instructed to go to another line (another 1 hour wasted) to pick up our keys to our room. Not sure why we couldn’t get our keys in the first line. Very disorganized.

 

Our Cabin: Finally arrived on our ship at our stateroom. We had balcony cabin on the 8th deck. Very nice. However, I would suggest you get a cabin on the 7th deck. We were right below Rosie’s Grill and it was very noisy all the time. You could hear the carts being rolled around on the floor as well as voices. Therefore, we were waking up very early every morning. Not much of a vacation for sleeping in.

 

Service: The service on the ship was OK. We were at the late seating in the Lincoln Dining room. Our waiter was attentive. However, the bar service was very slow. We would ask for a bottle of wine or glass of beer and it often took at least 15 to 20 minutes to get it.

 

Food: Let me start off by saying the pizza, the grill and the sushi bar were all-great. The food in the dining room was the below the average for cruise food. We ate in the dining room 6 nights out of the seven nights. I sent my dinner back on two of the evenings. I ordered the Zucchini and Eggplant dish one evening. It was cold and hard. It tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. My waiter asked if I wanted another meal but I chose not to since all my tablemates were not happy with their food either. One other night I ordered the shrimp. It tasted like it was boiled and put on my plate. No seasoning or spices. After tasting it I lost my appetite. The rest of the food was just OK. However, the lobster was very good. Rosies’ dining room was always crowed. Food again was OK. I would rate it like cafeteria food. Always the same and never any variety. We ate breakfast there in the mornings. I would suggest you go to the omelet bar and have your eggs made fresh. Just be aware the cooks pour oil (a lot) in the pan before cooking your eggs. So the eggs come out with an oil coating on them.

 

Entertainment: The dancers in the Ivanhoe lounge need to rehearse more often. They were always off on their dance steps. The last night was a disappointment. Instead of having a show it was “Idol night on the Valor” Another way to save money for the cruise line. I wouldn’t waste my time watching the shows. My husband and I like to listen to jazz. The only jazz being offered was in the Cigar Bar. We are non-smokers. Not sure why jazz couldn’t be offered in a non-smoking venue some of the time. Most of the bars on the ship are smoking. We didn’t listen to any of the music. Another note, in order to use the Internet you need to walk through the cigar bar.

 

The Ports: We did not use the ship’s excursions so I can’t speak for that. However, we did tender off the ship at Belize and Grand Cayman. Belize: This was the most disorganized tendering process I have ever taken part in. We were told that our tickets for tendering would be available at 8:30am. I arrived in line about 7:45am. We were supposed to be on the first tender. We waited in the Ivanhoe Theater like instructed. We were not on a ship excursion so we waited to get off the ship. We watched as the cruise director (Josh) was calling out the tours to get off the ship. We waited about 2 hours in the Theater and never got called to get off the ship. After 2 hours and a lot of frustration, we along with our fellow cruisers got up and went to the gang way and got off the ship. No one ever checked out tender numbers. After talking to fellow passengers some waited 3 hours and never were called. Priority was given to passengers who purchased to shore excursions through the ship. I’m not sure why Carnival doesn’t use their own lifeboats for tendering. All there were two local boats tendering passengers. Our tender was not even half full when it pulled away from the ship.

 

All in all this was the worst cruise I have taken and would never sail Carnival again nor would I recommend it to any of my friends or relatives.

[blackwing]

Sorry it sounds like you had a thoroughly miserable experience.

 

The last night show is always a talent show, it's not a way to "cheap out" on entertainment. Most guests find it fun to watch. As far as entertainment, those dancers and stagehands should get at least one night off a week, don't you think?

 

Using their own lifeboats to tender is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard. The lifeboats are for emergencys, not to get people to the shore quicker.

 

I'm just wondering, is there anything at all you liked about the ship and your cruise? Everything you wrote is pretty negative.

[L2J]

Using their own lifeboats to tender is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard. The lifeboats are for emergencys, not to get people to the shore quicker.

 

I'm just wondering, is there anything at all you liked about the ship and your cruise? Everything you wrote is pretty negative.

 

Why would you think that? Granted they are for emergencies but don't you think there is a reason some lines do this? I can think of two: Quickly getting pax off the ship and also to make sure that the lifeboats are in proper working order.

 

I was wondering the same thing.

[vacationaddict]

The only thing about the ship I liked was that its public rooms were clean and well kept. However, I wouldn't expect anything else on a new ship. We have tendered in the past and the ships have used their own lifeboats. So I don't think that is the ridulous. As far as the enterainment goes I have seen a lot better. Yes, they deserve a night off once in a while. But what about the other staff on the ship. They work 7 days a week and if they are not working in the dining room serving dinner they are serving and cleaning tables at Rosie's. When do they get time off. The dancers are only working in the evenings. This is how I felt about my cruise. You don't need to agree with me.

[K.T.B.]

Sorry you had such a bad time, but at least thank you for taking the time to list as to why you didn't.

 

Now to some of your points:

 

I agree with you about breakfast on Carnival, never a good thing, IMO. With the exception of one night, my wife and I have always had an above average experience in the formal dining room, so your experience is/was not the norm. As for the bar service, 15 minutes is not excessive considering the amount of people that are being served by very few.

 

Carnival using their own lifeboats for tender, if I'm not mistaken, against the rules. Plus all cruise ships cannot just tender in whenever they want.... There is a line. So that's out of Carnival's hands.

 

The placement of your room is either your "error" or your TA's by not doing a bit of research, unless you booked a guarantee. If you did, then you take the chance of where you land.

 

Overall, whikle you obviously did not have a good time, you at least mentioned why. Some of the complaints I personally think are a tad petty, but that's MY opinion. But most of what you related I can understand why you didn't enjoy yourself more.

[Bsan1221]

I am sorry you had such a horrible experience. :o

 

Did you at least like your ports? :)

 

 

However, I find it hard to believe people had to wait 3 hours to get off the ship. I've never heard of such a thing and I never book my excursions through Carnival.

 

On one of my cruises they did use the life boats as Tenders. They had 3 of them going plus 1 from the shore..

[kjunea]

I saw the Zuiderdam using their own lifeboats to tender people in Grand Cayman 2 weeks ago. I think it is an excellent way to keep the crew used to using them in case something (God forbid) should happen.

 

When we were in Belize, there was 3 or 4 tenders running, but we were the only ship in port that day. It was not really well organized with the Miracle either. Carnival tours got off first (some straight to the boats to take them snorkeling, etc.), and then they finally started calling numbers. We were in group 3, but got on a tender with people who had group one on their sticker. Go figure!

 

June

[vacationaddict]

The ports were great. We did cave tubing through x-steam in belize and went to the Sante Fe Wellness center in Roatan. We rented a car in Grand Cayman and also in Cozumel.

 

My husband and I have traveled all over the world and we always have a great time together. We have also cruised over the years. We saved a long time for this cruise and were disappointed. We are still planning on cruising in the future, just not on Carnival. We took a Med cruise last year on RCCL and it was wonderful.

[Girlsnightout]

All in all this was the worst cruise I have taken and would never sail Carnival again nor would I recommend it to any of my friends or relatives.

 

One has to be the worst, and one the best, right? Which was your favorite cruise?

 

I have to agree with a couple of your points, especially regarding entertainment. I also felt it was very weak on our Glory cruise, too many passenger shows, not enough production numbers. I don't really want to watch untalented pax doing a talent show. I also felt it was a cheap way out, but many people on this board disagreed with me too.

 

We did Eastern caribbean and also had at least 3 hour waits to get off the ship in St. Thomas, some people waited 4 hours. I think everyone is experiencing this lately, I don't know why they can't do something to expedite the process, you waste half your port day.:mad:

[dms_cruisers04]

Sorry to hear your cruise wasn't too great.

 

Everyone is saying that Miami is having problems. You'd think Carnival would talk with the Port Authority and get something done about it already. :rolleyes:

vacationaddict, were you allowed into the lounge area (with the chairs, upstairs I believe) or did you just walk through like many have mentioned?

 

Did you pick your cabin or was it just assigned (either by Carnival or because of a guarantee)? You mentioned it was nice, did you get to spend a lot of time on the balcony?

 

Sorry about the food. I know from experience that mediocre food during a cruise doesn't make dinner an anticipated time of day.

 

Don't want to comment on entertainment, as that, I believe, is an individual experience. I've seen shows that I thought were boring and then again I've seen shows I thought were great that others didn't. Sorry you didn't enjoy.

 

What did you actually think of Belize? And the other ports you visited. Sorry to hear the tendering wasn't better. Not sure how much control a cruiseline has over tendering though. We've had quick and not so quick tendering. Were there other ships in port at Belize that day?

 

In reading your review, I have to say up until the last sentence, I thought it was pretty fair. It wasn't just a bashing for the sake of it, but an opinion of the things you felt were negative.

However, if these few things were enough for you to stop sailing with Carnival and to feel you need to tell your friends not to sail them either, then you definitely need to stay away from all the mass market lines.

[Girlsnightout]

However, if these few things were enough for you to stop sailing with Carnival and to feel you need to tell your friends not to sail them either, then you definitely need to stay away from all the mass market lines.

 

Why is that? I've had a fabulous time on Celebrity, RCCL and Disney cruises, so why wouldn't I recommend them to my friends and family? The difference between my cruises on those lines and my Carnival cruise was like night and day, and all are mass market lines.

 

No one in my group of 17, all experienced cruisers, wants to give Carnival another chance. That is not to say that many people don't enjoy Carnival, and shouldn't cruise with them, on the contrary, it's very popluar and has a loyal following. They definitely have their market, and it's a big one.

 

I think people know their family and friends well enough to know what they like.

[Bsan1221]

 

I don't really want to watch untalented pax doing a talent show. I also felt it was a cheap way out, but many people on this board disagreed with me too.

 

Hey GNO..... ;)

 

Gotta say I have never seen a talent show with untalented passengers. All the shows I have been to I have been blown away at the talent you see better than some popular singers these days. I actually enjoy seeing the talent show and Participating ;)

[vacationaddict]

When we went to the MED last year. RCCL also used their own lifeboats to tender. It worked out great. It's really not fair that the customers who book tour excursions not on the ship or just want to go ashore have to wait hours to get off the ship. I have never had that happened before on a cruise we have taken.

[dms_cruisers04]

Why is that? I've had a fabulous time on Celebrity, RCCL and Disney cruises, so why wouldn't I recommend them to my friends and family? The difference between my cruises on those lines and my Carnival cruise was like night and day, and all are mass market lines.

 

No one in my group of 17, all experienced cruisers, wants to give Carnival another chance. That is not to say that many people enjoy Carnival, and should cruise with them. They definitely have their market, and it's a big one.

 

I think people know their family and friends well enough to know what they like.

Because all the problems the OP stated (slow embarkation, bad cabin location, slow service, bad food and slow tendering) are all things that could happen on any line that involves that many passengers. A smaller more personal line would be a better fit as most of those problems would be alleviated.

 

It was just my opinion.

 

And I wasn't speaking to you. I know how you view Carnival.

Aren't the three months up yet? :rolleyes:

[big_duck]

It never ceases to amaze me how a ship can go so far downhill in one week:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=184278 :rolleyes:

 

GNO how can you call a cruiseline with two ships (Disney) Mass Market :confused:

[dms_cruisers04]

When we went to the MED last year. RCCL also used their own lifeboats to tender. It worked out great. It's really not fair that the customers who book tour excursions not on the ship or just want to go ashore have to wait hours to get off the ship. I have never had that happened before on a cruise we have taken.

Did you have to tender on your last Carnival cruise?

First let me start off by saying this is not my first cruise I have been on. I have previous cruised: Royal Carribean, QE2, Carnival, and the NCL cruise lines.

[dms_cruisers04]

GNO how can you call a cruiseline with two ships (Disney) Mass Market :confused:

If it proved her point she'd call Windstar a mass market line. :D

[Girlsnightout]

It never ceases to amaze me how a ship can go so far downhill in one week:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=184278 :rolleyes:

 

GNO how can you call a cruiseline with two ships (Disney) Mass Market :confused:

 

Okay, so if you don't want to call Disney Mass Market, that's fine, but Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, HAL, RCCL and Princess are. Are you going to tell me that cruises on all those lines are identical?

[Girlsnightout]

If it proved her point she'd call Windstar a mass market line. :D

 

Sure I would:rolleyes: .....

[Girlsnightout]

It was just my opinion.

 

And I wasn't speaking to you. I know how you view Carnival.

Aren't the three months up yet? :rolleyes:

 

And that was MY opinion, which I've every right to give. It's not 6th grade, so you can quit the playground bully routine.

[vacationaddict]

dms_cruisers04

 

No I did not tender on the last Carnival Cruise. It was a 3 day cruise from the West Coast.

[caviargal]

Review of the Carnival Valor May 29, 2005

Ports of Call: Beize, Hondorus, Grand Cayman and Cozumel

 

The cruise line told me that there would be a special line to get it if the pass was completed. There is no such line. After waiting in line for 1 ½ hours were instructed to go to another line (another 1 hour wasted) to pick up our keys to our room. Not sure why we couldn’t get our keys in the first line. Very disorganized.

 

Our Cabin: Finally arrived on our ship at our stateroom. We had balcony cabin on the 8th deck. Very nice. However, I would suggest you get a cabin on the 7th deck. We were right below Rosie’s Grill and it was very noisy all the time. You could hear the carts being rolled around on the floor as well as voices. Therefore, we were waking up very early every morning. Not much of a vacation for sleeping in.

 

Service: The service on the ship was OK. We were at the late seating in the Lincoln Dining room. Our waiter was attentive. However, the bar service was very slow. We would ask for a bottle of wine or glass of beer and it often took at least 15 to 20 minutes to get it.

 

Food: Let me start off by saying the pizza, the grill and the sushi bar were all-great. The food in the dining room was the below the average for cruise food. We ate in the dining room 6 nights out of the seven nights. I sent my dinner back on two of the evenings. I ordered the Zucchini and Eggplant dish one evening. It was cold and hard. It tasted like it had been sitting out for hours. My waiter asked if I wanted another meal but I chose not to since all my tablemates were not happy with their food either. One other night I ordered the shrimp. It tasted like it was boiled and put on my plate. No seasoning or spices. After tasting it I lost my appetite. The rest of the food was just OK. Just be aware the cooks pour oil (a lot) in the pan before cooking your eggs. So the eggs come out with an oil coating on them.

 

Entertainment: My husband and I like to listen to jazz. The only jazz being offered was in the Cigar Bar. We are non-smokers. Not sure why jazz couldn’t be offered in a non-smoking venue some of the time. Most of the bars on the ship are smoking. We didn’t listen to any of the music. Another note, in order to use the Internet you need to walk through the cigar bar.

 

The Ports: We did not use the ship’s excursions so I can’t speak for that. However, we did tender off the ship at Belize and Grand Cayman. Belize: This was the most disorganized tendering process I have ever taken part in. We were told that our tickets for tendering would be available at 8:30am. I arrived in line about 7:45am. We were supposed to be on the first tender. We waited in the Ivanhoe Theater like instructed. We were not on a ship excursion so we waited to get off the ship. We watched as the cruise director (Josh) was calling out the tours to get off the ship. We waited about 2 hours in the Theater and never got called to get off the ship. After 2 hours and a lot of frustration, we along with our fellow cruisers got up and went to the gang way and got off the ship. No one ever checked out tender numbers. After talking to fellow passengers some waited 3 hours and never were called. Priority was given to passengers who purchased to shore excursions through the ship. I’m not sure why Carnival doesn’t use their own lifeboats for tendering. All there were two local boats tendering passengers. Our tender was not even half full when it pulled away from the ship.

 

All in all this was the worst cruise I have taken and would never sail Carnival again nor would I recommend it to any of my friends or relatives.

 

Your review is almost an exact duplicate of my recent cruise on Glory, even down to the eggplant and zucchini dish! Wasn't that the worst? The rest of the food in the dining room was pretty good, though often served lukewarm, especially the soups.

 

The boarding process was very inefficient and waiting in four different lines (general boarding, key, photo on key, MANDATORY embarkation photo) was a pain. It took me 1.5 hours to board.

 

Service in DR was friendly, but not efficient. I, too, waited 15-20 minutes for wine and then ended up pouring my own because the waiters did not. We constantly had to ask for refills on water, coffee and bread. My waiter only had 3 tables so I am not sure why the service was not more attentive.

 

I also experienced the oily eggs at Lido buffet and that was my first and last attempt at eggs in the morning. Did not touch them.

 

There were VERY long lines in the buffet on sea days, enough that I did not bother to eat. I did not try the deli or pizza or ice cream. And the pools were really small for the size of the ship and always packed.

 

Yes, jazz is also my favorite but the cigar smoke drove me away. I did not really find other music to my liking so I did not go out much. Nightlife was a disappointment.

 

On the plus side, the staff aboard was very nice. I had a large group on board and the staff members I had interaction with were all very helpful and friendly. The ship was clean and well maintained. The gym was well equipped and steam and sauna great and never crowded.

 

My balcony cabin on deck 8 was very nice but I was also under the pool and outdoor restaurant and had cleaning noises around 3:00am. Not a great location.

 

We had lines to get back on in Cozumel; some folks waited over an hour. I have not had that experience on other cruise lines. I do not find it unusual that lifeboats on your ship were used for tendering as that as been the case on other lines.

 

Carnival is also not my line of choice but has a legion of very loyal fans. I can say that Glory was a vast improvement over my two previous Carnival cruises and I have read repeatedly that Spirit class is the way to go for a less overcrowded experience.

 

It is great that there are so many cruising options out there for all of us.

[vacationaddict]

We all have a right to our opinions. That is what I thought this board was all about. We all have different expectations when we go on vacations. I thought this was about constructive ideas.

[dms_cruisers04]

dms_cruisers04

 

No I did not tender on the last Carnival Cruise. It was a 3 day cruise from the West Coast.

Was just curious.

 

What did you think of Belize? I know you said you did the cave tubing. Did you do anything else? I have a cousin that is looking into a cruise with Belize as a port of call.

[dms_cruisers04]

And that was MY opinion, which I've every right to give. It's not 6th grade, so you can quit the playground bully routine.

I never said you didn't. I said I wasn't speaking to you. If not speaking to you is bullying, sorry. But I wasn't speaking to you.