Review - Carnival Valor - 6/12/05 Western

[Snowball]

Well, much to our chagrin, the Valor Voyagers were forced off the ship yesterday. :( Since I don't want to return to reality just yet, I decided to relive the last week by writing a review. I hope you enjoy it!!!

 

Embarkation:

 

After turning in our rental car, we used the free shuttle service from Dollar to take us to the port. We left the rental car place at the Miami airport around 11:15, and traffic at the port area was very heavy so we did not get dropped off until 11:50. The line at the terminal was right to the door when we got there, so I was starting to worry that it might take a long time to get onboard, but it ended up only taking an hour. First you go through security, then you give them your tickets and credit card info, then you pick up your sign and sail cards and get your embarkation photo taken. One hint – when you get to the terminal, be prepared for mass confusion. Just remember that the line to your left is for the skippers club and handicapped passengers only – everyone else should line up on the right.

 

 

 

Sunday:

 

The first thing we did after we got onboard was go to the purser’s desk to put money on our sail and sign accounts, and make sure that our group’s onboard credits were applied. The purser’s desk is very busy on embarkation day, but we ended up only being in line for about 15 minutes. After that we went to our cabins (which were ready) and dropped off our carry on bags. Our cruise critic meet & greet was scheduled for 2pm, so before we knew it we were headed for the lido deck to meet all the great people from our roll call, and have our first drink of the day. ;) It was great finally getting to meet everyone in person, and we had a great turnout.

 

 

 

Monday:

 

Ahhhhh, a Fun Day at Sea. I just love those sea days. Just relaxed by the pool and laid out for most of the day. This is the life!

 

 

 

Tuesday – Belize:

 

We booked a cave tubing tour with Wet N’ Wild, and requested that Charlie be our tour guide because of the positive reviews we read about him. We ended up having two tour guides for our group of 20 – Charlie and Randy. One member of our group ended up having a lot of trouble doing the hiking part of the excursion, and our guides were wonderful in helping her along. We ended up having Charlie continue on the hike with most of the group, and Randy helped the woman make the hike to the beginning of the first cave, where she could wait and join the rest of the group when we floated down that far. She could say enough about how wonderful Randy was in helping her along the hike – he kept telling her to take her time and physically helped her get through some of the more difficult areas. He then double-timed the hike with the rest of that woman’s family through the trail so that they were able to float through all of the caves except the first one. The cave tubing itself was great – the water was very refreshing after the 45 minute long hike that it took to get there. After we were done tubing it was time for our lunch, which was included in the price of the tour. We arrived back at the port about an hour before the last tender, which left us with enough time to shop before returning to the ship.

 

 

 

Wednesday – Roatan:

 

I booked the TabayanaBeach excursion through the ship for this port. The cost was $33 per person which was a little on the expensive side, but once I got there I was impressed. It was a beautiful beach with enough lounge chairs for everyone, a live band, free iced tea, lemonade and water, a cash bar, restaurant, lockers, and a gift shop. The water was incredibly clear, and the snorkeling was really good there. We had sunny skies that day and it was really hot laying there on the beach, so we ended up only staying there a few hours, but it was one of the nicest beaches I’ve ever been to. And even though there were a lot of people there, it never felt over-crowded.

 

 

 

Thursday – Grand Cayman:

 

We booked the stingray excursion with Soto’s. After doing a little shopping, we met them right at noon about 1-2 blocks from where the tenders leave you off. They drove us to their office, where you pay for the excursion and pick up your snorkel gear, then board the boat for your excursion. Your first stop is at CoralGardens for some snorkeling, then to the Stingray Sandbar. I don’t remember the names of our two tour guides, but they were really great with everyone. They made sure that everyone was able to touch and hold the stingrays, and were very patient with the kids that were on our excursion. It was definitely an amazing experience.

 

 

 

Friday – Cozumel:

 

We decided to take a cab to ParadiseBeach at this port. The facilities at the beach are very nice, but I was not impressed with the beach itself. It was very rocky and had lots of seaweed at the bottom of the water, so you had to tread very lightly when getting in and out so you didn’t hurt your feet. This was my first visit to Cozumel, so I don’t know if all the beaches are like that or not, but after the great beach we went to in Roatan this was definitely a disappointment. We also had a rainstorm come through while we were at the beach, but that didn’t really bother us – we actually stayed in the water during the storm and didn’t let it dampen our spirits (pun intended). After we had enough of the beach, we went back to the ship to change out of our wet clothes, and then took a cab downtown for some shopping. We ended up buying more in Cozumel than we did at all 3 other ports combined. Around 9pm that night we met up with a few other cruise critic members at Fat Tuesdays, and things were pretty wild there. It was funny watching everyone stumble back to the ship that night.

 

 

 

Saturday:

 

Another day at sea. We had great weather, and just relaxed and laid out. The last day of the cruise is always kind of sad because you know it’s almost over, so you try to make the most of it.

 

 

 

Debarkation:

 

We were staying in Miami for one night after the cruise, so we were in no rush to get off. We stayed in our cabin until around 9:15, then headed off the ship. I was surprised by how long it took to get off – about an hour all together.

 

 

 

Miscellaneous:

 

Our cabin # was 6358 and was in a great location. It is mid-ship, right by the elevators, and directly above the casino and teen club, and was surprisingly quiet despite its location.

 

 

 

There were 1300 kids on our sailing, but we did not have any problems with them whatsoever. I think the fact that the ship has its own teen club is a big reason why – they had their own dedicated area to hang out with their friends and didn’t have to go wandering all over the ship looking for something to do (and possibly causing mischief along the way).

 

 

 

Our cabin steward was Heru, and he was very efficient, but not very talkative. That wasn’t a problem for me, but I know that some people complain about that.

 

 

 

Our dining staff was Jasmina and Lenka. They were very friendly and remembered our names and preferences right away. The dining room menu can be viewed on Funvision, but be aware that it is not always the right days menu that is shown. On Thursday, it showed Friday’s menu, and on Friday it showed Wednesday’s menu. It wasn’t a big deal, but just something to keep in mind if you are making your decision as to whether to eat in the dining room based on what is displayed on the tv’s menu. We did not go to Scarlett’s , so really can’t comment on that.

 

 

 

I stayed at the Four Points Sheraton in Miami Beach for one night before and after the cruise. I got our rooms for $55 a night through Priceline. It is a very nice hotel and is right on the beach. The only negatives are that their valet parking service is sometimes slow, and their elevators are very slow and very small. Make sure you have a bellman help you with the bags – it is worth whatever tip you give him.

 

 

 

Well, I think I’ve gone on for long enough. If you have any questions let me know, and I’ll try to answer them for you.

[lhall85917]

Hi Debbie, looks like we are all doing our part to add Valor reviews!! We did the dune buggy trip in Cozumel and were very surprised to see that it had rained as we arrived back in town - we didn't get one raindrop out on our tour!!

 

Sharon

[Marcys]

Good review, Debbie! I hope that all these positive reviews of our Valor Voyagers cruise will encourage others who may be scared off by some of the negative reviews. We had a great time or were too stewed to know the difference!:eek: (only kidding, despite our joking about drinking, this was a pretty tame, but fun, group!) Either that or true CC people look at cruising very different than others!

[lhall85917]

Marci, I have to agree about the drinking - I thought we would just have drunks running all over the place!! After all the talk about helmets of beer, I never even actually saw one!! Frankly, I was disappointed that we didn't have a better show as we were getting ready to leave Cozumel. :rolleyes:

[Marcys]

Uhhh, Sharon, we DID get a show at Fat Tuesday's!!:eek: We witnessed the baring and fondling of many body parts!:eek:

[Snowball]

I was surprised by the lack of nightlife on this cruise. I don't know if it was that the activities weren't there, or we just weren't in the mood to participate in them. So this turned out to be more of a relaxing cruise rather than a party cruise, but we still had a great time. I think part of the reason is that the CD we had on the Miracle (Todd Wittmer) was much more involved with the passenger and in rounding people up to go to different lounges and events; whereas our CD on the Valor (Brent Mitchell) was not very visible on the ship except during the main shows.

[gymbrat33]

Great review, Debbie!

 

 

I think that the lack of nightlife may have been due to the ports of call 4 days in a row. people may have gone to bed earlier.

[Jewelly]

Debbie,

 

Thanks for your review! We leave on the Valor this Sun June 26. I have a couple of questions, what kind of shoes do we need for the cave tubing? Tennis shoes or water shoes? Do you wear them in the water as well as hiking? There are 6 of us, 4 kids 14-22. I dont know who to book it through. I need to do it tonight! Also my cabin is 6251 close to the front. Now i'm worried about motion. Why did I pick one towards the front when I am a wimp about motion? Did you have calm seas? Anything you can tell me would be great.

 

Jewelly:)

[gymbrat33]

I had a cabin in the front and didn't feel any motion. I get seasick very easilly. The seas were very calm.

[Randy & Carmen]

Tuesday – Belize:

 

We booked a cave tubing tour with Wet N’ Wild, and requested that Charlie be our tour guide because of the positive reviews we read about him. We ended up having two tour guides for our group of 20 – Charlie and Randy. One member of our group ended up having a lot of trouble doing the hiking part of the excursion, and our guides were wonderful in helping her along. We ended up having Charlie continue on the hike with most of the group, and Randy helped the woman make the hike to the beginning of the first cave, where she could wait and join the rest of the group when we floated down that far. She could say enough about how wonderful Randy was in helping her along the hike – he kept telling her to take her time and physically helped her get through some of the more difficult areas. He then double-timed the hike with the rest of that woman’s family through the trail so that they were able to float through all of the caves except the first one. The cave tubing itself was great – the water was very refreshing after the 45 minute long hike that it took to get there. After we were done tubing it was time for our lunch, which was included in the price of the tour. We arrived back at the port about an hour before the last tender, which left us with enough time to shop before returning to the ship.

 

.

 

Yep......sounds like something I'd do!:D

[Randy & Carmen]

Wednesday – Roatan:

 

I booked the TabayanaBeach excursion through the ship for this port. The cost was $33 per person which was a little on the expensive side, but once I got there I was impressed. It was a beautiful beach with enough lounge chairs for everyone, a live band, free iced tea, lemonade and water, a cash bar, restaurant, lockers, and a gift shop. The water was incredibly clear, and the snorkeling was really good there. We had sunny skies that day and it was really hot laying there on the beach, so we ended up only staying there a few hours, but it was one of the nicest beaches I’ve ever been to. And even though there were a lot of people there, it never felt over-crowded.

 

 

.

 

SWEEEEEEEEEEET!......never be there so this sounds great!......Thanks, Deb

 

'

[Snowball]

what kind of shoes do we need for the cave tubing? Tennis shoes or water shoes? Do you wear them in the water as well as hiking?

 

Did you have calm seas?

I brought a pair of old tennis shoes. You wear them for the hike and while you are in the water, so then I just threw them out when I got back on the ship. You may need to let your cabin steward know that they are trash, or they'll be afraid to get rid of them.

 

We had incredibly calm seas virtually all week. The only time I felt any motion was when we had a passing storm when leaving Cozumel, and it only lasted about an hour - and even then it wasn't bad.

[Jewelly]

Debbie thanks for all your help. I just booked the cave tubing! Do you or anyone else have any info on scuba diving in the Caymans? I have a new diver that is 14 going with his dad and brother. I'm always been afraid to book outside the cruise lines because I was worried they wouldn't show or get us back in time.