Great cruise

Item: Carnival Valor
Rating: 4.2
Author: colleenandjeff

Carnival Valor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

colleenandjeff

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 09, 2023

Ship: Carnival Valor

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 1357

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

The entertainment and activities on the ship were pretty good, however, we didn’t have any interest in gambling in the casino or playing bingo. We wish you didn't have to pay to play Deal or No Deal and BINGO, and instead of paying for cash, Carnival could have offered Carnival prizes. Zack, the cruise director, did a phenomenal job. We really enjoyed a small ensemble identified as the rock band, but they did a good mix of music from several eras and a wide variety of artists. The two lead singers, a female named Gem and a male named Marion, were strong vocalists, and their band was top-notch. The guitar player, Juan, from Argentina, was extremely talented. The food was hit and miss. Some stuff on the buffet was good, but the best meals were the evening meals in the dining room, and from some of the specialty restaurants onboard, like Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The food at the Lido buffet could have been better, but the dining room dinners were excellent.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

We didn't do much of the activities, but enjoyed sitting on the serenity deck, and playing mini-golf.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

The stage shows were pretty good. The musicians and singers in the rock band were excellent! Cruise director Zack did a great job hosting the events.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The service from just about everybody was excellent. Jose, our room steward did a great job, so did our dining staff: Dewa, Jayat and Fraisal.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship was clean, but the layout was a bit confusing. Some of the decks didn't go through from front to back, and we had to constantly check the ship map to figure out where we were going.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

It was pretty much what we expected. We didn't have any issues with our room. It would have been nice to have at least one sports channel on the TV.

Ship tip

Take advantage of the breakfast in the dining room. Also, if you want to eat at a specialty restaurant, beat the lines by going early or when everyone is off the ship in port.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

4 out of 5

We spent only one night in New Orleans before getting on the cruise, however, we had visited N.O. before.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

It was nice that we were able to shop and walk to the beach from the dock, and that there was a nice restaurant on site; Panchos.

Thumbs Up 0

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

3 out of 5

It was disappointing that you really needed to take a bus into town in order to do anything or to get to a beach or restaurant. We didn't know that, and thought we could just enjoy the day close to the port, like in Cozumel.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Not bad, but the lines inside the customs building got backed up.

5 Comments

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