Wonderful Cruise

Carnival Valor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 48

Overall rating:

5 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Valor

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 31, 2015

Ship: Carnival Valor

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7449

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

We had a wonderful cruise.  Only two glitches.  The last nights dinner left a lot to be desired.  Was supposed to be "large shrimp".  They were long -3 to 4" but they were the size of a pencil and must have been fried in grease that was not sufficiently hot.  The breading fell off and it was very greasy.  Couldn't eat it.

The second item was more severe.  DON"T believe the vendors on the ship about being "Tax and Duty Free".  That is boarding on an outright LIE.  It is if the total value or $ spent is less than the US Customs allowable per person which is usually about $800 per person.  If it is over that you pay US Import Duty and the vendor will not tell you that.  We were hit with about $490 of Import Duty on jewelry purchased and the vendor said not to worry, it would be minimal, probably around $10 to $20.  Big surprise at Customs...  I'm sure the same applies on Alcohol.  

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Requested 'anytime' dining and did not get it. Our meal was set for 8:15 PM. Much too late for us to eat, not healthy to eat so late.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The aft extended Balcony was OK but after experiencing that, I prefer the side balconies. It allows you to view where you have been and about a 170 deg view but much less private. Your balcony can be seen from the balcony on either side and some from above. When it rains you cannot use the balcony at all unless you want to sit in the rain.

Ship tip

Beware of lies told by on-board ship vendors. See review above.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Belize City, Belize

5 out of 5

Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

3 out of 5
Nothing much to do but shop. We were warned that going into town had been hazardous to some previous tourists.

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

5 out of 5
Short stop. Did not allow time to shop after an excursion.
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1 Comment

moniquin2    9 years ago

I'be never had an issue with this. The customs officer saw that my husband and I had 5 boxes with 2 bottles each of alcohol and we didn't pay anything. It was supposed to be one bottle per person. Did you write the specific amount that you spent on your declaration sheet?

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