Wonderful and Amazing First Cruise

Carnival Valor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 57

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Valor

5 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 26, 2017

Ship: Carnival Valor

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 1235

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

My husband and I went on our very first cruise on the Carnival Valor. We got the Faster to the Fun add-on and were very pleased. Although the extension to the customer services (dedicated) line never worked we were only 2 floors down from the desk. However, one of the porters broke a very expensive bottle of cologne and when we complained and asked to be compensated we got complimentary laundry. Only one out of the 5 people working the services desk actually seemed happy to help us so that was disappointing. And although the faster to the fun comes with your room ready by the time you board (it was) our luggage came later-like almost a few minutes before the ship left the port. However-aside from this the rest of the crew were amazing. Everyone was very polite and knowledgable. We were always told Good Morning, Evening, Afternoon-asked if we needed anything. The service we received from the rest of the crew was amazing. Our steward, George, was amazing. We actually used the complimentary laundry and he had our clothes washed, folded, and in our room way before he said he would. We left him an additional tip even with the gratuities already paid. The cruise director, Orlando, is phenomenal. He was awesome. Words cannot express how much fun we had. The ship itself is beautiful and like a wonderful maze. I think by the end of the cruise we had figured out an easier way to get to our dining room. The food was OMG wonderful. Filet mignon for breakfast? Yes, please and thank you. We just had the best time and I will always cruise with Carnival and am looking forward to our next adventure. 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5
We traveled alone this time so did not get to experience any children's programs first hand. However, from the little we did see it seems as though cruising would have been a breeze with our children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Our cabin was much bigger than the pictures and more comfortable than we expected. The shower was kind of claustrophobic and I did hope for bigger but overall we were very pleased.

Ship tip

The Serenity Dock for adults is awesome. The drink page (Cheers package) is definitely the way to go.

Ports of call

Cozumel, Mexico

3 out of 5
We chose the least expensive excursion (Beach and Downtown on your own). It was only 29.95 per person and was amazing. The beach club was very comfortable. We took a tour of a family owned Tequila company and were able to sample 7 different types of Tequila. We even got to swim with the fish. It was the best part of our trip to Cozumel aside from the beautiful beach, food, and the wonderful people. However, if you need to use the restroom in downtown Cozumel be sure to have spare change. To use the restroom there is a charge of at least 0.50.

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

2 out of 5
Progreso did not seem like the best destination. Traveling to the different excursions was 30 minutes or better but I'm sure the actual excursions may have been great.
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2 Comments

mrstrimble    7 years ago

Typically your luggage won't get to your room until later on after you leave port. So FTTF got it you before you left. So that's better than the normal process!

jbbinder    7 years ago

Great review. We love Carnival. I was hooked after the first cruise.

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