Wonderful First Cruise

Carnival Valor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 44

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Carnival Valor

5 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 01, 2018

Ship: Carnival Valor

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8268

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Overall, we had a wonderful time and are already trying to decide when to take the next one.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
The food was very good! The buffet was a very pleasant surprise (my husband typically will NOT eat at a buffet, but he thoroughly enjoyed it. Overall, our group gave the food a 5 star!

Pizza Pirate

5 out of 5

pizzas were great - although the crust was a bit hard

Lincoln Dining Room

5 out of 5

The menu choices were great and the servers were excellent.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

The burgers were excellent!

Room Service

5 out of 5

The buffet had a nice variety and the food was very good.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
Although we brought attire to enjoy the fitness center, we never did. LOL We did, however, check it out and it looked great. I do wish they had offered some Yoga, Zumba, or Tai Chi classes . . . some sort of simple stretching/exercise classes. We enjoyed the mini-golf. Lounging by the pools and on the decks was very enjoyable. The staff keeps everything very tidy.

Mini Golf

5 out of 5

Had a lot of fun playing mini golf with my 82 yr old mother - who had 2 holes in one!

Entertainment

4 out of 5
We loved the comedy shows. The Country Road show was very entertaining although we wished they had played more of the old country tunes during the actual show itself.

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The staff was extremely friendly and greets you by name. The waiters are exceptional in the dining room.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
When someone showered, the entire bathroom floor flooded. The drain is way too small and should be cleaned out. As is typical in small spaces with only beds to sit on, the outside of the mattresses were more worn so you felt like the bed wanted to dump you on the floor (especially the fold out bed and the 1st bed next to it because that is where everybody sits). That's the reason for the 4 star rather than 5 star. The cabin was kept exceptionally clean.

Ship tip

There are lots of things to enjoy on this ship . . . so take advantage of them! Don't overpack!

Ports of call

Galveston, Texas Did not visit port

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5
We chose the Mr. Sanchos Beach All Inclusive Day Pass and it was exactly what we expected and wanted. We were a party of 6 with 4 new cruisers (including one 82 yr old and two who were recovering from recent surgeries) - so this excursion was perfect for us.

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

3 out of 5
We did the White and Golden Cities of Yucatan. We were disappointed. Our tour guide, Luis, was very good. Would loved to have had time to shop in Merida. This is a very long tour - with most of the time spent riding in a van with very uncomfortable seats. It is quite a hike to some of the bathrooms as well.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Traveler Photos

enjoying the day at Mr. Sanchos All Inclusive ready for the tour departure lounging on the Serenity Deck Country Roads show
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1 Comment

Texasmom22    6 years ago

Excellent! Look for the deals on discounted deposits! :)

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