Service left a bad taste in my mouth.

Item: Carnival Valor
Rating: 3.8
Author: wcsmith323

Carnival Valor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

wcsmith323

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 25

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 11, 2019

Ship: Carnival Valor

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8241

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

food and drink service left a bad taste in my mouth.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

WF2TF = WAY faster to the fun.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food quality in main dining room was a bit better than normal, however, the food quality (I had to get three burgers from Guy's and make a special request to get one that wasn't burned on the bottom). Other guests had the same problem. BUT: What has slipped immensely since my first cruises is the drink service. Each year I feel there are fewer and fewer bar staff. Gone are the staff walking the Lido and Serenity decks selling drinks. Gone are the bartenders, replaced with folks who've been shown how to make drinks. They are incredibly slow. It is not uncommon to spend 10 minutes to get a coke, even early in the morning. I don't get the drink package, but it seems there is a deliberate initiative to slow the drinking, which I can respect, but for the two drinks or so I get a day, the experience leaves me exasperated.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

What can be done about the smoke smell in the casino? Every night I quit gambling because I just can't stand it. I understand why Carnival is unlikely to ban smoking there, but the scrubbers from previous years are gone.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

I loved the comedians. Best part of the trip

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

It's hard to put a single rating here. Some were outstanding. Others made me think that the service scheme was devised by the DMV.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

I've been sailing on the Valor for 6 years now. I noticed more than ever, while still very clean, she has some areas of maintenance that are showing her age: especially on exterior.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

its adequate.