A fun and relaxing time...

Carnival Valor Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 22

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Valor

5 Night Western Caribbean (New Orleans Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 07, 2023

Ship: Carnival Valor

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 1203

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

The Valor Rock band will be what I remember for the rest of my life. Austin was also very memorable, and the gym was really nice. Other than that, the rest will likely blend in with other cruise experiences.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
They've gotten this down to a science, pretty easy to get aboard, checked luggage was taken the second we stepped out of the uber and our cabin was available at standard times. Smooth cruising.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Pretty standard, the buffets and food options are solid, the main dining room service is nice, the app check-in helps with timing. I just wouldn't say the food is the number one highlight of the trip.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
There are a lot of great activities onboard, you tend to find the things you like early and then visit them on the regular. As expected, pretty great, with room for improvement and variety. A lot of them, sans music, feel a bit salesy.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Specifically the Valor Rock band, one of the best bands I've seen in my life. Anywhere, even amongst some of my favorite bands. Everyone of the members could be a band-leading front-person. It's kind of insane. We were lucky to find them in Red Frog on night one, but by the end of the cruise it was hard to get a seat to see them. They could be main stage performers every single night and everyone would love it. The 5 stars is specifically for the Valor Rock Band. Oleg & Mat were also favorites. Comedy was pretty solid, main shows were pretty good but it felt like there are audio issues in the auditorium, sometimes the vocals didn't shine as good as they could have. Austin was very energetic and always brought the fun.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5
Pretty solid, it felt like sometimes it was hard for them to get into our cabin to clean (because we'd only stay out a few hours before popping back in) and we were all the way at the very end.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Everything was kept mostly clean and/or cleaned quickly for turn-arounds.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
It is what it is, a tight interior no-frills cabin. Based on our location, I do think it was slightly worse than other interior cabins because we were hearing what sounded like maybe a service elevator...that said, it's what we expected for the room tier.

Ship tip

Go see the valor Rock Band immediately, then get there EARLY as others start to catch on throughout the cruise.

Ports of call

New Orleans, Louisiana

4 out of 5

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Progreso (Merida), Mexico

3 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Easy, we had the benefit of being in the first muster station called, so that helps.
Was this review helpful? 22

5 Comments

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

mary0909    1 year ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise

javawoody    1 year ago

Thanks for the detailed review

cruising2004    1 year ago

Glad you had an enjoyable cruise. Thank you for sharing your experience.

AuntPinkie    1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise with some high points and memorable experiences. Happy you found the band early.

Other reviews of this sailing