Carnival
Valor
Western Carribean

Maria Cleary

Age: 40
Occupation: Paralegal
Number of Cruises: 3

We just returned yesterday and could have stayed forever. I booked this cruise as a surprise for my husband, for our 10th wedding anniversary. I told him about it on his birthday and we sailed 2 weeks later, as part of a group of 80 people organized by a local radio station. The ship was larger than I had cruised on before, holding about 3,000 passengers. It was very clean and nicely decorated. The staff was friendly and efficient with very few exceptions. We had a new cruise director ("Dangerous Brian") who was funny. The shows were kind of hit-and-miss; the first one we saw was goofy, but then they had a great comedian and an awesome juggler; and the they had an 80's revival show which rocked the house. The drinks were only average - the one time I got a "good" drink I tipped the bartender $2 extra. If you are a drinker, be prepared to spend a fortune to get a buzz. The ports of call (Belize, Roatan, Grand Cayman and Cozumel) were all exotic and beautiful. We had fabulous weather every single day. On Belize we took the rainforest exploration and cave tubing excursion which was fun, we had a great tour guide who told us a lot about Belize, which was nice as we knew very little about it. On Roatan, we took the canopy tour - you are placed in a harness and glide on cables through the rainforest canopy up to 30 feet off the ground - which was frightening but exiting as well. My harness broke at one point which added some drama to the situation but they fixed it and everything was fine. You have to sign a release before you can go on that tour, and now I know why. You should be aware that if you get scared and want to turn back, there is no turning back! That excursion includes some time at Tabyana beach which is very beautiful and has the best pina coladas I have ever had! On Grand Cayman we did Stingray City and the Island tour which my husband enjoyed very much. It was a lot of fun. On Cozumel we went to Xcaret, an eco-archeological park which we really liked a lot - it was so beautiful and there was a lot to do there. It was so hot though! Make sure to eat at "The Mexican" restaurant - very authentic and delicious. I was so happy to see that each of these places has taken steps to ensure the preservation of the natural beauty and wildlife, which I am sure will appeal to most folks, especially those of us who have seen the destruction of natural resources in other places (I am referring to San Juan, Puerto Rico). Overall, it was a great time. Of course, there were lots of lines and delays getting on and off the ship which is a huge pain, hours and hours of waiting, but it's worth it. And Carnival really pushes the photo thing - I brought my OWN camera, thank you! Go, and have a great time!

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