Winston Trafelet

Age: 57
Occupation: Data Architect
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Valor
Sailing Date: March 13th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

(Arrival and Boarding)
We flew into Miami the day before departure and took a taxi ($23) to the Holiday Inn Marina on Biscayne Blvd which is very close to the port. Across the street from the hotel is a tourist area called Bayside, which has a lot of shopping and three major restaurants (Bubba Gumps, Hooters, Hard Rock Café). On Sunday morning we took a taxi ($10) to the port. We arrived at the port about 12:30 p.m., but we could have easily come earlier. The advantage of course is getting through the lines early and being able to have a late lunch on board.

(Cabin)
We signed up for a category 6A cabin which guaranteed us for an outside cabin with a window. We never new our cabin number until we registered. When we arrived in our cabin we found that we had been upgraded to a cabin with a balcony which was cabin 8204 on deck 8. This was the second cabin from the forward port side just behind the Bridge. The cabin was very quiet and roomy. It did present a long walk to the Washington dinning room, Rosie’s Restaurant and Eagles Lounge. The cabin was a little chilly at the beginning of the cruise so we turned down the A/C as far as we could. Our cabin steward (Felix) did a super job and he always had a friendly smile and warm greeting. He continually surprised us with various creations (swan, seal, teddy bear, etc.) made from bath towels.

(Dinning)
Our schedule varied a lot from day to day so eating dinner in the Washington dinning room at 8:00 p.m. (late seating) was what we scheduled everything else around. We had excellent service at table 433 in the Washington dinning room. Dennis was our head waiter, Pankaj was our assistant waiter and Daniel was our wine steward. After our final dinner we were surprised with a chocolate birthday cake (and song) for my wife’s birthday. We were also very fortunate to have three great couples to share our dinners with it. We chose to eat in Rosie’s Restaurant for breakfast and lunch. Rosie’s is buffet style restaurant with a wide variety of foods and excellent service. The other options are a pizzeria, deli, grill (hamburger/hot dogs), sushi bar and fish and chips.

(Activities and Entertainment)
There was a wide variety of activities and entertainment all over the ship. We chose to take in the evening show at 10:30 p.m. (late seating) at the Ivanhoe Theater. The two Las Vegas/Broadway shows were very lively and excellent. The other nights included a hypnotist, comedy, and a tribute to Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. The last night was a Valor Idol show with singing entertainment from the cruise ship guests. This was very entertaining and we were impressed with some of the talent aboard the ship. Be sure to bring a sweater/jacket to the Ivanhoe Theater as it gets very cold if you happen to be in range of the A/C. The Casino area was also chilly. Carnival does a great job offering something for everyone, young and old. The Cruise Director did an excellent job and we commend him and his staff for their efforts.

(Ports and Shopping)
We didn’t do any tours at the ports this time but there are many to select from and we would certainly do one if we were to stop at these ports again. Instead we decided to stroll through the downtown shops at each port. The Carnival Valor has recommended stores at each port and offers a 30 day guarantee if you purchase merchandise at one of these stores. In Nassau, you can walk to the downtown shopping area. In St. Thomas a taxi will take you downtown for $3.00/person. There are a lot of shops next to the port in St. Thomas if you don’t want to go downtown. In St Maarten you can take a taxi for $3.00/person or you can take a water taxi for $5.00/person round trip.

(Summary)
Needless to say my wife and I are sold on taking cruises. Our only other cruise was 12 years ago on the Costa Classica, a much smaller ship, and the Carnival Valor was a much better experience. The accommodations, food and service were all top notch. It was over much too quickly! We look forward to our next cruise.