Not to throw cold water on your trip, but we just got back from a Mexico 5-day trip on Valor, and it was the worst.
Food on the buffet was pig slop. I'm not kidding. A few of the many examples I could relate: Scrambled eggs made with 50% milk, resulting in eggs sitting in separated water. Eggs Benedict fresh out of the refrigerator. Orange Juice made from green oranges; bitter and sour. Salad Dressings were completely tasteless. Bread was tasteless and hard and stale. Fried Chicken coating was hard as concrete. NO waffles, and pancakes dumped onto the front line from a COLD cellophane bag. Bacon served on only one day.
"High End" restaurant advertises "14oz Prime Rib" No way it was 14oz, very thin and FULL of gristle and fat. AND... WHO provides serrated steak knives for "prime" rib??? OMG!
Best food? Guy's Burger Joint, but even then, it was not any big deal. I've had better burgers at Burger King.
Hot water went out over the entire ship the last two days, never did return.
We got a grand total of 5 hours in each of our ports (Cozumel and Progreso). No time to see or do anything except be herded through the tourist liquor store.
"Certain" guests easily 300 to 400 pounds overweight wearing thong "bikinis" (Gah...) in the buffet would not cover up. I've never seen so many grossly overweight - 300 to 500 pounds - people in one place in all my life, hunched over, cramming cheeseburgers and FF in their gaping holes fast as it would go down. It was nauseating.
To be fair, staff was amazing. Beds were very comfortable, I slept very well. Ship was clean and kept that way. Shows were great, comedy show was the best! But the rest was NOT good. The incredibly poor food negated the good.
AND... the best for last, upon disembarking, I was singled out by name for "Come with me". "Why?" "Sir, just come with me". I was led into CBP for inspection, my camera gear, computer and two tripods x-rayed by an A-hole CBP agent. I never was given a reason why I was singled out. I was never frisked, so whatever they were looking for could have been in my pockets. What idiots. I had to ask for my passport to be returned.
You are forewarned.
