Valor April 25-29

[Texas Blue]

Anyone here happen too be sailing on the Valor out of New Orleans April 25th -29th? I'm going as part of a work reward, but would love to meet some pre-board friends to hang out with! 😀

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@Texas Blue I have yet to cruise out of New Orleans! Will this be your first time cruising out of that port? There is so much to see and do there. I went to New Orleans last year for a Bachelorette trip and it was such a cool place to explore. I recommend taking a look at this article if it's your first time on Carnival Valor! 

https://www.cruisehive.com/reasons-to-take-a-carnival-valor-cruise/30521

I'm not sure what you are into, but I would recommend trying to catch at least one comedy show at the Punchliner Comedy Club onboard! This is a super nice work reward, a great way to relax. CCL typically has a meetup for single cruisers onboard. I also recommend attending that event to meet some other guests looking to hang out together on their cruise. 

[wilson]

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.

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@wilson It sounds like many things went wrong on your last Carnival Valor cruise. 

From my experience, the scrambled eggs are never the best from the buffet and it's more than worth it to wait in the eggs-made-your-way line. Fresh-to-order omelets or sunny side-ups are the best from the buffet area. Another great tip for fresh breakfast is dining in the MDR when possible. The breakfast is warm, fresh to order, delivered right to your table, and tasty as can be! Have you dined in the MDR for breakfast before?

I'm assuming you didn't book an excursion at Cozumel or Progresso. Both of those ports of call usually offer some nice excursion options away from the tour trap attractions you see right when you get off the ship. I recommend a private beach excursion away from the high-traffic scene. It's a much more pleasant experience. 

I like that you at least rounded out your post with some positivity! The ship is clean and the staff is great. Those are two things I'm most certain @Texas Blue will enjoy on this upcoming itinerary! 

[wilson]

Thanks, Kendall. No, we didn't go to the MDR area for breakfast as we probably should have, but I just could not believe the poor quality food on the buffet. I mean, really... How do you screw up grits?

[3Sisters]

@wilson It's not hard to screw up grits, but unfortunately, I have managed to do it. Grits that sit out on the buffet line aren't pleasant anywhere. The ones in the MDR are much better. You have to try that on your next cruise! You will be much better off in the MDR as often as possible. The lunch food is delicious too and then you don't have to find a table with a tray in your hand. Honestly, I don't know why more people don't take advantage of that. I guess everyone just wants to be out by the pool in their bathing suits all day. It's very worth it to get dressed and get served good food, especially if you don't like the buffet food!