The Carnival Valor is a popular floating resort. The waters are crowded with sea-worthy vessels, so to make planning easier, we've done all the prep work for a cruise vacation. As part of a Huffington Post Travel series on cruise ships, here is a tip sheet offering all the key information one could ever need to know about the Carnival Valor.
Tropical Destinations
The
departs from its Miami home port on six, seven and eight-day cruises to various ports in the Caribbean. Depending on the itinerary chosen, ports on the Valor's Western Caribbean cruise can include Key West, Fla.; the Cayman Islands; Ocho Rios or Montego Bay in Jamaica; and Cozumel, Mexico. Other itineraries may include stops in the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, St. Lucia or Aruba.
Grand Ship
The Carnival Valor has loaded its 13 decks with fun entertainment options including a dance club, pools, clubs and areas dedicated to kids and teens, a casino and a lot of other passenger-pleasing amenities and attractions. Like Carnival's other ships, the 2,974-passenger Valor aims to be a floating, fun-filled party for all ages.
Special Features
Challenge your kids to a round of golf on the Carnival Valor's nine-hole miniature course or watch a movie with friends and family on this ship's large, outdoor 12-foot-by-22-foot movie screen. If you prefer water activities, take a ride down the Twister water slide or splash away in one of the ship's three pools. Adults can dance the night away or, if they feel lucky, take their chances at winning some serious coin in the Valor's casino.
Accommodations
Guests on the Carnival Valor can choose from small, good-value interior staterooms, oceanview rooms, staterooms with balconies or suites with room to spread out. The Valor offers nightly turndown service and high-quality bedding, and guests will welcome the cute animals created from towels that await them on their bed each night.
Cost
A cruise on the Carnival Valor can start as low as $299 per person for an interior stateroom on the six-day Western Caribbean cruise in January. For the same trip, a suite would start at $809 per person. On the other hand, a seven-day cruise in July on Valor's Eastern Caribbean route would start at $949 for an interior stateroom, while a suite would start at $2,279. The ship does offer specials, including ones for repeat passengers and those who book early or pick up a last-minute cabin.
Excursions
The
Mayan Site and River Wallace excursion, which is offered on some of the Western Caribbean cruises, offers guests a chance to see some of Belize's wildlife, such as monkeys, dolphins and manatees, as guests take a boat trip to see these ancient ruins. Carnival Valor guests who have taken this trip stated on websites such as CruiseCritic.com that they really enjoyed this unique combination of a boat ride, seeing ancient ruins and catching glimpses of the Belizean wildlife.
Dining Experience
The Carnival Valor offers a variety of dining options. Guests can choose to enjoy the traditional pre-arranged time seating in the main dining room or can, instead, enjoy casual buffet-style dining at the Lido Buffet. For guests exhausted from having too much fun to leave their stateroom, the Carnival Valor also offers free 24-hour room service. Lastly, guests looking for a more elegant setting can dine at the ship's steakhouse, for an additional fee.
Maiden Voyage
The Carnival Valor first sailed in 2004, according to
. This is a Conquest-class vessel and is among Carnival's largest ships, according to
.
In The News
In 2009, a Carnival Valor passenger died after going on a snorkeling excursion in Costa Maya, Mexico, according to
. In less grim news, the Valor's crew rescued
in the waters off of Cuba after their boat became disabled in 2011.
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Scenes from a Carnival Valor cruise.
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