Carnival Valor Review/Viking Group Part 1

Hello All!
First off thanks to the many who were on the VIking group and what a
fantastic time we certainly had on this sailing.

First off Carnival..... I prefer Royal Caribbean but after this cruise
KUDOS to Carnival! WOW many things blew RCCL out of the water( no pun
intended)

We started out our Vacation flying in on Southwest ( GREAT AIRLINE) to
Ft Lauderdale, Picked up a rental and 5 of us headed to Key largo, WOW
how peaceful and beautiful, We stasyed at the Hilton Grande resort
very ncie, we rode down to islamorada too, then to Miami and stayed
at the Courtyard by Marriott on 2nd Ave. there was a Huge Basal Art
Fest in town. We went to eat at Bubba Gumps and then back to hotel
and sat in the bar area and chit chatted for a hour or so.
Next morning Bob shuttled some folks to the Pier to get on the Valor.
We entered the pier and the Check in was not great but after that we
got on and rooms ready at 1:30PM, so Lunch at the Buffet "ROSIES" this
ship is about things and people that fit the word Valor, the Mongolian
Buffet was a hit and delish! then to our rooms and some of our bags
were there we unpacked and out to check out the ship.
There was not much that I DID NOT like, I thought the Pool area left
alot to be desired. Royal Caribbean has that one wrapped up, But this
one was poorly laid out a postage stamp size pool overshadowed by
Jacuzzi's chairs all around and of course their SLIDE. Just not a
real appealing looking Pool area, there was also a aft Pool that was
adult only. and I never saw kids in it . at the main pool they have
the Big Mega Screen showing Concerts and movies by night. only 1
Mexican deck party at night that was too small for this if you ask me.
but I was not hungry so did not go up saw it on TV though.
The rooms were fine, had what we needed, but I had a inside this time,
they had a chair in there which made it feel tight, and a covered
stool which you could not really get too, so it made that area a bit
crowded, I should have had the chair removed. THe bathroom is a nice
size and nice to see they have the shower heads that go up and down to
adjust for height. always plenty warm water, and LOTS of Closet space.
we had alot of luggasge but had ample space. One thing we found odd is
we had 2 things confiscated from our bags- a bottle of wine and a
strand of battery operated Christmas lights. I went to desk service to
ask Why. they said you can ahve 2 bottles of wine but you must Carry
it on not have it in checked bages ( funny 1 bottle made it through)
and the string of lights could be used to strangle someone? sounded
odd to me but no biggie!
they do not allow irons on either...

FOOD: WOW it was fantastic, tween them and Holland America they ran
neck and Neck. Carnival has the BEST Eggs benedict ( Tom you would
have loved them) we went to the dining room 3 times for breakfast
because it was so good, and their Cornbeef Hash was delish! as were
the Belgium waffles, Bob said their Oatmeal was done just right and
we all liked our Breakfasts in dining room. The Buffet was typical not
alot of things and you have to look around for the eggs cooked to
order, but they do have them.
Lunch- the times we were on the ship the lunch we had was great most
times it was Mongolian BBQ and Fried Chicken and great Hot dogs too
( wonder what brand theyw ere) and great Calamari/shrimp combo. Pizza
was OK, not great just ok. I stayed away from the desserts so can not
comment about that at Buffet.
they did have a pot roast that was good too and poatatoes were not
instant.

DINNER- they shined here! the fish I had 2 times was good, and I am
not a big fish eatter, and the Crab Cakes were full of crab. One of
our tablemates said the LObster was some of the best she had, and
although I skipped lobster, the St Louis Ribs were fantastic fell off
the bone and the Short ribs were delectible. Their Eggplant was so
tasty I can not say there was anything we did not like and if
anything the portions were to large!
SO do not believe anyone if they say the food is not good because
that is not the case here they have not cut corners at all. More
later!
Susette
Cruise Outlets

Overconsumption and overeating, here is a travel agent, for crying out
loud, whose review I have barely snipped to show the highlights of the
review.

Food.

Now if a TA's review is way more than half about food, what does this
tell you the typical rtcruiser is intereested ?

Food.

It's quite revolting.

Ari
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 13:00:15 -0800 (PST), Susette wrote:


Hello All!

First off Carnival..... I prefer Royal Caribbean but after this
cruise KUDOS to Carnival! WOW many things blew RCCL out of the
water( no pun intended)...


We entered the pier and the Check in was not great but after that we
got on and rooms ready at 1:30PM, so Lunch at the Buffet "ROSIES"
this ship is about things and people that fit the word Valor, the
Mongolian Buffet was a hit and delish...


Mexican deck party at night that was too small for this if you ask
me. but I was not hungry so did not go up saw it on TV though.


FOOD: WOW it was fantastic, tween them and Holland America they ran
neck and Neck. Carnival has the BEST Eggs benedict ( Tom you would
have loved them) we went to the dining room 3 times for breakfast
because it was so good, and their Cornbeef Hash was delish! as were
the Belgium waffles, Bob said their Oatmeal was done just right and
we all liked our Breakfasts in dining room. The Buffet was typical
not alot of things and you have to look around for the eggs cooked
to order, but they do have them.


Lunch- the times we were on the ship the lunch we had was great
most times it was Mongolian BBQ and Fried Chicken and great Hot
dogs too ( wonder what brand theyw ere) and great Calamari/shrimp
combo. Pizza was OK, not great just ok. I stayed away from the
desserts so can not comment about that at Buffet. they did have a
pot roast that was good too and poatatoes were not instant.

DINNER- they shined here! the fish I had 2 times was good, and I am
not a big fish eatter, and the Crab Cakes were full of crab. One of
our tablemates said the LObster was some of the best she had, and
although I skipped lobster, the St Louis Ribs were fantastic fell
off the bone and the Short ribs were delectible. Their Eggplant was
so tasty I can not say there was anything we did not like and if
anything the portions were to large!


SO do not believe anyone if they say the food is not good because
that is not the case here they have not cut corners at all. More
later! Susette Cruise Outlets

On our last sevral cruises i did not gain any weight at all,in fact i
lost 3 lbs.





cruise lover(~~~~~)






..

Hi Susette,
Glad you are back safely and enjoyed the Carnival Valor!
I've not been on a Carnival ship (Conquest) since October, 2006 and am glad
that you dispelled all the rumors and comments about the quality of Carnival
food. I think they have gone a long way and listened to the complaints that
they had in the early and late 90's.

I'm very surprised that they confiscated a string of Christmas lights out of
your checked baggage...sounds ridiculous to me. But I am equally surprised
that they said that you could bring on two bottles of wine in your carry-on
luggage. I did not know that Carnival allowed that.. Holland America
does...maybe since Carnival is the parent company, they have changed the
rules.

I'm anxious to hear about the rest of your cruise and if the Vikings
"decked" out in their usual attire! ;-)

--Jean





"Susette" wrote in message
...
Hello All!
First off thanks to the many who were on the VIking group and what a
fantastic time we certainly had on this sailing.

First off Carnival..... I prefer Royal Caribbean but after this cruise
KUDOS to Carnival! WOW many things blew RCCL out of the water( no pun
intended)

We started out our Vacation flying in on Southwest ( GREAT AIRLINE) to
Ft Lauderdale, Picked up a rental and 5 of us headed to Key largo, WOW
how peaceful and beautiful, We stasyed at the Hilton Grande resort
very ncie, we rode down to islamorada too, then to Miami and stayed
at the Courtyard by Marriott on 2nd Ave. there was a Huge Basal Art
Fest in town. We went to eat at Bubba Gumps and then back to hotel
and sat in the bar area and chit chatted for a hour or so.
Next morning Bob shuttled some folks to the Pier to get on the Valor.
We entered the pier and the Check in was not great but after that we
got on and rooms ready at 1:30PM, so Lunch at the Buffet "ROSIES" this
ship is about things and people that fit the word Valor, the Mongolian
Buffet was a hit and delish! then to our rooms and some of our bags
were there we unpacked and out to check out the ship.
There was not much that I DID NOT like, I thought the Pool area left
alot to be desired. Royal Caribbean has that one wrapped up, But this
one was poorly laid out a postage stamp size pool overshadowed by
Jacuzzi's chairs all around and of course their SLIDE. Just not a
real appealing looking Pool area, there was also a aft Pool that was
adult only. and I never saw kids in it . at the main pool they have
the Big Mega Screen showing Concerts and movies by night. only 1
Mexican deck party at night that was too small for this if you ask me.
but I was not hungry so did not go up saw it on TV though.
The rooms were fine, had what we needed, but I had a inside this time,
they had a chair in there which made it feel tight, and a covered
stool which you could not really get too, so it made that area a bit
crowded, I should have had the chair removed. THe bathroom is a nice
size and nice to see they have the shower heads that go up and down to
adjust for height. always plenty warm water, and LOTS of Closet space.
we had alot of luggasge but had ample space. One thing we found odd is
we had 2 things confiscated from our bags- a bottle of wine and a
strand of battery operated Christmas lights. I went to desk service to
ask Why. they said you can ahve 2 bottles of wine but you must Carry
it on not have it in checked bages ( funny 1 bottle made it through)
and the string of lights could be used to strangle someone? sounded
odd to me but no biggie!
they do not allow irons on either...

FOOD: WOW it was fantastic, tween them and Holland America they ran
neck and Neck. Carnival has the BEST Eggs benedict ( Tom you would
have loved them) we went to the dining room 3 times for breakfast
because it was so good, and their Cornbeef Hash was delish! as were
the Belgium waffles, Bob said their Oatmeal was done just right and
we all liked our Breakfasts in dining room. The Buffet was typical not
alot of things and you have to look around for the eggs cooked to
order, but they do have them.
Lunch- the times we were on the ship the lunch we had was great most
times it was Mongolian BBQ and Fried Chicken and great Hot dogs too
( wonder what brand theyw ere) and great Calamari/shrimp combo. Pizza
was OK, not great just ok. I stayed away from the desserts so can not
comment about that at Buffet.
they did have a pot roast that was good too and poatatoes were not
instant.

DINNER- they shined here! the fish I had 2 times was good, and I am
not a big fish eatter, and the Crab Cakes were full of crab. One of
our tablemates said the LObster was some of the best she had, and
although I skipped lobster, the St Louis Ribs were fantastic fell off
the bone and the Short ribs were delectible. Their Eggplant was so
tasty I can not say there was anything we did not like and if
anything the portions were to large!
SO do not believe anyone if they say the food is not good because
that is not the case here they have not cut corners at all. More
later!
Susette
Cruise Outlets

"Surfer E2468" wrote in message
...
On our last sevral cruises i did not gain any weight at all,


I usually gain about five pounds, Annie, but it is because I love desserts
and they usually have a great selection. But after a week back home, I lose
all the weight that I've gained. By the third day on a cruise, I have an
appetizer, soup and a salad and skip the entree for dinner in the
evening...unless the entree is something that I really like, then I cut out
the salad or something else to make room! But I can never resist dessert.
By the third day, 3-4 course meals are just too much for me, even though we
mostly eat only twice a day on the ship. We usually have a nice breakfast
with a huge plate of fruit...I love watermelon, fresh blueberries,
strawberries and cantaloupe. Since we eat breakfast around nine-thirty or
ten, we are not hungry for lunch but will sometimes join friends around one
or one-thirty and have soup or salad just to keep them company.

When is your next cruise? Ours is on the Celebrity Eclipse in February with
George Leppla's group.
Take care,
--Jean

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:37:39 -0500, Surfer E2468 wrote:

On our last sevral cruises i did not gain any weight at all,in fact i
lost 3 lbs.

You sir, are among the minority
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.

On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:23:19 -0600, Jean O'Boyle wrote:

I usually gain about five pounds

Since you claim to have been on over 50 cruises, with an average of a
1/2 lb/day gain, then why aren't you 350 lbs?

Yo-yo dieting...or lying?
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.

On 15/12/10 1:01, in article , "Ari
Silverstein, C.T.A." wrote:

On our last sevral cruises i did not gain any weight at all,in fact i
lost 3 lbs.

You sir, are among the minority


I don't understand the 8 pound gain figure cited on the
web. 8 pounds is 3600 grams. If it is pure fact, a about
10 calories per gram that is 36,000 calories, If the trip
is 7-8 days that is an extra calorie intake of 4,000-5,000
a day, the usual intake is about 2000 a day sp cpùes
to over 6000-7000 a day while cruse, three times the normal
intake. The extra calories are equivelent too about 10 Big
Mac a day. Can anybody eat that much extra?

Simply the weight gain involves increased water intake
which is urinated off after the trip in several days.
My guess is that a 3 pound average gain is more likely.

On 15/12/10 1:05, in article , "Ari
Silverstein, C.T.A." wrote:

Since you claim to have been on over 50 cruises, with an average of a
1/2 lb/day gain, then why aren't you 350 lbs?

Yo-yo dieting...or lying?

On our recent 3 weeks I Greece I return with a kilo or so more.
It is gone within two weeks. One eats a bit more but not a huge
amounts.

On Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:39:56 +0100, Earl Evleth wrote:

On 15/12/10 1:01, in article , "Ari
Silverstein, C.T.A." wrote:

On our last sevral cruises i did not gain any weight at all,in fact i
lost 3 lbs.

You sir, are among the minority

I don't understand the 8 pound gain figure cited on the
web. 8 pounds is 3600 grams. If it is pure fact, a about
10 calories per gram that is 36,000 calories, If the trip
is 7-8 days that is an extra calorie intake of 4,000-5,000
a day, the usual intake is about 2000 a day sp cpùes
to over 6000-7000 a day while cruse, three times the normal
intake. The extra calories are equivelent too about 10 Big
Mac a day. Can anybody eat that much extra?

Certainly.

Caloric measurement via diet books and other sources has its severe
limitations. The only true way to measure cals is by a bomb
calorimeter as you know.

Then you have the determination of what you consume and what is
absorbed.

I strength/power trained professional and amateur athletes for several
years. In that time, it was necessary to be as accurate as possible to
consumption issues. I sought the advise of many scientists.

Bottom line? Cal counting was problematic for dozens of reasons.

WTS, the basics of your question are not at all either misleading or
inaccurate.

Simply the weight gain involves increased water intake which is
urinated off after the trip in several days. My guess is that a 3
pound average gain is more likely.

As in all measurements of body mass, the history will prove the
evidence. Water off/on included.
--
Ari Silverstein, C.T.A; C.T.A.S, FREE Cruise Travel Advisory Services
I never have nor ever will solicit or accept a booking.