Carnival Valor
I had the pleasure of sailing on the inaugural cruise of the Carnival Valor, and I must say, it exceeded all expectations.
Say what you want.but Carnival has a product that can hold its own against Celebrity, Princess and Holland America. Sure, the décor is "cheerful" and won't be to everyone's liking. However, the neon days of old are long gone. This exciting vessel is called the Valor because the theme is heroes and heroics, hence the liberty bells and American president reliefs (a la Mount Rushmore) surrounding the atrium. Okay, it is a little hokey to say the least.but well done hokey!
The food on this ship is GREAT. Yes..GREAT! Compare it to any other seven night Caribbean product in the mass or premium market and it holds its own beautifully. The service was impeccable. It didn't matter whether you ate in Rosie's Restaurant (ala Rosie the Riveter), which is an adorable 50's diner - two level lido buffet, or if you dined in the Lincoln or Washington traditional dining rooms, or if you were lucky enough to pay $25 pp to experience Scarlett's (O'Hara) Supper Club. No matter where you ate, the food was hot, delicious and precisely to order. Just a word about Rosie's - there were hot action stations a plenty. The Mongolian barbecue was awesome. You pick out the ingredients, put them in a bowl, and a chef "woks them" in front of you. The Deli station had REAL pastrami from New York! The Italian station had the most delicious made-to-order pasta. The food was plentiful, delicious and every day you left wanting more. The fruit was fresh and yummy. Even the desserts were good! And at the juice machines you could have orange, apple, lemonade and cranberry! Pretty good if you ask me. What more can I say? The food on Carnival continues to blow away anything Royal Caribbean serves - and somehow we in the incentive industry have a hard time getting this across. Someday the world will wake up!
Another dining note..Carnival has FOUR seatings for dinner: 5:45, 6:15, 8:00 and 8:45 pm. Incentive groups are going to love that 8:00 pm dining time!
The lounges are terrific and there are so many of them. My favorites were Lindy's Hop piano bar, which salutes Lindberg's flight path from New York to Paris and sports a few hanging model planes; The Bronx Sports Bar which is a tribute to the New York Yankees; Eagles Lounge which is practically a monument to the American Bald Eagle and perfect for a large cocktail party and the Ivanhoe Theater where the entertainment is among the best in the industry!
Cabins on the Valor are large and well-appointed, with extremely comfortable beds and a pillow concierge. I particularly liked the bathrooms that were not as stark as on some other vessels - with teal speckled countertops and dark blue speckled floors - they actually had personality. Carnival must have struck a nice deal with Colgate and a few other beauty care companies because in addition to shampoo and conditioner, the bathrooms are stocked with sample sizes of toothpaste, high quality disposable razors, hair gel, breath strips, etc. What a great gimmick and a nice touch! The cabins have a ton of storage space and in the case of Cat 8 and above - nice spacious balconies. The housekeeping staff goes above and beyond to make you happy - and always with a smile.
Not only does Carnival deliver an exceptional product, but they do so at extremely affordable prices. The product is worth much more than what they are selling it for - and if you slapped Princess on the outside of the ship to cover up the Carnival name - you could easily get 50% more for it.
So, why not get in on a great deal! This is not the old Carnival. This is a great product at a great price. So, hop on board and tell your clients that Carnival is definitely not what they think it is! The Valor is a super fantastic ship sailing year 'round from Miami to the Eastern and Exotic Western Caribbean.
Please let us know if we can offer you a quote for your next incentive group.
