We sailed on the Carnival Valor, sailing on June 3rd, 2007. Our ports of call were Nassau, St. Maartin, and St Thomas.

Embarkation �
Our group of six didn�t arrive early to the port of Miami as we had hoped we would, instead arriving at around 1pm. We were greeted by a sizeable number of lengthy lines, but all of the lines continued to flow quickly, and we had made it through the embarkation process within about an hour and fifteen minutes of arriving to port. There were also hefty lines by the time we�d made it to Rosie�s Diner, at about 2pm, due mostly to our not being there earlier, I�m sure. Grabbing a meal right after embarkation was the only time in which we had to wait in line for food. Throughout the cruise, the longest line I encountered for food, beverages, or snacks was only 3 or 4 people deep.

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Ship �
I was prepared for the ship�s flashy d�cor based on the other reviews I had read on this site. With 90% of the decorations American-based, I found the pictures of knights on horseback somewhat odd. The staff did a great job of keeping tables cleaned off and ready for diners, and the few cosmetic or technical problems that came up during the cruise were repaired quickly.

I was also pleasantly surprised that during the days at sea, the ship is not at all as crowded given the number of people on board. Most everyone finds their way to the sun and pool on the top deck, and you can come and go on all other levels as you please.

Entertainment -
The entertainment was great, I�d give it 4 out of 5 stars. We went to the show on opening night and the second to the last night on the boat, and watched a comedian�s performance during one of the nights in-between. One comment that was consistent throughout our group was that the costumes worn by the dancers were pretty risqu� at times, definitely intended for a PG-13 crowd. Overall, very enjoyable, and the 80�s show at the end of the cruise was absolutely worth the hype.

Make the piano bar one of your regular stops. Mark at the Piano Bar was (and is) a fantastic performer... ARRR!! If you�d like to get your song played, try to get in earlier before the list grows too long. Also, keep in mind that the crowd gets considerably inebriated as the night winds on, and if you�re not one of them, it just gets annoying by 1-2 am.

A few tips to share from our week-long experience:

• Get a soda card for yourself, or at least one person if traveling as a couple. At six or seven bucks per alcoholic drink, the costs add up. Pace yourself. Get a card, save some green.
  
  
• If your shore excursion leaves before 10:00am on St. Thomas, you get the same expedited treatment through customs as the VIP�s.
  
  
• Get the late-dinner seating. You won�t be as rushed to get back to the ship in the evenings, and finding a snack on the ship to tide you over until dinner won�t be a problem.
  
  
• Get a stateroom with a view. The outward facing rooms didn�t just have a porthole, it was a full window. We�ll be opting for this option next time around.
  
  
• When arriving in Miami, get a taxi, not a rental car. Driving in Miami was a mess, and parking was about $35 bucks overnight at our hotel. Taking a taxi to and from would have saved us at least a hundred dollars.
  
  

Will we be sailing Carnival again? I can say at least twice - I've got enough Marriott Rewards points for two more 7-day cruises... After that, I'd like to try Royal Carribean or another line.