I’m super spontaneous.
You should know this from the start.
I’m a grab what you need, get in the car, and let’s see where we go. Or sometimes, I’m a get in the car, let’s go and we’ll grab necessities on the way.
This vacation was the same way. I texted Aaron one day while he was at work and said, “Hey, guess what?! I just booked a cruise, we leave next week.” He knows now to just roll with it because memories will be made.
So, we set out, with the two kiddos on our very first cruise. We sailed out of Galveston with Carnival on their ship, Valor.
Now, I’m not a travel snob by any means…but I am used to 4 or 5 star resorts…
So, for starters, this is not a 5 star resort. Go in with the mind that this is the Wal-Mart of cruise lines….I prefer Target, but hey, it was what it was. The look of the ship wasn’t going to stop us from having a blast….and we did! So, let’s get to the good stuff!
Advice for first time cruisers:
We checked in on the Carnival app before getting to the ship (download the app! It makes life simple!). We had a scheduled time to arrive so the process would flow smoothly. We parked at EZ Cruise Parking in Galveston (also made our reservations and paid online before arriving), and they made our life super easy. Took our luggage and carried us to the ship with ease! I highly recommend these guys!
You can arrive to the ship before your scheduled time! Which we did! We packed a carry on backpack that had swimsuits and goggles because the moment you get checked in, you can start eating and swimming…and drinking. More info on that in a bit. Our room wasn’t ready for about 2 hours, and it was around 3 hours before our luggage arrived. So, having a carry on bag was super convenient…because the kids were ready to play…and by play I mean swim!
Now for the drinking part….you can purchase several things on the app before arriving to the ship…and it’s actually cheaper that way. Most things have to be purchased at least 24 hours before check in though…so remember that. We bought both the Cheers card and the Bubbles card. One is for adults and one is for adults or children that do not partake in the art of alcohol consumption. Something to note, if one person in the cabin buys the Cheers card, everyone 21 and older must also purchase. If you’re not big drinkers, honestly, it may not be worth it.
The Cheers Card: Alright, so this card allows you up to 15 alcoholic beverages per day. The drinks must be spaced 5 minutes apart. If it were me, and you want your money’s worth…order the Long Island Iced Tea…it comes with like 4 shots of alcohol…so 1 Long Island (4 shots) or a Coke Zero with vodka (1 shot) are equal to one drink. I don’t get it…but you’re welcome. Here’s the tricky part…if you’re cruising out of Galveston with Carnival (no other port or cruise line has this rule) your alcohol card doesn’t activate until the second day….so, that first day when the little guys are offering you rum punch drinks…you’re paying for those, friend. Aaron was adamant that he was going to get all 15 of his drinks every single day….he never once succeeded. So there’s that. Still, I think the card was worth it. It also includes smoothies, speciality coffees, and all sodas.
The Bubbles Card: This is for the non-drinkers that want something other than lemonade, unsweet tea and water. Next time, we honestly probably won’t purchase this for the kids…because you can just use your Cheers card to get them a sprite or soda of choice. I mean, yeah it’s breaking the rules….but rules are meant to be broken, right? Carnival will never sponsor me because of this tip right here.
Each adult can bring one bottle of wine or bottle of champagne (750ml). Make sure you bring it on your carry on, not your checked luggage. The opposite of airport security! We had ours confiscated because we packed it in our checked luggage. Luckily, we explained the situation and they gave it back *happy dance*. Also, bring a corkscrew…otherwise they will charge you a $15 corkage fee. Once again…you’re welcome.
Each person can also bring a 12 pack of canned soda, juice, energy drinks, etc.
We didn’t bring these, but next time we will….clips to hook our beach towels to our beach chairs! Not imperative, but would be nice to have.
Also, if you don’t plan on setting your alarm for an ungodly morning time, don’t plan on getting a beach chair near any pool….or one at all, honestly. The key is setting the alarm, clipping your towel to the chair, then eating breakfast and doing whatever else you may want to do. Needless to say….we rarely ever found a beach chair…because #sleep.
Camp Ocean! This is amazing and our kids loved it!!! They have activities, snacks, games, computers, etc for kids of all ages…it comes with the ship, so no extra charge UNLESS you leave them for the Night Owl program which is from 10 pm-1 am. We only did that once…and it was because the kids insisted they wanted to stay for a little bit longer. Utilize Camp Ocean! It gives you some time to have your adult fun, while the kids also have kid fun!
You’re going to get lost on the ship. It’s inevitable. It’s huge and so confusing at first. By the last day, you’ll finally have it down.
Pack at least one light cardigan or sweatshirt because it can be cold on the ship.
If you port in Cozumel…don’t book an excursion through the ship unless there is something you’re dying to do! You can walk to the taxi station, grab a cab for $15 and have them drive you to Paradise Beach. The pool is heated and huge, unlike the Mr. Sanchos that you can book through the cruise....their pool is not heated in the cooler months and the pool is small. Paradise Beach has beach chairs, huge inflatables for the kids to play on, kayaking, and you can buy an all-inclusive pass that gets you all the food and drinks you could ever want! That’s what we did….we like to eat…and drink. Our kids probably had 14 banana split smoothies that day…worth it.
There are so many things to do on the ship! Karaoke was our nightly hangout! The comedy club is hysterical. The piano bar was amazing. The Alchemy Bar was my personal favorite bar on the entire ship. The menus light up and the drinks were phenomenal.
Seriously though, all in all, it was a blast! It is definitely a very family friendly ship and vacation. We take our kids somewhere every Christmas instead of doing presents….more than likely we will do another cruise! Possibly a 5 day one this time…and maybe with Royal Caribbean….but Carnival was amazing and fun!
