Ihor Draganchuk

Age: 63
Occupation: Sales
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Valor
Sailing Date: April 10th, 2005
Itinerary: Eastern Caribbean

This was our first cruise ever, although I am an avid boater. The cruise was, overall, very nice. It took a little to get used to the "herding", but I can understand the necessity for it as there are schedules to keep, etc.

My first impression of the Mandatory Lifeboat Drill was that the passengers that ignored all that was relayed to them are TOTAL IDIOTS. (More on that later). The crew did not need the instructions--they know what to do. I believe that it was the "experienced" cruisers that were overconfident and chose to ignore the instructions, made a lot noise during the drill, thus preventing the passengers that were interested in their welfare from learning.

The food served throughout the ship was adequate in quality and more than enough in quantity. You can get anything from pizza and hot dogs to a full-blown gourmet experience. The evening dinners were very nice--the service at our table 107 in the Lincoln Dining Room for the late seating by Inga and Ben was SUPERB--it was second to none! The Maitre d', Konstantyn, kept the whole dining room informed and entertained.

We did choose to dine in Scarlett's Super Club on Tuesday, April 12. The gourmet food was absolutely incredible, the china, crystal and presentation were absolutely unbelievable. The desserts were so incredible that I had to photograph them because no one would believe how beautiful they were (and I am not a dessert person. If you want to enjoy a truly marvelous dining experience, the $ 25.00 per person surcharge is really worth it. te shows were excellent, interesting and varied.

With the exception of 2 of the breakfast wait staff that bordered on rude, the ship's crew is second to none when it comes to courtesy and treatment of the guests. This more than made up for the 2 surly crewmembers.

Not being much of gamblers, we did try the Casino aboard the Valor. Comparing to our visits to Las Vegas, the slots aboard the ship are extremely tight--it is not much fun to just unload into a machine--where's the enticement to stay and play?

We might want to add that perhaps one of the most overlooked crewmembers of the ship is usually the young lad that works on the top decks stacking the lounge chairs, picking up trash after rude and crude passengers, and always in the heat of the sun. Our vote goes to Ivan who really worked hard to please everyone. We hope that some of the passengers remembered him before they disembarked.

Overall, did we enjoy our cruise? In a word--YES!!! Would we go again? In a heartbeat!!
Now comes the real reason for this review.

Shortly after 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 14, 2005 (coincidentally my birthday) we were awakened by extremely strange noises about the ship coupled with a chilling announcement on the speaker in the Statement--"Code ?????-Port Side" I jumped out of bed to see a flashing strobe light in the water. It turned that a passenger jumped off for whatever reason. But his jump was seen by a crewmember WHO KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO--life preservers were thrown, the ship was stopped, turned around, a life boat was lowered and the brave crew members aboard the life boat RISKED THEIR LIVES to save the jumper. The team was led by the Safety Officer. Francesco Olcese, who was injured in the process. He required 7 stitches to his head, saving someone who had little or no regard for human life. I hope that Carnival Cruise Lines pursues all avenues to have the passenger charged with whatever it can under Maritime laws. Can you imagine the paperwork that the Captain, Antonino Sammartano, must now complete because of this jumper? I salute the brave, selfless crew--they are TRUE HEROES!!

By the way-the jumper was removed at the next port. All of the passengers that I spoke with hope that he will be dealt with without compassion.