Carnival Valor Rooms to Avoid

Congratulations on deciding to cruise onboard the beautiful Carnival Valor! Sailing from New Orleans, a cruise on board Carnival Valor is unique compared to traditional Caribbean voyages from popular ports like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Tampa. 

While Carnival Valor offers a wide variety of staterooms, from tiny inside cabins to large suites, some rooms aren't the best fit for certain travelers. 

Here's a list of rooms you should avoid on Carnival Valor due to possible noise disturbances, bad locations, and even size. 

Cruise cabins you should avoid aboard Carnival Valor

Cabins on Deck 6

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The Promenade Deck, with venues like the Shogun Club Casino, Ivanhoe Theater, and One Small Step Dance Club, is on Deck 5. While staterooms on Deck 6 may initially seem convenient, there's a noise risk from the late-night action below. As such, bring a white noise machine or earplugs onboard to help drown out the thumping from below, especially if you're a light sleeper.

For example, a live band sets up near The Dream Bar, and the noise from the band can be disruptive to rooms directly above, including inside cabins 6381 - 6311 and balconies 6385 - 6309. You'll also want to avoid cabins above the Lindy Hop Piano Bar, as this is another popular spot for late-night music. These rooms include balconies 6443 - 6481 and interior cabins 6451 - 6479. 

Inherently, staterooms near the stairwells and elevator banks will hear more noise, especially on decks above or below public areas. However, this is less risky if on a deck sandwiched between other stateroom-only decks, such as Deck 7. 

Staterooms on Deck 8 underneath the Lido Deck and Rosie's Lido Restaurant

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The buffet on Carnival Valor is steps from the Lido Deck, where hundreds of cruisers will venture on sea days. Sunbathers will wake to claim chairs, while those with CHEERS! drink packages will flock to the RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar. As such, don't be surprised if you hear the sounds of chairs scraping or passengers heading to the buffet for breakfast early in the morning. 

Additionally, cabins at the front of the ship on Deck 9, including balcony staterooms 9294 - 9268 and 9293 - 9267, are likely to experience loud music from the nearby pool deck on sea days. 

Plus, the Lido Deck hosts late-night deck parties, which can contribute to extra noise after dinner when you might be trying to wind down. This could make it challenging to get a good night's sleep if you aren't planning on joining in on the fun. 

Interior upper/lower cabins

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There's nothing wrong with booking the cheapest stateroom on Carnival Valor to give yourself a greater budget for add-ons like shore excursions and drink packages. However, beware of interior upper/lower cabins, as they are smaller than traditional interior staterooms. 

Because of their compact size, they can accommodate just two passengers and may feel a bit cramped. Plus, they're so small that the only bed configuration is two separate upper and lower bunks, meaning that if you are traveling with a partner, you'll have to sleep apart for the cruise. However, these rooms could be an option for friends on a strict budget. 

Onboard Carnival Valor, interior upper/lower cabins are classified as Category 1A and can be found on:

• Deck 1 — 1207, 1208, 1211, 1212, 1426, 1435,
• Deck 2 — 2201, 2202, 2207, 2208, 2211, 2212, 2216, 2217
• Deck 6 — 6224, 6227, 6393
• Deck 7 — 7345
• Deck 8 — 8357

Staterooms in the front of the ship

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Avoid rooms on Carnival Valor that are in the front (forward) or back (aft) of the ship if you're worried about motion sickness. While Carnival may charge less for these staterooms, they might experience more motion, especially in rough seas. Instead, you're better off paying extra for a mid-ship cabin. 

Moreover, forward staterooms on a lower deck, such as 1 or 2, may hear the noisy anchor drop in tender ports like Belize. However, if you don't have any tender ports (for example, your cruise is sailing from New Orleans to Cozumel), you don't need to worry about the anchor waking you up early in the morning. 

Read more: I tried the most common seasickness hacks to find out what works best

Interior cabins with a picture window

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Select sub-categories of interior cabins on Carnival Valor have windows or portholes. Though the portholes give you a view, albeit small, of the ocean, picture windows overlook a public walkway at the front of the ship. 

Consequently, they may not offer the level of privacy you'd expect. Instead, I'd opt for a room with porthole windows, even though they are smaller than a picture window. You'll still have natural light while getting a glimpse of the passing scenery and ocean, rather than a boring public deck. 

Connecting staterooms

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Growing up, my family would often book adjoining balcony cabins instead of cramming into one room. Not only did we love having extra space, but two bathrooms made a huge difference when getting ready. 

However, connecting cabins can be annoying if you don't know your neighbors, as the door between the rooms means the walls aren't as soundproof as regular cabins. Rather than sleeping soundly through the night, you could be awoken by intoxicated passengers stumbling into their room or hear a crying baby. 

While adjoining cabins are great for families or groups of friends, there's a greater risk of booking a connecting room when you'd be staying beside strangers. They could become a major issue onboard, especially if you're traveling during peak times like spring break, when more families cruise together and younger adults are looking to party on Carnival's fleet of "FUN" ships. 

GTY cabins

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At first, guarantee (GTY) staterooms may seem like an easy way to save extra money on your Carnival cruise fare. However, the affordability comes with a sacrifice: you can't choose your specific cabin. 

Instead, Carnival will randomly assign you a room anywhere onboard. This means that you could be assigned to a cabin above the piano bar, underneath the Lido Deck, at the front of the ship, or even in a tiny upper-lower inside room. 

You can't change your cabin unless you pay for an upgrade, so think twice about whether the difference between a guarantee stateroom and a standard cabin is worth the risk.