Insert Glory pun here - Eastern Caribbean review Feb 23, 2014 - lots of pics

I love reading the reviews and seeing pics so I figured I'd give it a try. I'm not much of a writer though.

I do plan on doing this as quick as possible but it may take a couple of days.

Background - My husband and I booked this trip for just the two of us. We are currently expecting our first child so this is our last trip pre-baby. This also meant cruising would be a different experience for me this time. I joined this forum shortly after to help plan the trip. This was my 3rd cruise (all Carnival) and my husband's 4th.

Pre-cruise

The weather home had been terrible, cold and lots of snow. Despite a freezing rain warning we got out on time and arrived in Miami on Feb 20th. My MIL (mother in law) and her boyfriend were already in Florida so we met up with them for a couple of days.

We all stayed at the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel. Sorry, I don't have any photos of the room. It was a decent size, clean hotel room and very close to the airport. You could hear airplanes overhead (no kidding, but really I've stayed at some where you don't hear anything) but none of us felt it was too loud or bothersome.

The hotel has a free shuttle from the airport and also a shuttle to the cruise terminal for a small fee ($10 pp). The hotel is close to a bus stop as well.

Breakfast is usually included, but our last night was booked through Airmiles so it was not. It is pricey. The buffet was just average. All the usual offerings, eggs, sausage, pastries, etc. The scrambled eggs were terrible but you could get omlets or eggs cooked your way as well.

The first day there we went shopping at Sawgrass Mills Mall. It was huge, lots of stores to choose from but almost too big. We never did get all the way through it.

Our second day we visited Zoo Miami. I really enjoyed it, it was my first visit to a zoo. You have a chance to feed a giraffe and a rhino (I did both) for a small fee. Unless you pay extra for the trolley it is a lot of walking. I also forgot sunscreen and ended up with a sunburn on my shoulders and arms. It was really HOT that day too but still fun.

Afterwards we went to Dolphin Mall which I preferred.

My MIL headed back up to Daytona and we didn't have a car to use. We originally planned to run a 5k race on Saturday morning but there were a few issues pre-trip that made me reconsider. Instead we skipped it and spent the day hanging around South Beach. As mentioned, there is a bus stop very close to the hotel and there is an airport express bus that does right down to South Beach. We didn't realize the first day but you can buy a day pass for the bus for $5, well worth it.

On the beach we rented chairs from Bouche Brother's/Loew's Hotel. It was pretty pricey ( I think around $45 for two chairs and an umbrella) but we didn't have any towels or anything and it was really too hot for me to sit in the sun. They also offered food and drink service. A virgin drink was still around $15 :eek:

After that we wandered around Lincoln Road, grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant there and headed back. Unfortunately there was a bad accident on one of the causeways and we had to be re-routed. With the new route and traffic our 1/2 hour bus ride turned into 2 1/2 hours.

On Sunday we opted for the shuttle to the cruise terminal. We had booked FTTF. I think we arrived around 11:20 am. I forgot to check what time we ended up on board but it was very quick. We breezed through the whole process although it didn't look like many people were waiting around so not sure how it would have compared anyway. It was still nice.

First view of the ship

Our room was ready when we boarded. We booked a balcony room on the port side, 7th deck. It was a nice location and have no complaints. We did have our first noisy neighbors. They were quite loud a few times but not to the point we had to say anything (although the singing on the balcony at 1 am one night was pretty close).

Room

My bathroom one turned out fuzzy.

We had 19 days with Carnival and this 7 day cruise put us up to Gold Level. Our pins were waiting in our room when we arrived.

Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so we headed up for a snack, Guy's Burger. It was as good as I remembered.

Afterwards we opted for a nap. I loved that we were able to do this. Our luggage arrived sometime during the nap.

We unpacked, freshened up and headed to muster drill. Afterwards we met up with our roll call. There were only a couple of us and no one took a pic. Oops.

Some shots of the ship leaving port.

I have no real complaints about the ship either. The last cruise we did was on the Breeze so it was noticably smaller. I liked that when it came to walking around, but I found there wasn't as much space around the pools. I also like the walking track better on the Breeze.

The adult pool area was quieter. Unlike on the Breeze, there were no kids around this pool at all (although it seemed there were few kids in general). We didn't even go up to Serenity. I didn't find that saving chairs was a problem in this area, in the main pool it was.

We had booked our time dining and went pretty early the first night. There was no wait, in fact, I think the only time we waited was the last night. I totally forgot to bring my camera.

This was my first experience with the American Table menu. I had read quite a bit here and was determined to keep an open mind. I never paid much attention before and didn't have "favourites" or anything so I was very open to the new menu.

I didn't mind the lack of tableclothes. I thought the table looked nice, but a little crowded. I really liked the carafe of water. I tend to drink a lot and hate having to wait. On elegant night they do not put it out and I had to ask more than once to have a refill.

The menu itself is huge, awkardly so. I managed not to knock anything over with it (barely). Its a little complicated in the layout.

Our waiter explained that there are four or five choices that change daily. These are a complete meal and do not require ordering a side. There are four other choices that pretty much stay the same, fish, steak, chicken and pork chop. They vary slightly but are pretty basic. These are just the meat and a side should probably be added.

Then there is the port of call menu. There is a drink, an appetizer, and a main.

We both chose smoked duck for the appetizer. It was fantastic.

I couldn't decide between coconut shrimp and slaw or the Mahi Mahi dish that was served with coconut rice and pineapple salsa so I went with both.

Just a note - I've seen this asked - our waiter told us that they cannot serve both at the same time. This goes for appetizers too. I'm not a fan of this but oh well.

The coconut shrimp was fine, pretty plain. It was just the shrimp and slaw so not a big meal (I didn't eat it all myself anyway). The mahi mahi again was just ok. Not a lot of flavour. I did not see any pineapple in it at all let alone pineapple salsa.

My husband and the lady at the table next to us order the Chateaubriand. He ordered a side of mac and cheese with bacon. She didn't order anything. It was served with mushrooms. That's it. The lady next to us was not happy to not have a starch or veggies as it was her understanding as explained it would be a meal and ordering a side was not required. I found this to be confusing the whole week. Some meals were served as a full meal, others seemed to require a side and I couldnt' figure out from the menu alone which was which.

Dessert was the best part. I ordered fig pudding with homemade rum raisin ice cream - fantastic! He ordered the Carnival Chocolate Melting cake - as usual it was very good.

All in all, the app and dessert were awesome. Main left a little to be desired. It was edible but not particulary great.

I can't remember what we did for entertainment that night. I was usually pretty tired so I often went to bed early, hubby went to the casino (he did earn a drinks on us card and they sent us some chocolate covered strawberries plus he managed to stay ahead so it was all good). We didn't do any of the shows but did see the comedians and watch a dive in movie or two.

First Port - Nassau, Bahamas

We didn't have a ton of time here. Arrival was around 7:30 am and departure was 2:30 pm. I believe we had to be back on board at 2pm.

We also didn't rush to get off the ship. I think we got off a little after 9 or so. The lineup for the breakfast buffet was huge so we opted for the dining room. There was a lot of selection, the food was pretty much the same as in the buffet except you could get corned beef hash (very good) and some better toppings for your waffles/pancakes. I still don't like the scrambled eggs in either place :D

Our plan for the day was a day pass at the British Colonial Hilton. We booked in advance here and put down a 20% deposit.

http://bahamascruiseexcursions.com/nassauhiltonresortpass.htm

The day pass was $60 pp which included use of the beach, chairs, towel, umbrellas, pool and facilities. It also came with $40 in vouchers for food or drinks.

The hotel was within walking distance of the ship which was very convenient. It is a small, sandy beach, small pool and a quiet area. The property was very nice and clean although the chairs were falling apart a bit. Some had a hood that you could use to block the sun but a number of them were not working.

I had read on a post there was wifi here and assumed that meant it was free. It was not.

We didn't end up eating although the food prices were reasonable. Drinks were not cheap but not outrageous either. I had a virgin pina colada that was awesome. My husband tried a few mixed drinks, some were good, some were not. With such a short time we didn't spend all the money so he got 3 beer to go.

The day pass here is a great if you are looking for a quiet beach, it is not a party atmosphere. I also liked how close it was to the ship. But its certainly not for everyone.

We wandered back to the ship. It wasn't my favourite stop. We were approached a lot to buy things like knock off bags, sunglasses and watches but just said no thanks and kept walking.

The BCH property

The beach

View of the ship from our beach (the other ship was a Disney ship)

Pool area

The resort from the ship as we left

Nice review! We were on the Liberty in January and will be going on the glory next April. They definitely look the same. :)

Would you recommend the BCH? My husband and I are thinking of going there in October.

First Port - Nassau, Bahamas

 

We didn't have a ton of time here. Arrival was around 7:30 am and departure was 2:30 pm. I believe we had to be back on board at 2pm.

 

We also didn't rush to get off the ship. I think we got off a little after 9 or so. The lineup for the breakfast buffet was huge so we opted for the dining room. There was a lot of selection, the food was pretty much the same as in the buffet except you could get corned beef hash (very good) and some better toppings for your waffles/pancakes. I still don't like the scrambled eggs in either place :D

 

Our plan for the day was a day pass at the British Colonial Hilton. We booked in advance here and put down a 20% deposit.

http://bahamascruiseexcursions.com/nassauhiltonresortpass.htm

 

The day pass was $60 pp which included use of the beach, chairs, towel, umbrellas, pool and facilities. It also came with $40 in vouchers for food or drinks.

 

The hotel was within walking distance of the ship which was very convenient. It is a small, sandy beach, small pool and a quiet area. The property was very nice and clean although the chairs were falling apart a bit. Some had a hood that you could use to block the sun but a number of them were not working.

 

I had read on a post there was wifi here and assumed that meant it was free. It was not.

 

We didn't end up eating although the food prices were reasonable. Drinks were not cheap but not outrageous either. I had a virgin pina colada that was awesome. My husband tried a few mixed drinks, some were good, some were not. With such a short time we didn't spend all the money so he got 3 beer to go.

 

The day pass here is a great if you are looking for a quiet beach, it is not a party atmosphere. I also liked how close it was to the ship. But its certainly not for everyone.

 

We wandered back to the ship. It wasn't my favourite stop. We were approached a lot to buy things like knock off bags, sunglasses and watches but just said no thanks and kept walking.

Looking back as we are leaving. Atlantis is to the left.

I remembered to bring my camera the next night. I did forget to take a pic of the appetizer. I can't remember what we had. I am pretty sure my husband ordered the flatbread. It was good.

We both ordered the Chicken Pot Pie for the main. It came nice and hot. It was good, very rich but tasty.

Sorry but I sampled before I photographed.

I also ordered a side of green beans, my husband ordered a baked potato and we split them.

For dessert I went with the melting cake.

He couldn't decide between the Passion Fruit Flan or the Strawberry Almond Financier with rhubarb soup so he went with both. I didn't try the Flan, he really liked it but the Financier was excellent, especially the rhubarb soup.

That night we just wandered around and checked out the ship, stopped by the dive in movie then headed back to the room.

I forgot to mention in my first day post - we went to check out the Cheers program. My husband has asked our PVP about the program and the fact that I was pregnant. She told him that they would make an exception to the "all parties over 21 must buy the package" because I was pregnant.

(just a note as well - when you are pregnant you need to get a form filled out by your doctor stating you are pregnant, will be less than 25 weeks at debarkation and fit to sail.)

After following the forums here, it seemed that that would not be the case but I decided to check it out for ourselves. The CC boards were correct, they do not make an exception.

While I understand the policy and the reason for not giving the exception, I was pretty peeved that we were given incorrect information from a Carnival rep.

Great review so far! I was just saying to my boyfriend I am not seeing any Glory reviews and am going on her in May. Looking forward to reading more and to see some of your pictures as we are doing the same itinerary minus Nassau.

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Great review so far! I was just saying to my boyfriend I am not seeing any Glory reviews and am going on her in May. Looking forward to reading more and to see some of your pictures as we are doing the same itinerary minus Nassau.

 

 

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If there are any questions you have, let me know. I'm heading to bed for the night but will pick up again tomorrow. I doubt the rest of the review will take too much longer.

Nice review so far!

Great review, keep it coming!!

Great !

Thanks for the review! we're sailing on the Glory leaving on March 23. Same itinerary...can't wait to read more!

The itinerary must change soon because are eastern as well but we are going to Half Moon Cay.

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Great review so far!!! I have been waiting for a glory review for some time since I am going this May 24th!!!!!

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We all stayed at the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel. Sorry, I don't have any photos of the room. It was a decent size, clean hotel room and very close to the airport. You could hear airplanes overhead (no kidding, but really I've stayed at some where you don't hear anything) but none of us felt it was too loud or bothersome.

 

The hotel has a free shuttle from the airport and also a shuttle to the cruise terminal for a small fee ($10 pp). The hotel is close to a bus stop as well.

 

On Sunday we opted for the shuttle to the cruise terminal. We had booked FTTF. I think we arrived around 11:20 am. I forgot to check what time we ended up on board but it was very quick. We breezed through the whole process although it didn't look like many people were waiting around so not sure how it would have compared anyway. It was still nice.

.

Loving your review so far :)

We are booked at the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel also for our pre-cruise stay in May. I didn't realize they had a shuttle to the POM but I would definitely prefer that over a cab! Did you just reserve it at the front desk? Is there a set time it leaves or is it based on your request? Glad to know you had FTTF and still got to port at a good time.

Great review so far! Thanks for taking time to do this.

=dmband1701;41931636]Would you recommend the BCH? My husband and I are thinking of going there in October.

 

We were happy with it. It was convenient, quiet and nice if that is what you are looking for. I also thought the price was reasonable since you do get $40 each in food and drink credits. There was music around the pool but not blaring party vibe. My biggest complaint was the beach chairs were a little run down, but nothing major. All the places to sit around the pool were very nice and comfy.

 

Sorry, I can't fix the quote thing

Loving your review so far :)

 

We are booked at the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel also for our pre-cruise stay in May. I didn't realize they had a shuttle to the POM but I would definitely prefer that over a cab! Did you just reserve it at the front desk? Is there a set time it leaves or is it based on your request? Glad to know you had FTTF and still got to port at a good time.

I think you are supposed to reserve it and there is a set time I believe. I think we thought it left later (like 11:30) so we didn't book it. When we were walking through the lobby the guy asked me if I was on the list for the shuttle. I said we were getting a cab and he told us the shuttle would be there shortly (it was just before 11) so we went with it.

Photobucket will not work on my work computer so I have to wait til later to pick up the review.

The itinerary must change soon because are eastern as well but we are going to Half Moon Cay.

 

 

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I really wanted to go to HMC. I would have liked that too.

Great review so far, can't wait for the rest! Looking forward to going on the Glory in May;)

I am enjoying the review so far. I did the same itinerary on the Glory last year so it is nice to go down memory lane.

I forgot to add this. This link along with some posts in the Ports section helped narrow down what we wanted to do. Scubagirrl did a great summary but I can't find it, but it was pretty close to this. Some of the information has changed but its a good start.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Travel-g147414-c199051/Bahamas:Caribbean:Nassau.Paradise.Island.Day.Passes.html

Day 2 - Fun Day At Sea

In the morning, I headed up to the walking/running track while DH headed to the spa for the sauna. It was really windy but the water still seemed calm. During my run a few of us caught sight of a whale. He kept coming up and waving his tail and going back under. We watched for about 5 minutes then he was off. I tried to get a picture but only had my phone. It did not work out well. I heard later that there was another sighting too.

Headed back to the room and ordered room service, cereal and fruit. They were really quick. I had a nice breakfast out on the balcony.

We spent the rest of the day at that aft pool (adults only). I like the main pool area, I like to people watch, but DH wanted the quiet and I had a book so we went there.

I notice no one really talks about books here which is strange. I figured a lot would do vacation reading I usually read several books on vacation, this time I only managed 3. My first was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. It was recommended to me by a couple of friends. I definitely recommend. Its a mystery sort of book, a page turner, good vacation book.

The other two were The Light Between Two Oceans - a more of a serious book, not exactly light vacation reading but I liked it and Catch Me If You Can. I had bought that one for DH and was having problems with my ereader so I read it too. I'd already seen the movie but it was an ok read.

For lunch we went to the Fish and Chip place (I don't even know if it has a name). There was a lot of stuff I would have liked to try but am avoiding raw fish due to the whole baby thing. We both opted for the regular fish and chips. The fish was very good, I really liked the tartar sauce. The fries were regular frozen fries. Not bad, but nothing special. We ran into a couple from our roll call who recommended bouillabaisse but I never got back to try it.

Its also a nice little area to sit and eat even if you don't do the fish. I don't know if most people know about it. It is up the stairs by the dessert station and usually pretty quiet.

After an afternoon nap, we got ready for the first Elegant night. We did get our photos taken from a few of the photographers but didn't by any. I didn't realize until afterwards that we hadn't taken any ourselves.

The table was set nicely with a tablecloth. (pics were taken with my iPhone). They came around with mix for a drink with fruit juice and champagne. I opted for Sprite instead of alcohol with mine.

For an app I went with the kale tart with blacked pork tenderloin and shared with DH. We both really, really like it.

He ordered the fried oysters with chipotle. He liked them, I was iffy but oysters are the kind of thing you really have to have a taste for so it wasn't really a quality/chef thing. I didn't like biting them.

The menu is limited for Elegant night. I didn't want to go with steak because I was told I shouldn't eat it less than medium well and, well, IMO there is no point eating a good steak medium well. :D I had a lot of fish lately so I decided to try the lobster.

To be fair, you have to understand something - I am from the East coast of Canada. I married into a lobster fishing family. My father in law and brother in law are lobster fisherman as their fathers were before. The first time I met my husband's family, it was over lobster dinner (at that time I had no idea how to clean my own lobster, I can now do it without tools). They take lobster a little seriously. My husband will not eat lobster in a restaurant. Really, most of the time it is terribly cooked. It is hard to get right. He and my father swear there is a difference in taste in where the lobster comes from and you can tell a difference if the lobster is fresh or has been in a holding tank. Lobster is serious business.

You get the point.

I did not have high expectations. I can't say that I was surprised, or that I thought the lobster was good, but I will say it was not as terrible as I expected. I do have to say if you like their lobster you have to come try some here. Boiled in salt water, right out of the ocean. The dipping sauce did not taste like real butter either. The orzo side dish was excellent though. Overall I was happy.

My husband ordered the striped sea bass with lemon, creamy savoy cabbage and sour dough fried potatoes. The potatoes didn't taste any different. I was kind of expecting something different. He liked the fish.

For dessert I had a strawberry banana parfait of sorts. It was ok. (yeah, I was too eager to try it and forgot to take the picture first.

DH went with a chocolate mousse/cake thing. I can't remember the name. It was very rich but very good.

Afterwards we changed and wandered around the ship for a bit. We caught part of the Dive in movie, but didn't know the name of it. I was still recovering from our busy Miami days so it was another early night for me.

I had no room in the last post for the other dessert so here it is (also sampled prior to picture, sorry).

Day 3 - St Thomas, USVI 10am -6pm

In case people tend to skim I wanted to mention this first because I think its really great info and don't want it to be skipped over -

After I had my plans in place, Bluewater did a great write up in the ports section summarizing the beaches in St Thomas. I found it really helpful as I knew how hard it was to keep it straight which beach offered what. The post is here.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1993432

This was the stop I was really looking forward. I had done a ton of reading and my head was spinning with beaches. I originally came up with the plan to take the ferry to St John and visit Cinnamon Bay Beach. It has some really great reviews and seemed like a fun adventure, however, after more research, it didn't seem that it was a feasible plan. I could make it but time at the beach would be limited.

At the same time I realized Cinnamon Bay was out, my husband had mentioned he would like to do a dive at some point but didn't want to leave me for the day since I can't dive right now (I said it was fine but he didn't want to).

While searching around I came across a company that mentioned diving and snorkelling in the same excursion. Perfect. I emailed a couple of companies to get details and settled on St Thomas Scuba and Snorkel Adventures. He has a couple of options available, like a 3 beach break, a beach dive or a boat dive.

They specialize in smaller or private groups. The reviews were really great.

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g147404-d1215144-Reviews-St_Thomas_Scuba_and_Snorkel_Adventures-St_Thomas_U_S_Virgin_Islands.html

The first excursion he offered was a beach dive, reasonable price (comparable), however, we preferred to go on a boat. Webb offered to take just the two of us out, my husband would do a dive and I would snorkel, then go to the beach. He was great to deal with, really flexible and tried to provide us with the excursion we wanted.

Arrangements were made to pick us up the day of the cruise. The night before I got a text and email saying that their big boat was having problems. He offered to do a beach dive and take us out on the smaller boat (not big enough to dive off of) for a lower price or refund altogether. We opted for the modified excursion.

The morning of I hit the track again, just walking this time. I always love being out and watching us sail into port.

Breakfast was buffet. Nothing much to report, the scrambled eggs are terrible. The bacon was surprisingly good as was pretty much everything else.

Arriving in St Thomas. The other ship there is a Princess ship

We arrived on time and to yet another beautiful day (no bad weather yet in case you are keeping track). The ship was on time but there was a huge rush to disembark so it took time. By the time we got off and found our meeting spot it was closer to 10:30.

Webb was waiting patiently to pick us up. He was super friendly and outgoing, we liked him immediately. He loves the ocean/diving and it shows. He is concerned with preserving the reefs and wildlife and is very knowledgable about the area. We headed over to the other side of the island, to Hull Bay. On the way he gave us the run down on the island along with some history.

The beach we went to is a local hangout beach. There are quite a few boats in the water there. It was quiet the day we were there.

The beach we went to

Looking back on where we started

We suited up and headed out. I took along a noodle to make it easier to follow along. We all swam out to where they would dive, then I just swam over top.

Webb pointed out a stingray hiding in the sand and he took off when we approached. They are pretty harmless usually and will try to avoid you. Unless you step on one. My husband had the pleasure during a trip to California, although it was a much smaller ray than this. I do not recommend.

The dive was over an hour. At some points they were too deep for me to see. My husband really enjoyed it and got to see lots. On the way back in, Webb to us into the "bait ball". I wasn't sure what that was until I was there. There were thousands of these tiny fish and they would all swim in one direction, then switch. The birds would circle above and dive in to catch them. It was pretty cool to see. I wasn't able to get it on camera.

The fish

We did not zoom, they are pretty used to people

I don't have many pictures from the dive. The camera was waterproof but not to the depths they were going. I didn't dive down to take photos, I just stayed at the surface so pics are pretty limited.

After the dive, we went out in the smaller boat. The water was a little rough, but we didn't mind. He took us around a private island just off the beach and pointed out some more nice snorkelling spots. We had brought along the equipment but we opted to just keep exploring in the boat.