paulanddarnell

It is a small boat. The ride was bumpy, but it really depends on where you sit. It was a boat with seats all around the sides. Then, it had about four or five rows of two seats in the center. We were in the third row from the back, it was great! So it you do it, get in those center seats.

We loved the shark snorkel. They really look like big catfish. I was having such a great time that I had to remind myself to be scared. And the Caye they go to on this excursion is so beautiful.

Thank you Serene. May look into that cabin number. Thanks for the advice on connecting cabins too. Have not been in a ship with that option so the heads up helps.

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Thank you for the review! We love the Glory and are sailing on her again this Saturday!

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

We woke up in beautiful Roatan. For this port, the ship did not dock until 10 a.m. This gave us time to watch the ship come into port. It was a beautiful morning, although there was a quick spell of rain. Rain had also been forecast for the day, but so far, it looked good. We had our room service, which I should mention is what we do every excursion day. We order yogurt, fruit, and coffee. I bring some mixed nuts, and we mix it with the yogurt and are ready to go.

We headed to the Amber Palace to meet up for our shore excursion. It was just a bit busy, but I think it was mostly because people wanted to get off and were not being patient. We were called in one of the first groups to go. As we were heading down the stairs, we had groups cutting into the shore excursion line. One family was complaining pretty loudly about how unorganized it all was. I got to talking to them, and they did not have a Carnival short excursion booked. So I explained a bit to them about how Carnival didn’t really organize for that. I also assured the mother that she could relax a bit as her excursion people would wait since they were really just a few minutes behind the agreed upon meeting time.

Once we got on shore,our group was a little dispersed because of the line breakers, but it was all good. There was a sign for our excursion, Tabyana Beach Break, and we lined up,got our wristbands, and were ready for this day.

We would are way as a group to our bus, got our wrist bands,and we were on our way…or so we thought…

We got down the long road from the port, and then our van pulled over, and we waited, and waited. The driver called someone and then finally, turned around. There was a couple on our excursion who had been the last couple to run up as we were leaving. Apparently, they did not get the wristband. Luckily for them, they sat in front with the driver so he noticed.So we headed back. We were met very quickly, they got their wristbands, and after a 30 minute delay, we were on the road again. And what a road! There were so many potholes and this was a very long drive.

I should mention here, that we have been to all these ports before. We wanted to do something different than what we had done before. Last time, we had used Victor Bodden and saw so many highlights of Roatan. It was great, but we wanted to be able to snorkel and relax today.

As we kept driving, I started questioning if I had picked the right tour. We turned down a street which brought us to where an NCL ship was letting the majority of their cruisers off, so we were slowed down even more. But we eventually turned off that road to a dirt road, took that for along time, and finally got to Tabyana.

Someone met us at the bus, explained where everything was,we rented my fins, and went down to the beach. A waiter came over greeted usand told us to call over whenever we needed anything. A security guy also came over and gave us his name. He was great and really watched our stuff. The beach was beautiful. There were more than enough chairs, nice facilities, trees for shade, and yes, some vendors, but they were kept on the shore. We found a nice area to the left facing the beach that had some shade, got our gear on, and went straight out to snorkel. I should note here that I could have rented fins right on the beach and would probably do that next time as it seemed a bit easier.

The snorkeling here was amazing. Fish were present from the moment we were in the water. We were able to find a reef, follow it out, and then the amazing drop off was there. There were schools of tangs, colorful coral, and stunning fish. There were not tons of people so it really was just being out in the beautiful ocean enjoying God’s work.

After a while, we decided to head in and look around. There were definitely vendors trying to get our attention, but when we said no or later, they left us alone. I did want a couple of mahogany bowls so we bought those and far too many bracelets from other vendors, but hey, sometimes you just give in. We had a coconut, and then we headed back out. Well, some clouds had rolled in. We headed over by the rocks, but it was rough. Then the wind picked up, it got rougher, and unfortunately, the water just was not as clear. After about twenty minutes, we decided we had enough.

We went in to see about lunch. For NCL guests, lunch was included, but for us, it was not. We looked at the board trying to decide what to get, and then I realized $15 got you one of everything – chicken, hamburger, hot dog, and rice and beans. So one lunch plate was enough especially since she gave us four pieces of chicken. It was very good!

After lunch, we headed back to our stuff, did a little dip back in the ocean and started packing up. And then, the rain came! It started pouring. We headed to the bus, and we were the last two to get on the one that was there – great timing! We were informed we would stop to drop off some NCL guest, and then we would head back to port.

The ride back was an adventure of a lifetime. The potholes,the traffic, the mud, the rain – wow! We came up to one road, and some really small cars were having trouble making it up the road, they were sliding back.Our bus driver pulled out onto a shoulder that was there. Other drivers kept going around, trying to get through, and were really taking a risk. I was glad our driver was safe. But time was really ticking away. People on our bus were very worried. But I knew it was a Carnival excursion, so time was not my concern. I wanted to be safe, and I will save, our driver was excellent!

Once we finally managed to get off that road and the sliding cars made it to safety, we still had a long journey back. On the journey, we saw rushing rivers of waters in so many different areas. We even saw a refrigerator being carried away in one large drainage dish. It was really something to see. Our driver went really fast when he could, but he was still very cautious when needed. We made it to the NCL port quickly, and the drop off was quick. But the line to get out of the port was not.

Finally, back on the road for more fast driving and rushing streams of water. Finally, we made it back to port. I thanked our driver (and tipped him) for his speedy but safe driving. He really liked that and said he tried to the best he could at his job. We walked through the port with the last few getting on the ship and saw a woman running back out. She told us a taxi driver had taken them back even though they had run out of money. She was running back out to pay him. Nice and soaked but very happy, we arrived back to the Glory. And just in case it is not clear, we loved this excursion!

We decided to get a bit of food, and then head to the Jacuzzi. We got warmed up and were about to head in, but we noticed no one was in the main pool. Well, that means it is time to swim. So into the pool we went. Itw as so much fun on deck because the rain kept most people away. But hey, once you are wet, what does it matter. We were having fun in the pool, and then my husband decided it was time to make waves. He would start a wave, and because the ship was moving a bit, it would get huge. This was fun, and soon, a couple of kids joined us. They were having a great time making waves with my husband. And soon, we had a crowd. People were taping, and I heard one woman explaining to her spouse/boyfriend, that the dad would start this wave and the kids would join in, and then we would all laugh. Good thing they didn’t know we didn’t have our kids with us, and even is we did, they are both adults.

I had wanted to go to the dining room because I heard the short ribs were good, but this was just too much fun. We continued to enjoy this until pretty late, then quickly got dressed, and grabbed some food on the Lido. For some reason, this is the only time I am not sure what we had since I didn’t take pictures.

We were exhausted. The day of snorkeling and the workout in the pool had caught up to us, so we skipped music and headed back to the cabin to sleep.

Okay, I am realizing my posts are kind of long, but I do this to record the trip for me also. Plus, I am an English/reading teacher. Hope it is not too much! Please do ask any questions.

We took the train into Berlin. We did a fantastic tour of Jewish sites. It was many years ago, and honestly, I barely remember the train ride, but I vividly remember loving Berlin.

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Three days before you leave, post on his FB your cabin number and what you are celebrating (we weren’t celebrating much). Try it at night since it is early in London. I followed this exactly.

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Thanks! That is great info!

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Thank you!

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My husband is reluctant to try this ship because he feels the wrap around deck will make the balconies on 7 and 8 feel not as private. Can anyone comment on that?

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Thinking about a cruise on the Magic. Curious about privacy and the balcony with that Promenade deck. We like deck 8 also. If you had a balcony, can you comment on that? Did it seem weird to have that deck down there when you went out?

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Great info from Ab Ovo. Love the knowledge on Cc.

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We did the NYE cruise on Glory. When we went to Guest Services to add our gift cards to our account, the two gentlemen next to us were trying to get their confiscated bottle back. They were told it was destroyed. They were not happy and were asking why they didn’t know ahead of time. <eye roll>

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I wanted to mention our room steward here because I forgot to before. She came and introduced herself to us on day 1. Marichil was excellent! She had a paper for us to fill out for service, and seem very surprised we just said evening. We talked to her a bit, assured her once was fine, and that on sea days we would sleep in, and that her coming in just once we were in port would be great, but I did say I really liked towel animals.Also, we asked for ice. She figured us out quickly and took amazing care of us.Our room was clean to begin with, stayed clean, and we had everything we needed always. She was great with keeping us with clean regular towels and beach towels.

Once back on board, we headed to Guy’s for our usual. There really was not much of a line since we were one of the last groups to get back.We went in the Jacuzzi for a bit, then decided to go back and get cleaned up for the evening. We went and listened to the Glorious Bandsters in the Colors Lobby, and we were hooked. What a band! The guitarist is just so, so good! We knew we would be back.

On this evening, we received a gift from John Heald – yay!We were brought a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and agold ship trophy type thing. So very nice! That Facebook post works, and itmade us very happy.

Once dinner time came around, we went to eat about 7:30 forour first experience in the dining room. As I have found on quite a fewcruises, the dining room was not that busy on this third night since so manyate there last night. We had such excellentservice this night that we asked for the name of the dining crew.Unfortunately, we only came back to the dining room once during the cruise, andthere was a long wait for their table (although in retrospect, I wish we wouldhave waited). Our team was Pande, Eduardo, and Agus. All were fabulous, andEduardo treated us like royalty.

We had the shrimp cocktail and vegetable spring rolls for an appetizer. Luckily, I remembered someone raving about those spring rolls on a previous Cruise Critic board and already tried them once. They were great! My husband also had the soup. We both had the lamb shank which was so good. It was in an almost like light curry sauce with root vegetables. We both really enjoyed it. For dessert he had the apple pie, and I had the sugar free cake which was light and good. We then headed back for some more music from our favorite band.

We went to the show with was Getaway Island. It was really fun and the music was great! We were not sure we were going to like it, but we loved it. The cast is so talented and the singing was great! I forgot to mention that we had went to the show the first night. We were impressed with the talent, and it was fun to watch the same singers now play a different part.One of the best singers had the part of a nerdy guy in this show. The way he made his voice nasally and still sang great was impressive to me. After the show, we called it a night so we could get some sleep for Roatan.

Monday, January 1, 2018

I had read about many cruises before us not being able to tender in Grand Cayman. I was hopeful that since we were arriving early, we would be able to visit this island because I know that sometimes the early ships get a spot. I had purposely booked a later excursion since this was New Year’s Day. I did book three excursions through Carnival. I do not always do that, but sometimes I just get tired of being the time keeper. So I decided this time, I would relax and not worry about time. For today, it was the Carnival reef snorkel from 10:30-1:30.

We were instructed on our excursion tickets to be on a tender an hour before the excursion, and as usual, I followed directions. The tender ride was smooth, as a matter of fact, I barely remember it. We arrived,and could not find the name of our excursion. There were so many and so many with similar names. It was a bit frustrating. We asked, and a nice gentleman walked us over to where we were to meet the group. But we were so early they were taking care of the earlier excursion. After about 25 minutes, they put the name of our excursion up – so much for the hour before. But I guess if the tender rides had been rough, this might be necessary. A few other people were slightly annoyed, and one couple thought they had been left, but I went over and reassured them they were in the right place. We took a bus over to the dock, and soon were on our way for our snorkel. We have been to Grand Cayman before and purposely picked this excursion because it did not have Sting Ray City in it. Instead, we would see rays in the deep water. When we got to the dock, it was interesting because our bus driver did not really know where our boat was, but after a phone call, he was told which boat it was so I am not sure if it was contracted with a specific boat or if they use a variety of operators. Nevertheless, all of the staff on the boat were very nice, and there was more than enough room for everyone. There was plenty of shade, room to wander, and a very nice section in the front of the boat where you can stand on the benches built into the boat and look out at beautiful Grand Cayman and the beautiful water.

This was a really tough snorkel. I bring my own gear except fins, and the fins I was given were not very good. My husband has fins we bought him because his feet are harder to fit. He was off and snorkeling, and I was trying to catch up. After a long bought with this and honestly the first time I have been in the water for a vigorous swim since separating my AC joint,I was exhausted (I swim for exercise, but have been out of the pool since September). We were in fairly deep water. We were advised to stay on one side of the boat. We were warned that if we went on the other side, the current would take us away. I think for me, this being my first time back in the water and the current freaked me out. I did calm myself down and kind of enjoyed it,but it was not my favorite excursion. That said, there were sting rays everywhere. The water was very clear and the visibility was great. One of the men from the boat brought up a sting ray and a photographer took pictures as the people kissed the ray, got a back rub, etc. I had my picture taken, and later when my husband reappeared, he had his taken. I did not realize that the reef was on the other side. As I was getting out, I heard others being advised that they could hold the rope and go off onto the other side and explore the reef. But by the time I knew this, we were almost done with the spot. So I decided to pass. The photographs were $25 for one set, but since we had two sets, he took $40. He said he could upload them immediately to our phone, but I never bring my phone out on excursions. So he emailed them to me. They are some great photos.

We headed back to the dock and then back on a bus to go to the port. We got there pretty about 1:45 which left about 15 minutes until “the last tender leaves.” Well, the minute we arrived, we knew that was not true.The tender line was so long. So we headed over to the bar in the port and ordered a Cayman Colada – oh yum - Mango and Pina Colada and some conch fritters and waited for the line to get shorter.But it just kept getting longer so we had another Cayman Colada. Eventually, it was looking like less than a tender full in the line, so we got on the last tender back to the ship. We waited as they put all the Carnival signs and awning on the tender, and then sailed back to the Glory.

Sorry, took me a few days to get back on here. Busy week!

Sunday, 12/31/17

We slept in for our first sea day. Once we were up, we decided it was time to try the Seafood Shack. There was no one in line when we ordered. We ordered the Seafood Platter which had fish, shrimp, calamari,clams, and fries. We were given a pager, and a short time later, or food was ready. It is nice that it is freshly made. It was a good amount of everything.We really enjoyed it. It was the only time we ate there because there is just so much food to try. We were still a bit hungry, so we decided to try the deli.We had the tuna and a hot dog. I really liked the tuna with the crunchy toasted sourdough bread. We wandered around for a bit and later had our usual Guys burgers and an ice cream.

We walked around the ship, went back to our cabin, and soon,we watched the sunset from our balcony. We often get port side rooms, but for the cruise, we had the starboard side because a better room location was available. We really enjoyed having sunsets on our side for those first evenings. That evening, we went out on the deck to start watching the NYE fun.We decided we really did not feel the need to get dressed up or try to get into the dining room since we knew this was the lobster evening and that would make for a wait with our choice of any time dining. Plus, we had eaten so much throughout the day, we weren’t hungry until later.

For dinner, we ended up going to the buffet before they closed. For this evening, many people were dressed up. There were quite a few dressed up people in the buffet. Many of these people commented that this was their second dinner. They served some very good shrimp and some excellent mashed potatoes. Those potatoes were hard to stop eating.

We went and listened to the Acoustic Jams with Rachel in The Colors Lobby. This turned into one of our favorite hangout spots. There was always great music. It was fun to see the lobby still decorated for Christmas with the Christmas tree and garland around. We had a couple pina coladas and just enjoyed some of the people watching. This would be our first interaction with one of our favorite entertainers. He was dressed to the nines with a sparkly purple dinner jacket. A couple of young men complimented him, and he talked to them and us for a bit. Later, he would be singing in The Colors Lobby, and he was a great guy, and I am sad that I do not know his name.

We decided we would head to our room to listen for midnight and be ready to go to sleep right after that since we had Grand Cayman the next morning. At midnight, we toasted, and then the captain blew the horn long and loud! Off to sleep to be ready for the morning.

We spent time on the balcony as we exited the port of Miami.We were starboard side so were able to watch the sunset. We walked around checking out the ship, and then decided we would go the Alchemy Bar. The bar was not too busy at all, and we saw the people we had talked to at the muster drill. I asked about the martini sampler, and the bartender explained that we could circle four martinis to try. He would then bring them out, and if we could label which martini each was, he would give us all small prize. We tried the fiery tropical passion, the Caribbean Manhattan, the spicy chipotle pineapple, and mixologist’s mixer (which is a bartender’s choice drink). We had no problem figuring out which was which. I liked them all except the Caribbean Manhattan – a little too strong and too much whiskey for me.

After the martini tasting, we headed to the steakhouse for dinner. We like to do the steakhouse the first night. It sets up the cruise.Plus, we like to get the ½ price wines. In the Fun Times, it stated that the ½ price wine special was for the first night and first elegant night so nights 1 and 2 of the cruise. When we arrived, there were two people without reservations that were asking to speak to the manager and not happy. So we waited a bit. They ended up getting a very good table, and then when we looked up a few minutes after we sat, they had left. Go figure!

We ordered a bottle of a Caymus Cabernet which we had on a previous cruise per a Cruise Critic member recommendation. We also ordered a bottle of Castello del Poggio Moscato which I really like. We did not open either for dinner though. Later, the waitress recommended I try a bubblier Moscato since it was a better deal with the half price off. That one is called Santa Vittoria Moscato. I cannot comment on the taste of it yet because we did not end up opening it at all, and I brought it home.

For dinner, we started with the escargot (which is a must when I cruise), lobster bisque, and the beef carpaccio. My husband thought the bisque was one of the best he has had. I liked the presentation of escargot. It was not really rich and buttery like usual. It was done three different ways and was nice, but not as super filling as it often is. We both had the filet and lobster. My lobster was very large. We accompanied it with spinach, mashed potatoes, and mushrooms. I liked that the sides were pretty small. I was very worried we would have way too much food, but it turned out to just be a tiny bit too much. For dessert, we had the strawberry cheesecake and the black walnut ice cream. Both were very good, but I was really impressed with the cheesecake ice cream. It was not overly sweet. It really was good. We headed up to the room to be greeted by our towel animal and went to sleep.

We hung out on deck for a bit, and then a bit after 1:30 decided it was time to check out our room. It was ready for us. The soda and water we ordered was there. We were in a balcony room on the Empress Deck –room 7351. It was just a bit aft. It was very close to the middle elevators and not too far from the aft elevators. Laundry was probably about 6 cabins from us which was very nice.

First impression of the cabin was that it was great. There was lots of storage as usual. The fridge was empty which is a nice change. We felt it was just maybe a wee bit warm on some days, but we found that if we made sure to close our curtains this was not really a problem. People usually ask if it is a quiet cabin, so I will address that. We had cabins above and below us so no noise from that. There were no utility rooms across from us.There was a stretch of maybe five inside cabins across from us. I would say overall quiet, BUT….people sure slam doors. This happens on so many cruises. I guess they are not really slamming, but just letting them close without a gentle hold. We could hear the slamming. I always wear ear plugs so it was not a big deal for sleeping, but my husband did ask for some and sleep with them after the first night.

The other question people have is about motion. This roomwas really nicely located as far as being slightly aft. I definitely could feelmotion. I get seasick really easily. I take a Bonine every night before bedstarting the night before the cruise. I did not have any problems withseasickness, but I feel that without the Bonine, I might have, but I cannoteven ride certain kid rides at Disneyland.

One real plus we liked about his cabin was the water pressure in the shower. It was beyond strong. I almost wonder if something had been done to the showerhead. The pressure was so strong that we really did not turn it up all the way.

Our luggage arrived before the muster drill, and I was able to get everything put away for the week before we headed to our muster station.The drill was uneventful. A few people did not show up, it went sort of quickly, and soon it was time to cruise.

Thanks everyone! I will be adding more today. I think you will really like the Glory. We really like NCL, but we enjoy Carnival too. And yes, that must have been the ship. That was the itinerary, and the people on the shuttle were not too happy.

We did Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel.

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This is scary! We were on the Glory last week, and I know for us, at this time on Tuesday, we had left Honduras just a few hours before.

We just did the first night. We went casual. No shorts, but jeans for both of us. That first night they are very lenient because some do not get their luggage before dinner (although we got ours before muster).

We got on the ship, and it was beautiful. Our last Carnival ship was the Splendor. We liked the ship, but the décor is different. We have been on the Valor also, and of course the Glory is just like the Valor. We really liked the way they look.

We headed up to the Lido, and I knew where I was going. My husband did not yet know, I had not told him about Guy’s. We got in a bit of a line, and one of the crew members said, “There is another line, follow me.”Sure enough there was a line on the other side with no one in it. So tip for the Glory, do not go to the line for Guy’s that is near the center doors. Head to the side where less people line up. I got the Piggy Patty, and my husband got one of the burgers. We went over to the toppings bar, and he was so happy!He loves sauces and all the toppings. I knew this was going to be a great surprise for him, and it was.

It was crowded on the Lido. We did find a table, but it was right in the aisle way so I said let’s head to our spot. We went up above the Lido to deck 10 where there are always just a few people for the first few days(and I often think they must be Cruise Critic members). I looked at my watch, it was 12:30. With the new check in system, we were eating our burgers at the beginning of our scheduled appointment time. WOHOO!

That wonderful moment you wake up on the day of your cruise.We were both excited and well rested! I had SAS scheduled to pick us up at 12:30 and realized I should have scheduled it for earlier. But I have used them before, and often they come early. Sure enough, the driver called at 10:30 and asked if we could be ready in an hour. We were almost ready so this was no problem. At 11:22, he was at our hotel, and we were on our way to the cruise.

We were in the shuttle van with four other couples. Two were on the Carnival Vista and two were on NCL, not sure which one. We talked about the cruises and cruising. I imparted some Cruise Critic wisdom. I felt a bit bad for the NCL cruisers. They had an entirely different itinerary that was changed to three of the four ports we were going to. I know I had looked at that cruise, and it was quite a bit more. I know I would have hoped to have at east four ports had it been me, but of course, nature dictates what can happen in the cruise industry.

We dropped the Vista people off first. Looked like a cool ship. Then the NCL people, and then we were last. Now here is where there was a HUGE difference from previous cruises. We left our luggage with the porter and headed to check in. We were early since I had an appointment for 12:30-1 but had been picked up closer to 11:30. We were sent to the early line, walked right up to someone who checked our boarding pass and passports. We went to the x-ray machine, and one of the ladies told me I couldn’t bring soda. Then she laughed, and we joked that she was hassling me. We then continued walking and walking right up to take our sailaway photo. Then, we just kept walking and we're on the ship. We never stopped from the moment we were dropped off. It was great!

We went up to room which was on the fourth floor – why is the elevator so far? And then decided to go down and have a bit of breakfast.The hotel is older, but the price is good. The breakfast was also pretty good.We headed back up the room to sleep. We both fell asleep around 6:30 a.m. At 11, a very loud knock on the door from housekeeping, but then she left. About 16 minutes later, the knock again. I got up, told her we were staying another day. She was very apologetic, and luckily, we were able to fall asleep for a few more hours.

Once we awoke, we both felt pretty good. We watched a bit oftelevision, and I found some great restaurants that were very close. One was avery interesting sushi café with quite a mix of food and one was a pita place.As I looked to see their hours, both closed at 4 on Friday. At first I wasquestioning why, but then I realized they both had Jewish owners and this wasfor Shabbat. So it was back to Yelp to find another place.

I found a sushi place a few miles away, and the description said it was a nice quiet place. It looked like it had great food. So we ordered an Uber and off we went. Soon we were having a great dinner. The lamb chop appetizers were wonderful! We then walked to Seven Eleven, I got a 12 pack of Coke Zero, we hailed another cab, and back to the hotel room to sleep.