My First ever Caribbean Cruise aboard the Glory March 2016 Review w/pics

Hey everyone! I am going to do a review on my recent cruise aboard the Carnival Glory! This was my first ever cruise to the Caribbean! We set sail on March 19th, 2016 and this was an Eastern Caribbean itinerary departing from Miami and we visited: Half Moon Cay Bahamas, St. Thomas, San Juan Puerto Rico, and Grand Turk!

This cruise was AMAZING and I enjoyed every single minute of it!! This was also my first cruise with Carnival, and all I can say is I LOVE Carnival! Great cruise line, and I had sooo much fun!! I went on this cruise with my grandma (she's my cruise buddy) but also this year I surprised her and had my whole family come along, and she didn't discover that till we surprised her at the cruise terminal...it's not easy keeping in a secret surprise a secret for over a year, LOL! This is also my second cruise review that I do on here, so please bear with me!

First let's start this off by formally introducing myself: I'm Alex and I am from Southern California. I'm currently a high school senior getting ready to graduate next month in May. I have a huge passion for cruises, ever since I was a little kid. I had been wanting to go on a cruise for years, and that dream finally became a reality last year in 2015 when I went on my first ever cruise aboard the Ruby Princess to the Mexican Riviera for Spring Break, and my cruising addiction started from there! I just love cruising and I believe it's the best way to travel (But I have always had a love for ships ever since my best friend went on one)

So enough about me, let's get on with this review!

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y348/Al300/Carnival%20Glory%20Cruise/6FD0C308-6EE2-4AF8-8B3D-C131633E17CB_zpscekv2lsc.jpg' alt='6FD0C308-6EE2-4AF8-8B3D-C131633E17CB_zpscekv2lsc.jpg'>

Here's a pic of me and my Grandma at El Yunque in Puerto Rico (or grandmom as I call her!) We got that blue card pride with us too!! LOL

Let the journey to Miami (and the Glory) begin!

So we decided we would fly in the day before our cruise, and spend the night in Miami, as it was highly advised to do by everyone I spoke to. Plus, not only did I get to get a day to see some of Miami, but I also got to start my break early and miss a day of school, win win situation if you ask me!

After months of waiting for this cruise, the day I had been waiting for for soooo long, finally arrived! On Friday the 18th, I woke up SUPER early at 3:30am and this was probably the only time I did not mind waking up this early. We had a plane to catch that took off at 9am sharp! We took the train from our hometown, about an hour away from LA and from the LA train station we boarded an airport shuttle called the LAX Flyaway. We arrived at the airport a little after 6:30am! I was super excited to finally be on my way to Miami. To my surprise, our terminal was PACKED and very crowded, not what I would expect this early in the morning, but then again, LAX is always crazy!!

My chariot awaits me for the 5 hour flight to Miami!!

After waiting quite some time, we finally boarded our flight and made ourselves comfy for 5 hour journey ahead, and this plane we were on was very modern, comfortable and fancy, biggest plane I have ever been on so having a nice plane was definitely a treat!

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y348/Al300/Carnival%20Glory%20Cruise/3667F94E-0974-4D10-9F9A-3009A09A2623_zpszhk8pnyt.jpg' alt='3667F94E-0974-4D10-9F9A-3009A09A2623_zpszhk8pnyt.jpg'>

Next up: Hey I'm in Miami and on the East Coast for the first time ever!

Thanks for starting your review.

Nice start, excellent photos.:)

Love your review, cannot wait for more! Great photos

Great start !

Keep it coming.

Great start and thanks so much for sharing...Loving that you and your grandma did this..it is the best!!!

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

You're such a great grandson! I'm on the same itinerary in June.

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Great start and looking forward to more. Cute pic of you and Grandmom. :)

Thank you everyone for your kind comments!! I really appreciate it! :) More of the review is on it's way! :D

Can't wait to read the rest I'm going on the Glory next month!

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The Journey to Miami Continues!

After a slight delay in taking off from LAX, we were finally in the air and enroute to Miami! We settled in for the long 5 hour flight, and I watched lots of movies to help time pass by. But this flight went by sooooo slowww, maybe I was just too excited to get there already, after all I have been waiting for this day for months and I couldn't believe that the day was finally here where I was onboard a plane on my way to the MIA! I was just filled with so much excitement!

Hello Florida!!

After our very long flight, we finally landed in Miami around 4:45pm local time! We collected our bags and called an uber to come and pick us up to take us to our hotel. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Miami West in Hialeah, about 10 miles away from the airport. Note to self: next time book closer to Miami!! Our hotel was very nice and was recently remodeled, so all the furniture was new and the rooms were recently renovated, very nice hotel!

We had so much we wanted to do in the very short amount of time that we had in Miami, so first order of business after checking into our hotel and dropping off our bags: Go to a Cuban restaurant and eat some authentic Cuban food! We ate at this really good restaurant called "La Careta" which was close by to our hotel, and the food was delicious!

After dinner, we took an Uber to Lincoln Road mall and on the way there we passed by the Port of Miami where the very next day we would be boarding the beautiful Glory! I remember seeing downtown Miami all lit up at night, and feeling the warm Floridian air, just amazing!! I fell in love with Miami, just love the atmosphere and the warm weather!

After walking down Lincoln Road Mall, we finally reached the end of it and made it to Miami Beach, keep in mind it was like midnight LOL! And in this moment it hit me that I was just only a few feet away from touching the Atlantic Ocean for the very first time in my life, and upon realizing this, I RAN down the beach and set foot and touch the Atlantic for the first time ever!! Just thinking about this moment gives me all this nostalgia and happiness, definitely something I will never forget! It's crazy to think that morning I was on the Pacific and now I was in the Atlantic, just super cool! For someone who only got a little over 3 hours of sleep just the night before, I was buzzing with energy and excitement! This was going to be an AMAZING vacation!!

16 hours away!

After our evening out and about throughout Miami, we finally decided to head back to our hotel and get some rest, we were exhausted from a long day of travel, and tomorrow would be the day I waited almost a year for, embarkation day!!

Next up: Embarkation Day, Surprising Grandmom, and Meeting the Glory!

You're such a great grandson! I'm on the same itinerary in June.

 

 

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Awww thank you so much!! :) You're so lucky! I love that itinerary, beautiful ports, I would do it all over again if I could!

Great start and looking forward to more. Cute pic of you and Grandmom. :)

Thank you! :)

Can't wait to read the rest I'm going on the Glory next month!

 

 

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Glory is an amazing ship!! She has a special place in my heart now! You're going to love her, so jealous you'll be on her!!

I can't wait to read more!!! My family and I wanted to take this trip but airfare was expensive. I had a budget for airfare but it never went down :( We will take this trip someday-lol! I'm following so I know what to expect and what to plan. Thanks for sharing :)

Loving your review and the way you write! I am also addicted to cruising!!

Great start - looking forward to more! Was on the Glory in 2014 on this itinerary and loved it. Great memories from that trip.

I'm really enjoying reading this Alex. Our first Carnival cruise is coming up in 60 days on the Vista. We are probably going to book a Southern Caribbean next June on the Vista that includes Grand Turk, so I can hardly wait to read about your time there. Hopefully you'll include some pics too.

BTW, I love your writing style as well, your enthusiasm is infectious.

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Great start and looking forward to the rest of your posts.

Keith

Thanks for your report.

Loving your review.

Can't wait to read how surprised your Grandmom was.

Loving that your making special memories with your Grandmom too.:D

Great review so far! Looking forward to seeing the rest of your shots.

:)Subscribing cannot wait for the rest of your report!!:)