Review: Carnival Glory to Canada - 7/17/10 - 5 days

[Dave0311]

Dave - Does EVERY past guest get invited to the "past guest" party or do you have to be a certain level?

Every past guest gets invited.

[Dave0311]

The Harbourwalk boardwalk is not straight by any means. There are a lot of turns and bends in the walk. Sometimes we just skipped by them and cut through a gravel road or parking lot. If we weren’t in some Caribbean heat, we might’ve followed the boards all around.

 

 

All along the boardwalk there are dolphin sculptures painted with different murals. Each dolphin is sponsored by a different person/organization, and each has its own artist. The dolphins were part of the Canadian Navy centennial celebration.

 

 

There was even a Family Guy dolphin!

 

 

In addition to the dolphins, there were other statues, plaques, and memorials along the walk. All together they made for a very nice walk. If you don’t mind walking and you’re looking to go somewhere along the water, I recommend walking over taking FRED. The walk is easy (very flat), and there’s a lot to see along the way.

 

 

[Dave0311]

The CSS Acadia is located along the Harbourwalk. The Acadia was part of the Canadian Navy, and is now a historic museum ship as part of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

 

 

 

There are also some places to eat along the Harbourwalk. One stall was selling half-pound sausages and other barbecue foods. There were a couple ice cream stalls too. Some restaurants, including Murphy’s, are close by.

 

 

Let’s not forget about Cow’s ice cream! According to my parents, we stopped here when we cruised here back in 2001 or 2002. I don’t remember that though.

 

 

On the way back we’d get some ice cream from Cow’s. More on that later.

 

But for now, our destination is in sight!

 

 

[Dave0311]

Toward the end of our trek we ran into another memorial.

 

 

There was also a long pier that stretched far out into the water. Looking back, I probably should’ve gone out and taken some pictures. It looks like you’d get some great shots out there. Another mental note made for our trip up to Halifax, whenever that may be.

 

 

We’re almost there! It’s like seeing the oasis out in the desert.

 

 

When we arrive at the casino building, signs guide us to the left to a small door on the side of the building. When we walk inside, we have to walk up two flights of steps to reach the casino. There are elevators if you need to use them instead of the steps. After we leave the casino we discover there’s a closer entrance (with no steps) if you go to the right instead of to the left like the sign said. Maybe the entrance to the right – which we used to exit the casino – is really only an exit? I guess this is question we won’t know the answer to for a little while now…

 

One last stop before we enter the casino. My mom has to get a picture taken with her idols.

 

 

After I get carded by the guard, we take an escalator back down two flights to the casino. (What was the point of making us walk up those two flights of steps if we were just going down two flights anyway?) My parents were disappointed with the casino because there wasn’t a craps table. The roulette dealer – who was very friendly and talkative – said they were getting their full-size craps table exchanged for a smaller one. They had to wait for some paperwork to go through before they could receive the new one, which is why there weren’t any craps tables at this time. They did have two roulette tables, card tables, virtual blackjack, a poker room, and lots of slots. Oh, and a high stakes slot room, complete with two $100 slot machines! (Canadian dollars, of course. ;))

 

 

Just a couple notes about the casino:

 

- They only accept Canadian dollars. The cashier will exchange your money for you at current exchange rates. You can change back until 4:00 am at the same rate, just bring back your receipt.

 

- The slot machines do not take coins. I got some coins in my exchange and wanted to put some quarters in a slot machine. Not possible at this casino.

 

- If you play cards, you can only hold your cards with one hand. The dealer informed me of this when I used two hands to fan out my cards once.

 

Up next: the walk back to the ship.

[dlwfarm]

Does anyone know how much it costs by taxi to get to Newark Airport from the pier?

mary

[Warm Breezes]

Dave,

 

Reading your review has been bitter-sweet for me. We were supposed to be on this cruise too, but we were called home due to a family death just after we arrived at our hotel Friday night (after 14 hours of driving). We have decided we are going to try to do this same trip next year if DH can get the week off again. While I am sad we missed this cruise, I am looking forward to trying it again. Thank you for the great review and giving me something to look forward to next year.

[baldcruiser]

Cab might be expensive since it is considered out of state. I think your best bet might be to call 212-777-7777 which is an excellent and very reasonable car service. They will meet you at airport and take you to cruise line. They will give you amount over the phone. I have found them to be excellent and very reliable.

[dlwfarm]

thanks so much for the info. I'll be calling them.

Mary

[sjn911]

This is just a fabulous review..best one I've come upon here on this cruise....it would be great for me to combine this with a warmer destination..back to back sometime coming from here...

 

Lived in Oregon and enjoyed NW coastal areas and Canada so much...you have convinced me I will enjoy Canada NE coastal too...love all your shots..do not mind the misty weather..sounds like you got some great timing this time around...thank you so much for your in depth review and perspective!!! sjn911 Sarah

[Laurab23]

When you get off at the ports are there people there offering excursions like there are in the Caribbean ports or do I need to book something ahead of time?

[SRJJ09]

Was on this same cruise, ditto on the 55th street U-turn (the GPS wasn't helping find the entrance ramp, finally remembered to look at the directions we printed from Carnival to make that last few yards!) and ditto on the fog horn! We timed it at one point, it was once a minute for hours! Ear plugs saved some of us at night. It wasn't that hard to tune out for others but I'd definately bring them along next time. We got lucky watching movies one night, don't recall hearing it at all.

[SRJJ09]

regarding excurion questions- we booked soon after we boarded (don't know if that was necessary or not). In St John did St Martin's and Bay of Fundy tour (5 hours, 80.00) and in Halifax did Peggy's Cove and Titanic tour (4 hours, 40.00). Enjoyed both very much, the great weather helped. Next time we would maybe rent a car like others we met & drive along to those coastal areas. Having never been there before we got a lot of interesting information on the tours that we wouldn't have otherwise. We all enjoyed both tours.

[Dave0311]

Was on this same cruise, ditto on the 55th street U-turn (the GPS wasn't helping find the entrance ramp, finally remembered to look at the directions we printed from Carnival to make that last few yards!) and ditto on the fog horn! We timed it at one point, it was once a minute for hours! Ear plugs saved some of us at night. It wasn't that hard to tune out for others but I'd definately bring them along next time. We got lucky watching movies one night, don't recall hearing it at all.

Finding that u-turn is tricky isn't it! And once you make the turn, getting to the parking lot isn't an easy task either. :p

 

Dave,

 

Reading your review has been bitter-sweet for me. We were supposed to be on this cruise too, but we were called home due to a family death just after we arrived at our hotel Friday night (after 14 hours of driving). We have decided we are going to try to do this same trip next year if DH can get the week off again. While I am sad we missed this cruise, I am looking forward to trying it again. Thank you for the great review and giving me something to look forward to next year.

I'm sorry to hear you missed the cruise. :( If you can do it, you should try to get this cruise booked for next year. It's a great little cruise. As I've said a few times, all the people in the ports were very friendly, and both ports are really nice to just walk around in. I hope everything works out for you and your family; I'm sorry for your loss.

 

This is just a fabulous review..best one I've come upon here on this cruise....it would be great for me to combine this with a warmer destination..back to back sometime coming from here...

 

Lived in Oregon and enjoyed NW coastal areas and Canada so much...you have convinced me I will enjoy Canada NE coastal too...love all your shots..do not mind the misty weather..sounds like you got some great timing this time around...thank you so much for your in depth review and perspective!!! sjn911 Sarah

Thank you! If you want to do a B2B with a warm-weather cruise, you could try to get a cruise on the Miracle out of NYC down to the Caribbean. Of course this assumes Glory and Miracle are in NYC on the same day, they're both available to book, and you have the time to take off (Miracle is an 8-day cruise).

[TIPPTONI]

Dave,

 

Reading your review has been bitter-sweet for me. We were supposed to be on this cruise too, but we were called home due to a family death just after we arrived at our hotel Friday night (after 14 hours of driving). We have decided we are going to try to do this same trip next year if DH can get the week off again. While I am sad we missed this cruise, I am looking forward to trying it again. Thank you for the great review and giving me something to look forward to next year.

 

So sorry for your loss. I've already said a prayer for your family.

[mom2t&j]

Hi Dave...loving your hard work and we'll be on Glory next Thursday...very important to me, where exactly is the burrito bar?! Thanks!! :)

[pe4all]

Dave - thanks so much for this review. We leave Saturday, and can't wait. We are taking my 82 year old mom on her first CCL cruise (for her birthday) Figured this one would be perfect, and from your review it looks like we made a great choice! Can't wait to read more - please finish by Friday night!:D

[Dave0311]

Hi Dave...loving your hard work and we'll be on Glory next Thursday...very important to me, where exactly is the burrito bar?! Thanks!! :)

The burrito bar is located within the buffet area (Red Sail restaurant). Like the deli, it's off to the side, between the actual buffet and the main pool area.

 

Dave - thanks so much for this review. We leave Saturday, and can't wait. We are taking my 82 year old mom on her first CCL cruise (for her birthday) Figured this one would be perfect, and from your review it looks like we made a great choice! Can't wait to read more - please finish by Friday night!:D

I'll try my best! :p

[Dave0311]

After we made our donation to the Canadian casino, we headed back to the ship. The exit we used out of the casino led us right to the Harbourwalk. I still don’t understand why the signs earlier directed us to the side entrance. :confused:

 

We originally intended to take FRED back to the ship. Before we headed to the bus stop, my mom wanted to look at some of the shops on the boardwalk. So we started walking in that direction. To make a long story short, we ended up walking all the way back to the ship, and we never made it on FRED.

 

On the way back, we encountered an amusing tugboat.

 

 

Then we made a stop in Cow’s to get some ice cream. They have a lot of flavors to choose from, and they even have a decent selection of cones available. I don’t remember the ice cream flavors, but the cone choices included regular waffle cone, chocolate dipped, and peanut or sprinkle covered (both chocolate dipped). I opted for a chocolate dipped cone and my dad got a regular waffle cone.

 

 

As for the ice cream. I wouldn’t get anything other than mint chocolate chip. Mmm… :D

 

 

One last goodbye to Cow’s and then we’re off.

 

 

Helpful hint: if you’re going to get some ice cream, be sure to get some extra napkins!

[Dave0311]

As we’re walking back, we stop in a food court along the boardwalk that had a Subway restaurant in it. Our hands were getting messy from the ice cream, so we wanted to grab some napkins. They didn’t have any out, and they wouldn’t give us any! Hence my comment about the napkins earlier. So I had to run back to Cow’s to grab some more napkins. Ugh. Thanks a lot Subway!

 

We passed another memorial on the way back; this one dedicated to those who lost their lives fighting for the Canadian navy.

 

 

This guy, Samuel Cunard, is apparently a big deal in this area. He had an impressive statue on the Harbourwalk.

 

 

If you want to read more about him, I got this picture just for you! The angle isn’t very good, so it’ll probably be difficult to read. The full-size version of the picture is very readable though.

 

 

We made it back on board in time for lunch. I think I had fish & chips again today. I got the calamari cake again. Who knows what else I ate today for lunch. I couldn’t remember to save my life! :rolleyes: (Note to self: take pictures of the food next time!)

[Dave0311]

After lunch I spent a lot of time on deck. Billy Joel was on the big screen again, so I watched the parts I missed the last time he was on. I also took some more pictures of Halifax from the ship. Here are some of them.

 

At the parking lot near the ship, it looked like you could rent old-style automobiles. They sure looked authentic. I couldn’t tell you if they were or not though.

 

 

How about a couple panoramic shots?

 

 

 

 

A paddleboat went by the ship. If the people on there weren’t from the Glory, I’m sure they were jealous of us on the ship!

 

 

A whale-watching boat also went by. Something tells me these people probably were from the Glory.

 

[Dave0311]

The rope lights were still up on the Glory!

 

 

I thought it would be neat to get a vertical panoramic picture. Tilt your heads!

 

 

There goes that tugboat with a face again. It’s actually starting to freak me out a little. He looks too happy.

 

 

Sailboat. This is probably the boat I took a picture of along the Harbourwalk. (The one I said is probably used for tours.)

 

 

Coming up: sailaway and game shows.

[declansdad]

The tugboat is Theodore Tugboat. It is based on a series of children stories.

 

Have you ever visited the museum portion of Pier 21? It was one of the main entry points to Canada many moons ago. The exhibits are quite something, especially when your FIL finds the listing of the ship he arrived on back in the 40s.

[KandCsailing]

This guy, Samuel Cunard, is apparently a big deal in this area. He had an impressive statue on the Harbourwalk.

He's the Halifax born founder of Cunard Cruise Line that Carnival Corp. now owns.

 

I'm enjoying reliving the ports and such that I saw last year. I had my photo taken with Theodore the Tugboat, but I don't get freaked out by him. LOL.

Can't wait to see what's up next.

[leaski]

This is by far the best review I have ever read! Well done! We will be headed that way in September and your review has made it come alive. Can't wait to see all of this for myself! Thank you!!

[hunniebee724]

Thanks for your review! We're leaving on the Miracle in 3 weeks, but my brother & I are thinking about surprising our parents with a family cruise to Canada on the Glory next summer for their 35th anniversary!