Jim & Kellyn's Carnival Glory B2B 2011

[Solo1959]

Take a look at this edition of the Fun Times. On page 2, look at the list of activities on the right hand side. It's listed at 1 PM, as the "Cooking Demo".

Thank you very much. I finally found it, took a while even after you pointed it out. I am definitely going to look for it on my trip. To be honest, it such an interesting activity, I would love to see it in bigger print or highlighted elsewhere in the Fun Times. I am glad you told us about it. Now I know what to go looking for every day.

 

I just looked my old Fun Times from 9/7/10. Seems as if they offered this at 1:00pm on my cruise but I never saw it. It was offered on our first day, a sea day.

 

Thank you again.

[Prairie_Gal]

Aesome review! I really enjoyed it! Your pictures are fantastic!

[mississauga]

Wow! What a brilliant review! Thanks so much for sharing your amazing photos!:D:D:D

 

FYI: I have heard that if you do a b2b, you get a gift basket so I believe that is why you got your gift. I've never done one on Carnival... just read about it. It definitely is not for becoming Platinum as that program has different goodies as listed in the letter left in your cabin.

[ree1009]

Thank you for posting such a wonderful review. I enjoyed all of the beautiful photos as well. Congrats on your Anniversary! We leave in 41 days for our Eastern tour and seeing the wonderful photos has me even more excited! Thank you again!

[pcrum]

 

 

 

Now let's talk about something else I discovered in studying the deck plans of the Carnival Glory. I assume this also holds true for the other Conquest-class ships, but I don't know that for a fact. If you've ever cruised before, I'm sure you've noticed that there's almost never a Jacuzzi that doesn't have someone in it already. I'm not an un-social guy, but I like a table for two in the dining room and I like some privacy in a Jacuzzi. I came on the cruise to be with my wife, not with you! So, how to find an empty Jacuzzi? Did you know there's one on the Carnival Glory that is empty almost all of the time? It's not empty because there's anything wrong with it... it's just a secret Jacuzzi that few know about. And even among those that have seen it, I bet quite a few still can't figure out how to get to it! No, I'm not talking about the two Jacuzzi's outside at the bow. Those are for the crew only. There's one more secret Jacuzzi... and that's the one that's sort of in the gym and sort of in the spa. But it's really hard to get to! It's tucked between the gym and the spa, but a big glass wall prevents you from getting to it from the gym. So even if you happen to go to the gym (which few people on a cruise do) and you notice this Jacuzzi through the glass, you will have a heck of a time figuring out how to get to it! I bet most people assume it's some kind of private Jacuzzi that you have to pay to use as part of a spa treatment. It's not! It's totally free, and open to all passengers. You just have to know how to get to it. Here's the trick...

 

You have to go through the locker room to get to it. So, there's no way for you and your spouse to walk to the Jacuzzi together. You have to split up... men through the men's locker room, women through the women's locker room. Once inside the locker room, look for a door on the interior wall of the locker room that has a sign on it that says "Whirlpool". In the men's locker room, you practically have to walk right to the toilet stalls before you will see the door on the right. In the women's locker room, the door is going to be on the left. Once you find that door, you're still not there! Opening this door leads to a hallway that looks empty and leads to a door with a sign for the opposite gender's locker room. So, for example, when a guy opens the door from the men's locker room, all he will see is a short hallway that leads to a door that says "Women's Locker Room". It appears that you have made a mistake, and are one door away from entering somewhere you don't belong! Your first tendency is to say "whoops!" and to back right out of that hallway. Don't! Look to the side of the little hallway and there's a door with a tiny little sign on it that says "Jacuzzi". Open that door, and you're there! So, if you're a guy entering from the men's locker room, that last door will be on your left... and if you're a girl entering from the women's locker room, that door will be on your right. You've made it to the most secret Jacuzzi in the entire Carnival fleet! And you can almost be sure that you'll have it all to yourself. If by some remote chance someone else does end up joining you, it's very unlikely to be some old fat guy... because old fat guys don't spend time in the gym and so they never discover this secret Jacuzzi on their own!

 

This Jacuzzi is hidden between the spa and the gym on the Carnival Glory

 

By the way, on the Spirit-class ships there is also a free Jacuzzi just off of the gym. But it's a lot easier to get to than on the Conquest-class vessels. And just like on the Conguest-class ships, the gym Jacuzzi on Spirit-class ships very rarely has anyone else in it... so be sure to check it out if you sail on one of those ships. The Splendor is a totally different situation... they do have a big "therapy pool" in the spa area, but it's not free. So, this is one great thing that the Spirit and Conquest-class ships have over the newer Splendor. I don't know about the Dream-class... I haven't made it there yet!

 

 

Sadly, on our Glory cruise, the one and only time we tried to use the jacuzzi in the gym, it was jam packed. As we left, more people came to use it, so I think the secret is out!

 

Also, apparently not all Conquest class ships have the jacuzzi in the gym. On our Thanksgiving Liberty cruise, when I asked in the spa what happened to the jacuzzi, I was told they took it out in order to make the gym larger. I wasn't too happy about that!:mad:

[Delta Dear]

Bravo, a wonderful review. My husband and I are sailing on the Glory from Norfolk to Bermuda in October. We have only been on Spirit class ships so we enjoyed all of your tips about the Glory. The videos were a special treat, especially the one of the atrium. Thank you !

[Akgoalie7]

Is anyone from Carnival reading this? If so, I do have a few suggestions for you! I loved our cruise on the Carnival Glory and would give it an "A-" rating. Here's how you could bring it up to a solid "A"...

• Longer hours for the burrito bar! I just don't understand why you only keep this open for 3 hours on most days. Open it first thing in the morning, serving breakfast burritos made with eggs. Transition over to conventional burritos about 10 AM. And keep it open all the way through dinner time!
  
• Put real king-sized beds in at least some of the cabins. Why does every cabin have two twins that are pushed together to make a king? A bad bed ruins 8 hours of every 24... and that's an awful lot of my vacation to have to try to overlook. And speaking of the beds... have you put Carnival Comfort Beds in all the cabins of the Carnival Glory yet? I've slept on a Carnival Comfort Bed before, and the one on the Glory was nowhere near as comfortable.
  
• Spend more time in Nassau! A few hours here is not enough. Find a way to allow the ship to stay later in the afternoon.
  
• Have someone other than Jorge Solano make the public address announcements during the safety drill. He's got too much of an accent and doesn't read out loud very well... probably not the guy who should be making safety announcements. Have someone who speaks clearly make those announcements for George.
  
• Replace the safes that are in the cabins. Using a credit card to open a safe... that's a REALLY dumb system! Credit cards are one of the things the passengers want to lock up inside the safe! Go see how the safes work in the cabins of Norwegian Cruise Line ships. That's a much better system. Each person just punches in a unique combination of numbers at the beginning of the cruise... and that's the combination that will open the safe. It's simple and convenient.
  
• Put more power outlets in the cabins of your next generation of ships. In this day and age, it's not unusual for people to need to charge a cell phone, laptop computer, and digital camera overnight.
  
• Your ship cruises to Mexico. How about serving Mexican food a little more often? You've got multiple buffet lines in the Red Sail restaurant. How about making one of them a Mexican buffet during the day?
  
• The way you offer free soft-serve ice cream 24/7 is brilliant. Now you need to do the same thing for soft drinks such as Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, etc. Self-serve soda dispensers are commonplace in the food industry. Put them on your ships!
  
• The 24-hour pizza bar is a great idea, too. Now all you have to do is throw out your pizza recipe and come up with a better one. The pizza you currently serve is about as good as what is available in the frozen section of my local grocery store. And how about serving it buffet style, like they do at lunch time at my two favorite pizza restaurants back home?
  

 

Believe it or not, that's the end of my review!

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions...

 

 

Actually, most of us around here use something different than a credit card. Some use old gift cards or anything else with a magnetic strip. I use my driver's license.

[pcrum]

Actually, most of us around here use something different than a credit card. Some use old gift cards or anything else with a magnetic strip. I use my driver's license.

 

We have been using an old Barnes and Noble gift card for years for the in room safe!

[iggy's mom]

Thanks for posting your review! Love the pictures. :)

[CRUISING71]

Awesome review. We are in Orange County and planning a BRB next year.

Your review is so detail and help answer a lot of our questions.

[nybumpkin]

Sadly, on our Glory cruise, the one and only time we tried to use the jacuzzi in the gym, it was jam packed. As we left, more people came to use it, so I think the secret is out!

 

Also, apparently not all Conquest class ships have the jacuzzi in the gym. On our Thanksgiving Liberty cruise, when I asked in the spa what happened to the jacuzzi, I was told they took it out in order to make the gym larger. I wasn't too happy about that!:mad:

It was pretty crowded when we sailed on Glory last September. It was raining outside, so everyone was inside. However, I'm looking forward to it in July!

 

Glory and Freedom are the only two Conquest-class ships with the jacuzzi in the gym. Apparently they decided they needed an aerobics room on the other ships.:(

[nessz79]

I'm just getting to post 6 and I love your trip report! Thanks so much for sharing- you two are such a nice couple!

[cruisinthemed]

WOW...What a fabulous review!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to type it and including pics & video. My DF & I will be on the Glory doing a B2B (almost the exact itinerary) in Nov. This will be our wedding (getting married on St. Thomas), honeymoon & my 50th B-Day cruise. We also live in Ca. (So Cal) and (together) have always done the Mexican Riviera & Baja itineraries. I have been on a four day Caribbean & Western Med. prior to us meeting.

 

I too, believe the gift basket was for doing the B2B. We spend some time in the casino & have received gifts, by calling the players club prior to sailing. It is always nice to have gifts in our cabin.

 

Thanks for the tips on how to get to some of the special places. We will definately be able to find them, now!!! Congratulations to you & your wife.

[cuted126]

I LOVE reviews especially pictorial ones,but this one is by far the best!! Me and dh really enjoyed the video you added as well! I appreciate you sharing your cruise with us! Your pics are breathtaking!

[KY Deb]

Crazy computer!

[KY Deb]

Really enjoyed your review. Looking forward to our November Glory cruise to the western Caribbean. I was on the fence about the cave tubing. You just helped me make up my mind.

 

The guy who came up to you in San Juan has been running that scam for years. I fell to it once myself up on the street in Isla Verde. That was before it was posted on the Cruise Critic San Juan board. He tells a great story!!! Funny, the very next night after I gave him money, he was out on the street again with a young couple. I was walking their way and as I went past I told the couple to just walk away, that this guy was running a scam. So they started walking and he yells after me, "Thanks alot!". So I sort of felt better since I saved one couple from falling victim.

[CRUISING71]

Jim,

 

We are planning our BRB for next summer and I have a few questions:

 

1/ There are many Carnival ships leaving out of Miami, why did you chose the Glory and not the other?

 

2/ At one point, did you plan one week on the Glory and the next week on an another ship? If you did, why did you change your mind and stay BRB on the same ship?

 

Thanks,

Tibby

[Catrin]

Absolutely AMAZING review and pics...

 

But.. you quote..

 

"On the way back to the ship, with my two 8-packs of Coke in hand, we were approached by a middle-aged gentleman that looked American and who asked us if we spoke English. When I told him we did, he was visibly relieved. At first I thought he was just going to ask for directions, but then he launched in to a speech about being a tourist visiting Puerto Rico with his elderly grandfather and I sensed I was being given some kind of sales pitch. About this time I was noticing that he spoke in a manner that indicated extreme stress, and also that he had some cuts and bruises on his face. It turns out that he and his father had been mugged, and that he needed $8 in cab fare to get back to his hotel. You may be thinking that this was some kind of scam, but I'm pretty good at reading people and this guy's story rang true with me... and the cuts and bruises on his face would have been hard to fake. I took a few steps away from him so that I had some maneuvering room if he made a move towards me, and then I took out my wallet and gave him a $20 bill. The look of relief and appreciation on his face was priceless. He gave me his email address and asked me to email him so that he could get our address and repay us."

 

 

I am so sorry, but you have been had.

 

Very old San Juan scam that has been documented MANY times here on the Cruise Critic boards.

 

I am sure your generosity to this scam artist will pay you back someday!

 

Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures and story.

 

Catrin

[Spaniel Lover]

1/ There are many Carnival ships leaving out of Miami, why did you chose the Glory and not the other?

 

2/ At one point, did you plan one week on the Glory and the next week on an another ship? If you did, why did you change your mind and stay BRB on the same ship?

 

I wanted to sail on a class of ships that I had not sailed on before. I had been on the Spirit class, the Fantasy class, and on the Splendor... so I was looking at a Conquest class, Triumph class, the Destiny, or the Dream. I also wanted to sail out of Miami... and most importantly I wanted to do back-to-back cruises with different itineraries. This pretty much narrowed it down to the Glory.

 

There was never any thought of flying out to the east coast twice for two different cruises at two different times. The plan was always to do a back-to-back so that we could experience as many ports of call as possible while only paying for airfare once. Plus, one week has never seemed like a long enough cruise for me!

[Spaniel Lover]

I just read on John Heald's Facebook page that Cruise Director Jorge Solano is retiring. That explains a LOT! It really seemed on our cruise like his heart wasn't in it and that he just had it on "auto-pilot". He delegated a lot of duties to the entertainment staff. Now I understand it. He had already mentally retired.

[raylene5]

Awesome, detailed review and amazing pictures! And I agree, the Epic is disastrously ugly! She looks great on the inside and I love that they put solo cabins in it but boy is she an eyesore! :)

[LBumb]

just watched the video, great job

[tazco]

What a great way to spend my lazy Sunday afternoon....sharing a cruise with you and your lovely wife. Thank you for the wonderful review especially the video. I have not seen that done before. Love the picture on your profile of your puppies.

[sarahleebones]

Absolutely FANTASTIC review! loved all the pics and the videos! We will be on the Glory in 13 days!!!!!! First cruise (of hopefully many more to come). I love all the detail you gave.

 

Thanks so much for such a fabulous review!

[mimxmom]

What a wonderful review - I thoroughly enjoyed it and your pictures are fantastic! We were on the April 3 - 10 sailing of the Glory and had great time! We also went to Gumbalimba Park while at Roatan but then did the Jolly Roger snorkelling tour after.

 

You mentioned the bed not being comfortable. We were on Deck 6 and ours was FABULOUS! Maybe not all cabins go the upgraded beds?

 

Anyway...thanks for sharing your experience....