The Longest (& most ostentatious) Carnival Glory to Canada Review [6/25 5 Day:Boston]

[DebBrown]

Great review!! Keep it coming!!

[iletired]

Halifax, NS.

 

For the first time on the ship, I slept through my alarm and room service. It wasn’t until I realized the buzzing on my phone wasn’t in my dream, but real life. I gave the room service lady a larger trip for my distraction. At least I had coffee ready to go. I proceeded to the gym and had a brief work out. It was nice to see us pull into port as I was in the bow running and weight lifting. Still hot, although not as bad as the first morning. As I figured, less people showed up this time around!

 

 

 

I showered and then returned to my room to finish up my room service and watch us finish docking at Halifax. I wasn’t in as huge of a rush- I only had 2 things I needed to get done I wanted to do, 1 filler (which sounds bad, but the activity that I wanted to do but wasn’t sure how the other two would go), and a final tour I planned on doing right before the ship. I took it easy and was off the ship by 9:30. We did finish docking about five minutes later, but they were much more efficient in setting up the gangway. There was a cute moose to take a photo with as you left.

 

 

 

In this cruise’s spirit of weather, the minute we got off the ship, it poured. Everyone in the terminal was very friendly and had an information center. Some volunteers handed out maps right after you left the ship, but the maps were very small and brief. I’d suggest veering to your left and finding the two sweet ladies who helped me and gave me a much more detailed map and even drew arrows to help me go where I needed to go. This map was much better than the small map I got off the ship.

 

 

 

Before I left, I called on 6/21 to book a tour at the Province House. For those who have never heard of it, it is the seat of Nova Scotia’s legislature. This might sound really obscure thing to go to, but I loved it! As a history geek, I thought it would be interesting. I guess you really didn’t need to call, but I did because the AAA Book said so. Remind me if you are interested to post the phone number, if not, you can look it up on their website. Security is standard, nothing too major. I guess they forgot to put me in the visitor book, because they were totally clueless when I arrived.

However, I had to get there first, in the pouring rain. The first building I almost went into ended up learning it was the Lt. Governor’s house. Wouldn’t want to ding dong ditch that house… I was lost and soaking wet and my map kept hitting me from the wind and rain. I walked into the next building (The Nova Scotia’s commissioner’s office) who told me where to go, and handed me a new map. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

Upon entering and going through security, they were trying to figure out what was going on. I guess someone was already on weekend duty when I called to book it. I ended up with a guy named Keith, who was around my age in his young twenties. An intern or summer person, I don’t know, but he was very good. I think I liked it better with him because we were similar ages, so I felt at ease to converse, rather than the older gentleman who seemed lost.

 

 

He showed me some of the “crown jewels” (a large silver gold plated stick, forgive me if you from NS, I don’t know what it was), and explained the whole government. I might teach history, but Canada and commonwealth law is just so confusing. Not that I don’t get it- its just different than what we are used to in the states. I didn’t think I could take photos, but he let me do it just fine and even ended up taking a few photos of me!

 

 

 

We proceeded into the old upper house chamber- I learned that most Canadian provinces got rid of their upper house (appointed people) and just has one duly elected lower house. This legislature is the oldest operating one in Canada, and he explained how there were democratic elections in Halifax before the US even existed, which were held in the 1750s. The room is now a meeting hall, and was set up for a gay pride event. The staff was also setting up for Canada Day events (Which is next week), so I hope I gave Keith a good practice run. He said Canada Day was the busiest day of the year.

 

 

He took me into the library, which was filled with pretty much every published book about Nova Scotia (Which I’m just going to abbreviate as NS because I’m too lazy to type it) in addition to all their laws. The old ones from the 1890s were at the top, very much dusty. An interesting thing was that this used to be the Supreme Court of NS. He explained about a major court case that was the US version of the Zenger trial. A man was arrested for printing government corruption. For over six hours, he pled his case by himself, as no lawyer would take his case. This is as close as a filibuster gets in Canada. The judge recommended he be found guilty, the jury ruled him not guilty. It set precedence for freedom of the press in Canada.

 

 

 

After, I went into the tiny, but still well done, lower house chamber. The floor was laid out by party and the speaker was in the center. Keith, my guide, was explaining different leaders and positions, and due to both of our relatively young ages, pointed out one legislature’s seat, who was elected in his low twenties. There is hope for me still! He even let me sit in the Speaker’s chair! EEK! Gasp!

 

 

 

 

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I soon parted ways with my very good guide. I keep a mental note of their names, I hope to call their bosses or make sure they are recognized for their good jobs! Province House was about a twenty to twenty five minute walk, but worth it. It is totally free! I made my way to the Maritime Museum. I bought tickets on my own, which were 2 dollars cheaper in person, than buying from Carnival. The area is within walking distance of the ship- about ten to fifteen minutes. I should note that Halifax is substantially better as a walking city than Saint John.

[iletired]

The Maritime museum was smaller than I expected, but was not short on details! If you buy on your own and have AAA or CAA, show them your card. You get about a one or two dollar discount (don’t recall the number off hand). They had many exhibits that discussed the start of Halifax’s founding. Naturally, it went into the Maritime history of it. Upstairs, they had so many large scale models, I couldn’t take a photo of every single one. They also had a brief history of the Canadian Navy, and even a small reading on women in Canada’s navy during WWII. It was so small and on an ezel, that you could have missed.

 

 

 

 

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I thought that their exhibit on the Arctic was excellent! One of the things they did was make it interactive. They had cards with names of explorers who went on some of the Arctic discovery expeditions. You took the card and many of the exhibits let you know what they did. I had someone named Mupha (spelling?). He was an Inuit who helped with the dogs for the sleds. He survived! Not everyone made it. I loved this set up and I could experience the arctic along with it.

 

 

 

One of the generous things about Boston was how they helped Halifax in a major explosion that happened when two boats collided. To this day, Halifax gives a Christmas Tree to Boston. They had a very large segment dedicated to this local history. I found it fascinating because of its devastating impact on the whole city. So many died in the incident and it leveled a whole section of the city, that doesn’t exist anymore. This may sound horrible, but thanks to the Titanic Disaster, they were able to identify more bodies using a similar number method when they recovered bodies. Sounds bad, but at least some family members were able to get closure and a proper burial. I made my way to the side where they had full scale ships.

 

 

 

The upstairs had sooo many full scale models that you could see the evolution of ships. A lot of these are carefully detailed and many being hand resorted. Their archives of works can also be seen in the open area.

 

 

Finally, was the exhibit I was most excited about: Titanic. I’m a big Titanic guy, so it was really interesting to see and read the stories. They had an original deck chair that was recovered, a large piece of the wall, and many more relics. The saddest was a pair of shoes from an unknown baby. It reminds you of the tragedy that took place. In more interactive and happier news, they had a replica deck chair you could sit on. It was horribly uncomfortable.

 

 

 

 

I did find it fascinating, albeit a tad disturbing, to see the segregation of the classes, both in life, and in death. The treatment passengers got was so much different, and sadly, mostly based on race and wealth. They walked you through the different classes and their survival rates. For example, a first class male was more apt to live than a third class child. There is an optional (Additional fee of $2.50) movie to watch. I took a pass on it. The lady said it was made in the 90s. That’s so twenty years ago!

 

 

The swirls are names of those on the ship, survivors and those who died

[iletired]

Looking at the time, I was shocked that I was so ahead of schedule. I proceeded to my next activity, the citadel. I missed the cannons at noon (11am Boston time), but went up the steep hill (About fifteen minute walk from Maritime museum, although it is on a hill) to get my ticket. I came at the right time, around the top of the hour, in order to watch the changing of the guard. If I were you, I would check this area out, because it was nice.

 

 

The best thing about the Citadel was how all the volunteers went out of their way to help you, in particular, without being asked. I really appreciated this, as they were very informative. For example, two ladies called me as I was at one of the corners and told me about the stairs that were near me, which led to a “holding cell” for drunk and misbehaving soldiers. Another one explained about how the cannon was made, and told me when he was out to watch it. Yet another saw me taking photos and suggested an amazing lookout vantage.

 

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My favorite: this guy who was doing quill writing for fake enlistment papers. I went on five sheets of paper because of smuged ink, writing the wrong information, and it just got to be so many times we were having fun with it. The first time I messed up, I threw it in the trash trying to bounce it like a basketball. Epic fail. Second time: epic fail. The third and fourth time, I nailed it. I ended it by watching the guy who explained the cannon procedure, shooting off the canyon. I took a video of t, and you can obviously tell how shocked I was as the whole camera convulsed as I wrote. They were training the new guys on how to do the cannon, so I watched the how-to procedure for a good fifteen minutes. I think I can do it in my sleep now! Good guys, it really made the Citadel worth going because the volunteers were kick-ass. Yes, I did just write that.

 

 

After, I meandered running around trying to find the Alexander Keith brewery. I must have walked and walked, and was totally lost. I found my way back at the pier and ended up asking the information lady from above to help me out. She again took out a new map and highlighted my walking route to get to where I needed to go. I got there just in time for the “sold out” 3:30 tour, and I asked if I can sneak in. He said… that was an hour ago. I felt like an idiot because the tour times were set on Atlantic Time, but I was able to at least get in at the 4:30 one… and I arrived at 4:27 Atlantic time.

 

 

The tour was a bit expensive for my taste, but it was worth it. The girls who did the tour were very animated. They even gave you a chance to play with things. As a wine maker, the process was similar, although beer is different. I’m not a huge beer guy, but seeing the process is always interesting. She let me mash the hops! Let me tell you it’s easier mashing fruit for wine. The tour ended with singing, drinking games, and dancing. They gave you a full glass of beer to try, and I liked the red ale, and when I finished, they gave me another. Too bad I was half way through that beer when we had to leave. I chugged it, which probably wasn’t great because I had not eaten all day, aside from breakfast.

 

 

(Edit: it was at this point I realized that aside from some fruit, juice, and croissant, I had nothing else for the day and got a feeling of “WOW IM STARVING” and “WOW IM THIRSTY”)

 

 

I proceeded to the farmer’s market, which had free wifi. Despite having my kindle, I needed to work on an actual working phone for a bit. I needed to check my credit card, making sure everything processed right from Canada. I am a bit concerned about my car rental price being weird… I hope it is just extra money for a hold until I return- like how they charge you more for gas until they know how much you got. I used VOIP to call my father, which was a bit hard, as VOIP on a public connection in Canada isnt’ great. (EDIT: Car price was fixed, must have been a hold for extra)

 

 

 

A school I applied to for a full time position was so interested in me, they left multiple voice mails today (10, 12, 2, 4…) and using Google Voice, I can get my voicemails transcribed into text for free. I saw this so I called them on VOIP. Poor lady couldn’t hear me the first call, tried again and it was still a fail. I ended up saying I’m so sorry- out of the country sign me up for whatever time and I will go- she just said to call on Monday they’ll block a time off for me. Seeing as my resume is based on world travel experience- I hope they understand!

 

 

 

(Edit: called when I returned and got it taken care of! Lady was so nice on the phone, we had a laugh about the connection! My biggest fear on taking a trip was missing an interview or a call for one, and both happened. The good thing was interview was on the way to the ship and call was sorted out very professionally when I returned))

 

 

I cut my time so close, that I walked on the ship at 5:25- you needed to be on at 5:30. And, low and behold, the mighty security monster attacked me. I loved my dad enough to get him maple syrup flavored BBQ sauce, which sent the security guy into an angry rage thinking I was smuggling booze, despite telling him it was BBQ sauce- he made me unwrap the neatly wrapped and tightly packed glass case just to make sure I wasn’t lying. I get the security guys, but if someone says something, can’t you trust me? Frustrating to say the least. How does one even mistake BBQ sauce for booze??

 

 

I returned and got ready to sail away. I went again to the front of Deck 6, where I saw more people this time! It was nice that I’m not the only one who went. I did another sail away video, which was great for the first three minutes. In typical fashion for this cruise, it started downpouring. I got so wet my shirt is like a lido-deck towel after a full day of use (on a warm cruise at least, not this one). Soaking wet, I returned to my cabin. I typed the above while trying to warm up. Despite warming up, I am starving. I must leave for dinner, as I know a warm chocolate melting cake will warm me right up!

 

It’s been a few hours and I have returned much earlier than expected. I was dying of starvation when I returned from the ship – it wasn’t until around 3:30 and I was sitting down at a place to watch a brief movie about the man behind the beer, that I first thought, “Wow I’m thirsty” and chugged my water. I pretty much was a vacuum to my food at the dining hall. I got my usual two-soup trip (bing cherry soup and corn chowder- if my brother in law reads this, yours is much better! :P) , and beef is what’s for dinner. I concluded with my typical warm chocolate melting cake.

 

 

Knowing I was in pain from walking so much, I put my swimsuit on and headed to the gym. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but the best hidden secret is the enclosed whirlpool and not-working but still warm but having no jets larger pool right behind it. This is located in the spa and for adults only. It was nice to just relax in the hot water for over a half hour. I went into the sauna for another half hour. I started feeling blah- perhaps the movement of the ship, or the fact I scarfed down so much food and then went into a hot tub. Who knows… but I’m going to bed earlier than I expected.

 

 

One final thing I would like to mention is the random guest I met in the sauna. He was actually a Carnival worker. He noted that the entertainment staff was all new- my guess is when the ship went to Canada, they got a new crew. He said they didn’t practice with mics on land like usual, and he had to stay longer than expected with the show and staff change, in order to work on the audio and visual stuff. I only note this because I’ve read and heard some commentary (including some from mother) about a few of the shows sucking. I think I may attribute this to some of the new staff changes, this in probably only their 3-4 sailing, and kinks should slowly smooth out.

 

 

It’s 11, and I never sleep this early, but seeing as I’ve been nodding off on Aft Deck 9 the past half hour before I came back to my room… I gotta do this. Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

[iletired]

Brewery:

 

 

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Ship and city:

 

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Animal!

 

(You can tell I got the photo phase finally down!)

[Brighton Line]

Great Review, thank you.

 

On the Glory two years ago, you at least were able to see the bow. Not so much for us. During the Behind the Fun Tour from the bridge you could not see the bow. They rushed us off the bridge because of the fog, extra watch standers. Even in this digital age during zero visibility an actual human is required (Helmsman) to stand at the wheel of the ship just in case the radar watch or visual watch misses something and be able to turn the ship quickly (Que Titanic Music please). It was amazing.

 

Really thanks for the pictures as I'm back on the Glory in a month and a half.

[kylesmom]

Can't wait for more!!!!

[Seago2]

Love! One more day of work... And I'm off in your cruise next week. I've done Halifax on CB but I gave it .00001% of a shot compared to you. Hope you got the job!

[cormike1]

Enjoying your postings and your pictures. Looking forward to reading more!

[Cairnmom]

Enjoying your review and hope you post the rest before I'm on the ship :D!!

[lemonysnicker]

Oh my. I stand corrected. Someone writes more than me? Too bad I can't change the name of my thread!

 

 

 

I've traveled abroad (lived in China, internship in Paris, traveled across Europe multiple times) so I've picked up some foreign mannerisms. I'm a native born American and speak standard American English.

 

 

 

No, I thought about high tea, but I did not go. Next cruise, I shall check it out!

 

I went to Tea Time. IIRC, it was Cruise Casual, but I like to dress up, so I made sure DS and I were dressed nicely. Tea was nice, but with the same offerings as in the Lido, but the desserts were AWESOME. Macarons! I was a little sad that they came around only once to my table. I would have loved seconds, but didn't want to seem like a piggy.

[Lisa&Neb]

LOVING everything that I'm reading. I can't wait until this time next week as we board Tuesday.

[NancyC]

Really enjoying your review and you are helping me with plans for my cruise on the Glory in Sept.

[SweetpeaOne]

Love the review and the photos. Thanks for sharing. That is really sweet that you took your mom on a cruise.

[cdubmom]

I went to Tea Time. IIRC, it was Cruise Casual, but I like to dress up, so I made sure DS and I were dressed nicely. Tea was nice, but with the same offerings as in the Lido, but the desserts were AWESOME. Macarons! I was a little sad that they came around only once to my table. I would have loved seconds, but didn't want to seem like a piggy.

 

Yay!!! So glad to hear this! We like to dress up for tea too! Thanks for the heads-up to grab an extra macaroon on the first pass through! :)

[volacruzing]

From a fellow teacher, leaving on the 7 day in less than 3 weeks, can we have more of your review? I am impatiently waiting. Loved it so far.:D

[iletired]

Day 5: Final Day at Sea

 

 

This morning I woke up much earlier, mostly because I went to bed so early! I did feel much better, even though the ship was rocking. I actually called room service and asked them to bring me my food much earlier than I asked (8 vs 9, and I called at 7:30), but I honestly didn’t think I’d be up. My legs are sore, but manageable! Be prepared to walk!! It is also quite amusing to weigh yourself on a digital scale when the ship is rocking- one weight said 178… the next 169. I’m going to go with the 169, seeing as it’d be impossible to gain 13 pounds in 5 days… I’ll go for the 3 pounds.

 

 

 

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The ship has been rocking all day, which is part of the excitement. I know everyone hopes for smooth sailing, but I usually hope at least one day, or a few hours even, have some rocky seas. It makes the experience much more exciting! I sure got it today, and the fog horn got a good work out as well!

 

 

Before we headed to Bingo, my mother and I packed and got everything ready for tonight. It was easier to get it done while waiting, as Bingo was at 1030 and we ate at eight. We arrived at Amber Lounge earlier and saw there was a trivia game, which we endured. Sadly, I did a horrible job! They were mind games you had to listen very carefully to get the right answer.

 

 

 

I booked it to bingo card registration, where I hoped I would win and not get cut off by someone and have them win. Bingo was the letter H, and I did well. When it was finally called, I was only three numbers away. Alas, the 250$ was not mine.

 

 

 

We stayed to fold towel animals. I was hoping the towels would be warm, since the Amber Palace was very cold, as was the whole ship. You’d think for a colder weather cruise, they would adjust the weather. This is something I encountered frequently on the ship. This was mildy amusing. I did surprisingly well with the first animal (A dog), but my bear looked like an elephant sitting down. It was fun watching everyone try to put the same thing together. Even worse was seeing the room steward put the towel together in ten seconds. I keep the towel animals every day from the ship and usually place them somewhere in the room. Sadly, I had a casualty this morning with one of them falling off the window, but the rest remained alive!

 

 

 

(IT'S A STINGRAY!!!!!)

 

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[iletired]

Since I am a past guest, I got a free drink coupon. I got my buzz’s worth for this one: a long island iced tea. We had not yet been to the Punchline Brunch, and were excited to see what it is. The menu was pretty good, although it was more geared to breakfast (75%) than lunch (25%). You can get anything from eggs Benedict to an omelet for breakfast, and they had bacon mac (which I almost got) and quesadillas with a fried egg (Which I did get) for lunch styled foods. The comedy is about 5 minutes every hour. I did not care for this- I thought it was a waste of time. Brunch is fine, but I just don’t like being interrupted eating and relaxing. The same goes for the shows in the dining rooms, they just aren’t my cup of tea, which reminds me, Carnival doesn’t have peppermint tea!

 

 

 

(POPOVERS!)

 

 

The food came very fast, and was decent. The Caesar salad was a very nice portion, much larger than you would get at dinner. However, the anchovy taste was very overpowering. I know it generally has anchovies, but usually the flavor is subtle. This was very overpowering, in a bad way. I only finished half. Later at dinner, my mother wanted to order one and asked our waiter if they could make some with anchovies, which they did for her. I will keep this is memory. The rancheros (quesadilla with egg on top) was quite yummy! For those who hate runny yolks, the yolks were runny! I loved it though. Desert came and went, and my churros were promptly digested. The long island iced tea I had was very good, although the time it took to receive it was a bit slow.

 

 

I am an avid walker and enjoy long walks in the park (yes, I know it sounds corny, but I do!) and light hikes. They had a seminar called Walking in Comfort, which I assumed would talk about walking and strategies to work with that. This seminar, as the detox-weight loss seminar, were very much far off of what their titles were called. The detox one went overboard with anti-chemical propaganda, going so far to state that all sunscreen is horrible (Except this 100$ a bottle for 8oz you can buy on the ship) and taking Motrin will destroy you. The Walking seminar followed the same suit. I left after ten minutes, as I did with the other seminar. They lure you in with the name and then the topics change promptly.

 

 

Despite my frustration with the art action, I was bored, nothing fun was luring me in, and pretty tipsy. I enjoyed it half drunk this time. I made a bid, and wish I went up, but it passed my budget point by a few dollars- and I had to stick within range. I cheered loud enough that I was actually able to win a bottle of champagne! The service for the free glasses was much better as well. I guess my advice to anyone is look at going with a drink or two in you, and sit on your bid card so you don’t bid by mistake!

 

 

I checked out the Casino, hoping to carry on my success. I was down 15 at one point, and then went up 10. Sadly for me, despite my large gains, ended up cashing out down 19.81. Oh well. I spent my limit and not a dime more, which is pretty good. When I go to the casino around town, I give my credit cards, etc. to friends and tell them if I get crazy to take my card out of the machine. As pissy as I get, I thank them afterwards. So, props to me for being pretty well tipsy at this point and staying within my personal limit.

I attended the second and final showing of the Hasboro Game Show. Again, I found it quite enjoyable. They did the Sorry sliders, which was uttly hysterical. The ship was moving pretty strong then, and led to the pawns moving on their own fruition. They also did the Operation Sam, which was exciting, but the slots very hard to see. I wish they had a zoom in of it on the large screens, as they did with Sorry.

 

 

 

Again, maybe this is my jaded life view, but as glad as I am that kids were on stage having fun, the adults weren’t. If they were going to have two shows to begin with, why not set one as an adults only show? I saw many adults, myself included, who were trying to get on stage, and were utterly sidelined by children. Call me mean, evil, jaded, spiteful, or whatever; but the cruise is for adults as well. I teach and am all for giving children life experiences, but sometimes the adults want a vacation too. If you are going to have two showings, why not make one for adults to take part in? Despite my frustrations, it was still fun to watch, just saddned I couldn’t have been in. Perhaps I should have shaved… it makes me look ten years younger, and I already look young for 24.

 

 

 

I returned to my cabin to tidy up some things and take a powernap. Twenty minutes later, I meandered the ship, taking some last minute photos. I tested out this photosphere feature the other day on my cell phone. It lets me turn the photo into an interactive 3d sphere-type graphic. I did a bunch of my room and the ship. The rendering of the photos leads to some funny images (For example the door looks like it’s crooked fun house), but it hopefully gives you a good understanding of the ship.

(EDIT: I HAVE NO CLUE HOW TO POST THESE. I'll try later!)

 

 

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[iletired]

We had to wait about a half hour for dinner. Not that there was a line, but because Edwin, the waiter we had who we really enjoyed, was busy. Being the last day and that we spent the past few days having a good relationship with him, I opted to wait. We needed to check our photos, so we did so right above us. The photos, as you figured, are overpriced. I’m sure if they cut prices in half, they would get more volume in sales to overcome their deficit in revenue. But, I don’t teach economics… well haven’t since a few hours in a school before I student taught… so what am I to know. A few of them were really good. I was very ticked though. A few hours before we went, I put all the photos together and in order of best-to-worst, and moved them in a slot closer to the door to help my mother not walk so far. When I came back with her before dinner, they were moved, and all out of order. I felt a bit creeped out someone was looking at my stuff.

 

 

 

Sorry, I stole. :P

 

 

Dinner was okay. I continued my spree of two soups for starters. I love soup and a lot of the stuff, especially the cold soups, are things I don’t usually make at home. The rolls were not so great today. This may just be an overkill let down, because I was very impressed with having warm popovers during brunch. We loved them sooooo much we asked for more, and those were gone after a few minutes. The cut of prime rib I got was very fatty- I only ate about half. The meat part was good, but the fat was a bit much for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I loved our whole wait staff, and for desert, I asked Maria (one of the assistants) to predict what I’d get (because she knew I always got melting cake) and she did so. However, I was like in my head, “I don’t see any of that on the menus?!?!”. I was given an old menu by mistake. It wasn’t a big issue, it was just funny because when she showed me the new menu, her prediction of what I was going to get in addition to the melting cake was spot on! The melting cake was gooey glorious goodness that I will miss! After a brief photo with Edwin, we headed out of the Golden Restaurant for the final time.

 

 

I ran down to get the last of our baggage ready, and change to go to the spa for a final run of the whirlpool and sauna. This did not occur, as the spa was closed already. My guess is they were setting up and cleaning things for the next cruise. Despite my minor annoyance, I ran all the way back to the aft of the ship (as the spa is at the port side) to the aft deck pools. I was just going to change in the bathroom, but the bathroom was blocked off- I said screw it and went to my room, changed, and five minutes later I was relaxing in the whirpool. I wanted to cool down, but the small pool was not heated and ice cold. I opted to cool down on a chair.

 

 

 

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Much of the late evening events that are scheduled are music things. I love music, however, I am not a huge party-loud-roudy-music-club-oldies music person. The music offerings, and almost all of the show offerings were not my tastes. Perhaps it is just the cruise, or things I like aren’t that popular. The things I really wanted to do were all lumped together, so scheduling was a bit of a nightmare. I am a dooer- and large chunks of unoccupied time aren’t my usual, so the scheduling of things I wanted to do, most of which were all at the same time, was a bit disappointing. This isn’t something I can control, though I hope Carnival can adjust the scheduling in the future. I returned a bit early to my cabin, wrote this, and going to relax some before getting ready to leave the ship.

[iletired]

Debarkation and Final Thoughts:

 

 

I am pleased to announce my safe return to my house, although not without some controversies. This morning started early, as debarkation usually does. However, being that we had handicap assisted debarkation, and our zone was 28, we had plenty of time to kill. I muted my phone and turned it on: the onslaught on notifications ensued. Room service came early (not surprised) and we were able to eat our breakfast and look out our windows in the Boston Harbor.

 

 

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I headed out to take a few last minute photos while my mother did a sweep (visually) in the room to make sure everything was packed. I didn’t bother getting up to watch us dock in Boston- watching us go out on Tuesday was beautiful and I was still half awake.

 

 

 

I returned and packed every last thing so we could just go when we were called. When they announced 18-22, we made our way to depart. I enjoyed the ship, and it made me want to cruise again soon. It had been a five year gap for me. The staff on the ship was helpful in letting us get ready and off early- before our zone was called. In a few short minutes, we were being rolled off deck, and on our way to finish the cruise. We picked up our bags and Carnival dropped my mother off on a bench. My Carnival journey was at last, over. However, the nightmare had just began.

 

 

The plan was for my mother to have the luggage and I would get the car and pick her up, and the luggage up. I waited in a massive line to go back to the cell phone lot, where we parked. Since I had no luggage, they let me go to the front. Sorry if I cut anyone- I had nothing except my body! I got the car prepped and made my way down to pick her up. The hell began.

 

 

I drove through, as planned to meet her. I went towards the area where I was, explaining what I was doing to the cop on the side. He waved me through. I moved my car as close as I could to my mother, although I could not see her, she was waiting with everything about fifteen feet away. Within seconds, I was treated to yelling screaming and shouting, by multiple police officers and cruiseport (NOT Carnival) staff to leave.

 

 

I tried to explain to them what I was doing: my mother is disabled and can’t walk well, she is fifteen feet over there and I need to pick her up. They had none of it. They started to yell, threaten to arrest and ticket me, all because I was trying to explain what I was doing: helping my disabled mother. They told me if I didn’t leave I’d get arrested or a ticket- I was on the verge of tears. The only way I could get my mother in my car is if she walked one hundred feet, with two suitcases and two bags.

 

 

As I pulled away, some cruiseport employee (NOT Carnival) yelled to a cop as I drove away, “Watch this little punk kid over here”, in a demeaning manner. I drove around and pulled in a lot to call my mother and explain what happened. I had been so patient and brave with helping her all trip, I finally broke down in tears on the phone with her. I was so upset at how I was treated and how she was having to suffer- being made to walk over 100 feet, without a wheelchair, with bags. I don’t know how clearer I could have put it, my mother is DISABLED she CAN’T WALK but they did nothing to accommodate and help her. I was begging for them to understand and help her, but was insulted and demeaned.

 

 

On the phone, she asked cop who was pacing the door area if he could call over a porter to help her. He said he couldn’t help her, and that if she wanted a porter, she would have to walk one hundred feet to where the porters were standing. She felt insulted and told me she was in disbelief and stunned that the cop refused to help her. How heartless could that cop have been, to see a disabled women who clearly can’t walk well, and tell her if she needs help she has to walk to get it.

 

 

After I composed myself enough in the parking lot, I redrove to the area I was supposed to be. An officer again came over to me, this time yelling again that I wasn’t supposed to be there, and if I was picking someone up, they had to be right there. I was in tears at this point, begging and pleading to have him listen. He finally got a brief understanding of what was going on, and after I was able to call a porter over to pick up my mother and our bags and bring her over. The officer wasn’t totally satisfied… because it was “only for people who were ready to go”- I had to back out and idle in the middle of the road until he saw her starting to walk. After five minutes, my mother safely made it to my car, along with our belongings. I was finally motioned to go, but again had to pass the previous set of officers, who I saw stare me down as I drove past, mother in tow. I again pulled over to the parking lot to cry it out before starting my five our drive home.

 

 

I’ve seen my mother go through a lot in the eight years since her botched knee surgery. I had never seen her or anyone in my family treat us like the way we were treated by the staff at the Boston Cruiseport. CARNIVAL HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. I just want to make it clear, Carnival did EVERYTHING to help her. However, once they left her, we were smugly in the hands and jurisdiction of the cruiseport staff. There were no accommodations or handicap accessible drop-off or pick up points, the staff was rude to her, and very rude to me, just for trying to make things easier on her. Perhaps I am overtly defense of my mother- what son isn’t? I do know that we shouldn’t have been treated like that, by anyone, just for trying to make life easier.

 

 

I condemn the actions of the Boston Cruiseport. I hope to God none of you with disabilities ever has to experience the hell we did at this port. I will be writing a very firm letter expressing my substantial disproval with the treatment we were afforded by the non-Carnival cruiseport staff. Our port taxes don’t deserve to go to discrimination. Boston clearly needs to have a better handling on passengers with needs- as I also recall it was on our embarkation where we waited forever to just get a wheelchair to help her on the ship.

 

 

I had respect for the Boston Police Department after all they had gone through. I have many friends who live there, and I had been looking at work in the area to be closer to them. As a founding city of freedom, the rights of a disabled person should not have been encroached. I lost all respect I had for them the way I was treated. While I understand security, there needs to be a plan to accommodate this. The port was CLEARLY unprepared to handle this. This is an issue that needs to be rectified immediately, so no other passenger(s) have to experience the intimidation, disrespect, and failure to afford a basic quality of human compassion that we went through. There are good cops, and there are bad cops. Today, I experienced the bad ones. I do hope that Boston clearly changes these issues. A city of American freedom and spirit should embrace all, regardless of ability.

 

 

Anyone on CC want to let me know my legal actions on this and her ADA rights? Pro-bono, of course! Poor teacher here. Reach out and help if you are interested! I am in process of contacting appropriate authorities.

 

 

 

After crying it out with my mother, who in a way any mother would, reassure me, I made my way out of the city. I guess I cried so much because I care so much about her. As a mother-son cruise, I wanted her to have as much fun as she could, and have a lifetime of memories I can always have. She wasn’t as upset as I was- she never saw how I was treated in the car by the first set of officers. I just love her so deeply that I was personally effected.

 

 

I was surprised with the heavy flow of traffic throughout the day, although with the Fourth of July, I assume much of it was people on holiday or leaving for holiday. I had perfect weather, with only a few brief sprinkles. We stopped half way to meet a friend of mine for lunch. We had not seen each other in a long time, so it was nice for all of us to get together! After another two hours, we finally made our way home. It felt good to stand and relax for a bit in the house, and to see my pet fish again! The worst part is just the continued feeling of the ship moving, but it’s an experience of the ship.

 

 

My car made 777! I forgot to photograph 666... mwahahaha.

 

 

 

Everyone talks about cutbacks Carnival has taken, while I have noticed minor changes, it wasn’t anything substantial. Yes, you can notice it, but it isn’t that bad. If you are used to the higher class ships, you probably won’t like it. However, most of the clientele who go to Carnival are middle class families, younger couples, and older couples- people without vast sums of disposable income. For what you get out of a Carnival cruise, it is on par with meeting the needs of that clientele. I thought the meals were very decent, but I don’t want or need something overtly fancy. It isn’t my style in life, and even though I want something nice on vacation, I don’t want to be pranced around all foo-foo style. I did appreciate our room steward letting us do our own thing, saying Hi in the halls, but not going around and messing with papers. I know some like the stewards organizing papers, shoes, etc., but I prefer the basics. I was pleased with this style, and his tip was well earned!

 

Another thing I must have missed was a lack of a young adult meet and greet- they had stuff for teens (loved it when I was cruising during that age!), older adults (35+ meet and greet), but not much for the 20somethings. Perhaps the adage I’ve heard of the 20s being the best and worst times are correct. As someone who last cruised at 17, there were a lot of small changes I noticed. I think much of it came to my maturity of growing older and more knowledgeable. For example, I was more willing to research and do things on my own, especially out in the cities. However, I did miss the constant, relevant scheduled activities the younger crowd had- a lot of things weren’t really interesting me, especially on the sea days. Then, those that did were so beyond their brief descriptions, I didn’t want to waste my precious time.

[Seago2]

YAY! Gotta get out my iPad......

 

Edit- oh I gotta add, just reading the beginning- those Mass cruise port cops/security/cattle herders are the worst. Good thing I'm from Mass, and even though I've been gone a long time it doesn't faze me to be screamed at and hurried up by those thugs. Next time get your mom a wheelchair for the time off the ship, too.

 

Edit- yeah, the rolls are always horrible on the last night.

 

Edit- I have five sons. I hope they love me as much as you do your mom. PS: two are teachers looking for work :)

[Seago2]

Ok! Fini! That was a great review and I'm afraid you've set the bar pretty high now. I'm taking my 15 year old on that cruise next Tuesday, and then my husband is getting on in Boston and the three of us are doing the 7 day. Trust me when I tell you I will gain that 13 pounds. I love the way you had fun doing so many things and really made the most of your time in port. My son is after me to do the Titanic museum again- he loves model ships- but I can't imagine it again.... Funny how no one has ever really heard of the explosion until you actually go to Halifax. Actually I'm going to read up on it tonight.

 

I will look for Edwin! We're another couple of hours farther than you, but still in the hood: Buffalo. I think Western New Yorkers are pretty easy to please! Stay tuned for me review and wish me luck. 12 days with no Call of Duty or youtube commentaries- he loves cruising but this could be H-E-L-L.

[Ehpride]

You're such a sweet son. It's obvious you care very much about your Mom. Great review!

[davy jones]

 

 

I did find it fascinating, albeit a tad disturbing, to see the segregation of the classes, both in life, and in death. The treatment passengers got was so much different, and sadly, mostly based on race and wealth. They walked you through the different classes and their survival rates. For example, a first class male was more apt to live than a third class child. There is an optional (Additional fee of $2.50) movie to watch. I took a pass on it. The lady said it was made in the 90s. That’s so twenty years ago!

 

 

The swirls are names of those on the ship, survivors and those who died

 

A little trivia...the James Cameron Titantic movie was released in 1997.

 

I bet that makes everyone feel young :)

[iletired]

Ok! Fini! That was a great review and I'm afraid you've set the bar pretty high now. I'm taking my 15 year old on that cruise next Tuesday, and then my husband is getting on in Boston and the three of us are doing the 7 day. Trust me when I tell you I will gain that 13 pounds. I love the way you had fun doing so many things and really made the most of your time in port. My son is after me to do the Titanic museum again- he loves model ships- but I can't imagine it again.... Funny how no one has ever really heard of the explosion until you actually go to Halifax. Actually I'm going to read up on it tonight.

 

I will look for Edwin! We're another couple of hours farther than you, but still in the hood: Buffalo. I think Western New Yorkers are pretty easy to please! Stay tuned for me review and wish me luck. 12 days with no Call of Duty or youtube commentaries- he loves cruising but this could be H-E-L-L.

 

1) I went to school in Buffalo! (and not any of the state schools... trying to keep some parts of me not totally open so everyone can stalk me)

2) 15? Psh. Send him off to the 15-17 lounge, I was his age and loved it, at least getting to meet other people my age.

3) Call of duty can wait, if he's desperate you can teach him what "dial-up" was like and get him a kindle keyboard 3g to check his facebook

 

I gained about 4 (Topped at 170) now down to 168- was 167 yesterday, but pool was closed so I couldn't work out. One day I'm going to get on a ship with a 25yd lap pool!