Nervous to book Glory - HELP!

[Willowmina]

I really want to book the 4-night NYC to Canada on 8-29 with my hubby and 2 daughters (8 and 10). I haven't been on Carnival since my college years - and I prefer not to say when that was! To me - Carnival is a party boat - not a bad thing at all!, but maybe not for a 39 yo (LOL!) and family!

 

We've recently been on Oasis - LOVED it!

Also on Disney a few times - Liked it - We prefer specialty restaurant options.

 

We want to book a Suite on Glory - strange to me that there are NO suite perks! We are booked on the Epic for Easter '14.

 

Okay - so here are my concerns.... I'm sure my kids will like the kids club.... Will the dining have enough options for me? Is the cruise Family Appropriate?

 

I'm so close to booking - I just need a little push that it's the right choice for my family summer vacation... Any help would be much appreciated!

[Joeychgo]

I was on the Glory in Feb. The food was awesome! Lots to choose from.

[coyotebrian]

I really want to book the 4-night NYC to Canada on 8-29 with my hubby and 2 daughters (8 and 10). I haven't been on Carnival since my college years - and I prefer not to say when that was! To me - Carnival is a party boat - not a bad thing at all!, but maybe not for a 39 yo (LOL!) and family!

 

 

you prefer not to say when that was but then tell us your age :P

 

im 44 and love the cruises with my wife and kids, we have a blast EVERY time

[megnut78]

We went to Canada on the Glory from NYC in August 2010. It was our first family cruise and my kids were 9 and 7 and we had a great time. The Glory is a nice ship, definitely family friendly all the way around - there were a TON of kids. I'm sure there was party times, but to be honest I didn't go to the club or any of that, so I didn't see it. It was definitely rainy and a little chilly, so the pools weren't used as much. It was kinda neat to see a ton of people in their bathrobes on the lounge chairs at night watching a movie on that huge screen TV. All and all, we had a good time. The next year we opted for some place warmer and we went out of Baltimore on the Pride to the Bahamas. This year we are going out of NYC on the Splendor to the Caribbean :)

[jkrislc]

You'll be fine if you go in with the right expectations.

 

I was like you. It had been 17 years since my last Carnival cruise which wasn't all that pleasant. However, I was eager for the itinerary and to try the 2.0 features. I had also just come off a number of HAL and DCL cruises with the Disney Fantasy cruise only a few months earlier.

 

Food was very good; definitely no worse than DCL and better in some ways. I personally thought dessert was lacking, although the warm chocolate melting cake and banana split off the kids menu made up for that.

 

Entertainment at night wasn't as good, but we did make use of and enjoyed the comedy club; the main shows can't compete nor can the dive in movies or in cabin TV programming.

 

My DS (6) loved the kids club. However, be prepared to pay for after hour care or late night parties after 10 p.m.

 

Drinks are much more expensive and there's more nickel and dining, but you're also paying much less than DCL, so that's to be expected.

 

We had a pleasant enough time that we've booked the Breeze in January after our WDW trip.

[cruisecrazy82]

Love the Glory! Been on it twice, love the new upgrades as well. I am a frequent DIS'er as well and have really enjoyed all of my Carnival cruises just as much (if not more in a few instances) as my Disney cruises. Book it and enjoy!!!! Way more food options on Carnival than on DCL too :D

 

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[Dezzieleloup]

I went on a 5 day cruise on the Glory last year and loved it so much i'm going again on the Glory leaving this weekend. My brother & SiL and my Father and Stepmom are joining me this time on my cruise with my husband. I had only ever been on Celebrity and RC before this and my father is a staunch, no Celebrity cruiser, so i'm excited to get him on the ship! I had a blast. i'm 33 my husband is 39 and we loved it. I don't think you'll regret it :)

[kybluecruiser]

Don't let the term party scare you. If you see a deck party listed in the fun times its not going to be a frat party like days of old. In fact deck parties are family events now. My brother who is a baptist preacher took his family to them. They are fun times with dancing and a good family vibe.

[Willowmina]

Thanks so much for all the input! I'm still a little nervous, but you've definitely helped!

[caribsun]

You know what you like and I believe you will find fault with Glory.

[wmowan8485]

Just off the Glory last month and had a fabulous time. From what I gathered from the parents I met, they all loved the kids camp and so did their children. You will have an ample selection of foods to choose from too! Go and have a great time with your family!!!

 

The only partying that I noticed was in the night club!! ;)

[trvlgrl422]

Thanks so much for all the input! I'm still a little nervous, but you've definitely helped!

 

If you're still nervous, maybe you shouldn't book it. It sounds like you have been on some really nice ships. You're going to need to adjust your expectations. If you try to compare the ship to the others, you will have a miserable time. Go with an open mind. It's a fairly inexpensive cruise. You really can't beat the price. Your family will be enjoying some new ports as well. Relax and take things in stride, and you will have a great time.

[Vettebuf]

I wouldn't be as concerned about trying the Carnival Glory as I would be about your itinerary. You didn't mention where you had been on your other cruises but, if your other cruises were in the Caribbean, you may not like the ports you're going to and that would impact your enjoyment.

[Lisa&Neb]

We just got off the Glory on Sunday with our 2 kids (4 and 6). We have cruised on NCL and Princess prior to booking this cruise. My thoughts about this differ from previous posters.

 

Food: we didn't enjoy it as much as other lines. One of the main things that we noticed was that our kids didn't like many of the things on board. Our son ended up having chicken nuggets and fries (which were just frozen shoe string fries) every night. Our daughter tried the pizza and it just wasn't what she was used to and didn't like it. My husband tried to order the steak and eggs (Punchliner brunch) with scrambled eggs, not the fried ones that were on the menu and was told that it wasn't possible. There were many other times that my husband wanted to try another protein with his dinner but the answer was always "we can't do that" if he just wanted to meat and not all the sides that went with it. When we ordered lemonade for the kids with dinner, we only got it 2 of the 4 nights. Other food items were also either forgotten or not as it read on the menu.

 

Cabin: I saw one of the "suites", I think it was 9201 or something similar, and I wouldn't pay the extra for it. We had cabin 9200 and it was just a superior oceanview and it was HUGE compared to other cabins. If this one is available, I'd go for it (you might have to call Carnival to see if it is available). The fog was so dense on our trip to St. John that no one was even out on their balconies or on deck. We really enjoyed the cabin at the front of the ship. There are many "secret doors" that will take you to the front where you can basically be alone and watch the ship come into the harbors.

[montana200024]

we are grandparents and of the 60's group..we love carnival and being a non drinker , have never experienced any partying, depends on when you cruise also...

 

feb...will be our second time on the Glory and am looking forward to it..

 

LIVE A LITTLE...TIME IS SHORT...MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS, AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS..A CRUISE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT..IF YOU GO WITH A NEGITIVE ATTITUDE YOU WILL ONLY FIND FAULTS...IF YOU GO WITH AN OPEN MIND..YOU WILL ENJOY

[Midwestgal]

Why is it that I've been on three Carnival cruises and have yet to find "the party boat" the ships have been on the quiet side.

 

Don't let fear of it being the party boat keep you from booking, I think you will be surprised.

[Aplmac]

Wear your age like a Badge of Honor

and learn how to play the Age Card!

 

 

Many folks don't get to our age (they die young)

and as for the Age Card...baby you earned it, so use it!

 

.

[lovestocruise19]

Feel free to check out my review. I was just on the 4-day on the Glory from Boston to Canada:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1874410

[arpie05]

Wish I had found a party on the Glory last year when we went to Canada:D LOL!

 

Will you find loud obnoxious people on a cruise during Spring Break? Yes.

 

Will you find a party on a boat Labor Day weekend going to Canada - doubtful. Sure there might be some younger couples but most people aren't going to party in Canada. It's like sailing to Alaska - mostly older folks.

 

We start back to school mid-August so Midwest kids will be in School so no missing for a cruise. I think Georgia and Florida will be back in session by then too.

 

Most kids on any cruise we did was early August right before school started - a 4 day out of Port Canaveral - HMMM.... near Disney... party boat??? Nope! Too Many Kids, yep!

[DEL67]

DD and I are booked on the 8/29 sailing of the Glory as a chance to relax for a few days before she returns to teaching. It will be my 15th CCL cruise and her 10th. And neither of us are kids. We also have sailed 5+ times on all the other "US" cruise lines other than Disney.

 

We have found that the amount of partying is more a factor of cruise length and itinerary than cruise line. Yes, 4 day sailing of the Glory is a shorter cruise and there will be some partying, but given that it is going to Canada and the weather will most likely be cool, I expect to see more families than partiers.

 

As for dining options, the Glory is not the Oasis or the Epic. It is a smaller, older ship than either of those, but it was updated with Carnival's 2.0 enhancements so it has a number of free casual options such as Guy's Burgers and the Cantina. However, the only "pay" restaurant is the steakhouse.

[dallas52]

we leave on sunday, looking forward to it, plenty of places to eat, fish and chips, guy burgers with fresh cut fries, deli, pizza, burrito bar, dining room and even the buffet if we want. looking forward to it.

[Lovefuninthesun]

We loved Glory! There were lots of kids on our Glory cruise, and they all seemed to be having fun.

 

The "partying" is totally individualized -- sure, there are partiers, there are on every ship, or any resort you go to, for that matter. But those people are the minority -- most of the folks are just having a pleasant time.

 

My only reservation about you booking is the itinerary -- Canada just doesn't scream "fun for kids" to me.....just a thought.

[arpie05]

 

Zip Lining in St. John is fun!

 

Who doesn't enjoy (:o) the Titanic in Halifax...

 

Great fun... just not hot.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

I'm a huge Disney freak here. I only got to do a 3 day this year, my first ever DCL, but prior to that, it was a four 7 Day CCLs, 3 of them annually. I think that there are family activities available, but I have always found the 'vegas' style entertainment of high kicks in thongs on the stage a bit high brow, and that is one thing that makes me very happy at DC, is the entertainment is MY style (yes, I know, I'm a kid at heart, oh well, young forever) and I don't need to see crack to be entertained. On the other hand, this last one had a lot of black and neon style popping and locking (like something you would see on America's Got Talent) so that was ok, (not Pocahontas, which is a downside for me but probably an plus for others) and at least it wasn't writhing back and forth on a mechanical bull like one yr's cliche 'western' style show. Yikes. Not at all what I would call family friendly.

 

The comedy is a blast. I can't comment specifically to the Glory, as you can see my ships below, but family comedy is something to hit as much as you can.

 

Now, people will probably not agree with me which is ok, but many of them weren't on my cruises, and I'm not making stuff up. CCL has a definitely boozey cruizey reputation, some of which I think they work hard to keep and some of which they try to tone down. It's a tough balance for them considering drinks are one of their biggest money makers, but they WILL cut people off. I remember one time, as soon as we boarded the Triumph and were just sticking our key cards in our rooms for the first time (so maybe 1pm, still long before Muster), security was escorting a maturely aged woman down the hall. Actually they were walking FOR her on either side, as she was completely bombed out of reality and they took her to her cabin (which was IMMEDIATELY next to ours?!) and then they turned off her key card for the night. We were all a bit surprised because we had literally just walked on board and were already getting drunk people. Sorry, but this is 100% true. I realize this doesn't represent everyone in CCL, obviously, but it is hard to ignore when its your exact cabin neighbor.

 

I have had great cruises on Royal Caribbean (none of that were really all the memorable, I can't even remember which ship I cruised last but Hawaii was great!) and I have never cruised NCL, but CCL is very different from Disney as I happily learned this year. To me, NOT having to walk thru a smokey casino on Disney is a huge plus. Also being able to privately stock my room for my veranda time is a big plus, and I find the staterooms we had on the DCL Dream (veranda deluxe admittedly) so vastly superior to Carnival (as in, a real bathtub with places to shave and put your shampoo versus a metal bar 'separating' your bathroom from your shower..in theory but not reality) and so I think Disney does provide a great family style experience vs. Carnival. That odesn't mean that families don't have fun on CCL, it just means that they are set up a little better and cater to them a little more. It seems to me that the smoke from the lido decks kinda blew all over on CCL, but I never remembered smelling it on Disney. Also, there are less friendly people, at least speaking of my OWN experience, because there are LOTS of deck chair fights and I saw mostly really courteous and friendly families on DC, but CCL has a much wider variety of folks because of their many port and ship options and pricing options, so that could account for that. I also noticed MAJORLY a VASTLY huge difference in the staff. Yes, I know Disney is Disney but it was nice be called "Princess!" everywhere I went. On CCL, I tried to smile and treat the CMs like real people and they wouldn't even make eye contact, which just made me feel guilty for being on vacation while they slaved away and hated us, or that's the vibe I got from them anyway.

 

But the other cruise lines RCI and DCL will always take you back, so feel free to explore and I very sincerely hope that you have much better service then I did on our last one, because I have had some really super fun Carnivals, but not in the last two year's and definitely not since the Triumph and other 2013 set backs this year. Please prove me wrong, I mean that nicely. I would love for CCL to get back the "wow! Im on a cruise!" feeling I had a few years ago when I got onboard...

[Brighton Line]

Did the 5 Day Glory two years ago, now back for 4 day in 29 days.

Enough said!!