Easter Glory! A detailed pictorial review of the refurbished Carnival Glory 4/15-4/22

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 5: SAN JUAN CONTINUED-

I had forgotten to mention that the aft pool bar completely closed at midnight tonight for some reason and I was not able to get my usual soda. I got some lemonade and iced tea for my mom at the machines but that is weird. People still like to drink that late at night, especially near the pizzeria.

 

Anyway, I walked around the ship and got pics of the shopping mall on deck 5 I believe, perfect time to do so because most people were asleep and wouldn't get in the way of my photos. LOL.

 

 

The Creams coffee bar, located on deck 5 mid, but it was closed by now, close to 0100. Never got anything here but heard it is good.

 

 

The huge screen that shows ship progress, near the future cruise desk on 5 mid, near a seating lounge where this lonely guitar player, Johnny was still at it until a little after 0030.

 

 

 

 

A better view of the 24/7 internet cafe. Also on promenade deck.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 5: SAN JUAN CONTINUED-

 

Also located on this entertainment corridor is an arcade, that was still open but nobody was in there. I only stopped by to get a picture and never played in there as it seemed to be more for kids, but here it is.

 

 

The Alchemy bar. Located aft on 5, next to the cinnabar and was closed now as well, but here it is. Deluxe drinks offered here I understand. The only visit I made here was to have a bartender pop the top off a Budweiser later in the cruise from a bucket I had bought already. haha

 

The empty club, taken through the window outside. The action was all upstairs on serenity tonight but the club was fairly happening whenever I passed by later in the cruise.

 

I will add that I went to the casino to lose some of our obc, but I had fun losing it at least LOL. Got a few sodas from the still-crowded casino bar which is open all night I guess. The casino is the only place you can smoke in public so it is smoky in there but if you can endure that, the casino is pretty nice. Still a bunch of people in there playing this late, the table games and craps players were making a lot of noise as I guess they were winning. Also, the dive in movie offered tonight was Captain America: Civil War and again I had no interest in seeing this. It showed at 1900. No late movie due to the party on deck. Other attractions tonight were Hasbro at 1930, Bingo in the theater at 2100, photo ops on the promenade as usual, and the comedy/magic show with Eric at 2200.

 

I went back to the cabin around 0200, fell asleep shortly thereafter but not before sitting out on the balcony for a few minutes to rewind and that was it. Incredibly action packed day huh? As I get older, I do more on cruises than I did when I was younger and all I wanted to do was sleep. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? HAHA. Anyway, the next day would feature a late morning arrival to the island of Grand Turk, so a good night's sleep was ahead of me after an exciting day. T and K were sleeping in the other cabin and although the bar below was loud, I had no issues with the noise that ended right around bedtime anyway and that is it for the day. I hope you enjoyed it and I will get to our day in Grand Turk in the next few days hopefully. Comments and questions are welcome, and have a great weekend!

[chilly1470]

I happen to love lamb, but know what you mean. Love hate. Veal parm is to die for if done right. We have a little Itally joint here that does it great.

 

DAY 2 - HALF MOON CAY CONTINUED:

 

 

 

Me at the dinner table. K thought it would be cute to get a picture of me waiting for my food. This is the second most dressed up I got all week I think. I think we ran a contest with K to see if she could identify the landmarks on the dishes that they put on the table for the bread, lol. I think she got the Lincoln memorial and the Space Needle from Seattle right. Not bad for a kid still in grade school.

 

 

My appetizers - spring rolls and Navy bean soup. Both very good and reliable dishes on Carnival.

 

 

I got a flat iron steak, medium and some lamb. Both were good. Lamb is something you either like or hate. I happen to like it as it has a strong taste but it was cooked perfectly tonight. Like I said, this is something you can get from the American Table menu that the old menus just did not offer. Overall good. I forgot to mention that T got conch fritters and I did share some of that from the appetizer menu.

 

[crusinpsychRN]

Nice job!

 

I went on a terrible excursion in San Juan--a food tasting. We made mofongo and it was gross! I missed seeing things so I'll have to go back.

[Froufie]

Nice job!

 

I went on a terrible excursion in San Juan--a food tasting. We made mofongo and it was gross! I missed seeing things so I'll have to go back.

 

Was this the tour you went on? http://sanjuanfoodtours.com/old-san-juan-food-tour/

 

We did that one a couple of years ago and it was AWESOME! (and highly rated on trip advisor)

[Lilypad1237]

Great review! Following. Will be on this cruise this coming Saturday the 10th.

[hockeyguru32]

DAY 5: SAN JUAN CONTINUED-

I forget what this picture below is of, but it is right in the area where the straw market was. K had a budget to spend on what she wanted to get, and some of the stuff was pretty unique as it was families and individuals selling in many cases, handmade goods in little tents in the town square. I did not get anything but I think K did. I did not take any pictures of this area but there were a few dozen vendors there and it was fairly crowded. It was after 1400 when we were done and it was time to head back to the ship. There was also a police presence in the area, just local foot patrols I guess due to it being a tourist area and a high-traffic spot but it was cool to see.

 

 

 

 

This is a monument to San Cristobal

[Bkchero]

DAY 5: SAN JUAN CONTINUED-

I forget what this picture below is of, but it is right in the area where the straw market was. K had a budget to spend on what she wanted to get, and some of the stuff was pretty unique as it was families and individuals selling in many cases, handmade goods in little tents in the town square. I did not get anything but I think K did. I did not take any pictures of this area but there were a few dozen vendors there and it was fairly crowded. It was after 1400 when we were done and it was time to head back to the ship. There was also a police presence in the area, just local foot patrols I guess due to it being a tourist area and a high-traffic spot but it was cool to see.

 

 

 

 

This is a monument to San Cristobal

 

Do you mean Columbus? I believe this is Colon Plaza although I have not been to PR in many years.

[hockeyguru32]

 

Do you mean Columbus? I believe this is Colon Plaza although I have not been to PR in many years.

 

Nope I meant San Cristobal

Plaza San Cristóbal, Old San Juan”This photo of Pandora Tour Puerto Rico is courtesy of TripAdvisor</p>

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I happen to love lamb, but know what you mean. Love hate. Veal parm is to die for if done right. We have a little Itally joint here that does it great.

 

I do not get lamb that often and I do not know how to cook it but whenever I get it I seem to enjoy it. I am not big on veal though, so I always avoid that option. I can't say if Carnival's version of it is good or not. I am an omnivore for sure, lol. Love peas, corn, lima beans, etc but have to have a good cut of tasty meat to go with it at any sitdown dinner setting.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Nice job!

 

I went on a terrible excursion in San Juan--a food tasting. We made mofongo and it was gross! I missed seeing things so I'll have to go back.

 

Some excursions are hit or miss I guess. I have been on a few in places like Nassau that were iffy but can't say I have ever had an excursion on a cruise that I just could not wait to end and escape from. Some have been better than others however. Sorry you had a bad experience. Honestly, in order to see the sights in OSJ, with the time allotted to tour, a private bus tour like that is the way to go but if you just want to walk around and eat and shop or go to the fort even, you can really go on your own if you can walk long distances without mobility issues. No way my mom was getting around the touristy area on her own, the only way she could see anything that we ended up seeing was to take the tour. I would say that younger kids might be bored by the historical stuff talk that you get on tours like the one we took. They just might not be too interested in that stuff and maybe a trip to the fort or something else more kid-friendly could work for them. The mofongo looked really good in the description but I played it safe with the empanadas and fritters. They were good and tasty. The lemonade was a little off though. Maybe not enough sugar in it? But it was not sweet at all and didn't have the lemon zing either. I saw the guy make it with real lemons so maybe he made it differently than I am used to having it back home. The Bacardi factory and city tour I took there years ago was fun but kind of pricey and takes up most of the day, not sure if Carnival still offers that as an excursion option. Plenty to do there.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Great review! Following. Will be on this cruise this coming Saturday the 10th.

 

Nice, and thanks for reading. You will have a great time on the cruise. I will try to get at least our day in Grand Turk finished before you leave, I will try to get to our last seaday and maybe debarkation day as well if time allows. I hope the review helped you get ready for your trip, you will have a great time.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 5: SAN JUAN CONTINUED-

I forget what this picture below is of, but it is right in the area where the straw market was. K had a budget to spend on what she wanted to get, and some of the stuff was pretty unique as it was families and individuals selling in many cases, handmade goods in little tents in the town square. I did not get anything but I think K did. I did not take any pictures of this area but there were a few dozen vendors there and it was fairly crowded. It was after 1400 when we were done and it was time to head back to the ship. There was also a police presence in the area, just local foot patrols I guess due to it being a tourist area and a high-traffic spot but it was cool to see.

 

 

 

 

This is a monument to San Cristobal

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, it does make sense that it is what it would be, seeing that it was in the park right across the street from the fort, lol. I remember seeing what it was when I took the picture but couldn't remember exactly what it was. The straw market tents were located here as well, you can actually see a few of them in the background. K had fun shopping here. The foot patrol cops were also on the street corner right near here patrolling the area.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

 

Nope I meant San Cristobal

Plaza San Cristóbal, Old San Juan”This photo of Pandora Tour Puerto Rico is courtesy of TripAdvisor</p>

 

 

That is the same monument. Now I remember the steps and the fountain. An internet search says that it is Christopher Columbus there but I am still not sure. It is a tall monument however and it was photo-worthy, lol. The San Cristobal fort was right across the street from here.

[beshears]

I'm so glad you did your review with pictures as well on the Glory and the itinerary. I "tried" to do it, but some way or another, it would not go through. :( This just makes me WANT to go back there NOW. :)I have been cruising for over 25 years (not every year), and wanted to take my 3 sons and their wifes on a cruise. I believe only one of my sons did this many years ago. I have always gone with a friend (my husband will not fly), so I booked the Glory for the 8 (one of my friends went as well) of us, and even though they had not completely finished the work they were doing, everything turned out just fine.:)

 

I have heard of the American Table menu, but how do you go about getting it? Is this done at the "specialty restaurants?" It didn't look (from the picture) like there was a charge, but then I may have overlooked it?

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I'm so glad you did your review with pictures as well on the Glory and the itinerary. I "tried" to do it, but some way or another, it would not go through. :( This just makes me WANT to go back there NOW. :)I have been cruising for over 25 years (not every year), and wanted to take my 3 sons and their wifes on a cruise. I believe only one of my sons did this many years ago. I have always gone with a friend (my husband will not fly), so I booked the Glory for the 8 (one of my friends went as well) of us, and even though they had not completely finished the work they were doing, everything turned out just fine.:)

 

I have heard of the American Table menu, but how do you go about getting it? Is this done at the "specialty restaurants?" It didn't look (from the picture) like there was a charge, but then I may have overlooked it?

 

One day I will do a cruise with my entire extended family, it is hard enough to get 4 people together to go on a cruise at the same time though, ha. Thanks for the good words about the review. I am glad you are enjoying it. What is a cruise vacation review without pictures to back up the story I am telling of the experience?

 

 

The American Table is the main dining room theme nowadays. A couple years ago they changed themes, from the old traditional main dining room menus and table layouts to this new program. I hated the idea of it at first but it grew on me as they did tweak it and improve the program as people gave their feedback of the early days of it after the rollout. I like that it seems the items offered are more diverse now and the menus are not as predictable as they used to be, some things offered night to night are based on where the ship is going or has been on that sailing. I really like it as the old menus were so predictable I could know exactly what to expect each night based on the length of sailing, and it was the same no matter where the ship went. I understand some people hate it but I really do like it. It is all included but the steakhouse selections are extra along with the alcoholic drinks on the menu. I figure that if I am going to get the "steakhouse selections" that I will just go to the steakhouse (if there is one on that ship) and spend a little more to get the whole dining experience. I have never had an evening in the mdr where there was not something that I wanted off the regular or ports of call food menu however. The only pay restaurants here on the Glory are the sushi place, room service, the seafood shack, the steakhouse and the select specialty selections on the mdr menu. Everything else is included and one could easily go the entire cruise without paying a penny extra for food although one visit to the steakhouse or seafood place is surely worth it and won't break the budget.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thank you everyone for the good comments and we do have a good conversation going with this review. I have a few more days to cover here and I am back to get to that this evening. We had a really exciting and full day on day 5, with our visit to San Juan and still had one day in Grand Turk and a sea day before returning back to Miami. So, we will pick up with our visit to Cockburn Town, Grand Turk. Enjoy.

 

DAY 6: GRAND TURK:

 

Tired from a long day and night in San Juan and at sea, I did sleep in late this morning as we had a scheduled arrival in Grand Turk at 1100 and that is about the time I chose to wake up. This being one of the ports I have visited a number of times, we just planned a lazy day in the port area on this day. It was sunny and pretty warm, a nice calm day and I did my normal trip out to the balcony to check out the surroundings and the weather in the area after waking up.

 

This is actually a Chukka Tours sailboat, not sure of what tour this was but Chukka is a good company to deal with. We took a tour with them in Belize last year that went through the island and spent a few hours on an airboat ride through the natural wetlands of the country. I assume they operate some tours in Grand Turk also.

 

 

Weather

 

Well, although my mom and I did not have any specific plans today, T and K had booked a flowrider excursion through the cruise line onshore at the Margaritaville at the pier. Well, that was sort of a mistake. Yes, they booked it through the cruise line and they were assigned a time of 1130 and for a fee of $40 for like an hour or so on the ride. Keep in mind the ship did not park until after 1100, and once it did, it was once again a mad stampede for the gangway or so that is what they said. It took them a half hour minimum to get off the gangway and another 10 to 15 minutes to walk that long pier and get to the flowrider. Which of course means they did not actually get to the ride until 1200 or thereabouts (they told us this after the fact, I was not there with them but can believe it as they were not the only ones complaining) even though they were on the gangway right when the ship arrived and still had to wait in a long line to get off. Moral of the story, it was found later that you can book once on the pier and probably for less money although space is not guaranteed if it sells out ahead of time, maybe don't put your trust in the cruise line when booking excursions like that as you might miss part of your excursion that you paid for even if you do everything you are supposed to.

 

Anyway, my mom made her way downstairs close to noon to meet them at the flowrider, which is located at the Margaritaville at the cruise center, and I stayed on the ship a little while longer and surfed the web on my phone while I waited for the lines to die down some and would then make my way off the ship as well. I walk faster so it only takes me a couple minutes to walk that pier, lol. On my way downstairs, I made my way through the promenade and took a few more pictures of some venues I had not yet gotten pictures of.

 

Of course, this is that infamous Cinnabar, located right beneath our cabin. Very quiet at this noon hour but a complete nightmare for us in the evenings. It is not that big but it would look like a fun time as long as you are not trying to sleep at 0200 directly above.

 

 

This is the Pixels photo gallery. They still offer hard copies of your candid and formal pictures, most lines do not do this anymore and maybe some of the newer Carnival ships don't even do it anymore. I did not buy any of the few pictures we had taken and the gallery was closed now due to us being in port but here it was. Deck 4 mid I think, right in the center of the ship where there was lots to do.

 

Around 1200, I finally made my way off the ship and began to make my way back towards the Grand Turk Cruise Center, which is basically a port area built for Carnival Corporation and is in pretty much the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking. Grand Turk is not large, only 7 square miles with about 3700 residents and the main town is a bit of a ways away, on the other side of the island. I did do a conch farm and island tour here years ago, right after a bad hurricane thrashed the island and they were in the process of rebuilding, but there just is not that much to see here. Anyway, the port area is nice however and we spent all our time here today.

 

Walking away from the ship, halfway to the port entrance.

 

 

Approaching the gateway to paradise, LOL.

 

 

Up next - our fun day in Grand Turk

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 6 - GRAND TURK CONTINUED:

 

More pics of the beach I would be spending some time on in just a little while, from the dock. They have yellow lines painted a few feet from the edge everywhere now, and they will yell at you if you cross them. Wonder if someone had an accident lately as they really never bothered people who got too close to the edge in the past. I mean it is common sense to not lean over the edge but you know, some people need to be told to be safe and punished for not looking out for their own personal safety.

 

As soon as you arrive through the gates you enter into a town square-type thing. You can get your pre-arranged tours here, or can book one right on the spot to do what you want to do. You can also get cabs here as well. They have the usual shops and of course, the Margaritaville that this place is famous for. Yes, the flowrider is there as well and I met the family there around 1215. K had just gotten onto the ride a few minutes before and since the thing is located right next to the large pool at the Margaritaville compound, I got a deck chair and headed into the water to watch K ride the waves and my mom and T got up close to get some pictures of her surf and offer encouragement. She really did have a lot of fun, and so did the others she was riding with. Most of the participants were teens or younger by the way, very few adults tried. The ride attendants had a good time riding along the waves though and some felt the need to put on a show a few times.

 

Anyway, my sister couldn't be happy with just getting a half hour on the flowrider for K, so she dug into the operators of the venue about the fact she was screwed out of half the tour time and was given the runaround by the staff that it wasn't their problem and she had to talk to the ship excursions staff. Of course, she did just that. From what I heard, she really got into them like she got into the staff over the cinnabar, and I understand they did come to a compromise. They gave K an extra half hour on the flowrider without extra charge due to the inconvenience and everything was good. I swam for a little while longer as the water is pretty chilly there and goes no deeper than 3 feet, but eventually got tired of that and got out to get some sunscreen and figure out our next steps. From what I saw of this however, you have to be a pretty decent surfer or have at least an idea of what you are doing or you could easily get hurt. It looked expensive to build and to maintain, which is probably why it costs so much to ride. Anyway, no way I would have been able to hang here for long without wiping out. LOL

 

The pool area. Along the back fence were some cabanas, I think they can be booked and are private. I do not know how much they cost but as I see it, not worth the price as there is plenty of room and stuff to do in the regular public area at that Margaritaville.

 

 

 

Having not had breakfast, my mom and I went inside to the restaurant part of the place to get a table so we could all get lunch. After all, it was time to go get a burger or something else in paradise. On the way to the restaurant, I could not help but take a picture of this. Yes, this is true.

 

 

I would be going out on this beach a little later, here is a preview of it.....

 

 

Our food experience coming up....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 6 - GRAND TURK CONTINUED:

We sat at the table that we were seated at in the restaurant forever it seemed while we waited for K and T to get done with the flowrider and I ordered a drink called incommunicado, which has a lot of alcohol in it. I cannot remember at this point in time what it all was but it was pretty good. Just drink it slowly. Of course Margaritaville prices are ridiculous but it is a really nice place so once in a while the novelty is worth it. I will say this is the nicest Margaritaville I have ever been to. I have been to a few others and they are nowhere near as nice or expansive as this one (I am talking about the one in Grand Cayman specifically, lol). This is worth a visit to the island and you really don't have to do anything else for the day as it is fun enough by itself.

 

 

Finally, around 1400 K and T arrived to the table and we ordered our stuff. I got some jambalaya which was really good and delivered in some sort of clay pot, which was neat. I think we got some tortilla chips and I cannot remember what anyone else got. That restaurant is busy man.

 

I really wanted to go to Jack's Shack, which is located a half mile or so down the beach but we never made it. It is walkable but the family was so preoccupied with the activities at Margaritaville that it was out of the question. Jack's has a good atmosphere, drinks, food and of course, Topher the dog. I have been there and it is a little quieter alternative to Margaritaville. You can also take a cab to and from there if you do not want to walk.

 

Looking back, we also got some quesadillas and K got a Cheeseburger in Paradise, as someone almost has to do at a Margaritaville. After donating a small fortune to the restaurant, we headed back out to the pool for a while after lunch before 1500, and hung out there for a while before heading back to the ship. I went out to the beach for a little while. Along the way, pictures.

 

 

 

The ocean was warm and calm, you can swim out to the ropes and there are tons of little minnow fish swimming around, right up to the beach. Nice and relaxing time out there. I walked down the beach a little to see what was going on, and apparently a private beach resort is located past the exit to the cruise port beach. There is a warning sign there that you are exiting the port and going onto private property and I didn't want to trespass so I stopped and turned back. Nice time out here today though.

 

We met up at the pool again a little before 1600, and the group began to head back to the ship shortly after that, as all aboard was scheduled for 1700. I stayed back to swim and relax on the pool chairs for a little while as I figured it would be a long wait to get back to the ship if everyone decides to head back at the same time. I could monitor the boarding process from my deck chair at Margaritaville and told myself I would rather chill there for a while than stand in line for an hour to get back to the ship.

 

This was a neat swim-up bar they had at the pool, limited drink menu but unique. I did not get anything here.

 

 

 

Extensive gift shop and clothing store in here. Live band and lots of dancing and lively DJ playing and keeping the crowd rowdy. Lot of people here on Easter break, remember? I believe K purchased some merchandise from here to take home and show her friends or so I heard. More to come shortly....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 6 - GRAND TURK CONTINUED:

The crowd at Margaritaville was beginning to thin out around 1630 and most people were making their way back towards the ship, so I had a lot of space to myself as I was in no hurry to go anywhere as the line to get back on the ship was at least a few hundred people long. What is it with this ship and boarding and debarking? Just a slow process each time, slower than usual and it wasn't because of anything to do with the security screening as that was the same as always. Maybe just everyone trying to get back on at the same time, I don't know. Either way I knew I didn't want to stand in that line if I did not have to.

 

By 1645 the line was still long but I figured I would head out of the Margaritaville compound and explore some. They have some craft markets, a few shops, jewelry stores, etc, a police station, lol. I stopped by the exhibit they have set up to honor the NASA splashdown of the Friendship space capsule back in 1962, which is located on the other side of the port area. Hard to find if you are not looking for it. Anyway, it seems to have been updated since the last time I had visited, a lot nicer now.

 

 

 

You can see that crazy line to reboard the ship in this picture. Come on mon, why do that when you can hang out in paradise for a little longer?

 

 

 

 

I figured it was finally time to go back around 1700 on the nose, as there was still a long line to board but not quite as long and I had done my exploring and there were still a few stragglers behind me who had the same idea I had. I went through the usual ID and ship card check by security at the port door and passed through the huge duty free shop they have there as I killed some more time before getting back in the line. Yes, the 1700 seems to be just a suggested time here, you know, island time. NO way we were leaving anytime soon here. Still no hurry to get back as the dufry shop was still fairly crowded as well.

 

While I was here, I compared prices of liquor to what it costs back home. WHOA. Like half as expensive for some stuff here as back home. Taxes man. I was thinking of getting some Jameson and Crown Royal Apple (a good friend of mine LOVES the stuff and she has gotten me to love it with some cranberry juice on the rocks now too, LOL) as the prices were ridiculously low but I would not have had room for it in our suitcases to fly home so I passed and did not get anything. But they have all kinds of stuff here, medicine, jewelry I think, snacks, candy, clothing, cigarettes, liquor, cigars maybe. I know people save tons of money by purchasing bulk cigarettes abroad but I don't pay attention as I do not smoke.

 

Anyway, I finally made my way back to the ship and still had to wait in a line for a good 20 minutes and it was 1715 by this time. Whatever. At least it was a semi comfortable wait, not too hot, breezy, crowd in fairly good spirits. This was the last time I would be on land before we got back to Miami as well. Always kind of a downer thought, knowing the cruise would be over in just a day and a half. Anyway, I was back on by 1730 or so and stopped by the cabin to let everyone know I was back onboard.

 

Up next....sailaway and the evening activities....

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 6 - GRAND TURK CONTINUED:

Just a few quick notes that came to mind. I think I saw that the casino was open here? Maybe I was mistaken but perhaps there is some sort of agreement they have that allows it to stay open while parked in Grand Turk as casinos and shops usually close whenever the ship is stopped anywhere. Anyone know about this? Also, the fun shops on Carnival keep getting worse. Used to be you could get a nice magnet, keychain, shot glass, ship mug, in addition to the duty free liquor, cigarettes and non-Carnival branded clothing that takes up half the store but nowadays they only want to sell the last three things and it is hard to even find a mug that is acceptable to bring home. They do have nice t-shirt sales on the last sea days once in a while though, I almost bought one from here on the last day at sea but will talk about that more later on. I guess they make more money selling the stuff that I am not interested in but I am almost always disappointed and underwhelmed by the Carnival fun shops these days.

Also, the only thing I did not like about the Hub app is that you cannot see real-time activity schedule changes and dining room or buffet menus. It would be totally awesome if they posted those for you to see while browsing whatever else on the app, but you have to go to the mdr entrance early in the day or be surprised once getting to dinner to see what is on the menus. I know on the Magic and Breeze, you can look at menus on your room TV along with your room folio in real time. Figured they would have worked that in to this ship during overhaul but nope. Also, the TV programming continues to suck on Carnival, easily the worst channel lineup of any major cruise line. No, I do not want my only news choice to be CNN International. I actually like to see a variety of sources of news, local and national while I am at sea and you barely get any US news on that channel and much of the reporting is not even in English so you can't even understand what you are watching. They do have a lot of internal channels, movie channels run through the ship, bridge cam, etc, but very little in the way of network or even cable programming from back on the mainland. It is possible to get this thru the satellites, as other lines do it but they just do not seem to be interested in that. Having the unlimited internet helped me with keeping connected to what was going on back home during the week however, but good TV would have been nice.

Anyway, with that rant over, back to the review. I am interested in watching as many sailaways as I can and seeing this would be the last one on this cruise, I went upstairs to watch us leave land for the last time. I got a Guy's burger and some potato sticks as well, as a between lunch and dinner meal and watched us make the easy back away and turn out to sea from Cockburn Town. It was probably close to 1800 once we were finally on our way.

I watched the sail away from the top decks, and got to see the now-deserted beach and Margaritaville that we spent the day at as we headed back out to sea. Also off in the distance was Jack's Shack, where we did not get to today. Maybe another time. Also saw a small B190 turboprop take off from the small airstrip that they have on this island, maybe a few miles up from the cruise port. Who knows where he was going?

 

 

And of course once that fun was over, I went back to the room, got my towel and headed up to the hot tub to relax and watch sunset, scheduled for 1906. It was actually nice tonight. I actually took this from the midship and then eventually, the serenity deck as the views there were nice. It was too windy to go into the serenity hot tub tonight though.

 

 

 

 

 

I spent the next hour before dinner in the hot tub and met a nice lady from New York and her husband, and got to talking about all kinds of stuff. Good conversation. Since we were in the aft whirlpool and could see the seafood shack from where we were, the topic of that came up. I had mentioned that I had heard the oysters were really good and saw a guy with a lobster at the bar to go with his beer and she had said she had heard they ran out of oysters midway through the cruise. I guess they were good if they were selling out of stuff. Anyway, I did not get anything from there but apparently it was a popular place and I would not be against going there on a future cruise that has one. By 2000 it was time to get out and get ready for dinner as this was the second "cruise elegant" night of the cruise.

 

 

 

Just a quick preview of our dinner tonight....more to come...

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

DAY 6 - GRAND TURK CONTINUED:

We were seated normal time in the MDR, and were greeted by the tablecloths that people long for and that they only have on elegant nights. K did her nightly trip to camp ocean and would meet us later as usual, and I got some shrimp and pasta fazul for my appetizers. Can't go wrong with a shrimp cocktail on Carnival. What is my shrimp recipe count up to now? Best part of the meal probably too, lol. Not a great menu tonight. I did get a filet cooked medium for my entree and it was OK. I believe I was back to the wcmc for dessert tonight as well.

 

 

 

 

K met us near the end of the dinner, around 2200 and we got some to-go stuff for her and were out by 2230. I will mention again how great the wait staff was with us each night, coordinating K's nightly arrival with getting her an entree for there or/and stuff to take back to the cabin with her for later. And of course, since I went through so much trouble with getting just the right sport jacket and pants before the cruise and taking the trouble to bring it with us, I did have to wear them one night and get a picture of me outside the dining room all dressed up. So here it is, lol. I was full after dinner tonight as I was every night despite the lack of great choices on the entree menu.

 

 

I was tired and went back to the cabin to take a short nap around 2230 before heading back out to see some comedy at 2330, which was not crowded by the way. Also, in the funtimes, the late comedian was listed as Alan Bursky, but in my notes the guy was named something Miller. He was funny but the lounge was half empty and it was noted during the show and he did the best he could to make light of that fact in his routine. Tommy Drake performed at 2230 and we missed him due to the conflict with dinner. I did stop by the theater to see the end of the production show, called Amor Cubano though. Miller also performed at 2130 in the comedy lounge, and Tommy Drake had a show at 2030, kid friendly material. The dive-in movies tonight were Arrival and Hidden Figures, again lousy movies that showed at 1900 and 2130 on the lido if you are interested to know about that.

 

 

They offered a midnight dive in movie tonight, called Bad Moms and the other three in my party chose to go there and I walked around the ship to kill time before bedtime. I walked around some but honestly not much to do tonight. The club actually was not that happening tonight when I passed and out of curiosity I passed the cinnabar to see how much noise I could expect to hear when I arrived back at the cabin at nearly 0200. LOL. It was still pretty loud right up to the 0200 hour also. T and K were back to sleeping in our room tonight because they said that K was creeped out by the fact they could hear creaking or some other crazy noise in the other cabin that they were given to sleep in so they just waited until Mark's crew was done in the bar to come back to the cabin and go to sleep in our original cabin and that was that for the night. Sometime after 0200.

 

Again, a fairly full day today but different from the day before. It was fun and guess what, only one more day of this cruise left. Yes, we were headed back to Miami now, as with all good things, this would be coming to an end as well shortly. But we still had a lot of fun on the last day and I will get to that shortly, hopefully sometime this weekend. I hope you all have enjoyed this latest addition to the cruise review and happy cruising.

[parkesyau]

DAY 6 - GRAND TURK CONTINUED:

Just a few quick notes that came to mind. I think I saw that the casino was open here? Maybe I was mistaken but perhaps there is some sort of agreement they have that allows it to stay open while parked in Grand Turk as casinos and shops usually close whenever the ship is stopped anywhere. Anyone know about this? Also, the fun shops on Carnival keep getting worse. Used to be you could get a nice magnet, keychain, shot glass, ship mug, in addition to the duty free liquor, cigarettes and non-Carnival branded clothing that takes up half the store but nowadays they only want to sell the last three things and it is hard to even find a mug that is acceptable to bring home. They do have nice t-shirt sales on the last sea days once in a while though, I almost bought one from here on the last day at sea but will talk about that more later on. I guess they make more money selling the stuff that I am not interested in but I am almost always disappointed and underwhelmed by the Carnival fun shops these days.

Also, the only thing I did not like about the Hub app is that you cannot see real-time activity schedule changes and dining room or buffet menus. It would be totally awesome if they posted those for you to see while browsing whatever else on the app, but you have to go to the mdr entrance early in the day or be surprised once getting to dinner to see what is on the menus. I know on the Magic and Breeze, you can look at menus on your room TV along with your room folio in real time. Figured they would have worked that in to this ship during overhaul but nope. Also, the TV programming continues to suck on Carnival, easily the worst channel lineup of any major cruise line. No, I do not want my only news choice to be CNN International. I actually like to see a variety of sources of news, local and national while I am at sea and you barely get any US news on that channel and much of the reporting is not even in English so you can't even understand what you are watching. They do have a lot of internal channels, movie channels run through the ship, bridge cam, etc, but very little in the way of network or even cable programming from back on the mainland. It is possible to get this thru the satellites, as other lines do it but they just do not seem to be interested in that. Having the unlimited internet helped me with keeping connected to what was going on back home during the week however, but good TV would have been nice.

Anyway, with that rant over, back to the review. I am interested in watching as many sailaways as I can and seeing this would be the last one on this cruise, I went upstairs to watch us leave land for the last time. I got a Guy's burger and some potato sticks as well, as a between lunch and dinner meal and watched us make the easy back away and turn out to sea from Cockburn Town. It was probably close to 1800 once we were finally on our way.

I watched the sail away from the top decks, and got to see the now-deserted beach and Margaritaville that we spent the day at as we headed back out to sea. Also off in the distance was Jack's Shack, where we did not get to today. Maybe another time. Also saw a small B190 turboprop take off from the small airstrip that they have on this island, maybe a few miles up from the cruise port. Who knows where he was going?

 

 

And of course once that fun was over, I went back to the room, got my towel and headed up to the hot tub to relax and watch sunset, scheduled for 1906. It was actually nice tonight. I actually took this from the midship and then eventually, the serenity deck as the views there were nice. It was too windy to go into the serenity hot tub tonight though.

 

 

 

 

 

I spent the next hour before dinner in the hot tub and met a nice lady from New York and her husband, and got to talking about all kinds of stuff. Good conversation. Since we were in the aft whirlpool and could see the seafood shack from where we were, the topic of that came up. I had mentioned that I had heard the oysters were really good and saw a guy with a lobster at the bar to go with his beer and she had said she had heard they ran out of oysters midway through the cruise. I guess they were good if they were selling out of stuff. Anyway, I did not get anything from there but apparently it was a popular place and I would not be against going there on a future cruise that has one. By 2000 it was time to get out and get ready for dinner as this was the second "cruise elegant" night of the cruise.

 

 

 

Just a quick preview of our dinner tonight....more to come...

 

 

I always get excited when u post another chapter to your story. This is one port I am looking forward to just relaxing by the beach and unwinding. Do you think it's walkable to jacks shack with two kids? Aged 6 and 8? I think you said half a mile so I did the conversions to meters and feel it may be ok but obviously not sure. Do cabs take you if kids are being rowdy wanting to walk?

[helene109]

Our family loves oysters! Can you only get them as appetizer? Thanks same everything in August! Love reading![emoji568]

 

 

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[nybumpkin]

I walked down the beach a little to see what was going on, and apparently a private beach resort is located past the exit to the cruise port beach. There is a warning sign there that you are exiting the port and going onto private property and I didn't want to trespass so I stopped and turned back. Nice time out here today though...

The "warning sign" is put there by the port to try to get you to stop wandering down the beach and stay in the port area. You're not trespassing. (Being originally from South Jersey and going down the shore, I know some of the tricks that get used. ;p) We walk down the beach past the sign to get to Jack's Shack; there are several newer bars along the way.