Glory?

[Monica887]

I have sailed twice with Carnival, but not in over a dozen years. I am most familiar with NCL. We are considering a trip on the Glory and have 2 Elementary school age kids. 

 

Any feedback on Carnival in general compared to NCL? What do you love/hate about about Glory?

[Organized Chaos]

We've never sailed NCL, so I can't compare the two, but from what I've read and heard (a lot), Carnival is great for younger kids. I've even heard people say their kids enjoyed Carnival cruises more than Disney, but obviously everyone's different.

 

We were just on the Glory last year. The interior design of many of Carnival's older ships were designed by a man named Joe Farcus. His style of design is kind of a "love it or hate it" kind of thing with Carnival passengers. Personally, I'm not a big fan at all. To me, his style turned out to be pretty tacky, but then again, a lot of people love it. We were on the Conquest a few years ago, which is one of Glory's sister ships, and I found that to be pretty tacky. What I really liked about the Glory is that it's one of Farcus' much more subdued designs. Glory was in dry dock a couple years ago. Mostly for cosmetic improvements, like paint, new carpets, & such. But they did add the WaterWorks slides (two larger slides plus an area for smaller kids). It does have a Serenity area if you like to get away to a kid-free place.

 

Since you haven't sailed Carnival in over a decade, you're going to see a lot of new changes. Probably some you like, some you don't. The music shows on Carnival now are called Playlist Productions. A lot of people who've been cruising long enough to remember don't like these shows compared to the old ones. For us, there's good ones and bad ones. On Glory, there were some I think I really would've enjoyed a lot, except I didn't like the singers. I felt like if they had better singers, the shows would've been much better. Maybe by the time you sail on it, they will have changed out (or maybe you'll like them anyway). It's worth a try to see what they're like, though. And compared to your past experience, I'm sure you'll see several new eateries as well, like Guy's Burgers, which is always a big hit. The comedy shows are always popular (which means long lines sometimes, so take that into consideration if you decide to go). They always have a set of family-friendly shows and 18+ shows. All of them are great. Heck, sometimes I enjoy the family-friendly shows more.

 

I won't bore you anymore than I already have. If you haven't looked already, here's a link to Carnival's website and all the food & activities that are available on the Glory. https://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-glory.aspx

[Garf]

I have sailed on CCL 15 times, NCL 3 times and RCL 5 times. Bother CCL and NCL are both the same to me, I love them both. RCL is last on my list 🤔 !!

[Garf]

Glory is a very nice ship.

[IamPEBJ]

I just got off the Glory and loved it. I did not have any kids with me so I can't say to that part but overall it was great.

[llfrazer]

26 minutes ago, IamPEBJ said:

I just got off the Glory and loved it. I did not have any kids with me so I can't say to that part but overall it was great.

We are going on the Glory in a few weeks. We just booked on it since our Vista cruise was cancelled. I was on Glory before (for our 1st cruise), but has been about 6 years. Since you just got off of it can you tell me if they had the 80's party & the White Party? I know some of them do, but don't know if they all do? Also, Do you know what night were Elegant nights? How was the CD? Which itinerary did you follow?

Glad to hear you had a great time!

[Charm2018]

My 12 year old daughter and I were on the Glory in January and we loved it.  I haven't been on NCL so I can't comment on that but we would love to sail the Glory again.

[IamPEBJ]

58 minutes ago, llfrazer said:

We are going on the Glory in a few weeks. We just booked on it since our Vista cruise was cancelled. I was on Glory before (for our 1st cruise), but has been about 6 years. Since you just got off of it can you tell me if they had the 80's party & the White Party? I know some of them do, but don't know if they all do? Also, Do you know what night were Elegant nights? How was the CD? Which itinerary did you follow?

Glad to hear you had a great time!

 

I remember the 80s party but do not remember having a White Party. We did the 7 night MoBay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel cruise and the Elegant Nights were Tuesday and Thursday which were nights 3 and 5. - Cruise Director was Dustin Gabriel and he was very good and involved.

 

[Amadawn1]

On 6/22/2019 at 12:06 PM, ronbe65 said:

I love this ship, however the itineraries (7 days from NOLA with only three Western ports 😢) do not work for us. 

 

 

 

 

 

She sails Eastern as well.  I just booked a 7 day Eastern for January, 2021 for a great price this weekend. Half off deposits, $50 onboard credit and a mid-ship balcony on Deck 7.  Key West (our fav!) Freeport and Nassau.  Maybe Carnival will have their Freeport build somewhat finished by then?

[clcjdn]

On 6/22/2019 at 6:08 AM, Monica887 said:

I have sailed twice with Carnival, but not in over a dozen years. I am most familiar with NCL. We are considering a trip on the Glory and have 2 Elementary school age kids. 

 

Any feedback on Carnival in general compared to NCL? What do you love/hate about about Glory?

 

I haven't been on the Glory (yet).....see Thanksgiving this year. 😉

 

However, I have been on 8 Carnival and 10 Norwegian sailings.  We started when our kids were elementary, but bow we have twins that are 18 and a 14 daughter.  We like to go back and forth depending on cost.  Coming from Colorado, we don't really care which ship we are on, or where we are going as long as its a vacation where the captain (or Otto) are driving the boat, we don't have to worry who is paying for dinner, and those towels on the floor of the bathroom fold themselves (or those Steward ninjas do it?)....

 

As a result of our back and forth we have a debate all the time on the differences......I wouldn't call one the better line etc, just different.  

 

1. Carnival set dining time vs NCL freestyle dining.  We prefer the Carnival set up with the same table, waiters, and time each night.  Carnival offers anytime dining as well, so if you prefer the "free" style you can have either on Carnival.
2. We prefer the buffet set up on NCL.  Seems like less lines to stand in.  Really like the Jewel set up with islands.  Also they have pasta stations that are a family favorite.  On Carnival we end up hitting the Pizza Pirate a bunch!  Guys/Blue Iguana on Funship2.0 is better than burgers or burritos on NCL though.
3. NCL offers the specialty restaurants for a fee.  We like the ability to choose these once in a while.  Carnival usually only offers a steak house.
4. The UBP on NCL is superior to Cheers IMO because Cheers/casino Drinks on Us card is limited to 15 drinks in 24 hours.  If I sleep 8 hours, that means less than 1 drink per hour (if I wanted).  That being said, have only hit the limit once, but that was because I stashed a few beers for port days. 🙂
5. The kids always say the younger kid club is better on Carnival, but the teen club better on NCL.
6. The production shows on the big ships (Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Epic) are better quality than Carnival in our opinion.  The shows on the smaller NCL ships are basically the same level as the Carnival ships.
7. We prefer the piano bar on Carnival (at least the ones with the piano in the middle of the room that rotates), more than the dueling pianos on NCL.  I think this is more a comfort of the seats issue rather than the music.  Seems like NCL only has folding chairs in those rooms.
8. Both lines now have adults only areas, so not that different, but the Spice H20 on the Epic is probably the best between the 2 lines that we have seen.  Not there often, but nice once in a while.
9. The trivia on Carnival always seems to hook us.  For some reason, winning a 100% pure gold plastic ship on a stick seems worth more than signatures to turn in for swag.
10. We have played bingo on both lines.  Seems about the same either way.
11. NCL offers Deal or No Deal if you want to purchase/play.  Haven't been to the Hasbro show for comparison.
12. Casinos.....this is where I spend most of my time.  I play video poker, and all the NCL ships I have been on have 8-10 of the machines I like to play (and sometimes there are 20-24 people that want to play as well).  Carnival has 2-3 of these, so less variety.  The pay tables are not stellar on either line, but that is the cost of travelling to all of these ports. 😉
13. Casino Players Clubs.....in the past 8 or so years, I would say that NCL's Casino at Seas (CAS) was better.  Their comps are pretty wide open.  The Carnival club (Ocean Players Club) offers bounce back, Premier, Ultra, Elite, etc with enough play.  We couldn't get their dates to line up very often.  In the past year or so, I think CAS is tightening down, and OPC is loosening up, so this is a fluid debate.  I just check each line each time to figure out our best deal.

Sorry, I went past just the kids etc, but I figure I got on a roll. 🙂

 

Thanks!  Joe

[Organized Chaos]

2 hours ago, llfrazer said:

We are going on the Glory in a few weeks. We just booked on it since our Vista cruise was cancelled. I was on Glory before (for our 1st cruise), but has been about 6 years. Since you just got off of it can you tell me if they had the 80's party & the White Party? I know some of them do, but don't know if they all do? Also, Do you know what night were Elegant nights? How was the CD? Which itinerary did you follow?

Glad to hear you had a great time!

 

We were on the Glory last summer for the southern itinerary, when it still sailed out of Miami. They had the 80's Rock-N-Glow party outside on the Lido deck, by the pool. They had the White party late one night in the night club. We were on the Conquest a few years ago (same class of ship as Glory) and they did the same thing, so that seems to be common for the Conquest class ships. I assume they still do them this year, especially the 80's party.

 

Elegant nights typically fall on the second or third evening of the cruise and the second or third night before the end (if there's two). For our 7-day last year, they were the 2nd night and I think the 5th night.

 

You'll have Dustin as your CD. We had him last year and liked him. Energetic, went to a lot of the parties & activities, good with the crowd.

Edited June 24, 2019 by Organized Chaos

[Monica887]

Thank you, this is all great information!! I think we are going to give it a shot!

[JCruiseGuy]

I'm on Glory now. Last 2 cruises were NCL. I'm Gold on Carnival. Honestly, while the ship is pretty, it's not well maintained. Food is the worst I've had from Carnival in years. Entertainment is so-so but the Cruise Director is good. Service is spotty - some great, some awful. My kids like the slides which are fun and the Nightowls program. Don't care much for the day program. I can only compare NCL as to the Breakaway and the Bliss, but both were far superior to Glory and I was on both within the last 9 months. Last Carnival cruise was on Dream in November, 2017. To be honest, nearly all the Carnival ships I've been on in the last 10 years were superior to Glory. Triumph was a much better product. Dream is a much better product. Conquest is much better. Splendor is much better. Spirit is much better. If you haven't been on Carnival in a long time, I'd recommend a ship other than Glory. 

[sushitex]

I replied elsewhere a little while ago, but just read the questions above about the food. While on our March 11-16, 2019 cruise, we attended an afternoon tea in one of the main dining rooms. I normally go alone to the teas, but I convinced hubby to go with me because Carnival now offers a Veterans’ Table at these affairs ( or at least, Glory did.) Anyway, the food was much the same as the other Carnival teas that I have attended, but now, they no longer offer the premium teas for free. One can still drink a house brand of orange pekoe, with possibly a few other varieties. They will also sell you the premium tea bags for a nominal charge. Gone is my favorite, the Lipton Darjeeling, and I have never found it anywhere else than on a Carnival cruise. 😢 

 

As I mentioned in the other post, we discovered the BBQ place above the buffet during our first meal onboard, and we enjoyed it so much that we ate almost every lunch there.  

[evandbob]

I've sailed all the Conquest class ships which of course include the Glory around 20 times.  I can usually ignore the tacky decor, even though it gets more difficult to do with each successive sailing.  At one time, the Conquest ships were my go-to, last few years I've graduated my fav Carnival class ship to the Dream trio.

 

That said, Glory is a nice size, easy to get around, has lots of food options for families.  If the OP was sailing the newer, larger NCL shups, then the Glory may seem a bit of a let down, but if the OP sailed the same aged NCL ships, then comparisions in size and food would be truer.

 

Carnival's comedian's are usually better than NCL's. Food is comparable.  Theater entertainment gives NCL a +.

I feel NCL does a better job of refurbishing a ship during dry dock than Carnival does, so a slight edge to say the Jade over the Glory, much bigger edge to NCL if the Glory gets compared to Bliss or one of the 'Way class since they should get matched against Carnival's Dream ships.

 

Anyhow, it's JMO, and YMMV..

Edited June 26, 2019 by evandbob

[JCruiseGuy]

To be more specific on food: Seaday brunch is the same menu as other Carnival ships.  I always get huevos rancheros which is usually amazing on Carnival but inedible here. Service wasn’t good at Seaday brunch. However service in Buffet and dining room dinner is good. Buffet food is awful. All very greasy and overly fried. Options are limited in the sense that it’s all bottom barrel food. Kinda like what you get at Golden Corral, quality and variety. That’s fine some of the time but not all of the time. Having said that when I answered honestly when asked about the food they really do care and head chef spoke to me directly. We’ll see if that changes things. I did not go to tea so I can’t tell you about that. I did Chefs table and it was good. Believe it or not roomservice pay items are very good. BBQ is pretty good but not nearly as good as Guys bbq on dream.  As to the poster that noted about whether or not it was being compared to the big NCL ships, you are right - comparing to Breakaway and Bliss. Dream is not comparable to those ships but food ok Dream was indeed good. My comparison of food, though, is not of the NCL ships to this but rather to recent experiences on Dream, Triumph and Splendor. 

[JCruiseGuy]

Quick update:  Food and service

much improved since speaking with chef and front desk. Once they realized there was an issue it was immediately fixed and then some. Of my well over 100 cruises (across many lines) I have never seen a crew as dedicated to making it right as this one. I am truly humbled and impressed by them and they really turned it around quickly. I would now definitely recommend Glory. Just don’t be afraid to speak up. They appreciate the feedback and change accordingly. I’ve never seen that before on any line. This is unique and they are a really special crew. Kids club crew is also amazing and perhaps the best I’ve seen. 

 

Quick hint - if you like Indian food they offer a non-vegetarian Indian meal at dinner every night that is not on the menu. It’s excellent. 

[jlabs03]

I was on the Glory in March over spring break.  I have also sailed NCL from the Bliss (newest ship) to the Spirit (oldest ship).  The Spirit is the closest to the Glory in size and age (the Spirit is a couple of years older).  NCL maintains their ships way better than Carnival at least that was my experience.  The Spirit did have some plumbing issues which they worked on but you would not know this ship first sailed in 1999.  On the other hand you know the Glory is old, there are loose tiles, loose carpet, stains on all the buffet chairs, and our couch in our room was stained as well.  The food is way better on NCL than Carnival.  In the MDR most night the only choice of steak was a flat iron steak vs the NY strip on NCL.  Also the buffet did not change all week with very few exceptions and the food was not very good.  You will be waiting in line and they usually only had one of the two sides open. They also serve you bacon in the breakfast buffet vs you taking it off the buffet yourself, I found this odd since most people are picky about their bacon (crispy vs not). We mostly ate from the Deli, Pizza Pirate, and Guys, which there is nothing similar on NCL for free.  I do have to say the pizza on the Spirit was better than the Bliss but not as good as on the Glory.  My daughter was 12 when we sailed so she was in Circle C, which is probably a different experience than the kids club, since it basically is just a place to meet and they are free to leave anytime and wonder the ship.  They do have organized events but my daughter said the counselor rarely did them.  She says she like Circle C better but when we sail NCL she spends every free moment in the kids club, even on the 14 day cruise we just got back from that only had about 20 kids on the entire ship vs. Circle C which she went to often but return right away when she could not find her friends (12 year olds are not that great at organizing meet ups).  Also the internet on the Glory is basically nonexistent if this matters to you, I would not buy any of the internet packages again.  I had the most expensive plan and could barely use facebook on the other hand on NCL the internet works great for it being satellite, no it is not the same speeds as you get at home but it is good enough to browse the internet, go on facebook, use FaceTime, and I even played on online multiplayer game with no issues. The casino as far as slots is better on the Glory than the Spirit but not the Bliss. The Glory has many more modern slot machines than the Spirit. The refrigerator on the Spirit worked great, we usually store milk in it to have to drink during the day but the refrigerator on the Glory was not so good, we had to put ice in it and keep the door to the cabinet open in order to get things cold. Many of the issues with the Glory can be overlooked if the price is right and you go in with the correct expectations.  We did have a great time on our cruise and we met a lot of nice people.  We are actually going on the same cruise next March on the Carnival Valor (sister ship to the Glory) because the price is right and the Casino gave me a $500 OBC.  

[springbreakcrusin]

My son (7 at the time) spent most of his time at Camp Ocean on our Glory cruise last year. He had a great time. I have been on the Glory twice and enjoyed it each time.

[Sabalon]

Just got off the Conquest - sister ship to the Glory.  Saw lots of kids that age having TONS of fun - this build-a-bear workshop was packed!.  My kids loved the Glory, but they were a bit older than yours when we were on it a few years back. 

 

Our family consensus is that Carnival is more fun that RCI.  Never been on NCL.   Of course SO many factors go into what makes a trip fun.  You could be on the best ship in the world and have a bad time due to any circumstance.  It is what you make of it.

[jaowel]

On 6/22/2019 at 8:08 AM, Monica887 said:

I have sailed twice with Carnival, but not in over a dozen years. I am most familiar with NCL. We are considering a trip on the Glory and have 2 Elementary school age kids. 

 

Any feedback on Carnival in general compared to NCL? What do you love/hate about about Glory?

We are sailing on the Glory for NYE but having sailed both lines, my kids prefer Carnival. Carnival seems to have more activities that kids can do or the whole family can enjoy. They had fun on NCL, but commented as we left the ship that they wanted to go back to Carnival. We have turned our kids into cruise addicts. 🤷‍♀️

[LHARTWICK]

We've just returned from Glory on Sunday and loved the ship.  The first thing we noticed was brand new carpet and furnishings in all of the public areas/lounges/theater.  For an older ship, she is in great shape IMO.  We had a balcony cabin, and the balcony could have used a deep cleaning, but I expect those areas are hard to stay on top of since they are outside and on the sea 24/7.  The crew was fabulous as well.  Food at buffet and in MDR seems to be a step up from our past CCL cruises.  Glory is a good sized ship:  not massive, but not small.  Easy to find your way around once you get used to avoiding the dead ends as a result of how CCL places their dining rooms.  We don't have children, so I can't speak to that aspect, but it sure looked like the kids on our cruise were having a blast.  We've  never tried NCL, but plan to do so in the not too distant future.  Both embarkation and debarkation in NOLA was SO easy and smooth!  Shows in the theater were also very good.  Have fun whatever you decide!