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Glory Catches Up

icft

By icft,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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icft

icft

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We just got back from a 7 day on the Glory out of New Orleans. We sail the Glory regularly because we like no hassle cruises and the Glory is a little over an hour from our house with no airlines, no TSA, no cabs or hotels etc. A cruise out of New Orleans is our version of our neighbors running down to their camp in Grand Isle for a week every now and then. This was our sixth Glory cruise this year.

 

In the past I have mentioned how the wet dock refurb early this year and the consistent maintenance work they have done ever since have kept Glory in great shape. I also mentioned that while Glory has not escaped the cutbacks they have mitigated them and we found easy workarounds for others. Well, it looks like Glory has run out of luck.

 

A “just the facts” look at our latest cruise:

 

Day 1

We are Diamond and in November got an email from Christine Duffy saying Diamond priority boarding is back and specifically saying “Upon arrival to the terminal, look for the Priority line to check-in.” Well, she was mistaken. They would not let us into the priority line to get into the terminal saying it was only for suite guests and those who bought faster to the fun.” Once in the terminal they would not let us in the priority line to check-in, again saying it was only for suite guests and faster to the fun. When we got to check-in we asked to speak to a supervisor. It wouldn’t do us any good at that point but at least they could fix it for others the rest of the day. The supervisor told us we did get priority; that everyone they had let in to the building at that point was priority. Well, having seen the priority lines and not being let in them and helping the first time cruisers in line behind us we knew we were being treated like idiots and really didn’t want to waste more of our time arguing. We simply said “you are wrong” and moved on. Was waiting a little longer in line a big deal? No. But being treated like idiots definitely was not appreciated.

 

When we got to our room we saw the couch that I understand converts into a bed was broken. Specifically there appear to be two drawers on the bottom front. One was askew while the other was flopping around hanging by a thread. We found the room steward and asked it be fixed so things sliding off the couch did not disappear into whatever was under there. Later it was fixed, but in a quite trashy manner. After repair the askew drawer was still askew but the badly broken drawer was nice and level and secure thanks to four screws or bolts (I did not examine) as evidenced by the four silver (until they rust) screws driven through the upholstery and front drawer panel. I could live with that, but it was trashy. And for that to have not been observed and fixed before we ever got there doesn’t speak to any standards, let alone high standards. (My wife’s father built and operated a successful motel in New Orleans. She worked there until she left for college and making sure you don’t send a customer to a room with obviously broken furniture is as basic as making sure there is a door on the room far as she is concerned.)

 

That evening we ate in the main dining room. In recent times we have taken to avoiding Lido and getting good food in the MDR. Our main courses were served cold.

 

Day 2

 

First thing I went by the shop to buy some cigarettes. For the first time in my experience they were out of Marlboro Golds (aka lights).

 

Again we ate in the main dining room. Again the food was cold. It seemed to me that two days in a row of cold food indicated a system problem that management needed to fix so I asked to speak to the maître d'. They wouldn’t let us talk to the maître d' instead sending a “restaurant manager.” I explained they seemed to have a problem that needed to be fixed since our main course was cold for the first two days in a row. The “restaurant manager” talked up a storm but seemed to only care about and be able to speak about the fact they don’t “pre-plate” food. I never mentioned that, can only guess what it is and I don’t care how they get hot food out. I just wanted them to be aware there was a problem so they could fix it.

 

Late that night I went to get coffee. They close all but one or two stations in the late evening and they are located at the very back of the ship. That long walk is annoying, but not as annoying as there being no spoons.

 

Day 3

 

While they managed to serve hot over-easy eggs at brunch they served stone cold brunch potatoes. Did I report it to anyone? No, I didn’t need another lecture on how they don’t “pre-plate” food.

 

Day 5

 

We ate lunch at the “Old Fashioned BBQ.” After getting our food we asked where the utensils were located. They said they were out but some would come soon. Soon is a relative term. In this case when they finally came we gave back the food and asked for fresh. By now you can guess what’s next - stone cold beans as well as mac and cheese. I watched and can testify they did not “pre-plate” the food - the food sitting on top of the burners was cold.

 

Day 6

 

Today was apparently casino day for my wife. Under the offer we were on I had free drinks everywhere but my wife only had free drinks while playing in the casino. For the whole cruise drinks waiters in the casino were as rare as hen’s teeth. By this time my wife had learned how to track down and tackle one. She tried to order a drink and was told “OK, but it will be a very long time.” Later she tried to cash out a whole 52 cents from a machine. It popped up some message about calling someone. So, being concerned there was something wrong with the machine that needed to be fixed, she took the time and effort to go to the cashier’s desk and get someone. The guy got to the machine, saw she was trying to cash out 52 cents and told her 52 cents wasn’t worth his time and effort. So she said OK. She didn’t care about 52 cents, but felt somewhat insulted; like she was being called cheap or stupid or both when she mainly just wanted to have any problem reported and fixed.

 

Day 7

 

Drinks stations can be iffy. Today no coffee cups.

 

So nothing earth shattering this cruise, just the continued downward slide unfortunately catching up to old Glory.

 

I also kept up with the pleasant surprises:

 

The new steak and cheese sandwich at the deli is quite good. After the second night we pretty well abandoned the MDR and that steak and cheese was very welcome. Also, the woman who often worked back there is a real whirlwind. I was really impressed with her.

 

While my wife was at the mercy of drinks waiters in the casino she learned to be more assertive. She now knows the best tactics for cornering a drinks waiter and where to touch them to get their attention. Maybe that can transition to the home setting.

 

Since I had drinks everywhere I spent a lot of time going over to the casino bar. The bartenders are the one thing that has held up at Carnival. Randy and Vincent at the casino bar are outstanding. I knew Randy from our last cruise and just got to know Vincent this cruise. We are sailing Glory again in a few weeks and I am looking forward seeing those guys again.

 

On our last cruise the internet was only barely connecting and only about a third of the time. This trip it was pretty reliable and almost full 56K dial-up modem speed.

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mz-s

mz-s

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Thanks for the review. Was the deli serving french fries that you recall?

 

I was on Freedom last year and remember the MDR leaving me less than gruntled. I recall my calamari being horribly overcooked and the risotto being undercooked. Other than that, it was par for the course for Carnival.

 

Overall I do enjoy the Conquest class. I just wish Carnival took better care of their ships.

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ray98

ray98

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I believe we are seeing death by a thousand cuts in action.  Carnival has gained an even worse image after COVID, well deserved at times, and it will take a long time to fix even if magically they turn things around tomorrow.

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icft

icft

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3 hours ago, mz-s said:

Thanks for the review. Was the deli serving french fries that you recall?

 

I was on Freedom last year and remember the MDR leaving me less than gruntled. I recall my calamari being horribly overcooked and the risotto being undercooked. Other than that, it was par for the course for Carnival.

 

Overall I do enjoy the Conquest class. I just wish Carnival took better care of their ships.

The Deli did have fries and they were pretty good.

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lostsoulcruiser

lostsoulcruiser

Posted
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Thanks for the review.  Wife and I sail on Glory in April so your review of the food is interesting.  I had the same problem with the draws under the couch once before on the Dream, while it is surprising they would not or could not fix it, I was more surprised, or perhaps insulted by their level of surprise.  On the good side, the rest of the cabin was fine and we were able to workaround.  There is no excuse for cold. 

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WWEJ

WWEJ

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I have been on both the Liberty and Glory this year.  They are very comparable ships.  The Liberty has the Wok, which the Glory doesn't have.  Though I like this size ship, I too am disappointed that New Orleans didn't get a Dream class or larger ship. I enjoyed cruising the Dream from New Orleans.

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icft

icft

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5 minutes ago, slavigne5577 said:

Well I guess there is still RC and NCL for a change in ships. I loved the Dream out Nola. Would not have to look other lines if we could get Drram class ship.

We have started looking for alternatives to Carnival. Our problem is that we don't like flying, staying in hotels, fooling with transportation and all the stuff that would come with sailing from a port other then New Orleans. As it is we jump in the car, drive for a bit over an hour, park at the terminal and jump on the ship.

 

Sailing from New Orleans really means Carnival or NCL and NCL doesn't have many sailings out of New Orleans. We're booking NCL for January 2024 to get a taste though. And NCL does sail out of Tampa and we have a son living there so that would mean just facing the airlines. If our January 2024 NCL experience is good we may split cruises between NCL New Orleans, NCL Tampa and Carnival New Orleans. Once in a blue moon RC sails from New Orleans so we will keep an eye out for one of those rare occasions.

 

The bottom line is that a cruise for us is not a big deal; it just beats staying home. Make it too much work and we might as well stay home or spend more time visiting our sons who are scattered about.

 

It is just a shame that Carnival is making the experience not much better than staying home. At home we don't have to become "hunter-gatherers" tracking down decent food, stocked and working drink stations and elusive drink servers. We don't have to put up with the boorish people who have become unpleasantly common on Carnival. We don't have to put up with non-stop sales pitches. We don't have to put up with standing in lines or trying to walk down passages blocked by photographers... Of course there are positives, but the positives keep dwindling and the negatives growing.

 

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BlerkOne "Live from...." Rare

BlerkOne

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2 hours ago, icft said:

. If our January 2024 NCL experience is good we may split cruises between NCL New Orleans, NCL Tampa and Carnival New Orleans.

 

If you can drive to New Orleans and Tampa, you could drive to Galveston and certainly Mobile.

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SERK

SERK

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We used to sail out of New Orleans but we switched to Galveston.  It's only an hour further drive for us and much better port with more ship and cruise options.  We stay at a very nice bed and breakfast that also offers free parking while we cruise. 

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hey-buc

hey-buc

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Have been on Glory three times in the past 12 months and just finished a 14 day. We will not sail on her again.

I have always bragged that you can find something to eat at the Lido, but after this last trip, no. This is just lunch and dinner that I refer to. The wife and I would look at the menu and then walk and look and just say nope. Sometimes we would get a salad, other times to the Deli, Guys, Pizza or upstairs for some BBQ. When all else failed, room service.

The breakfast was always fine at the Lido.

The wife and I are Platinum and have never been to the MDR more than 7 times, just to long and the food just isn’t that great.

We have been to two chef’s tables and steak houses and have always enjoyed them.

Just my two cents and yes I let Carnival know on that 30 minute questionnaire.

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