Just back from Glory Western 4/22-4/29!!

[Virgincruiser06]

Hi everyone, Just returned home late this afternoon from one of my best vacations ever! I am so tired right now and I still have sea legs or motion madness or whatever you call it, right now I feel like I am rocking while I am typing on the computer! LOL! Just wanted to let all of you know that I will be posting a detailed review in the near future (tomorrow) if time allows. Anyone that has any specific questions between now and then go ahead and ask and I will try to include answers in my review.

Until then......

[cruising forever]

The BIGGGGGG question of the week is.................did you hear any mention of an itinerary change? Like dropping Key West and adding Cozumel? Effective when?

 

Any pointers or tips are very much appreciated! Can't wait till our turn!

[emmysmommy]

Welcome back! We saw the ship leave last Saturday! :D

We'll be doing the Eastern itinerary but I can't wait to read your review.

So glad to hear it was good!

[luvgreys]

Welcome back! Look forward to reading your review. We get on next week.:)

[peanutgirl]

Where did you dock in St. Martin and Thomas?

Glad you had a great time.:D :D

[cruisingangel]

We are also just back from the same great cruise. Hope to also post a review soon. This was a western itinerary so we did not dock in St. Thomas or St. Martin. :D

[Virgincruiser06]

Ok, here goes, don't know if I can finish before church time , but I will try. First of all let me answer the question about Key West. We heard nothing about dropping that port, we docked there on Sunday. I did hear a passenger make the comment that cozumel is almost ready for cruise ships again. So, I am not sure, sorry....

First Day at Sea: We barely made it in time for sailing, whew! After our bus loaded (about 30 of us) they checked us in on the bus, so at the port we walked right on the ship, just in time to get our life jackets and go to the drill. That took about 30 minutes, so by the time we got back to our cabin, we were well on our way of sailing out of the port, so took a few pictures from the balcony. We had been upgraded to a suite, room 7268 on the empress deck. It was very nice. Our room steward , Walter, came by to introduce himself, he was very nice. The seas were rough the first day, did feel a little queasy at supper time, but took non-drowsy dramamine and ginger root capsules and it worked fine. Explored the ship, trying to find our way around. This was our 1st cruise , so I can't compare the Glory with other ships. Some of the floors you couldn't walk straight across , you had to go up or down to get around. The only complaint I have is all the smokey clubs, I wish they would make a non-smoking club, at least one a night for nonsmokers to enjoy. We never did the casino so can't review that. First night we made our table mates , sat at table for 8 in the Golden Dining room. WE loved all of our new friends and our wait staff was excellent. Everyone was so friendly. The new carnival comfort beds are wonderful, slept great every night. We had same type of bedding at home, so it was nice that we didn't have to "miss" our home bedding. If you've never tried the down sets, you love them after you cruise.

Sunday, Key WEst, : I have never been to the keys before so this was exciting for me. I was told of the long lines to get off the ship because we were docked in the navy pier, so I had my nails done at 11:15am, after they were finished , around 12:30 or so, we went down to get off the ship, didn't take too long before we got a trolley and were in town. Took some photos along the route and once in town, we decided to ask at the chamber of commerce about a good place for lunch. She suggested the roof top cafe, it was good and we had an excellent view of the town. After we ate, we wanted to visit the cemetary, we are not big drinkers , so the duval crawl was out for us. We tried to follow the map , but got lost and by the time we made it to the cemetary, we didn't have time to take a nice walk through of the whole thing. (that was the only thing I hated about the ports, that carnival did not give you enough time). WE headed back to do some shopping and have a piece of homemade key lime pie! It was excellent (my first piece ever). From a little place called "a slice of heaven" right under the roof top cafe. I would totally recommend! Did a little shopping for the kids and back to the boat we went.

(I will have to cont. later, kids are calling me and I haven't seen them in a week) I will try to finish this afternoon.

[Talltales]

Hi,

Thanks for the (partial) review. I leave 5/6 on the Glory......can't wait! How was the food? I've heard everything from gourmet fabulous to horrendous. I'm hoping for good food, don't expect gourmet. How did you find the dining room food?

[Phlotsam]

You didn't by any chance save the Capers or get copies of the daily menu's did you? We're on the 6/3 western sailing, and we'd really like to see recent Capers from the western route.

 

We were upgraded to a Cat11 as well (from a balcony on the same deck). Two questions: (although I think I know the answer to the first one)

 

1) Did you use the "VIP boarding" available for Cat11/12 and Platinum cruisers? (I'm guessing not, you boarded so late)

 

2) What category were you upgraded from? Did you book a "guarantee" or a specific cabin number? I just wonder how often they upgrade people who have booked a specific cabin number. I didn't think it was that common.

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Thanks!

[Hollyspop]

We were also on the same cruise and in a word out side of a few bumps (which must be expected) it was fabulous.

 

The bumps were: Guy in the Internet Cafe had no idea what he was doing. We ended up using the ship to shore phone to contact home (due to a very ill 95 year old mother) and Here is where I must give a huge Kudo to Carnival. After explaining our situation to the purser we were not charged for a single phone call home. Thanks again to a wonderful purser staff on the Glory.

 

Bump Two: The wine stewart in the Emerald supper club is also a jerk that should be selling slurpies at a 7-11. When I requested a bottle of wine which we had the night before we were told it was not available in the supper club. Ok! Did he offer us the wine list? Nope. He simply suggested another wine. Next when we order ascargot they were served clold. Ever tried cold snails? Waitress never offered to reheat them or replace them with another dish. So much for that dinner. The rest of our meals were siimply supperb and the service was just magnificent. Guess I will pass on spending 60 bucks next time.

 

Bump three: Some one on the ship went home with a very nice Sony digital Handy cam recorder. Suggestion is don't leave your seat out on deck for a second without taking any and all valubles with you. I must say that Carnival did everything they could to locate our camera but it was after all my own fault for being so stupid as to leave it there begging to be stolen. If the thief reads this I will send you the battery charger if you will leave you name and address> LOL

 

OUr cabin stewards were great as were every one of the other employees we came into contact with. Embarkation and leaving the ship were both a breeze and the cleanliness of this ship is just outstanding.

 

In conclusion: I would highly recomment the Glory to any that wish to sail to Belize and Mexico. We will certainly return in the near future to do the Eastern Carribean trip. OH!! The shows were also very good and the cruise director is fantastic.

 

Questions???? Fire away. I'll do my best to answer if I can.

 

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim

:) :) :)

[Talltales]

The only complaint I have is all the smokey clubs, I wish they would make a non-smoking club, at least one a night for nonsmokers to enjoy.

 

 

Hi Virgincruiser06, you'll have to change your screen name now! :) Another quick question - I read somewhere that 1 side of the pool deck is non-smoking. Is that true? Hope so!

[woodman]

Glad you all had a great time. We sail on the Glory in 2 weeks, I hope you took good care of my cruise ship.

[StaySea]

Jim,

 

First of all sorry to hear about the camera!!!! I'll keep an out for it next Sat!!!! Cruise sounded GREAT can't wait for ours, only few days left...

 

This may seem like a silly question but on the vruises I have been on before they offered a discount on laundry services when we were ar sea did they do this this time???

 

Also how was the balcony on your suite???? let me know & TIA

[emmysmommy]

 

Bump three: Some one on the ship went home with a very nice Sony digital Handy cam recorder.... If the thief reads this I will send you the battery charger if you will leave you name and address> LOL

 

Jim

:) :) :)

 

Definitely, LOL - pee my pants funny!

[Hollyspop]

They did offer doing your laundry for 15 dollars a bag twice I think.

[Virgincruiser06]

First of all , a big THANKS to Jim for the candy! Ezra was so excited and can't wait to go to school Monday to share with his friends! I will definetly be ordering from you in the future! Thanks again!

 

A quick response to some of the questions: We also had booked a Cat. 8B and a specific cabin, but received the upgrade, thought it was unusual, but was very nice, lots of space!

The food? Well, to each his own I guess, my husband liked the food and probably gained weight, myself, didn't care for it and didn't gain or lose any! A lot of nights I found myself going for pizza after supper. Just not my style of food. Last night I got turkey and dressing (thought it would be safe) nope, tasted like the kind you get on a chain buffet. My best meal was in Belize, but I'll get to that later.

Capers, yes I saved some, don't have time to scan yet, if any specific question, let me know.

Next installment: Monday was day at sea, still getting use to ship layout, if you want to be by the lido action, you need to get up early and get out there, otherwise no chairs! We spent our time in the sun up on the spa deck and was very breezy and nice and not crowded, if there was something we wanted to see , could walk to the balcony and view from there. One side of the ship is nonsmoking and didn't observe anyone breaking the rule on the deck we were on. Monday evening was our first formal night. Carnival takes pictures of you every chance they get and formal pictures were abundent, the only problem, they print them in 8x10 and they cost $20 each. You have to buy it to get any reprints smaller than that! I love photos and so It was hard narrowing the choices. This is the night we went to one of the shows, it was okay, kind of funny seeing a foreign looking guy singing songs about America and American pop songs. Anyway the girl could really sing and the dancers were entertaining.

Tuesday: Belize: all i can say is WOW! WE booked our own excursion through X-stream cave tubing and it was great. Carnival made you feel uneasy about booking on your own, after all , they want your money, but don't be suckered in! After telling us they private excursions couldn't disembark until 9am, I went to Erin (social employee) and told her of the time of my excursion and she did help us out, we still weren't allowed to be first off the ship, but we made it in time! You have to tender in because of the coral reef, but this was different and nice. Boat ride was 15 minutes, very fast. Once in belize, we were meet by our guide, and off we went. Evar was our guide and spoke English very well (after all, that is their official language) , he was so awesome! Took time to explain everything we saw on the way to the river caves, even stopped and let us try a real cashew fruit! The excursion was the best! Walking through the rainforest and dry caves and the tubing. It was more work than I had thought, because you do have to paddle some, but it was still great. There were only 14 of us in the group, very small, very personal! Evar showed us belizian money and gave us a lot of history and info. AFter the excursion, we were offered a belizian meal in the forest for $5 each, this was the best meal I had all week! BBQ chicken, rice and beans, mango, pasta slaw, bread, and the best muffin (banana or chocolate) you have ever eaten, plus punch to drink! I cannot begin to tell you how great this meal was! AFter we ate, Evar got us back to the port in time for the last tender, again, I wish we had more time, had to rush around the port to find a souviner before catching the last tender.

Got to go take care of some other things, will have to give next installment later. til then.......

[luvgreys]

Applause! It sounds like you had a great time! I cannot wait to hear more! We will be on the Glory this Saturday!!! Whoo HOO!:)

[Love PalmTrees]

You mentioned that one side of ship was non-smoking. Which side of ship was non-smoking and was it all the decks, including cabin balconies??? We are non-smokers and don't mind a bit of smoke, but don't like too much of it, either. Thank you!!!!

[Talltales]

Thanks so much for the details and answering the smoking and food question. Did you get to the piano bar? I read so much about Mark who is no longer on the Glory, wondered if his replacement was good.

[Jabee]

I am doing the Eastern trip...but am enjoying your review. Seems there have been a lot of negative reviews on the Glory lately, so I am glad to hear a positive one. I cruised on the Conquest, and know the ships are laid out the same so I am excited about this trip.

 

I know about the camera loss. I lost one in Grand Cayman last year, and know that someday I will have to go back there, so we can take more pictures of the turtles...

 

1) Karaoke....which lounge is it in, who is the host/ess, and is the lounge one of the no-smoking lounges??

 

2) Piano Bar...Who was the piano bar singer and were they any good?

 

3) We will be eating at the 5:45 seating. Which of the Dining Rooms will I be in?

 

4) What time did you arrive for embarkation? How long did it take from entering to door to boarding the ship?

 

5) De-barkation...did you self assist or wait on your tage to be called? Did Customs seem to be picky or did it go pretty smooth?

 

thanks...

 

JB

[Pastor Steve]

I tried to look for you all on the Lido deck on Sunday but missed you. Anyways here is a review of the cruise of Glory Western 4/22-4/29

 

Friday, April 21: Arrived in Cocoa Beach thanks to Southwest Airlines & Arts Shuttle. Stayed in Cocoa Beach at Motel 6 for $84. Not a palace but Motel was only 100 yards from Beach. Room had an odor but staff came right away and removed odor. Staff of Motel very attentive

 

Saturday, April 22: Art's Shuttle picked us up and took us to ship. I was extremely impressed with the Embarkation process. It helps to get your bhoarding pass ahead of time ONLINE but the whole process was orderly and the staff was great. We boarded the ship around 12:30pm pigged out at the Red Sail Buffet and went to our room, Balconey Cabin #8253. An absolutely fantastic cabin. We really loved it. I also ordered a flower arrangement for $24 with a personal note to my wife. She loved them and the flowers stayed healthy until the trip home. After going through a rather tedious lifeboat drill we left in somewhat rough seas sprinkled with scattered thunderstorms in the vacinity. Had a great dinner at the Platinum restaurant and met our table mates at table 404. The waiters, "Kissie" and Luis were great. At midnight we got a pizza made of goatas milk cheese. Be sure to try it

 

Sunday, April 23: We slept in (though I did get up for sunrise), had devotions (I'm a pastor and a Christian) and I went to trivia fun at the Ivory Club. A young teenagey whipped us pretty bad in trivia. My wife did some walking on the track. We met at 10am for the Breakfast buffet at Red Sail. The only complaint that we had (especially my wife) is that she felt there wasn't much selection in terms of fresh fruit. She was hoping for more fruith variety and that there were no strawberries and other tropical fruits. Also the sticky bun was a bit stale. Other than that, there was a very good selection of breakfast food and the omelette maker would make things to order for you. At noon, we arrived at Key West and did not have a terribly long wait compared to some earlier cruises. We took the one hour trolley ride by going directly to the station. We did not book this one through the cruise and the ticket office was right where the shuttle dropped us off and was cheaper that Carnival prices. After the tour, we walked up Duval street to the highewst building in Key West which is a restaurant & hotel. There is a free observatory to the top that gives you a fantastic view of the harbor and the ship. We also went to St Pauls Episcopal church right across the street which has some beautiful stained glass windows. After returning to the ship, we had dinner and saw a great juggling act and comedy special. Again, I went for the midnight pizza

 

Monday, April 24: Fun Day at Sea. Woke up to see sun rise, had devotions and played more trivia. There was something for everyone to do. Allow me to make some comments about this. Having never cruised before, I was concerned that this ship was about clubs, gambling, drinking & nightlife. Because of my faith, these are things that just do not interest me. What I really liked about this cruise that while these things did take place, the ship was so huge and activities were so varied, that you could totally avoid that scene and still find a lot to do. There were also many secluded and quiet places. I especially liked going up to the deck areas in the front of the ship/bow area where hardly anyone was there. I also highly recommend spending extra money for a balconey for added privacy. The Fun Day at Sea was great. We also had an excellent formal dinner. My wife had two lobster tails and a guy in the next table had three lobster tails & prime rib (You can order as much as you want). You never lack food! I enjoyed the Evening show and the singers and dancers were great. My wif & I went for a late walk.

 

Tuesday, April 25..Belize: Took short 3.5 hour Barrier Reef Snorkeling with Beach Break. We had a bit of a delay with getting harbor clearance but we got off on our first excursion. It was a great time though snorkelin could have been a little longer. I had never snorkeled before, so after gulping plenty of sea water, I finally got the hang of it. The coral and the fish were absolutely beautiful. The trip also included a one hour beach break on a small tropical island. This was real nice too with floatation devices and kayaks available at no extra costs. What I liked about this excursion was it was short enough to allow us to get back to the ship and get a tender into Belize City. At Belize City, there was a nice little shopping complex for the torsist though if you step right outside to the tourist complex into the city streets, you can "horse trade" for better bargains. There is a nice small free Pirates Museum that was interesting. Do be aware that Belize City is sort of a "dump" and you should not walk alone. I talked to several PAX who were offered various drugs for sale by the street drug dealers. I found 1-2 hours was plenty to spend in Belize City. We skipped the show as we were tired out from a long day

 

Wednesday, April 26.. Costa Maya.. I loved this brand new cruise ship port. Though I did not go into the little village less than a mile away, my wife and I did do the Choccoban Mayan Ruins trip which was absolutely facinating. If you like history, I recommend this trip. After returning from this excursion, we hung around the torist complex at Costa Maya. This place was a bundle of shops and activities and was especially crazy with three cruise ships in port. There was also a special program of Mayan dancers that was quite good. There is a large pool, a number of restaurants etc. What I liked about Costa Maya was the absolute beauty of the water with its bright greenish-blue tint. I have never seen water like this. We went to our only party with a late night Mexican Buffet & party on the Lido deck. Each of the teams formed a Conga line. It was pretty wild but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Had fun doing the YMCA and chicken dance.

 

Thuirsday, April 27.. Another Fun Day at Sea. Another day of activity highlighted by the midnight Gala Buffet. It is worth bringing a camera to get photos before the food is eaten. It is food and art rolled into one. The evening entertainment was very good, but I have one complaint. I felt that the male stripping segment was inappropriate for an event that is supposed to be more family oriented. Although Carnival had a disclaimer on the program, I feel that the show could have gone on fine without that one stripping scene. Aside from that, we had a great day at Sea. Allow me tro say something about our Table Service waiters. They were great. If you get "Kissie" and Luis on future cruises you will do well. They are funny, they will entertain you etc. Went to hysterical newleywed game. A must see. I've never had so much fun eating!

 

Friday, April 28.. I'm sort of sad that our trip is ending. I've had a blast. Went to Trivia but the hostess did not show up. One of the few times that an event did not happen. Went to Debarkation talk which was helpful although the Carnival TV station also broadcasts it. Packed to get ready to debark by putting out our checked luggage in the hallways. One word of caution: If you use the refrigerator but do not use the items that are stocked, make sure that all bottles are full and sealed before you arrive. On our last night, we were charged for a bottle that was half empty and we had not used. Either the bottle was already half empty before we embarked or the room steward decided to take a nip at our expense. We are not sure what happened but my wife went to the pursers desk and got the charge remove. I only say this caution you to be sure to check all of the beveridges throughout the trip if you use the frig for your own sodas and drinks.

 

Saturday, April 29..Debarkation went very well and we were in Orlando airport by 11:30am. One bummer-we left our camera in Orlando airport with all of our pics. But kudos to Southwest Airlines who found the camera and will send it to us. I applaud SW airlines and their customer service staff and the inflight staff who called Orlando from the plane to track it down for us.

[MSSQRL]

We too just returned from the Glory and I will probably get flamed, but I do have some negatives. This was our second time on the Glory, our first was in 2004, and we saw a remarkable difference some good and some bad between then and now in the entertainment, the food and the staff. We also were in Belize and Costa Maya in 2005. Despite our disappointment with some things, we still had a good time as we were with wonderful friends from Alabama who we had met on the Miracle in 2005.

 

We were in a cabin on the 8th deck and although the restaurant and pools were easily accessable, I will not request the 8th deck again. If I have a choice I will take the 6th or 7th as we got a lot of noise from Lido deck particularly early in the morning and late at night when they were cleaning Lido and preparing it for the day's use. Although we seldom saw him and he had NO personalitywhen we did, we had a good room steward who always did a good job of straightening our room.

 

Throughout the week, we could smell sewage. Not only in the bathrooms but also in the halls. A couple of times it was so bad I almost became ill. I don't know what the problem was, but we never smelled it the last time we were on the Glory. Also, the ship was in drydock a few months ago so they could work on the stabilizers, but I don't think they are completely fixed. The water was much more rough this time, but I still think something is not quite right with the ship's stabilizers because even in the rougher water we didn't feel anything when we sailed her the last time.

 

We did not eat a lot on Lido, but the food in the dining room was excellent. In fact, it was the best I have eaten on any of the three cruises we have been on. Ovidiu and Yesimee was our servers and they were also excellent. They were very personable and always very accomidating. One night there was nothing on the menu that either of us liked and we asked Ovi if we could get us a steak. He brought us one of the best filets we have ever had. I can't imagine getting one any better in the Emerald club. Also, he learned very quickly that we were dessert people so from the 2nd night on, he never brought us a dessert menu. He brought two of each dessert on the menu to our table and the 4 of us shared them. Lunch in the main dining room was equally as good and we didn't eat breakfast. Also, except for the first and last nights, I saw no shorts, t shirts or blue jeans in the dining room during dinner.

 

On the past cruises, the common areas were so cold they were almost uncomfortable. But, on this cruise most of the time they were quite comfortable. After we got a little too much sun, I got a little chilled but nothing like in the common areas in the past.

 

I can't say too much about the entertainment. There just wasn't the caliber of entertainment onboard we had seen on our 2 previous cruises. We did not care for any of the comedians and only went to 1 of the late night comedy shows which was a waste of time. There was a band "The Breeze" that played in the Ebony Lounge but we were not impressed with them either. Plus, the staff didn't seem to get involved in the bars like they did on our last cruise and particularly not like they did on the Miracle. Mark seemed to be an ok Cruise director, but he clearly did not have a good staff to support him. A lot of the activities seemed to be more of a free for all than organized activity, and the night time activity was very dull. A couple of nights the only thing open was pizza and the deli. If you wanted something other than that you were just out of luck. And, more than once the only ice cream machine open at night was empty.

 

The ship days were nice, but if you wanted a chair you had to get there really early because although there were few people out there, all the chairs seemed to be taken. I even went up to one of the employees and asked him what we were supposed to do and he said he was sorry but he really could not help me. All I wanted them to do was enforce their own rules.

 

We didn't do any excursions, but made our own fun in Costa Maya and Belize. Although we didn't venture outside the port areas, we had a good time particularly in Costa Maya and I would definitely like to go back there again.

 

We love cruising Carnival and despite the things we didn't like will probably cruise again because my philosophy is a bad day on a cruise ship is still better than a good day at work.;)

[cruzaholic]

I see that the CD was someone named, Mark.

 

My parents are leaving out on the Western Carib this Saturday and I was just hoping that Greg Kneale was still the CD aboard this ship. It was probably a couple of yrs ago that I read that he was with the Glory...I guess he has moved onto another ship. Greg was great!! He was the best CD we have had aboard Carnival IMO!!!

 

Lisa

[Pastor Steve]

 

We were in a cabin on the 8th deck and although the restaurant and pools were easily accessable, I will not request the 8th deck again. If I have a choice I will take the 6th or 7th as we got a lot of noise from Lido deck particularly early in the morning and late at night when they were cleaning Lido and preparing it for the day's use. Although we seldom saw him and he had NO personalitywhen we did, we had a good room steward who always did a good job of straightening our room.

 

Throughout the week, we could smell sewage. Not only in the bathrooms but also in the halls. A couple of times it was so bad I almost became ill. I don't know what the problem was, but we never smelled it the last time we were on the Glory. Also, the ship was in drydock a few months ago so they could work on the stabilizers, but I don't think they are completely fixed. The water was much more rough this time, but I still think something is not quite right with the ship's stabilizers because even in the rougher water we didn't feel anything when we sailed her the last time.

 

Now that you mentioned it, I did notice some sewage smell on the 8th deck in a small area of the hallway (about half way back. We were also on the 8th deck but we did not have any problems with odor on our end of the hallway (We were in cabin 8253).

[MSSQRL]

I see that the CD was someone named, Mark.

 

My parents are leaving out on the Western Carib this Saturday and I was just hoping that Greg Kneale was still the CD aboard this ship. It was probably a couple of yrs ago that I read that he was with the Glory...I guess he has moved onto another ship. Greg was great!! He was the best CD we have had aboard Carnival IMO!!!

 

Lisa

 

We were on the Glory in June of 04 and there was a GREAT CD on there. I can't remember his name, but I think he was from Australia. We were really disappointed this time because 04 was wonderful.