Need GLORY info?...Here it is!! Just back!

JUST BACK TODAY! Here are my rambling thoughts:

We traveled with myself, DH, DS (5), DD (2), and parents. We’ve cruised many, many times, but this was our first on Carnival since 1994. We were on the WESTERN itinerary.

Living in Florida, we drove ourselves to the dock. For those of you that are thinking of doing this, be forewarned that the pier seems to have an on-going traffic challenge (not related to Carnival). The last two cruises we’ve taken, we have arrived at the pier, only to wait in a long line of traffic in order to reach the check-in/drop-off zone. Apparently, the pier sometimes opens late to traffic (it’s what we’re told…)

Check-in took awhile, and there were several lines to traverse before boarding the ship:

1—Traffic line (mentioned above)

2—X-ray/security line to enter terminal

3—Line at check-in counter

4—Line to pick-up key

5—Line for boarding photo

The lines moved quickly, but it was just a little irritating to keep having to get in ANOTHER line!

The Glory is a beautiful well-kept ship, albeit very confusing to navigate. I am the master at finding my way around the ship within the first day, but this ship had me so stymied that I was still getting lost on the last day! You may have read about decks 3 and 4 that don’t go all the way through to both ends of the ship. That is part of the problem. There are places on deck 3 and 4 (lounges, and such) that you can SEE on the map, but can’t get to unless you reach them from above or below (by taking the stairs). I kept thinking, as I was standing there in the no-man’s dead-end part of the ship (which is in the very middle of the ship), that if anything BAD happens (ship capsizes, catches on fire, etc), then this is where I would inevitably be stuck at. In the mysterious deck 3 & 4 zone where there is no access to any other part of the ship other than taking the stairs. (I know—sounds horrible, but I kept having visions of the Poseidon Adventure in my head). The other confusing part about the ship were the elevators. Have you all heard the joke about cruise-ship elevators? You know, the one where the Host says, “I was standing today at the elevator, when a guest asked me if these elevators went to the front of the shio?” We totally felt like that was happening! No joke! We were constantly forgetting where we were in the ship, and would be amazed to step out of an elevator only to be at the back of the ship. Truthfully, we had been at the back of the ship when getting on, it’s just that we were turned around! Also, there are several sets of sideways elevators. There elevators do not face toward the front/back of the ship like normal. Instead they are facing sideways. Again, it confused us because we expected to be step out of the elevator and be facing front. I swear, we normally have a good handle on which way we are going on a cruise ship. Our crazy miss-steps kept us laughing all week!

We LOVED the buffet, and found it to be superior to any other cruise-ship buffet. Excellent variety, good quality food, and ample dining space. Kudos! Also, we loved the plastic mugs and cups available in the buffet. They were reusable, and were great for filling with lemonade, punch, tea, etc, and carrying around the ship. Don’t miss the chocolate lunchtime buffet (was on Friday for us).

Our dinner was in the Golden Dining Room, and for the most part, we enjoyed every meal. However, the dining room was severely lacking in space, and we felt as if we were all squashed in there like sardines. The couple at the two-top behind our table actually requested a new table after the first night because they were so frustrated by the waiter that wee carrying trays inches over their heads and the guests who would walk by the table and practically knock their glasses over. It was that crowded!

Camp Carnival was GREAT! Our DS only went a few times, but DD went everyday! Very nice space—very colorful, and plenty of varied activities for the kids. On that note, we also thought that there were a lot of unique activities in general—ship building, battle of the sexes, scavenger hunt, survivor, synchronized swimming, in addition to the normal trivia, bingo, etc… BINGO ROCKED! We felt like it moved at a great pace, and was not overpriced (like on other lines….) I played almost everyday because they were always offering some sort of special like a $10 card.

Our cabins were nice-and felt wider than some of the other cruise lines. Loved all the storage space but did not care for the weird little ropey handle on the doors and drawers. Also, the hairdryer required that you continuously hold down the power button in order for it to work. By the time your hair was dry, you had carpel-tunnel!

Shows were lovely. Especially enjoyed the shows with the dancers. The magic show was fantastic!

Debarkation—very, very sad. Not only were we sad to go home, but we felt like we were being held hostage on the ship. You all have probably heard about the color-code system, where you can’t leave the ship until your color is called? Yep, it’s true. So, we sat on the Promenade deck from 9am until 10:45am—which is FOREVER!!! Once we left the ship, there were more lines. One line to actually be allowed to leave. Then another really LONG one for customs.

Overall—we really liked the Carnival Glory, and would gladly go again. We were presently surprised by everything, as our last memories of Carnival (the SENSATION in 1994) was that it was party-all-the-time, super-glitzy but slightly run-down cruise line. Not so much anymore! There’s definitely something for everyone these days.

Glad to answer questions…fire away!

CeleBrat

Sounds like you had a good time, CeleBrat. The Glory is my favorite Carnival ship to date. I'll be taking my 5th voyage in the past 14 months on the ship 2 weeks from today. It's worth going for the buffet/grill area alone! Glad you enjoyed - and mentioned - that portion of the ship.

Advice to those parking at the pier, in order to avoid the 'traffic line' mentioned, just stay to the right when you get onto the pier and go directly to the parking area. You literally just have to cross the street and you're at the luggage drop. You can even get a porter to help you with your bags if you don't want to carry/roll your own across the street (4 lanes of traffic - port policeman stops cars for pedestrians). We learned this the hard way the first time - just like CeleBrat did. I agree, the traffic loop is horrible...too many cars in too small a space.

Also, if you don't have too much luggage to handle, do the self-debark. You get off the ship at about 7:30 and there is no hunting for your bag, no lines at customs, and you beat the rest of the traffic off the pier.

Question, CeleBrat - were there non-smoking signs on the railings of the port side of open decks? They were there - then disappeared one night - the last time I was on the ship. The purser's office assured me that they would be replaced. I'm really hoping so!

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. And, for getting me THAT much more excited about my upcoming voyage!

Has anyone brought liquor aboard or cokes for the kids on

Glory? Is it better to pack in luggage or carry on? Thanks for any info!!

Thanks for the info -- can't wait 'til it's our turn!:)

Beach4Me - Have a great time. We just got off the glory today. The no smoking signs were thereon the first day and again on the last day. There was a tanker refueling the ship on the port side and so they forbid smoking on that side of the ship.

I've taken Diet Pepsi onto the ship twice. The first time, per someone's suggestion, I put the cans into a small rolling bag (carry-on size) and let the porters take it. OF COURSE, you know it was on the next to the bottom of the cart and some of the cans got crushed and leaked. Thank goodness it happened to be our suitcase they leaked onto. Lesson learned...carried it on myself the next time and had no problems. But another lesson learned that time...I don't feel like the hassle of the extra bag so I don't take pop on the ship anymore.

If you get on before 1:00, you are asked to not go to your cabin. That means dragging the bag of soft drinks around. A lot of people do it. And I have. But not anymore. I think the soda card is discounted for kids if I'm not mistaken. Don't know the cost though.

I've never taken liquor on. I drink so little that, again, it's not worth the hassle to me. Besides, I figure I'll be the one caught with the contraband!

Thanks for the info, Brian. Bob Dickinson (President & CEO) is big on the no-smoking/smoking in proper places thing. I think I'll email him and see if he can't send the edict down that the signs need to be there all day, every day. It's supposed to be non-smoking on port side ALL the time - even mentions it in the Carnival Capers...but is cut out on some days for space consideration. :rolleyes:

I see you've been on the Sensation twice - got any secret places, must-do's, etc that you can point me to? I've booked her new itinerary out of Port Canaveral for Sept of next year.

Answers--

The No-Smoking signs were not up but I never encountered anyone smoking where they shouldn't. I beleive they announced it over the intercom on the first day, and it was alos in the Capers daily. The Promenade deck was definitely smoky due to the casino.

Re: soda. We did not bring any onboard, but DID buy it in Key West (1st stop on cruise) and Cozumel. It was much easier to bring it in then, and they don't care. We also "may" have brought rum onboard, disguised in a 2L soda bottle--but you didn't hear that from me!

CeleBrat

Thanks for sharing your experience. We leave next Saturday on the same trip. Can you tell me which nights were the formal nights? I am curious if they were on sea days or port days.

One other question: does anyone have any ideas why I can pack for a week-long business trip in one carry on bag, but my pile for this cruise looks like it will require several steamer trunks?:confused:

I think I need to go cull the pile a bit....

Formal nights were Monday and Thursday, both sea days. We actually did not dress up on Monday, and instead opted to eat at the Red Sail for dinner, which was a not-so-bad meal. We based our decision on the menu in the dining room (which can be viewed on your cabin TV), and weren't WOWED by the food on the menu on Monday.

Also--don't worry about overpacking. You can never have enough "things" with you on a cruise. We often change our clothes 2-3 times per day on a cruise--alternatining between day wear (shorts/T's), evening attire (for dinner), and back to casual wear for running around the ship at night. Plus, there's plenty of storage space, so pack away!

CeleBrat

we saided the glory 09/10/2005. our 1st carnival cruise,but we have been on about 15 cruises. we loved the soup at fish &chips &the fried oysters. i agree about the rope handles & hairdryer, but we really loved the bedding. our cabin steward was 1 of the worst we ever had, but it was still a great cruise & we will certainly do carnival again.

Thanks, Celebrat! I had found some old capers that indicated Monday and Thursday, but wasn't sure if it had changed. Our last two cruises, formal night was on a port day (RCCL) and we really hated rushing back to get ready.

On one hand, I really need this vacation and am eager to get going. On the other hand, I still have so much to do that I feel like I need an extension!

Does anyone know if the room safes are large enough to hold a laptop computer? I would rather not bring it, but I have to check email for work once a day on the trip. (The price I'm paying for taking vacation during a crunch time.) Unfortunately, I cannot access our email on a public computer.

I just figure I will do it in the morning BEFORE partaking of the drink of the day!

Thanks again for all the info.

Nope - they won't come close to holding a laptop. They are about 6 inches deep, 13 inches long, and 8 or so inches high. (Those aren't the "official" measurements - just my estimation.) Enough room for documents/passports, etc., wallets, and jewelry. I've had the same size safe in both balcony rooms and suites on the Glory. There is a hiding place in the room...the corner table that looks like a box is really a box. Part of the top is hinged so you could put it under some stuff in there then put some stuff on top of the table. I'm 95% sure that all the cabins on the Glory have this type of corner box/table thing.

Does the company have a blackberry that you could take instead? My company has a loaner that they load with the appropriate email link. They'd rather someone carry a blackberry if they have to be in contact than to risk someone loosing/damaging their laptop. That would fit into the safe.

A Blackberry is a great idea and I will check into that. The only challenge may be with file attachments that I may have to review. I don't think that will work on a Blackberry.

I've never worried about (or had a problem) with stuff disappearing from the room. Even if I have to take the laptop and stash it somewhere, it beats having to have my cell phone on the entire trip. At least with email, I can control when, and how often I check. I explained that there is no signal in the middle of the caribbean.;) If I do take the Blackberry, I may have to explain why it would work but I couldn't answer my cell. hmmmmm.....

I just returned back from the Glory's western itinerary yesterday and I must say I loved it! This was my 1st cruise and I thought it was awesome!

I must agree with the earlier post that floors 3 and 4 were very confusing and I found myself still getting lost on the last day of the cruise.

I ate in the Platinum resturant and I think our seats were great (in the back near windows) and the food was very good. Our servers kept appologizing for how long it too us to get our food because they said the cooks were trying to change the way the food is presented and make it look "prettier".. i thought it looked great!

Went to the formal night monday, but we opted to skip the formal night on Thursday and went to the Supper Club in the Emerald dining room instead. That is the place where you pay an additional $25 per person, but the food was fantastic and the service and attention to our group was wonderful!

I will write at another time a real review of this all, but let me tell you that the highlight of my cruise (besides the ports) was going to the Cinn-a-bar every night and listening to the piano man Mike Lawless entertain us! He is the best and we loved singing along all week! I believe he'll be on the Glory till Nov. so be sure to stop in and see him!

I miss vacation already! :rolleyes:

I am glad to hear you had a great time. I have been watching these boards about the glory. We sail in march, my hubby is concerned because on different boards people keep saying the glory is smokey and over crowded when its at capacity compared to other ships. He wants to sail RCI. I say know who cares about rock climbing on a ship for more money. I also hear RCI add charges for everything. I hope he doesnt cancel us on the glory. We have two kids 7 and 9, we have never been on a cruise but after reading different boards, I feel connected to carnival cruisers. Even on RCI board the faithfuls of RCI say the food is gone down hill but its not about the food. I just feel carnival would be more relaxed.

We sailed on the Glory in September of 2004, and loved it! We are sailing on the Glory again next Christmas 2006!!! :):):)

We are sailing on the glory 10/22/05.This is our fisrt Carnival cruise.Our first cruise waas onRCI last year and it was wonderful.My question is does Glory have an adults only pool area? I get different answers from different people so I thought i'd ask someone who has just been on a cruise.It does semm like everyone says her deck plans are confusing I'm great at getting lost. I guess I'll be "in the dark alot!"

Does anyone know if the room safes are large enough to hold a laptop computer? I would rather not bring it, but I have to check email for work once a day on the trip. (The price I'm paying for taking vacation during a crunch time.) Unfortunately, I cannot access our email on a public computer.

 

I just figure I will do it in the morning BEFORE partaking of the drink of the day!

 

Thanks again for all the info.

I use a Kensington cable lock, they are about $30 in any computer store, and fit just about all computers.

I haven't quite figured out the whole quoting what other people said part out yet, but I wanted to try to answer some questions people asked.

As for an adults only pool. I did not see one. I just went this past week, so school was in session and I noticed that there really didn't seem to be many kids there anyways. Being a young adult without children, they can usually get on my nerves, but I noticed that there weren't many around and most of them were well behaved. There were some adults only hot tubs I saw though.

As for the Glory being smokey and crowded.. it's hard for me to say.. The Glory is huge.. and there were always people around. This was my 1st cruise and I never felt too crowded. One sea days the decks and pools got a bit crowded but I dealt with it. The bars and casino areas were just as smokey as any other bar or casino..

the only complaint I had about smoke is that some people I was traveling with got a room that smelled very badly of smoke, but the room steward I guess brought them some spray to help with that.. and my cabin was on floor 2, and many times the hall seemed to smell like smoke and as if someone had a sewage problem.. but it only smelled like that in the hall and could have been an issue with just a certain person and not towards the boat.

and yes, the floor plans were confusing a bit, but you catch on after awhile :) plus there seemed to be an employee around every turn on this ship that you can ask for directions from. They are all so nice!

:confused:

JUST BACK TODAY! Here are my rambling thoughts:

 

 

 

We traveled with myself, DH, DS (5), DD (2), and parents. We’ve cruised many, many times, but this was our first on Carnival since 1994. We were on the WESTERN itinerary.

 

 

 

Living in Florida, we drove ourselves to the dock. For those of you that are thinking of doing this, be forewarned that the pier seems to have an on-going traffic challenge (not related to Carnival). The last two cruises we’ve taken, we have arrived at the pier, only to wait in a long line of traffic in order to reach the check-in/drop-off zone. Apparently, the pier sometimes opens late to traffic (it’s what we’re told…)

 

 

 

Check-in took awhile, and there were several lines to traverse before boarding the ship:

 

1—Traffic line (mentioned above)

 

2—X-ray/security line to enter terminal

 

3—Line at check-in counter

 

4—Line to pick-up key

 

5—Line for boarding photo

 

 

 

The lines moved quickly, but it was just a little irritating to keep having to get in ANOTHER line!

 

 

 

The Glory is a beautiful well-kept ship, albeit very confusing to navigate. I am the master at finding my way around the ship within the first day, but this ship had me so stymied that I was still getting lost on the last day! You may have read about decks 3 and 4 that don’t go all the way through to both ends of the ship. That is part of the problem. There are places on deck 3 and 4 (lounges, and such) that you can SEE on the map, but can’t get to unless you reach them from above or below (by taking the stairs). I kept thinking, as I was standing there in the no-man’s dead-end part of the ship (which is in the very middle of the ship), that if anything BAD happens (ship capsizes, catches on fire, etc), then this is where I would inevitably be stuck at. In the mysterious deck 3 & 4 zone where there is no access to any other part of the ship other than taking the stairs. (I know—sounds horrible, but I kept having visions of the Poseidon Adventure in my head). The other confusing part about the ship were the elevators. Have you all heard the joke about cruise-ship elevators? You know, the one where the Host says, “I was standing today at the elevator, when a guest asked me if these elevators went to the front of the shio?” We totally felt like that was happening! No joke! We were constantly forgetting where we were in the ship, and would be amazed to step out of an elevator only to be at the back of the ship. Truthfully, we had been at the back of the ship when getting on, it’s just that we were turned around! Also, there are several sets of sideways elevators. There elevators do not face toward the front/back of the ship like normal. Instead they are facing sideways. Again, it confused us because we expected to be step out of the elevator and be facing front. I swear, we normally have a good handle on which way we are going on a cruise ship. Our crazy miss-steps kept us laughing all week!

 

 

 

We LOVED the buffet, and found it to be superior to any other cruise-ship buffet. Excellent variety, good quality food, and ample dining space. Kudos! Also, we loved the plastic mugs and cups available in the buffet. They were reusable, and were great for filling with lemonade, punch, tea, etc, and carrying around the ship. Don’t miss the chocolate lunchtime buffet (was on Friday for us).

 

 

 

Our dinner was in the Golden Dining Room, and for the most part, we enjoyed every meal. However, the dining room was severely lacking in space, and we felt as if we were all squashed in there like sardines. The couple at the two-top behind our table actually requested a new table after the first night because they were so frustrated by the waiter that wee carrying trays inches over their heads and the guests who would walk by the table and practically knock their glasses over. It was that crowded!

 

 

 

Camp Carnival was GREAT! Our DS only went a few times, but DD went everyday! Very nice space—very colorful, and plenty of varied activities for the kids. On that note, we also thought that there were a lot of unique activities in general—ship building, battle of the sexes, scavenger hunt, survivor, synchronized swimming, in addition to the normal trivia, bingo, etc… BINGO ROCKED! We felt like it moved at a great pace, and was not overpriced (like on other lines….) I played almost everyday because they were always offering some sort of special like a $10 card.

 

 

 

Our cabins were nice-and felt wider than some of the other cruise lines. Loved all the storage space but did not care for the weird little ropey handle on the doors and drawers. Also, the hairdryer required that you continuously hold down the power button in order for it to work. By the time your hair was dry, you had carpel-tunnel!

 

 

 

Shows were lovely. Especially enjoyed the shows with the dancers. The magic show was fantastic!

 

 

 

Debarkation—very, very sad. Not only were we sad to go home, but we felt like we were being held hostage on the ship. You all have probably heard about the color-code system, where you can’t leave the ship until your color is called? Yep, it’s true. So, we sat on the Promenade deck from 9am until 10:45am—which is FOREVER!!! Once we left the ship, there were more lines. One line to actually be allowed to leave. Then another really LONG one for customs.

 

 

 

Overall—we really liked the Carnival Glory, and would gladly go again. We were presently surprised by everything, as our last memories of Carnival (the SENSATION in 1994) was that it was party-all-the-time, super-glitzy but slightly run-down cruise line. Not so much anymore! There’s definitely something for everyone these days.

 

 

 

Glad to answer questions…fire away!

 

 

 

CeleBrat

the quiet spots on 6, 7, 9, and 10 are on the front of the ship .. not ideal for when you are moving ... are there any other quiet spots. I have read that on some ships out side the lobby on deck 3 is usually pretty quiet .. is it like that on the Glory?

I haven't quite figured out the whole quoting thing yet either--so here goes:

Adult pools--nope! Although there is a kids pool on deck 12! The pool in the aft section of deck 9 (lido deck) has a retractable roof which was actually closed twice due to rain. Pretty cool!

Smoky--not too much EXCEPT for deck 5 (promenade deck) due to Casino. The smoke smell permeates the entire deck!

Quiet places--BIG word of advice DO NOT try to sit on the deck 9 pool area and attempt to read. The "live" music there is WAAAAAY too loud! Also it gets a little warm there since there is no way for breeze to pass through. The better option (we discovered late in the game) was on the starboard/port sides of deck 12. With a nice breeze and lots of shade it was very peaceful and the music was much much softer. Also there weren't endless streams of people traipsing around/nearby/through the deck like there are on poolside on deck 9.

Stuff for kids--YOU BET! Both of your kids will be able to take part in Camp Carnival. Our kids were much younger but we did see several groups of "older-aged" kids traveling around the ship as part of an activity. And like I mentioned in my mini-review we were very surprised at the number and variety of neat family-oriented acitivities. Cool stuff like scavenger hunts and ship-building. No need to worry--you should find plenty to do with the kids!

Computers--The internet cafe is nearly impossible to find. It is located in the back of the Ivory Lounger which is located on the mysterious section of deck 4. Good luck discovering it! We actually had a laptop with us (hubby had to work) and were never worried about it "walking" from our cabin. We usually just left it sitting on the coffee table.

Any other questions...?

CeleBrat

If you go out the lobby/atrium doors, you will find a very nice, quiet place. Plenty of deck chairs (and it there isn't, just ask and they will be delivered). No crowds. No intercom music. Plenty of sun on one side...shade on the other. It's my favorite place for quiet with no activity. Favorite place for not-as-quiet, a bit more activity, but still not like right around the pool - the sides of the ship outside the Chips & Fish restaurant. There's a shower there too (both sides) so when you get too hot, you can cool down and be back on your deck chair in a matter of a few steps.

You'll find me there 2 weeks from today! :)