REVIEW GLORY 10/31 Not what it used to be

[thomasina24]

Hi There, I do not have many posts here but have read this board frequently for many years. In preparation for my latest cruise, I began once again to read daily and became informed of the many changes and cutbacks. I really did not want to believe some of the things I was reading. Prior to this cruise, I had been on 7 Carnival cruises between 1999 and 2006 and I loved those vacations. This was my third time on the Glory.

 

We live about 2 miles from Port Canaveral. So convenient! My husband and I carried on 2 bottles of champagne each with no problems. Embarkation was very smooth with nice personnel. We were on the ship by noon and sat down at the lobby bar for some drinks. It was nice to be back cruising. We went to our balcony cabin to drop off our bags and then made our way to the Lido for some lunch. After muster we went back to the cabin and met the steward. I asked him if he would clear the mini-bar and he said no. So I asked if it was alright that I clear it. He said no. Because if he looks in there and things are missing, he might charge me. So I told him just lock it up. I was somewhat aggravated. I asked him if he would be able to provide a bucket of ice twice a day and he told me to get my own at the Lido. WOW. Have never been told that before. I asked if he wanted us to sign the paper with the steward’s info and he said no. Maybe they don’t do that anymore? Anyway, he sort of made it clear that he didn’t want to do anything extra for us but the room was always very nicely cleaned. No complaints there. We had late dining and our waitress was very, very nice and so were our tablemates. They were just totally the best ever! The chicken tender appetizer was good and the barbecue ribs were great. Really great. Still, it’s too bad that the sirloin steak was replaced by the flatiron thing. The Caesar salad had a strong fishy taste like others have reported. Too bad because I used to order that every night. I tried it again the last night and it was still bad. We went to the sports bar afterwards and watched the World Series.

 

Sunday was a day at sea. The weather was wonderful. The hairy chest contest is still fun after all these years. It was formal night and Captain’s party. We didn’t bother with the party. We like the way it used to be and didn’t see the point of $1 off drinks. Big whoop. Anyway, too nice outside to be inside. We got a couple beers and enjoyed watching the sea go by from our balcony. At dinner, Prime Rib was good and my husband enjoyed the lobster tails. Things did not seem as festive as on previous cruises. Many people were dressed up, others not. This was the first cruise that my husband left his ties at home. We again went to the sports bar to watch the World Series.

 

Monday, we were in Cozumel 10-6. I was looking forward to this port because we love Mexico in general and hadn’t been here since 2003. We didn’t want to go to the beach because we live right next to it at home. Took a cab to town, walked a bit and found our favorite restaurant. Now this was a disappointment. They used to serve only beers like Dos Equis, Sol, etc. Now they are serving Corona, chicken tenders, hamburger and fries. The Mexican menu choices were not as extensive as they used to be and the guacamole was not great. Since they no longer offered Dos Equis, we drank a couple Coronas instead. We walked around the residential areas hoping to find another little local restaurant but they all were closed or out of business. Cozumel just seemed way more commercialized than I remember. Used to love it here but did not enjoy it much this time. I think if there is a next time, we will skip downtown entirely and go to a beach with a little bar and some food. Did not really care for the menu at dinner this night so took the opportunity to order the flatiron thing. Ordered it rare, hoping for it to come medium-rare and that is just what I got. Carnival should be ashamed. It was almost uncuttable. I could see all the tough connective tissue that the knife could not conquer. Really Carnival, it is better to take beef off the menu if you are only going to offer crap like this. I think they also had the nerve to offer this TWICE as a regular menu item besides the nights it was on the Carnival Classics menu. The chicken quesadilla appetizer was not bad but where was the chicken? In the past this item had a few beans thrown in with the chicken. I am not really a bean eater so just picked them out before eating. This time there was a mountain of beans, too much to pick out and if there was any chicken in there, I never tasted it in either of the two I ordered. I only really enjoyed the melting cake this night. We again watched the World Series. We had booked this cruise only 6 weeks out and as soon as I did I realized that it was World Series time and the Yankees might make it in. Thank you to Carnival for having all the games.

 

It was dark and rainy when we woke up in Belize. This was our third time here. The first time we went on the Shark-Ray Alley/San Pedro excursion and enjoyed that a lot. The last time we walked into town. We like to see the local area, not just the horrible port areas with Diamonds International and all that. We were hoping to do that again since we hadn’t been to Belize in a few years and wondered if it had changed at all. It kept raining on and off but at 11:30 we decided to take the tender over and see what we could see. The capers said to get tickets at the Ebony lounge but nobody was there. One thing noticeable had changed. There were no signs set up directing people where to go. A lot of people had been waiting to see if the weather would break so there were lots of us wanting to get on a tender at that time. There were no signs or personnel to direct things. Was it an insurmountable thing to figure it out on our own? No. But it made me remember how things used to be. Just like so many things on this cruise that had changed and not for the better. When we got to the tender area, it was in chaos. Lines of people were coming from every direction. All with no tender tickets. There was one security type person there who had no leadership ability whatever trying to keep a handle on things. Finally they sent her additional help. The line was really long and by now it had started pouring rain again. People were getting to the front of the line and turning back because the rain was really coming down. We decided to go anyway and hope for the best. By the time we got over there, it was only a drizzle. We looked around a bit and settled at a bar next to the Wet Lizard. We met some awesome guys from Florida, had a great waiter, and partied pretty good. Never got to go to town as we didn’t want to chance being in a downpour and possibly streets with standing water. I don’t think I will ever go on an itinerary with Belize on it again. I know lots love it but I don’t want to go to a jungle, a zoo, or ruins or a cave. Getting to a nice beach is too much trouble and we don’t do ship’s excursions. Partied a little more at the ship and then took a nap before dinner. Some nap! We woke at 3AM. I went and ordered a pizza and garlic bread and brought it to the room. That was kind of fun. It was pretty good but I do agree that the cheese is not the same quality as before. So because of our “nap” we missed all activities. I did notice though in the capers that Justin Illusion had two shows. I likely would not have seen it anyway because for some reason the shows were scheduled at 7 & 9. I kind of resented that because with late dining, we would have had to go to the 7:00. Again, not like it used to be, and for us, not for the better.

 

Next day was Costa Maya. I knew from day one this would be the best and it was. Did notice that prices in town have gotten a lot higher than in 2005. We found an awesome little place with $1 beers and great guac and tacos. A little off the beaten path. Since I’ve mentioned guacamole twice now, I’ll add that the ship’s guac was kind of watery looking. I was looking forward to it but was another little disappointment as well as the cheese sauce for the tortilla chips that was quite watered down. Anyway, we met lots of fun people and had a great time here. Left the town a little early to leave time to splash around in the pool at the port. That was fun too with lots of people dancing on the bar. I was not one of them though. Too bad on Carnival for having to be on the ship at 3:30. Especially since there are 2 sea days in a row now that Nassau had been removed from the itinerary. Now on to something that really irks me. The new past guest party. YUCK. We take late seating for a reason. So we don’t have to rush to dinner, shows or activities after visiting a port or having a great fun day at sea. So with 2 sea days in a row coming up, they have now decided to have a cattle call in the Amber Palace at 5PM right after leaving Costa Maya. It was a nice afternoon. Too nice to be indoors at that hour but we threw on some clothes for the heck of it because I wanted to see for myself what it’s all about now. Not impressed. Yeah, I got three glasses of champagne. The appetizers were nothing to write home about. For some reason they had mozzarella and tomato on pumpernickel bread. That was just weird to me. A little thing but something so easy to improve by using baguette instead. Then there was chicken salad on bread and a salmon croquette. Much prefer the old food like the little meatballs and spinach thingies. I do also wonder why they wouldn’t have it on the sea day. The old way was so much better to us because it was always on formal night and so festive in the different lounges. Not like a cattle call. We’d be able to nap alittle beforehand or spend extra time at the pool before going to the past guest party at 7. I guess you can tell that we hate this new set-up. The Hypnotist show time tonight for late seating was again at 7. Why, why, why??? I liked better being able to attend these after dinner. These changes are making no sense to me. I ate from the buffet this night. Their beef at the carving station was better than anything in the dining room. Very tasty. The penne with vodka sauce was not very tasty. Just seemed like cream of tomato soup poured on top. Spaghetti-O type quality. The same can be said for several other pasta dishes in the dining room. Most everything tasted the same no matter what name they gave it. The deck party was moved inside due to the weather. Not Carnival’s fault but too bad for me because that is always my favorite activity. I like being able to be outdoors and I think Carnival should offer more things like this. I watched the World Series in the room this evening. It was raining and the wind and waves were starting to increase.

 

Now it’s Thursday, a sea day. Just did regular type things. Had hoped to use the water slide but was closed due to wind. The pool was really wavy. I realized I was ready to be home already. A feeling I have never had before. By noon I was wasn’t feeling very well and went to take a nap. The weather outside was very poor. When I got home I researched sea sickness and I think more than likely that’s what I had. Found out that vomiting is not necessarily its main component. Symptoms include general malaise and cold/hot sweats. Didn’t know that. Never happened to me before this. The ladies at our table felt the same way. Dinner was nice. Chateaubriand was great. Wasn’t prepared for the small portion of meat and potato or would have ordered two. Again, the pasta not very good. How much could it cost to improve it a little? Went to see the Just Rock show afterwards. What happened here??? I’ve seen it before and enjoyed it. The cutbacks in production noted by other posters are very obvious and the show is a shadow of its former self. In the same vein, the calypso band is pretty pathetic now. I remember when they used to be soooo good. What they offer now doesn’t really add anything to tropical, party atmosphere.

 

On our last sea day, it was more of the same. Still didn’t feel well but spent a few hours outside. Weather was still iffy but better than yesterday. Had fun just hanging out with my husband at the aft pool. Skipped the stupid 5:00 farewell party. Dinner was nice. I again had the ribs. Loved those ribs. However, when I received the portabello mushroom appetizer, I was in for a shock. They used to serve a huge hunk that had been subtly marinated and lightly grilled. This was unrecognizable. It was like tiny pieces of confetti littering my plate. Sort of like my cat’s tender vittles. Honestly, my jaw dropped open when I saw it. I probably would had to have ordered 10 just to equal what 1 used to be. I’m not even sure that’s an exaggeration. Attended the Legends show for the first time ever and enjoyed that a lot.

 

Debark was easy with self-assist and we were home by 8:30AM.

 

Final Thoughts: I’m sure to some my review will be perceived as whining. Most complaints are not huge but when I add everything together, for me, the cruise experience is not even close to what it was in 2005 or 2006 even. The prices were pretty low back then too in comparison to 1999 when we took our first cruise. I know I focused a lot on the food. We sort of watch what we eat and don’t eat out much at home so ship’s dining is important to us. For the first time, I felt that a lot of the food was below Olive Garden level. We talked to a few people who normally cruise with Royal. A couple of them said never again on Carnival, some said they were very pleasantly surprised, especially for the price, and one guy thought Carnival was better. The itinerary on this cruise was not ideal for us because we don’t like to stop at ports 3 days in a row, but the draw for us has always been the ship. This time it was not. Would like to have taken the extra stop in Nassau that Glory used to make previously. And I don’t even like Nassau but was just not loving the ship. I’m glad I didn’t pay very much for this cruise. Our guarantee balcony was $559 per person and we $500 taken off because we had credit card points. With tipping, drinks, and money spent at ports we paid about $650 each out of pocket. I kind of regret that we didn’t use that money to go back to Cancun instead. IF we go on another cruise, I will be careful to get a very cheap rate for an inside cabin, perhaps focus more on itinerary and maybe less than 7 days.

[Lv2Camp&Cruise]

So sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. We did this exact cruise 2 weeks before you and had a wonderful time. We thought the food was better than on many of our recent cruises which have all been on Carnival. I posted a long review describing this as the cruise that made us love Carnival again.

Not sure why you didn't stop at Nassau since we ported there as scheduled although we chose to enjoy the ship instead of getting off again in Nassau. As for the show times, we had late seating and enjoyed going to the shows before dinner since it left our evenings free for the Comedy club and dancing. The last evenings show which you said had been scaled back was likely done due to the heavy seas you described. On our "behind the fun tour" they explained that they often have to alter the shows quite a bit due to the ship rocking.

It sounds like maybe a land vacation may be more to your liking. Whatever you choose, hope your next trip will be more pleasing.

[Sdallnct]

Wow...sorry your disappointed. Just off the Valor and I thought the food was good to at times very good.

 

We were at a table of 6 and one couple ALWAYS ordered meat and potato's. So they got the flat iron steak a couple of times. Wife ordered it once. All that it was good ever time. The other two guys ordered the ribs once and while they certainly didn't think it was the best ever, they thought they were good and plentiful.

 

Me? I was watching what I ate and didn't have meat once. But most of the sea food ordered was good. I even ordered the SPA selection a couple of times and it was always good. Well once the fish was covered in a salsa that wasn't really a mexican salsa and I didn't care for that.

 

I LOVED the seared Ahi Tuna and fresh (not fried) octupus salad a the fish and chips place. I thought the deli was good (not great) but good. My wife liked the burrito place and I thought the sushi place was good. The Super Club was outstanding.

 

I was surprised we did not meet our cabin steward till the end of the 2nd day. However I also brought champaign and wine and he always had a bucket of ice for us.

 

I have cruised about 10 times on several different companies. The last time being three years ago. I also thought prices had gone up a little. Not as many free things (like free art). But overall, I was very happy with our cruise and found it to be an outstanding value.

[bakechef]

The glory is what sold us on Carnival.

 

No doubt there are some cutbacks, but I found the food on my recent splendor cruise quite satisfactory, and have to agree, the ribs are fantastic!

 

Your cabin steward sounded like a pain, I don't think that this is typical, but added to other things that you noticed it did contribute to the experience. We told our steward on the Splendor "lots of ice" and he filled it in the morning and evening no problem. On other cruises, we would empty the fridge and place everything on the desk above it, so the steward could see that we hadn't used any of it, and had no problems. Your steward sounds like a tool!:D

[dallas52]

he told you to get your own, well i would have reported him right then, it is his job to fill twice a day. all have filled a cooler for me and i've had to tell him not to fill it as full, never had that problem.

[quest2best]

After muster we went back to the cabin and met the steward. I asked him if he would clear the mini-bar and he said no. So I asked if it was alright that I clear it. He said no. Because if he looks in there and things are missing, he might charge me. So I told him just lock it up. I was somewhat aggravated. I asked him if he would be able to provide a bucket of ice twice a day and he told me to get my own at the Lido. WOW. Have never been told that before.

 

Wow, I'm glad he wasn't our room steward. We sailed the Glory 9/16 and asked our steward about clearing the mini-bar. He told us we could just set everything out. We stacked it on one of the counter spaces and used the fridge for our own drinks throughout the cruise. He did not even lock it up the night before disembarkation, so we had use of it that evening also. No problems and no charges on our S&S accounts. We always had ice in our room and never had to ask.

[thomasina24]

Yeah, the steward was not very nice. I later found out his contract is over in a couple weeks and is not coming back. At least the room was very clean however we do keep the place very, very tidy. The dining room waitress is also to the end of her contract very soon but her service was great. We also heard from a couple other passengers with a different steward who gave a hassle about the mini-bar. As the cruise went on I was trying to convince myself that things really weren't that different but as I thought about it the last couple of days, I knew things really had changed.

[katiel53]

We sailed on Glory last month on the same itinerary and our feelings were very different. I thought the food was good, not great, but far better than that on Royal Caribbean. I say that as a Diamond Plus cruiser on RCI (just means we have sailed on them many times.)

 

All ships/cruise lines are having cutbacks. Would I like a filet mignon instead of a flat iron steak, of course. Will I be able to have that every night? No way!

 

I think some of your problems with this cruise were based on former expectations. I don't just mean Carnival, but on your shore excursions. Overall, I think they soured you when you were already feeling things weren't that great.

 

I do have to say if I had a cabin steward from hell as you did, I would have reported him to the head of housekeeping right away. No way would I let him tell me that I couldn't empty the "cooler" or give me the ice twice a day. Sadly, I think he was the beginning of a downhill spiral of your cruise. I do believe, had he not given you a hard time, things overall would not have bothered you as much.

 

Our cruise was far different from yours and it was only two weeks earlier. I don't know if we were lucky or you weren't, but our cruises were very different.

 

I hope you find a cruise line that starts off a lot better, and ends up a lot better too.

[boaterette]

Sorry you were dissappointed. I know that they have changed quite a bit over the years. And personally if my cabin steward spoke to me like that I would have told him that he must not work for tips.

[Jdfireman]

I can agree 1000000% with the OP i have cruised a lot over the last years and the food has gone down hill. The service is still there like it allways has been but the food quality has gotten poor. Maybe its because were I live there are so many awsome places to eat. I think Carnival needs to revisit some of its menu items and quality of food. just my thoughts

 

jd

[thomasina24]

Sorry you were dissappointed. I know that they have changed quite a bit over the years. And personally if my cabin steward spoke to me like that I would have told him that he must not work for tips.

 

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Well, we knew we still had a whole week where we would have to see him and depend on him to be in our room alone when we weren't there. We try not to get worked up over something like the ice. Our cabin was right below the bars on Lido so it was convenient. If we had been down on Deck 1, I would have said something. I think that since our last cruise was 3 years ago, changes were more glaring. If we had been going every 6 months, the cutbacks would have would have been less noticeable. After reading reviews and posts prior to our cruise, I had hopes rather than expectations. I had hoped that people were just being complainers when discussing cutbacks. Even though we live in Florida now and it is an easy drive to several ports, I would think long and hard before booking again unless Carnival ups its quality to previous levels.

[jester121]

Sorry to hear about the trouble, but I commend you for a very fair review -- it's nice when people point out the good AND the bad without turning it into a rant session.

[I Luv Crusin]

Not having the best weather can affect the over all experience. We just got off the Liberty having sailed the Freedom less than a year ago and I noticed some changes. Not bad enough to make me not want to cruise but I'm going to re-think it before I book again.

 

We didn't even meet our steward until the 2nd day and I had to search him out. When we did he was very pleasant. He did ignore my request to empty the refrigerator but I didn't have much in there and just pushed it to the side. I was charged for a soda, after bringing on a couple myself and I told him that I had not and would NOT be using it. The steward gave me some excuse but it was removed promptly from my S&S card.

 

What took me aback was that the dining room staff discouraged ordering multiple meals! I'm trying not to over eat but for instance the first night I wanted the vegetarian meal and the ribs. The waiter insisted one bringing out each entree separately. The end result was that my dining companions were finished eating when he brought my ribs out. I expressed my displease to both him and the maitre 'd. The stated reason for this policy is that the table are not big and multiple dishes make the table "messy". I think it's a way to minimize multiple ordering.

 

The are also offering bottled water in the dining room, for sale and are selling magazine. Neither was a bother but just new.

[cruisin' again]

We were on the same sailing as you...

 

Embarkation was very smooth with nice personnel. We were on the ship by noon and sat down at the lobby bar for some drinks. It was nice to be back cruising. We went to our balcony cabin to drop off our bags and then made our way to the Lido for some lunch.

 

Embarkation was interesting for us - as I think we were the only ones who filled out the health form honestly! lol...Even the representative at the counter didn't know what to do, she had never seen a "yes" for experiencing cold/flu symptoms. We were with another family, and our son and their son were both suffering from allergies. We said yes, because we could just see someone noticing my son's runny nose and their son's cough and deny us boarding. We sat in an office at the port for a while, but were eventually allowed to embark.

 

Our group had noticed some differences as well. Our cabin steward introduced herself on the 1st day - as soon as we got to the cabin...but we never saw her again...only her assistant I suppose. He was good in keeping the ice supplied, etc. BUT...would never take any dirty glasses from the Lido or wherever out of the room!

 

We had late dining and our waitress was very, very nice and so were our tablemates. They were just totally the best ever!

 

Our wait staff in the DR was very nice, but not very efficient. We kept asking the M'D if ours was an "added" table...as they seemed to keep forgetting about us (directly behind the Maitre D' desk on the upper level of the Golden). We practically had to beg for the bar server to come to us and then they only came once. The Maitre D' was good about this and kept getting things done for us (he WAS directly behind us after all! LOL). We were always the last to leave the DR...it was at least 7:30 or later every night for a 6:00 seating.

 

Things did not seem as festive as on previous cruises. Many people were dressed up, others not. This was the first cruise that my husband left his ties at home. We again went to the sports bar to watch the World Series.

 

This was the first time we left suits at home (well, I wore a pant suit for elegant nights, but only cause I'm a SAHM and really don't have anything very dressy other than that). The guys in our group wore dress shirts and ties. Main reason was due to trying to get everything packed for the 3 of us in carry-ons only and we did! :)

 

Monday, we were in Cozumel 10-6.

 

We only went ashore to buy my sister some vanilla...usually VERY easy to find right there by the dock...I could only find the glass bottles and since we would be putting it in our friends' bags to check (we only used carry-ons! YEAH FOR US! LOL), I wasn't comfortable getting the glass bottles - we've always been able to get the plastic...o well...also had to get sunglasses as I stupidly left mine at home.

 

Did not really care for the menu at dinner this night so took the opportunity to order the flatiron thing. Ordered it rare, hoping for it to come medium-rare and that is just what I got. Carnival should be ashamed. It was almost uncuttable. I could see all the tough connective tissue that the knife could not conquer.

 

I agree the flat-iron steak was HORRIBLE! Most other things were ok to good...but not fantastic...

 

It was dark and rainy when we woke up in Belize. It kept raining on and off but at 11:30 we decided to take the tender over and see what we could see.

 

I don't remember what time we went ashore, but we had NO problem - went to Deck 0 and right off the ship. They were just about to leave and then called that there were 2 more and let us on. The rain stopped as soon as we got there. The last time we were in Belize, we had an excursion so just wanted to see what was at the dock area...nothing really, so we went back onboard. The tender back was very entertaining! One of the crew was trying to get everyone to sing patty-cake and just being quite the clown...

once back onboard we took 2 out of the 3 kids with our group (will NEVER live that one down) to the pool area/slides...we had a WONDERFUL experience with Marie in the infirmary!!!! The parents of the other child took their sunscreen with them on their excursion, and we were going to buy some for the excursion we booked for the next day - but only found some on shore for like $18! So we waited not knowing they took theirs with them, and forgetting the gift shop was closed...Anyway...went to the infirmary to see if they had any...had none...but when we explained what happened and how much trouble we'd be in for taking the kids out without it...Marie put my husband at the entrance and demanded that he not move! She went to her cabin and got her personal stash of sunscreen for us to use! SO NICE!!!!

 

I did notice though in the capers that Justin Illusion had two shows. I likely would not have seen it anyway because for some reason the shows were scheduled at 7 & 9. I kind of resented that because with late dining, we would have had to go to the 7:00. Again, not like it used to be, and for us, not for the better.

 

We have the early seating for dinner, so the show times are never a problem for us...luckily! Although, I will tell you...Justin Illusion seemed more like the Glory Dancers with some smoke! lol We did also go to the comedy club a couple of times and they were good.

 

Next day was Costa Maya. I knew from day one this would be the best and it was.

 

We had an excursion in CM...went to the ruins at Chaccoben - a great time! Didn't look around the dock area at all afterwards...we had the kids with us on their first excursion - 5th cruise for them - they are 10, 10 and 7?? I don't think they got much out of it...thought it was fun climbing on the rocks...I did take video, so maybe one day they'll "get it"...still glad we took them though...lol

Now it’s Thursday, a sea day. Went to see the Just Rock show afterwards. What happened here??? I’ve seen it before and enjoyed it.

 

This is one I've never seen and I enjoyed it a lot...maybe since we hadn't ever seen it before and didn't know what we were missing. I've often meant to ask a friend of ours who is a lead male vocalist on Carnival what they do when the ship is so rocky (a feeling I LOVE btw). Maybe I'll email him after this...lol

 

 

However, when I received the portabello mushroom appetizer, I was in for a shock. They used to serve a huge hunk that had been subtly marinated and lightly grilled.

 

My husband said the same thing about the portabellos

 

Final Thoughts: I’m sure to some my review will be perceived as whining. Most complaints are not huge but when I add everything together, for me, the cruise experience is not even close to what it was in 2005 or 2006 even.

 

We even noticed on the port days we were actually twiddling our thumbs for the first time ever on a cruise! Now, I will say, we are trivia geeks and such, but when we saw Ryan and said something as well as the pursers' desk, we were told nothing had changed...finding out later that it's up to the entertainment staff on each ship what they do/don't do...and his reply was "so there just wasn't anything YOU like to do"...o well, he was right. But we didn't noticed anything for anyone else either...except for people like you who enjoy sitting by the pool...I would love to, but am scared too much of skin cancer and my 10yr old son is already having a spot "watched".

We also noted - and mentioned to Ryan - that the cumulative trivia contest was held in the cigar bar...no problem, except that it was during the 2 hours around lunch that Camp Carnival is closed, so we had to have the kids with us (he said they have the last choice of where to schedule activities, and that was the only place, although we saw plenty of empty lounges)...none of us smoke and they are very sensitive to the smell...they agreed to sit in the entrance of the lounge where we could still see them...they played there.

Overall we had a great time, cause we were after all at sea! And with our very best friends...but you're right...something just seemed to be lacking this time.

My win in the casino helped a little tho...on the last night $176 on ONE bonus on a penny machine! :D

 

 

Sorry...kind of hopped on your review and added mine...

O..and NO ONE has mentioned the guy in the Red Thong on the miracle docked next to us!

[dkalnas]

We were on the same sailing and I am currently writing a detailed review of my own.

 

We also encountered issues with our room steward. He would provide us ice but never provided us any clean glasses. I asked him after this occured multiple times and he claimed that "a rack of glasses had dissapeared and he could not give out anymore glasses" We ended up having to take glasses from the dining room after every meal. We also encountered inattentive service in the dining room.

 

I agree with you on the embarkation folks having their act together. This is the one part that was absolutley flawless.

 

 

I don't know why and won't speculate as to why but the service level was down across the board from what experienced on previous cruises even as recently as May 09 aboard the Valor. I hate to say it but Carnival lost some of the "magic" fr me after this cruise.

[PaddleAddict]

I have to agree with the OP that for me at least, something is just different now. Our last cruise this September was our first Carnival cruise in two years (last year we did a Princess cruise) and although we had a nice time, it was the very first time that I felt like I was ready to go home halkfway through. I have always loved Carnival, but something was lacking this time. I think it was a combination of a lot of little things that were not a big deal by themselves, but when added all together just contributed to a less than stellar cruise.

 

To me (and I know this is subjective), the food wasn't as good I felt it was years ago, especially the supper club, which used to be a highlight for us and was a big disappointment this time. Dinning room meals were hit or miss. The piano bar was dead every night (the piano player was sick for a few days, too, which didn't help), and this was too bad since it's something we usually enjoy. When he came back, he was just so-so. Not very fun and lively like some we have experienced in the past.

 

The staff was friendly, but didn't go above and beyond (except our dinning room servers who were excellent!). The ship wasn't as clean as I've seen on past sailings, especially in public restrooms. Our balcony was sooo dirty when we first got on the ship. I asked our steward if it could be cleaned and he said he would, but after it was "cleaned" it was still grimmy and sticky from spilled drinks the cruise prior to ours. He often left our dirty glasses in the room and on the balcony, too when cleaning the room.

 

The whole experience was just a little blah. Like I said earlier, we had a good time (it was a CRUISE after all!), but I think we will be going back to Princess for our next cruise. We enjoyed that cruise much more than this recent Carnival cruise... and their specialty Italian restaurant was to die for.

[SkyMaster]

We too, were on the October 31st sailing of "Glory", and we too noticed that it didn't seem quite up to par. I had a GREAT time, but something was lacking. I too concur that the flatiron steak was crap, and I decided to avoid steaks for the remainder of the cruise, after trying it once. I thought the rest of the food, including the ribs, was excellent. The Glory singers, and dancers, and the big production shows were excellent IMO. We had early seating as well, and never missed a show. We never got around to the comedy shows, but everyone we talked to who did attend said that they were very good, to excellent. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the "Legends" show, as I performed as "Elvis" in that show, and then sang in the atrium after the show while still in costume. Lots and lots of fun, and I truly hope everyone else enjoyed it as well.

 

"SKY"

[thomasina24]

We too, were on the October 31st sailing of "Glory", and we too noticed that it didn't seem quite up to par. I had a GREAT time, but something was lacking. I too concur that the flatiron steak was crap, and I decided to avoid steaks for the remainder of the cruise, after trying it once. I thought the rest of the food, including the ribs, was excellent. The Glory singers, and dancers, and the big production shows were excellent IMO. We had early seating as well, and never missed a show. We never got around to the comedy shows, but everyone we talked to who did attend said that they were very good, to excellent. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the "Legends" show, as I performed as "Elvis" in that show, and then sang in the atrium after the show while still in costume. Lots and lots of fun, and I truly hope everyone else enjoyed it as well.

 

"SKY"

 

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Oh yeah. Elvis was great and James Brown too!

[cruisin' again]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the "Legends" show, as I performed as "Elvis" in that show, and then sang in the atrium after the show while still in costume. Lots and lots of fun, and I truly hope everyone else enjoyed it as well.

 

"SKY"

 

Ahhh...now I'm 99% positive we sat next to you for the Just Rock show! I think Mike (one of our traveling companions) said you were doing Elvis. We didn't make it to the Legends show this time...hate that we missed it now!