Carnival Glory to Canada 06/30/2013 review with pics

[Bostonjetset]

Just back today from a quick getaway on the Glory from Boston to Saint John.

This is my first shot at a review so please keep that in mind when reading. I thought I would give it a try so here goes! :D

 

Just a little about myself and this trip. I am a 30 year old guy from the suburbs of Boston. My mom is turning 60 in August so last Xmas I got her this trip as a combo Xmas/birthday gift. My fiance is working in Iowa at the moment so he did not join us this time. It was a little different traveling with just mom but we had a great time. I originally booked an inside room on Lido deck [Cat. 4G] but due to aggressive sales Carnival was having last spring, I changed to a balcony on Empress deck [Cat. 8B] for less than my original price. It was great having a balcony, especially as I am a smoker. Nothing quite beats the fresh sea air in the morning with a coffee and a cigarette. That said, I am perfectly happy with an inside room as well.

 

This was my third cruise and mom's second. All have been on Carnival thus far [although the fiance and I are taking the NCL Breakaway this fall]. The Glory was a nice ship although I am not a fan of the dual dining rooms...it really disrupts the flow from forward to aft on some decks. Also, Carnival decor is a bit too over-the-top for my tastes but they provide a good value for the money spent. I will not scan the dailies because I don't have a good scanner available but if anyone has any questions about anything, please feel free to ask.

 

The itinerary on this 4 night trip was as follows:

Boston - Sea Day - Saint John - Sea Day - Boston [June 30 - July 4].

 

I would have liked to do the 5 day that included Halifax as well but the dates for this one worked out better. Saint John was still a lovely port with friendly people and plenty to do for the day. I will get into more details in the posts [with pics] for each day but wanted to provide an overview here first. I really enjoyed cruising to Canada. The weather was cooler [which I prefer] and there are no hagglers in the port begging you to buy things...a welcome change from Caribbean cruises. Those who are sun worshipers may be disappointed though as Saint John is often foggy and overcast and the weather up and back can be hit or miss. We had a bit of sun on the second half of the second sea day but the rest of the trip was mostly overcast [and even slightly raining for brief periods].

 

From our balcony whilst still docked in Boston

 

Cruiseport Boston

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Here are some more pics of day one. All of Boston's seaport

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

Here are some pics from around the Glory.

 

 

Our balcony:

 

Me in room...Couldn't resist a selfie! HAHA

 

Lido Deck

 

Guy's Burger Joint

 

The Ringer - DELICIOUS!

 

Adults-only Aft pool

[Bostonjetset]

Some more pics from around the ship!

 

Bar Blue

 

Alchemy Bar and menus

 

 

 

 

The Moscow Mule

and The Antioxidant

[Bostonjetset]

More pics of the ship!

 

 

Cinn-a-bar piano bar

 

Kaleidoscope Blvd

 

Camel Club Casino

 

Lobby

 

Golden dining room

 

Platinum dining room

[Bostonjetset]

and more....

 

 

Stained glass hanging sculpture

 

Ivory Club lounge - one of my favourite rooms even though I didn't get to go there much!

 

 

Forward staircase

 

Our deck!

[Bostonjetset]

I took most of my ship pics on Day 1 during embarkation...less people = better pics. HAHA. I know I missed some areas but I did not want to spend all my time taking pics. I tried to capture the more important areas of the ship for the purpose of providing a decent review without letting it consume my vacation.

 

As far as my thoughts on the ship go, overall I liked it. The Ivory Club lounge was one of my favourite rooms decor-wise but I rarely went there. They did not seem to have many events that interested me scheduled there :( [i had my fill of art auctions during the last cruise I took! lol]. As I stated before, I am not a fan of the dual dining rooms. It is a bit of a hassle to have to go up or downstairs to get from one end of the ship to the other when on the Promenade deck. The Spirit class ships [i.e. the Legend] have a better layout IMO. Also, the Glory felt more crowded than other cruises I have taken...maybe there were more people this time or perhaps the overcast weather kept more of them indoors but either way it seemed busy all the time.

 

Bar Blue was a cool lounge also, and it allowed smoking [a PLUS in my book] but I wasn't a huge fan of the nightly entertainment provided there [guy with an acoustic guitar is not quite my scene] so again I did not spend much time in that room.

 

I LOVED the Alchemy bar vibe and the drinks were good [some more inventive than others but overall a great place to grab a cocktail]. I wish it was more closed off rather than on the main walkway however it still provided a nice hangout place.

 

Also, Creams Cafe was a fave of mine. Not a place to hang out so much but the "adult coffees" were well crafted and the prices were reasonable. I don't like to pay extra for normal coffee but it's fine for a good espresso with some booze added!

 

The casino is like all others on cruise ships. A good place to smoke and grab a drink at it's bar if you want to listen to the nightly singers but NOT a good place to win money. I don't know of anyone who won a lot at this or any other cruise casino. Also, paying for drinks whilst gambling just feels wrong!

 

The Amber Palace show lounge [sorry no pics :(] was the nicest of the 3 Carnival ships I have taken. I felt less like 1970s Las Vegas than some of the others. It was still in Carnival style however a tad more refined than some others. Also, most seats had a decent view of the stage. That said, the shows [both Latin Nights and DIVAS] were well done with a very professional cast...2 production shows on a 4 night cruise was a welcome bonus. We only got 2 real production shows on our 7 night Legend cruise in March and 1 of those was part magic show. Maybe Carnival is listening to customer complaints about the lack of real shows [and less passenger-themed ones] or maybe we just lucked out on the Glory.

 

The gym was well equipped and only once did I go and see all machines taken...I went every day of the cruise and was always able to workout except that one early morning [went back later in the day and was fine!].

 

I have a pool at home so am not a big fan of swimming with a bunch of strangers...esp kids. That said, I cannot provide an accurate opinion of the pools on Glory. They did not seem to get as much use as other cruises due to the weather but there were certainly people in them.

 

The Serenity area on this ship is quite nice and provides two floors of adult-only relaxation. Due to weather, we only went up there once on this trip though. Still, it would be a great place on a warmer-weather cruise!

 

Boston was a great port to sail out of and I'm sad to hear Carnival is pulling out for 2014. The fact that I live in the area makes it even better for me personally but overall I felt it was a very easy port for embarkation AND ESPECIALLY disembarkation. Lines moved swiftly and customs was a breeze...the complete opposite of the nightmare that is Port of Miami!

[kylesmom]

Thanks so much!!! Will be on the Glory in 10 days!!!!

[Bostonjetset]

Thanks so much!!! Will be on the Glory in 10 days!!!!

 

No problem! I will post more over the next few days [incl. pics of Saint John].

ENJOY YOUR TRIP! It is a nice change from Caribbean cruises! :D

[serene56]

sailing in august could you tell me what movies were shown on the seasde theater? sailed the glory in january. glory has 3 production shows on 7 day cruises . great they did 2 shows on a 4 days. did they do hasvro game shows too

[Bostonjetset]

sailing in august could you tell me what movies were shown on the seasde theater? sailed the glory in january. glory has 3 production shows on 7 day cruises . great they did 2 shows on a 4 days. did they do hasvro game shows too

 

Due to weather, we did not hang out too much on the Lido deck. I do know that the new 007 movie, Skyfall, was playing one day. According to the Funtimes, they also played:

Journey to the Mysterious Island

Jack and Jill

Johnny English Reborn

Chicago

Quantum of Solice

Remember the Titans

A League of Their Own

 

I hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!

[Seago2]

Thanks for the review and pics! You're not the first person to mention the crowds- I'll bet it is because of the weather. Oh well... I can only hope to have some sun.

[Ours91]

Nice review!! One month till the Glory for us.

[serene56]

what about the taste bar? is it opened on shorter cruises

[discjoker]

what about the taste bar? is it opened on shorter cruises

 

Yes, the taste bar was open on the 6/30 Glory 4 night cruise.

[michelle1836]

Sailed on the Glory 2 weeks before you. I agree about the dining rooms. and like the spirit class better.

 

thanks for posting!

 

yes, they have the Hasbro game show

[cv322]

Thanks for sharing with us! You're a good son to give such a great gift to your Mom!

[Brighton Line]

Thank you so much, I'm on the Glory for a 4 day in August out of NYC.

[Bostonjetset]

Sailed on the Glory 2 weeks before you. I agree about the dining rooms. and like the spirit class better.

 

thanks for posting!

 

yes, they have the Hasbro game show

 

No problem! I love sharing my opinions [sometimes a little too much haha;)]

 

Thanks for sharing with us! You're a good son to give such a great gift to your Mom!

 

Aww thank you. We both had a really good time. :)

[Bostonjetset]

Thank you so much, I'm on the Glory for a 4 day in August out of NYC.

 

Enjoy your trip! I love Canada in general and it makes for a great cruise itinerary!

 

Nice review!! One month till the Glory for us.

 

Enjoy!

[serene56]

Sailed on the Glory 2 weeks before you. I agree about the dining rooms. and like the spirit class better.

 

thanks for posting!

 

yes, they have the Hasbro game show

 

 

For future readers-- you can only access the aft dining room from the aft elevators. So after you get onboard you find your dining room is Platinum dining room go to the AFT elevator down to either deck 3 or 4 (your sign and sail card will tell you where your assignment is)

 

If you have anytime dining you dining room will be the Golden

Front of the entrance can only be reached by the forward elevators.

Taking the midship elevators will bring you to the back of the dining room and you will walk though all the diners eating to get through the front.

 

If you have traditional set time and know where your table is already located and you are close to the mid ship elevators--- use those to get to you table.

Anytime diners-- use the forward elevator.

 

The dead end for the dining rooms is created by the galley so it can service both dining rooms.

[RenieRaider]

We too just came off the Glory. I will do a full review soon.

It was smooth sailing, the food in the dining room was great as well as the service. Stateroom was very clean and service wonderful. I was on the ship last year and came back to celebrate my Birthday (July 3rd) at sea with Family and Friends. It is a cost effective cruise as we are 20 minutes from Boston and no airfare to consider.

We did have fog.... lots of fog, which meant the Fog Horn was blown often. No big deal, but the Comedian made note of it. LOL. Comedian Mr. Capone was a riot, but please know ADULT ONLY Comedy. If you get offended easy, Don't Go!

 

Only two correctable complaints....

1) I LOVE Music but it was just TOO LOUD. Even the acoustic guitar player's sound was too loud. We would love to have sat and listened while sipping a cocktail and chatting with each other. Couldn't hear ourselves think.

 

2) We were very disappointed in Formal Night. When we went to 'Meet the Captain' He was in the middle of the Casino......in front of a band who again was TOO LOUD and there was no photographer there to take a photo with the Captain. I mentioned it to the Cruise Director (the location, the NOISE and lack of photographer) and he said, "That's what we're here for, if you have a camera we'll take the photo." WHAT? No, I do not.... I expected a ship photographer to be here, they are everywhere else on the ship. It was not classy.... it was a bad location, disorganized and short on service. Nothing special at all for formal night.

 

We had a good time. Any questions? I'll be happy to answer if I can.

 

OH! I almost forgot.... I've been to the Bridge and The Galley and even had back stage tour before but The Behind The Fun Tour was EXCELLANT!!!!!! Well worth it!!! Very impressive. It's offered for the Last Sea day. There are only 16 spots, so if you want to do it BOOK IT early. Justine from Human Resourses was terrific and gave me a whole new insight to behind the scenes. $95 pp.

[serene56]

 

2) We were very disappointed in Formal Night. When we went to 'Meet the Captain' He was in the middle of the Casino......in front of a band who again was TOO LOUD and there was no photographer there to take a photo with the Captain. I mentioned it to the Cruise Director (the location, the NOISE and lack of photographer) and he said, "That's what we're here for, if you have a camera we'll take the photo." WHAT? No, I do not.... I expected a ship photographer to be here, they are everywhere else on the ship. It was not classy.... it was a bad location, disorganized and short on service. Nothing special at all for formal night.

.

 

 

When we sailed the Glory-- the Captain met at the taste bar then we saw him at the "cafe" the place that sold the cookies.

 

 

 

I was wondering how much the behind the scenes tour was for a 6 day cruise.. thought it would be cheaper- Oh well some other time i will try it

[serene56]

what about dinner... the waiters dancing to gangnum style one evening?

[cruisenk]

We were on the June 30 sailing, too. Yes, they danced to it on the last night.

 

what about dinner... the waiters dancing to gangnum style one evening?