Long Glory Review East. Caribbean 6/25

[Celticbrit13]

Hi

 

Just got back from my first cruise...here's a very long review.

 

First of all we sailed on the Glory on 6/25 got back on 7/2. We were on the Eastern Caribbean leg...I sailed with my parents (41 & 46), my sister (18) and myself (21). We stayed in adjacent Balcony Cabins 8204 & 8208.

 

We flew from Manchester, New Hampshire at Noon on Thursday 6/23 on US Airways (dad's frequent flyer miles) and got into Orlando at 7pm. From suggestions on this board we made a last minute switch and went through Avis for our rental car. We saved the $70 parking at Port Canaveral and about $100 on the rental itself! We booked our hotel at Comfort Inn Lake Buena Vista because it was inexpensive and because we have stayed there on two previous Disney Vacations and are familiar with the area. That night we decided to do Downtown Disney area for dinner...there was a 2+ hour wait at the Rainforest Cafe so we went over to Planet Hollywood...they said 1 hour so we went in and were seated in less than 10 minutes! They also made the best Raspberry Daqarai that I've ever had.

 

On Friday we decided to do Universal Studios Islands of Adventure (be typically cursed by the travel gods we had "cushion" days coming and going from the Glory)...decided upon arrival to do there Express Pass option ($40 extra per person)...this was totally worth it. We walked on EVERYTHING. there were 60 minute+ waits on all rides and we just walked on. Got done early so we decided to go over and do the same thing at Universal Studios. Finshed that up just as the park was closing for the night (9pm). Here's where we made our mistake...we decided afterwards to take Dad out (late Father's Day) for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe...word to the wise: Do not stay up late the night before your cruise. We didn't get in till 1am and we all were zombies the next day

 

Saturday: Left Hotel by 10am to go to Port Canaveral (about an hour later than we had planned...accidentally slept in). Made in to Avis in Cape Canaveral just before 11...The shuttle saw us pulling in and he stopped, backed up, took our luggage out of the rental and loaded it onto the bus for us while Dad did the paperwork. Then took comfortable air conditioned bus right to the curb at the pier and were there in about 5 minutes. For those who don't know this is how boarding works. First leave your luggage with the porters if you want to (don't have to...no limit to how many bags you can carry on, just the size). You then go inside and through security (took less than 1 minute) around a corner and up an escaltor to a very big room. You bear to the right and (there was no line at that point) go right up to a big counter and this is where you check in for your cruise. This takes about 5 minutes. My sister and I were sharing a cabin, but wanted our S&S on our own credit cards, I asked and they couldn't do that there, so we just put it on my sister's card and got it fixed at the Purser's desk once we were on board the ship. Next you go to a (st that time very short) line to pick up your S&S cards (this line is in the middle of the room)...took about 5 minutes. Next they moved us over to the left side of the room which was lined up with people waiting to board the ship. They told us that boarding would begin at 11:30. Boarding actually begun at about 11:45. You move through the line and show your S&S and ID to the lady, then move into a glass hallway. We waited in this hallway for about another 15 minutes...I got a good look into the big room and there was a long wait at the S&S line and a VERY long wait at the check in counters. We moved along in the line and got the Photo taken for security...through a hallway, up the escalators, and into another line for your Boarding photo then outside to the gangway onto deck 3 of the ship, and into the lobby...was on board at 12:15. Now we were told our rooms wouldn't be ready until 1:30...so we planted Dad in the lobby with the luggage, did the Purser's deck (10 minutes), went up to Spa deck to book our stuff....I was the first person to book anything, she said! then back down to the lobby for drinks. Went up at 1pm to check if rooms were ready and they were just finishing up. Put luggage in the room and went exploring. Lunch was being served on Lido deck. Muster drill was just after 4 and it took about 15 minutes for us, although I did notice that the other 1/2 of the muster stations weren't dismissed until about 20 minutes after we were. We went up on deck to watch the sail away from port and we left around 5:20. Then went back to cabins...met our steward Jimmy and went to dinner. Our seating was at 6:15 in the Golden Dining Room at Table 160 (just the 4 of us) Our Bar waitress was Olena (I think) our Headwaiter was Juan and our waiter was Rushad. By after dinner we were too tired to do anything else so everyone except my sister went to bed. Tiffany went to the "Welcome Aboard" show and saw the "Delores" show (which I did see on the TV, and we bought the DVD). Wish I could have see that one live...Delores was a scream.

 

Sunday: Nassau: Got up and ate at open seating breakfast in the Platnium Dining Room. At 8:30 we were just pulling into port. We had booked the Dolphin Encouter through Carnival. Departing the boat in really easy...just go to deck 0 through the forward part of the ship...bing your S&S card through and your in the Bahamas! The lady was standing with the sign right at the end of the gangway...and she had us wait in the shade for her. We then all grouped together walked about 10 minutes to the end of the pier to the Ferry boat...and off we went! We stopped at another Ferry terminal to pick up some more people then we were off again to Blue Lagoon. We had the time of our lives doing this excursion...we had such fun with the Dolphin Andy and his trainer (I think his name was Darren). There is also a little snack shack on the island if you get hungry. When we were done the page all of the area so you can't miss it, for the ferry headed back to the Glory. Back you are about 10 minutes before they wanted us back on the ship for departure. It was so nice not having to worry about getting back on time and we had such fun...would totally recommend this excursion to anyone with kids or not. Sunday is the 1st formal night so we started getting ready immediately. Dinner was fantastic and two traditions begin: Dinner Entertainment and Towel Animals. That night we went to the show "Livin' in America"...it was good, but the best show was the Midnight Comedian Percy. Freakin' Hilarious! Must see.

 

Monday:Day at Sea. Slept in. Shopped. Sunbathed. Swam. Ate A Lot! That night we did the Karakoe bar (Bar Blue), the Dance Club (White heat) and spent a little time at the Casino.

 

Tuesday: St Thomas. We arrived exactly on time. We had booked a shore excursion through Carnival here as well. "Magen's Bay & Paradise Point." This is the morning you also have to go through immigratitime at the Casino.

 

Tuesday: St Thomas. We arrived exactly on time. We had booked a shore excursion through Carnival here as well. "Magen's Bay & Paradise Point." This is the morning you also have to go through immigration. Because our tour was at 11:30 we were called with the Early Shore Excursions. When they call you you go forward on Deck 5 and follow the directions to the immigration line. Carnival Staff checked that we had our Passports, S&S card and Shore excursions tickets, then US Customs checked that we had our Passports, then we went to the table and got a sticker that said we had been through Immigration. Whole thing took 10 minutes tops. We then went back to our staterooms and left our passports in the room safe, and went to the meeting place of our shore excursion (Amber Palace). We met our tour guide there and he took us right off the ship and into our open-air safari buses. The Safari Bus will be wilder than any amusment park ride you have ever been on...they drive like baboons on crack! Paradise Point is OK...nice view of the ship...few shops etc. Magen's Bay is beautiful...2 hours on the beach was enough (Mainers in the Caribbean sun) but we had a fantastic time. Back on the crazy bus, to a lookout over Charlotte Amalie. This is where we found out just how crazy the bus was...we had a fender bender ON PURPOSE (ie the driver did not hit the other guy on accident) and he just kept on going like nothing had happened! Back to the pier by about 3:30. We then did some shopping at the Havensight Mall (which is right at the pier) for about 2 hours and got back on board in time for dinner. After dinner we went up on deck to watch our nighttime sailaway from St. Thomas (which is absolutely beautiful) and went to bed.

 

Wednesday: St. Maarten. Ordered room service for breakfast this day...If you have a balcony stateroom do it at least once...so nice! We woke up at 7am and were pulling into St. Maarten already. We got off the boat immediately as we had an 8:30 shore excursion: 4x4 Island Expedition. Our Guide Leroy lined us up just to the left of the Gangway and once we were all together walked us to the end of the pier to the buses. On the buses Leroy (who was absolutely fantastic, by the way) give you a rundown of what you'll be doing (driving 4x4 s) Where you be going (around the island) and how to do this. Now we paid attention to this part which basically invloved "stay close to the vehicle in front of you and follow it" but apparently this was a bit too complicated for some in our tour. We lucked out. Leroy made us the vehicle to follow him, so we got clear reception on our walkie-talkie and we didn't have to follow the people who didn't pay attention. Now the shore excursion booking said that drivers had to be 25. My sister (18) showed Leroy her driver's license and was cleared to drive our vehicle. You take a tour all around the Island and stop twice One in Marigot for shopping, and once at Orient Beach for swimming. Both stops are about 45 minutes. The tour people provided sodas and water, and a drink (fruit punch) at the beach free of charge. On the way to the beach the people who didn't pay attention got lost, so they must have missed out on most of the stop at the beach, but we had fun. Orient Beach is clothing optional, and while we didn't take this option, others do so make sure you keep this in mind if you have kids and make sure you really are ready for the sex education talk cause they will see nudity. Back to the pier around 2 pm giving us about 3 1/2 hours to do shopping (we elected to shop right on the pier). And back on board for dinner.

 

Thursday was the 2nd formal night. We saw the "Rock on Broadway" show, which we thought was the better of the two shows. That day was my spa day. Totally do something at the spa! We all did stuff throughtout the week and spend a lot of money there, but not one of us thought that it wasn't worth it.

 

Friday was last day...do the Chocolate buffet...you will have already gained weight by this point, might as well gain some more.

 

Saturday: Debarkation...First off all send someone to the Debarkation talk on Friday morning, because it could have been a hell of a lot more confusing than it already was. We opted for self-assist. Was ready at 7:30 and did nothing but wait until 9am...it was killer. I think we were the second to last deck called for self-assist so this will give people with flights an idea of time. Self Assist is easy after that...down to deck 3 (By the way, it seemed fairly easy to get an elevator...I heard horror stories about this though). And out the way you came. Off the boat...down an escalator, through a hallway, into a very small line, see the nice Customs man, through a hallway, down another escaltor, bypass all the completey confused and disorganized mess that appeared to be baggage claim, out the door, to the car rental shuttle (total time: 9 minutes). One thing that did suprise me, that I didn't notice until later: There was no security as we got off the ship...no metal detector, no x-ray the baggage...nothing! We spent the rest of the day at the Animal Kingdom, then went back to the Comfort Inn and we were all in Bed by 8pm.

 

We did the next day at the Magic Kingdom (once again this was our cushion day...we had heard about the Glory's delays a few weeks ago, but Saturday morning I woke up at 5:30 and we were pulling into Port Canaveral.) Lot's of people at Disney, and their fastpass system isn't nearly as good as Universal's, but still it's Disney...we had fun!

 

Few things of Note:

 

Mark Price: Cruise Director. Great! Wicked Funny! One night he did a 10 stupidest questions he had ever been asked...they included: How do I tell which photographs are mine? Do these stairs go up or down? Will the ship take me to the airport? Will these elevators take me to the front of the ship? What do you do with the Ice carvings after they've melted? We were in stiches! Also him in the Delores show...you really had to be there to see it.

 

Our waiters Juan and Rushad were the best...you should be so lucky to get them. We actually decided to go back to the ship early in St. Thomas and have dinner on board because we wanted to hang with them...needless to say they were tipped well.

 

Others mentioed that there were a lot of annoying annoucements...Ummm no there weren't. If you don't count the annoucements made at the lifeboat drill, St. Thomas immigration, and debarkation, there's maybe two a day!

 

Getting around the ship. You can go forward-aft on every deck but 3 and 4 when the Golden Dining room is closed.

 

The Azure Pool is much quieter that the Turqoise. This might have something to do with the fact that there is less immediate deck space, or that children are not allowed in those hot tubs...needless to say, with the exception of port days...we always went here.

 

Anyone who complains at all about the food is somehow related to the crack baboons in St. Thomas. My sister's main food group is Ketchup and even she was perfectly happy with the food.

 

Tap water is fine to drink. I have Irritable Bowel and I drank the tap water the whole time. Absolutely fine.

 

The boat does move. And you can feel it move...the whole time. If you get seasick buy you Bonine now. We just kept on taking it as we didn't want to risk it. But here's one thing they won't tell you...make sure you take it on land, because the motion is even worse there. You feel like the rocking is worse when you are on dry land.

 

Don't sit on the toliet and flush it at the same time. I didn't try it, but it just doesn't seem like a good idea at all. Anyone who has been on the Glory knows what I mean...those who don't will learn the first time they flush a toilet on the ship.

 

Some mentioned a funny smell. I smelt it to. Especially near the Ice Cream Station on the Turquiose Lido. It a faint sewer smell. My spa therapist said it was due to the rocking of the ship. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was present.

 

Check your on-screen Folio everyday. We had some erronous charges pop up a couple of times. It's easy enough to have them fix, but just keep an eye on it.

 

They list the dinner menu on the television. We found this to be a very nice feature.

 

21 appears to be more of a suggested drinking age than a rule. If you go up on your own they will card you. If you order with adults, they will card you, but if you "don't have it" give it to you anyway. If an adult gets it for you and gives it to you it's no questions asked. We ordered wine with dinner on the formal nights...both waiters were fully aware that my sister was 18 and served her anyway. So there you go. In port she was never carded, and was the legal drinking age there anyway.

 

Every staff member that I encountered spoke fantastic English with the exception of the Captian. I seemed to be the only person in our party that could even somewhat understand him, so I ended up translating to everyone else. On the last day we discovered why. I'm hard of hearing so most of the time I am reading lips. The captian's syntax was fine but he is apparently empahsizing the wrong syllable in almost every word...I don't really hear emphasis...so there you go. When he got on the intercom system though, it was really anyone's guess. I think he was giving weather updates, but we are still not sure.

 

Children together in a cabin without someone over the age of 25 is fine. We booked our that way with no problems. In our immediate hallway area there were three children only cabins and I doubt if anyone in those cabins was over 16 let alone 25.

 

Some Minor Hiccups:

 

Carnival Photography: Somewhat Curt staff. Messed up with my photos, didn't print an entire set. Said went down to print them immediately. Waited 15 minutes...said couldn't find and that they would print them overnight and deliver them to the cabin either overnight, or before 6 am on Saturday. Didn't deliver, went back to Photo desk, couldn't locate them...then magically found them in with someone else's photos, and tried to charge me for what I had already paid for. But it turned out fine in the end.

 

Drink Service: With the exception of the dining room is really slow. We felt that all the drinks had way to much booze in them. Staff never really grasped the concept of 1/2 the alcohol. I started requesting mine made with Captain Morgan's instead of Bacardi. They charge you more, but the drinks tasted good.

 

S&S: Screwy charges on occasion, and it turns out any mistakes with the spa have to go through the spa as they are actually a different company.

 

Shower Head: Appeared to be adjustable but kept slipping down so you either had to hold it in your hand and rinse your hair, or squat down to be 4 feet tall.

 

Any Questions? Feel free to ask.

[Magnifique1908]

Wonderful Review....and from a 21 yr old's point of view....I'll be on the Glory in 2 1/2 weeks, and I'm looking forward to it.

 

What service did you get in the spa?

 

Also we are looking to do get the 6:15 dinner as well (requested, we'll see once we get on the ship). How hard was it to get back from the excursions and still get ready for dinner?

 

With self assist, what exact time were you totally off the ship? We have an early flight, I may try to get it changed at the airport when we leave to go on the cruise, but I want to know just in case.

 

Thanks

[Jenna1983]

What was the Delores show? I was on the Glory 5/7/05 and don't remember that LOL Maybe I was drinking already? We had a Welcome Aboard, but it wasn't THAT hillarious?

[Crazy about cruising]

Thanks for the great review. My mom and I will be sailing the Glory in Spet. I am also curious about the "Delores" show? Does Mark still do his Robin Hood skit? It is also very funny.

 

Thanks,

Nancy

[biomedbob]

We're doing the Glory in October and my family are deli freaks.

 

Did you do the deli? What's offered? Do they have Kosher pickles?

 

Thanks

[basketballmom]

Thanks for the review. We leave in a little over two weeks on the eastern route also. Very nice and objective.

 

I have to say, you are the first person that has ever complained about the drinks being too strong. Usually they are complaining the drinks are too weak. I hope no one from Carnival reads this before we go :)

[SoccerMom#3]

We were supposed to be on this cruise but I had to cancel due to too many other events going on. It's fun to read about the cruise though and I'm glad you had a fun time.

[beaming90]

 

we had such fun with the Dolphin Andy and his trainer

 

We had a blast with Andy back on our Fantasy cruise in Feb. He was the best!!! I have to say, the dolphin encounter at the Blue Lagoon was the highlight of my trip!!!! :D And I am so glad to read your review, we will be doing the same itinerary (unless they change it I suppose) in Feb of 07 on the Glory. Thanks for the wonderful review!

[sunnid]

Thank you for the great review!! It was especially nice to get your perspective as a young adult (we have 2 18 year old boys traveling with us in August). We are taking the Western leg on the Glory and can't wait! Thanks again:)

[Cruisinwannabe]

We were also on the 6/25 sailing of the Glory. For those asking about the Delores show, it was a spontaneous event that happened during the first night's show when Mark the CD asked if there were any singles on board and an elderly lady named Delores waved her hand. Mark started a conversation with her and then invited her up on the stage. It was so hillariously funny that we wondered if she wasn't part of the cast. For those onboard that missed that show it was replayed almost continually on the TV through out the cruise.

[Rayefan]

Thanks for the GREAT review. We are sailing on the Glory this coming SATURDAY!!! Again, Thanks

[Midgetized]

One thing that did suprise me, that I didn't notice until later: There was no security as we got off the ship...no metal detector, no x-ray the baggage...nothing!

 

So does that mean I could wrap a couple calzones in ice and take them off the ship with me? :eek:

 

Thanks for the great review, I'm sailing on the Glory on 8-13 and I can't wait :D

[Celticbrit13]

Like was said before..."The Delores show" happened at the Welcome Aboard show...Mark (the cruise director) brought this elderly lady up on stage and she was single. We too thought it was some sort of set up, but as the week went on we discovered she really was a passenger.

 

Service in the Spa? Not sure exactly what you mean...What did I have done? or, How was the staff? Well, I had the Seaweed Wrap and Full Body Massage, The Indian Scalp Massage, La Therapie Facial, and I had my Hair done for the second formal night. As for the staff, they were wonderful. Sonja and Rita who were at the desk were very nice. My Seaweed therapist was Rykki who was very good, and also a little excited as she was going home that Saturday after being at sea for 8 months. Mari handled my facial and ahe was wonderful as well, turns out that she and Rykki are best friends. I feel bad that I can't recall his name, but he was the only guy working at the spa...he did the scalp massage and my hair, awesome...he did a fantastic job with my hair, which isn't easy because it is very thick, very curly, and waist length.

 

6:15 seating getting back to the dining room after shore excursions...well you leave Nassau by 2pm so that wasn't a problem. And in St. Maarten we were told we had to be back on the boat by 5:30 anyway (giving 45 minutes to dress for dinner, which is casual that night anyway). I would say you may have a bit of a problem in St. Thomas...you are in port that day from 10 am to 8pm...meaning they ask for you to be back on the boat by 7:30. We made it back on the boat at 5:50-6pm after we had done our shore excursion and a few hours of shopping at the Havensight Mall (right on the pier)...we were 10 minutes late to dinner...but it seemed to be no problem. The great thing about the Glory is that there are so many places to eat...even if we hadn't made our dinner on the boat that night, we could have done a number of different things...made a reservation at the Emerald Dining Room, pop into the Red Sail Restaurant, Grab Pizza, Or Order Room Service (which is Free).

 

Self Assist...We were off the Boat no later than 9:20. I do know that if you let Carnival know you have an early flight to catch, and are self assist, they let you off the boat first (7:30). As for taking a calzone off the boat...probably. There is a big plastic "Amnesty" bin before you go through customs in which you are susposed to put any prohibited food items...but I didn't see them checking any luggage so...who knows.

 

As for the drinks being to strong...I am a Rum only person...we all are. And in an 8oz. drink 4oz. is Rum. When it is made with the White Bacardi Rum you end up with a drink that tastes like fruity Rubbing Alcohol. When I asked them to make it with Captain Morgan's (which is a darker rum and much better in my opinion) they would use about 1/2 that and charge a bit more...but you had a drink and not a cold medicine :)

[teach21566]

absolutely wonderful review, thanks, we leave on 8/6. Thanks for all of your advice.

[OCruisers]

Thanks for the GREAT review -- fun to read and very informative!

 

Especially enjoyed your step-by-step info on embarkation! Now we know exactly what to expect for GLORY.

 

Did your parents go on the same Shore Excursions as you and your sister? If not, what did they do in port?

 

Thanks again! Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[hav2travel]

We have those very cabins for a cruise on the Glory this fall. Do you know if the balcony partion between these cabins can open to make a larger balcony.

 

Also did you purchase the soft drink card? If so what is the skinny on that.

 

Please let me know.

 

thank you & great review. you just made it harder for us to wait until Oct!

[tonyrobin]

WOW great review. Thank you! We are going August 27 to the Western. We are in rooms 9285 and 9287 on the Lido deck. The rooms are 3 down from the public space. Do you that will be a good place? We are glad you had a good time. Robin