Glory Review Nov 5th-12th Western Caribbean

[uprivermama]

Just a quick review of our Glory cruise this past week. DH (47) and I (41) sailed Nov 5th-12th from Miami to the Western Caribbean ports of Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, and Cozumel. We have sailed 5 previous times, all with Carnival, and we try to pick cruises that allow us to see as many new places as possible.

 

We live a couple hours from Seattle, and we both had to work Friday, so we took a chance and flew out Friday night on a red-eye that arrived in Miami at 8:30 am. Besides getting zero sleep on the plane, it was an uneventful flight, and we arrived safely in Miami, called for Uber, and stopped at Publix for pop and some sandwiches for breakfast on our way to the port. We arrived at 9:30, and were among the first to be allowed into the terminal that morning. We purchased FTTF, as we have for all of our previous cruises, and I have never regretted doing so. With two tender ports and an early morning arrival with nowhere else to go to kill time, it was really worth the cost (especially since I snagged it before the price went up :)). Our check-in time was 10:00-10:30 anyway, but we walked right through and were seated by 9:45.

 

We sat near escalator/bathrooms in the terminal, and were asked to give up our seats for the wedding parties & wedding guests who were booked on this trip. We moved—no big deal at all, and a few minutes later, the coordinator came over and told us to come find her when the wedding parties were being called to board, and she would say we were working with her so we could board first—she wanted to show her appreciation for our moving seats! Wow! So not necessary, but very appreciated! We boarded right along with the wedding parties (wow, there were some bridesmaid-zillas we got to witness—yikes!) and were able to drop our bags in our cabin, quickly met our room steward, headed out to explore and officially begin our cruise!

 

I’m not going to go day by day, but here are some observations:

 

We enjoyed Guy’s Burgers and Blue Iguana Cantina throughout the cruise, along with the pizza place, deli, and the Steakhouse one evening. We are not huge steak-eaters, but the ribeye was melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious! Well worth the upcharge! We hate the MDR, and in 6 cruises, have only eaten two meals there. So we filled in the dining gaps at the Lido restaurant, and for the first time in our cruising history, we were pretty disappointed in the Lido experience. The food was just, well, off I guess. Never seemed hot, was often flavorless, and just overall unappealing. And the way the buffet is set up is just stupid. We’ve been on other Conquest-class ships with the same basic layout, but the traffic patterns were awful on the Glory compared with those ships. And why do they need to set out multiple trays of cereal that take up most of the breakfast space and didn’t seem to be a popular choice, and then have tiny serving dishes of the hot items, that were constantly running out of food? There were some other annoyances along those lines that just made it an irritating experience, but as usual, we managed to eat plenty.

 

We loved the sports bar. We watched football there on Sunday and also watched our Seahawks play the Bills on Monday night, and it was just a fun atmosphere. Andrei was a great bartender, and we enjoyed the bags of peanuts ($1.25) along with our beverages. I went and got pizza and brought it back for us to enjoy there as well. Fun, fun, fun!

 

Our cabin was 9268. This is a balcony on the lido deck right near the front elevator lobby. I would probably not choose this cabin again due to a few issues. First, the elevator dinging was noticeable and got on my nerves. Second, there was a pipe that ran overhead that we could see on the balcony and appeared to run into the ceiling area inside the cabin, which was apparently some kind of drain or something. You could hear liquid running through the pipe often. Annoying. I also frequently noticed the infamous sewage smell that would come and go throughout the cruise, and while it may be my imagination, I would swear it was strongest near that drain pipe. I don’t know, but it was a strong smell at times, and definitely unpleasant. Several members of our social media site group for this sailing noted the same smell in different areas of the ship, so the pipe may not have been involved at all. I do enjoy having a lido cabin, but I think a little more mid-ship would be better.

 

Our room steward, Jose, was a wonderful, friendly ninja, who somehow managed to service our room twice a day (we were never asked our preference for 1x/2x) despite our erratic schedule. He was very friendly, and ALWAYS remembered our names. We leave $5 each morning with a note for the steward, and whether that’s the reason or not, we have always had wonderful stewards.

 

I really didn’t care for the CD or entertainment staff this cruise. We usually participate in a lot of trivia and bingo, but I just thought the staff was a bit blah and annoying. Saffie, the CD, has a really hoarse-sounding voice that got on my nerves when she did her announcements. I don’t really care one way or another about the CD, but the entertainment staff did make me not want to participate in some events, so I guess that was a bummer. Still, we kept plenty busy and enjoyed a lot of balcony time this cruise.

 

Debarkation is always an adventure. I’m in the camp that wants to just get off the ship and get heading home as early as possible. Our return flight was supposed to depart MIA at 12:45; I noticed when checking in online the day before that they had delayed departure til 1:15. We had to change planes in LA before heading back to SEA, and this little delay would give us less than 20 minutes to make that connection. I wanted to get to MIA as early as possible to see if there were any options for an earlier flight. Our debarkation information we received in the cabin said that FTTF folks could meet at 7:15 in the Dining room if we wanted to carry our luggage off ourselves. We did. However, Saffie started calling for self-debarkation by deck at about 6:45, so we just headed down to the gangway and got off with the earliest group. Painless, but as always, not exactly per specification. Whatever. I was glad we made it to the airport early, as we were able to catch a 9:15 flight to LA to make sure we could make our connection to SEA and get home as scheduled.

 

PORTS:

Grand Cayman- Going into the cruise, I had no interest in visiting Stingray City, but somehow I talked my husband and myself into booking a tour with Dexter’s Fantasea Tours to do just that. Dexter responded promptly and professionally via email each time I contacted him; however, somewhere along the line, he decided that we were arriving at 10 am rather than the 7:30-3:00 time we were scheduled for, and changed our tour departure to 11:00. He emailed me, stating the port authority had us arriving at 10:00, and they were never wrong. I wasn’t positive, but didn’t think our arrival time had changed, so I just waited until we were onboard to see for sure. Sure enough, we ended up arriving at our normally scheduled 7:30 time, and we had to miss the tour, because he had other people scheduled for the 11:00 tour. We never paid a deposit, so I wasn’t too upset about it (well, I was kind of annoyed with Dexter, I admit it), but I was a little anxious about booking off the pier for a comparable tour.

 

I needn’t have worried. We ended up booking with the “Port Authority Approved” vendor in yellow shirts, who ended up being Native Way. We had about 40 people on our boat, which was full but not packed, and had a great time, despite the fairly rough seas that morning. We had plenty of time with the Stingrays, and I’m so glad we went outside our comfort zone and gave this a shot. We were able to be dropped off at Public Beach on our way back from the tour, and stayed there for about 1 ½ hours. We just laid our towels down in front of the Harbor Heights complex and really enjoyed the water. I was pleasantly surprised at how uncrowded it was! We walked out toward the road when we were ready to head back to the ship, and a public bus was just going by, honked at us, we waved and hurried up to catch him. We paid our $2.50/person and got back to the tender dock and back on the ship with no problems whatsoever. Great day!

 

Roatan- I had prebooked a private tour with Victor Bodden, with the intention of seeing some of the island, taking some pictures, and then spending the majority of the day snorkeling and sunbathing at West Bay Beach. I woke up slowly on the morning, thanks to a little too much fun watching my ‘Hawks win Monday night football, and was greeted with gray skies. I rallied, and as we were leaving the cabin to debark, it began raining. We walked out of the tourism village and up the infamous hill, and met our driver for the day—Big Al. He asked us what we were wanting to do, and without providing him much solid instruction, he headed out to show us his island. We saw a lot of very poor areas, and Big Al explained quite a bit about island life. I enjoyed it, and thought Big Al was a genuinely nice guy. About ½ hour after starting the tour, the skies just opened up and it POURED. And if you thought the roads were a little rough on a good day in Roatan, try a torrential downpour! I decided, given my somewhat compromised state of intestinal fortitude that morning, to take some non-drowsy Dramamine before we left the ship, and I believe that was probably a wise decision.

 

We arrived at the Paradise Beach Hotel on West Bay Beach, paid our $10/person to use the beach chairs, wifi, pool, showers, and restrooms, and chose loungers under a palapa to avoid the lingering drizzle. Of course, the unfriendly skies meant unfriendly seas—at least as far as snorkeling was concerned. I was so disappointed. This was my one really good chance to snorkel on this cruise, and I didn’t even get a chance to try. So I wandered down the beach a bit with my camera and took drizzly pictures (which have waterspot blurs naturally) and then ordered some food and sat around for awhile. The weather improved a little over the next hour, but the waves were still too strong to snorkel. We headed back to the ship, paid for our tour, and bid Big Al goodbye.

 

Belize- I strongly debated booking a Carnival tour to snorkel the barrier reef here the night before we arrived, due to the fact that I didn’t get to snorkel in Roatan. But, my DH is not a snorkeler, and would have just sat on the boat, and I just didn’t think it was worth the money. Plus, I really haven’t had great experiences on Carnival excursions. I have zero interest in seeing ruins or cave tubing, so those were out. DH would have been happy to just stay on the ship, but I can’t go somewhere new and not even go ashore, so we tendered over, walked around the shops in the tourism village, got too hot, and got back on the tender back to the ship. I think we lasted about an hour before we headed back. I know we didn’t really give it a chance, but I didn’t think too much of what I saw of Belize. I would go back, but I would definitely plan a snorkel trip or snorkel/Caye Caulker tour.

 

Cozumel- We had been here in February, and enjoyed a nice day at Nachi Cocom. Nice, but not great. DH wanted to try someplace different. I booked an all-inclusive day pass at the Occidental Grand Resort through Shore Excursioneer. We got up and off the ship right away, grabbed a taxi, and arrived at the resort a little before 9:00, but they took our remaining balance due, gave us our wristbands, and sent us toward the beach to start our day. I was glad we got there early, as the onsite guests all wandered out to the beach and claimed their chairs for the day at about 10:00, and then it was chair-hog city! We found some loungers in mostly shade, and alternated between going in the water and sitting in the chairs. I had brought my camera and my snorkel gear, and I spent some time enjoying both. I actually thought there was a little decent snorkeling about 30 yards off the beach where some large flat rocks were piled under the water. I was happy to see the handful of different fish varieties I saw, although there was hardly any coral to speak of. Still, I got to snorkel, and that made me happy.

 

When we wanted drinks, we pretty much had to walk to the bar at the pool to get them ourselves, but that was fine—it was about 25 feet away. Lunch was buffet style, and not very impressive. DH had a hamburger, but I wasn’t 100% sure it was beef, and I found the gray appearance pretty unappetizing. I made some nachos and called it good. The pool area had some organized activities (ping pong tournament, water polo) that people were enjoying. We were content to be lazy, and we ended up staying until about 2:30, then taxied back to the pier to shop a little before returning to the ship. Another great day!

 

So that's it. We had a great time, despite the minor annoyances that inevitably occur. I didn't keep any Funtimes, and we didn't attend any production shows, but other than that, if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can. I'll try to get some pictures posted tomorrow.

[easyboy]

Glad you had a great time despite some annoyances. Looking forward to your pictures. Thanks for the feedback.

[bazbov]

Hello. Pleased you enjoyed yourselves and thanks for posting your review. Happy cruising. :)

[Clarea]

Appreciate the report.

[MadMonk80]

I was on the same cruise/itinerary last August with my parents and fully enjoyed the experience. Yes, there were small quirks here and there but did not stop us from enjoying it. We ate every night in MDR, did Carnival excursions at every port and both experiences were great. :D

[mlrm]

I was on this cruise with you and agree with your take on the CD and entertainment staff.

[mississauga]

Could I ask how much you paid for your excursion in Grand Cayman and what the name of the tour was? Swimming with the Stingrays?

[walkintheplank]

I would have to agree with your assessment as well. My wife and I were on the Oct. 29th-Nov 5th sailing. This was our 5th cruise with Carnival and either it's getting old or I'm getting old, both I guess.

 

The only real highlight of the cruise was embarkation. We buzzed through the terminal and were in our room in about 45 minutes. Good job Carnival, except you ripped the wheel off and dented the crap out of a piece of our luggage.

 

We too usually avoid the MDR as I hate spending 14 hours of a seven day cruise sitting there waiting to eat. However, we gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised that each night we went we were done in about an hour. Excellent. We went to the Friday sea day brunch and was met with the usual carnival experience of a two hour ordeal.

 

The Lido food was just eatable and at times seemed unorganized. Funny story, one day after a late breakfast they had set up the sweet spot and while enjoying a cup of coffee I ventured over to grab a chocolate chip cookie only to be yelled at by one of the staff that it was not open yet. Really? The food is there and ready but I can't have a cookie because it's not time? Of course while this is going on others are scurrying away with sweets.:confused:

 

I always tell first-time cruisers that the x-factor of any cruise is usually not the ship, ports, food, weather, service, etc. but it's the people who are on there with you that make or break your experience. This cruise (remember my perspective) really lived up to the "wal-mart of cruise line experiences". Fun does not have to equal obnoxious. We just seemed to experience more instances of rude behavior this time. Everything from people cutting line in Lido to going the wrong way in line, smoking on balconies and in common areas, loud conversations during the dive-in movies, playing boom boxes during the movies, groups congregating in walk paths, etc., not to mention the usual chair hogs and wearing shorts and t-shirts to MDR on elegant night and unsupervised kids running roughshod. Hey, we met some nice people as well but as in life a few ruin it for the many.

 

Entertainment and shows seemed to be the same ole same ole. We saw the 80's rock show a year ago on the conquest yet here it was again on the glory. Same show one year later.

 

Debark was frustrating too. We had a 12 hour drive ahead and I wanted to be first off the ship. At 6:20 am we stroll out the 3rd floor elevators with all our luggage only to be met by staff saying you can't get in line until your called (even though there were people in line already), "go wait in lobby". So we went to the 4th floor atrium so I could peer down to see when they started letting people off. At 6:30 they drop the barrier and I tell wife "let's go". This time when we exit the elevator the same staff person is yelling "this way, this way, let's go". So I'm like 10 minutes ago I can't get in line but now you want me off your ship asap. I don't get it.

 

No offense to those who love Carnival, me thinks it's just time to try another line.

Edited November 14, 2016 by walkintheplank

[Jamericannn]

I have two inside cabins on the Lido deck booked. This should be fun. I looked where your room is located and I could see why there were elevator noises. I always try to look at the maps before booking a room.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the review!

[uprivermama]

I have two inside cabins on the Lido deck booked. This should be fun. I looked where your room is located and I could see why there were elevator noises. I always try to look at the maps before booking a room.

 

Yes, it's wise to check where your room is located before booking, and I always do. I had almost the identical room on the Freedom (sister ship) in January and had no issue with noise, so I didn't really expect to have a problem with this one. Evidently this was not a wise assumption.

[uprivermama]

Could I ask how much you paid for your excursion in Grand Cayman and what the name of the tour was? Swimming with the Stingrays?

 

The excursion price was posted on the "hawker's" sign at $45; she lowered it to $40/person when she described the trip details to us ("only for you..." :rolleyes:) I don't recall the tour having a name, but it was a 3 hour excursion, and included the stop at the Stingray city sand bar, plus a short snorkeling stop at the nearby reef. We were told there would be 25-30 people on the boat, and there were 40 plus 3 crew. I didn't feel squished on the boat at all, but there definitely wasn't a lot of extra space. I will see about posting some pictures to show our boat versus others at the sand bar soon.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[easyboy]

I would have to agree with your assessment as well. My wife and I were on the Oct. 29th-Nov 5th sailing. This was our 5th cruise with Carnival and either it's getting old or I'm getting old, both I guess.

 

No offense to those who love Carnival, me thinks it's just time to try another line.

Thank you for your honest feedback.

[CruisingSpara]

Thanks for the review! We are booked right next door in room 9270, so I can only hope the condition improves. Was the smell noticeable from your balcony?

[uprivermama]

Our boat:

Near Public Beach/Seven Mile Beach:

[uprivermama]

 

 

 

 

 

[uprivermama]

 

 

 

 

[uprivermama]

Our Group, with another crowded boat in the background:

 

 

The scene at the sand bar:

 

 

More crowded boats:

 

 

Stingray Sailing's Catamaran (almost booked this one):

 

 

Another boat: