Carnival Glory mini-review

[robseat]

Just returned from Western Carib. on the Glory. DH is a quad. He uses a detachable motorized device (Roll-Aid) to get around on the ship and in terminal. Embarkation and disembarkation were very smooth. First on, and early off. We had an inside cabin on deck 6 -- very nice location close to elevators, and no adjacent cabins. The cabin was VERY small but the bathroom was VERY nice. We brought our own shower chair and just stashed it in the shower. We would probably have had more floor space in the room if we had asked that the beds be made into the twin configuration. The biggest worry I had was that DH could not reach the telephone from bed, so I never felt comfortable leaving him alone too long while he "napped." Overall the ship seemed quite accessible -- there were a few places that required an extra hand to hold a door open for us, but there were quite a few automatic doors. After a few days we learned that to get almost anywhere we wanted to go we had to go up to 9 or down to 5 and get a different set of elevators to our destination. We only saw our steward one time -- on the first day, but didn't really need him for any special requests. He did bring us lots of extra pillows we asked for. We ate in the supper club one night and had a little trouble with the big pedastals under the tables, but were able to work around by crossing feet and removing one leg rest. Regular dining room was fine, with very good service. We had been on this itinerary a couple of years ago, so weren't too excited about the ports. Took the trolly tour in Key West (several have wheelchair lifts). Then wandered around downtown for a while. Stayed on the ship in Belize -- the tenders didn't look do-able -- an assortment of private boats in different shapes and sizes. Docked in Costa Maya and did some shopping, watched the music show, and partied a little at Banditos. Cozumel was cancelled for this particular trip because of hurricane damage. That was disappointing for us because we knew Coz had wheelchair taxis -- but as I said, we had been there before. This was our first Carnival cruise (was a family / friends birthday party group cruise). It was convenient because we could drive to the port (FREE PARKING for our lift van!) Previously we had cruised with Princess to Alaska and Western Carib. Our cabins on Princess were quite a bit larger. There seemed to be more to do on the ship during port days. Princess had its own tenders which were not exactly accessible but were at least possible (when seas were calm). Maybe someday we'll try to Eastern Carib. on Carnival or Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas which also sails out of Canaveral. We had such a great time in Alaska, that we really would like to go back again so need to save our bucks for that!! We both say we like Princess better (of course it costs more!) but maybe it had to do, at least in part, with the itinerary and the fact that Princess was our "first time."

 

We made our reservations more than a year in advance, through the travel agency handling the group cruise. We called Carnival Special Needs department and got the form they use to specify type of disability, etc. We had a good experience with them. All in all a relaxing, pleasant cruise.

[muskrat897]

I am glad you and your husband found the Glory accessible. I am a full-time wheelchair user and I found RCL's Mariner very accessible. Sometime I hope to return to Cozumel. Hopefully, as they rebuild, they will include curb cuts.

 

David

[montgomeryfamily]

Thanks for the review. It was very helpful and sounds like you had a nice time on the cruise.

 

Since you are looking at the Eastern Caribbean, consider joining our August 19, 2006 Cruise Critic group cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We have great group rates and also group amenities including shipboard credit and a photo voucher. Our group rates for this time period are cheaper than the Mariner.

 

The Caribbean Princess is a fairly new ship (2004) and is very accessible. The WC rooms are nice and there are some still available on this sailing. There are even balcony rooms that are WC accessible. There is also a lift for one of the pools and hot tub. In addition, the spa is WC accessible.

 

The Eastern Caribbean itinerary is St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Princess Cay, the Princess private island. Only Princess Cay is a tender port--we should dock at the other two ports. Princess Cay has beach wheelchairs. Also, Princess has a WC excursion on St. Thomas. Or you can make reservations directly with Accessible Adventures, a tour company there which offers accessible WC lift equipped excursions.

 

We are going to have a sailaway party and a meet and mingle. You can do as little or as much with the group as you want--some people book only for the group rates. There is no group dining-you eat on your schedule.

 

The Caribbean Princess leaves from Ft. Lauderdale, so it is a longer drive for you. But you can park at the port w/o charge in a lift equipped vehicle.

 

Click on the links in the banner below for info/pricing or feel free to email me at kacruiser@ev1.net.

[beaming90]

It is great to know that the Glory was pretty easily accessable, my mom is 75 and has a lot of trouble walking, and we are going on the Glory next December. She is considering knee surgery this spring, so hopefully, it will be better by then, but thank you for making me feel a little better!