Carnival Glory...Lot of questions?

[CruisinfromKansas]

We are going on the Glory on March 4th. The questions I have are, we are flying into Orlando and dont know where to stay. What is the best and easiest way to get to the Cruise Terminal? We are flying to Orlando from KC. Is the Glory anything like the Conquest? What about the itinerary, anyone have problems with it? Sorry for 20 questions, but just booked and was interested in what everyone had to say. Thanks in advance.

[DigiPix71]

We stayed at the Radisson at the port, which was VERY close. You can see the Glory from one side of the hotel. We found the hotel to be clean and everything. There is a shuttle to the port, but we did not take it.

 

I've not been on the Conquest, but our experience on Glory was just fine. We did the Western Itinerary with Key West, Costa Maya and Belize. Debarkation at the ports was a little challenging, but we made it.

 

Enjoy yourself!

[MelBCroozer]

I've cruised both the Conquest and Glory. They are the same class, just decorated differently. I found the staff on the Glory friendlier and the food a bit better. Getting on the ship at Port Canaveral was pretty quick and painless. Just a bit of a wait in line. We did the Western Caribbean itinerary on the Conquest and the Eastern Caribbean itinerary on the Glory. I enjoyed them both. Have a great time!!

[gypsyrose]

After much research we decided on Radisson at the port also. There were a few places cheaper, but they were basically the small, older type. We are flying in a day early and renting a car from Budget. Have been told it is app 40 minutes to PC. This way we will have the car all day and return the next morn. Budget will shuttle you to the pier. Which itenerary are you doing?

[CruisinfromKansas]

Thanks for all the answers so far, we are doing Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We are Carnival Vacation club members also and redeeming points on this one, do we just go to the skippers club and check in? That is what is sounds like. Since we have never been to these ports of calls, anyone have any reccomendations? Cab fair from Orlando to Port Canaveral? Good golf at any ports? What about Tenders at these ports or are they located on pier? Again thanks for the help and bon voyage!

[FnyFACEnAL]

These are all wallk off ports of call.

You can rent a car (Budget etc.) at the airport. When you turn it in they shuttle you to the port. The same after debarkation. You are not penalized for traveling only one way.

 

You can also use Carnival's shuttle if you fly in the day of the cruise but this costs ~$50/pp round trip. Rental car is less expensive.

[beaming90]

We are going on the Glory next December. We are flying in the day before from KCI also, but we are going to stay at the Orlando Airport Hyatt, and take the shuttle from there the next day to the port. We took the shuttle from the airport to the port for our Fantasy cruise last year and it was great! Have a nice trip!

[R&K in NC]

We are going on the Glory on Feb 4. (Only 4 weeks and 1 day). We decided to stay at the Resort of Cocoa Beach. We are going with another couple and this place has 2 bedrooms so we can split the cost which was cheaper than any of the motels.

 

Kim

[MelBCroozer]

We did a tour in St. Thomas. It was with Godfrey Tours. He picks you up from the pier and takes you to the downtown area to shop for a while. After that he takes you on a island tour. Later he drops you off for a couple of hours on the beach. All that for $25 pp plus a tip (It was $20 last summer). It was very nice and everyone in our group enjoyed it. His website is http://www.godfreytoursvi.com if you want to check it out.

[CruisinfromKansas]

If anyone has anymore more to add or just say please do, I have set sail from Galveston to New Orleans, just would like everyones opinion and possibly the excursions. Thanks Again.

[BillnBobbi]

Thanks for all the answers so far, we are doing Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We are Carnival Vacation club members also and redeeming points on this one, do we just go to the skippers club and check in? That is what is sounds like. Since we have never been to these ports of calls, anyone have any reccomendations? Cab fair from Orlando to Port Canaveral? Good golf at any ports? What about Tenders at these ports or are they located on pier? Again thanks for the help and bon voyage!

 

We are also CVC members. Go right to the skippers club and avoid all the lines. Then you will be escorted on a separate entrance to get your ID photo taken, and then past another queue to board the ship. It was fast.

 

We recommend buying the $25 per person one way ticket which Carnival offers to get to Port Canaveral. The Greyhound style bus is fast, convenient and airconditioned. The ride is about 40 minutes. Same thing on the way home. You may buy a round trip ticket, but we chose to see what way we wanted to go home. There is no difference in the price. Just book your reservation to go back to Orlando Airport at the Purser's desk on board a day or two before disembarking.

 

There is no tendering at any of the three ports. When we were in St. Maarten there were six giant cruise ships there at the same time parked in two rows of three. It almost felt as if we were walking down the canyon of Park Ave. in Manhattan.

 

Mr.B went on the 12 metre America's cup Regatta in St. Maarten. What a ride!!! Mrs. B went to the beach with the children ( 20 somethings ).

 

St. Thomas is pretty much all about the shopping.

 

We docked in Nassau on Xmas day and virtually everything was closed.

Didn't care much about seeing the Atlantis, which every cabby wanted to take us to.

 

As for the Conquest vs. Glory. They are virtually identical in layout. We found the decor on the Conquest far superior. Much less glitz and more elegance in the dining and public areas. Glory seemed cheaply decorated with much plastic, colors which made no sense, and a decor which was not coordinated. The speciality restaurant on Conquest was beautifully done, while on Glory it was dark and dismal. Considering the layout is identical, it almost seemed like a before and after routine.

 

We were also on the Liberty this past summer. It is the third of the Conquest class sister ships. The Liberty is also beautifully done in a Mediterrannean (Venetian) theme. Search for my review which was posted in late August. The one thing we didn't care for on the LIberty was the giant TV screen on the Lido deck. Neither Conquest nor Glory have this.

 

We found the Glory much noisier than the other two ships, but then this was the "schools-out-for Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza/Winter Solstice/Festivus holidays" cruise and over a third of the passengers were under 21. The Conquest two summers ago had less children for no apparent reason and the 12 day Liberty in the Med had far less.

 

BnB

[DiveCruiser]

In Nassau: you can walk around town, visit the straw market, or if they offer it do a tour of the Atlantis Resort. The aquarium is something to see by it's self.

 

St Thomas: Two tour operators are Godfrey & Sonny Liston or take a cab to Magens Bay.

 

St Maarten: Visit Orient Beach, Take a taxi to Little Divi where you can lay on the beach and enjoy the bbq they have for much less they the ship tour. Hourseback riding thru Shoretrips to Bayside Riding Stables ( Be aware they ride on the beach and in the ocean) Some liked that and sone did not.

 

Enjoy your cruise

Bob

[DGNewton]

Hey, cruiseingform Kansas. We are from Andover, Kansas and will be on the Glory July 22 (Eastern Carribean). We sailed on the Conquest last June out of New Orleans (ain't no more). We were going to take the Spring break (March 19ish) in the Conquest but wanted a different ship. We've been to all the island as we've been cruising for over 30 years.

 

Our family of 5 are looking forward to just going to the beaches, getting taxi's and doing it on our own. They can keep Naussa are far as I'm concerned.

 

I personal opinion is that it will difficult to beat the waters I experienced in Cozumel. St. Thomas and St. Maarten are nice beaches, just got to go to the right one for snorkeling. Do your research on the interent and sae money too!

[LizaMM]

We are going on the Glory next December. We are flying in the day before from KCI also, but we are going to stay at the Orlando Airport Hyatt, and take the shuttle from there the next day to the port. We took the shuttle from the airport to the port for our Fantasy cruise last year and it was great! Have a nice trip!

 

 

We decided to stay at the Orlando Airport Hyatt and take the shuttle the next morning as well. I think this all depends on when you are arriving etc. We won't be getting into Orlando until the afternoon and since the water is to cold for me (Brrrr!) in January there was no point in going to Cocoa Beach so we will redeem Hyatt points and stay there Friday night. We booked the shuttle through Carnival as it was simly easy and the price point was comparable to anything else.

 

After much research, I would have booked the Radisson in Cocoa Beach under different circumstances and probably just footed the bill for a driver from Orlando to Cocoa beach and taken the Radisson shuttle to the port the next morning.

 

When I was in St. Thomas via cruises I have done catamaran/snorkel excursions and also the Kon Tiki Party boat. Both left right from the same pier where the ship is which was very nice. There is a shopping area right where you dock so you can get both things accomplished if you want! The catamaran/snorkel trip was one of the best excursions I have taken and all my kids enjoyed it greatly!

 

In St. Maarten my whole family enjoyed a day at the beach at Divi.

 

I will be sailing the Glory in a few short weeks and promise a detailed review upon my return! Although I will be doing a Western run I will certainly be hitting MANY areas of the ship and am planning on taking many photos!!

 

Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to check it out for you!!

[tropicaldreams]

Hey DG my family and I are also going on the Glory, 22 July:cool:

[DGNewton]

Cool.... we are meeting our friends from Delware.....They have 3 girls 13, 17 & 19 and 1 boy 17. We have 3 boys, 22 17 AND 1@19.

 

I'm sure it will be fun!

[beaming90]

I will be sailing the Glory in a few short weeks and promise a detailed review upon my return! Although I will be doing a Western run I will certainly be hitting MANY areas of the ship and am planning on taking many photos!!

 

Feel free to ask any questions and I will try to check it out for you!!

 

I will be looking forward to your review, our Glory cruise is 11 months from today. How do I make the next 11 months go by faster?:rolleyes:

[wcrzx]

I crusied to St. Thomas last year and played Mahogany Run You can rent clubs there if needed. Is it worth the money, depends. There are 3 awesome holes on the water. Besides that nothing to write home about.

 

I am booking the Glory on 4/28/09 :) :)

[jmcancruise]

Just curious to know if you really are planning on a particuar cruise this far out. Hubby and I are planning on cruising again in May 2008 and hope to book in Jan of next year. We are planning a back to back and would like to leave on the 3rd of May so we can be starting our second week on our Anniversary. So far haven't picked a ship, but wish we could do a southern and eastern itinery as we have already done western. Oh well until then we will just keep saving our money.

[zqvol]

First decision is whether to stay in Orlando or Cocoa Beach. If it is too cold to swim then stay in Orlando is my suggestion. There is plenty there to occupy the afternoon and evening. It is only an hour or so to the port from town so that is not a big deal. Lots of shuttles but remmebr that it is 50 - 60 miles so it is not like a cab ride around the block.

 

Plenty to do on all your stops. Remember on St. Maarteen that Orient Beach is a nude beach, so if that bothers you don't go there. The other beaches expect topless.

 

Nassau and St. Thomas you do not have that issue.

 

Read the Ports of call boards for ideas and stop by your local bookseller for a book on the ports of calls to give you an idea what to do.

 

Most of all have a good time.

[wcrzx]

Just curious to know if you really are planning on a particuar cruise this far out. Hubby and I are planning on cruising again in May 2008 and hope to book in Jan of next year. We are planning a back to back and would like to leave on the 3rd of May so we can be starting our second week on our Anniversary. So far haven't picked a ship, but wish we could do a southern and eastern itinery as we have already done western. Oh well until then we will just keep saving our money.

 

I figured that by booking now I can

 

1. save money for the cruise

2. Get the cabins that I want

3. hope for an upgrade

[novellaherman]

I have posted a thread about how long it took everyone to get off the ship in St. Thomas............I want to book with Sunny Liston but I don't really want to start the tour at noon. If we do that we would miss the shopping part in the morning. Did it really take that long to get off? Our documents say we dock at 10.