A GLORY-OUS week 03/01/20 - 03/08/20

[byrdbrain55]

So, remember I mentioned the very detailed 4-page email about being the first ones off the ship well I followed it to the letter and when we got out to where the tour operators were waiting, there was no one from King David's tours there.   I was HOT!  We waited a few minutes and Larry decided to walk down to where the tour buses and vans were parked to see if he could find someone.  Shortly after, a man came and asked us to follow him and he would take us to King David.  We met up with Junior/JR from King David's tours.  He could tell I was upset and apologized and did a great job the rest of the day.  I was just irritated that I did what I was told and got there on the first boat and they were not ready and waiting for us.  Don't send me 4 pages emphasizing how important it is for me to be on time and then not be on time yourself.  Ugh!  We walked to the Belize sign for photos before hopping in the van to head out to Altun Ha.  We drove through Belize City and then through the countryside to get out to the ruins.  Just before getting to the site, JR stopped and bought everyone bottles of cold water to drink while we were touring the ruins.  Once there, we had a quick pit stop and then headed out to see the ruins.

[byrdbrain55]

National symbols of Belize

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

We weren't the first ones here but there was only one other very small group.  As you can see from the pictures, we were able to enjoy the ruins without crowds.  JR took some time to explain the history of the archaeological site.  There is only a small portion of the site that has been excavated at this point.  We climbed one of the smaller pyramids before climbing down and looking at how they were built.  

 

[byrdbrain55]

I really wanted to see some wildlife and asked JR to point out any tapirs, coatimundi, lizards or birds that he saw.  We heard keel-billed toucans in the trees but never did see any of them.  After walking around the back side of several ruins, we were given the option to climb the large Sun Pyramid.  Larry and I as well as Jack and Shayla decided to climb it.  There is a primitive rock staircase, with uneven tall steps but it was well worth the climb.

 

At the top, Jack asked Shayla to step over to the side to get a photo.  Shayla took one look over the edge and wanted nothing to do with it anymore. Jack eventually convinced her to stop and got down on one knee and proposed to her.  I don't have any photos since I had Shayla's camera and was able to video tape the proposal for her.  

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

Jack had told me a month or so before the cruise that he wanted to propose on the cruise.  His original plan was to propose at sunset on the beach.  After I told him that if he proposed on the beach at sunset, the cruise would have left without him, he came up with Plan B.  Shayla had no idea that Jack was going to propose and was very surprised.  

 

After coming down the pyramid and showing off her new ring, we had a short time to shop at the local vendors before heading to lunch.  We stopped at a local restaurant and had chicken, rice and beans and our choice of fruit sodas.  Lunch was really good and everyone raved about how good it tasted.  After leaving lunch, we headed to the Howler Monkey Sanctuary.  The Community Baboon Sanctuary is a local grassroots effort to preserve habitat for the Howler Monkeys.  Over 200 landowners in 7 villages have voluntarily agreed to preserve habitat for the monkeys.  All of the monkeys are wild and there was no guarantee that we would see any.  At the sanctuary, our guide explained how the sanctuary came to be before taking us out into the jungle.  After walking a short ways, we could hear the monkeys and there was another group that were interacting with a family of four monkeys.  We joined them and were able to feed the monkeys their favorite leaves and watch them in the trees.  The male never came down close to the group but did spend a lot of time vocalizing.  I was in heaven!  Then my camera died :(.  Thankfully I was able to use my phone to take photos and Larry took pictures as well.

 

Standby for monkeys!

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

Although, I believe that zoos and wildlife parks play a very important role in conservation, I much prefer to see animals wild and free in their native environments.  I refuse to hold or interact with monkeys in cages, on leashes or wearing diapers.  To say that this experience was amazing is an understatement.  I love what they are doing with the conservation of the habitat and the ecotourism to support their economy.

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

More monkeys!

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

I did not want to leave the monkeys but they were getting full and retreating back up high into the trees and we had to get back to port.  We stopped at two different grocery stores on our way back to buy local honey for the guys.  JR dropped us off right at the entrance to the port and we had a short time to browse the stores before heading back to the ship.

 

Tonight was the second Cruise Elegant night so we headed back to our rooms to shower and shine for the evening.  We met up with Brian and Carol in the Colors Lobby for drinks and so Shayla could show off her new hardware 🙂

 

Gavin, our head waiter, asked about our day and when we told him about the engagement, they brought out a small cake and sang for Jack and Shayla.  We went and got professional photos taken and then changed before going to the Motown Show in the Amber Palace show theater.  We watched the late night comedy before heading to bed.

 

Good night all!

 

 

 

 

[panamatiger]

11 hours ago, byrdbrain55 said:

More monkeys!

 

 

 

Micky, Davy, Peter and Mike ---Hey Hey wer're they Monkees

Seriosly loving your review Please keep going

 

PanamaGarry

[Jenny in TX]

On 7/17/2020 at 5:36 PM, byrdbrain55 said:

We enjoyed the Glory and are looking forward to sailing the Magic out of Miami in November (fingers crossed).

 

We loved the Magic!  Hoping to sail her again soon.  We have a cruise booked for November too.....crossing my fingers for both of us!

Edited July 20, 2020 by Jenny in TX

[byrdbrain55]

4 hours ago, Jenny in TX said:

We loved the Magic!  Hoping to sail her again soon.  We have a cruise booked for November too.....crossing my fingers for both of us!

I'm really hoping it will work out for everyone who has cruises booked this year.  Fingers crossed!

[byrdbrain55]

6 hours ago, panamatiger said:

Micky, Davy, Peter and Mike ---Hey Hey wer're they Monkees

Seriosly loving your review Please keep going

 

PanamaGarry

Thanks for following along.

[TravelGirlinDallas]

Thanks for writing a review! It's been too long without any of these, and we need the diversion right now!

 

Sorry if I missed it if you mentioned it already, but has the collision damage on the Glory been fixed yet?

[byrdbrain55]

Just now, TravelGirlinDallas said:

Thanks for writing a review! It's been too long without any of these, and we need the diversion right now!

 

Sorry if I missed it if you mentioned it already, but has the collision damage on the Glory been fixed yet?

They had a temporary fix in place and it is hardly noticeable.  I will post pictures from when we were in Cozumel where you can see the area that has been patched.  

[byrdbrain55]

Day 6 Cozumel Fun Times

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

Prior to the cruise, Brian and Carol suggested going to Playa Mia All Inclusive for the day so we all pre-booked the excursion without transportation.  Taxis are abundant in Cozumel and there is never a problem getting a cab.  We chose the Beach Day Pass, Buffet and Open Bar for $60 per person.  Everyone decided to make their own way there and then we would meet up at the beach.

 

Larry and I wanted to try to go the Mayan Bee Sanctuary to see the stingless honey bees but the cheapest cab we could find was for an island tour for $90.  We decided against it and just went on the hunt for island honey.  This proved difficult as well but we did get to visit the Harley Davidson store for poker chips and the markets in the area before catching a cab out to the beach.  Once at Playa Mia, we found honey from mainland Mexico in the shops but not honey from Cozumel.  Larry ended up buying a jar and then down to the beach we went to meet up with everyone else.

 

Playa Mia has pools, water slides, pool bar, non-motorized water sports, a water obstacle course and much more.  We ended up spending most of our time on the beach and out on the obstacle course.  The obstacle course was ridiculously fun but way harder than it looks!  We didn't do most of the activities and I wish I had more time.  I'm not a big drinker and I thought the drinks were strong but also very salty.  The food was plentiful but typical buffet food.  

 

We stayed on the beach for several hours before heading back to port since the weather looked like it was turning nasty.  We ended up sharing a taxi with another lady who was headed back to the same cruise terminal since the cost was the same for 4 people as it was for just 1.  Once we were back at the port, we stopped in Los Cinco Soles to look for a magnet and found local Cozumel honey.  Who knew if we had just looked in the port stores, we could have found what we were looking for.  It started to rain and Shayla and I played in the rain on the way back to the ship.  

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

I forgot to mention that we had a towel animal invasion onboard this morning around the pool.  This is one of my favorite things that Carnival does and it never fails to make me smile.  

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

I think they have done a great job with the temporary fix to Glory's aft after her unfortunate mishap in December.  You can hardly see the damage and from the interior, it is not noticeable at all.  I think it is funny that they painted the metal to resemble windows.  

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

Once onboard, we showered and got ready for dinner.  We went to dinner later than normal because both Shayla and Larry had gotten coupons for the spa for their birthday.  Shayla had a manicure and pedicure and Larry left dinner early to go get a massage.  While at dinner, they announced that we were turning around and heading back to Cozumel due to a medical emergency with a passenger who needed to be evacuated for advanced medical treatment.  Before dinner, we went up to the Pixels Gallery to choose our the five photos and the one we wanted made into a canvas.  We also bought the group photo from the Military Appreciation Gathering for Larry and Jack as well as an 8x10 formal photo for Jack and Shayla.  While Larry was at his massage, I bought him the US Army edition Invicta watch from the shop onboard for his birthday.  I was able to hide it in my luggage and managed to get it all the way home without him noticing.  Yay me!  He is super hard to surprise so it was nice to be able to get one past him.  Larry joined us in the Amber Palace for the EPIC Rock show.  

 

Good night all!

 

 

[4hunters]

Great review.  Thanks much for taking the time to write it! 👍

[byrdbrain55]

13 minutes ago, 4hunters said:

Great review.  Thanks much for taking the time to write it! 👍

Thanks for following along.  I will try to finish it up tonight or tomorrow.

[byrdbrain55]

Day 7 Fun Day At Sea Fun Times

 

 

[byrdbrain55]

Our last sea day was a lazy day.  We hung out on the aft deck with Jack and Shayla before meeting up with the entire group to take a Mixology Class at the Alchemy Bar.  The bartenders at Alchemy, Yuliana and Diyana were great.  Yuliana taught the hour long class and we learned how to mix and make several drinks.  We got to drink samples of the three drinks we made before getting our certificates and a full size drink of our choice.  Larry took one for the team and drank all of my samples as well as his so he was feeling good by the time the class was over.  Mixology class was $15 plus gratuity and well worth the money.  We were also able to purchase a cocktail mixing package with a shaker, strainer etc.  

[byrdbrain55]

After the MIxology class, we headed to Bingo.  Larry loves to play bingo on the cruise and the Bingo Host, Francisco was hysterical.  Unfortunately we were not winners any of the times that we played.  Brian and Carol invited us to join them at the Diamond and Platinum reception and we had a good time partaking in free cocktails and little bites.  They definitely kept the drinks flowing.  Following the reception, we met up with everyone else and headed to dinner.  I picked up the photos and canvas from Pixels at some point in the afternoon.  Larry left dinner early since he was not hungry and went back to the room to pack.  After saying goodbye to Gavin, we all went down to our room to get our obligatory group bed photo.  Don't ask, its just a weird thing we do.  

[byrdbrain55]

Today is the day we dread the most, it is the day that we are kicked off the ship.  We were a little late getting back to New Orleans since we had to turn around and go back to Cozumel for the medical emergency.  Brian and Carol and Jay and Diane were staying onboard and doing a back to back cruise.  Jack and Shayla and Larry and I were spending two days in New Orleans before flying home.  Our original plan was just to use Uber to get to our Airbnb and then using the trolleys to get around but we didn't know what to do with our luggage between the time we disembarked and the time we could check into the Airbnb.  So while we were waiting to disembark, I hopped on Priceline and rented a car for 2 days.  Shayla and I got off the ship as self disembarking passengers, grabbed an Uber and headed to the airport to pickup our car while the guys stayed behind and got off the ship after we let them know we were on our way back.

 

After picking the guys up, we headed to the World War II Museum.  I can't say enough good things about the museum.  It is similar to the Smithsonian museums in Washington DC, in regards to needing several days or trips to see it all and really appreciate all it had to offer.  I highly recommend paying extra to see the Beyond All Boundaries 4D movie ($7 per person).   The tickets are $28.50 for adults or $18 for military.  I started out taking photos and ended up stopping at some point so I could just try to take it all in without worrying about photographing it all.

 

One of my favorite exhibits they had was an art exhibit made from pieces of stained glass from churches that were bombed.  It was incredible and stories that were told in broken glass were amazing.