Back from Glory today -

[mom2eli]

HI! I just got back from a glorious week on the Carnival Glory. It was a hrad transition going from 90 degrees to -2! I will write a review soon, but am happy to answer any questions in the mean time!

[runcassrun_07]

HI! I just got back from a glorious week on the Carnival Glory. It was a hrad transition going from 90 degrees to -2! I will write a review soon, but am happy to answer any questions in the mean time!

 

Hey, I hope you had a fabulous time and weather. My family will be going on the Glory in June. I was on it once but don't remember everything about it. Does it have a fried fish restaurant above the Lido? And I'm not sure if you had much experience on the track but do you remember the size, ?laps for a mile? Is their anything that stood out on the Glory from the other ships you've been on. What did you enjoy the most on the Glory? I'll be looking for your review which will help me remember much more and get more excited, but no rush.:)

 

Thanks,

Cassandra

[vermonter16]

DH and I will be on the Glory next Saturday - the 10th. Can you tell me if they had an actual Texas Hold 'em Tournament and how much it might have cost? Also, did they have "live" dealers for the table in the casino? Did they have any video poker? ....did you get a chance to have the fish and chips? Glad you had a good time!!!

[sherrix2]

Hi. we will be sailing in May and would love to know...how was the cruise director?

who was the piano player at the piano bar?

how was the food?

what excursions did u do???

how was the ship overall??

 

Thanks

[ballinafad]

There were several Texas Holdem Tournaments. They filled up quickly and were not with real cards, looked like video version(not sure what this is called) I did not go in but it was packed. Yes there is video poker and live dealers at the tables. The first day the tables only had a $3 min bet. The cruise director was Wee Jimmy and he is hilarious. There was a great deck party on the Wed night I believe. The food was great with a few exceptions. I found the steak and ribs quite tough. We did ziplining and cave tubing in Belize and it was the highlight of the trip. I will post a full review soon also. Now I need to go to bed. I just bet there will not be any chocolates on my pillow tonight:o

[dmleach]

There is indeed a fish restaurant on deck 10 above Red Sail, called Fish & Chips. I tried their cider battered fish one afternoon; it was good if you're in the mood for that, but I certainly wouldn't pass up some of the other excellent food on board for it.

 

Interestingly, we interacted less with Wee Jimmy the cruise director and more with Dan, Amanda and Shannon, the social hosts. Then again, we were less interested in the shows and more interested in the games and activities. The hosts really made the cruise for us, particularly Dan and Amanda. Dan was on loan to Glory from the Fascination this past week, and we were very lucky to have him. Amanda was friendly and funny and a delight to be around.

 

Our group didn't do any organized excursions in any of the ports. In Cozumel, we had lunch at the original Pancho's Backyard at the north end of town and played Cozumel Mini-Golf, which was fantastic. We stayed on the ship in Belize, particularly due to the bad weather that morning. In both Costa Maya and Nassau, we went snorkeling off one of the public beaches.

 

The running track is nine laps to the mile.

[runcassrun_07]

There is indeed a fish restaurant on deck 10 above Red Sail, called Fish & Chips. I tried their cider battered fish one afternoon; it was good if you're in the mood for that, but I certainly wouldn't pass up some of the other excellent food on board for it.

 

Interestingly, we interacted less with Wee Jimmy the cruise director and more with Dan, Amanda and Shannon, the social hosts. Then again, we were less interested in the shows and more interested in the games and activities. The hosts really made the cruise for us, particularly Dan and Amanda. Dan was on loan to Glory from the Fascination this past week, and we were very lucky to have him. Amanda was friendly and funny and a delight to be around.

 

Our group didn't do any organized excursions in any of the ports. In Cozumel, we had lunch at the original Pancho's Backyard at the north end of town and played Cozumel Mini-Golf, which was fantastic. We stayed on the ship in Belize, particularly due to the bad weather that morning. In both Costa Maya and Nassau, we went snorkeling off one of the public beaches.

 

The running track is nine laps to the mile.

DMLeach:

It sounds like you spend time on your cruise like me and my sweetie. We don't go to shows much, instead spend time in the casino playing roulette or black jack and don't go on many excursions, we either stay on the ship or find our own way to fun time on the islands. We go to Pancho's Backyard on every cruise stopping at Cozumel. Our favorite activity off the ship is snorkeling and how was it on both beaches?

 

I'll try and remember those social hosts you talked about, Dan will probably be on the ship in June if he just started on the Glory. The staff on ships play a big part in your experience on cruises.

 

Since their are'nt to many runners out their I thought I would have difficulty finding the laps on the track for a mile on the Glory. Thanks for your info.

[margauxNH]

I also got off the Glory yesterday morning, cruised with 21 friends, and everyone had a wonderful time. Our six balcony cabins were upgraded to the Lido deck, and I recommend it. There's nothing like taking the early morning shower and strolling out for morning coffee and muffin, or coming in hot and sticky from a long day on shore, throwing on the suit and jumping into the pool. Not only am I addicted to the balcony, but I'm now addicted to the Lido deck!

 

We really enjoyed nearly all the entertainment, I would give a lot of credit to Gerhard Cernek, the music director and leader of the Palace Big Band. He's also a good dancer! The standout show for me was "Justin Illusion", Justin is an amazing magician and dancer, a very high energy show that would be at home in the best Vegas venues. We also enjoyed "Nightcap" the pianist and female singer in the Lobby bar, Music Manilla in Bar Blue and of course Karaoke/Carnival Legends. My group and the musical staff closed down the ondeck dancing after the Red/White/Blue party Wednesday night.

 

The only negative on the entertainment was that the musical selections, whether live or dancing, assume that baby boomers don't listen to anything recorded after 1980. My group was mostly 45 to 65, we don't listen to rap, but we do like dancing to music more current than CELEBRATE and YMCA.

 

We split up for dinner, I was in the 6:15 group, and we experienced less than fine dining. We generally liked the food, loved the melting chocolate cake and grand marnier souffle (the best dessert you can imagine without chocolate), steaks a little tough, but prime rib received raves. But we found the dining area crowded and noisy, our servers were attentive and pleasant but slow in producing the courses, and the worst problem was a constantly crying baby about 1 year old, at the next table EVERY NIGHT. The parents did not seem to realize that when a child screams and throws French fries, it means he wants to LEAVE.

 

It was almost a relief to spend one night in the buffet, sitting at a quiet window, watching the islands of Belize roll by in sunset. It's a shame that setting was more romantic than the "elegant" dining.

 

Our major group expedition was seeing the ruins with David and Ivan's tour in Chacchoben (at Costa Maya). This was a marvelous experience, everything that has been touted on these boards, and I thank cruisecritic folks for the recommendation. For our other group activity, we rented a van in Cozumel for $25 each that took us to a beautiful beach, Chen Rio on the eastern shore, just south of Coconuts.. not terribly busy, lovely large margaritas and a huge platter of ceviche for $16. A word of warning: the van liked to take us to side trips, we figure his cousins must have shops at all these places.. we ended up at Mr. Sancho's, which we very much enjoyed, and was also not terribly busy. Next time, we'll just head for Mr. Sancho's as they offer enough activities to fill a day.

 

We split up in Belize and Nassau, my group did Carnival's Belize zoo and city tour and very much enjoyed it. The zoo is a wildlife restoratation project, natural habitats for monkeys, birds, cougars, ocelots, etc. While we didn't see much in Belize city that was outstanding, it didn't seem to be the dangerous place it is usually depicted -- just poverty-stricken. By the time we got to Nassau, we were not terribly ambitious, and I've been before, a lot of us just walked and shopped our way to Senor Frog's for more margaritas, came back and hopped in the pool. A couple in our group took a cab and found a nice free public beach just adjacent to Atlantis.

 

My previous cruise was on the Liberty, the Liberty and Glory are virtually identical, so it was good to know where everything was. I like the large ships, with the variety, and space to always find some place to get away from the crowds. (or get into them if you're in the mood). On both boats, I spent a lot of time at the aft pool, with a few less people, more shady spots and convenient access to the buffet, pizza and ice cream.

 

I may be ready though, to try another cruise line just for comparison, or just find a cheap place to stay on Cozumel.

[Cruise? What Cruise?]

We split up for dinner, I was in the 6:15 group, and we experienced less than fine dining. We generally liked the food, loved the melting chocolate cake and grand marnier souffle (the best dessert you can imagine without chocolate), steaks a little tough, but prime rib received raves. But we found the dining area crowded and noisy, our servers were attentive and pleasant but slow in producing the courses, and the worst problem was a constantly crying baby about 1 year old, at the next table EVERY NIGHT. The parents did not seem to realize that when a child screams and throws French fries, it means he wants to LEAVE.

 

It was almost a relief to spend one night in the buffet, sitting at a quiet window, watching the islands of Belize roll by in sunset. It's a shame that setting was more romantic than the "elegant" dining.

 

Word to the wise...if you don't want children around you at dinner DO NOT select an early seating for dinner!

[amy2313]

There is indeed a fish restaurant on deck 10 above Red Sail, called Fish & Chips. I tried their cider battered fish one afternoon; it was good if you're in the mood for that, but I certainly wouldn't pass up some of the other excellent food on board for it.

 

Interestingly, we interacted less with Wee Jimmy the cruise director and more with Dan, Amanda and Shannon, the social hosts. Then again, we were less interested in the shows and more interested in the games and activities. The hosts really made the cruise for us, particularly Dan and Amanda. Dan was on loan to Glory from the Fascination this past week, and we were very lucky to have him. Amanda was friendly and funny and a delight to be around.

 

Our group didn't do any organized excursions in any of the ports. In Cozumel, we had lunch at the original Pancho's Backyard at the north end of town and played Cozumel Mini-Golf, which was fantastic. We stayed on the ship in Belize, particularly due to the bad weather that morning. In both Costa Maya and Nassau, we went snorkeling off one of the public beaches.

 

The running track is nine laps to the mile.

 

Where in Costa Maya exactly were you able to go snorkeling?? We are on the Glory in March and have never been to Costa Maya before but had read many people say you can not snorkel directly from shore there. So if you found a spot/beach, please let me know where it was b/c we'd love to be able to snorkel right from the beach as well without going out on one of the excursions.

[bluecruisin]

Did anyone save their Capers and is there any way possible you could share them with me? Or at least look up showtimes and events for tues, night? Thanks

[dmleach]

Our favorite activity off the ship is snorkeling and how was it on both beaches?

I may not be the best judge of how good the snorkeling was, since it was my first time. In Costa Maya, there was a lot of coral and many fish, though not a large variety of either. There were also a lot of sea urchins. In Nassau, there wasn't as much to see, though we saw a greater variety: flatfish, starfish, even a jellyfish. I get the feeling that there are better places to go for snorkeling, but that's of course going to cost more time and money.

I'll try and remember those social hosts you talked about, Dan will probably be on the ship in June if he just started on the Glory. The staff on ships play a big part in your experience on cruises.

I hope you're lucky enough to catch Dan. He's been with Carnival for about three years and hops from ship to ship wherever there's a need. His home ship is Fascination; when we docked at Canaveral, he headed down to Miami to return to that ship (by way of the Super Bowl, as it happens).

Where in Costa Maya exactly were you able to go snorkeling?

Interesting story, that. I bought the Moon Handbooks guide to Cancun and Cozumel* before we left. It recommended an Italian restaurant in Costa Maya called Luna de Plata, both for its food as well as a reputable place to hire a snorkeling tour. We got to the restaurant an hour and a half before it opened. We were making our way back into Majahual when I spotted a little shack with a snorkeling sign, about five doors south of Luna de Plata. We stopped in to ask about snorkeling and found out the place was being temporarily run by a guy from Alaska and his daughter. They were down on vacation and decided they didn't want to go home yet, and were minding the store for a week. He took us out into the water just across from the business. We swam out to the coral reef and spent about an hour in the water.

 

The two of us paid thirty bucks total for the tour. We also bought some drinks from the store and paid five bucks each way for a taxi ride between the port and Majahual. The name of the little business is Playa Coral. They also had personal electric watercraft to take out and use as a base for snorkeling, a popular option we were told. Nobody approached us asking for money to swim from the beach there, so I assume anyone can do so.

 

* http://www.moon.com/catalog2/cancun.html

[cantwait2cruise]

Thanks for the Glory information!

[margauxNH]

Did anyone save their Capers and is there any way possible you could share them with me? Or at least look up showtimes and events for tues, night? Thanks

 

The Justin Illusion magic show is 7 and 9 pm. Bingo at 10:15, then R rated comedy at 11:00.

[LHP]

Word to the wise...if you don't want children around you at dinner DO NOT select an early seating for dinner!

 

Wish we had that option. Due to medical reasons, hubby can't eat past 7pm.

I don't think the OP had any problem having children around. They had a problem with ignorant parents who obviously should not have reproduced.

[margauxNH]

I don't think the OP had any problem having children around. They had a problem with ignorant parents who obviously should not have reproduced.

 

Precisely. There were several other tables with children that were delightful.

[Cruise? What Cruise?]

Precisely. There were several other tables with children that were delightful.

I was in the Golden Dining Room at the 6:15 seating, but did not notice any children constantly crying. Where was your table in the dining room? We were on the lower level (starboard aft) back left (if entering from the main dining room entrance from the Old Glory atrium).

 

I take it LHP traveled with you margauxNH?

 

And LHP, don't you think "ignorant parents" is a bit harsh for describing parenting that you may not agree with?

[walkswife]

And LHP, don't you think "ignorant parents" is a bit harsh for describing parenting that you may not agree with?

 

I have two children and many nieces and nephews and I love them all dearly......

 

But any parent should know when you are in a formal dining room full of people and your child is screaming and won't stop.....You remove them! Sorry if it takes away from your experience but it's your child and you need to respect everyone elses experience also.

[margauxNH]

I was in the Golden Dining Room at the 6:15 seating, but did not notice any children constantly crying. Where was your table in the dining room? We were on the lower level (starboard aft) back left (if entering from the main dining room entrance from the Old Glory atrium).

 

I take it LHP traveled with you margauxNH?

 

 

I think I was not far from you, CWC, we were also near the food service doors, in the back (if I have my directions right). We were at a round table, and between us and the back of the room was another round table with the screaming infant.

 

I don't know LHP, so I doubt we were travelling together.