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Just Home From Glory Western - Review and Photos SOON!!

TwinMom7

By TwinMom7,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Nymaria

Nymaria

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I am throroughly enjoying your review and pics! We have exactly 2 months before it's our turn on the Glory. We booked 16 months early, and I'm so ready to go right now!!! lol I look forward to your next installment! :D

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to post.

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TwinMom7

TwinMom7

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Thanks for all of your kind words. It is a lot of work, but I know how much I enjoyed reading reviews while I was preparing for our cruise. Fifteen months was a LONG time to wait!!!!

 

We got off the Glory on Saturday and by Sunday afternoon we were already throwing around some dates for our next cruise. Today, we have 15 couples who have already stepped forward for November of '09. Let the countdown begin!!!!

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DJ56

DJ56

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I really enjoyed reading about your week on the Glory and seeing your wonderful pictures. I was on the Glory last September and still enjoy reading more Glory reviews and seeing pictures. Planning another cruise on the Glory in 2009!! Cruising is addicting...

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cruisin_fanatic

cruisin_fanatic

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We were lucky with the weather our entire week. Monday morning brought us a beautiful sunrise as we sailed into Cozumel. We were up early and enjoyed breakfast in our Carnival robes on our balcony. Then it was time to get dressed, meet our friends for some MORE breakfast at the buffet and then head to the top decks to watch as we sailed smoothly alongside the Carnival Fantasy.

 

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We were off the ship by 10:30 and headed into the shopping district. HEY - "Welcome to Cozumel".

 

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/13498/2958707450030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

Us girls had JEWELRY on our minds - and we were all very successful with our purchases. Our husbands just sat outside the stores and shook their heads.

 

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After our shopping excursion, we were hungry and thirsty and we set our sights on Senor Frogs.

 

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mmmmmmmmm - guacamole!!!!

 

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We spent an hour enjoying the music and contests with our friends at Senor Frogs and then it was off to our Deluxe Sail and Snorkel Excurion - courtesy of Fury Catamarans. Here are Gena and I, patiently waiting for our excursion...

 

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Once the snorkeling portion of the excursion was complete, we ended up on a private beach for an hour of relaxation and all the beer and margaritas we could consume. Looks like our husbands found the perfect spot....

 

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/40777/2774953910030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

NOTE for all cell phone users: Up until now, I have freely sent and received text messages from our children. That all came to an end after today in Cozumel. I couldn't send or receive until we got just off the Florida coast early on Saturday morning. (More about that later).

 

We boarded our catamaran for the ride back to the pier and we boarded the Glory with only about 10 minutes to spare. We went straight to the Lido Deck and found a spot by the railing to watch as the Glory pushed away.

 

http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/41676/2992011190030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

Before heading to our room, I made my way to the Glory's Aft for this shot. I love seeing the ship's wake.

 

http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/7581/2381532180030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

Monday evening consisted of dinner in the Platinum Dining Room and then a show in the Amber Palace - "Living in America". We all enjoyed this show very much!!

 

We drug back to our room around midnight to be greeted by our latest "friend" and we dropped into bed and drifted off to sleep beneath that ever so comfortable Carnival bedding.

 

http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/9098/2609692220030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

Next Installment: Belize, Cave Tubing with Major Tom

 

 

What beach did you visit in Cozumel? We will be on the Glory (western iteniary) on May 3rd and we are looking at Paradise Beach in Cozumel.

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pudy68

pudy68

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cruisin fanatic - I am leaving on the Glory this weekend (yippee!) and we are going to Paradise Beach. I've been before on a previous cruise, and I love it! I can't wait to get back there! You'll have a great day there for sure.

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ctspurr

ctspurr

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What beach did you visit in Cozumel? We will be on the Glory (western iteniary) on May 3rd and we are looking at Paradise Beach in Cozumel.

 

 

We were on this same cruise and we went to Paradise Beach... It was wonderful!! But honestly watch your check.. there was an error on ours HONEST mistake and it was corrected.

 

It was a highlight, we went Parasailing there and really enjoyed ourselves.

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mitchpam

mitchpam

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Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. It was wonderful to see all your pictures... I love REAL people having a great time.... I love these boards and people like you who are so diligent in reporting to all how great cruising really is.

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TwinMom7

TwinMom7

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What beach did you visit in Cozumel? We will be on the Glory (western iteniary) on May 3rd and we are looking at Paradise Beach in Cozumel.

 

The beach we visited was a private beach - part of the Deluxe Sail and Snorkel excursion offered through Carnival.

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TwinMom7

TwinMom7

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We were up bright and early on Tuesday morning. Some of us met for breakfast at 7:00 a.m. and by 7:40, we had assembled in the Ebony Cabaret to get in line for our tender tickets. This was handled differently than on our last Glory cruise. At 8:00 they came in and made the announcement that an additional gangway had been made available and because of this, no tickets would be issued. Everyone in the Ebony Cabaret would be taken down as one group and would be put on to tenders. If you were not ready to get off immediately, we were told to just come back when our group was ready to disembark. This was the view from the Ebony Cabaret - looking out at the tenders waiting for their passengers.

 

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We were told that we were anchored approximately 7 miles offshore. The tender ride into Belize was about 10-15 minutes. Didn't seem long at all. As soon as we stepped off the tender and had our photo taken....

 

http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/39527/2966830900030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

....we spotted the representatives from Major Tom's Cave Tubing. Major Tom greeted us and introduced us to our guides, Mike, George and Junior. This would be Major Tom himself....

 

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We had a group of 20 and we were escorted to our bus and quickly on our way. Mike gave our commentary as we made our way through the city. He gave us a lot of history of the city, information about the schools and hospitals and neighborhoods.

 

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Once we left the city, George took over with the commentary through the countryside. We stopped at a little roadside store, for a bathroom and snack break.

 

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Here's my nephew Lance, posing with our guides - George, Mike and Junior...

 

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As we continued through the countryside, we came across a Police Check Point, and we were told that they were looking for drugs.

 

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After about another half hour, we arrived at the park where we would leave the bus and continue on foot. We were told to leave our hats, sunglasses, etc. behind. We were also told that we would NOT need bugspray. We were given our life preservers, headlamps and tubes and the hike began. We walked about 5 minutes and arrived at the river. We were encouraged to get in the river and get wet - despite the fact that the water was COLD! Here's my husband and I working our way into the river....

 

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The temperatures on this particular day were in the low 90's, but the water was mountain fed. Our guides informed us that by cooling off in the water, we'd better prepare our bodies for the half hour hike through the rain forest - and they were right. Most of the guys in our group chose to jump into the river from the rock ledge above - but us girls waded in - very slowly. Here's my brother - getting ready for his JUMP....

 

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George was full of information during our rain forest trek - pointing out poisonous plants and the anecdote plant or tree that grew right next to it. We ate termites - very small, crunchy and minty. I'm proud to say that I DID IT!!

 

Finally, we arrived at the beginning of our tubing excursion. We climbed into the river and our guides helped us link our tubes together. I'm really glad we did this! George told us that Major Tom has been running these excursions since the early 1980's and that he was the first one to use the "linking" and that now, most other companies have followed suit. Once we completed our tour through the caves, we were allowed to "free-float" for the last half hour or so.

 

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Our guides were just the BEST! They divided our group of 20 into two groups and one guide linked himself to the front end of each group. The third guide brought up the rear to watch out for anyone who might become detached. They pointed out various formations throughout the caves that the Mayan Indians used as part of their religious rituals.

 

One major word of advice.....heed the warning "BUTTS UP". The guides will tell you this and repeat it faithfully. There are points in the caves were the water will go from 40' deep to 3" deep. When someone yells "BUTTS UP", you'd better do it, or your butt cheeks will pay the price!

 

The 2+ hours that you are drifting through the caves will actually bring you full circle - back to the point where you first entered the water to cool off. Once you get out of your tube, it's just a 5 minute walk back to the Park and the bus. You'll be allowed to change clothes and use the bathroom facility before boarding the bus and beginning the drive back. Here's a photo of my brother and my nephew, waiting to board the bus.

 

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We stopped at a roadside restaurant called Amigos. We were running a little short on time, so our guides had called ahead and ordered lunch. They ran inside, picked up our lunches and we continued on our way. I don't know if it's because we were STARVING or what, but that may have been one of the best meals of the week. It consisted of stewed chicken, rice and beans, and the best fresh-squeezed orange juice imaginable. It was YUMMY!!!

 

We arrived back at the port area with about an hour of shopping time. We really didn't see much that appealed to us, so we grabbed a tender and headed back to the Glory. Here you can see all the ships anchored seven miles out....

 

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Once we were back onboard, we made our way to our cabin and sat on the balcony to enjoy the view as we pulled up anchor and departed Belize. This photo shows how shallow we actually sit, as the propellers stir up the sand.

 

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At this point, exhaustion has set in. We took showers and laid down for a nap before dinner. We shared our day's events with our table mates, who did the Mayan Temple Bus/River Excursion and loved it!!!! After dinner, it was a quick stop at the White Heat Club and then back to the cabin - to be greeted by this guy....

 

http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/41723/2722721810030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

Tomorrow - Another Fun Day at Sea and the Emerald Club

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pudy68

pudy68

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We are signed up for Major Tom, too, but we were going to add on his zipline option for after tubing...do you think there's really enough time for that, or did you guys cut it pretty close without it?

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TwinMom7

TwinMom7

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We are signed up for Major Tom, too, but we were going to add on his zipline option for after tubing...do you think there's really enough time for that, or did you guys cut it pretty close without it?

 

Those guests who had the package with the zip line went on a different bus. I'm wondering if they spent less time on the cave tubing. I really don't know. I can tell you that they told us from the very beginning NOT to worry about the time. We were told to "trust them" and they'd make sure to get us back to the ship in time.

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Lyncoya

Lyncoya

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http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/36997/2916915090030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

 

Once the snorkeling portion of the excursion was complete, we ended up on a private beach for an hour of relaxation and all the beer and margaritas we could consume. Looks like our husbands found the perfect spot....

 

http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/40777/2774953910030311051S500x500Q85.jpg

Can you tell me what beach this was in Cozumel? It looks relaxing. :D

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