Glory Western- August 9th-16th Cruise Review (with pictures hopefully)

[jamie0483]

This was our first cruise aboard Carnival. We had done a short cruise before in Greece, but it was nothing like this. We decided to cruise for our 2nd anniversary (we are both 25, no kids)

We left the Thursday before and went to Disney for the day on Friday. Our flight from Baltimore was uneventful and quick. We rented a car from Budget, which was also quick and easy. We stayed at the All Star Movies resort in order to get the extra magic hour and free parking At Disney. We choose Hollywood Studios, we had a fun day and left around 6 to drive down to Port Canaveral. We ate at the Pig and Whistle in Cocoa Beach which as very good. It has a bar feel but there were lots of families there. It is located right on the main road as you drive down to Cocoa Beach. After dinner we stopped at ABC liquors to pick up some wine. They have a very good selection and we passed two right on the main road. Then we went to Publix for some soda and water and they actually sell wine there too. We packed the soda, water, and one bottle of wine in the suitcase and carried two on. We stayed at Radisson Resort at the Port which was quite nice. They have the sleep number beds, although I think ours was broken and hard to change and when it did change it made a lot of noise. There is a nice pool and bar area at the hotel.

Saturday morning we got up, got gas, and drove the car back to Budget. The shuttle was right there and took us right to the port- we left at 10:30. Once at the port there was no line for check in that early, so we sailed through and were told to wait in a line of chairs. We waited about 15 minutes and then the boarding started. It took a little time as everyone had to have their photo ID taken and of course the embarkation photo, but we were up and eating on Lido by 11:45. We had cheeseburgers which were excellent and our first drink of the days. Just be careful, it seemed a lot of people thought the drinks were free because they carry them on trays and just offer them to you but then they ask for your sail and sign. In the future we learned to ask for the DOD in a regular glass because the souvenir glass is too expensive. If you do get the souvenir glass, make sure to keep it because refills are cheaper that way. We didn’t know we could keep it so we threw it away. After lunch we walked around and explored, taking lots of photos. Then our room was ready around 1:30. They said it could take until 8pm to get luggage but we had ours by 2. We unpacked (there was lots of drawers under the couch and in closets) and took a little nap. Muster drill was at 4, we took advice of others on cruise critic and waited until the 2nd call. We ended up in the front of the line and it was quick and painless. Some of the folks in the back had to be taken out for air afterwards because it was so hot. Sail away started right at Muster, so we went back on the balcony to watch that. We got ready for our first dinner (6pm seating) with our waiter Ronaldo. He was great, he would always offer seconds and encourage you to eat as much as you wanted. We were sat with another couple, they were on their honeymoon and a lot of fun. I thought the food in the dining room was good, I had mainly the fish and a lot of the spa selections. Dessert was also good, though I also liked the spa selections because they tasted a little lighter. I loved the banana dessert as well as the diet pumpkin pie. We did have the chocolate melting cake which was too rich for me. The first night we skipped the Welcome Aboard Show and drank a bottle of wine on the balcony which was wonderful.

[jamie0483]

 

 

 

[jamie0483]

Sunday was our first at sea day. We slept in and then went out to get some sun. We did notice many of the seats were saved, but we were practically the only ones on the adults only deck (this is located near volleyball and mini golf). We relaxed and read for a while and then went to play Bingo. We did this twice on the cruise and thought it a waste of money. $10 for 1 card, $20 for 3 but with so many people playing it is almost impossible to win and most games are only for about $100. This was also our first elegant evening so we got ready and had some pictures done at the booths around the ship. We did this both elegant evenings and thought it was fun and although expensive ($22 for 8 by 10) we bought 2 because they were so excellent. It is worth it to get them done even if you don’t buy because they are fun to look at. Tonight was the captains party which was free drinks. We grabbed them off every tray coming by and ended up with 4 drinks each in the hour. Then we went to dinner where there was excellent lobster. Don’t miss this night! Our tablemates didn’t come because they forgot the dress up clothes, but I thought there was good variety in those who dressed up and those who wore just khakis and a short sleeve polo. This night after dinner we went to the Piano Bar. This was so much fun, go early to get a seat right at the piano. The piano guy, Russell, was awesome and takes requests (we gave many) and everyone sings along. We stayed here late and then went back to the room, sat on the balcony and went to bed.

 

 

[magictam]

Thanks for sharing your cruise! I love the pictures and can't wait to see me. I live through all you "Glory" returners while I wait for my turn.:D

 

Can't wait for more of your review.

[jamie0483]

Monday we went to Cozumel. We really liked it here. We were downstairs around 9:45, they disembarked right at 10 and we were one of the first ones off. We got right in a taxi and went to Chankanaab for our dolphin swim. The taxi was $10 each way. We booked the dolphin swim independently, were scheduled for 11 but got there early and they put us on the 10 am swim (Cozumel is 1 hour behind). We watched a short video, then got in the pool with the dolphins. We did the royal swim which is worth it, the dolphins push you up in the air with their noses, then you get to ride on two as they pull you around. You also do the dolphin kiss and a hug. Then there is some free time, where they do tricks and go by so you can pet them. After they show you a video of the important stuff set to music. We were not going to by it but it was so good. Then you see your pictures. They do a really big one of the kiss, then there are 3 smaller ones (they are still 5 by 7 size I believe). For me and my husband we got all 8 pictures and the movie for $106 which I thought was a good deal since the pictures were amazing. Afterward we walked down the beach and found two chairs under a little hut. We had lunch (they come right to you to ask if you want anything) which was good- I had some tacos. Then we rented snorkel gear ($10 per person). To get into the water it is a little rocky. But the fish are plentiful and there is an underwater Jesus to see. I had an underwater case for my camera and got some excellent pictures. There is a platform in the middle if you need to rest. There is plenty of shade all on the beach and before we left we walked to the end where they had hammocks which were fun. There is also a pool for the people who do the dolphin swim, but we did not use it. It has a nice swim up bar. Then we took the taxi back to the pier and did some shopping. There is a ton of stores and booths set up and you can barter the prices. They had some Mexican performers here to. We got back to the boat at 5, and by 5:15 (you had to be back by 5:30) the line was very long to get back on. There were some people who were running up with beer in hand to applause because they were closer to 6. The boat leaves promptly at 6, with or without you. Our cabin was on the port side, which was the better view for Cozumel, Roatan, and Belize. Freeport docked on the other side but there was nothing to see as it was an industrial area.

 

 

 

[jamie0483]

Tuesday we docked at Roatan. We had booked through Victor Bodden for the day ($40 a person for 2 people, $25 if you had more.) Our driver was Anthony and he told us all about the island and was very talkative and informative. We went to the zip line first, at Palmetto Bay. We were the first group there and went through quickly. It is a little hard at first, but you get used to it. They are some bridges and walls but most of them can be bypassed. At the end we did get stuck and our guide had to come out and pull us across but it was fun. Afterwards we went to the Iguana farm. There were hundreds of iguanas all around and we got to feed them, they all get on top of each other to get the food. They also have a monkey, some birds, and barracuda here. After that we went to Half Moon Cay for the rest of the day. We got a nice shady spot with chairs and got snorkel gear (again $10/pp) The snorkeling was good but because of all the coral it was hard to get through some parts. I scraped my wrist up on the coral and it is still healing. We took some good pictures. There is not much of a beach here and you can not swim unless you are snorkeling because they don’t want you to stand on the reef. We ate at the restaurant close by or lunch, which was also good. I had calamari. Then we went back to port, shopped a little and got back on by 5 to beat the line and change for dinner.

 

 

 

[jamie0483]

Wednesday we went to Belize. We had originally booked through coral breeze but they cancelled and then we booked shoretrips but they changed the itinerary to not include shark ray alley so we booked startours last minute. We did not have much info. except to take the water taxi. So we got off the boat around 8 (which was 6 Belize time) and took the tender. We did not have to wait at all for the tended and the ride was only about 20-25 minutes. When we got to Belize we asked for the water taxi to Caye Caulker and were pointed in the right direction. Be careful here, they warn you not to go into the city and it is very sketchy even though we only had about a 4 min walk. When we got to the water taxi we were told the first taxi was at 8am so we had to wait an hour. They do have a nice air conditioned waiting room. Then the taxi was about an hour. Caye Caulker is beautiful, like paradise. When we found the tour company they told us the snorkel was 10:30-1:30 but we had to take the noon water taxi to get back to port on time. So after some back and forth he said he would bring us back by 11:45. So we walked around, had a good breakfast and enjoyed the scenery. Our snorkel only had 6 people and the first spot was very close. We took about a 45 minute snorkel through the reef, with our guide pointing out the sights. It was rougher then our other snorkeling as there were waves and it was tiring. Then we went to shark ray alley to snorkel with stingrays. This was amazing, the guide fed them and they went in and out of your feet like cats. One of the best parts of the trip. The local marine police were out and our guide had them take us back in, just in time for the ferry back. Once back in port we did a little shopping then got in the tender line. This line is very long and all out in the heat (it was 100 degrees). But it moved fast. And 15 minutes later we were on our way. This night we ate in the supper club. Money well spent ($30 pp). I had lobster and fillet mignon and my husband had the 24 ounce porter house. We also had the sushi appetizer. I had a 4 glass chocolate dessert. It was all excellent, some of the best food we have ever had. And it was not busy at all up there.

 

 

 

 

 

[Grayce]

It's my turn on the Glory next month and I can't wait to hear more!

[jamie0483]

Friday we went to Freeport. Here they full up the taxis so for $5 a person you will be with lots of other people in a van. They take you to the downtown shopping/beach area. We went to the beach, but there was no (absolutely none) shade. If you want a chair you have to pay $10 a chair. We went for a little swim but it was hot. We had scheduled a horseback ride to meet at the hotel right at the beach at 12:30 with trikkpony. Leo (the owner) picked us up promptly horses in toe and with two other ladies we headed off to a private beach. A quick storm cooled things off a bit and off we went. This was awesome. The ride was 90 minutes and the horses go right into the ocean and even swim a bit. Most of the time you are in water up to your waist but the water is beautiful and the horses love it. The rest of time you ride down the beach. For $85 pp we loved it! Then we went back to the beach to the Club nearby and had lunch. It was simple hamburgers but we were starved. Then we headed to the shopping area across the street but did not find much and waited at the taxi stand. You have to wait to go back till the taxi is full which is a pain. We were very tired when we got back and skipped dinner to pack. We went to the buffet which was ok, they had some chocolate melting cake.

 

 

 

 

 

[jamie0483]

Saturday we got off and it was very sad. We were zone 15 for disembarkation and they started calling at 7:15. We were called around 9:15, went down and stood in long line but it moved quick, we went through customs, grabbed our luggage, got on the Budget van and were on our way. We went to Seaworld for the day and were there by 11:30. This was a fun day, they have really improved it with the rollercoaster and now there are shows at night too.

 

Final thoughts

 

The shows: We loved loved loved Happy Cole, the comedian. He had two shows, one was adults only and we saw both and laughed the entire time. The other comedians were just ok. We saw the beginning of Justin Illusion but walked out, it was bad the music was loud and we just didn’t care for it. We didn’t see any of the production shows or the Welcome Aboard or Legends show.

 

The casino: We played some slots with no kick back, lost money fast until we found the slot poker machine. We could play with $10 for 2 hours so we had fun, we were up we were down we did not win anything.

 

The drinks: The mojitos they make from scratch in the casino are excellent. Soda is expensive, we brought our own and drank that. Our cabin stewart refilled our ice often.

 

Cabin Attendant: Was excellent. He folded our clothes, made our towel animals, gave us new bath and beach towels every day and said hello and asked us about our day every time we passed. We gave him an extra tip.

 

The food: We loved the sushi from sushi salmon and ate it often. We had breakfast on our balcony every morning, so we ordered it delivered and it arrived usually 15-20 minutes before we stated. I did hear the breakfast buffet on Lido was yummy.

 

You all have been so helpful in planning my cruise, so if you have any questions about the Glory feel free to ask! We loved our cruise so much we are booking the Southern Itinerary for next May :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tvlgurl]

Thanks for the review! We're doing the Western too on Oct 18. You've got really great pics - it looks soooo tempting! I can't wait. :D

[hdavidson]

Thanks for the review! We're doing the Western too on Oct 18. You've got really great pics - it looks soooo tempting! I can't wait. :D

we will be on the boat with you tvlgirl... we can't wait to go back to roatan!

[Fun2snorkel]

Great review! My daughter and I were on the July 26th sailing and the Illusionist show was the only one we walked out on!! We did go to the Legends show and it was great. In Freeport at the beach we were at, there were no umbrellas to be rent. They are really missing out on some money by not offering them because it was blazing hot the day we were there. Glad you had a great time. I loved seeing your pictures.

 

Carol

[TakeMeAway1001]

Thanks for the great review, we are considering using Trikk Pony and were considering Coral Breezes but we aren't so sure now. Why did they cancel your excursion?

 

Thanks again~

[jamie0483]

Coral Breeze cancelled the tour because due to the change in itinerary (switching Roatan and Belize) they had no boat for that day. I was dissapointed though, as the itinerary change has been unofficial for over a month and many cruises before ours had the change so I thought they would be aware. We were sent an e-mail only days before. Our tablemates had also booked with them, but due to getting married a few days before the cruise had not received notice of the cancellation. They showed up and were told the boat was not going because they were the only ones booked and it would be too much gas. They did say the guy was friendly and hooked them up with another tour company but they had to wait on a bench for 2 hours in order to go.

 

I can not say enough good things about trikkpony, don't hesitate to book them. The ride is sooo relaxing and the horses are well taken care of. Leo, the owner is really friendly and calm. It was only our second time riding but we did well. You also don't have to stay single file like most rides and it is really beautiful scenery. The most riders she takes out is 6 which makes for a nice group.

[TakeMeAway1001]

Thanks for the reply Jamie~ I actually had emailed CB's a few weeks ago because I knew of the change and wasn't able to book it via their website. I ended up getting a thank you email back from CB's saying they knew the cruiselines were changing but hadn't heard anything official, they ended up opening the new day on their website allowing me to book. I haven't decided due to some recent reviews that weren't great. Glad to hear you ended up finding something to do :)

[Froufie]

Great review and pics - I am also counting the days!

 

Wondering if you have the Western Glory capers and if you could post them somewhere - would love to see them!

 

Thanks,

[cjkumbaya]

Wow what a great review - really enjoyed the photos (pictures always make a review more interesting). Thanks so much for sharing your cruise! Glad that you had such a nice trip.

[loveJake]

We are on the glory in about 18 days. We stopped doing formal night a couple of years ago, just got tired of dressing up. But since Carnival has relaxed the dress code I would really like the lobster. My DH will do dress pants and dress shirt, or dress pants and polo. Which did you see the most of? Will a nice sundress do for me? No flames from anybody we do not intend to show up in sweats and flip flops just want to get a feel for the new dress code. Thanks

[Riley's Mom]

Loved your review and pictures.

We are hoping to be ont he Glory next April.

Can you tell me what your cabin number was.?. We have had a cat 6E family oceanview twice and are wanting to book a balcony this time.

 

How private was your balcony? Did you hear or see much from your neighbors. How sound proof was your cabin? Did you get much noise from your cabinmates on eiter side?

 

Thanks,

Carla

[jamie0483]

lovejake- We noticed that as far as the dress code went, it really varied. Some people were still in tuxes and others less formal. We convinced our tablemates to do the second formal night even though they forgot to pack formal clothes- she had a sundress and he had khakis and a short sleeve work polo and we thought they fit right in. Once you sit down nobody notices what you are wearing anyway. I wore sundresses and my husband wore pants and a nice shirt with no tie and we did not feel uncomfortable at all. Saw some guys with khakis and a black t-shirt and they were fine too. I even wore flip flops the second night since my dres shoes broke the first and it was fine. Most of the time you don't even walk by the maitre d to get to your chair anyway.

 

Riley's mom- We were in cabin 8208. This was a great location down the end of the hall (only 1 cabin next to us on the one side) and right below Lido deck but on the side where only the spa is above you, not the busy part of Lido. We walked up to Lido in the morning for the free lemondade and orange juice and occasionally grabbed some things to add to our roomservice breakfast. We only noticed noise when the family across the hall would stop and talk loudly in the hallway for an hour at a time. Other then that we could not hear our neighbors. The balcony is pretty private, the divider goes all the way up. You can only see your neighbors if you lean out on the railing and they do the same or if you lean and stetch your head around the divider. We spent lots of time on the balcony, pur neighbors did not. They were only out there when we left the ports or were coming in. I would suggest a room on the port side, as we had the best views of the ports coming in.

[jamie0483]

lovejake- We noticed that as far as the dress code went, it really varied. Some people were still in tuxes and others less formal. We convinced our tablemates to do the second formal night even though they forgot to pack formal clothes- she had a sundress and he had khakis and a short sleeve work polo and we thought they fit right in. Once you sit down nobody notices what you are wearing anyway. I wore sundresses and my husband wore pants and a nice shirt with no tie and we did not feel uncomfortable at all. Saw some guys with khakis and a black t-shirt and they were fine too. I even wore flip flops the second night since my dres shoes broke the first and it was fine. Most of the time you don't even walk by the maitre d to get to your chair anyway.

 

 

 

Riley's mom- We were in cabin 8208. This was a great location down the end of the hall (only 1 cabin next to us on the one side) and right below Lido deck but on the side where only the spa is above you, not the busy part of Lido. We walked up to Lido in the morning for the free lemondade and orange juice and occasionally grabbed some things to add to our roomservice breakfast. We only noticed noise when the family across the hall would stop and talk loudly in the hallway for an hour at a time. Other then that we could not hear our neighbors. The balcony is pretty private, the divider goes all the way up. You can only see your neighbors if you lean out on the railing and they do the same or if you lean and stetch your head around the divider. We spent lots of time on the balcony, pur neighbors did not. They were only out there when we left the ports or were coming in. I would suggest a room on the port side, as we had the best views of the ports coming in.

[loveJake]

lovejake- We noticed that as far as the dress code went, it really varied. Some people were still in tuxes and others less formal. We convinced our tablemates to do the second formal night even though they forgot to pack formal clothes- she had a sundress and he had khakis and a short sleeve work polo and we thought they fit right in. Once you sit down nobody notices what you are wearing anyway. I wore sundresses and my husband wore pants and a nice shirt with no tie and we did not feel uncomfortable at all. Saw some guys with khakis and a black t-shirt and they were fine too. I even wore flip flops the second night since my dres shoes broke the first and it was fine. Most of the time you don't even walk by the maitre d to get to your chair anyway.

 

 

 

Thank you, that is exactly the reply I was hoping for.

[Froufie]

Would you have copies of the Capers you could post somewhere? or email to me?

 

Thanks,

[jamie0483]

Unfortunately I did not bring the capers home with me. We are not big on the capers, as we kind of just do our own thing and if we walk by when the show is starting, we will go in. Maybe someone else brought them back with them, I see there are some other reviews from the western route floating around.