FlyingCruiserNJ

Nice pictures, I am on the Glory in July, can't wait!

Thanks, I feel pictures help tell the story and are a great way to remember a vacation and a great conversation piece with friends and family when I get back from the vacation. July will be here in no time, you will love your cruise. The Glory is a nice ship with lots to do.

Looking forward to your review and photos!

Thanks, I should be able to continue with it today. Lots and lots more to come, appreciate you being along for the ride.

Looking forward to hearing more. I leave next Saturday on the same cruise!

I should be able to continue with this sometime today, thanks for reading along with me. I don't think I will get this finished by next Saturday but I will get as much done as possible before then. Have a great time on your cruise, the Glory is a nice ship and it is a nice itinerary that it is on right now.

Great start to your review!!! We enjoyed our cruises on the Glory. Looking forward to the rest. :cool:

Thank you Jamman, glad to see you like it so far. This was my second time on the Glory, first time being out of Boston back in 2013. Back when they were just rolling out Guy's, Blue Iguana and they still had the fish n chips where the Guy's BBQ is now. That voyage was neat, got to watch the Stanley Cup finals on the big screen tv on lido after the Boston fans threw a mutiny over not being able to see their team play in some very important games, LOL. I should be coming back with the Half Moon Cay part of the review later on today, but I have been somewhat under the weather for the last week and a half and I am on the way back to feeling better but it is a slow process and I am still not motivated to do much else than lay around and watch TV all day right now, haha. I have also recently started reading your latest review, and it is excellent as always.

Following, awaiting more..........

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Forums mobile app

Thanks for reading along, I should have the next part up later today sometime.

Following. Very nice photos!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you, glad you are enjoying them. Much, much more to come!

Thanks for the review.

My pleasure!

awesome!!!

Glad you like it so far. Just getting started. Got Day 2 coming up later this afternoon, hopefully. Was my first time at Half Moon Cay and took full advantage of all the island had to offer, so hopefully you will enjoy that part just as much. Thanks for reading.

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION DAY CONTINUED:

Sweet and sour shrimp and rice was OK. Shrimp maybe a little overcooked.

WCMC with peanut butter and vanilla ice cream

They gave us a dessert of jello I think to take back to the room for when K wanted it as we had to wake her up to go back to the cabin when dinner was done and she didn't want any dessert then for sure. T and K went back to the room and my mom and I stopped by the Amber Palace theater, located all the way forward to catch the end of the welcome aboard show. We didn't see much of it but got to see CD Eric talk about some of what was in store for the rest of the cruise activities before it ended.

I forgot to mention that our bags supposedly arrived around 1800 or that's what I was told. I do know we got them all, undamaged though so that's good. But 1800 for priority bags? What time to you think those who did not have priority tags got theirs? LOL. Anyway...

We moved on to the Punchliner comedy club after the welcome aboard show was over, to see the "comedy" of Jason Blanchard. Terrible comedian. I mean if you like his style he might have been funny and he seemed to be a nice guy and all but just one theme for the whole show and it was vulgar and not the funny kind of vulgar. Just stupid vulgar, basically repeating the same sex jokes over and over again and they were not funny at all. Vulgar sex jokes in a comedy club setting can be funny if they are delivered right but this guy just did not have it on this evening. They do warn you that it is 18+ for the night shows and that no kids are allowed in these shows. The family friendly shows are earlier in the evening, when everyone is at dinner. We were too tired to hang out to see the 2315 show of Chas Elstner (seen him before anyway) as were many people, and left and headed back to the cabin at around 2330 to head to sleep.

This is where it gets interesting. Background noise does not bother me. Much. We were located in a cabin on deck 6 right near the cinn-a-bar, which was located next to the Punchliner, on 5 aft, which was a late-night piano bar sing-along venue. The sound insulation between the cabins above and the lounge are horrible as you can hear the music and cheering and everything else that goes on in there quite loudly in the cabin. T has issues about sleeping with any background noise so she was unable to sleep all night. She did the best she could with sleeping through it all the first night but she had huge issues with it all cruise long. Mark the piano man, played until 0200 or later each night which everyone agreed was kind of overkill but I will talk more about this as the cruise continues. I will mention the twin double beds are located across the cabin, and my pullman bed was located in the opposite corner, near the bathroom and K had a bunk bed that we asked the stewards to leave alone in place all cruise long so she could take a nap whenever. I will get into the cabin layout more later. I also believe they left us a towel animal tonight but pretty sure K or T destroyed it when they came back to the cabin earlier than we did and probably laid down on it before noticing what it was.

That about wraps up Day 1 folks, hopefully you are enjoying so far and as usual, questions, comments are welcome. Not sure when I will be able to get the next part done but I will try to update it often. Hopefully this gave you at least a preview of what is to come with this review. Happy cruising and don't let springtime allergies get to you if at all possible, LOL.

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION DAY CONTINUED:

I figured K would go right for the newly-added waterworks but she was too tired from the travel and she didn't bother with it this time. During the March drydock, they added two slides and a water play area underneath, in the lido area but pretty high up. Like highest Serenity adult-only area level high. They looked fun but I am not a big waterslide person so I never tried them. I think K did later in the cruise though. I followed the progress of the dry dock seeing that my cruise was just a few weeks after it was completed and the waterslide addition seemed to really cause problems both before and after the drydock and that doesn't need to be re-lived but if you know about it, I am sure it was not pleasant. But everything was completed for our cruise at least. The slides close at 1830 daily unless weather conditions are unfavorable for it to stay open.

Out to sea!

Like I had said, sunset was a disappointment tonight due to the clouds so I missed it but I did go to the hot tub on lido deck 9 all the way aft. That used to be the adult only pool but is now open to all. Honestly those who complain about it are overreacting because there were a lot of kids on this cruise but most of them stayed with their parents or if were hanging out with each other, did it in the main pool area on lido, in the kid-friendly pools and hot tubs. The aft ones are relatively uncrowded and the hot tubs were pretty hot on this night. There is also a retractable roof here that they roll out at night or when it rains. Makes for a very comfortable experience. I stayed in there for a little while and made my way back to the cabin around 2000 as that is the time we agreed upon to meet up for dinner. None of us really got dressed up as the bags had just arrived, we were not fully unpacked yet and we were all tired from travel and just wanted to get dinner and head off to bed.

We had anytime dining, figuring with 4 different people it was the best way to go. We eventually made our way to the Platinum dining room, 3rd deck, which takes a trip to the front of the ship, down and back to access the dining room. A common ship glitch because the galley is right in the middle of the ship, it cuts those decks in two essentially. We got there at 2100 tonight and since they serve until 2130, no seating issues or wait. Guess a lot of people skipped dinner tonight. Nobody else who was in the mdr at the time seemed to be dressed too neatly either. It's that first night, nobody cares, lol. It was pretty bumpy throughout most of the night, seawise but nothing too extreme. I do prefer set late dining time but we figured we would try it out on this cruise. We all agreed we really did not like it. I like sitting at the same table every night at the same time with the same waiters and possibly same tablemates. However, we were able to get the same wait staff most nights anyway but that is not guaranteed.

We were taken care of by Hosni and his crew, and they did an excellent job. Couldn't do enough for us. K wanted a Kid's menu and requested whatever the special for the day was off it, LOL. You had to be there to understand how funny it was. So sophisticated at that preteen age but still can't cut her own steaks. Whatever. LOL again.

I got Vietnamese rolls and sweet and sour shrimp along with beef brisket. The rolls were good with peanut sauce and the brisket was excellent and the shrimp were just ok. I would go on to have scrimps basically every day the rest of the trip, about a half dozen different types in fact. Should I quote Bubba on how many different shrimp recipes I can eat? Also, the baked bread choices of cranberry, regular bread and bread crusted in sunflower seeds is a nice touch. Anyway, T got different stuff from me each night but that was cool because we could trade parts of our entrees and appetizers to sample without having to order whole plates for ourselves. Everything was good. K got some chicken nuggets I think and fell asleep halfway thru dinner. I mean, passed out in the booth and deep sleep. Guess she was done for the day, haha. The wait staff also takes drink orders, so that is good as the service is usually faster that way. Again, our waiters couldn't do enough for us that first night or really any other night. My dessert was warm chocolate melting cake, which is again on the menu every night with the re-tweaked American Table menu with ice cream and peanut butter on the side, which I got most nights. It is really rich and hard to finish but I had heard about the peanut butter thing from a few other cruise critic posters so figured I would try it out for myself. Not bad. We were done somewhere around 2230 and although we were not the last ones out, we were nearly the last ones out. That was the latest we did the mdr all cruise long I believe.

About the American Table. The idea seemed terrible to me at first when they rolled it out. Then I experienced it and liked it. It has steadily gotten better since. Most dishes are well-prepared, portions are fine, temperatures are good, they taste good and there is enough variety for everyone's tastes. I like how it varies from region to region as well. Let's admit that the old menus were getting really and I mean REALLY stale when you knew exactly what you were going to be offered each night on all ships pretty much. Most of the best stuff from the old menus is still on the new menus also. They can do without the stupid bottle of wine on the table that nobody buys but I don't even miss the tablecloths anymore. Although you still do get them on formal nights.

Dat fresh-baked bread (at least so they say)

The stupid American Table wine bottle decoration. Takes up space and that's about it. Does anyone else think this looks like the Tiger Woods professional marketing logo? LOL.

My brisket. Best part of the meal I think. Tender and tasty as always. They do a good job with this.

DAY 1: EMBARKATION DAY CONTINUED:

Looking back through my notes, I see that there was a MSC ship, a Celebrity ship, another unidentified ship and the Carnival Sensation to go along with us on this day. Yes, busy indeed. Our SAS driver told us that between FLL and MIA, they could handle like a thousand ships a year or more. Crazy. That's like almost as much or more than the entire rest of the USA combined or something. Imagine what that does for the economy there. Anyway, we headed through the glass jetway and onto the outside promenade deck where we made our way into the ship. We had our cards scanned again by ship security, heard a ding, and entered the atrium a little before 1230 to loud music, bright lights, and of course, lots of sales pitches.

Getting off the shuttle and checking our bags in

Boarding

So, what to do first? K wanted to drop off her carryon bag (we checked everything else except my backpack) and see the cabin, and although rooms are not ready for the general public until 1330, our platinum status allowed us to go right to our cabin and drop everything off. Obviously our bags had not yet arrived, it doesn't look like anyone's had yet. After you check them in, they go thru the x-ray, are loaded into carts, driven by forklift onto the ship where crewmembers deliver them to the rooms. Imagine this takes a long time and ties up a few elevators in the process. We were all actually quite tired, and the beds were all set up already so we all took naps from like 1400 (a little after getting settled in) until muster time, which was 1530. We also met our cabin steward (forget his name or his assistant's name but they both did good jobs and were asked whether we wanted AM or PM service or both. We figured since it would be four of us in the room that we should get twice a day and he said fine (my mom talked to him in the hallway) and had her sign for the twice a day service. The cabin service was pretty good on this cruise.

By 1530, we all went to our muster stations and did the drill and were released by 1615, just in time for sail away. The muster did not seem too organized on this ship again, but we did get through it fairly quickly and it is kind of sad that the crewman in charge of our area had to remind people to turn their phones off for a half hour until the drill was over. Also, you do not have to bring your lifejackets to the muster on this ship. We got a quick welcome on the PA system from captain Carlo Aquilone and our cruise director, Eric Brouman, and soon the mandatory drill that everyone has to do was over. Really, everything is closed on the ship during the drill anyway so what else is there to do but go get it over with? It is for our benefit, the crew already knows what to do in an emergency.

After sail away it was time to enjoy the festivities on the lido deck and to get some food. None of us were hungry enough when we boarded because of the huge breakfast we had but it was time for late lunch after departure. I got a Guy's burger with fries and topped it with bacon and some potato sticks on the side and it was good. Guy's is open 12-1800 every day. Guy's burgers is located on lido, right between the pool and dining room, is a marketing invention of the legendary Guy Fieri of food network (Triple-D, the show he hosts is one of my favorite shows to watch) and is free of charge. I think T and K got pizza instead, as the lido buffet had closed already and the Blue Iguana Cantina on lido deck was also closed for the day. But we were all hungry.

We settled down at a table near the sailaway party in the pool area and enjoyed lunch. I also purchased my bottomless bubbles soda card on lido for $52 total (includes gratuity), near the pool and got my first Coke. You do not pay tax on the full price of the package anymore, but you will pay tax on anything you order while still in a US port. Something like 18 cents a soda tax. Then again, we are used to paying crazy soda taxes in Philly, as I am sure you have heard about the bright idea of a punitive soda tax that the wonderful politicians of Philadelphia city enacted last year and has gone to mixed reviews so far. I don't want to get into a debate about that but just thought it was worth a mention. Your 16 cent tax for a soda in MIA is nothing compared to Philly, lol

T, K and I all purchased the unlimited chat plan for the cruise as well, which was $5 per device but worked just like texting would on land. Good value because we could communicate with each other from anywhere on the ship anytime. My mom is the only one who did not get the package. T also bought the unlimited internet package for the entire cruise, so we could all stay in touch with what was going on back home and that cost $72. However, anyone of us could use it anytime, granted only one device at a time but if you forget to log off, another user can kick them off and go on and use the net with no trouble. The internet was sort of slow on this ship but still, for like $10 a day at sea, it was worth it for us. Glad we had it.

I think the rest of the gang went back to the cabin to take a nap again and wait for the bags to arrive to begin unpacking and I walked around upstairs as we sailed away from Miami, into the Atlantic Ocean for a magnificent Easter voyage. They had the normal sailaway party activity with the entertainment team right by the pool and I got some nice pics of the area as we left out from the top decks.

Our van driver said you have to have B illions of dollars to even think of living on Fisher Island, some serious foreign money in this area and those yachts belong to those rich people.

Just out to sea, began to get a bit choppy as usual after you leave Miami for some reason. Another ship in the distance. Sunset was a disappointment tonight because it was cloudy for most of the time it was setting, otherwise it would be a great photo op.

More to come....

DAY 1: TRAVEL TO CRUISE AND EMBARKATION DAY:

So, cruise day was upon us finally! Being from South Jersey, I am within easy driving distance of no less than 3 major international airports with over a dozen nonstop flight options to South Florida. I am closest to Philadelphia however, so I almost always choose a flight from here when flying out anywhere.

Philly is still a good 2-3 hour flight from Miami though, so of course if you are going to fly out the morning of instead of going the night before and paying for a hotel room, you have to get the earliest flight possible to ensure you make it to the ship if any delays occur. I also say that I have been flying to port day of embarkation more lately but that is again because there are so many direct options from Philadelphia that there is always a backup to the backup to the primary flight option. If my trip included a connection, I would absolutely not chance it and if you do from anywhere to a cruise, you are just simply rolling the dice that you will miss your cruise due to any unforeseen things such as maintenance, weather, overbooking (lol), aircraft swaps or downgrades, etc. Not to mention that your bags might get delayed in transit and then you won't have your stuff for the entire cruise or until they deliver it to the ship later on if they ever actually do that.

Anyway, it still being April and not even having leaves on the trees yet, it was fairly cold (mid 40s) when we left home at zero-dark-thirty and made the trip over to Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL) for our pre-dawn flight to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL). I can get up to the gate very quickly but my mom moves a little slower than me so she insists we get to the airport like 2 hours ahead of time just to be safe. I feel this is just a waste of time since you can check bags at the skycap and be thru security quickly even if there is a long line of people early in the morning but she insists. T felt that getting TSA Precheck for her and her entire family was worth it and thus she and K had that and being older, my mom also gets Pre on her boarding pass whenever she flies so they could breeze through even if the general line was long. That left me as the only one without precheck but I don't feel I need it. I have never missed a flight due to security but I have come mighty close (like being paged in the concourse and running up to the gate as they were about to close the door LOL).

Anyway, I dropped them off, they checked their bags in and were upstairs in no time, I parked, made my way back to the airport, checked in and was through security fairly quickly myself. Yes, there was a line and you do have to keep that in mind as early morning is a busy time as all airlines want to get their originator flights out early as possible, especially on a busy Saturday travel morning. However, the line moved and an hour was more than enough time for me to leisurely stroll my way to our boarding gate, get my boarding pass and board with my entire family. Following an early departure, we were one of the first departures of the morning off Runway 9L at PHL, into a still-dark sky and it was not until a good half-hour into the flight (sometime after 0600) that light came across the horizon. I am not a morning person, but sunrises are really neat things to see. BTW, I am going to put all times in military format on this review, as I am used to doing things in that format and it helps to keep people from confusing AM and PM as the adventure moves along. It was a really smooth flight and cabin service was minimal but I still got my morning snack pack and ginger ale and followed our flight path on the plane's wifi until we arrived at KFLL a little after 0800. Descent was a little rough due to some shower activity in the area but nothing too crazy. We came out of the clouds after flying a downwind leg that took us out into the Everglades and back for final and landed on a fairly wet Runway 10L. After a short taxi to the gate, we arrived right on time and headed downstairs to claim our bags.

We chose to leave our bags at the baggage claim office as we had scheduled for one of T's husband's relatives who has lived in Fort Lauderdale for decades to come pick us up and take us all out to breakfast as soon as we arrived. We had not seen him in a long time so it was good to see him and meet his wife but his car was not that big and the 6 of us could barely fit in, much less all our four large suitcases. Anyway, he took us to a breakfast place called Little Red's, which is a bbq joint in the afternoons and evenings but offers excellent breakfasts as well. He recommended it and since T loves her sausage biscuits and gravy, and that is a staple of their menu, we all enjoyed a feast for a very affordable price with good service in a place with a lot of character. I got a full platter with a side of sausage biscuits/gravy and I actually almost did finish the whole thing, haha. Good choice. It was probably mid 70s and not too terribly humid if I recall right this day as well. Unfortunately I regret not getting any pictures inside or outside of this place. It was really cool.

We rode back to the airport around 1000 and said our goodbyes until next time, and got our bags, followed by a call to SAS Transportation, my go-to shuttle company to get to cruises from FLL. You do have to pre-reserve with them to guarantee seats but it is affordable and the drivers are really friendly and the vans really nice. You set up a pickup time that is generally on the half hour but you can go earlier if seats are available at the time. We actually had planned for 1100 but since we had all our stuff and were ready to go early, we met up at the shared vans pickup area right near Delta baggage claim and got on the bus. It would be a full ride today as we made a few more pickups along the way but we were on our way to the cruise port a little before 1030. I have had this driver a few times and so I know his storytelling but it is funny and entertaining to listen to as we make the 40-minute ride or so down Interstate 95 towards Miami. Traffic was not a huge deal on a Saturday but during peak weekday times, varied-price tolls are in effect and so is the carpool or HOV lane, that obviously our van qualified for. He says there are cameras everywhere and people get fines for crossing from HOV to general lanes all the time. Traffic sucks dude, but we all have to deal with it.

Anyway, we went under the modern engineering marvel aka port of Miami tunnel just as the many cruise ships parked there came into view and came back up a minute later, right next to these same ships. Kinda like magic, huh? I am never quick enough with the draw to catch the ships lined up before we head into the tunnel so again no pics of them all lined up but the pics of and from the ship will be piling up very shortly. We were second to drop off I think, got our bags, dropped them off with the porters, tipped them, made sure our tags were safely attached and paid our driver the $15 per person plus tip for his hard work and made our way to the terminal.

It was still only around 1100, so while we were allowed into the port building itself (make sure you have boarding pass along with passport ready at the door), boarding would not start for quite a bit longer. We quickly made our way thru security and since we didn't bring any beverages or wine on, no need for secondary screening. We made our way into the waiting lounge right around 1130 and were guided to the diamond and platinum lounge after receiving our sign and sail cards as that was not quite as crowded as the general lounge and there was plenty of seating and lemon ice water to drink. I got ready to log onto the Carnival Hub app, which is a really neat feature that Carnival offers to anyone with a capable phone and pretty much allows you to manage anything you need to manage with your cruise account or to see ship activity schedules, maps, open times. Only thing you cannot do there is view main dining room menus, heh.

I tried to use the Port of Miami's free wifi while we waited for boarding to begin but since there were so many people waiting like I was and trying to log on, it was too slow and I gave up after a while. Finally, boarding was called around noon, after weddings of course, and although it was like a stampede and not really organized, we were finally on our way to the ship. I will say that they should handle this in a more organized and less-mad rush type of way if that is possible, as my mom had to fight her way through a maze of rushing people to get to an elevator to go up to the boarding level. Also, if you ride up the elevator, know you will bypass the embarkation photo area which we planned on stopping at, getting a group pic, and possibly buying it later. Oh well. We were eventually on our way though a few more sail and sign card checks and into the gangway by noon or so. I will pick that up in the next post, hope you have enjoyed the pre-game fun so far.....

CARNIVAL GLORY APRIL 15, 2017 ITINERARY

DAY 1: MIAMI

DAY 2: HALF MOON CAY

DAY 3: SEA DAY

DAY 4: ST. THOMAS

DAY 5: SAN JUAN

DAY 6: GRAND TURK

DAY 7: SEA DAY

DAY 8: MIAMI

Happy spring Carnival fans! I, the Flying Cruiser of NJ have arrived with another cruise vacation review. My latest adventure was a weeklong cruise on the just-out-of-drydock Carnival Glory during the week including and following Easter. This was my second time on this ship and my first trip on Carnival since last November. Overall, I have lost count of how many cruises I have been on total, but my Carnival count alone is at least 15. This was a family cruise, and this review will feature the activities of me, my mom (who I cruise with a lot and if you have read any of my reviews, you know she is retired and cruises even more than I do, lol), my sister, whom I will refer to as "T" in this review, and her daughter/my niece, known as "K" in this review. I am in my mid-30s, single, and call South Jersey home, and cruise whenever possible as it has become my favorite method of vacationing in the 11 years I have been doing it (other than maybe going on land road trips to visit MLB stadiums or visiting friends in Florida).

So, with that little intro out of the way, why did I book this cruise at this time? Well, it wasn't my prime choice of time for a cruise but since T and K both had the week free to cruise due to it being spring break in New Jersey, this had to be the week if they were going to go. My mom and I are much more flexible with when we can travel but due to their circumstances they are not that lucky. Going all the way back to last year, my mom was looking for the best cruise deal she could find for just me, K and her as my sister had originally had other travel plans with her other daughter that ended up getting altered at the last second, allowing her to travel with us after all. Anyway, since my niece is still in the pre-teen age range, we figured booking this ship was good as Carnival has a good program for children of all ages on their ships. I will get into that much more as the review goes on.

We originally booked an outside cabin (forget what deck now) for three at a decent rate, and as cruise time came up, we could see the prices were actually dropping. After confirming she could actually travel with us on this cruise after all (her other daughter ended up traveling to the literal other side of the planet for her spring break vacation with her father at the same time as she did not want to do a cruise), we called our PVP at Carnival (can't mention his name but he does do a very good job and we have had him for many years) to ask him what the price for two cabins would be or if we could upgrade to a balcony cabin for four people for roughly the same total price of what we had already paid. We got one of the last few available balconies for four just a few weeks before sailing and after T paid her way, the total price for all four of us was roughly the same as it would have been for three. Good deal it seems. Yes, 4 in a cabin is rough but I have done it before. The cabin was located Deck 7 aft, not the best location after all and I will talk tons and tons about this as the review rolls on.

With all that out of the way, sail date was rapidly approaching. Carnival allows you to check in and take care of pre-paying of whatever you want to pre-pay beforehand, and that is good. Being Platinums, my mom and I are both pros when it comes to preparing for cruises, so we did as much as we could ahead of cruise date. T had only been on one Carnival cruise before this (she prefers Celebrity and Royal Caribbean believe it or not) and this was K's first Carnival cruise but not her first overall. She is a young cruise addict in the making, HAHA. I elected to pre-pay my gratuities and I advised my mom to pre-purchase a few cases of bottled water for the cabin through bon voyage at $4.50 per 12-pack as she drinks a lot of water during the week. Great value by the way, that in addition to the big bottles of water that you get for being a returning guest.

We purchased one excursion for the family through Carnival beforehand, a dolphin swim tour in St. Thomas as K really wanted to do it and we were afraid it would sell out if we waited until getting on the ship to book it. I have been shut out of excursions because of this a few times in the past. She also likes the guarantee that you get through Carnival for booking through them that if the excursion goes too long, the ship has to wait for it to return before departing. This did come in handy and I will explain that in depth later as well.

I wanted to pre-pay my bottomless bubbles soda package beforehand but the language on the Carnival cruise manager site is vague and confusing and so I figured I would just buy the package when I got on the ship after all. I also wanted to purchase cruise cash but again, the cruise manager page is very confusing so I avoided that as well. So with that all done, packing was completed the night before (as is usual haha), housesitter arrived, all four of us were in position for an early trip out on embarkation morning. I will begin the review on embarkation morning, from our trip to the airport, all the way though to our first day on the ship. It would be very busy.

Now, a disclaimer. I get very detailed and thorough with these reviews. I am also busy and often have a crazy schedule so there are times when I will not get to updating this for days at a time. Be assured that I have not abandoned it, but I add to it when I get the time. I do these reviews one day at a time, and a full day of the cruise can take hours to do, so I really like to take my time in writing these. I love reader feedback and will reply to anyone who comments or has a question about the review or ship or ports, etc, even if I do not get back to you right away. This was a cruise that I looked forward to for a long time, and thus I am excited to bring you a really exciting, thorough and fun review to read along and enjoy. I took over 300 pictures and will share many of them here as they help to enhance the story that I will tell of my adventures before boarding, on the ship, off the ship, and everything in between.

So, are we ready? Let's beep the big loud horn and untie from the dock and head on our way to another exciting cruise adventure! Hope you enjoy.

Day 3 - Grand Cayman

 

This is my least favorite of the four ports we went. The issue was not with GC itself but with the rendering process. I'll explain in the end.

 

I woke up around 5:30am which is usually the time I would have gotten up for work. My internal clock did not allow me to sleep in. I got out the room and went directly to Deck 10 to get some pics of the beautiful sunrise then head straight down to Lido to grab some breakfast

The French Toast was really good I had to go back again for about 3 more pieces.

 

After breakfast I went to the room to take a quick shower and get my things together to get off the ship. Getting off was very fast. This was a tender port so the priority disembarkation came in handy.

 

Heading to shore on the tender boat.

First land pic

 

After just a few minutes ride to land we took a van to 7 miles beach. This is a public beach so it was not as clean as I expected it to be. The water was rough and there were large rocks at the bottom. I still enjoyed swimming in the clear water while watching the little fishes swam around me. Though in her late eighties, my grandma is still very strong and a really good swimmer. However, the waves were too strong for her so she did not stay in the water for too long. As a matter of fact, the wavers shoved her out.

 

Views from the beach

 

We wanted to leave the beach by 12:45pm because this was a short stop. The ship scheduled departure time was 3pm and the last tender was "supposed to be" 2:15pm. The ride was only 15 minutes back to port but we wanted to get there early in order to get some coconut water and some GC KFC which I heard was really good compared to that in the USA. My group was in the bus by 12:30 with another group but there was still a third group missing. We waited until 1pm then informed the driver that we need to go. We waited for another 10 minutes and they still didn't show up. GC is an hour behind he ship's time and we discussed that in the bus before we got out. We were wondering if the other group just wasn't paying attention to their watches or they did not remember that the time is a hour faster than what their watches stated. We had to leave without them.

 

On our way back to the port

 

By the time we got back to the port it was about 1:30pm. We ran to get our chicken [emoji846]but did not want to waste anymore time getting anything else. We did not want to have to take the last boat over. We came to the port with our meal and found a seat and ate while some stayed in the line. The lines were super long. This is the longest line I have ever been in my life. It was a mess. To add to that was it was sooo hot.

 

After standing there for a while with the baby a lady from Carnival came to me and informed me that parents with small children can go up to the gate and board. In informed her that there were 7 of us, including my grandmother whom I didn't want to leave. She said unfortunately only the parents can go. Another lady came to me later and I told her the same thing and she gave me the same answer.

 

While in the line going back in all directions, I noticed a family member walking up to the gate. One of them had a small baby. I got out the line and went up to the gate. The family and I started talking and I told them the other family member will not be allowed to get in. However, the guy at the gate let them all through. I then went to get my family out the line and we all went to the gate and the man at the gate just asked if we were all together and let us in despite what we were told earlier by the two ladies. We were thrilled and a little upset at the same time. Thrilled that we finally got out the chaos but upset that we could have gotten through a lot earlier but we're told otherwise.

 

I was sitting beside the marketing manager in the fun shops and she was telling me that Carnival has a new tendering process is new for so they were still learning.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The worst thing about Grand Cayman is that horrible wait to get back to the tenders. At least you made it there though, many times the weather is too bad for ships to even tender and the port gets missed completely. I have gotten to the point where I won't say I "disregard" the times that you have to be back for the last tender at some familiar ports but know that I do not have to get back early because there will still be a long line of pax to get back to the ship and it is not going to leave with those people in line and waiting for a boat. I think they make those times up to give people a guideline on when to begin to make their way back, not a hard time that they are going to leave, lol. I also think they pad the block times from port to port to allow for boarding delays that seem to happen more and more these days because even with a delay leaving most ports, they still make the next one on time or early without having to go too fast to catch up. In most cases that is, in extreme cases, they obviously would go faster to make up time if they were running really behind. The last few times I have left back out of GC, I have either gone to the parrot bar off along the fence in the port area for some local brews and snacks or just walked around the shopping area or sat on one of the benches and peoplewatched until the long lines died down some instead of standing up in the heat for an hour or more. Carnival usually is good about letting senior citizens and those with young kids to the front of the line though at least that has been my experience.

I didn't try it. It is located at the aft of the ship and is usually not crowded. I passed by that area all the time and I don't believe I have ever seen more than 3-4 people in line. It's mostly empty.

I was tempted to try it but just too much other food choices to choose from that did not cost extra. Besides, I can get great seafood back home anytime anyway. I did hear however, that they sold out of the oysters a little more than halfway thru the cruise. I was talking to someone in the hot tub who said she could not get any oysters because they were sold out. Not sure if they sold out of anything else but I did see someone at the bar with oysters and a lobster tail and both looked really good. Not a huge fan of oysters but like lobster and based on the prices, they did look like they would be worth the extra money in the future. Obviously there is a market for the seafood shack, whether it is large enough to keep the program going on many more ships is still to be seen though I guess.

People without priority had to go to Alchemy bar in order to get a sticker and then wait around until their numbers were called. We were also told to go to Alchemy but when we went there we were directed to go and sit in the Golden restaurant. We did not get any sticker. We sat in the restaurant for less than 5 minutes then someone came and escorted us to deck 0 to get off. The process was fast.

 

Priority status does not work getting back to the ship so if there is a long line you will have to stay in it.

I was on this ship the week before you were and the tender debark process was a complete mess from what I heard and the general debark at ALL ports was a complete cluster as well. My sister and her daughter missed half of their flowrider excursion (booked through the ship and time assigned for them by excursion staff btw) at Margaritaville in Grand Turk because of massive bottlenecks at the gangways that caused them to take a 45-minute delay in getting off the ship. Not to mention it was slow in St. Thomas as well, neither port required a tender but I heard Half Moon Cay was pretty disorganized as well. I guess it it a new process that they are getting used to but it does have to get better on their part. BTW, great review, enjoying seeing another perspective of this ship on a different itinerary. Can't wait to read more.

Enjoyed the review, Jamericannn. Thanks!

 

 

 

I THINK pizza plus is when the have additional items available. I've read something about lasagna & chicken parm.

Was just on the Glory the week before this and I think they offer extra things like Caesar salads and sausage hoagie type-things late at night at the pizzeria which I do believe take more time to prepare but are available. That in addition to the regular pizza offerings of plain, pepperoni, white, proscuitto, funghi. As a side note, the lines were never really long at the pizza, even at night after shows. Usually there is a wait of up to a half hour but they seem to really have figured out how to beat that on this ship at least.

Hey, looking very forward to reading your review of the Glory. I literally just got off of my Glory cruise this morning and I have quite a bit to say about my experiences as well. Spent most of the day sleeping today to get caught up after an early arrival to MIA and trip home today but hopefully you have a great time on your cruise and I cannot wait to read another cruiser's perspective on this ship and cruise itinerary.

DAY 4 - DEBARKATION DAY AND TRAVEL HOME:

Yes, it was one of the wilder rides I have ever had coming in to land. Mainly clear but really windy as we had winds up this way all winter that were some of the strongest I can remember in a long time. Lost a lot of tree branches, trash cans blowing around everywhere, etc. Nasty winter. Glad spring has finally sprung around here. Anyway, the last 10 minutes were really bumpy. I saw some familiar southern NJ landmarks as we got closer to PHL, and got to see the city and the sports complex as we made our final approach. On landing, we hit a massive crosswind gust and I wasn't even able to hold the camera steady to get a great shot of us touching down on Runway 27R. Oh well. The crew did a great job getting us on the ground safely however, hats off to them. After we got to the gate, we both headed off our separate ways, I headed back to home and all the reality of everyday life and that was it for yet another Flying Cruiser of NJ vacation. Until the next one that is....

I hope you enjoyed my vacation review, although it took forever to do. My next cruise is upcoming this weekend, on the Carnival Glory, out of Miami, a family cruise that I have been looking forward to for a long while now, and I will surely be coming back from that one with a nice review. Have a great spring and happy cruising. I will post a short review of what I thought of the ship, amenities, crew, etc now if you are interested in seeing that.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF THIS SHIP AND CRUISE:

Boarding, booking, checkin, etc, was good. It was a charter booked through a third party TA and therefore we did not have as much control over the booking as we wanted but for what we paid, it was OK. The port staff was good and efficient both for boarding and debarking.

The crew was friendly and efficient again, they did their jobs well and were pleasant to interact with. Our steward was fine, although we did not see too much of him. Wait staff was good as was the bar staff and pool attendants and buffet personnel.

The entertainment was fine, although since this was a charter, pretty much just music although they did do a Quest game show so I heard. The music was good and varied, the theme of the cruise was positive and uplifting. Never had a problem finding something to do on the ship.

Food was good. Breakfast was decent, lunch was good at the buffet, buffet dinner was actually good and MDR food and service was as good as you can expect to have it. We did anytime dining on this cruise as well, so I went late and M went early to dinner as that was just how it worked out and it was good both times I went.

The cabin was fine, again the location can be iffy for those sensitive to sound with the atrium being nearby but the location was great, the amenities were good and the balcony was nice. Plenty of closet space, a good safe, decent bathroom, plenty of room in the cabin, enough power outlets for what we needed, and a really nice couch as well. Keep in mind that you cannot iron your own clothes here, as M asked on the first day and they said that items have to be sent out to be ironed, and you have to pay for it. He did not like that at all.

The ports were fine for a short weekend journey. Cococay is a nice getaway, and I like that you can use your drink packages there as you would on the ship. I am going on Carnival in a few days and I understand they do not allow the packages to be used on their own private island. Ok......but yes, Cococay is nice, the buffet is good, plenty of activities to do there, nice place to spend the day. Nassau is Nassau. Been there a ton of times, most fun you can have there is to go off on your own and just drink all day and go to Junkanoo Beach. Shopping is also plentiful for those interested in that.

Overall, this trip got an A rating. We were not expecting much more than a fun weekend in the Bahamas, away from everything and they delivered on that. Not your most exotic or luxurious cruise but it was fine. I would recommend a sailing like this to anyone who asks me about it.

DAY 4 - DEBARKATION DAY AND TRAVEL HOME CONTINUED:

We skipped breakfast as they were calling self assist debarkation at that time, sometime after 0800 and we figured it was best to just head off the ship with our minimal belongings and get in line for the customs check and call the shuttle to take us back to FLL. We left a tip for our cabin steward who did have a chore cleaning up after both of us, haha and headed down to the atrium to be dinged off the ship one last time. It was not a long wait at customs, and we were through and out at the ground transportation terminal by 0830. I called SAS and after a wait of 15 minutes or so (that ground transit area is chaos on a good day) the van picked us up and we were back on our way to FLL before 0900. Know that you HAVE to have a confirmed pre-arranged reservation here and it is enforced. Otherwise, you will have to flag down a cab and a cab ride back to FLL is about $80. I know this from experience.

Anyway, we hit traffic on the way back to FLL on this Monday morning, as there were bad accidents both ways on 95. With no traffic, this drive can be done in a half hour but it took longer today. Seeing the aftermath on the wreck that slowed down our traffic, that car got completely smashed up. They were loading it up to be taken away when we passed. Hopefully no serious injuries. We finally got back to FLL a little after 0930 and were through security and to our gate not too long after. Security can be long at times at FLL so leave yourself at least a half hour to get through the TSA checkpoint if you do not have TSA Pre.

Once at the gate, we were late leaving due to some airplane swaps they had to do at the last minute at the gate and the resulting confusion that caused. Like I have always said, FLL is convenient but it is too small for the volume it gets and while it is well on its way to being modernized for the 21st century, it still has a way to go and when irregular operations hits or it is cruise travel day, the place can be overcrowded quickly. Anyway, we got out a little late but were on our way shortly thereafter and on our way back home by 1100 or so.

At the gate, waiting to leave. Still a ton of new construction going on there. New terminal being built.

Smooth takeoff to the west, turn back to the east, just as we were about to head out to sea. You can almost see Freeport from the air on departures to the north from FLL.

Inflight over the Carolinas somewhere I think.

Flying over Cape May, NJ at about 14000 feet, on the way to PHL about 75 miles out. It looks so small from the air, lol but this is a great place to go in the summer, really anytime actually. About an hour and a half from Philadelphia driving. You can see Wildwood, Cape May and Cape May airport in this shot. The Delaware Bay, Atlantic Ocean. You can also see Atlantic City as you head towards PHL from the air.

It was windy on this day, the captain told us numerous times it would be a bumpy ride under 10000 feet and it sure was. Gusts to 45 knots, will talk about that in my final segment in just a minute with pics of us approaching home.

DAY 4 - DEBARKATION DAY AND TRAVEL HOME:

I hate the last night of a cruise as sleeping is more difficult due to having to get up early to get off the ship and head back home but I managed to get at least some rest. I got up around 0500 and looked out the window and it seemed we were already pulling back into the port in Miami. Scheduled arrival is usually listed as 0730 or 0800 so we were very early. So early I don't even know if port services staff was there yet, I think we just sat for a while until we were met by staff and customs, etc.

I got a few more hours of rest and got up again around 0730, when they were just starting to make announcements about debarkation procedures and updating us on the CBP clearance status. I got cleaned up, turned on my phone and got caught up with everything, checked on our flight home, checked my room one last time for any items I may have left and got a few pics of the cabin before leaving it for the last time.

The Miami port area from the balcony, always seems to be brighter and more fun looking on the first day as compared to the last, lol.

I forgot to mention I got a last printout of onboard charges the last night from the guest services desk just to make sure everything was right and we were not overcharged for anything. RCCL tried to pull a fast one on me with the drink package on a previous cruise that I got cleared up quickly with no hesitation from the GS staff on the Empress. I figured that would be the easiest way to check on my charges as this wasn't a ship with in-cabin folio viewing and I did not have an app to see that stuff on my phone, if one was even offered.

The cabin, midship on deck 7, balcony. Nice cabin for the low price we paid, no complaints.

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

I believe that since the party on lido ended, they continued to play music in the atrium area it seemed and yes, we could hear loud music all night through the wall. It was fine though and like I said before, music or most loud noises do not bother me too much while I sleep so it was fine but keep in mind a mid ship cabin could be a problem if you have an issue with loud noise while trying to sleep. Sheila E did mention that the party would continue right to the end and yes, it surely did. We were just a few hours out from Miami by this point and nobody was really ready for the cruise to end yet although it would in just a few short hours. I packed around midnight and got to bed shortly thereafter, as we were going to have to get off the ship fairly quickly the next morning to get our flight back home.

A few more random pictures of the other ship in the distance and of the future cruises desk, obviously closed this late at night. I would say that due to the short duration of this trip, most people elected to do the self-assist debarkation the next morning as we would be doing, as very few bags were left outside cabins to be taken by staff for unloading the next day.

That wraps up the last full day on the ship and as usual, it was hard to sleep as I knew I had to get up early the next morning and I also realized yet another cruise was coming to an end but you have to do what you have to do I guess. I will get to the debarkation and travel home next. Hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures.

DAY 3: NASSAU CONTINUED:

I guess the chef was keeping up with the theme of the cruise, and sent out plates of guitar shaped cookies for each table which was cool. The chocolate covered strawberry was nice also. Anyway, I got that and some sort of other dessert which was decent but very sweet and rich if I remember right.

The lady I had been talking to at the table and I wished each other happy travels home, and off we both went. Again, we pretty much closed down the MDR for the night. It was after 2200 when we cleared out, and I did get a nice pic of the main dining room area as it was pretty much empty by this point. Good service and food in general but again, beverage service in the dining rooms can be very slow.

M was still off on his own somewhere, drinking I am sure and I headed to the hot tub at the back of the ship for one last dip before the end of the voyage. It was late at night so it was not crowded and I had it pretty much to myself. I had a beer that I had gotten on lido and thus had not been poured into a cup for some reason and I had it up in the hot tub area. I got yelled at by a staff member for doing that, as glass is a no-no around the hot tub and pool I guess. I should have known better, lol. Either way, I hung out there for a good hour and when it was over, I turned in my towel at the towel station and got another drink from the bar.

On the way back from the hot tub, I stopped by the lido party bar and saw M drinking there, lol. I got another drink and a picture of the beanbag toss game located off to the side a little bit. I am actually a decent beanbag toss player. I think they had ping pong tables also on this ship somewhere, but no miniature golf course sadly.

The hot tub I frequented

I chose to walk around up on deck a little more as it was after midnight but I was not yet ready to go to sleep and saw this ship a few miles off to the left I think. All lit up at night, not sure where it was coming from or going or what line it even was but there were a few other ships within sight on this evening.

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

We were back to the port by about 1600 and it was not a long wait to go thru ID check. They check your driver license or passport and your cruise card to make sure you are authorized to go through and onto the dock, sometimes there is a line but not this late in the day. I think they still have a little tram that runs out to the ships from the port building if you have mobility issues or whatever but we just walked as it was not too long a walk today. Only 2 ships and some days there can be way more than that.

Anyway, when we got back to the ship, there was still a bit of a line to get thru security and back onboard. Guess a lot of people wanted as much time as possible in Nassau as we did today. We got back onboard and headed right up to the Windjammer to get a late lunch. While we were up there, of course we heard the usual paging of a dozen or so pax who probably were not back on yet at departure time of 1630. They WILL leave you if you screw around too much, is has happened. Anyway, by 1645 less names were called and a few minutes later we pushed away from the dock and I guess they had everyone back onboard finally. Figure they didn't mind leaving with a little delay considering we were not far from Miami and would be getting back there early anyway.

I do not remember what we got for lunch now but it must have been good. Of course, we got more beers at lunch and on lido afterwards, around 1700 and watched a concert on the lido deck for sailaway. According to the cruise compass, this was the pool party jam session. Possibly with DJ Eric James. Anyway, M hung out there for a while and I went upstairs to watch the last sail away from Nassau. Next stop Miami, our home port.

I believe we were just here a little while ago, lol

Before you knew it, it was sunset after 1800 local, and I believe I took a bit of a nap while M went and got an early dinner in the MDR again. The sunset was not on the side of the ship that our room was on so I had to run upstairs and get this picture from the public decks, and the sun was unfortunately already down so this is the best I could do. I do like seeing my sunsets at sea.

I went back to the room, and laid down again for a while. Partying all day takes a lot out of you, man. LOL. M stopped back in once I think, I finally got up around 2030, changed so I looked somewhat presentable and headed to the MDR to get a late dinner around 2100. I was seated with a few nice families, I ended up talking shop with one lady at the table for a while, lol. I got a leg of lamb and some turkey for my entrees and shrimp as an appetizer I think, perhaps I did not get an appetizer at all. I can honestly not remember. It was a long time ago after all, lol. I did not get a drink because honestly, it is just too hard to find a bar guy and takes too long once you order for the drink to arrive for it to be worth it. Oh well. I will say the lamb was awesome and the turkey was just OK. One of the folks at the table did not like his lamb but he said it was too strong. I like strong tasting cuts of meat and this was very tender, best lamb I have ever had quite possibly.

The rest of the evening shortly...

Sooooo, I apologize for sort of abandoning this review, but I have been so busy this last few weeks that I just never got around to updating it. But since my next cruise is in just a few days (Carnival Glory), and I have never not finished a review, I will do a quick write-up of the end of this Enchantment cruise if anyone is still interested, lol. I left off somewhere early in the afternoon of the last day of this sailing, so we will pick up with activities on land in Nassau, Bahamas. Enjoy.

DAY 3 - NASSAU CONTINUED:

Honestly, since it was getting later in the day (after 1400), Frog's was not crowded but there were still some people there and it was a good time. I had another beer and we made our way out of there shortly thereafter and towards Junkanoo Beach, a public beach about a half mile or maybe a little more from the port area.

Sands beer. Not bad.

Got a nice picture of our ships from just outside the Senor Frog's, and I did climb up onto the frog bench outside the entrance, it was a tough climb but it has to be done, haha. In a past trip, the park across the street from here featured a local high school marching band playing Christmas carols complete with a Santa, just a few weeks before Christmas 2015. It was weird seeing all that when it was 80 degrees outside, being from the north and all, when we actually do stand a chance at a white Christmas once every 15 years or so. Anyway...

Anyway, turn right out of the bar and there is a main street that goes a few blocks and then bears right again, where you can walk to the beach. There had been construction here the last time we did this walk, but it seemed to all be done now and there is a nice sidewalk with shops, restaurants and you also pass by some resorts on the way to the beach. Also, there is a McDonald's I think on the other side of the street. Pleasant walk but a lot of traffic and driveways so be alert. You can also take a cab to the beach and get there and back quicker but what would be the fun in that?

We had gone to the Fat Tuesday's near the beach a year or so ago, but it was now demolished and moved somewhere else in the port area I think. M had gone to this tiki bar near the entrance to Junkanoo Beach once before so we decided to hit that again. Their draw is 4 beers and 4 shots for $10. Get as many as you want, can't beat that. We hung out there for a while, talking to fellow cruise pax and also some nice ladies (lol) and got 2 rounds while we were there. Nice place. We also walked out onto the beach and pier that goes out a few hundred feet and hung out there with many other people for a little while. Great views of the beach, and of your cruise ships to the left. After 1530, it was time to head back to the ship as all aboard was at 1630 I think and it was a good 15 minute or more walk to the port.

The tiki bar

Classic beach shot, you can also see the pier that we had a good time at where the Fat Tuesday used to stand and our ship off in the distance

More in a moment...