Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 #1 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Sorry if this review 'Drags' ;) It also includes a preamble and a report of our trip to WDW, Florida. :) Rosy and I had planned this trip many months in advance, as is necessary when booking reward flights, which are sometimes difficult to book. The way this works is that we collect Tesco points and this coupled with everyday credit card spending and a few European flights, gains us enough frequent flyer miles to obtain flights to long-haul destinations at a fraction of the cost in money. I also get a voucher once a year, for two tickets for the price of one, so we usually fly out First class and return business, which gives us a great deal of comfort for very little financial outlay. This holiday would be different as due to a serious shoulder injury, requiring an operation, Rosy wouldn’t be able to do many of the activities that we would normally attempt. So instead of planning trips on theme park rides and zip-lining, we chose a nature-related theme, visiting State parks and looking at flora, fauna and animals / birds. In the week prior to our departure the south of England had suffered heavy rainfall and much flooding, so we were wary of being held up, so we left home much earlier than usually necessary and got to LHR very quickly, so had longer than usual in the Concord Room, which is a luxury home for travellers flying first on BA. They offer a restaurant, spa, champagne bar, etc. Everything is free so it’s easy to over indulge. Travelling first can be a luxurious experience, as it was on this trip. We were quickly checked in and sent through Fast Track security, then able to access the CCR through a special door, avoiding the trek through the duty-free shopping areas. We settled in and ordered breakfast – I had a bacon bap and Rosy a smoked salmon bagel and a ‘Buck’s Fizz’ – Mimosa to our American friends! Wine selection in Concord Room We had booked appointments for head and shoulder massages, which are performed on a massage chair, which provides a very soporific experience. We had previously arranged to meet another ‘Flyer-talk’ member, who we were able to invite into the CCR, so we enjoyed a glass of bubbly together before falling asleep in the massage! After the massage we visited the first class lounge for lunch, as we preferred to choose the self-service curry, rather than be served in the CCR. As it happened we missed the curry, which had to be ordered and helped ourselves from the buffet. We then indulged in a couple of glasses of pink champagne and Rosy did some shopping. Our flight was called on-time, but as often seems to be the case when we leave LHR – long haul- we suffered a delay. The flight ended up taking off an hour late, during which time we were plied with Champagne, which BA claimed to cost £125 a bottle! This was probably a bit too indulgent, but very pleasant. We were very lucky that this aircraft a 777 had brand new upgrades, to the new version of First and a fantastic in-flight entertainment ‘IFE’ system. This meant wider and longer seats, a joy-stick controller for seat adjustment, electric blinds for the window, etc. We enjoyed a superb lunch, with fine wines and tried the dessert wine and a couple of cognacs. The downside to this over-indulgence was that the 7 pounds which I had lost just prior to the holiday, was fast returning. I then drank about 4 litres of water over the remainder of the flight. The IFE included loads of films, music, sports programs, etc and even Bridge. It took me some time trying to work out the game controls, which provided a challenge to my intoxicated mind! Arrival at Miami – Saturday, 24 November Arriving in the USA is usually quite traumatic, due to the long lines at immigration. This flight bucked the trend. We had a very long walk from the plane to immigration, which gave us some much needed exercise. It must have been at least a ten-minute fast walk, but when we got there, there were no lines at all and we had to wait 10 minutes for our bags to arrive- unheard of! It made a pleasant change to see all of our bags arrive and travelling first, they arrived first. We then wandered outside to wait for the hotel shuttle, which seemed to take an age and being exhausted, as it was now the equivalent of 03.00 at home, we were keen to get to bed. The shuttle duly arrived and within 5 minutes we were at our hotel, the Elements Miami Airport, which I had paid for using my SPG points. We were allocated a 1 bed King Suite, complete with full kitchen, which we didn’t need. Of course we struggled to sleep for long, due to the time difference, so as soon as it was a little bit light we got dressed and wandered down for the included breakfast, which wasn’t ready, so we took the 06.30 shuttle to the airport to collect our rental car and return for our bags. There is now a shuttle train to the rental car centre, replacing the bus service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathansburden Posted December 20, 2012 #2 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I've been waiting for your review! That lounge sounds amazing :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #3 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Sunday, 25 November We were quickly allocated a Chevrolet Traverse, bypassing the large line, due to my Hertz Gold status. The car was enormous, with electric everything and suited the two of us just fine. It even had a reversing camera, with picture on rear view mirror, which I discovered after three days, always looking behind me so missing the image! We had a quite reasonable breakfast, and then headed up the Florida Turnpike to Orlando, with the vital assistance of our Tom Tom satnav. The drive took about four hours, but we stopped twice for a rest. In future we shall try and fly to and cruise from the Orlando area, avoiding this long drive when tired. We stocked up at Wal-Mart then checked into our villa at Sheraton Vistana Resort. We bought this timeshare in 1999 and it is a luxurious residence, adjacent to I4 and WDW. It has two bedrooms, sleeps eight, has a Jacuzzi bath, two showers, 3 TV’s etc. After settling in we drove to Downtown Disney for a sundae at Ghirardelli’s. We enjoyed a fantastic sunset, a perfect start to a wonderful holiday. We checked out our previously purchased Disney tickets and discovered we had enough entries for about three holidays, so we were all set. We returned for an early night ready to visit Animal Kingdom, the next day. Downtown Disney Sunset Rainforest Cafe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Monday, 26 November The journey to AK, like most Disney parks, takes about 15 minutes. Parking is now $14, which is expensive considering it used to be free! We made the trek over to the animal safari first, as the animals tend to be fairly lively first thing. Then we checked out the birds and gorillas, before heading to the Festival of the Lion King show, featuring lots of gymnastics, dancing, colour and live music. We usually go on all the adventure rides, but I thought it best that we avoided these on this trip, due to Rosy’s shoulder injury. Therefore, we concentrated on the shows and the wildlife, of which there is plenty, often hidden away from the masses of ride junkies. In the afternoon ‘we’ went shopping for footwear and clothing, then went to Sweet Tomatoes, for an early supper (they offered me the senior’s deal, which was a real bargain). This is a veggie restaurant and provides good quality and excellent vfm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #5 Share Posted December 20, 2012 After supper, we went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, taking advantage of our same-day entry privilege. We were visiting for the Osborne Family Christmas lights spectacle and Fantasmic, a lights, music and fireworks extravaganza, but also went on a few rides. Pictures to follow:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathfinderEss Posted December 20, 2012 #6 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Really enjoying your review, looking forward to the rest of it. Thanks for taking the time to post, your pictures are awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #7 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Disney's Hollywood Studios - Osborne Family Lights Spectacular Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #8 Share Posted December 20, 2012 On Tuesday 27/11, we were booked into a resort update. Essentially a bid to sell us more inventory. We resisted all attempts, but enjoyed the free breakfast and $60 incentive. These people are so dishonest and a quick check on the ‘net’ proves this. Then we drove to Disney’s Wilderness Resort, a campground with many RV’s, enormous motor-homes. We walked around the resorts nature trails and marvelled at the superb Christmas displays, before taking a boat around the lake, then to Wilderness Lodge, a magnificent resort, far from the crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #9 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The inside of the building was spectacularly decorated for the festive season. Then we walked back to our car and spent some time by the Vistana pool, before heading out to Disney’s model town - Celebration – for some pre-Christmas festivities, including hourly snowfall (soap bubbles), leaving a mat of foam for the kids to play in / on. Earlier we had sat in rocking chairs by the lake and I spotted an alligator, not far away, which made us a little uneasy! We went back to Vistana, via Golden Coral family buffet on 192, but, although the food was good, it was rather scruffy, so we’ll avoid in future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #10 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Wednesday, 28 November This evening we had booked the Candlelit Processional Package at Epcot. This involved an all you can eat buffer, at the Biergarten restaurant, with entertainment in typical Oktoberfest style, followed a by queuing for a long time to get to our reserved seats for the concert spectacular and spectacular it was, with massed choirs and a large orchestra, playing a variety of Christmas music. The evening was narrated by an American TV star, who was clearly very popular. We left home with our usual lightweight clothes, with an excellent forecast, but around lunch-time it clouded over and became much colder (felt around mid-fifties with strong wind blowing), so by the time show finished we were ready to return to Vistana, without waiting for Illuminations, another spectacular display including fireworks. We left home just after breakfast and parked for free at Disney’s Boardwalk, which is situated between Epcot and Hollywood Studios. We walked to the studios in pleasant warm sunshine, with no suspicion of what was to follow. We enjoyed a few shows and with it getting a little chilly, we collected our anoraks from the car, on our way to Epcot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #11 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Thursday, 29 November We decided to head north to one of the State parks, Deleon Springs, where we had seen a recommendation for and old mill, with a restaurant, where customers were given jugs of batter and a griddle, to make own choice of pancakes, so for about $25 inc tip, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast with fresh coffee. Next we waited for enough people to take a wildlife boat trip, but after Rosy had a swim in the spring, which has a year round temperature of 72 degrees and no ‘gators, we decided on a hike on the nature trail, which turned out to be a bit boring. However, on our return there were enough punters for the boat trip, which enabled us to see turtles, alligators, blue herons and Ibis. This guy landed, got stuck then had to use paddles to free himself After the trip, we returned to Vistana, via dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which was delicious and filling, as always. Fortunately the weather had returned to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #12 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Friday, 30 November After the success of the previous day’s wildlife adventures, we decided to return north to Orange County, to visit Blue Springs State Park, near Orange City. We took a hike and saw three deer and various birds, but no black bears, which may be fortunate! Then we took a longer boat trip than the previous day. This trip was on St John’s River and again we saw many turtles, birds and alligators, but also lots of Manatees. They have a lot of ‘wind’ and leave footprints in the water, so boat owners should know to avoid them. There was also an excellent Boardwalk, from where it was possible to see much wildlife. The water was very clear, so it was easy to see the Manatees. On our return we managed to find Orange City Post Office and Rosy was able to post Christmas presents to family in USA, but the postage was pretty much the same as at home! We stopped off at Florida Mall to get some trainers for Mary, then got stuck in rush hour traffic for ages and were glad to get back to Vistana, via super at Sweet Tomato. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #13 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Saturday, 1 December For our final day at Vistana, we decided not to venture too far, so first we visited Downtown Disney, where it was refreshingly quiet. Then we drove the short distance to Tibet-Butler nature preserve, just up SR-535, where we were able to walk nature trails and a boardwalk. We were lucky enough to see an Osprey and several other birds. Then we took a long drive (should have used the satnav, but I thought I knew where we were heading) to Pro Bass to have a look at their Christmas stuff and buy a few presents. We returned via Publix to get some supper and then had a relaxing evening at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #14 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Sunday, 2 December - December 9 - Cruise on Carnival Glory The ship left with 2700 on board, as opposed to the 3400 expected. This was due to may cancellations, but they missed a great cruise, with shorter lines than usual. Left jus after 06.00 for long drive back to Miami – not nearly as much traffic as on way up, just after Thanksgiving. Returned car to Hertz downtown depot then took shuttle to the ship, having earlier dropped our bags at the port. We had to wait until just after 1pm to board, because pax were late clearing the ship. It wasn’t a pleasant wait in the stuffy terminal, but we did have free wifi. Security checked almost all of my 20 or so water bottles, in case I was smuggling liquor! Once on board we were able to go straight to our cabin 7344 on Empress, a very good location. I was extremely disappointed to find that the promised new unlimited internet wasn’t available. I emailed John Heald and he told me it would be installed on Monday, at Nassau – it wasn’t and won’t be for a least another two weeks. I had planned on doing lots of research on ports, so we were stuffed as the current internet was extremely expensive and very slow. I used wifi ashore as much as possible, but this was very intermittent. We also had problems obtaining OBC for the Mastercard promotion. They claimed it was one credit per cabin, but I’m sure this wasn’t in the t&c. I’ll find out once we get off ship, with cheaper communications. Guest services are pretty much useless unless you ask them a mainstream question. They referred me to the Mastercard rep, who tried to look it up on Carnival.com and 4 days later I still await a response! We had lunch on the Lido deck, then unpacked our luggage, went to spa raffle, but won nothing. The safety briefing was as tedious as it usually is and many of the instructions were inaudible. We had opted for YTD – Your Time Dining, meaning we could dine when we wished and either by ourselves or with others. We always requested shared tables, but frequently were two on a table for six! On the first night we dined with two ladies and a honeymooning couple. We were relieved to find that our wine-box had arrived intact and we also had a bottle of champagne, later to be joined by gifts from John Heald and Josh Waitzman (Cruise Directors) of more champagne and a bottle of Merlot, accompanied by chocolate covered strawberries and a fruit basket. As the ship was late departing Miami, we were able to get a picture of the Miami skyline, with Rosy in pride of place! :) After dinner we attended the welcome aboard show, then had a reasonably early night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #15 Share Posted December 20, 2012 We were very fortunate with the weather, mostly having hot sunny days, though the first two days were very windy, so the ship endured a lot of movement, but this didn’t disturb us. Most of our time during the day, was spent relaxing or walking around the jogging track. I did a couple of free fitness classes, Rosy used the pool a fair bit and I enjoyed the Jacuzzis. We felt the activities could have included some cultural themes or making things, but maybe Carnival’s clientele prefers outdoor stuff like the hairy chest contest. The much talked about Drag events hardly affected us at all. It was quite amusing watching some of 'boys' strutting their stuff. We particularly enjoyed the comedians in the Punch-liner Comedy Club, but the Comedy Branch was a waste of time. Our cabin 7344 was very comfortable with a decent shower. We’d book the same again. The food and service was excellent. Clearly Carnival’s policy to sell cabins cheaply, then sell as much on-board as they can, can be very tedious, but as in ports, we got used to saying, ‘no thanks’! The dress code seems to be pretty widely ignored, especially the cruise elegant evenings. Many people wore shorts in the dining room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #16 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #17 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Nassau A beautiful day and we decided to walk to the Queens Steps, then over the bridge to Paradise Island. What a contrast from one side of the bridge to the other! The Atlantis side was very plush, with a Vacation Ownership Resort and very nice gardens, buildings etc. The town side was extremely run-down and needed much investment. When we returned to the ship – by water taxi - $4pp each way, we took advantage of the free wi-fi in the cruise terminal, along with the crew. This was the first elegant evening and during the comedy, the ships movement lead to a glass of beer tipping over Rosy and my clothes, but Guest Services kindly arranged for complimentary cleaning, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLE Litella Posted December 20, 2012 #18 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Downtown Disney Sunset This picture reminds me how OVERPRICED that ship/restaurant was. We then went to the Rainforest Cafe as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #19 Share Posted December 20, 2012 St Thomas A beautiful day, on which we had planned to take the ferry to Water Island. Alas we docked at Havensight and the ferry goes from Crown Bay, where other cruise ships were docked. We took the locals bus / taxi for the three mile journey at a cost of $1pp, but just missed the ferry and the next was two hours later, which I was worried about taking in case we were late back. Therefore, we decided to walk back to the ship and have a few drinks at a wi-fi enabled bar. It was a long, hot, tiring walk. Finding a suitable bar with Wi-fi proved difficult, as due to so many ships being in port, the internet was in great demand, so speeds were very slow. The Shipwreck tavern or the adjacent pub are reasonable bets. A disappointment as we felt we hadn’t made the most of a beautiful destination. However, we did manage to Skype our son, Luke, so this was a bonus. BSB the Iguana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 20, 2012 Author #20 Share Posted December 20, 2012 St Juan The day started off very overcast, with a lot of rain around, but it soon cleared to leave a blistering hot, sunny day. We didn’t have any plans, but were keen to visit the rainforest if we could find suitable transport and planned to take a taxi, but when leaving the port we were approached by a local tour company, who offered the tour for $47, some $10 less than the ship’s equivalent. The downside was waiting for the bus to fill, which caused some resentment. We had a very enjoyable day, but again I felt that maybe the peace of mind with booking with Carnival would be worth the added cost. If you visit St Juan and want to tour on your own, the main bus station is almost opposite the pier, so cheap travel should be easy to arrange. What we should have done was to just walk around for a few minutes, to get our bearings. Rainforest St Juan is another destination that I would recommend taking a tour from, unless plenty of good research is done before arrival. Just along (to the left) from the pier, almost opposite the Sheraton, is a ferry which goes to the other side of the bay, where access is fairly easy to the Bacardi factory and this will be much cheaper than the ship's tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisFemmeKat Posted December 20, 2012 #21 Share Posted December 20, 2012 i wanted to be on this sailing so bad.. I was hoping someone would review and post pics... I love the Glory.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 21, 2012 Author #22 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Grand Turk Ruby Princess approaching Grand Turk Rosy at Jack’s shack On another beautiful morning, we approached the dock and were greeted by a local bar’s pa welcoming Carnival Glory to the island and advertising their services, including tours, wi-fi, drinks, etc. We had planned to visit another bar, found on Facebook and well recommended, so headed straight along the beach to Jacks Shack, where we were able to leave our bags before undertaking a 3 mile walk to the local town. Some of it was pretty and interesting and some, not so, but it gave us some exercise and kept us out of the bar! We saw several interesting birds on our walk and watched the Ruby Princess approach the island. We clearly walked along the tour route, as we were passed by Segways and the local trolley. As our later experience revealed, we may have been better stopping at the local beach bar near the church, as it seemed very nice. Interestingly, the local church had air-con and four flat-screen TV’s, so no lack of funds. I expect that the islanders make a lot of money from the cruise ship visitors. We shared a taxi back to the ship, at a cost of $5pp, a bit steep, but we were glad of the air-conditioned rest. The taxi also stopped to collect a local lawyer (English), who the driver later claimed to have never lost a case. She was left at the airport. The local church On our return to the dock we had lunch at Jack’s Shack, which I was very disappointed with. There was no Conch and drinks were $8-9, which I thought was expensive, but that’s just my take on things. At least the Wi-Fi was ok to start with, but soon deteriorated. We left and stopped at the nearby village bar, who claimed to be no. 1 on Trip Advisor, but the Wi-Fi was so slow I gave up checking. Again, the drinks were pricey, but they gave us a sample of Conch. All in all a brilliant holiday. We had a particularly wonderful time in Orlando, doing different things, rather than spending all our time at Disney. Alas, I contracted a virus and was ill for disembarkation day and the following day, so we changed our return flight and arrived home 24 hours early. The return flight experience was disappointing, but that was probably partly due to me not feeling like drinking the fine wines that were offered. Apologies for the large images, which I must learn to decrease.:o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare English Tim Posted December 21, 2012 Author #23 Share Posted December 21, 2012 There have been quite a few views. Has no-one got any comments or questions?:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laplayaperson Posted December 21, 2012 #24 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Keep the review coming...love the pictures and the commentary! Thank you for posting as I haven't seen any other reviews regarding this sailing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshcorgie Posted December 21, 2012 #25 Share Posted December 21, 2012 We were also on this cruise and it was awsome!! Some of the nicest people that you would ever want to meet. Looking forward to the rest of your review. Doug and Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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