Glory Review w/ Pics!! Jan 9th-16th, 2011

[kdoc84]

Hello everyone! I'm finally getting around to writing a review about my first cruise!! First a little background, I am 26 and my girlfriend (also a first time cruiser) is 23. We chose Carnival Cruise Lines because of, quite honestly, the cost. We like to vacation and we usually try to do so on a budget. We aren't cheap but we also don't like to just throw money away. The Glory looked like a great ship and the ports looked interesting. So... let it begin!!

 

DAY 1: Travel and Embarkation

 

We flew into FLL that morning on Southwest. I decided to purchase the transfer to POM through Carnival. I figured, if anything goes wrong, at least it's with Carnival and something can be done. If it was with some other company and something went wrong and I missed the ship, I would probably be SOL. The trip there took about 45-50 minutes with little to no traffic.

 

Here we are on the bus...

 

 

I do have to say that the driver was interesting. When we got to POM, he wouldn't let us off the bus until he gave us his little "any tips would be appreciated, I take my work seriously, I hope I did everything you needed" speech. I thought that was pretty strange. That actually made me give him less of a tip than I was planning on. Oh well, his loss.

 

We got through security and onto the ship in about 45-60 minutes. I was so excited I didn't really notice it taking long at all. I was just taking it all in! We got onto the ship and were immediately instructed to go up to Lido for lunch. Ummm... ok!

 

 

 

There she is enjoying our first meal.

 

 

We stopped at the poolside bar because it was the first thing we saw and figured that was all there was to choose from. Rookie mistake indeed. As we started looking for a place to sit we made our way through the Red Sail and found a lot more food to choose from. Overall this was a pretty good first meal. The burger was very tasty and the hotdog, although precooked and sitting there in a metal pan, was good. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal but that just might have been the excitement talking.

 

After our first meal we made our way around the ship.

 

 

I was clearly enjoying that view.

 

 

See you in a week Miami!!

 

At about 2PM we made it to our room to check it out.

 

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the room. It's an OV, cabin # 1256. The bed was a little disappointing with the separator in the middle since it's two beds pushed together but not too bad. The bathroom left more to be desired but it's on a ship, how big could you expect it to be?

 

More to come of our first day!

[kdoc84]

Here everyone is on the Lido deck and a shot of the big screen...

 

 

 

Shot from a different angle...

 

 

 

As we sat out to enjoy the sun and wait for our luggage to arrive we enjoyed the first of MANY ice cream cones. I love soft serve ice cream, can you tell?

 

 

We wandered around the ship some more to get a feel of the layout. It's true what many people say about the Conquest Class, the layout can get confusing when you are not able to go from front to back (forward to aft for you cruisers :) ) on certain levels. Once you know the situation, however, it's not a problem. We checked out the casino, the spa, the fitness center. We went around to all the bars and lounges. The ship was absolutely beautiful. I obviously have nothing to compare it too but I loved it. I was just in awe as I walked around. When you get to see scenes like these how can you complain?

 

 

Later on in the day we made it back up to the Lido deck to watch some playoff football...

 

 

Go Pack! I'm not a Packers fan (Pats fan, actually) but I was once they were playing the Steelers. Sorry to all their fans out there. Our luggage eventually arrived and I honestly don't remember when. We decided to go to dinner in the MDR. We opted for Your Time Dining and I have to say I do not regret it. We never waited more than 5 minutes and most days we were taken right to our seats. The first night we were asked if we wanted to dine alone and we were feeling a bit social so we opted to be seated with others. Thank goodness!! We ended up sitting with two other couples around our age and we totally hit it off! We ended up eating together every night for the entire cruise and hanging out afterward as well. It was definitely the right decision!

 

I don't remember much about the individual meals (except for the one night we went to the Emerald Steakhouse.... mmmmmm) so I apologize in advance for that. The food was great. I'm not a picky eater but my girlfriend usually is. We both loved the food. I had read so much about the chocolate melting cake so I had to try it that night. OMG. So good! I think I had two apps and two or three desserts every night. I'll be honest with everyone, I ate a lot that week. Most was pretty good, some was ok, and very little was bad. I was very pleased with the food.

 

To be continued...

[julescruisin]

Great review so far, post lots of pictures we wil be on The Glory in June and can't wait. So glad it seems like you had a good time so far, even though it was only your first day. Really, how could you complain when you are at sea, someone is cooking for you and making your beds.:D

Happy Sailing

[jnl134]

Great start. Can't wait for more.

[silkhair1]

More please!!!!!

[cuted126]

Loving your review and your excitement!! Can't wait to see more!! The Glory is another ship that no one ever reviews (with pics) so I am happy to get to see how she looks!!!

[babyher]

Great review and pics

 

Thank you for sharing with us all

 

OK More, more, more *LOL*

[NJ Jambalaya]

What awesome 1st installments of Glory pictures/review! Looking forward to seeing/reading more; husband and I cruising on Glory in June.

Y'all rock!!! :D

[laumicmah]

Lovin' your review. We'll be on the Glory in August...can't wait.

[cruising with the family]

I am loving your review so far...we are on the Glory in 67 days! (Not that I'm counting) :D

[BenjiRodney]

Glad to see and hear that you had a great time. We were on the Glory in November and had a blast. The meal in the Emerald Room had to be my favorite.

[OnePsychLynne]

What a fabulous review! I've had a smile on my face the whole time reading this. We were on the Glory for our honeymoon three years ago. Brings back a lot of great memories...we didn't have the big screen then though :-/ Guess we'll have to take another GLORY-ous cruise. lol:D

[surprise_4_sha]

Yippee!!.. a GLORY review and with pics!

I'm enjoying your tale; we'll be on her in August!

[kdoc84]

Great review so far, post lots of pictures we wil be on The Glory in June and can't wait. So glad it seems like you had a good time so far, even though it was only your first day. Really, how could you complain when you are at sea, someone is cooking for you and making your beds.:D

Happy Sailing

 

Thanks so much julescruisin. I don't know if you've ever been on the Glory but you're going to have a blast! I certainly did! Good point about having our meals cooked and beds made. Can't go wrong with that.

[kdoc84]

Great start. Can't wait for more.

 

Thanks jnl134!

[kdoc84]

More please!!!!!

 

Don't worry, there will be! Thanks silkhair1 for the enthusiasm.

[kdoc84]

Loving your review and your excitement!! Can't wait to see more!! The Glory is another ship that no one ever reviews (with pics) so I am happy to get to see how she looks!!!

 

Thanks cuted!

 

Great review and pics

 

Thank you for sharing with us all

 

OK More, more, more *LOL*

 

I've got plenty of pics so I will definitely post as I find time. Thanks!

 

What awesome 1st installments of Glory pictures/review! Looking forward to seeing/reading more; husband and I cruising on Glory in June.

Y'all rock!!! :D

 

You're going to have a blast on her! Thanks NJ Jambalaya.

[kdoc84]

Lovin' your review. We'll be on the Glory in August...can't wait.

 

Awesome! Thanks laumicmah.

 

I am loving your review so far...we are on the Glory in 67 days! (Not that I'm counting) :D

 

Thanks cruising. It's ok, I'm sailing again in 333 days! Who's counting?!

 

Glad to see and hear that you had a great time. We were on the Glory in November and had a blast. The meal in the Emerald Room had to be my favorite.

 

Thanks BenjiRodney. Yes, that meal is superb. I'll have some pics of it later to remind you some more of it!

[kdoc84]

What a fabulous review! I've had a smile on my face the whole time reading this. We were on the Glory for our honeymoon three years ago. Brings back a lot of great memories...we didn't have the big screen then though :-/ Guess we'll have to take another GLORY-ous cruise. lol:D

 

I'm glad I can help evoke those memories! Thanks OnePsychLynne.

 

Yippee!!.. a GLORY review and with pics!

I'm enjoying your tale; we'll be on her in August!

 

Thanks surprise_4_sha! Plenty more to come so stay tuned!

[alreadypacked]

Great start!! Can't wait to read/see the rest. As someone noted earlier, I've seen few photo reviews of the Glory. This will be a welcome treat. Thanks!:)

[Dulin79]

Great Review. Me and my wife will be going on April 24 for our 10 Year Anniversary. Can't wait to hear more.

:):D

[jusplainsh0rty]

Great Review. Me and my wife will be going on April 24 for our 10 Year Anniversary. Can't wait to hear more.

:):D

Awesome!! My bf, my mother and brother and sis in law and a few others and i will also be on the 24th week cruise on the Glory!! (this will be mine amd my fam 2nd time on the glory and my bfs 1st cruise ever!!)) Happy early Ann!!! I cant wait!!

[sarahleebones]

Looking forward to hearing more! DH and I will be on the Glory for our first cruise EVER in 39 days!

[lovethesun40]

Perfect timing!

We will be on the Glory in 18 days....also our first cruise!!:D We are getting very excited, and I'm really looking forward to more of your review!! Thanks !!

[FallingSilver02]

Loving your review so far, can't wait to see more!! Looking forward to my own Glory cruise in May! :D Did you travel Eastern or Western Caribbean?