Glory Review: 3/17-3/24, Western Caribbean

[BobbyD]

you have to scan them to a hosting site then upload from there.

 

 

 

the fun times he will have might be different for you for your sailing- use them as a guideline only.|The stuff that will be the same will be the nightly shows in the show lounge

 

 

wow that dining room looks empty-- was it towards the end?

 

Yes, it was at the end when the waiters were performing.

[tinkerbell_82]

Any luck with the Funtimes? :)

[BobbyD]

DW and I tried to stay away from the buffet if at all possible. Not that there wasn't anything good to eat there, but there were too many good things to eat! I was trying to be relatively good on this cruise!

Guys Burgers: Excellent burgers! Quite popular but line was never too long and many times there was no line. The crew kept it moving quite well. Lots of toppings. If you like fresh burgers, have at least one on the cruise!

 

Blue Iguana Cantina: On the Lido deck opposite of Guys. We had a burrito there one afternoon when we came into port. Similar to the burrito station that we had on the Magic, and probably similar to other ships. Different toppings and fillings. I thought it was real good. Similar to Chipotle or Moe's, for example. I had a breakfast burrito there one morning and that was good too.

 

Fish and Chips: It is upstairs from the buffet.Lots of good items, mostly fried. The calamari fritters were just ok. The fried oysters were good. DW had some fish and that was good also. I tried the bouillabaisse and I thought it was excellent, lots of flavor and loaded with shellfish. They had some other items that we didn't try.

 

Deli: I had a Reuben for a later afternoon snack one day and it was good. They put it in the panini press instead of grilling it on a flat top. Pickles, slaw are also available. There are about 5-7 types of sandwiches that you can get, including a hot dog, which looked pretty good.

 

Pizza: I have heard all sorts of mixed reviews for the pizza. We thought it was very good. DW loved it. They have four kinds and you can order from one slice to a whole pie. It is more like a personal pan pizza with four slices in a pie. They make it to order but it does not take very long. The Margharita (traditional cheese) and the 4 cheese pizzas were especially good. Thin crust, so it is not too filling. Good for a little snack! The pizza is located right next to the aft adult pool.

Punchliner Comedy Brunch: DW and I went there for the food. The comedy is on the hour and only lasts for 5-10 minutes, so it is not a huge part of the meal. Again, I read mixed reviews for the brunch, but DW and I thought it was very good. We went there twice. The first time went I had the Huevos Rancheros which was excellent. I also had the cheesy grits. I love grits but never have them (not too popular in CT), so I get them when I can. There was cheese mixed in and a slab on top. I thought the cheese on top was overkill, so I took it off. Nice and creamy, almost polenta-like. Very good, in my opinion. DW had the french toast coated in cereal. She thought it had too much cereal and was too dry. I had a Bloody Mary each time I went as well using the free coupons. Very nice. The second time we went I had the steak and eggs which was a small filet and a couple of eggs. I also had the cheesy grits again! DW had an omelet which she loved and had the fruit plate x 2! Crazy girl! During the brunch they have a real nice bread basket with some different kinds of bread and sweet rolls.

Steakhouse: DW and I had never been to a specialty restaurant prior to this cruise. We have always felt the dining room has been perfectly fine. It still was on this cruise but we decided beforehand to try it out as we were alone and wanted a bit of a special night. In my opinion, it was every bit as good as Ruth's Chris, Morton's, or any other top of the line steak house. The food and service far exceeded my expectations. I thought it was well worth the $35 charge per person. I know the gratuity is included but we tipped extra. DW and I both had the escargot, which was very good and served on little pieces of bread. Different presentation from the MDR. DW loves escargot and she rated them A+. DW had a Caesar Salad which they make right at the table and I had the spinach salad w/ bacon and blue cheese. I am not a huge spinach salad fan but thought I'd try it. It was excellent. I also had the French onion soup and it was the best I have ever had. Very good broth, with the right amount of onions.

 

For the main course, DW had the surf and turf and I had the strip steak. Actually, I was going to have the ribeye but when I ordered it medium rare, she told me that she didn't recommend it medium rare because of the high fat content. She recommended the strip instead and it did not disappoint. I also had the scalloped potatoes (excellent), grilled mushrooms, and two sauces (au poivre and bearnaise). Great meal!

 

Here are a couple of pictures:

 

 

 

For dessert, I had the chocolate sampler. Four "samples" of chocolate-based dessert. DW and I shared it. She ordered the cheese cake which was HUGE. I think they said it was 14 oz. We took it "to go", which they had no problem doing, and had it for a snack the next afternoon. To be honest, it wasn't the best cheesecake I'd ever had, but it wasn't bad at all. Just not as dense as I usually prefer.

 

The steakhouse was so good and there were so many good things on the menu, that we toyed with a return trip later in the cruise but that never materialized.

[BobbyD]

Red Sail Buffet: We only ate at the buffet for a couple of breakfasts, as I was trying "to be good". In my opinion, this is one aspect of food that Royal has it over Carnival. The way that the Windjammer buffet is organized is much more conducive to crowds than the Lido buffet is on Carnival. But, I would also say that as long as you don't go at the absolute peak time, it is not too bad. We only did that once, when we were getting off for some port, and the wait was long. I also can't figure out why they have the "bacon police". Are they afraid that people will eat too much bacon? They don't have restrictions on anything else on the ship, but bacon? Anyways, I guess you could ask for as much as you want so it doesn't really make a difference. I had homemade omelets each time and they were very good. They also have some version of eggs benedict each morning, which is a very nice touch, and something I don't remember from my last Carnival cruise. Overall, the buffet food was fine and what you'd expect from a buffet. You certainly weren't going to go hungry!

 

So, I think I've covered all the food venues that we ate at. The food was good, plentiful, and generally the appropriate level of hot or cold. We never tried room service, but we usually do not on any cruise. I keep telling myself I am going to try it but I'd rather eat out on the ship! Kudos to Carnival for keeping us well fed!

 

I almost forgot the Taste Bar. Only open 4 days. The first two days and the last two. What a great idea for a little snack and the food was very good. Just a taste but you could go back for more if you'd like.

 

Random ship pics:

 

Atrium from above. The high backed chairs to the left and right of the stage were very comfy!

 

 

 

 

 

The ceiling of the Atrium continually changed colors! That's why it was called the Colors Atrium!

 

[BobbyD]

More random pics:

 

 

Aft adult pool with the cover open. It was never closed.

 

Main pool area:

 

I think these are from the first sea day so it was a bit crowded at all the pools. The weather was perfect (80-85) all week.

[BobbyD]

For those of you who like towel animals:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BobbyD]

Last but not least!

 

 

A few sunsets:

 

 

 

 

 

[littlesnit]

Nice review and pics. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[dizkid]

More random pics:

 

The woman with the tattoo on her backside is my daughter!!! Next to her is two our friends.

[Cruzinbabe06]

I'm getting so excited!

 

21 more days.:D

 

Are there any "don't miss" things you can remember from your cruise? Did you guys go to any of the shows? What movies were playing on the big screen? Concerts?

 

Me and hubby made a pact for this cruise. He hates going to the dining room and prefers the buffet.:rolleyes: So, I'm compromising and won't force him. However, I may go to the dining room without him for dinner.

 

We both like the Steakhouse. So, we're splurging and made our reservations for 3 nights.

 

Keep the review coming and thank you. We appreciate it.:)

[Eng23]

Thanks for the review! I cruise on the Glory next month for my first time on Carnival. Reviews of the Glory are few and far between and I am enjoying this one. Your pictures are great and your comments so far are fair and balanced. Thanks again! :D

[BobbyD]

I'm getting so excited!

 

21 more days.:D

 

Are there any "don't miss" things you can remember from your cruise? Did you guys go to any of the shows? What movies were playing on the big screen? Concerts?

 

Me and hubby made a pact for this cruise. He hates going to the dining room and prefers the buffet.:rolleyes: So, I'm compromising and won't force him. However, I may go to the dining room without him for dinner.

 

We both like the Steakhouse. So, we're splurging and made our reservations for 3 nights.

 

Keep the review coming and thank you. We appreciate it.:)

 

Thanks so much and my apologies that it is taking longer than I had thought to get the review out. Life and work is interfering!

 

I will add my input about Entertainment tomorrow. Can't miss? Nothing was can't miss but everything was pretty good. I would say the entertainment was "entertaining but not memorable", if that makes any sense!

 

You will love the steakhouse! I hope you have a great cruise!

[BobbyD]

Thanks for the review! I cruise on the Glory next month for my first time on Carnival. Reviews of the Glory are few and far between and I am enjoying this one. Your pictures are great and your comments so far are fair and balanced. Thanks again! :D

 

Thank you! Being honest, our preference is Royal but we have been on 4 Carnival cruises and have enjoyed every one of them. I do enjoy the ships of RC a bit better but we certainly enjoyed the Glory. Very clean and once you figure out how to maneuver from fore to aft (deck 5) it was no problem getting around. Our fellow cruisers were great, the staff and crew were awesome. There are subtle differences between the two lines where we would choose Royal if all things were equal, but we will certainly continue to sail on Carnival based on itinerary, price, ship, etc.

 

We are planning an extended family cruise on the Allure or Oasis in summer '14. Definitely a cruise where the ship is the destination and not necessarily the ports. I thought the prices would come down by now but they are still very high. I am held hostage with my job as to when I can cruise so I am always cruising at peak periods. Ugh.

[Habiba]

This is a great review! I sailed the Pride in January and I am looking forward to the Glory in 7 days! This review is very helpful. I am kind of confused as to the seating arrangements for dinner. On the Pride, we were always provided a table with just the number of people we were dining with (table for 2 if me and him were eating; table for 4 if we were dining with our friends).

[startin_to_cruise]

Love this review! I will be on Glory next weekend as well and cannot wait! Thank you for taking the time to write this :)

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thank You, and finish posting when you can.

 

We all know how time consuming it is.:)

[Out to sea!]

Saling on her in 58 days cant wait!!!!

 

We'll be on her in 21 days!!! Can't wait!! :)

[firstcruise92]

Great review! I will be on the Glory in 3 weeks!

[BobbyD]

ENTERTAINMENT:

 

The entertainment is a big part of the cruise for DW and myself. We look forward to many different aspects of cruise entertainment. I'll break it down as best as I can.

 

Amber Palace: There were three production shows: Motor City, Latin Nights, and Divas, which were each run twice during the week, I think. They were all good, not great. As many people have commented on, there is no live band, but Carnival uses video boards as the backdrop. Sometimes is is sensory overload but it is not too bad. The videos are incorporated as part of the sets. These shows use 8 singer/dancers, 4 of each gender. I would have to say that the shows were entertaining but not memorable. We, especially DW, missed the live orchestra that Royal has on their ships. We also missed the Headliner shows that Royal has as well. I also prefer the scheduling of the shows of Royal. They typically have a show prior to 2nd seating for those guests and the first seating show is after dinner. Also in the Amber Palace was the was the Welcome Aboard show, typical of most cruises. Again, entertaining but not memorable. We also enjoyed the Hasbro Game Show which was something different and unique to Carnival, featuring audience participation. The Love and Marriage show was standard but we enjoyed it. Josh did a nice job with that as well.

 

Throughout the ship there were three smaller bands, a Latin band, a 6-piece typical ship band, and an Asian couple. All three were all over hte ship at various times and people seemed to really enjoy all three bands.

 

Other forms of entertainment: Karaoke, which we went to a couple of times just to fill time between other activities; trivia, which we didn't take part in during this cruise, but people seemed to be having a good time at.

 

Every night we stopped by for a short time at the Cinn-A-Bar. Jimmy was the pianist. He was just average to us but there was a good crowd each night and had a good mix of songs.

 

Punchliner Comedy Club: Carnival has made the Punchliner a huge part of their entertainment lineup. They have two comedians on for the first couple of days and then bring on two more for the last couple of days. Four comedians who perform both family oriented and adult oriented comedy. Like most things, comedy is very subjective. We saw all four comedians and some were better than others. Regarding the adult comedy, there are plenty of warnings in the Fun Times and before each show. Can't say they don't warn you! So, if you are uncomfortable with sex talk and profanity, don't go. Those are the themes of the late night adult comedy. Again, some quite funny bits and some not so funny. Worth going, though.

 

Some pics pertaining to the entertainment:

 

 

 

They don't want you taking pictures during the production shows but they didn't make the announcement during the Hasbro Game Show

 

 

 

Josh (Big Sexy) the cruise director

 

Dancing in the Atrium after one of the shows. The singers and dancer head to the Atrium right after the show to get things hopping!

 

[BobbyD]

Love and Marriage Show:

 

 

 

A nice touch was the singers and dancers posing for pictures with cruisers following the last show.

 

 

More random ship pics:

 

 

[Out to sea!]

ENTERTAINMENT: I also prefer the scheduling of the shows of Royal. They typically have a show prior to 2nd seating for those guests and the first seating show is after dinner.

 

As best as I remember, this has always been the way Carnival has done their shows, after dinner. This is why I refuse to eat at Late seating. I agree, I prefer RCCL's way of timing the shows better as well (show before dinner for late, after dinner for early).

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thanks for the entertainment update.

 

Do you remember what movies and concerts played on the big screen?

 

thanks in advance

[serene56]

I remember one night there was a super hero night.

Iron Man etc.

3 super hero movies.

 

are they still doing that?

 

what about Grease?

[BobbyD]

On the big screen in the morning was the morning show with Josh the cruise director and his assistant, Everson. Pretty good entertainment. I heard just one as I walked around the track on the Sun deck.

 

The Seaside Theater had movies such as Puss in Boots, Tintin, Casablanca, A walk to Remember, Charlie's Angels, Bourne Ultimatum, Zorry, Spider Man, Rudy. Also, concerts of Rod Stewart, Elvis, Avril Lavigne, Journey, Tina Turner, Hall and Oates, Mariah Carey.

 

Often there was a DJ at the pool as well as a single guitarist playing throughout the afternoon. They were fine, but I missed the steel band/Island music. :(

[BobbyD]

PORTS:

 

Cozumel: The first port on Tuesday. After a great Jeep tour in Aruba a couple of years ago, DW and I decided to go the adventurous route. We wanted to book the XTrails buggy tour on the Carnival website but I dragged my feet and it was sold out. So, I looked up an independent operator and I was told that Carnival blocks those companyies from booking outside tours to Carnival passengers. Quite the gig, eh? So, we booked an ATV tour with Cozumel Tours. That was allowed, I guess. We docked at Puerta Maya and were instructed to walk down the street to a hotel called El Cid to check in. It was a short 5-10 minute walk and not a problem at all. Vendors try to sell you anything from tours of Cozumel, to Cuban cigars to Coach purses to whatever else. If you just keep walking, they don't bother you.

 

A couple pics of the ship and the port:

 

 

We were docked right next to the Legend of the Seas. This was the cruise following their propulsion issues. I spoke with some people and they said that it was not noticeable. They were cruising between 15-20 knots but couldn't get enough power to safely make it to St. Maarten so they had to change the itinerary. They said, like most things, it was blown way out of proportion.

 

 

 

In the next pier was Royal's Mariner of the Seas and the Liberty of the Seas. Two beautiful ships, with the Mariner (Voyager class) basically being a smaller version of the Liberty (Freedom class). They both have a promenade running down the center of the ship. Freedom class is probably my favorite class of ship. If you have the opportunity, try them out!