Carnival Glory to Canada 06/30/2013 review with pics

[Brighton Line]

When we sailed the Glory-- the Captain met at the taste bar then we saw him at the "cafe" the place that sold the cookies.

 

 

 

I was wondering how much the behind the scenes tour was for a 6 day cruise.. thought it would be cheaper- Oh well some other time i will try it

 

Behind the fun prices are based on the class of the ship not the length of the cruise. Two years ago did BTF on the Glory for the same price 5 day cruise well worth it.

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Forums mobile app

[StingrayBob]

Great review, you took some great pic's. I was on the Glory in May on a CTN out of Norfolk. I really liked the ship. I agree with you that the dinning room in the middle of the ship is a poor design. Having to go around it to move forward or back was a pain.

I loved the Alchamey bar. Had some good drinks there. Really liked the Perfect Storm and the Spicy Chipolte Pineapple martini's I thought it was a great place to people watch while waiting to go to the comedy club. The Adult Solarium on the froward decks is really nice on warm sunny sea days. I had a nice relaxing day up there.

The Boston cruise sounds nice I may have to consider it sometime. On another thread someone posted how easy it was to get from the airport to the cruise port using public transportation.

I hope they decide to bring the Glory or another ship back to Norfolk in 2015. I would love to do another CTN on her. :D

[Bostonjetset]

We too just came off the Glory. I will do a full review soon.

It was smooth sailing, the food in the dining room was great as well as the service. Stateroom was very clean and service wonderful. I was on the ship last year and came back to celebrate my Birthday (July 3rd) at sea with Family and Friends. It is a cost effective cruise as we are 20 minutes from Boston and no airfare to consider.

We did have fog.... lots of fog, which meant the Fog Horn was blown often. No big deal, but the Comedian made note of it. LOL. Comedian Mr. Capone was a riot, but please know ADULT ONLY Comedy. If you get offended easy, Don't Go!

 

Only two correctable complaints....

1) I LOVE Music but it was just TOO LOUD. Even the acoustic guitar player's sound was too loud. We would love to have sat and listened while sipping a cocktail and chatting with each other. Couldn't hear ourselves think.

 

2) We were very disappointed in Formal Night. When we went to 'Meet the Captain' He was in the middle of the Casino......in front of a band who again was TOO LOUD and there was no photographer there to take a photo with the Captain. I mentioned it to the Cruise Director (the location, the NOISE and lack of photographer) and he said, "That's what we're here for, if you have a camera we'll take the photo." WHAT? No, I do not.... I expected a ship photographer to be here, they are everywhere else on the ship. It was not classy.... it was a bad location, disorganized and short on service. Nothing special at all for formal night.

 

We had a good time. Any questions? I'll be happy to answer if I can.

 

OH! I almost forgot.... I've been to the Bridge and The Galley and even had back stage tour before but The Behind The Fun Tour was EXCELLANT!!!!!! Well worth it!!! Very impressive. It's offered for the Last Sea day. There are only 16 spots, so if you want to do it BOOK IT early. Justine from Human Resourses was terrific and gave me a whole new insight to behind the scenes. $95 pp.

 

We also did the Behind the Fun Tour on this ship [we were in the first group at 9am with Mahtali from HR]. WELL WORTH IT. $95 seemed like a bit much but on the Glory it is the full tour (they told me the shorter tour for $55 is only the Fantasy class ships because they are much smaller). I am not sure I would pay $95 every time I cruise but it is something everyone should do at least once if you have the funds...it was very insightful and pretty cool to see all the crew-only areas of the ship. You learn a lot about how the ship works and how the whole operation runs. I MUST get one of those sheet folding/pressing machines! So amazing! HAHA. I will talk more about the tour when I get to day 4. Sorry I am a bit behind on the review but I went back to work for 1 day after the trip before the weekend started. I will get through more of it today! :D

 

 

Great review, you took some great pic's. I was on the Glory in May on a CTN out of Norfolk. I really liked the ship. I agree with you that the dinning room in the middle of the ship is a poor design. Having to go around it to move forward or back was a pain.

I loved the Alchamey bar. Had some good drinks there. Really liked the Perfect Storm and the Spicy Chipolte Pineapple martini's I thought it was a great place to people watch while waiting to go to the comedy club. The Adult Solarium on the froward decks is really nice on warm sunny sea days. I had a nice relaxing day up there.

The Boston cruise sounds nice I may have to consider it sometime. On another thread someone posted how easy it was to get from the airport to the cruise port using public transportation.

I hope they decide to bring the Glory or another ship back to Norfolk in 2015. I would love to do another CTN on her. :D

 

Thanks for the compliments, Bob! These pics were taken with a Panasonic Lumix DSC-ZS15 point & shoot. This model is one of the ones that is still made in Japan for those camera junkies who may want to know that. Panasonic makes some of the best point & shoots I think; maybe because they use Leica lenses.

 

Alchemy Bar was also my favourite bar on this ship; good drinks and pleasant atmosphere without TOO much of the loud music you heard elsewhere on the ship HAHA.

 

I also hope they bring ships back to NE/Mid-Atlantic for 2015. Our next trip is on Norwegian Breakaway from NYC. NCL still has a pretty big presence in Boston as well so maybe they will get more business from us in the future. With the price of airfares now, cruising is becoming less of a value than before if you must fly to port. My fiance loves going to Europe for land-based vacations and flights there from Boston/NYC are often only a few hundred more than flying to FL which makes it better value at times. [On our last trip on the Legend, the flight/hotel to Tampa cost about the same as the 7 day cruise!!]

[serene56]

tour starts at 9am and lasts how long ? maybe i will do it this time

[Bostonjetset]

tour starts at 9am and lasts how long ? maybe i will do it this time

 

The tour started at 9am but you had to meet in the library by 8.45. It lasted until about 12.15 :D

[Bostonjetset]

Day 2 was the first sea day. It was also the day of the sole formal night on a 4 day sailing. I do not have a lot of pics from this day as I already took many ship-pics on Day 1. I have a few to share though. On Day 3 there are a lot of pics as it was the day we called on Saint John.

 

To start things off on the first sea day, we went to the Punchliner Comedy brunch. We went around 9am so it was more of a breakfast for us but it was enough food to last until dinner. We also had to use our free drink coupons [the sole benefit of Red status HAHA]. I had a belini that tasted more like a mimosa and mom had "the cruiser" which had rum and some various fruit juices...quite delicious actually. For food we had eggs benedict and they were well made although I forgot to ask for the hollandaise sauce on the side as everyone suggests and it was a little dried by the time it was served. The churros were OK but nothing as good as you would get in Spain or Mexico [the chocolate dipping sauce was mixed with something else like a custard which made it not as rich as it should have been].

 

Churros

 

After breakfast we just sort of relaxed about the ship. Did some shopping [for smokers, the price of cigarettes on board is the cheapest of just about anywhere! Even less than the airport duty-free shops! Stock up if you can!]. We also went to the gym; I was quite good in that respect as I went to the gym EVERY day on the ship. I've been on a weight-loss kick recently and had been doing quite well so I promised myself to go every day and I did. I still gained 4 lbs on this trip! :( I guess it would have been a lot worse had I not worked out every day though.

 

We went to tea at 3.15 and it was okay. Nothing special but I like having afternoon tea when I have the time and the chance presents itself. The French macaroons were quite good; the lemon cake was okay but a tad dry. There were no tea sandwiches this time as I have had in the past [maybe because it was a short cruise? maybe more cutbacks even since last March? Who knows!!?! haha]

 

I got a few pics from the bow of the boat on the "secret deck" out front. We were in a forward balcony [7212] so this area was only 2 doors down from us. It was so empty and private [except for the people with the front-facing oceanview cabins!! lol]. Lots and lots of fog!

 

 

 

This was the "formal" night for dinner so I will post a pic of my in my semi-formal/smart countryclub casual outfit. Carnival is not so formal so after my first cruise I left the velvet dinner jacket at home and just take a tie and dress shirt. I like dressing for dinner but don't like to stand out too much. I think this is a good compromise. One day I will sail Cunard and experience TRUE formal dinners, but until then here is my look HAHA. The bowtie is from Brooks Brothers and was part of their limited edition Great Gatsby collection for those fashionistas who may be interested!

 

 

This evening was also the show "Latin Nights". I have to say that the entertainment staff on the Glory was better than the Legend. The dancers were more in sync and the singing was better. It was really an enjoyable show, especially is you like mainstream Latin stars like Gloria, JLo, Enrique, etc.

 

To close out Day 2 I will leave you with a pic of our towel puppy. Our cabin steward was fantastic on this ship...best of my 3 cruises. He ALWAYS addressed us by name and was extra friendly. He was originally from Thailand and that is one of the friendliest countries I have visited [still ranks in the top 3 of best vacations ever and I've traveled a fair amount] so I enjoyed talking to him about Bangkok and the places I visited in his homeland. He really elevated the cruising experience and I hope he gets recognized by Carnival for his dedication to his passengers.

 

[serene56]

 

 

 

so happy you took a picture of my window. there it is on the right side-- above the brige.

[kylesmom]

so happy you took a picture of my window. there it is on the right side-- above the brige.

 

Is that one of the scenic oceanviews??? My brother has one of those!!! I can't wait to check out his window!!!

[Ronsangel]

Quick question about the Behind the Fun tour. When/how do you sign up for it? Is it only held on sea days? Sounds like something DH and I would love - want to make sure we don't miss our chance!

[serene56]

Is that one of the scenic oceanviews??? My brother has one of those!!! I can't wait to check out his window!!!

 

yes it is 9200 and I can not wait to try it.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=28373379&postcount=18

 

 

i keep getting calls to switch to a balcony which is cheaper then the room. Nope, not gonna do it

[kylesmom]

yes it is 9200 and I can not wait to try it.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=28373379&postcount=18

 

 

i keep getting calls to switch to a balcony which is cheaper then the room. Nope, not gonna do it

 

That looks so nice!!! His is supposed to have just one window, but its a big one!!! One week to go!!!

[Brighton Line]

Quick question about the Behind the Fun tour. When/how do you sign up for it? Is it only held on sea days? Sounds like something DH and I would love - want to make sure we don't miss our chance!

 

It is very limited 16 at most. As soon as you get on board go to the excursions desk and sign up for it. Last sea day we met in the library, they had pastries coffee juice. Security had to scan us with wands no cameras no electronic devices etc.

Worst price I would do it again if I was on a different ship.

FWIW

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Forums mobile app

[cruisenk]

That is one fabulous room! Do you know how many it sleeps?

so happy you took a picture of my window. there it is on the right side-- above the brige.

[Bostonjetset]

Quick question about the Behind the Fun tour. When/how do you sign up for it? Is it only held on sea days? Sounds like something DH and I would love - want to make sure we don't miss our chance!

 

The tour is only held on sea days [usually the last sea day of the trip]. You can sign up at the Shore Excursions desk or at Guest Services if SE is closed. We signed up for it on the morning of Day 2 and were told only 5 spots [of 16] remained at that point. They ended up adding another tour of 16 though 30 min after ours. :D

[Bostonjetset]

Day 3 was our first, and only, port of call during this sailing: Saint John, NB.

At first I was a little worried that I would not enjoy this port; I had heard from several people that it is boring and just an industrial city. However, I try to find something interesting just about any place I go and this proved no different. I really enjoyed the day in Saint John; people were very friendly and even though the weather was a bit blah there was plenty to do. I will write my synopsis and then post pics in subsequent posts.

 

After leaving the ship, we browsed around the shops in the tent attached to the port. There was a lot of souvenir stalls but also some jewelry, furs, and art objects from local craftspeople. It was a wonderful experience browsing around; no pushy salespeople like in the Caribbean! One could just stroll about and browse without being harassed.

 

We then walked to Market Square and through the mall to get to the indoor skywalk that connects the lower downtown area with the uptown area on top of the hill; it made for an easier walk rather than walking uphill outdoors. We browsed through the City Market for a bit and then walked outside down the hill back towards the harbor area.

 

Mom wanted badly to do the jetboat tour through the reversing rapids so we went and booked the tickets from the small booth close to the Hilton. It was about $44 each and mom paid since I agreed to do it with her HAHA. We then took a taxi from the Hilton over to the jetboat area across town; $8 total each way. The tide was rushing out when we got there so there was a lot of water movement and it was pretty cool to see. We took some pics before our tour was to start. When you get to the building where the tour runs from, you can check your valuables with the desk clerk and there are several changing rooms in the back in case you want to put on a bathing siut or something. YOU WILL GET WET ON THIS TOUR! Therefore, it is advised to bring dry clothes with you. I ended up bringing my bathing suit to change into so it worked out however my shirt still got pretty wet and I didn't bring another. They give you rain gear to wear [pants and jacket] but water still manages to get you through the neck openings and such. Again, be prepared to get very wet! That said, it was a really great experience. Speeding through rapids and whirlpools on a jet boat with a crazy, seemingly stoned, old guy named Andre with long, grey, hippy hair is an experience you will never forget!! You cannot take pics on the boat because the water would destroy most cameras [unless you have an underwater one...which I don't] so I took pics of the group before us in order to capture the idea of it. At $44pp this tour was well worth it and was less than almost all of the ship-sponsored options.

 

After the tour we took a taxi back to the port area and grabbed a bite to eat at Grannan's Seafood at the recommendation of our taxi driver. Now keep in mind that food is VERY expensive in Saint John and since you can eat on the ship for free, many may ask why we bothered eating lunch in town. Well, mom wanted some local seafood so we shared an entree and each got a soup with a Moosehead beer. We are native New Englanders [i'm from MA and mom is originally from ME] so it's hard to resist a good cup of chowder or some scallops! We tried the "millionaire fish and chips" which consisted of fried haddock and fried Digby scallops. I got a small clam chowder and mom had the seafood chowder. The fish was SO fresh and amazing that I barely minded the $53 meal. I have never been too disappointed with food on the ship [at least in the MDR] but one cannot beat fresh caught seafood and that is something that can only really be bought locally.

 

After our lunch we went back to the tent attached to the port to buy a few souvenirs. I found a really cool winter hat made from Persian lamb and had to get it!! Canada really is the country to buy furs in...prices are much lower than in the US and variety is more diverse. **Please no anti-fur comments! I like fur and it is my choice to wear it...to each their own...I don't want to have political debates on here! :D *** Mom ended up getting a small sterling silver flower necklace with a freshwater pearl in the middle. The pearls were all sourced from the Bay of Fundy so it was a nice memento of the trip :D We also got some reasonably priced seaglass necklaces from a local craftsman to give as gifts to people back home. Prices in the tent already included all the taxes so what you saw is what you paid...that helps in a country like Canada where the taxes are VERY high and usually added at point of sale.

 

Overall it was a very enjoyable day in a nice port with friendly people. Cruising to Canada is a nice experience for sure :D

 

Now to the pics!

[Bostonjetset]

Taken of the port from the ship

 

 

 

 

Now on land!

 

[cjcjohio]

thank you for the review.

do you know if the balcony dividers open or move to connect balconies?

thanks

[Bostonjetset]

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

 

 

 

Clam chowder at Grannan's

 

Millionaire fish and chips at Grannan's

[Bostonjetset]

 

 

 

 

 

[Bostonjetset]

thank you for the review.

do you know if the balcony dividers open or move to connect balconies?

thanks

 

Thank YOU for reading my review! I will finish the rest soon. I got busy with work this week HAHA.

 

Yes the balcony dividers do open [at least they did on our balcony even though we didn't need them]. Since we were in cabin 7212 [2nd from the front, port side] only the divider for the cabin behind us opened all the way. There was only one cabin in front of us and they had a smaller divider [about 1/3 the size] so one could create a pass-through between the balconies but it was not fully open. :D

[Bostonjetset]

Sorry it took so long for the ending of this review. I was extra busy at work last week and let this lapse. Today I will conclude the review, post some final pics, and give an overview of everything. Thank you to everyone who read this and those who commented. I hope it was enjoyable and helpful!

 

Day 4, our last day at sea, turned out to be the only day that the weather was somewhat nice. The day started overcast but by the afternoon it was sunny and clear. Of course, this made the outdoor decks a LOT busier than they had been for the other days of this sailing; everyone was outside trying to absorb every drop of sunshine they could before we arrived back in Boston the next day.

 

We started our day with the Behind the Fun Tour. As I mentioned previously, the tour last about 3 1/2 hours and was $95pp. I was reluctant at first as the price is a bit steep but everyone I spoke with [with the exception of one person] said it was very interesting and extremely worth it. I broke down and decided to take the tour. At first I was going to do it alone but mom decided WTH and booked it with me. I have to say it WAS extremely worth it. You learn so much about the workings of the ship [both technical things and the workings of the hotel services]. Seeing the crew-only areas was very cool; you really gain an appreciation of all that goes into running this sort of operation. That said, I am not sure I would do it again on a Carnival ship as I assume most things are similar from ship to ship [except some of the technical stuff perhaps]. I would take a similar tour on another line though should the chance present itself; it would be cool to compare the way different companies do things. There is a lot of walking on this tour, as stated, but nothing was extremely difficult and/or strenuous; most people with the exception of the handicapped should be able to partake.

 

We started the tour in the library where an overview was given by Matali from HR. Coffee, juice, and pastries were served. After that, security checked us for forbidden objects and we were on our way. We visited the bow of the ship and learned that this is the crew smoking area and an area for the crew to socialize on their off time; passengers do not have access this to area. We had a group photo taken at the bow and then proceeded back inside. We then visited the theater where the stage manager told us about how the shows are produced; a lot of people behind the scenes are needed to put on a show! We went into the female dancers' dressing room and met with the head choreographer; she explained that on the Glory at that time there were 4 singer/dancers and 4 dancer/singers. Everyone had to do both but some focused on singing and others on dancing. She also showed us all the costumes and such. Next we went to the laundry area; this was one of the coolest parts for me. I was just amazed at the huge machines that dried, pressed and folded the bed linens automatically. I don't know why but I found it really cool. The manager of the laundry room was very proud of his crew and it showed; it seemed like it had a very good relationship with those he was supervising which I'm sure makes their very hard jobs more pleasant.

 

After that we went to the HR training room where the crew is trained. Matali went over the hiring processes and some of the training standards; this was the only time people had a chance to sit for about 20 min during the tour. She answered questions from anyone who had them and went over things like how staff is trained on various languages and cultural differences; proficient English is a must for anyone hired as all emergency instructions are given in English. Then was a brief tour through the crew cabin area [only pictures of the insides were available as this sailing had no unoccupied crew cabins for us to tour]. We passed by the brig and the morgue before going to the food storage area [NOT next to the morgue for those that wonder LOL]. It is amazing to see the pallets and pallets of foodstuffs and drinks. There is just so much stuff! And when you think you have enough, double it just in case! HAHA. We went up to the galley and the head chef showed us around; there was also a short fruit/vegetable carving demonstration by one of his staff.

 

Then was the engine control room where we were told how the ship operates from a technical standpoint. There were so many buttons and lights everywhere that I imagine being so confused had I been in their position. It looked somewhat like the lair of a Bond villain circa 1972. After that we went up to the bridge and the third officer showed us around. Biggest surprise was the wheel of the ship! It was tiny and looked like it was made for an Atari game! Nothing grand and elegant at all like i was expecting. I figured they would still make the big wooden wheels at least for show but nope! We did spot some sharks out in front of the ship which was pretty cool; they must have been huge as they were quite visible even from so high up. The the Captain arrived and took a group photo with us all. He told us about his history in the maritime industry; he was with Carnival for 25 years but only with the Glory for about 2 months. He was quite pleasant and you could tell he liked to chat. Time was limited but he tried to answer any questions group members had for him.

 

After the bridge tour we went to the Steakhouse to hear about it's workings and menu. The Steakhouse chef also gave us all a small soap carved into the shape of a swan. Then we sat to fill out surveys and got goodie-bags from the tour that included a bag, hat, lanyard and rubber bracelet. The two group photos we took were also included in the tour but were delivered to our staterooms later in the evening. A plate of chocolate covered strawberries and small cakes was also delivered to the cabin.

 

 

The rest of the day was just to relax. I went to the gym again and then mom and I decided to sit out on the deck with some drinks and just chat with whomever sat down near us in the smoking area. We met a lovely woman named Shannon who we talked to for about an hour. It was a nice way to unwind on the last day of the trip.

[Bostonjetset]

Here are some final pics from the last day at sea.

 

 

Lone sailboat in the Atlantic

 

View from our balcony with a bit nicer weather this time!

 

 

Towel stingray! One of my favourite towel animals yet! hehe

[Bostonjetset]

Overall I found this trip to be a very good value for a quick getaway. Cruising to Canada offers a completely different experience from cruising in the Caribbean; both culturally [no hagglers in the port trying to make you spend money!] and weather-wise [more fog/grey skies]. However, it is a nice change of pace, especially when one does not have to fly to board the ship!

 

Thank you all again for reading my review! If anyone has any more questions for me I will be glad to answer them [or at least try! hehe] :D