Insert Glory pun here - Eastern Caribbean review Feb 23, 2014 - lots of pics

[gelo7]

Enjoying your review.

[1kaper]

I cannot for the life of me remember what it was my husband ordered and the menus I find online aren't the same for this night. It was just a plain coated chicken breast, the same as the one for the Chicken Milanese with beans. Not the best dish.

 

 

For dessert I went with the Carnival melting chocolate cake one last time

My husband went with the Banana white chocolate bread pudding with coconut ice cream. Both were very good.

 

 

What was the CMCC

[1kaper]

Debarkation day

 

We got up, got ready and went to breakfast at the buffet. I forgot to mention that the day before I tried the French toast and was disappointed I hadn't been eating it all week. It was really good. Had one last piece of French toast and some of the usual breakfast.

 

As we finished, they were calling Zone 1. We weren't in a hurry but figured we may as well go anyway.

 

Debarkation was a breeze, not crowded at all. We walked right off the ship and as we walked into the baggage claim area I spotted our bags coming out. After that it was a very short wait to go through customs and we were out waiting for a cab.

 

Our flight wasn't until later the next afternoon so we booked a room through Priceline at the Biscayne Bay Marriot which was a short cab ride away.

 

When we arrived our room wasn't ready since we were so early. We did check in and leave our luggage there and took advantage of the free wifi in the lobby. There is an extra charge for it in the rooms but the lobby area is free.

 

They offer a free shuttle to South Beach but they were booked full. He said to show back up in case people didn't show, but we opted to take the bus. There was a main station right around the corner.

 

We headed back to Lincoln shopping area. On that day they had all kinds of stalls set up selling food, smoothies, spices, etc. I love that kind of stuff. We wandered in and out of stores, checking out the booths along the way. We were going to head back to the beach but decided not to. It was another hot sunny day and I didn't want to spend a fortune renting an umbrella again.

 

The front desk clerk had mentioned the Bayside Market not far from our hotel so we went there after leaving South Beach.

It was another nice area, lots of restaurants and stores, live music and tons of people.

 

We grabbed a bite to eat at one of the restaurants, Sharkey's. Their beer selection was impressive, their food was not.

 

Music and dancing

 

 

 

View from our table

 

We took the bus back to our hotel and checked into our room

 

It was a decent size, clean and a nice bed. The location was great but I'm not sure I'd pay the regular rate of over $300 for it.

 

 

There is an outdoor pool on the 5th floor so we spent the rest of the daylight out there. View of the pool from our balcony.

 

There is a small shopping center attached to the hotel. There are a few restaurants and a coffee shop/bakery/convenience store/liquor store. We grabbed some things for our room later and decided to try the Chinese food place, Tony Chan's Water Club.

We were seated right next to a large window where you can see them making your food. There is a also a sushi bar you can sit at and watch it be prepared.

The food was very good. I love sushi and am nervous to eat raw stuff while pregnant so I ordered a vegetarian roll. It had avocado, lettuce, and two other things I could not identify (I was told pickles). It was to die for. I usually hate veggies rolls but this was as good as any of my favourites. Definitely hit the spot for my sushi craving.

 

The next morning we decided to go back to the little cafe/coffee shop since it looked like it was attached to the restaurant. It was easily the worst experience of the whole trip. Rude employees and terrible food. I was not impressed.

 

The hotel doesn't offer a shuttle to the airport but there is an independant company that does. We were told that we would be better off taking a cab because of how much they charge. We decided to us the public tranporation again.

 

It was quite easy. The nearby station was also a stop for the people mover. We took that to the train station and got on the line to the airport. It took us about 1 hour (we left in plenty of time in case we got lost or there was a problem) and cost around $5. Everyone was really helpful (I guess it was apparent we were going to the airport). People told us where to get off and what lines to take (I did have all the info but it was still nice they were looking to help).

 

Check in was quick. Security clearance was not. All in all our flights were uneventful and on time.

 

We left Miami it was about 28 C. We arrived home to -16C :(

[1kaper]

Overall thoughts

 

The ship - I have no real complaints about the ship. It felt a little smaller since the last ship we were on was the Breeze. I liked it in some ways - walking around, but I do prefer the Breeze with one exception. Our balcony on the Breeze overlooked a walkway, this one was over the water. I much prefer that.

 

Our room - pretty much the same across the board, with the exception of the balcony noted above. I love the beds, especially the bedding (I love duvets) and the pillows. Our cabin stewart was great. The neighbors were noisy but that can't be helped. The location was great. Our first trip we ended up under the Lido deck and you could hear chairs scrapping above us. We learned after that one.

 

The entertainment - I am really not into entertainment anyway. Plus, I was tired most evenings. We didn't do any of the "shows". The comedien we saw was very funny and I enjoyed the Game Show of Love.

 

The food - Guys and the Blue Iguana Cantina, still loved them. I enjoyed breakfast more this time around. The MDR/American Table menu - I was not a huge fan. The food itself was ok overall. The appetizers and desserts were usually great, but a lot of the main courses were not.

I did not like the menu layout and was really annoyed by the whole side dish thing. The way it was explained to me was confusing (not just for me, but others too). Some meals lacked a side dish, other came as a whole meal. Either make it a full meal or give the choice of the side. I'm good with either.

I liked the Port of Call option. I don't really get the "for the table" items or why they are. I know you don't have to share them, just not sure of the whole idea behind the concept.

As a whole, I guess I like the idea, I think they just need to adjust how it is done.

We did the pizze one night. I loved it on the Breeze. The one we had was ok.

 

Ports - My favourite was Grand Turk - for a low key relaxing day. St Thomas was a close second. Gorgeous port with lots of options.

I really wish we had planned San Juan better. Nassau, I could take or leave.

 

FTTF - I was really excited for this. I haven't decided if it was worth it for me or not. It didn't seem like we had much of a line anyway boarding. I loved being able to get to our room, ditching our carryons and napping though. I'm not the type that can wait around to go to port. I get to anxious so it was better for me to get check in over with.

Debarking was a breeze though.

We didn't have tender ports so no benefit there although last night I was reading that not only do you get priorty on tenders, but getting off in ports too. I wish I had known this, Grand Turk and St Thomas were a bit of a nightmare getting off.

We used the Guest Services desk twice (to check for my lost bracelet :() and avoided a huge line. A nice to have but not a big deal for me.

 

Will I buy it again? I guess it just depends on the trip. If we are taking the baby, more than likely yes. Just the two of us, probably not.

 

On board shopping - we bought some liquor the first night to take home. They have a price match guarantee and we didn't find any cheaper prices. The only other thing we bought was my bracelet. I checked in St Thomas and in Miami and it was the same price.

 

Staff - overall great. No complaints.

 

Weather - there is nothing I can say bad about that. 12 days and we didn't see as much as a drop of rain. And it was warm every day even if partly cloudy. Couldn't ask for anything better. We had some high wind but no real high seas. The ship movement didn't bother me at all. The water in some of the ports was a little cool, but still nothing compared to the ocean here even in the summer. Grand Turk was the warmest.

 

I'm not sure if I covered it all. I'm happy to answer any questions.

[1kaper]

Thanks for reading. :D

[wb3690]

great review!!!! thanks for doing this...we're sailing on the 23rd!

[NavarreCruiser]

We had 19 days with Carnival and this 7 day cruise put us up to Gold Level. Our pins were waiting in our room when we arrived.

 

 

Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so we headed up for a snack, Guy's Burger. It was as good as I remembered.

 

Afterwards we opted for a nap. I loved that we were able to do this. Our luggage arrived sometime during the nap.

 

We unpacked, freshened up and headed to muster drill. Afterwards we met up with our roll call. There were only a couple of us and no one took a pic. Oops.

 

Some shots of the ship leaving port.

 

 

 

 

I have no real complaints about the ship either. The last cruise we did was on the Breeze so it was noticably smaller. I liked that when it came to walking around, but I found there wasn't as much space around the pools. I also like the walking track better on the Breeze.

The adult pool area was quieter. Unlike on the Breeze, there were no kids around this pool at all (although it seemed there were few kids in general). We didn't even go up to Serenity. I didn't find that saving chairs was a problem in this area, in the main pool it was.

 

We had booked our time dining and went pretty early the first night. There was no wait, in fact, I think the only time we waited was the last night. I totally forgot to bring my camera.

 

This was my first experience with the American Table menu. I had read quite a bit here and was determined to keep an open mind. I never paid much attention before and didn't have "favourites" or anything so I was very open to the new menu.

 

I didn't mind the lack of tableclothes. I thought the table looked nice, but a little crowded. I really liked the carafe of water. I tend to drink a lot and hate having to wait. On elegant night they do not put it out and I had to ask more than once to have a refill.

 

The menu itself is huge, awkardly so. I managed not to knock anything over with it (barely). Its a little complicated in the layout.

Our waiter explained that there are four or five choices that change daily. These are a complete meal and do not require ordering a side. There are four other choices that pretty much stay the same, fish, steak, chicken and pork chop. They vary slightly but are pretty basic. These are just the meat and a side should probably be added.

Then there is the port of call menu. There is a drink, an appetizer, and a main.

 

We both chose smoked duck for the appetizer. It was fantastic.

 

I couldn't decide between coconut shrimp and slaw or the Mahi Mahi dish that was served with coconut rice and pineapple salsa so I went with both.

 

Just a note - I've seen this asked - our waiter told us that they cannot serve both at the same time. This goes for appetizers too. I'm not a fan of this but oh well.

 

The coconut shrimp was fine, pretty plain. It was just the shrimp and slaw so not a big meal (I didn't eat it all myself anyway). The mahi mahi again was just ok. Not a lot of flavour. I did not see any pineapple in it at all let alone pineapple salsa.

 

My husband and the lady at the table next to us order the Chateaubriand. He ordered a side of mac and cheese with bacon. She didn't order anything. It was served with mushrooms. That's it. The lady next to us was not happy to not have a starch or veggies as it was her understanding as explained it would be a meal and ordering a side was not required. I found this to be confusing the whole week. Some meals were served as a full meal, others seemed to require a side and I couldnt' figure out from the menu alone which was which.

 

Dessert was the best part. I ordered fig pudding with homemade rum raisin ice cream - fantastic! He ordered the Carnival Chocolate Melting cake - as usual it was very good.

 

All in all, the app and dessert were awesome. Main left a little to be desired. It was edible but not particulary great.

 

I can't remember what we did for entertainment that night. I was usually pretty tired so I often went to bed early, hubby went to the casino (he did earn a drinks on us card and they sent us some chocolate covered strawberries plus he managed to stay ahead so it was all good). We didn't do any of the shows but did see the comedians and watch a dive in movie or two.

 

We just got off the Glory yesterday and we were able to get 2 entrees at the same time. And my husband also got 2 starters at the same time. I guess different servers.

[2 cruzen]

We bought FTTF for the first time...19 days away. I didn't know you had priority disembarking at regular ports. Good to know. :D

[1kaper]

We bought FTTF for the first time...19 days away. I didn't know you had priority disembarking at regular ports. Good to know. :D

 

I can't say for certain but that's what a few people have reported on here. I'd definitely be checkin it out. Let me know if it works for you.

[coops]

There are a few bars along the beach we didn't check out. We headed straight for Jack's. It wasn't a long walk, didn't time it though.

 

 

 

We rented two chairs and an umbrella for $25 (10 each for the chairs, 5 for the umbrella) which is one of the more reasonable prices we've seen. I think the chairs in Margaritaville are free but I still felt this was worth it. There were only a handful of people around us. They had some music playing and it happened to be my favorites :D

My husband bought a bucket of beer, sorry, I can't remember the price. From what I've read its a bit cheaper than Margaritaville but some other places might have better prices.

 

 

View of the ship from Jack's (the Costa left early)

 

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. Also I love your teal cover up, may I ask where you got it. Thanks again.

Dawn

[CruiseGirlKS]

Really enjoying your review....great pics! :)

[1kaper]

Excellent review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. Also I love your teal cover up, may I ask where you got it. Thanks again.

Dawn

 

 

Thanks.

It's actually a swim dress. I ordered it through Sears. The brand is Beach House.

[2 cruzen]

I can't say for certain but that's what a few people have reported on here. I'd definitely be checkin it out. Let me know if it works for you.

 

Sure will. Btw, a big shout out and THANK YOU for the MDR pictures. I got to see what the new banana bread pudding was, doesn't look like my Bitter and Blanc, but I will try it out. Again, thanks for the pictures and review of how it tastes.

[crazycruzer68]

Thank you so much for your great review. I will admit I was doubting our decision to go on the Glory with not much good being said lately, I feel better about it now.

 

 

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[wantocruisemore]

GREAT review. Also a big thank you for taking the time to get the food photos. We are a little nervous for Liberty in May and your review gave us some comfort.

 

I know this is random, but do you remember if the chicken pot pie had mushrooms?

[oneboysmom]

Thanks for doing up the review! Glad you had nice weather. Hopefully spring will be on its way to us soon!!!

[1kaper]

GREAT review. Also a big thank you for taking the time to get the food photos. We are a little nervous for Liberty in May and your review gave us some comfort.

 

I know this is random, but do you remember if the chicken pot pie had mushrooms?

 

 

I can't remember. There were veggies but I dont remember either way about mushrooms.

[INCHARGE]

I loved your review. It was so darn cute when you posted those food pictures that were sampled before remembering to take the pictures! Hey...that was keeping it real, you know? Thanks again.

[oncruisecontrol]

I can't remember. There were veggies but I dont remember either way about mushrooms.

Thanks for your review. We are going on Carnival Freedom in November. It will be my first time back on Carnival in two years, and I am nervous about the new menus. We are platinum on Carnival, but for our last two cruises we branched out and went on RCI Liberty of the Seas (Jan 2014) and Crown Princess (Nov 2013). The main reason for trying these other lines is that we were tired of the food on Carnival. The food on Crown Princess was far superior to Carnival, but the food on RCI Liberty was worse than on Carnival. Thanks for posting photos of the food on your trip as it gives me some idea of what to expect for our upcoming cruise.

[mrsd912]

Great review!

DH and I are on the same sailing in 2 weeks! We're planning on going to Jack's Shack, do you know if there was Conch on the menu? DH wants to try it somewhere. Also, do you head left or right from the port to get there? It looks like you go left, but thought I'd double check.

 

Congratulations on the baby! This will be our last vacation before starting our family too.

[1kaper]

Great review!

DH and I are on the same sailing in 2 weeks! We're planning on going to Jack's Shack, do you know if there was Conch on the menu? DH wants to try it somewhere. Also, do you head left or right from the port to get there? It looks like you go left, but thought I'd double check.

 

Congratulations on the baby! This will be our last vacation before starting our family too.

 

Thanks!!

 

Have fun.

I am almost positive conch was there, but can't say 100%. They have a website (checked, it doesn't say anything about it on there) and a facebook page, you could contact them ahead to see.

I know there was tons of it in Nassau too.

You head left when you get off.

[Single_dreamer]

Following...

 

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[Single_dreamer]

Great review! :)

 

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[porcupyn]

Subscribing

[Seany527]

Thanks so much for doing a Glory review of the Eastern Caribbean. They are so hard to come by :)