GLORY Review May 30, 2015 - Fun, Sand, & more Fun

[CheckersMidwest]

Hello ~~We sailed on the Glory May 30 - June 6, 2015. This was our 4th cruise. We've now been on all sizes of Carnival ships.....the Paradise, Freedom, Magic, & Glory. We are a family of 4 - myself, my husband, my 23 yr old son and my 18 yr old daughter. Our son graduated from college the same weekend our daughter graduated high school. This was our 'Graduation Celebration' cruise.

 

By the time we booked in February, all the 4J cabins were gone. I didn't have balcony cabins in the budget this time, so we got oceanview. With the advice of our PVP, we were on the 1st deck. He said the one's available on the 2nd deck were too close to the laundry or storage closet.....some had loud public areas above them, etc. The location was really convenient, however, whatever was below us in the crew area was SO loud. Until about 3:00 am every night there were sounds from swishing to the sound of a rolling cart. We think it was something in the filtration system. I'd pick a higher deck next time. We always have 2 cabins, this time they had a connecting door. Our daughter has a curfew and it's nice to just come into our cabin & tell me she's back, also great when we're getting ready to go ashore or to dinner together.

 

We live in northern Missouri. We drove to KC on Thursday and stayed at the Days Inn near the airport on Ambassador Drive. It was filthy and run down. Never again. Luckily, we weren't there very long ! I had called earlier in the week to confirm they had a parking plan and an airport shuttle. When I checked in, they told me there weren't any parking spaces available ?!

 

Standard airfare from KC to Florida is about $460 each right now. I've found better deals flying one way on different airlines the last couple of trips. We flew Delta into Ft Lauderdale and American from Miami.

 

We drove over to the airport bright & early and checked in with Delta. Our flight was at 7:00 am into Ft Lauderdale. A college friend of my husband picked us up at the airport & we stayed with them. We went to a golf driving range and had pizza for dinner.

 

The next morning, our friend drove us to the port in Miami. It took about 40 minutes and we arrived at 10:30 am. We have Faster to the Fun. There was a very short line to check in. We had on board credit and cruise cash. Both were already on our account. While we waited, the staff had us do a few line dances to pass the time and get the party started ! We were on board by 11:30ish.

 

We went straight to our cabins and dropped off our carry on stuff. We had 'Congratulations' decorations preordered for the kids' cabin. Only a couple of our bags were there.

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Now that I have the photo thing figured out....

 

 

 

We wandered around and took a few photos before the ship filled up....

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

To get to the mini golf area, you need to go around the track...through the gate at the basketball court and then up the stairs toward the back. The clubs are there in a basket, but you need to check out golf balls at the towel hut on the lido deck with your sign & sail card.

 

 

Part of the Serenity Deck. This is usually one of our favorite places, but we never used it once this time.

 

 

The Red Frog Pub - this one doesn't have the appetizers like the one on the Magic. It does have good rum though. :) Both the Red Frog Pub and the Blue Iguana Tequila bar sell Tervis tumblers for $9.95 (plus $3 for the lid ?!) with their logo on them.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

The Piano bar. We only found it open twice....

 

 

The Alchemy Bar

 

 

Arcade

 

 

Promenade. I like the promenade down the side as opposed to going through the casino to access everything. It was so smokey in there !

 

 

The Casino. On ALL our other cruises, my husband has done quite well at Roulette. Last cruise, my son did really well too. Not.This.Cruise. Numbers all over the place, changed direction of the spin, changed size of the ball, etc. Finally quit when they were back even and never went back.

 

[hfj17002]

Nice pics! I'll be on the Freedom in 2 weeks.

[CheckersMidwest]

A few more photos around the ship before lunch....

 

 

The coffee bar. Every cruise, I get a plate of 3 chocolate dipped strawberries each day. It's about $2.25. There is also a candied fruit cup cheesecake thing for the same price which is excellent ! They make milkshakes, lattes', specialty coffee, etc. I saw they have a travel coffee mug for sale there too.

 

 

About 12:30 or so we got lunch. My husband went to the buffet, the rest of us went to the Blue Iguana Burrito Bar. My daughter had fish tacos and my son & I had a burrito. Excellent !

 

 

 

I recommend the jalapeno tortilla. We had the breakfast version one morning too which was great !

 

Just found this picture in our cabin - it shows the connecting door on the right with our kids' cabin.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Here is the candied fruit cup cheesecake thing from the coffee shop. The shell is white chocolate.

 

 

There was a 'group' meet & greet at the back bar/pool area. Met some great people ! We saw some of them often and ran to some of the others periodically.

 

 

 

 

There was also a prearranged shot glass exchange.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Sail Away ~

 

 

My daughter & I

 

 

South Beach

 

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

The muster drill was short. Sail Away was closer to 4:30 + than 4:00. That would be the tone for the entire cruise. Almost nothing started on time. The entertainment staff would roll in a few minutes after the scheduled time (according to the Fun Times)...then stand around a bit, then start. If we were suppose to be in port , for example, 7:00 - 3:00.....we'd dock around 7:00 but couldn't get off the ship for another 45 minutes. On our other cruises, you could rely on the posted times. This is important to know if you're booking private excursions and planning port time. I realize we're on vacation and shouldn't care about time, but I found it really annoying.

 

We saw the assistant CD all the time - Hugo. He was excellent. We rarely saw the CD, just heard him on the intercom.

 

We had early dining at 6:00 pm in the rear Platinum Dining room. Our head waiter was Christian. We enjoy the dining room experience and do dress up somewhat every night. I'd emailed the matre' D in advance and requested a table for 4 with a water view. We were seated at table 423 along a glass partition the first level up from the windows. It was a good spot. We could see the water without the sun glare and see the waiters when they danced. Our service was excellent. Christian called us all by name, always had our coke & sprite at the table and automatically brought my daughter hot chocolate at the end of every meal. Service was quick all but one night. We noticed he had an extra table that night and was short one of his assistants. The food was fairly good - but not as good as the old menu.

 

 

Food from the first night. I can't remember what it all was..... I think this was a quesadilla..

 

 

Calamari

 

Shrimp cocktail. My daughter had this every night , sometimes along with something else. Or, maybe two.

 

 

I had this....it was under the Port of Call section.....empanada maybe? and some other things. It was really good.

 

 

These shrimp were great.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

This was fish (salmon I think) with bacon mac & cheese, potatoes, & broccoli

 

 

Lemon tilapia in a lemony sauce

 

 

Tiramusu cake ? Very good

 

 

I was disappointed in the choices on the dessert menu. However, what we did have was very good. In the past, I thought the desserts were dry and lacked flavor. This time, the cakes were moist, etc. This is the Carnival Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

 

Edited June 12, 2015 by CheckersMidwest

[CheckersMidwest]

In the evening, our daughter went to Club o2. Since she was 17 when the cruise started and just graduated, she was allowed to go. Actually, there was never a question. They knew she turned 18 early in the cruise because the kids and counselor sang to her at the club.

 

Sometimes, we went to the casino or just wandered around. We enjoyed the shows in the Amber lounge. We thought the shows were great ! We saw Motor City, Divas, and Epic Rock.

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

My daughter & I had the Bubbles program. Our son had the Cheers program. I like floofy drinks but don't drink enough to even come close to the cost of the cheers program. I'd read on here that the waiters who walk around don't treat the bubbles people very well but we had not encountered that problem on the other ships. When I ordered a soda around the lido or in the Amber lounge on the Glory, I rarely ever received it. If I wanted one, I'd have to physically go to the bar.

 

First day : Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

 

We rented a cabana at Half Moon Cay in advance on the Carnival website. They are listed under excursions. There are 13 cabanas and are $229 for 4 people. It was perfect ! We'll definitely rent one again if we go back. Each Cabana comes with snorkel gear for 4.....4 floating mats.....8 sodas or waters of your choice....chips with salsa, sour cream, & guacamole, a vegetable tray with ranch dip, and a fruit tray. There is a shower at the end, a mister attached to the fan on the deck, and an air conditioner unit on the inside.

 

If you've rented a cabana (or if you are Faster to the Fun) you get the first tender ashore.

 

 

 

 

When I 'dinged' onto the ship, an alert came up that I had a message. It was a reminder from the Excursion Desk that I needed to come to their desk and pick which Cabana we wanted. You pick the number/location once you board the ship. There is also a form to fill out with your soda selection and shoe size for the snorkel gear. We picked Cabana #4. It is close to the restroom, beach entertainment, the BBQ lunch, etc but not right where everyone gets on the beach.

 

Bad thing is that when you get to the island, you have to wait in line with people who have not purchased tickets for excursions yet (I assume they were Faster to the Fun guests, otherwise don't know how they would have already been there) and people with booked excursions who were assigned the first tender. So when we checked in for our Cabana, there were about 30 people in front of me. They sent us to the 'road' for a shuttle to take us to the cabana.

 

This is the view when we walked out onto the beach

 

 

There were life guards on duty the entire time we were there.

 

 

 

Map of the island.....shows the Cabana locations, etc

 

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Cabana #4

 

 

 

 

 

A sample of the free BBQ lunch.....

 

[CheckersMidwest]

There is a small shopping area just inside the port.

 

 

 

We loved Half Moon Cay. We've been to the Bahamas several times on land vacations and the water is some of the clearest, blue-ist, and cleanest we've seen. (Belize runs a close 2nd). At the end of the day, the tender line was rediculous! It went through the tender area....through the port area past the bar....across the roadway....down onto the beach. We stood in line for quite some time. It was really hot. They had 2 tender boats running. Our daughter & son are both hypogylcemic (Low blood sugar) and our daughter is also low on sodium, so when she sweats, she loses most of what she has left. We found this out during basketball season when they sent us to a pediatric cardiologist. When it drops too low, she has cardiac episodes. So....when she started getting sick, we went up to the port area by the bar and cut the line to the tender. (UGH - I know, I know, but she was failing fast). We got in that part of line at 2:10. By the time we got to the tender, she had to lay down, was gray in color, and somewhat lethargic. Once we got back to the ship, it took forever (another 10 min in the sun) for them to get the stairs/ramp connected and start letting people off. Of course, there were tons of people crowding the door, so we waited. A very nice man offered us an orange - which is exactly what she needed. (Thank you !!). I tore off part of the peel and squeezed juice into her mouth repeatedly until she was more alert. Another man to our side was a police officer and offered to clear us a path to get on the ship. :) My husband is a paramedic so we knew we were ok and it wasn't an emergency yet. Not one single Carnival staff asked if we were ok or if we needed anything. In their defense though, we didn't ask for help either. When we she got up and people saw she obviously wasn't well, they let us through and back on the ship. It was 3:40. Yes....an hour and 20 minutes after we'd cut the line.

 

After a nap in the air conditioning and a shower, she was better. We also had her eat trail mix , which I'd packed, but didn't take with us ashore since we weren't doing anything but laying on the beach & relaxing. Had it in every bag since !

 

Dinner was great. I think this was alligator.

 

 

Potato Soup

 

 

Don't know what this was....

 

[CheckersMidwest]

More dinner .....

 

 

 

 

Again, after dinner, it was to the shows, to the Club 02, and to the comedians. The comedy shows were funny.

 

There were storms in the Caribbean and we went around them. It was sunny & beautiful every day with the exception of a couple of short showers. This evening, the ship rocked. Not just side to side, but it dipped up & down at the same time. Maybe it was worse because we were on deck one and toward the back. Let me say, I was hesitant to cruise for years because I get sea sick. We took a day cruise to the Bahamas back in 1996 and I threw up for 8 hours straight - all the way there and for hours after we got off the ship. It was unlike anything else I've had. I now take Bonine 2 days prior, one each day of the cruise, and for 2 days afterward because I get land sickness then. (Where you continue to sway after getting home & makes you nauseated.). It works like a charm. The kids only take one if they feel it rocking, but not very often. About 2:15 am we were all sick. Didn't quite make it to the bathroom once. We cleaned it up ourselves (by choice) and explained to the housekeeping staff. However , it smelled. A lot. I left a note to the room steward and a $10 tip on Monday to please spray something in our cabins. Nothing. We went to the laundry room and bought powdered surf and sprinkled it on the floor. Much better, but not great. Finally, on Thursday while we were in Grand Turk, they shampooed the carpet and sprayed orange stuff in the air. Perfect. Too bad it took so long.

 

Recovered and ready for a sea day.....

 

Lunch at Guy's Burgers. I am not a burger person, but this was one of the best I've ever had. Juicy, full of flavor, and loved the toppings.

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

We saw the Hairy Chest contest and listened to the DJ. We enjoyed the music around the ship a lot. There were several live bands available in other areas. Karaoke was always fun to watch. We didn't do any of the trivia contests this time. We usually found chairs, if not on the main pool deck, then up a level or two, but you could still see what was going on.

 

When we were waiting on the Hairy Chest contest, 3 college girls came up and had a long conversation over the empty chair next to us. There were 5 of them and had chairs saved in 3 different areas of the ship. Some in the shade, some on the serenity, and now this one they could share by the lido. Really ?!

 

None of us burned yesterday at Half Moon Cay but today, sitting on the deck we did. Guess we were more concerned with sunscreen yesterday. I got a great tan though by the end.

 

A little line dancing.....a pina colada or two.....shopping.....etc and finally it's the first Elegant night at dinner.

 

 

Spaghetti Carbonara - excellent

 

 

lobster....

 

 

My favorite - Creme Brulee

 

 

Tomorrow: St Thomas

[CheckersMidwest]

St Thomas :

 

Today is also our daughter's 18th birthday ! We pre booked a private tour with "Stanley" who was recommended here on Cruise Critic. He has a van and charges us $45 each for a full day of whatever we wanted. He was waiting at the port with a sign when we got off the ship. We told us what all we wanted to do and what time we wanted to be back at the ship and he told us when it was time to move on. We shopped awhile in town at the Marketplace where you can haggle over prices, then a few stores further down.

 

 

Great little mom & pop store not far from port.

 

 

Park in town....

 

 

 

 

Driving away from the ship...

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

We stopped at a little spot part way up the mountain to take photos. I wonder now if it was 'Drake's Seat'.

 

 

Beautiful homes !

 

 

 

Another stop along the way.....a few souviniers, a bar, and a birdcage. These are plantains.

 

 

This is Mountaintop

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

It just started to rain when we got there, so obstructed our views a little, but it didn't last too long. In the meantime, we tried the "World Famous Banana Daquiri". The legal drinking age in St Thomas is 18. There is a huge gift shop here as well.

 

 

The map showing what all the islands were.

 

 

Megan's Bay

 

 

 

This was taken from the ship at breakfast....

 

 

This is Megan's Bay

 

Edited June 12, 2015 by CheckersMidwest

[CheckersMidwest]

More Megan's Bay...

 

 

Paddle boards, etc for rent down the beach. We rented floaties for $8 but there was a $10 deposit for each. You pay inside then take your receipt to the stand. Those are by the food stand. The paddle boards, etc are toward the quieter end.

 

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Traffic wasn't as bad as expected, so we got back to the ship/port earlier than we planned, so we stopped off at Senior Frogs. It was really loud. We got drinks and shared the sampler appetizer.

 

 

 

Tonight, we're going to the Steakhouse ! We have reservations at 6:30. We really liked St Thomas. The shopping was the best here, as far as price and selection. I would recommend Stanley for whatever you'd like to do. I found his phone number on the St Thomas Port forum. I called and made the reservation quite some time in advance, then called him before we left home for the cruise to reconfirm. We paid him in cash at the end and included a tip.

[CheckersMidwest]

Senior Frogs is across the street from the ship. There's a pool too if you just want to hang out.

 

 

The Emerald Steakhouse

 

 

Service was excellent - it was almost like they hurried everywhere they went. They came around at the beginning with a cart with meat samples and explained the cuts on the menu. We also received a bonus appetizer compliments of the chef. Everything was great !

 

The table settings were beautiful !

 

 

Chilled tomato soup

 

 

Salmon something....

 

 

French Onion Soup

 

[CheckersMidwest]

More Steakhouse....

 

 

Really good crab cake !

 

 

Fancy Shrimp cocktail

 

 

Wedge Cesar salad

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Fish..

 

 

Cheesecake

 

 

Apple something....

 

 

Chocolate Sampler

 

 

Our towel animal tonight was an elephant. We had a different one each evening. My favorite was the monkey hanging from the ceiling in the kids' cabin. Apparently I didn't get a photo of it though.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Good morning, Puerto Rico ! We were in port by 7:00 am this morning. This time of year....ship time and island time is the same. We did not have a time difference anywhere we went. It took awhile to be cleared to leave the ship.

 

Our plan today was to see one of the forts and just wander around. It was really hot. We went to Fort Cristanbol, it was interesting. Admission is $5 each and includes a visit to both forts. I'd planned to go to El Morro....but couldn't get it through to my husband that it was left and Cristanbol was on the right. He just knew he could see it from the ship. We spent a lot of time there. We wandered toward El Morro shopping. The shops closer to the port had better items and prices. Most of the stores we went in were dirty and smelled. We weren't really impressed with Puerto Rico. If we go again, I'd take an excursion instead of wandering around.

 

There were a few tables set up on the sidewalk leading back to the ship with cheap tshirts & hats, handmade jewelry, etc. Some were $5, some things $15, etc.

 

There is a free hop on hop off shuttle, but we didn't see it. I'd read to walk to the left when you get off the ship to the last shuttle stop because there was a better chance of finding a seat. This is on the way to the shuttle stop.

 

 

Senior Frogs is across the street.

 

 

 

Fort Cristanbol