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

[CheckersMidwest]

We waited for the shuttle, but it never came. I asked a policeman stationed there by a door and he said it came about every 10 min to 30 min. We walked instead and it wasn't far, just take a bottle of water with you.

 

The buildings and architecture are interesting. I loved all the colors.

 

 

 

 

When we were finished, we walked along the coast toward El Morro, but then turned down through town.

 

 

This is El Morro

 

 

If you follow the sidewalk to the left when you get off the ship and keep walking, you'll come to this door. It's the "Door to the City". We only got to see it from the ship. This photo was from sail away.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

 

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

We had lunch at Barrachinna. We stumbled across it and I remembered it was one that was recommended. It had a pretty courtyard type entrance. The food was expensive. One of the appetizers was $44. Farther through the menu, there are wraps, club sandwhiches, etc for regular pricing like $8. I had a wrap that was really good. The guys shared an appetizer than had traditional Puerto Rican food and the server explained what everything was when he brought it to the table. It was $22. Our daughter had the Calamari appetizer. This is apparently the place for a Pina Colada, so of course, we tried one. It was good, but gritty. The ones on the ship were better.

 

 

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

 

We walked by a chalkboard wall - chalk was in a little basket attached to the wall. We autographed it.

 

 

 

We enjoyed a little sail away party fun ! Then we made a pass through the casino and shops. The ships have special sales during the cruise. This one had locket type necklaces (like the Origami Owl ones) for sale for $20 and $30. It was just the locket though with charms inside. If you bought a locket, the chain was half price (about $8-$10). I didn't see any I wanted but are much better quality than some of the jewelry sales they have. There was a watch sale, a Bella Perlina bracelet sale (similar to Pandora) and the Ports of Call $10 tshirt sale. I usually get a Bella Perlina bracelet on each cruise. This time, they had one with red/blue beads and add on charms with a red/blue whale tale. It was $20 and the charms were $15.

Edited June 12, 2015 by CheckersMidwest

[CheckersMidwest]

I have a private childcare/preschool at home, so out of curiosity, checked out the kids club. It has a Dr Seuss theme, the online photos are awesome, but it was full of kids when I went by, so didn't go inside for pictures. There is an outdoor play space though with a rubber cushioned floor and Little Tikes and Step 2 toys.

 

 

 

Some evenings, The Cat in the Hat, etc pose for pictures. The only one's I saw though after dinner were Thing 1 and Thing 2. My little people LOVE this photo.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

We only ate at the buffet for breakfast. There is an omelet station in the middle where the 2 lines meet but also one along the side when walking back out toward the lido pool.

 

I had french toast, potatoes, and bacon every morning. There was never much variety at breakfast, but it was good.

 

 

 

There is a front section and a rear section. We always ate in the rear section since we came up the stairs/elevator at the back from our cabin.

 

Time for dinner :

 

Fried shrimp

 

 

escargot, I think...

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

This is the chicken "From the Grill" . I ordered the mashed potatoes & broccoli extra. Of all the things we ate all week, this meal had the most flavor. I had it again later.

 

 

This had scallops, mussles, shrimp, etc

 

 

 

Strawberry cheesecake

 

 

The waiters did a little dance sometimes in the evenings. It was fun. The waiter behind us by the windows really shook it. Some ladies from the table ran over and tucked $1 bills in his waistband. He really hammed it up. It was hilarious !

 

 

Tomorrow : Grand Turk

[pooksma]

Really enjoy your review and beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

[CheckersMidwest]

Thank you ! I always have intentions of writing my review story-like but it never ends up that way. Mostly just facts and photos. Glad you enjoy it !

[CheckersMidwest]

This was our first visit to Grand Turk. I'd considered renting golf carts, but we'd need 2. Also, yesterday was a land day and we're 'beach people' so opted to hang out at the beach and Margarittaville.

 

When we attended the Fun Finds Shopping Show, Connor said there is rarely more than one ship in port at a time in Grand Turk. When we docked, the Sunshine had been there since 3:00 am. That means that another 3000+ passengers were already ashore. We did not find a chair at the beach at all. If you go further down, there are some for rent but you are outside the secure port area. Not that I felt unsecure, it just wasn't where we wanted to be.

 

The water was clear but full of seaweed. We walked out in it a bit but then went to Margarittaville instead. We found one chair for all of us to share. Grand Turk just isn't equipped for that many people. It was really disappointing. The beach area was rocky out in the water, so be sure to bring water shoes. We did & were so glad.

 

At Margarittaville, you can give the waiter your Sail & Sign card to hold & he'll run a tab for the day - food, drinks, whatever. When you pay at the end, you get your card back. Since it was so busy, it took about 20-30 min to get your orders.

 

Margarittaville was huge and super clean. Well maintained, a lot of staff, etc.

 

 

 

The pool cabanas are shown in the back. These can be booked through Carnival. I'd considered it, but didn't realize we wouldn't be at the beach. They were nice.

 

 

The beach was pretty.

 

[CheckersMidwest]

When you first get off the ship, there is a small port area with shops. Our favorite was on the end on the right. Beach towells, jewelry, kitchen items, magnets, tshirts, bags, etc.

 

If you walk to the right, there is a seperate section of beach, I'm thinking now we should have stayed down there, as it wasn't as crowded yet. They are still building a lot of it. The NASA splashdown exhibit is there and so is the whale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a small craft market under a shelter as well as the regular stores.

 

 

[MNKEITH]

Very Nice Review.

[Willeve]

Loving your pics! We are on this cruise in August, excited!!

[smurfm69]

Hiya fellow cruiser! I'm enjoying your review and pics! I totally agree with you about the casino being too smoky. We like to go in there and play some roulette,(we finished ahead $5 so not too bad), but at times it was too bad to stay in there for a long period of time.

I think we made one of your pics. In that picture you took of Magen's Bay from Mountain Top, we are one of those little specks of people on the beach. Lol

We really like San Juan as it reminds us of the French Quarter back home with the colored buildings and wrought iron balconies.

We hit the shows too and our favorite was Epic Rock by far, but I'm a headbanger so I knew it would be the one I enjoyed the most.

We really enjoyed eating at the steakhouse too. That chocolate sampler was awesome!

[CheckersMidwest]

Hi Jerry ! I thought that speck on the right at Megan's Bay was you ! lol Glad you enjoyed the steakhouse and came out ahead in the casino !

[CheckersMidwest]

I forgot to mention the legal drinking age in Grand Turk is 16. Yes. 16. Wow. There was a young group slightly snockered in the pool that the DJ would comment on 'they may need help getting back to their ship' .....hinting to please help take care of our fellow passengers. My daughter & her friend had a pina colada -light on the rum- but they put a test tube shot of rum floating in it. We offered those to a guy in the next lounge chair, who graciously helped us out by drinking them. They also have jello shots in the cooler for $1.

 

They shampooed our carpet & sprayed orange stuff while we were gone today. Much better now !

 

Tonight is the second Elegant Night at dinner.

 

Stuffed mushrooms

 

 

 

 

 

French onion soup

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

Ravioli

 

 

 

A little more dining room entertainment....

 

 

This is the guy who could shake...

 

 

Carrot cake was really good...

 

 

Vanilla banana bread pudding

 

 

We went to the show, saw another comedian, & wandered around.

 

I did go to the spa on the first sea day. Check at their desk at night, they have a list of the next day's specials. Sometimes there's a pick 3 for $99. I had a 50 min swedish massage for $119. To get to the gym and the 'hidden' hot tub, go through the locker room in the spa. The hot tub and current pool is really hot as opposed to the other hot tubs on the ship.

 

The last sea day, we had lunch at the Blue Igauna Burrito bar again. Shopped a little, watched entertainment around the pool. The Groove for St Jude was held in the afternoon. Tshirts are $10 and build a bear's are $20. Followed by music and dancing. I spent a couple of hours repacking in the afternoon so the evening would be free for whatever. Turns out, the kids needed help packing anyway after dinner. If you let Carnival carry your bags off the ship for you, they need to be set outside your room by midnight.

[CheckersMidwest]

A few random things :

 

Two of the comedians we saw sold either a CD or a DVD afterwards in the hallway. Cash only. I think they were $20 and they autographed them.

 

The line to the comedy shows was crazy long - sometimes wrapping back down the hallway as far as the nightclub. We were at that point one night and still found a seat.

 

Shopping in ports was good. We liked the selection, quality, and prices much better in St Thomas. I bought a Larimar necklace, bracelet, & earrings in St Thomas, as well as a piece of art and a shell wind chime. My husband bought hawaiian shirts, tshirts, & hats for the guys at work while at mountaintop. They also had a small canvas logo bag with 4 mini rums for $10 there. They had a baby shark preserved in a tube for $20 at one of the shops - my son is kicking himself for not getting it. He's a wildlife biologist with some marine animal training. Thought it would be cool on his desk or in an office. We just weren't sure about how to get it home.

 

In Puerto Rico, in the park before you cross the street back toward the ship were a few booths. One also had art that was made by a local. She was there. Small matted 4x6 or 5x7 pieces were $10. At the port itself along the sidewalk I bought a couple of necklaces....one was $5 and made by a local young man, the stones were sparkly and kind of reminded me of a galaxy thing. He gave you matching cord to put it on. Another table had a nice necklace with leaves and sea glass stones coiled in it. We also got the usual beach towels, shot glasses, tshirts, etc.

 

The shop at the end in Grand Turk had the color changing tshirts (similar to the more expensive Del Sol ones) for $15. It also had a few kitchen items like spoon rests, cutting boards, & potholders.

 

While shopping in St Thomas, people were on the main street encouraging you to come to their mom & pop shops down the alley. The alleys were clean, so we gave it a try. One of them had flavored rum for $5 a bottle ! Very nice man and his daughter. They were truly grateful we came in and visited. We bought 4 flavored rums, 3 coconut and 1 raspberry. They had samples available. They also boxed them nicely - however they couldn't be carried onto the plane since they didn't have a duty free seal like you'd get if bought in the duty free store. More on that later...

 

A few more random photos....

 

 

Hot tubs in the serenity area

 

 

Entrance to the dance club

 

 

Tables made of dice in Club 02

 

[CheckersMidwest]

And just like that, vacation is over. What a terrible feeling !

 

We were zone 1 disembarking since we had Faster To The Fun but were in no hurry to get off the ship. They request you leave your cabins by 8:30 am. We went to the back pool (it was nearly empty) and my husband stayed with our carry ons while the kids & I got breakfast. He's already had coffee & an omelet earlier. About 9:30 we made our way to the lobby and walked right off. Very smooth disembarking. Gathered our luggage, asked for a luggage porter with a cart and he went with us through the line, through customs, and out onto the street to find a cab. (Did I mention I'm an over packer? We travel with a ton of luggage and actually use most of it).

 

It was cheaper to fly home on Sunday than Saturday out of Miami, so we spent the night at the Holiday Inn Port of Miami. I'd read mixed reviews and finally chose it because it's across the street from the Bayside marketplace. It was really nice. Modern. Clean. Convenient. I'd definitely stay there again. The cab was $13 and took about 10 min. I'd called ahead before we left and requested early check in so our room was ready at 10:15 am.

 

It was $213 for one night - a little higher than regular Holiday Inn prices, but right on par with Miami prices. When reading Miami hotel reviews on tripadvisor, I found that most rooms are really small.

 

 

Lobby

 

 

 

 

Pool

 

 

 

Restaurant off of the lobby

 

[CheckersMidwest]

A few more hotel pix...

 

 

 

We wanted to see a few things while in Miami, but considered transportation, amount of time to travel, etc. It would be $20 one way for South Beach, then back....then somewhere else.....etc. We finally opted for the Hop On Hop Off tour for $40 each. It's good for 2 days, has 2 different routes and stops all over.

 

I'd planned to buy these across the street at Bayside but there was a special desk at the hotel. Only difference was I had to pay half in cash then take the ticket to the bus and pay the balance. The tickets look like a cash register receipt with a bar code & date. They look at those every time you get back on the bus, so keep them close by.

 

We took the bus to Ocean Drive and hopped off at South Beach. What a great place ! The atmosphere and energy was amazing. And that was daytime. People walked on the beach, skateboarded, ran, walked their dogs etc. The beach was clean, wide, & huge. There was a winding wide sidewalk with trees, benches, etc that ran all along the beach between it and the street. There were places to rent bikes. The streets were lined with stores, restaurants, etc.

 

 

South Beach

 

 

Path to/from the beach from the street

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

 

 

Along the winding path next to the beach were exercise areas

 

 

We grabbed a snack at one of the little restaurants on the sidewalk. There was a "happy hour" sign - appetizers were $3.50 each. We had all 4 available - bruchetta, calamari, nachos, chips & salsa. They were all good. To our surprise......a coke was $4.50 :)

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

 

 

Along the way, we saw where the Miami Heat plays.

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

 

We saw a few homeless people while on South Beach. One lady came up to us while sitting on a bench and asked for something to eat. I told her "I'm sorry, but we don't have anything to eat". She went on but asked a lady walking by, when she didn't answer her, she flipped her in the back of her head with her fingers ! I'm also sure we saw a drug deal......nice dark car drove down then circled back on the other side & parked. Just a couple of minutes late they honked and guy walking with kahkis, polo, backpack & ball cap crossed the street & got in. They drove around the corner and disappeared. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, but the same guy came walking back down that street and went the other way just a couple of minutes later. Keep in mind we come from a small rural town and just don't see those things here. Nice cultural experience.

 

My daughter checked out "DASH" - the store the Kardashian's own. There was a nice tshirt for $200 +. Lotion was $50.:eek:

 

 

Another great place was "Love Hate Tattoo Studio - Miami Ink".

 

 

We bought a logo tshirt for $35 and they signed it. Very cool.

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

We sat on top of the Hop On Hop Off bus so we could see things better. It was cloudy so it wasn't too hot. However, when it went out on the interstate, it was crazy windy ! Just be prepared for that.

 

We went by some nice homes along the intercoastal waterway.....

 

 

 

We went by nice hotels....

 

 

 

[CheckersMidwest]

More Miami.....

 

 

 

 

 

On the city looop, we passed through several neighborhoods. This is Coconut Grove (turns out one of my preschool families is from here, so that was cool !)