Any RCI Cruisers Out There Ever Been Carnival Glory?

[RAIDERMOM]

I love RCI but the prices are too high for July 2006 so I am thinking about the Carnival GLory. I was on the Navigator 2004 so I am really spoiled with a beautiful ship and service.

 

Will I be disappointed on the Carnival Glory?

[PTarbay]

Who are you bringing with you and what kind of activities and amenities do you like?

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

If an interior promenade, ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, 18-hole miniature golf course, roller blading pathway and Johnny Rockets are very important to you, then you won't like Carnival Glory. But indeed Royal Caribbean has been pricing their cruises increasingly higher and higher and if people don't balk, they'll continue to rise.

 

Carnival Glory at 2,974 passengers is Carnival's largest along with Conquest, Valor and the new Liberty. I've not been aboard Glory but we did Valor last year and it's a beautiful ship with lots to do. So in my opinion, you should give it a try if it's at a cheaper price point.

 

BobK/Orlando

[aba555]

I haven't been on the Glory, but we cruised on the Conquest in the spring of 2004. It was great! We are on the NOS in July 2006. We considered going on the Conquest again because we enjoyed it so much. However, we have other people going and Miami was easier for them to go out of. Also, a new itinerary is nice. We are doing Eastern Caribbean this time.

[cruiseman_tx]

I just compared prices for a balcony cabin on Conquest vs Rhapsody out of Galveston for April`06...Conquest was $300 per person cheaper. Raidermom may be on to something.

[Cruising89143]

I have been on the Glory and yes I think that you will be disappointed with this ship after being on the Navigator. Put it this way. When the Glory is sailing as a full ship with all uppers filled the ship feels crowded. Mainly because it is. The Glory holds just about as many passengers as the Navigator when sailing full and she is 28,000 tons smaller. That kind of gives you an idea of what to expect. The service on Carnival is not up to par with RCI as is the upkeep of their ships and I have been on a number of Carnival ships. Food and entertainment is about even.

 

 

In the end, the Navigator blew me away last year and I am on it again this year. I have said goodbye to Carnival for a while. IMHO you get what you pay for.

[winncove]

After 23 yrs of no sailing we took our first Mariner cruise last fall. Did the Glory in Feb. and hard as we tried we not to compare, no luck. No comparison. Leaving for Canaveral in a.m. for the Mariner again Sun.! Casino bigger on Glory, food about equal but sevice really not up to par on the Glory. [The orange rooms w/ blonde furniture didn't help either.] Son took his honeymoon on Conquest May '04 and loved it but they'd never been on a mega ship before. We're doing Promenade rooms again and had OV on Glory and got a price on Mariner a lil less $$. Watch for sales..they do happen w/ RCI and I've read of balconies even cheaper than our Pr.! :eek:

[hoogie]

We went on the Carnival Glory February 2004 and then on AOS in October 2004.

 

In my opinion, both ships are beautiful. Food was comparable on both. Rock climbing, skating, mini golf we used them minimally on aos and if we didn't use them we really wouldn't have missed them.

 

We had outstanding service on both ships and would go on either one in a instant. We felt a little less rushed on carnival at dinner than on AOS and our waiter and assistant seemed less stressed on the glory, but both ships still provided excellent service.

 

Our only peeve with the glory was that the port times were shorter than AOS and only because of that we chose AOS again for Novemebr 2006.

 

Chair hogging was outrageous on the glory on sea days. Chairs were already being saved with towels and stuff at 4 in the morning. Didn't notice it too bad on aos but this was probably due to being in port all but one day.

 

We only did a couple of shows on both ships and they were all enjoyable.

 

Hoog

[goingtocruise]

We were on the Navigator and then the Glory. The Glory was nice and we had fun. However, we spent a lot more time just sitting around and waiting. Not as much to do. Didn't have many extra activities like napkin folding, miniature golf, etc. Never did get a pool chair for any activities, not even a place to stand close enough to watch. The counselors for the older kids clubs hardly ever showed up, and the kids moved from area to area instead of a designated area. The dining room had booths to sit in on the upper floor. Couldn't get to know anyone else at surrounding booths unless you wanted to shout. We also were always waiting in the theater for announcements about the itinerary and many passengers were extremely mad and causing many scenes because of missed ports. It was quite fun watching some of these people. At one point, it was one ships officer with about 20 people screaming at him in the theater and they were led away and threatened with the brig. Half of the audience wouldn't let the cruise director even speak on stage and just kept yelling. This was not the Glory's fault, but the atmosphere sticks in a persons mind. The Glory was definitely crowded and rocked (a lot). That being said, when I booked this last cruise, I looked at prices on RCCL and Carnival, and booked Glory again. At that time it was $1200 cheaper. Just didn't feel good about the decision and kept watching RCCL prices. I finally just decided I was going to pay more for all of the extras that we would use. I cancelled Glory, booked Voyager and paid $700 more when prices went down. We will use the promenade, skating rink, golf and extra seminars. The kids have a designated area and it seems like the ship rocks less. The time in port is longer also, even though Carnival does have better excusion offers. Have been going back and forth about this decision, wishing at this point that I wouldn't have spent the extra money, because I like port days anyway, but know that I will have more fun on the Voyager. I'm sure you will have fun on either one, but if you have kids with you, RCCL would be an advantage.

[caviargal]

I love RCI but the prices are too high for July 2006 so I am thinking about the Carnival GLory. I was on the Navigator 2004 so I am really spoiled with a beautiful ship and service.

 

Will I be disappointed on the Carnival Glory?

 

Having done both I would anwser YES!!!

 

Glory constantly felt crowded. The pool area was awful with stadium seating which made it even more crowded feeling.

 

There is no adult pool or adult area on Glory so there is no where to hide from the kids (and diapers in the pools) that are everywhere.

 

The lines in the buffet were long, sometimes ridiculously so.

 

Entertainment on Glory was poor (I like live music and dancing so that is my basis for comparison), dining food and service mediocre, and there is nothing remotely like the Champagne Bar.

 

There were broken deck chairs everywhere and the ship was always smoky.

 

The biggest impression the Glory made on me can be summed up in two words: LOUD and CROWDED.

 

No comparison.

[PelicanBill]

We went on Glory in January and will sail Voyager of the Seas in one week so I can offer a comparison then...

 

We did not find Glory loud or crowded. Food was good, not great. Service was very good, excellent from room steward. The Kids program is fantastic and open more hours than Royal Caribbean. Cabins were a nice size.

 

Agree that there were no so many acivities as on Royal Carribean ships.

 

We enjoyed it ver much and thought the price was a great value... paying more per day for then Voyager.

[Cruising89143]

There were broken deck chairs everywhere and the ship was always smoky.

 

No comparison.

 

I forgot just how bad the Glory was with smoke. The worst ship that I have sailed to date. You could not escape it.

[w&k]

...and we have 3 RCCL booked.

 

We missed the 'extra touches' of RCCL: homemade salad dressing, breads and pastries.

 

Service was OK. Not up to the standard of ANY other cruise line we have been on EXCEPT in the Casino Bar and 'On the Green' Bar, which were great. The tipping was automatic except for the Maitre'D. No vouchers, either. This was the first time no one got extra $.

 

We really missed the people-watching - there was no good spot like the Centrum inside, and absolutely nowhere outside. There were many little places, and we prefer the large, open type of rooms.

 

Speaking of outside, there was little shade, and the windows did not open. I'm a Floridian, and I wilted at the main pool.

 

On the other hand, our cabin was spacious, the music was more to our taste, and we thought the shows were good (Las-Vegas style).

 

Would I go back on Carnival or the Glory again? Yes, but only if the deal was good enough. We got a military special, and got exactly what we paid for.

 

Wendy

[cheerbabie]

last year my family and i were on the glory last year!! We had a great time and met lots of people. we are normally carnival cruisers, but this year we will be on RC!! Sooo i think you will like the glory its a beautiful ship and has great survice!! If you do choose the glory have a great time!!!

[pjinaz]

I have been on Carnival, RCI and Princess. I thought the Glory was a nice ship. Not the usual Carnival ugly decor. Pizza and ice cream plus drink stations with several juices open all day was great. Buffet food was good, dining room food was okay, deserts were awful.

 

We had a balcony stateroom (4 people) 2 adults 2 small children and were comfortable. Kids club was great. Parts of ship felt crowded, but we never had a problem finding deck chairs. Never noticed kids in regular pool with diapers as they were not allowed. They did have a children's pool that my kids loved, just small round 1 foot deep pool.

 

I thought the service was fabulous, dining room staff spoon fed my children from time to time. Entertainment was great. Lots of activitities.

 

Hope this helps.

[Chuggiebug]

:) You will enjoy the Glory. I have cruised on her twice. The rooms are larger than mostships. The cruise director is very entertaining. The food is excellent.

[thatbloominplace]

have sailed both lines, not specific ships. have felt, and after a recent cruise on which we took my seventy-five year old picky mother and her friend, that rccl is the best value for the dollar. is carnival cheaper..yes. is it better..no. the food and presentation was much better on rccl. there are many other amenities on board. found the number of people smoking and where they smoked to be a real issue on carnival. not as much room to move around. in general i feel that carnival covers the bases while rccl does trhem well. i have been on higher end lines such as oceania and windstar, as well as cheaper ones such as carnival and the old dolphin line and dollar for dollar, rccl is still the best value. just my not so humble opinion.

[stbmom]

I have sailed the Pride - which is the sister ship to the Glory. Very beautiful, but not much in the way of amenities. Honestly - I actually got a little bored (easy to do on Carnival if you don't drink, smoke, or aren't a heavy gambler). There was just not a whole lot to do, even for adults.

If you just want to relax on your balcony, have some drinks, and spend time in the casino - Glory shouldn't be a problem at all. But, if you are used to and would like more activities (mini golf, etc.) - you might not like it.

I will say - the locker rooms on Carnival ships are THE BEST!!!!! They have spa showers and everything. We would shower there in the mornings instead of in the room. They also supply robes in the rooms as well.

[RAIDERMOM]

Thanks to everyone for their input, I am still up in the air as to which line I am going to go with, it seems there are pros and cons to both ships

[Cruising89143]

I have sailed the Pride - which is the sister ship to the Glory. Very beautiful, but not much in the way of amenities. Honestly - I actually got a little bored (easy to do on Carnival if you don't drink, smoke, or aren't a heavy gambler). There was just not a whole lot to do, even for adults.

If you just want to relax on your balcony, have some drinks, and spend time in the casino - Glory shouldn't be a problem at all. But, if you are used to and would like more activities (mini golf, etc.) - you might not like it.

I will say - the locker rooms on Carnival ships are THE BEST!!!!! They have spa showers and everything. We would shower there in the mornings instead of in the room. They also supply robes in the rooms as well.

 

Actually the Pride is a Spirit class ship and the Glory is a Conquest class and they differ greatly. The Spirit class is much roomier and has a better layout. I would do a Spirit class ship anyday but you can have the Conquest class.

[kc320]

We sailed the Glory back in Oct. 03 during her inagural year. It was our 2nd Carnival cruise & soooo much better than our 1st in 2000. We never felt "crowded" even though this was the largest ship we'd ever sailed. For us though there just did not seem to be enough activities. Even my husband commented about this on our 2nd sea day which really surprised me.

 

If there was a REALLY great price I would probably do Carnival again, but I just enjoy the return cruiser "perks" on RCL to cruise any other line. One more cruise & I'm Diamond!:D

[IKE]

Give the "Glory" a try!. We sailed both. Both are beautiful ships but different. Staterooms on Glory are larger and from my point of view, the food was better in dining room and buffet. It is a great price for the money! Found room steward excellent and dining room staff excellent.Shows were also excellent! No complaints at all!

[nhlbd]

I love RCI but the prices are too high for July 2006 so I am thinking about the Carnival GLory. I was on the Navigator 2004 so I am really spoiled with a beautiful ship and service.

 

Will I be disappointed on the Carnival Glory?

 

I think RCCI's newer ships are better, but we enjoyed the Glory. We sailed over New Years 2003/2004. It is less expensive and certainly better than the previous Carnival ship we were on.

[NoVa Mimi]

JMHO.... our Glory sailing during it's inagural year was our last Carnival ship. While it was nice and new, it was laid out very poorly. The Voyager class ships are laid out so well that crowds are rarely a problem. I too got tired of the orange plastic in the cabins, all the neon and crowds. While the food and the service were both good on the Glory, we find we enjoy RCI much more.