4/3 glory review-better late than never

[osp320]

4/3 Glory Review – Better late than never!

 

This is a little late but I have been busy overcoming cruise withdrawl. You know all those psychiatrist appointments take up a lot of time!!!! Anyway, we are working on booking another cruise so I’m feeling better now. Here goes…….

 

We flew into Port Canaveral from Ohio on Friday night and rented a car from Avis. We drove to the Radisson (got lost) at about 11:00 p.m. and everybody (mom, dad, 9-year old Alex, and 15-year old Alicia) were ready for bed. The Radisson was nice and I recommend it! We got up early the next day in anticipation of our cruise. We made a few stops since we had the rental car including the Ron Jon Surf Shop (which was neat) and then on to Avis at about 10:30. We had to wait a little but were on the first shuttle to the port at about 11:00. Dropped off the luggage and went to the fun pass line which was already quite long. It went very fast especially since by coincidence we were directly in front of Cruise Critic people that we had talked to on line and had kids about the same ages as ours!!!!! We just happened to overhear dad say his son’s name and we put two-and-two together. (Hi Jerri, Chris, Catherine, and Christopher!!!) Funny, this happened on the Paradise too!!! We were on the ship by about 12:00 with lunch, beer, and foo-foo drinks in hand. Loved having the ship to ourselves for a short time! After the muster drill we went to meet other cruise critic people but didn’t find them! Pkarst, where were you? Sorry we missed you – did meet Cynthia later on in the cruise and also our new friends we made in the embarkation line. Unfortunately, it took a long time to get our luggage and it came one piece at a time so be prepared to wear what you have on to dinner – we had early seating in the Platinum. We met our waiter Fabian who was excellent and worked very hard and tipped him extra. Valeria, our bar waitress was the BEST! We have always had trouble getting drinks at dinner on past cruises but not this time. She was sooooo friendly and we tipped her extra as well. We had a table for 4 and wished we could have been at a big table to meet more people but oh well – we still enjoyed our dining experience every night. Went to the Welcome Aboard show and explored the ship some more. Signed up at Camp Carnival with sign-out privileges for the 9-year old with strict rules! He didn’t seem to enjoy the activities as much this year except for the arcade and computer/Play-Station time. We went to the show which was fun and on to bed.

 

Nassau – Great weather but the water at Paradise Island in front of the Sheraton was rough and pretty cold. The kids didn’t seem to mind too much but ended up going to check out the Atlantis which was great but not really worth the money. We were all glad to finally see it since we usually go to the Blue Lagoon. Short day – sailed at 2:00. This was our first formal night and food was really good. Show was excellent – don’t miss this one!

 

Day at Sea – Hubby got up at 8:00 to get prime real estate by the pool where we stayed all day. Kids made friends and hung out with them. My idea of fun!!!! Very relaxing.

The band on the lido deck was pretty bad though! Weather was beautiful and even with the fake tan I got burnt. Then as luck would have it, we only had scalding hot water in the shower! We called our room steward and he called the technician who had it fixed in about an hour. So if you had cabin#8277 after us, you owe us, ha ha! By the way, our room steward Keith was very efficient and we had 5 towel animals. He wasn’t very friendly but did his job well.

 

St. Thomas – Immigration. We were worried about this but my advice is to be ready to get off at least by 9:00. We arrived at 8:00 a.m. instead of 10:00 and were eating breakfast when they called our deck. Even so, we were off the ship at 9:45. You have to get in a long line to get a sticker that proves you have gone through immigration. It really wasn’t a big deal at all. We took a cab to the Red Hook ferry to take us over to St. John which we couldn’t wait to see again!!! We snorkeled a lot and ate at the little shack they had there. This place is truly paradise even though you will spend a lot of precious time traveling to and from St. John. In fact, we couldn’t get on the ferry back because so many workers were leaving then and were pushing themselves in front of everyone else. We just got a couple of drinks and waited for the next one but it still took out some shopping time. Shopped at Havensight even though we knew we would miss dinner on the ship. The buffet in the Red Sail wasn’t very good that night and we thought maybe we should have taken late seating. None of us starved, however, and we went for pizza to drown our hunger sorrows! Oh, and ice cream too which was delicious.

 

St. Maarten – We had never been here and LOVED it! We rented a jeep at the pier (we did this on-line about 2 months prior to sailing) and headed to Dawn Beach. Got lost in a couple of scary areas but people helped us. I liked this beach – kind of secluded but a little tough getting in and out of the water with some drop-off and small rocks. No nudity or topless here so the husband was ready to go – lol. My daughter wanted to jet-ski also so we only spent about an hour here. So off to Orient Beach which suited us a little better and was just gorgeous. We were in the Bikini Beach section so we saw just a few topless women and one nude couple. Too bad my husband was out on the jet skis with my daughter when that happened! My son didn’t even notice. They also had water trampolines which was fun. Didn’t have time to explore much more but enjoyed the drive back to the ship. Shopped at the pier a little and went back on the ship. Another beautiful day with beautiful weather.

 

Last two sea days – We loved this itinerary for this reason! Relaxed by the pool again and did our shopping. Wait till the end of the cruise for some bargains. Had another formal night and another Broadway show – both good. The seas this day were really rough and the pools were literally wave pools! You couldn’t tell the drunks from the sober people but none of us got sick. We heard the captain was trying to go fast to stay ahead of a storm but we had about an hour of steady rain. We just sat on the balcony and enjoyed it. The last night is always sad saying good-bye, especially for my daughter who had made a lot of friends. She cries when she sees the Carnival commercials! It was her favorite cruise yet and for the rest of us too. Although we loved the Paradise too! And the Victory, and the Conquest, and the Sensation….so many ships and so little money!!!!!!!! We really want to try the Adventure of the Seas next year but love Carnival so much. Feel free to ask questions since I know I have left out little details. This was a great cruise on a great ship. Here is a link to our pictures:

 

 

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/vfdemt83/1

 

carnivale-1988

 

oceannic (brb)-1997

 

Paradise 4/15/01

 

Victory 3/31/02

 

Conquest 4/13/03

 

Sensation 5/22/03

 

Glory 4/3/04

 

 

[Lady_K]

Thanks for your review. I'm on the May 15 sailing and I can't wait.

 

Was there any trouble getting off the ship at the end? Did it take very long? We have a 1:00 flight which I understand should be ok, but I know it seemed forever to disembark on my first cruise... and the Glory has so many more passengers.

[LizT]

Thanks for the review ! I really enjoyed your pics. What a great looking family. Looks like you had a wonderful time. I'm also on the May 15th sailing , can't wait !!

 

5/15 Glory

 

[CCLNCLRCICRUISER]

Hey Ms Vandalia

 

Great review! Thanks for sharing.

 

Jeff

 

Destiny Info

 

Destiny 10/03/04 Roll Call

 

Destiny,Past,Present and Future Cruisers

 

5/02 My First Marathon in Cincinnati!!!

 

 

10/03/04 Date with Destiny

[Florida Beach]

Thanks for the review. Can't wait for our turn to sail

 

March 28, 2004 - Mariner of the Seas

[Cyt4SoreEyes]

Awesome Review..I thoroughly enjoyed reading it made me feel like I was already there with ya..Thanks for taking time out to share your cruising experience on the Glory...I cant wait now!!!!!!! And thanks for posting the pictures...just great!!!!!! Thanks,

 

Cyt

 

Atlantic

Oceanic

Norway

Enchantment of the Seas

Destiny

Voyager of the Seas

Conquest March 30th 2003

Glory May 29th 2004

 

 

 

 

[GroupCruiser]

What's up with Immigration in St. Thomas? We've been there 4 times in the past and have never had to do that. Is that something new? Seems to me U.S. Citizens shouldn't have a problem.

[ajones]

Great review and beautiful pics!

 

I've been on Victory and next up is Glory in 2 weeks.

 

Out of Victory, Conquest and Glory, which did u like better and why??

 

Thanks!

[Catrin]

Thanks for the review ..sounds like you and the kids had a blast...

 

Could you explain the sign out policy for your 9yr old?

Our son is 9 this year... and although we want to keep him in Camp on occasion, we feel he will be ready by the middle of the week to sign himself out and meet us....

How did that work out?

Thanks,

Cathy

 

Ecstacy October 1992

Destiny October 1999

TRIUMPH May2003

 

 

Our TRIUMPHant Return! May 15th

http://community.webshots.com/user/catrin0917

 

[wenocancer2]

Thanks for the wonderful review! I can't wait to go.

 

Can you expand on your trip from Avis to the port? Why did you have to wait for a shuttle, don't they just take you over when you return the car?

 

Also, if you were to do it again, would you return your car earlier in hopes of getting in the line earlier?

 

Thanks!

 

 until we cruise again!!!

 

[halos]

"So many ships, so little money."

 

Ain't that the truth! I can't think of a more profound statement.

 

I believe in Miracles

MIRACLE JUNE 19, 2004

Calm Seas, Good Friends

[BADBUOY]

Thanks for the review. What was the name of the terrible band on the Lido deck?

 

Carnival Glory December 2004

[Barlitz]

This is weird! We booked the glory for 4/16/05 and I chose cabin 8277. We will be going with an 11 year old and a 1 year old which should make it very interesting, we were on the Pride last May and we couldn't wait to do another cruise. Thank you for having them repair the hot water hopefully the tech did a good job!

 

[Huey]

How much do they charge to access the Atlantis? Does that entitle you to the whole complex?

 

Laura

 

Carnival Fantasy - 04/90 - Honeymoon! * Imagination * Victory * Destiny * Triumph * Golden Princess 04/02 * RCCL Brilliance 04/03 * Carnival Legend 04/13/04

[Knights on the Beach]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by GroupCruiser:

What's up with Immigration in St. Thomas? We've been there 4 times in the past and have never had to do that. Is that something new? Seems to me U.S. Citizens shouldn't have a problem.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Ships that visit a foreign port (Nassau, in this case) before cruising to St. Thomas must now go through Immigration there. This policy has been in effect for at least the past couple of years; we had to do it in 2002 because our ship visited St. Maarten before St. Thomas.

 

Beth

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Countdown to Glory

 

Emerald Seas 6/86

Emerald Seas 11/87

S.S. Royale 10/88

Celebration 6/97

Grandeur of the Seas 6/98

Sensation 6/99

Carnival Triumph 6/00

Carnival Triumph 11/17/01

Enchantment of the Seas 10/27/02

Carnival Victory 5/25/03

Carnival Glory 5/22/04

[osp320]

Thanks everybody for all your kind words! Let me answer some of your questions.

 

LadyK- I'm surprised I forgot to mention debarkation - it was unfortunately the worst we have encountered on Carnival. We waited in a looooong line for one hour to get off. We have never had a line at all on any of our other cruises so maybe it was a fluke. Avis was there ready to take us to get a rental car to go to Disney. I really recommend them. Your 1:00 flight should be fine though because we were still off the ship by 10:00 and it is an easy drive to the airport.

Wenocancer2 - Embarkation. We had to wait on the shuttle because Avis said they were still bringing people back who had just gotten off the ship. I didn't understand this until we waited in the shuttle to get into the port because we were early. I presume they can't afford to waste time waiting when they need to get those people back to Avis to catch flights. We didn't wait long and I don't think it would have helped to have dropped the car off any earlier.

Groupcruiser - Cruisemom answered the immigration question very well. Thanks!

Badbuoy - I don't remember the name of the band just like I didn't recognize the songs they sang! I shouldn't be so critical though since I know I can't sing any better.

Barlitz - Lucky you to have #8277! Let me know how that water is!!!!! It really is a great location - midship, close to elevators, and only one floor down from the lido deck. Take your bungee cord to keep the balcony door open and enjoy!!!!!

Huey - The Atlantis cost is $25 per adult and $19 for each of our kids. We actually loved it but we should have left the beach earlier so we could have had more time. We only had a little over an hour and mostly saw the Dig and the Atlantis grounds.

Cathy - I was very hesitant about letting my 9-year old sign out but we laid down some ground rules and possible scenarios if he got lost or something went wrong. We didn't have walkie-talkies either although that seems like a good idea. He was fine! We were on the Conquest last year so he remembered the layout of the ship. No problems at all.

ajones - wow, that's a tough one. I liked all my cruises for different reasons! The Paradise was non-smoking and our first cruise after many years. We didn't have high expectations since the last cruises were only 4-day and were just ok. We had the best tablemates and met some great people. SO MUCH FUN! A cruise is what you make of it. The Victory was really...green! I didn't like the decor that well but it certainly didn't keep us from having a great time. This was our first western route so that made it exciting. Service was so-so on this cruise compared to the Paradise which has yet to be beaten!!!! The Conquest was great - we went with two other familes but almost the same itinerary. Loved the impressionist art (I am a school art teacher)on the Conquest. Didn't meet any people because we already were with friends so kinda good and bad there...did I mention we like to meet people???!!!! We didn't like Montego Bay that well plus it rained off and on that day. The Glory was great - the color-changing ceiling in the atrium was soooo cool. I thought the decor in the Platinum dining room was a little tacky but was great when they did the color-changing during the dancing waiter shows. This dining room really vibrated at times also!!! Oh, by the way, don't miss the Chocolate Buffet at lunch in the Red Sail on the last day! I think the best thing about the Glory though was the friendliness of so many people - staff and passengers. We left that ship with just a great feeling about everything overall. Tears in our eyes when we left. And last but not least, thanks LizT for the compliment about our good-looking family - (sure you looked at the right pics?) and neighbor Jeff from Trotwood - we want to hear about the Destiny since we are thinking of that for next year along with Adventure of the Seas. That's a tough one - the Destiny is $1000 less for a balcony compared to two inside atrium views on the AOS. What should I do? Let me know of any other questions!

 

carnivale-1988

 

oceannic (brb)-1997

 

Paradise 4/15/01

 

Victory 3/31/02

 

Conquest 4/13/03

 

Sensation 5/22/03

 

Glory 4/3/04

 

 

[amyw92]

Thanks for the review! We are going on the Glory 04/02/05.

 

Amy

 

Jubilee 04/20/02

[Jazzcookie]

Osp320:

 

Wonderful review, we felt the same way, when we were on the ship. We just got off the Destiny and my advice is to save the $1000. and book Destiny. You'll love the ship and you can't beat the iternary.

 

Cookie

 

Parents 50th aniversary cruise Destiny

[KathyB]

Great review and photos - thanks for sharing. We leave on the Glory on 7/24. Can't wait. Have a question about St. Marten - the photo you had taken there at lunch - is that at Bikini Beach? We were there a few years back and I got trashed on their "Kick *** Margaritas" and actually insulted Marty Allen who was the guest comedian on our Explorer of the Seas Cruise - Want to return this year

 

Kathy

[osp320]

You know, Kathy B, we have racked our brains and can't remember the name of the restaurant. It is right in the Bikini Beach section and the most prominent one there - I think you will see it. It is kind of expensive and we weren't real hungry so we split two entrees. Both were huge! Burgers, fries, and chicken fingers. Easily enough for the four of us. It was really good and a great atmosphere. Service was extra fast as well.

 

carnivale-1988

 

oceannic (brb)-1997

 

Paradise 4/15/01

 

Victory 3/31/02

 

Conquest 4/13/03

 

Sensation 5/22/03

 

Glory 4/3/04

 

Adventure of the Seas 4/3/05

 

[Lori334]

BadBuoy:

 

Hi When are you going on the Glory?

 

We are going on for Christmas.