Glory Review 3/18/06-3/25/06

[dkdoob]

Carnival Glory 3/18/06 sailing.

Embarkation was a breeze. Up at 2:30 am for a 5:30 am flight from Maine. Threee hour layover in NY, and arrival in Orlando at 1:00 pm. After a leisurely bus ride to Port Canaveral, we sailed through the check in procedure and were in our cabin by 3:00 pm. This was the first of three cruises where we ate and got a "special" before the muster drill. All in all a very long day, but as the commercial says...."we were too excited to sleep!"

 

Our cabin, 6372, was selected by me for it's close proximity to the stairs and also one flight up from the Creams coffee bar. We were also directly over the disco, which was loud on the first night and last night, but quieted down by midnight. No issue for a night owl. The cabin was perfect. Very comfy bed, plenty of room to let the suitcases explode, and of course the balcony. I found this cabin very convienient to all of our favorite parts of the ship. Directly three floors below the Red Sail, and one floor above the "party" floor. After all the eating, maybe I should have picked a spot all the way forward for excercise. Also, if you go all the way forward on deck 6 there is a small deck with 5 chairs or so. Our own private, quiet sun porch.

 

The service was excellent. My brief encounters with our steward consisted of a smiling hello in the hallway. He and his partner did an amazing job. The room was always picked up as soon as we left it. The ice bucket always full. The bathroom always clean. We made it easy on him though. See exploding suitcase comment above.

The bar service was prompt and courteous. The quality of beverages served were all excellent, both in style and substance. We were very pleased with the service. Very professional, and we got smiles most of the time. Not an easy task considering the amount of work those folks do.

The food was delicious. I took the opportunity to try foods I don't normally come in contact with. I was not disappointed. The cold salmon appetizer was very good. As were all of the apps we tried. The seafood fricasee was yummy. The entree's we had were all top notch. I especially enjoyed the prime rib, veal, lobster tail, and quail. We did not frequent the Red Sail that often. We ate mostly fruit, danish, eggs, and bacon for breakfast. Lunched usually consisted of salads, of which there were many fresh, tasty options. We also tried the deli (awesome reuben), and the Oriental feed (chicken and spring rolls), both were excellent. We typically went at non rush hour times, so our wait time was minimal if nonexistant. We missed the chocolate buffet (I misunderstood the end time) but, a piece of black forest cake from Creams appeased us both. We were never hungry, and never disappointed. Our dining companions were great. We had much in common. Our wait staff, Andrea and Rosa were excellent! They did an amazing job. And Miroslav was always there with the wine. We enjoyed one night in the Emerald club. It was quite empty ( late port day in St. Thomas). We were treated like kings. The service was excellent. From the breads, to apps, to entree (surf and turf), to the desserts. we were amazed at how good it was.

 

The entertainment was good at times. We especially enjoyed Az Izz. They played a great mix, and were very talented, both in musicianship and stage presence. The "Rock Down Broadway" show was pretty good. The set changes were amazing. The singing was decent, and the band was awesome. We didn't spend much time in the piano bar or at the casino one man show. They didn't do it for us. The one comedian we saw was funny. We missed the oldies show and the illusionist. I guess we got kinda spoiled with Ed Rrocks in the piano bar on the Valor last year. The rest of our entertainment included amusing ourselves and some casino time. The slots were very loose. I hit and should have been up for the cruise had I not gotten stupid and greedy. I had fun in there though.

 

The ports were all beautiful. We did not book any tours with Carnival. With limited time in Nassau, we went to the Straw Market, walked to Gov't Square, hit Starbucks, and had a cold Caribe' at Senor Frogs. It was very nice.

 

In St. Maarten we took a cab to Orient Beach. It is a gorgeous beach. Even with the folks with no clothes who really needed them. Back at the port we took the water taxi to Phillipsburg for shopping and food. The crappy chicken nuggets at Black Pearl were made up for with a cold Heineken, and spectacular view.

 

St. Thomas was a perfect day. The two hour wait to disembark was shortened when a Carnival employee noticed my fiance's wedding dress. For those of you who let us pass you in line, a sincere thanks! We made it to our coordinator with time to spare. Cheryl Toner from Wedding, Set, Go picked us up at the ship and drove us to the courthouse. Our paperwork had been submitted by Cheryl beforehand and it was a quick stop to get the marriage license. We then went to Bluebeard's Beach where Cheryl perfomed a lovely ceremony in the sand. Katie did an excellent job with the pics, and the flowers were still fresh and smelled great 4 days later. It sucked to leave them. Cheryl did an excellent job! She exceeded our expectations. She made it perfect!

 

After changing on the ship we went back out to Paradise Point. The view is breathtaking. No photos can capture it. I did try though. The food at the Point was pretty good. Decent wings and fingers. The Red Stripes were ice cold. We made it back to the ship in time to dress for an 8:30 Emerald Room reservation. Once again, a perfect day.

 

We brought two bottle of wine and a liter of Stoli's. We were surprised to find 2 bottles of champagne in our cabin from friends. No one questioned the wine or vodka.

 

Debarkation was fine. We were called approximately after half the ship was gone. We were off the ship at 10:00, and at the airport at 12:00. Carnival booked a 5:00pm flight for us. I assume on the hopes we would book an excursion. We opted to hang at the airport for the afternoon instead. Quite the zoo in there. It being the end of spring break. Back in Maine at 10:30. Sad, but good to be home.

 

From a vacation perspective, this was a wonderful cruise. From a wedding/honeymoon perspective this was beyond perfect. Carnival provides excellent quality for your money. The service, and food, and Fun Ship options are limitless. There is always something going on, or nothing if you want. This was another awesome cruise with Carnival. We'll be back.

[Ms_Pammy]

Thanks for your review...we will be sailing her 4/22 on the western route.:)

[luvdale]

Thank you for your review. We are sailing on the Glory in "17 DAYS" Can not wait, as the little boy says on the DisneyWorld commercial, I am so excited I can't sleep!!! Thanks again!!

[gypsyrose]

Congrats on your wedding and thanks for taking the time to write a review. So the straw market was open on Sun? Any bargains or was it the madhouse I have read about?

[MAO]

Thanks for the review. The comments about the room selection where perfect, I also picked our room for location (just alittle down the hall from yours) and you reinforced exactly why! Thanks so much:)

Your review put me on the ship:D Wish I didn't have 300 days to wait

MAO

[dkdoob]

The Straw Market was open on Sunday. It was pretty busy. I guess the deals were good? I am not much of a shopper. My wife grabbed a "coach" wallet for her daughter. I am told they are knock-offs. The bags were $45? It turned out to be one of her favorite places.

[MEOWSMURPHY]

We were also on the 3/18 sailing...I agree with ALL dkdoob has to report.. Embarkation was a breeze...we got in line at 1138 and were thru all lines and on the ship at 12:08..speedy compared to alot of other cruises...let me add we were in one of those "L" shaped cabins..6473...and it was awesome...I think I will try for this cabin every cruise..although it didn't have a couch we never missed it...the plus was being able to sit on the bed and read and look up and see the ocean...we really enjoyed this layout...The crew was among the friendliest we have every encountered..We had excellent service in the Red Sail and never had to search for a table...lots of hustle with tables being cleaned..on Friday we had rain and I did notice that they had run out of silverware and several people had to wait...other than that...no problems..We found the food to be quite good...the lobster was tender and cooked perfectly..everyone at our table had 2 servings :D , the Coquille St. Jacques was awesome as was the Alaskan King Crab appetizer with cavier..yummy...My DH tried the sushi and loved it...I loved the Fish & Chips...Didn't do the shows so can't address the entertainment..Debarkation was a bit slow but we waited in our cabin and were off about midway...we had a rental car from Budget and they were there promptly to pick us up and transport us to their facility...FASTBREAK is the way to go...If I had one thing to complain about and believe me it's SMALL...was that we had an invitation to the past quest party but it stated a time of 5 - 5:45...our dinner time was 8 and I didn't want to get dressed that early on formal night so we didnt go...I found out later that they had given us the wrong invitation..ours should have been for 7-7:45 oh well.."no worries mon"....we had brought a bottle of Champagne with us so we had our OWN past guest party..;) All and all we had a FABULOUS cruise and some of the best weather ever...Glory is a great ship and we will sail her again I'm sure...

[dkdoob]

Thanks for the review. The comments about the room selection where perfect, I also picked our room for location (just alittle down the hall from yours) and you reinforced exactly why! Thanks so much:)

Your review put me on the ship:D Wish I didn't have 300 days to wait

MAO

 

It's funny how you can buzz around that huge ship in no time. I was able to get cappuchino's one flight down, breakfast three flights up and delivery to the room in 15 minutes. Location, location, location. :) Hopefully you are further down. The disco was a little loud.

Have an awesome cruise!

[mnsawyer]

Great to hear from a fellow Mainer! We sailed the Glory last April on the western itinerary and loved it! We loved the ship and sailing out of Port Canaveral. Know what you mean about getting up at 2:30 a.m. for the 5:30 a.m. flight. We flew American too with a stop in NYC but out of Bangor. We signed up for the Fast Break program too which I had read on this board. It's great and driving from Orlando to PC is very easy...that coming from a girl who's closest city has only 25,000 people! Glad you enjoyed your cruise and thanks for posting your review!

[Lib0007]

We enjoyed one night in the Emerald club. It was quite empty ( late port day in St. Thomas). We were treated like kings. The service was excellent. From the breads, to apps, to entree (surf and turf), to the desserts. we were amazed at how good it was.

 

dkdoob, we were also in the Emerald Room that same night - we were a group of 6 in the back - I believe I only saw one other couple dining there that night besides a couple of groups of ship Officers who were also there. We had a wonderful dinner (and too much wine!).

 

Congrats on your wedding - what a fabulous place to get married - and so happy to hear that you enjoyed your honeymoon. I agree with all of the comments about the Glory - we loved it!

[Art123]

Which night is the 2nd formal night on the eastern route?

[TJ172]

dkdoob, great review! I sail on Glory in a month, and it's great to read what I have to look forward to. I'm glad you had a great time, and congrats and best wishes...:D

[Lib0007]

Which night is the 2nd formal night on the eastern route?

 

It was Thursday.

[dst]

Congrats on the wedding....many years of happiness!

 

My mom and I are considering the Glory for may 12th comparing it with the Triumph. Does anyone have an opion on the two. I have sailed Carnival before so I know the quality, just not sure of which ship is better

[Art123]

It was Thursday.

 

Thanks. Can't wait, we leave in 2 days for the 4/1 sailing.

[dkdoob]

dkdoob, we were also in the Emerald Room that same night - we were a group of 6 in the back - I believe I only saw one other couple dining there that night besides a couple of groups of ship Officers who were also there. We had a wonderful dinner (and too much wine!).

 

Congrats on your wedding - what a fabulous place to get married - and so happy to hear that you enjoyed your honeymoon. I agree with all of the comments about the Glory - we loved it!

 

Hi Libby,

I believe that other couple was us. I remember the table of officers and the group of 6. One of your party was patiently holding a cigar? You were all having a great time. It being so empty we were out of there in an hour. Good thing too, we were stuffed.

 

Thanks to all for the well wishing. It was a perfect day! A perfect cruise! And a great start to a new life! :) :) :) :D :D !!!!!!!!

 

Dave

[dkdoob]

For those of you missing the Glory already, my pics are here under my handle: dkdoob

 

http://cruiseclues.com/shipstips/carnivalglory.htm#carnivalgloryphotos

 

Enjoy.

[luvdale]

Thank you for sharing your pictures. They were so good. I sure hope mine turn out as good as your did. We leave in 17 days for our cruise on the Glory. Congratulations on your marriage. I have been on the Eastern and Western and I don't know which one I really like the best. I would really like to do the Southern Caribbean but haven't as of yet. I really enjoyed looking at all of your pictures. I was looking at them during lunch at work and I will have to look at them again at home. They sure got me so excited about my cruise. Thank you for sharing them.

[dkdoob]

Thank you for sharing your pictures. They were so good. I sure hope mine turn out as good as your did. We leave in 17 days for our cruise on the Glory. Congratulations on your marriage. I have been on the Eastern and Western and I don't know which one I really like the best. I would really like to do the Southern Caribbean but haven't as of yet. I really enjoyed looking at all of your pictures. I was looking at them during lunch at work and I will have to look at them again at home. They sure got me so excited about my cruise. Thank you for sharing them.

 

My pleasure. It was the least I could do for all the help this board gave my wife and I. You were all indispensible. I only wish I found the CC boards before our first cruise.

[mnsawyer]

DST - we have sailed both the Triumph (March 2003 western) and Glory (April 2005 western). Hands down...the Glory is much better! We loved sailing out of Port Canaveral for one since it was so easy! Also, we liked the ship better...not that the Triumph wasn't good but overall, we liked the Glory much, much better. Another plus for us was that when we sailed the Glory there were four port of call and on the Triumph, only 3. In all honesty, we were ready to arrive in Miami after our stop in Jamaicia and still had a day at sea left! What did make our trip on the Triumph was our post-cruise excursion at South Beach! My DH agrees as well... Glory is excellent!

[yooperwoody]

We sailed on the Glory the week before you. I just peeked at your pics and saw Rosa! She was the assistant for our table. In fact, it looks as though your table was exactly where we were seated. Our waiter was heshbrun(sp?), he told us to call him hash brown and our barserver was Frane. Oh how I miss that ship! Thanks for sharing your pics.

[Lib0007]

One of your party was patiently holding a cigar? You were all having a great time.

 

 

Yep, that was us! funny!

[luvgreys]

Thanks for your great review. It is so nice to hear that someone had a nice cruise! We will be on her in May, and I am so excited!

Thanks again:)

[stevesgirl1111]

congratulations on your wedding and on a fabulous cruise! I am getting married on the Glory in Nov. and it is pure torture waiting so long! But your positively glowing review helps a little! thanks!:D

[luvdale]

My pleasure. It was the least I could do for all the help this board gave my wife and I. You were all indispensible. I only wish I found the CC boards before our first cruise.

 

I found the website right before our 2nd cruise. The information is so helpful. This will be our 1st cruise on Carnival and our 6th cruise. I have asked so many questions about the Glory and Carnival. I will post my 2 cents worth when we get back. I really enjoyed all of your pictures. I am going to look at them again when I get home, so I can really look at them more. In Nassau, I want to do Atlantis and go to Senior Frogs, get me a tshirt from there. I got a tshirt there last year and at least have 1 drink there before heading back to the ship. I want to do a tour in St Thomas, I have been to St John once before but never toured St Thomas. I don't know about St Maarten, Orient Beach is so pretty. We will have a 13 year old with us, so I don't think it would be too good to take her there!!!! I am traveling with my nephew. My other nephew, wife, and daughter is also going. I can not wait to get on that ship for alot of SUN AND FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Get away from CHARLOTTE, NC!!! 17 days and COUNTING!!! Thank you again for sharing your pics!!!