Carnival

[honkanen]

My wife and I are thinking of trying a cruise for our first time. We found a great deal for a 7-day cruise on Carnivals Glory cruiseship this Sept. (at least we think it's a good deal, $550 for oceanview cabin) It goes from Port Canaveral, FL to:

Cozumel, Mexico

Belize

Honduras

Bahamas

 

We're not sure if it's worth it though, since we'd only have at most from 10am - 3pm on land in these places. I don't know about sharing a beach with 15,000 other people from several cruiseships that day.

 

To all the people here who've cruised before, What can we expect? Are we all just herded off for a few hours to touch the sand briefly then herded back on?

 

Also, is it worth upgrading to a "oceanview" room from an inside room or save the $100?

 

We'd both rather been on a smaller chip with a lot less people and go to less crowded ports, but we don't have the money for that luxury.

[6rugrats]

You do what you can afford. One thing that surprises first time cruisers is that there is no guarantee you will make all the ports on your itinerary; weather can cause you to miss a port. Something to think about. 15,000 people seems a bit much! Even with several cruise ships in the same port, they all aren't going to be at the same beach with you.

 

Not sure what you mean by herded. If you aren't on any excursions, you merely walk off the ship, or take a tender if that's necessary, and do what you like. You just must be back on the ship before it leaves.

[cb at sea]

Only a fraction of the passengers will go to the beach! You don't HAVE to do a ship's excursion (in most ports) if all you want is a beach day! Do a bit of research on your ports and find out about each island's transportation, distance to beaches and attractions, shopping, and the like. Many things are "do it yourself"!

Cruises are great because you can do your own thing! But definitely RESEARCH!!!! It will really make your trip better!

[volfan22701]

we have only been on two cruises, with a total of six ports so far, but have hardly ever felt crowded either on or off the ship. in nassau it was a bit crowded in town, but when we took a taxi out of the downtown area it was not at all. actually we have been to all the ports you listed, and found them all to be different, with some really neat things to do at each. take an excursion in belize, not too much at the port area to do. roatan, honduras is the most beautiful place. we hired a van and driver to show us the island for 5 hrs. had a tour, with a beach stop, and took a drive thru the mountains, then had lunch and drinks at a small cafe by the ocean.

cozumel was where we took a cab about 15 minutes out of the port area, and snorkeled in the clearest water i have ever seen. fish galore, and saw stingrays, and a small octopus. it was amazing.

 

we have fallen in love with cruising, and are in the process of picking out the next one. now our favorite vacation.

[GORDONCHICK]

I've been on four cruises and haven't made it to a beach yet!! Granted, the 4th cruise was to Alaska...... but still. I'd rather see things in the ports over doing the beach thing, though we may do a beach the next time we're in Cozumel.....

[NCTribeFan]

I'm sailing that itinerary on that ship on May 17th. Looking forward to it as I haven't done a Western itinerary for years and really want to go cave tubing in Belize and zip lining in Roatan.

 

And I'm a 55 year old mom who sails with her 21 yo daughter.

 

Personally, I think the ship may be a bit too large for my tastes, but I know we'll have fun anyway.

 

I mainly sail for the itinerary while a lot of people sail for the ship experience. It's all good!

 

I also personally love the inside cabins. Carnival's are quite spacious (for a ship cabin) and their bedding is fantastic. I sleep like a log. Although I've been know to become claustrophobic, it doesn't bother me at all in the cabin, because I have to do is walk out, up a flight of stairs or two and out on deck. Besides, the only time I'm in the cabin is when I'm in the shower, getting dressed for dinner, or sleeping!

 

You aren't going to encounter all 3,000 other passengers in one place at one time, even boarding or disembarking.

 

You can check cruisecal dot com to see how many ships are in port each day. We only have 3 in Coz (there can be several more), by ourselves in Belize, Roatan and Freeport.

 

Don't know if it will be similar on your sailing.

 

You can visit the various Ports of Call boards to get an idea of what you'd like to do. Our first cruise stopped at Cozumel, but we did the tour to Tulum, which was great. This time, I want to see some of the island and do some snorkeling.

 

You can do as much as you like, both on sea days and on port days.

[honkanen]

Thanks for all the great responses! I was just thinking of there being 2,500 people on our ship all trying to get off of it at once and immediately pictured "herding". I'll read up more on this forum and do some research. I'm also still having a look to see if I can find better deals of course. ;)

[GORDONCHICK]

Thanks for all the great responses! I was just thinking of there being 2,500 people on our ship all trying to get off of it at once and immediately pictured "herding". I'll read up more on this forum and do some research. I'm also still having a look to see if I can find better deals of course. ;)

 

 

If you don't book an excursion, you can wait a bit to let the "herd" thin out. If the ship is docked, you can walk on/walk off at your leisure.

[silentbob007]

Thanks for all the great responses! I was just thinking of there being 2,500 people on our ship all trying to get off of it at once and immediately pictured "herding". I'll read up more on this forum and do some research. I'm also still having a look to see if I can find better deals of course. ;)

 

There are some who will herd. These are the people that MUST be the first off the ship at every port (and last on), must be the first in the dining room, eats lunch at noon on the dot, etc. You can easily avoid herding by changing your timing just a little bit. And ... if you do get caught in a herd, just do like me and offer a little "MOOOOOOOOOO" to get some hysterical looks. ;)

[MrEye]

There are some who will herd. These are the people that MUST be the first off the ship at every port (and last on), must be the first in the dining room, eats lunch at noon on the dot, etc. You can easily avoid herding by changing your timing just a little bit. And ... if you do get caught in a herd, just do like me and offer a little "MOOOOOOOOOO" to get some hysterical looks. ;)

 

That's always my line when leaving down the ramps at a sports event. It's great when you get about 30-40 others joining in.

[tcs1366]

My wife and I are thinking of trying a cruise for our first time. We found a great deal for a 7-day cruise on Carnivals Glory cruiseship this Sept. (at least we think it's a good deal, $550 for oceanview cabin) It goes from Port Canaveral, FL to:

Cozumel, Mexico

Belize

Honduras

Bahamas

 

We're not sure if it's worth it though, since we'd only have at most from 10am - 3pm on land in these places. I don't know about sharing a beach with 15,000 other people from several cruiseships that day.

 

To all the people here who've cruised before, What can we expect? Are we all just herded off for a few hours to touch the sand briefly then herded back on?

 

Also, is it worth upgrading to a "oceanview" room from an inside room or save the $100?

 

We'd both rather been on a smaller chip with a lot less people and go to less crowded ports, but we don't have the money for that luxury.

 

I just got off the Glory yesterday.

 

and while, yes, it is a big ship.... it does not always feel "crowded".

 

Belize does not have beaches on the main land. if you want to go to a beach, you will have to book an excursion [if you book thru the ship, you will get picked up at the Glory, since you "tender" there... or you go to the take a lil 10 min or so ride to the main land and go to an island/beach with a private operator.

 

Nassau I just walked over to the Hilton and spent the day at their beach.... some others will take a cab to Cable Beach, or a different one.

 

Cozumel, if you want to spend the day at the beach ... I think you will have plenty to choose from.

 

as mentioned.... check out the different Ports of Call for things to do.

 

and i think $550 is a good price... but also find out what you get for that? is everything included? we booked thru a travel agent and everything was all included... if you book thru Carnival, i'm assuming the $70 [per person] for tips will be added about mid week... where ours were paid up front.

 

Plus, they are now hitting a surcharge for fuel... I think that was started in Feb.

 

I had a balcony on Deck 7 ... it was fantastic and well worth the extra cost... but you can cruise very frugally .... just watch your extra spending.

 

we brought our own beverages [case of water for me, case of Diet Pepsi for DH, and 2 bottles of booze] (which turned out to be too much) but we did not have to purchase any drinks on board.... which can get very expensive if you are not careful.

 

and as for less people in ports.... on our port days.... there were 4-6 ships in port each day, from what i recall. so there will be A LOT of people in port... but not everyone will be in the same place at the same time.

 

the only time i felt "crowded" was in Nassau at the shops.

 

Hope this helps.... and if you haven't wandered over to the Carnival Forum yet.... another great place to ask questions specifically for the Glory.

 

and with this having been our first.... DH said we will probably never take a vacation that isn't a "floating one".

 

It was an AWESOME experience.

[honkanen]

Sounds like you had a great time! I can't wait to go now. We were about to buy it last night but wanted to find out if there are any "cruise miles" type of program we should get first like "air miles". Also, we're still trying to decide if we should go for an oceanview ($590) or an inside ($450) pp. In total for the both of us for the week, it would be another $280 for an oceanview, but from what I'm hearing.. it may be worth it. You have the sunsets when you wake up, you know what the weather is like in the morning, etc.. I've also sent off a quick email to the cruise ppl to see if their price incl tips. Thanks for your tips, btw! ;)

[sjcruiser]

That's a great price. I was looking to cruise on the Glory in Sept. but since I'm in school I have to go in August. Paid $826.00 including all fees and taxes, so I'm happy. As previously stated everyone doesnt get off the ship or go to the beaches. Some people stay onboard and relax by the pool and read a book or go to the spa. While in the Caymans and Ochos Rios, the towns didn't feel crowded as far as walking, but you'll probably notice it more crowded in the souvenir shops, but it's not unbearable. Just be patient.