Jerry Herrmann

Occupation: Telecommunications Industry
Number of Cruises: Two (Entry Level)
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Glory
Sailing Date: December 11th, 2004
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

Overall the Cruise was outstanding!

Processing at Port Canaveral took about ninety minutes from entering the auto line at the port until we boarded. The traffic flow for cars was poor which is more a function of the Port Authority than Carnival. It causes you to wait to unload luggage in a line that moves too slow. In the process you enter a diagonal parking space to unload and then must back up into traffic to proceed to parking. Not well thought out. Then after that you must loop back through the original line to access parking which is really close to the ship. If we did it again we would somehow manage to park first and drag our luggage maybe 100 yards to the point where you check it in and in that process probably saved an hour. A good alternative if the weather permits.

Once aboard you immediately appreciate how huge this ship really is. Our cabin was a balcony on the 8th deck. Our first balcony but not our last. The extra money is well worth it. I would recommend that you choose any cabin as close to elevators as possible. There are three elevator sets (forward, mid ship and aft). The length of the corridors is about 900 feet which is a long way to have to walk every day to access your cabin if you are not near an elevator bank.

The ship is docked at Canaveral on the Starboard (right) side. Port arrivals were as advertised. Nassau is nice but save your serious shopping for St. Thomas and St. Maarten!

The on board shopping talk by "Rebecca" was informative but its not necessary to attend in person as it is video taped and available on your cabin TV shortly after presented and in time for the port calls. It allows you to focus on what you want to pursue in your shopping. We avoided the ship recommended tours as they seem too pricy. Really you have to decide whether you prefer to shop OR tour. There is really not sufficient Port time to do both properly.

On this tour we ate most of the meals in the formal dining room rather than stand in long lines on the Lido deck to get your food and then find a place to sit. For breakfast and lunch there is "open seating" in one of the two dining rooms. This means you are seated as soon as you arrive and they fill one table before starting another and then you order off the menu. The service and food is wonderful and it gives you a chance to meet many other folks over the cruise. We definately recommend you use the dining room for all your meals.

The evening meal is at your assigned table/dining room every night. There are two identical dining rooms: one is the Platinum which is aft; and the other is the Golden which is forward. Both have the identical layouts and menus. We preferred the Platinum as it seem to be better situated where you can look out into the wake of the ship as you dine.

Not sure if you can specifically request one over the other but both are wonderful. Also if you are cruising with others make sure Carnival likes your Booking Number when you book to insure that you will all be seated together. We would recommend the early seating in either as that frees up more time for the other attractions of the ship. If you eat late then your meal is in the middle of all the evening excitement.

The entertainment is outstanding and really on a par with what you would expect on Broadway. The performers are not just crew members trained to sing and dance, they were recruited for just their talent.

The one negative comment about the Glory is that they do not do a great job on controling smokers. We have seen worse but it's still not good on the ship. This is especially bad in the Casino and some of the drinking venues. There was no smoking encountered in the dining areas or the Amber Palace which is the showroom.

One other thing to keep in mind is that in each cabin there is only ONE 110v electrical outlet (one 220v also) so if you need more electrical outlets bring a power strip or an extension cord with multiple female plugs on it. Also since we had a balcony it would have been nice to bring binoculars along to see those distant ships and shorelines.

We did use the optional onboard "steak house", named The Emerald" It was OK but we felt not worth the added cost and we probably wouldn't do it again. It is very private, uncrowed and intimate if that is your thing. Would recommend NOT bringing children.

Overall our experience was OUTSTANDING and we would certainly like to cruise on this ship or one like it in the future. Both of your cruises to date have been on Carnival and we believe they offer great value and I believe they all try hard to make your experience one to remember.

One final tip is that if you have ever cruised on Carnival or any other line they now own (that list seems to grow daily so ask) then be sure to mention that with Carnival as you book. Being a "repeat" customer usually results in better pricing and upgrade options. They don't volunteer that information at booking you have to mention it and ask which past cruises on other Lines may qualify you for this advantage.

Enjoy!!

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