Carnival Glory - Western Caribbean, 1/24/2009
Cozumel, Belize, Costa Maya, Nassau.
Embarkation - Embarkation was very easy and smooth. We drove ourselves and arrived at Port Canaveral around 12 noon. We were directed to the luggage drop off area and unloaded almost immediately and then wet to the parking garage. Parking is $15 a day.
After parking we went right in to the terminal building, thru security where our carry on bags were x-rayed. After that it was up the escalator to the check in area. We did our paperwork on line so check in was very quick.
When we first arrived at the check in area people were in the seating area waiting to board but in the few minutes that it took for us to check in the waiting was over and we walked right on to the ship. Cabins were not available yet so we wandered a bit then went an stood in the line to make changes for our dinner seating. More about that later.
Around 1:30 cabins were ready so we went to ours and dropped off our carry on bags then back out for our first drinks on deck and some food.
The Ship - Without a doubt, the Glory is a beautiful ship overall. It may be me but I didn’t understand the overall theme though, not that it really mattered to us. The atrium on deck nine, where our cabin was located, was all sports, the Lido restaurant is all sailing, the casino is Egyptian, the Ivory Lounge was all India. You get the idea, kind of a mix and match.
Our cabin, 9233, was very clean and neat but smaller that what we are used to on Holland America or Disney. The balcony was smaller also but we did like the glass panels under the railing, in the past we have had all metal so you had to stand to see over. There were two chairs and a small table on the balcony, not much room for anything else.
The bathroom was adequate and the shower, though small was very nice. Pre set temperature, all you had to do was turn it on full and there was plenty of pressure. Gift basket amenities were few, a couple of razors and a small tube of toothpaste.
I found the bed to be rather hard, Karyl thought it was fine, we both slept well in it though.
Plenty of space for clothes but not for luggage storage. We had to use the small couch to put our bags on. Not a big deal, we didn’t sit there much anyway.
Smoking is supposed to be limited to the starboard side on the open decks and to certain bars and lounges as well as most of the casino space. Since I have COPD I am bothered by smoke and have to avoid it. Unfortunately we found that the smoking rules were often ignored and/or not enforced. I had to ask an attendant in the casino to have a woman put out her cigarette even though she was sitting at a machine with a no smoking sign and he was right there. I don’t disagree with peoples right to smoke but I have a right to breathe too and there were plenty of smoking areas so I don’t understand why some feel they can smoke where ever they please.
Dining - This is where we felt Carnival Glory fell badly. We had requested early dining and a table for two. What we were assigned was late seating, table for four. Also, our cabin was in the front of the ship and we were assigned the dining room all the way in the stern rather then the one located amidships.
You can go to one of the dining rooms after a certain time and ask to have your seating assignments changed, which we did. We waited at least 45 minute in a small, cramped area but finally got to talk to the person handling seating. He told us there was very little chance of getting early seating as we were on a long waiting list, OK, how about the table? Oh, there’s plenty of tables for two. How about the Golden dining room amidships? No, you don’t want those tables, they are all in the walkways and not good.
We settle for a table for two in the Platinum dining room at the stern. Turns out it is right next to the serving station and overlooking the lower dining area. Well, there was entertainment at dinner each night so we had people leaning over our table to watch what was happening below plus the servers were always working right next to us.
We sat for dinner at 8:15, menu’s were brought quickly but that’s about the only thing that was. Dinner lasted until 10:15-10:30 which is ridiculous in my opinion.
The Food - Rolls and/or bread are issued one piece at a time rather then leaving a basket for the table.
Over the course of three days I ordered a NY Strip, Filet and a Flat Iron steak. First, even now I couldn’t tell you which one was which, they all looked and tasted exactly the same. Secondly, I asked for a steak medium, it came well done every time. They were tender enough but bland.
Karyl ordered Prime Rib, which she loves, on Elegant night, it was all fat and she couldn’t eat it. On the third night she ordered the Snapper, after three bites she refused to eat anymore stating that it was absolutely terrible and inedible. Her side dish consisted of something that neither of us could figure out what it was.
Eating dinner at 8:15 is bad enough but when you add slow service and mediocre food it’s just intolerable. After the third try we stopped going to the dining room. We figured if we have to eat less then good food we might as well go to the buffet at an hour that is more to our liking.
We did find the pizza to be a nice surprise, except for the very last night of the cruise when the pizzas were very dry, we found them to be quite good. The hot dog/hamburger buffet was pretty good too. Plenty of toppings such as sauerkraut, chili, cheese, etc. and tasty dogs, made it a favorite stop. We didn’t try the deli or the Sushi so can’t comment on that.
Breakfast buffet was never more then luke warm at best and usually cold. One morning I was in line when a fresh pan of hash browns came out of the kitchen and I figured that at least I’d have hot potatoes, wrong, even they were barely warm. Karyl likes hot grits with butter but when she put the butter pats on the grits, they would not melt. And who serves Italian sausage in place of breakfast sausage? Carnival Glory does depending on the day.
We tried room service for breakfast one day but you cannot order hot foods such as eggs, only Continental style, bagels, muffins, cereal, Danish etc. So forget a hot breakfast unless you want to wait in the line for an omelet.
We rated the food as the worst part of the trip.
Service - A mixed bag here. Our cabin Steward was excellent. He kept the room very clean and tidy. We also had a small cooler with bottled water that we had brought and he made sure there was always ice in the cooler. We were often amazed at how quickly he got our room cleaned or tidied up when we left , even if we were only gone a short time. When we met him in the passage way he was always friendly and smiling. His towel animals in the evenings were fun.
Our dining room team were friendly enough but never seemed to be able to bring the meals in a timely manner. On the last of the three days we tried the dining room it was at least 30 minutes between our appetizers and the main course. Other guests were already finishing their desserts before our main showed up. I asked our waiter if his assistant was new, as that’s how it seemed, and he acted almost insulted that I would ask that question. He proceeded to tell me that she was not and that he had almost ten years on the job. I guess he was just not very good at it.
Service in other areas could go either way depending on the person. Some of the staff were very friendly and outgoing, other’s, including ship’s officers, would barely acknowledge you were there, even when you spoke to them first. I’ve never run into this on a cruise before, rather strange.
The Ports - Since the cruise line has no real control over the ports I do not hold Carnival or any other cruise line responsible for any thing that may or may not happen in port.
Cozumel- We did a ships excursion here, Mini Jeep Outlander Tour. We had a blast and loved it. Our guides were Lorenzo and Aurelio from Sunshine Tours. They were fun, knowledgeable and very safety conscience.
Belize - We shuttled into the port shopping area, not much to see here. If you go to Belize on a ship take an excursion, it’ll probably be worth it.
Costa Maya - One of our favorites. Take a taxi or bus into Majahual and hang out at the beach. They’re still recovering from the hurricane but in pretty good shape overall. We found a nice table on the beach, beers were $10 for 6 in a bucket, the food was good (watch the hot sauce, liquid fire!) and the service was very good.
Nassau - Not on our top ten list. Walked around a bit, had two beers and a Sprite at Senior Frogs ($17) and bought a nice, hand crafted fish sculpture from an artist we were watching. Went back on board and relaxed.
The Rest - The weather was beautiful for 99% of the trip. I’ve seen the Caribbean calm but these were some of the calmest waters we’ve experienced. It’s a good thing too. On our return from Costa Maya to Nassau we had to stop and turn around to assist a raft with 9 Cuban men on it. We were about halfway between Cuba and Key West.
Glory’s crew provided water, food, life jackets and clean clothes to the men while we waited for the US Coast Guard to pick them up. The Coasties advised us not to take them aboard and a couple of them were obviously very unhappy about that but it was for our ships safety, so that’s the way it has to be.
This was our first time on Carnival so we weren’t sure what to expect. If it weren’t for the less then stellar food, the service that was just fair over all, and the slack enforcement of the smoking rules, we would probably been OK with the trip. As it stands I would rate this cruise as a C. Would we do Carnival again, probably, if the price and the itinerary was right. Only, the next time we will have a better idea of what we are buying.
We have sailed with Holland America, Disney, and back in the day, Premier. As far as we're concerned, Holland America does it right. Good food, excellent service, larger staterooms and the absolute most comfortable bed I have ever slept in! On the cruises we have done with them not only the cabin steward, but the cocktail servers and the dining room staff including the head waiter, knew our names after the first day.
Disney does a good job as well with food, service and room size but there were lots more kids (to be fair, we expected that) and of course the price is right up there. Also, no casino, not that we have to have one but Karyl does enjoy it.
I can't think of anything that they did that might have been worse then Carnival.
Delray,
If it hadn't been for the food and dining room challenges we probably would have been perfectly content with this cruise. As for it being typical, a woman that works with me cruises on Carnival regularly and she assures me that it is not typical. We may try again in the future, who knows.
The Cuban rescue was something we had never experienced before so it was interesting and made for an unusual sea day. When I do get to post photos I will have a bunch from that.
My photos are finally ready.
Here
http://travel.webshots.com/album/570194290LmAHrKhttp://travel.webshots.com/album/570218707zXDXYU
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