Trip Report from the Carnival Glory

[dairyou]

Day 1

We wake up by 9:00. We all didn’t sleep very well, but we are ready to start packing up to head to the port. It only takes 5 minutes from the Raddison. When we pull in we see the Magic. It was hard no to go to that terminal and know we are going on Carnival. But, we only pay 1845.00 for our seven day cruise, so if it’s not fun we didn’t waste that much money. Since we paid so little we can also enjoy 5 nights at WDW after the cruise which I very excited about. I can go to WDW all the time and never get tired of it. We’ve been on DCL quite a few times and we’ve seen the same shows a few times, shopped at the same stores a few times…ect…ect… Back to Carnival….Check in goes very fast. We wanted to try to reserve another cabin but the ship is sold out.

I lost my kids the first 15 minutes we were on the ship. They wanted to go up deck to get something to eat. They didn’t want to wait for the elevators so they take off. We get half way up and I tell them I’m taking the elevator. They say go ahead. Well, we can’t find them. I sit in one spot while my husband Keith goes to look for them. It’s a new ship, they don’t know the stateroom number and we’ll never find them. 45 minutes later Keith finally finds them. Humpf! I was irritated! After that happens I thought I put the wrong stateroom number down on our tags. We go to level 1 and 2 and tell the steward cabins I put down the wrong number. In my brain we are in room 2193. We are really in 1293. I think because on Disney we have always stated in level 2. Anyways, it ends up that I did put down the right number and we get our luggage.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2630-1.jpg

So far we are enjoying the Carnival Glory. Our stateroom is the same size as the Magic. The food we’ve had so far is really good! We’ve been kept busy which we didn’t find on Royal Caribbean. Hopefully it will continue. The Glory is a showy type ship. Every wall has multiple decorations on it. When I first stepped in I thought it looked loud. No biggie though. We go and explore the ship. There is a fish and chips place I really want to try. We sign up for internet and the plan we get is $100.00 for 250 minutes. They don’t have an unlimited plan so we sign up for the most minutes. We watch a few shows after dinner. They are like little shows. Trivia and Name that Tune. The show of the night is like a “Welcome Aboard” show. It doesn’t start until 10:30. I’m tired after a long day, but I stay up anyways. On board the Magic they have 2 different show times. On board the Glory they have only one and it’s late. The show was okay. It isn’t the production that Disney puts on but it is good for us because it is different and we’ve never seen it before. At one point during the night we have the boys go to the welcome time at the teen area. They tell me few show up and it is hard to find kids to hang out with. We see them all over the ship so we know they are there. I don’t think there is a difference here versus Disney. I think it’s just that strange teen stage we are going through. My oldest is 14 and he did say he thought it was easier on Disney. Why? He has no idea because he is a male teen. LOL.

Anyway, that was day one. Day two is sea day so we’ll see what happens

Any questions, I'll be checking in while on the ship :)

Deb


[mruhaak]

Thanks for the report, hope you keep checking in! It was great to see a picture too!

I'm interested in this ship too for possible future cruises!

[dairyou]

Day 2

Today is our first full sea day. The boys and I sleep until 9:30, Keith gets up earlier to have breakfast and look around the ship. We watch a little t.v. in the room to wake ourselves up. I like the variety of t.v. they have. I think it’s because they have ABC, CBS, NBC. I like to keep track of what’s going on in the world  They show 2 free movies and they have pay perview if you would like to order it.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2634.jpg

We get up and have a tasty lunch up on deck. They don’t have dining room lunches or breakfasts. Well, not that I’ve seen yet. While eating we look at the daily planner and are very excited to see that they have activites suited for all ages. When we rode on board the Royal Caribbean last year (Mariner of the Seas) we felt like there was nothing to do. If you didn’t want to rock climb, play miniature golf, drink or gamble then you were pretty much stuck and bored. So anyway we look at our schedule and we find that we would like to attend the hairy chest contest, watermelon eating contest. Keith signs up for a slot tournament and I try to encourage the boys to find a few friends to hang out with. Jordan finds a little friend, but Danny doesn’t which is uncommon for him. He thinks it’s because he should have gone to the 15 year olds and he’s probably right because he’s only 1 month away from being 15.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2637.jpg

There are many little places to go and eat. There’s a 24 hour pizzeria. Actually it is very good. A sandwich station that grills a mean Reuben sandwich. Fish and chips, ice cream area, and a burger and hot dog area. There’s also a sushi bar and Oriental food hut. We ordered room service for the first time. They have a huge selection of food. Danny orders Caesar salad and roast beef and brie sandwich. Keith orders BLT and Jordan a turkey sandwich. It came very quickly also!
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2641.jpg



They did offer two shows today, but come Monday they will only offer one again. We didn’t go to the show because it didn’t sound very interesting. We saw the Colts play against the Patriots on Sunday night football instead. Come around half time we left because it was just too smokey. At midnight Keith goes to the comedy show for adults. He said they guy was pretty funny. The boys and I stay in the cabin and relax.

So far the differences we see between DCL and Carnival are good. Carnival gives a few extra little things away. They gave a bowlful of free samples in our bathroom. They offered an alcohol free taste test. They don’t offer free soda like DCL which is okay because I could stand not to drink more soda. I think the food is better than DCL and as far as staff and workers they seem very nice and attentive. I like the way DCL and Carnival don’t nickel and dime you to death like Royal Caribbean. I think if you have younger children and you love Disney you should stick with DCL. So far we have been pleasantly surprised with Carnival. I’ve hardly seen any party atmosphere where people on drunk on the staircase. There a huge diversity of people on the cruise. A lot of older people especially…(no offense given so don’t flame me please ;) )

Tomorrow we arrive at Cozumel. Hopefully I’ll have time to report if you’re still interested

[mousecraszy]

Thanks for the pictures as well...my 9yo DD is sitting with me, reading along and soaking it all in. My DD is asking about the kids club, the slide, children's menus, and, lastly, any fancy restaurants?

Thanks in advance. :p

[mruhaak]

Is that a Christmas tree already?

[dairyou]

Mruhaak, Yes that is a christmas tree there. They also have a few sprigs of garland up too :) I like it because I love Christmas!

Mousecrazy, I don't know too much about the kids club since my kids are 14 and 15. I'll try to go in there a take a few pictures. Menus are not as kids friendly as DCL. So far my kids have had lobster, steak and prime rib. My boys like red meat! I know with DCL they chicken tenders and such on their dinner menu, but I haven't seen any on Carnival yet.

They have on fancy place to eat that is similar to Palos. I forgot what they call it. I don't think we'll be going there because I forgot to pack my husbands jacket along with his dress shoes :rolleyes1 He is not very happy with me..lol

I've seen a few of the kids club walking here and there. Firstly, they look very safe and taken care of. Second they look like they are having a good time. I know there kids club is open more than Royal Caribbean, but not as long as DCL.

I'll be checking in later:)

Deb

[HookedonMagic]

Thanks for the detailed daily report! We've sailed both DCL and RCCL (Mariner), and from your comments so far, I think we feel the same about RCCL (we definitely felt "nickel and dimed!") I look forward to reading more about the Glory! :thumbsup2

Have fun on your vacation! :banana:

[misseulalie]

Tell me more about being "nickel and dimed" on RCCL. We are considering it in the next few years.

I really didn't like my Carnival cruise, though we went on the Sensation, not the Glory.

[mickey minder]

We got back from the Carnival Valor last weeek. Well, at least we got caught up on some sleep, couldn't find much else to do. We are very much looking forward to sailing with DCL again. Not a terrible trip by any means, we just got spoiled by the Mouse. Hope you have a great trip. The warm chocolate melting cake is awesome.

[#1 Minnie Lover]

Sounds like a fun trip so far. I love reading these :) By any chance do you know if they have a nursery for children 3 and under?? Dh and I are thinking of using another cruise line and if you have a great trip it might just convince us to "jump ship" lol.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and keep up posted!!!

[mousecraszy]

We wanted to know what time of day did you take the picture out by the hot tubs/?pool area...there is no one there??? The balcony pic is so pretty...wish we were there!!! Thanks again for your report.

[Vallie]

My DBF and I are headed off to the Carnival Glory for new years and reading this report is making me want to go right now! hehe!

Are there any younger people/couples around thier early 20's on board?

Thanks and can't wait to hear more!!!

[jeast]

Sounds like a fun trip so far. I love reading these :) By any chance do you know if they have a nursery for children 3 and under?? Dh and I are thinking of using another cruise line and if you have a great trip it might just convince us to "jump ship" lol.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise and keep up posted!!!


As far as I know, Carnival is the only line where the kids club takes 2 year olds and up. They don't even have to be potty trained. I heard they have a good kids program on the bigger ships.

[dairyou]

Mickey Minder...yes there is not a whole, whole lot to do. I wish they have a few variety of different shows to choose from like dcl but I think it is still better than RCL. We find just enough to keep us occupies. It has been hard lately because we have been in port 3 days now and they don't really offer activities when people are off shore.

Mouse Crazy, that picture was taken when most people were off the ship, but I have to be honest and tell you there are so many places to lay and sunbathe. There are 4 levels all around the pool to lounge. Plenty of chairs and no need to reserve any chairs on this cruise line. I know with DCL it was always hard to find a place to sit when the ship is to capacity. I know this ship we are on now is full and you can hardly tell.

Vallie...I haven't seen too many 20's around. I've seen alot of senior citizens though. Though remember I am in my 40's so I'm probably not looking to hard for them. I see some kids and some around the age of 30 hanging around.

[dairyou]

Day 3

We arrive at Cozumel at 10:00 am. We wake around 9:30 again and lounge around. We eat our breakfast and get ready for the excursion that Keith signed up he and the boys for . Its called Snuba. They have the last rotation of the snuba at 2:00. It’s kinda like scuba and snorkeling. They have you hooked to a very long tube so you can stay underwater and still breath. It sounds pretty neat.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2633.jpg

We walk around the ship. Get some coffee and milkshake from the coffee bar. They have some wonderful desserts there also. Since we are homeschooling family my oldest son Danny has work to do everyday so that is what they do until it is time to leave.

They leave at 1:30 and I stay on board. I’ve been to Cozumel a few times and really don’t want to snuba so I stay and hang out on the ship. It was nice for the boat to be empty and roam around on my own. I type my trip reports to you and I am pretty well occupied until 4:30 which is when the boys come back.

They are so excited when they return to the room and I get an earful from everyone on how fun it was and how I should had gone also. Now the three of them decided they want to learn how to scuba dive and if time permits they’ll take a course at Costa Maya.

We go to dinner and have a great time. I have to be honest in saying for us, the dinner staff is so attentive to my kids. On DCL when the boys were younger the dinner staff was great with them. Since they are older there really was no interaction with DCL. Back to Carnival…Dennis our server and Igusti the assistant server are interacting with the boys. They teach them some magic trips and a game to test their IQ. The boys look forward to going to dinner every night. Dennis promises he will share all secrets on the last night of dinner. On day 2 at dinner Dennis and Igusti sing an Italian opera and tonight they dance to Mambo #5. The last few nights they have been prepping Jordan to get up and dance with them. Well to my surprise he did. The three of them looked so cute! Dennis tells us what’s going on tomorrow in Belize and he shares his experience. I can’t say enough of these 2 guys.

We change after dinner and head to the show. It’s some world famous juggler who is in the Guiness Book of World Records for the fastest juggler. A comedian is supposed to perform also, but somehow he gets delayed and misses the boat. The juggler not only juggles, but he quite the comedian. He was so funny.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2626.jpg

It’s about 11:00 when the show is over and we head back to the cabin to regroup. Jordan starts complaining that his throat is sore. Uh oh! We decide not to go into Belize since Jordan is room bound. I would hate for him to get others sick on the ship. So tomorrow will be a cabin day for Jordan and I.

Keep us in your prayers for health. I’d really appreciate it 

Enjoy,
Deb

[dairyou]

Day 4

Well Jordan is sick and is running a fever so we stay on board all day and contain ourselves in our cabin. We don’t want everyone else to get sick. Actually the plan was for the boys and I to stay on board while in Belize. Keith signed up for an excursion that sounded like a once in a lifetime experience. It was taking a car to an private airport, taking a little commuter plane to an private island and playing a round of 18 holes. Well, that fell through due to the rain they got while we were in Cozumel. I had one sad, upset husband. He said it actually worked out because he couldn’t enjoy himself if he knew Jordan was sick and he was out having a good time.

So we take Jordan to the infirmary. He has a 101 degree fever. They give him some amoxicillin and tylenole for the fever.

That’s pretty much my trip report today. Boring! That’s how are day went today. Tomorrow we land in Costa Maya. I know Jordan will not be well enough to go anywhere so Keith and Danny sign up for a catamaran and snorkel tour. No use all of us being bored. I don’t mind it too much being stuck in the cabin. It’s still better than being at home!

Deb

[MnParrothead]

Deb,

I hope Jordan starts to feel better soon. Pixie dust being sent your way. :grouphug:

Also, thanks for the trip reports.

[mousecraszy]

Thanks for the very detailed report and wonderful pictures! We've enjoyed cruising with you.

We will keep Jordon in our prayers, for him to improve, as well as the rest of the family hoping no one else gets sick. :wizard:

I can't believe four decks at the pool area!!! WOW!!!

I hope you continue to have a restful and fun holiday.

My DD9 continues to read your posts and enjoying the pics greatly...it's been fun for us to look forward to your posts. Thanks again and God bless.

[mruhaak]

Hope Jordan feels better and no one else gets sick! Thanks for the trip reports!

[pppiglet]

Thanks for posting your report. I loved our Carnival Pride cruise too! It compared so much to our Magic cruise, except no characters.

[dairyou]

Day 5

We wake up this morning and Jordan is feeling much better. We figure we better not take him on an excursion because I don’t want a relapse while at WDW! Keith and Danny go on the catamaran/snorkeling excursion. Jordan and I hang out in the room.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2632.jpg

On Carnival they have it so you can book your shore excursions while in your cabin via the TV. You can check your statement and see how much money your kids are spending. It is actually very convenient. I notice that there is a $70.00 charge per person on our account. Carnival charges your tips automatically for you. If you want to add more or take off amounts at the purser’s desk. That was different from DCL.



Keith and Danny get back and they had a great time. They really wanted to book the beginning scuba, but it was filled. There is always next time. We get ready for dinner and the food is still great. IMHO I think it’s better than Disney. There is only one dinning room though. It’s okay with me.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2644.jpg

The show tonight was a magician and comic. They were both very good. At 11:30 they have a deck party which doesn’t even come close to comparing to DCL. There just isn’t any magic here. They have a Mexican buffet and it isn’t like Taco Bell…lol I like Taco Bell better 

We get back into the room around 12:30 am and head for bed.

[Katie1]

It has been nice cruising with you. Hope Jordan is feeling better. Can you explain what you mean by 'nickeling and diming' to death? We have only been on one cruise, we are looking forward to our DCL in Jan. Just curious to what you mean. Thanks

[MrJimmyDale]

thanks alot for the insight...

[dairyou]

Day 6

Today is sea day. We wake at our normal time of 10:00. The boys go up to get a slice of pizza and I lounge around.

They had a lot of activities today. Some of the funniest shows were “The Newlywed Game” which is the same as “Match Your Mate” on DCL. They had “Survivor at Sea”. That was very funny. We haven’t tried the slide yet because we wanted to do it together as a family so we plan this for tomorrow.

So far Danny still has not found a buddy to pal around with and actually some kids have been rude and mean to him. He thinks this would never happen on a Disney cruise. He pretty figures he’s going to give up.

Carnival has a “vacation club” also. Since we enjoy the cruise we go to the presentation. It’s pretty much a pre-paid cruise. For $4995.00 you would get two of the cruises we were on plus three-one week resort stay at Hilton, Sheraton ect. We decide not to purchase since we already own DVC and don’t really know if we would use the 3 weeks at a different resort. It was a good deal though…$299.00 for a week of accommodations.

We finish dinner and decide not to go to the main show because it didn’t look very good. The boys go on their own and we go to the hot tub. We met two other couples and struck up a great conversation. One couple decides they are going to try and take this cruise again. They don’t know if they have to get off and get back on or not. They don’t even know if there is a room available.

We get out and go take a look at the midnight buffet. There is a rated R comedy show and all four of us go to see it. They discourage anyone under 18 to be there so they made their announcement at the beginning of the show. The comedian was names “Fat Cat”. He was pretty funny, but also lude and crude. It was pretty iffy to have the boys there. The show is finished and we go to the midnight buffet. The food was not very good. We end in bed around 2:00 am.


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2647.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a384/dairyou/100_2648.jpg


Day 7

We land in Freeport and we know we are not getting off the ship. We get up about 11:00 and head up for food. Today they have a chocolate buffet. They have one of those chocolate fountains.

After lunch we decide this is the time to go down the big slide. We change go there and guess what? The slide is closed. They’re painting it  So we are here the entire week and never use the slide. What a bummer!

Danny goes off on his own and you would not believe it. He finally finds a group to belong to. It is ironic that he finds this on the last day of the cruise. He’s happy though even if it’s only 1 whole day…lol

We say goodbye to Igusti and Dennis. The boys really enjoyed their services and antics. Carnival servers either sing or dance every night. It was a nice change.

Back to the room to start packing. As I watch the video on dembarkation I find out that we can “self assist”. If you can carry your own luggage without assistance and you want to get off the boat early you can do this. Of course we are very interested in doing this since we are starting our trip to WDW as soon as we are off the boat. So we will wake up at 6:30 am and wait for them to tell us it is okay to leave. They say it should be no later than 7:30 am. I think this is great because there are times you don’t know if you’ll make an early flight and this is a nice perk.

There is the “Farewell Show” I doubt if we will go.

So here is my final thoughts….
Is Carnival my favorite cruise line? No…but it is a good second. When we get tired of the same itinerary with DCL and now we have more options with Carnival. We want to go to Alaska and we are tired of waiting for DCL to sail there. Now we plan to book in September with Carnival.

The food is great. IMHO I think it’s better than Disney. There is a huge variety that comes from the buffet, sandwich station, 24 hour pizza place, sushi bar, oriental food hut, ice cream, fish and chip area and the hot dog and burger area.

There is a huge variety of picture stations on this ship. There is 5 different backrounds on 4 different levels on the ship. I’m not much of a picture taker, but some of these backrounds were beautiful. The photographer placed us in some different positions so it was a nice change.

You just can’t beat the price. We spent 1845.00 for the four of us on a 7 day cruise. Because we paid so little we booked all our excursions with Carnival. This took a lot of stress off me because I’m usually the one who has to find out where we’re going, how to get there, ect.

So that’s it for now. Time to finish packing and hit the road. Hope you enjoyed the report. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[pppiglet]

Thanks again...it was a great report!

[mruhaak]

Thanks! I enjoyed your report! Glad you had a good time.

[mousecraszy]

Thanks for posting...enjoyed cruising with you...

[Vallie]

Thanks so much for the report! I am really looking forward to my cruise after reading this!

[dairyou]

Vallie,

Once I started looking for the younger crowd I did notice quite a few. I just dont go where they hang out ;) So you should find plenty of people to hang with.

Someone asked about RCCL and why we felt like they nickled and dimed us to death. It just seemed like if you wanted a higher quality ice cream you had to pay extra at the Ben and Jerry's station. They make their "free" ice cream so bad you dont even want to have it. It just seemed like every corner we turned we have to pay a few dollars here and a few dollars there. Now, if we were on Carnival it would had not been so bad since we paid so little. But, on RCCL I don't think it was that much cheaper on DCL. By the time we got off the ship we had paid a fortune for arcade and casino since my family was bored to death.

Anyway, enjoying our time here at WDW. Back to reality in a few days :(

Deb

[dairyou]

By the way...can someone frost me?

Deb

[Vallie]

Vallie,

Once I started looking for the younger crowd I did notice quite a few. I just dont go where they hang out ;) So you should find plenty of people to hang with.

Anyway, enjoying our time here at WDW. Back to reality in a few days :(

Deb

Oh thanks for much for keeping a look-out! I was a bit worried that there wouldnt be anyone there our age but I have my DBF to hang around with anyways!

I hope your enjoying your time at the land!

ANd I frosted ya! :) check your inbox! I hope i did it the right way!

[dairyou]

Thanks for the Frost!

Have a good time on your cruise!

Deb