This is my review of the 9/6/03 sailing of the Carnival Glory. We have been on three cruises, all with Carnival, the Fantasy and the Pride so that is all we have to compare to. As mentioned in several other reviews…this is our (Denise and Doris’) experience and ours alone. With that said…..

Getting There:

We live in Orlando so getting there was just a 40-minute drive to the Port. As we set eyes on the Glory all I can say is WOW!! She is truly a mega liner!! There was 5 of us traveling together so two dropped three of us off with the luggage and two went to park the van over at the Carnival terminal.

Embarkation:

By the time they returned from parking the car we were half way through the line. It took approx. 45 min. to get on the ship. Painless process.

First Impression of Interior:

As stated above we have been on the Fantasy and the Pride. I remember stepping aboard the Pride and having my mouth hit the floor, well the same thing happened here but for a different reason. The atrium was extremely small and felt very closed in. Although several of the Big Cats could see the beauty in the atrium, I did not feel it. The wall that had the color lights on it was practically useless. The lower ceiling was very pretty. Not wanting to offend anyone, but the smoke was unbearable.

Cabin:

We were in cabin #6210 Upper forward, second balcony from the front, category 8a. Our room steward Romeo was fabulous. If we paged him, he was at our door before we hung up the phone. Always wanting to make our stay better. I can’t give him enough praise for his outstanding service. The cabin was spacious but not as spacious as the Pride. Very comfortable. Our friends that were sailing with us have only been on RCCL and Celebrity and when they entered their cabin they were shocked at how large the cabin was.

Our Big Cat Meeting (group we have been corresponding with for 8 months):

All I can say is WOW!! This is a fantastic group of people! They are truly all keepers. We are planning on traveling together next year! I just wish we lived closer to one another! Everyone turned out for the original meet and several of us spent a lot of time together throughout the cruise. Great company!! Hopefully they will keep our escapades to themselves!! I mean you George!!!!

Pools and Lido Area:

The pools were typical Carnival…nothing elaborate but functional. Kept us wet in the hot sun. The slide on the other hand was the bomb!!! Only got to do it once but it was a blast. I do not know why the ship designer did this but the aft pool by the Azure bar is enclosed. The dome could open but was closed every time I went back there. The pizza station is back there as well so every time you went to this area it was like a sauna. I remember on the Pride the aft pool was all open and I personally liked it better. I did not find deck chair saving to be a problem and we got to the pool around 11:00-11:30am. Just could not get right next to the pool but we did not want to because there is no breeze on the first level, very hot. The usual kids not being watched by their parents, enough said!

The lido dining was hit and miss. The deli, grill, pizza and fish and chips were great. Breakfast was the usual but all other meals were not good for us. Did not attend a midnight buffet so I cannot comment on those.

Dining Room:

The best part of this experience was having a table full of Big Cats! Reggie was the only one who was not a big cat but we enjoyed his company. Our table server was Kim (a guy) and Monika. Kim did not belong in the dining room. He was the worst waiter I have ever experienced and was rude to Monika who did her job the best she could under his direction. Finally Ken replaced him on the sixth night, which was not really acceptable, and gave us Petra. Petra and Monika were a fabulous team. Our last two nights were wonderful as far as service. All nights were great with our table mates, this made the wait on our food bearable. Ken actually was able to move three Big Cats from another table to ours and this made us very happy. As far as the food goes for us it was hit and miss. Some good meals and some not so good. For desserts, the spa selection I found to be the best.

The dining room had alot of vibration and side to side swaying most nights. The last night was the worst but I think a little lady named Isabel might have had something to do with that.

Ports:

Nassau: Did not get off the ship. We have been there twice and did not feel the need to see it again.

St. Thomas: The beaches and Mountains are beautiful. The living is very poor. Did not make it to St. John’s but would love to go back to experience it. Went to Sapphire Beach, which is beautiful, and Coki Beach, which we loved. This is where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean and it was amazing. Not to mention the hottie serving the drinks…what was his name?? Rented a van so did our own driving and that was an experience to say the least. Poor Chris could not take in the sights because we would not let her take her eyes off the road. People there drive crazy.

St. Martin – Maarten – Marteen…….This was my favorite of all. Took a tour of both French and Dutch sides. Orient Beach was amazing!! We did this tour with a several Big Cats so it was really a lot of fun.

Overall:

Although we were not so impressed with this ship, service and food, this was truly our best cruise because of the Big Cats!!

I felt that the staff did not know the ship very well, constantly sent us in the wrong direction. At the pursers’ desk, if you asked one person you got one answer and if you asked another the same question you got a different answer. I witnessed the staff being rude at times and encountered it myself twice.

Although the public rooms were abundant, they were small. Compared to the Pride it seems that they added more cabins on this class of ship and took away from the public space, confusing to me.

We noticed a sewage smell several times in different areas. Could not be avoided at all in the public restrooms...but I can understand that.

The cigarette smoke was abundant even in the cabin hallways. No matter where you were except a dinning area, you smelled smoke. We did not experience this on the Fantasy and the Pride, only in the clubs and casino area, never in the cabin hallways. Very poor ventilation on the Glory. Nothing against people who smoke, I just never experienced it so prominent on a ship, at least the two I had been on. At one point my friend was trying to read a book in her cabin and had to hold a towel over her face. I smoked for many years and quit about 4 years ago so I really do not like the smell of smoke but can't be avoided in public. I do think that smokers should adhear to the non-smoking areas and this was not the case on this sailing. People smoked whereever they chose and I did find it a bit rude. A non-smoker going into a smoking area is no big deal but when a smoker comes into a non-smoking area and smokes, well it makes a difference.

The ship rocks….and rocks…and rocks…thank God for Bonine…Dramanine, etc.

The Glory Big Cats made this the best cruise ever for us and we look forward to doing this again next year. We are going to try RCCL next year but we will sail Carnival again in the future. I really like the Spirit Class ships by Carnival, I feel they take a little from each of the classes and add a bit more elegance. Thanks Big Cats for the memories and lifelong friendships!

Your review was very depressing as we picked Glory since it was new and so much bigger. This will our first cruise and we are taking 3 children 11-19yrs.old. I hope things improve by the time we sail over Christmas!

We too are going on our first cruise with Glory October 4th. I'm so nervous I don't even know if I want to go. Exactly how much rocking are we talking about? The smoking thing sounds horrible.

we are thinking about either the Glory or the Mariner of the Seas(RCCL). It sounds like you had some what of a decent time. The smoking is on every ship. What deck were you on. We would like a balcony. Never had done one.

And what is a big cat? I didn't quite follow that.

thanks for you help. Any more info on the Glory would be a help. What time of the year did you again? We want to go in the beginning of Oct.

My boyfriend and I went to the Valentine's Crusie on Glory in Feb 2005...GLORY IS GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a vacation!