I sailed on the new Carnival Glory the week of September 13th and I must say overall it was a great cruise! This was my 17th cruise, first on Carnival. I've sailed with Celebrity, Costa, NCL, Princess, RCI. I generally cruise alone but Dezertcruzer asked if I'd like to try Carnival, the new Glory so I decided, why not!
We flew into Orlando on Thursday so we could go to the Space Center on Friday. We stayed at the Radisson and in spite of some negative reviews, found the room/hotel to be just fine. Jennifer rented a car, dropping it off, using Avis shuttle turned out to be a blessing! We were the only ones at Avis and avoided the lines at the hotel waiting for a shuttle.
The check-in process was very painless even though we arrived at noon. They had people going along the line checking documents to make sure they were filled out properly. From the time we got off the shuttle to being onboard, it was maybe 12:30, pretty smooth!
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My initial impression of the Glory was WOW, look at those colors! Pretty bright but when you at look at the whole ship, art work, the ceiling lights changing color, it works! I think the various lounges being one particular color, just added to the overall theme, and I liked the way it was done. We enjoyed walking around checking out all the artwork.
We had one of those aft cabins, last one port side, an odd shape, with a bigger balcony! We enjoyed the cabin and definitely the balcony! We ordered room service, every day and Carnival impressed me there. On time every day with warm Danish, Bagel, lox, fruit, coffee, what's not to like? We also were able to do room service the last day, which was nice! No fighting the crowds and no push for us to vacate our cabin. The cabin was better than the Brilliance in March, nicer bathroom, more storage space and the bed did not have the annoying rounded corner RCI beds have!
As the week went on the actual layout of the ship, with only one public deck to walk from aft to forward, bugged me a little, and not just because I kept turning the wrong way! I'd say the Conquest class ships are high density, with the extra tonage over the Destiny/Victory, meaning more cabins but not space for public areas! Having been on the Atlantica (Spirit), liking the layout, more room for passengers to spread out, I'd say that's probably more my style. I like a dining room aft, not having to go up, just to go down! Glory has the "you can't get there from here" arrangement!
I felt the layout contributed to a more smokey atmosphere, and you had to work at getting away from it. It was very noticeable in the lobby, which is trapped between the two dining rooms, also along the passageway to get from aft to forward! Your only choice and, of course, through the casino! I also noticed people carrying ash trays all over, which I haven't seen before. I've seen this done outdoors, but not inside areas.
When we tried to find the internet cafe, it was through a lounge used for cigars, only way to get there! What were they thinking?
The main surprise for me on Carnival was the food! I was not prepared to have great meals in the dining room and a very good selection. I was pleased. Service was very good, timely, and no mistakes. Deserts were excellent. The fellow that came around for drinks was good, just asked and wasn't pushy. The singing guy, Ken, that everyone seems to rave about, could keep it down to just one evening (maybe)!
The buffet area was fine, great selections for lunch, didn't get to try everything. The fish and chips were really good. We never had an issue with finding a place to sit, even on sea days, always empty spots. I like Carnival putting the silver on the table wrapped in a napkin. All you had to worry about was your tray/plate, made the line move along, and you weren't reaching in a container for silverware. Key word there, tray, I wish RCI would use trays.
I found the personnel on the ship to be super, upbeat, friendly, anxious to please, always with a smile! No matter who I saw, everyone spoke, smiled said, hello, good day, I like that, rather than the reserved, refined, stuffy approach. Just my take on it, I'm like that every day. Everyone I come in contact with, pass by, I smile, say hello, hold doors for people, friends say I'm overly polite. Brightens my day to be nice to people!
We went to some of the shows and they were great. I really enjoyed the two big production shows, Carnival goes all out! They were really fun, very professional! The singer they had, Marcus Anthony was very good, too. I did not go to the Illusionist, or to the Comedy show.
Getting off the ship was as painless as getting onboard. Very organized and did not take long!
My overall impression of Carnival was better than I expected. I found the same situation when I researched Costa, I was prepared for the worst and found it wasn't so bad after all. I learned the hard way after my Celebrity cruise, better to lower your expectations and not be disappointed! When you consider the price structure of cruises today, Carnival has a good product that gives people a good cruise for the price they are paying.
