WOW! My husband and I (a very young 60 & 50, respectively) have just returned from our very first-ever cruise. Who knows what took us so long to "take the plunge," so to speak, but we weren't sure what to expect, and we weren't disappointed.

The embarkation process couldn't have been easier. We had our Fun Pass prefilled, but we assume our last minute cabin upgrade superceded something, and we got tagged with little orange stickers in the terminal. No one could tell us what they represented until we got on board, where we were told to stand in a very long line to activate our Sign & Sail card. We didn't understand why, but apparently, the crew did as they appeared to be ready and waiting for us (long with the other 1000 people that needed the same activation). This line was long, but the staff was efficient, and the computers did their job, so the line moved rapidly. From there we proceeded to our cabin, 8368, on the Veranda Deck, Aft.

The ship (Carnival Glory) was glitzy; I believe the description, Las Vegas, describes it accurately. It was surprisingly tired and worn in places like the hallways and stairwells. Carpeting was threadbare and dirty, but I guess that's to be expected in such heavily travelled areas. Our cabin was very nicely appointed, with wonderfully comfortable bedding and soft, thick & thirsty towels. Seemed like a never-ending supply of towels, too. Even though Carnival encourages re-use, and we attempted to practice it, our steward, Jan, kept us neat and clean and replenished after almost every use. (THAT, I will miss!) The cabin was always clean, and I'm pretty sure Jan stayed under the bed. How else could he have known when we left it?? Even when we were only away long enough to go up one flight and snag an ice cream, he had enough time to pop in and wipe down the sink or shower, vacuum and put the little point on the toilet paper! Read more