Carnival Glory 09/22/07 - 09/29/07 Day 0... Friday 09/21/07 I got out of work at noon (actually about 5 minutes til, as my boss (also known as "the DQ") was feeling generous that day. The girls and I were all meeting at Jenni's house at 5:00, and it would take me an hour to get there, so I had a few hours to finish up the last minute packing, and then to pick up Tanya on the way. We arrived at Jenni's house at 4:50, and waited for the others. We were on the road for Detroit by 5:15. We had booked a hotel for the night in Detroit, near Metro airport, so after about a 2 ½ hour drive, we arrived at the hotel, and went across the parking lot to the Big Boy for a bite to eat. One of the girls had a hair in her sandwich, and the service was VERY slow. After we ate our late dinner, we returned to the hotel and showered, after a little bit of conflict over who was getting the beds, and who was getting the floor, we hit the sack. There were 6 of us in our group so, by no one's fault but our own, we were short on sleeping space...that's what we get for sneaking 6 people into a 4 person hotel room.

Day 1 ... Saturday 09/22/07 We had an 8:15 flight, so we got up at 5:00 am. We took a shuttle bus from the hotel to the airport, and were entertained for the ride by a young boy who took great delight in sharing with us his experiences on ALL BOTH of his airplane rides before. Our flight on Northwest was uneventful, and ON TIME. Upon arrival in Orlando, we were greeted by our (private) shuttle driver George. He was very funny and entertaining, and accepted my challenge of getting us to the port in 40 minutes or the ride was free. After a very exciting 85 - 90 mile per hour ride from Orlando to Port Canaveral, we arrived in port with one minute to spare. It became apparent that we were close when we spotted the funnel on top of the Glory, and that is when it really hit us that we were going on a CRUISE. Half or our group had never cruised before, and even for those of us who had, it was the greatest feeling in the world. We paid George, along with a very generous tip, and sent him on his way. Embark was not bad at all. There was a bit of a line, but it moved rather quickly. We were handed information sheets in this line, that FINALLY informed us for DEFINITE sure where our ports were going to be, as there was a LOT of controversy over this prior to embarkation day. Our original itinerary called for Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize, and Nassau. We ended up with it being Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Freeport. We were on board at about 12:30, with our sail & sign cards in hand, and our rooms were ready, so we headed up to deck 7 Empress, to check them out. I have to say at this point, that I will NEVER EVER have an interior room again. There were 3 women sharing 2 rooms, and they were a) too small, but more importantly b) WAY TOO DARK. I hated not knowing if the sun was up or not. Yes I realize that I could tell that by looking at my watch, but it's NOT THE SAME. That will be the end of the whining in this review.

We headed up to deck 9 Lido and purchased our (2) soda cards, and then headed to the buffet to grab some lunch. I have no complaints about the buffet at all. The food was amazing, there was always plenty to choose from, and if I didn't like something...I just didn't eat it. I will also interject here, that I never had difficulty getting sodas at any of the bars, and in the dining room, after the first night, Yasanee (the bar waitress for the dining room) had sodas waiting for (all of ) us before we even arrived. OK...I lied about the end of the whining. I forgot the muster drill. Oh My GOSH what a nightmare. It was hot, we were packed in like sardines, people were sweaty and smelly (myself included) from traveling all day, and it seemed as though it took FOREVER. I realize that this is something that HAS to be done, and by no means did it RUIN my cruise, but it still sucked. Our bags arrived in PLENTY of time for our 8:30 dinner seating in the Golden Dining Room. We were seated at a table for 6, and our group was seated together. I was a little bit disappointed, because I had been hoping to be seated at a larger table, and meet some new people, but my disappointment didn't last long as we made friends with the two couples from Georgia that were seated at the table next to ours. Our waiters, I can't remember and Cipriani were wonderful. Very friendly, very informative, and MORE than willing to give us whatever our little hearts desired. And, believe me, our hearts (and stomachs) desired a LOT. However, on the third night, we were assigned to a different set of waiters, whose names were Neville and Iketut. They were also very good, and quickly learned our preferences as far as steak doneness, portions, etc. And, after we each ordered a cappuccino with a small scoop of whipped cream on the first night, they were served to us automatically each night. The dinner entertainment was fun each night, and we had a great time joining in and dancing with our servers each night. I won't bore you with the daily specifics of what I ate, but I will tell you my personal favorites of the week...things not to miss... If you like Caesar salad...the dressing is to DIE for, the steak with the 3 peppercorn sauce is AMAZING, the black tiger shrimp cocktail is very good, warm chocolate melting cake is yummy but very rich, the lobster tail and the prime rib were SUPERB, the jerked pork loin was excellent, the tiramisu was incredible, the filet mignon was great, the raspberry vanilla cream cake was delish, the chateaubriand with sauce bEarnaise was phenomenal, the escargots (which I had never had before) were surprisingly not bad, the cappuccino pie was smooth, the strawberry cheesecake was beyond description. I have never had a cheesecake with such texture and flavor. After dinner, we wandered around some more, had a boat drink or two, and went to bed. Day 2... first full day at sea Breakfast buffet was unimpressive. The scrambled eggs were undercooked, and the pancakes were a bit on the cold side. Other than that, all went well. The rest of the food was passable, and there was a LOT to choose from. Some of us spent some time laying out in the sun NEAR the funnel deck, but not ON it. ? We got sunburned. Stupid girls from Michigan who think that just because they go to a tanning booth for a couple of weeks, they'll be fine in the Caribbean. We weren't. The lunch buffet was pretty good each day. There was a different "theme" each day, and I really enjoyed trying new things, and I didn't find that the lines were excessively long, nor did they move very slowly. I was pretty impressed, actually. Each time we returned to our cabin, we found that our steward, Sofayen had cleaned and remade it. He did an awesome job of keeping up with us. He also provided us with bathrobes upon request, and was always happy and smiling. This was the first formal night dinner, and it was incredible. We had a great time dressing up and getting "pretty". After dinner, we headed to the piano bar. There were only a few other people in there, which was disappointing. Especially since there was a middle aged couple that were ALL OVER EACH OTHER. They seriously needed to take it back to their cabin. One of the girls in our group became very ill this night, and spent the night vomiting. We took her to the infirmary in the morning, where they gave her some medication, told her to get a lot of rest, and told us that she was to be confined to the cabin for 24 hours, and that she shouldn't be left alone. I have to give kudos to Anna, the ship's nurse, as she took very good care of our friend, and called several times throughout the week to check on her. None of the rest of us got sick at all, so whatever it was, wasn't contagious. Day 3... Cozumel We had ordered room service breakfast today, as it was a port day. And, we found it funny that each time we ordered room service throughout the week, we were given the 3 cereals we had ordered (among other things), 3 cartons of milk, and only 2 bowls. ALL 3 times we ordered it. It was just funny by the third time. Due to the illness of one of our friends, the rest of us decided to go to Cozumel in shifts. One of the girls stayed behind, on a promise from me to return by 2:00 so that she could go back out with the others. So...off I went to Cozumel, via Punta Langosta pier. We did some shopping, bought a bunch of souvenirs, and headed to Margaritaville for lunch. The food was very good, but the raspberry margaritas (large size) were JUST the ticket. After lunch, I headed back to the ship to relieve my friend, so that she could get HER shopping done in Cozumel, and it turns out that they all went to Senor Frog's with her, so it worked out well for both of us. I guess this is as good a place as any to go into the rest of the food (since I can't remember what I ate on what day because there was just SO MUCH EATING). The deli had very good sandwiches, but I was SO disappointed in the reuben. It had been hyped up on the boards so much, that I was SO looking forward to it...but it was HORRIBLE. I spit out the first bite, and got food from the buffet. Blech. The fish & chips were very VERY good. I was impressed, as I'm not usually a fish eater. I did not try the oriental bar, so I can't say if that was good or not. The pizza was pretty good, but the service at the pizzeria STUNK. They were unfriendly and acted as if they were being inconvenienced all 3 times I went there. Day 4... Belize We had to tender to Belize, and this process went VERY quickly. I was impressed. Actually, I should interject here, that we had no problems at ALL with getting on or off the ship all week long. Most of our group did not do an excursion (the two who did enjoyed the cave tubing). We opted for shopping and sight-seeing on our own. Big mistake. There is not a lot to see here, that is safe for individuals. There were armed guards warning us not to wander outside of the pier area, so we were disappointed that we didn't get to see much of Belize...but will definitely go back again and do an excursion. We did pick up some very cool souvenirs though. Day 5... Roatan, Honduras It was a very early day here, and we did book an excursion. We opted to book the Tabayana Beach Excursion, and then rent snorkel equipment there. After a harrowing bus ride over a very narrow mountainous road (the driver laughed at us the whole way, and took great delight in scaring the pants off the gringos), we arrived in paradise. This was a BEAUTIFUL beach. We selected our loungers for the day, and went to the gift shop to rent our snorkel equipment. Having never snorkeled before (and being slightly prone to panic attacks), it took me a few minutes to adjust to the tricks of maneuvering myself in the water, and still being able to BREATHE. But, once I did, we were off to snorkel the reef, and it was the most incredible experience of my life...next to giving birth. The snorkel equipment had to be returned after 2 hours, so we did that, and then laid out on the loungers for a while longer. We were entertained by a wandering rottweiler who "did his business" right on the beach about 20 feet from where I was sitting. What we did NOT find entertaining, however, was that the "beach cleaner" came by with a shovel, and dug a hole right next to the pile of poo, and BURIED IT. Only about a foot deep. Tip of the day...do NOT let your children build sand castles on Tabayana Beach. We returned, via a van instead of a bus this time, to the ship at about 1 PM, and headed up to the Lido deck for some lunch, and then a nap. After dinner, we went to the Ebony Cabaret for a late-night showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show." What a riot this was. A huge blast from the past. The crew had passed out a few scripts to SOME of the guests attending, but we wished they had had more, because a lot of the people just set them aside and didn't play along. Nonetheless...it was very fun. Day 6... Day at Sea Today, I played bingo, tried my hand at the casino (bad idea), and did my onboard shopping. We also decided to try out the water slide...which was very fun. Even at our ages. ? I have to add here, that I met SO many people on this cruise, and I was amazed by how friendly everyone was. I did not meet a single unfriendly person at all. The crew, the passengers...they were all happy and smiling the entire week (with the possible exception of the pizzeria guys, but I've already forgotten about them). Day 7... Freeport, Bahamas This was possibly the one disappointment of the cruise. Our original itinerary called for Nassau, and having never been to the Bahamas before, I didn't know what to expect. But, whatever I did expect, it was not to be docked in what looked like a Navy Ship Yard. Once off the ship, we followed the crowd to the straw market, and were disappointed that each little shop seemed to have the same wares as the shop before it. So, I asked advice from a security person, and was informed that for $5 per person we could take a cab to Port Lucaya, and that there was PLENTY of shopping, with unique wares, and that across from the shopping place was a free beach if we were interested. So, hop into the taxi we did. We really enjoyed Port Lucaya, and the shopping, but it was SO hot this day, that 3 of us opted to return to the ship and grab some lunch. The others went over to the beach, and thoroughly enjoyed it. During the afternoon and early evening, we napped and then started packing for the return trip home. This was a sad, sad time. Day 8... debarkation I hated the idea of going home, but because I missed my kid, and had to return to WORK on Monday, I figured I'd better not fight it. Debarkation didn't take nearly as long as I had expected. We had to wait for our shuttle driver, Paul to pick us up, and I tried the 40 minutes or it's free gig on him too, and his response was to laugh and say "OHHHHHHHHHHH...so YOU'RE the 40 minutes or free girls!" It took an hour to get back to the Orlando airport. Not that I should have wanted him to hurry, because as it was, we arrived there around 11 a.m., and our flight wasn't until 5:14 p.m. UGH...I will NEVER spend 5 ½ hours in an airport again! The flight back to Detroit was the MOST turbulent flight I've ever been on, and I seriously thought those flapping wings were going to snap right off. But, we landed safely, and on time, and found a shuttle back to our van to begin the 2 ½ hour ride back to my car. Once there we transferred baggage, hugged good-bye, and then after dropping Tanya at home, I arrived home shortly after midnight, to find that my babysitter, my daughter, and her friend had decorated with balloons, streamers, and welcome home signs. And now, I spend all my time still reading the boards, trying to figure when and how I can go on another cruise. Having only been on two in my life, I can only imagine what is left out there to experience, but I do know one thing...I LOVE CRUISING. Cruising is the best vacation out there, as far as value, entertainment, food, relaxation, you name it.