We arrived from the West Coast the night before our cruise, rented a car from Budget at the airport and spent the night in the Downtown Disney area. The next day we drove to the port, dropped off the rental car and took their shuttle to the ship. That was a very easy and inexpensive process also affording us the luxury of making other stops on our own. We got to the Port around 2:00 p.m. Boarding began at 1:30 and there was about a 15 minute wait to go through security. Once we passed security there was plenty of staff to assist with the check in process. We completed our Fun pass online about 1 month prior to arrival so all we needed to do was set up our sign and sail account and we were good to go. We were onboard by 2:30. Once onboard there are tables set up so you can purchase soda cards and make appointments for the supper club and the spa.
Dining: We had the 6:15 dinner seating in the Golden dining room. Our waiters were wonderful! The first dinner went a little rough, we weren't even offered a drink until ½ way through dinner but if you can forgive the chaos of the first night, it gets better after that. By the 3rd night they already have your drinks waiting for you and know exactly how you want things prepared. They really want to do a good job for you. We have cruised 4 times before. The first time on NCL about 15 years ago, and twice on RCL 7 and 5 years ago. I found the food on this cruise to be acceptable, but not outstanding. There was really nothing wrong with it. It just seemed as though there weren't that many choices, especially when it came to dessert. And, the quality was always OK, just not anything to rave about. The exception to this was the supper club. That was absolutely the best meal I've ever had. From the moment we walked through the door until we left we were pampered and fed the most gourmet, quality food I've ever sampled. It is an extra $30 pp plus gratuity and drinks, so we only did it one night. If you are a real foodie and are holding back traveling on Carnival for that reason, I would say just eat in the supper club each night. The money you will save traveling Carnival rather than their competitors might make up for the additional money you spend there definitely food for thought!! For breakfast we either did room service (continental breakfast only) or buffet. It too was OK. The kids enjoyed the pizzas and hamburgers/French fries. That was a novelty at first, but after 7 days was pretty tiring. That happens on any cruise lines, so I don't fault Carnival. Alcohol is an expensive item both on this ship and in ports that we visited. We never found a $1 beer as described in some of the other reviews, and they will not allow you to bring your own aboard.
Ship: I was pleasantly surprised with the Carnival Glory. I had heard that the Carnival ships dEcor was loud and garish. I did not find that to be true. The only thing that can be considered loud was the ceiling lighting. This ship is right up there with the others we've traveled on. Our room was also nice. We paid for a balcony guarantee, and were assigned room 6229. The beds are comfy, and there are lots of places to stash your things. The only problem with our room was that it was just above the theatre. Every time there was a show, our room rumbled. If you're planning to be out at the show each night then it's not a problem. If you're planning to go to bed early so you can get up for a shore excursion, then it's pretty frustrating. We found ourselves leaving the balcony door open at night so the ocean would drown out the sound of the theatre show. Not such a bad thing! By the way, if you are picking your own cabin. Pick one on the other side of the ship. Each time we pulled into a port it seemed as though the best sightseeing was on the port side. The cabin stewards also improved with the journey. I think they are really busy in the beginning with luggage, etc. Once they learn how you like things done they are eager to please. The ship is very clean. There were always employees cleaning handles, etc. all day long. The only thing I found gross was the elevator buttons, seemed like those were always slimy. We made our kids wash their hands a lot and before we ate at the buffet we used hand sanitizer. As far as I know, no one aboard our ship got sick.