Carnival Glory Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My wife and I spent much time reviewing and finding a cruise that suited not only our schedule, but the destinations, as well as budget. We selected the Eastern Caribbean cruise that sailed out of Miami on the Carnival Glory. We knew going into it that this ship was slightly aged and didn’t have as many amenities as some of the newer ships, but had been retrofitted with the Fun Ship 2.0 updates a few years prior. This review will break down the following; Ship Overall; Cabin; Dining; Embarkation, Debarkation; Entertainment; Fitness; Shore Excursions.
Ship Overall
While the Glory has some of the newer amenities as part of the Fun Ship updates, the overall condition of the ship is still dated and relatively “tired”. The dining room, cabin, and general common areas still sport what I would consider the original décor from when the ship first sailed over 12 years ago. The layout is choppy and didn’t feel that there was a good “flow” when dealing with the crowds. Disembarking from ports was chaotic and due to the amount of people trying to get off all at once, there was very little room to stage all the people. Now, while there were some items that were lacking, there were positives as well. The Blue Iguana Cantina and Guy’s Burger Bar were by far some of the best food options around. The adults only pool area and Serenity Decks were a favorite for us since it provided some noise reduction, but still allowed us to hear the entertainment going on at the main pool. Overall, while the ship was full, there were many areas for people to entertain themselves at, which kept the overall crowding or feeling like we were in a crowd down to a minimum.
Cabin Review
Balcony
We chose to upgrade to a Spa Balcony room which happened to be on the 10th floor instead of the 11th. Not exactly sure what the difference was between ours and our neighbors which was a category 8E vs our 8F. The décor, like the rest of the ship was dated, but there was so much to do on the ship that we rarely spent any time in the room, and if we were in the room, we were on the balcony. Carnival does need to ensure that their guests know that smoking is prohibited on balcony rooms. We had to call on balcony smokers a few times to guest services, but towards the end of the cruise, it seemed as if people finally figured it out. While the balcony isn’t the biggest space, it did provide what we needed, a spot to sit, relax, and sip a few drinks as the ocean passed us by. Our cabin steward was cordial and friendly, although we rarely saw him, which isn’t a bad thing. Word to the wise, make sure to check your mini fridge bottles daily! We found ours opened and water put into them, could have been a costly mistake if we hadn’t. Overall, cabin was adequate, relatively comfortable, dated, but the balcony made the room.
Port Reviews
Grand Turk
debated on different options for excursions, but settled on hitting the beach (chairs and loungers are free) and Margaritaville (restaurant and pool), both right off the pier. Another Carnival ship arrived 30 minutes before ours, so many of the good loungers were taken and Margaritaville was already packed and in full party effect. The beach wasn’t nearly as nice as Half Moon Cay and while the water was clean, it was rocky. Maybe we were spoiled after the beaches on Half Moon Cay and St. Thomas, but it isn’t a beach I would pay to vacation on. There was some entertainment at Margaritaville, but a majority of the entertainment was the people who were slightly over intoxicated and enjoying their party atmosphere. I can say now, I have been there and done that and wouldn’t go back to the island again.
San Juan
again, nothing was planned. Headed out first thing and walked to San Cristobal Fort a few blocks away. Walked around the area, checked out some local shops, local bars, and restaurants. Great day on the island and if we have an opportunity in the future, our goal is to take a cruise that departs from San Juan and go a few days earlier to check out the island a bit more.
Half Moon Cay
nothing was planned or scheduled… getting off the ship was a challenge and took nearly an hour because of the number of people trying to get off. We walked around a bit, then hit up the beach. Chairs and loungers are free and the DJ played at one of the bars so you could hear the entertainment, even if you weren’t in the thick of it all. Wait staff from the ship walked around serving drinks (Cheers program does NOT count on shore). Beach is a nice fine powdery sand and the water is clear and wonderful. Great day on shore, just lounging and laying around.