My sister and brother sailed on the Glory to celebrate my sisters milestone birthday. We all left our spouses home and enjoyed being kids again! My sister and I had a balcony cabin on the empress deck and our brother a single inside cabin on the upper deck. Our adventure began after we parked our car at the NY cruise terminal. Parking was very easy. We paid $150 for five days and payment was expected in cash in advance. We then unloaded our luggage and proceeded to the cruise terminal. We entered the terminal about 10:45 AM registered and received our sail and sign card. The waiting area had ample seating . The boarding began around 11:30. We took the usual photo and proceeded to the lido deck for lunch. The cabins weren't ready until around 1:30- but all other areas of the ship were available to be explored. Of course the wait staff was busy selling the fancy $8.00 drinks in a plastic drinking glass. The ship was as all Carnival Ships are, very gaudy- but fun, The public and cabins were very clean and well maintained. Most of the staff were very nice and ready to serve. I was did feel that the staff at guest services was cold and not able to assist. In one instance, I would say they were rude. My sister and brother had massages at the Spa and really enjoyed them. I had my hair done and it looked very good. The gym was adequate we used the machines and took a stretching class. Of course the employees in the gym and spa are anxious to sell you their products and services. The bartenders were great as was the cabin attendant. We had anytime dining. I will not have it again on Carnival. I was recently on the Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean and they take reservations for anytime dining- this eliminates long waits. On the Glory, two days we had to wait over one hour for a table and even carried a beeper- not great for a vacation. We missed two early shows due to this and the slow dining room service. I think that not enough staff is available in the any time dining room causing a serious backlog. The entertainment was excellent. Very talented people from the dancers, singers to the bands . We enjoyed the two comedians that performed at both the adult and family comedy shows. The food was good to very good in both the buffet and dining room. We also dined in the specialty restaurant- it was also very good. The photographers were above average! Some of them used a special lens that made me and my siblings look almost 21 again!!! We did purchase many pictures. It would be great if we could see our pictures on line as they do on the Oasis of the Seas instead of running around trying to find them. We also couldn't locate some and if they were more available, perhaps would have even purchased more!! One critique of the ship is the layout. one restaurant, the Golden is in the middle of the ship on two decks of the ship- so you have to either go down or up a few flights to get to certain public spaces- I always use the computer room on all ships and the computer room is located off of a smokey musty smelling bar. It is very dark and not very comfortable. Perhaps it should be located in a more accessible area with better seating and lighting. Laundry rooms are abundant on the ship. This is great for those interested in doing laundry- our cabin was close to the laundry room albeit we didn't do any laundry. My brother's cabin was a couple of doors away from the laundry room on the upper deck and he did use it. One issue that I found chintzy was that the bathrooms had a couple of samples rather then that were the kind you get free in newspapers with small amounts of toothpaste and hair conditioner. They also give us a disposable razor. Realistic 2-3 oz. bottles of toiletries would be a better option. The cabins didn't have clocks, so don't forget your portable alarm clock. I also expected a booklet of discounted and free items as I have sailed on about 5 carnival cruises. The shops was fair- not too many choices for gifts or other items- they ship was big on selling $10 cheap merchandise and inches of fake gold- We did have a good time. Those things that were really important were very good. I would recommend this cruise, especially for those who live close to NY as the price was very reasonable and a good time will be had by all!