Glory comes in the morning…

Our cruise on the Glory was quite an adventure.

Each day there was some form of medical emergency including a death during an excursion and a search and rescue assist on our way to St. Thomas. We were late to a few ports and even had to return to Miami on sail day but we truly enjoyed the Carnival Glory and will keep it in our sights for a future cruise. The Fun Squad and Dustin our CD were great and truly kept everyone active and engaged. The staff made sure to keep us informed and I did not hear many, if any, complaints of all of these rare occurrences. Additionally, we met a great group of about 50 people and gained some new friendships as well.

Embarkation

We purchased Faster to the Fun so Embarkation went really quickly. Initially it appeared that they were not vvery organized but from the time we pulled up to the port til the time we were on the ship (Skipping Pictures) was about 15 minutes
Food and Dining
We ate at Guys Burgers, the buffet, in the Main Dining room and the Seafood Shack. We ended sitting at a booth (scheduled for 4 people) in the MDR but the other couple never showed up. We opted to skip the first Formal night as the second fell on my birthday and we decided before embarking that we would only do one formal night. There were a couple of items that we were not crazy about however our main waitress, Johanna was awesome and anticipated all of our needs.
On-board Activities
We opted to not go into the swimming pools but did have Couples Massage in the Spa. The massages were great however they used that opportunity to push their products. We passed.
Serenity Deck
One quiet evening, we went up and laid on one of the hammocks under the stars. Definitely a must do.
Service and Staff
Our room steward, Dennis, was not as visible or approachable as during our last cruise however, he did a great job making sure our room was taken care of. All other members of the staff were always very helpful and pleasant.
Ship Quality
The whole ship appeared to be very clean and you always saw someone cleaning something. The design was not bad. It did seem weird to have 2 pools on the lido separated by the buffet.

Ports Of Call

Miami, Florida

The port in Miami was not bad at all. It appeared to be very organized and they work hard to get everyone on the ship as quickly as possible.

Grand Turk Island

We originally wanted to go to Jack's Shack until we found out it was quite the walk down the beach to get there. We went to Margaritaville and hung out for a few hours. The drinks and food there are a bit pricey. There does not appear to be much to do if you do not schedule an excursion.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

We loved Puerto Rico. We did the Rum Mixology and Salsa Dancing excursion through Carnival. At the end of the excursion, the tour guide gave us the opportunity to go shopping or return to the ship. We went to a little restaurant called Raices and had Skirt Steak stuffed Mofongo. It was fabulous. We also purchased a few gifts from the local artists to take home and give away to family and friends.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

We did not have a planned excursion in St Thomas. Originally we and another couple that we met on the ship planned to go to a restaurant called Cuzzins however it has been closed due to the hurricane. Instead, we caught an open air taxi that took us on a 2 hour tour of the island. The driver took us to several locations and we got several beautiful pictures from 1500 feet above sea level. The cost of the tour was $25 per person.

Amber Cove (Puerto Plata), Dominican Republic

In Dominican Republic, participated in the Over the Ocean Zip lining excursion through Carnival. It was scary and fabulous at the same time. The road to the excursion was not paved and in terrible condition. However, after learning more about the countryside and seeing how the natives live, the condition of the roads is the least of their worries. It was about a 1 hour ride to the excursion and a 1 hour ride back. It was very windy while we were on the stands getting ready to do the excursion but the guides did everything they could to reassure us that we were safe.

 

Overall we had a great time, loved the ship and the ports. Took the time to learn about the culture and each port and plan to return again sometime soon.

 

Until next time....


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