The ship left out of Port Canaveral, FL. We drove down from our home in South Carolina in about 8 hours and spent the night at the Radisson in Cape Canaveral. The accommodations were quite nice, although the “sleep number” bed left a bit to be desired for my back after doing all that driving. Other than that, it was great. They had a great pool and bar area and it was very relaxing. The best part, was that we could park our car at the hotel and leave it there while we were on our cruise.

There was a shuttle that took us to the Carnival terminal. After taking the shuttle to the Carnival terminal, we stood in line for quite awhile, going through security and customs. Once we got into the main terminal, there were several Carnival employees dressed brightly and working hard to get everyone in the tropical mood! All the Carnival boarding staff were so friendly, and since we had completed our pre-boarding paperwork before we left home, it was a breeze and in no time, we were on the boat getting a drink and looking for lunch.  Caribe shuttle

We were able to go directly to our cabin and check it out. It was a balcony room on the very back of the boat. We simply cannot recommend this enough! The balcony was much larger than the cabins on the sides of the boat. It was huge and had two deck lounge chairs, a regular chair and a small table. The back of the boat is at an angle, so I never felt like I was going to fall overboard. I have an extreme fear of heights and usually can’t stand balconies, but this one was too nice!! Lots of room and privacy as well.

So, after checking out the nicely appointed state room with its bench-like sofa, vanity with mirror and desk and several drawers, pretty small bathroom and cool TV with map showing us where we were in the world we headed upstairs in search of food and drink.

The lunch buffet was great with a selection of burgers, hot dogs, fruit, french fries and potato salads. After lunch, it was time to hit the high seas. So, off we went. We found a great viewing spot and watched as the Carnival Glory sailed out of the harbor and into the Atlantic Ocean. In no time at all, land was but a distant memory and we turned our thoughts to fun. We had the early dinner in the Platinum dining room. The food is wonderful on Carnival ships. Each night had a selection of beef, chicken, pasta and vegetarian. The staff is so attentive and even sang to us on a few nights!

We attended the comedy shows, the big Broadway-type shows in the main theater and spent lots of time in the casino – but luckily not a lot of money! The Carnival shows were just great – especially the raunchy comedy show – what a hoot! We spent a lot of time at the casino bar, and the girls behind the were our favorites and new us by name. They always said hello to us, even if we were just walking by.

The Carnival Glory is huge and it is easy to get lost. It took us a few days to figure out where we were and where we needed to go. Staff were always eager to give us a hand and a point in the right direction.

There are lots of activities on the boat during “at sea” days and we did a few. We did the trivia, but it was poorly attended, as was the puzzles workshop. The larger trivia in the main theater was fun, as our cruise director was quite enthusiastic and slightly insane.

The ports of call were fun. Nassau was a short stop of just a few hours. Long enough to take a water taxi over to Atlantis and do a quick walk through. I would’ve enjoyed a booze cruise, but we didn’t have enough time in port. The seas were a bit rough on the way to St. Thomas, but no one got sick. St. Thomas was pretty fun. We ended up parking our butts in a bar called Rum Runners, where we could see the Carnival Glory docked. There were three Carnival boats in port that day, apparently the most that had been in port together before. I don’t know if it was some big deal or not. St. Thomas was just OK. Now we really enjoy St. Maarten. We were met by someone coming back on the boat as we were just getting off. He said “I hope you brought money, because this place is a BARGAIN.” And boy, was he right. Cheap everything. Great souvenirs, jewelry, super cheap liquor. You name it.

The first sign we saw as we got off the boat was “Water $1 – Beer 99 cents”!! We were able to rent two beach chairs, an umbrella, two towels and a got a bucket of beer for $15. It was a lot of fun. Definitely the best stop on this Eastern Caribbean tour.

The boat was huge and ran like a clock. There were literally thousands of Carnival Staff members running around and helping everyone in sight. Whether they were cleaning, serving, bartending or entertaining, they were doing it well. During the muster call (lifeboat drill) I got to see a little of the “behind-the-scenes” and it intrigued me. Turns out there is a WHOLE lot going on that we as guests never get to see.

Overall, it was a fantastic time. I thought maybe seven nights were too many to be on a boat but i was wrong. I could’ve tu