travelenthusiast

We are used to traveling on our own and have lots of questions on what to expect on our first cruise. We are planning on going on the Carnival Glory on a 4 night cruise from NYC to Canada. I have lots of questions that I hope you can answer. The people going on the cruise are my husband and I (in our early 40's) and my parents (73 yrs old). We will be going with a group of about 300 people and will have special activities to attend.

WHwn I called the booking # they said that we only have the 2 seatings to choose from for dinner and they don't have the "Your Choice" dining. Does anyone know if we want to eat at a buffet one night instead of the dining room, can we eat any time we want or do we still have to eat at the specified time that we choose at booking? Do they have a separate dinner buffet that is in a different area than the two seating dining room?

We plan on booking a balcony room. I tend to get seasick and plan on asking for a room on a lower deck in the middle of the ship. Does anyone have any specific recommendations of a deck or room # to ask for?

How do we find out when the formal night is? Will they send us an itinerary and info packet or will we be able to access a specific site about our cruise after we book?

Do the rooms have a wall safe in them like in hotels rooms?

Are there ATM's on board? Do we need cash for anything besides housekeeping tips and money for small purchases on excursions?

If we can, I'd like to just pay for everything at the end on a credit card. Can we sign everything to the room like we do on our Caribbean vacations? If we pre pay the tips, will they still add another "tip" to our bill at the end of the cruise?

Does bingo cost extra? This is for my Mom.

How does it work when you have to pay for drinks? Do you have a special card that you give them? Can you buy a pre paid soda card for adults and does it include lemonade and iced tea? Again another Mom question.

Could someone describe how arrival onto the ship and departure works for the Glory? My Dad is ambulatory but has spinal stenosis. He doesn't use a cane but has some problems walking long distances. He has a handicapped parking sign for his car that his Dr approved. How long will the wait be for arrival? Will we be standing in line for over 20 mins?

Thank you for your help. We'll be the "tour guides" for my parents so I'm trying to learn all I can before we go to make it easier.

KVR

Go to www.cruisecritic.com

Click on boards and then click on Carnival and then your ship and start reading. There is a ton of information and all your questions can be answered.

travelenthusiast

Thanks. I've been looking around for info and I'll check it out.

bonniejns

We have been on the Glory for 4 times since August 29th!
There are two seating for dinner in two dining rooms. 1st is at 6:15 2nd is 8:15. We NEVER eat 1st seating! We don't care if you have dinner at 4 o'clock at home, you never go hungry on the Glory! With 1st seating you have to rush when you get back from shore to shower & dress for dinner, don't have time for a nap (the only time we take one!), etc.
I understand Carnival is about to start 'any time dining" but we like the same table and waiter every night and for that reason do not like NCL's freestyle dining!
We like deck 9 and to feel the rock of the ship if there is any which there usually isn't. Do get a cabin midship and I'd go the lowest deck of balcony cabins.
If you are going on a 4 night cruise, formal night will be the 2nd or 3rd night. But Carnival doesn't have formal nights. They call it 'cruise elegant night'. There will be a LOT of people who won't be formally dressed.Men don't even need a jacket for dinner those nights and a LOT won't be wearing even that.
There is a safe, like hotels, but on a closed shelf below the safe. Do not use your sign 'n sail card to open & close it. I uses my AARP card or depatment store card and we keep it in one of the books on the cabin.
They do have an ATM on deck 3 across from the purser's deck but everything on the ship is paid for only by your sign 'n sail card. All the tips are automatically put on your account. If you want to tip extra then you can give your room steward and/or waiter something extra in cash.
You use your sign 'n sail card for everything ON the ship. Everything will be put on your creidt card. You can check what's on it on the TV in your cabin. And, you will have a complete accounting of everything you are charged with under your door when you wake up the last morning.
Bingo does cost extra but we don't play bingo so don't know how much the cards are. They have bingo in the evening usually before the shows in the theater.
Drinks are usually $5.25 PLUS 15% tip automatically added. Lemonade and ice tea are always available and free on deck 9, the Lido deck, buffet deck. I bought a coke, still in the can, for $2.24. Sometimes a soda card isn't worth it unless you drink a LOT of soda. Carnival will allow you to take some soda aboard when you get on.You pay for EVERYTHING on the ship with your sign 'n sail card. The drinks they really push when you get on in the souvenir, tall glasses are $7.95 each and you have bought the glass! So take the glass to any bar anf they will give you a clean one that you can get a a refll in for about a $1 less.
The line to check in may seem long but it does move fast. There are chairs to wait in AFTER you've checked in, before you can board. You can request a wheelchair for your father and they will have one waiting with someone to push it when you arrive. In this case he may have VIP check in and he/you won't have to wait to do that.
Hint: I take a copy of the whole ship's floor plan whenever we cruise so I can easily find lounges, the theaters, etc. You can get a fold up little card that points to where things are but its hard to really read it. Also there is a fish 'n chips 'restaurant' on deck 10 right above the buffet. there are stairs in the buffet to it. And don't hesitate to join others at a table in the buffet when you can't find an empty one.
And do go to cruisecritic and their "Boards" (menu along top of page) for tons more info! They have an ask a cruise question under cruise topics here.

Dayenu

You can eat in a buffet before, after, or instead of your dinner seating time - nobody will ask or check. You can also order room service - the food is "free", additional tipping expected. The buffet is usually on the top level, the restaurants are in the middle of the ship.

There are no balconies on the lower decks. If you can get sea sick you either take medications and stay in a balcony cabin, or get a lower cabin with a window.

Every night there will be a schedule for the next day in you cabin: on your bed or on the desk - the room steward will leave it for you. He'll enter your cabin twice: in the morning to make your bed, to clean, to change towels... in the evening to "turn down" the bed and take the trash out if there is any.

Yes, there is a safe in each cabin, and it's free to use.

You use a room key as a card to pay for everything on the ship. You also put tips on your credit card. Tip additional in cash if you wish.

Bingo cards cost extra, of course! And the casino accepts cash.

Morning juices and iced tea at lunch are free. Teas - regular and herbal - and hot water are in the buffet all day. Coffee and decaff are free. When you order an alcoholic drink (or coke) they ask for your room card, bring a slip to sign, like if you'd use a credit card (tips included! you don't have to tip twice)

On the last day of the cruise you get a statement to check for accuracy. If you agree with everything, they will charge your credit card. Daily tips will be on that statement too.

Tell your dad to bring a cane on the cruise. He'll get more help with everything if it's visible he needs help.

A word of caution: some ships require all passengers to be back 1 hour early: if you're scheduled to leave the port at 5 pm, you must be on board by 4 pm. They will not wait for you unless you are on a tour that you bought from the ship.

Dayenu

"Do not use your sign 'n sail card to open & close it. I uses my AARP card or depatment store card and we keep it in one of the books on the cabin."

Bonnie (or somebody else) - can you please explain it? I'm used to safes with 4-digit code, punch in the code, and shut the safe, I don't understand what a card has to do with it.

travelenthusiast

Thank you for all of the great information. I told my husband that I was going to ask the people on Fodors because they are always so knowledgeable and helpful. I would also like an explanation of the safe set up. The ones we have always used have a 4 digit code like Dayenu described.

Were there lots of kids running around the ship and are there any adult only areas? We don't have kids and don't enjoy lots of yelling and running around.

Are there any activities or anything special that you would recommend that we do on board? Did you either of you eat in the specialty dining room that has an upchange of $30 and if so, was it worth it? We've had amazing meals in the Caribbean and really enjoy a nice dining experience but we don't want to pay extra if it's not something special.

Thanks again for your input!

bonniejns

Hello again!

Some safes are push button and some require a card, depends on the ship. On the Glory they are card the types.
We really only saw kids when the Kid's Carnival Club were going somewhere quietly as a group.

As was said, you will have a Carnival Capers in your cabin every evening. That has EVERYTHING that's going on the next day. I often take a marker and mark things I don't want to miss. The edge of the right side can easily be ripped off so you only have to take that with you when you leave your cabin.

I have a problem having to pay for food on a cruise but the menu is posted somewhere so you can see if you want to spend $30 extra each.

You will get lobster in the dining room and prime rib was on the menu twice.

When you get on board they are serving lunch on the Lido/buffet deck (9) and you can also go to the dining room but I don't know when that closes.

If you go to cruisecritic.com and join them (it is VERY safe to do so) you can go to their Roll Call in their Boards. You click on the cruise line there, then the ship, then the date of your cruise and you will find other people who will be on your cruise. You can email each other and often there is a meet & greet where everyone gets together the 1st day and you put faces with names and make new friends!

Know you'll have a ball and start planning another cruise before you get off the ship!

travelenthusiast

Bonniejns - Thanks for the info. We called and booked the cruise today. Yeah! I think we'll have a fun time. We are usually pretty independent when we travel. We like picking out our own restaurants and places that interest us when we travel to an island. I'm a little concerned about crowds of people on a cruise ship.

We were able to book the "Your Choice" dining room which will work out great for us. My parents are also going on this trip and they like to eat earlier than we do but the 6 PM seating was way too early for DH and me. Our balcony rooms are going to be on the Empress deck. Is that a good choice?

I still don't understand how the card works for the safe. Why do you need to use a random card? Do you swipe it and does it recognise your personal info on it?

What was your favorite activity on the ship? Do they have water aerobics and billiard tables?

What did you think of the sing along piano bar? Was the guy good at getting people to participate?

Can you tell that I'm excited about the vacation? It's going to be a long seven months - LOL!

bonniejns

The ‘Your Choice Dining’ is BRAND new on Carnival. The Glory is going into wet or dry dock February 1st. When it comes back two weeks later it will then have it. We were told it would be in the upstairs/balconies of both dining rooms. But by the time you’re on the ship it maybe in just one dining room. The Golden is smaller and just off the atrium so that may be the one they’ll use then.

We do not like NCL because of their ‘free style’, the same thing. On a cruise we eat 8:15-8:30, at home its 6:15-7 o‘clock. On NCL we have always had to wait, once more than 45 minutes! And we get beepers to call us when they have a table for you.

We are both young 65’ers. How old are your parents? Often I will go to the buffet as soon as they open, 6PM, and get appetizers for before dinner. They always have cheese, salami, etc. Sometimes they have BIG fried shrimp for dinner there but I just get the shrimp. You can get ketchup at any table there and lemons by the drink station. (Last two times I brought shrimp sauce with us because I knew the shrimp would be there the 1st night!)

We NEVER eat 1st seating on a cruise! We want to go to the same table every night with the same waiter and busboy. They quickly learn what you want/like and then you don’t have to ask for ice tea , coffee, etc., every night. A fantastic desert every night is the chocolate melting cake- it comes with one ice cream but our tablemate only had to ask for 4 (!) one night. Then it came with 4 every night after asking once.

Above the buffet at lunch- there are stairs in the buffet going there- is the fish ‘n chips. That’s all they have and it is good. They also have an oriental and deli on the Lido deck. At the deli they make sandwiches while you wait.

The safe works like a debit card but nothing is saved. Just slide it to open and close. Don’t use your sign ‘n sail card as the room stewards have master cards for all the rooms. I use a department store or my AARP card then keep it in one of the books you’ll have your cabin.

As was said you’ll get the Carnival Cappers in you cabin each night. This has EVERYTHING that is happening the next day. You can easily rip the left side off and take that with you during the day. You can also highlight what you don’t want to miss.

Never went to the piano bar but they do have karaoke each night. Then the winners of each night perform as the show in the theater the last night.

This has gotten very long. If you want to email me directly you can at [email protected]. Let me know where you’re going and I can tell you about the ports.Oh, after the wet/dry dock they will have a movie screen on the deck!

travelenthusiast

Thank you for your reply. If I have any further questions, I'll post again or e-mail you directly. I like to post them because then others can use the search function if they're going on the same line.