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Carnival Glory, Carnival Cruise Lines’ $500 million newest ship, may well be the most beautiful in the fleet. It exemplifies the new broader direction of the line’s product, appealing to families and people of most ages and tastes, without the “singles” feeling of some earlier Carnival ships.
Art on the Glory looks as though it is the turn-of-the-century. Carnival is not traditionally synonymous with subtlety, but the Glory, for all its brilliant color, has great subtlety, with neutral surfaces, almost invisible shining threads, touches seen only days into the cruise.
The three-level Amber Palace is the main showroom. It was designed after the famous Amber Room in Catherine’s Palace, outside of St. Petersburg, and features “amber” mosaics, gold leaf columns, a crystal and gold chandelier 12 feet across, the Russian eagle and paintings of famous Czars and Czarinas. As a showcase for two Vegas-style reviews — “Rock Down Broadway” and “Livin’ in America” — it works beautifully, seating 1,500.
The spacious Ivory Club goes back to the English days of the Raj, with murals of Indian gods and goddesses and a theme of elephants carried out with replicas of tusks defining the wall areas and supporting tables. The feature of the room that made it the most discussed by passengers is a really magnificent cream-colored wall of elephants in high sculptural relief, echoed in a smaller size at the bar. The Ivory Club is used for special functions, art auctions, and late at night for a small jazz ensemble.
The Lido buffet is housed in the Red Sails Restaurant. The dark red sails provide privacy among the booths and delineate the spaces; there are real booms with sails, sailboat models, varnished pine masts and teak railings that carry out the theme.
The 24-hour Cybercafe is very comfortable with nine stations. Computer access is offered (your laptop or theirs) .
The Library, in suitable black and white, is small, with as many shelves of board games as books. Many passengers stood around to read the historic newspapers framed on the walls.
The two bi-level restaurants, Gold and Platinum, have basically the same design, with figured woods and lighting around the windows bringing warmth to the gold and a turquoise sheen to the platinum. The restaurant annexes, Copper and Silver, are used as meeting rooms, but when the ship is packed, with third and fourth passengers in the staterooms, they will be used for extra seating.
At Dinner, seven entrée choices are served nightly, and there are vegetarian, children’s and Spa Carnival selections.
In addition, Sushi Salmon serves California and tuna rolls, along with other Asian selections. Creams displays a very tempting array of pastries and coffees. The Grill dispenses a continuous stream of cheeseburgers. One area that had guests lining up was the Deli, just inside the Red Sails Restaurant. Pound after pound of pastrami, corned beef, smoked salmon, tuna salad and more found its way into huge stuffed sandwiches. And, it was amazing that the frozen yogurt dispenser close by on the Lido didn’t burn out.
The Kids’ Club play area has everything a kid could want, from arts and crafts to computer labs. Hot dogs, hamburgers, the 24-hour pizza parlor and other kid favorites caused plates to be piled high, although children appeared in every dining venue, including the outstanding Emerald Room, the steakhouse-style supper club, with prime beef, exceptional seafood, chops and poultry, even extraordinary sushi. The $25 per person charge is really a token for the level of food and service, but the word gets out quickly, and it is important to book this as soon as they board.
Spa Carnival has a Polynesian theme, with a waterfall, and green foliage. Several forms of massage and sophisticated treatments, including aroma stone therapy, are offered. The ship also has a full service salon, all the machines known to man and classes including spinning, low and high impact aerobics, Pilates and yoga.
Another active possibility, onboard and off, is the Golf Program. The 2,974-passenger Fun Ship offers golfing at Mahogany Run in St. Thomas on its eastern Caribbean sailings. The Key West Country Club, Caye Chapel Golf Resort in Belize and Cozumel Country Club can be booked on the western Caribbean itinerary. Professional instruction is provided by a certified golf professional, and there is a netted and lighted “driving range” and golf clinics and putting contests to gladden the heart of the most fanatical. The pro also accompanies golfers on shoreside golfing excursions.
Games of chance drew large numbers, especially in the evening. Even for those with no desire to try their luck, the Camel Casino’s large kneeling camels were almost hidden by passengers taking turns getting pictures taken in the saddles.
Red Sails Restaurant houses the Lido buffet. For those who prefer to burn their calories at night, the White Heat Dance Club, with its immense candles with fiber optic “flames,” was hard to predict. One moment it would be empty; then, as if an invisible signal had been sent out, it was jammed and the dance floor spilled into the seating.
Games for the young are found in The Kids’ Club. Under the Rainbow, the 4,200-square-foot play area, has a video room showing cartoons and movies, facilities for arts/crafts and activities that made the children on board protest when their parents came to retrieve them. Computer labs with educations games and latest PlayStation 2 and GameBoy Advance are also available.
Ultraviolets, the teen disco, follows a Monopoly theme, and has a “mocktail” bar, a high tech game room and shore excursions exclusively for their peers.
Reviewed by Travel Agents Trade Magazine, 2003
