Carnival 'Glory' Returns to Duty after Major Refurbishment

Hotel Interactive

The 2,974-passenger Carnival Glory has resumed Caribbean service from Miami following a multi-million-dollar renovation that added a host of new facilities and features, including a Serenity adults-only retreat, a 270-square-foot Seaside Theatre poolside LED screen, and a Circle “C” facility for 12- to 14- year olds. 

Eighteen new balconies were also incorporated onto existing ocean view staterooms and a new Mongolian wok venue was added to the casual poolside restaurant.  Bow-to-stern Wi-Fi access was added, as well.

From February to May, Carnival Glory operates seasonal seven-day cruises departing from Miami, alternating weekly to the eastern and western Caribbean. Seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises visit Half Moon Cay, St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk, while the western route features Grand Cayman, Isla Roatan, Belize and Cozumel.

The ship will then be deployed to New York where it will offer a series of four- and five-day Atlantic Canada cruises from June 6 – September 6, 2010, followed by a series of seven-day Canada/New England cruises, from September 11 – October 9. 

 “We are constantly looking for ways to improve and expand our product to deliver fun and memorable vacations to our guests while at the same time offering exceptional value,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and CEO. “The new Seaside Theatre, adults-only area and Circle ‘C’ facility, which are all available to our guests on a complimentary basis, serve to enhance an already terrific, value-packed vacation choice,” he added.

New Seaside Theatre
Located poolside on Lido Deck is Carnival Cruises new “Seaside Theatre,” a massive 270-square-foot LED screen displaying movies, concerts, sporting events, and other programming, including the popular “Morning Show” hosted by the ship’s cruise director.  Utilizing the same technology featured in large stadiums and New York’s Times Square, the state-of-the-art entertainment system includes a 70,000-watt sound system, providing concert quality sound, even outdoors.

New Balcony Accommodations
During dry dock, 18 new balconies were added to existing Spa Deck accommodations, creating spacious 220-square-foot verandah staterooms. They are conveniently located next to the ship’s 14,500-square-foot “Spa Carnival” facility offering sophisticated exercise equipment, expansive workout facilities and a variety of soothing European-style treatments. 

With the addition of these newly reconfigured staterooms, nearly 40 percent of the Carnival Glory’s 1,487 cabins now feature private balconies.

New Adults-Only Retreat
Another popular feature added during the dry dock is Serenity, a two-level adults-only retreat located forward on Sun Deck and Sky Deck. Designed as an oceangoing oasis for relaxation, with decorative latticework and teak-style decking, this area features different styles of seating, including shaded sun loungers and hammocks, a full bar, and two oversized whirlpools.

Circle “C” Facility for 12- to 14-Year-Olds A new Circle “C” facility catering to 12- to 14-year-olds has been added as part of the line’s unique offerings for kids. The center features a high-tech sound and lighting system, plasma-screen TVs displaying movies and music videos, a touch-screen jukebox, and gaming pods with the latest video games and consoles.

Dining Enhancements
A new Mongolian wok option was added to the Carnival Glory’s Red Sail casual restaurant located poolside on Lido Deck. At the new venue, guests can select their favorite meat, sauce, vegetables and other ingredients and watch as a chef creates their custom-designed stir fry dish right before their eyes.

Additionally, the Golden dining room, located forward, was reconfigured for Your Time Dining providing guests the option of open seating between 5:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. nightly.  

Seniors on the Go in Small Ship Cruises

Baltimore Sun

Cruising isn't just about tooling around the Caribbean, Mexico, or Alaska in a floating city with 2,000 to 5,000 other cruisers. Although you can certainly do that, some very different cruise experiences are available if you're interested. Cruising in a small ship -- typically accommodating fewer than 500 travelers, with many carrying only 50 to150 -- can take you places those behemoths couldn't get near. On a small-ship cruise, you typically get to know everyone else traveling along with you.

Small-ship cruises fall into three main categories:

Ocean cruises operate into ports too small or too remote to accommodate or attract the mass-market megaships. The range of options is extremely wide. Several lines explore Antarctica during the southern summer. Others explore Arctic areas during the northern summer, with itineraries that range from Alaska and Canada to Greenland, Iceland, Spitsbergen and the Kamchatka Peninsula. You can find small-ship cruise itineraries in Africa (coastal areas; the Seychelles), Asia (Indonesian islands, Indian Ocean islands, major cities), Australia-New Zealand (coastal areas; Great Barrier Reef islands), Canada cruises(West Coast Inland Passage; St. Lawrence areas; Maritime Provinces), South America (Coastal areas; Falklands; Cape Horn), and the South Pacific (various island groups). Cruises within the United States include several itineraries on the Great Lakes, as well as cruises in the Puget Sound area. Of course, some small ships ply the same Caribbean, European, and Mexico cruises as the larger ones, but stopping in less visited ports. Wherever they sail, small ships in these categories are fully seaworthy and, in many ways, replicate the big-ship experience, except with a vast range of new destinations and much less entertainment and organized onboard fun.

River cruises ply major rivers on all the continents. In North America, a few ships still do the Mississippi (although the line that once ran the Delta Queen and other similar boats is currently not operating). Several lines operate trips on itineraries that include Long Island Sound, the Hudson River, the Erie Canal, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence. American Cruise Lines operates itineraries on several East Coast waterways systems, including the Intracoastal Waterway, and with a paddle wheeler on the Columbia-Snake system in the West.

River cruises operate the full navigable length of the Danube and Rhine rivers of Europe as well as shorter segments on dozens of other river and canal systems. The Nile, the Amazon, the Yangtze, and the river-canal stretch between Moscow and St. Petersburg see heavy cruise schedules, but you find others ranging from the Mackenzie in the Yukon to the Murray in Australia. A big advantage of river cruises is that you're never more than a few yards from something to see, with lots of opportunity for short stops. However, river ships are generally shallow draft vessels with only a few decks -- low enough to pass under city bridges along the way. Typically, they're big on sightseeing opportunities, small on entertainment.

Finally, you also find hundreds of options for barge cruises, in very small boats, and sailing ships just about anywhere in the world. If you want, you can even rent your own small barge and freewheel it through river-canal systems in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.