This cruise was a miserable experience for my entire family. If you are going to advertise yourself as a family friendly cruise line, then you should have a family atmosphere on your ship. The constant wafting of marijuana smoke from the open decks and staterooms was nauseating. The lack of availability of a pool for a child to enjoy was infuriating. The total lack of "give a damn" of the security personnel when matters were brought to their attention was angering.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We got on, went to our state room, and awaited our luggage. The ship pulled away from the dock. Very unremarkable and uneventful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The separate restaurants aboard the ship offered very little in the way of variety. The taste, texture and flavor of the food offered was very underwhelming. Portion size left lots to be desired in the main dining rooms. I wasn't looking for truck stop sized portions, but i did expect to get full on a full five courses. This was an option. After finishing our meals, my family and I would have to seek out other foods to satisfy our hunger. Sadly, the best food on the entire ship was the burgers offered at Guy's Burger Joint. There were very little offerings for children. The foods offered on the buffet lacked flavor and variety. Most foods offered on the buffet were either over cooked or not seasoned very well. The lack of anything to drink besides water or instant fruit juices without additional cost was very disappointing.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The total lack of a pool for my 12-year-old son to enjoy was very disappointing. There was only one pool on the ship that was NOT designated as 18+. This pool was not accessible to my son due to the pool being full of intoxicated adults at almost all times the pool was open. Even after inquiring about the lack of availability of this pool, nothing was done to correct the issue.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
My son loved the availability of an area designated for kids his age (10-12). The biggest issue he had was the fact it was only open for 4 hours in the early afternoon and then reopened at 8pm to remain open until 1am. Unfortunately, due to the only pool designated for -18 being occupied to capacity with intoxicated adults, my son was not able to enjoy any time in the pool. He tried to go to the splash pad to play but was told he was too big to use the area even thought there were no other children using the splash pad at that time. My son, at 12 years of age, has made the determination based on his experience on this cruise, that he has no interest of ever going on another cruise.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
OUR ROOM STEWARD WAS AMAZING!!! After the first day onboard and until the day we got off the ship, he addressed my entire family by name. Our room was always spotless and in perfect order each day when we returned to rest.
The security staff was unwilling to help in matters that were brought to their attention on multiple occasions.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Most areas of the ship that were explored seemed to be very clean regardless of what the time of the day/night.
The biggest issue with the ship was the constant wafting of marijuana smoke along the open decks and from the balconies of the state rooms. Every evening that we would return to our state room, we would be disgusted by the filling of our room with the smell of marijuana. Spoke with security officer about the matter. Was told that possession and consumption of marijuana aboard the ship was illegal. Yet, nothing changed about the constant use of marijuana aboard the ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The size of the cabin was on par with expectations. The cleanliness of the cabin was beyond expectation. Our room steward was excellent. As far as comfort, that is where issues arose. The mattress on the bed was so worn out, if you sat down on the bed, you immediately went all the way down to the frame.
Ship tip
MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE NOT SENSITIVE TO MARIJUANA SMOKE!!!!! THE AMOUNT OF MARIJUANA CONSUMED ON THE OPEN DECKS AND IN THE STATE ROOMS WAS STAGGERING. EVERY TIME WE WOULD GO UP TO AN OPEN DECK, ALL YOU COULD SMELL WAS MARIJUANA. AFTER INQUIRING ABOUT THE LEGALLITY OF THIS, I WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS ILLEGAL. I THEN POINTED IT OUT TO SEVERAL MEMBERS OF STAFF WHO WOULD WALK BY AND JUST GIVE THE PERSONS A NOD. EVERY NIGHT THAT WE WOULD GO TO OUR STATE ROOM TO REST/SLEEP, OUR ROOM WOULD BEGIN TO FILL WITH THE SMELL OF MARIJUANA THAT WAS BEING SMOKED ON THE BALCONIES AND IN THE STATE ROOMS ADJOINING OURS. AFTER SEEKING A MEMBER OF SECURITY TO SEEK RESOLUTION, NOTHING CHANGED OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK WE SPENT ON THE SHIP.
City is nasty and at every corner you turn, there is someone shoving marijuana into your pockets without having ever said a word to you. Then they hold their hand out expecting you to pay for something you do not want. Most of them would become agitated when you would take it out of your pocket and give it back to them.
Instructions were given on the order of disembarkation. These instructions were not followed by the very staff that issued them. Before allowing time for the called selection of guest to make their way to the disembarkation area, they would call another group of guests. This caused multiple groups to be congested into the disembarkation area and left to sort out the order on their own.
Sorry about the terrible experience you had. That’s unfortunate and disappointing. Don’t give up on cruises.. not all cruises are this bad. Definitely try princess cruises. It’s a much calmer relaxed vibe.
If people can so freely smuggle marijuana onto the ship without security caring, it make you wonder what other worse things people can smuggle. It seems more and more that it is always a few selfish people that ruin everyone elses vacation.
Sorry this was your “worst vacation ever” I’m not sure how long your trip was, but our experience is longer trips draw more families and less partiers. We’ve not sailed on the glory for several years but I’m pretty sure the last time we did the mid ship lido pool and the aft pool were both kid friendly. (Perhaps that’s changed as I think the ship recently had a refurb). Jamaica is an area known for pot… could be the source of the smell you encountered. We’ve sailed there several times and not ever noticed anything coming back on board after leaving.
It’s sad your 12 year old had such a poor experience that he doesn’t want to go again. Our kids grew to live cruising around then and still have many fond memories.
Hope your next trip is better.
Marijuana is a HUGE issue on Carnival ships right now! We have complained on the last 4 cruises about the constant abnoxious smell and total disrespect by the offenders! Nothing is being done by Carnival to get this to stop. Gone are the days of sitting on your balcony enjoying the beauty and relaxation of the ocean.
Thanks for the review. Based on my 2 Carnival cruises this year, it appears they have given up on any attempt to eliminate / restrict marijuana smoking onboard. Try a land vacation if pool access if of extreme importance to you.
Pools are not a focal point of cruise ships and if that is the focal point of your vacation then land based resorts are your better choice. Portion size is irrelevant when you have the opportunity to order as many appetizer entree and desert items as you would like. The smaller portion size of each item allows you to try multiple items. As far as Marijuana, that's apparently a new problem that they need to address at the security checkpoints entering the ships and they need to really make an example out of violators to send a message.
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