he Carnival Glory, the latest of
Carnival Cruise Line's mega-sized liners, is clearly designed to
deliver the "Fun Ship" experience to an ever-larger cross section
of the vacationing public.
But the Carnival Glory could also be called kids' heaven.
There were many families aboard the Glory during its first
cruise, and kids could be seen all over the place, treating the
ship as one incredible playground.
At times during the day, kids from Camp Carnival were seen
marching in organized ranks down the main promenade, belting out
lyrics to songs they'd just learned.
As a Conquest-class ship, the Glory boasts some of the largest
children's facilities in the fleet. There's the 4,200-square-foot
Camp Carnival for youngsters and an 1,800-square-foot teen dance
club and video room called Ultraviolets, which is as swank and
adult as anything for the grownups.
There's also the 214-foot-long twisting water slide, along with
such snacks as pizza, ice cream and frozen yogurt available
24/7.
If you or your clients have traveled on Carnival's Destiny-
class ships, Conquest-class vessels like the Glory and the Conquest
(introduced in November 2002) will seem familiar in layout.
The new 110,000-ton Conquest class is basically a stretch
version of the Destiny. That 55-foot extension makes the Conquest
and the Glory Carnival's largest ships to date. The Glory is 26
passengers shy of 3,000 lower berths. It's currently operating
seven-day eastern and western Caribbean sailings from Port
Canaveral, Fla.
The public rooms of the Glory were, as with every Carnival ship,
created by interior architect Joe Farcus, with less glitz than in
his early productions for the line. With a broad overall theme of
"colors," the public areas range from sophisticated and elegant to
whimsical and tongue-in-cheek.
The showpiece of the ship is the 1,500-seat, three-deck high
Amber Palace showroom, patterned after the Amber Room in the St.
Petersburg palace of Catherine the Great. The Carnival room
simulates the inlaid amber walls of the original, while featuring a
large, magnificent crystal chandelier set among 14 smaller
chandeliers.
Amid the opulent decor, however, skimpy banquettes without
armrests appear out of place. Only in the second mezzanine are
there conventional theater seats.
The Glory is at its most imaginative in the The Colors atrium and
the 600-foot long Kaleidoscope Boulevard promenade, where glazed
panels emit subtle, ever-changing patterns of color, creating an
upbeat,atmosphere.
The Colors Atrium, which is partially truncated (as on the
Destiny class), is a pleasant gathering place, with a bar and a
classical-music trio.
The two most whimsical rooms are the Camel Club casino and the
White Heat Dance Club.
The casino resembles a desert tent, taking its name from the
stuffed camels that stand guard at the entrances. The camels were
irresistible to kids, who insisted on sitting in the empty saddles
and having their pictures taken. The dance club is a Liberace spoof
decorated with giant white candles.
The Platinum Dining Room (1,061 seats) and Golden Dining Room
(744 seats) are inspired by Japanese art: Painted peony flowers are
displayed on gold and silver leaf. The delicacy of these rooms
helps to relieve the sense of crowding in these spaces, given the
number of passengers on the ship.
The Red Sails Restaurant, themed around sails and sail boats,
projects impeccable good taste in a large, informal dining complex
on the Lido deck.
There are many other interesting bars, clubs and cabaret rooms,
standard features on all Carnival ships.
The Glory's comfortably-sized cabins could be viewed as another
family-friendly draw. Standard outside cabins are 220 square feet,
while those inside are 185 square feet; many include a convertible
sofa bed or an upper berth.
The Glory features several small public rooms, including a
smoking room, and the Emerald Room -- one of the gourmet Supper
Club restaurants that were introduced on Spirit-class ships.
This 108-seat restaurant with an open kitchen appears emblematic
of what the line is calling "Today's Carnival," with advances in
facilities, service, cuisine and entertainment.
The new dining experience, which includes a display of premium
cuts of steak, veal and shellfish before one orders, is well worth
the extra $25 per-person charge. The kitchen turns out dishes
matching fine land-based restaurants in taste and elegant
appearance. Serving only 108 diners, the chefs in the open kitchen
can provide a high level of personal attention to every item on the
menu.
Carnival has made many improvements in the quality of its
regular food service, but it was still uneven. Dinnertime dishes
sounded and looked impressive, but the actual preparation was
inconsistent.
The same could be said for some specialty foods served on the
ship. The ship's pizza, available 24/7, was very satisfying. But a
sushi bar never served raw fish; the corned beef on rye in a "New
York-style Deli" had supermarket-style bread; and a wok used to
cook oriental dishes clearly lacked the high heat required for
preparing stir-fried food.
One food area where the Glory excelled was in unusually creative
and delicious vegetarian dishes.
Service in the dining room, by a team of engaging young wait
staff, was impressive and enjoyable.
The Glory's entertainment centered on two Las Vegas-style shows,
and it was up to Carnival's usual high standards, with top-drawer
dancers and singers.
On a ship carrying large numbers of passengers, crowds -- and
crowding -- was evident at times, but the vessel handled the 3,200
passengers on board for a five-day inaugural voyage reasonably
well. Management will also doubtless learn to shift staff to smooth
out services.
But more could be done, particularly in the area of signage, as
the Conquest class is not one of the industry's easiest mega-liners
on which to get around.
One can easily get lost on this ship in certain odd areas, where
some small meeting rooms are situated. Even the large Platinum
Dining Room is not easy to find. Literally the only way to arrive
at the main lower-level entrance of the restaurant on Deck 3 is by
stairway or elevator.
For all that, the Glory is likely to remain a large, lively,
bustling and gregarious ship.