We arrive at Port Canaveral, having left our beautiful villa in Orlando, but ahead of us lies a 7 night cruise to the Caribbean, on board Carnival Glory. With all the formalities complete we are at last on board our cruise ship. From the outside her white hull and brilliant red funnels, with their distinctive shape, is pretty impressive, but inside it is quite a shock. Having been used to the pastel tones of the Princess ships, or the elegant marble and glass of Royal Caribbean ships, this is certainly a new experience for us. At first glance we think the decor looks as if someone high on LSD has been given free reign! We were aware that the Carnival ships were quite colourful but this is even more intense than we had envisaged.
The atrium is a riot of colour – turquoise, reds, yellows, orange, green, every colour under the sun brought together in an apparently random sequence. Even the ceilings change colour! Huge glass elevators travel up and down, to the very top of the atrium, and a wooden dance floor dominates the centre. Seating around the atrium is highly patterned with random colours, and geometric shapes. The whole can hardly be described as relaxing, but we seem to be the only ones standing looking around in shock.
Still, at least we are on board now, and as our cabin is not yet ready we take a walk up to the buffet restaurant. It is nothing like we have ever experienced as there are separate serveries along the sides, which offer a variety of food options, with a central buffet in the middle. Again, the decor is very colourful with blue mosaic tiles on the walls and mosaic murals depicting sailing ships. We find a seat and sit down in the window overlooking Port Canaveral. There is a Disney ship nearby and we can see her attractive lines with the distinctive Mickey ears on the funnels. She looks fun.
People are beginning to arrive, and the buffet restaurant opens so we take a wander to see what is on offer. We make our choices and have a relaxing lunch, and find that our cabin is now ready for us. We wonder what it will be like, as we have booked a stateroom with a balcony. We gather all our bits and pieces and make our way to the elevator which takes us speedily to our deck. Following the arrows we arrive at our stateroom and open the door. Our suitcases are already waiting outside the door, much to our relief. We are delighted to find that our stateroom is much more sedate in its decor, with a large double bed for us, and a proper single bed for our son. There is plenty of room to move around, and best of all, there is a wonderful balcony. We open the door and stand on the deck, looking over the rails. We can see the waterway which our ship will soon be traversing. In just a couple of hours we will be on our way to the Caribbean, and our first port of call, Grand Turk.
The atrium is a riot of colour – turquoise, reds, yellows, orange, green, every colour under the sun brought together in an apparently random sequence. Even the ceilings change colour! Huge glass elevators travel up and down, to the very top of the atrium, and a wooden dance floor dominates the centre. Seating around the atrium is highly patterned with random colours, and geometric shapes. The whole can hardly be described as relaxing, but we seem to be the only ones standing looking around in shock.
Still, at least we are on board now, and as our cabin is not yet ready we take a walk up to the buffet restaurant. It is nothing like we have ever experienced as there are separate serveries along the sides, which offer a variety of food options, with a central buffet in the middle. Again, the decor is very colourful with blue mosaic tiles on the walls and mosaic murals depicting sailing ships. We find a seat and sit down in the window overlooking Port Canaveral. There is a Disney ship nearby and we can see her attractive lines with the distinctive Mickey ears on the funnels. She looks fun.
People are beginning to arrive, and the buffet restaurant opens so we take a wander to see what is on offer. We make our choices and have a relaxing lunch, and find that our cabin is now ready for us. We wonder what it will be like, as we have booked a stateroom with a balcony. We gather all our bits and pieces and make our way to the elevator which takes us speedily to our deck. Following the arrows we arrive at our stateroom and open the door. Our suitcases are already waiting outside the door, much to our relief. We are delighted to find that our stateroom is much more sedate in its decor, with a large double bed for us, and a proper single bed for our son. There is plenty of room to move around, and best of all, there is a wonderful balcony. We open the door and stand on the deck, looking over the rails. We can see the waterway which our ship will soon be traversing. In just a couple of hours we will be on our way to the Caribbean, and our first port of call, Grand Turk.