Carnival Glory

The 2003-built Carnival Glory cruise ship is the second of Carnival's Conquest-class vessels, with sisterships Conquest, Freedom, Valor, Liberty.

The vessel (IMO number 9198367) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 357659000) and registered in Colon.

History - construction and ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US shipping company, trademarked brand and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation (shipowner). CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924-1999, co-founder of NCL Norwegian).

CCL has the Corporation's largest fleet as number of vessels and GT-tonnage (ship sizes/volumes and passenger capacities). In 2023, CCL had ~9% (by revenue) and ~19% (passengers) share of the cruise industry's worldwide market. In 2024, the parent company (Carnival Corporation) had ~51% stake in the US$64+ billion industry.

The 3000-passenger ship Carnival Glory and her sisterships are among the biggest in the CCL fleet. They are basically larger versions of earlier Destiny-class ships, as well as and more feature-filled. More space reveals into additional decks, more bars and lounges, an upscale steak house, and well-proportioned public areas.

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Glory staterooms (1492 total, in 27 grades) include 54 Suites, 521 Balcony, 330 Oceanview and 587 Inside cabins, including 28 wheelchair-accessible (in all cabin categories). The ship has no "family cabins" but instead offers connecting rooms in various categories. Most cabins are sized 170-185 ft2 (16-17 m2). Cabin balconies are sized 35-75 ft2 (3-7 m2). The ship has 3 types of suites - Captain's, Grand, Ocean. The largest are Captain's Suites (500 ft2 / 46 m2 plus 150 ft2 / 14 m2 terrace).

The boat has 13 passenger decks, of which 8 are with cabins. Over 50% of all staterooms are outside, 60% of those are with balconies.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Two formal restaurants (Golden and Platinum) onboard Carnival Glory serve open seating breakfast and lunch. Dinner is served in an open seating option or two assigned seatings. The casual Red Sail Lido buffet offers a number of food stations with a variety of choices, including a salad bar, deli, dessert station, daily regional cuisines. You'll also find outdoor poolside grills, specialty coffee bar, complimentary sushi bar, pizzeria and 24-hour room service that provides a limited selection of items.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Glory restaurants and food bars.

• Golden Restaurant (744-seat forward Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings or “Your Time Dining”; offers “Seuss At Sea” themed breakfasts for $5)
• Platinum Restaurant (1122-seat aft Dining Room, with two fixed dinner seatings and open seating breakfast and lunch)
• Bluelguana Cantina (complimentary Mexican fast food bar; offers burritos, tacos)
• Guy’s Burger Joint (complimentary fast food bar by Guy Fieri)
• Red Sail Lido Buffet Restaurant (1396-seat, self-service buffet restaurant with various food stations; operates as a bistro in the evenings)
• Emerald Room Steakhouse (108-seat specialty restaurant for steaks and seafood; with dance floor and live music)
• Meiji Sushi Bar (complimentary)
• Sushi at Sea (Lido Bar) mini version of Bonsai Sushi, offers a la carte priced menu with rolls, sushi, sashimi, prices vary between USD 1,50-7,50.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Carnival Glory is known as the “most colorful” of all Carnival ships. She offers countless entertainment options. The 1,400-seat Amber Palace was inspired by the legendary Amber Room in Russia. Design elements include gold leaf columns, rococo moldings, candelabras and paintings of famous Russian czars and czarinas. Amber Palace hosts a variety of evening shows, such as adult interactive games, Vegas-style revues, and "Hasbro, the Game Show". The Punchliner Comedy Club takes over Ebony Cabaret located on Deck 5 for family-oriented and R-rated shows from a rotating lineup of comedians. Don't forget that only the brave sit up front by the stage.

Follows the complete list of Carnival Glory lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Amber Palace Theatre (1400-seat main show lounge for musical productions and shows; also used for movies and bingo)
• Glory Atrium The Colors Lobby (9-deck high open floor area; features Colors Lobby Bar with piano and stage for live performances)
• Copper Card Room (28-seat); Silver Room Art Gallery (36-seat); Black and White Library (17-seat; offers board games); Photo Gallery and Shop; The Green Conference Room (100-seat)
• Circle C (complimentary kids club lounge with video games, parties, and planned activities)
• Cyberspace Internet Cafe (24-hour, 6 Internet computers room)
• Ivory Club Bar (147-seat cigar bar with live music)
• The Fun Shops (offers “Bon Voyage” items, duty-free liquor, jewelry, fashion boutiques, souvenirs, logo items)
• Cherry on Top (candy shop; offers branded gear, special occasions gifts and tuxedo rentals)
• EA Sports Bar; Viennese Cafe; Creams Cafe (specialty coffee bar); Taste Bar (offers complimentary appetizers); Alchemy Bar (serves made to order cocktails); The Cinn-A-Bar (100-seat piano bar); Bar Blue (jazz bar)
• Camel Club Casino (484-seat, served by Kaleidoscope Bar); Kaleidoscope Boulevard Promenade Bar (23-seat); Kiosk (S and S Card service)
• Club O2 (teens' lounge for video games, movies, karaoke, and themed parties); Video Games Arcade (24-hour)
• White Heat Disco and Nightclub (211-seat); Ebony Cabaret Lounge (425-seat; hosts Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch).
• Turquoise Pool area (with two Whirlpools, Turquoise Bar); Azure Lido Pool area (with two whirlpools, served by Azure Bar, Grill, and Pizzeria)
• BlueIguana Tequila Bar; RedFrog Rum Bar (offers Caribbean rums selection and ThirstyFrog Red drought beer)
• Aqua Park (Cobalt Pool area which is connected to the Twister Waterslide; with one Whirlpool, splash pools, fountains)
• Carnival Seaside Theatre (LED screen outdoor cinema; with a stage for live performances)
• Spa Carnival complex (with Steam Rooms, Saunas, Massage Room, Beauty Salon, Spa Pool, Gymnasium)
• Sports Deck (multi-sports court/basketball, volleyball; Tennis Tables, Shuffleboard); Jogging Track; 9-hole Mini-Golf Course
• Serenity (adult-only sundeck with Serenity Bar, two Whirlpools, padded lounges)
• Camp Ocean (kids' club lounge hosting complementary programs with supervised activities, an outdoor playground). Camp Carnival's wading/paddling pool for kids is no longer available.

Itineraries

Carnival Glory itinerary program is currently based on Sunday departures from Port NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana USA). The 7-day itineraries visit ports in the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Featured destinations include Florida (Key West), Bahamas (Freeport, Nassau, North Bimini, Half Moon Cay), Mexico (Cozumel), Belize City, Honduras (Isla Roatan). A special 14-day "Panama Canal" itinerary visits Jamaica, Aruba, Bonaire, Colombia (Cartagena), Panama Canal (Gatun Lake cruising), Costa Rica (Puerto Limon), Cozumel.

In December 2022 CCL announced that starting in May 2024, Carnival Glory will be homeported in Port Canaveral/Orlando (Florida USA). Replacing the sistership Carnival Liberty, Glory offers roundtrips to The Bahamas departing out of Port Canaveral on Fridays (3-night itinerary to either Nassau or North Bimini) and Mondays (4-night itineraries to either North Bimini+Nassau or Princess Cays+Nassau).

The boat's Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was done in 2012. The Carnival ship Glory is of the company's Conquest-class vessels, with sisterships Conquest, Freedom, Liberty, Valor. The vessel was floated out on July 19, 2003, at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard. Following the Transatlantic crossing (without passengers) from Europe to the USA, Carnival Glory started the Maiden Voyage from Port Canaveral/Orlando (Florida) on July 14th. The christening ceremony was held in Port Canaveral on July 19th, led by godmother Sally Ride (1951-2012, American physicist and astronaut) who in 1983 became the USA's first woman in space.

During the inaugural season (2003-2004), from Port Canaveral, Carnival Glory offered 7-day roundtrip itineraries to the Western Caribbean (Mexico's Cozumel and Progreso, Belize City, Key West FL) and the Eastern Caribbean (Nassau Bahamas, Phillipsburg St Maarten, Charlotte Amalie St Thomas USVI).

In November 2012 Glory was drydocked to be "Fun Ship 2.0" refurbished. During the refurb, several new bars and lounges were added, along with a complete renovation of all cabins and public spaces.

Fun fact is that this Carnival ship has two famous namesakes. The 2017-launched "COSCO Glory" (operated by COSCO Line) is among the world's largest container ships (capacity 20170 TEU-containers). MS Viking Glory (2021) is a China-built cruiseferry owned by VIKING LINE.

In September 2021, the vessel was chartered to FEMA to serve as a hotel ship (in Port NOLA/New Orleans, Louisiana) for front-line/relief workers in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida (CruiseMinus).

Carnival Glory drydock refurbishment 2024

The ship's last drydocking was in 2024 (April 3-16). The refurbishment project was conducted at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz Spain.

The project included redesigning the Casino lounge, in all public spaces the decor and furniture were updated.

The Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge (deck xx) and Dreams Photography Studio (deck xx) were added. The wellness complex (Cloud 9 Spa) and the Warehouse Arcade were renovated. The Camp Ocean (children's complex) was revamped, and a large video wall was installed (facilitating the Space Cruisers Carnival program via partnership with NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on Merritt Island, Florida). Updates received various public areas, including all stairways/hallways.

The scope of works also included repairs, hull cleaning/painting, routine maintenance, cabin upgrades and renovation of public spaces (including new flooring and repainting).

Carnival Glory drydock 2021

In 2021 (June-July) Carnival Glory was drydocked at Chantier Naval de Marseille (CNdM Shipyard in Marseille France), mainly for general maintenance works.

Curiously, Glory became Carnival's second liner (after Magic) to change the old hull design (white hull, with a red line running its entire length) with the new trademarked livery (red-white-blue) introduced on Mardi Gras.

Carnival Glory refurbishment 2017 review

During drydock 2017 refurbishment (February 25 - March 10, done in Freeport Bahamas) the ship received the WaterWorks aqua park.

Carnival WaterWorks is an aqua park (open between 10 am – 5 pm) consisting of Splash Zone (fountains, water spray cannons, jets, splash pools), 1 kids pool, 2 mini racing slides for kids, Power Drencher (150-gallon / 570 liters tipping bucket that reverses poles to dump its huge amount of water at regular intervals), Green Thunder (187 ft / 57 m long thrill slide, water speed 25 mph / 40 kph, with a 34 ft / 10 m long drop), Twister Waterslide (spiraling tube, 214 ft / 65 m long, entrance level /ends on deck 10). To ride the waterslides, passengers must be at least 107 cm / 42 inches tall (no weight restrictions). Minor passengers (kids under 13 yo) need a parents’ permit. Eyeglasses must be affixed with head straps. Not permitted are – not toilet trained kids (also in diapers/swim diapers), multiple riders, flotation devices, swimwear with exposed metal parts (zippers, buckles, rivets, ornamentation), jewelry/accessories, the use of Splash Park areas without adult supervision.

During drydock 2012 refurbishment (November), the ship received part of the "Fun Ship 2.0" upgrades. Among those were Blue Iguana Tequila Bar, RedFrog Rum Bar, Alchemy Bar, Blue Iguana Cantina, Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint, Punchliners Comedy Club, Hasbro Game Show, Playlist Productions.