Carnival Glory SEA (Adults Only) Cruise
This past Spring, John and I took a cruise on the Carnival Glory: Western Med, Canary Islands, and Africa. We had a Diamond reward for a cabin upgrade left to use, and there haven't been a lot of options for us, as Carnival does not have much of a presence in Europe. However, I came across this interesting looking itinerary and we decided to go.
A chance to go to the Canary Islands and Africa for the first time, yay!
We headed to Palermo for an overnight before flying to Barcelona. This was fun because Emily was in Palermo for her training course, so we had an opportunity to spend a little extra time together, including a nice dinner out in a neighborhood we haven't been to before, Notarbartolo.
Yum!
We had very good luck with our flights. On the way out, I had my own row, and John had only two, while on the way back, we both had our own rows! For the return flight, I was able to use a Vueling credit from John's cancelled flight in 2024 when he fell. The credit covered almost the entire cost of our flight home Winning!
On board, ready to start our adventure.
Since there were no minors on board, Carnival was able to "extend" the casino into public areas of the ship. Here are extra blackjack tables on the Promenade. One benefit for us non-gamblers is that the rest of the ship is pretty spacious, as at any given time a large number of passengers are in the casino. A downside is that the smell of cigarette smoke (casino is an area where smoking is allowed) permeates the area all around the casino, more so than on a normal cruise. You have to get good at figuring out how to bypass it!
Carnival has a substantial clientele that gambles - a lot! They appear to have decided to begin enticing this group with even more offers and opportunities to enjoy their past time. If you aren't familiar with this aspect of cruising, regular gamblers often receive deeply discounted cruise offers on a variety of sailings. From my perspective, it seems obvious that this target audience ends up paying a lot more for their cruise in the long run, but they regularly insist that they are getting good deals. My response is that the cruise companies wouldn't do this if they weren't making money. In conversations I overheard, one guest said they were down $14,000 and needed to get back to the casino to "make it back," while another reported they were down $28,000.
An example of a Casino offer for someone on our cruise. (We paid a lot more than this.) The more history and amount the customer has of gambling, the better offers they receive.
I also saw that the gamblers receive a lot of "gifts" on board. Again, the type of presents are tagged to their level of gambling. Since we were classified with the lowest level of gambler (even though we weren't gambling), we received the same gifts as them.
Some of the free gifts. I ended up giving a lot of these away by putting them in our "mailbox" with a note saying "free." I saw in our Facebook group people at elite levels being given bottles of Whiskey, wines, and dinners at the specialty restaurant.
This one makes a good point. On the left, a Casino offer gift. On the right, the loyalty gift. By the quality, you can see who Carnival thinks is more important. Carnival is changing its loyalty program in the Fall. There was a huge uproar when they announced. For the highest level, Diamond, loyalty status will be forever. However, all of the other statuses have to be re-earned every two years, with level being tied to money spent, rather than number of cruises taken. Even though we will keep our Diamond status, the "rewards" for Diamond are being reduced - and they weren't that fabulous to begin with. The times they are a changin'.
Another aspect of the SEA cruises are enhanced menus. This was an aspect I enjoyed, because there were some new things to try. I've always felt, and continue to feel, that Carnival has delicious dining room food. While I'm not a huge fan of their buffet (it's sort of MEH, and many guests I've encountered do not approach the buffet in the most hygienic manner), they have plenty of included optional food choices where you are served.
A sample of the special menus. We enjoyed the pretzel and fondue on Oktoberfest night.
I had my favorite soup, gazpacho, three times! Yummy and nicely presented appetizers.
Tasty fish dish. I think it was branzino.
John was happy that lamb was offered multiple times. Bagels at Sea was a new offering we hadn't tried yet. This was a dessert-type one called Birthday Cake. There were also savory sandwiches.
I don't remember what this dessert was called, but it had a beautiful presentation.
Carnival's dining room dances tend to be polarizing, but I feel neutral. I enjoyed them more when Emily was young and would dance with the waiters (me too, on occasion). Sometimes they are annoying when it delays dessert and getting out of the dining room. Sometimes they are fun when the wait staff are into it. On this cruise I saw a first - the maitre d' (left, officer uniform) danced every night! He was really into it and had good moves. Our wait staff said what a great leader he is and how much they like him.
Carnival wouldn't normally have a ship in Europe at this time, but Glory had been scheduled for a brief dry dock in Spain. There were Transatlantic cruises to bring the ship to Europe in March and return the ship to the States in April. However, for unknown reasons, the dry dock was cancelled. The period of the dry dock was then changed into this SEA cruise.
Carnival Glory. She definitely needs some work. The seats in the public areas were in poor condition. Invest in some new chairs and sofas!
I believe the Transatlantic cruises were also SEA cruises, but I cannot say for sure. TA cruises are perfect for gamblers, because there are many sea days (for those who don't know, gambling is only allowed in international waters). I saw that our cruise had a lot of sea days, which we like. However, they all weren't necessary for the amount of time to get to the various ports. We were going really slow! More sea days = more gambling profits for Carnival. We benefited from smooth sailing.
For this port, John took an excursion called Easy Tangier, which was organized for people with mobility issues. I went further afield to explore the city of Tétouan, whose medina is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Speaking of sea days, I'll start with photos from those. As I previously mentioned, John and I both enjoy sea days. I never understand people who find them boring.
Enjoying our balcony, even when a little chilly.
When the balcony was too cool / in the shade, we ventured out to the Lido. I watched Hamnet one day. Excellent film; Jessie Buckley deserved her Oscar!
I usually tell our cabin steward to not bother making towel animals for us every day. However, I do enjoy seeing the creations on towel animal explosion day on the Lido. I wasn't surprised when they were all Casino-themed, LOL! Our cabin was on Lido deck this time. I wasn't sure we would like this, but we were tucked away in the front, apart from the festivities, and it was convenient being near the buffet for morning coffee, water, etc.
My favourite Carnival breakfast buffet item is orange and grapefruit sections. One sea day morning I was up early to watch the sunrise and have my fruit. I sat next to this nice gentleman who was making fortune tulips for other passengers during the cruise. I'd see him all around the ship with his little stack of colored papers. I chose my favourite color, blue. I asked him what was most popular, and he said pink.
While I typically get all my steps in on sea days, I'm often short on heart points when walking with John. So, I take time after dinner to fast walk the passenger decks. It's fun to see some of the door decorations. Ken and Lynne have been annoying each other since 1985. John and I need that one! I like the Scrabble tiles, but people really need to learn how to spell. *eye roll* Of course, I couldn't resist correcting it after making my piccie! Sadly, when people post the Scrabble tile or kid alphabet magnets, the decorations often get stolen. What's wrong with people?
The special lunch for Diamonds is always on a sea day. We had one rough day. You know it's bad when the barf bags come out!
Gibraltar in background. Sailing between Europe and Africa is always interesting!
For me, the best part of cruising, especially on sea days, is enjoying Mother Nature's show...
Water ... It's my happy place.
A nice aspect of longer cruises is that they bring additional entertainers on board. Since I'm not a fan of the traditional shows, it's an opportunity to enjoy entertainment in the big theatre. We had some fun ones.
We had a singer and saxophone duo. I love saxophone, so that was a treat! The illusionist was fun and interesting.
The Beatles cover band was meh. They were all excellent musicians, but "Paul" didn't have a great voice for certain songs.
A first I've seen on Carnival! Sadly, I couldn't stay up late enough to attend. UKEBOX, an ukulele band from Liverpool, was my favourite.
Hopefully, I've been able to give you a sense of what a Carnival long / adults only cruise is like. The rest of my post covers the ports that we visited, so continue on if you'd like to explore those.
Málaga
Our first stop was in Málaga, Spain. We've been here many times, as this is a common stop on Transatlantic cruises. We planned to get off the ship for a little stroll, with the goal of having churros (we know a place!). However, since I've never visited the cathedral here, I decided to add that on to my stroll.
The linear park near the port is always lovely for a stroll. In the city, we found this memorial statue to Hans Christian Andersen. (Do you see the duckling?) There were some people from Denmark nearby, and as we chatted with them, they seemed surprised that we knew who he was.
I was happy to find a vendor selling Marcona almonds. Yum!
ABC! Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnación was built between the 1500-1700s. It is in the Renaissance style, but it has a Baroque facade. One of the intended two towers was never completed. and it is affectionately called La Manquita (The One-Armed Lady).
The cathedral's organ is considered a highlight, and it was impressive. And, it was accessible for visitors, so I was able to take some nicer, up close shots. Magnificent!
There were many beautiful side chapels to explore.
Their Mary looked very much like Capo d'Orlando's Mary. The sisters were busy running around, as our visit was the Friday prior to Palm Sunday.
I also enjoyed exploring the cute outdoor garden area. It was a very nice visit, well worth the price of admission.
Time for churros con cioccolato calda ... and zumo. "Santa Cristina" 😁
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Since the ship docked right at the city, we decided to take a walk around, with the goal of checking out their lungomare at the beach, which looked really nice in photos I had seen. Some sights from the city...
The rose-colored building is part of an old hospital. Nice architecture.
There were many spots with pretty flowers and sculptures. Betunero / Shoeshiner is by sculptor Chano Navarro Betancor, 2015. The female statue is dedicated to Lolita Pluma, the city's "Crazy Cat Lady."
John's pointing to a bar called Tentaciones. We found it funny because that is the Spanish version of Tentazioni, which is the name of our neighborhood bar. It means Temptations.
Beach arrived! We enjoyed a nice snack while enjoying the view and watching a volleyball game.
I would have liked to have done a beach or water-related excursion at this port, but the weather was still a bit cold for that (as you can see from our clothing). Nevertheless, it was a pleasant stop and we enjoyed our little meander about Old Town Las Palmas.
Tenerife, Canary Islands
Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, and its Mount Tiede, a dormant volcano, is the highest point in Spain (also a UNESCO site). I decided to take an excursion here that visited a few different spots on the island.
Tenerife has two microclimates, one more typical of a beach (drier, sunnier) and one that is greener and cooler (mountains). It reminded me very much of previous visits to Sao Miguel in the Azores (part of Portugal). Not surprising, since they are both found off of the west coast of Africa. Many people compare these spots to Hawaii.
Our first stop was near the coastal fishing village of San Andrés. Very colorful!
At the nearby beach - and cemetery with a view! - I learned that the beaches were made by importing sand from Africa. My first touch of Africa before our upcoming stop!
Next, it was up and all around the Anaga Mountains. This is a popular spot for hiking trails. Look at those curves! Glad I took motion medicine in anticipation. You may have noticed how cloudy the sky seems. That is not clouds - it is sand! Tenerife was experiencing sands blown from Africa during our visit. I felt bad for our room steward - she had to clean all of the balcony railings that were covered. We experience a similar phenomenon in Sicily called Scirocco, although I've never seen it this thick.
This is the pad from my Swiffer duster after Scirocco. Normally the dust (and dust bunnies, LOL) would be gray, but you can see in the picture how brown the dust was.
We then headed to Playa de San Roque, a lovely black sand beach for some photo opps.
Next up was our snack (wine, cheese, bread, and olives) at Taganana, a remote village known for its vineyards. We were pretty high altitude at this point, and the change in microclimate was noticeable in the plants.
More wild ride to our final destination, La Laguna, the old capital of Tenerife, where we had a walking tour.
A very nice overview tour. Returning back to Santa Cruz, I caught a glimpse of the famous Tenerife Auditorium. This building was designed by Santiago Calatrava Valls, who also designed the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in NYC, as well as the Arts and Science Complex in Valencia (you can click on the Azores link above to see our explore of this beautiful complex).
Tangier, Morocco
According to the Carnival Cruise Ambassador, this was the first time Carnival visited Morocco. (Note, also, that he refers to the SEA cruise as a Casino cruise, confirming my theory).
Some of our fellow passengers were lacking in geography skills, LOL. A sampling ...
For this port, John took an excursion called Easy Tangier, which was organized for people with mobility issues. I went further afield to explore the city of Tétouan, whose medina is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Pulling into port in the morning, I was excited to discover the Semester at Sea ship. I've never had a chance to see it in person. Wish I had known about this back when I was teaching!
Around Tangier
John said his tour guide was great.
The highlight of the Easy Tangier tour was visiting Cap Spartel, the northwesternmost point of mainland Africa. This is the spot where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Cool!
Scenes from my ride to Tétouan. It was much greener than I had imagined. Many buildings had these tall towers attached. I realized that they were the bell towers for call to prayer.
Tétouan is nicknamed the White Dove, and it is notable for its authentic medina (as previously mentioned) as well as its mixture of Moorish-Andalusian architecture. The Spanish influence surprised me. I was expecting French, if anything. I learned a lot at this port!
Scenes from the modern part of the city, outside of the medina. While we were waiting for our local guide to take us through the medina, I had the opportunity to check out ABC. I was not expecting to visit a Catholic church in Morocco! More learning.
Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de las Victorias
Scenes inside the medina. We had a break at a riad to sample tea, pastries, and cheese. The cheese and the honey were especially delicious. As our group gathered outside after the snack, several children passed by returning from school. More than one greeted us with an Hola!
Our final stop was to a home that had beautiful original tile, woodwork, and glass. Gorgeous.
Cats of Morocco
Lucca, Italy
While in the port of Livorno, I decided to take an excursion to the city of Lucca, as I felt this is a city that I probably wouldn't get to on my own, outside of a cruise. Lucca is a city in the Tuscany region that is especially known for its intact city walls that surround the old city. This was the focus of my tour.
Port of Livorno. This is usually a jumping off point to visit Pisa or Florence. Since I've been to both of those places before, I chose Lucca. However, I learned on this trip that Livorno itself is interesting. It is also a "Medici city," and is nicknamed "Little Venice" because of its canals. Next time I'm there, I'm going to explore Livorno.
We passed Pisa on the way to Lucca. Can you spot it off in the distance?
Visiting Pisa many years ago.
The Renaissance Walls (1504–1648) of Lucca are fully intact.
City Gate
Main Piazza. In the early 1800s, Napoleon installed his sister Elisa here as monarch. The marker in the piazza had some kind of significance as related to her, maybe that her palace was here, but I can't remember now!
The ABC on my walking tour was Lucca's Duomo, Cattedrale di San Martino. It was founded in the 6th century, with its facade completed in the 13th century.
Exterior details. The portico is famous. It had a lot going on!
The most interesting exterior details to me were these. They relate to the Duomo being a stop on the Via Francigena. I had never heard of this before. It is a pilgrimage trail, similar to Camino di Santiago, that extends from Canterbury, England to Rome, Italy. The inscription on the right reminds citizens that they say all pilgrims are welcome and will be treated well. Above symbolic representations of the months. The labyrinth is a message for the pilgrims.
Cathedral Interior
The interior highlight for me was the beautiful organ. I learned that Lucca was the seat of an important organ school, prominent in the 14th-16th centuries. Wow!
Some scenes from our walk and my free time. I tried sweet focaccia for my snack. Super yum!
Puccini Theatre and Garibaldi statue. Puccini was born in Lucca. We passed a music school on our walk. It was so nice to hear the students practicing.
We stopped to look at remnants of the Roman forum, circa 1st century BCE. Wow!
That's a wrap on another Vagabond adventure. See you next time!
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