Overview
The 2,974-passenger, 110,000-ton Carnival Glory, the second in Carnival's Conquest class, is a colorful ship in more ways than one. With each public room celebrating a different shade of color, this ship takes the "rainbow connection" to a whole new level. Carnival Glory will be based year-round in Port Canaveral, sailing alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean routes every Saturday.

Onboard the Carnival Glory passengers will find a lively "let's do it all" atmosphere. The constant announcements remind passengers of most of the daily activities. The sheer size of the ship is mostly underscored by the space available. Occasional congestion occurs in lines at the Lido for meals, especially on port days for dinner on formal nights and the Kaleidoscope Boulevard promenade was crowded with lines for formal photos. Colors Bar in the atrium tends to fill up for pre-dinner cocktails. And yet there are offbeat, out-of-the-way spots, like the On The Green sports bar, The Ivory Club and the Ebony Caberet Lounge that offer escape from crowds.

Overall, Carnival Glory's biggest strength is its appeal to a wide variety of travelers, from families to couples to groups.

Fitness and Recreation
On the Carnival Glory, the 13,300-square-feet Spa Carnival features an exotic Polynesian design theme that incorporates lush foliage and other elements such as a waterfall cascading down a stone-like wall between decks with two indoor whirlpools. Panoramic views of the sea, along with the latest in weight and exercise technology, make for a state-of-the-art workout. This place even feels like a city gym since access to the workout area is through the locker rooms only. Inside the locker rooms are complimentary steam rooms, and saunas coupled with Steiner-operated spa treatment rooms. Among the relatively unusual spa services available include a couples' treatment room and a heated seaweed dry float.

A full-service beauty salon offering hair services, manicures and pedicures is available, but tends to book up for formal nights so reserve early. Fitness classes such as low- and high-impact aerobics and yoga, are offered in the aerobics studio. Some classes - yoga, kickboxing and spinning -- charge an additional fee of $10 per person.

The pool deck is multi-tiered and large enough to accommodate everyone. We noticed little in the way of chair saving since passengers must sign out their towels and there is a $22 per towel fee if lost. The ship has four swimming pools and three large whirlpools -- one with a 214-foot-long water slide and another covered by a retractable dome -- a jogging track, a half-court for basketball, a volleyball net and an assortment of ping-pong tables. A comprehensive golf program offers professional instruction both onboard and in ports-of-call.

Dress Code
On a seven-day cruise there are two "formal" evenings where cocktail dresses for women and a dark suit or tuxedo for men are suggested. Most men opt for jackets and ties; however, tuxedo rental is available onboard for an additional fee. All other evenings, dress is "resort casual;" for men that means sports shirts and slacks and for women that translates to sundresses and pants outfits.

Family
"Camp Carnival," the cruise line's kids' program, targets the two - 15 year-old set. The supervised activity program has a 4,200-square-foot play area for kids including computer labs, arts and crafts centers, video game rooms, and a new EduCruise science/geography program. Activities also utilize other parts of the ship.

Camp Carnival targets activities to specific age groups. Two-to-five year olds have free play and structured activities that are actually better for ages four to five as the twos and threes don't do structured very well. Six-to-eight year olds are grouped together for fun structured play. Nine-to-12 year olds have their own club and have group dinners and talent shows and can often be seen around the ship on "treasure hunts."

Of all the policies this program has in place, the parent call-in policy is the most challenging. The camp asks parents to call to check on their child after 10 minutes and then in 20 to 30 minute intervals, which makes for a hectic night out watching the clock. The program would be better served by offering up text pagers to parents so counselors can alert parents immediately if there is a problem. The parent that signs the child into the program must also sign the child out of the program each day without exception. Parents of children age nine and over should be aware that the children could be permitted to sign themselves in and out of the program with parental assent.

Special supervised children's dinners are available in the Lido's "Seaview Bistros." Dinner takes place from 6 - 7 p.m. and is available nightly except for the first and last night of the cruise. Children's menus are available in all main dining rooms. After dinner children are able to participate in regularly scheduled "Camp Carnival" activities until 10 p.m. After 10 p.m. there is group babysitting and it is absolutely required that parents make reservations in advance. Group babysitting is available from 10 p.m. - 3 a.m. Cost is $6 per hour for the first child in a family and $4 per hour for any additional siblings.

Other "Camp Carnival" features include a special children's turn-down service offering freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the first and last night of the cruise.

"Fountain Fun Cards," which are good for unlimited soft drinks, are available at a cost of $22.95 for guests under 21 (guests over 21 will be charged $34.44).

For teens, ages 16 and over, Ultraviolets is the teen center with a dance floor, video wall, lounge, soft-drink bar, and state-of-the-art video gaming.

Entertainment
Carnival Glory is a ship that was built for entertainment -- including 22 lounges and bars that all play on the "colors" theme with dramatic interiors. It is worth seeing all of them in action and this ship gets hopping around 10 p.m. each evening. The White Heat Dance Club is the ship's "disco" featuring a disc jockey. It stays open into the wee hours. The Amber Palace, a 1,400-seat multi-level theater inspired by Russia's legendary Amber Room, is the jumping-off point most evenings with all-new Vegas-style revues "Rock Down Broadway" and "Livin' in America." Each show consists of elaborate sets and costumes and some of the most dazzling special effects at sea including a revolving stage, rising orchestra pit, and a multi-million-dollar sound and lighting system. We found the best seats to be on Deck 4 where you can really see the special effects and the "flying objects" from one of the shows.

An Internet cafe is open 24 hours and is located in a tricky, out-of-the-way room behind the Ivory Club. Charges are .75 per minute. Carnival Glory is also wired with Wi-Fi wireless technology but passengers need to bring their own laptops and wireless cards. It should be noted that the Wi-Fi range is only in or near the Internet cafe at this time, though there are plans to expand the service throughout the ship. Packages are available onboard; $55 gets you 100 minutes of both standard and Wi-Fi access. Start-up fees and charges for renting wireless cards also apply.

Cabins
Of the ship's 1,487 staterooms, 60 percent offer an ocean view with 60 percent of those featuring private balconies. Carnival Glory has a range of range of staterooms from Penthouse Suites to Inside Cabins. One of our favorite categories is the new Family Stateroom with floor to ceiling glass walls but no balcony - there are only 18 of these but the cabin's location on Deck 11 right below Children's World is incredibly convenient. Balcony staterooms are equipped with faux-wood patio furniture and a glassed-in balcony.

Bathrooms in all cabins have an amenity basket that is filled only once and typically includes a pack of disposable razors, shampoo samples (in packets not bottles), breath mints, toothpaste and tiny bars of soap. In the shower (tubs are found only in suites) shampoo and shower gel dispensers are kept full; however we suggest you bring your own if you take hair care seriously.

Interactive television is also in all cabins offering up pay per view movies ($8.99 each) and a different complimentary movie each day along with port and shore excursion information, re-runs of onboard shows and satellite TV with access to BBC, ABC, and NBC. There's also access to your Sail & Sign account, an easy way to keep track of spending. All cabins have mini-bars filled with soda, drinks and snacks. Beware of the prices; we had a $3.50 Snickers Bar. Bathrobes and hairdryers are also available in all cabins.

Self-service launderettes are available on most stateroom decks. Costs are $2 for a wash, $1.50 for a dry. Detergent and dryer sheets are also available for sale. Each laundry room is equipped with an iron and ironing board for complimentary use.

Dining
Dining options range from elegant two-level formal dining rooms and an upscale reservations-only "steakhouse-style" supper club to an expansive two-level poolside restaurant offering casual alternatives for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a 24-hour pizzeria, New York-style deli, a specialty seafood station, a grille area, and more.

The Japanese-temple-inspired Platinum and Golden Dining rooms, both spanning two levels, are Glory's traditional restaurants. At dinner, they operate on an assigned-seating routine and offer staggered dining times; choices are 5:45 p.m., 6:15 p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. For honeymooners and couples there are plenty of tables for two. Spa menu selections are noted with calorie/fat content for each meal. There is also a vegetarian selection noted on the menu. Breakfast and lunch are open seating.

The Red Sail Restaurant, the casual Lido eatery, offers a daily buffet for all meals each day with varying themes, as well as self-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt machines. There's also a grill station with hamburgers, etc. and an Asian station, where offerings also change daily. Fish-and-chips lovers should not miss the "open for lunch only" seafood station found up on the second floor of Red Sail. Red Sail also has a 24-hour pizza station including calzones and a deli.

The highlight of the cruise was the reservations-only Emerald Room Supper Club. The special menu - specialties include South African lobster, huge porterhouse steaks and prime-aged beef -- combined with attentive service is more than worth the $25 per person fee and some cruisers attempt to dine here more than once a cruise. Here's a tip; the first day of the cruise is the best time to get in so call as soon as you get onboard to book.

Carnival is one of the few cruise lines that still indulge in the midnight buffet - themes vary (from, for instance, Mexican to crepes) so check the schedule for details. The buffet opens early to photo takers only so bring your cameras.

The Deck 5 promenade is home to Creams, the extra-charge dessert and coffee bar, and a complimentary sushi counter that only opens in the evenings. Room service is available 24 hours. Breakfast items vary from cold to hot; otherwise, all day offerings include the usual sandwiches and salads.

Public Rooms
The kaleidoscope of colors begins as passengers enter The Colors Lobby, which is highlighted by a giant digital slow-moving kaleidoscope projected on huge screens over the bar. It is best viewed from the glass elevators. Carnival Glory's multi-level main show lounge, Amber Palace, offers design touches that include rococo moldings, gold leaf columns, candelabra, cornices and paintings of famous Russian czars and czarinas. The Camel Club Casino features an Egyptian motif whose highlight is life-sized kneeling camels that greet visitors at all entrances. It's a great photo spot. The White Heat Dance Club is kitschy with gigantic white candles lining the walls. The Ivory Club features elephant tusk replicas, intricate wall coverings, windows inset with mosaics of faux semi-precious stones, and a wood-paneled ceiling.

Bar Blue is the ship's jazz bar with giant peacock feathers that extend from the floor almost to the ceiling. The Ebony Cabaret has an African atmosphere, with dark ebony walls and ceilings, and hand-carved and painted authentic wooden African masks mounted in copper-like frames.

The Black & White Library features checkerboard wood squares in black and white patterns, wood bookcases and framed images of famous newspaper headlines. The library is very small for this size of ship so remember to bring your own reading material.

The ship is easy to navigate, as many public rooms -Camel Club Casino, the Burgundy Bar wine bar, the White Heat Dance Club and Ultraviolets, the teen disco - are centrally located. At one end is a cluster of hotspots like Cinn-A-Bar, a sing-along piano bar, the Ebony Cabaret, for late-night comic acts and dancing, and the Bar Blue for jazz. The Ivory Club, the ship's cigar bar, is just below.

At the opposite end of the Promenade Deck are the "Boulevard Shops," all selling the usual cruise fare, from Carnival insignia-wear to a pretty huge selection of duty-free booze to perfume and jewelry.

Fellow Passengers
Expect to find most passengers ranging from 25-55. You will find more families with kids, especially in the summer and during school breaks. Carnival reports that 30% of its passengers are under 35, 40% are between 35-55 and 30% are over 55.

Gratuity
Carnival automatically adds gratuities to your Sail & Sign account with a total amount of $9.75 per guest per day. You can adjust this rate either up or down based on service by requesting the change at the purser's desk. The $9.75 per person includes $3.50 for cabin steward, $5.50 for dining team and .75 for "alternate dining service and incentives for dining service."