Key Aspects:
- Carnival Glory has added a non-smoking casino onboard and moved the Club O2 teen space to a different deck.
- These refurbishments were made while the ship remained fully in service with guests onboard.
- The newly announced “From Sea to Shining Sea” bow crest has not yet been added to the ship.
Not all cruise ship updates require dry dock and weeks out of service before new venues and features can be debuted to guests. Carnival Glory is proving just that with two popular new features now available just in time for the busy summer season.
A non-smoking casino has been added to the 2,980-passenger ship, a move Carnival Cruise Line has been focusing on in recent years in response to guest feedback about gambling options onboard.
The non-smoking casino is located on the Promenade Deck (Deck 5), conveniently adjacent to the JavaBlue Cafe. Both table games and slots are part of the smoke-free space.
Previously, the non-smoking casino was the Club O2 teen space, which has now been moved one deck lower to the Atlantic Deck (Deck 4), forward of the Ivory Club Bar. The dedicated club for teens to enjoy meeting friends remains in a central location that will be a great spot for teens to stay in the middle of all the onboard action but still enjoy their own space.
Seating, game tables, and a huge flatscreen are part of the exclusive Club O2 lounge, and it’s where teen activities and meetups will be planned on every sailing for guests ages 15-17. Movies, video games, karaoke, and other events are popular in the teen club.
Ship Never Left Service
What is most impressive about these latest updates to Carnival Glory is that the Conquest-class ship has been sailing the entire time the renovations have been underway.
When updates can be made without closing down major public spaces or impacting necessary onboard operations, it is possible for a cruise ship to keep welcoming guests even while some areas may be temporarily closed for construction work and refurbishment.
For Carnival Glory, that means continuing with her 3- and 4-night Bahamas itineraries from Port Canaveral. The 3-night cruises visit Carnival’s private destination Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island, while the 4-night sailings also go to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas.
No sailings have been cancelled or adjusted due to the renovations. Both projects are now complete as the ship sets sail on her Friday, May 22, 2026 departure, a 3-night weekend getaway.
No New Bow Crest Yet
The updates to Carnival Glory debut just days after Carnival Cruise Line announced that a new “From Sea to Shining Sea” bow crest will be added to every ship in the fleet.
Cruise Hive has already reported that the new crest has debuted first on Carnival Legend and will also be on Carnival Magic when she returns to service on May 26.
That crest can only be added to ships while they are in dry dock, however, because it requires access to the forward hull to ensure it is mounted and secured properly. This cannot be done while a ship is in service.
Ships will get the new crest as they enter into scheduled dry docks and the emblem will also be featured on every new build joining the fleet in the coming years. Only Carnival Jubilee and the upcoming Carnival Tropicale will have a different crest design with the Star of Texas signifying their connection to Galveston.
Carnival Glory‘s most recent dry dock was in April 2024, and her next dry dock refreshment is currently planned for January 2027. Dry dock dates are occasionally adjusted, however, depending on shipyard operational schedules.
