LeeloLovesStitch

This is awesome - exactly what I was looking for!!!!

Does anyone have a comparison of which ships with Aft pools that aren't Serenity but are supposed to be adults only? TIA

A friend of mine got married on a Princess cruise about 3 years ago. They had the ceremony on the ship in a small chapel. There was a web cam so friends and family back home could "watch" (no audio, just still pictures that refresh every so often). However, you don't have to share that info if you don't want to :p They had pictures taken on the ship with one of the ship's photographers; they were STUNNING. I'm not sure if they had to pay for the time or just the pictures. My friend had her hair done at the salon. They went to one of the specialty restaurants for dinner. They did have to pay for each of these, but she was able to work with someone who set everything up and they treated her very well (ie, very nice table at the restaurant, helped with scheduling, etc). They were really pleased and it wasn't overly expensive, but I guess that's all relative.

I greatly enjoyed the American Table menu. I thought it had a great number of choices and a wide variety. I loved that you could pick whatever side items you wanted. We had tablecloths every night - I would dislike if we didn't.

On Carnival, I love that they have POG (passion fruit/orange/guava) on Lido in the morning!!

I also am ashamed to admit that the Guy's burgers were AWESOME. I must have had 4 or 5 on a 7 day cruise.

There was some type of chocolate mouse cake dessert with different sauces on the first formal night as well that was AMAZING. Like, I wish I had gotten about 4 more pieces of it amazing. I kept hoping it would make a reappearance through the week. This was with the newer American Table/American feast menu. Apparently, a lot of people don't like it, but I was quite impressed with the menu. Granted, this was my first and only cruise (so far), but after seeing pictures of food from the "regular" menu which will be on our upcoming cruse on Splendor, I'm a little disappointed (I did not pick the ship - but am not complaining, as I'm sure it will be an amazing vacation!!!). Chicken strips as an appetizer? Really? However - there are some things I'm looking forward to. I've heard the chilled fruit soups are outstanding!

I get the passion fruit juice from the breakfast drink station. Put in glass with vanilla soft serve. You have to get the drink in the AM, not there after breakfast. You have to hide it in your room to use later. Twice had the room steward take it when they cleaned. I guess he thought it was left over from breakfast

I am bringing a bottle on the next cruise solely for the POG juice!! I love it so much. I wish they would use it as a mixer at the bars.... But my plan is to use it as a mixer in my room with rum :)

Thanks. Hopefully not too many details - don't want to bore anyone.

 

FYI - the details I write are hopefully painting a picture in people's minds and make up for the lack of photos posted. Although I took a bunch of photos, 99% are of my family and friends, which I would rather not post. However, I do have a few pics in the ports without family/friends in the foreground, which I may post when discussing Halifax & Saint John.

You are definitely painting a great picture!! I was reading while on a car trip (I was not driving :) ) and when I was done, I looked up and was so disappointed to remember I was not actually on my cruise yet... :)

Wow - awesome detail! I feel like I'm there on the ship with y'all! Can't wait to hear more :)

Alright, I'm hooked! Can't wait to see how the trip went!

Awww that sounds so fun!!! Has anyone seen it on the Splendor?!?! Am going in Jan 2016 and would LOVE that!!!

I think this is a great topic regardless of cruise line! I'm glad someone else chimed in.

I don't have much experience to speak from, but in general, I am in the middle but leaning towards consistent. I like comfort and knowing what to expect..... But also like new experiences!! I think so long as my standards are met, I do like some new things. But there is something to be said for knowing your routine and being able to get in your vacation groove right from the start. From my cruise on Liberty and going to Splendor, I am bummed there will be no Guys burgers, Red Frog, or American Table menu ( i seem to be in the minority, but i liked it!!) But on Splendor, I am looking forward to the aft pool being "open" - ie you can see off the back of the ship instead of it being closed in. So - final answer - for me, I like a little of both!

If there is a sports bar on the ship, they will offer a few snack type things for an extra fee. However - you can take food with you anywhere!!! So if you want to hang out somewhere where there is either a charge or just no food in that area, just grab a plate from the buffett and go! No one gives you a second glance.

When we sailed the Liberty back in January 2014 they had POG juice on the Lido deck for breakfast. Does anyone know if the splendor has POG juice?

This may not be exactly "recent," but we went in Jan 2014 and there was definitely a good amount of seaweed.

I love picking up fridge magnets!!

I kept the two large plastic palm-tree shaped cups we got pina coladas in at Cozumel. Wish I had thought to get some sand to put in them. That was our fave port of our first (and only so far) cruise and we had so much fun that day. The BF loves to tease me for keeping them, but I keep them on top of our fridge and I love thinking about it whenever I see them. I think I am going to start a new tradition of getting sand and small shells from wherever we go and layering it inside.

We also picked up a trivet in Isla Roatan. It's made up of different native woods (allegedly... we got it at the port cruise center, so who knows!) and it's very pretty. It folds up so it was easy to bring back. I do actually use it but it's also pretty enough to leave just sitting out. Also made for a great souvenir to bring back for my mom and sister.

I love reading through everyone's different ideas!!

Thanks!!! That seems later than I remember - score!

We took our first cruise a year and a half ago (Liberty) and the in-laws just booked us another one for Jan on the Splendor (YAY!). We seem to remember the whirlpools/pools closing pretty early - maybe 10 pm I think. Can anyone confirm the whirlpool hours? Do they change based on the ship? We were so bummed - we do late dining and we are not dancers so relaxing in the whirlpools looking at the stars with a nightcap seemed like a perfect idea to us. So much for 24 hours of fun. We definitely thought they could stay open until at least midnight!

Thanks!!! We were so overwhelmed last time (in a GREAT way!) I don't think we explored every single nook and cranny - can't wait for the next cruise (Jan 2016) to be able to apply "lessons learned!"

What do y'all consider as the "secret decks" on Splendor?

Sorry - been a CC member since my last cruise in 2014 but still trying to navigate all these forums! I'm sure it's posted somewhere else too - just can't find ATM.

Thanks!!

We just got back from the Carnival Liberty (our first cruise - LOVED it) and we had chocolate mints and towel animals every night. After asking for an ice bucket on our second or third day, our room steward kept it filled daily. He brought us clean glasses every day (as needed), as well. We were quite impressed with the room service (to be fair, we don't have a comparison...).

I was much more impressed with the quality of food in the MDR than I thought I would be. The Lido deck buffet was OK, but not amazing. The other lunch options - burritos/tacos or burgers - were REALLY good, so overall, no complaints there. Plenty of options, so I could always find something I liked.

My one real complaint is how early they closed the pools and hot tubs - by 11 pm. To me, that's the PERFECT time to go enjoy the whirlpool! I guess they'd rather have you in the casino. Do the other cruise lines close them that early?