RCI Loyal, just off Splendor - expected the worst, was totally wrong

[capnlars]

We are a couple in our very early 50's. When we started cruising, we took some short cruises on Ecstasy (when it was in Los Angeles), and some longer ones on the Triumph. We then went on an RCI cruise, and it became our line of choice. On Carnival, we've always stayed in a Cat 12 room, on Royal we typically stay in an OS and very rarely, a RS. Last year, my company took us on a short Carnival cruise out of Miami - and we hated it. Didn't like the ship, the rude passengers, or food. This year when they told us we were going on the Splendor for a week, we expected the worst. Boy, were we wrong! The ship was great, the food was surprisingly good (considering the number of people being served), the guests were polite and pleasant, the crew was friendly.

 

Embarkation was very smooth. In Los Angeles, there's a lounge/check-in area for suite guests. We were checked in within 5 minutes of arriving at the port, and they provided a nice lounge for us to wait until the ship was boarding. Once boarding started, we escorted as a group to the head of the line and were on board very quickly. They started boarding around 11.

We went up to the Lido for lunch. We were very impressed with the Lido for dining. There was a Mongolian Grill, Burrito Bar, Deli, Tandoori Grill, Chicken Grill, as well as the standard cruise-type buffet. Waits were up to 30-40 minutes for the Mongolian during peak lunch times, but we were first in line. Food was fresh, hot, and what we considered good quality. Seating was never a problem - even on the last morning when it seemed that EVERYONE was up there that morning.

 

We stayed in a CAT 12 room. The room was quite nice, but smaller than what we have had on RCI. The only "perks" we were told about were the priority boarding and priority debarkation. The main thing we missed that we get on RCI was the ability to order any dining room item for room service. The other perks RCI gives are pretty much fluff, except for concierge lounge access.

 

Safety drill was quick and painless - they did not at all enforce the no drink/no cellphone rules that were published.

 

We ate in the main dining room - late seating. Since we were a group of about 50, we had 6 tables that we could rotate around for dinner. Even though the six tables had 3 different waiters and 2 different asst waiters - they all seemed to know our names and preferences after the first night. As an example, the asst waiter from the table we were at the first night would come to whatever table we were at to deliver iced tea when we sat down.

 

We didn't go to any of the production shows, but saw two comedy shows - one of which was good. As a group we spent a lot of time at the piano bar, and even arranged to have the piano player for entertainment at our next company meeting in January.

 

In Cabo, we went off on our own the first day and rented some kayaks with other people in our group. It took about 45 minutes to paddle from the kayak beach to the arches. Afterwards we found a place to eat on the beach that didn't seem like a "Girls Gone Wild" set (it took a bit of a walk to find one). The ship left Cabo at 6p, and returned the next morning at 7a. The second day we took a Carnival excursion to go horseback riding on the beach. I would highly recommend this excursion.

In Puerto Vallarta, we went on a Carnival excursion for a sail to Banderas bay. The day was spent on a new-looking 47 foot sailboat. There was a total of 7 people on board - us and a group of aussies traveling together. According to the operator, they can hold up to 14 people - not sure it would be as nice a day with that many. The aussies were a blast, and we had a good time talking with them. It's always interesting to hear the impressions that foreigners have of Americans. The aussies were surprised that we do not own a gun and said "please" when we asked for something. (I once talked to someone from France who though it absurd that in the US "you can't sleep with your employees"). The crew (captain and mate) were well seasoned. We motored to the PV arches in the bay and snorkled there for an hour or so. After that we pulled up to a beach and they served a fresh seafood/vegetable/fruit lunch. After lunch the wind picked up, so we were able to sail back. This was a wonderful afternoon and I would recommend this excursion.

 

Having 2 sea days at the end is a wonderful thing. We spent a lot of quiet time on the balcony.

 

Debarkation was painless, but we had special consideration as a group - they put us all in a conference room, then escorted us out with the first group after self-assist. We were on our way by 9:15am and at our hotel near LAX by 10.

 

Overall we had a great time, and will definitely be looking to Carnival now for our cruise options.

[Carolin]

I'm so glad you enjoyed your cruise. I prefer longer cruises over short ones on either line.

[Nyc2tropics]

Nice review. Is your company hiring?

[hfweather]

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself! Thanks for sharing your experience.

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. Nice to know that for you, Carnival did somewhat redeem themselves this time. I like Carnival, but I can see that one bad or even semi bad experience can make a person hesitant to book with that company again, especially when you have a preferred company to deal with. From what I have read here and on other cruise review sites, the shorter cruises, tend to sometimes be less satisfactory for many folks. Also certain times of year you will, regardless of cruise line, encounter college students ( some, but not all drunken ), but mostly loud and very "high energy". Did that once, and ever since refuse to cruise during that time of year, and have ever since then avoided that time of year and had a great cruise experience. JMHO.:)