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MORE things Splendor ... NY style!

Cyber Kat

By Cyber Kat,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Bad Boy B

Bad Boy B

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Posted

I copy and pasted from the reviews yesterday the 16th..pixel.gif

 

 

Good and bad. Don't come hungry.pixel.gifSummary: Took the 8 night cruise from NYC to Eastern Caribbean (San Juan, St Thomas, Grand Turk. ) with adult sister and our adult parents. Food and entertainment left a lot to be desired. Bad shows/comedy etc. Ship itself was hideous (pink nightmare) and not very well thought out. Service was generally fabulous and we loved the staff we dealt with. Embarkation and debark was mostly painless. Nothing fancy about this ship and the whole experience felt pretty cheap. Come thirsty but leave your appetite at home. Good for a budget vacay.

 

Stateroom:

Ocean view on main deck. Was okay. Twin beds, okay closet space. Clean thanks to our fabulous steward. Full length mirror was on the inside of the closet door and it kept closing itself -minor annoyance when getting dressed. Bathroom was okay, appreciated having several shelves for makeup etc. Small tv ~15 channels and most do not work at sea.

 

Food: This is NOT a cruise for foodies or anyone who enjoys well seasoned/spicy/ethnic food. Clearly its all about quantity not quality. Yes there was food but nothing really good and lines were long during the peak hours. The buffets on Lido deck were well manned and kept stocked but nothing too tasty to be found. Favorite thing we found was the "deli" in the aft of the ship next to the regular buffet so we could have a quick salami bagel for breakfast. And lunch. The buffet items were generally overcooked, unseasoned and not worth the time. I regret not sneaking some spices on board. Mongolian station was okay. Pizza place on Lido was okay but they don't have a good system so its long lines. The Black Pearl dining room was a way better option and we ate dinner there most nights. The staff was very good (especially the Matre d', Mr. V, he was the man). The food was pretty horrible the first few nights but magically improved on the 4th evening. We went from what we joke was shrimp fingers with glued on tails to good steaks, and bacon mac and cheese. Maybe they switched chefs?? Despite the improvement, none of the seafood dishes were good. Most everything on board was low in seasoning/spices in general though (possibly to appeal to the older cruisers). We really liked to have a "formal" dinner and the staff was great so despite the deficiencies the Black Pearl was a super alternative to the buffets. Brunch at the pearl was good, with reasonably priced drinks.

 

Drinks: Tiny child size glasses at the buffet. The included free drinks were BAD quality. If you don't booze then you will probably spend a bunch on cokes anyway. FEW water fountains. The booze drinks were okay with daily specials in horrible coconut containers. Most bartenders were stingy with the liquor but generally we enjoyed what we ordered. Prices not bad at all if you are coming from NYC area.

 

Entertainment: Is it a game/contest hosted by the cruise director Malcolm? Then go. Otherwise don't bother. The singing/dancing shows were absolutely terrible and we had to leave. Hire someone who can sing please? We enjoyed the Marriage Game, a few adult only comedy shows and went to the lido deck parties. Had some drinks and enjoyed those. ->The show performers do get switched out so don't write it off entirely.

 

Ship: Its hideous like everyone says. Check out the ship and don't stay in the lido area only...Seriously. Deck 9 aft had a pool/bar and you could go upstairs for mostly adult tanning time. Did not get to swim in the pools as they all had too many kids. Deck 12 (stairs from the Spa deck) had an adult only area which was good for tanning but also shade for reading etc. No one under 40 there, except us.

 

Debarkation and embarkation: Getting on/off the ship from the ports was efficient and pretty quick from our deck. The ship arrived on time to every port so we had maximum time to explore.

 

Biggest peeves: 1) Lack of bathrooms and fountains in public areas. Since everyone is basically drunk it would make sense to have more potties and at least some signs to let you know where they are.

2) Stop selling me crap. Most employees are pushing you to buy crap you don't want. Whether its photos, jewelry, excursions, dvd's, bottled water at your table, it was never ending nickel and diming. This cheapened the entire experience and made it feel like a floating Walmart. Biggest pluses: Good size gym with a great sauna. Very relaxing! The lido party with the line dances was a great time once everyone got into it. The staff! The arcade. :) The band in the casino was great.

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carol TC

carol TC

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I don't pay attention either. If you look 3different reviews same cruise and all different opinons. I go with the flow and if I'm not cooking thats all I want. Easy to please Just like to see whats going on

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EBONI325

EBONI325

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Well what happens to the folks who don't like spicy foods, do they not eat? You can't please everyone, not spicy enough, too spicy, overcooked, undercooked. I don't like everything on a cruise but I always find something to my liking.. 3000 people on a ship, you can't have everything cooked the way YOU like it.

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gusandgidgetsmom

gusandgidgetsmom

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"Lack of bathrooms and because everyone is basically drunk"? What? I have cruised for over 25 years on all different lines as well as Carnival and I have NEVER been on a ship where basically everyone was drunk. How do I know this-because I rarely drink and would surely spot a drunk a mile away. I think some of his points were valid--the buffets are not Carnival's strong suit but many of the points were just the OP's opinion. Which is fine. I think we should all be able to voice ours. My idea of good food might not be theirs. Heck my husband and I disagree on good food. He doesn't like anything spicy and I do. I hope that this b2b was not their first attempt at cruising because if it is I think they probably will not give it another try and maybe shouldn't as I don't think this is their thing!

I am going to go on the Splendor not with the thought of any reviews, either positive or negative, as I always do and have myself one wonderful cruise vacation with three of my favorite men in life-my hubby and 2 Grandsons.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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.

I don't pay attention either. If you look 3different reviews same cruise and all different opinons. I go with the flow and if I'm not cooking thats all I want. Easy to please Just like to see whats going on

 

I don't pay attention to whether the person liked the cruise or not - I look at the details. This person was unhappy with the food because the were looking for exotic and spicy food. Exotic and spicy is NOT what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something that tastes good. With all the food on the various buffets, you know what, I've ALWAYS found something tasty. Maybe it's because I didn't have to cook it or clean up the mess.

 

Another review I read, the person was not happy with the way the Drinks program worked. Much of the review was dedicated to that. I'm not doing the program so that's not going to affect my cruise.

 

Things that I am looking for have been remarked on positively for the most part, so I am really looking forward to my cruise. I'm excited and ready to go! Plus I have an awesome aft wrap to look forward to!

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gizfish

gizfish

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Posted
Do you think 10:55 am is too early for a flight from LGA?

 

Maggie

 

I think that would be cutting it kind of close. You would have to get through all the NYC traffic and deal with the traffic around LGA, not to mention the lines at security.

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Crazy about cruising

Crazy about cruising

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I just got off the Splendor yesterday.I have the funtimes but don't know how to scan.

This was my 15th Carnival cruise and possibly the best one yet.

I don't understand the negative reviews.People must be alot fussier than my DH and I.We thought the service was top notch and the crew were the friendliest ever.Mr V the maitre d was by far the best I have ever sailed with.He called us by name every time we walked in the dining room and always came over and spoke with us.Our servers and cabin steward remembered our names after the first greeting.

Loved our inside spa cabin and the Tpool and thermal heated loungers were wonderful.

Carnival still delivers an awesome product at a great price.

 

Feel free to ask any questions.

 

Laura

 

At least you and I were on the same cruise. I totally agree great time. Even with the loud party people in the suite right next to me keeping me up until almost 6am one night .

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barbsie8

barbsie8

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GlamourGal, Cyber Kat, we are definitely on the same page.

 

You have to take some of these negative reviews ith a grain of salt!

 

When it's our turn to get on the ship, we will have a great time!

 

Barb

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mbe30

mbe30

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If you mean noise from the lounge below, they used to have music there at night. Now they use it for the comedy shows. I would think that won't be as noisy. If you are talking about noise from the wake or the azapods, IDK I've heard yes and know. We are in an aft wrap on 6 in June - we'll let you know!

 

Ugh, I hate to say this, and it may be completely different on the Splendor. I was on the Glory out of Boston last July and we had an aft balcony - not the wrap, but the one right next to the wrap on Deck 6. It was so loud every night that the room was shaking with the music. The good news was that I could enjoy the comedians from the comfort of my own bed! (with earplugs in) Honestly, Carnival should do more to warn people of the noise issue with these rooms. Having said that, if you think you may be able to deal with the noise, or heck, if you'll be down in the lounge yourself (what I SHOULD have done instead of fuming in my bed), an aft wrap is special. Maybe the structure of the Splendor is better than the Glory. I know that it's not exactly the same as the Conquest class ships.

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Cher222

Cher222

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Laura- we have an inside spa cabin next week, glad you enjoyed it. Did you find the spa crowded? We thought with the weather fromNY it would be nice to come and go to the spa area, is the thalassotherapy pool as nice as it looked, and warm enough?? Thanks to all that posted!! Cheryl

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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Ugh, I hate to say this, and it may be completely different on the Splendor. I was on the Glory out of Boston last July and we had an aft balcony - not the wrap, but the one right next to the wrap on Deck 6. It was so loud every night that the room was shaking with the music. The good news was that I could enjoy the comedians from the comfort of my own bed! (with earplugs in) Honestly, Carnival should do more to warn people of the noise issue with these rooms. Having said that, if you think you may be able to deal with the noise, or heck, if you'll be down in the lounge yourself (what I SHOULD have done instead of fuming in my bed), an aft wrap is special. Maybe the structure of the Splendor is better than the Glory. I know that it's not exactly the same as the Conquest class ships.

 

I have heard from people who were in this room and they said it wasn't a problem. We probably won't be going asleep until after they are done there. And we live by RR tracks and I can sleep with freight trains roaring by at 70-80mph - no problem!

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boxersmama

boxersmama

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O.K. so now we have another bad review, but like I said before everyone on shipmate that just got off the same cruise raved about it. Another one posted today and also said food was great, crew was great and matr'd was best they ever had. They all loved the ship despite the pink, which I know won't bother me, I don't go on a ship because of it's decor. Thank goodness the food is not overly spiced or my hubby wouldn't eat:eek: As far as the shows, if we go and it doesn't appeal to us, we just leave, there is plenty of other things to enjoy even if it's strolling the deck:) Our TA is onboard her now to check things out before we sail on the 9th, so when we get any feedback I will post. We come with a large radio group and last yr on Pride, alot of negative issues compared to Miracle, she really complained and had everything taken care of so If she finds anything wrong on Splendor , you can bet she's gonna let them know. Our DJ is going to be playing on Lido deck one afternoon and also at Margaritaville in GT. Does this every year and it is great. No worries, we will all have fun:D

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mbe30

mbe30

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I have heard from people who were in this room and they said it wasn't a problem. We probably won't be going asleep until after they are done there. And we live by RR tracks and I can sleep with freight trains roaring by at 70-80mph - no problem!

 

So I'm sure you'll be ok then. Enjoy your cruise - I think you'll be getting on the ship the day I'm leaving!

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SusieCruisie

SusieCruisie

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You can find current menus (and awesome food porn :D ) here http://zydecocruiser.net/CarnivalConquest2012/menus/mdr_dinner.html

 

They are pretty much the same menus fleet wide. We're still waiting for some recent cruisers to post fun times ... you promised :( - and we are all waiting with bated breath! We just want to bask vicariously in the fun until it's our turn!

 

What a great site!!! Thank you so much for sharing it!

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