Carnival Splendor - July 28th - LONG Detailed Review and Diary!

[caro1998]

Thanks so much for posting such an in depth review. I am hoping to book a cruise on this ship sometime soon!

 

I also experienced the long pizza lines on The Victory a few weeks ago. I timed it- I waited 35 minutes for 2 slices of the crappiest tasting pizza I had ever had. Now, it was 11:30pm at night and obviously a line but-.....lesson learned.

 

As for the disprect mentioned below in the MDR. I just think that is the rudest. There should be a time limit set where guests who are late are not allowed to come in to eat after a certain point. Especially if they are expecting their full 3 course meal. How is that fair to the waiters who need to get the table ready for the next seating?

 

Caro

<<A note about dining times. If you are going to have Early sitting – can you please arrive as close to the time as possible? The party of eight who sat across from us constantly arrived late.. as late as 6:45 for dinner. I felt bad for Marselus and Pol as they scrambled trying to serve them while keep their routine for the other tables. >>

[SweetpeaOne]

Very nice review. Thanks for sharing. Will follow until the end.

[clairentommy]

Really enjoying your review......making me wish my cruise was sooner. :)

[Catrin]

A few other notes from our first day at sea....and misc comments.

 

Night Owls - Camp Carnival

This is a two hour party from 10pm - Midnight for the 2-11 age group. The cost was $13.00 plus 15% Gratuity. Allison LOVED the party! They sang, danced, played games etc. This was so much more than babysitting. Afterwards, each child received a string backpack filled with an Owl stuffed toy, and a flashlight pen. They offered this 10-12 party twice during the cruise, and then a "Fun Till 1" party (which we will talk about in a few days!)

 

Internet

I did buy a small internet package on the first day at sea. The Internet Manager showed me how to utilize my Iphone and this is how I accessed mail and facebook the rest of the week. If you sign up the first or second day, you receive 10 extra minutes. There are also several times during the week when you get BOGO time (use 10 minutes, get 10 more free), so I took advantage of one of those events for even more time. The cost was $59.00 for 120 minutes - plus I ended with 20 more free. This was more than enough time for the duration of the cruise.

Interactive TV

We were able to access the dining room menus from our TV as well as Sail and Sign balance, etc. Mostly, we used the TV for the weather and movies. Each Day, they listed two movies that were played throughout the day. This was important to Allison, who wanted to watch The Croods.. we were able to plan quiet time in the room for her one afternoon.

Announcements

Everyday, around noon, the Captain would give us an update on the weather and ship's speed and sea conditions. This was terrific, as we were approaching Tropical Storm Dorian and there was a possibility that the ship would not go on its scheduled course.

Then there would be a few announcements regarding activities, Fun Shop specials, Spa treatments etc. They were not abundant and were never disruptive.

Shopping

Nothing new in the Shops on the ship. $10.00 sale on the first Sea Day featured watches, small clutch purses, Pashminas, etc. The 2 for $20 Tshirts were featured throughout the week so no need to wait until the last day to purchase. The one thing we do miss however, is a selection of Tshirts with the ship names - they haven't had these for a while. The first day, they have tons of different lanyards for sale.. including some pink, silver and blue "BLING BLING" lanyards.. that of course Allison had to have!!! The other days they featured Inch of (NOT) Gold, Rings, Watches and then the Watch and Jewelry sets on the last day.

 

Other Offerings

Sushi - offered nightly on the Promenade Deck and Lido Buffet - we did not try it. The Taste Bar is not offered on this ship as they have not had the 2.0 upgrades.

Ice Cream - two machines on the Lido Deck buffet area. No machine at the aft pool.

Room Service - the menu is a piece of paper received the first day when you walk into your room. Be careful not to think its just junk mail!! Also, breakfast cards are left in the room each day as well.

 

Ok.. time go to go work.. have to make up the fact I took Monday off!!

Have a great day..

Catrin

[disfan13]

Loving this review!!! Will be sailing the Splendor Sep 30! Can't wait for more

[smjlt]

Great Review! I am enjoying it!

 

I read somewhere that the taste bar is coming to the Splendor in September!

[Rgtouro]

 

Continuing Day One

...while Allison and I went up to the Rotisserie on Deck 10 for a Cruise Critic Meet and Greet! Our CC group was a smaller group compared to Florida Cruises, but an active group, nonetheless! It was great meeting everyone and really made it nice to talk to everyone throughout the week. (Hello to everyone!!).

 

Hi ya Catrin! It was so awesome meeting you and your daughter at the Meet & Greet! Thanks for your kind offer to share your cabana, I'll have to take a "Rain check" :D hehe!

 

What a great review I must say! :D It brought a BIG smile to my face as I read it! I look forward to cruising with you again in the near future.

 

~Roseann

[Catrin]

Hi ya Catrin! It was so awesome meeting you and your daughter at the Meet & Greet! Thanks for your kind offer to share your cabana, I'll have to take a "Rain check" :D hehe!

 

What a great review I must say! :D It brought a BIG smile to my face as I read it! I look forward to cruising with you again in the near future.

 

~Roseann

 

Hi Roseann.. it was a terrific group!! Keep reading.. as I am only on day TWO!!!

Cathy

[Catrin]

Day Three – Second Day at Sea

 

Hello Sunshine!!! We woke up to a gorgeous day. The skies had cleared, the seas had calmed, finally!! The roof in the main pool area had opened… we were all set for a relaxing day at sea.

 

I woke up bright and early and went to the Gym. The gym is on the 11th deck, forward and attached to the Spa. It is a full gym with Ellipticals, Treadmills, Bikes, free weights and nautilus machines. What I really liked about this gym is how the Ellipticals and Treadmills were situated. Instead of facing forward, they face to the side of the ship… helping with the motion. There is nothing worse on being on an elliptical when the front of the ship is going up and down!! The machines are hooked up with Ipod connectiors… BUT>>> not the Ipod or iphone 5 connector. So, I just watched my little screen and rocked out to the Foo Fighters while walking 5K. There were a few open machines when I arrived, but by the time I was done, there was a wait.

 

After the gym, I found Steve, Matt and Allison up … they waited for me as I showered and then the three of us went to breakfast. Egg White Omelets for us, Cheerios for Allison. Our plan was to get a deck chair on the Lido Deck and have breakfast while watching the morning show on the big screen….. but…. At 8:30 am there were ALREADY NO CHAIRS!!! Now, if we found people relaxing on deck and sunbathing, reading, watching the TV, that would have been fine. But.. most chairs were EMPTY. Towels, Flip Flops, a banana, books… whatever it took. The Chair Hogs have invaded the Splendor.

 

(I wish I took a picture of the empty row in front of this row!)

(My view once I sat down)

 

We ate at a table right under the shade, and just watched the other passengers. We could not believe what we saw. There was one group.. who had 15 chairs saved. 6 Under the shade and 9 in the sunshine. We saw the attendant start putting stickers on the chairs, and sure enough the Queen of the Chair Hogs would get off her chair in the shade and remove the stickers. Every once in a while someone would come, hang out in a chair, and then leave again. Oh, great, this is going to be fun.

 

At one point, I said to Steve, let me go look again and I was able to find ONE empty chair, which we claimed. By this time, it was close to 10am and he brought Allison to camp. While he was at camp, one of the chair hog group took his towel (but not the book) off the chair next to me and moved it to the chair in front of me. I said.. you are not using this chair, can I use it for my husband? He said, sure, no problem…. But then the Queen got mad!! But finally with a dirty look she said FINE. It was crazy. The chair next to me on the other side was empty as well…. Then my CC friend Gail came to say hi and I mentioned that they were not using the chairs so she took the one on the other side of me… and THEN .. out of nowhere…. Comes a wild woman, whose chair we stole. Uh Oh, this is going to be ugly. “I was in the pool!” she said. For two hours?????? Not worth fighting about … and Gail left 

 

We stayed for a while… Steve in the pool, me reading….. Trying to enjoy the sun, but not get too much. We picked up Allison around 11:30 and brought her to the kids water park.. she loved the splash zone and had a blast.. but then the ONE cloud within a 50 mile radius opened up and poured…. For about 5 minutes. When it started to rain, I took that as my cue… it was time to bring Allison back to the cabin for a nap. That was our deal for her staying up until Midnight the night before. There is no way she would have made it through another late night we did not plan on quiet time.

 

I ordered room service as soon as I got back to the room. Grilled cheese with Pretzels for Allison, Roast Beef with Cheddar on a Baguette for me, Cheesecake, Cookies. Room service took forever it seemed, about 40 minutes. But, we were able to draw the curtains, turn on the TV and rest. I cleaned the room, read my book and had a nice one on one time with Allie. After lunch arrived, it was naptime.. For me too!! How awesome it is to be on vacation and actually get to take a NAP!

 

During this entire time.. Steve went to the adult pool in the back of the ship, where all afternoon there was a wild party going on. This was NOT a Serenity area!! There was a DJ playing, wild dancing, and heavy drinking. Steve sat at the edge of the pool with his bucket of beers and had a blast.

[Catrin]

At one point during the day, the news we were waiting to hear finally arrived.

 

Due to Tropical Storm Dorian, we were no longer going to Half Moon Cay or Nassau. The Splendor was now going to San Juan, St. Thomas and finally Grand Turk. We would not arrive in San Juan until 3pm the following day.

 

I was quite sad to not have a revisit to HMC and our Cabana. But that sadness lasted all of five seconds, as it was absolutely the right decision. We were going to go around the storm and avoid the rain and rough seas.

 

During the day, I did not hear ONE person complain about the decision. The only person I heard commenting, unfortunately was on a B2B cruise... and guess where they went the week before? Yup.. San Juan, St. Thomas, Grand Turk. Deja View!!

 

The refund for our cabana showed up on our statement immediately. We also received a notice in our room that Matt's 10am Flow Rider reservation was now changed to 3:30, since we would now arrive in Grand Turk at 1pm and there would be another ship there.

 

I do know that those who had Grand Turk Cabanas book could no longer hold those reservations, as the other ship arrived first and had priority. Now, I am not sure if that was for ALL cabanas, but one person I spoke with was told she could no longer reserve hers.

 

We have been to San Juan and St.Thomas numerous times. We decided to just go with the flow and make a decision on what we were going to do as we arrived.

 

We had dinner in the dining room again. Allison, however,decided to dine with CampCarnival. They offer kids dinner at the Lido Restaurant each night and have a specific menu options. She loved dining with her friends and then was escorted to Camp until 10pm.

 

I think this was the Jerk Pork night, which is one of my favorite dishes. Steve had a chicken dish which was delicious as well. I love the fried rice and eggplant they serve this night too.

 

After dinner, Steve and I decided to have a relaxing night. We got in our bathing suits and Carnival Bathrobes and went to the aft pool and went in the hot tub for a few hours! We met a few nice couples and enjoyed the warm water (not hot), the stars in the sky and the relaxing atmosphere.

 

The hot tub on the other side of the deck was filled with young adults again. At one point Steve said, hey, is that Kyle? There was our oldest, having an awesome time with his new friends. He never knew we were right there!! (are you reading this Kyle? We saw you!!)

 

Matt went to Circle C after dinner and stayed until the last activity, which was around 12:30am. The good thing about connecting cabins, is that the doors remain open and the boys have to check in with me when they arrive. Matt had a curfew of 10minutes after last activity ends. With Kyle.. it is more difficult, as he is 18. But we discussed it nightly and he did come home at a decent hour at first... and then later and later as the week went on.

 

We got out right before 10pm and picked up Allison.. still wearing our bathrobes!! We had our nightly ice cream cone with her and then had an early night.

 

Overall, the second day at sea was as laid back as they come. I finally felt like I was on vacation and the relaxation finally started to arrive.

 

Catrin

[Catrin]

 

 

 

View from Deck 11 near the Splash Zone looking down to Deck 10 near the aft.

Allison ready for room service and planning her night at Camp Carnival

 

The cool thing about connecting rooms, is that we had two different towel animals each night. Some were difficult to distinguish, but we certainly knew who this guy was!

 

Catrin

[Catrin]

Day Four - San Juan

 

 

We woke up to another beautiful day. Since we were not scheduled to arrive in San Juan until 3pm, it was as if we had yet another day at sea. That is ok by me, since we love Sea days!!

 

I started the morning the way I had the day before… a visit to the gym. But first, I wanted something for energy, so I went to the Omelet station… and asked for one egg and one egg white scrambled (well done!). The funny thing about the Omelet station on each cruise… is that you get to know “your Omelet guy”. And somehow, they always remember I like mine well done! How they remember preferences is beyond me!!

 

After the gym, I went back to the room and tried to motivate four very sleepy people to get up and enjoy the sunshine. Steve and Allison got up, but the boys? Forget it. Teenagers easily become nocturnal during vacations. We had a late (for us, around 9am) breakfast on the Lido Deck .. where it seemed that EVERYONE was having a late breakfast! I know lines are shorter the earlier you go.. but sometimes you just have to join the crowd. The lines on this cruise were constant.. no matter where you went there were lines, so we accepted and patiently waited.

 

After breakfast, we split up. The boys got up by 10, ate breakfast and did what teens do. Allison to Camp Carnival, where she made Memory Books. Steve went to the midship pool to hang out. I went to Deck 5 Promenade to relax and read… and then went to the Serenity Deck to do the same. The Serenity deck is on Deck 12 forward. I love the couches under the shade here, but they were all taken. So, I found a chair and slid it under the awning and read for a while.

(My view of the pool while waiting for Pizza.... there is Steve hanging out)

 

 

After an hour or so, I joined Steve at the pool and just sat with him for a bit. We did not have a chair, just happy to sit at the edge of the pool. Allison had stated that she wanted Pizza for lunch, so the plan was that I was going to wait for Pizza BEFORE I picked her up at Camp, so she would not have to wait. What a good Mom. (A smart Mom, because there is nothing worse than an 8 year old waiting in line sometimes!) I started waiting at noon. The line stretched all the way to the elevator door. I got in the line and said to the woman behind me…. Is this worth 30 minutes? About 20 minutes later.. and still 6 people in front of me, Steve took my place in line for a couple minutes and I got Allison from Camp (which is one floor directly above the Pizza). By the time we came down, there were only two people ahead of us. Timing was just right. Was it worth the wait? For me? Absolutely not. For a happy 8 year old? You Bet.

 

After lunch, it was Mini Golf Time. Mini Golf is on Deck 14 forward, right above Serenity Deck. There are 9 holes. You sign out the clubs and balls at the towel hut on the Lido Deck. It is WINDY up there!! Steve, Allison and I played…. Went by quickly and lots of fun. There was a family in front of us and a family behind us…. So we kept pace and moved right along! Allison loved it, and was actually pretty good! Me, on the other hand? I stink. And when I am trying to hold a camera in one hand, the pencil and paper in the WIND in another hand… and trying to golf at the same time? Forget it!!

I don't think this sign worked.

(view from Mini Golf... nice shot of the Lido Deck roof open)

[Catrin]

 

(Love the blue water in the background)

 

(Steve, this isn't the Masters!)

[Catrin]

 

(Nice shot of the jogging track... can't say I ever went up there!)

 

We came back to the room and found Matthew... very content relaxing in the cabin..... and patiently waiting for PHONE SERVICE in San Juan!!

[kids1stcruise]

On 1 note serenity is NOT the adults only area! Serenity is on both sides if the splendor on deck 10. There's no hammocks pool or hot tubs only lounge chairs with cushions. I think people were thinking adults pool was serenity..

[CZodda]

Thank you Catrin for writing this wonderful review of the Splendor! I am enjoying it so much I have my eye on a last minute birthday cruise for September 6th. Just watching the prices as I have the suspicion that this particular sailing will have multiple price drops as there are still many cabins available.

 

Thanks again Catrin - looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Have a great week ahead!

[Catrin]

On 1 note serenity is NOT the adults only area! Serenity is on both sides if the splendor on deck 10. There's no hammocks pool or hot tubs only lounge chairs with cushions. I think people were thinking adults pool was serenity..

 

I hope there was no confusion here.

The aft adult pool area on this ship was certainly NOT Serenity and not a peaceful place! It was lively, fun and popular!

 

Serenity was forward, actually on Deck 12 (Sun Deck), underneath the mini golf. There were chairs, lounges, couches etc. Some Serenity areas have their own hot tubs, etc. This one did not.

 

Catrin

[Catrin]

Thank you Catrin for writing this wonderful review of the Splendor! I am enjoying it so much I have my eye on a last minute birthday cruise for September 6th. Just watching the prices as I have the suspicion that this particular sailing will have multiple price drops as there are still many cabins available.

 

Thanks again Catrin - looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

Have a great week ahead!

 

You may be in luck as kids go back to school here in RI the week before Labor day or Labor day week!

Our cruise was completely sold out and once we made final payment, prices actually went up. Good Luck and hope you see numerous price drops!

Catrin

[itsrikkig]

love this review. cant wait to see more

[Catrin]

We were slated to arrive in San Juan around 3:00pm, but I knew from past cruises, that we would be able to get a good glimpse around 1:30. Steve and Allison got in their suits and went up the Slide Pool, Hot tub and Slide. I went to go checkout the pictures from the night before, browse the shops, etc.

 

I met them up at the pool right when San Juan was San Juan was in the close distance. I went up to the port side on Deck 12 and took some pictures of El Morro as we were arriving.

[Catrin]

El Morro is beautiful. We visited the fort when we were in San Juan in November (please see my Liberty Review, link below), so it was great to see her again from the Distance knowing what its like up close. I highly recommend a visit to this fort if you are ever in San Juan. There is a FREE trolley available that will take you right to the fort, and it is only $3.00 to get in. A truly amazing beautiful place.

 

When taking pictures, I met a fellow passenger who was on a B2B, and unfortunately, was returning to San Juan for the second week in a row! I also met another couple who had family in San Juan and was going to visit relatives he had not seen in over 10 years.. Bonus for him! We realized as we arrived that we were going to be the only ship in port that day. We were in port from 3pm – 11pm, so there was plenty of time to explore, excursions, shop etc.

 

Allison did not seem too excited to explore as she was having a blast going up and down the Splendor Slide!!

 

 

Catrin

[Catrin]

Well, how do I say this. We were extremely boring here. This was our fifth visit to San Juan and the kids third. Although I wanted to go back to ElMorro, they really did not feel like going, and I wasn’t going to push it. Kyle got off the ship with a friend.. and they went to the very rare store, that you may have never heard of… CVS. He bought licorice and chewing gum… big spender!! Steve and Allie? They were boring as well… they stayed on the ship!! Allison went to Camp, Steve took a nap then went to the adult pool. Matthew and I were the only adventurers, if that is what you call it. We went to CVS too! I wanted to purchase snacks for St. Thomas and needed some lotion for Allison. CVS is located right off the Pier, to the left. Very convenient and a great way to stock up on Sodas, waters, etc. Funny how the ship has tons of food, but sometimes you just need Pringles and Starburst!!

 

 

Then Matthew and I went to Senor Frogs – the two of us had a great time there .. hanging out and watching all the fun, crazy folks who loved their Shots, Margaritas, and YARD Glasses! It is always a fun time there and I am sure got really wild as the day went on. We had Nachos and a few drinks.. Sprite for Matt and a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri for me. Overpriced, overhyped.. yet so much fun. It is amazing what grown men will do when they are offered a free Shot!! I cannot emphasise the atmosphere here… although there was a lot of drinking going on – in a way, at this time of day, it was a family atmosphere. Dances were the Cha Cha Slide and the other songs we heard on the ship. I had been to Carlos and Charlies in Cozumel at night a few years back and it was ANYTHING but family friendly! So I am sure at night, this was a fun adult hangout.

One reason why the kids did not want to do much here.. they had phone and data service. Pretty sad. Kyle wanted to talk to his girlfriend, Matt wanted to go on Reddit and Facebook. It was bonus day in AT&T land!!

[Catrin]

 

 

After Senor Frogs, Matt and I slowly returned to a quiet ship. Believe it or not, it was actually almost time for dinner again! Allison wanted to once again go to the Camp Carnival Dinner... so we took here.

 

As expected, there were only a few kids at the dinner tonight, because many people were in San Juan. The same followed during our dinner. Our waiter had the late afternoon off, so we were served by his assistant, Pol. We happened to be the only table for quite a while (until that late family arrived close to 7pm). We had wonderful service, but he was almost hovering. One sip of water and our glasses were full! But this was a great opportunity to have a nice conversation with him. We learned that he has been with Carnival for 14 years and is on 6 month contracts. We also got to speak with Ferdinand, the other assistant and found out the Splendor is his first ship - he is on an 8 month contract. He told me about going on the South American cruise and how many places he has seen in the last several months.

 

The dinner menu was quite different this night as well. I had practically memorized the 7 day menus .. but this was the 8th day menu. Steve and I both had NY Strip Steak, which was wonderful. There was a very different type of bread pudding for dessert (more of a cake, not Bitter N Blanc) and I enjoyed it as well.

 

When we got back to the cabin from dinner, we were greeted by a few towel animal friends and invitations to the Past Guest Party.

 

After dinner, Steve went to the hot tub and I wandered. There was a late night deck party that night.. but well... we did not make it. Something about cruising with three kids is so tiring!! We needed the sleep, as we had a very early morning scheduled in St. Thomas the next day. We were scheduled to dock and 7am and we did not want to be too tired to enjoy our day.

 

Until tomorrow...

Catrin

[gapearl]

Great review so far! I can't wait to read the rest!

[Kyedra]

I'm really enjoying your review! I went on the Splendor last year for a Mexican Riviera cruise and it was my first time going on a cruise ever. I enjoyed the ship. There were some things that I disliked, but I have nothing else to compare it to. It's nice to read somebody else's perspective and opinion of the ship. :)