Splendor Review - 8/5 - 8/13

[gusandgidgetsmom]

I was on the Splendor in June. I found some of the things the OP to be the case on our cruise and others not--Goes to show you it is all in the timing! The buffet for breakfast was not the greatest, but typical for Carnival. MDR room had great food, short lines and if you went to the Punchliner Club on sea days for your breakfast you were in for a treat.

My husband loves pizza and he would always get 2 slices at a time. He remarked how nice the employees were at that venue.

Since it was June there were a fair amount of children on this cruise. Did I see some running wild--sure--but for the most part they were pretty good. I did hear a worker at the camp kick a couple of teens out as they were not following the rules and running in and out of the camp.

I sail several other lines as well and they all have their good and bad things. RCI's MDR food is not as good as Carnival but there buffets blow Carnival's away any day, something about the layout. RCI has great entertainment. Carnival has managed to go down hill on this one. The worst ship for us with drunks and children came on a RCI. I realize it was just the time and place! I do not sail NCL anymore--not for about 15 years, but love Princess.

We had the best experience in over 25+ sailing years with embarkation. So easy and quick. Walked to the VIP lounge, sat down and someone came and gathered our information and documents. They processed them handed us our cards we waited a little while and we were escorted on the ship. Oh so easy.

[Laurab23]

We were on Splendor in April and planning to return in November.Is Mr V still the maitre'd?

He is amazing.This will be my 16th Carnival cruise.I have also done 3 Princess and 1 Celebrity.I enjoyed all of them but for the price Carnival is my favorite.Celebrity was really nice but alot more expensive and I don't think it was all that better for the price we paid.(except for our room-we were able to snag a corner aft family veranda at the last minute,which was terrific!).

 

Laura

[thomarvin]

The maitre'd was Constantine. OMG could that guy sing!! And so handsome;)

[Feelin' Nauti']

We sailed on the Carnival for the first time last year...

 

I am hoping for our Splendor cruise it's better than the Miracle.

 

Miracle Buffet area - worst food I have ever eaten and the layout was poorly designed.

MDR - Poor service out of 8 nights - they only got 2 of our meals right. :cool:

Entertainment - was good, not excellent.

[melcald]

I am always so amazed how so many people can be in one confined space and all have a totally different experience. I sailed with two 18yo girls, a 15yo boy and a 12 yo. My kids went out at night to find some kids to hang out with and never found them. They ended up playing cards together on the lido deck a few nights hoping to come across some. As for food lines, I never came across a long buffet line. Sometimes the pizza, deli and grill lines seemed very long, but when I cam back 15mins later, the lines were gone.

[kgerkin]

I havent had time to write a full review but wanted to add my two cents.

 

We had the same experience at the pizza place. My husband and daughter are big pizza eaters. My daughter would go to get pizza for both of them (two slices) and the cook told her "no, one per person". So then I tried, and he told me the same thing. I tried to explain that my husband was handicapped and could not get his own but he didn't care. I even tried to get in line more than once and he told me I had already had my slice. It was really unbelievable.

 

This was my 11th Carnival cruise and have never seen anything like this. I spoke to the department head and he said that in July they instituted a new policy that each person gets one piece unless you can wait a few minutes for the cook to get through the line. I told him we offered to wait, to come back, whatever it took but no luck. He said he would explain the policy to the cook and make sure he understood. We really are not people that complain but this cook really was horrible to deal with and embarrased us and several other people in line when they asked for more than one slice.

 

We had a good cruise but definitely noticed cut backs. My 12 year old was accidently served a alcoholic Pina Colada in the show area. They had ordered a virgin drink. Thank goodness she noticed that it tasted funny. Not the servers fault, he charged us for the correct thing but the bartender made it wrong. Again too few staff for too many guests. Im sure the bartender was just very busy.

 

I'm a Carnival fan but I sure hope they make some improvements. They definitely need to add more staff.

 

Karen

[thomarvin]

We were on the week before you and people were getting whole pizzas so there goes that theory. As for the drinks. I ordered some for my kids the last night. They accused me of ordering virgin drinks. I said for what i paid they better have been regular drinks. The bartending isnt consistant.

[john91498]

One of the reasons I like to cruise in the fall. My kids get a week off from school and the ships aren't over run with children.

[Aplmac]

Nice to see that Carnival has addressed the wanton wastage in so many ways!

Good to see that they hand out one slice of pizza, unless you ask for a second.

 

Wastage in the MDR amounts to next-to-nothing

mainly because what you get served for a three-course meal

amounts to a nice bellyfull.

 

On the other hand

wastage on the Lido deck is often immoral! :eek:

 

.

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

We cruised last week of Feb into Mar 2. We had the exact awful experience for service as the OP on our Dream. I asked repeatedly for gluten free menu and the waiter just nodded and smiled repeatedly so I just suffered. I really did suffer too... Even with no one getting to take advantage of a GF menu, our service was VERY VERY long and very disorganized and almost rude. It didn't improve for MDR breakfast either. I also felt like I spent the majority of my cruise in a line of some sort, whether it was a gift shop or a hot dog. Everyone says "don't go to the buffet on peak time" well then it's closed. Its only open for peak time and then you have to go find the only grill that's open, where everyone is going to also.

 

We popped on a 3 day DCL with our family a month later. Now my friends know I won't go back with them on a 4th 7 night annual CCL. No way. They cost WAY too much to take away from my spectacularly serviced DCL fund. Bye bye friends!

[KruuzinAgain]

OK, so the one thing that sticks out in my mind is when the OP said "1000 kids on their cruise". My wife and I are sailing on the Splendor Jan. 4th, 2014. That will be immediately after the schools Christmas/New Years break ends. Do any of you have any experience cruising during that time period and know if there will be a lot less kids on board?

Not that my wife and I are kid haters, (we have an amazing son), but I've read a few cruise reviews lately where people have complained about kids running rampant.

[matt87]

ya we are not kid haters either but when the next two cabins over from yours have 4 teens each with a shared balcony and parties on them every night till 2-4 am. ya that sucks. had to call security 3 different nights. tried talking to the wussy parents who had the interior cabin across the hall too. some things can wreck a cruise. oh another useful tip. if you hate cigarette smoke, do no take a balcony towards the back of the ship. try to get one towards the bow so you are up wind from it. this was by far the worst cruise i've been on for smelling smoke. (cabin 8428)

[melcald]

We had a family a couple of doors away with little children running up and down the hall all day and all night. The mother was screaming obscenities at them and anyone else in her way all night too. I have never heard anything like it! It was especially bad the morning of debarkation...starting around 4am. My kids were in two rooms across the hall from me and I had to keep making sure they were tucked away in their rooms away from her. They were actually scared.

 

I would have rather listened to partying teenagers than that!

[Lisa0719]

I cruised Jan 1 this year on the Miracle . . . minimal kids . . .

 

This is why my cruise season is September thru March and doesn't include holiday or Spring Break!

[doolange]

@kgerkin I am glad that someone else experienced the same thing. I was beginning to think they might have singled us out and gave everyone else what they wanted lol

 

@twinprincessmermaids the waiter had no idea what to do with our "special menu". We were on the Miracle last year and it was a totally different experience. Gluten free did not matter. We got served like everyone else. We got to the point where we only ordered grilled chicken to avoid the fiasco of waiting for food.

 

@melcald we too had a cabin across the hall from me but shared a common wall with my daughter and mother in law. We had to call security 3 times on them. My daughter who is 20, knocked on their door and told the teens to stop but they just got louder. The last night, there was a little boy, no more than 8 or 10 running up and down the hallway the entire night. Yes, it begs the question, "where is his mother". That is something I will never get. I have never booked a cruise where I am not right next to my kids and they are 21, 20 and 17. You need to keep an eye on them, if not just for yourself but to make sure that all is well for the cabins around you. It is so rude......I have no idea where the parents were booked, but it was not near us for sure......

[thomarvin]

We were on the Splendor the week before you. We had the "eleveator bandits". They would jump in and push all the buttons. I never caught one or I would have brought them to security.

[KruuzinAgain]

[quote name='Lisa0719']I cruised Jan 1 this year on the Miracle . . . minimal kids . . .
[/quote]

Exactly what I was hoping to hear!!! Thanks for the replies, folks!

[Feelin' Nauti']

[quote name='KruuzinAgain']OK, so the one thing that sticks out in my mind is when the OP said "1000 kids on their cruise". My wife and I are sailing on the Splendor Jan. 4th, 2014. That will be immediately after the schools Christmas/New Years break ends. Do any of you have any experience cruising during that time period and know if there will be a lot less kids on board?
Not that my wife and I are kid haters, (we have an amazing son), but I've read a few cruise reviews lately where people have complained about kids running rampant.[/quote]
Middle of Sept last year I cruised on the Miracle. I was totally surprised how many parents allowed their children to play "hooky" from school. :rolleyes: