The good the bad and the ugly from my adventures on the Carnival Splendor

[PortSideCruzan]

 

I love to go back and read my reviews and go back on that vacation with myself again

 

 

 

Hi :)

 

My wife and I do that as well, however we do it via a cruise log

journal. Every evening prior to going to sleep we discuss our day

& write it down. We have been doing this for many, many years

now. It's exciting going back in time, taking a stroll down memory

lane.

 

Our first decade of cruising journals consist of little notebooks.

The last two decades of cruising we actually have gotten a lil' picky

what we write in, and it has turned into a fun quest between the

two of us prior to the vacation when seeking out a journal for that

particular voyage.

 

:)

 

 

[lovelearnteach]

OW!

 

Boy, my ears are burning, does anyone have a clue?

 

 

So, I'll out myself- reference to "my friend" will usually be about me.

 

I will hold my comments until Ken is done, but I had a minor (very tiny) correction. I didn't want a holiday sailing, I wanted to sail for my birthday, which sadly, comes super close to Christmas. I wasn't alone, every night we heard their version of the Happy Birthday song somewhere in the dining room.

 

We arranged to sit together for dinner, but did nothing else together, so I'm reading along with everyone else to get all the details!

Oh yay, I'm so relieved you outed yourself :);).

 

Thanks for shattering the illusion I was weaving :p:).

 

That's not true sweetie, we did afternoon tea together, not that I'm trying to correct you or anything :p;).

[lovelearnteach]

Hi :)

 

My wife and I do that as well, however we do it via a cruise log

journal. Every evening prior to going to sleep we discuss our day

& write it down. We have been doing this for many, many years

now. It's exciting going back in time, taking a stroll down memory

lane.

 

Our first decade of cruising journals consist of little notebooks.

The last two decades of cruising we actually have gotten a lil' picky

what we write in, and it has turned into a fun quest between the

two of us prior to the vacation when seeking out a journal for that

particular voyage.

 

:)

 

 

That is just too cool and I'm so super jealous :p. How awesome to go back and be able to reread things, as I'm sure you read things that had fallen to the back of the mind, and it's like a little nugget of happy vacation memory come flooding back.

 

Great tip, thank-you so much for sharing :).

 

Have you ever consdiered publishing them, I would love to read them, I love to read about travel and relive someone's vacation with them. I know here on CC it can get brutal, but a published memoir is a little less in your face with reader response.

[Raven Days]

OP. Thank you for your review. I am glad you enjoyed NYC. I lived there in the 80's and found it wonderful and very overwhelming! I am from Tennessee and I felt like I was staring in "The Beverly Hillbillies Arrives in NYC!" I went back in 2004 and still felt over whelmed. But I loved it! I intend to visit again in the future and would love to cruise at least once from there.

 

Thank you for changing the spacing and adding paragraphs. I am reading this at work (yes I know....I should be working :D) so it makes it easier to read fast! I am enjoying reading what else you have to say. Pay no attention to the "nay sayers"...as my grandma used to say "some folks aint got no raisn'!" I am sure I just made a few cringe with my regression to my Southern Roots venacular.....:cool:

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write your review and I am sorry you have decided to not cruise Carnival again. Perhaps with time you might reconsider.....

[geesherry]

Oh yay, I'm so relieved you outed yourself :);).

 

Thanks for shattering the illusion I was weaving :p:).

 

That's not true sweetie, we did afternoon tea together, not that I'm trying to correct you or anything :p;).

 

 

Yeah, I know, I remembered about tea just about the time I lost the ability to edit! Correct away!

 

I'll just go back to lurking now.

[lovelearnteach]

So they finally released the shackles :eek:, and allowed us the pleasure of returning to the inside of their ship, so gracious of them really :rolleyes::D.

 

So I was really hungry, the buffet was closed and the line for pizza and burgers was beyond redonkulas, so I stormed back to my room set the alarm for 6:45p.m. and went back to bed.

 

Got up at 6:45p.m. to get ready for our 7:30p.m. dinner reservations for the steak house. Still really crabby and absolutely starving by this point. This darn steak house better be the bomb, I'm mumblin and grumblin the whole time getting ready and going up to the steak house.

 

Here is where Carnival excelled and hit it out of the park. The service was impeccable with an all female dinning room staff, they treated us like kings. Really we could not have asked or gotten better service than what we got, top notch. The food also made it on pare with the service and was delicious for the most part. I got the Surf & Turf and they put thyme on the lobster and it was not pleasing to my palate.

 

Yes I could have gotten another one without the thyme as they really wanted to do, but I was already so full and still had dessert to go. The Filet Mignon was excellent though, as was the the wasbi mashed potatoes and broccoli I got with it.

 

They started us off with a "Taste", they brought me the mini burger, it was good. For an app I got Escargots Bourguignonne, very tasty. Then I got the Ceasar Salad made table side, very good. Then to finish I got the Chocolate Sampler, that did not disappoint at all, very good.

 

The free bottle of wine, of which I was sure was going to be horrible, was very good. Terry doesn't like wine and I ended up drinking almost the whole bottle of wine myself, so needles to say I had a whole new attitude coming out of the steak house. All is now right with the world and I love everybody now :eek::p:D. Back in the Christmas spirit, so to speak, once again.

Edited December 31, 2013 by lovelearnteach

[lovelearnteach]

Here's more pix, wouldn't all fit in one post :).

[lovelearnteach]

I apologize I forgot I took pix of Terry's as well, which I don't always, I should have told you about his first :o.

 

For app he got the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, and for entree he got the Broiled Prime New York Strip Loin Steak, and said both were perfect.

 

Oh well I need a 3rd post any way to finish the steak house pix, plus how could I let you miss my wino pose :rolleyes::).

Edited December 31, 2013 by lovelearnteach

[lovelearnteach]

Could you have ever made it through the rest of your life without seeing the wino pose pic, I think not :eek::p:D.

 

After dinner I head up top for a quick pic outside, then it's off to bed for me.

 

I'm such a sucker for towel animals the one thing I really miss with Princess, as they don't do them. Loved coming back every night to a little friend.

 

We watch a little tv and I fall asleep watching.

 

So it was a day of highs, and a low, the muster drill.

 

I also missed our 1st informal CC gathering, and was told there were quite a few who showed, so sorry I had to miss it, as I would have liked to put faces to posters, but oh well :(.

 

I ultimately was very pleased with the faster to the fun passes and glad they have that option.

 

It overall was a good day :).

Edited December 31, 2013 by lovelearnteach

[lovelearnteach]

OP. Thank you for your review. I am glad you enjoyed NYC. I lived there in the 80's and found it wonderful and very overwhelming! I am from Tennessee and I felt like I was staring in "The Beverly Hillbillies Arrives in NYC!" I went back in 2004 and still felt over whelmed. But I loved it! I intend to visit again in the future and would love to cruise at least once from there.

 

Thank you for changing the spacing and adding paragraphs. I am reading this at work (yes I know....I should be working :D) so it makes it easier to read fast! I am enjoying reading what else you have to say. Pay no attention to the "nay sayers"...as my grandma used to say "some folks aint got no raisn'!" I am sure I just made a few cringe with my regression to my Southern Roots venacular.....:cool:

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to write your review and I am sorry you have decided to not cruise Carnival again. Perhaps with time you might reconsider.....

 

 

Thank-you :).

 

Perhaps, as they say, never say never :).

[lovelearnteach]

Yeah, I know, I remembered about tea just about the time I lost the ability to edit! Correct away!

 

I'll just go back to lurking now.

Also we offered for you to join us at the steakhouse the 1st night and you declined :p. I also offered for you to go on our tour in Port Canaveral, which again you declined :p:p:D.

 

Did I get the story about the fttfp right?

[Crusin6]

After lunch I knew it was time to get some rest, I was really starting to feel my flair up health issue. Our luggage was waiting for us when we got to the room and the room was ready. We quickly as we could unpacked and I crawled under the covers and slept until the announcement came over the speakers it was time for muster drill.

 

Ah muster drill, it doesn't go well for me :(.

 

Now I can't 100% lay blame on CCL's door. I was sick, tired, hungry, cold and crabby and by the end of the muster drill I was positively fuming :mad:. Now I have to take responsibility for my own emotions, only I control those, but the whole thing seemed a fiasco to me.

 

First I about froze in shock when they told me I had to go stand outside for muster drill. What your kidding me right, well do they have heaters out there for us. The answer would be no they don't. Okay I just threw on my hoodie I need to go back and get my winter coat. No sir, it won't be long you'll be fine, you can't go back you must go to your muster station now. What is the the ship sinking right now, it's freakin cold out here. Quiet sir, everyone be quiet, everyone needs to shut up. Excuse me did that crew member just tell us to shut up? Oh yes he did and he's going to say it many more times before it's all said and done :eek:.

 

Not only tell us to shut up and listen, but snicker and laugh about it with other crew members. Yes I took the bait hook, line and sinker :o:rolleyes:, I allowed myself to get all worked up over it all. Silly really now as I look back on it, but it was way longer than it needed to be standing outside in the freezing cold.

 

 

 

I never remove tips but in this case I might have gone to guest services and removed the portion of the tips that apparantly go to "other" crew. Just to make a point. How dare they say shut up.

[lovelearnteach]

Dec. 20th, 2013

 

Today is a sea day. I got up about 5:45a.m. and wanted some hot tea so up I went to the buffet to get some. They were starting to set up the buffets, but they weren't open yet. I grabbed a banana and a orange, got my tea and headed back to the cabin. Not many people out and about that early, but a few.

 

We lazed around until brunch started at 8:30a.m. and that's where we headed. I got the fruit plate and eggs benedict with home fries. We got to sit at a window table for 8 but ended up being the only people to sit at our table.

 

Service was good this time, and they food was okay. The hollandaise was a bit to citrusy and the home fries were not cooked all the way through. Sorry I forgot to get a pic of the eb and hf :(.

[SMSACE6]

I appreciate your review! Thanks for posting it, and thanks for hanging in there and enduring the "flames". I don't find your review all that negative at all, just honest and very informative.:)

 

And.....Happy Birthday to you!!!:D

[michelle1836]

Hey, better than being called a liar.

 

I am scared of NY (fancy that coming from a Jamaican:). Every time I get up the nerve to plan a trip I come across a New Yorker somewhere that scares the crap out of me. You have inspired me to go since I travel to the east coast MD/DC, occasionally. The pink doesn't go with the wardrobe:D

 

being a New Yorker I think I take offense to that! LOL just kidding. I actually live in MD now

 

so Mr OP, I read your first paragraph and you had me at 'food porn' :D sorry you didn't love your cruise but thanks for taking the time to post

[Jen1000]

I was on a cruise with a woman who did not like the decor of the Legend. It just about ruined her on board experience...

 

That's you, he's him. This is what makes life interesting. :)

[lovelearnteach]

I never remove tips but in this case I might have gone to guest services and removed the portion of the tips that apparantly go to "other" crew. Just to make a point. How dare they say shut up.

I don't blame the staff on the ship who do not make the policies, I lay the blame 100% on the execs who are more worried about getting a bonus, I'm sure, than how hard and overworked their staff is. Every year they have to increase profits to get a bonus because a 3 figure salary is just not enough for them so they cut ship staff and put more and more on the fewer staff. Of course that's just my opinion of it, I could be totally wrong.

[lovelearnteach]

I appreciate your review! Thanks for posting it, and thanks for hanging in there and enduring the "flames". I don't find your review all that negative at all, just honest and very informative.:)

 

And.....Happy Birthday to you!!!:D

Thank-you :).

 

Really I have to thank everyone as the "negatives" have respected my request to keep it to the poll and not waste everyone's time posting on this thread. I really do truly appreciate it, which is why I gave the outlet of the survey.

 

And your not going to hear my being negative, we really had a great vacation, and really we had plenty reason not to.

 

Sometimes life just likes to punch you in the gut, just when you think everything is fine! What ya gonna do, sit around and cry about it, or roll with the punches and grab the good when ya can.

 

That's so sweet thank-you :).

[lovelearnteach]

being a New Yorker I think I take offense to that! LOL just kidding. I actually live in MD now

 

so Mr OP, I read your first paragraph and you had me at 'food porn' :D sorry you didn't love your cruise but thanks for taking the time to post

HHHmmm I don't recall ever saying I didn't love my cruise, but I could be mistaken. I'm sorry you feel/felt that way. Hopefully after reading more of the review you'll realize we loved our vacation.

 

I know it's kinda hard as I can't point at one thing and say this is it, this is the reason, but there just isn't.

 

CCL is a fine line, the Splendor is a great ship, it's just not for us. It's just a feeling an intuition let's say that it's just not a fit for us.

 

Now I will say, never say never, it's more about it's highly unlikely for us to sail on a CCL ship again. And if we did it would be even more unlikely to be the Splendor, but like I said, never say never.

 

Of course if I won a free cruise on CCL or the Splendor I wouldn't be like yeah no sorry give that free trip to someone else I don't sail that line or ship, shoot, mama didn't raise no fool. I'd be there so fast there would be a fiery burnt trail behind me, you don't need to call me twice to dinner, you know what I'm sayin :rolleyes::D:p.

[Keel Haul]

Well, they do tend to treat folks like cattle setting up the muster :eek:

 

The crew must hate it more then we do!!:p

nah! my wife enjoyed it when she was in charge of a station.The crew can identify the idiots and plot retribution.

The crew term for the pax was chickens not cattle.

[lovelearnteach]

I was on a cruise with a woman who did not like the decor of the Legend. It just about ruined her on board experience...

Well we all have our buttons when pushed set us off.

[lovelearnteach]

nah! my wife enjoyed it when she was in charge of a station.The crew can identify the idiots and plot retribution.

The crew term for the pax was chickens not cattle.

:eek: Oh gee thanx that really makes me feel better about that fiasco they call a muster drill :eek::rolleyes::p:D:)!

[lovelearnteach]

:) time zones are a bugger.

ps on your dolphin trip was the Master or Staff Cpt a 6ft 2" Greek.

Hhhhhmmm, well I don't know if he was Greek, as he didn't tell me, but he was a tall guy, the name of the company was Island Boat Lines. I have a pic of him.

Edited January 1, 2014 by lovelearnteach

[lovelearnteach]

happy new year!!!!

Edited January 1, 2014 by lovelearnteach

[Jen1000]

I just cruised on the Celebrity Equinox and that is how I feel about Celebrity. Nothing particularly wrong, I just prefer Celebrity. It is funny how people take it so personally that you just prefer something else. No big deal. I have a fried who just prefers Holland America.

 

I appreciate you posting a review.

 

It's kind of a funny situation in that we enjoyed our vacation and the Splendor, but feel at the end Carnival is not for us. There's not one specific thing I can point to and say this is the reason. Your not going to hear me slamming the Splendor or Carnival Cruise Lines, we just don't feel they are for us :).