Carnival Splendor review: Nov. 1-8, 2014 - San Juan to Miami

[luv2trvlnow]

I didn't know that a lot of stuff in Martinique was closed on Mondays, especially the money exchange. That had to be a big inconvenience for a lot of people wanting to change money there. Did you set up your tour in advance or did you get a driver once you got to the port?

No we didn't set it up in advance. We just had a group of us from the roll call decide to meet. We made arrangements on where to meet prior to the cruise. We planned to get a shared taxi. Then John met a French Canadian on the ship sometime before we arrived in Martinique and he ended up translating and arranging the tour.

 

We were surprised when all the shops in St Pierre were closed. There were a few restaurants open and that was about it. We didn't find out about the Monday closures until we posted on the Martinique forum here on CC after we returned. That's when a gentleman told us that the banks and currency exchanges are closed on Mondays in France. He said even a lot of stores and restaurants are closed. He said unless you traveled extensively in France you would not know this.

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoying your review, looking forward to more of it. Sounds like you had a good cruise.

[k2excursion]

Another Splendor review, yay! DH and I loved this cruise/ship also. Had a blast.

 

 

 

DH and I ended up signing up for one of those excursions, I think it was kayaking. The night before, we got a letter stating it had been cancelled due to lack of participation. So we ended up just getting off and wandering a bit into town but that was it. I did stop in a shop a couple blocks away from the port and they were more than happy to work with me, changing it so I could pay in US dollars. Guess some folks were more than happy to take our money. :)

 

Talking with some folks later, turned out three other excursions were also cancelled - which just seemed odd, and added to the all around off vibe we had been getting about Martinique.

 

I'm sorry to hear that your tour got cancelled. I have only (kind of) kayaked once, but it was fun. I guess the high prices of the tours maybe kept people from signing up. And yes, most of the shops in the town near the ship will work with the cruisers & take dollars. The ones that are right in front of the ship definitely will. Even if they inflate the exchange rate, like the McDs did, at least they were accepting the dollars, so that was good.

 

Enjoying your review, looking forward to more of it. Sounds like you had a good cruise.

 

Thank you. It was a great cruise; very unique. It'll be hard to go back to cruises to Progreso & Cozumel after this.

Edited December 18, 2014 by k2excursion

[k2excursion]

Tonight's show in the theater was a hypnosis show. I have never seen one of these on any of my other cruises before, but apparently they are common. This one starred Asad Mecci. He starts off with a stage full of volunteers, and he slowly sends over half of them back to their seats as he goes along, either because they're not getting hypnotized or he notices that they're faking it. There might be some people that can fool him all the way to the end, but he catches almost all of them. The show was totally hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the volunteers was sitting right next to me before he went up, and he truly did get hypnotized. His wife really enjoyed it. I got to talk with him some afterwards & then a few days later. By that point, he remembered everything that happened, everything he did, and everything that was said to him during that time. If you get this show on your cruise, be sure to show up early. It was very well attended here.

 

More pics from Martinique, from the ship

 

 

[rob6465]

Wife and I just celebrated my 50th birthday on Carnival Magic on 12/7-12/14 from Galveston. We are thinking of taking the Splendor out of miami with stops in Half Moon cay,st.thomas,san juan,grand turks.

 

How did u book your flights?

[k2excursion]

Wife and I just celebrated my 50th birthday on Carnival Magic on 12/7-12/14 from Galveston. We are thinking of taking the Splendor out of miami with stops in Half Moon cay,st.thomas,san juan,grand turks.

 

How did u book your flights?

 

Happy Birthday. I hope you enjoyed the Magic. That is a great itinerary for the Splendor. I've now been to 3 of those ports, and I loved all of them.

 

We used Southwest. We did 2 separate bookings, 1 for going & another for coming back, since Southwest's prices for a flight remains the same whether it's 1-way or round-trip. Tulsa to San Juan was a very long day: 3 flights, 1 time changing planes, followed by watching my Royals lose Game 7 of the World Series. We flew home from Ft Lauderdale the day after we got off the ship. We were able to get a shuttle for $10 each from Miami's port to the Ft Lauderdale airport, then took a cab to & from the nearby hotel.

 

Southwest's reusable funds came in very handy. Prices dropped by almost $70 each in total from the time we first booked. We applied some of the funds to the 2nd flight, then I was able to use the remainder of the funds for a solo trip I took in August. Taking all that into account, the flights for this cruise cost me about $365, which is super cheap where I'm from. It's too bad Southwest won't be going from Tulsa to San Juan anymore.

Edited December 19, 2014 by k2excursion

[k2excursion]

This day started off too early. I enjoy getting a good night's sleep, but that doesn't happen with itineraries like these. 8:00am-4:00pm here in Grenada. We had an independent tour set up for here, using social media to gather a huge group of people, through JnJ tours. I think we had 9 vans. We actually were lucky to stumble upon our group, as the mall that is set up in front of the ship here can be confusing. But we got on our bus & got going soon enough.

 

With JnJ tours, you will see plenty, and they drove us all over the island (tons of driving). The island is very beautiful. Very mountainous, very green. Unfortunately for us, our driver in our van was clueless. If you get a good driver, then you will get great information & plenty of drinks. Maybe 9 vans was just too much for them to handle, and some of the drivers didn't know what was going on. Ours took a wrong turn right at the beginning. He never knew what we were doing, where we were going, or when we needed to be back to the van. He only did a little bit of talking & didn't get us any drinks. We were able to raid another van at one point. Our driver did not get tips from us. Or the ones that did tip were giving $1. That does send more of a message than not tipping at all.

 

The tour itself was $50pp, which is certainly a great value compared to the ship's excursions. Our tour did not go to the fort or to a beach. Our first stop was the nutmeg processing plant, which was something very different & interesting. We also made a stop in the rain forest, up in the mountains. It's normally $2 to enter that area, but the tour included admission (our driver didn't know that, so some people from our van paid). We also made a stop at a waterfall. It was a short walk to the main viewing area. It's also normally $2. Our driver finally figured out how it works, and he took us through the admissions point this time. Some locals were jumping from up in the rocks down into the water at the base of the waterfall, and hoping for tips for doing it. It was a pretty waterfall. I think the best views on the tour came as we were driving along. I'm glad I had my video camera with me. I got plenty of footage. For those hoping for a very active excursion, this is not the one to take. It's mostly driving, and not much exploring at the stops. But if you just want to see some beautiful sights, even just driving by them in some cases, then this is a good tour.

 

The final stop at our tour was, once again, a rum factory. I prefer whiskey or tequila for those very rare times that I ever drink. I guess there was a tour at this rum factory that did cost $2 extra. Most people didn't bother. Our driver had no clue how long we would be spending here, so we didn't want to risk it. Several people, myself included, paid $1 for the rum tasting. You get small samples of whatever you want that they have sitting up on the counter. Some of it was well over 50% by volume. I stayed away from that.

 

Back at the port, we did some shopping in that big mall for souvenirs, and were still back on board by 2:30. It was really nice watching us sail away at 4:00. They were also doing some dances on lido deck, which I got to join in on.

 

 

Pics from Grenada

 

 

The previous & this pic were at the rain forest stop

 

 

The waterfall stop

 

[collinH45]

Nice start! LOVED the Splendor!

I really want to get on the Splendor because their lido deck is nice, It is the only ship in its class, and I heard that it was a gift from Costa Cruises. It would be nice but, I still live with my family and they always choose the ship.

[k2excursion]

I really want to get on the Splendor because their lido deck is nice, It is the only ship in its class, and I heard that it was a gift from Costa Cruises. It would be nice but, I still live with my family and they always choose the ship.

 

It is a nice ship. The lido deck is similar to the Dream's, in that it doesn't have the stadium style setup. The deck above lido around the pool is all covered. You have to go up 2 decks to get sun, and that deck is the exit of the waterslide. It's similar to Conquest class in it's waterslide, plus the entire promenade deck (deck 5) is exactly like Conquest class. The main difference from all other Carnival ships is that the main pool has a retractable roof, and the big screen is indeed inside when it's closed. So rain or stars, they can have movies playing. And the roof being closed makes for a nice atmosphere for deck parties. The big screen is also right below the waterslide area instead of being right outside the buffet. Dream is still my favorite ship & my favorite class.

[k2excursion]

At tonight's dinner, we did the conga line with the waiters, which I got to join in on. The show in the theater tonight was the 2nd of the production shows with the singers & dancers, called "The Beat". What made this show unique was that the show band was up on stage instead of in the pit. They covered the pit, which brought the singers & dancers right up to the edge of the stage. Since we had a front row seat, that brought them right up to within a couple feet of us. It brought back memories of the stage setup of Holiday class & Fantasy class, which has the band off to the side, and the guests are right at the edge of the stage. It allows for more eye contact with the performers & guests sitting near the front. I really enjoyed that aspect of the show, and it was a great show.

 

They also had a band playing Latin music in the lounge on deck 4, and that drew a nice crowd, and the band did a great job. There was so much great entertainment throughout the week. The piano bar guy, Russell, was off this night, but they still didn't miss a beat with the entertainment. I did see Russell hanging out by the casino stage, where Music Asia was playing, and I said hi to him.

 

We also had a deck party tonight. I went to it, and even though it was short, it was still fun. Since we ultimately would have 3 deck parties on this cruise, they were all kept shorter than normal. They had the retractable roof closed for the deck party, which created a unique & nice atmosphere.

 

More Grenada pics. This one is from the van near the end of our tour. Our driver actually gave us a chance to take pics at this spot.

 

 

Back on board

 

 

Sailing away

 

Retractable roof closed, preparing for the deck party

[collinH45]

It is a nice ship. The lido deck is similar to the Dream's, in that it doesn't have the stadium style setup. The deck above lido around the pool is all covered. You have to go up 2 decks to get sun, and that deck is the exit of the waterslide. It's similar to Conquest class in it's waterslide, plus the entire promenade deck (deck 5) is exactly like Conquest class. The main difference from all other Carnival ships is that the main pool has a retractable roof, and the big screen is indeed inside when it's closed. So rain or stars, they can have movies playing. And the roof being closed makes for a nice atmosphere for deck parties. The big screen is also right below the waterslide area instead of being right outside the buffet. Dream is still my favorite ship & my favorite class.

I been on the Dream back on August 17-24, 2014 and loved the lido deck and the slides. It made me look up the Splendor and found out that the lido deck looked Mexican-styled. I'm happy it has a dome so we can go when it is raining.

[k2excursion]

Dominica arrival. I'm already blown away by this island! Tour description coming.

 

 

 

[k2excursion]

Back to business now. I had to get myself prepared for the best of the best--Dominica!!! Everybody's favorite port! This one truly is spectacular. It more than lives up to it's great reputation. I'm not sure if it's the absolute best port in the Caribbean for multiple visits over & over again, but it is certainly the best port of all for 1 visit. For countless visits to ports on countless cruises, St Thomas & St Maarten might be the 2 best. But if you won't be taking tons of cruises, Dominica will certainly be the best port of all to visit! On top of the island being maybe the most beautiful of all in the entire Caribbean, there are so many great tours to take, and these tour guides will take great care of you.

 

We used Bumpiing Tours. Once again, many from the ship had booked with them together, using cruisecritic and other social media sites. Bumpiing offer several different tours. We did the Roseau Valley Treasures tour, and I cannot imagine any other tour being better than this one. We got it for $55 each, which might have been discounted, since we had a large group. The price included everything, all admissions, snorkel rentals, life vests, etc. Our meeting place for Bumpiing was very easy to find. We were getting some rain in the morning, but we weren't worried. We were going to be getting wet anyway. This tour is great for people who are more adventurous (but it's not too intense) & active (but most people without physical limitations can handle it). It will take you snorkeling, plus deep into the jungle, through a gorge, & even an optional climb up a waterfall. The driving is along winding roads, so people prone to carsickness should take their medicine. But we don't spend an extreme amount of time riding in the vans like it was in Grenada. All the drives to the next stop seemed to go very quick. And all along the drives, there were amazing views! I'm glad that I got the front seat in the van, and had an 8-hour battery on my camcorder.

 

The first adventure on our tour would be the snorkeling. We stopped to pick up snorkel gear, having given them our shoe sizes ahead of time. I snorkel much better without fins, and I brought my own snorkel gear. A short walk down a pathway takes you to the snorkeling spot, Champagne Reef. When we got there, we were surprised to see very choppy waters at the entrance/exit. They had mats set up leading into the water to help protect you from all the rocks. It is a very rocky area, not a beach. But because of that, it does make for a great snorkeling spot. A couple of the locals did say that the water was especially choppy today. Several people, my mom included, chose not to go out snorkeling because of that. I have always really enjoyed snorkeling, so I headed out. As I was getting in, a big wave tried to push me off the mat, but the people helping the tourists grabbed my arm to keep me in place. They will take good care of you. Once I was into the water, it was a breeze. I had a life jacket on, so all I had to do was float & gently move about. We did have a guide leading us around, as there were about 5 of us from the van following her. There are some bubbles that come up from the ground in spots, which is why it got the name Champagne Reef. Depending on what you've read, the bubbles might be overrated. The reason for the bubbles is interesting, but it's not too visually impressive. But there is plenty of coral & fish to see. It was very beautiful. I could have spent hours out there swimming around. It may not be the best snorkeling I've seen, but it is still very good & worth checking out if you like snorkeling. When we were heading back ashore, the guide was watching the waves carefully. She told us to wait a minute, as she was waiting for the rougher waves to go on by before we climbed back ashore. So it might be intimidating when you see it, but the guides are excellent.

 

From there, we drove inland & into the jungle. We did stop at a shopping & overlook area. We also got to drive through the botanical gardens. The next big stop was the big highlight of the tour. Titou Gorge! This is the one that you might hear mentioned as where they filmed part of Pirates of the Caribbean 2. From where we parked, we had to walk a little ways along a trail, although it's not a difficult walk at all. You then come upon the area where you get into the water. We were warned that the water is very cold. The best way to do it is to just go straight in & immerse yourself right away. It is quite cold, but you will get used to it. The water is always cold, even if the weather is hot. From that open pool where you get in, they take you into the gorge, almost like a cave. As you go along, some of the passageways are more narrow than others. On both sides, you have walls going straight up for quite a ways, with just a small opening at the top to see the jungle & sun way overhead. It is quite an amazing experience, and everything is so beautiful! When you get to the end of the gorge, you have the option to stay there or to climb up a small waterfall, climbing almost straight through the waterfall. We were told that if you do go up, you have to jump off to get down. There were a few people who decided not to climb up it, but we went up. Most people did. The guides are there to help you up, as you do really have to fight the water. The guides are very experienced, and they will get you up it. While at the top, you can wade over to where a larger waterfall is landing. That spot is a bit tricky, as you don't want to get caught in the current in the wrong way. But it was nice to just hang back and see it. We all took turns jumping off the waterfall. For those who think that this sounds way too daring for them, the waterfall was less than 10 feet. Getting up the thing was tricky, but jumping off it was just as easy as jumping off a short diving platform at a swimming pool. Definitely wear water shoes. The guides tell you the best spot to aim for when you jump. Although it was easy, it was still so amazing to be jumping off a waterfall in this very deep & narrow gorge, in the middle of a jungle, in very cold water, on a very warm Caribbean island. From there, we made our way out of the gorge, the same way we came in.

 

And after sharing all that, you might be anxiously awaiting my pictures from the snorkeling & the gorge. Sorry. None from me. I do have a "waterproof" camera, but I just don't trust it. I use it way too much in non-waterproof times that I didn't want to risk ruining it. If I ever return to Dominica, I'll definitely have to look into getting another one or a go-pro. There are many pics of these spots out there on the web. They should be easy for you to find with a search.

 

 

Pics from our tour

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2014 by k2excursion

[k2excursion]

Our final big stop on the tour was Trafalgar Falls. This also involves a little bit of walking to & from the viewing area. There are 2 waterfalls to see that are not too far away. I read that there is a way to get closer to the base of the falls, but you will be climbing over large & slippery rocks. We wouldn't have had enough time. However, just down from the viewing area are some natural pools with very warm water. So we went from the very cold waters of the gorge to these natural hot tubs. There are a few at different levels. It was fun to just crawl around in & through them, while trying to keep my camera & camcorder from getting wet. I can imagine that these natural hot tubs are a great place to just sit & relax with friends & family for awhile. But we were running short on time. Fortunately, this spot is pretty close to where the ship is. It was probably about a 15-minute drive or less to get us back to the ship.

 

After such an amazing tour with great tour guides, there's no doubt that we all tipped them well. Each van had a driver plus a tour guide. Our van's tour guide, "Floorboard", was a guide at most of the stops, as he would also take on guests from another van at the stops. He was excellent at every task he was responsible for. The drivers would stay with the vehicles & whatever you have left behind. For the snorkeling & the gorge, most people would leave everything behind. They were a lot of fun to talk with, and we had plenty of free drinks. I don't typically drink alcohol and never beer, especially while on a tour. I want to be totally sober, in order to take in as much of the experience as possible. But there was a unique and surprisingly good banana soda that they had. They took such great care of us. I certainly highly recommend Bumpiing Tours.

 

Roatan & St Kitts have had my 2 previous best tours: Victor Bodden (Roatan) and Rose & Jim (St Kitts). Those were amazing tours on gorgeous islands, and they each included some time at a very nice beach. Being somewhat of a beach bum, I did miss not having a beach included with Dominica. However, even without a beach, this was the best tour of any that I've ever taken at any port. I so wish that Carnival would come to this island more often.

 

 

 

[NCTribeFan]

Yes! Your mom's the CPA, right? I think we were on different vans on the same tour in St Croix. Our driver wasn't the best, either.

 

I had originally planned to do the walk-off-the-ship-and-get-a-taxi-tour in Martinique, but ended up booking a Carnival tour just so there would be no need to deal with currency exchange and language barriers (although there were actually people on our bus complaining that the tour guide had a heavy accent; seriously, people, just what do you expect when you're in a FOREIGN port? :rolleyes: ) I really liked Martinique; thought it was beautiful, and I happen to be a fan of All Things French.

 

Speaking of being a fan, I'm Levi & Bumpiing Tours #1 fan. I adore Levi. I'm the one who recommended him for the port stop on the Conquest repo the prior year. I've done the Roseau Valley tour twice so did the Kalinago Village this time. I do love Dominica and really hope Carnival starts calling there again on a regular basis.

 

Enjoying re-living this cruise. I just finished my Freedom 11/29 review. Two cruises that close together was a first for me. I don't have another one booked until I'm on Splendor again in October to Bermuda. I'm hoping I can remedy that and find a post-tax season quick, relaxing getaway.

[Ramrac]

We flew in 3 days early, giving us plenty of time to check out Puerto Rico. We stayed 3 nights at the Embassy Suites. I won't include pics of the hotel, unless somebody wants me to. But this hotel was totally amazing! It's probably my favorite hotel that I've ever stayed at. It has everything I look for in a hotel: a beautiful lobby/commons area with plenty of open space & high ceilings or atrium, free drinks at night, a great hot breakfast (both cooked-to-order & buffet), a beautiful huge pool, & nice rooms. There were some minor issues with the room we had, but not really worth being bothered by with how much this hotel had going for it. I should qualify our experience by saying that there were 3 of the 7 floors of rooms blocked off for renovation. That means that once renovations are done, there will be as much as 75% more guests. When that happens, the free drinks in the evening & the breakfast will be very busy, and it may not be as good of an experience as what we had. For us, the only thing that could have improved the hotel was if they served dinner like the Drury Inn does. Embassy Suites had chips & dip, but no protein foods. But the free drinks are unlimited. The pool is huge and spectacular, ranking right up there with the Radisson by Port Canaveral, maybe even better. I loved it out there. They did have some Halloween festivities going on, but nothing that was disruptive at all.

 

The hotel is very close to the airport, but a little ways from Old San Juan. We loved our location. We felt comfortable walking the streets, even at night. There is a grocery store next door, where we picked up some food & the sodas to carry onto the ship. A couple blocks away is a Taco Bell, Wendys, Pizza Hut, Subway, etc. Just beyond that area is the beach, where Embassy Suites has their own area, and their guests get free chairs & umbrellas. Also near those fast food places is where the bus stops that you can ride into Old San Juan for 75 cents each 1-way. Our location was perfect.

 

East of Florida:

 

Arriving in Puerto Rico:

 

Conquest in port in San Juan. More on this later:

 

El Morro fort. More on this later:

 

 

Love your first photo! What a pretty picture, can't wait to read the rest!

[pghsteelerfan]

I'm really enjoying your review and I love your pictures. This is one cruise I really wanted to do but we were unable to. At least I can "experience" it through reviews. I'm definitely following and looking forward to the rest. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[TrqoisWtrs]

I do have a "waterproof" camera, but I just don't trust it. I use it way too much in non-waterproof times that I didn't want to risk ruining it.

 

k2 - We were there the same day you were. That gorge was absolutely amazing. I did have my waterproof camera with me, but a lot of pics didn't turn out - fog on the lens - because of the humid weather and then jumping in to that icy water.

 

But if you don't mind, here's some that did turn out.

 

Steps into the water:

 

 

Entrance to the gorge - yes, you swim into that opening. :)

 

 

 

here's one I managed to get of our guide climbing the walls for us. :)

 

This was definitely at the top of my list of excursions.

[k2excursion]

Yes! Your mom's the CPA, right? I think we were on different vans on the same tour in St Croix. Our driver wasn't the best, either.

 

I had originally planned to do the walk-off-the-ship-and-get-a-taxi-tour in Martinique, but ended up booking a Carnival tour just so there would be no need to deal with currency exchange and language barriers (although there were actually people on our bus complaining that the tour guide had a heavy accent; seriously, people, just what do you expect when you're in a FOREIGN port? :rolleyes: ) I really liked Martinique; thought it was beautiful, and I happen to be a fan of All Things French.

 

Speaking of being a fan, I'm Levi & Bumpiing Tours #1 fan. I adore Levi. I'm the one who recommended him for the port stop on the Conquest repo the prior year. I've done the Roseau Valley tour twice so did the Kalinago Village this time. I do love Dominica and really hope Carnival starts calling there again on a regular basis.

 

Enjoying re-living this cruise. I just finished my Freedom 11/29 review. Two cruises that close together was a first for me. I don't have another one booked until I'm on Splendor again in October to Bermuda. I'm hoping I can remedy that and find a post-tax season quick, relaxing getaway.

 

Yes, that's my mom. A Carnival excursion would have been better for Martinique, but it was nice to save quite a bit of money with what we did. I like all things French too. I wish we could have had more time there.

 

I remember that you liked Bumpiing Tours & that you did our tour before. I hope to return there someday. I really want to do one of the big hikes, as I love hiking, and this island gave me the same kind of hiking desire that I get when I drive through Colorado.

 

At least you got some time to rest until your next cruise. I like to spread them out, 1 or 2 a year. But I have no cruises booked now. I may look for a last minute kind of deal for the fall or spring 2016.

[k2excursion]

I'm really enjoying your review and I love your pictures. This is one cruise I really wanted to do but we were unable to. At least I can "experience" it through reviews. I'm definitely following and looking forward to the rest. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

 

I enjoy doing the reviews. I'd probably do it even if nobody else read it. It's kind of like writing a journal. Thanks for reading my review.

 

Love your first photo! What a pretty picture, can't wait to read the rest!

 

Thank you, and thanks for reading.

[k2excursion]

k2 - We were there the same day you were. That gorge was absolutely amazing. I did have my waterproof camera with me, but a lot of pics didn't turn out - fog on the lens - because of the humid weather and then jumping in to that icy water.

 

But if you don't mind, here's some that did turn out.

 

Steps into the water:

 

 

Entrance to the gorge - yes, you swim into that opening. :)

 

 

 

here's one I managed to get of our guide climbing the walls for us. :)

 

This was definitely at the top of my list of excursions.

 

Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing the pics. It's nice to have some pics of what we did. Our guide, Floorboard, didn't climb the wall like that. Although he did jump into the water from up on the cliffs. He said that that's the only way he gets into the water. No stairs for him.

[k2excursion]

Pics from on board the ship in Dominica

 

 

 

[k2excursion]

We were back on board at about 3:15. This was also the afternoon for the party formerly known as the past guest party, now only for those gold & above. It still included well over half of the guests on this sailing. They had 2 parties, one at 3:30, which we would have never made it to. Fortunately, our invite was for the later one, which I think was 4:45. I heard that the first party was skimping on the drinks. But for our party, they weren't holding back. I wound up with 3 of their standard drink (whatever it is) that comes out at the beginning, plus a 4th to take to dinner. My mom also had 2 plus 1 to take to dinner. We also had a frozen drink of some sort in the middle there. Some people were asking for their own favorite mixed drink from the bartenders, but if you do that, you might have to wait awhile to get it. The waiter has to go make the drink, as well as serve so many other people in there. If you want to make out like bandits like my mom & I did, then it's better to just take what they have on the tray. Some frequent cruisers grow tired of this party, but since I take about 1 to 2 cruises a year, I never get tired of it. I love listening to the band play up on stage. I really enjoy getting to cheer for the ships that I've been on, especially now that I'm up to 11 ships, and I have now sailed on the 4 newest (actually new) ships in the fleet.

 

Since we had the later party, I had a chance to watch the sail-away, which was so pretty from this amazing island. I did have to cut it a bit short in order to make it to the party, but I got some nice views.

 

Beautiful rainbow framing the town

 

 

 

Sailing away

 

 

[blueangel74]

I am enjoying your review & all of the other Splendor reviews for this sailing. My sister & I were on this cruise. I have to agree with you about Dominica being the best stop. It was gorgeous.

[k2excursion]

After such a great excursion & a nice time at the "past guest" party, it was a good night for the dead night in the theater. No show tonight. I really dislike it that Carnival has been doing this, but I guess I'm getting used to it now. I did take a peak in at the love & marriage game, and I was happy to hear that they weren't giving any of the standard, fake answers. All answers were real & given by the guests on the stage. In the past, the CD would read it off the sheet, giving 3 or so fake answers for the oldest couple, and it was always the same on every ship. I only looked in on the game to see if they were doing this here, and I was happy to see that they weren't. Maybe it's just a Malcolm Burn thing to not give the fake answers, or maybe Carnival is moving away from that.

 

Before that, they had dancing on the stage. I was expecting it to be some line dancing, like on other ships. But it wasn't. It was ballroom dancing. By the time I realized that, I was already on stage and had a dance partner. We stumbled our way through it and had fun. A few of the show dancers were up there dancing with guests. Those girls picked the younger boys, who totally loved that.

 

Tonight, the showband was downstairs in the deck 4 lounge that is under the dance club near the back. They were playing some Motown & soul. It's not my favorite style of music, but they did a great job with it, and I enjoyed it. There was a female singer there, but I never caught her name, and didn't see her anywhere else. The band drew an enormous crowd in there. Truly standing room only for most people. That could have been held in the main showroom. Show up early for that if you want a seat. There is a dance floor in there, and they like for people to get up and dance.

 

I also spent a little time in the piano bar, since Russell was back from his day off. Also, I went to the 11:30 close-up magic show in a small room on deck 4. It was the 2nd of the cruise. I missed the 1st. I definitely enjoyed it. I always enjoy any type of magic.

 

So even without a show tonight, it was still a fun evening. The Splendor just seems to do such an amazing job with the evening entertainment. It totally blows the Breeze out of the water in this area. They are right up there with my favorite ship, the Dream. For those that enjoy good evening entertainment, or if you aren't happy with the new Playlist movement on half of Carnival's ships, then the Splendor is definitely an excellent choice!