Carnival Splendor July 2 - July 10

[carlakruz]

My husband and I just returned from the 8 day sailing on the Splendor out of Miami. We were celebrating my birthday and our 39th anniversary. This was also our 39th cruise. We have been on Carnival, Royal, Princess and NCL. Our favorite is NCL due to getting lots of Latitude perks.

 

We left Nashville by using the Lyft company to get to the airport. Boy, this is great company. We are hooked. Its so much cheaper than parking our car at the airport for the duration of the trip.

 

We flew direct into Fort Lauderdale July 1st and arrived around 10pm. We really believe in flying in the day before in case there are flight delays. I met several cruisers on the Splendor that had their flight canceled and they had to fly directly to the first port.

 

We had reservations at the Crown Plaza in Miami at 950 NW 42nd Ave for a great rate of 123.00. We took the Super Shuttle company from the airport to the hotel. I had not yet used Lyft when I made the shuttle reservations. This ended up being just fine. They were prompt and efficient. We paid around 75.00 for two.

 

We decided to get to Miami Friday night so we would be close to the port for cruise day. The hotel was very clean and nice.

 

We have been on countdown for this trip for the past year so we were really excited. I had read so many negative reviews but you just have to take them with a grain of salt, be positive and enjoy. There will usually be some things you like better than others on each cruise line.

 

Sat morning finally arrived and we again took Lyft to the port. I had registered when requested and selected a 1030 time. The system for boarding the ship was as smooth as any ship we have ever been on. We boarded around noon and we straight to the lido deck for lunch. Our cabin was ready for us about 2:30. We had cabin 7442 which wAS an extended aft cabin. I also posted by first utube video for a short peek. It was just wonderful. We spend a lot of time on the balcony so its really worth it for us.

 

The cabin has three closets and lots of storage. It was just perfect for the two of us. It was nice and quiet as the adult pool was 2 floors above us.

 

We met some wonderful people that made this cruise extra special. Thanks so much to Sam and Beth whom we ate with each evening. They are from New Jersey and I did my best to teach them some Southern accents. By the end of the week they had nite, rite and lite down. LOL We also had some great conversations with Andy and Maria from Florida.

 

That's it for me for now. I will continue with my posting as soon as I finish the laundry and cook supper. uggh!!!!

 

I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have. It is so helpful for us to read about the ship and ports prior to going.

 

Carlakruz from Nashville

[Drose716]

Looking forward to the rest of your review! We'll be on Splendor in October. We're staying at the Crowne Plaza the night before also so I'm glad to hear you had a decent experience.

[cmptrwiz]

I'm curious what they added to the American Table for the 8th day on the menu?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited July 12, 2016 by cmptrwiz

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your review! I am looking forward to hearing more:) I will be on Splendor in September, and cant wait.

[KateLovesCruising]

We will be on the Splendor in one month celebrating our 1 year anniversary :D Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

[FLCruisers3]

We also just returned from this cruise. It was fabulous! The 8th day menu had prime rib, shrimp & multiple other dishes to choose from. We really enjoyed this ship. It was our 6th time cruising with Carnival, but the 1st on this ship. I highly recommend it.

[riclop]

Glad you enjoyed the Splendor , we love that ship .

[darth frosty]

did you by chance try the tandoori grill?

 

If so how was it?

[carlakruz]

My husband loved the Indian food but it was way to spicy for me. We spent most of our time at the aft adult food right next to it. I loved the sandwich food right across from the tandoori.

[Miata]

We will be on the Splendor in one month celebrating our 1 year anniversary :D Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

We were on her in May. I you like music there was a very talented young man from Australia by the name of Lucas. He was a surprisingly good singer (quite a vocal range). His own music is so good that, by the end of the cruise, people were asking for his songs more so than cover songs. I sent an atta-boy to CCL about him.

[carlakruz]

I'm back in the real world. Its really hard to start your own cooking and cleaning again. Guess all good things have to end, we are on a new countdown for NCL next July. Its fun to have one in the wings.

 

Ok, here goes. My review for Saturday - We just came onboard for lunch and the exploration of the ship. Our cabin was ready about 2:30 (hint: if you dress casually to come aboard and don't want to wear shorts to dinner - pack something else in your carryon. we did not get our luggage until about 8:0 pm).

 

We have a tradition of putting on the lifejackets in the cabin and taking a picture of ourselves in the mirror. I bet that sounds kinda stupid but you know those traditions!! We had the lifeboat drill at 4:30. That was kinda funny. We were sitting in the Robusto lounge waiting for the signal to go outside. My husband always dreads the drill as he has trouble standing for a long time. That lounge ended up being the location for the folks that had mobility issues so we were able to sit right there.

 

We had 6:00 reservations for the Steakhouse due to the free bottle of wine at dinner. You could choose from a house white and a red. We selected the white and it was really good. Don't miss the steakhouse. It was fantastic. I had the filet mignon and my husband had the porterhouse. We were so full when we left but so glad that we booked it. We have never booked the first night before but will do so again.

 

I love Carnival due to being able to bring a bottle per person on board. Unfortunately this trip we were not able to buy it. Our flight arrived in Fort Lauderdale late and by the time we arrived in Miami nothing was close to the hotel. This morning we utilized Lyft and the driver spoke no English at all. My husband sat in the backseat saying grocery, Moscato, wine, merlot but to no avail. haha

 

Again, there are always things you like an things you don't like on board so I am just telling you my opinion and you may experience complete differences. The night life Sat night was just awful but did improve as the week went on. We attended the welcome aboard show and it was just a dumb game (again in my opinion). We are used to each performer giving a sample of their music and that did not happen.

 

The cruise director was C-Luv. I believe he was getting off the ship at the end of the cruise and that will be good thing. He seemed way over his head when we heard him, we rarely saw him. Also, the piano bar Pete was not there the first night but arrived later in the week and was fun. We did listen to Ron a few times during the week and enjoyed him. He does a great Red Solo Cup and Rocky Top (what can I say? we are from Nashville and love country music).

 

The ship is really pink but I thought it was just beautiful. I had read so much about it but was pleasantly surprised. Well, by this time it was 11:00 and we decided to head to the cabin and that beautiful balcony. Tomorrow will be our first sea day.

 

Oh I almost forgot, when we met our steward he asked if we wanted morning or evening service. We said both and he said no problem. We checked both options on the little form and was also asked if we wanted extra pillows, blankets or robes.

 

Will continue the sea day soon.

Carlakruz

[darth frosty]

I'm back in the real world. Its really hard to start your own cooking and cleaning again. Guess all good things have to end, we are on a new countdown for NCL next July. Its fun to have one in the wings.

 

This is my wife's biggest complaint.

 

Like you said helps to have one in the wings.

[carlakruz]

The researching and planning is one pf the greatest things about the cruise

[Florings]

The researching and planning is one pf the greatest things about the cruise

 

I agree with this! The cruise is 7 or 8 days - the planning and anticipation lasts for months before this. I'm all set for my October cruise on the Splendor, but every few days I take out my vacation folder and look at it all again....from the excursions, times in port, list of clothes, and other things....so much excitement!

 

Thanks for sharing, looking forward to more.

[carlakruz]

Hi, its me again. Today was a glorious sea day for us. Today we spent the entire day at the aft pool on deck 9. We only had to get on the close elevator and go down two decks. The pool was small and just great at 7:00 when I arrived. There were plenty of seats but by noon, they were mostly gone and there were so many adults in the pool you could not move but by that time we had met so many fun friends, we were just fine with it.

 

Tonight was elegant night so we dressed up and ate anytime dining at the Black Pearl Dining room. We both had lobster and it was excellent. I have no complaints about the food on this ship any meal. We stopped at each photographer to have our picture taken in hopes of getting one good one. We only buy one picture each cruise as we have a cruise wall in our downstairs hall at home and have one cruise picture framed for each of the 39 cruises. I think a day does not go by that we don't stop and glance at our fond memories. We were able to find one (plus husband bought one for his office) so we did not have anymore taken the next elegant night.

 

After dinner we went to see Tom Foss comedy (2 back to back pg shows). They were both good. We also went to hear Ron again. We skipped the 80's show for comedy.

Tonight was the captain's celebration but for the first time, our gold status was not invited. Maybe they have changed the benefits. Would have been nice if they had grandfathered us in and made the changes the upcoming gold folks. Oh well, we received 2 pins, 2 liters of water and a free drink after 5:00 the last night of the cruise. It kinda makes us feel unappreciated. Our next cruise will be back on NCL in July of 2017.

 

That's all for my complaining. After comedy we went back to our balcony to enjoy. Hint: we took a little speaker and nano and was able to enjoy our music on the balcony all week. We also purchased a strong magnet hook to aid with hanging the bathing suits up in the room. Also, a night light from the dollar store to turn on in the bathroom each night. That was great.

 

Tomorrow is Grand Turk and we LOVED IT!!!

 

Until tomorrow,

Carlakruz

[Clarea]

Enjoying the review, thanks!

[CARNIVALCRUISE3]

Great review! Looking forward to reading the rest. I will be sailing on the Splendor next weekend.

[tbbtravels]

Hey guys we are sailing on the splendor in a few weeks. Can someone answer some Miami port and Splendor ship questions?

 

Can you tell me if the port has drink machines inside? What was the platinum gift for your sailing? What time did they let you board the ship and what time did you debark?

 

Thanks so much !

[rrader]

We were on this same sailing. I'm enjoying reading another cruiser's perspective.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[carlakruz]

I did not see any drink machines onboard, there was water, juice and coffee.I don't know about the platinum - we are gold.

We boarded around noon and debarked at 8:00 am (we had a Miami hop on hop off excursion before our flight home)

[tbbtravels]

Thanks Carlakruz and nice review!

 

Did you notice any drink machines inside the port of Miami?

[sturderick]

Great review so far. 59 days until we are on her :cool:. I'm interested in your choice of excursions because I'm having a hard time picking!

[carlakruz]

Carlakruz here again. Wow, today is July 4th and what better way to spend the holiday on a cruise. So many wore red, white and blue today.

 

Today is Grand turk. Oh, how I loved this port. I had researched prior to the cruise and decided that the best thing for us was to get off the ship, head to the beach and sit our butts in the sand. lol. Boy, was that good advice.

 

My husband and I love the beach so we really looked forward to this port. We first went to the beach and then decided to spend the day at the pool. The beach was great. There were rocks in the water but they were large and pretty smooth. We had no difficulty at all. When we return, we will bring our snorkel stuff as several were snorkeling and were pleasantly surprised at the amount of fish. The water was so clear we could see many fish. We arrived here at 7am and was the only ship in port. The weather was fantastic. We ordered roomservice for breakfast on our balcony, took lots of pictures and was off the ship by 7:15. I must say that each and every port the getting off the ship was smooth with no lines. I don't know how the ship was able to do such a good job with that.

 

So there we were with our new friends from Florida enjoying the sun, water and pool games. There was a DJ at the pool area and they even played the National Anthem. I spied the cutiest clock beverage holder with 5:00 somewhere written on it. Too cute and everyone had one. So at 8;15 I was in the line to buy the wonderful margarita for 25.00. Yes 25.00 but we were at Margaritaville. The refill was half price (nice of them huh?) Needless to say, only on vacation would you find me with a drink at 8:15 am. But somehow, it just seemed right. lol

 

The day just flew by and we were back on the ship by 1:30 with a 2:00 sailing. So we just headed to the aft pool and continued our pool day. We hit the grill and had a hamburger for lunch and met our wonderful friends, Sam and Beth for dinner in the Black Pearl dining room. We then went to the show, studio vip. It was very good. We were pretty wiped out tonight due to all the margarita and sun. We found our balcony a little earlier. I left the curtains open every night to be able to see the ocean as it was just hard to say good night and give up the day.

 

Each night we listened to Funforcover and Ron play in the various lounges or lobby. There is so much going on, its just impossible to do everything. We never went to the karaoke as the time never worked out.

 

To say again, we loved Grand Turk and hope we will revisit soon. Have a great day, ya'll Until tomorrow,

Carlakruz

[Banditswife]

Thanks for your review. We'll be on Splendor in Feb of 2017. I'm looking forward to more of your review. I'm curious about your hop on/off tour in Miami, as we'll have a few hours to kill after disembarking before our flight. Was this a CCL tour? Thx

Edited July 14, 2016 by Banditswife

[carlakruz]

yes it was a cc excursion and we are glad that we selected it. We chose the one that went to Fort Lauderdale airport with a departure after 3:30. It was about 50.00 pp and was really smooth. We left the ship about 8:00, they took our luggage (after customs) to the hop on depot and we selected one of 3 bus tours. We claimed our luggage at noon (there is one at 2:00 also) and were at the airport (their transportation) in plenty of time. Hope this helps.