Just off Splendor 8day Southern

[Maarek]

Do you happen to have any photos of the menus and fun times? I will be boarding in a month and curious to see what they have going on.

[Annie102100]

Thank you for your review. Cruising on the Splendor in June - hoping to have a great experience :)

 

 

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[Miss Kellybean]

Do you happen to have any photos of the menus and fun times? I will be boarding in a month and curious to see what they have going on.

 

I have the Fun Times and can upload them in a few days. The menu's were the same as any other 7 day cruise. I didn't get a copy of them but seem to be learning them as I cruise more and more.

[Skywench]

We were just on an eight day on the Splendor Oct 22-30. We have no complaints about the ship or the service we received. Lol, the only "complaint" would be the weather. Some rain almost every day. The only day it rained enough to disappoint was Grand Turk. Rained the whole time we were there. Don't care too much for La Romana. Done this itinerary before, so knew what to expect. We enjoyed Curacao, although Aruba has always been one of my favorite places and was my favorite port for this cruise.

[Honolulu Blue]

I am sitting at the terminal after going through customs. I will write a more detailed review later but a few important thoughts...

1) I like FTTF. Would I do it again- yes.

2) I LOVE the aft wrap balcony cabin! Deck is enormous! 6th floor was perfect. Our friends on 8th floor aft wrap had a LOT of pool/chair noise!

3) I loved the itenerary! Had great stops in Grand Turk, La Romania Dominican Republic and Aruba. Curaçao was NOT our favorite.

4) Chloe was a great CD - not annoying and extremely helpful.

 

However...

Ship is old and in disrepair and dirty. My balcony door had to be removed from the OUTSIDE and it took 3 people after the locking mechanism broke.

Service was ALMOST as subpar as the food. Food in the dining room was not up to the Carnival standard I have been accustomed to.

Entertainment was iffy - looked forward to Funkology after all the rave reviews. The piano entertainer was talented but not a good "entertainer".

Comedians were hit and miss - one was not funny but he sure thought he was.

 

I'm very dissppointed for bringing several first timers on this trip. I suspect we will be looking for a new direction in the future - thankfully the amazing ports saved the trip!

 

Thanks for sharing. I was on the same cruise. My impressions in some ways are different than yours. I didn't notice much dirt and thought the areas I went through were in very good shape. I liked Curacao and its people - very friendly, though I wouldn't have chosen it for our late arrival/departure (Aruba would've been much better, IMHO). I did the island tour thing. The one time I dined in the MDR I thought the service was fine and the meal was great (short ribs are always a favorite). Service on Lido, where I ate most of my meals, was limited but in line with expectations - as was the food.

 

I didn't see any of the shows, listen to the music (except in passing), or watch the comedians.

 

I see Chloe is starting to build herself a fan club. Is she the new Mike Pack?

 

Cruising 4 Ever asked of another poster:

 

Did you opt for once a day service because that is your preference or were you asked which you prefer?

 

I opted for once a day service (morning) because I was asked and that is my preference.

 

Maarek asked about Fun Times and dinner menus. I was able to download all of the newsletters and can link them here if Miss Kellybean doesn't do it first. I don't have the menus.

 

One thing I want to mention is our Meet & Greet. In a word - AWESOME! I was one of the first ones there and sat with some of the other early comers and swapped some stories. The turnout from Carnival was great - Chloe was great, as was THE CAPTAIN, and several other high-ranking officers. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks were provided. It was a great time, and if you weren't there, you missed out. :(

 

This post is running a little long, but for more scattered impressions from this trip, check out my posts near the bottom at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2297303 .

[GOLDENBONNY]

Curacao is like a dump, we were very disappointed as well.

 

Really? Where did you go? It's one of our favorite islands.

[Florings]

Jeez, we are boarding the Splendor in a couple of weeks so I'm hoping that was just a bad week.

In February we sailed on the Splendor and loved her. The food and service were great. We did a side by side and boarded the Breeze next and it was very bad service all around and the food was not as good.

 

Don't worry, you will be fine! I was on her in October. It rained every day!! But we still had a good time.

 

Went to all the shows and they were good...I preferred the old style with the live band playing for the shows, but never the less, they were enjoyable.

 

I didn't find the ship dirty or in disrepair of any kind. They were always cleaning and working on things.

 

Our service in the MDR (early seating) was very good. The food only so-so, with the American Table menu.

 

Despite the rainy weather, we had a good cruise! Go with your mind made up to a week of fun and you will not be disappointed!

[marci4tony]

My mind was made up to a week of fun - and the ports were great. Some things were just out of my control and not up to Carnival's standard.

 

I do think that the timing of the Curacao stop was part of the problem. By the time the ship was cleared for disembarking, it was a little before 1pm. The sun went down 6ish - So there was not as much daylight for daylight activities. The colors there were outstanding, though - and the colors at night were beautiful. We had younger kids in our group, so going back on shore for dancing and such just wasn't an option.

 

It also rained every day, thankfully not all day long. I see a tropical disturbance trying to form now, and that is not very common this late in the year. Sure made for some rough waters. I don't remember having seas that rough before - and we met folks on another ship that said the same thing; in fact the water was so rough, they couldn't dock at Grand Turk. I feel blessed!

 

We ate in the dining room every night - we also had ice cream daily! The Reuben sandwiches at the deli, always a favorite. New favorite - GRILLED CHEESE! The Naan at the Indian Restaurant (opposite corner of the deli) was outstanding - I enjoyed trying new ethnic items that I wouldn't have the opportunity to do so at home. Loved the BBQ (upstairs deck 10 above the buffet) had brisket, chicken and pork - their baked beans were quite unique and the mac and cheese was good comfort food. Was NOT a fan of the pizza, but I did try 3 different pies, just to form a well rounded opinion. My hubby and son loved the hamburgers/hot dogs. The stir fry - a good option, if you catch a short line. Beware of the heat level. Burrito bar was interesting - liked it once, disliked it once. The chocolate buffet was amazing - way way too many choices though!

 

I don't try to be a Debbie downer when it comes to food; Im a bit of a foodie (I write a lot...) and I've come to expect the Carnival standard on several items. The chilled soups - strawberry, mango, bing cherry, etc. were wonderful! The french onion soup was very good. I was disappointed in the Lobster bisque though. The desserts - tried something new every night and the chocolate melting cake never disappoints. The main courses, we all passed around the table so everyone got tastes... The menu for a 7 night is similar to the 8 night, but there was an additional night. I am sorry I did not do photos of the menu, and only took a few photos of the food for my son for his culinary classes.

 

I did participate in several classes, dance classes, activities, and other as possible, again, for the well rounded experience. There is no WAY anyone can do everything - there is PLENTY TO DO!!!

 

They are short staffed - making each person work more, longer - I am not sure if that is by trade, but one of the musicians that I spoke with said that he saw that throughout three different cruise lines. Unfortunately, that equates to services rendered. The staff have contracts, some as long as 10 months - without a day off the ship. Some of them do laundry by night, bar tend by day. They do get "time" off and are able to go into some of these amazing ports. But they are sure overworked. That being said, I did opt for once a day service and I did NOT adjust my auto gratuities. AND we always tip extra cash at the end of the cruise as well.

 

I did save my fun times - which they have also downsized, and turned into a trifold doc - I do really like that change.

 

The sign and sail card left in the door was a little strange - again, we had FTTF so we were able to get in right away. I guess it's ok - it didn't leave me feeling like my identity or credit card info was insecure. (I fully expected to feel that way) I know that was a hot topic recently, but after going through with this, I was ok. I even picked up the drink of the day with my boarding pass...

Edited November 16, 2016 by marci4tony

[Crusin5252]

Curacao is like a dump, we were very disappointed as well.

 

We did the West End Beaching hopping excursion through Irie Tours. These beaches are the ones farther from where the ship docks. They were beautiful. At one stop, we could go cliff jumping;however, we opted to watch the 3 brave souls that did it. ONe stop was the caves. THe others were Beaches where we swam/snorkeled.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Crusin5252

[marci4tony]

I'm working on the detailed report - hope to post it today.

 

Did the Carnival survey - was very detailed, very honest. Carnival does so much right that it's just tough sometimes when your expectations (based on prior cruises) aren't met. They have always exceeded in just about everything...

 

I heard about the cliff jumpers! BRAVE SOULS!:eek:

[Cruise-Crazy]

Did you opt for once a day service because that is your preference or were you asked which you prefer?

 

I was asked what I would prefer.

[Honolulu Blue]

These are our Fun Times from this cruise. They're in chronological order.

funtimes-10.pdf

funtimes-11.pdf

funtimes-12.pdf

funtimes-13.pdf

funtimes-14.pdf

funtimes-15.pdf

funtimes-16.pdf

funtimes-17.pdf