PICTORIAL REVIEW: Nicole721 Takes a JOURNEY onboard the Carnival Splendor

[Nicole721]

Veal Parmesan

 

Flat Iron Steak

 

Strawberry Almond Financier

 

Pie a la Mode

 

Passion Fruit Flan

[Nicole721]

Because we were a little later to dinner than we usually opt to dine, we weren’t sure if we’d make the early show of this evening’s Playlist performance of 88 Keys, a show we’d never seen before, but we made it to the theater just before the doors opened. While we waited, we enjoyed the live music in the lobby, an electric violin duo that was really fantastic. I love how much live music Carnival features in the evening. From the lobby to the casino and the promenade, live musicians are playing sets in just about every venue. So many aspects of cruising have changed since we made it our main method of vacation, but this is the one I hope stays the course.

 

 

Many of the Playlist shows have a little preshow before the main event, and this evening’s preshow featured the piano bar singer playing some of the piano bar faves. We sung along to every song – this was our kind of pre show fun. And the show, itself – a homage to piano bars and the tunes of Elton John, Neil Diamond, Carol King and others – was really well done. A little lower key (no pun intended) and less energetic than, say, Epic Rock or Amor Cubano, but another really great show with great sets and a solid set list.

 

 

 

 

We went up to the Lido Marketplace for some hot tea after the show and planned on going out to the later movie or wandering around the ship – we had nowhere to be the next morning after all – and in typical fashion, once we got into the room and our heads hit our pillows for just a minute before we go, we were done for the night. But, you know, that’s okay. We had another seven days of cruising ahead of us and plenty of time for late night fun.

[pcvtmom]

So happy to see another review, Nicole! I read and enjoy every one of them, and even indulge in your blog from time to time. Thanks for "taking us along" on your trips!

[Nicole721]

So happy to see another review, Nicole! I read and enjoy every one of them, and even indulge in your blog from time to time. Thanks for "taking us along" on your trips!

 

Thanks for following along with me! :D

[Nicole721]

Day 3: Sea Day

 

When we woke up on our first sea day, the sun was perched high and the seas were smooth. We couldn’t ask for anything more.


Sea days for us mean a day of laying out in the sun, of catching up on reading, of really doing nothing consequential at all.

 

They are the most relaxing of days.

 

 

We took our time, languidly getting ready and grabbing a cup of coffee (and maybe a chocolate milk) up at the Lido Marketplace before heading aft to the adults only pool. We were still working through how we felt about the Splendor, but the adults only aft pool was a clear tick in the pro column.

 

I laid out with a few magazines, Mom sat out with her Outlander books and Stephanie swam. Hours passed and the only mark we had of it was the folded page corners and the pink splotches forming on our skin where we hadn’t properly applied sunscreen.

[Nicole721]

By noon, we were done with the pool and headed back to the room to drop off our gear. Without the 2.0 upgrades, the Splendor’s offerings, while numerous, weren’t entirely exciting, so instead of a quick lunch upstairs, we opted for a proper brunch in the dining room instead. Sea Day Brunch is one of the Carnival things I enjoy the most. The menu is diverse (…even if I order the same thing just about every time) and it’s a nice, relaxed meal. We ordered our standards – a lox platter for Mom, mac and cheese for Stephanie and steak and eggs for me – and we talked about what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. And the next day. May as well knock out two birds with one stone, right?

 

Popover

 

Bagel Breakfast

 

Flamin’ Tomatoes Soup

 

Steak-n-Eggs

 

Mac ‘n Cheese

 

Double Chocolate Brownie

[Nicole721]

We stopped in the shops to look around after brunch. The Splendor offered the standard shops – a fine jewelry shop that also housed fragrance and cosmetics, another shop with standard souvenirs, sundries, alcohol and tobacco and a third shop, the old Formalities shop (the one that has been replaced by Cherry on Top on most Carnival ships) offering flowers, candy and gifts for special occasions.

 

 

 

There were plenty of entertainment options for the afternoon. Cruise Director MarQ and the Fun Squad certainly kept a full schedule. With our first formal night planned for the evening, we opted to take it easy, alternating taking showers and sitting out on the balcony, so we all had enough time to get ready (you can cue up the how-long-does-it-take-three-ladies-to-get-ready-for-dinner jokes here). The smooth seas we had earlier in the day gave way to some light motion later on, so Mom and Stephanie stayed in the room to rest for the evening and I went off to my first Academy of Fun seminar.

 

On the Carnival Journeys voyages, Carnival offers something called the Academy of Fun, a series of lectures from guest speakers and experts on a variety of topics. Today’s seminars included one on art and the one I was attending – Social Media 101. I’m a fairly avid social media user and content generator, and I wasn’t sure what to expect from the class, but it was something new and different to try and, at the very least, I’d get a new pin out of it. And the class was interesting, certainly geared more towards an older generation interacting with social media, but the lecturer raised some poignant questions that got me thinking about the role of social media in my own life and how I interact with the different apps and platforms.

 

[Nicole721]

Back in the room, Mom and Stephanie had (mostly) finished getting themselves ready for formal night, and I found them on the couch, watching Frozen on TV. I took longer than I probably should have, missing the sunset while I was trying to masterfully put on fake eyelashes while the ship rolled beneath me (read: it took three tries). Stephanie captured the sunset for me, though, and we headed down to the atrium in our formal night best for the Hanukkah service. Carnival offers some really nice services for both Christmas and Hanukkah and we really appreciate the thoughtfulness put into making sure people of all faiths have a place to celebrate during the holiday season.

 

 

[Nicole721]

After the menorah was lit, we had a short walk and no wait to get a table for dinner, requesting the same dining team as the evening before. Our server, Alex, was so jovial and funny and he welcomed us back and was tickled that we had asked to be seated in his area (so much so, that he insisted on extra lobster for Mom!).

 

 

Italian Wedding Soup

 

Tart with Braised Kale, Blackened Pork Tenderloin

 

Slow Cooked Prime Rib

 

Broiled Maine Lobster

[Nicole721]

Spaghetti Carbonara

 

Root Vegetables in a Pie Crust

 

Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake

 

Vanilla Crème Brûlée

[Nicole721]

It was during dinner that we read about the horrible tragedy in Costa Maya, where a bus carrying cruise ship passengers overturned on the highway en route to Chacchoben, killing at least 11 and injuring at least double that. It hit too close to home for us, one, in that we’d done that exact excursion (the last time we were in Costa Maya, as a matter of fact) and two, in just the fact that we were on a cruise, too, planning excursions for other ports. I couldn’t help but imagine the steps those people went through, planning their time in port, getting ready in the morning, not knowing they’d never make it back to their rooms. These are the things we know can happen, but never think they can happen to us. Stephanie, Mom and I were just so sad to read about the tragedy. It’s terrible at any time of year, but right before the holidays, it just seemed unbearable.

 

Dinner went long when we promised Alex we’d stay for show time in the dining room, so we missed the Captain’s Toast, but we had over an hour until the Playlist Production of Studio VIP, so we ended up in the promenade to enjoy some of the live music that was playing. Our fellow cruisers seemed more dressed up than usual on this particular formal night. I don’t know if it was because we were on a longer cruise or because it was the holidays or maybe just a coincidence, but we saw many women in full length gowns and more than a couple men in tuxes.

 

 

Studio VIP was the second Playlist show on the Splendor. We’ve seen it a handful of times. It’s a high energy tribute to the disco era, good enough for some sing along fun. It’s not my favorite show, but it’s always a good time.

 

 

 

 

We went from the Playlist show up to the Lido deck to catch the late Dive In Move – Hidden Figures. Mom loves this movie and always prods Stephanie and I to watch it, and I’m much more amenable to watching movies that Mom recommends when it’s under the stars on a warm breezy night. And, to her credit, Hidden Figures is an excellent movie. Much better than the movie we skipped in favor of Studio VIP (La La Land – I love me some Gosling and Stone, but, spoiler alert, generally dislike movies that don’t have happy endings).

 

 

When the movie let out, we made a quick stop at the late night grill for a snack and headed back to the room, where I promptly took a nap. At midnight. I woke up at 1:30 in the morning still in my clothes and stayed up to journal for a bit because I had nothing to go to bed or wake up early for: ahead of us was another sea day, and I had no more plans than I did today.

[OceansOfTravels]

Excited for your report! You take amazing photos and I enjoy your writing style.

 

 

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[cvpends]

We will embark Splendor this Saturday, and your photo review has me more excited than ever. Thanks!

 

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[sydsmom2034]

I'm loving your review!!

[caryatid]

I'm really enjoying reading along, I feel like I'm right there on vacation with you guys! Thanks for sharing!

[Nicole721]

Excited for your report! You take amazing photos and I enjoy your writing style.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Thank you! :D

 

 

We will embark Splendor this Saturday, and your photo review has me more excited than ever. Thanks!

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

 

Have an amazing cruise!!

[Nicole721]

I'm loving your review!!

 

Woo! Thank you!

 

 

I'm really enjoying reading along, I feel like I'm right there on vacation with you guys! Thanks for sharing!

 

Thanks for reading along with me! :)

[Nicole721]

Day 4: Throwback Sea Day

 

Second verse, same as the first.

 

That’s how the saying goes, right?

 

Old clichés aside, our second sea day began in a near exact repeat of our first day: we woke up earlier than we should have given that we were on vacation and we headed upstairs to the Lido deck for some coffee. When we headed aft to look for open loungers, though, all of them either had bodies or books on them. It didn’t necessarily surprise me – anyone who didn’t know what prime real estate was back there the day before likely realized it and saved a seat out there earlier than we cared to – but I was bummed that we couldn’t grab the same primo poolside seats that we snagged the day before without waking up early to save them (mostly because, you know, we don’t save seats – we grab them when we need them and we vacate when we’re done). Just as I was stricken with memories of the Sunshine from last year and people laying towels out on the ground because literally every chair, even the ones in not so great locations, was claimed, we decided to head up to decks 10 and 11, which had plenty of open loungers on both sides of the ship (and those great chairs overlooking the aft pool, too).

 

 

We didn’t last as long in the sun – Stephanie was still nursing a slight burn from the day before and I still had nearly a week of tanning time ahead of me that I needed to pace myself for (especially with two outdoor excursions coming up over the next two days). And there wasn’t as much sun to soak in, either. Our second sea day brought more clouds than we had on the first.

 

After our sun time, we headed back to the room to change, intending to do another sea day brunch so we could redeem our drink vouchers, and when we headed down to deck three to check in for brunch, we were hit with a line that extended up the staircase. This was weird, right? Unless they were selling discount watches in the dining room, it’s odd to see people lining up mid-day for brunch. Except I didn’t read my Capers carefully (yes, the Carnival Capers made their return for this day!) because there was no brunch today – today was our #tbsd (that’s Throwback Sea Day for those who don’t speak hashtag), and the dining room wasn’t serving brunch – they were serving lunch.

 

 

[Nicole721]

I can’t remember the last cruise we went on that had lunch instead of brunch. It’s been a hot minute. And these lunch menus weren’t crazy old – these were definitely recent/old (at least in the last seven years). It was fun pouring through the menu, identifying dishes we loved and ones we never got to try. Missing from the menu was my dearly departed but never forgotten Vacation Sundae, but my old standby of Vegetable Fajitas were as good as they were the last time I had them.

 

Chilled Avocado Soup

 

Medley of Garden and Field Greens

 

Spaghetti Zia Teresa

 

Mongolian Steak Salad

[Nicole721]

Vegetable Fajitas

 

Ice Coupe Black Forest

 

Chocolate Gateau

[Nicole721]

After lunch, we stopped at the shops again so Stephanie could look for a beach bag and we slowly wound our way downstairs, ending at the shore excursion deck so we could book a tour for our next port day in Antigua.

 

 

Since we were already down on deck three and it was a sea day, it only felt fitting to go out to the promenade and do some water watching. We loved our aft balcony on deck 6, but we felt so high up. The promenade on deck 3 puts you so close to the water. Any lower and you’d be, well, in the water.

 

 

 

MarQ had a bunch of #tbsd activities planned, but many of them were before our cruising time. We started cruising back in 2004, and I don’t remember horse racing, aqua frog games or the knobby knee competition. But it seemed many people did, and they were really enjoying the chance to relive them. We, however, did as we do on sea days: we went up to Serenity, purchased a pitcher of Skinny Fizz cocktails (a tasty combo of Tito’s, peach Schnapps, orange juice and Perrier) and drank them on our balcony.

 

 

I was in an alcohol fueled tug of war between wanting to do everything and wanting to crawl in bed to sleep, so we did the next best thing: we crawled to tea time. The dining room was packed, and even though we requested a private table, they had no where to put us but at a shared table. They ran out of tea pots, so they just gave us hot water in cups with our tea bags. They couldn’t wheel the pastry cart between the two sides of the room, so a server came by with small squares of pound cake to compliment the smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches. Other servers made the rounds with cookies and other baked treats, but somehow, those never made it to our table, just the tables around us. And in the middle of it all, we entered a storm that would persist on and off into the night. The ship was dancing along the waves, and even the caffeine kick from my green tea wasn’t going to help.

 

 

[Nicole721]

With the movement of the water getting pretty intense, we headed back to the room to relax it off. The movement makes me so incredibly sleepy that I was ready to crawl under the covers of my very comfortable bed and not come out until we were docked in Antigua. We skipped dinner in the dining room in favor of a more low-key meal on the Lido deck.

 

 

 

The evening hours were stacked with activities, from a cruise director Holiday Show (with snow!) to a #tbsd movie, a Playlist show and a deck party. We started with the throwback movie at the Dive In – an early showing of Dirty Dancing. One of the best features of the Splendor is the retractable roof over the main pool deck. So even though a tropical rainstorm was roaring outside, the deck was dry and the air temp was perfectly comfortable.

 

 

 

Stephanie ducked out to go see the Holiday Show in the atrium, where the MarQ and the Fun Squad led the crowd in a singalong, passed out Santa hats and created a mini snowstorm in the middle of the Caribbean sea.

 

[Nicole721]

We ducked out after an hour of Dirty Dancing to catch the early show of 80s Pop to the Max, a Playlist show we hadn’t seen yet. I’ve been pretty critical of the Playlist shows in the past – compared to the previous production shows Carnival used to put on, the new(er) shows were a clear step down with smaller casts, instrumental tracks instead of a live band and animatronic backgrounds instead of sets. 80s Pop to the Max is definitely one of the better Playlist shows, high energy with a fantastic set list of songs you can’t help but sing along to.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicole721]

After the show, we wandered through the Promenade on our way back to the room. It was still storming out, so we kept it low key, watching some CNN and packing our beach bags for our excursion in Antigua. The motion was too much for Mom and she called it an early night. Stephanie and I headed upstairs for the deck party around 11:30 PM and it was hopping. Just about everyone on board (…minus Mom) seemed to be up there dancing on deck.

 

 

Where they weren’t, though, was in the Lido Marketplace for the late night Mexican buffet. A throwback to the theme buffets they used to have with the deck parties, they went all out: a cold food line, a hot food line, a taco station, a dessert line and an ice sculpture. And no one was there. We walked right through the line for snacks. We walked right through a second time to take pictures. It’s no wonder they did away with these buffets – so much food and so much time preparing it, and everyone was outside dancing.

 

 

 

The party went all the way into the early hours of the morning. Or, at least, that’s what it sounded like. From our cabin. On deck six. Thank God for earplugs, right?

[trherald]

great review, Nicole!!

 

My wife and I were on Splendor when she was brand new and we'll be joining you on Horizon next week!