Carnival Splendor- June21-30 Great Barrier Reef

[LPGA Golfer Gal]

This will be a concise review of some things I struggled to find before we left, things we wondered about and the trip in general.

Sydney: loved the city. So much to see and do in the area. We arrived 2 days prior and thank good ness we did. The trip was long, especially the flight from LA to Sydney.  There are all the chain hotels but they are relatively pricey, especially near the port. We chose to stay in one of many little boutique hotels that are quaint. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. The folks there are great, very welcoming and we loved our stay. The only issue was we were on the 3rd floor, no elevator and we had a lot of luggage. Loved having the location in The Rocks. Easily accessible and loved the vibe.

Our full day in Sydney we booked a private sightseeing tour with Real Sydney Tours. They will cater to what you want to do. Loved our day!

Getting around Sydney is very easy as they have great public transport, the bigger issue for us was pre arranging an airport pickup/drop off. When we travel we like to pre pay for shuttles. As indicated we did not travel lightly so we needed a “maxi taxi”.  We wanted it pre paid and really had a challenge booking as we did not have a local Sydney cell phone. We managed but was not easy. At the port when we came back from the trip it was very easy to get sorted with a maxi taxi - you go upstairs once you’ve got your luggage and they are very organized without setting folks up with appropriate vehicle pickup.

Cruise:

So, very confusing before we left for Australia- to.d to book excursions once on board, but most of the excursions popped in prior to leaving for the trip. We wanted a scuba excursion to the Outer reef. I was desperate to find a way to book my husband and daughter on this bucket list excursion in our bucket list trip BUT I could not find the information very easily. 
Our stops for the 9 day trip were: Tangalooma (Moreton),  Airlie Beach, Cairns and missed the sail around weather station(Willis Island).

Tangalooma: booked Snorkel the Wrecks(power scooter) - booked pre cruise. This was a tender into the beach area on Carnival lifeboat/tenders. About 25 mins tender time. Enjoyed the excursion BUT did not realize there were time slots. Our trip was 9:30 and the cloud cover and conditions were pretty rough. There were a lot of people and the excursion felt a bit crowded. Loved seeing the wrecks, some fish and wobbegong sharks. If we did this excursion again I would suggest later in day when sun is up and the views would be better and warmer.

Airlie Beach: Ocean Rafting- Whitsundays: Tender into port again but more like 30-40 mins. Gets quite hot in the tenders as they pack folks in. If possible stay outside (hot/sunny but more air).

This was our favourite excursion. A large inflatable takes us out past the ship and around to a couple of the smaller Whitsunday Islands. The trip is 45 mins but well worth the trip. Unbelievable snorkeling, beautiful views, less crowded feel and very knowledgeable crew. Lunch was included at the end and absolutely loved the entire experience.

Cairns: we docked here.  this was the excursion I had been waiting for - The Great Barrier Reef - thanks to folks on the other group on FB I was able to read that it had populated in the excursions. The booking allowed you a ride out to the reef and snorkel included. Once on the catamaran (a great looking boat, very comfortable- Reef MagicII) you are able to then add the Scuba portion. This trip…. Hmmm… awful! Unbelievably rough and just nothing about getting to the reef - 90 mins- was enjoyable. More than half the boat got sick, me included. Once we arrived all was well. Get in the water and everything was great. Hubby and daughter got set up for their dive, they were happy and I joined the snorkel group to see the GBR. The reef is unbelievable and vast! It is amazing to see so many different coral, fish and sea life. The trip back on the cat was slower and thus better but really a rough way to get out there. 
Splendor:

Despite the pink, the ship was great. Loved the trip, the crew went above and beyond. I would absolutely do this trip again, but I would consider a back to back as the trip there and back was long. Our family just did not have option to stay longer due to schedules but would do two cruises next time!

Random thoughts:

- loved having the REd Frog Pub for hanging out to play games

- Serenity area is fantastic!

- Fahrenheit 555 was fabulous

- our dining room staff were fun and really enjoyed the meals

 

Loved the Splendor and would do this again!

 

[CRUSINANGEL]

I will be going to Brisbane, Australia next year on the Luminosa and wanted to visit Sydney as well. Thank you for the review and for the pics!

[natefish95]

I left Sydney on the 21st and walked down to Circular Quay really early to get pictures of the Splendor. Going to upload a picture and see if it works...

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[natefish95]

Eh, it kinda worked.

 

I was in Australia for work, and I loved Sydney! I have my eye on the Luminosa for February 2025.

 

For anyone traveling to Sydney and staying around Circular Quay/The Rocks, you can also take the train straight from the airport and get off at the Circular Quay stop. You don't need to buy a train card and can just tap your credit card when you enter and exit. Also worked on the ferry to Taronga Zoo. 

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[possum52]

2 hours ago, natefish95 said:

Eh, it kinda worked.

 

I was in Australia for work, and I loved Sydney! I have my eye on the Luminosa for February 2025.

 

For anyone traveling to Sydney and staying around Circular Quay/The Rocks, you can also take the train straight from the airport and get off at the Circular Quay stop. You don't need to buy a train card and can just tap your credit card when you enter and exit. Also worked on the ferry to Taronga Zoo. 

F26DE1C9-1CF8-4ED0-A468-3B17C8D153EB.heic 802.24 kB · 1 download

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