just off splendor - review

[Carnival3cruiser]

Good morning,

 

My family and I just got off the splendor this morning. We are waiting for our flight to Pittsburgh. First and foremost, I just have to say, of the 3 Carnival cruises we have been on, the Carnival Splendor was by far the BEST!!

 

SHIP: The ship, as you may have already read, is very pink. I personally didn't mind the decor of the ship as it doesn't effect the outcome of our trip. It is very, very big and beautiful. When Carnival says that the Splendor is the biggest and most beautiful ship sailing the 7 seas, I can certainly agree! :)

 

EMBARKATION: We arrived at the port via the complimentary Rental Car Center Shuttle (Available to most people that rent a car at FLL) at approx. noon. Although the line looked to be very long, and it was quite hot outside, it did move quickly. From shuttle to ship it took about 1 hour. (Not bad considering the Liberty a few years ago took almost 2).

 

First Sea Day: This was a great start to the trip as it was a great, relaxing way to welcome in the Caribbean. Having read many reviews and boards on Cruise Critic I learned about Serenity, a great adults only deck with thick and very comfortable lounge chairs. My family and I got quite a lot of use out of the relaxing, quiet deck. TIP:::if you choose to try serenity, try to find chairs on the right side of the ship as you travel down south if you like the sun. Many people do try to save lounge chairs on the Lido Deck, however, Carnival now has a pool attendant paid just to remove personal items from saved chairs for over 40 minutes. Please, if you can't find a chair, let a pool attendant know and he/she will be happy to help you find one. The first night at dinner was excellent. You can wear what you wore on board because many people still don't have their luggage (my luggage tag fell off so I found it on deck 3 forward after dinner)

 

Day at sea and San Juan: This was another great relaxing day. We arose early to have breakfast on the Lido Deck then up to Serenity again! :) After exhausting ourselves from laying in the sun for 3 or 4 hours, we snacked and ate lunch. Having a few more hours until arrival at San Juan, we found other things to do on board -- Fun Ship Activities. San Juan is a beautiful Island, but has many hills. If you don't mind walking up and down hills on cobblestone streets, then go for it. I enjoyed it, but it was hard on a few people in our group. This was the worst day at dinner for us because it was Open Seating. Open seating means that anytime between 6pm and 9pm you could go to either dining room or the Lido buffet and get served. It was unfortunate we were unable to get our wait staff (Sudan and Made) because the were really great, but more about them later! :)

 

St. Thomas: First time to St. Thomas, and I fully enjoyed it. Our group of 6 decided to split up at port. My parents and I went to Magens Bay, which is probably the most beautiful beach on the island. Sadly, it rained off and on for most of the morning. Besides the beach, the views were tremendous! We took a taxi going to the beach (6pp each way) which I don't recommend. What I do recommend however, is taking an open air bus, which seats about 25 people. Because it is bigger it travels at a slowers speed and stops more frequently to take pictures of the breathtaking views. This again cost $6pp each way.

 

La Romana: Why is the a port of call?? For me personally, the was the biggest disappointment of the entire vacation. We had an entire day in La Romana, which would have been great if there was actually something to do. Unless you have a shore excursion, don't even get off the ship. Kathryn, the shopping guide on board and Goose, the cruse director, said not to get off. I, however, ventured off and walked about 200 feet from the ship. Here, I found on store which was very expensive and overpriced. I hope Carnival doesn't reschedule La Romana as a port of call for another itinerary.

 

Day at Sea: This day at sea was similar to the other. We just relaxed around Serenity and by the Lido Pool.

 

Nassau: I wish we would have docked in Nassau earlier than noon. This was a great island as well. We took a water ferry over to Paridise Island and walked around to the Atlantis Resort. The Atlantis is tremendous -- if you haven't been there or seen it, go there! We decided to take a taxi van back to the port and the Festival Place (No more straw market :(). Don't recommend a taxi unless you're used to real city driving. This driver was not terrible, but the other drivers around him were scary. All you hear is horns and tires screeching the entire trip. I hope you don't need an ambulance for any reason on this island, though. On the way to Paridise Island, on the water ferry, my mother had a seizure. I'm forever glad for the Doctor and Nurse that happened to be on board. They called an ambulance while we were still on the boat and 30 minutes later, still no ambulance. Mom felt fine after she got some cold water and moved around a bit, but still no ambulance. After waiting about 45 minutes, and still no ambulance, she said she was okay to walk around, so we continued our journey. Mom is okay now :)

 

DEBARKATION: We did self debarkation this morning as we had an early flight. From ship to airport via taxi ($20 w/ tip) it took less than 20 minutes. If you're not in a rush, I again, recommend waiting for the rental car center bus, then catch a bus to your terminal.

 

STAFF: Staff on this ship was truly what made the trip. Our room steward Yustin (SP??) was excellent. We left the room for 5 minutes and the stateroom was made up already! The entertainment staff was amazing. Goose, the cruise director, made this trip memorable. The rest of the entertainment staff (James, Adelle, Lauren, Kevin, etc.) were great and hilarious. The Dining staff, Sudan and asst. waiter Made were by far the best. After the first night, they knew our eating habits and needs. They both always went out of the way to make us happy, even if it meant running to the Lido Deck to get a burger or something else from the grill. Once again, props to the staff. Everybody greeted you with a present smile on board! :)

 

FOOD: Food was great. You can't possibly go hungry on this ship. There is something for everybody. The dining room food was great every night. The Lido buffet was just average, but the deli, pizza and the grill were exceptional. We also found the Rotisserie (sp??) on deck 10 in the very back of the ship. This and Serenity were the best kept secrets on board.

 

Now I will be getting ready to board my flight back to the cold, snowy weather from FLL to PIT. So far no delays which is good, but I will certainly miss the beautiful Carnival Splendor, the great and friendly crew, and of course, the warm weather. I hope this review helped out. I also have all the Carnival Capers for this itinerary, which i will, indeed post when i get home and can scan them onto the computer.

 

 

Mike

[rebeljohn]

Thanks, Mike..........Enjoyed your review........Thanks for taking the time to post it so soon...................

[happy cruzin]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise...because you are coming back to really crappy weather here :eek:.

Hurry....before it gets too bad ;)!!

[bills blasters]

So glad to read your review. Sound wonderful. I will be waiting for you to post the Capers.

Did you happen to go to the miniature golf? Wonder what it was like.

Also, did you try the Tandori food station. Exactly what kind of food it it? I have heard it was very good, but no explanation to what the food was.

We will be getting on the ship in a little over 7 days now.

Can't wait.

[fedextina]

Thanks for the review - We are boarding in two weeks and cannot wait. We are in the midst of a snow storm here in Northeast Ohio this weekend and this trip cannot come soon enough!

[GASPARTY]

Great review Mike we will be also boarding the Splendor in about 80 days and counting. Did they ever serve lobster? At the rotissere did you have to pay or was it like a buffet at the lido? How's your MOM doing? That would have been a freaky thing for you hope she enjoyed the trip and is now ready to rebook another cruise. Cheers from sunny LAS.

[Handsome58]

review...I like it when someone has a great time and the review is not taken over by all negative bash Carnival type things.....I am happy you had a great time..and will be getting home in time to watch the Steelers play....but wow it would have been fun to watch them at sea......

[margaritaville momma]

Great review. Can't wait to see the capers either. We sail on her in 2 weeks and are so excited. So glad you had a good time.

[geospyder]

Thanks for the review Mike. Can't wait but guess we have to since we still have 190 days. Making the best of it - going snowshoeing today.

[Skywench]

Thanks for your post. I am considering the Splendor for my next cruise in May.

[Janice162]

I really appreciate your review. We will be doing the 49 day FLL to San Francisco cruise - I still can't believe it. I know that this will be a trip of a lifetime and have been a little hesitant as I read some of the other reviews.

 

I will be looking forward to your capers as well, did they provide a bathrobe for you?

[Happy Sailing]

Great review, Mike. We agree 100% with you. You can read our review on the Roll Call B2B Splendor cruise ship site past Nov. One thing we liked to do was order Canapes and the Anniversary Gift Basket from Bon Voyage for the Sailaway. We had them delivered (it takes awhile) the Canapes and then we sat in the Serenity Lounge with them and the champagne from our gift basket and watched the ship sail and spent many happy hours there. We had a Spa Accomodation 4S inside room so between the Spa free access and the Serenity deck....we thought we were in heaven.

We are going on the Dream in Nov. and will do the same thing.

Happy travels all!

[deborahjo]

Thanks for the awesome review. I can hardly wait til April to be on her. Loved hearing about Serinity I will really enjoy that alot.

[Carnival3cruiser]

So glad to read your review. Sound wonderful. I will be waiting for you to post the Capers.

Did you happen to go to the miniature golf? Wonder what it was like.

Also, did you try the Tandori food station. Exactly what kind of food it it? I have heard it was very good, but no explanation to what the food was.

We will be getting on the ship in a little over 7 days now.

Can't wait.

 

I did not play mini golf, however, I did venture up there to see what it was like. It looked like a complicated course --far to difficult for me! :eek: It appeared to me like it would be the best mini golf course at sea! :) The food in the dining room ranged from a delicious mouthwatering steak every night (Prime rib, filet mignon, chateubriand, NY strip etc). There was also Lobster on the first formal night which my mom fully enjoyed. They always had excellent starters as well, ranging from a pasta to shrimp cocktail. :) If you don't see anything you like on the menu, tell your wait staff and they will find you something you like.

[Carnival3cruiser]

I really appreciate your review. We will be doing the 49 day FLL to San Francisco cruise - I still can't believe it. I know that this will be a trip of a lifetime and have been a little hesitant as I read some of the other reviews.

 

I will be looking forward to your capers as well, did they provide a bathrobe for you?

 

Yes, they did provide a bathrobe for you to use throughout the cruise. I noticed a lot of people would wear bathing attire under the robes and wear them up to the lido deck. I will get the capers up in a day or two :)

[Carnival3cruiser]

review...I like it when someone has a great time and the review is not taken over by all negative bash Carnival type things.....I am happy you had a great time..and will be getting home in time to watch the Steelers play....but wow it would have been fun to watch them at sea......

 

yeah, most likely they will have that on the seaside theater! They did show a lot of games on the ship. The sports bar was great for watching the OSU - Texas game and the BCS championship game was on in the Morocco Lounge in the back of the ship deck 5 and in the sports bar. Both places were so crowded for that game and it made the experience that much more enjoyable! :)

[cathyoo]

Mike, how wonderfully efficient you are.. to write you review immediately before you even board the plane. Fantastic and I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Did you take in any of the shows? If so, how were they?

 

thanks again. I love reviews.

[Carnival3cruiser]

Mike, how wonderfully efficient you are.. to write you review immediately before you even board the plane. Fantastic and I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Did you take in any of the shows? If so, how were they?

 

thanks again. I love reviews.

 

Yes, actually. I personally don't care for the broadway type of shows, so I did skip out on those. My family went to them all and enjoyed each and every minute. I did go to the comedy shows when they were available. The first comedian, Percy Crews II was funny the first evening, but the R rated show at midnight was terrible. Marvin Bell, the second comedian was brilliant. I hope you all get to see him. He was hilarious in both his evening and R rated show. Finally, Tommy Drake, on the last few evenings of the cruise, he performed. He was the best of the three, as he did magic for the kids the first evening show, and the R rated show, I laughed so hard I cried! Highly recommend the comedy shows!

 

Mike

[stefndoug]

Mike... did it cost to use the Serenity area? I know you can buy a day pass for the Spa, but wondering if you can use the area without paying to use the Spa facilities. Also was there a weekly pass to use the Spa facilities?

 

We are sailing in 4 months... can't wait to see the Splendor

 

Stefani

[Carnival3cruiser]

Mike... did it cost to use the Serenity area? I know you can buy a day pass for the Spa, but wondering if you can use the area without paying to use the Spa facilities. Also was there a weekly pass to use the Spa facilities?

 

We are sailing in 4 months... can't wait to see the Splendor

 

Stefani

 

The Serenity, located on deck 12 forward, was free! :D We didn't use any of the spa facilities, but I know the gym and locker room is free. The capers also run down a bunch of price specials throughout the cruse.

[sanmarcosman]

How much time was lost in service to others in your waiter's section because you sent him or his assistant to the lido grill to fetch a burger for you? Man, that takes real brass. :mad:

[stefndoug]

The Serenity, located on deck 12 forward, was free! :D We didn't use any of the spa facilities, but I know the gym and locker room is free. The capers also run down a bunch of price specials throughout the cruse.

 

That works... might just use the Serenity area and not the spa facilities... we will see how much money we have at the time. Thanks for answering so quickly... I appreciate it.

 

Stefani

[hampyoung]

Mike,

Since you just got off the boat; could you answer this ODD question for me?

Did the stateroom doors go all the way to the floor or was there a lip?

I'm asking cause we often prop our door open a smidge so expected visitors know they can come it; we could be out on our balcony.

We also do this just before our expected morning coffee so our steward knows (after we tell him its OK) to come in and put the tray right on the bed! (my favorite treat)

So, I was going to bring one of those rubber door wedges; but it won't do diddly if there's a lip (like to keep water out) at each door.

 

Thanks!!

 

Hamp

[Carnival3cruiser]

Mike,

Since you just got off the boat; could you answer this ODD question for me?

Did the stateroom doors go all the way to the floor or was there a lip?

I'm asking cause we often prop our door open a smidge so expected visitors know they can come it; we could be out on our balcony.

We also do this just before our expected morning coffee so our steward knows (after we tell him its OK) to come in and put the tray right on the bed! (my favorite treat)

So, I was going to bring one of those rubber door wedges; but it won't do diddly if there's a lip (like to keep water out) at each door.

 

Thanks!!

 

Hamp

 

That is a good question. I am not entirely sure, however, they do provide a rubber door stop for you to keep your door propped open. Sorry I don't have the exact answer you were looking for, but I hope this helps out.

[gator2700]

Curtain or door? Just want to know if I should bother to bring clips to hold the bottom of the curtain from sticking to me? Thanks...nice to hear a good review. I leave on the same cruise in 7 days.