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From sickness to salvation... my SPLENDOR repo review


seannyice81
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Great review, Sean!

 

I just finished GAPearl's also (And have already read a few pages of Jamman54's, who I believe was on the previous sailing).

 

Thanks so much for posting! These are all wonderful Splendor reviews!

 

Especially great to read multiple reviews of the same sailing--by reviewers who all hung out together! Looks like you all had a blast!

 

Thank you for reading!

 

It is interesting having so many going at once.

 

I am enjoying your review Sean. It was nice to meet you on this cruise. Hope I get a chance to cruise with you again.

 

Thank you, it was nice to meet you as well.

 

It would be great to travel with many of you again as well. I'll be on Conquest soon, Liberty again late 2015, and maybe some others if the opportunity comes up.

Edited by seannyice81
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Just read this all at one time and really enjoyed it. Your pictures are astounding. Been on Splendor 3x and wanted to do "one of the" repositioning cruises but didn't work out. I can relate about sinus problems. I go 2 months on, 2 off lol. Going back to the ENT Monday matter of fact for another Rx. Best thing to do is "get them drained." :eek: LOVE LOVE Grand Turk and it was nice to read Jamman's, Kim's, Tribe's and your reviews together! Thanks for the memories, feel better and SAIL ON! ;)

 

Thank you!

 

I have my annual physical soon and I will probably have some words with my doctor about how to address this situation again. I suspect I will be seeing an ENT as a result and maybe picking up a neti pot. Although I was born in Montana, my sinuses are having a harder time adjusting to the colder seasons we see (usually when I cruise, go figure).

 

Thanks for reading and I hope to share my Conquest memories soon.

 

This morning I read your review from beginning to end. WOW! The pictures are absolutely beautiful and you do have an eye for composing. Loved the write-up and felt like I was right here with you. I'll be in Grand Turk this FEB and really appreciated what all you wrote and the pictures. Now to go back and read some of your other reviews. THANKS for putting the time and effort into this writing, it is much appreciated.

 

Thank you for reading and the compliments!

 

Grand Turk is simply awesome. I can't wait to be back this January.

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PART 11 - MIAMI

 

Parting is such un-sweet sorrow.

 

 

Though I was still on the ship, my vacation was over when my body's internal clock had me up at 6am. It was trying to tell my brain that the next day I'd be back to early mornings for work. Not resisting, I stepped out onto the balcony to find we had arrived in Miami and were headed to the turning basin before docking. Norwegian Epic and Disney Wonder were there already. In the distance, I could see Carnival Conquest arriving behind us. Throwing some clothes on, I made my way up to deck 9 and then the outside deck over the bridge. I wanted to see the ship's u-turn from this point. As we begun, I noticed that there was some area of the basin that appeared to have work taking place. It made the turn a little tighter, but the ship cleared with room to spare. As we continued our turn, a boater had passed Splendor too closely. It was enough to make the port police stop them as they tried to get to the other side of the basin. Splendor finished it's 180° spin, passed Disney Wonder, and arrived at the cruise terminal.

 

miam-1-of-1.jpg?w=788

 

Forgetting the night before to leave out a slip for room service, it was breakfast in the lido cafe. It's surreal being there. Everyone had enjoyed carefree dining there the days prior and now they were looking sad, carrying around luggage. I can't deny sharing the same feelings. I was facing a challenge of finding a table though as the cafe was packed. I bumped into a few of the Facebook people looking for their last meal on the ship as well. After finding a table, breakfast was inhaled as time was running a little thin. My excursion had me meeting at a point off the ship at 8am. After making goodbyes, I ran to the cabin to get my stuff then headed to the meeting point in the theater.

 

 

I hate meeting in the theater and it turned out to be a mistake. Everyone there was eager to get off the ship. Suitcases lined the isles and people had nasty attitudes. The staff had a little bit of an idea of what was going on but it being the first time in Miami for most of them, they seemed a little unsure of the debarkation process. Looking through the doors to the theater, I noticed that some had started debarking. Pointing out that I had purchased Faster to the Fun, I made my intention to the staff working the theater who without little argument let me go. I joined the line to debark and within minutes was off the ship. I never really think to look back when actually heading through the walkways on/off ships. This time was no different. The party had ended, I paid my tabs, and said my goodbyes. I looked forward to the temporary distraction of clearing customs and then getting it together in my head for a few hours in Miami.

 

 

After breezing through customs, I found I was the first person waiting for the Miami tour. There was an area to the far side of the terminal for those doing tours, where I sat. I called a few people back home and peered through the chain link fence at the stern of Carnival Splendor. My tour guide who would accompany us on the bus arrived and we had some small talk. She had moved to Florida from New York after retiring, as many do. She was very nice, but spoke and changed subjects very quickly. As other guests arrived she told us to wait as the bus for our tour was coming from Carnival Conquest. In the meantime, clouds had started gathering and I was taken back to the last time I was in Miami and the disappointment of it. A missed opportunity of sorts to have a great time with some friends. In this case though, the opportunity had already come and gone. Had I taken advantage of it? Surely, I did the best I could, but I stopped myself before dwelling on it. The bus had arrived at what was probably 9am and it was time to leave the port.

 

miat-1-of-1.jpg?w=788 mias-1-of-1.jpg?w=788

 

Stepping onto the bus was much like stepping onto a freezer. Part of me wonders if they ever turn the AC off in Florida. Had I not packed my hoodie in my suitcase, I would have used it for the bus. It was an older one with seat cushions that made me think of early 90's jump suits. My typical luck, I grabbed a seat where the lever to close the AC vents was broken. It began to lightly rain and we had to head back to Carnival Conquest to pick up an older couple that were (understandably) a little later debarking. Leaving the ships again, we crossed the bridge and our guide started talking. The microphone was not really necessary as we could hear her fine. The speakers took it to a level of unnecessarily loud but bearable. She pointed out the restaurant that was Bongos at American Airlines area, saying "this restaurant is owned by Gloria Estefan." I bit my tongue as I knew the Estefans had given up the lease in June and it sat there shuttered with the signs removed. We briefly passed through downtown Miami before crossing the causeway parallel to Dodge Island where the cruise ships were moored. The odd feeling of passing the cruise ship you called home for 8 days, in the rain. Once in Miami Beach, we drove through a few neighborhoods, past a holocaust memorial, and then eventually into South Beach. As we passed some of the popular local places, our guide told us we'd have a while to step of the bus and enjoy the city for a while. The sun was nice enough to come back out for a little while. The bus parked at the intersection of 5th and Ocean, right next to a TGI Fridays (go figure). We all stepped off the bus for a while. Unsurprisingly, nobody went to Fridays.

 

 

I started off my time in Miami by visiting the beach itself. Seeing the sand and sea one more time before heading home. The area of beach was not too far from the Marriott where friends and I had stayed in 2012. It was recognizable. Because of the weather that day, there were few people at the beach. A couple of foreign tourists wanted their photo taken with one of the lifeguard huts. I obliged so long as they took one of me. They seemed a little curious of my newer iPhone when I handed it to them for a picture. The conversation had no legs to stand on though as they didn't speak a good amount of English and I didn't speak much (of what seemed to be) Japanese. We exchanged smiles and nods before heading different ways. I walked just a little further down the shore before returning to the sidewalks. Despite the rain from earlier, many street-side cafes were serving their Sunday brunch under awnings (often over the sidewalks). I knew that a waitress or maitre d would temp me with "excuse me sir, would you like to try our brunch?" I also knew that I would cave. I had no intent of continuing far into the day on what I had thrown together on the ship. Sure enough, after walking past 4 cafes, the 5th one a server asked me to join them. "Sure."

 

miamibeach1-1-of-1.jpg?w=788 miac-1-of-1.jpg?w=788

 

Brunch was excellent. I was given a table by myself at The Colony and chose a seat looking over the street and further, onto the park and beach. It was great people watching. The table was also close to those arriving and leaving at The Colony Hotel. Suitcases were often placed right next to me, but I didn't mind at all. While enjoying some good coffee, I was too caught-up enjoying the moment and thoughts of reflection from the days past. I took my time with the brunch I ordered. Yuevos Rancheros with a side of bacon and guacamole. It came with some really good potatoes and peppers. I very much enjoyed it all. After paying the bill, I got up and decided to make my way over to the art deco museum and shop. As I did, the rain arrived once again. It seemed to follow me as I made my way down the sidewalk, under the awnings of other cafes. Not paying attention, I stepped into the gift shop instead of the actual museum. It was still pretty cool though and I picked up a magnet since I had never bought one with all the times I had been in Miami. Time began to run a little short and instead of pressing it, I decided to visit the actual museum another day. I made my way back to 5th and Ocean, trudging through puddles in and out of rain. Back at the bus some had already taken their seats in our motorized freezer. Once all were on board, it was roughly 1:30 and time to start heading to the airports.

 

And so began the heavy downpours. Just after making our way past the ships for the last time, the rate of rain began to increase. The first stop was Miami international Airport (MIA). Between the three stops we made at MIA, the bus just about emptied. Only myself and one other couple remained since we were going to Ft. Lauderdale Airport (FLL). We had been told, we'd meet with the other bus at the bus terminal, and then transfer as it was going to be the one heading to FLL. No biggie. Just after we parked at MIA's bus terminal the skies let loose. There was just barely a dry spot to stand under the awning and still keep our luggage dry. Though it seemed to take a long time, the other bus arrived in a good amount of time. We hurriedly threw our bags into the compartments under the bus and ran inside it. This one was not as frigid as the previous, but was leaking a little water over a couple of the seats (thankfully not mine). Our drive over to FLL was made longer than usual due to the massive amounts of rain. Several times we had come to near-stops because the traffic just couldn't see past their windshields. Once we had reached the proximity of the airport, the rain subsided enough to see the ships moored at Port Everglades. I could easily see Allure of the Seas, Carnival Freedom, and several others. It was relieving that the rain was not as bad at FLL as MIA, and that hopefully flights wouldn't be affected. At the second airport stop, I got off the bus and into the terminal. I checked in with JetBlue, made my way through security and planted myself in a seat. My flight wouldn't board for a little more than two hours.

 

The terminal JetBlue uses at FLL seems to be under constant construction. Every time I go, something is different or torn up. It can also be said that the AC is always cranked too. Today was no different. Fortunately, I had been smart enough to remove my hoodie from my suitcase before checking it. I wound up needing it. Functioning electrical outlets were sparse in the section of terminal I had found a seat. When I first sat down next to one, there were few people around me. More started sitting around me and were hoping to use the outlet as well. As my phone was still charging, I decided to plug-in my mini-surge protector so they could use it as well. This worked wonderfully and kept those around me from any kind of desire to kick me out. About an hour before the flight, I got up for a beer and slice of pizza. The bar was packed with a college game and I encountered some nastiness from a lady while ordering my beer. I was blocking her view of the TV while paying for my beer. "I'll be out of your way in 15 seconds." before moving to the back of the bar area. I enjoyed my Blue Moon and watched (and enjoyed) as her team lost before grabbing a big slice of hawaiian pizza.

 

Boarding the plane was nice. The plane was there early as its other flight had been cancelled. We were able to board sooner which meant there was good time to find seats and struggle with carry-ons/overhead bins. I had a nice seat next to the window before the wing. For a while, I didn't think anyone would sit next to me. I was slightly disappointed a short while later though when the seat was taken. The girl was nice at first, but was obviously sick. After we had taken off and were in the air, her mannerisms seemed more and more strange. Constantly switching back and forth between 2 cell phones in her backpack. It seemed like over twenty times she kept putting on, then taking off her headphones. She also kept tapping the shoulder of the guy sitting in front of her. He had an open seat next to him, and I couldn't understand why they had not seated together. Perhaps he was as annoyed by her as I was beginning to be. Thankfully, I slept some of the less than two-hour flight back home.

 

Arriving home was a trip and fall back into reality. It was COLD. Thirty-something degrees. We deplaned after it took the jet bridge a few minutes to connect. I was happy though to be away from my neighbor. I made my way off the plane and collected my luggage. I headed back upstairs to meet my brother and his girlfriend as they happened to be flying in from Boston at the same time. Meeting and exchanging hugs, we all made our way over to the Metro before finding our own ways home.

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Thank you, it was nice to meet you as well.

 

It would be great to travel with many of you again as well. I'll be on Conquest soon, Liberty again late 2015, and maybe some others if the opportunity comes up.

 

Enjoy Conquest & Liberty. Conquest is a great ship especially after getting the funship 2.0 upgrades. Planning to sail on Liberty someday.

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Great review! I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed your Tuesday morning posts. It was fun to relive the cruise, but from some else's perspective.

 

Thank you, Geri!

 

Always great to read other's stories.

 

Enjoy Conquest & Liberty. Conquest is a great ship especially after getting the funship 2.0 upgrades. Planning to sail on Liberty someday.

 

I have not had a delicious Guy's burger or great Blue Iguana breakfast burrito since Glory in 2012. I'm very much looking forward to another 2.0 ship. I'm also looking forward to Liberty. Was the first ship I sailed on.

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Great review and enjoyed reliving the cruise again through your eyes. Like you I also enjoyed the gummy bears soaked in Fireball at the aft pool the last night. That was fun. I am also booked on the 11/1/15 cruise on the Liberty. :D

 

Thanks and see you in 11 months!

 

Great review!

 

Thank you!

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I really enjoyed this review just as I have your others. You take some great pictures, really enjoyed seeing them. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Now I'm somehow determined to get to Dominica and Martinique and I think I'd like St. Croix and Grenada as well, they are all beautiful. Maybe Carnival can start adding them. The southern Caribbean islands are my favorites. I think it was you who told me about this repositioning cruise in the first place and I loved the itinerary but I also knew it was not possible. So sorry you had that sinus issue, especially right before your cruise and for the first part. I have sinus issues too but I've never actually gotten the infection from it but I do get the headaches and major pressure. Any time of year the weather constantly changes I'm "doomed". LOL!!! Maybe it's that NOVA air since it's gotten worse since I've been down here from PA. I'm trying to do some severe arm twisting of my DH to go on the southern out of San Juan next year but it would be Liberty, not Valor. Wish me luck!

Edited by pghsteelerfan
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POST REVIEW WRAP-UP.

 

Thanks for reading the review. There are my thoughts on a few things.

 

CARNIVAL SPLENDOR

-This is a pretty unique ship. Initially designed for Costa Cruises, the biggest thing that sets this ship apart is the sliding roof over the mid-ship pool. I do think that the more closed-in area was the reason for low attendance at the deck parties. Only on 3 occasions did I notice the roof had been closed. When it was, there was an odd silence to decks 11+.

-There are two mid-ship hot tubs. One next to each massive window on deck 10. They do not have good views of the lido deck.

-There are NO Serenity hot tubs. This is a give (Serenity is A LOT more quiet) and take (more sharing of the tubs).

-The kids waterpark in front of funnel never had any kids (or adults) playing in it every time I passed.

-The open aft section of the ship (deck 9) is great. Especially on sail-away. It's nice to see the Dream Class continued the trend.

-The decor in the ship was crazy. Bright green grout between black tile, pink zebra circles and trim. 1930s comic-based theme in cabin corridors.

-The gold pearls and clams on the dining room ceiling look more like fried eggs.

 

THE PEOPLE ON THE SHIP

-DJ Focus was BAD and by "BAD" I mean Really Bad. For a minute, I wondered if Carnival restricted him on his choice of songs. When I looked at videos from my past cruises though, ALL the DJs ran circles around this guy. He was just not good at all. He is the other reason why deck party attendance was poor in my opinion. Definitely why the nightclub often had nobody on the floor numerous times.

-The cruise director Malcolm was pretty chill. He never got carried away with announcements. He was a lot of places, but not everywhere like Everson, Kevin, or Karl.

-The aft maitre d, Constantine or Christian (can't remember which) was pretty cool and personable. The first one truly deserving of the maitre d portion of tips we all pay. Dude won over all the girls at my table, lol.

 

THE PORTS

-St. Croix. It was Sunday when we were there so half the places were closed. I want to go back for another round, no question. Feels very different from the mountainous other two USVIs.

-Martinique. Hard to describe. Felt sort of like a French-speaking Grand Cayman, but without all the big money. People were obviously harder to interact with (due to language) compared to other ports, but not as bad as many thought. US dollars are accepted in more places than you'd think.

-Grenada. Beautiful. Those of you who've been on the Southern Caribbean itinerary, its very much a mix of Barbados and St. Lucia. MANY historic landmarks and structures.

-Dominica. Again, like St. Lucia, but the roads are only slightly less twisty. They say it has 365 rivers and I believe them. It is a beautiful island and a must see if you are truly a Caribbean at heart.

-Grand Turk. What can I say? Grand Turk is one of a kind. A very small island that few see outside the cruise resort area. It has more going for it than many think.

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  • 4 months later...

Was also on that San Juan to Miami reposition cruise. Booked 17 days before departure and got a great rate for a balcony, even as a solo. One of my favorite cruises. The ship, staff, food and the friends I made were all amazing. All 5 ports were new ones for me. So glad I did that one. Amazing memories.

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  • 1 month later...
It was the peptol bismol design that cured you, admit it! :-D

 

Nope! I wish!

 

Was also on that San Juan to Miami reposition cruise. Booked 17 days before departure and got a great rate for a balcony, even as a solo. One of my favorite cruises. The ship, staff, food and the friends I made were all amazing. All 5 ports were new ones for me. So glad I did that one. Amazing memories.

 

I agree. What a cruise it was.

 

Late to the show but here I am! :rolleyes: Your pictures were stunning, thank you for sharing them with us. :D

 

Thank you for liking them!

 

What did the cabana in Margaritaville run you? I couldn't find any info on pricing online

 

$129.

 

Food, drinks, and tips are not included

 

Worth reiterating. They don't allow you to pick one until you arrive. The earlier you arrive the more choices you have.

Edited by seannyice81
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I think I was in Oregon sans computer for this...thanks for another one and darn it...it was on front page and I can not play hooky from demands today...love your way of trip and story telling...be well,,,,I will enjoy next this over next few days and thanks again, just at Cruise beginning morning...sarah

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I'm back from what was probably my most memorable cruise EVER on the Carnival Splendor. The people, the places, the drinks, the food, etc... Just about everything was incredible. I already really miss the friends I made.

 

 

This first paragraph tells the story!

 

Glad you liked Splendor. We love her as well.. 37 days for us :)

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