Just off Carnival Splendor w/ Fun Times – 7/7/14

We have benefitted greatly from the generosity of other posters, so we wanted to share our recent experience on Carnival Splendor, and will try to post Fun Times.

Some background—we are a family of 6, my wife and I are in our 40’s, and 3 girls (18, 16, 15) and 1 boy (13). We also brought a friend of our 16 year old as a sweet 16 gift.

This was our 7th cruise, and we have cruised on Royal (1x), NCL (3x), and this was our third consecutive Carnival.

We had a great time. The ship was clean, the staff was happy, the seas were calm, the weather was sunny, and there was as much or little to do as we wanted.

We always get interior cabins, and did the same this time—6 aft. It is extremely convenient to the activities on the 5th floor, and just a quick walk down to the Gold Pearl, and a quick walk up to the Lido. The only things that are relatively far are the casino and the fitness center.

We are a pretty low maintenance group and try to go into cruises with an open mind. With that said, we all had a great time, and will highlight the positives, and the few negatives.

Travel to port: We are the “hurry up to wait” type, so we like to get there early. Even though we received an email and phone call not to arrive before 1:30pm due to an inspection, we ignored it and arrived at 9:30. We drove in from central NJ, and hit some traffic approaching the Lincoln Tunnel. Once in the city, it was quick to the port where we parked for $320 ($40/day). We looked into other options, including parking in another nearby lot, train, ferry, etc, but with 7 of us traveling, any other option would have only saved us just a few dollars. When arriving at 9:30, there were obviously many spots, and there was no extra charge for our large SUV.

Waiting: We took the elevator down to the cruise terminal, and the porter took our 7 bags immediately, and we tipped $10 hoping that we would see the bags again in a few hours! (I think the guideline is $1-2 per bag) We were escorted up some stairs into a balcony-type area that overlooks security. There was still a steady stream of passengers leaving from the previous cruise. Maybe 20 or so people arrived before us. At around 11am, we saw some movement around security, and my family moved towards the stairs. This made us amongst the first to leave the balcony area, and get to security.

Security/check-in: We breezed through security, and they did not blink twice upon seeing our 2 allowed bottles of wine, the electrical outlet splitter (converts one outlet to 3), or the corkscrew. They also did not inspect the miscellaneous water bottles for liquor that some of us carried on. But, we had nothing to hide…so of course they didn’t check! We were given a “Zone 1” plastic sign, which meant that we would be the first to board. When checking in, we were prepared with a signed, notarized letter that authorized us to take the 16 year old that was not ours. Again, because we were prepared, they did not ask to see it!

Waiting/boarding: They seemed to point people to random spots to sit to wait, and we were probably 15 rows back from the entry area. Some others who came later were sat closer for some reason. In any case, it did not matter, as zone 1 was the first to be called at around 12:15 after the Platinum/Diamond people, as well as the Faster to the Fun (FTTF) people. I guess they were right about the inspection, as boarding was about an hour later than the normal 11:30. I don’t see how FTTF provides any benefit, as they boarded just a few minutes before us.

Excursion desk upon boarding: Some of us proceeded directly to the excursion desk, where two people were in line in front of us. We had reserved a cabana for HMC months before, but the actual cabanas are unassigned until after boarding. We also reserved a cabana in Grand Turk, but those are unassigned until arriving at Margaritaville. It all took less than 10 minutes.

Lunch upon boarding: The other part of our group went to Lido to get lunch. The Mongolian Wok is great, and typically has long lines. But, the line was short right after boarding. The other time it is short is if you are on the ship while most are ashore.

Room availability: After lunch, our rooms were ready, as were most of our bags. For our group of 7, we had three rooms (2, 2, and 3). We have seen in the past that it can be a few hours until you receive your bags, so taking a bathing suit or other necessities can make it easier while you wait.

Baggage snafu: When our bags arrived two of the bags were damaged. Rather than deal with the line at Guest Services, we decided to hold off on mentioning it. By the third day, the line at Guest Services had subsided, and we were able to get some help. They took the bags, and temporarily duct taped them so we could get them back home. They also gave us a letter that showed us the process to get a refund. We’ll see how it turns out.

Dinners: We ate at the Gold Pearl restaurant at 6pm with early seating each night. Even though our group would go their own way for much of the day and evening, we agreed to meet for dinner each night. Everyone enjoyed the food, and some members of the group would sometimes order two appetizers and one main course, three appetizers and no main course, two main courses, etc. The waiters were great, working very hard, learning our names, and really making it a positive experience. There was singing and dancing at the end of most dinners by the Matre D and waiters.

Breakfast/Brunch: Brunch is served in the main dining rooms on sea days, which is very good. We enjoyed the basket of danishes, the French toast coated in your cereal of choice, and the huevo rancheros. On other days, we ate at the Lido for breakfast, which was fine. One small hint is that you can get your omelette made with egg whites upon request. We never made it to the Seuss brunch. One brunch did take too long (almost an hour before we received our food), but the waiters were working hard.

Lunch: We ate every lunch at Lido. We would always sit at the Rotisserie which is just up the steps behind the desserts. Seating was always easy to come by in that spot. In addition to the Mongolian Wok, the other specialty foods were the deli (hot, custom sandwiches), tandoor (Indian), and burritos. Unfortunately, the lines were long for all, including the main buffet line. But, that is what you sign up for on big ships like the Splendor.

Late night eating: The pizza is open 24 hours, which is thin crusted, and very good. One night, there was a Mexican buffet which was also very good. There was also popcorn on nights when movies were played in the Lido theater.

Comedy: We enjoyed all of the comedy that we saw. It was always fairly easy to see the family friendly comedy, but lines would get long for the 18+ sessions.

Music on board: We like to watch Chris the acoustic guitar player, who mostly played classic rock. He played in the piano bar one night, and was joined by the keyboardist (Jessica) from the show band. It was very impromptu to help Chris who was losing his voice due to a cold. Jessica was great—better than Dana the regular piano bar entertainer. We didn’t watch much of the other bands play.

Shows: While the traditional shows are a bit hokey, they were entertaining enough. The comedian/stunt guy was amazing, and the Motown singer was excellent as well. We did not see the towel animal or Suess shows.

Spa/Fitness center: The fitness center is packed on the first couple days. Those days, it is difficult to get a treadmill, bike or elliptical. After that, it is no problem. My wife and daughter both bought passes to the spa for $99 for the week. This gave them access to steam rooms, whirlpool, relaxation rooms, etc. They only sell a limited number on the first day, so it was never crowded and they both enjoyed it. The sales pitches for various spa treatments was a little excessive. Also, some of the prices were a bit high. But, there are some deals--my wife did gat a 75 minute head-to-toe treatment for $89, but we never saw that price again after the first sea day. Some specials will be run on embarkation day, others on sea days, and others on port days.

Grand Turk: We had a cabana reserved, and we were assigned one upon arrival at Margaritaville. They are a great place to get out of the sun, get some air conditioning, and to lock things up. For $129, we thought it was worth it. We spent most of our time at Jack’s Shack which is down the beach a bit. Jack and his family are great, and we had a good time there. Drinks are not cheap ($9), but they are very good. Local beers are $4. The food is supposed to be good there, but we had a liquid lunch!

Half Moon Cay (HMC): Because we rented a cabana, we met in El Morocco with others who had excursions. After a 15 minute wait, we were able to catch a tender to the island very quickly. We read on Cruise Critic that higher numbered cabanas are more quiet, and that was very true. Everyone seemed to bunch up close to cabanas 1-5, but it was more quiet near cabana 12 where we were. The cabana is meant to be for 4 people, but it was no problem for all 7 of us. It included a fruit tray, soda, water, chips/dip. It also included 4 rafts, and 4 sets of snorkeling equipment. Despite the long wait to catch a tender back, and the fact that it took forever to unload, HMC was a great day.

Nassau: After two beach days, we had had enough beach. So, we decided to just wander off the ship around 9 and walk around. We went to the straw market and hit some shops, but we were back on the ship by 11. We picked up a large straw bowl for $30. We had seen similar bowls like that in Charleston that are much more expensive. It was nice to have the ship to ourselves.

Debarking: We decided to do the self-assist debarkation. We ate early, walking from our rooms on 6 to the 5th floor to the center stairwell. From there we went down to 4 to wait. (they didn’t want people waiting on 3) At 7:30 (or possibly a few minutes before), they announced self-assist debarkation. We ignored the zones, and walked down to 3, and were among the first to leave the ship. We zipped through customs, went to the car, and we were quickly on the road.

Hopefully this is helpful, and feel free to ask questions!

Ok, let's see if this works...

Day1_NY.pdf

Day2_Sea.pdf

Day3_Sea.pdf

Day4_GrandTurk.pdf

Day5_HMC.pdf

Day6_Nassau.pdf

Day7_Sea.pdf

Day8_Sea.pdf

Thanks for the report!

Fantastic review; really useful.

My one question, was the thalassopy pools at the spa working?

Fantastic review; really useful.

 

My one question, was the thalassopy pools at the spa working?

Thanks, glad to help! Yes, it worked every day

Thank you for your Rapid Reply!

Also your funtime attachments all open and gave me all the info I could want :D

Great review! We were there as well :)

Glad everyone enjoyed their trip!

Carla ❤️🚢

Awesome Review. Do you know if they have Behind the Fun Tour?

Thanks for the review! We are doing same itinerary in October and getting the cabanas in HMC and GT. We also agree they're well worth it. Glad you had a great time!

You did a great review. You mentioned all the right topics. Thank you.

I am happy to hear you all had a great time. I will be on Splendor in Sept for a 7 day Canada/New England itinerary. It is good to know your overall experience on Splendor was a good one.:cool:

There is a Motown show?

We were on this cruise too and also were very happy. The highlight for us was the Chef's Table -- I highly recommend it for any "foodies."

We didn't do self debark and were off the ship just before 10 am, in a cab and at Grand Central in time to catch a 10:40 train!

Oh I just loved your review. I will be on Splendor in 3 weeks.

1- Do you remember if the head to toes spa treatment for $89 was on the 1st sea day or embarkation day. Also, I was thinking about purchasing the spas. Did they use it often and felt it was worth the $.

2- Are there shaded areas on Grand Turks and HMC. (I can't tolerate direct sun) and if not so much, are loungers/umbrellas for sale.

I have been looking for current splendor fun times and now have a sneak peek so I can start planning on some of my activities. Thank you so much for taking the time to post.

Thanks for taking the time to write and post a review of your cruise. Sounds like you and your family had a great time.

I was on sailing before you on my surprise sailing to Bermuda. I also enjoyed Chris and even requested that he take up piano as we did not enjoy Dana in the Piano bar at all. In fact we were making fun of him. He had a computer in front of him with lyrics to songs. Pretty sad ! And the movement with his jaw,we were all cracking up laughing and imitating him after awhile. And enough with the Sinatra,my brother asked him to pick it up a little and he said that's as picked up as it gets.

We did really enjoy the rest of the crew though. This was my 3rd time on the Splendor this year. I was disappointed as many of the crew I really thought of as family had all gotten transferred to other ships. My casino host Jakob and my bar waiters Suresch and Ketut. Both maitred are gone also. Vivek where are you ?

Awesome Review. Do you know if they have Behind the Fun Tour?

Glad to help! I vaguely remember them promoting the Behind the Fun tour. They offered it to a limited number of people--I believe 2 groups of 15.

There is a Motown show?

Yes, they had Marcus Anthony on day 6. He was a high energy, great performer

Oh I just loved your review. I will be on Splendor in 3 weeks.

 

 

 

1- Do you remember if the head to toes spa treatment for $89 was on the 1st sea day or embarkation day. Also, I was thinking about purchasing the spas. Did they use it often and felt it was worth the $.

 

2- Are there shaded areas on Grand Turks and HMC. (I can't tolerate direct sun) and if not so much, are loungers/umbrellas for sale.

 

 

 

I have been looking for current splendor fun times and now have a sneak peek so I can start planning on some of my activities. Thank you so much for taking the time to post.

The spa deal was offered at a free makeover at 3:30 on the first sea day. It actually wasn't called "head to toes" but included a whole bunch of stuff for 75 minutes. (And it was pretty much head to toe!)

My wife and daughter used the spa every day--sometimes for a few hours, making their way from one relaxation area to the next. It was good for my 18 year old who didn't have the benefit of an organized teen club, so this was a good way to spend some time. They definitely got their money's worth. (Last year on Splendor, my wife paid $149 for the same thing and thought it was worth it) They only sell 50, so this should be done on the first day.

At Margaritaville in Grand Turk, there are loungers and umbrellas that are available for free poolside. The umbrellas seemed to be fairly available when we first debarked, but quickly were taken. I believe some of the beach areas have umbrellas as well, as well as a shaded area under some trees. I don't have too much detail on this.

In HMC, there were a few shaded areas under trees, but this seemed a bit limited, and there were plenty of loungers for free. One way to ensure shade is by renting a clam shell. I'm not sure about the cost or process, but they seemed to sell out quickly.

On in 2 weeks...

How did the luggage situation go?

We will carry ours on since we have faster to the fun...

I was on sailing before you on my surprise sailing to Bermuda. I also enjoyed Chris and even requested that he take up piano as we did not enjoy Dana in the Piano bar at all. In fact we were making fun of him. He had a computer in front of him with lyrics to songs. Pretty sad ! And the movement with his jaw,we were all cracking up laughing and imitating him after awhile. And enough with the Sinatra,my brother asked him to pick it up a little and he said that's as picked up as it gets.

We did really enjoy the rest of the crew though. This was my 3rd time on the Splendor this year. I was disappointed as many of the crew I really thought of as family had all gotten transferred to other ships. My casino host Jakob and my bar waiters Suresch and Ketut. Both maitred are gone also. Vivek where are you ?

I agree,Dana was the worst.What a joke!I was on Splendor in November and this April.Vivek was there in November and he was the best maitre'd I have ever had.Pablo was there in April and he was nice but not as great as Mr V.

Laura

Just going through my pics--couldn't resist posting some from HMC

Thank you for the review and for the FunTimes. I enjoyed reading them, as I will be sailing the Splendor shortly.

Loved the review, quick and to the point. Do you remember when the VIFP (past guest) party was? We are doing this cruise in October and are trying to make plans. Thanks :)

We will carry ours on since we have faster to the fun...

Isn't part of the point of FTTF to drop your luggage off with the porters and they get it to your room quickly? We used FTTF once and 1 bag was outside the room when we arrived and the other came an hour later, where they usually don't arrive until 6pm or after.

Isn't part of the point of FTTF to drop your luggage off with the porters and they get it to your room quickly? We used FTTF once and 1 bag was outside the room when we arrived and the other came an hour later, where they usually don't arrive until 6pm or after.

I got FTTF so our cabin would be ready when we board. We carry everything on board with us and now we won't have to find a place to sit where we're not in the way! I like to have my stuff with me :)