Splendor Review 2/27/11

[minnemom]

I wrote most of this midweek but didn't have Internet access until now. Will post what I can while waiting to debark, and will add photos and more info when I get home.

Embarkation
We arrived at the Long Beach Terminal at 10:30 a.m. on a sunny but chilly (for Los Angeles) Sunday morning. Getting through the pre-checkin line took less than 30 minutes, and we expected to be boarding shortly after that. We noticed that something was amiss when the first passengers started debarking the previous week’s cruise at a bit after 11 a.m. Normally debarkation takes place much earlier in the morning, but some sort of problem (rumors speculated something to do with customs and immigration) had delayed it considerably. While passengers continued to leave the ship, the lines of passengers waiting to check in for our cruise grew and grew. By 12:30, the line was winding its way back to the Queen Mary, which is permanently docked as a hotel next to the Long Beach cruise terminal.
My husband and I had a few snacks packed in our carry-on luggage, and when it became apparent that things were to be on hold for a while yet, I went looking for some lunch for us. I found a deli on the upper deck of the Queen Mary and bought some lunch to eat while we waited.
By the time they started calling “zones” for going through security, it was past 2:00. We were in Zone 5 and were on board by 2:45 p.m. Passengers who had arrived later in the morning were much farther behind us. Because we didn’t have our kids along, waiting wasn’t too much of a hardship, but we felt badly for those families with young children who had to wait for hours. For us, the worst part was enduring four hours of one song, a Caribbean version of “Red, Red Wine,” which played in an endless loop in the outdoor waiting area.
The “Incidents”
Upon entering the security line, we were given a paper that told us of our adjusted itinerary. Instead of docking on Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and then Cabo San Lucas, we would be visiting Cabo, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta. This was due to violence in Mazatlan, most recently a shooting in a tourist area. The 2/20 Splendor sailing also had their itinerary adjusted, but a passenger debarking the ship asked me if I knew what happened. They had been told only that there had been an “incident.”
During the welcome aboard show, the ship’s captain spoke of the other incident, November’s fire that rendered Splendor powerless and took her out of service for many weeks. Captain and crew were thankful that no one was hurt in that situation, and reiterated that the safety of the passengers was their primary concern. This was made clear during the muster drill, when we waited at our muster stations for approximately 15 minutes as several announcements were made that ALL passengers must participate in the safety drill. Apparently some passengers try to hide from the drill.
Room 2211
We were booked in Room 2211, which is a category 1A room, the least expensive on the ship. Our 1A was special, however; while most are interior rooms with an upper and lower bunk, ours had a twin bed and a convertible sofa as well as two porthole windows. While not the most romantic of rooms, with separate beds in an “L” shape, my husband and I found it to be much more spacious than the 4A interior room we had on Carnival Liberty. Because of the configuration of the room, we had plenty of space to move about, and the portholes provided light and a view. If we were to cruise again, this is the type of room I would attempt to book. It was perfect, especially for the price.
Dining
We booked “Your Time Dining” for this cruise, which means that instead of the traditional early or late seatings in the main dining room, we could eat at any time between 5:45 and 9:00 p.m. We chose this because of the flexibility in eating times, as well as the opportunity to have a table for two without making a special request of the Maitre D’. We enjoyed the service in the section of our first night’s waiter, Marcel, and requested his area each of the following nights. The ability to eat when we wanted was helpful, especially on evenings when a shore excursion returned late or we were enjoying pre-dinner entertainment. On the downside, we found the setup to be a bit awkward; although we were technically at a table for two, it was so close to the adjacent tables (with a mere 12 inches between tables) that it was difficult to carry on a private conversation or to keep from overhearing the conversations of those at adjacent tables. We didn’t know if we should pretend we were all one big table and join in conversation with the others, or if they too had chosen Your Time Dining because they wished to dine more privately. In the end, we sometimes ended up chatting with our neighbors, and sometimes not.
Food
You’ve probably heard that the food on a cruise is plentiful, and that is certainly true. There are several food options available at any time of the day. While I tried not to eat in large quantities this cruise, I’m afraid I may not have been successful. I enjoyed trying new things—most notably sushi—that I probably would not have paid to eat in other settings. When the food is included in the cruise price, it’s a good time to try something new.
Photos
Whether boarding or debarking the ship, eating in the dining room, or wandering the decks before dinner, photographers are always eager to take your photograph. A day or so later, the photos will be posted in a gallery, and you can decide if you would like to purchase any. I hope Carnival will move to a digital system soon, where you don’t have to browse through all the photos in a gallery where crowds of people are also looking for their pictures. While there is no cost to have your picture taken, purchasing prints of the photos is quite expensive, so most of our photos went in the recycling bin.
Service
Staff aboard the ship were friendly and courteous throughout the cruise. We were greeted each time we met a staff person in the corridors, and our steward knew us by name by the end of the first day. The ship is kept very clean, and is in excellent repair as things such as carpet and other furnishings were replaced following the fire. One of the highlights of each day was returning to our room in the evening and seeing which towel animal would be waiting for us.
Secret Doors and Decks
One of our favorite spots aboard the ship was through the “secret” doors. On decks 6, 7, 9, and 10, all the way to the front of the ship, there are doors that lead to a decks at the front of the ship. There are no chairs on these decks, just a few benches, but the view from the front is magnificent. We especially enjoyed this spot when pulling into Cabo San Lucas, as it afforded excellent views of the Land’s End rock formation. While it can be windy when the ship is sailing, it’s worth seeking out for the views, and since few people know about the secret doors, chances are you won’t find crowds out there.
Ports of Call
This cruise stopped in both Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. At both ports, there are some vendors just outside the pier where gifts and souvenirs can be purchased. In Cabo San Lucas, there’s a walk all the way around the marina, and the downtown area is within a 10-minute walk. In Puerto Vallarta, there’s a WalMart within walking distance, but the primary shopping area is accessed via taxi. Cabo San Lucas is a tender port, which means that the ship anchors in the sea and small boats ferry passengers back and forth to and from the pier.
Shore Excursions
Because of the change in itinerary, we were glad we had booked our shore excursions directly through Carnival. Those who had booked directly with third-party vendors were on their own to change the plans and get refunds for excursions missed in Mazatlan. In Cabo San Lucas, we did the Coastal Highlights tour, which consisted of a 20-minute scenic stop with free beer, water, or soda; a 40-minute downtown shopping stop in a nearby town; a 20-minute stop at a cactus garden; and a 20-minute stop at a glass-blowing factory. It did not drop us off downtown as described in the brochure, but took us back to the tender pier at the conclusion of the tour. My husband also went sport fishing in Cabo San Lucas, but unfortunately did not catch anything (nor did anyone in his party), and on the Extreme Canopy Adventure in Puerto Vallarta. I took advantage of those times when he was on excursion to enjoy the quiet on the ship.
Entertainment
We found the entertainment to be hit and miss. We enjoyed the country singer Chris Ray, but found it odd that he was in the piano bar for singalong when he played a guitar instead of piano and his songs weren’t much for singing along. Still enjoyed him, though.
The mariachi band in Puerto Vallarta was very good but their show was only about 20 minutes long. Wish it would have been longer.
Food
Food was good but not great in most cases. We were left feeling a little blah about it. Can’t complain about the quantities or variety, though, or not having to do dishes!
Behind the Fun Tour
We wanted to do the Behind the Fun Tour but it was not being offered because the engineers are still keeping an eye on some things. I was disappointed as I really wanted to see more of the ship.
Overall
Overall, we had a great week—very relaxing. Crew was great, passengers were polite, and weather was cooperative. We enjoyed sitting on the Lido to read on the days when they closed the cover—that’s a nice feature. The ship was in beautiful condition and everything seemed to be working as it should. No problems that we could see!

[dolphinwyo]

Thanks so much for the review! We are sailing on 3/13 and were thinking of the Coastal Highlights tour for our extra day. Did you feel you had enough time at the Glass factory? Also, when you had the 40 minutes shopping did you get to see the Mission church at this time? Was the bus ride comfortable and air conditioned? We will be traveling with 2 children, any thoughts on them enjoying that tour (ages 10, 6). Thanks!

[minnemom]

Originally Posted by dolphinwyo

Thanks so much for the review! We are sailing on 3/13 and were thinking of the Coastal Highlights tour for our extra day. Did you feel you had enough time at the Glass factory? Also, when you had the 40 minutes shopping did you get to see the Mission church at this time? Was the bus ride comfortable and air conditioned? We will be traveling with 2 children, any thoughts on them enjoying that tour (ages 10, 6). Thanks!

Although the Glass Factory stop was only 20 minutes, we had time to see them make 2-3 different pieces, as well as to browse the gift shop.

The bus was a big coach bus, air-conditioned, and all of the stops had restrooms. Yes, the Mission church was at the 40-minute shopping stop. (We also found a delightful French bakery there for a quick snack.) There were two children, probably 5 and 8, on the tour with us and they seemed to enjoy it.

[dolphinwyo]

Thanks so much! Appreciate your quick response. We will book this for our second day stop in Cabo!

[kath00]

Thanks for taking the time to post this review. Did the ship feel crowded in any way? I hear it's been sailing at capacity so I am curious to see how the "flow" was.

Love the retractable roof! It's a must for those last 2 sea days coming home. On the Mariner, those 2 days were spent indoors for us because it was windy and cool. Since I enjoy being outdoors as much as possible, I am glad that the pool area can still be used when it's chilly or rainy. I hope Splendor goes to Alaska! It would be perfect there!

I can't wait till our holiday sailing on the Splendor...

Katherine

[minnemom]

We were sailing full and it did not seem crowded, but...
1) We took the stairs almost all the time, so I can't speak about elevator waits; and
2) We dined in the main dining room as much as possible, so I can't tell you about the lunch and dinner lines on the Lido.

I do know that the Mongolian Barbecue (one of my favorites) always had a line so we only ate there on embarkation day (before everyone else figured it out) and on port days if I stayed on the ship.

We had Your Time Dining and ate between 5:45 and 6:30 and never had to wait.

We were always able to find deck chairs, though we were probably not looking for what most people wanted in a deck chair. We usually were on Lido (less windy even when the top was open) from 9-11 or so, and tried to find shade most of the rest of the time due to the fact that my Minnesota legs only took 90 minutes to turn bright red when I forgot that they needed the SPF 1-zillion as much as my neck and arms did. We weren't looking for places by the pool or to sun ourselves, so we didn't have trouble.

The only place that annoyed me a bit with traffic problems was on the promenade deck on photo nights--everyone was moving from one end of the ship to the other and the photographers were in the way.

One other note--the trivia seemed the same as we had on Liberty two years ago, so we figured out pretty quickly that we didn't have a chance against frequent cruisers. We'd get 15/20 and think we did pretty well, and other people got perfect scores. Good for them, not so good for us. I didn't do nearly as much of the fun and games this cruise as last one.

On our last cruise, I remember the cruise director being very visible but the only times I saw Felipe this week were during shows and parties. Not saying that's bad, but it was different from our last CD.

I found the Maitre D's humor in the Black Pearl Dining Room (Miguel) to be borderline offensive and cringed at most of his jokes.

Happy to answer other questions.

[minnemom]

Here are links to my photos from the Splendor trip.

General Splendor Photos (Includes proximity of tables for two in Your Time Dining and photos of 1A w/porthole room 2211.)

Puerto Vallarta (I stayed on the ship most of the day; includes views from portholes in 2211).

Cabo San Lucas and Land's End (Land's End photos taken from the secret area on decks 9/10)

Glass Factory from Coastal Highlights Tour

Cacti Mundo from Coastal Highlights Tour

Other photos from Coastal Highlights Tour

[cabeaglemom]

Awesome review! We just booked the Splendor for next February. Going with a group. Your review is a big help and answered a bunch of questions that I had. Also, thanks for the "secret door" info. My husband will love knowing about that.

[riclop]

Originally Posted by minnemom

Here are links to my photos from the Splendor trip.

General Splendor Photos (Includes proximity of tables for two in Your Time Dining and photos of 1A w/porthole room 2211.)

Puerto Vallarta (I stayed on the ship most of the day; includes views from portholes in 2211).

Cabo San Lucas and Land's End (Land's End photos taken from the secret area on decks 9/10)

Glass Factory from Coastal Highlights Tour

Cacti Mundo from Coastal Highlights Tour

Other photos from Coastal Highlights Tour

Great review and thanks for taking the time to write it along with the pictures.

[Cruisinrookie]

I was also on the 2/27 Splendor and had a Great Time. We had 22 in our group. About 10 of us stayed the night before at the Queen Mary, amazing place! We did the Sail and Snorkel in Cabo on 2nd day and spent the day relaxing on the beach in Cabo on the 1st day. Went to Las Calenitas (sp?) beach in PV, got an added bonus of watching tons of whales on the hour boat ride to the beach resort.

Have no complaints except for the extra pounds I added on

[Cruisinrookie]

We ate in the Gold Pearl, late dining and had so much fun with the Matri'd and the wait staff. We were amazed at how hard this crew works. They work 12 hour days going from dining rooms to buffets.

We loved the Deli on the Lido deck by the pool, best sandwiches. We too took the stairs as much as possible. When we did take elevators we waited sometime long periods, and then found that the floor we were heading to did not go all the way through so it got a little confusing trying to figure which floors were the best to get where you needed to go, finally figured it out

We loved the Comedians (Adult times). We spent free time on the Lido deck, didn't realize there were so many kids on the ship until we ventured around the rest of the ship.

All in all, had a great vacation, we had 22 in our group and I think we all had fun.

[luvthebalcony]

Do you by chance have copies of the Fun Times you could post ? We are trying to do some planing and they would help
Thanks

[minnemom]

Originally Posted by luvthebalcony

Do you by chance have copies of the Fun Times you could post ? We are trying to do some planing and they would help
Thanks

I kept them all but haven't gotten everything unpacked yet. Will try to post them tomorrow afternoon.

[luvthebalcony]

Thanks for the response. Looking forward to it

[Pour-Tour-Snore]

Originally Posted by luvthebalcony

Do you by chance have copies of the Fun Times you could post ? We are trying to do some planing and they would help
Thanks

Originally Posted by minnemom

I kept them all but haven't gotten everything unpacked yet. Will try to post them tomorrow afternoon.

I would be interested in seeing your copies also. Same reason. I bet a lot of people out there feel the same way. I was also curious to see if there has been any changes. look forward to seeing them and thanks in advance.

[minnemom]

Splendor Fun Times, 2/27/11 Sailing:

Sunday 2/27: 03090808.PDF

Monday 2/28: 03090811.PDF

Tuesday 3/1: 03090812.PDF

Wednesday 3/2: 03090805.PDF

Thursday 3/3: 03090804.PDF

Friday 3/4: 03090803.PDF

Saturday 3/5: 03090802.PDF

A few of the flyers/specials from the week: 03090810.PDF

[luvthebalcony]

Thanks !!!

[kath00]

Thank you so much! Katherine

[riclop]

Originally Posted by minnemom

Splendor Fun Times, 2/27/11 Sailing:

Sunday 2/27: Attachment 187995

Monday 2/28: Attachment 187998

Tuesday 3/1: Attachment 187999

Wednesday 3/2: Attachment 187994

Thursday 3/3: Attachment 187993

Friday 3/4: Attachment 187992

Saturday 3/5: Attachment 187991

A few of the flyers/specials from the week: Attachment 187997

Thanks so much for posting these.

[Cavners5]

Two questions: 1) Can you only get Sushi during those posted times?

2) If they change the schedule of ports, do the also change your CT day?

We booked the CT on a sea day, that is not elegant night, will they change that if they switch things up on us? Have I thoroughly confused you