Just off the Splendor on Sat...

Any questions ask away....review to follow later....

Any questions ask away....review to follow later....

I wondered why I hadn't seen you posting in a week....

Did you find any good margaritas in Mexico?

Otherwise I'll wait for your review.

LOL...yeah just back....unfortunately back to reality...no one made my bed this morning and I'm still looking for that pool waiter with my bloody mary in my office but I haven't found him lol.....

I wouldn't say we found any super yummy margaritas in Mexico...but we did eat and drink like a champ....in Cabo we hung out at the Sand bar all day....ate and drank all day....same with Mazatlán at Letys on Stone Island....more details in review

OK so first who we are...we were a family of 9 traveling...my husband (38), myself (37) and my 7 year old son...along with my Mother (76), my sister (43) and husband (45) and her family (kids 14 and 20) and nieces boyfriend also 20. We all live in So Cal and about half of us have cruised before and half it was their first cruise...we are all just go with the flow type of people who make our own fun wherever we go so no big complainers in the group or negative nancys'.....

We drove up Friday night and stayed at the Maya...totally recommend the Maya for those taking this cruise....we checked in no problem...got fresh hot chocolate chip cookies upon check in....they have fire pits out back and nice chairs to just relax in and enjoy the view.....the rooms are recently upgraded with a few little extra's I wasn't anticipating so that was neat.....

First thing Saturday morning we all ran outside to see the ship...however their was no Splendor to be seen....the previous cruise must have been running late as the ship did not dock until about 8:45am....I was worried that we would be getting on board very late due to this but that did not end up being the case....we had a breakfast at the hotel and took the 11am shuttle (free with stay at hotel) over to the terminal, you can also park your car the entire week included in the price. We arrived at the terminal about 2 hours prior to our boarding time, I anticipated a long wait due to the ships late arrival however, we maybe waiting a half hour before we our group was called to board. The new terminal is cute with fake park décor that was fun. Our group did not purchase FTTF and at no point in the entirety of the cruise did I regret not purchasing it. So finally after a year of planning we were on the ship....we stopped at the first bar we came to and ordered our first Cheers drink!!!! We then proceeded up to the buffet and had a quick lunch....it was not overly crowded...we found a table for 9 right away and all enjoyed the food.....this and the last morning was my only time eating at the buffet....the food itself was fine, but I felt there was a lack of selection...maybe 3 main dishes, and 5 sides....but my sister and her husband ate most breakfasts and lunches at the buffet and had no complaints....I myself am just not a buffet type of person...I serve myself food all year long and look forward to the time on vacation where someone else can serve me...after this we walked around the ship and tried to get our baring's....I normally find my baring's on any ship in a day or two but I never figured this ship out....

Impressions of the ship....yes its tacky...it just is....yes its pink....yes its not my cup of tea...but I couldn't have cared less...décor isn't a big deal to me and frankly if it was all beige and bland that would have bugged me too...I looked at it like going to Vegas...totally over the top...but what the heck you're on vacation so why not.....however, the layout of the ship was horrible....we cruised Royal last year and Royal really does the layout right with most places (bars, shops, info etc) all on one Promenade and you feel like you are walking a mall...the Splendor is all over the place....I didn't not like how the ship seemed really choppy, with things all over the place and to me it made the ship feel smaller....its like going in a 2000sqft home that has a totally open layout vs a 2000sqft home that has a bunch of 10x10 rooms....same size but feels totally smaller then it should....and yes the wear and tear on the ship is noticeable....stains....scratches and just a bit run down but this is no way shape or form ruined our trip.....we went to our rooms about 1:30 and about half our bags had arrived and the rest all showed up after Muster....Muster was hectic and unorganized compared to Royal but again it is what it is and as soon as it was done we forgot it....we all had fun at the sail away deck party...we got to see MarQ for the first time....we enjoyed him...but I can see how he's hit or miss with others....IMO he caters to the younger crowd so I can see how maybe a 70 year old might find him offensive or at least not funny....but my 76 year old mother loved him and he called her Betty White the whole cruise lol.....but we found him funny and I felt he had a real presence on the ship...you saw him everywhere it felt like....after that we all got ready for dinner...we had early seating in the Golden Pearl...upstairs....our wait crew was one of the best I've ever had....so attentive, so sweet...our waitress took a real liking to my son and chatted with him, teased him, danced with him, heck even cut his meat for him...we couldn't have loved her anymore and it made such an amazing impression on us all. lack of table clothes, having to grab my own roll or pour my own water did not bother me in the slightest as you can see how hard the crew works and how much they hustle....I found the food in the MDR really excellent....dessert were lacking in both selection and taste but there is always the chocolate melting cake when in doubt.....I found the food slightly better on Carnival then Royal...but its quite comparable IMO. That night we checked out the comedy club....and had drinks at a few bars around the ship and finished the evening with late night pizza.....we did got to the Comedy club nightly and always had fun, it wasn't overly crowded always got good seats within a few minutes of the start time and we always laughed but never found any of the comedians overly funny but not terrible either....we ended that first night around 1am...both hubby and myself reached 13 drinks on cheers that first day.....however, my entire cruise I never purchased any drink over $20 so for us that $50 limit was pointless.....

Following and enjoying your review so far. Anxious to hear more, as we board next weekend, and we have been debating whether to get Cheers package...

Following and enjoying your review so far. Anxious to hear more, as we board next weekend, and we have been debating whether to get Cheers package...

We didn't regret getting Cheers for one single second....we always got our moneys worth everyday from just alcoholic drinks alone so all coffee's, waters, energy drinks, milkshakes etc was always just bonus bonus bonus...I totally tried new drinks I would have never tried without cheers and I spilt two drinks by the pool but with cheers no biggie....I didn't find the bars horribly crowded and found plenty of walk around waiters at the pools and shows.....only on the last day at sea did we finally reach our 15 drinks each and get cut off but it was already about 2am and we were already having our last pizza of the cruise so it actually worked out perfectly......the only memorable complaint from cheers was water bottles....I usually order a water bottle with each alcoholic drink, but water bottles were hard to come by...the first night you couldn't find a single one but knowing that we boarded late and the supplies did too I just figured they hadn't been distributed properly around the ship yet but the entire cruise I felt like half the times I asked for a water bottle the bartender told me they were out...I found this odd....

Any questions ask away....review to follow later....

What time did you get off the ship when you returned to Long Beach?

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famof4togo

Which hotel did you stay at? Just checking because of the other amenities (parking and shuttle) you mentioned TIA

What time did you get off the ship when you returned to Long Beach?

 

 

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We did self dismemberment....and to be fair this was our longest dismemberment I'd had ever....we had to be out of our rooms by 8:30, we then ate breakfast as they started to call the different floors but after breakfast we did have to go sit in a lounge probably for a half hour until they called our floor (7). Even then we waited in line to get off ship, and waited in line for customs....probably actually off the ship about 10:30-10:45am....but we had no flight to catch or anything so it wasn't a big deal for us....however, the hotel shuttle took forever to pick us up...so long infact they offered us drinks / apps due to the wait.....

famof4togo

 

Which hotel did you stay at? Just checking because of the other amenities (parking and shuttle) you mentioned TIA

Hotel Maya (a doubletree by Hilton)...its right there, you can see the ship from your room....they include parking and shuttle....the facilities are nice, bar, restaurant etc....and the room was nice...I would both stay here again and recommend to others....it worked out perfect for us.....

We did self dismemberment....and to be fair this was our longest dismemberment I'd had ever....we had to be out of our rooms by 8:30, we then ate breakfast as they started to call the different floors but after breakfast we did have to go sit in a lounge probably for a half hour until they called our floor (7). Even then we waited in line to get off ship, and waited in line for customs....probably actually off the ship about 10:30-10:45am....but we had no flight to catch or anything so it wasn't a big deal for us....however, the hotel shuttle took forever to pick us up...so long infact they offered us drinks / apps due to the wait.....

Great, thank you for the info.

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We all slept in...hubby got up and went to the coffee shop to get us some Joe (you know you are on vacation when you are drinking a white chocolate mocha with whip cream lol) we sat out on the balcony to enjoy our wake up and the sights…man did I regret not bringing binoculars as we saw so many whales, dolphins, tuna, turtles etc from our balcony…we all went to our first bunch together I had two mimosas and hubby had two bloody Mary’s so before noon we were already on our way to covering cheers for the day…..definitely more breakfast items then lunch items on the brunch menu but everything we had was good....loved the huevos ranchero...others enjoyed chocolate pancakes, eggs benedict and steak and eggs....5 of us did the slot tournament of which my sister came in second place in the finals….Afterwards we all headed up to the pool for the afternoon...of course a seat around the main pool was not an option by this time…I’d say the main pool was full by 9am most mornings but there is a channel on your TV that shows a live feed from the pool so you can check that in the am to know when you have to get out there to get a good seat...but we all got loungers together up top by the waterslide.....not sure if this was a fluke or not but the whirlpools everywhere on ship (with the slight exception of the adults pool area) was barely luke warm...even cold.....so we didn't use the whirlpools as much as we would have normally.....we all enjoyed the sun,sea air, music, many cocktails (sex on the beach, mango swirls and kiss on the lips were our main go to drinks that afternoon) and we had a pool side lunch....I had a burger and cheese fries while others had the BBQ, burritos, deli etc....everyone enjoyed their food.....and just relaxing for the afternoon...it was windy but warm enough....the music and entertainment around the pool was fun and a perfect way to spend our first day….that night was formal night so we all got gussied up and took about a million pics before dinner….most of us had the lobster and a few also had the prime rib but everyone ate well that night….we did hit the main production show, I generally skip the singing and dancing shows as it’s not my thing but others enjoy those so we attended….I found them fine but those who care more said the dancing was good but the singing was not….after that we hit the casino and comedy show and did go to the adult whirlpool that evening…..the slots were not hitting but I did fine at the roulette table all night and left ahead of the game….

Monday was Cabo…we arrived in late…we were due in around 10am and arrived around noon…so if you had an early excursion or something you had to do right away that wasn’t ideal for you…but our group was just planning to hit the beach so it was fine for us…by the time we got ready and ate we were able to get a tender over no problem….we did a bit of shopping right off the boat (IF you are not wanting to travel to shop this is the stop with the most shopping available right off the ship, other locations you had to travel to do any significant shopping) we took a glass bottom boat over to Medano Beach for the afternoon…so much fun…Cabo is my favorite beach and stop on this cruise….we posted up at the Sand bar, our group had a table for 6 and two loungers with umbrellas….one thing was I had really hoped to get a message…price was great $31 for a 45 minute message….problem was by the time I got around to asking they were already booked up past 5pm (boat left at 5pm) so I did not end up getting one and suggest if you want one to get booked ASAP….but we drank buckets of beers, nacho’s, tacos, several rounds of margaritas, jello shots etc etc etc and our total bill was $160.00 which might seem like a lot but I assure you with this group of eaters and drinkers it was dirt cheap……they have everything you could want to do on the beach…parasail,banana boats, jet skis, horses, atvs hair braiding, henna tattoo’s etc…so it a great place to go if you just want to hang out at the beach that day and play around…..yes there are many vendors selling their goods and yes you get really sick of saying “no thank you” but they aren’t overly pushy and they just walk away when you say no…this is one of my favorite places and is on the short list for our 10 year anniversary land vacation in September….

How much was the glass bottom boat in Cabo? I'm planning on repeating your day in Cabo for myself. ;)

How much was the glass bottom boat in Cabo? I'm planning on repeating your day in Cabo for myself. ;)

We paid $20 for us 9 one way...but most quoted us $30. One little shady aspect was we had agree'd to take one boat over for $20 but then there was a separate guy on the actual dock trying to charge everyone a separate $1 fee...we laughed and walked away and found a boat that took us for $20 minus the pretend dock charge lol...

They will drop you off right on the beach but there will be a bit of rocking up and down off the boat so everyone should be in somewhat ok physical shape...we did have my elderly mother who did need assistance getting on and off but was ok in doing so.....

We paid $20 for us 9 one way...but most quoted us $30. One little shady aspect was we had agree'd to take one boat over for $20 but then there was a separate guy on the actual dock trying to charge everyone a separate $1 fee...we laughed and walked away and found a boat that took us for $20 minus the pretend dock charge lol...

 

They will drop you off right on the beach but there will be a bit of rocking up and down off the boat so everyone should be in somewhat ok physical shape...we did have my elderly mother who did need assistance getting on and off but was ok in doing so.....

Thank you! So it should be under $10 for two and maybe less if we find some friends to join us on the ride. I love Mexico! Any drink recommendations for the Sand Bar?

Thank you! So it should be under $10 for two and maybe less if we find some friends to join us on the ride. I love Mexico! Any drink recommendations for the Sand Bar?

Yeah I wouldn't pay more then $10 for two people....there will be like 25 different people trying to offer you the glass bottom boat over so you will have plenty of options....

I didn't find the margaritas very good at the sandbar ( I don't drink beer but I know they were "Sol" beers) but I am a picky drinker so I am sure the Sand bars drinks were comparable to the rest of the options on the beach...but coming off the ship with the cheers package and drinking nothing but top shelf probably didn't help in the comparison department lol...and they did have other specialty drinks as well....and since it was spring break $1 jello shots all over the place....

Mazatlán we all concluded was our least favorite stop…IMO it’sthe least pretty and though the water was warmer then Cabo it was not half aspretty to look at….some of our group went on a zip line excursion thru the ship…andthe other half spent the day at Letys at Stone Island just lazing around drinking and playing in the water. Those who did the excursion were significantly delayed and had to sit around and wait for almost 3 hours…(they did speak to the excursion desk and everyone got $20 off the excursion). The rest of us got off the ship and walked a few blocks to the boat over to Stone island….it was $2 per person and only takes a few minutes…Stone island is nice with lots of restaurant’s beachside and water toys to rent etc…similar to Cabo but not as nice….the water just isn’ta s pretty and neither are the views but we had a great relaxing day all the same….no complaints but wasn’t my favorite place.

Puerto Vallarta – Half our group did an excursion where they spent the day at the beach, rode horses etc and they loved it…my half did the ATV tour and had an amazing time…loved it and would do it again….they take you up into the Sierra Madre mountains and its fascinating seeing how the indigenous people live and then we rode all through the mountains…with running streams,tons of animals etc…..then you can chill out and eat and drink…we all really enjoyed it and would go back again in a heartbeat….

Nightlife – We like to party in the evenings….we stayed up pretty late most nights…we watched most comedy shows, many production shows and spent a good deal of time at the casino. We never did find “our” bar where we spent a great deal of time butf ound we frequented all the bars evenly….Most places like the piano bar and karaokeare packed with kids until the later options…like my niece loves karaoke and we went to the 8:45 session but it was ALL kids…I mean not a single adult sang so if Karaoke is your thing and you are an adult be sure to go to the later session…..same with the piano bar, full of kids until after 10pm…but we were cruising Spring Break so it could have been that…..we really enjoyed Quest (do not even consider bringing along anyone who you will be embarrassed with, Ih ave thick skin and little shocks me and that shocked me lol) really enjoyed the Love and Marriage show, danced at the night club, danced at the deck parties…we didn’t watch any movies but that seemed popular….we never made it to the gym once (never even saw the place)….

Food – Overall we loved the food, enjoyed trying things we never would pay for at a restaurant….escargot, alligator, ox etc…..I found the soups to be exceptional….there is definitely more seafood then meat on the menu overall IMO….but most was good….I never had any problem finding something I liked and most nights had 2-3 appetizers….there was nothing I ordered that was bad…a few things weren’t anything special but nothing was bad. We ate one night at the Steakhouse….it reallyis a step above….it’s so quiet compared to the dining room which was a nice break and just the attention to details was refreshing…I had the crab cake, lobster bisque, surf and turf and chocolate medley for dessert…hubby has beef carpaccio, tuna tartar and the cowboy steak…all so wonderful and really leaps and bounds above any other food on the ship…..I think it’s well worth the charge and would eat there again next time for sure….

Kids club – So my 7 year old who I could not get away from kids club last year would not willingly go this year….I don’t feel this was any reflection on the actual program which seemed really great, I think it was just that he wanted to be with his cousins and wanted to do the adult activities more…this happened in the dining room too he insisted on ordering off the adult menu as opposed to the kids menu so I think it was just a phase he is going thru so he only went two nights to kids club but he had fun both those nights so again….just him I think….he did attend the Dr. Seuess breakfast and wasn’timpressed frankly….the food was cold and according to him it was “boring” but Ididn’t attend myself so…..

Even though we were on the ship for a week there was so muchI never even saw or tried…there really is so much to do…The last day at sea,you can tell everyone is out and about a bit more and the ship is extra crowded with everyone trying to get in the things they hadn’t tried / did….for instanceI waited until the last day to try the Wok…and so I waited like 45 minutes for it…yes it was good but not wait 45 minutes for it good….and I am not totally surehow FTTF works but I didn’t see any FTTF specific lines so I don’t believe they had much advantage on this ship….Overall – We had a fabulous time…as MarQ says with his announcements “fun is what you make of it” and that’s exactly how I approach vacations….we all enjoyed ourselves and we would all cruise again without hesitation…I would cruise on the Splendor again given the opportunity and would cruise Carnival again no problem…..

Hotel Maya (a doubletree by Hilton)...its right there, you can see the ship from your room....they include parking and shuttle....the facilities are nice, bar, restaurant etc....and the room was nice...I would both stay here again and recommend to others....it worked out perfect for us.....

Thank you for your review, we are also staying at the Maya. Can you tell me how the restaurant was? We are thinking of maybe eating there for dinner or late lunch... How was the pool and spa?

Thanks

Any questions ask away....review to follow later....

Are you the group with the grandma with two knee surgeries and the hubby with the spark plug tattoo?:)

Are you the group with the grandma with two knee surgeries and the hubby with the spark plug tattoo?:)

Yep! That was us 😁

Yep! That was us 😁

I thought so! We were at the sandbar with you...witnessed the woman almost dragged under the boat back to pier and your hubby helped me in to ours!

Unfortunately our trip from beginning to end was not as great as yours and we have figured out spring break with 1000 kids is not for us...must be time for the Geriatric cruise! And we have NEVER in 12 cruises seen such a mess disembarking a ship or such jerks as homeland security trying to leave! But our granddaughter had a GREAT time and that’s what counts! Glad you had such a great time..enjoyed your review! I was going to do one but probably would not be as positive as yours!

Thank you for your review, we are also staying at the Maya. Can you tell me how the restaurant was? We are thinking of maybe eating there for dinner or late lunch... How was the pool and spa?

 

 

Thanks

We went to the restaurant in the evening for drinks/apps and then again for breakfast in the morning....a bit pricey but the food was good....they have a buffet (I think it was $25) for breakfast or you can order ala carte....we stayed over on a Saturday night and even late the place was really popping...there were a lot of people at the pool and bar/restaurant until late in the evening....the place is kinda "hip" and "trendy" and I would describe cliental as a mix of cruiser and yuppies....

I thought so! We were at the sandbar with you...witnessed the woman almost dragged under the boat back to pier and your hubby helped me in to ours!

Unfortunately our trip from beginning to end was not as great as yours and we have figured out spring break with 1000 kids is not for us...must be time for the Geriatric cruise! And we have NEVER in 12 cruises seen such a mess disembarking a ship or such jerks as homeland security trying to leave! But our granddaughter had a GREAT time and that’s what counts! Glad you had such a great time..enjoyed your review! I was going to do one but probably would not be as positive as yours!

Yes dismemberment was the worst I've experienced too!!! Sorry to hear about your time...yes there were a lot of kids on that cruise....but glad your granddaughter had fun !

Did you happen to notice if there a lot of boats offering whale watching tours when you were at Cabo and PV? My brother said it would be easy to find one to hire on the spot. He's often been right in the past about port tours, lol, and saved himself quite a bit of money.