Third Times The Charm!! Carnival Splendor January 1-7

Carnival Splendor- Jan 1st 2012

This was the best cruise ever!! It was our third time on the Splendor and obviously we love it. This was a great cruise with fantastic weather , amazing service and WONDERFUL food!!!!

This is just a quick review and rundown of what we did in the two ports. I am not including ship pictures since those are readily available in all the other reviews. :) The Splendor is a pretty ship- albeit odd in places. It is pink but not overwhelmingly so IMHO. It does have a lot of velvety looking pink donuts all over it :)

We did get the spa pass for the week. $300 for the Ultimate one which includes the use of the facilities for two for the week PLUS the Rasul once during the cruise. It was heavenly!!!!! We have gotten the spa pass the other two times on the Splendor and love it. I love the addition of the Rasul for $50.

There will also be A TON of food pics at the end. So those of you who hate that be forewarned.

There were 6 of us in 3 cabins. Myself, husband, 3 sons and one son's fiance. Ages from 22-16 for the kids. We all had different Stewards and they were all great. Not one complaint about service- it was fantastic.

Seas were calm all but the last day. Weather was fantastic- except for the last day :) I think you need to plan for rougher seas and cold weather on the last day of this cruise. It has been the case for us on our previous trip.

We absolutely loved the Cruise Director Todd. He's actually a pretty good singer too! We were picked for the "Game of Love" and he made it so fun. For anyone on the ship with us we were the middle couple. :D

We got to the port at 10:30am and were zone 2. We had a nice place to sit outside in the sun while we waited and it was a beautiful day. We were on the ship by 11:30. Easiest embarkation for the Splendor we have had yet. Maybe Long Beach is getting its act together :)

Cabo

We booked a tour with Eduardo of Blue Baja Los Cabos. You can reach him by email bluebajaloscabos AT Hotmail DOT com :)

We planned to whale watch for two hours and then spend as much time as we wanted at the beach. They provided sandwiches, a cooler full of soda, beer and bottled water. They also had the BEST beach chairs and umbrellas for all 6 of us. Two Boogeyboards and snorkeling equipment for all of us. It was only $45 per person for the whole day and it was FANTASTIC!!! I cant say enough good things about them.

Ricardo was waiting for us as soon as we got off the boat.

We saw LOTS of whales. Or maybe it was the same whale over and over :) Regardless it was SPECTACULAR!!!!

And one of my most favorite things while whale watching? Stingrays!!!! Maybe they are Manta Rays? I have no idea but they JUMP out of the water!! I had no idea! It was so fast and one time I was lucky enough to get a picture of one.

Leaving next week- hope those whales stick around!

Was the whale watching included in that $45 fee, or was that with another company?

ALso, what is the Rasul inthe spa? We bought a pass last summer, and there was something extra you could buy, but we skipped it. I recall that it was some kind of mud or something. Is that what you're talking about?

Was the whale watching included in that $45 fee, or was that with another company?

It was included. 2 hours whale watching and then as much beach time as we wanted.

Ricardo gave us a choice of beaches in Cabo. We went with Pelican Beach since it has "some" snorkeling and a big rock to climb and jump off. Also it is right next to Lovers Beach.

Our setup on the beach. Ricardo did all the work :)

Fun rock the kids could climb and jump. Obviously for older kids and adults.

We spent a couple hours at the beach and Ricardo gave us the option of staying with us or coming back. We told him to come back- we were perfectly comfortable with our setup. He returned right on time and loaded up all the stuff for us. It was REALLY a fantastic day. Everyone really enjoyed it!

Was the whale watching included in that $45 fee, or was that with another company?

 

ALso, what is the Rasul inthe spa? We bought a pass last summer, and there was something extra you could buy, but we skipped it. I recall that it was some kind of mud or something. Is that what you're talking about?

The Rasul is the mud. Its one hour and includes a big bowl of mud and salt scrub. You rub each other with mud and sit in your own private steam room. Its completely private. Then at like 45 minutes you shower off and there is lotions to put on. Your skin feels silky smooth afterwards!! I loved it and so did DH.

Fantastic photos of the whales, and especially of the stingray or manta ray!! Was the $45 per person based on your group size? How many people were on the boat?

We just planned to sight see and explore on Day 2 and in hindsight I wish I had planned another excursion. There really isnt much to see in Cabo in town. We did Cabo Wabo and a few bars and did some shopping. Spent maybe 2 hours total before we had seen enough. We went back to the boat and laid by the pool.

I wish we had planned to go sailing or something since the water and beaches are the only appealing things in Cabo for us (just our opinion!).

The Rasul is the mud. Its one hour and includes a big bowl of mud and salt scrub. You rub each other with mud and sit in your own private steam room. Its completely private. Then at like 45 minutes you shower off and there is lotions to put on. Your skin feels silky smooth afterwards!! I loved it and so did DH.

OMG! Your description makes it sound SO much more appealing. ooooooo......

Fantastic photos of the whales, and especially of the stingray or manta ray!! Was the $45 per person based on your group size? How many people were on the boat?

Thanks- its amazing to see such a huge animal come up out of the water! Its like looking for the Loch Ness Monster!!

It was just our family in the boat so the 6 of us. I am not sure if it was based on the size of the group.

Old Lighthouse in Cabo:

Newer Lighthouse in Cabo:

Coming up.....Puerto Vallarta and Las Caletas!!!

It was included. 2 hours whale watching and then as much beach time as we wanted.

Wow! The company that we went whale watching with charged almost $40 for two hours (with an open bar), and then we were done. I really like the idea of the beach for an extra $6. Did you have to prepay?

Awesome photos by the way. Thanks so much for sharing. I may have to rethink my excursions for my March cruise. I feel the same way as you do about Cabo. We usually stay on the ship the first day, and then get off on the second day to whale watch or go to the beach. Nothing else there is of any interest to me.

Wow! The company that we went whale watching with charged almost $40 for two hours (with an open bar), and then we were done. I really like the idea of the beach for an extra $6. Did you have to prepay?

Awesome photos by the way. Thanks so much for sharing. I may have to rethink my excursions for my March cruise. I feel the same way as you do about Cabo. We usually stay on the ship the first day, and then get off on the second day to whale watch or go to the beach. Nothing else there is of any interest to me.

We did not have to pre pay- just emailed Eduardo and then I reconfirmed a week before. We paid when we got there. They offer all kinds of excursions. We just told them we wanted to whale watch and go to the beach and they planned the day and gave us a price. We were thrilled with how great it was and affordable and we felt well taken care of. Wonderful!

Thanks for sharing your info. I'm looking forward to the rest of your photos and review. I have Splendor cruise #2 and #3 planned in the next few months..but I am hoping that Splendor#2 is the best cruise ever! I don't want to wait for #3. :p

Thanks so much for the review, and great photos! Now I'm really getting excited about our first cruise on the Splendor!

You are a great photographer! I especially loved the pic of the ray and the arch pics. I laughed when I saw the beach set up. I have the same Tommy Bahama chairs and umbrella from Costco. :)

You are a great photographer! I especially loved the pic of the ray and the arch pics. I laughed when I saw the beach set up. I have the same Tommy Bahama chairs and umbrella from Costco. :)

Thanks!! Those chairs are super comfy with the pillows on the back- loved them! If I had a beach I would get some :)

Ahhhh Puerto Vallarta!!! I wish this cruise would spend two days there and one day in Cabo. Or better yet- go back to Mazatlan!

The day was gorgeous- warm and sunny!! We booked Las Caletas through Carnival. We met at 10:15 on the pier.

The boat ride to get there was about 45 minutes. They go there along the coast so you can see the sights. Coming back took less time and we cut straight across the Bay.

It was a pretty fun boat ride with an open bar- this might have been what made it so fun. Puerto Vallarta is so beautiful and feels lush and tropical. You feel like you are someplace exotic. Here are a few of the sights along the way.

The BEST part of the boat ride? DOLPHINS!!! It was so fun seeing them!!

Awesome pictures!!!! Can't wait to read and see more :)

Las Caletas!

We arrived at Las Caletas and headed straight to lunch. My oldest son and his fiance headed straight up to the Hilltop Spa for massages. $25 for 30 minutes- $50 for 60 minutes. They loved their massages.

Lunch was GREAT! Loved it! My youngest son is a vegetarian and had plenty to choose from. Everyone really enjoyed the lunch, my favorite was the pasta dish.

After lunch we hit the beach and started our day in the sun!