All Things Splendor

[stay_or_go]

I understand that the spa balconies on deck 11 are not covered. Anyone know if the ones on deck 10 are open or covered above?

 

 

I think all but a few on deck 10 are covered, here is a full size picture of the splendor from the web where you can look at the cabins on deck 10 and 11.

 

CC might block the link (not sure) but you can search google for images of the splendor and look at some of the larger pics.

 

http://worldtravelersunited.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/carnival_splendor.jpg

[IslandToIsland]

I think all but a few on deck 10 are covered, here is a full size picture of the splendor from the web where you can look at the cabins on deck 10 and 11.

 

CC might block the link (not sure) but you can search google for images of the splendor and look at some of the larger pics.

 

http://worldtravelersunited.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/carnival_splendor.jpg

Thank you. Do you know if they are the rooms on the 2nd deck below the slide?

[stay_or_go]

Tracey,

 

The slide starts on Deck 14 with the Mini golf, passes through deck 12 and ends on deck 11 the spa deck. There is no deck 13.

 

The SPA deck on 11 has the SPA cabins, Deck 10 has cabins at the front only as does the Lido deck 9.

 

We stayed in 8248 which was a great location for us. One deck below the Lido for food and the pools and not a bad hike up the stairs from the casino and the show lounge. The cabin had cabins above and below so no noise from the main public areas.

 

You really can't go wrong up near the front on those decks.

 

My review has some pictures of the cabin that you might like to see.

[lisa e]

I understand that the spa balconies on deck 11 are not covered. Anyone know if the ones on deck 10 are open or covered above?

From what I can see they are..We are on deck 11 for Sept. they were the only spa balconies for 4 pax..I would have rather been on deck 10..my husband loves the fact the balcony is open he is all about the sun..I just hope the noise at night is not a factor..Lisa

I just looked at the picture and there are several on deck 10 that are open! That is a great shot thanks for posting...

Edited July 1, 2010 by lisa e

[IslandToIsland]

Tracey,

 

The slide starts on Deck 14 with the Mini golf, passes through deck 12 and ends on deck 11 the spa deck. There is no deck 13.

 

The SPA deck on 11 has the SPA cabins, Deck 10 has cabins at the front only as does the Lido deck 9.

 

We stayed in 8248 which was a great location for us. One deck below the Lido for food and the pools and not a bad hike up the stairs from the casino and the show lounge. The cabin had cabins above and below so no noise from the main public areas.

 

You really can't go wrong up near the front on those decks.

 

My review has some pictures of the cabin that you might like to see.

I read your review when you wrote it and it actually is what made me decide I definitely wanted to do the Mexican Riviera at some point.:)

 

I'm interested in the Spa cabin for the spa ammenities, just don't want an open balcony.

[stay_or_go]

It is difficult to see if they are covered or not from the picture, hopefully someone who has stayed in one will respond with a yes or no.

 

I would not want to have a balcony that was not covered from above as that would be even less private than the other balconies. :p

[lisa e]

It is difficult to see if they are covered or not from the picture, hopefully someone who has stayed in one will respond with a yes or no.

 

I would not want to have a balcony that was not covered from above as that would be even less private than the other balconies. :p

I agree I do not know why there are no for 4 pax spa baconies on deck 10 so we had no choice but to book on 11..I have been reassured that it is quiet and below the adult serenity deck..I am doing this for my husband he is deploying twice in one year and he loves his spa time..otherwise I would have booked a regular balcony..We also got a great deal not much more than a regular cabin...thanks for the review...

Edited July 1, 2010 by lisa e

[Esmerelda131]

We are thinking of taking the Mexican Riviera cruise on board the Splendor. I will start reading through this thread...but for quick help.....would you pick this cruise over a Caribbean one? We will be going in June, 2011 with our (then) 17 and 7 year olds as well as my mom and mother-in-law. "The Moms" are worried about going to Mexico (will it be pretty, will it be sleezy, will it be warm etc etc etc). I've been on a Carnival cruise before so I know the service will be great (as well as the ship)....but is a Pacific cruise as enjoyable as an Atlantic??

[glrounds]

We are thinking of taking the Mexican Riviera cruise on board the Splendor. I will start reading through this thread...but for quick help.....would you pick this cruise over a Caribbean one? We will be going in June, 2011 with our (then) 17 and 7 year olds as well as my mom and mother-in-law. "The Moms" are worried about going to Mexico (will it be pretty, will it be sleezy, will it be warm etc etc etc). I've been on a Carnival cruise before so I know the service will be great (as well as the ship)....but is a Pacific cruise as enjoyable as an Atlantic??

 

I'm a little bit biased (I've cruised the Mexican Riviera 10 times), so take this with a grain of salt. :rolleyes: I love the MR and have always had a great time there. My favorite excursion is in Mazatlan (Randi's Happy Horses). Great lady, gentle horses (even had a 4 year old riding one), beautiful unpopulated beach of Stone Island, and ends at a restaurant right on the beach. Very reasonable excursion. Yes, it will probably be quite hot in June, but I cruise off season when it isn't that hot. :)

Today, more than ever, I would pick a MR cruise over a Caribbean because of the NO AIRFARE requirement, although I've enjoyed several Caribbean cruises. Don't know where you are traveling from so don't know if that's a factor. I now live 20 minutes from the port in Long Beach.:)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We are thinking of taking the Mexican Riviera cruise on board the Splendor. I will start reading through this thread...but for quick help.....would you pick this cruise over a Caribbean one? We will be going in June, 2011 with our (then) 17 and 7 year olds as well as my mom and mother-in-law. "The Moms" are worried about going to Mexico (will it be pretty, will it be sleezy, will it be warm etc etc etc). I've been on a Carnival cruise before so I know the service will be great (as well as the ship)....but is a Pacific cruise as enjoyable as an Atlantic??

 

In August we'll be taking our second MR cruise (also did a 4-day that called in Ensenada, but that barely counts ;)). We've also done southern and western Caribbean and Alaska. We've loved all three geographies.

 

MR will be different from Caribbean but, IMHO, not less enjoyable. On our last MR, we had just as good a time as we've had on our Caribbean cruises. It will be warm, as glrounds said. I wouldn't call it sleazy at all. We've felt safer at the MR ports than some of the Caribbean ports we've visited.

 

Just tell the moms about the amazing food and super good margaritas. ;):D

[mathgeek1978]

How do you pay? Do you pay at the time you park or once you get back and depart the garage?

You pay when you leave the garage. They accept cash and major credit cards.

[Esmerelda131]

Our main reason for choosing MR is that we can drive to California much easier than Florida! We really don't want to fly (cost of airfare plus the cost of baggage!!!). Our second reason is the oil spill. I hate to think how it's going to affect all those pristine islands in the Caribbean!!

 

I've been to Jamaica on Carnival and I'd never get off the ship there again! Yuck! I was afraid the MR ports might be a similar experience?

 

glrounds - Was the Randi's Happy Horses excursion through Carnival? My step daughter just told us last night that she'd love to ride on a horse on the beach. Perfect! We are 34, 37, 17 and 7 (I'm the oddball) so it's hard to find things to suit everyone. But a horse ride and a beach visit might just be the ticket!

[glrounds]

glrounds - Was the Randi's Happy Horses excursion through Carnival? My step daughter just told us last night that she'd love to ride on a horse on the beach. Perfect! We are 34, 37, 17 and 7 (I'm the oddball) so it's hard to find things to suit everyone. But a horse ride and a beach visit might just be the ticket!

 

No, Esmerelda . . . its a private excursion. You contact Randi by going to Randishappyhorsesdotcom and make a reservation. Everything is done by e-mail. Please tell her if you have to cancel later on as she will reserve a horse for you on that very day. She picks you up at the ship, takes you to a boat (very small but fun), which goes over to Stone Island, You get on a tractor-pulled wagon (kind of like the ole hay ride days, :rolleyes:) to her property with the horses. She gives you a horse that matches your ability. You ride through the jungle over to the beach, fully escorted with her employees, where you go far up the DESERTED beach, running through the surf if you like (although, this moving water sometimes confuses the horses and is not recommended). After an hour or so on the horses, you'll come back down the beach to Victor's Restaurant, a fabulous all sand floors restaurant under palm fronds for shade where she BUYS the first drink. It is at this time that you PAY her (when have you ever heard of something like that ? :confused:). The food is terrific, especially the fried shrimp, and very reasonable. When my son and I did this excursion off the PRIDE cruise (see my WEBSHOTS below) it was $35 cash per person for everything. I'm guessing it will be a little bit more now. You'll not regret it. Some past customers of Randi take this cruise just to do this excursion. Many repeat customers. Randi is a transplanted American that has been in Mexico for many years. A really great person with excellent "horse" knowledge.:)

FWIW, I never do Carnival excursions. Usually prefer to mix with the locals and be a traveler, not a tourist.

Any other questions, just ask. Glad to help. Enjoy your cruise. :)

[glrounds]

Gonna try to post a pic of my son at Victor's Restaurant on Stone Island

 

Edited July 2, 2010 by glrounds

[DrivesLikeMario]

I have 2 quick questions:

 

1. Does the side door on the balcony open and if so, how? It looks pretty wide and I'm just wondering where that partition door goes once it's open.

 

2. Is there a fee for the sushi?

 

Thanks for the help. Been to the Mex. Riv. a bizillion times, but this time, it's for my parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary and the whole extended family is going. :)

[glrounds]

Is there a fee for the sushi?

 

No fee for the sushi, but there is a charge for the saki. FWIW, most of my hard-core California "sushi" friends say it isn't very good and none of it is raw. I wouldn't know, just sayin' what they've told me.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I have 2 quick questions:

 

1. Does the side door on the balcony open and if so, how? It looks pretty wide and I'm just wondering where that partition door goes once it's open.

2. Is there a fee for the sushi?

 

Thanks for the help. Been to the Mex. Riv. a bizillion times, but this time, it's for my parents' 60th Wedding Anniversary and the whole extended family is going. :)

 

glrounds - Thanks! That answers my second question! I don't eat it, so I have no idea what good sushi is, but my DH & DS love it. Hope they won't be too disappointed.

 

Anyone know the answer to #1? We've had many balcony partitions opened on other ships (Carnival Spirit, tons of RCI & Princess ships), but these partitions look much bigger (wider) on the Splendor.

Edited July 2, 2010 by DrivesLikeMario

[glrounds]

 

Anyone know the answer to #1? We've had many balcony partitions opened on other ships (Carnival Spirit, tons of RCI & Princess ships), but these partitions look much bigger (wider) on the Splendor.

 

I'll take a shot at it. I think the crew just take the partition away to be stored for your cruise. Then they re-install it after your debarkation. Others, particular group cruisers, where many paxs book balconies all lined up together, can probably give you a better answer. :confused:

Incidentally, I don't eat sushi very much. But like you, my DS absolutely loves it. Here, he could go through $100-worth in one sitting just like that if you'd let him.:D

Edited July 2, 2010 by glrounds

[DrivesLikeMario]

My son too...that's why I was asking the cost!

 

Thanks - I was wondering if they just took the entire balcony partition away since the door is as wide as the balcony itself. I just can't imagine how they would pin it back against the wall without it blocking the window to the balcony. It's set up very strange compared to all the others we've seen & had.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I've read that to use some of the hot tubs you need to be 16 or older. Is that the case on the Splendor? Also, what is the age minimum for the aft adult-only pool?

 

Thanks!

 

Only 49 days! :D

[itzkaren]

Gary....THANK YOU for the added 'details' about Randi's Happy Horses excursion. And just as you said.....simply send an email to her....I gave her our ship name....date we would be in Mazatlan....and our names/ages. Within 48 hrs, I rec'd an email reply from her....she said, 'Funny thing...the other group I have booked for that day is for a 'Karen' too!' She gave EXCELLENT directions about getting off the ship...where to walk...'passed all the pushy timeshare ppl =)" and look for her staff with bright pink signs. And....Gary gave the rest of the details.

 

I think it's $45 per person now..(paid in cash)..still a great price! And...have heard wonderful reviews about her friendly staff, gentle horses for the novice rider, and the delicious food at Victor's. We have booked this excursion...directly thru Randi via email...for our Splendor cruise in August.

 

Gary...I have a question....did you give Randi (and/or staff) any additional monetary tip in addition to the per person fee? Seems like it would be the same as any other 'service' provided...just wondering.

 

And....I also asked Randi if we had to carry our 'stuff for the beach' in a backpack while riding? She said, 'no'...there's a place to keep a bag with change of clothes, sunscreen, etc at a house while we're riding. But DEFINITELY want to bring the camera! The photos I've seen from this ride are amazing.

 

As always..........CC has the BEST info ever...thanks for sharing =)

[boaterette]

I've read that to use some of the hot tubs you need to be 16 or older. Is that the case on the Splendor? Also, what is the age minimum for the aft adult-only pool?

 

Thanks!

 

Only 49 days! :D

 

You need to be 18 to use the adult only pool.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

You need to be 18 to use the adult only pool.

 

Thank you--I appreciate it. :D

[Brian2204]

Just returned from the Splendor a week ago and have been writing a review. I had no idea what a process it was and now that I've begun it seems it's more of a travel diary with personal reflections than an objective overview.

 

My question is....What would the readers here like to read?

 

I've included, below, the beginning of my diary, so to speak. I'm new to this whole posting on a forum so do, please, bear with me.

 

Let me know what you think.....

 

Carnival Splendor

Mexican Rivera

June 20 – 27, 2010

This review is written in 3 parts; General Overview, Tips and Hints and a Narrative.

The General Overview will provide my perspective on various aspects of the cruise line, ship, and general impressions overall.

Tips and Hints are those that I found especially helpful for this particular voyage on the Splendor. For the most part these tips don’t include the multitude of helpful advice that was gleaned from many sites during my pre-cruise research.

The Narrative will be just that and will fully explain those points made earlier.

I’m aware that all the opinions herein are 100% subjective to my experience and do not wish to dissuade or encourage debate from anyone on their own past or future experiences.

General Overview

Easy Embarkation

Arrived at port at 10:30 a.m. Onboard by 12:30 p.m.

Ship was very clean overall

Always saw crew cleaning

Excellent food for most part

MDR quality much improved from 1 year ago (New Chef ‘d Cuisine)

Men’s bathrooms need a “water catch” below the hand dryer

No paper towel dispenser (conservation) with only a hand blower creates

a puddle where hands drip being blown dry; unsanitary, slipping hazard

Need more hand sanitizers around the ship; not just in food areas

It seemed there were more one year ago – though that was during the H1N1 virus re-route to Canada

Cold in Spectacular Lounge

Was last year too…figured out why this year; to pump the odors out

Coffee was lousy in MDR, Lido and Specialty Coffee Shop; Good in Pinnacle

The hot water coming out of the coffee dispensers in the Lido has an odd metallic aroma that transfers to the coffee, however, the drinking/tap (cold) water tasted fine

Wide variety of people onboard

Made for great people watching

Spa Room towels are tan in color

Just an observation

Passenger hallways need “Quiet Please” signs as do the crew hallways

Self explanatory

Skip the Spa pass; Go for a Port Day Combo Special

Personal preference

Room Service

Efficient and early every morning. 7:00 p.m. call delivered at 8:00 p.m. (understandable as per the time of evening)

Crew –

Room Steward Antonio – This was the first time I had not met the Steward on the first day; a bit disappointing. Left a note the first afternoon (w/small tip) with requests. Met the second day. Friendly, cordial, efficient. All requests were see to by the return to our room.

Cruise Director Goose - I think everything I ever heard this guy say he had said a hundred times before to thousands of other people before me and it came across as rote and usual. While he played the part sufficiently in front of the public, other than the Quest Game Show, his personal interaction was limited by the scripted dialog he followed from venue to venue.

Asst. Cruise Dir. Stephanie - Again, I never really felt that she was having a good time doing what she was doing. If she was going to act the part of a cruise director then much more dynamic was called for. Oftentimes she would drop her “game face” once she had completed her prescribed spiel thus revealing that she wasn’t quite as enthused as she had hoped to portray.

MDR Waiter Rudy - While personable and efficient there simply was never any warmth or connection. His service was adequate enough and did improve as the week progressed.

MDR Waiter Asst. Noel - Always remembered our names and preferences. Inquired on our day or why we had missed a night in the MDR. His service was efficient and unobtrusive.

Massage Therapist Ria - Very friendly and not overly sales oriented. Always assured my comfort. Provided good after-massage information.

Tips and Hints

Use Handicap Bathrooms when appropriate; cleaner, bigger, private

While end-of-cruise packing; use Post-It’s to indicate a closet/drawer is empty

Stairs at Sushi/Tapas Bar to Robusto

“Hidden Door” Port 9 Forward

Keep cabinet doors open as a reminder that the safe is unlocked

Bring a Malita coffee cone for in-room A.M. coffee

Use Cruisin’/Snoozin’ door hangers

Narrative

Rest

Relaxation

Reflection

Rejuvenation

Rediscovery

Regenerate

These were our mantra’s for this vacation.

Background

We‘re a male/male couple, 53 (RC) & 49 (BV) years old on our third Carnival cruise, this being our second on the Splendor within the past 13 months. This was less a vacation about doing and seeing as much as we could, and more geared towards Rest, Relaxation, Reflection, Rejuvenation, Rediscovery, Regeneration, and Recuperation. In fact, this was our mantra for the week. RC had lost his dear Mother in early April and we knew that by “checking out” on a cruise it would be the best option to recharge our batteries, so to speak.

Because of this you will not see an exhaustive review of all the activities or events that occurred on board, but rather, this will be a generalized version of our daily routine with our impressions and perspective from being recent travelers on the same ship.

We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Splendor departs from the Long Beach Port in Southern California, a six hour drive. Considering the total amount of time it would take us to go from our front door to the Long Beach Hyatt traveling both by auto and air, we chose the former. Not to mention all the hassle we avoided that goes along with flying these days and the extra charges for baggage. We were able to take our time, relax, get out and stretch when we wanted and still made it to the hotel in the same amount of time.

Day 1 - Rediscovery

The morning of our ship departure we had an early breakfast at the hotel and made our way to the port, via taxi, arriving at approximately 10:30 a.m. Once we dropped our luggage to a porter we made our way to the open air check in stations (this was different from before where we actually checked in inside the building). The clouds were breaking into a beautiful day so the weather wasn’t an issue. Approaching the line Carnival Rep BILL greeted us and was more than accommodating by noticing RC had a knee brace and was using a cane and informing us that he would not be giving us a Group 1 Boarding Pass but was instead forwarding us to Assisted Embarkation. This basically meant that after VIPs and a wedding party were allowed to board we would be the next group. The check in process itself could not have been easier; we had already printed our Fun Passes and had our IDs and BCs in hand. Once checked in we passed the time idly with me wandering around taking various photos, RC making phone calls and both of us just generally chilling out and people watching. Before you knew it… it was 12:30 p.m. and time to board. RC was wheeled in via complementary wheelchair and porter and I was the pack mule…LOL!! My first order of business was to stop at the Purser’s Desk to book the “Behind the Fun” Tour and inquire about the Chef’s Table being offered on the Splendor; the Excursion Desk wasn’t open but the Purser placed us on the BTF list and, much to my disappointment as I’m an amateur foodie, the Chef’s Table is not available on this ship yet. I also stopped at the Black Pearl dining room to speak with the Matre‘d; We were assigned Late Seating in the Black Pearl when I originally booked and had later called my Agent to request “Anytime Dining” where we were placed on the Waitlist . The Matre’d informed me that 507 people had requested AD and there were only 400 spots available (the Black Pearl upper level is used for AD). Meaning that the only way I or anyone else would be assigned would be if someone else dropped out…Fat Chance!! This was not a big deal for us as Late Seating was our first choice to begin with.

Which would bring me to my first critique; More space(s) should be made available for travelers who wish to dine on the Anytime Dining plan. I’m sure this option will become more and more popular in the future on a line such as Carnival (I think the higher-end lines will still continue the set time and formal ambience). It just provides so much more flexibility, especially when one is on vacation and not wanting to be tied to a schedule.

We had decided to meet on Deck 10 Aft as we knew, from before, that was a designated smoking area and easy to find. We decided to try the Rotisserie for lunch as we had heard that the lines were much shorter, and sure enough it was true. We shared a plate of rotisserie chicken, mac-n-cheese, green bean salad, and capreese salad (tomatoes, mozz cheese and a basil pesto). All of it was excellent! I had read that the mac-n-cheese was to die over and it did not disappoint.

Periodically I would check to see if the large doors to the rooms had been opened to no avail. However, as if on a timer the doors opened wide right at 2:00 p.m. and we were soon in our room. We had been assigned room 9257; this is a balcony room on Lido Deck 9 Forward. I cannot say enough good things about the location of this cabin, pre-teen neighbors notwithstanding. There are cabins above and below; far enough from the action to not be disturbed by the noise; yet on the Lido deck itself so never too far from the main pool’s activities. This room was identical to our last room, which was an OV, other than the balcony. I had brought along a 12” bungee cord on the advice I had read. This was a great way to be able to hear the ocean and feel the breeze as we puttered about taking care of business. As the week progressed we propped open the door less and less (heat and humidity) but was enjoyable nonetheless. Bags were delivered by 2:30 p.m. and we were unpacked and put away by 3:15 p.m. so we decided to check out the Serenity Deck (Deck 10 Forward Port & Starboard) as we thought we might be spending much time up there. Ahhhhh….our first vacation cocktail! We just hung out there till the announcement was made that the Muster Drill was about to begin. This process is much easier now that you no longer have to lug your lifejacket with you, which usually requires an extra trip to your stateroom. It never fails to amaze me how some passengers can get so inebriated in such a short time; one whole group brought their beer buckets and party ‘tude to the drill. No big deal really cuz we’ve been through this a few times and the most important part is visual anyway. Once the “cattle call” was complete we decided to check out the Sail Away party at the main pool on the Lido Deck. This event was a bit of a disappointment to me, but then again I’m not one for large group activities. Passengers were lured to the dance floor, by Assistant CD Stephanie, with the promise of something free being given away. Three line dances later and the whole event was over. That was it. Oh and the freebie? Pizza and Ice Cream. I’m not sure what I was expecting but 3 dances and a lame enticement/joke just didn’t cut it for me. All those on the dance floor did look as though they were having a good time. This was also the first of approximately 4,752 times during the week that we were told we were on vacation. At each subsequent proclamation I just felt more and more desperation from the Entertainment Staff to shove that fact down our throats. By the end of the week I wanted to be done with vacation just so I wouldn’t be told what I was doing any longer (I know…I know…jeeze what a grump).

From there we wandered over to the Casino to check out the gaming situation. The Casino is where we’ll sometimes hang out to have a smoke and watch the world go by in the large window seats.

SMOKING: For all you smokers, and non-smokers as well, other than your cabin and the cabin deck (except for Spa Rooms) the only public spaces you’re allowed to smoke at are the Casino, Robusto Lounge, Deck 10 Aft and Decks 10 & 11 Starboard. Smoking is no longer allowed in the Piano Bar; not that I could argue with that as it is a VERY small space.

While having our smoke RC got a “feeling” from his Mother to play a particular machine. Now you must understand that one of RC’s Mother’s passions was taking a trip to the casino (10 mins. from where she lived) to play the slots. So it was not surprising that RC was receiving this message, so to speak. We ambled over to the machine (all I remember was that it had butterflies) inserted my S&S card along with $20 and took our chances. Well lo and behold within 3 spins we were up to $160!! This was my cue to download the balance to the card and start anew, which we did. Now I figure if this machine just gave me $140 no way is it gonna pay out again real soon…so we moved to a “Wheel of Fortune” type machine; another $20 dollars in and within a few spins we’re up to $50. Again, time to cash out and move on. I’m sure our luck was a combination of good fortune with a healthy dose of RC’s intuition from his dear Mother (Thanks Angel Dorothy!!!). I had heard tell that the best time to play the slots was on the first day/night, and this certainly rang true for us. While we never lost a great deal (pretty much played with the $200 or so on my S&S card) we never were as “lucky” as we were that first night.

Dinner time was approaching and since we were done with the Casino for now we each grabbed a pre-dinner cocktail and slowly wandered around finally making our way to the Deck 3 Lobby and the lower entrance to the Black Pearl. We were immediately seated at a two-top (table #177) next to the starboard staircase. I had mixed feelings about this table; while I do enjoy meeting and dining with strangers, in this type of setting, I’m also not a fan of always having to feel like conversating and feigning interest during my meal; so the two-top was fine. Now the location was a totally different story. I certainly do understand the need to use every available space to accommodate all the passengers, however, this table was bisected by the staircase only allowing one person to be able to see into the dining room. Consequently one of us always missed the wait staff during their serenade (which happens to many people as the waiters line up on the stairs to sing preventing anyone seated behind the staircase to miss the action. Again, no big deal as I find it somewhat amateur and sophomoric, but then again I abhor anyone singing to me in a restaurant. Here, however, is my biggest complaint about this particular table; Most nights I was seated facing the stairway which meant the bi-section was right next to my seat. From this vantage point I was able to see to the top of the stairs from a very low vantage point. Many young women these days wear short, short skirts (see where this is going?). Now mind you if I was a hetero male this would probably stimulate an appetite of one sort or another; but in my case…No Thanks! So a word of advice ladies; when using the starboard stairs in the Black Pearl be aware there may be eyes where you’d prefer they not be. Rudy, our waiter, and his assistant Noel introduced themselves. Both are capable and efficient. Rudy seemed to have a dour expression on his face most evenings. Now don’t get me wrong; his service was more than adequate, I just never felt any warmth or connection from him. Noel, however, always remembered our names and preferences. He would ask why we hadn’t been in the MDR the night before or how our day’s activities had gone. He was very personable and it was a pleasure to be served by him.

For you foodies out there; RC had the salmon appetizer, caesar salad, and the tilapia. I had the fruit app, guspaccio, and the Indian vegetarian dish. For desert we shared a WCMC, crème brule, orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream, coffee and cappuccino. All of it very good with no standouts and no disappointments other than the coffees. I should point out here that compared to our voyage on the Splendor 13 months ago the food in the MDR this time was very, very much improved (more on the reason for this later). In fact, had I not known, I would have thought I was on a different cruise line…that’s how much of a difference from a year ago.

Not yet ready to return to our room and jonesin for our after-dinner smoke we made our way back to the casino for a short time before retiring for the night. On prior cruised we had not utilized much, if at all, but decided to change that this trip. Both of us enjoy a good cup of coffee, and in fact RC should own stock in Starbucks for as often as he goes there. On our Splendor cruise last year we found that we would trod up to the specialty coffee bar for our morning and afternoon caffeine fixes as the Lido coffee just was not good at all. This time we brought with us a Malita style cone, filters and ground Kona coffee. Each night before retiring for the evening we would use the room service door hanger to order a couple of Danishes and/or croissants with condiments and two carafes of hot water to be delivered between 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. This worked ideally!! RS always arrived 5 -10 minutes early and it was great to be able to have a fresh cup of coffee in our room first thing in the morning without having to traipse all the way to the Lido for it. There is one caveat though; even our coffee tasted off. We couldn’t figure it out until one day I had taken our insulated cups to the Lido to fill with hot water from the coffee machine. As the water was flowing into my cup I got a distinct metallic aroma, the same as the bad tasting coffee. So now we knew the source of the off taste. We did buy some ground coffee in Puerto Vallarta and it’s seemed to help a little bit (stronger coffee maybe?).

[lisa e]

Thanks for the great review!!!