July 2012 Splendor Review w/Pics

[cvpends]

I love your video, pyroguy! I never saw it before! Thanks for sharing it with us :D

[matymil]

Sunday, July 29, 2012 (cont.)

They finally started letting us in and we were the second ones in the terminal. We got the obligatory pictures taken and went up to have our S&S cards “buzzed” in. I was bringing up the rear of the family so I was last. Everyone else got thru and were standing on the breezeway waiting for me and my card set off alarms that sounded like I had just robbed a bank. Out of nowhere, security came over and told me there was a problem and that I had to follow them to a more secure area. They could not tell me more, but that the rest of the family should go on ahead without me because it would be a while. That’s all they would say. My wife was in a panic – asking me “what’s wrong? What should we do?” and I just told her to go on up to Lido and get the kids lunch.

 

I was a little worried, but not really. I’m not a smuggler of anything, and as far as I know, I had not done anything wrong. I thought *maybe* a pocket knife was in my luggage by accident (from a prior trip maybe?)…but really had no idea what was up. When I got to the “secure area”, they told me there were some dark items in my luggage that looked suspicious on the X-Ray scanner. They needed me to open the luggage (we had TSA locks on it).

 

Luckily I had the key on me. Luckily that particular piece of luggage had my name and not my wife’s name on it (because I’m the one that carry’s the keys). If they had pulled her, no way would she have been able to open the luggage for them to check it. Would have been nice to know at least we would need the keys before we separated.

I waited…and waited…and waited. About 15 minutes and hundreds of people were now on board. Finally they brought up my luggage and I unlocked it. They found 2 rolls of quarters that my wife had thrown in at the last minute for the kids to play in the arcade. That was it. So much for VIP embarkation.

 

I got back upstairs after wading through the photographer and security line again and my wife and our whole group was waiting on the gangway wide-eyed wondering if they were ever going to see me again. I explained to them what it was, and we all had a nervous laugh about it. Sheesh.

We promptly went to Lido and up to Rotisserie where we ate without too much crowding.

 

…looking out the window from Rotisserie…

 

…little man checking out the forbidden fruit (adult’s only area)…

 

…little man telling his sister this unbelievable story about there being FREE ice cream!

 

…me and little man checking out the secret deck on 7…

 

…front view from the secret deck on 7…

 

The last picture from the "secret deck" on 7 is exactlly what my view will look like. We are staying in the cabin right behind were you took that picture :)

[cvpends]

Love the 4j's! We had one our first time on the Splendor, but on lido deck. My opinion is they are one of the best deals out there.

[gelo7]

Outstanding review and pictures.