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MORE things Splendor ... NY style!

Cyber Kat

By Cyber Kat,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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BigMike44

BigMike44

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Again this is a great thread! We will be on the Splendor in March 2014 (i know a long time from now) We are from New Brunswick Canada and will be driving done. We have sailed out of NYC on the Mircle in 2011 and loved it. Howeverweare still "rookies" to both NYC and cruising. We will park at the pier again because it was s easy. I want to get on the ship as soon as i can. We will be at the port by 10 or 10:30 am. My question is how early can you board the ship. I see alot of long time cruisers on here and would love any tips you can give us. thanks so much!

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jryanj

jryanj

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Just got off the Splendor two days ago (had a blast!). A few things to note:

- At times, the direction (regarding tendering, debarkation, etc.) was lackluster. So, I would just recommend always being ready to head off the boat at ports ~30mins before the estimated time. Just head down to deck 0 and hang out!

 

- We did the Chef's Table. It was absolutely worth the 75$/person. Just email John Heald for reservations. The food was great (a few of the dishes were just so-so, but the kitchen tour, wine, and service were impeccable)

 

- If you have a spa room, immediately go to the spa front desk and sign in and ask for a tour (again, this was part of the inadequate direction...there was no letter in the stateroom or announcement regarding access to the spa)

 

- The rotisserie was great and there were rarely people eating there. The 24hr pizza was also delicious!

 

- My recommendations for excursions:

*Grand Turk -- rent a golf cart from Nathan's and explore and go to Bohio Resort (It was beautiful and 10$ for a chair).

*Half Moon Cay -- the Sting Ray excursion was fantastic and VERY affordable. This also only takes up about an hour to an hour and a half and leaves beach time!

*Nassau -- We went to Beaches and paid 65$/person. This included chairs, drinks, food, activities, everything. Despite any negative reviews, we didn't think it was rowdy at all and loved it! Pretty beach and very cheap day pass/

USE THE JITNEY BUS TO GET THERE. Cabs will cost about 20$ and the Jitney is only $1.25/person and it's a unique experience. Take the #10 bus (ask anyone where to find it -- it's near the back of the straw market) and tell the driver where you're going.

 

Let me know if you have any Splendor questions!

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sailorJo

sailorJo

Posted
Posted
Just got off the Splendor two days ago (had a blast!). A few things to note:

- At times, the direction (regarding tendering, debarkation, etc.) was lackluster. So, I would just recommend always being ready to head off the boat at ports ~30mins before the estimated time. Just head down to deck 0 and hang out!

 

- We did the Chef's Table. It was absolutely worth the 75$/person. Just email John Heald for reservations. The food was great (a few of the dishes were just so-so, but the kitchen tour, wine, and service were impeccable)

 

- If you have a spa room, immediately go to the spa front desk and sign in and ask for a tour (again, this was part of the inadequate direction...there was no letter in the stateroom or announcement regarding access to the spa)

 

- The rotisserie was great and there were rarely people eating there. The 24hr pizza was also delicious!

 

- My recommendations for excursions:

*Grand Turk -- rent a golf cart from Nathan's and explore and go to Bohio Resort (It was beautiful and 10$ for a chair).

*Half Moon Cay -- the Sting Ray excursion was fantastic and VERY affordable. This also only takes up about an hour to an hour and a half and leaves beach time!

*Nassau -- We went to Beaches and paid 65$/person. This included chairs, drinks, food, activities, everything. Despite any negative reviews, we didn't think it was rowdy at all and loved it! Pretty beach and very cheap day pass/

USE THE JITNEY BUS TO GET THERE. Cabs will cost about 20$ and the Jitney is only $1.25/person and it's a unique experience. Take the #10 bus (ask anyone where to find it -- it's near the back of the straw market) and tell the driver where you're going.

 

Let me know if you have any Splendor questions!

 

Thank you for this most valuable information. Do you know how far Bohio Resort is from the pier in GT? Renting the golf cart to explore the island sounds like a great idea.

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jryanj

jryanj

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Bohio was about 20min by golf cart and maybe 10min by taxi - well worth it! Lunch was pricey but great. Be prepared to spend around 30-40$/person for food and drinks, but the view made the price totally reasonable (and you certainly escape all of the other tourists!)

 

They also have 2 dogs at the resort that will hang out with you during lunch. Don't be surprised if you find a paw on your lap while you eat!

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sailorJo

sailorJo

Posted
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Bohio was about 20min by golf cart and maybe 10min by taxi - well worth it! Lunch was pricey but great. Be prepared to spend around 30-40$/person for food and drinks, but the view made the price totally reasonable (and you certainly escape all of the other tourists!)

 

They also have 2 dogs at the resort that will hang out with you during lunch. Don't be surprised if you find a paw on your lap while you eat!

 

This is the sort of info I love to see in a review...the little things sometimes are the things that leave the best memories. :) Thanks!

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gusandgidgetsmom

gusandgidgetsmom

Posted
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Thank you for this info. We have rented a cart from Nathan so we can explore. We have been to GT before but never rented a cart and it sounded like fun so I went for it. Is this a beach that our teens will like? Any other "must see" on GT accessible with a cart?

We are cruising in less than 2 weeks now! Wooohooo!!

Bohio was about 20min by golf cart and maybe 10min by taxi - well worth it! Lunch was pricey but great. Be prepared to spend around 30-40$/person for food and drinks, but the view made the price totally reasonable (and you certainly escape all of the other tourists!)

 

They also have 2 dogs at the resort that will hang out with you during lunch. Don't be surprised if you find a paw on your lap while you eat!

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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Anyone know how much the wine and food pairing class is?

 

Thanks,

Maggie

 

It was $15 each when we did it on the Miracle in 2011 - it's probably up to $20 by now. The somelier on the Miracle was really good. We learned a lot and the food was tasty. We want to do it again on the Splendor. I think it was the first sea day.

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dumbwaiterboy

dumbwaiterboy

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I'm getting ready to pack! Only six days!! Did they store the suitcases during the cruise, or were you expected to store them in your room?

 

You store them in your cabin. There is PLENTY of space under your beds...you could probably fit three under each bed

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Avril

Avril

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Does the Splendor have the Cheers Program onboard? I would love to try it if possible!! I'm not sailing on her until October 2014 but I'm going to try to read and learn anything and everything about the ship between now and then!! :D

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big_duck

big_duck

Posted
Posted (edited)
Does the Splendor have the Cheers Program onboard? I would love to try it if possible!! I'm not sailing on her until October 2014 but I'm going to try to read and learn anything and everything about the ship between now and then!! :D

 

Yup, $49.95 per day plus gratuity.

 

Does not include HMC.

 

They will refund it if you get airlifted off the ship and back charge you for he drinks consumed.

Edited by big_duck
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Avril

Avril

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Yup, $49.95 per day plus gratuity.

 

Does not include HMC.

 

They will refund it if you get airlifted off the ship and back charge you for he drinks consumed.

 

Excellent!! :D Looking forward to trying it!!

 

Oh, that's interesting. I would've assumed that HMC would be included since it's owned by the cruise line. Can you use your S&S Card at all or will I need to bring either cash or my credit card (or both) ashore? I have been to HMC but it was with Holland America (we could use our ship card on the island) so I don't know if Carnival does things the same way.

 

That's good to know but I'm really not planning on being airlifted from the ship!! I have seen it happen to others though (once on the Legend and once on the Dream). :(

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big_duck

big_duck

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Excellent!! :D Looking forward to trying it!!

 

Oh, that's interesting. I would've assumed that HMC would be included since it's owned by the cruise line. Can you use your S&S Card at all or will I need to bring either cash or my credit card (or both) ashore? I have been to HMC but it was with Holland America (we could use our ship card on the island) so I don't know if Carnival does things the same way.

 

That's good to know but I'm really not planning on being airlifted from the ship!! I have seen it happen to others though (once on the Legend and once on the Dream). :(

 

Your card works the same on HMC, the drinks get added to your bill.

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Cyber Kat

Cyber Kat

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Can you use your S&S Card at all or will I need to bring either cash or my credit card (or both) ashore? I have been to HMC but it was with Holland America (we could use our ship card on the island) so I don't know if Carnival does things the same way.

 

Yes - you use your S&S card at the bars on HMC and for the clamshells and stuff. There are some little shops selling t-shirts and other stuff. You need cash or a credit card if you want to buy something there.

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boxersmama

boxersmama

Posted
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:(:mad::(:mad: They had GOT CARNIVAL and I believe GOT CRUISE t shirts. They were black with the wording in white. Totally blah...

 

LOL I got the black tank top with the blingy funnel on it:D Love it. But your right, wanted to get my hubby t shirt with Splendor on like his Miracle one with all the statistics, but didn't have any. Didn't have any Pride ones last year either, guess they stopped making them:(

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boxersmama

boxersmama

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Cheryl, congrats on the bingo win! We did not have luck at roulette or the slots, but had fun playing. Didn't break the bank! Were you in the casino? Did you see the young man at the roulette table who was losing $1000'es of $ every night? He had a wife and 2 young daughters with him. Can't remember what his name was...very sad. We were back on the ship by the time it started raining in SJ. We were at dinner and looked out and saw water dripping by a light (it was dark) and someone mentioned the skies opened up. One more tip for the chocoholics: there are 2 buffet areas. Mid ship and farther aft. At lunch at the aft dessert station, port side, there is always chocolate sauce near the pies/cakes. I get a salad bowl, fill with soft serve ice cream, then go back and top it off with sauce! :D;) One other silly thing I noticed is that they did not have signs to the gangway, and boy, did we get a tour of all the decks and a good work out trying to find it! And not to open a can of worms, but there were little ones in the pool that could not possibly have been potty trained and quite obviously had swimmer's diapers on. We came up at one point and saw a woman and a mom and dad with a little one all having an arguement with a security guard and I can only imagine it was about this issue as the little one had been in the pool. After a few minutes the guard walked off and the mom and dad went right back into the pool with the little one. I did NOT see signs saying they weren't allowed in, however...:confused: Cheryl, we sat next to the man on our roll call who was cruising solo and was shy and engaged him in conversation. DH saw him a few times during the week and tried to have him join in a few things and he refused so wonder how that worked out...very sad. Kat, you will have a BLAST. Can't wait to go back!!! Oh, we would invariably go to the casino and casino bar after dinner and meet up with people we had met on this cruise and who we had met on previous cruises. There is music on the promenade next to the bar every night. Impromtwo was very good and very popular. Lots of people dancing to them, but that's the kind of cruise this was. Just a TON OF FUN! :)

 

 

No Karen, we weren't in the casino, only to walk thru it. When we were sitting in the atrium one night listening to Juan, there was a boy sitting all by himself in the back on one of the planter ledges, he looked so lonely and had a camera with him, I thought to myself I bet that's shyguy, but I didn't want to embarrass him by asking. I bet it was him because he didn't even come sit it the normal chairs where everyone else was, just stayed in the back all alone felt sorry for him.

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