Just off the Splendor...ask away

[1stTimeRoyal]

Just completed a great cruise on the Splendor. We had great weather for the most part, the islands were perfect, and the ship for the most part delivered.

 

A quick rundown of my thoughts on the cruise:

 

1) Food. Pretty good, steakhouse was good as usual. I think the dining room menus need revamped though, not that the food was bad. Starters were usually better than the mains, and I thought dessert, all week, was where the ship lagged, in the dining room, in the lido, even in the steakhouse. Best dessert I had all week was room service chocolate cake..oh, and bitter and blanc. Someone in our party remarked that her problem was that the meat dishes always came sauced, and I agree, sometimes let the food speak for itself that always covering the beef/lamb/pork in various sauces.

 

2) Entertainment. Comedy club was packed all week. Saw 2 really good shows in the main theater, a motown singer and a magician/comedian. Production shows were ok. Entertainment staff was top notch, trivia was always well run and on time. Also, go see true identity!!! Best band I've ever seen on a cruise ship.

 

3) Itinerary. I like these islands because they are kid friendly. We did day passes to the Sheraton in Nassau, snorkeling in HMC, and we rented a golf cart in Grand Turk. Highly recommend doing that in GT. A great way to see the entire island.

 

4) Camp Carnival. Our kids loved it. They loved the parties, the facepainting, the art. We will miss that the most I think coming home, nice to give mom and dad a break.

 

Overall, we had a great cruise. My complaints are minor...I don't love the layout of the ship, it will take at least 3 days before you figure out which elevators to take. The ship seems to get congested a lot too, the photographers being the main culprits. This was also the first time I can remember being on a ship and having a hard time getting a waiter to get a drink, maybe I just had bad luck? Nevertheless, a great time was had by all.

 

I don't have menus or funtimes, but between the 20 of us on the ship we experienced about all it had to offer. Any questions please fire away

[Maraprince]

Sorry your return to NYC was on the cold, rainy and chilly side after being in the nice warm tropics!

 

Boarding the ship next Sunday but heading for San Juan, St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

 

Layout of the ship seems to be similar to RCL ships where you need to be on deck 5 to be able to get from the front to the back of the ship -- only through deck.

 

Did you eat food from the Rotarissary or the Mongolian Wok? How was the pizza?

 

Not too worried about desserts -- trying not to gain too much additional weight!

 

Me...always asking for sauce on the side or no sauce on my entrees. I want to enjoy the flavor of the food and not only taste the sauce on top of it.

 

Is shrimp cocktail available if you ask for it?

 

Could you get your pickup on the return from the upper level if it was a private car? Don't want to have to cross street with our luggage...3 women over 60.

 

Thanks and welcome back.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Aplmac]

What did you think of Splendor's interior decor in the public areas??

Photos I've seen reveal the weirdest of Joe Farcus' attempts!

 

The interior decor on most other Carnival ships by Farcus are acceptably glitzy

but Splendor was just horrible from what I've seen.

 

I've seen worse than this metallic spaceship stuff

 

.

[Maraprince]

Wasn't the Splendor the sister ship to the Costa Concordia and originally built for Costa? May account for the difference in decor and deck plans since it is unlike the rest of the Carnival fleet.

 

MARAPRINCE

[Cyber Kat]

So glad to hear that you had a great cruise! I'm so looking forward to mine. We're doing the same ports - GT, HMC & Nassau. We did them before on the Miracle.

 

1) Food. Pretty good, steakhouse was good as usual. I think the dining room menus need revamped though, not that the food was bad. Starters were usually better than the mains, and I thought dessert, all week, was where the ship lagged, in the dining room, in the lido, even in the steakhouse. Best dessert I had all week was room service chocolate cake..oh, and bitter and blanc. Someone in our party remarked that her problem was that the meat dishes always came sauced, and I agree, sometimes let the food speak for itself that always covering the beef/lamb/pork in various sauces.

 

I have no problem with the sauces and sometimes prefer them to the food they are covering ;)

 

2) Also, go see true identity!!! Best band I've ever seen on a cruise ship.

 

Excellent - I'm looking forward to seeing them!

 

3) Itinerary. I like these islands because they are kid friendly. We did day passes to the Sheraton in Nassau, snorkeling in HMC, and we rented a golf cart in Grand Turk. Highly recommend doing that in GT. A great way to see the entire island.

 

How did you like the Sheraton? We're thinking of doing the day pass there. Did you do the #10 Jitney or go by cab?

 

Overall, we had a great cruise. My complaints are minor...I don't love the layout of the ship, it will take at least 3 days before you figure out which elevators to take. The ship seems to get congested a lot too, the photographers being the main culprits. This was also the first time I can remember being on a ship and having a hard time getting a waiter to get a drink, maybe I just had bad luck? Nevertheless, a great time was had by all.

 

I've heard that! I got an app for my iPod that kind of gives directions like Google maps. You down load for the ship you are sailing on, so there's no connection. I will report back how well it worked!

[Aplmac]

My complaints are minor...I don't love the layout of the ship,

it will take at least 3 days before you figure out which elevators to take.

===> You don't study Deck Plans before your cruise? ;)

 

http://www.cruisecheap.com/ships/carnival-cruises-carnival-splendor-deck-plans.html

 

The ship seems to get congested a lot too, the photographers being the main culprits.

Yes, the photographers blocking the Promenade Deck are popular only with Carnival Corp. bean-counters! :cool:

 

Seems their photos are one of CCL's big profit-makers.

There have been many negative comments and threads about them.

 

.

[1stTimeRoyal]

1) We ate at every available option on the ship. I liked the Wok. Try to go either real early or late to avoid the line, food was hot and tasty. Lots of choices. Rotisserie just seems like a huge wasted space. I'd bet over 50% of the cruise doesn't even know its there. That said...the food is good. Chicken, baked potato bar, corn on the cob. Pizza, from what I've read here, is still the old menu, which is ok. Not good, not bad, ok. Shrimp cocktail every night.

 

2) If you take a private car, disembark couldn't be easier. Just get a porter, get all your bags, elevator to the roof, bags in car, drive away. Simple, simple process.

 

3) I didn't mind the interior of the ship one bit, but it would have to be truly awful for me to notice.

 

4) We LOVED the Sheraton. Just a perfect place for what we wanted. Cable beach is nice, and for 40$, with 2 adults 2 kids, to have day passes was a good deal we thought. We actually bought them thru the Wyndham, which is next door. Wyndham has a casino, their pool has a waterslide, but the Sheraton side is nicer. You get access to both. Because of the little ones, we took a cab both ways, 20 per trip.

 

Anything else??

[buddylover]

OP, we are thinking about booking the Splendor again for late 2014 (was on her when she was very new)......since she has not been drydocked (except to fix the fire)....what kind of condition is the ship in?? Carpeting, cabins etc. Kind of concerned about it being run down??? Thanks in advance for your response.

[1stTimeRoyal]

I think the ship could probably use a drydock, but only because it could use some of the new stuff that the other ships have (Guy's Burgers, Taste Bar, Cantina, etc.). But the condition of the ship is fine, but again, I would only notice that kind of stuff if it was truly bad. If there was a tiny stain here, or a ripped carpet there, I honestly wouldn't care or notice.

 

I picked the Splendor because we had been on Spirit class ships the past 2 cruises, and I wanted to try something different. I thought the Splendor had more variety in entertainment options and dining options than those ships, but I thought the Pride and Miracle were better designed ships.

[Mulege]

Ask for the entree with the sauce on the side. At breakfast ask for sauce on the side for Eggs Benedict, you'll avoid a crusty topping. Enjoy.

[Sanz]

 

How did you like the Sheraton? We're thinking of doing the day pass there. Did you do the #10 Jitney or go by cab?

 

We were on the same cruise. We took the #10 Jitney for $1.25 each way. It stopped in front of the Sheraton both ways.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

I really like taking the jitney. It is an experience in itself. We have had people sing on it, the driver tell stories --we enjoy just riding it and the best thing is it is so convenient to get to the Sheraton.

 

How did you like the Sheraton? We're thinking of doing the day pass there. Did you do the #10 Jitney or go by cab?

 

We were on the same cruise. We took the #10 Jitney for $1.25 each way. It stopped in front of the Sheraton both ways.

[Teedabubbles]

Does the Splendor have Guys Burger joint or the Blue Iguana?

[Teedabubbles]

Does the Splendor have the 2.0 upgrades?

[Jamman54]

Does the Splendor have Guys Burger joint or the Blue Iguana?

 

No.

[Jamman54]

Does the Splendor have the 2.0 upgrades?

 

No.

[mudman1234]

I'm on the splendor next week and trying to decide what to pack. How were the temperatures at dinner and in and around the ship. I'm considering lots of sleeveless tops but I sometimes get cold in air conditioning.

 

 

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[mudman1234]

So glad to hear that you had a great cruise! I'm so looking forward to mine. We're doing the same ports - GT, HMC & Nassau. We did them before on the Miracle.

 

1) Food. Pretty good, steakhouse was good as usual. I think the dining room menus need revamped though, not that the food was bad. Starters were usually better than the mains, and I thought dessert, all week, was where the ship lagged, in the dining room, in the lido, even in the steakhouse. Best dessert I had all week was room service chocolate cake..oh, and bitter and blanc. Someone in our party remarked that her problem was that the meat dishes always came sauced, and I agree, sometimes let the food speak for itself that always covering the beef/lamb/pork in various sauces.

 

I have no problem with the sauces and sometimes prefer them to the food they are covering ;)

 

 

 

Excellent - I'm looking forward to seeing them!

 

 

 

How did you like the Sheraton? We're thinking of doing the day pass there. Did you do the #10 Jitney or go by cab?

 

 

 

I've heard that! I got an app for my iPod that kind of gives directions like Google maps. You down load for the ship you are sailing on, so there's no connection. I will report back how well it worked!

 

How was that app? I'm considering it too.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Kclaing]

3) Itinerary. I like these islands because they are kid friendly. We did day passes to the Sheraton in Nassau, snorkeling in HMC, and we rented a golf cart in Grand Turk. Highly recommend doing that in GT. A great way to see the entire island.

 

 

Who did you use to rent the golf cart? We'll be stopping in GT in Mid July and want to try that as well. Thanks!

[thomarvin]

where the doors metal so magnets would stick? I have asked many times and no one is answering.

[Cyber Kat]

I'm on the splendor next week and trying to decide what to pack. How were the temperatures at dinner and in and around the ship. I'm considering lots of sleeveless tops but I sometimes get cold in air conditioning.

 

 

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Gold Pearl Dining room was warm to hot - and I'm always cold! After the first night or two, I stopped taking a sweater. I was comfortable in short sleeves.

 

We did the brunch in the Black Pearl one day and the temps there were about the same.

[Cyber Kat]

 

How was that app? I'm considering it too.

 

 

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Deck Director app was AWESOME! I was navigating around that ship with no problems by Day 2.

 

Decks 3 and 4 are the only real problem decks - all the others from 5 to 9 go forward to aft. Deck 10 - does, too but you have to go outside.

[reno3]

I am thinking of booking the Splendor for March of next year but I do not like the itinerary for the week I need, PC, Nassua and Freeport:( The Pride is doing the same route the same week:confused: Why would Carnival have them doing the same itinerary for the same week with the home ports that close to each other:confused: We have been to HMC and GT twice and would LOVE to go back again,

[PortSideCruzan]

I'm on the splendor next week and trying to decide what to pack. How were the temperatures at dinner and in and around the ship. I'm considering lots of sleeveless tops but I sometimes get cold in air conditioning.

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Hi Mudman:)

 

The main dining room temps were fine, comfy cozy.. In regards to around

the ship, the area's my wife & I found to be a bit chilly were the spectacular theater,

club morocco, piano bar, the robusto bar, and the pinnacle steakhouse.

 

She wore light sweater shrugs & was fine.

 

We loved the Splendor! Terrific cruise, outstanding crew!

:)

[mudman1234]

Thanks for those answers! One more question what time were you off the ship. I'm considering a bus home instead of driving in from MA but it won't pick us up till 1pm. What possibly will I do with all our luggage While waiting. It just seems so late, any thoughts or advice offered is appreciated.

 

 

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