Carnival Splendor 6/10/13 ... a ramble

[MariaNSteve]

Kat, we are looking at the b2b to Puerto Rico and back as well. My husband is all for that. We won't be able to go until 2016 or 2017 though because we need to wait until youngest is graduated from HS. I will just enjoy a few In between that time.

 

 

- Maria

[Lisa0719]

when I'm onboard in September, I am booking the January 2015 b2b. Still trying to figure out what to book in September 2014 since they took away my NY departure south-bound itinerary until mid-Oct 2014

[CRUZBUDS]

Thank you for your excellent review!

 

We're looking seriously at a B2B April 2015 -- 16 days and only 6 ports ...perfect for us :)

 

We really want to sail from New York and with a B2B, we improve our odds of having good weather sailing out of the harbor. We would want an aft balcony also -- we want to see it all.

[Crusin Karen]

We are thinking about the Jan or Feb, 2015 B2B also. Kat, I am a little bit like your DH: I LOVE to cruise, but 16 days away from home...it's a long time. I would love to do the 8 days, take a day off and go home, then go on 8 days again! :p Sometimes I just have to "get back to reality" and make sure everything is okay. :o We will probably wait until our Feb, 2014 cruise to book the next one also as I learned that you get a $100 OBC if you book a cruise on a cruise. Kind of like the old FCC they took away. :mad:

[sailorJo]

Hey, Kat, I see you are still rambling ;) ;). Reporting from the Splendor.... A total washout today in Nassau but at least we got to walk around town. This was our last port of call and tonight we'll be heading back home. Boo hoo hoo!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[bjinouno]

Kat I'm going to butt in on the past and spread the future news FTTF is now selling for the Splendor, I grabbed up mine this morning!

 

and please Keep up the great adventure, ours is coming up in 26 days...

:)

[Cyber Kat]

Kat I'm going to butt in on the past and spread the future news FTTF is now selling for the Splendor, I grabbed up mine this morning!

 

and please Keep up the great adventure, ours is coming up in 26 days...

:)

 

I heard - this is great! I'm getting this the next time we sail on the Splendor!

 

Have a great cruise!

[canadiangal40]

I snapped it up too for our cruise in January!

[MariaNSteve]

I just grabbed mine too. Loved it when we used it in June

 

 

- Maria

[funfunfuncruzininthesun]

I heard - this is great! I'm getting this the next time we sail on the Splendor!

 

Have a great cruise!

Just got mine only 14 FTTF left for my sailing hurry up everyone!

[MadOx75]

Kat I'm going to butt in on the past and spread the future news FTTF is now selling for the Splendor, I grabbed up mine this morning!

 

and please Keep up the great adventure, ours is coming up in 26 days...

:)

 

Did they say what cruise date it starts? Its either not available for my sailing or its sold out...

[MariaNSteve]

I didn't read it anywhere other the it was supposed to be added to Splendor by end of July. I would keep looking.

 

 

- Maria

[MadOx75]

I didn't read it anywhere other the it was supposed to be added to Splendor by end of July. I would keep looking.

 

 

- Maria

 

Thanks... Is it listed as an excursion or a service under manage my cruise?

[bjinouno]

MadOx75 when is your Cruise? Our's is the 13th of Aug... I don't know if it's starting with the next cruise or the one after...

[MadOx75]

MadOx75 when is your Cruise? Our's is the 13th of Aug... I don't know if it's starting with the next cruise or the one after...

 

Mine is September 14. Maybe it just hasn't become available for it yet?

[MariaNSteve]

It is an excursion. You only have to pay for one person in the cabin but it is for the whole cabin.

 

 

- Maria

[Dina7]

What time do you suggest arriving at port in NY on embarkation day if I don't have FTTF & am not Platinum?

 

(Posted this as a separate thread too, but thought I might get a quicker answer here)

 

Thank you!!

Dina

[bjinouno]

What time do you suggest arriving at port in NY on embarkation day if I don't have FTTF & am not Platinum?

 

(Posted this as a separate thread too, but thought I might get a quicker answer here)

 

Thank you!!

Dina

We get to the pier's about 10ish,,, we would rather wait at the beginning of the line, get through the check in and sit down and wait, Than STAND to get through it all, in the Crowds like cattle, Or you come at 2 and the lines are shorter and quicker, since they want to get everyone on the ship...LOL... Reading other posts and people are saying it has been a painless easy process... when ever they get there... How ever you plan it, YOU will be on the ship by 3....the latest LOL

[Cyber Kat]

What time do you suggest arriving at port in NY on embarkation day if I don't have FTTF & am not Platinum?

 

(Posted this as a separate thread too, but thought I might get a quicker answer here)

 

Thank you!!

Dina

 

We got there at 10:30am because we were waiting for my sister. People were still getting off in droves. We could see the area where you go through security and there really wasn't anyone there.

 

My sister arrived at around 11am. We walked over there and they took us right away. She's platinum, so they took us to the VIP lounge, but when we boarded there were other people - not VIP right behind us.

 

They have FTTF on the Splendor now. If you are going to HMC - it's worth the $50! HMC is a tender port.

[Dina7]

We got there at 10:30am because we were waiting for my sister. People were still getting off in droves. We could see the area where you go through security and there really wasn't anyone there.

 

My sister arrived at around 11am. We walked over there and they took us right away. She's platinum, so they took us to the VIP lounge, but when we boarded there were other people - not VIP right behind us.

 

They have FTTF on the Splendor now. If you are going to HMC - it's worth the $50! HMC is a tender port.

 

I wouldn't do FTTF because we have connecting cabins, so it would cost me $100. We did a tender to NCL's private island last summer & though we had to wait awhile, to us it's not worth an extra $100. Someone on here also said FTTF wasn't offered for our sailing on July 28th anyway & it wasn't listed in the excursions either.

 

Thanks for your help Kat! I thought I would shoot for getting there around 10:30.

[Cyber Kat]

Our roll call group decided to take another crack at the Wheel of Fortune machine, because even though we only broke even we had a lot of fun. We had all agreed to meet up there on this sea day.

 

So we had breakfast and then headed for the casino. Maria (Elationismyship) and her husband were there waiting for us at the machine, and soon we were all gathered. And so it began.

 

The machine was not showing us the love. We got a few small wins, but no spins on the Wheel. Slowly our cash began to dwindle, and then Maria told us that we had enough to allow the 3 players who had wins to play one more round. Player 1 got nada. Player 2 zilch. We were down to our last spin. Player 3 hits the button and ding, ding, ding - we get to spin the Wheel.

 

Now this Wheel had been teasing us for 2 days on a number of tries. It would slow down like it was going to stop at the $1000 slot, then at the last minute it would tick over to the $25 slot next to it.

 

This time we watched, it do the same thing ... but wait ... IT STOPPED IN THE $1000 SLOT! WHOO HOO! Yes we all shouted at once. We were jumping up and down and hugging. WE WON!

 

So exciting! We each got $50 - not exactly megabucks, but it feels so good to win!

 

The day was off to a great start!

 

When my sister and I had passed the Fun Shops on the way to the photo area, there was a woman setting up a table of jewelry. They were Bella Perlina bracelets. The woman said they would be going on sale at 2:30pm.

 

The bracelets - like the Pandora bracelets - were marked at $95 and $115. The woman told us they would be $24.95 and $39.95. I thought they were worth those prices - not the original ones, but they were nice so we decided to check out the sale later.

 

It was around 1pm I guess, so we decided to get some lunch. I checked out the Mongolian Wok but the line was long, so I decided to try the Burrito Bar - which I hadn't done yet.

 

There were only 2 people ahead of me, so I jumped on. I had chicken and bunch of veggies, black beans, and the mild sauce. For some reason, I can eat hot Chinese food, but not hot Mexican - no idea what the difference is.

 

So I got my Burrito and headed for the aft bar where I was meeting DH and my sister. On the way I spotted some of the really good taco chips we had at HMC - so I grabbed some of them, along with some guacamole and salsa. This stuff is really good. It's opposite the Burrito Bar by the stairs that go up to the rotisserie area.

 

DH was already sitting at a nice table in the shade and by the window. These tables are behind the bar - it's a good spot!

 

So I grabbed a drink - I think I had a Kiss on the Lips that day. And we had a nice lunch.

 

After lunch, my sister and I headed back to the Fun Shops to check out the bracelet sale. Now, the woman told us it would be crazy and I have seen some CRAZY sales on past cruises. This one was busy, but not too bad. We were able to get up to the table without too much hassle. People were actually being polite!

 

I had my eye on a turquoise one, but I have a similar bracelet in a similar color. Then I saw the purple one. Now purple is my favorite color, so I had to have it! I also saw ONE red one. I liked that too and there was only the one. I was trying to decide, and then my sister told me she would buy one of the bracelets for my birthday! YAY Sis! I get to have both!

 

So I got this one ...

 

And this one ...

 

 

As I said, I wasn't sure that they were worth the original price, but I thought they were definitely worth $24.95.

 

When I got home I Googled them and I found out that the ones I got are going for between 30 and 80 bucks so I was happy. I checked them out on eBay and I found that you can get individual charms to add to the bracelets like you can with the Pandora ones. I treated myself to a ship with crystals all around and a pair of sunglasses.

 

Couldn't find a photo of that one.

 

So after the sale, we decided to play some mini-golf. I love doing this on a cruise ship. It's always such a challenge on a cruise ship.

 

My sister and I played in the mini-golf tournament when we sailed on RCI's Voyager of the Seas a few years back. I got a t-shirt for coming in last.:D

 

I don't know if they have changed them, but the mini-golf on Voyager didn't have the crazy fun obstacles most mini-golf courses have. Both the Miracle and the Splendor do. The Splendor was great fun, with a pirate theme!

 

We were well matched and came within a couple of points of each other. DH won, I was next, my sister came in last

 

So ir was a good day. We hopped in the pool for a bit. Sat on the balcony, had some drinks and sushi.

 

I guess neither of us took many photos that day because I all have is a couple of tankers.

 

 

 

That night we had reservations at the Steak House for my birthday. Now my birthday was the next day and I didn't want to have to deal with packing and everything either before or after the Steak House, so we celebrated a day early.

 

They are so lovely in the Splendor Steak House. They were very nice the first time, but they remember you if you come back.

 

When we walked in, I was a little disappointed to see the shades down on the window because I was hoping, we'd get a table by the window again and I was hoping to see the sunset.

 

When the hostess seated us - by the window - she pulled up the blinds and explained that the sun had been very intense a bit earlier, but she thought it would be okay.

 

It was - this was our view ...

 

Once again, we had a fabulous meal. I had pretty much the same thing - Ahi Tuna Tartare - I switched my salad to the Spinach Salad with the bacon (YUM), the Surf and Turf with Bearnaise sauce and the mushrooms. For dessert I ordered the cheese cake and just ate what I could eat of it. It's really good, but far too large. They should cut out the waste and just serve a smaller portion - or offer a smaller portion.

 

So once again, we walked around a bit and then headed back to the room. This time trying not to be so rowdy while getting ready for bed, that the Security people have to call on us!

[Lisa0719]

I bought the Bella Pellina bracelets for my daughter and daughter-in-laws for Christmas last year . . . They loved them. They really are nice for $24.95.

 

I love the burrito bar ---- double shrimp burrito for me.

 

Thanks for this review, its great. I will be on Splendor in Sept, October, and November.

[bjinouno]

love the braclets,, hope there on sale once again....Love finding something and than the salesperson tells us they will be going on sale later....

than just to be there for the sale and not doing something else and forget about it..ahhhh I think 23 days left to wait.

[Cyber Kat]

So this is my birthday and the day of the Behind the Fun tour. We had been one of the first to sign up, so we were in the first group. We were to meet in the library at 8:45am.

 

DH wasn't feeling very well. He said he'd started feeling bad when we were finishing dinner. And he was up all night with stomach issues (I will spare you further details). I've had the Noro Virus and it wasn't that. Could have been his stomach rebelling from him eating all kinds of food that he doesn't normally eat - or it could have been some kind of bug he picked up.

 

He wasn't debilitating ill - just mostly not feeling well. So he decided not to do the tour.

 

My sister and I headed down to the Library to meet the tour. We told Johnel, our tour guide, that DH wouldn't be coming. He said, he was sorry to hear that DH was ill and that he would let guest services know so we could get a credit for the tour - which I thought was very nice and unexpected. You don't usually get a credit if you don't make an excursion.

 

I posted an extensive saga about the tour here - so I won't go into much detail, now. I still have to finish it, but I got involved with this.

 

I have to say it was well worth the $95. We really had a great time. Johnel was an excellent guide. Antonino Messina was very informative during our engine control room stop and Captain Pagano was very gracious and charming when we visited the bridge.

 

We finished up the tour, and mostly hung out. My sister and I went up to the pool. She wanted to sit in the hot tub - I don't know why - it was hot! Even the pool was hot. I went up to keep her company but those crude, lude and rude guys I mentioned a while back were there. I don't need to put up with that kind of behavior. It's bad enough knowing they talk about women like that when they are alone, but to do in when there are 2 older women present is just down right rude and unacceptable. I wanted to ask them if they talked that way in front of their mothers.

 

I left - I don't need to put up with that and I didn't want to be in the hot tub in the first place.

 

My sister and I went for our pre-dinner drink and to dinner without DH that night. We gave the 2 El Mojito bartenders an extra tip and also the MDR staff.

 

We had a nice dinner. I don't really remember what I ate that night - it's starting to blur and zydecocruiser's menus aren't helping because I think we had a different order.

 

I did have a spot of trouble with my wine. We decided not to get a whole bottle just for the 2 of us and I want red and my sister wanted white - so that was that.

 

I looked at the by-the-glass section of the menu and I found the Blanc de Blanc that I had the night before in the Steak House. It was good, so I decided on that.

 

We had 2 different wine people over the course of the cruise - one a woman and the other a man. The woman was a bit slow - it took forever for her to bring a drink. The guy was very prompt.

 

This night we had the woman. I told her what I wanted and she said, "we don't have that." I showed her the menu. She handed me the cardboard drink menu and said, "You have to order from this."

 

I said, "Then why are there wines listed in the menu?"

 

She shoved the card at me again and said, "You have to order from this. We don't have that!"

 

I said, "It's on the menu and I had it last night, so I know you have it."

 

"We don't have it," she insisted.

 

I insisted right back.

 

Finally she huffed and said, "I'll have to talk to the manager."

 

She came back about 15 minute with my wine and a very insincere apology.

 

That and the strip steak incident were the only bumps in the road for the whole cruise. I'd say that was very good.

 

It was a sad night. The wait staff sang, "Leaving Our Fun Ship," and then we had to go back and finish packing. We would arrive back in NY the next morning :(

[Cyber Kat]

Always the worst day of a cruise - or any vacation for that matter.

 

I usually try to get up early on the last day because it's just as great to sail into NY harbor as it is to sail out. It's just such a fantastic experience. I often think of my grandmother and my great-grandmother sailing into the harbor on their journeys from England and Sweden respectively. The rest of my family have lived in the US for a number of generations, but I have ancestors who came from Ireland and Germany as well. In any case, they all sailed into the harbor. Only my grandmother got to see the Statue of Liberty on her arrival, because the others arrived before the Statue was given to us by France and erected in the harbor.

 

This particular morning I was awakened by the ship doing maneuvers again. If I wasn't always so curious, I could have rolled over and gone to sleep, but I had to know what was going on. From the time, I assumed we were picking up the pilot off of Sandy Hook.

 

And we were. This is the sight that greeted me when I opened the balcony door.

 

And then as we got closer to NY, you could see the sun breaking through the clouds over Brooklyn

 

 

 

I love the wake in this one I took from the side of the ship.

 

And here comes the bridge

 

And the sun over the bridge

 

And we go under the bridge ...

 

And that's 6 pics so I have to move on ...