Our Splendid Splendor cruise (with pics) 8/13/13

[bjinouno]

[We went to Brunch twice, the service was fast, meals came quickly, you get a basket of fresh pastries and morning rolls,, YUM.. we had the eggs bennidict, make sure you order extra sauce with these GIANT babies, I don't know what kind of eggs these were, but IF they were regular chicken eggs I want to know what they were fed! they were huge! came with a side of home fries, and u can order or bacon, ham or sasuage... The fun french toast was amazing too. It's a nice way to start the day, or even for lunch. Don't forget to cash in your free drink while there or during the early part of the day, the bar closes down at 1:30

[Jamman54]

Serenity, Dec 12 Fwd. Port & Starboard sides….

 

 

Usually Patti and I spend a lot of time at Serenity when we cruise on Carnival ships. On this cruise we did not spend a single minute here. The reason? The Splendor is the only ship in the fleet that has a Serenity area that doesn’t even have a hot tub! All they have is one measly shower on each side. Add to the fact that the mini golfers are right above you raining golf balls down on you is all you have to know. I don’t understand that if the aft pool and hot tubs are already adult only, why don’t they just move the comfy loungers and chairs back there, and put up the barriers, just like they did on the Spirit Class ships!! Off of my soapbox now. Here are some pictures….

 

 

 

 

 

This was our own personal Serenity area. Shower and drinks are right inside the door….

 

 

The Line for the waterslide….

 

 

To be continued…..

Edited August 27, 2013 by Jamman54

[Crazykat945]

Thank you so much for this wonderful review. My mom and I will be on this ship on 10/16, and I can't wait to find out more!

[Jamman54]

[We went to Brunch twice, the service was fast, meals came quickly, you get a basket of fresh pastries and morning rolls,, YUM.. we had the eggs bennidict, make sure you order extra sauce with these GIANT babies, I don't know what kind of eggs these were, but IF they were regular chicken eggs I want to know what they were fed! they were huge! came with a side of home fries, and u can order or bacon, ham or sasuage... The fun french toast was amazing too. It's a nice way to start the day, or even for lunch. Don't forget to cash in your free drink while there or during the early part of the day, the bar closes down at 1:30

 

Thanks for chiming in Barb!! We had planned on trying the brunch, but for whatever reasons we missed it. (we had 4 chances!! lol) Will make sure we get there next time.

[Jamman54]

Some more pictures from my walk around.

 

 

Looking aft from Deck 12…..

 

 

Splendido Pool hot tub, Deck 10 Port side….

 

 

 

Seaside Theater…..

 

 

Deck 10 Port side looking Aft…

 

 

Looking Aft from Deck 10 Port side…..

 

 

My favorite bartender at the Liner Bar….

 

 

To be continued…..

Edited August 27, 2013 by Jamman54

[cruisinparamedic]

I love going to the MDR for breakfast. The eggs Benedict are my favorite, I actually prefer it without the sauce, the yolk is enough for me!

[rob6465]

Wife and I will be cruising on the magic this december for my 49th birthday but want to take a 50th birthday cruise from NYC where i grew up and lived 35 years and hoping to cruise on Splendor..if she is available in December. Enjoying your review.

[Jamman54]

At this time I ran into Ryan and we went to the Cartoon Trivia at the Spectacular Lounge. Though we only missed three questions out of forty, it wasn’t good enough to win.

 

 

I was feeling a little bit hungry so I decided to give the Tandoor a try. I had both the fish and the chicken over rice, and it was very good….

 

 

 

Here’s a little info to help you procure your lunch in a timely fashion. If you crave the Mongolian Wok, start lining up ten minutes before it opens at Noon, otherwise you will wait. For little or no lines, the Tandoor , and the Rotisserie are your quickest choices. At all other stations the lines ebb and flow like the tides, so if you see a line under 10 people, jump into it!! You remember the pictures with all those people up on deck? Those people get hungry, so hence the lines!!

 

The line at the Deli…..

 

 

It was now time for the first blackjack tournament of the cruise, so Patti used her BOGO to get us entries. I made the Final Table as the 2nd highest qualifier, but only finished 3rd in the Finals. I received yet another t-shirt that will never fit me!!

 

2nd Qualifier…..

 

 

Final Table…..

 

 

Afterwards I stayed in the casino and played blackjack for a few hours, and lost about $75. Patti and Ryan went to the Spectacular Lounge for the afternoon bingo session…

 

 

 

Guess what? She won again!! Whooo Hoooo!!! Another $300.00!!

 

 

To be continued….

Edited August 27, 2013 by Jamman54

[alexandramariepap]

Jeff, vin and I went to the punch liner comedy brunch a few times. This was a great option for us, as we slept in late sea days. We found the eggs were best in the MDR. Though the comedy only lasted about 5 minutes, the menu was different than regular brunch and delicious! They had great blueberry pancakes and churros!

[cuted126]

WOW, your wife was really lucky at Bingo!!!!:)

[saltydog77]

Thanks everyone for your comments, and coming along for the ride!!

 

It was a GREAT first day!!

 

What a great start loving your review we will be in your cabin on the 14th also have another cabin booked near to. family cruise on the countdown as it gets nearer. We love New YORK went on the Splendor at Easter it was brilliant just got use to the pink in the end. regards Jenny and Frank

[Jamman54]

Jeff, vin and I went to the punch liner comedy brunch a few times. This was a great option for us, as we slept in late sea days. We found the eggs were best in the MDR. Though the comedy only lasted about 5 minutes, the menu was different than regular brunch and delicious! They had great blueberry pancakes and churros!

 

We're REALLY sorry now that we didn't go!!! :(

WOW, your wife was really lucky at Bingo!!!!:)

 

She's just warming up!!! :D

[MrsBruz]

 

What a great start loving your review we will be in your cabin on the 14th also have another cabin booked near to. family cruise on the countdown as it gets nearer. We love New YORK went on the Splendor at Easter it was brilliant just got use to the pink in the end. regards Jenny and Frank

 

We booked 14 months in advance because Patti and I wanted an Aft Wrap, and we wanted an Aft Extended Balcony for the boys, right next door. We wound up booking cabins 6450 (Aft Wrap), and 6452. The reason we chose Deck 6 was because of the six Aft Wraps on the Splendor, only those on this deck can sleep 3 people. Thinking ahead that there was a possibility that Kevin wouldn’t make the trip, I wanted to hedge my bets. As it turned out, Kevin did have to back out, so I cancelled cabin 6452, and moved Ryan in with us, much to his displeasure!!

 

Saltydog, I hope you don't mean you're in his exact cabin, since we are booked in 6450 on the 9/14 Splendor sailing :confused:

 

As a first time cruiser I'm already nervous so I just tripled checked again that it's 6450 on all our cruise docs lol :o

[Jamman54]

This afternoon the VIFP party is scheduled in the Spectacular Lounge from 4:30 to 5:15….

 

 

I decided to skip the party and have some slide and pool time with Ryan, then relax in a hot tub for a while. I have found that around 5pm the masses depart the open decks and head inside, leaving plenty of loungers available, and the pools and hot tubs virtually empty.

 

Splendido Pool at 5pm…..

 

 

Splendido hot tub at 5pm……

 

 

 

I went back to the cabin about 7pm to get ready for dinner. Ryan and I went to the 7:30 Family Comedy show featuring Diane Ford. I remember seeing her on Showtime some years ago as one of the “ladies of the Night”. Good show.

 

 

Dinner was excellent again tonight. I had the shrimp cocktail, spring roll, jerked pork, and the strawberry cheesecake. Patti had the salmon, followed by two scoops of butter pecan ice cream. I made sure to tell Bertram that we would be dining at the Pinnacle Steakhouse tomorrow night. Tonight the waitstaff danced to “Hey Baby”, (I think that’s the title). Great stuff!!

 

 

Afterwards, we took a stroll around the ship, went to the internet café to check emails, then we decided to call it a night and head back to the cabin, where a new towel animal awaited us…..

 

 

We sat out on the balcony for a while watching the moon and stars over a smooth ocean, then it was time for bed. Ryan went out for a moonlight swim with his O2 friends, followed by a midnight game of dodgeball. I was fast asleep by the time he came in.

 

 

Coming up – Our day in Grand Turk

Edited August 27, 2013 by Jamman54

[KruuzinAgain]

I love when people take the time to post reviews like this with so many detailed pictures!! We'll be on the Splendor January 4th and looking at these photos just gets me so psyched up for our cruise.

 

Great job Jamman, and thanks for posting!!!!:)

[saltydog77]

saltydog, i hope you don't mean you're in his exact cabin, since we are booked in 6450 on the 9/14 splendor sailing :confused:

 

As a first time cruiser i'm already nervous so i just tripled checked again that it's 6450 on all our cruise docs lol :o

 

 

 

panic panic sorry on the opposite side to you. Really waiting to go .

[foxcent]

Exellent review

[cjknox]

Great review tank you for sharing your thoughts.

[lifeisgoodPat]

Loving the review! Isn't the Brunch fantastic. I love the Mexican food for breakfast, it is just soooo good.

[Jamman54]

Hello again everybody!! Time to begin telling you about our day in Grand Turk…..

 

 

We woke up around 7am, stepped out on the balcony to a beautiful, almost cloudless day. It was going to be a HOT one!! It was time to head up to the Lido for our usual omelette breakfast. The plan was for me to get off the ship as soon as it was cleared, and head right over to Margaritaville to get my first choice of cabanas. Patti and Ryan would join me a little later. Since we were only here from 9am to 3pm, we wanted to maximize our time.

 

 

First, a little bit about the cabanas, in fact, why rent a cabana? I have to go back to 2008 to explain. We were on the Miracle, and we were making our very first visit to Grand Turk. Not knowing any better, we just grabbed a couple of loungers by the pool, and settled in for the day. Now, at that time, it hadn’t rained there for well over 300 days, but that afternoon was going to be different. We were hit with not one, not two, but three different torrential downpours!! Now, our bodies getting soaked by the rain wasn’t a problem, since we were wet from the pool and ocean anyway, but all our other stuff getting soaked, well that’s a different story. So during the third time we picked up our soaked stuff and headed back to the ship, but we couldn’t help notice the cabanas, and their dry occupants on their covered decks, so we swore to each other that the next time we came here, (and every other time since), we would rent a cabana!

 

The cost is $129.95, and unlike the HMC cabanas, you can’t pick the one you want until you get to the island. There are only ten of them, with # 1 being closest to the swim up bar, and # 10 being by the Flowrider and beach. What you get is a fully enclosed, air conditioned, cabana that can be locked if you want to leave valuables and wander away. Inside are a couple of comfy couches, and a long coffee table, a perfect place to have snacks or lunch. Outside under the covered deck are a couple of loungers. The best part for me is the “button”. The “button” is located inside the cabana on the front wall. Press the “button” and within a couple of minutes your personal server will come and take your drink and food orders, and bring them back promptly. No waiting a half hour or more at the bar or restaurant when it gets crowded, and it does get crowded, especially if two ships are in port that day!! After you check in, they will hold your Sail & Sign card hostage until you pay your tab and check out. On the downside, drinks and food at Margaritaville are not cheap.

 

 

One of the first off the ship….

 

 

Margaritaville…..

 

 

Patti and Ryan are off the ship….

 

 

Our cabana # 9….

 

 

The Splendor in the background….

 

 

To be continued….

Edited August 28, 2013 by Jamman54

[Jamman54]

Me, relaxing on our deck….

 

 

Ryan is staying cool in the cabana….

 

 

Ryan had a 10am appointment with the Flowrider. He loves to do this every time we’re in Grand Turk. Cost is $29.99 for an hour, with about a dozen other riders. He got about seven turns during the hour.

 

Flowrider Hut sign…..

 

 

The Flowrider and the Carnival Splendor….

 

 

Ryan on the Flowrider….

 

 

Ryan wipes out!!.....

 

 

To be continued…..

Edited August 28, 2013 by Jamman54

[Neotericisis]

I was just posting in my Roll Call about Grand Turk. I planned on running off the ship and grabbing some good lounge chairs at the pool for free, but we may opt for the cabanas. The $129 is not as inviting since its only my DH and I as opposed to a family of 4, but it is certainly worth it to not hear him moan and groan! We'll see...

 

Also, the flowrider looks right up his alley. He is a big kid at heart so I may even surprise him with tickets- hey, maybe that is a cheaper option. Surprise him with tickets to the flowrider and don't get a cabana, at least it is a decent exchange for fun in the sun. Plus, if all else fails he can head back to the ship by himself or Margaritaville has indoor seating so he can escape the sun in there. I also want to get jerk chicken at Jack's Shack so I will probably be doing a beach trek on my own.

[Jamman54]

After Ryan’s session on the Flowrider, we were all hungry, so we headed back to our cabana…..

 

 

Ryan pressed the “button”, and almost immediately our server appeared to take our order. I desperately needed a bucket of Landsharks, and Patti and Ryan ordered our lunches and drinks for themselves. It was very hot out today, so it was great to relax in air conditioned comfort and just chill for a bit. About twenty minutes later our food arrived, and though Patti had to send her salad back because they had put the corn salsa on it when she requested not to have it, all was well. There was plenty of food to pick at while waiting for her new salad.

 

 

We spent the rest of the day alternating between the cabana, pool, and ocean. Thankfully, Patti did remember to grab the camera and take some pictures!

 

 

Pool views….

 

 

 

 

The Swim up Bar, we stayed away from there!!!....

 

 

The Grand Turk Weather Station….

 

 

Margaritaville views…..

 

 

To be continued….

Edited August 28, 2013 by Jamman54

[disfan13]

Loving the review!

[Jamman54]

More Margaritaville views….

 

 

 

 

Beach view with the Splendor in the background….

 

 

Carnival Splendor docked in Grand Turk….

 

 

Another view of the beach…..

 

 

View of the beach on the other side of the pier….

 

 

To be continued….

Edited August 28, 2013 by Jamman54