Carnival Splendor 4 Night Canada Cruise - CruiseXLife's Photo Review

[cruisexlife]

Splendor is the only ship left with this sign. It was a nice addition to all of the pictures I took from the top of the ship.

 

 

United we stand.

 

 

Erie/Lakawanna Station. I don't really know what this is, but my family originates from Lakawanna County in Pennsylvania, so I took it for them. If you're from the area, say hey!

 

 

When I came in 2011 for a long weekend with friends, they had barely started. When I did this cruise in 2013, they had half of it done. And now, 2015, it is completed. What a wonderful building it is. If you have not been to Ground 0 or seen it for yourself, it's a must.

 

 

 

This sailaway always reminds me how much I love New York.

 

[cruisexlife]

I really like this photo for some reason. I should go back through my Glory photos, I think I have the same shot.

 

 

There she is! You know, I go to New York 2-4 times a year, and I have never been to the Statue. I don't know how, but I have yet to do it. I'll have to do it next time!

 

 

Love seeing these in the harbor all the time. If I'm not mistaken, they're free. Another thing to add to my "New York To-Do" List!

 

 

Goodbye New York, see you in 4 days!

 

 

 

Next obstacle: Go under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. But I pulled out my phone, and it was 5:50. Time for dinner, so I got this shot before I left the deck.

 

[Ascott318]

Ahhh, Splendor !!... I sailed on it 8x in the last year with my most recent a B2B for 16 days. I love the crew on the Splendor. I will be back in less than 3 weeks for another 8 days. Not going to be the same without Malcolm though.

[nybumpkin]

I love New York sailaway photos! The Erie Lackawanna terminal is a train and ferry terminal for commuters in Hoboken. It started its life as the terminal for the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Really a neat station. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us!

[cruisexlife]

We had dinner at the Gold Pearl Restaurant, Deck 3 Aft. It was a very pretty restaurant, probably my favorite out of any ship.

 

 

 

We were seated at an 8 top near the windows at the stern. The first night, it was only 4 people; A couple from China, Jacqui, and I. They didn't talk much, but we had a nice conversation about China. I went there for three weeks last year and it was the most eye-opening experience of my life, and talking with them brought me right back. All I'll say about that is: if you ever get the chance to go to any Asian country, especially China, go!

 

Mid-conversation I noticed that we had just passed under the Verrazano Narrows. Here is the picture I got.

 

 

Can't wait to get away from this brown water for a few days!

 

 

For dinner I had the Chicken A La Grecque. Splendor is still on old menus, so I do not know if this is still available on ships with the new menus, but I really liked it. Glad I tried it! Here were our desserts. Jac had the Crème Brulee and I had the WMC!

 

 

From dinner, we went to the Taste Bar, and we found out that we could not eat tonight. Every time I have that meatball from the Taste Bar, my mouth swells up and burns. And Jacqui is kosher, so the meatballs covered in cheese weren't working either. Oh well, another night.

 

Edited July 24, 2015 by cruisexlife

[cruisexlife]

After dinner, we went up to the upper deck to watch the sun set. Here is a movie playing on deck, with the roof open. This was a good change because rain or shine, the movies are still playing on deck, which is very good for the families. It didn't rain that night, but as you can see, it could any minute.

 

 

Looking forward. You can already see the water go from a brown to a light green. Glad to be out of the city!

 

 

Looking down at the Liner Pool and the stern from Deck 12

 

 

I went to the top of the grandstand to take this. It turned out pretty nice.

 

 

The hottubs on Deck 10. I didn't really favor them up here. They were so close to civilization and always caused the floor to be wet. They looked great when they weren't being used, but it got a little dangerous when they were.

 

 

Also something I get off of every ship, the sign Fincantieri put in it when they built it. I love this little signature from the shipyard, I find it very interesting. I have followed every ship since Magic, in addition to ships from other lines, and I still do not understand how they put these things together so quickly and efficiently!

 

[cruisexlife]

The liner Bar, Deck 9 aft

 

 

Sunset tonight wasn't very good. The clouds were blocking it and they finally opened up as it was finishing. But it was still cool to see.

 

 

Looking down at the Splendido Lido

 

 

Looking up at the steakhouse

 

 

The signs along the promenade leading to all the venues. I liked Splendor's promenade and I spent some time here.

 

 

Splendor's awards case. Out of all the ships I've been on, Splendor has the best one yet. It has been to so many ports, such as Buenos Aires, Cabo San Lucas, Boston, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Grenada, Valparaiso, etc. Check it out!

 

[hockeyluver]

Enjoying your pictures and review. Thank you. I was wondering if being Canadian if we would have to fill out that form if we ever do a cruise to Canada....

[cruisexlife]

The Spectacular Lounge, looking down from Deck 5. This was also my favorite theater so far on any ship. It had such a distinguished look and was very beautiful. Don't quite know how it matched the rest of the ship, but I liked it!

 

 

Looking outside at night. Such a lovely view at night.

 

 

Looking down the elevator shafts to the lobby, Deck 9

 

 

We then decided to go to the giftshop to browse, but all I found was this. You may see store hours, but the rest of us see a common mistake. Saint John in New Brunswick is always written out, never shortened to St. John. St. John is on Prince Edward Island, another large city. Many locals find it offensive when major corporations cannot follow the local customs only to make it easier on themselves. Come on carnival!

 

 

It was now around 9:30. Jacqui and I hit the casino for a bit. I did tables while she did some slots. She was up about $20 and I ended about even for the night. The casino was nice-looking.

 

 

We crossed the way and listened to some music with drinks until about 11. Both of us were really tired from our long embarkation day, and wanted to get some sleep so we had energy for our first sea day. We headed back to the room and found this.

 

 

Next: Sea Day

[cruisexlife]

Ahhh, Splendor !!... I sailed on it 8x in the last year with my most recent a B2B for 16 days. I love the crew on the Splendor. I will be back in less than 3 weeks for another 8 days. Not going to be the same without Malcolm though.

 

Wow you must really love Splendor! Glad you're reading along, and I hope you enjoy your cruise!

[cruisexlife]

I love New York sailaway photos! The Erie Lackawanna terminal is a train and ferry terminal for commuters in Hoboken. It started its life as the terminal for the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Really a neat station. Thanks for sharing your cruise with us!

 

Oh okay, makes sense now. Thanks so much for the help! I hope you enjoy the review!

[cruisexlife]

Enjoying your pictures and review. Thank you. I was wondering if being Canadian if we would have to fill out that form if we ever do a cruise to Canada....

 

Hello,

 

Yes you would need to fill it out. There were many spaces for Canadian residents, and everyone was filling them out. Technically, you have to exit Canada to get to New York, so when you reenter, you would need it. But I would validate with Carnival beforehand.

 

I would recommend this cruise to anyone, you would love it, especially being Canadian. Thanks for reading!

[cincicruisers]

Enjoying your review, can't wait for the rest!

[cruisexlife]

Enjoying your review, can't wait for the rest!

 

Glad you're enjoying it, thanks for following along! :D

[Ascott318]

Was supposed to go to Canada on Splendor July 2014, storm was going up coast. When we arrived at terminal in NYC,Captain made an announcement. We are very sorry but with approaching storm going up the coast we are unable to sail our original itinerary . We will be taking you to Bermuda. Sorry,but I was even more excited. I have sailed Splendor so much in the past year as I am from New York. Orange County to be exact. Received a few pack & play offers & bounce back offers from casino,and 1 premiere in Jan 2014 that I did pay for. A very low rate. Casino gave me $400 and I won a raffle of $250 ,so they paid me to go.8 cruises in the last year and they were all free.Splendor again in 3 weeks. I spend a lot of time in the casino,but by no means am I a big time gambler. I just like cruising out of New York because it's easy for me. Hop on train for 1 1/2 hrs to Grand Central and a taxi ride to Port and I'm there. No expensive airfare.

[cruisexlife]

We woke up around 9:30AM and began what looked like a rainy and gloomy day at sea.

 

 

Quick tip for anyone staying in an inside stateroom. It gets very dark at night, and if you wake up in the middle of the night, there is no way of telling whether or not its day or night, and it may be hard to find the bathroom. What we did was turned the TV on, muted it, and then put on the forward camera channel. This way, the TV gave off enough light at night to find the bathroom, and when it got light outside, it got brighter. It worked really well for us!

 

 

Our location

 

 

Jac and I took our time getting ready, and headed to brunch in the Gold Pearl Deck 3. I always go to brunch when we have a sea day, it beats the craziness of the buffet, and the food is good. I had my usual, an omelette and three orders of curly fries with orange juice, while Jacqui had the fruit salad and pancakes with coffee. We both split a brownie for desert. I have heard many reports about Splendor being the worst ship when it comes to service for brunch, but it was exceptional this cruise.

 

Afterwards we decided to go up top to see what we were facing. Not too bad, didn't keep people out of the hottubs.

 

 

But it did keep the midship pool closed. But it was great to see all of the kids swimming and having fun in the rain, where on the other ships, parents are hesitant to take their kids into an adult only pool. Malcolm, the cruise director, was hosting the "Fun Ashore, Fun Aboard" show.

 

 

Calm seas, about 75 degrees, overcast with occasional rain. I've had worse sea days. This weather ended up making today a (much needed) relaxing day.

 

[cruisexlife]

Was supposed to go to Canada on Splendor July 2014, storm was going up coast. When we arrived at terminal in NYC,Captain made an announcement. We are very sorry but with approaching storm going up the coast we are unable to sail our original itinerary . We will be taking you to Bermuda. Sorry,but I was even more excited. I have sailed Splendor so much in the past year as I am from New York. Orange County to be exact. Received a few pack & play offers & bounce back offers from casino,and 1 premiere in Jan 2014 that I did pay for. A very low rate. Casino gave me $400 and I won a raffle of $250 ,so they paid me to go.8 cruises in the last year and they were all free.Splendor again in 3 weeks. I spend a lot of time in the casino,but by no means am I a big time gambler. I just like cruising out of New York because it's easy for me. Hop on train for 1 1/2 hrs to Grand Central and a taxi ride to Port and I'm there. No expensive airfare.

 

Someone in our roll call was on your same cruise, and told us about it. This thought made me really happy, but that's exactly what it was, a thought. Wish something like that would happen to me! You're lucky!

 

I spend some time in the casino, but not much. Living so close to Baltimore 9ships pass my house when they leave), as well as so close to BWI (holding pattern is above my house), home of $79 direct flight Southwest, you would think I'd test my luck more often in the casino. Many next time!

 

Have you ever been to Canada? I would totally recommend it.

[cruizinisthebest]

Thanks for tuning in! They are very scarce, that's why I told myself that I had to get it written before September when they all commence. Sadly, I left today on this exact same cruise, so only one or two four nights left, meaning not many that can read this and know exactly what their cruise will be like. But I will totally have it done for the peak season. I also hope to spark a new interest in many, as this is a great cruise and should be taken advantage of!

 

I hope you enjoy it!

 

I'm definitely enjoying it and it has sparked my interest!!

[cruisexlife]

Such a calm day.

 

 

Wish they found a new place for these signs on the other ships!

 

 

This may have been my calmest sea day to date. I felt nothing all day, and the pools barely moved! Would've been nice for some sunshine, but you'll see in a little bit why I'm glad the sun didn't kick in today.

 

 

It was now around 1 and Jac and I got a little hungry. We picked up some salads and took them back to the room. We changed into our bathing suits and decided to go into the hottubs. We had a steady rain at this point, so we opted for the hottubs inside. They were rather crowded, so we didn't spend much time in them. However, we did take advantage of the clear pool!

 

 

Around 3 we went back to the room and changed. Jacqui took a shower, I did not. We went to tea at 3:30. We were seated at a nice 8 top with great people. We talked about all of our cruise experiences and life at home, it was nice to meet new people.

 

 

After tea, we went back to the room. Jacqui wanted to go on deck and read, and I wanted to hit the gym. We agreed to meet back at the room at 6:15 for dinner. I ran for a while, then lifted, hit the elliptical, and finally went to the sauna. Note that the "steam room" for regular guests is a shower with some mist coming out of it! If steam rooms are your thing, invest in the spa package. The gym was very well equipped, but I think I like the Conquest class layout a little better. But someone at tea said that ships with the Cloud 9 Spa have much better spas than the other ships, even if you don't have the package. If I'm ever back on Splendor, I'll make sure I try it.

 

Dinner should've been at 6, and it was formal night, but Jacqui and I realized that neither one of us was up for it this cruise, so we left our formal gear at home. I was craving a BLT so when I got back to the room, I ordered it, and then took my shower. Right when I came out, it was delivered, and we headed upstairs to the lido deck to eat it. I also got a salad and some chicken from the buffet, and so did Jac. We enjoyed our dinner up there, and I will do it again on another cruise. Bringing your room service up to the lido is very easy and efficient, so that gives you more options to choose from.

 

[cruisexlife]

After dinner, we saw many people congregating in the back of the ship. For some reason I thought it was someone overboard, or something bad because many were running with their cameras pointed out. The sun had not started setting, and it seemed like a regular evening. I went out outside and was pleasantly surprised to find this.

 

 

 

I was amazed, I had never seen such a thing on land or at sea. How many rainbows are there!? We could not come to a consensus, but we could agree that it was breathtaking. In this time, the sun began to set, and I witnessed the best sunset I have ever seen at sea. Yes, it even beats the one in my Liberty review.

 

 

It literally looked like cotton candy

 

 

It looked like something you would've found hanging in an art gallery, something imagined. But it was very real.

 

 

This is the lockscreen on my phone now!

 

[cruisexlife]

Could not get over the sunset. It was now around 55 with the windchill and I did not have a jacket. But it was too beautiful to miss.

 

 

The sunset continued on for a bit longer, and once the sun was down, we headed back inside to the upper level on Deck 10. We grabbed some coffee and talked while watching the last bit of light fade away. I snapped this before we ultimately left.

 

 

We were in the mood for some piano music. So we headed to the piano bar. We got some drinks and jammed until about 9. We were feeling a bit risky, so we got our bathing suits back on and headed for the hottub, but this time on the open deck! It was rather cold, but once we got used to the water, it was fine. We had it to ourselves! I took this when we decided to get out, around 10.

 

 

We went inside and tried to watch the movie playing, but found no interest in it. We headed back to the room, and got ready for bed. I ordered another BLT because hottubs in 50 degree weather really leaves you hungry. This was our position around 10:30.

 

 

I ate my sandwitch, and headed off to bed, optimistic for our return to Saint John. I cannot wait to share it with you guys!

 

Next: Saint John, Canada

[cruisexlife]

I'm definitely enjoying it and it has sparked my interest!!

 

Glad you're enjoying it, and that I'm sparking interest! I will begin my Saint John section shortly. Feel free to ask any questions!

[TheCriuseDirector]

Can't wait to read more about this! Hopefully a Canada/New England Cruise is in the making for my cruise itineraries because NYC is pretty close to where I live and it would be nice to do something different than what is "normal" thoughts for cruises. Subscribed!

[nybumpkin]

Could not get over the sunset. It was now around 55 with the windchill and I did not have a jacket. But it was too beautiful to miss.

 

This must be a North Atlantic after-the-storm sight. We did a NYC-Canada cruise some years ago and I took a similar photo after we sailed through some rough weather. Great photos!:cool:

[cruisexlife]

Can't wait to read more about this! Hopefully a Canada/New England Cruise is in the making for my cruise itineraries because NYC is pretty close to where I live and it would be nice to do something different than what is "normal" thoughts for cruises. Subscribed!

 

Thanks for the subscription! And I would most certainly add it to your list of future cruises, the short 4-5 day ones do just fine. I'll start my Saint John portion momentarily so you can read all about Canada. ;)