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

[cruisexlife]

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:

 

Yes, the weather was pretty stormy that day, but cleared up around sunset. That's why I'm glad it cleared up then rather than during the day, or else the sunset wouldn't have been this nice! Thanks for reading and I hope this review is bringing back some memories!

[cruisexlife]

Sorry for the error in the title above, can't change it. :/

 

We woke up to a 7:45 wake up call, super excited to return to Saint John.

 

 

We went out to the secret deck to take in the view. Good morning Canada!

 

 

It was a sunny day, about 68 degrees in the morning, reaching about 75 later in the day. Perfect for our activity!

 

 

We had ordered croissants and fruits to the room to reduce time waiting upstairs. We ate our food while getting ready, and headed up around 8:10. I got some cereal and bacon and Jac got some eggs and hashbrowns. We were pretty full now, so we grabbed our bags and water bottles and headed to Deck 3 to exit the ship.

 

 

Why Deck 3? Well, because of the constant and extreme tides in the Bay of Fundy, the ship is constantly raising and dropping throughout the day. So they attached us to a gate very similar to what you would find when cruising from Miami or Baltimore. If there is more than one ship in, they will use the gangway below with the other ships, because those are designed to move up and down a lot. But they send the biggest into the gate because they have a beautiful welcome center!

 

 

In the terminal, you can get a last-minute tour, use the free wifi, listen to live music, or use the bathroom. It's a nice building!

 

Edited July 25, 2015 by cruisexlife

[cruisexlife]

Once you leave the terminal, you enter a tent market where you can buy souvenirs. Unlike the Caribbean, the people in Canada will not jump at you and pressure you into things, which is a very nice change.

 

 

I got some postcards and then we left. Here is the ship with the Big Pink Bus, one of the popular attractions in Saint John. We haven't done it, but we opted not to this trip.

 

 

Welcome, Carnival Splendor, on your inaugural 2015 Saint John call!

 

 

I love the architecture and buildings here.

 

 

The license plate photo that I get in every country!

 

 

We walked down a block to the Avis Car Rental. We had rented a car for the day to see the city on our own, something neither of us had ever done in a foreign country. It was about $22 for the car, which we could not possibly pass up. We signed the agreements and headed on to the parking lot across the street to pick up our car.

 

[cruisexlife]

Not only did they picture a Chevy Spark (a small hatchback) and we were given a midsize sedan, but it just so happened to be a Chevy Cruze! I loved the irony of this, we knew we were in for a great day! :D

 

 

We decided that Jacqui would be driving. From past experiences, it works better when I give the directions and she drives. We had talked to the Avis workers, and they had recommended the Irving Nature Park, a place we had never even heard of. It was about 10 miles past the Reversing Falls, where we were headed, so we decided to make a stop there. So our pre-lunch journey would be south, and our post-lunch would be north. We left the parking lot and headed out of the city.

 

 

I hope we're going the right way!

 

 

Such a neat town. Especially from New York, Philly, Baltimore, Scranton and Harford (where most of the people on the cruise were from or lived close to), Saint John is a great place to get away to on a cruise ship.

 

 

As we drove towards the Reversing Falls, we got a great view of Splendor!

 

Edited July 25, 2015 by cruisexlife

[KPfromCT]

Absolutely LOVING your review!!!:D:D

I am right outside of Hartford, CT and this is making me want to try Canada.

Keep up the great work. Cannot wait to read more!:D

[JohnSpo]

Great review so far. I am enjoying it, especially since we don't get a Canadian review very often. I've been on the New England/Canada itinerary twice. Once on Glory and once on Splendor. I enjoy this itinerary. It is a relaxing cruise and the Canadian ports and people are great. I've been on Splendor 3 times. It is a nice ship with a great crew. If you can, try the 7 day New England/Canada itinerary. The additional ports to Boston, Portland and Halifax are enjoyable too especially Halifax.

 

I look forward to the rest of your review. Thanks for posting.:cool:

[cruisexlife]

Absolutely LOVING your review!!!:D:D

I am right outside of Hartford, CT and this is making me want to try Canada.

Keep up the great work. Cannot wait to read more!:D

 

Thanks KP! I'm really glad you're enjoying it and that I'm sparking an interest. They are very nice getaways without flying, and not having to drive too far. It's nice getting away from the summer heat. Thanks for following along! :D

[cruisexlife]

Great review so far. I am enjoying it, especially since we don't get a Canadian review very often. I've been on the New England/Canada itinerary twice. Once on Glory and once on Splendor. I enjoy this itinerary. It is a relaxing cruise and the Canadian ports and people are great. I've been on Splendor 3 times. It is a nice ship with a great crew. If you can, try the 7 day New England/Canada itinerary. The additional ports to Boston, Portland and Halifax are enjoyable too especially Halifax.

 

I look forward to the rest of your review. Thanks for posting.:cool:

 

You're right, it is very relaxing. I too enjoyed Halifax a lot on my Glory cruise. I would love to try the 7 night sometime soon. I've never been to Boston or Portland and I heard that it's great. Thanks for reading, hopefully I bring back some memories! :D

[cruisexlife]

After about 10 minutes of driving from the parking lot, we arrived at the park. Note: if you're renting a car, make sure you ask for a map and for them to circle the important things! It helped a lot (but didn't stop us from getting lost on numerous occasions :D)

 

 

The view was magnificent. We had not come here on a past cruise, so this was really nice to see.

 

 

Thousands of gallons flowing in and out numerous times a day. This is something so cool and so unique it can't be photographed. You have to see it.

 

 

Nothing says "I'm in Canada" like this picture!

 

 

Here is the sign showing what the tide times are:

 

[cruisexlife]

Right above the Reversing Falls Park is the Wolastoq Park with a nice view of everything as a whole.

 

 

Splendor is such a beauty, and so is Saint John! So many great photo ops in Canada.

 

 

 

Oh Canada!

 

 

This is the view looking the other way, towards the west. At the top of the Wolastoq Park, there were a lot of handcarved totem poles that I loved so much I forgot to take a picture of!

 

[cruisexlife]

We got back in the car and started the drive to the Irving Nature Park.

 

 

About 2 miles down the road, we had made a wrong turn, and were on our way back to the original route, when we found a beach that looked empty. Since we had the car and no rush to get anywhere (probably my favorite part of having a car in port), we stopped. We parked the car and got out onto the beach.

 

 

The beach was so pretty. The rocks were very interesting to look at. In Canada, a rock that has a solid white band going completely around the rock is called a "Canadian Lucky Wishing Rock". Make sure you look for one and pick one up! Not only are they good souvenirs, but they look really nice!

 

 

After spending 15 minutes at the beach, we got back on the road for Irving. We found a very photogenic farm we both wanted a pic of.

 

 

Such a peaceful place.

 

[Cruzoholic]

Loved the secret deck. I was out there all the time, early morning, afternoon & evening. It was great coming into port and leaving. We had #7144 on a 7 day NE & Canada last October. Did you get a rose in the terminal? Last year they had butterflies on the ceiling in the City Market made by school children and then auctioning them off.

Evie

Edited July 25, 2015 by Cruzoholic

[mdhaugh]

OK, where is this secret deck? I'll be on Splendor in September! Thanks, and really enjoying this review!

[HawksFan74]

OK, where is this secret deck? I'll be on Splendor in September! Thanks, and really enjoying this review!

Secret decks are all the way forward on decks 6,7,9 and 10.

[penguin85]

Great pictures, thanks for the review.

 

Where on the ship is the signature bench? I have not seen one and would love to find it in October.

[pghsteelerfan]

So happy you are doing another review!!! We've never been on a cruise to Canada but am really enjoying your beautiful pictures, as always!!! So far, it looks like you've had gorgeous weather. The rainbow and sunset pictures you got are spectacular! By chance, do you have any pictures of the "Canadian Lucky Wishing rocks"? That is definitely something that I'd pick up as a nice little, authentic souvenir. I'm looking forward to the rest. Thank you for doing another review. :)

[earthchild618]

Following-on this ship next month!

[Pedrorodmar60]

Es un lujo viajar por esas tierras, un saludo

 

Enviado desde mi D2303 mediante Tapatalk

[Seawitch]

Really enjoying your review, especially all the pictures and hints on when to get to port to board the ship, info on the secret decks and best viewing area to see all the sights when leaving port in NYC. We are so looking forward to cruising on the Splendor in early September, doing the 7 day itinerary to New England and Halifax and St. John NB. So your beautiful pictures of St. John are especially interesting for us. Stunning photos of the rainbow and sunset too! Thank you

[anonmom]

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.

 

 

Thanks for the review; I'm really enjoying it!

 

How does room service work on a cruise? Is it fully included, or is there some fee? What about packing a lunch before going out on an excursion? Do they care if you order something from room service, or just pick it up at a buffet, and pack it up to take to shore?

[jpm1973]

Great review! Living in New York I can't believe I still haven't sailed from here. I must rectify this.

 

Also it looks like my mom and I were on the Glory right after you last year! Had a great time on that ship and fell in love with San Juan, too. Can't wait to head back there.

[cruisexlife]

Great pictures, thanks for the review.

 

Where on the ship is the signature bench? I have not seen one and would love to find it in October.

 

The secret deck on deck 7 was where I found mine :D

[cruisexlife]

Loved the secret deck. I was out there all the time, early morning, afternoon & evening. It was great coming into port and leaving. We had #7144 on a 7 day NE & Canada last October. Did you get a rose in the terminal? Last year they had butterflies on the ceiling in the City Market made by school children and then auctioning them off.

Evie

 

No I did not pick up a rose because I did not know if I could bring it back into the states!

[cruisexlife]

So happy you are doing another review!!! We've never been on a cruise to Canada but am really enjoying your beautiful pictures, as always!!! So far, it looks like you've had gorgeous weather. The rainbow and sunset pictures you got are spectacular! By chance, do you have any pictures of the "Canadian Lucky Wishing rocks"? That is definitely something that I'd pick up as a nice little, authentic souvenir. I'm looking forward to the rest. Thank you for doing another review. :)

 

Thanks for following along! I'm not sure if I got a picture, but they are any rocks that have a white rock band around the entire thing. Look them up. Are you planning a cruise on Sunshine? (:

[cruisexlife]

Following-on this ship next month!

 

Hello! I actually almost booked your cruise but the June date worked better for me. You are going to have a great time!