Splendor to China year round in 2018

[sanmarcosman]

Did someone suggest they do otherwise?

My comment is for all who read the boards, this isn't personal.

[jimbo5544]

My comment is for all who read the boards, this isn't personal.

My question to you was for all as well. I do think I was taking it personally, should I have? ;) That being said, we can move on.

[sanmarcosman]

Yes, let's.

[riffatsea]

My goodness!

Of course we all know that no one here can say anything with absolute certainty!:rolleyes:

They can say what they've heard or been told but any of that can change at any given time!:eek:

Some of us are just hopeful that some of it will actually come to pass!:D

[westview1900]

Does anyone here know the route the Splendor will take to the west coast?

[jimbo5544]

My goodness!

Of course we all know that no one here can say anything with absolute certainty!:rolleyes:

They can say what they've heard or been told but any of that can change at any given time!:eek:

Some of us are just hopeful that some of it will actually come to pass!:D

 

There might have been an agenda there in response to my posts. I still beleive that it will in fact come to pass. ;)

[BIGA961]

I'm curious about the nuts and bolts of Carnival going to China. As an American, will my cruising experience be totally different boarding a ship in Shanghai than it is in the US? Will I hear English on the ship, and will the menus reflect American culture, or will everything be tailored for a Chinese customer base? I've heard from John Heald that Carnival is an American company so they cater to Americans, but I'm guessing this might be different when their ships sail out of other countries/cultures. Has anyone sailed on Carnival out of Europe or Australia? Thanks for the quality replies and for the flamers.

[crazycatlady82]

I'm curious about the nuts and bolts of Carnival going to China. As an American, will my cruising experience be totally different boarding a ship in Shanghai than it is in the US? Will I hear English on the ship, and will the menus reflect American culture, or will everything be tailored for a Chinese customer base? I've heard from John Heald that Carnival is an American company so they cater to Americans, but I'm guessing this might be different when their ships sail out of other countries/cultures. Has anyone sailed on Carnival out of Europe or Australia? Thanks for the quality replies and for the flamers.

 

 

There is a great RCCL review by gappearl (Kim) about her experience on RCCL out of Asia. Not carnival but similar!

[heatherbelle]

I'm curious about the nuts and bolts of Carnival going to China. As an American, will my cruising experience be totally different boarding a ship in Shanghai than it is in the US? Will I hear English on the ship, and will the menus reflect American culture, or will everything be tailored for a Chinese customer base? I've heard from John Heald that Carnival is an American company so they cater to Americans, but I'm guessing this might be different when their ships sail out of other countries/cultures. Has anyone sailed on Carnival out of Europe or Australia? Thanks for the quality replies and for the flamers.

 

European cruises are exactly the same as Caribbean cruises expect you get real Bacon. By that I mean none of that horrible streaky fatty bacon that Americans eat. It's like the bacon we get here in the UK, nice and lean with plenty of meat.

 

Edit going over to RCL to read the review thanks for posting that.

Edited November 18, 2015 by heatherbelle

[jimbo5544]

I'm curious about the nuts and bolts of Carnival going to China. As an American, will my cruising experience be totally different boarding a ship in Shanghai than it is in the US? Will I hear English on the ship, and will the menus reflect American culture, or will everything be tailored for a Chinese customer base? I've heard from John Heald that Carnival is an American company so they cater to Americans, but I'm guessing this might be different when their ships sail out of other countries/cultures. Has anyone sailed on Carnival out of Europe or Australia? Thanks for the quality replies and for the flamers.

I believe you are spot on in terms of what Carnival used to say in regards to where they thought that the Carnival (as in CCL, not other holdings under Carnival corp...i.e. Costa, HAL, Princess) was the American brand, mostly for the Caribbean. We heard that from Many including John, and others in charge. That said, things change, there is huge pent up demand for ships in China, all cruise lines are scrambling, including Carnival.

 

Will the experience be the same FUN ship experience that we have now? I have no idea. My guess is some things will have to change. Let alone things as you mention regarding American Table, Guys, Iguana, Cucina etc..

Everything I have read about RCCL's venture over there (more or less) with QOTS is that night life is dead (shows, Bars, nightclubs etc.) and the casino is packed.

 

Your question/comment on language would be at best like MSC does....5 languages (or whatever the demographics support) of each announcement, led in Chinese.

[jimbo5544]

There is a great RCCL review by gappearl (Kim) about her experience on RCCL out of Asia. Not carnival but similar!

 

Kim has done many Carnival reviews (detailed, well thought out with many pictures) and posted a small edited comparison between RCCL and CCL both here and on the Royal site before starting her review over on the RCCL main thread page.

[riclop]

WE will miss the Splendor.

[kteachcruiser52]

Maybe they will send the Pride back to SoCal. I wasn't happy about the Splendor coming back as it cannot port in Kauai, which totally messes up the Hawaiian itinerary IMHO.

 

When we first booked the Splendor to Hawaii, Kauai was on the port schedule. later it was dropped because Kauai sai the ship was so big it would damage coral. We then had an overnight in Honolulu instead. I, too, was disappointed in the change.

[tiggerman101]

This might not be exactly what you are looking for, but I will tell you my experience on a SE Asia cruise.

 

I have done a number of cruises from foreign ports, but my SE Asia cruise was the most unique. I was on Celebrity from Singapore to Hong Kong. The cruise was unique because we overnighted everywhere but one port (Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay, Hong Kong. We did not overnight in Danang).

 

In a nut shell it involves more paperwork, but the ship will handle a lot of it. We had to have our passports stamped and visas picked up for Vietnam. We were always turning them in and picking them back up. The ports were far from the cities we visited (2-3 hours) so we stayed in hotels in Bangkok and Saigon. I did all private tours which was a real learning experience. It is very doable, but different.

 

The passengers were a wide mix with a large amount of Australians. Americans were a minority, but not unseen by any means. The food was all over the map. Celebrity did a great job of catering to various cultures. There was a whole Asian spread for breakfast, as well as, British and traditional American. Everything was in English with announcements being in various languages.

 

The ports were amazing. Vietnam was incredible with such a difference between the North and South. The Northern areas seeming new to tourism and very unspoiled. The Asian cities are a crazy kinetic mix of colors, smells and sounds. I was a little intimidated by travelling all the way to Singapore to get on a cruise, but it was easy and totally uncomplicated. It just required patience and an understanding that this was very much a different type of cruise.

 

I have no idea what the CCL cruises will be like out of China itself when it gets there full time. I imagine the repositioning cruises will be more like the one I was on. I would go over there for another cruise easily.

[BIGA961]

This might not be exactly what you are looking for, but I will tell you my experience on a SE Asia cruise.

 

I have done a number of cruises from foreign ports, but my SE Asia cruise was the most unique. I was on Celebrity from Singapore to Hong Kong. The cruise was unique because we overnighted everywhere but one port (Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay, Hong Kong. We did not overnight in Danang).

 

In a nut shell it involves more paperwork, but the ship will handle a lot of it. We had to have our passports stamped and visas picked up for Vietnam. We were always turning them in and picking them back up. The ports were far from the cities we visited (2-3 hours) so we stayed in hotels in Bangkok and Saigon. I did all private tours which was a real learning experience. It is very doable, but different.

 

The passengers were a wide mix with a large amount of Australians. Americans were a minority, but not unseen by any means. The food was all over the map. Celebrity did a great job of catering to various cultures. There was a whole Asian spread for breakfast, as well as, British and traditional American. Everything was in English with announcements being in various languages.

 

The ports were amazing. Vietnam was incredible with such a difference between the North and South. The Northern areas seeming new to tourism and very unspoiled. The Asian cities are a crazy kinetic mix of colors, smells and sounds. I was a little intimidated by travelling all the way to Singapore to get on a cruise, but it was easy and totally uncomplicated. It just required patience and an understanding that this was very much a different type of cruise.

 

I have no idea what the CCL cruises will be like out of China itself when it gets there full time. I imagine the repositioning cruises will be more like the one I was on. I would go over there for another cruise easily.

 

Good stuff, this answers my questions as well as they could be, thanks!

[jimbo5544]

This might not be exactly what you are looking for, but I will tell you my experience on a SE Asia cruise.

 

I have done a number of cruises from foreign ports, but my SE Asia cruise was the most unique. I was on Celebrity from Singapore to Hong Kong. The cruise was unique because we overnighted everywhere but one port (Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay, Hong Kong. We did not overnight in Danang).

 

In a nut shell it involves more paperwork, but the ship will handle a lot of it. We had to have our passports stamped and visas picked up for Vietnam. We were always turning them in and picking them back up. The ports were far from the cities we visited (2-3 hours) so we stayed in hotels in Bangkok and Saigon. I did all private tours which was a real learning experience. It is very doable, but different.

 

The passengers were a wide mix with a large amount of Australians. Americans were a minority, but not unseen by any means. The food was all over the map. Celebrity did a great job of catering to various cultures. There was a whole Asian spread for breakfast, as well as, British and traditional American. Everything was in English with announcements being in various languages.

 

The ports were amazing. Vietnam was incredible with such a difference between the North and South. The Northern areas seeming new to tourism and very unspoiled. The Asian cities are a crazy kinetic mix of colors, smells and sounds. I was a little intimidated by travelling all the way to Singapore to get on a cruise, but it was easy and totally uncomplicated. It just required patience and an understanding that this was very much a different type of cruise.

 

I have no idea what the CCL cruises will be like out of China itself when it gets there full time. I imagine the repositioning cruises will be more like the one I was on. I would go over there for another cruise easily.

Interesting post, have you ever done a review on one of these far east cruises?

[tiggerman101]

Interesting post, have you ever done a review on one of these far east cruises?

 

That was one cruise I really wish I had. It took a lot of planning and it was an incredible experience. However, I had so much going on in my life at the time I never got around to a review. That cruise and my Norway cruise are the two I really wish I had set the time to do reviews for. It was also the first year Celebrity had been over there so it was new for them as well. Plus we were the first ship to dock in the new Hong Kong cruise port (which is actually the old airport) so that was interesting. I also spent 4 days in Singapore and 4 days in Hong Kong pre and post cruise. It was probably the biggest trip I ever took.

[RC Dancers]

I think it will be interesting to see what adjustments they make for Asia.

 

Will there be a Chinese Hairy Chest contest? Wait, why do they still do that activity anyway? The last time we saw it, there was a fat old guy in a Speedo with a mullet. That was definitely the last time for me.

[jimbo5544]

That was one cruise I really wish I had. It took a lot of planning and it was an incredible experience. However, I had so much going on in my life at the time I never got around to a review. That cruise and my Norway cruise are the two I really wish I had set the time to do reviews for. It was also the first year Celebrity had been over there so it was new for them as well. Plus we were the first ship to dock in the new Hong Kong cruise port (which is actually the old airport) so that was interesting. I also spent 4 days in Singapore and 4 days in Hong Kong pre and post cruise. It was probably the biggest trip I ever took.

 

No worries, and I totally understand on the busy part. You have done some great cruising! Thanks for the quick reply.