Splendor 8 Day Eastern Caribbean Review

[jam19872016]

The show tonight was another fly on entertainer, Consuela Ivy. She sang "classical soul". Now to be fair, soul is not really my type of music, but I can appreciate just about any type of live music. This lady, to be blunt, sucked. I would have expected better singing at karaoke. I was even more surprised when I got home and asked Uncle Google about her and found out she has been performing for Carnival since at least 2013. Her singing was truly terrible, and she seemed very awkward interacting with the audience.

 

She pulled some people up on stage, and they really stole the show from her. Highlight of her show for sure.

 

 

 

Many people walked out, I sat through it but do yourself a favor and skip this show if it is offered on your cruise.

 

My mom was done after this show but I stayed for the gender showdown. Oddly enough, just like my last cruise the guys were on a terrible losing streak and had lost the last dozen cruises or so. lol. It's ok, we can take it. Especially since in the end we won :) This was a very fun show and MarQ was a hoot. Brittany was his co host and I enjoyed seeing her in the spotlight. How cool if she ends up being a CD one day and I can say I knew her back when she was the trivia host.

 

After the gender showdown I did not do much since I was boycotting the casino. Just enjoyed the music around the ship and the fresh sea air. I did go to the casino a couple times, but only for the drawings. No luck tonight at being called either.

 

Tonight's towel animal.

 

 

Tonight they were having Quest at 11:30 but figured against it and turned in a little after 11 since tomorrow was a very early port day for us - San Juan at 7.

[jam19872016]

Day 6: San Juan

 

Today we were visiting San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was my second time here, and my mom's first. We were in San Juan from 7AM-2PM which is just insane and although it is probably not everyone's favorite stop because it is not a giant beach resort, this port is way more my speed with its rich and interesting history. Sadly, both trips here have been quickies for me.

 

I was up a little earlier than I would have liked, but did not want to let today go to waste so I was up around 8. I grabbed a quick bite to eat then we went off to explore San Juan.

 

We were in port today with the Oasis of the Seas.

 

 

We had no plans today except to walk around on our own and do some shopping. Pretty low key, but we are low key people lol. My mom bought a couple of items to give as gifts and I held a firm grasp on what little money I had not given to the casino, but I still enjoyed myself today.

 

Some pics from our day in port.

 

 

 

 

 

[jam19872016]

It looked like it was gonna storm pretty bad but it never did. This was the only time we had grey skies throughout the whole cruise.

 

 

Puerto Rico was nice, but the sun was pretty draining so we spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing in the room.

 

Tonight was the second cruise elegant evening of the cruise. I asked for Rica again, and this time was accommodated.

 

Tonight's dinner menu.

 

 

 

For my starter I had the crab cake and the stuffed mushrooms.

 

 

 

Both were very good.

[jam19872016]

For my main I had the grilled jumbo shrimp and the spanokopita(no Mr.Spell Check, I did not have a spanking for dinner) and stuffed bell peppers.

 

 

 

I enjoyed both, but I am starting to notice they put that red sauce on too many of their dishes.

 

Tonight's dessert menu.

 

 

I ordered the grand marnier souffle and the key lime mousse.

 

 

Both were added to my list of favorite Carnival desserts! Very very good.

 

Dinner service was slow, over 1.45 hours but I only noticed that because of the time stamps on my photos. It did not feel like it was that dragged out. The food was all very good to excellent and piping hot.

[jam19872016]

Tonight's show was 88 Keys. We stopped by but my mom did not think the music would interest her. After last night's debacle I can't say I blame her for deciding against something she was unsure on. I was certainly losing my battle at keeping her active, but I did not want to push too hard to where she did not enjoy herself. And truth be told, I think she was having a good time with or without a full time schedule so I backed off. Goodness knows, I am not one to need a full time roster either - vacation is for relaxing.

 

So relax we did, we watched some TV and I may have played just a little in the casino. They must have missed me, because literally within seconds of putting my card in the machine, a server was next to me addressing me by name to take a drink order. I ordered a drink and he asked if he should come back every 15 minutes with another one, I thanked him but declined. I hope he is still here with that offer when I go back with a replenished casino fund :o

 

Tonight's towel animal.

 

 

Tomorrow would be our last port of call, Grand Turk.

[soexcited0817]

I'm loving your review!! Thank you so much for feeding my obsession! LOL :D

[jam19872016]

I'm loving your review!! Thank you so much for feeding my obsession! LOL :D

 

your very welcome, writing about my cruises helps feed my obsession :D

[daisitroy]

Really enjoying your review. Makes me want to plan my next cruise!

[jam19872016]

Really enjoying your review. Makes me want to plan my next cruise!

 

Do it!!! Do it!!!! :evilsmile: Glad your enjoying the review.

[hues of blue]

After several Carnival Cruises we will be on the Splendor for the first time in January. Your review has been awesome,thank you so much for all the pictures and details. I'm getting very excited to cruise on this ship.:)

 

Sherri

[LizaMM]

Thanks for your review and your wonderful photo tour!

I sailed the Splendor June 2016 and loved her so much that I selected Splendor for my B2B this past May to celebrate my birthday - it was a great time :D

Your review and photos and bringing back fabulous memories!

[jam19872016]

After several Carnival Cruises we will be on the Splendor for the first time in January. Your review has been awesome,thank you so much for all the pictures and details. I'm getting very excited to cruise on this ship.:)

 

Sherri

 

You're most welcome! Thanks for reading along.

 

Thanks for your review and your wonderful photo tour!

I sailed the Splendor June 2016 and loved her so much that I selected Splendor for my B2B this past May to celebrate my birthday - it was a great time :D

Your review and photos and bringing back fabulous memories!

 

You're very welcome. Glad I could bring back the memories. That is my favorite part of reading a review of a ship I have sailed. :D

[gamgamof5]

enjoying the review....ill be a first timer on her in 23days...its exciting thank you for things and visuals to look forward to

[jam19872016]

enjoying the review....ill be a first timer on her in 23days...its exciting thank you for things and visuals to look forward to

 

Glad you're enjoying it. Have a great trip!

[jam19872016]

Day 7: Grand Turk

 

Today we were in Grand Turk. This is my 4th time here and my mom's second. Niether of us are very impressed with this port. I know this is a favorite port for a lot of people, but I'm going to have to side against the popular opinon on this one. It is a beach - nothing more. I live in Florida surrounded by beaches and while they are not near as pretty, beaches just don't interest me. Then for my mom, she is all about shopping. There aren't really many places to shop either, and of the ones there are, they don't really have anything that interests her.

 

But we made our way out to land and walked around a little bit. We stopped in the stores and took the opportunity to stretch our land legs.

 

I, of course, had to stop and take some pictures.

 

 

 

If I had to pick just one picture I have ever taken that just screamed "Caribbean cruise vacation" it would have to be any of the ones I have taken with the ship behind the palm trees on the beach at Grand Turk. It just sums it up perfectly and even though it is not my favorite port, it is hands down my favorite photo op.

 

The ship on the way back.

 

 

Lifeboat drill.

 

[jam19872016]

Back on the ship we attended some afternoon trivia. We continued to bomb, but it was all for fun and you start to see the same people at trivia as the week goes on.

 

Upon returning to my room this afternoon, I found the casino had left me something to thank me for blowing all my money with them.

 

 

 

My mom thought this was just too funny. I found the humor in the situation and understand that room service does not know what they are supposed to be delivering. But why did an empty plate not trigger any thoughts that something was not right?

 

I went to the casino and explained what happened expecting to have all my losses written off for the trouble but surprisingly they would not do that. Just kidding (that would be nice though lol), they apologized and said they would find out what happened and get it resent.

 

Meanwhile back in the room, my mom is still having a good laugh. Hardy har har har.

[jam19872016]

We made our way down to dinner at our usual 6pm time, I think maybe fixed dining would work for my mom, she always liked to eat at the same time. I am just not sure how I feel about sharing a table with other people. My mom wanted Francisco again so tonight we asked to be in his section. Not one, but two great wait teams on this cruise. I usually just take whoever I am assigned to.

 

Tonight's dinner menu.

 

 

 

 

For my starter I had the escargot and chicken patties.

 

 

 

Both were very good.

 

For my main I had the penne mariscos.

 

 

Also very good.

[jam19872016]

Dessert menu.

 

 

I did something I've read about but not yet done, I ordered the banana split off the kid's menu. I also ordered the WCMC with two ice creams.

 

 

 

Loved the banana split, there was nothing special about it it was your typical banana split, but it was something different. The WCMC was also good.

 

Dinner service was great again tonight and we were in and out in just over an hour.

 

When I got back to the room I had a few things waiting for me.

 

Tonight's towel animal.

 

 

And a plate of cookies from the casino.

 

 

I love those cookies, they make a great late night snack.

 

Tonight was the Love & Marriage show but my mom was not interested in going. I ended up not going either and just took it easy for the rest of the night. Tomorrow would be our last day, and I was sad to see it coming to an end.

[jam19872016]

Day 8: Fun Farewell Day at Sea

 

Today was our final day aboard the Splendor. This is always a bittersweet day, as you know what happens tomorrow.

 

My favorite thing about sea days is the sea day brunch. Of course timing wise I usually end up grabbing a small bite of breakfast, then going back at lunch because their is usually something happening in the casino that I don't want to miss. Today was no exception, they were having a big loot draw at 10:30. My name was once again, not called.

 

We made it to brunch a little after noon and I was surprised how busy it still was this late in the day, but it cleared out right after we sat down. We were sat with our same wait team from the previous brunch. We had excellent service, which truthfully is an exception for some reason at brunch.

 

I started with a jerk bacon ceaser salad.

 

 

Trying something new, I followed it up with the pappardelle "Principe di Napoli".

 

 

And for dessert I had the caramelized cheesecake.

 

 

Everything was very good. My mom had pancakes with PB&J which sounds weird but she was absolutely in love with them. I tried a bite and it was pretty good, she might be onto something.

[jam19872016]

After brunch my mother and I both decided to try our luck in the slot tournament. I have been trying to back off from this, as I always lose. I don't mean I don't win. I mean I consistently score last place. But it is a nice payout - $500 to the winner. I would still be in the red this trip (considerably) but I really needed a quick win to try and salvage my casino losses this cruise. No such luck, I came in last place yet again. My mom did better than me, but not great. We both agreed there was no point in trying again.

 

After that we hit the 2 for $20 T-shirt sale. I didn't buy any, but my mom left with quite a bit more than 2. She got 8. She is set for T-shirts for a while lol. There were some nice shirts though so if you are in the market, don't miss the big sale they have on the last day. They had a lot of other sales going on today also and my mom made sure she hit all of them ;p

 

We hit one more trivia this cruise, Harry Potter. When I say the competition was fierce, this one was not easy. The room was standing room only, the questions were pretty hard and the winner had almost a perfect score of 51 out of around 54. My mom and I scored 24 points. Most of them were hers, I never really got into Harry Potter :eek:

 

The rest of the afternoon I just bounced around here and there. I made it to the Q&Awesome with MarQ. You always learn something new when you attend these and if there is anything about ship life you are interested in, this is your chance to ask questions.

 

I think this picture sums up our week perfectly. Beautiful skies and calm seas.

 

[jam19872016]

One final dinner to be enjoyed with no cooking or cleaning involved. We sat with Rica for our final night.

 

Tonight's dinner menu.

 

 

 

 

For my starter I had the flatbread and steamed mussels.

 

 

[jam19872016]

For my main I had the tiger shrimp creole and jerk pork loin (not pictured, somehow)

 

 

I'm not really sure what was up. But I was just not very hungry and found myself unable to finish my meal, which even as much as I order, is very very rare. It also seemed too spicy, which is also something I don't say very often at all. I did not really enjoy the meal, but I don't think it was related to the food, but rather my appetite was a little off tonight.

 

There is always room for dessert though, tonight's dessert menu.

 

 

I had the WCMC and for the first time, tried it with peanut butter.

 

 

Meh. I'll stick to my two cups of ice cream.

 

Dinner service was good, about 1.20 hours. I had two great wait teams this week. Both will still be onboard when I sail again in September, although Rica thinks she will be back in assigned dining by then. I guess I will ask for Fransisco. If you get either wait team, you are in for a treat.

 

After dinner, I did go back to the casino again. I thought maybe the rotten streak was over, and I could play some and maybe even get back a little of what I lost. Nope, still as rotten as ever so after about five minutes I had to walk away. The casino was a total bust for me this trip, sometimes lady luck is just not on your side. I don't think she was even on the same ship as me. No, I don't think she was in the same ocean as me. Hopefully I can do better next time.

 

I rounded out the evening with my favorite of all the trivia parties that they do in the atrium, the 90's music trivia. I cannot believe that I forgot my camera, the outfits that MarQ had on were hilarious! He really shines in his role as cruise director and I think he has a bright future ahead of him with Carnival. I also got to see Brittany one more time. I think she may be a CD one day as well. She will also still be on board in September and I will get to see her again.

 

I used my free drink coupon for a pirate punch, this did not become a favorite but at least it was free. After that I turned in for the night one last time before heading home.

 

The final towel animal.

 

[jam19872016]

Debarkation:

 

We made our way to the Gold Pearl for one final meal before leaving the ship. Service was again wonderful and then we made our way to the lobby to debark the ship.

 

This had been a very well organized cruise and I felt like they did a great job managing people flow. So I was not quite ready for the scene in the atrium. Literally just people everywhere. Once we made it off the ship, the problem became clear. Port Everglades is a mess. They are simply not able to process this many people off of the ship.

 

It makes me wonder how the Giants Of The Seas function at all. Surely they must have upgraded facilities designed to handle more people. There seemed to be 8 customs agents, processing 3600 passengers.

 

I wish I could say I was exaggerating the experience, but this was without a doubt the worst debarkation to date and I pray I never experience one worse. From the time I got in line, to the time I was on the sidewalk - was just under three hours. Yes, three hours in a never ending line. I am not sure if it is the port to blame, or Carnival. But Carnival really needs to take a look at the situation either way and consider that if P.E. won't invest in a facility to handle this many passengers, they do not need to dock here. And if it is Carnival's responsibility to provide the capability to handle this many people, then shame on them as this was completely inadequate to the number of passengers this ship holds.

 

Biggest tip I can give, and I feel like this should be shared carefully. Download the Mobile Passport App. There is a dedicated line for people with the app and three hours could have been about ten minutes had we had it. There is really no other way to avoid this line unless you are among the first people off the ship. By the time we were done in line, I am sure that everyone was off the ship as it was time for the next group to be boarding, and that line was still as long as it was when I got in it. Last off the ship, you will still have a three hour wait in line. Yikes.

 

After our ordeal getting cleared through customs, we were soon on our way. I had a great time - just like I always do. I was not sure going in how my mom would enjoy the cruise. I can say 100% that she had a great time. She has even been talking about when we will do another cruise. We have since booked another cruise and will be cruising together next March on NCL Epic. She is also considering booking with a group of coworkers who are planning a trip in June with RCCL. It looks like this Carnival cruiser will be branching out in 2018 :D

[jam19872016]

Summary:

 

Dining:

 

The Splendor does not have the 2.0 upgrades that most ships have, and as she is leaving the fleet in 2019, she never will. Despite that, there are many other wonderful options to chose from. Although she does not have Guys or Blue Iguana, she does have a burrito bar and a grille serving up hot dogs and hamburgers. Not as good in my opinion but again, there are many other wonderful options to chose from.

 

Hands down my favorite on Lido is the Indian located all the way aft. This is probably the most authentic Indian food outside of India and it is absolutely delicious. It is a bit spicy and I find myself unable to tolerate the spices as well as I used to. That did not stop me from enjoying it a few times though :)

 

The BBQ place located just above Lido is also good, although if you are from someplace well known for BBQ, you may be disappointed.

 

The buffet was not good which is normal for Carnival. It is not that the food itself is not good, but rather at any given meal, there are only a few items to choose from with 90% of the buffet being salad and meats and cheeses. Not much in the way of real food. I don't expect fine dining, but at least on par with a Golden Corral would be nice.

 

 

I did not try the deli, room service or Mongolian Wok or the pizza. My mom had the Mongolian Wok and although she enjoyed it on the Sunshine, she did not really care for it this trip enough to go through the long line for it again.

 

The food in the MDR was great. There was one night with spotty service but with the exception of that one evening, it was a very enjoyable experience. I do find myself reaching a point of boredom with the MDR menu however. This is not really a reflection of the menu itself, but I have been fortunate enough to cruise enough times, that it is getting a bit repetitive.

 

The brunch in the MDR was also wonderful. Make sure you do not miss out on the sea day brunch. If you have two sea days, go for the first one because you will most likely find yourself wanting to go again. The food here is very very good.

 

Public Spaces and Cabin:

 

This ship is pink! Like really really pink. I love it. If you are not a fan of some of the more wildly decorated ships, this may drive you insane. Pink doughnuts everywhere lol.

 

Everything was well maintained and clean. And bright :)

 

 

My room was 9227 located on the Lido deck. I love the casino deals that allow me to book any interior (excluding spa) for the same price. I would not pay to move off Riveria deck, but I love this location right by Lido. It makes eating in the room very convienant. This is a very nice location right off Lido but far enough away that you don't have a lot of foot traffic. Other than that there is not really out of the ordinary about this room.

 

Entertainment:

 

The main production shows could have been better. 88 Keys and 80's Pop to the Max were okay, but Studio VIP and Epic rock fell a little short. My mom loved Studio VIP so it is probably just not my style and you may enjoy it if you like music from that era. This is something Carnival needs to improve on, I think it is generally accepted that their production shows have a lot of room for improvement.

 

They had two fly on entertainers for this 8 day cruise. One was Max Winifry and he was excellent and I highly reccomend him. The other was Consuela Ivy and I highly recommend you do anything besides see her show. Seriously, she was bad.

 

There were many other activities going on at all times including comedy shows, deck parties, trivia parties in the atrium, live music all over, basically everywhere you turn, there was something fun going on.

 

MarQ was the cruise director and he was GREAT! I sailed with him in May (first time I have had the same cruise director twice) and I thought he was great then and I think he is even better now. He continues to evolve his style and does a wonderful job. I think he is quickly becoming one of Carnival's best CD's. You can really tell that he geuninly loves his job and was born for this role.

 

The casino was not kind to me. The machines that is, the staff were all wonderful. I wish that I could have spent more time there with them, but the machines were seriously very brutal to me this time around.

 

Service:

 

This is where the Splendor really shined! The crew really went above and beyond in every department. I have never met so many wonderful crew as I did on the Splendor. There was no shortage of bar staff or really shortage of staff anywhere that I witnessed.

 

I cannot count on one hand the number of crew that I had many personal interactions with. This is truely the warmest crew overall that I have had the pleasure to sail with. The hospitality is off the charts amazing and it is so sad when it is time to leave. You feel like you are leaving your friends and family behind.

 

I think they really helped seal the deal for my mom enjoying this trip. She is not really a fan of being "doted on" the way they do on cruises, but the geunine warmth and caring from so many of the crew really made her feel special.

 

The room steward was perfectly adequate. She did seem a bit overworked but did a good job of keeping the room clean. She did offer once a day service and it is unclear if both services were offered because she spoke to my mom. For us, once a day is sufficent but I think Carnival is being dishonest to say that they are not training the staff to use tactics to persuade people to only choose once a day service.

 

Overall:

 

Overall this was another great trip on the Splendor. I had beautiful weather the entire trip, and I do appreciate that because I know that Carnival has a large influence over weather condtions. My mother had a great time as well, something that I did not think was really very likely. I think it was the superb service from the crew that really made it go that extra mile. I hope they have not set the bar too high for the next time we cruise lol. If you don't need the 2.0 extras with all the extra bells and whistles, I highly recommend this ship, you will absolutely love it.

 

Looking Ahead:

 

My next cruise is supposed to be with my good friend and regular cruise buddy, M. We have not cruised together since last February on the Sunshine. We will be on the Splendor for a four day "Premeire Getaway" casino cruise to the Bahamas on 9/14. This will be her first time on a Premeire and we are both really looking forward to it. Mother nature may have other plans for us though, as Hurricane Irma is wreaking havoc just before we sail. Hopefully everything will work out and we will be able to cruise as planned, and as we both live in Florida hopefully neither of us will be impacted by this hurricane.

 

Thanks everyone for reading along and allowing me to tell my story. I hope to be able to do one final review on the Splendor before she leaves for California and if I do I hope I will see you all there.

[SinandShame]

We leave on the Splendor on Saturday (Sept 23)- happen to remember what the movies were at night? (did they have the movies by the pool?)

Love the review! This is our 7th cruise but first on the splendor!