Our 25th Anniversary Adventure - Baja Mexico & Hawaii on the Inspiration & Splendor

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

13 hours ago, fyree39 said:

I remember Nicole at the omelet station. I'd ask her to make me a couple over medium on a couple of mornings. She was always so friendly and energetic.

For some reason, my husband and I didn't go to the show after Maui. We'd had a long day on the island and I think we ate dinner and collapsed in our room afterwards. I'm sorry we missed that show. It looks spectacular!

The reason we were able to see the show was that we took a two hour power nap after eating at the Deli.

5 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Another great review Jeff, a Hawaiian cruise is on our bucket list.

Hey Jimbo! I knew you would be stopping by at some point. Definitely a bucket list cruise.

4 hours ago, Mike981 said:

Where the heck have I been?! Such a wonderful trip review! I need to go back and look at your others. Thank you for bringing back memories from our last family cruise on the Splendor a couple of years ago.

You both have wonderful smiles. 🙂

Thanks for reading and your kind words. More going up a little later today.

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

Here’s what’s I’ve been waiting for - HAWAII!!! I have not read any reviews on a Hawaiian itinerary, so this is gonna be fun!

Crazy how quickly the weather changes in Hawaii (at least judging from your pics). The island looks beautiful though!

We are excited to be re-living the Hawaii part of the cruise. We have plenty more to show you. Yes, the weather changed constantly while we were there. Made for a lot of nice rainbows though.

8 minutes ago, JaniceB said:

Wow fantastic review. I had missed quite a few posts while I was on the Horizon last week. This cruise is on my bucket list. Can't wait for more. Your next stop is my birth island. Hope you had a great time.

Glad to have you back with us. Hope you enjoyed your cruise on the Horizon.. Our favorite port was Honolulu, and we never made it to Waikiki. The Honolulu segment will start going up later today.

Ragdollbd · June 7, 2019

On ‎6‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 6:49 PM, Jamman54 said:

It looks like the ducks will be hosting the show today…..

Today’s hosts are Danielle, Lee, and Connor…..

Lee interviews Tom and Jo again…..

Lee also interviews Jason from the Academy of Fun. Today’s session will be about astronomy…..

Afterwards, I head up to see Ruther and Amarsha at the Splendido Pool Bar starboard side. Patti is going to do a little shopping before joining me there. She also took some pictures of venues she missed earlier. Here are some views of the Alexandria Library located on Deck 4 forward…..

To be continued…..

Patti seems to do a lot of shopping but we never get to see her purchases. Any good deals???

Fatcat604 · June 7, 2019

Thank you Jeff and patti for the awesome review. I noticed in one of your post, you said you contact maitre d for private table. Do you get reply from the splendor maitre d? I can't wait until August, we are counting the day.

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

1 hour ago, Ragdollbd said:

Patti seems to do a lot of shopping but we never get to see her purchases. Any good deals???

To tell you the truth, Patti may do a lot of shopping, but she doesn't do much buying! 😁

57 minutes ago, Fatcat604 said:

Thank you Jeff and patti for the awesome review. I noticed in one of your post, you said you contact maitre d for private table. Do you get reply from the splendor maitre d? I can't wait until August, we are counting the day.

Thanks a lot for reading! If we are doing assigned dining I always contact the maitre'd by email a week or so before the cruise with my table request. I would say I get a reply 75% of the time, but even when I don't get a reply, I get the table that I requested.I did get a reply from the Splendor maitre'd. 😎

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

Day # 16 (May 3^rd) - Honolulu, Oahu (9 am to 11 pm).

Here are today’s Fun Times…..

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We were up at 5:45 am. Why so early you ask? It was because yesterday we got this letter from the Hotel Director Lars Juel…..

We were honored to be invited. Perhaps we were invited because it was our anniversary. Anyway, we think it will be pretty cool to watch us sail into Honolulu from the bow, which is normally reserved for the crew.

The map channel on the television shows us getting close to Honolulu…..

It looks like it’s going to be a very nice day. The seas are calm and the temperature is 81 degrees. Here’s the view from our balcony looking forward and aft…..

At 6:30 am we head down to the Robusto Bar where we are meeting before being escorted to the bow…..

To be continued…..

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

Just before 7 am, a crew member came in and led us up to the bow via the outside deck on Deck 4. When we walked out on to the bow, we literally walked into a party! We were not expecting this! 😄😄

The Dolce Trio was playing for us…..

How appropriate that there is a rainbow behind me…..

To be continued…..

JaniceB · June 7, 2019

Nice and the ocean has been so calm for your journey. We got invited up to the bow of a celebrity ship for sail into San Juan, really cool experience, happy to hear that Carnival is doing this too.

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

Looking up at the bridge, it looks like the Captain is watching the festivities…..

There are as many bloody marys and mimosas as you could possibly want….

There is also a full continental breakfast…..

We are slowly approaching Honolulu…..

To be continued…..

Saint Greg · June 7, 2019

1 minute ago, Jamman54 said:

There are as many bloody marys and mimosas as you could possibly want….

👀👀👀👀👀

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

Here I am getting a buzz at 7:15 in the morning! 😄

Here is the ship’s bell…..

Here is Cruise Director Lee and Entertainment Director Monroe…..

Playlist Production Managers Sean and Lauren…..

Staff Captain Ivan and HR Director Adam were also out on the bow with us…..

We are getting a little closer to Honolulu……

To be continued…..

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

We are entering the Honolulu harbor. The Ovation of the Seas has the prime docking spot. She spends most of the year in Australia, but comes north for the Alaska cruise season…..

Somebody on the bridge is taking pictures…..

We continue to sail into the harbor…….

That’s Diamond Head off in the distance…..

We slowly glide past the Ovation of the Seas…..

To be continued…..

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

Here are some more views as we sail into Honolulu…..

The drinks are still flowing freely…..

To be continued……

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

We are pulling into Pier 10 where we will be docking…….

After we docked we head back to the cabin to get ready for our excursion. This was an experience we will never forget. Thanks Lars, for inviting us! We head back on Deck 4, passing the lifeboats along the way…..

Here is what we will be doing and seeing today:

USS Arizona & Honolulu City Tour

Starting At: $79.99 / Person

*Prices may vary by sailing

EXCURSION DETAILS

Relive an extraordinary moment in history with a visit to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial - a deeply moving experience, especially for those who remember firsthand the events of December 7, 1941, the Day of Infamy. You will visit the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center to view a fascinating film depicting the events of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. Then, you'll board a US Navy launch for the short ride to the Arizona Memorial itself-a bright and airy structure built across the width of the sunken USS Arizona-one of the 19 ships bombed that historic December morning.

You’ll see the massive ship just below the surface of the water as well as the American flag that flies at half-mast from the ship’s severed main mast, which protrudes from below the ocean. You’ll also see the marble wall carved with the names of the 1,178 young men who lost their lives on the ship.

From Pearl Harbor, you will drive past Honolulu’s city highlights. See the Aloha Stadium, the downtown district, Chinatown, the Kawaiahao Church, City Hall, the State Capitol, the Governor’s Mansion and Iolani Palace-former residence of Hawaii’s last two reigning monarchs. Continue through Punch Bowl National Cemetery, honoring the fallen of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

NOTES:

•Boarding of the USS Arizona Memorial cannot be guaranteed in the event of late departure from the pier, ongoing repairs, adverse weather conditions or cancellation of the launch to the Memorial by the U.S. Navy.

•Baggage storage will be available at the Pearl Harbor Visitor’s Center for a $5 fee.

We received this letter when we received our excursion tickets. We had known about this and were hopeful that the repairs would be made prior to our cruise, but it didn’t happen……

Our excursion met in the Spectacular Show Lounge at 9 am. It wasn’t until 9:20 am that we were led off the ship…..

Once in the Cruise Terminal we had to line up here until our buses arrived…..

To be continued…..

MistyRo76 · June 7, 2019

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

Just before 7 am, a crew member came in and led us up to the bow via the outside deck on Deck 4. When we walked out on to the bow, we literally walked into a party! We were not expecting this! 😄😄

What a cool and awesome experience you got to experience sailing into Honolulu from the ship's bow! I had no idea that Carnival would even allow for something like that. Great pics and it looks liked a great time was had by all!

jimbo5544 · June 7, 2019

32 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

We are pulling into Pier 10 where we will be docking…….

After we docked we head back to the cabin to get ready for our excursion. This was an experience we will never forget. Thanks Lars, for inviting us! We head back on Deck 4, passing the lifeboats along the way…..

Here is what we will be doing and seeing today:

USS Arizona & Honolulu City Tour

Starting At: $79.99 / Person

*Prices may vary by sailing

EXCURSION DETAILS

Relive an extraordinary moment in history with a visit to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial - a deeply moving experience, especially for those who remember firsthand the events of December 7, 1941, the Day of Infamy. You will visit the Arizona Memorial Visitor Center to view a fascinating film depicting the events of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack. Then, you'll board a US Navy launch for the short ride to the Arizona Memorial itself-a bright and airy structure built across the width of the sunken USS Arizona-one of the 19 ships bombed that historic December morning.

You’ll see the massive ship just below the surface of the water as well as the American flag that flies at half-mast from the ship’s severed main mast, which protrudes from below the ocean. You’ll also see the marble wall carved with the names of the 1,178 young men who lost their lives on the ship.

From Pearl Harbor, you will drive past Honolulu’s city highlights. See the Aloha Stadium, the downtown district, Chinatown, the Kawaiahao Church, City Hall, the State Capitol, the Governor’s Mansion and Iolani Palace-former residence of Hawaii’s last two reigning monarchs. Continue through Punch Bowl National Cemetery, honoring the fallen of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

NOTES:

•Boarding of the USS Arizona Memorial cannot be guaranteed in the event of late departure from the pier, ongoing repairs, adverse weather conditions or cancellation of the launch to the Memorial by the U.S. Navy.

•Baggage storage will be available at the Pearl Harbor Visitor’s Center for a $5 fee.

We received this letter when we received our excursion tickets. We had known about this and were hopeful that the repairs would be made prior to our cruise, but it didn’t happen……

Our excursion met in the Spectacular Show Lounge at 9 am. It wasn’t until 9:20 am that we were led off the ship…..

Once in the Cruise Terminal we had to line up here until our buses arrived…..

To be continued…..

That is a shame, a truly unique tribute to fallen heroes, just have to do it again!

BigNance · June 7, 2019

Your sail in sounds awesome!!!

scottsgal · June 7, 2019

1 hour ago, Jamman54 said:

We are entering the Honolulu harbor. The Ovation of the Seas has the prime docking spot. She spends most of the year in Australia, but comes north for the Alaska cruise season…..

Thanks for posting the Ovation pics... we were on the Ovation and watched you sail in. We absolutely loved the Ovation and our cruise to Vancouver - she's really a spectacular ship. We loved Hawaii and can't wait to go back.

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

2 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

What a cool and awesome experience you got to experience sailing into Honolulu from the ship's bow! I had no idea that Carnival would even allow for something like that. Great pics and it looks liked a great time was had by all!

It was a great experience and totally unexpected. 😎

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

That is a shame, a truly unique tribute to fallen heroes, just have to do it again!

Though we didn't get to step onto the Memorial, we still had a very moving experience. I will be covering this later today or tomorrow. 😎

1 hour ago, BigNance said:

Your sail in sounds awesome!!!

It was! 😃

1 hour ago, scottsgal said:

Thanks for posting the Ovation pics... we were on the Ovation and watched you sail in. We absolutely loved the Ovation and our cruise to Vancouver - she's really a spectacular ship. We loved Hawaii and can't wait to go back.

No problem. I was hoping you would see yourself on your balcony. 😁

Jamman54 · June 7, 2019

It seemed like we waited for a fairly long time, but our tour bus has finally arrived…..

This is our bus driver / tour guide. I apologize for not remembering his name or writing it down. After giving us an overview of the tour today, he asked all veterans to stand and be acknowledged. I thought this was a nice gesture…..