Just back from the Splendor 11/17-11/21

[steelcity5044]

We flew from Pittsburgh to FLL on 11/16 and stayed a pre-night at the Riverside Hotel. We rented a car from Alamo that gave us a shuttle to and from the pier. The hotel was a nice place with a great location and an absolute steal thru Priceline. We walked Las Olas, took the River Taxi to the beach and the Trolley back. I would stay there again.

We arrive at the pier around noon and had no problems basically walked right on the ship. We booked an 8a guarantee but were upgraded to a 9a, room 8446 at the back of the ship. This room was GREAT!! Had an extra long balcony, a hallway in to the cabin and an amazing amount of storage space.

I have cruised before on Carnival, Holland and Norwegian and i had some likes and dislikes concerning this cruise. I liked the size and layout of our cabin and the balcony was incredible. I like that the balcony was mad with plexiglass instead of solid barriers which gives you a much better visual line. The cabin was also stocked with 2 male razors, 2 female razors, 2 tubes of tooth paste, Alleve and Pepcid. The cabins had a great layout and even the interior cabins seemed BIG. I also liked that cabin hallways in that they were more decorative and resembled apartments more than rooms.

The crazy design/colors of the ship didnt bother me at all but my Mom didnt care for it. She kept describing the ship as being too "Hannah Montanna". I only had one major issue with the design and that was how the middle was chopped up. You couldn't get from one end of the sip to the other on floors 3 and 4 becasue the main diningrooms were towards the center on those floors and you had to go up/down to get around them. Also in the main Atrium and some of the other public areas the ceilings were low and it felt very boxed in almost to the point of clausterfobia.

The little bit that I was in the casino, the tables were loose but the slots were TIGHT. The gift shops on board were a bit lame and i thought they closed too early causing a major traffic jam on the last night. Had all of your usual Carnival activities; bingo, hairy chest contest, etc.

The shows were absolutely incredible. The singing, dancing, costume changes, etc were just great. probably the best i have seen out of the 5 cruises I have been on. DO NOT MISS THEM, especially VROOM. There were 2 comedians and both were also excellent.

I thought the food was just so so. Just seemed very bland and nothing all that incredible. Even the desserts were just eh. But the service was impeccable. My only negative comment about the service was that you saw a marked change on the last night, like they already had you off the ship. It was very rushed and non-attentive. But the rest of the cruise, the service by the dining room staff and room steward was top notch.

Half Moon Cay was paradise but they need to work on the tendering service. Getting off the ship, there was no direction or orderliness. People waited in long lines and then others took the elevators that opended right at the main area to disembark causing a huge jam and some not so happy people. Leaving the island was just as bad. Hopefully they will fix for future sailings. We missed Grand Turk due to wind, which was understandable given how bad the ship wa rocking and the peir was just a small wooden plank jutting out into the water. We would have taken it out like match sticks. I felt really bad for all the locals and tour operators who were standing there watching us make 2 attempts and then turn and leave. You could tell people on board were disappointed but happy that we were still going to a port, even if it was Nassau. I talked to our waiter who told us that they wind was really effecting this ship as opposed to others because of how high it sits. We were the only ship in Nassau so it wasnt real crowded. Actually most towns people werent even expecting us.I have been to Nassau a couple of times so I can give you tips on Atlantis, Cable Beach, etc.

Overall I liked the ship, the cabin, the service and the entertainment. Thought they need some help with food, tendering, and some odds and ends. Please let me know if you need any info or help.

THANKS!!!

[boobalooch]

Going on the splendor Dec 13th=20th. Can you buy alcohol in duty free shops and bring it to your room. Also, going to Bahamas, do I need to pay for an excursion, or can I get to Atlantis area on my own

[BrendaB1]

All alcohol bought in the gift shops will be held until the last night of the cruise & delivered to your cabin then.

 

Sorry, same policy on all Carnival ships.

[DGP1111]

The shows were absolutely incredible. The singing, dancing, costume changes, etc were just great. probably the best i have seen out of the 5 cruises I have been on. DO NOT MISS THEM, especially VROOM.

I totally agree that the production shows (this week) on Carnival Splendor were on a definite different level than the other CCL ships. All were amazing!! :)

 

 

Half Moon Cay was paradise but they need to work on the tendering service. Getting off the ship, there was no direction or orderliness. . . Hopefully they will fix for future sailings.

It was my first trip to Half Moon Cay, and I think your 'paradise' word is right on target. Loved it! :)

This was the first time Splendor had ever visited HMC, so that probably contributed to some of the confusion. Unfortunately for future Splendor passengers, that was the one and only time the ship will be visiting HMC.

 

 

We missed Grand Turk due to wind, which was understandable given how bad the ship was rocking . . .

 

Here's an example of the rocking on Splendor that was described:

 

 

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[caribbeanboy]

" a small wooden plank jutting out into the water" I was on the same sailing and looks that the ship brought you to a different Grand Turk then the rest of us.

 

I was standing right in front of the ship when we were trying to pull in and what I saw was a very solid pier, that reminded me a lot of the St.Maarten pier.

 

Btw how can a 113,000 ton ship dock at a wooden pier ?? In no 1 million year would Carnival or any other cruise line dock their ship at a small wooden pier.

[steelcity5044]

We went to Atlantis on own, not thru an excursion. Taxi fare was about $10 each way. We booked a room at Comfort Suites for $220 and it gave us 4 wrist bands for access to Atlantis. This allowed us to use all pools and facilities including touring the dig.

 

I have been to quite a few ports and the pier at Grand Turk was a bit small for a ship this size. i understood completely why we could not dock and I would guess that quite a few ships miss this port.

I walked on to the ship with 3 bottles of alcohol in Nassau and walked them right to my cabin, but it was our last day. I talked to a lot of passengers who brought pop and bottles of wine/liquor aboard in their checked luggage with no issues.

[Hemisphere Dancer]

We went to Atlantis on own, not thru an excursion. Taxi fare was about $10 each way. We booked a room at Comfort Suites for $220 and it gave us 4 wrist bands for access to Atlantis. This allowed us to use all pools and facilities including touring the dig.

 

 

 

I've been thinking about doing this, too. Did you book the room the day you arrived there, or had you already pre-booked it?

[caribbeanboy]

We went to Atlantis on own, not thru an excursion. Taxi fare was about $10 each way. We booked a room at Comfort Suites for $220 and it gave us 4 wrist bands for access to Atlantis. This allowed us to use all pools and facilities including touring the dig.

 

I have been to quite a few ports and the pier at Grand Turk was a bit small for a ship this size. i understood completely why we could not dock and I would guess that quite a few ships miss this port.

I walked on to the ship with 3 bottles of alcohol in Nassau and walked them right to my cabin, but it was our last day. I talked to a lot of passengers who brought pop and bottles of wine/liquor aboard in their checked luggage with no issues.

 

The pier was just the right size b/c the cruise lines go to a port to do all (safety) inspections b4 they send a ship to that port. Carnival, Princess and HAL send a lot of their ships to Grand Turk, so I guess the pier is no problem at all.

 

That we couldn't dock has absolutely NOTHING to do with the size of the pier but the very strong winds that day in Grand Turk!

[CruizBlooz]

I talked to our waiter who told us that they wind was really effecting this ship as opposed to others because of how high it sits. We were the only ship in Nassau so it wasnt real crowded. Actually most towns people werent even expecting us.quote]

 

I find that statement quite interesting because the Splendor is going to spend her home in Long Beach doing the Mexican Rivieara and Cabo can be the most common port to be choppy and windy. So they could miss Cabo a lot?

[steelcity5044]

We booked room at Comfort Suites online before we went and had no problem checking in. We used a discount code which you can find plenty of in the Bahamas thread on this message board. They were a great help.

 

 

If you get winds like we had then i would say you would miss some ports. The pool actually drained and didnt re-open for the rest of the cruise. There is a great video on youtube.com that show the water coming out of the pool from the movement on the ship!

[ude]

Thanks for the info on the Splendor. I have a question......what color were the fun ship plastic glasses? What lounge is non-smoking? Does the library have a nice selection of books? We are booked for Jan cruise....can't wait!

[larronry]

Thanks for that video. Reminded me of a Princess cruise a couple years ago. 1/2 the crew and most of the passengers got pretty sick.

 

I'm going on the Splendor in 6 days and do hope for smooth sailing. One thing I've learned to ask my room steward as soon as we meet is how have the last 24 hours been. One reason is taking a shower when the ship is rocking that hard is a bit challenging. lol Might not work this time because the ship will only be in the gulf stream and not coming in from the Caribbean.

[LHP]

Hey, we were on with you and had a great time.

 

We had a couple of issues that had to be resolved...but that's life.

 

LOVED karaoke....Michelle (karaoke host) ROCKED. Greg in the piano bar was a hoot. (and a cutie!!!!!)

 

Great to see Goose again and James (ACD) who we sailed with as a social host on the Conquest.

 

LOVED the thalasso pool. We had a Spa Balcony and never used the balcony but I wore out that pool!!!