Shake-n-Bake

2 hours ago, Angua said:

We did a B2B on the MG in Feb.  On the 2nd cruise we got

 

1) bottle of Champagne in room

2) Fruit bowl in room with opportunity to refresh it with new items once

3) coupon for a B2B photo at a specific location (the mini car by the Italian place I think), you had to go at a specific day/time to get the photo

4) 2 drink coupons

 

We thought these were nice gestures.

I did a B2B on the Sunshine the last week of April and got a bottle of Champagne and a fruit bowl. That was better than what I got on the Horizon in February when I got a fruit bowl only.

Just came of a B2B on the Sunshine and I didn't have to test between cruises. When I went to Guest Services the last day of my 1st cruise to inquire why I didn't get a letter about a covid test for the 2nd part I was told Carnival has stopped requiring covid test between B2B sailings.

I have done 2 B2B within the last year and changed rooms each time. What I did was ask my room steward was he aware I'm doing a B2B and changing rooms. Each time they said yes and they instructed me to pack up everything in my luggage and leave it in the room and they will take it to my new cabin. Sure enough each time my luggage was moved to the new cabin.

Did a B2B on Horizon last September and also in February of this year and got a fruit bowl in the room both times at the beginning of the 2nd leg. Have a B2B coming up on the 31st of this month on the Sunrise so will see if I get anything on this.

11 hours ago, Terab85 said:

Sorry I'm just seeing this.  Haven't been on CC since our next one isn't until April.  It was so great meeting you and looked for you after that Sunday evening game.  Hopefully our Niners will pull this season out.  Any future cruises planned for you?

Met someone on the 1st leg of our B2B and we are going back on the Horizon next month on the 21st for Thanksgiving. Also going on the Sunrise for New Year's. Just watched the Niners lose again but hopefully will turn it around. Keeping the faith.

Great review. It was great meeting the both of you. As 49ers fans we saw each other in the Sports Bar during the games. I enjoyed reliving the back to back cruises again. Thank you!

On 8/7/2021 at 5:53 PM, NCTribeFan said:

Solo cruiser here, but I've only dined in the steakhouse solo once (often have cruise friends on the same sailings and we usually dine together).  It was actually for my birthday.  No singing, but lovely dessert, which I'm sure I didn't have room for.

 

I decided a few decades ago that if I wanted to go out to eat on my own, I'd go out to eat!  A co-worker (who was single) asked, "aren't you afraid people will look at you??!!"

 

Uh, no!  Why would I care what strangers think of me.  None of their business.

 

For me, one of the best reasons to dine solo (in the MDR, at least) is that it gives you a chance to really watch the servers, who are working their butts off.  So please, folks, remember that next time you want them to stand and chat in the middle of dinner service.  They have to make up that time to ensure that others get good service, too.  

Totally agree Joan. Remember I was one of your solo cruise friends that dined together on the same sailing.  Never thought twice of dining alone in MDR or any of the other dining places on the ship. I do remember once in the MDR a couple asked me if I was dining alone and when I said yes she said she was sorry. I said sorry about what! I'm having the time of my life doing what I want to do when I want to do it for as long as I want to do it.

I totally understand. I have a back to back booked for the first time and I couldn't be happier!

On 7/3/2021 at 7:31 PM, Lee Cruiser said:

I've been trying for several days to make steakhouse reservations for our upcoming cruise, but when I click on specialty dining in the planner, it comes up with "0 results."  I even tried this for another cruise and got the same message.  Has anyone else had that trouble of late?  Our ship has a steakhouse and Cucina and was looking to book both, but no luck thus far.

I had that trouble at first not seeing anything for Specialty Dining. I was using the browser Mozilla Firefox so I went in Settings and cleared cookies and site data. Everything showed up then. If using Microsoft Edge there is no problems at all.

Fantasy in 1996. It was only a 3 day cruise that went to Nassau but that was the start of my cruise obsession.

Dominica is a beautiful island and I had the greatest time with Sheppee Tours. It was a 5 hour tour and he showed us everywhere that was worth seeing. Truly was the best tour I've ever had. :)

The OP stated the fridge was missing from her cabin. Did they remove all the fridges ??because we use ours and are sailing in February. Just curious if anyone else wasmissing their fridge.

I was on Splendor in September and I had a fridge in my cabin.

I write reviews (usually much more in-depth than this) partly to just memorialize the cruise for my own benefit. After so many cruises over the past few years, they become one big blur! I really enjoy reading other's reviews and just try to be objective and get my impressions out there.

 

When I'm booked on a ship I've already sailed, or doing an itinerary I've already done, I go back and re-read my reviews. Amazing how much I forget. And it gives me a reference point for comparison purposes.

 

I'm hoping that sailing HAL again will freshen things up a bit. I keep thinking I need to do other types of vacations but when I start to price them, I realize I can cruise twice for what one land vacation will cost me. And it truly is like an addiction. ;)

I enjoy the candor of the reviews, keep that up. Hope we get to sail together again. Hope you are starting to feel better.

Escargots, Crab Cake, Lamb Chops and last picture is Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. It was all so good! :D

Thanks for the review. I was on the Splendor in September with the same itinerary for my birthday cruise. Looks like we had the same Cozumel excursion. Thanks for explaining the S&S Cards situation this wasn't around yet on my last cruise. Amazing that I did the same thing with QLS but I had to call them because I was off the ship at 7:20 and didn't want to wait around for my scheduled 9:00. The CD called our deck 10 self assist really early that cruise. Also wanted to say about your HAL 10:25am flight from FLL, I did the same thing in April on my RC cruise with my flight leaving at 10:30am. Looking back at my notes of that cruise I was in the first group off the ship around 7:00am and made it through airport security a little after 7:30am. I admit everything aligned right for me but I would do it again. Did you listen to the band Funkology and what did you think of Chloe the CD?

Found these also.

Oysters Rockefeller, Seared Tuna, Rosemary Lamb Shank, Salmon, Banana Split, Steamed Mussels, Prime Rib w/Loaded Baked Potato and finally Banana White Chocolate Bread Pudding w/Sauce. I'm hungry looking at these pictures. :D

Fried Calamari, Chicken Quesadilla, Shrimp Curry w/Coconut Rice, Mango Creme Cake and the last pic Dual Filet Mignon w/Short Ribs and Mashed Potatoes. :D

As for the vibe of the ship, some are better than others. I'll be boarding Splendor on Sunday and have sailed her the past 2 years, about a year apart.

 

First was the 8-night repo from San Juan to Miami. It was a great cruise. Last year, it was the 1-time Norfolk to Bermuda. It was also a great cruise. The crew and staff I encountered were just as pleasant as on every other cruise.

 

Every sailing is different. Your experience will be entirely different from the people in the cabin next to you, depending on your choices of where you go, when you go, who you encounter, your own expectations, etc.

 

I'm interested in thoughts about the American Table menu. Had it for the first time on the Vista Inaugural and wasn't terribly impressed. I'd read the menus online prior to sailing and had expected to see more of my old favorites, but they weren't there. I think the service and food quality on that sailing wasn't up to par, but I wrote it off as being the first sailing. Many of those teams (in the MDR and in the kitchen) had probably never worked together. Of course, I didn't go hungry. Just looking forward to seeing how the experience differs on Splendor.

 

p.s. My family's from Watauga County. I grew up in Cleveland but lived in the mountains two different times; the most recent being for about 15 years. Left 10 years ago. So beautiful but hate the winters. It's why I left Cleveland in the first place! :p

 

p.p.s. Hi Shake-n-Bake!

Hi Joan!

I just want to add that the CD Chloe was great and very personable and this is coming from a person who hardly even pay attention CD's. She even sent some goodies to my cabin on my birthday last month. I was on Splendor twice this year and 3 times all together and had a great time on the cruises. Look for Maria in the Atrium Bar while listening to Funkology, she makes awesome drinks. :D

If you don't care about the shows, go check out the live band FUNkology. It plays good music (70-90 hits) and the female lead singer has a very good voice.

I agree whole-heartedly with this. Marsha and Ollie the lead singers were great. Every night that they played I made it a point to go and listen to them. At certain times they even played requests. :D

Originally Posted by Out of Iowa

pay very, very close attention to the "expiration date."

We were sadly disappointed that by the time we looked at the goodies we were left, there was no way to use the one that would have been enjoyed.

Ok, I will bite, what was the expiration date?

In my case the Spa card was good 2 days after my birthday while the Photo card was good until the end of the cruise. Didn't understand that but that is what it was.

I've seen some posts about "birthday" gifts from carnival like free photos, spa time, etc...

 

Is this a package you purchase at a discount, or is it triggered by noting a birthday on your reservation / DOB for the guest? We were switch from a Halloween cruise to one during my wife's birthday so was just wondering if I need to find this under the gift catalog or is it automated?

On the Splendor last month on my birthday my room steward left me a $50.00 off Spa card and Photo card for a free 5x7. In the MDR they gave me a small personal Happy Birthday cake. I was solo on this cruise so this was a pleasant surprise. :D

I agree 100% with this. There is a big difference between the company changing policy, and a single (or group) of employee(s) going rogue, for lack of a better term. I would call for a manager, if it was important to me, but definitely this would require a specific action.

I cruised on the Splendor in May and again in September and the cabin stewards on those cruises couldn't be more different. The steward in May tried to tell me one or the other and I told him that is not the policy and I can have both if I want and I'm willing to go to Guest Services to prove it. He then backed down but I had problems with him the rest of the cruise where I had to go to Guest Services anyway about him. The other steward in September was exceptional, he went over the card and offered both services. This tells me either the stewards are going "rogue" or it is a training problem which is what I told Guest Services.

Just got off the Splendor yesterday and we got the croc visor.

1 day. :D

Mere hours for us, we board SUNDAY! :D:D:D

I also board Sunday! :D