sailorJo

Will be on the Caribbean Princess in May and will potentially be among the first to experience this new and exciting program. Thanks for sharing!

Almost correct.

 

It is after 2 cruise credits, not 20 cruises. You can pick up extra cruise credits if you paid for a full suite or if you are traveling solo and had to pay for two.

Sounds right. With only 2 cruise credits I received a $64 loyalty OBC when I booked my third Princess cruise.

I read somewhere that one way of improving your chances of getting a free cabin upgrade is to sign up to receive cruise companies emails. It worked for me!

As long as they're still handing out blankets and serving popcorn I'll watch anything :cool:

I had no problem using my iPad mini but the onboard technician had to set up the carnival webpage for me as it wasn't detecting the ship wifi at first.

Just remember to type in logout.com in your browser when you're finished so that you're properly logged off and don't incur in extra charges.

Is FTTF available yet on Splendor???

 

Also wondering if Splendor has the kiosk you can put cash in for your S&S account?

FTTF is coming soon to Splendor, as announced by Carnival. Pride is next and Splendor should follow shortly after.

LOL! We had 1 16" x 24", 1 rolling carry on and a LOT of peripherals :D The 16 x 24 just had clothes and stuff I didn't mind checking. I had all the stuff I didn't want to check in the smaller bag and the peripherals - just in case we had to check the 16 x 24 (we didn't)

 

I had a wine carrier, a the carry-on I put under the seat on a plane - it's one of those soft sided tote kind of things that fits over the handle on the rolling bag. I also had a camera bag with 2 cameras and one Nook. PLUS another large tote bag with all kinds of pockets.

 

I got this great bungee cord thing - just for luggage - from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I had my netbook connected to the small roller bag and also the wine bag with it. I carried the camera bag and the other tote on my shoulder. I looked like a pack mule :D

 

I don't pack a lot of clothes, but I take a lot of stuff!

OMG, I was laughing so hard at the picture you painted!! I can just imagine you lugging all that stuff around with you. Unfortunately I'm not as adventurous as you. I think I'll stick to my checkable suitcase and small carry-on, lol! BTW, the tech in you shows in the use of the term "peripherals" ;)

 

 

We didn't check any luggage, so I couldn't say for sure. By 11am the flow kind of reversed and there were more people coming in than leaving. But I can't be sure about the porter availability for people boarding. They only make money if they are moving, and let me tell you they were moving! :D

Kath, do you have any tips for not overpacking? How on earth did you get by on only a carry-on (one each, I'm assuming) :confused::confused:

According to another poster, John Herald has made an announcement on his Facebook page that by the end of July the Splendor (and other ships) will offer FTTF.

Sorry, don't know what happened there with the quotations :o:rolleyes:

I'm really terrible with names :D  - I have all the Fun Times so I'll make sure, but I'm fairly certain  that was his name.  He said he'd been with the ship from it's launch.   He was very nice, friendly and personable. 	

I have in my Fun Times that Ettore Bovo was our Captain. This is for the 5/9 sailing. :confused::confused::confused:

Could be Giorgio Pagano was on vacation :confused:

BTW, Kath, do you know who the current Captain is? It used to be Giorgio Pagano.

Kath, thank you for posting all this interesting information. It’s exactly the kind of distraction I need while I wait for my turn to sail :D.

I have a cousin who’s a crew member currently on the Glory so I knew about certain categories of crew not getting paid a regular salary and relying only on a portion of the gratuities. That’s why I wouldn’t even dream of removing the tips. They lead a hard life as it is with the work they do and being away from home for months on end is tough, especially when they have a family at home. It also explains why most of the jobs in the service sector are occupied by people from poorer countries, as what are low wages for people from the more developed countries can be a lot of money for them. It’s also important that passengers fill in those surveys when they’ve done a good enough job as they sometimes get bonuses if they’re highly rated. Just putting in my 2 cents ;)

Can’t wait to hear more!

Just some brief comments ... I'm still sorting everything out.

 

Our cruise was awesome - for us anyway! Loved the Mongolian Wok - well worth waiting in line - but day 1 and port days the lines are shorter.

 

Definitely go up to the Rotisserie area when eating from the buffet. We never had a problem getting a table - always many available - and you can sit by the windows.

 

Crew was fantastic - everyone went above and beyond (except for one minor situation that's not even worth detailing - there's one in every crowd :rolleyes: ).

 

Went to the El Mojito each night while waiting for the dining room to clear from early seating (We got the Gold Pearl as I'd hoped!). Bartenders, Gabriel and Rowena were great - always remembered our drinks! Rowena was leaving for vacation, but Gabriel was expecting a new partner.

 

Steak House (2 times) was fabulous!

 

Got a Cabana on HMC - best $229 I've spent in a long time!

 

Behind the Fun tour was really great and very informative.

 

Didn't make to the shows or the comedy club - which we did want to do. I kept getting up early (I'm too curious and if there was something going on - I had to see!) so I was tired by the end of the day.

 

Brunch was great! Food was excellent. Actually, overall, I thought the food was really good.

 

More later ...

Finally, welcome back! We've been suffering here waiting for fresh news ;)

I can't wait to hear all about it.

Now, that's a cruise pic like I've never seen before. Thanks for posting it!

This was the Miracle sail away from NYC in March when she began her trip to Sunny Southern California.

 

 

Is that the Verrazano? They must have left earlier than usual because I always see the ship from the SI ferry coming into the bay around 5:30. It looks like at 5:18 they were already under the bridge.

I watched one of my friends sail away on the Splendor this afternoon. Damn raindrops on the webcam.

 

Yikes! I was checking the fare viewer and noticed that prices have gone up even more on my July sailing. They have more than doubled in the last 2 months. No hope for an upgrade at this point, unless a miracle happens :(.

Wonderful wonderful review....fell in love with NYC as i won tickets to see a favorite singer there middle of May and so much to get there made it a week...Problem is..I spent 2 (special CC informed and planned as we do)... solo inside cruises to go. But I met Enrique Iglesias and got a hug and a kiss and some dear fan friends from your neck of the woods..worth it??? Yes..dying for a cruise now..yes..I am really practiced for a better cabin and a great time on Norweigan, Carnival and Princess..probably in that order for next times..unless i meet dear friends form here on a new big RCCL one..ahh so much travel so little time...you two are and absolutely beautiful couple...thanks so much for sharing and getting me in the cruise mood...Sarah

I can see how a kiss and a hug from Enrique Iglesias can get to your head like that :D :D I hope you get to go on your cruise anyway!

I can't say for sure, because I've never been in a deck 8 aft, but I've heard that you can hear when they move the lounge chairs to put them away at night and put them out again in the am. Deck 7 is probably quieter. I have also heard that the halls where the aft cabins are tend to be quiet.

 

We are in one of the deck 6 wraps for our next cruise - WHICH IS MONDAY !!!! :D

I'm so jealous :mad: Five more weeks for mine! I’m looking forward to reading all about your cruise on the Splendor when you get back, perhaps in a detailed picture review ;)

Have a great cruise!

 

 

 

Atlantis

 

 

Docked in Nassau

 

 

 

Wow, I didn't expect Atlantis to appear so tiny from the ship! :( I've never been to Nassau and I'm looking forward to docking there on my July cruise just to see the Atlantis from a distance. It goes to show how huge the Splendor is. :cool:

BTW, that sunset shot is amazing! What camera did you use?

Thank you so much for the fantastic picture review!

Thanks for starting this review. DH and I will be sailing the Splendor next month.:D:D I can't wait to hear more and see more pictures. If you can, please post some of your inside cabin. We have an inside on Deck 7.

I was hoping to see the ship. When we cruised on Miracle in Feb. we were supposed to be in one of the ports with Breeze but they switched the days of the itinerary at the last minute. I always bring binoculars and it is fun to look at the different ships. :p

This is how close I came to the Breakaway yesterday. It's definitely a beautiful ship. Too bad it was going to Bermuda, which I've visited so many times already.

I was just over at Fort Wadsworth to watch the Splendor sail under the bridge. The view is breathtaking! You've all probably seen dozens of pictures like this but I couldn't resist posting it. She came right after the Norwegian Breakaway and Celebrity Summit. Enjoy!

I try not to think about that! :D

Me too! However, it's good to remember there was nothing wrong with the Concordia per se and everything that happened was caused by human error. That said, can't wait to get aboard my splendid Concordia sister Splendor! :D:D

A taste of cruising from NY.

 

Wow, what a view! Thanks for posting this. That day I was watching the entire thing from aboard the Staten Island ferry and especially loved the NYFD tribute with the water spray. It was all I could do to contain my excitement!