Pirate's SPLENDID Cruise to Bermuda Review

Sea Day #1

I should mention that our cruise director Kevin told everyone that before they went to bed on embarkation day to move their clocks forward 1 hour so that we would be on Atlantic time.

Saturday morning our group all decided to do the sea day brunch. I forget what time we woke up, but I want to say that it was around 9ish. We went to the Gold Pearl dining room and were seated at a large table with some other cruisers. Our service this morning was AWFUL, and it turns out that the waitress we had was the same one our friends had the night before in the Black Pearl MDR. Our drinks were never refilled, and the food service was painfully slow. I ordered the chicken Caesar Salad and the Huervos Rancheros, both of which were not very good like they have been in the past. The chicken on the salad was cold, which I do not remember it being that way in the past, and the Huervos Rancheros was cold as well. I decided to try the brownie for dessert (yes, I know, who eats a brownie at 9 in the morning? This girl!) and it was OK, a little dry. Maybe add some ice cream and it would be great! :)

After brunch we all decided to walk around some. I wanted to check out the "secret deck" but due to high winds (it was really windy!) they were closed, as well as the water slide, basketball court, and the Serenity deck. Here are some pics I snapped as we walked around.

Aft Pool area...look how empty it is!

No kids playing in the splash area today...

They had the dome closed on the Lido pool area. The waterslide is in the distance.

Close up of the water slide

Atrium Elevators

Looking down at the atrium

Lights on the atrium ceiling

After walking around we decided to check out the Detox seminar with Derek at 11. All I can say is that we made it through maybe 15 minutes, then decided to leave. We felt like he was talking in circles. We left and went to watch the ice carving on Lido, and as always it was interesting to see what they can do with a large chunk of ice!

After watching the ice carving we were all hungry, so we decided to grab some lunch. I decided to get a burger from the grill. Now, I have to admit, after sailing on ships with Guy's Burgers on my last 3 cruises, I was thinking that no way would the non-Guys burgers be as good. Can I just say...I was wayyyy wrong! :o I actually think that I enjoy the old, non-branded grill better! I was able to get a cheeseburger and fries (which are the skinny, crispy kind, not the thick kind like Guy's has and they are SO MUCH BETTER!) and to top it all off....they have chili and nacho style cheese that you can add on top of the fries! Oh, it is so unhealthy I know, but I was such a happy girl! :D

Whale Tail Shot!

After lunch, DH and I decided to go back to the cabin to have a lazy afternoon. I wanted to read, and DH wanted an afternoon nap. He wasn't feeling too well with the rolling seas, and he took some ginger pills and laid down. The rest of our group wasn't feeling well either, one of them decided to try those sea bands that she had brought with her, and the other 2 decided to go get some meds from one of the stores on board. I think I must have missed my calling, for some reason the rocking of the ship didn't bother me...maybe I should go work on a ship! :p I stepped onto my balcony to read and admire the wake of the ship.

Tonight was elegant night, so we started to get ready around 5. I remember having a meltdown as my darn hair wouldn't cooperate, but in the end we all looked presentable. We went to the Black Pearl dining room and were seated in ElPidio's section tonight. He and his team were AWESOME! Our waters were constantly refilled, service was fast, and ElPidio even brought extra entrees to the table for us to "try and see if we liked" when we asked him if they were good or not. Tonight we all tried the lobster, and the general consensus was that it was kind of tough and just...meh. :( I had the chili relanos (or however you spell that!) and it was spicy and good. I took off the breading and ate the rest. Chris had the prime rib and he said it was OK but not as good as past cruises, and we both had Caesar salad as our starter. We love our Carnival Caesar salads!! :D I also had the stuffed mushrooms as a starter, and as always they ere yummy. One of our friends had Spaghetti Carbonara and said that it wasn't good at all, and we all ended the meal with Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, which was perfect. It was warm, moist but not soupy, and just...well, perfect!

After dinner we went and saw the comedians, Anthony Acosta and Tim Young. They were both funny, we really enjoyed their shows! We then went to the 10:15 show of The Beat, and after that called it a night. It was then that I realized I hadn't called maintenance about our shower, as it flooded again. Oops! I can say that it wasn't from me having too many bubbles the night before. I made a note to call first thing in the morning!

Sea Day 2

Today our group all decided to sleep in as we would all be getting up early in BERMUDA the next few days! :D We all agreed to do the sea day brunch at 11, so before that DH and I met up with my friend Kristyn on the Serenity deck to play some mini golf and walk around. I snapped a few pics along the way.

The dome was open on Lido today!

Another Whale Tail shot, this one with Splendor's name in it:

Kids can play in the splash area today!

Kristyn, Chris and I decided to play mini golf, which was fun even if I was awful. I somehow managed to hit the ball off the course and almost hit another cruiser! Sir, if you are reading this review, I am sorry...I got a little excited and may have hit the ball too hard. :o Here are some shots of the course:

Bench

One of the holes

Another hole

After we were done playing we walked around some. The Serenity deck, waterslide, and kids' splash areas were open today. The pool decks were not crowded when we were walking around about 10:30, much different from our Sunshine cruise earlier this year!

We met the rest of our group for brunch at 11 and had ElPidio as our server. Yay! DH and I both got Caesar salad, and this time the chicken was warm... another yay! It was so much better than the day before. I also wanted to try and omlet so I got one with spinach, peppers, mushrooms and cheese in it. Yummy!

After brunch we decided to check out lobby bowling.

It was fun! Everyone ended up with a medal. While we were down in the atrium I snapped this pic.

We then decided to play mini golf again, this time with our whole group. By this time the wind had picked up some, and it was a little challenging! Luckily I didn't hit the ball off the course this time.

After playing the mini golf, I decided to go have some quality time with my balcony, book and a glass of wine. The weather was nice, and before too long I may or may not have fallen asleep. :o I woke up when Chris brought me a present:

I have been saying since our very first cruise on the Pride in 2012 that I want to try the Black Forest Cake from the coffee shop, but I never have...until now. Let me just say, it was yummy!

Our friends all came to our cabin to play Uno for a little while this afternoon. We had a good time, we played until we all decided to head to dinner. ElPidio's section was full, so we had a different waiter tonight. I had the chicken quesadilla for my starter, and it was so, so good!!

Chris had the Caesar salad, but tonight it was covered in way too much dressing. For our entrees, Chris chose the meatloaf, which he said was pretty good, and I had the jerk pork loin, which was great. It had some spice to it, which I like!

To finish off our meal, Chris chose to have 2 desserts: the cheesecake, which he said was great, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a scoop of orange sherbert, which became his go-to dessert the rest of the cruise.

I went with my usual, WCMC.

After dinner we went to the Marcus Anthony show, which was Motown. I was interested in the chandelier in the theater, which changes colors. What is it with me and changing lights??

I am not a big Motown fan, so I left after the second song and headed back to the cabin. I figured I would call it an early night, because tomorrow, we would be docking in BERMUDA!!!

Oh, I can't forget to throw in a pic of this little guy. :)

I am trying to get my Bermuda pics uploaded, and when I do I will start in on our island adventures.

Enjoying your review! We're going to Bermuda next May and I'm reading every review I can...never too soon to plan out our trip. :D

Enjoying your review! We're going to Bermuda next May and I'm reading every review I can...never too soon to plan out our trip. :D

Enjoy your trip, Bermuda is gorgeous!

Pirate..enjoying your review!

We were on Splendor the week before you. Agree that the piano bar girl was a bit strong. My mom did not go back and she really enjoyed the piano bar on her first cruise.

Did the mentalist guy do a show again? He was good but just not very engaging with the audience and people were walking out.

Pirate..enjoying your review!

Thank you! Hope you had a good time onboard.

We were on Splendor the week before you. Agree that the piano bar girl was a bit strong. My mom did not go back and she really enjoyed the piano bar on her first cruise.

Did the mentalist guy do a show again? He was good but just not very engaging with the audience and people were walking out.

Mentalist? I don't think so, we had a magician that did an 11:15 show but we didn't go to that.

And now, the part everyone has been waiting for...

BERMUDA!

I woke up at 7:15 and anxiously pushed my balcony curtains open. We had been scheduled for an 8 a.m. arrival in Bermuda, but the FunTimes delivered the night before said we would be arriving at 9 a.m. However, I saw land!! I eagerly stepped onto the balcony to take some pics.

The sun is starting to wake up...

I woke Chris up and we decided to hit up Lido for breakfast. His cousin is NOT a morning person at all and took forever getting ready, but we got to Lido about 8 and we were getting close to the dock! I could see NCL Dawn at her dock. I grabbed some scrambled eggs, sausage links and potatoes for breakfast. The sausage and potatoes were pretty decent, and I know everyone on here says the scrambled eggs are nasty. They may not be the best, but I will tell you what makes them edible: Texas Pete. Yes, I packed Texas Pete just for my scrambled eggs. :D

After eating breakfast we went back to the cabin to wait for Kevin to tell us we could proceed to the gangway. From our balcony, I snapped a pic of Dawn.

The dock area

Random towel animal

Once we were cleared to exit the ship, our group went to the stairs. We had a bunch of things planned to do, so we were on a mission! Our first stop upon exiting the ship was to get our 3 day bus/ferry pass. Looking back, we should have just got a 2 day pass, but whatever. The 3 day pass was $44 per adult, so a total of $88 for Chris and I.

We then went to the ferry terminal to take the ferry to Hamilton. While waiting, I snapped some ship pictures.

Splendor in Bermuda

NCL Dawn

Another shot of Dawn from the ferry. I do like the artwork on the sides of their ships.

Splendor and Dawn

One last shot of the 2 ships

Once we got to Hamilton, we went to the bus stop to catch a bus that would take us to Crystal and Fantasy Caves. For some reason it seems that Chris and I have been on a cave kick our past few cruises. On Sunshine we decided to do the Underground River excursion in Cozumel, and then here in Bermuda we wanted to see the caves. Our group was game, so we boarded a bus to take us to them.

Now, let me say that I do not like roller coasters and for some reason lately I have begun getting car sick. I sometimes get onto Chris about his driving back home. However, after our very first bus ride in Bermuda, I told Chris I would never bother him about his driving again. Our whole group agreed that the bus drivers over there are CRAZY! I never got sick, but I wondered a few times if I would make it off the bus alive! When we got to the stop for the caves, we all exited the bus and breathed a sigh of relief. We walked to the ticket booth and got our tickets ($30 for a ticket to get into both caves) and we were put with the next tour to go into Fantasy cave. Our guide was Ron, and he was a hoot! I wish we had gotten him for Crystal cave as well, but our other guide was still good. Here are pics from in the Fantasy Cave.

Inside Crystal Cave

Fantasy Cave had 88 steps to navigate, Crystal Cave had 81. Crystal Cave had a bridge that you got to walk onto to go into the cave and over the water inside. They were both really cool to see. We learned that Bermuda has the most caves per square mile of any country in the world. How awesome is that?

After we finished with the caves, we were all HUNGRY. It was about 2:00, so I guess it's not a surprise! I had planned this out perfectly, I knew of just the spot to grab lunch that was right near the caves.

Welcome to the Swizzle Inn. They make this drink called the Rum Swizzle that I just had to try. We went inside and got a table upstairs. Our waiter soon brought us menus, and I thought they were pretty cool.

I ordered a Rum Swizzle and the Butt Kickin Nachos, DH ordered a hamburger (really honey? A burger??), my friend Kristyn ordered a burger (sigh), my other friend got nachos as well, and DH's cousin got the Fish N Chips (yay! He may be a picky eater, but at least he is being adventurous!).

My Rum Swizzle

I failed to take any pics of our food before we devoured it all...sorry everyone! I can tell you that the nachos were REALLY, really good. Instead of ground beef they had actual chunks of beef, which was strange, but the flavors were really good. Chris and Kristyn loved their hamburgers. As for DH's cousin...well, he didn't eat much, like I said, he is a picky eater and he ate maybe one piece of fish and that was it. I am not sure if the food wasn't good or if it was just him.

The waiter combined all our food onto 1 tab, and since we were a party of 5 or more they automatically added a gratuity of 17%. Our total bill for everything was $123. We all paid our parts and went on to our next adventure: Blue Hole Park.

Alright, this was the only disappointing part of Bermuda for us. Somewhere Kristyn and I had both heard that you could swim at Blue Hole Park, so after climbing in the caves we were all pumped up for some time in the water to cool off. We all walked to the Blue Hole Park, which really wasn't marked well, and went on the trail that led to the hole. As another couple came down they told us that it was OK but not worth the hike. We were all curious as to why they said that but kept on our way. When we reached the Blue Hole, we found that you can't actually swim in the Blue Hole, there is a platform to stand on and look at the hole but that was it. It was pretty, but we were all let down that we couldn't swim.

There were a LOT of fish in the Blue Hole!

Disappointed that we couldn't swim in the hole, we decided to find a beach to swim at. We had seen some potential places on the hike to the Blue Hole. This one was too rocky to swim at, but oh how pretty the water looked.

I liked the way this tree looked.

And, we finally found this beach. It was pretty littered with trash, and there was a lot of seaweed in the water. We walked out up to our knees to cool off a little, but we all felt so defeated. We were in BERMUDA, after all. We wanted to swim!

By this time it was about 5:00, and we were all a little let down about the swimming part of our day. We had decided that tomorrow (Tuesday) was going to be spent going to the beach, so we consoled ourselves with that thought as we hiked back to the bus stop to return to the ship. When we got there this other couple looked at us and asked if we had gone swimming in the cave. Say what? Swimming in a cave? Where?! Count me in! We told them no, that we had hiked to Blue Hole Park and we hadn't gotten to do any swimming much to our disappointment, and they told us we should go check out Cathedral Cave. It turns out it was maybe a 5 minute walk from the bus stop, on a hotel property but free to get into. We thanked them and took off to find the cave. It was super easy to find, and when we hiked down into the cave there were a few other people in the water enjoying it. We all shimmied out of our shorts and shirts and jumped in!

Staircase to the small swimming area

The best pic I got of Chris (DH) the entire cruise :D:cool:

The water was COLD, but we were so hot that it felt wonderful. It was awesome swimming there, we all loved it and agreed that it more than made up for the disappointment of Blue Hole Park. A note of warning for anyone that decided to go there: the area where you jump in is rocky, so make sure that you don't dive! We all jumped in once and didn't hit bottom, but the second time I jumped in I did touch bottom.

We stayed in the water for probably 30 minutes, then decided to head to the bus stop to go back to the ship. Once there, we all cleaned up for dinner, and darn it...I had still failed to call on our clogged shower! I called while Chris was cleaning up for dinner and they said they would send someone to look into it.

Oh, I am so going to those caves next year. DH loves that stuff.

Your sunrise pictures are beautiful!

I will continue with the rest of Bermuda Day 1 after dinner, and hopefully my internet will cooperate and I can upload the pics from day 2 and write that portion tomorrow evening.

HI all!

pirate ~ welcome back! Loving your review & photos.:D Sounds like you had a great time. Isn't Bermuda beautiful?

~ Jo ~ :)

I'm going to go start my review now, if my photos have uploaded. I'm also having internet issues. Since I got home Friday, I've had to get up and reboot my wireless router at least 5 times. Don't know what's going on.

 

Anyway, I didn't take a lot of photos and didn't make ANY notes, so my review is probably going to be rather spotty, but if I don't start now, I'll forget a lot of the details. :o

 

Looking forward to comparing our experiences. :)

Looking forward to your review!!

Pat