Splendor Review

2/21/10 Sailing on the Carnival Splendor

Pre-Cruise:

I used Super Shuttle to get to Long Beach and it was a so-so experience. There were other people who showed up to go to Long Beach after I had gotten there and checked in who were put in a shuttle before me. I pointed out that I had been waiting longer and was told that being there earlier didn't matter. I was not too pleased.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown Long Beach. The hotel was a little ways away from the Pike and other fun areas but the hotel has a shuttle that will take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius of the hotel. When you are ready to be picked up just call them and they will send the shuttle. The wait might take a little while depending upon demand. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel was really quiet and I didn't hear anybody once I went to bed. It is a great place to rest up before your cruise.

I visited the Aquarium of the Pacific Saturday afternoon and really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone that has time to see it, particularly if you have children.

Shuttle transport from the hotel to the cruise pier is first come first served as you tell them you are ready. My advice is to head out early, otherwise you could be waiting awhile for the shuttle.

Embarkation - a breeze

I arrived around 9:15am and a porter took my bags within a few minutes. I found out that you could go ahead and do the paperwork to get you sign and sail card so I was all set by 9:00am with my Group 1 card. :D

With time to kill, I decided to explore the Queen Mary. It was worth it to see the small chapel dedicated to the 4 Chaplains who were serving on a troop transport that was torpedoed during WWII. They stood on the deck handing out life jackets and when the ran out of life jackets they took off their jackets and gave them to others. The last they were seen they were holding hands, praying as the ship sank.

Boarding -

VIP/Priority boarding and those requiring assistance are the first to board. Then it was Group 1s turn. Boarding was very organized.

First Impression of the Ship

I was snickering when I saw all the pink polka dots and donuts. It is a bit much. It kind of gave me a headache after a while.

Lunch time

I couldn't believe all of the choices on the Lido Deck. The hard part was figuring out which selection to try each day - so many choices, so little time. I really liked the rotisserie. I never had a chance to try the Tandori food.

Cabin

I was booked in 7336 which is a 1A cabin. I liked the cabin but realized pretty quickly that I would hear the elevator 24/7 (:(). I went to the Customer Service Deck and indicated that I knew there was probably nothing that they could do but I already new that I would hear the elevator all of the time. The lady was very nice and said she would see what she could do to make things better.

Luggage - A+ rating. The fastest I have every received my luggage (1:30pm).

Dinner time and I met my dinner companions, a family of 6, and 2 singles. It was a nice group to dine with. Our waiters were very efficient but not real personable. The food in the dining room was always great.

Introductory show

The CD, Goose, has a lot of positive energy and he was a good CD. The first night he picks 6 people from the two sides of the audience and each group has a Pappa Bear, Mamma Bear, Baby Bear, Woodsman, Bed, and House. As Goose reads a story everytime a participant heard his/her character name they had to essentially run a circle. It was kind of funny. By the way, if you every have a chance to participate in this event, it looked like the Woodsman got the most exercise. :D

I'll add more tomorrow.

Dinner time and I met my dinner companions, a family of 6, and 2 singles. It was a nice group to dine with. Our waiters were very efficient but not real personable. The food in the dining room was always great.

 

Introductory show

The CD, Goose, has a lot of positive energy and he was a good CD. The first night he picks 6 people from the two sides of the audience and each group has a Pappa Bear, Mamma Bear, Baby Bear, Woodsman, Bed, and House. As Goose reads a story everytime a participant heard his/her character name they had to essentially run a circle. It was kind of funny. By the way, if you every have a chance to participate in this event, it looked like the Woodsman got the most exercise. :D

 

I'll add more tomorrow.

I'm enjoying your review:) DH and I will be on Splendor in 6 weeks! Thanks!!

Oh please go on. We are going on the Splendor may 16th

Very nice start to your review. We were on the Splendor last August and loved her. Found Long Beach to to be the easiest embark/debark we have ever had.

2/21/10 Sailing on the Carnival Splendor

 

Pre-Cruise:

 

I used Super Shuttle to get to Long Beach and it was a so-so experience. There were other people who showed up to go to Long Beach after I had gotten there and checked in who were put in a shuttle before me. I pointed out that I had been waiting longer and was told that being there earlier didn't matter. I was not too pleased.

 

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown Long Beach. The hotel was a little ways away from the Pike and other fun areas but the hotel has a shuttle that will take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius of the hotel. When you are ready to be picked up just call them and they will send the shuttle. The wait might take a little while depending upon demand. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel was really quiet and I didn't hear anybody once I went to bed. It is a great place to rest up before your cruise.

 

I visited the Aquarium of the Pacific Saturday afternoon and really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone that has time to see it, particularly if you have children.

 

Shuttle transport from the hotel to the cruise pier is first come first served as you tell them you are ready. My advice is to head out early, otherwise you could be waiting awhile for the shuttle.

 

Embarkation - a breeze

I arrived around 9:15am and a porter took my bags within a few minutes. I found out that you could go ahead and do the paperwork to get you sign and sail card so I was all set by 9:00am with my Group 1 card. :D

 

With time to kill, I decided to explore the Queen Mary. It was worth it to see the small chapel dedicated to the 4 Chaplains who were serving on a troop transport that was torpedoed during WWII. They stood on the deck handing out life jackets and when the ran out of life jackets they took off their jackets and gave them to others. The last they were seen they were holding hands, praying as the ship sank.

 

Boarding -

VIP/Priority boarding and those requiring assistance are the first to board. Then it was Group 1s turn. Boarding was very organized.

 

First Impression of the Ship

I was snickering when I saw all the pink polka dots and donuts. It is a bit much. It kind of gave me a headache after a while.

 

Lunch time

I couldn't believe all of the choices on the Lido Deck. The hard part was figuring out which selection to try each day - so many choices, so little time. I really liked the rotisserie. I never had a chance to try the Tandori food.

 

Cabin

I was booked in 7336 which is a 1A cabin. I liked the cabin but realized pretty quickly that I would hear the elevator 24/7 (:(). I went to the Customer Service Deck and indicated that I knew there was probably nothing that they could do but I already new that I would hear the elevator all of the time. The lady was very nice and said she would see what she could do to make things better.

 

Luggage - A+ rating. The fastest I have every received my luggage (1:30pm).

Love to hear info on the Splendor cruise, we cruise on that ship 7/11/10

Thanks for posting info.

2/21/10 Sailing on the Carnival Splendor

 

Pre-Cruise:

 

I used Super Shuttle to get to Long Beach and it was a so-so experience. There were other people who showed up to go to Long Beach after I had gotten there and checked in who were put in a shuttle before me. I pointed out that I had been waiting longer and was told that being there earlier didn't matter. I was not too pleased.

 

I stayed at the Holiday Inn Downtown Long Beach. The hotel was a little ways away from the Pike and other fun areas but the hotel has a shuttle that will take you anywhere within a 3 mile radius of the hotel. When you are ready to be picked up just call them and they will send the shuttle. The wait might take a little while depending upon demand. The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel was really quiet and I didn't hear anybody once I went to bed. It is a great place to rest up before your cruise.

 

I visited the Aquarium of the Pacific Saturday afternoon and really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone that has time to see it, particularly if you have children.

 

Shuttle transport from the hotel to the cruise pier is first come first served as you tell them you are ready. My advice is to head out early, otherwise you could be waiting awhile for the shuttle.

 

Embarkation - a breeze

I arrived around 9:15am and a porter took my bags within a few minutes. I found out that you could go ahead and do the paperwork to get you sign and sail card so I was all set by 9:00am with my Group 1 card. :D

 

With time to kill, I decided to explore the Queen Mary. It was worth it to see the small chapel dedicated to the 4 Chaplains who were serving on a troop transport that was torpedoed during WWII. They stood on the deck handing out life jackets and when the ran out of life jackets they took off their jackets and gave them to others. The last they were seen they were holding hands, praying as the ship sank.

 

Boarding -

VIP/Priority boarding and those requiring assistance are the first to board. Then it was Group 1s turn. Boarding was very organized.

 

First Impression of the Ship

I was snickering when I saw all the pink polka dots and donuts. It is a bit much. It kind of gave me a headache after a while.

 

Lunch time

I couldn't believe all of the choices on the Lido Deck. The hard part was figuring out which selection to try each day - so many choices, so little time. I really liked the rotisserie. I never had a chance to try the Tandori food.

 

Cabin

I was booked in 7336 which is a 1A cabin. I liked the cabin but realized pretty quickly that I would hear the elevator 24/7 (:(). I went to the Customer Service Deck and indicated that I knew there was probably nothing that they could do but I already new that I would hear the elevator all of the time. The lady was very nice and said she would see what she could do to make things better.

 

Luggage - A+ rating. The fastest I have every received my luggage (1:30pm).

The Queen Mary never sank during WWll, or was torpedoed.

The Queen Mary never sank during WWll, or was torpedoed.

The chaplains were aboard a troop transport vessel, not the Queen Mary. :eek:

2/21/10 Sailing on the Carnival Splendor

It was worth it to see the small chapel dedicated to the 4 Chaplains who were serving on a troop transport that was torpedoed during WWII.

She didnt say the Queen Mary sunk or was torpedoed- she said they were serving on a "Troop Transport"

Sorry for the delay but my five furbabies have been velcroed to me since I returned.

Sunday night the Splendor offered the first movie on the Lido deck - Star Trek. I watched the film before going to the open show in the theatre. I would say that movies on the Lido are well recived. Since it was a little cool, the roof was closed on the Lido Deck. Blankets are available for use while watching the movie and popcorn is $1 a bag. I really enjoyed watching a movie on the Lido Deck. It became a hard choice as the week progressed.

Monday

I chilled out most of the day but did attend the Love and Marriage game which as the funniest one I have ever attended. The selection of couples makes a big difference in how good the show is. The couple in the middle range were a hoot. Couples in that range were asked to do their best Tarzan impression and the wife was the one that played Tarzan.

The show Monday night was The Beat and it was pretty good. The singers had good voices, particularly the femail, Adriane Hall. Movie under the stars was Up that night.

Tuesday

I chilled out most of the day. The weather started to warm up Tuesday morning and the opened the roof on the Lido Deck. The afternoon became eventful as we passed Cabo and hit high winds. Talk about rocking and rolling. Half of the water came out of the pools (and people were in the pool at the time). There was not a dry speck of deck on the Lido Deck. The ship had quite a tilt for a little while and it was reported on our roll call that if you had a OV cabin on the Riviera Deck that your window was under water. I don't know about that but my cabin was on the Port side and the drawers came open.

I did not attend the Shopping Talk. I saw the Shopping Expert later on and asked up the port sheets. She indicated that they were handed out at the shopping talk and would only be available on Deck 0 as we disembarked in each port. She was the most unfriendly shopping expert I have ever encountered. Later on in the week another passenger made the comment that she had attitude issues. That passenger commented that I should be glad that I didn't attend the shopping talk because they discovered that some of the information she handed out was incorrect, they felt that she could have provided more helpful information about each port, and when they ran into her in one of the ports she hardly gave them the time of day.

In Puerto Vallarta, there were port sheets on Desk 0. In fact someone had stapled the sheets for all three ports together. In Mazatlan they managed to have just the Mazatlan sheet and in Cabo there was nothing to pick up as you left the ship. My advice - stop by the Shopping talk long enough to pick up the Port info and leave.

Tuesday night they offered Fiesta Latina which was pretty good.

The first deck party was that night - the Rock and Roll Deck Party. I have to admit that I didn't attend any of the deck parties on this cruise.

I

Puerto Vallarta

What can I say. The weather was sunny, warm and fabulous. The Captain was able to get us there one hour early. I booked the City & Tequila tour with Fernando Alfredo Navarro Flores through Mazatlan Frank. It was a great tour with only 7 passengers from the ship. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting a tour that is not just shopping tour. We drove to the downtown area first and saw the statutes along the Melancon and sand sculptures. We were give 50 minutes to walk around. I headed to the church first. It is a really nice church. We also had time to see the 4 guys that climb the pole, tie ropes around themselves, fall backwards, hang upside down as they spin around lowering themselves gradually to the ground.

We went up this hill where we were able to see the two different view of Bandaras Bay, the developed side and the more picturesque side. We say Mismaloya on the way to Mamma Lucia's tequela factory where we got to try 3 drinking tequilas (38 proof) and 3 cooking tequilas. The one I like best was the chocolate-coffee cooking tequila. We saw where Elizabeth Taylor's house used to be (it has been torn down). Fernando gave us one hour to shop at a flea market. Let me say that, having been to all three ports, the flea markets are pretty much the same. You bargain for everything you buy. If you see something particular that you really want go ahead and dicker for it when you find it. While many things are the same from port to port, you might not find the exact same thing somewhere else.

Weds. night they had a Mexican Folkloric Show. It was ok but in hindsight I am sorry that I didn't pony up the money and go to the Rhythms of the Night excursion.

Mazatlan

I went on Mazatlan Frank's City tour and it was great. We started out by heading for the downtown area where we were give about 40 minutes to visit the church. There was a flea market close by if you had enough time after seeing the church. That flea market was the most interesting one I saw on this trip. I would have liked to spend more time there. Part of it was like the Mexican grocery store with all kinds of food stalls. Frank conducted a short walking tour through part of the old town. We drove by the shrimp market and saw the Gold zone. A 15 minute stop was made at the Silver Bucket, a silver shop in the Gold Zone. Beware of the salesmen. I have bought silver in Mexico before so I know about how much various pieces should be priced. I asked for the opening prices on a couple of items. The initial price was way out of line and not even close to what the two pieces were worth. I told Frank that their prices were ridiculous. He asked me if I offered a counter price. I indicated that I wasn't going to be bothered because the opening "price" was so absurd. One of the salesmen came up and wanted to find out what happened. I told him and he wanted to have a chance to make things good. When I told him the price I was quote he rolled his eyes which verified by initial suspicion. I did eventually get one pair of earrings. My only complaint about the tour is that 15 minutes is not an adequate time to do any serious silver shopping because into a more impulse driven decision versus stepping back and thinking about the prices for the items you look at. Overall though I thought it was a good tour and would recommend it. After seeing El Cid, and dropping off a family at a resort for some beach time another couple and I had Frank drop as off at Tony's on the Beach for lunch. It was a nice location for seafood at a good price. We took an open air taxi back to the ship.

Thursday night there was a hypnotist show that was one of the best shows I have ever seen. It was hysterical and I just about peed in my pants it was so funny. If I had not had to get up so early the next morning I would have gone to the second show. If you have a chance to see Jac' Rene I would say this is a not to be missed show.

Cabo San Lucas

The tender to the port was not bad at all except it was a little rough sitting in the tender waiting for it to fill up with enough people to be able to leave for the port. I did the Up Close Whale Watch by Zodiac which was totally awesome. It is not for anybody with back problems or who is pregnant but if you can withstand a bumpy ride it is a must see for whale watching. We went to a first location where we briefly saw a mamma and baby humpback whale. From there we went on a ride that seemed to go on forever and could be a little painful and you were occasionally slammed back down as we soared along. We began to comment that there had better be something to see when we got to wherever we were going. We finally stopped at a second location just as a second zodiac was leaving.

Let me say, the other zodiac left way too soon. We found another mamma and baby humpback where we had the experience of a lifetime. We were able to get close to them several times, the closest might have been 15 feet. The water was rather dark and you had to be pretty close to something to see it in the water. That was where we could see just how long the mother's fins were. We saw both the mamma and baby breach at least 4 times each. We were told that it is unusual for the mother to breach because she usually tries to conserve her energy in order to be to take care of her baby. We also watched the baby play. It was an incredible tour.

I walked around the port area a little after the excursion before going back on the ship.

Friday was the second elegant night (Monday was the first). The show that night was Vroom which was pretty good.

Saturday

We learned early in the morning about the earthquake in Chile and that there were tsunamis heading towards Hawaii and Japan. Of course I wondered what impact it might have on the ship. I heard an expert on CNN say that being on the ocean was actually a good place to be so I relaxed.

I attended the disembarkation talk where the Captain gave us an update on the tsunamis. Cabo was hit around 9am. He pointed out that it was good that it had not happened on Friday as he would have left a lot of us behind when he would have had to pull out to sea. Yikes! I hadn't thought about that!

The weather turned raining and sailing became rough late that afternoon. Saturday night was rough beyond belief. I heard later on that the Captain took us further out to sea because of the tsunamis. I was able to change to Cabin 2202 on the Main Deck on Monday. Saturday night is was so rough that every time the waves would hit the ship you would hear this BOOM!. It was a long night.

I have heard that Saturdays could be rough on the return sail to Long Beach. As bad as Saturday night was I think that we had it better then others have had it.

Disembarkation

Disembarkation was great until I hit the pier. That was when I discovered that the number on the tags that they give you may not correlate with where our luggage ends up on the pier. It was frustrating. I was not the only one searching among the sea of luggage to find mine. They also had only 2 customs agents which slowed down the exodus off of the pier.

I used Carnival's transportation to LAX which worked out great and I would recommend it to others.

Overall I had a great cruise. Despite its decor I like the Splendor. I liked Cabin 2202 which I was able to move into on Monday. The layout of the cabin is large for a 1A. The only risk in staying in this cabin is if you hit rough seas, other then that it is a great cabin. Entertainment was good. Food was good with a lot of options on the Lido Deck. The Customer Service Desk was great and were able to help me out when I had problems with my first cabin. I would recommend this cruise to others.

Thanks for you review, I really enjoyed it. Scary to think the ship might leave you behind. :eek:

Great review. I was on the same cruise and pre-cruise hotel!

Just wanted to say thank you for writing it up. :) Painted a vivid picture to help me remember for the future.

yes great reviews and very helpful info.. esp for the first time cruiser like me. ;)

yes great reviews and very helpful info.. esp for the first time cruiser like me. ;)

Thanks.

I also wanted to comment that I have been on other cruise ships that have the big screen on the Lido Deck and the big screen was obnoxious. This was the first time that I enjoyed the big screen.

What time did they start disembarkation?

You are the first person that I have actually heard about getting a cabin changed. I am glad you were able to get away from the elevators.

Crystal, great review! It brought back so many wonderful memories from the trip!

Mary