Review of Splendor with Young Kids for First Time (8-28 sailing)

[Ashera0]

We were on the 8-28 sailing of the Carnival Splendor. Me, DH, our DS (5) and DS (1.5) as well as my mom. My DH and I had cruised several times before on Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian but before the kids were born, so we knew it would not be the same experience. We were prepared to focus on the kids and have family time. All in all we had a great trip. I was nervous about many things pre-trip in terms of the kids, so I wanted to post this for those traveling with young kids so that you get a full picture of the pros and cons.

 

1) Embarkation:*

We has booked suite 7231 and adjacent balcony room 7225. The suite qualified for VIP and since the kids were split across both room reservations, we were allowed to board VIP as one family. DH dropped us off close to the VIP boarding area and then checked the luggage in with the porter, gave him a tip and parked and met up with us in e VIP lounge. We arrived at the port at around 11am and were on the ship by 11.30. Easy!*

 

2) Getting Settled and Staying Connected:

We headed straight to guest services and got extra keys so that all three adults had keys to both cabins. Grandma and baby were in the balcony room and DH, I and DS (5) in the suite. The cabin steward brought in a crib that was perfectly adequate. It had a sheet but be sure to bring your own covers for the baby.*

 

After getting the keys, we headed straight to Camp Carnival and waited in line to get a phone that you get if you have a child in the 2-5 age group registered for Camp. Make sure you get this phone even if you don't think your child will use Camp!! So worth it. It allowed us to split up during the day mostly with DS (5) and DH swimming etc. while mom and I took turns caring for the baby and still keeping in touch. You can call the wireless phone that you get from camp from the cabin phones and from tjr ship phones which are all over the place. We also had a walkie talkie set that came in handy even though the reception was sometimes bad and there were many people on all channels. It is still worth it on top of the Camp phone since we were three adults. We also set up a baby monitor between the two cabinsso we could stay up in the suite but hear if the baby woke up next door.*

 

Finally, we headed to see the maitre D to check on our table assignment. They open up at 1.30 so get in line at 1.15. We wanted a table for just the five of us and were indeed already assigned as such.*

 

Our bags didn't arrive in the cabins until right after we sailed at 4.30pm...I was anxious to unpack and get settled and was starting to get worried that bags were showing up all around us but not ours! In any case, the suitcases did finally show up and fit easily under the beds once unpacked.

 

3) Camp and Kids Entertainment:

I dropped DS (5) at Camp at 10am on the first sea day. They have a gate so the kids cant slip out. They ask them to wash hands as they enter. I could tell from looking around the room that the toys were geared much more to the 2-3 year old age group. The toys were all ones my DS had played with several years back. DS has been in daycare/preschool since age 1, so he is very social but Camp didn't work for him. He was polite about his 2 hour stay there and said it was nice, but the activities were geared for younger kids. I asked if he could move to the 6-8 group, but that was not possible as he was on the younger side of 5. In any case, I saw many kids in and out of Camp all week with many happy parents so I have no doubt that they do a great job...the age grouping just didn't work for my DS but every child is different. I tried to encourage him to go a few more times, but he wasn't interested and so we decided to just enjoy our time with him and not worry about it. I think if he had gone back a couple times he would have made a buddy or two and would want to stay in Camp, but he was too excited about being on the ship, exploring it with us, swimming etc. so we didn't want to force him.

 

Both kids loved the mini golf area and just walking around the various parts of the ship. The library and arcade were a big hit and we spent many hours there. DS (5) loved the waterslide (height requirement 42 inches). It ends in a shallow area so you don't need to know how to swim in order to use it. It is right next to the pool so of course you have to always supervise. The hot tub next to the waterslide was full of kids and DS loved 'swimming' there and making friends. (There is an adult only pool and adult only hot tubs at the aft and a serenity kids free deck also, so it seemed to work well in the sense that the kids concentrated themselves into only some of the hot tubs, leaving others 'kids free'. One observation is that the hot tubs are not hot but just warm and the jets are not very strong. So that works out OK for the kids, as I would have concerns over DS spending a long time there otherwise. For the adults, I have to say that the whirlpool bath in the suite was much better! The reason a lot of kids use the hot tub, by the way, is that the pools are too deep to stand and so the kids that are 5-7 tend to favor the hot tub as they are still learning to swim. I mention this only because I know this was a controversial issue on some posts and while I have no strong opinion I realized that what ships need is a 2.5- 3 foot deep pool...that would keep the kids out of the hot tubs! I dont want this to turn into a *'kids in the hot tub post' so I just wanted to mention my observations. DS loved the splash and play area also. And in case anyone is wondering whether children that are still in diapers are allowed in the pool, I saw a crew member very nicely ask a mom to take her baby out of the water because he wasn't potty trained. So they do enforce it.

 

More to come soon in the categories of:

4) Rooms and Safety

5) Food:

6) Ports:

[CapsR1]

Off to a great start, can't wait to hear more!!!

[MentalVacation]

Looking forward to reading more. We're sailing with our kids for the first time. Similar ages to yours (2 and 5 when we sail)....can't wait! but have some of the same anxieties/worries. :)

[Ashera0]

Thanks CapsR1 and MentalVacation. Glad this is helpful! Part 2 is on the way shortly!

[Ashera0]

...So continuing the review...

4) Rooms and Safety:

Before the cruise I obsessed over whether I was making the right decision to take two young kids on a cruise. DH and I love cruising and missed doing so, but my DS (5) is always pushing the limits in terms of his athletic abilities and a bit of a daredevil and well my DS (1.5) is in the climbing phase, so once I booked the cruise I actually had nightmares where one of them went overboard. All the moms reading this with young kids will totally relate I am sure, as there is no worse thought...Sigh. So the good news....the ship is built in a way that it would be very difficult for a child to go overboard. I was very conscious of this question the whole time and did not see a single place where there was a gap in a railing big enough for a little one to squeeze through. The same goes for the indoor stairways, atrium area etc...everywhere the railings were high and either solid to the floor or with bars spaced close enough together. Of course, that didn't take away from watching my kids, but I wasn't a nervous wreck!*

 

My other big fear was the balcony. My husband gets claustrophobic so we needed one, but I was so worried. I gave DS a lecture beforehand that actually sunk in and he observed for the whole cruise that he had to have a grown up with him on the balcony and could not stand on furniture. He was actually quite fearful and understood the consequences. The balcony door is very heavy and has a latch that is at about six feet. And in a cabin setting it is not hard to be watching the kids always...the furthest you can go away is the restroom :-) and as a rule we kept the balcony latch always on. In any case, the balcony itself has solid plexiglass (or some kind of see through solid tempered glass) up to a round wood rail that is about 45 inches high...a couple inches higher than my 5 year old who is tall for his age and much higher than any toddler. So again, just keep the door latched and follow the rule that an adult has to be with a child on the balcony at all times. I thought I would be on edge the whole cruise about the balcony, but this turned out to be a non-issue also. I bought door alarms to attach to the balcony doors but never felt the need to used them.*

 

I brought outlet plugs but didn't need them. The outlets are above the vanities out of reach.

I did empty out the minibar contents into a cabinet and used a cabinet latch to keep it closed and that was very useful.Just one of those latches that keeps both door handles tied together. It kept my 1.5 year old from pulling out the small liquor bottles. We kept the fridge stocked with milk cartons. They have 2 percent milk and chocolate milk cartons on the lido deck. No whole milk unfortunately.

 

There were no sharp edges on the furniture to worry about. The balcony door was so heavy, so *we did have to keep an eye on that in terms of fingers getting jammed.

 

Having the bathtub in the suite was great to allow for baths. The kids loved the towel animals and chocolates. The beds were so comfortable and the bedding was really nice.*

 

DEFINITELY bring a power strip. Thanks to cruise critic for that recommendation!! We needed to keep the camp phone charged, the walkie talkies, baby monitor, portable DVD player etc. It was a lifesaver.

 

We packed based on three nights instead of seven and did laundry on day 4 and the last day. Just bring two rolls of quarters. Detergent costs $1, washer $3 and dryer $3. The washers take a good bit of laundry so one load will suffice. It was so easy and convenient and it wad nice to pack clean clothes on the last day instead of dirty ones.

 

In terms of safety in the ports, for the Cabo stop you have to use a tender to get to shore but it is a fairly sturdy large one so I was less concerned. We did take a water*taxi in Cabo though and I had both my kids in life vests that I had purchased for them. The water taxis are just these old low fishing boats and I would have had a heart attack if they didn't have those life vests on. They go fast and are bumpy. So if you are planning any shore excursions that involve water and have kids that can't swim yet or not well, definitely buy some life vests. It was a real pain to pack them and lug them around Cabo but my kids don't swim yet (or just barely in terms of 5yo) so taking any risks was not an option.

 

The kids are given wristbands during the muster drill that have their muster station. I had a permanent marker and wrote the cabin number on the bracelet of my 1.5 yo since he is too young to say his full name when asked

 

So, as you can tell, I am a worrywart when it comes to safety, and I can really say that with a few precautions I felt that my kids were as safe on the cruise as they would be at a resort hotel on land and I DIDN'T spend the whole cruise on edge!! All that said, of course it will be much easier to travel as they get older but that goes for any vacation.

 

More coming tomorrow (after DS and I buy his backpack and lunch box for kindergarten...big day!!!:)) Up next will be*5) Food and*6) Ports.

[kazbar]

Looking forward to the rest of your review :)

[Ashera0]

5) Food:

LIDO BUFFET:

The breakfast on the Lido was pretty much the same every day. Small danish and croissants (not so great), individual size cereal boxes with a good selection for kids (fruit loops, lucky charms, special k, corn flakes, frosted flakes, cheerios), fruit, boiled eggs, toast and bagels that were toasted but sort of soft and mushy from sitting out, jams, cream cheese, scrambled eggs (awful), pancakes (cardboard)..didn't try the bacon, omelet station is good, also some cold cuts and cheese. So the breakfast was nothing to write home about, but you can put together a decent meal and lots that the kids like. My DS 1.5 was up around 6.30amso I often took him up to Lido to eat while I had a coffee and then took a tray back to the room for DS 5. The Lido is so nice and empty early in the morning. One less meal to have to manage as a long sit-down affair, so we all just sort of grabbed something when we could.

 

The lunch at the Lido wad OK with different selections every day. DS 5 lived off cheese pizza and hot dogs from the Grill. The Grill also makes burgers with all the fixings and nachos. The pizza is decent and popular. Needless to say both kids loved the ice-cream machine. The Lido has a Mongolian Wok but the line is impossible, so I only tried it once on a port day when everyone was off the ship. You pick your noodles, veggies and meat and they stir fry it up. I chose the Szechuan sauce which was super hot but delicious. So if you have time, stand I line.

 

I mostly ate at 1) the tandoori grill in the aft close to the Lido or 2) the rotisserie on the second floor of the Lido. Both are really good. The tandoori always has chicken, Indian rice and naan bread that is super crispy, warm and fresh. The rotisserie chicken is good and comes with corn, mac'n'cheese, cornbread etc. I liked the deserts at the Lido. Always a good selection. The Lido also has a Burrito bar but I didn't manage to try it.

 

LUNCH AT GOLD PEARL:

We only managed lunch once at the Gold Pearl with DS 1.5 asleep in the stroller. We wished we had managed it more often. It was delightful. I had a fried calamari appetizer, linguini in tomato sauce for the main dish and a delicious 'ice cream jacques' for desert that had little pieces of candied fruit on it...super yummy. If I didn't have to balance 2 kids, naps etc. I would definitely pick the dining room over the Lido every day for lunch. I think it is only open on sea days for lunch, by the way.

 

DINNER AT BLACK PEARL:

We were assigned our own table for 5. First I'll get some minor criticisms out of the way.

-Often the appetizer soups arrived lukewarm

-a few times they forgot an appetizer or brought the wrong one. When asked for the correct order, the waiter mumbled something about trying to get it but it never showed up.

-when we asked for the kids menu, the waiter just rattled off a few items on the menu. Only one night out of seven did we actually SEE a kids menu.

So the service by the main waiter was not great although he was nice. I am sure it was just the luck of the draw and he was definitely working hard.*

That said, we enjoyed our meals there. I can't compare to the old menus because I hadn't sailed Carnival for 5 years. My DS 5 and I had the warm chocolate melting cake every night. Yummy!!! I liked the chateaubriand, also lots of yummy main dishes with shrimp and seafood.

Pass on the lasagna...not so great.*DS 5 and DS 1.5 ordered chicken nuggets and French fries every night but I also got them sides of steamed veggies, so they got all the food groups. DS 5 did well sitting through the whole dinner and sometimes watched parts of a movie on the portable DVD with headphones but mostly just chatted with us. DS 1.5 had a hard time sitting in the high chair after 20 minutes no matter what, so we had to take turns getting up and walking with him. The waiters all loved him and took turns talking to him which also helped a lot, but it was nevertheless challenging. It was definitely still worth it!

 

Last up in this review...6)PORTS coming soon

[Ashera0]

Where does the time fly? I still need to finish this review. Last up:

6) Ports:

The ship stops in Cabo for 2 days. On the first day my DH got up early and got us tender tickets and at about 10am we headed down to floor 0 to get on the tender. It was decently easy to get on even with a stroller (mcclaren folding) and two kids in the life vests I had bought them. It was very hot. When we got to the pier we decided to take a taxi to Medano beach. The taxi turned out to be a water taxi. Boy was I glad my kids had the life vests on. They go fast and sit low and the ride was bumpy. You have to sort of jump of the boat at the beach but there are men standing there to help you down. We sat at one of the beach restaurants. You get free beach chaise lounges and umbrellas as long as you order some drinks. I have to say now that Medano was NOT a good experience for us. The air was stifling, the restaurant was blaring really loud techno music, the sand was really hot and vendors were standing in front of us every 3 seconds so we constantly had to shake our heads and say no gracias. DH took DS 5 to swim and came back after a little while complaining that the water gets deep really quick and there is a heavy undertow so he didn't feel it was safe to swim while holding DS. Younger DS 1.5 was just crying as it was uncomfortable, hot, loud etc. So within half an hour we were on a taxi back to the ship. Oh I forgot to mention that in the middle of all this the waiters at the restaurant did this little dance on a platform that was definitely not appropriate for kids. I have read reviews of parents with little kids enjoying Medano, so perhaps our spot was just not so great although when I looked up and down the beach it was more of the same. I have traveled a lot in Mexico both at beach areas and inland through many parts of the mainland, so it isn't that we don't adapt easily, but this was not our cup of tea! I would not recommend Medano beach if you have young kids especially those 5 and under just IMHO.

 

By comparison we had a nice visit in Puerto Vallarta. We took a cab to the downtown, did some souvenir shopping, visited the old cathedral, ate ice creams and ambled around.

 

That wraps up this review!

[joeyancho]

Thanks for the positive review. We will be sailing her in 20 days. Can't wait.

[gelo7]

Nice review, thanks for sharing.